The city of Hirol is built on the hill, and the dense buildings climb the entire foothills, with the typical style of new era architecture, functional and practical, uniform style, and maximizing the use of materials, from a distance it looks like a hilltop full of well-manicured bushes. The overall shape of the foothills is very peculiar, and the slope of the foot of the mountain is gentle from the top to the mountainside, and the mountain steepens and plunges straight into the sky.

In addition to facing the mountain on one side, the city of Hirol is surrounded by vast and desolate plateau meadows on three sides, with a wide field of vision, and the temple of the sun built in the middle of the mountain is undoubtedly the most eye-catching building, and the red and gold buildings are like burning flames, which can be seen clearly even if they are more than ten kilometers away. Occasionally, the radiation clouds cracked, and when the sun shone down, the temple of the sun reflecting the sunlight seemed to set fire to half of the mountain.

On the top platform of the temple is an altar dedicated to the sun god. In the center of the altar is a golden sphere several meters in diameter, symbolizing the supreme sun. In order to transport this copper-core gold-plated totem to the altar, at least hundreds of slaves were exhausted. In addition to the slaughter of cattle and sheep, slaves are also indispensable sacrifices in the annual grand sacrifices.

At this moment, a raging flame was burning on the altar, and the tongue of fire kept licking the golden sun on the altar, making it glow with blazing heat. This is no ordinary flame, it has been triggered by a secret method to minimize the heat lost by thermal radiation and convection, and can be maintained at thousands of degrees Celsius. The golden sun, which has been treated with a special process, can not only withstand such high temperatures, but even the whole body has been burned to a dark red, but it has not melted in the slightest, and it will not be deformed.

In front of the altar, the priest wrapped in a thick red robe was jumping and jumping, and the long scepter made of pure gold in his hand kept drawing circles in the air, and he sang loudly in a voice that no one could understand. In the rituals of the Temple of the Sun, only the priests were taught this strange language. Its pronunciation is extremely difficult, and many syllables are not even produced by the natural physiological structure of humans, and must be pronounced with special skills by changing the shape of the laryngeal nasal cavity. Only by learning the sacrifice of this language can it be possible to further become a great sacrifice, or even a red-robed sacrifice. It is said that this is the language of the sun god, and the high priests use it as a medium to pray to the sun god, explain the wishes of the believers to the gods, and listen to the gods' instructions.

The stepped altar is extremely magnificent, only the top floor is a square with a side length of forty-nine meters, and then it expands step by step, and there are thirty-six steps! At this moment, there were warriors standing on each of the stairs, dressed in different costumes and equipped with a variety of equipment. There are giants with axes weighing up to 100 kilograms, and killers with modified super-caliber sniper rifles. The only thing they have in common is that they all exude a powerful aura.

On this huge altar, hundreds of people stood scattered on the thirty-six steps, which seemed a little scattered, but their momentum converged to fill every corner of the staircase with a murderous aura. But the majestic momentum is limited to the staircase, and it is impossible to enter the top floor at all. The top floor of the altar is another world entirely.

Behind the high priest, there stood a tall man in golden heavy armor, gray and stiff hair, and a face engraved with traces of time and frost, showing that he was no longer young, but age did not make him weak, whether it was the scarlet cloak or the dark flame patterns outlined on the heavy armor, they were all bloody and slaughtering. The paint used to color the cloak and pattern is taken from the blood of the enemy! This is the Red Grand Duke of the Empire, who is so famous that even Murray does not dare to be presumptuous in front of him, Canossa!

Canossa held a helmet in his left hand and a heavy cleaver that resembled a rectangular shape in his right hand. In the desolate voice of the Great Sacrifice, his eyes burned with boiling battle intent, and it became stronger and stronger! The Red Grand Duke hadn't encountered an enemy of his magnitude for more than a decade, and now he was looking forward to the guy who could kill Murray silently!

When the chanting of the High Priest finally came to an end, he suddenly rolled up the sleeves of his robe, stretched out his lean and withered arms like firewood, and plunged them deep into the raging flames of the altar! In the blink of an eye, the high priest had already grabbed a copper basin from the fire, and the outer edge of the copper basin was engraved with strange symbols. The copper basin was also burned a little red by the fire, but the high priest grabbed it as if nothing had happened. Five fingers like chicken feet sneered at the smoke, but he didn't feel any pain at all. The copper basin contained a small half basin of golden grease liquid, which had been boiling in the fire for so long, and the temperature should have been extremely high, but there was no sign of boiling at all, and the liquid level was still calm and waveless.

It is said to have inherited the fiery power from the core of the sun, and it was given to the strongest warrior on the eve of the great war, which could temporarily grant him great strength and infinite courage. But if the person is not strong enough and unqualified, then the consequence of drinking the holy pulp is to ignite a fire from within the body, burning all the internal organs to ashes. The Holy Pulp is also divided into three grades, the highest of which is golden yellow, and only the Red Robe High Priest can obtain the few Holy Pulp after a long period of prayer and sacrifice.

The high priest lifted the copper basin above his head and jumped three times in place before handing it to the Red Grand Duke. Canossa hung his helmet on the hilt of his sword, took the copper basin, poured the liquid from the basin into his mouth, swallowed it and let out a dull roar, and a thick layer of blood instantly appeared on his face. After drinking, he paused again before handing the basin to a bearded man behind him. It was the first warrior under the command of the Grand Duke, and he took the copper basin, took a sip, and then passed the still hot copper basin to his companions. In the blink of an eye, the six fierce generals behind Grand Duke Canossa had drunk the holy pulp, and handed the copper basin to a row of warriors in dark red heavy armor standing behind them. There were thirty of these warriors, and they were not particularly burly, but they all had a faint coercion on their bodies. They look almost identical, and at first glance you might think that they are brothers of the same mother. These warriors are all the personal guards of the Red Grand Duke, who have been following the Grand Duke in battle for many years, and their strength has reached the point where they can drink a sip of holy pulp.

When the copper basin reached the hands of the guards, only a small half of the holy pulp was left, and the temperature of the copper basin had dropped a lot. But when the first guard took the copper basin, there was still a soft sound in his hand, and the green tendons on his arm also bounced because of the pain. And when the Red Grand Duke and the seven generals held the copper basin, although their hands were burned and green smoke kept coming out, they did not change the slightest from their expressions to their bodies. The Red Grand Duke even waited for a while to allow the temperature of the copper basin to be lowered to a level that the generals could withstand before handing the copper basin out.

Seeing the empty copper basin being returned, the red-robed high priest smiled with satisfaction. When a smile appeared on his skinny skeletal face, it really creeped a little creepy to anyone who saw it. The red-robed high priest respectfully lowered the copper basin back into the flames of the altar, then walked up to the red archduke, raised his head, and said, "My old friend, the sun god has just passed on his worries and anger to me. Our enemy this time is not simple, you must be careful, no matter how well prepared you are. ”

I don't know if it's the reason for chanting the language of the gods for a long time, it seems that the structure of the voice is not suitable for speaking human language, and the voice of the red-robed priest is hoarse and ugly, like a bunch of insects chirping, and the words are occasionally slurred. His body was thin and withered, and the heavy red robe seemed to crush him at any moment. He was not even tall enough to reach the shoulders of the Red Grand Duke, but to the onlooker, it was not one looking up at the other, but an equal conversation between the two giants.

Canosa's voice was thunderous: "Don't worry, old friend! On the battlefield, I don't take any opponent lightly, even if he's just a rabbit! It's not easy to kill Murray's opponent, so what kind of gift did you have for me this time? I hope it's at least five red-robed samurai. ”

The red-robed high priest laughed and said, "I have prepared ten red-robed warriors for you!" ”

Canossa was surprised and said, "Huh? Why did you old guy suddenly become so generous, and you were willing to take out ten red-robed warriors! ”

"It's more than that." The red-robed High Priest lowered his voice and said in a voice that only he and Canosa could hear, "You can also get two black-robed warriors." ”

Canossa shook his whole body and said slowly, "Doesn't they need enough sacrifices every time they go out?" ”

The red-robed priest smiled hoarsely and said, "Yes, identity." Don't you think that the identity of the coward who escaped from Maca City is enough? ”

Canossa nodded, and said gloomily, "It is indeed a very good sacrifice, and it must be able to satisfy them." ”

At dusk, a team of six hundred capable men slowly marched out of the city of Hiroel, and the slaves had set up a temporary military camp outside the city, while the Red Grand Duke and his guards had already taken the lead and entered the military camp. It was also a tradition of the Empire, and from the moment the war began, troops were no longer allowed to live in the city. When the sun rises tomorrow, this army will march north to quell the first rebellion in northern Xinjiang in more than a decade.

An army of 600 freedmen is terrifyingly strong. They need to bring their own weapons, cultivate their abilities, and be drafted into the army to fight for the empire in times of war. Such an army, theoretically, can sweep the northern frontier within a month, and led by the Red Grand Duke himself, it stands to reason that there is no opponent to contend with. However, the atmosphere in the army was solemn and depressing, and there was no relaxed atmosphere at all. There are many wise men among the freedmen, who are already wondering what kind of enemy needs such an army to fight, and it is not enough for the Red Grand Duke and his invincible generals to be dispatched, but it is also necessary for the Red Robe to spend three days sacrificing and seeking holy pulp for the army.

Could it be that the Northern Continent, which is shrouded in darkness, is coming?

Suspicion crept in, but everyone wouldn't say it, but rather seize the time to maintain their weapons, or rest to keep their bodies in shape.

The eve of the expedition was quiet, but for some, it was an unusual night.

The red-robed priest held a torch and walked through the dark corridors deep beneath the temple, all the way down. The dim light of the torches flickered, and the long shadows twisted into strange shapes, as if there was a ghost hidden in the shadows, making the surroundings look hideous and miserable. Two large fat men followed behind the red-robed priest, shirtless, wearing only a pair of cowhide shorts on the bottom, but wearing a hood made of red cloth, enclosing their entire heads, leaving only two small holes for observation outside. In the middle of the two big men, the garrison commander of Maca City turned pale, his legs were so weak that he couldn't stand up at all, and he was dragged deep underground by two fat men. He kept shouting, "I am a relative of the Emperor!" You can't kill me! No! ”

But whether it was the red-robed priest or the strong man dragging him, they turned a deaf ear to this.

After a long journey, the red-robed priest finally came to an iron door covered with moss and rust. With a trembling hand, he reached for a brass key and wiped the moss off the door, revealing the obscured keyhole. The door hadn't been opened for an unknown amount of time.

The key was inserted into the lock hole and turned jerkily. The unlubricated parts of the lock rubbed against each other, making a dry clattering sound, like a devil grinding his teeth.

Finally, the lock let out a click.

The red-robed priest found a pull ring on the door and pulled it hard. The iron door vibrated and tried to open, but it was blocked by rust and moss. It took a full five minutes to clear the obstacles, and the red-robed priest finally opened the iron door.

Behind the iron door was a deep darkness, without a trace of light, and once the torch light entered the door, it was as if it was swallowed up by darkness and disappeared completely. Can't see what's in the darkness at all, is it the ground, or is it a bottomless abyss?

A cold, damp wind blew from behind the door, carrying a rich aroma in the wind, which seemed to be a mixture of dozens of strong floral scents. The aroma appears here, which is indescribably weird.

At the signal of the red-robed priest, the two strong men dragged the garrison commander to the iron gate. They were very careful not to come within a meter of the iron gate. Looking at the darkness behind the iron gate, it seemed that there was a life of his own, and fear also grasped the heart of the garrison commander, and even made him forget to howl.

The red-robed priest walked through the iron gate, took a few more steps inside, and then stopped. The world behind the door was still absolutely dark, and the torch in the priest's hand could only illuminate himself. Looking inside from the door, the red-robed Great Priest seemed to be frozen in the dark void, and no matter how they observed, they couldn't see what the Great Priest's foothold was.

The red-robed priest raised his arms high, and his desolate and hoarse voice seemed to be chanting ancient verses:

"Wake up, king who sleeps in the dark!"

"Wake up, heroes who are not willing to sleep forever!"

"I brought the blood of the royal family ......"

"and may promise a brief light and life,"

"In exchange for the sword in your hands and the curse in your hearts!" E