荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

The subordinates in the hall quickly departed, leaving Wang Chong behind with his thoughts.

Khatabah?

Wang Chong was far too familiar with this name, but this world was far too different from his memories. The name ‘Khatabah’ should not have appeared in this era, in this time... and the Hierophant?

Wang Chong had never recalled this kind of title being associated with Khatabah.

But regardless, Wang Chong could sense that a storm was coming.

......

In the distant Arabian Empire, several hundred li from the capital of Baghdad, was a sprawling city of white palaces, but only a few people lived within.

Hamuhad!

In the Arabic language, this meant ‘residence of the sagely hero’, and this was where the Hierophant, Khatabah, resided. In Arabia, Khatabah possessed a supreme status, a true legend. His influence was far greater than any War God.

As a legendary existence of Arabia, he had numerous disciples and students across the realm. Many Governors and Deputy Governors had originated from his doorstep, and the most famous disciple of all was the Arab War God who Wang Chong had killed in the Battle of Talas, Qutaybah.

But this was far from Khatabah’s only contribution. When he first entered the army as a priest, Mutasim III had yet to be born, and the Arabian Empire had been far from possessing the influence it had today. At that time, Arabia was at most a small country that was slightly stronger than its neighbors.

It was Khatabah who made this empire coalesce like never before, rapidly transforming into a frightening war machine that swept over the bordering countries and became the strongest and largest empire in the west.

It was only with the foundation that Khatabah had established that Mutasim III was able to expand the empire to its largest extent, a vast empire of more than ten million square kilometers.

One could say that without Khatabah, there would be no current Arabian Empire. It was for this reason that Khatabah was called the Hierophant and possessed a supreme status. Just like the High Priest of the Temple, he was one of the most powerful and most legendary figures of the empire!

But it was also because Khatabah’s vast influence posed a severe threat to imperial authority that both Mutasim III and his predecessor had feared him.

For a very long time now, both Caliphs had done their utmost to exclude Khatabah and keep his influence out of the military.

And Khatabah was far more arrogant than could be imagined. Many people might have been tempted by imperial authority, but Khatabah hardly cared.

Several decades ago, he had increased the size of Arabia to around eighty percent of its current size, upon which he resigned from the military and moved to this place several hundred li to the southwest of Baghdad, establishing the white holy city of Hamuhad. At the same time, he used his influence to make this place a forbidden zone.

Hamuhad covered an area of more than eight hundred square kilometers, but nobody lived there except the twenty-thousand-some elites and the servants and slaves Khatabah had initially brought to serve him. The city was closed to outsiders.

Anyone who tried to enter was executed!

Khatabah then announced that he was entering seclusion. No one knew what Khatabah was doing in there or why he had built Hamuhad. Everyone only knew that the innermost circle of houses in Hamuhad were pitch-black as if they had been burned by fire. Every day, when night fell, large plumes of smoke and countless sparks would rise from the center of Hamuhad.

Moreover, once, when an Arab caravan was passing by Hamuhad on the day when the moon was at its brightest, an inhuman roar like a peal of thunder came from the city. All the horses scattered in fright from the noise, and all the members of the caravan trembled, instinctively feeling immense fear.

More and more incidents like this continued to occur, and many sorts of rumors began to circulate in Arabia regarding Hamuhad.

No one knew what secret was hidden in Hamuhad, but the rumors continued to multiply. Even so, no one dared to risk the danger of infiltrating the Hierophant’s holy city.

But now, the gates of Hamuhad were open. An army numbering in the hundreds of thousands extended for several hundred li, serving as an honor guard that lined the road between Hamuhad and Baghdad. Banners flapped in the wind, and a red carpet extended across that entire road.

All of this was to welcome that most revered Hierophant.

“It’s been eight hours. The Hierophant still hasn’t appeared?”

In the center of Hamuhad, surrounded by numerous nobles and officials, Caliph Mutasim III suddenly spoke. His brow was creased and his dark brown eyes looked into a massive well that was more than twenty meters in diameter.

The insides of the well had been scorched black. The surface was made of bricks that were covered in numerous mysterious characters, and all of the bricks showed signs of being burned.

And while it was called a well, the bottom of the well was completely dry. No one in Hamuhad had ever drawn water from this well, nor was there any means of drawing water from it.

The guards of Hamuhad had said that Khatabah was in this deep well and had not come out for a long time. This made Mutasim III feel an indescribable strangeness.

Even Mutasim III knew nothing about the secrets of this city. In truth, if not for his major defeat at Khorasan, he would not have wanted to hear one word about the Hierophant.

“Your Majesty, patience. Since Khatabah said that he would emerge from seclusion today, then it must be so!” the black-robed High Priest of the Temple soothed.

The Hierophant’s emergence was the empire’s most significant event as of late. If one looked down from the sky, one would see that behind Mutasim III and the High Priest stood the numerous Governors and Deputy Governors of the empire, all of them wearing full armor, their grandiose energies soaring to the heavens.

Not far in the back, one could even see the defeated Governor of the East, Abu Muslim.

Roooar!

Just when Mutasim III was slowly starting to lose his patience, the white city of Hamuhad fiercely shuddered. Hwoom! A massive plume of smoke accompanied by a wave of heat emerged from the scorched well, shooting straight into the air.

“Wh-what’s happening?”

Mutasim III’s eyes flew open in shock.

Neigh!

Before Mutasim III could understand what was going on, countless war horses outside the city began to neigh in fright. Amidst panicked cries and curses, numerous horses broke free of their reins and charged out of the honor guard outside Hamuhad.

Mutasim III had not expected this, but it was far from over.

“Your Majesty, watch out!”

The sharp and powerful Governors and Deputy Governors behind Mutasim III suddenly fell back as one, treating that large well like some terrifying monster.

And this was truly the case. As some of the most powerful soldiers of the empire, they had extremely sharp senses. The moment black smoke gushed out from the well, they had sensed a terrifying storm of energy rapidly approaching the surface.

The Governors and Deputy Governors present were all top-class experts, but they were like fireflies compared to the bright moon in the face of this terrifying energy. More importantly, they could sense a pure and brutal destructive energy in this storm, as if this energy existed solely for the purpose of destroying all things.

As these people called out, that savage being swiftly ascended. Raaaa! A second roar issued forth, and with a roiling wave of heat, a fierce and dazzling flame shot up from the earth, so dense that it seemed like magma.

This flame was so hot that space twisted and warped, revealing black tears in spacetime.

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, several dozen tentacles suddenly shot out from the well.

These tentacles were all made from that magma-like flame, their surfaces blindingly bright. And unlike ordinary flames, the tips of these tentacles were wrapped in white flames that radiated danger.

And as those terrifying tentacles emerged from the well, the temperature instantly soared, reaching several thousand degrees, a hundred thousand degrees, and it still continued to rise.

“Ah!”

The people around the well cried out in alarm and fell back. The flames had yet to burn them, but all of them could sense their refined Stellar Energy being consumed at an astonishing rate.

“Everyone, there is no need to worry. This is a prehistoric world-destroying beast, but the Hierophant has already completely tamed it.”

The only one who remained unperturbed through all this was the High Priest of the Temple.

World-destroying beast?

Tamed?

Mutasim III and all his Governors and Deputy Governors were instantly confused.

The rumors said that Khatabah was in seclusion. What did this have to do with some world-destroying beast, and when did the Arabian Empire ever have such a thing, and so close to Baghdad?

“The High Priest is wise and erudite. I knew that I would not be able to hide this beast from your eyes and ears.” At this moment, an extremely cold voice, suffused with immense majesty, came from deep underground.

Boom!

In another wave of heat, a massive black and red claw emerged from the well and grabbed onto the rim.