Eternal God Emperor: Only I Am Emperor One

Chapter 37 Night Rain Queen's Temple

Tianmo Ridge is an ancient mountain range that stretches for 120,000 miles. The Tongming River flows directly to the sea at its foot, and the mountain is full of spiritual energy. It is like a great dragon lying on the shore of the East China Sea.

This majestic mountain range was once the territory of savage beasts. It wasn't until three hundred years ago, when the army of the First Central Empire arrived and slaughtered hundreds of millions of savage beasts, driving the remaining beasts into the depths of the wilderness, that human kingdoms were gradually established in Tianmo Ridge.

Even today, the vast Tianmo Ridge, stretching for 120,000 li, remains largely a primitive and barren wasteland, with the thirty-six prefectures and kingdoms built along the mountainside occupying less than a third of the area.

West of Tianmo Ridge, there are nine major prefectures and kingdoms, known as the Nine Prefectures of Lingxi. Among them is a lower-ranking prefecture and kingdom called Yunwu Prefecture and Kingdom.

The Yunwu Kingdom covers an area of ​​nearly 10,000 li, has a population of over 80 million, and controls over a hundred cities of various sizes.

Unlike the thirty-six prefectures of the Eastern Divine Land, the various counties and kingdoms of the Eastern Region were established through a system of enfeoffment. The court of the First Central Empire bestowed upon them three ranks of princes, representing the court in managing a region, and they were regional lords.

Located 280 li north of Guanchao City, the largest city in the western part of Yunwu County, lies Baima Mountain.

Thick, inky clouds covered the sky and earth. Under the cover of night, the stars and moon were obscured, leaving only torrential rain pouring down from the heavens. Occasionally, flashes of lightning would pierce the desolate night, illuminating the only path leading up the mountain.

The Queen's Temple, nestled in the mountain valley, guards this strategically important military route.

On the altar stood a majestic empress in imperial robes and a crown, holding a long sword, gazing ahead with unparalleled majesty and awe-inspiring presence.

Empress Chi Yao unified the five regions of Kunlun Realm and was revered as the Greatly Powerful and Virtuous Holy Empress. When the thirty-six prefectures of Tianmo Ridge were first established, countless temples dedicated to the Empress were built in various places to show respect.

Beneath the clay statue of Empress Chi Yao, on both the left and right sides, are six statues, all tall and imposing, representing the twelve Heavenly Kings who founded the empire under the Empress's command.

The twelve founding Heavenly Kings followed Empress Chi Yao in her campaigns across the north and south, achieving remarkable military exploits. Each of them was granted the title of a superior Heavenly King.

Yunwu County was under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Region Holy King's Palace. When the local holy temple was built, it naturally had some hidden intentions, placing the statue of the Eastern Region King to the right of Empress Chi Yao.

The summer night rain was torrential, like the Milky Way pouring down from the heavens. Fortunately, the temple was not built with any shortcuts, so even after more than a hundred years, it can still shelter passersby from the wind and rain.

The firewood crackled and popped as it burned, the earthenware pot used for boiling medicine was blackened by the smoke, and the air was filled with a strong smell of herbs, mixed with the stench of blood and decay, making one want to vomit.

The main hall of the temple is quite spacious, with thirty or forty people sitting together.

They were wrapped in strips of cloth, and blood seeped through the burlap. In the sweltering summer heat, many of their wounds had become infected and emitted a putrid stench.

Three people were sitting next to a medicine pot closest to the statue of Empress Chi Yao; they were the leaders of this group.

Between the two burly men was a beautiful young woman of sixteen or seventeen, with fair skin and distinct features. Unlike the delicate beauty of a well-bred lady, this woman clearly possessed martial arts skills, and her eyes and brows exuded a wildness.

She wore a light purple outfit with a bluebird pattern, her two breasts were quite impressive, forming a striking contrast with her slender waist.

The courtesans in Guanchao City often dressed provocatively, with barely any clothing, in order to evoke men's pity.

The woman in purple, who was sitting under the statue of Empress Chi Yao, was completely covered up, but the beautiful lines outlined by her clothes were more likely to arouse men's desire to explore than the openness of brothels.

"Of the two thousand members of the White Horse Gang, these are the only brothers left now." The middle-aged man sitting to the left of the woman in purple sighed as he looked at his wounded brothers. He looked to be in his fifties, nearly ten feet tall, with unusually large ears, quite different from the average person's physique.

His name is Lei Kaishan. He belongs to the Savage Elephant Half-Human Race and is naturally stronger than ordinary people. He ranks third among the nine Earth Realm experts of the White Horse Gang and is known as Third Master Lei.

The brothers in the White Horse Gang respectfully called him the Third Boss.

The woman added firewood to the bottom of the earthenware pot, simmering wild herbs she had gathered from the mountains, and asked, "Forty years ago, how many brothers did my maternal grandfather and third grandfather have when they swore brotherhood in this Queen's Temple?"

“Miss Sun, as you know, there are nine of us old brothers, no more and no less.”

In the battle just seven days ago, all eight leaders, including the gang leader Song Jingang, died inside the mountain gate.

He went to greet Miss Sun's arrival and luckily escaped a disaster.

The woman then asked, "From nine brothers to becoming the largest gang within a 300-mile radius of Guanchao City, how long did it take your maternal grandfather and other grandfathers?"

Lei Kaishan recalled: "For twenty-five years, the gang leader led us in battle after battle, making the Chiyun Sect unable to raise its head."

The woman in purple looked at Lei Kaishan with bright eyes and said firmly, "We still have forty or fifty brothers. It won't take us more than twenty-five years to surpass the Crimson Cloud Sect again."

Lei Kaishan was slightly taken aback. Miss Sun was indeed worthy of being from the underworld, with such lofty ambitions. He had been living a comfortable life for so many years, and he was not even as good as a junior. He couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "All eight of my brothers are dead. There is no point in me living alone. I can go to the Yama's Palace to report at any time. Miss Sun, what are your plans? Just tell me. At worst, I'll risk my old life."

"Xiaoqian, the White Horse Gang has suffered a great calamity. What should we do next? Do you have any ideas?"

The middle-aged man sitting to the left of the woman is named Song Zhong. He is Song Jingang's adopted son. He has a high talent for martial arts, is brave and resourceful, and has always had a good reputation in the White Horse Gang. Many gang members call him the young gang leader.

Zixi asked, "Uncle Zhong, do you have any suggestions?"

After thinking for a moment, Song Zhong replied, "I was in the gang when the Crimson Cloud Sect attacked the mountain gate. At that time, there were not many Crimson Cloud Sect warriors who broke into the gang, but they were all experts at the Earthly Realm. Their target was my godfather and several uncles. They did not deliberately hunt down the gang members below the Earthly Realm. Most of them escaped and were scattered in this vast mountain."

“Yes, Miss Sun, how about we reunite these brothers?” Lei Kaishan asked.

Ziqian thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "We are in dire need of our own lives right now. The White Horse Gang's top combat force has been almost completely wiped out in one battle. I'm worried that gathering the surviving gang members will only give the Crimson Cloud Sect the opportunity to wipe them all out."

Song Zhong nodded and asked, "Xiao Qian, do you have any other insights?"

"The reason why the Crimson Cloud Sect was able to launch a surprise attack on the White Horse Gang is because it received support from the Martial Market Bank and the Yunwu County government. It has the imperial court as its backer. Otherwise, that old man Shan Baihu would never have been able to kill my grandfather."

"Although the White Horse Gang is ostensibly an unaffiliated gang, it is secretly protected by the black market. Let's wait for the experts from the Underworld Sect to arrive."

Lei Kaishan frowned and said, "Miss Sun, we sent someone to deliver a message five days ago, but we haven't heard anything since. Miss passed away early, do you really think the young master will remember this old friendship?"

Upon hearing this, Ziqian fell silent. No one knew her cold-blooded father better than her. The high and mighty Lord of the Underworld would never care about the life or death of a small White Horse Gang.

(End of this chapter)