"Your Highness!" Cane exclaimed, "Whatever being is inside that palace, the soldiers would definitely have no chance against it! I fear that only the Divine Emperor would have the ability to defeat it!"
"But the Divine Emperor is not here!" Alexander turned around, facing Cane with resoluteness in his eyes and voice, "The citizens of Divine Heaven that are near the Ianod Mountain need their protector, and that can only be us! Am I wrong?"
Cane was shocked by the courage and steadfastness of the Prince. In those three years of his reign as the Regent, his genius in running the country has really amazed him, even though he would sometimes need help and support. But, seeing him now, Cane saw a faint image of the First Emperor Yin who faced the Immortals together with his men when they first entered the Immortal Territories behind him.
Although he hadn't had the chance to serve the First Emperor, basing on the legendary stories from his reign, Cane couldn't help but to compare the two.
After a while of consideration, Cane looked at Alexander before nodding, "I shall do as you request." He stated before turning to the other three Pillars who had incredulous expressions.
"What are you waiting for?!" yelled Cane, "The Prince Regent has given his orders! Why are you all dilly-dallying?!" He then strode out of the palace, suppressing his joyous smile.
The three were awakened by Cane's reprimanding shout and nodded, following behind him.
"Uncle Black?" After the four left, Alexander then called out. His shadow suddenly fluctuated, and it didn't escape his sight, "I have a favor to ask."
No response.
Still, Alexander continued, "Please send a command to the Order to safeguard the surrounding territories in our absence. If some people ever try to revolt whilst the army is not around, eliminate them." He uttered coldly.
Although there was still no response, Alexander's shadow fluctuated and moved, seemingly merging with the shadow of the building before returning to normal. Seeing that, Alexander knew that Black had acknowledged his order.
"Mother," Alexander suddenly turned his head towards Isabelle, "Please stay in the palace. With what's happening outside, there would definitely be some who would take advantage of what's happening outside to somehow ruin the Imperial Family's and the Empire's image and authority over the continent."
"Brothers, take care of the Empress and the Imperial Palace." Alexander requested. "Especially you, Second Brother." He emphasized.
Looking at the serious yet dignified brother of his, Ray lips slightly curled up, "You can be rest assured." He ascertained his brother.
Breathing deeply, Alexander extended his hand. Whizzing through the air, the spear Kelseus flew towards its owner. Catching it with his hand, Alexander then jumped from the terrace of the palace and flew to the direction of the portal.
By now, the security of the entire continent started to tighten. With the ongoing quakes in the area of the mountain, and with the image of a lion still hovering and hopping around the skies of the continent, many were already doubting if the Empire could protect them.
Some were already secretly starting to prepare for a rebellion, and those who just wanted peace were already feeling the tension in the atmosphere. The streets started to become empty, with the sounds of the guards' steps from patrolling around.
The Divine Heaven Army, amounting to billions, had already entered the portals, all of which were leading to Mountain City.
In the city, the ordinary civilians have already been evacuated through the portal, so the people who were inside the city at this time were either the soldiers or the mercenaries.
Clad in spirit armor, Alexander strode forward, looking at the humongous white silhouette atop the mountain. "Prince Regent." Suddenly, he heard a voice. He looked at where it came from.
A burly man walked towards him, clad in silver armor. When he reached in front of Alexander, he immediately placed his fist on his chest and bowed. "Mayor Tang." Alexander nodded in acknowledgement.
"It looks like the entire army of Divine Heaven is here." Mayor Tang said solemnly after looking at the vast sea of warriors and millions of banners fluttering with the wind.
Alexander held a serene expression, before answering, "The existence behind that palace is unknown, and considering that Emperor Father is currently in seclusion, we have to face it on our own."
"Anyways, are there any casualties during the tremor?" He asked, changing the topic. "None, fortunately." Mayor Tang answered.
Nodding, Alexander returned his gaze to the shining palace. "What could possibly be the cause of its emergence?" He asked.
Mayor Tang then sighed, "The truth is, no one knows what that palace symbolises or contains. It isn't recorded in any of the books of the ancients, so this is probably its first emergence." He replied.
Alexander became even more solemn hearing that from the Mayor. "Then, be sure to be alert at all times. Watch for–" Alexander didn't have the chance to finish what he wanted to say when the white silhouette suddenly retracted into the palace, alerting everyone surrounding the mountain.
The palace then lost its gold color which was replaced with a pristine and pure silver. Although it lost its golden light, the pressure and majesty, in exchange, became even more imposing.
The tremors also stopped, yet it didn't lessen the fear of those below. "Men!" Alexander shouted and rushed back, just in front of the army, "Prepare!"
With his command, the soldiers released their energies simultaneously, creating a massive and hard shield dome surrounding them.
Tensions rose every second that passed. Alexander stood just outside of the shield dome, with his grip on his spear tightening with apprehension.
A minute later, they saw a person clad in shining white armor, hopping from rock to rock, descending the mountain with a silver spear in his gloved hand. His moves were quick and smooth, and not even a hundred-meter jump flustered him. It was as if his every jump was just considera walking.
When the person landed on the ground, his head turned left to right, as if analyzing the people surrounding him. "Who is your champion?" The person shouted with a deep and taunting voice.
No one answered. Apprehensive at this mysterious person, thinking if it's even a person, not a single person had the guts to step forward.
Suddenly, from the skies, a whistling sound neared. "It is me!" A shout thundered across the silent field.
The person raised his head and looked at the meteor-like line descending from the clouds.
Boom! Dust and debris flew as soon as the "meteor" hit the ground. The shock it released was strong. Fortunately, the shield that had been erected by the soldiers protected them from the shock of the impact.
When the dust settled, a plump and chubby monk wearing a kasaya was revealed to everyone. He's carrying a khakkara on his right shoulder and a small nine-layered pagoda on his left hand and looking at the mysterious person with a smile on his face.
"Monk Taba?" Alexander called out with an exclamation. Monk Taba turned around at the mention of his name and looked at Alexander before bowing slightly, "Greetings, Prince Regent. I need to thank you for approving Buddhism in your humble Empire even though you already had the Han Religion as the core of your dominion." Monk Taba said, still with a smile on his face
"For the people of Divine Heaven, Buddhism is merely a philosophy, as the ideas of Buddhism promote goodwill and purging evil." Alexander replied.
Monk Taba laughed wholeheartedly before turning back at the white-armored person. "I shall be the one to face you, Mysterious Pe–" Monk Taba didn't even have the chance to finish his sentence when the mysterious person vanished, and at the same time, a foreboding feeling struck the smiling monk.
Boom!
Fortunately for the monk, the nine-layered pagoda on his hand emitted a transparent energy that formed the image of a pagoda surrounding him before the person's attack even had the chance to hit him.
Unfortunately for the pagoda, as soon as the attack made its impact, it immediately shattered, sending the monk flying sideways. Similar to how he made his entrance, the monk left the battlefield with dust and debris flying after he landed.
"You aren't the champion." The mysterious person uttered coldly. When the dust settled where Monk Taba landed, everyone was terrified.
In the Immortal Territories, particularly the Human Continent, the Master of Buddhism, Monk Taba, could be considered an entity with power that is near that of the Divine Emperor. He was also a Creator that used his authority to spread his religion and philosophy all across the land.
When the Divine Emperor met Monk Taba before he left, the former did not like how the latter spreaded blatantly all across his dominion without asking his permission.
When they fought, Monk Taba was of course defeated. But, recognizing his ability, the glorious Divine Emperor gave Monk Taba a piece of land in the western coast to preach Buddhism.
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