Chapter 1197 – [Battle Bell]
“Something huge has happened in the Unmoving City of Darkness. When the Divine Emperor was patrolling the garrisons of the Great Wall as usual, intruders suddenly entered in large numbers while some people aroused internal disorder. The Great Wall was invaded and the Divine Emperor was attacked by several sovereign-level experts. He was brought away through the sky and his whereabouts are currently unknown. The military adviser thus ordered me to come here to report and seek help…” Lingyun hastily recounted what happened at the frontlines.
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyu knew that there was something wrong with this matter.
The Great Wall, a hundred fifty million kilometers in length, had guarded the frontlines of the Western Regions and stopped Invaders from the Chaotic Region without being broken through for countless years. It was definitely no coincidence that it was suddenly broken through today while Song Xiaojun encountered an astonishing surprise attack. This was most probably the joint efforts of several people.
Ye Qingyu recalled the head of the Sun clan’s earlier words – be careful of your own people.
Could this have been done by the nobles from the Guardian camp?
After thinking briefly, he came up with a general countermeasure.
Although he wanted to head for the Great Wall frontlines immediately, he had a few things to do before leaving.
…
…
Buzzz!
Successive bouts of thunderous noises were heard from the air above the army headquarters.
Countless people turned their sights upon hearing the noises.
“Something big has happened.”
“The [Battle Bell] of the army headquarters has been sounded. This is a call to arms made by a military bigshot. It has sounded sixty-four times already. All nobles who are marquises and above have to report to the headquarters…”
“No, that’s not right, it hasn’t ended yet, still sounding… eighty-one times already. All King-level nobles have to report in as well!”
“It’s still sounding… My gosh, one hundred and eight sounds, this… Even the military commander-level heavyweights have to report in as soon as possible. Only a contemporary sovereign is qualified to sound the [Battle Bell] one hundred and eight times. Could… this be the new Emperor?”
Countless people had their hearts in their mouths.
It had been a very long time since the [Battle Bell] was sounded for one hundred and eight times in succession.
This implied that the matter was definitely of super importance. Generally speaking, this was the case only for matters that involved life and death in the camp, meaning that war was about to befall and break out, and even Royal City would be affected.
Upon hearing these sounds, many commoners in the surroundings also felt nervous like never before as they looked toward the army headquarters.
As for the nobles with high military posts, they immediately rushed to the headquarters, daring not to be the least bit sluggish.
At this time, the gate of the sovereign’s usually-deserted main palace was opened for the in-rushing of various figures with vigorous auras and heavy armor. There was a hubbub within, caused by the fervent discussions among those nobles who had already arrived. They, too, had found it baffling that the [Battle Bell] would be sounded so suddenly, and wondered what important matter had happened.
“What’s going on?”
“Which sovereign was it that sounded the [Battle Bell]?”
“What happened? Why was the bell sounded one hundred and eight times in succession?”
As the Sky-reaching clan’s commander entered, he swept a glance across the crowd inside and asked loudly.
He was followed by dozens of King-level nobles.
At this time, the people who were qualified to enter the sovereign’s main palace, which was the nucleus of the military headquarters, were the elite nobles of high status in the camp, and each of them was a hero among their own faction. This was the first time that many of them had stepped into the sovereign’s main palace. After all, the last time that the [Battle Bell] was successively sounded for one hundred and eight times was so long ago that they had not been born yet.
It was very clamorous in the main palace.
However, there was nobody sitting on the lofty Emperor throne in the depths of the main palace.
Generally speaking, after a sovereign sounds the [Battle Bell], they would appear on the Emperor throne to receive the nobles, issue decrees, and implement their will. However, perhaps because not all of the nobles had arrived, the bell-sounding sovereign did not appear.
“It was the new Emperor who sounded the bell,” some people alleged.
By this time, Commander Sun Yi, Marquis Tingtao, Linghu Buxiu, and the others had already shown up.
The hubbub turned into silence at once.
Everyone knew that these people were the favorites of the new Emperor and illustrious beings among Royal City.
A beam of divine light flickered momentarily.
Ye Qingyu’s figure appeared on the Emperor throne in the depths of the palace.
An Emperor might began to spread.
All of the experts in the palace felt as though their hearts were being weighed down by a rock, causing them to be nearly suffocated at once. This was the first time many of them had seen a sovereign and a Martial Emperor-level being in person. Although Ye Qingyu did not deliberately give off his vigor, they trembled in fear and knelt down in the palace, finding it hard to withstand this sort of might.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
Marquis Tingtao and the others knelt and greeted loudly.
The other nobles, too, knelt and paid their respects immediately, while even the Sky-reaching clan commander, the Dark Feather clan commander, and the others did so after a brief hesitation. They had no choice. A Martial Emperor was not only a martial supreme being, but also a lord among beings. Given the iron-clad rules of Royal City that had always been, they could not violate the etiquette here.
After paying his respects, the Sky-reaching clan commander inwardly grunted before saying, “Your Highness, may I know what matter is it for that you sounded the [Battle Bell] one hundred and eight times and summoned us?”
Countless pairs of eyes looked at Ye Qingyu from both covert and overt places.
This was indeed the matter which many people were concerned about.
Ye Qingyu’s distant, mysterious, yet majestic voice was heard from the throne, “The defense lines at the Great Wall of the Western Regions has been broken. The Invaders killed their way from the Chaotic Region to the Dark Realm, as if with the momentum of a large river bursting through a dam. The front lines have called for help, requesting that I personally lead the troops there. Go get your arms ready, the army shall set off in three days.”
Hearing this, the nobles in the palace exchanged glances with one another.
The Dark Feather clan chief commander took a step forward, revealing a faint sneer on his face. “To think that it was for this small matter that you sounded the [Battle Bell]. This is a matter we have all heard about. It’s not of great importance, and can be taken care of by the penal battalions.” His tone was very calm.
The chief commander of the Sky-reaching clan also smiled. “Based on what I know, the breach is from the zone garrisoned by the Unmoving City of Darkness. Hence, the Emperor of the Unmoving City of Darkness is undeniably guilty of a serious crime. The army headquarters is already preparing to punish the Unmoving City of Darkness heavily and won’t show mercy. Don’t worry, Your Highness. Leave this insignificant matter to us.”
The other nobles also began to look relaxed.
They had never thought that the new Emperor’s sounding of the [Battle Bell] would be for this matter, and felt that he was making a mountain out of a molehill. The Great Wall border of the Western Regions was perennially at a state of war and gunfire, and was defended by the penal battalions. Being lofty nobles, they felt that it would be completely inglorious for them to do battle against the dirty and evil Invaders, much in the same way as it would be for a divine dragon to fight against maggots in the sewers.
For a time, the atmosphere in the main palace became jolly once again.
A few nobles felt slightly disdainful in their hearts, thinking that the new Emperor, being a country bumpkin from the tiny place that was Luoshen Ridge after all, had made such a big fuss about this matter because of his own lack of exposure. Involuntarily, their estimations of him lowered a few notches.
When the solemn-faced Marquis Tingtao saw the disdain of his associates, he hurriedly walked to the front and wanted to say a few words on behalf of Ye Qingyu…
Just then, Ye Qingyu’s majestic and serious voice was heard from the throne again…
“I wasn’t discussing things with you all, but issuing an order instead. There shall be no dispute. Within three days, all nobles who are Marquises and above shall send three hundred of their elite armored soldiers, those who are Kings and above shall send teh thousand, while chief commanders shall lead all of their elite forces to go to the Western Regions and defend the Great Wall. Any transgressor of this order shall be killed.”
His thunderous voice resounded without end.
At this time, the expressions of the high-level nobles in the palace were not as relaxed as earlier.
Because the main palace had not been under the command of a sovereign for a long time, the nobles had grown used to the army headquarters’ noisy way of doing things through compromise and exchange of benefits. As a result, they were somewhat not used to having someone issue orders like a dictator. Besides, the order would cost them a lot of bloodshed. It was highly evident that the sending of elite soldiers from their ranks to fight the Invaders at the Great Wall frontlines would be as irrecoverable as throwing meat buns at dogs. Furthermore, the command did not come from them, and so to comply with it would be a sign of the weakening of their power.
For a time, nobody responded, and the atmosphere was somewhat muted.
Without paying attention to these ill-intentioned nobles, Ye Qingyu continued, “There are fixed standards in terms of strength, cultivation, and birth for the selection of soldiers. Anyone who dares to send less than their best and falsify their compliance with this order had better think whether their neck is thicker than my sword.”
The killing intent and firmness in these words were as tough as divine steel.
The atmosphere in the main palace became ever more quiet.
Deathly silent, in fact.
A while later, the Sky-reaching clan commander coughed and cleared his throat before saying, “Your Highness, this order isn’t in line with the tradition of Royal City. Something like this has never happened before. The penal battalions will suffice for defending against Invaders. Why the need to send our soldiers recklessly?”
Since someone had taken the lead, the other nobles immediately chimed in.
“That’s right, this violates our traditions.”
“We’re powerful people and nobles. How can we be tasked with fighting against Invaders like those lowly Sinners? It’s their duty to guard the borders.”
“Humph, I think the issue of accountability is more important than the sending of troops. We should immediately arrest and heavily punish the leader of the Unmoving City of Darkness for allowing those Sinners to neglect their duties and thereby letting the Invaders break through. This will serve as a warning to those Sinners that they had better not let Invaders break through again.”
The nobles in the main palace began to state their views passionately.
The atmosphere abruptly became vehement.
Everything seemed to return to the rhythm and track they liked most. In particular, a few elderly nobles quoted from books in recounting the methods used by previous sovereigns to heavily suppress and subdue the Sinners in the past. Between the lines, what they were saying was that Ye Qingyu’s methods were unreasonable.
When the Sky-reaching clan commander glanced sideways at his Dark Feather clan counterpart, both of them revealed an understanding smile.
Sitting on the divine throne, Ye Qingyu was unsurprised when he saw this scene. Everything was as he had expected, and so he simply enunciated calmly, “First time.”
The first time?
First time of what?
The nobles in the palace were all taken aback.
