At this moment, the person closest to the explosion range was secondary wife Princess Ji Hui. She stood on the third step of the worship platform, over ten metres away from the blast.
When the explosion occurred, she only felt a massive force surge towards her, directly knocking her to the ground.
However, she was quickly caught and helped up by the officials behind her, and was not injured.
She watched with her own eyes as her husband Duke Lan Shi was blown to pieces, and then watched as Mo Ping, whom she hated, perished.
Her first feeling was fear, shock.
But immediately after, her eyes suddenly lit up, and her heart trembled. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Originally, she had already given up hope for her son’s bid for the throne.
Everyone knew that this time the crown prince, taking advantage of the Fury Wave Kingdom’s inaction, had sent out three hundred thousand troops to campaign against Rouran. Victory was certain.
Once the Ashi family was defeated and the Rouran homeland reclaimed, Crown Prince Lan Tu’s position could never be shaken again. Her son Lan Ye would have no chance whatsoever.
Therefore, in the previous month, she and Lan Ye had mobilised all their forces to desperately obstruct Crown Prince Lan Tu’s campaign plan. But in the end they had failed. Reclaiming Rouran and washing away national humiliation was the collective will of the entire Yelan Duchy from top to bottom.
But the scene before her eyes had once again turned the situation around.
These thoughts circulated in her mind, and in merely one second she made her move.
At this moment, everyone was in shock and stupefaction. She directly knelt on the steps and cried out, “The Duke has passed away, heaven has sent a warning!”
At these words, all the civil and military officials present trembled, then neatly knelt down on the steps.
Secondary wife Princess Ji Hui continued to kneel and kowtow, her voice rising, “The Duke has passed away, heaven has sent a warning!”
Most military officers of the Yelan Duchy supported Crown Prince Lan Tu, while most civil officials supported Marquis of Snow Lan Ye.
And those kneeling here now were mostly civil officials.
Soon, a second person shouted, “The Duke has passed away, heaven has sent a warning!”
A third, a fourth, a fifth…
Soon, several hundred people shouted in unison, “The Duke has passed away, heaven has sent a warning!”
At the same time, over a hundred mental power masters rapidly rushed onto the worship platform.
Several hundred warriors, over ten top experts, sprinted onto the worship platform.
Duchess Mo Ping was already dead, but her corpse was intact.
Duke Lan Shi’s corpse was already torn into pieces, and even his head was no longer whole.
On the worship platform, a deep pit remained, with no traces left now.
The white phosphorus had burned out, the gunpowder had burned out, the slaked lime had completely dissipated. The only thing remaining was completely transparent glass fragments.
However, these mental power masters and martial arts experts were looking for an assassin.
They searched every corner of the worship platform, but there was no sign of any assassin.
Moreover, none of the mental power masters detected any trace of an expert passing through.
Everyone present had seen clearly. Duke Lan Shi stood on the worship platform, drew his sword and shouted, then suddenly was blown to pieces.
That heaven-shaking explosion seemed to descend from the sky, yet also seemed to spring from the earth itself.
It was not any assassin, and no trace of any assassin was found.
The eunuch experts and mental power masters came before secondary wife Ji Hui and bowed, saying, “Madam, there is no assassin.”
Princess Ji Hui wept and said, “I was the closest and saw most clearly. It was a divine thunder sent down by heaven, transmitted through the Heaven Reaching Stele to strike the Duke dead. Heaven has sent a warning.”
At these words, everyone’s hearts trembled with shock.
They had come to worship heaven perfectly well, yet a divine thunder of warning descended from heaven. Why?
They must have done something wrong, angering the heavenly divine dragon.
But what exactly had they done wrong? The only matter now was the crown prince dispatching three hundred thousand troops to campaign against Rouran.
Of course, the crown prince dispatching troops was not wrong, but the timing was wrong, violating a taboo of the divine dragon.
Princess Ji Hui said, “Over a month ago I already said that May is the divine dragon’s holy birthday, and this year is also the three thousandth birthday of the Dragon Emperor. Campaigning is inauspicious. Some people simply would not listen, and in the end angered the heavenly divine dragon. The poor Duke still had to bear the sin for his son.”
If Soren were here, he would have been utterly astonished.
This, this could be connected. Truly impressive.
May is the divine dragon’s holy birthday, so one cannot campaign.
This year is the Dragon Emperor’s three thousandth birthday, so one also cannot campaign.
These were completely fabricated reasons. If truly needed, Soren could find one every single day.
Then, Princess Ji Hui wept and said, “Immediately collect the bodies of the Duke and Duchess. I must immediately go to the Dragon Temple to confess our sins, and request the High Priest’s enlightenment.”
The highest leader of the Dragon Temple in the Four Great Kingdoms was the Holy Priest, while in a duchy it was the High Priest.
Then, Princess Ji Hui, under the protection of several hundred experts and several thousand troops, proceeded in grand formation towards the Dragon Temple of Lan Du.
…
Two hours later!
“Oh… Princess, you, please don’t… ah…”
The Yelan Duchy Dragon Temple’s High Priest Yun Luo was pushed to the ground, his entire body trembling, his soul shuddering.
Because Princess Ji Hui, without a word, directly came up and pulled down his trousers, then mounted him.
In merely three minutes, High Priest Yun Luo went limp.
Secondary wife Princess Ji Hui raised her head. She was in her forties now, yet appeared alluring and charming.
“Princess, you, why do this?” High Priest Yun Luo said tremulously.
“Hmph…” Princess Ji Hui said coquettishly, “Then over twenty years ago, when studying at the Yanjing Dragon Temple, was it right for you to peep at me bathing?”
Instantly, High Priest Yun Luo sighed and said, “But after all, you are already married now, and I am also a High Priest.”
Princess Ji Hui cupped High Priest Yun Luo’s face and asked, “Luo, I am facing a life and death crisis. Will you help or not?”
High Priest Yun Luo said, “Our Dragon Temple does not interfere in secular power.”
Ji Hui said, “Then I will make our adultery public.”
At these words, Yun Luo’s expression changed, and he said, “But, but just now it was clearly you who directly rushed up. I could not resist…”
“Then why were you hard?” Princess Ji Hui said.
Instantly, High Priest Yun Luo’s face turned red, alternating between green and white.
Princess Ji Hui said, “Luo, your origins are not good, your background is not good. Originally you could not even climb to the position of priest in this lifetime. Why could you become High Priest? It was because over twenty years ago, you once secretly loved me, adored me.”
High Priest Yun Luo’s eyes narrowed.
Princess Ji Hui said, “My imperial brother the Yan Emperor continuously elevated your status so that I would have a powerful ally, allowing you to become the Yelan Duchy’s High Priest before the age of fifty. You do know this, don’t you?”
High Priest Yun Luo’s heart trembled. Of course he knew.
Ji Hui said, “Behind me stands the Yan Emperor. Just within the Dragon Temple alone, my niece Princess Ji Xiuning will one day become the Sky Priest. What to do, I need not teach you, right?”
High Priest Yun Luo remained silent.
Ji Hui said, “All these years, I have never asked you to do anything, because the time was not yet right. But now the time has come.”
High Priest Yun Luo closed his eyes, falling into a difficult struggle.
Ji Hui said, “I do not need you to do anything else, only to publicly announce that this time Duke Lan Shi’s death was a warning from heaven, a divine thunder descending from the sky.”
After several minutes, High Priest Yun Luo opened his eyes and nodded, “Very well.”
…
Duke Lan Shi’s death instantly swept through the entire Yelan Duchy like a tsunami.
The entire capital Lan Du was in panic, with countless speculations about Duke Lan Shi’s death.
Immediately after, the Dragon Temple’s High Priest Yun Luo publicly announced that Duke Lan Shi’s death involved no assassin whatsoever, but was a warning from heaven, a divine thunder descending from the sky.
Immediately after, Marquis of Snow Lan Ye and Princess Ji Hui tightened their grip on their mere twenty thousand troops, imposing martial law over the entire capital Lan Du.
All civil officials came out in full force.
Princess Ji Hui frequently visited the residences of high-ranking military officers remaining in the capital.
Those who would not let her in, she forcibly barged into.
Those who could be threatened or bribed, she threatened or bribed.
Those who could not be threatened or bribed, she directly stripped naked, pushed them down, and mounted them.
This noblewoman of high status, with a voluptuous figure and a charming face, for the sake of her son, did not hesitate to sell her body again and again.
In a short single day.
The entire upper echelon of Lan Du was left with only one voice. Duke Lan Shi’s death was a warning from heaven, a divine thunder descending from the sky.
Crown Prince Lan Tu leading three hundred thousand troops to campaign during the Dragon Emperor’s three thousandth birthday, during the divine dragon’s holy birthday in May, had angered the heavenly divine dragon.
And Duke Lan Shi had died in his son’s place!
That very night, countless civil officials submitted memorials, declaring that a nation could not be without a ruler for a single day. Since Crown Prince Lan Tu had already violated the divine dragon, they requested that Marquis of Snow Lan Ye immediately inherit the ducal throne.
As for Duke Lan Shi’s freshly stitched together yet still damaged corpse, completely no one paid it any attention.
…
After the sand in the hourglass ran out at twelve noon, the explosion did not sound, and Soren was somewhat nervous.
But three minutes later, the explosion sounded, reaching Soren’s ears a few seconds after.
With the explosion at this timing, Duke Lan Shi was certainly dead.
Soren said to Princess Zhi Yan, “Let’s go. If we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to.”
Then, the two immediately left Lan Du.
However, this time they rode a lion-tiger beast, not Soren’s but one Zhi Yan had prepared.
The two rode together. Moreover, Soren lay prone on Zhi Yan’s thighs.
“Is this… alright?” Soren asked.
“If you don’t want the wounds on your buttocks and thighs to split open, this is the only way.” Princess Zhi Yan said.
Thus, Soren comfortably lay on her plump, soft, smooth and fragrant thighs.
“How long did you prepare to kill Duke Lan Shi?” Princess Zhi Yan asked.
Soren said, “That gunpowder brick was prepared two months ago. And the experts who infiltrated Lan Du were arranged three months ago, simultaneously with those who entered Rouran.”
Zhi Yan glanced at Soren, who was lying prone on her thighs in such a sorry state.
That was to say, before Soren had even entered Rouran City, he had already planned to assassinate Duke Lan Shi.
That was to say, before Ashi Luo had even been destroyed, he had already guessed that the Yelan Duchy would invade with its entire national army, so he had long since planned how to save Rouran.
This was no longer calculating three moves ahead for every one move taken, but before even taking a step, he had already calculated all the subsequent moves.
“Your intelligence is truly astounding…” Princess Zhi Yan said.
“I thought you were going to say frightening.” Soren said.
“You are too偏执重情, so there is no need to be frightened.” Zhi Yan said.
Soren sighed and said, “Actually, Zhi Li’s reaction this time has greatly disappointed me. I had thought he would be a person of great talent and bold vision.”
This time when Ashi Liren sought aid from Zhi Li, if he had acted decisively and immediately sent troops to rescue.
Then there would be no matter concerning Soren now, and Ashi Liren would never stand on Zhi Yan’s side.
But more importantly, no matter how one put it, Rouran City was still a vassal of the Fury Wave Kingdom. With the Yelan Duchy invading with its entire national army, the national army should have acted without hesitation to resist the foreign enemy and defend the territory.
Yet Zhi Li, because of internal strife, actually sat by and watched the thousand li of Rouran province fall.
Should this be considered “deal with internal affairs before external threats”? Or “better to give to a foreign friend than to a family slave”.
Zhi Yan said, “If he were not such a person, he would not have grown so powerful.”
Others could not understand Zhi Yan’s words, but Soren could.
Zhi Li rode on momentum. He was first favoured by the Dragon Temple and the Hidden Continent, obtaining massive support, and thereby gained the support and allegiance of the vassals and nobles.
To put it bluntly, he was the interest representative of the Dragon Temple, the Hidden Continent, the nobles, and the vassals.
Once he became king, the fall of the Fury Wave Kingdom would be imminent, and complete subjugation under the Dragon Temple’s control would also be imminent.
Soren suddenly asked, “Zhi Yan, if I wanted to spank your bottom, would you let me?”
Zhi Yan said, “Why? As punishment, or as flirtation?”
“Sigh…” Soren sighed.
“I would let you. You could do it right now if you wanted.” Zhi Yan said.
“Sigh…” Soren sighed even deeper.
When Soren told Ashi Liren he wanted to spank her bottom, she had beaten him half to death, with an unprecedentedly fierce reaction.
But when he told Zhi Yan about spanking her bottom, she calmly said he could do it right now.
These two women were equally beautiful, but Zhi Yan’s celestial aura was truly too strong.
Immediately after, Soren recalled his bet with Ashi Liren, and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
Ashi Liren was not only a fairy, but also a demoness. The femininity about her was so intense and captivating.
Her bottom was plump and round, like snow and fat. Truly spanking it once would really make one’s soul depart.
Thus, Soren, carrying fantasies and longing, rode the lion-tiger beast, galloping towards Helan Pass in Rouran province.
“Ashi Liren, wash your bottom and wait for me!”
…
At Helan Pass, the gateway to Rouran, the place of decisive battle between both sides!
Ashi Liren gazed at the devastated battlefield.
Blood was everywhere, corpses were everywhere.
The original sixty thousand defenders within Helan Pass were now less than twenty thousand, and almost every one of them was wounded.
They had been fighting continuously for days and nights.
These less than twenty thousand wounded soldiers were already utterly exhausted.
The next wave of assault would begin in half an hour.
Ashi Liren could even foresee that Crown Prince Lan Tu only needed to send thirty thousand troops to breach Helan Pass.
Yet Crown Prince Lan Tu had prepared fifty thousand elite troops, well rested for many days, like tigers about to leave their cage.
Helan Pass was destined to fall.
The incomparably beautiful Ashi Liren looked up at the sky and sighed, “Soren, the final deadline has arrived, Helan Pass is about to fall, my bottom is also washed, but perhaps you will only be able to see my corpse.”