Me and my fantasy world

Chapter 211: Blessing Ceremony

In the morning, the sky is bright.

In the imperial study, the eldest prince closed the memorial with a haggard look and placed it on his right hand side. The remaining lamp on the table had just burned out.

On the right was a mountain of memorials, and on the left was Prime Minister Lee, who was fast asleep on the table.

Looking at Li Xiang's frowning face while sleeping, the eldest prince had a worried look on his face and sighed quietly.

"Your Highness." A eunuch's sharp voice came from outside the imperial study.

"What's the matter?" The eldest prince asked in confusion. Li Xiang, who was beside him, was also awakened by the eldest prince's voice and hurriedly got up.

"Your Excellency, please go and pay your respects..." Before the eunuch's voice could be finished, a loud fall was suddenly heard.

"Who is it!" Li Xiang exclaimed and quickly stood up to stand in front of the eldest prince.

The door slowly opened. Sheila was carrying an emerald green wooden bow, with a quiver hanging behind her waist. She was wearing light armor and holding a bow and arrow in her right hand. However, Sheila's symbolic elf pointed ears had disappeared, replaced by a pair of ordinary human ears.

Behind Sheila, a eunuch fell to the ground with an arrow stuck in his back. Strangely, no blood was flowing out of his body, and his eyelids were still shaking slightly, making him look like he was fast asleep.

Xuela's emerald green eyes immediately fell on Li Xiang, and she raised the long arrow in her hand and was about to stab Li Xiang.

"Wait! He is mine!" The eldest prince exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this.

The long arrow hit the cloth on Li Xiang's chest. Li Xiang could even feel the sharp blade on the arrow. His eyes were always on Xuela, fearing that if he missed a moment, he would die.

Xuela glared at the eldest prince, then slowly moved her gaze back to Li Xiang. After hesitating for two or three seconds, she let go of the long arrow against Li Xiang's chest, put the long arrow into the quiver behind her waist, and looked back at the eldest prince: "You can't participate in today's sacrificial ceremony. If the imperial city loses you, it will be leaderless."

"Who are you?" Although Xuela let Li Xiang go on the advice of the eldest prince, Li Xiang was very suspicious of the origin of the girl in front of him, fearing that she was a spy planted by the "Ramo" organization.

"He is Xueyan's friend. I met her when I went to visit her some time ago when she was in a coma." The eldest prince said, slowly standing up and coming in front of Xuela. "However, my answer to your request is the same as my answer to Li Xiang last night. I must go to the sacrificial ceremony."

"Why? If anything happens to you, the imperial city will collapse." Sheila asked in confusion.

"Because you and Xueyan are in the imperial city. It is because of you that I dare to take this risky move." The eldest prince laughed, "The person you should focus on protecting now should be my sister, not me. I can fall into the hands of the enemy, but she must not fall into the God Worship Cult."

Seeing the eldest prince's confident look, Sheila was puzzled: "Could it be that you already knew I would come in the morning?"

"To be precise, I expected that one of Xueyan's friends would come to find me, but I didn't accurately predict you." The eldest prince said self-deprecatingly, "Awu was able to return halfway, thanks to your tip-off. A team with such information collection capabilities only needed a moment to know that I was attending the sacrificial ceremony. And you came to stop me because I was attending the ceremony."

Sheila stared at the eldest prince seriously and said calmly, "Do you have anything to bring to us?"

"Smart. There are spies everywhere in the palace. If I just talk to you casually, it will definitely arouse their suspicion. It is better for you to wait for a suitable opportunity to eliminate all the spies around, and then come to me." The eldest prince smiled.

"You actually calculated that I have already dealt with all the bastards nearby? As expected, what Xiao... Xueyan said was right, you are a smart man." Xuela crossed her hands on her chest, holding a pair of heavy water balls, and nodded with satisfaction.

However, the eldest prince still looked at Sheila seriously and said, "Let's talk business. You should figure out the formation of the siege army this time."

Sheila nodded: "Yes, we have figured out most of the types of troops, their numbers, and their locations."

The eldest prince nodded after hearing this: "That's good. What about the alien army of 3,000 people? You should have their information as well."

Sheila smiled and said, "Of course, the army of 3,000 people is composed of a group of demons. I think they are the most difficult army for you to deal with."

"Three thousand demon troops?" Li Xiang exclaimed in shock.

The desperate brother and sister finally merged into one, and the alien species they transformed into was the demon race. At that time, even Zero One was in a tough battle. If it weren't for Zero One's final effort to turn the tide, the imperial city would probably have become a ruin now.

But outside the imperial city, there are three thousand people gathered, three thousand demon troops. Just one person has the power to destroy a city. The deterrent power of three thousand people can be imagined.

But the eldest prince was not surprised: "Looking at your confident look, there should be a way to solve it."

Xuela nodded: "Yes, we have a way to prevent them from participating in the battle. We have helped His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to remove the strongest obstacle. Would His Royal Highness also like to give us a gift in return?"

The eldest prince closed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "It's not only Awu who came to support us, but also Mr. He, the former founding hero and the Imperial Heavy Sword. In addition, I also have a way to defeat the 20,000 adventurers before they even fight. Is this good enough?"

When Sheila heard that the Second Prince was not the only one coming to support them, she raised her eyebrows slightly. When she heard that the First Prince had a way to defeat a formation of 20,000 adventurers, and even a way to defeat them before the battle, she immediately smiled and said, "You are worthy of being our Crown Prince. You have solved our urgent problem. If it were just ordinary soldiers, we could resist them. But with a formation of 20,000 adventurers, all kinds of magics are unleashed all over the sky, even we can't hold on."

"Our Andressa defenders are in the same situation. Facing a group of 20,000 adventurers, an army of ordinary people will surely end up fleeing in all directions." The eldest prince said self-deprecatingly, "I threw myself into the trap this time to lower their defenses so that they can focus on the war and Prime Minister Li can start his investigation."

Xuela looked at the eldest prince in surprise. His eyes were full of determination. His eyes did not show the will to fight to the death, but were full of confidence that everything was under control. Xuela immediately exclaimed softly, "Do you want to check..."

"I admit that there is an element of gambling, but if we want to make the 20,000 adventurers lose their fighting spirit, we have to start from here."

……

The sky gradually brightened.

The eldest prince, dressed in gorgeous clothes, slowly stepped out of the sedan chair. The cloudless sky made the sun particularly scorching.

At this time, the eldest prince had already left the imperial city in a sedan chair and came to the open space outside the imperial city. A torch platform was set up here, and the eight trigrams were built with wood, arranged in a rotation around the central platform. Looking down from the sky, it was a standard eight trigrams formation.

The center of the formation was glittering, and a closer look revealed that the ground in the Bagua formation was covered with black pebbles, which looked shiny under the sunlight. Then several eunuchs, carrying bamboo baskets and ladles, walked into the formation barefoot, scooped out the black powder from the bamboo baskets bit by bit, and sprinkled it on the ground.

The powder stayed in the air for a moment after being sprinkled, covering the cobblestones like a veil. However, the wooden Bagua pattern and the central torch platform were not stained by the powder.

The platform where the eldest prince was located was outside the Bagua formation, about five meters high, and the outline of the Bagua could be clearly seen.

After the eldest prince took his seat, the two guards still stood by, one on the left and one on the right behind the eldest prince, keeping a vigilant eye on the surroundings. The strange thing was that the podium was full of tables, a rough count showed there were more than six or seven, but at this time, apart from the eldest prince and the two guards, no one else was present.

The eldest prince did not take it to heart. He picked up the tea bowl on the table and drank it slowly. But just as he was drinking the tea, the guard behind him suddenly squatted down, put his hand on the eldest prince's hand holding the tea bowl, and shook his head gently.

The eldest prince smiled slightly, stretched out his other hand, and gently patted the guard's hand, indicating that he was relieved. The guard then reluctantly moved his hand away and watched the eldest prince slowly drink the tea in the tea bowl.

"Your Highness, aren't you afraid that there's poison in there?" The guard frowned, but couldn't help but asked.

"Don't worry." The eldest prince only answered with four words, then curiously looked at the Bagua Formation under the platform.

At this time, another guard was looking around and slowly said, "This place looks empty, and this Bagua formation looks particularly abrupt. If there is a conflict, it will definitely become a battlefield beacon, causing thieves to swarm in."

"Did you detect an ambush?"

"We haven't found any movement of the enemy troops yet, but the dense forest in the distance seems particularly quiet. There is a high probability that something is hidden there."

Bang! The tea bowl knocked gently on the table, interrupting the two guards' mumbling. The eldest prince sighed and said, "If Ah Wu was here at this moment, it would be great. If he were here, he would definitely tell me the location and number of the ambush troops, so I could think of a way to escape. Now we can only take it one step at a time."

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps were heard on the stairs behind him. The Minister hurried upstairs and bowed respectfully to the eldest prince: "Your Highness, everything is ready. Let's start the sacrificial ceremony immediately."

The eldest prince sighed and said, "May my generals who died defending the borders and homeland eventually return to this shelter. Let us begin."

"Yes." The Shangshu said, bent down, stepped back, and walked down the stairs again.

When the Minister walked out again, and only the Crown Prince and two guards were left on the platform, the Crown Prince turned around again and asked, "How many people are leaving the palace with me this time?"

Hearing the eldest prince's question, the two guards behind him were embarrassed, but not tangled or twisted emotions, but full of shame and confusion. After hesitating for a moment, one guard couldn't help but said: "Already, follow your highness's orders, the number of people accompanying this time... is less than a hundred..."

The guard bowed his head in shame and reported, but the eldest prince smiled slightly: "Don't worry, this trip is bound to be dangerous. Leave some living forces behind and wait for Xueyan to come back and command. Maybe it will be effective."

"Your Highness, do you really trust that wild boy from the countryside?" the guard questioned. "It is true that he is extremely capable, but after the miracle of rebuilding the imperial city, he was bedridden for more than a month. Although he is called a "hero" by the people, he is only a personal achievement after all. The battlefield changes rapidly, and it is not something that can be changed by one person."

"That's true, but the army I let Xueyan command is not our army." The eldest prince smiled confidently.

The two guards behind him looked at each other and looked at the eldest prince in confusion: "Your Highness, are you really sure that Xueyan has a plan to defeat the enemy?"

The eldest prince picked up the tea and drank it again: "Xueyan should also know her limits. She must know her own shortcomings. If she wants to learn from others' strengths and make up for her weaknesses, she just needs to find the right person."

After the eldest prince finished speaking, he put the tea bowl down again, but the tea bowl was placed at the corner of the table. Looking in the direction of the tea bowl, it was the dense forest that made the two guards suspicious.

If you go straight in that direction, you will reach the border area.

The two guards immediately understood: "You mean, the Second Prince?"

The eldest prince smiled and said, "Let's wait and see. This is a gamble with one's life at stake. If it is right, then the chronic disease that has plagued our dynasty for years will be eradicated; if it is wrong, it will only be the downfall of our generation. I believe that in the future, future generations will be able to rebuild the dynasty."

The two guards looked at each other, the doubts on their faces gradually dissipated, and turned into a determination to face death.

"But speaking of which, have you informed the hundred people we brought today about what to do next?" the eldest prince asked again.

"Your Highness, the hundred people named have all taken care of their funerals. I hope Your Highness doesn't need to worry." The guard immediately reported in a firm tone.

"Really? That's good. It's a pity that the great men of our dynasty didn't die heroically on the battlefield, but were trapped in the country."

……

Boom, boom.

After a while, the dull sound of drums began to sound intermittently.

In the Bagua formation, a man dressed in feather clothes, wearing a ferocious mask, holding a whisk and a feather fan, moved lightly into the formation, sometimes jumping up, sometimes moving, just like a wizard performing rituals in old times.

The wizard circled the Bagua formation on the cobblestone ground and finally came to the central torch platform.

He inserted the whisk into his waist, raised his hands above his head, held the feather fan with his palms facing up, and then slowly lowered it forward. There was a buzzing sound under the mask, as if he was chanting a spell.

After a long while, the man put the feather fan into his arms, pulled out the whisk from his waist, and waved it towards the torch platform: "Go!"

boom!

The torch platform suddenly caught fire as the whisk was waved.

The strange thing is that as the torch burned, the eight trigrams surrounding it also resonated and ignited a raging flame. However, whether it was the torch or the trigrams, no thick black smoke was produced when burning, but instead a light white smoke rose.

The man turned around, faced the eldest prince on the dais, bowed, and made way to the side.

"Crown Prince, please." The voice of the Minister sounded from the bottom of the high stairs.

The eldest prince also understood what he meant, and immediately stood up and tried to walk down the platform. The guards beside him wanted to follow him, but he raised his hand to stop them: "You two stay here and observe, don't worry about me."

"Yes..." The two guards had no choice but to bow their heads respectfully.

The eldest prince smiled slightly, and followed the guards on the stairs to the Lord Shangshu. Under the guidance of the Lord Shangshu, he came to the front of the Bagua Formation.

At this time, the wood used to build the hexagram had gradually burned into a charcoal-like black color, and the white smoke became increasingly thicker, gradually forming a high snow-white wall. Looking forward along the cobblestones, the torch on the high platform in the center was already looming in the gradually accumulating white smoke.

The eldest prince adjusted his sleeves slightly, then walked barefoot on the cobblestones, slowly towards the torch in the center.

The pebbled ground was extremely slippery, but what was even more excruciating was the sharp edges that would dig deep into the soles of your feet, causing unbearable pain.

The eldest prince was tortured by the pain in his steps, but he did not show any difficulty. Although he walked slowly, he still moved forward steadily, trying his best to keep his body steady.

As the eldest prince gradually walked towards the center, the thick white smoke gradually enveloped the eldest prince's vision. He could no longer see the road behind him. The only thing in his sight was the faint light from the torches in the distance.

The eldest prince walked on this cobblestone road, which was only more than ten meters long, for an unknown amount of time before he finally arrived at the center of the formation.

In front of the eldest prince, the man wearing a ferocious mask held a feather fan in one hand and placed it on his chest, and held a whisk in the crook of his arm with the other hand, with the palm holding the whisk bent into the shape of an orchid finger.

At this time, the eldest prince's vision was completely occupied by the thick white smoke, and he could only see the masked man and the torch on the platform.

The masked man turned to the eldest prince and asked in a heavy voice: "I am the god of protection who protects Andressa, the ruler of the royal bloodline. Do you know your crime?"

At this moment, the masked man seemed to be possessed, and his voice was broad and cheerful, as if it was ringing directly in his head.

The eldest prince bowed respectfully and said, "I was incompetent in governing, which led to the invasion of foreign enemies, the loss of soldiers and generals, and the destruction of my family. This is my fault. I also ask the gods to forgive those heroes who were ordered to station here but died on the battlefield. I will bear all the responsibility."

The masked man nodded slightly: "You are so sincere, I am deeply moved. In this case, I will help you to pray for the souls of the heroes who died in the battle." After that, the masked man waved the feather fan in his hand, and several blue star lights fell from the sky, surrounding the eldest prince and the masked man, gradually settling on the pebbles, and gradually accumulating, and various human figures emerged.

After the blue humanoid figure was formed, it lasted for a moment before turning into dust and falling onto the cobblestone ground...

The eldest prince also sighed, looked at the masked man and said, "My Lord God, may I ask you a question?"

The masked man looked at the eldest prince and replied softly, "Young ruler, what doubts do you have?"

The eldest prince smiled and said, "Confused? Not really. I expected most of the situations. I just want to ask a question: What is hidden under your feather robe?"

The masked man was stunned for a moment, then slowly lowered his head, reached out to hold the mask, and slowly took it off.

"The eldest prince is too smart, so he is likely to be envied."

Amidst the white smoke, several dark figures slowly emerged and quietly surrounded the eldest prince...