The red sun sets in the west, and the dark clouds in the sky descend into the red country. The warriors gathered and knelt on the blood-stained soil, waiting for the final sacrifice. The priest accompanying the army blew Tao Yun, and the desolate and distant music echoed between heaven and earth. And Shulot solemnly put on his sacrificial robes and chanted loudly, leading his grandfather's soul to the Kingdom of God.
A moment later, a blazing holy fire was lit on the top of the high pyramid. The flames gradually intensified, licking the high priest's coffin, and a faint green smoke rose. Dozens of priests sang in unison, praying for the Lord God's guidance and also expressing their blessings for the living.
The Mexica Confederation maintains ancient tribal traditions, similar to those of the Wilderness tribes, and respects sacred cremation. The smoke of the burning body means that the soul goes to the kingdom of God. Of course, in this day and age, due to the lower burning temperature, all cremations will include the remains for relatives to express their grief.
Shulot finished praying and stood in front of the high priest's coffin. He watched his beloved relatives slowly disappear in the flames. The fire devoured my grandfather's silver hair, devoured the high priest's robe, and then made everything blurry. Grandfather's smile quietly faded away, and from then on he only lived in his memory...
The king's calm face showed deep reluctance and sadness.
The separation between life and death, the helplessness of life, always makes people heartbroken. His heart was suddenly grasped, and he felt palpitations and pain that he had never experienced before. Two lines of clear tears slowly flowed from his eyes, wetting his clothes. Strong emotions surged in his heart, but it was not the laughter and shouting like before, but deep sorrow and lovesickness. At this moment, he finally accepted his grandfather's death, but he still had many words that he wanted to pour out.
"Tuk...tuk...tuk..."
The desolate sound of death echoed, like the long wind in the wilderness, and like an ancient call. Shulot raised the obsidian dagger, and right in front of the burning coffin, in the pool of blood of the corpse, he danced a funeral ritual dance and sang a sad farewell song.
"I see the human world as falling leaves, drifting and irresistible!...
I see my beloved, like dew rising in the morning and the moon reflected in the water, unable to touch! ..."
Deep lovesickness, along with long-lasting memories, hit the king's heart and made his eyes wet. He looked at the green smoke rising in front of him, as if he was watching the soul of the deceased, silently traveling to the nine heavens. He danced sacrificial dances, shouted to his heart's content, and cried out with blood and heartache.
"...Time is like water. Once it goes, it will never come back.
The dead are like the wind, disappearing like smoke in a blink of an eye.
Once separated, we will never see each other again! ..."
At this point, the king lowered his head slightly and cried. When all the generals heard the mourning, they all shed tears. The black wolf fell to the ground and cried loudly. Na Xiu covered her mouth and sobbed softly. Bertard closed his eyes, tears streaking the corners of his eyes. Yu Yan lamented, bowed his head in tears and paid tribute...
"...walking on the mountain road with a heavy load, hesitantly fell to the bottom of the valley..."
Shulot's voice gradually became deeper. The road to becoming a king is destined to be both dangerous and lonely, and one can only climb it alone. He had already understood this, but he had always hoped that such a day would come later...
"...Sit at the bottom of the valley and look at the sky. The stars are bright and the wind is blowing..."
Bits of rain fell from the sky, hitting the king's face, mixed with tears, like blessings from the Kingdom of God. The fire burned mercilessly, rising up a black smoke column, connected to the dark sky, like a staircase stepping into the netherworld. In the water, fire, smoke and clouds, the king looked up to the sky and danced the last sacrificial dance to bid farewell to the departing soul.
“...The plum rain brings tears like dew, and the maple leaves smile until they wither.
The cherry blossoms return late, and they don’t see the call from the other side.
Calling the other shore, it’s dark. When people are sleepless, insects fly.
Mayflies fly in the morning and evening, and cicadas sing mournfully. The lights among the reeds, the moon and clouds high..."
The burning fire gradually became smaller and almost burned out, leaving only a few bones. Shulot stepped forward and silently watched the last traces left by his grandfather. There was infinite desolation and sadness in his heart, which were intertwined and turned into a final whisper.
"...The clouds are high and the moon is buried in the fire. The remaining dreams of my childhood warm my heart. I can only see you again in my dreams..."
"Grandpa, I will take good care of myself. You must also take good care of yourself in the Kingdom of God... If you have free time, come and meet me again in your grandson's dream..."
After saying that, Shulot knelt down and kowtowed nine times to the remains respectfully. Then, he carefully collected his grandfather's remains and put them into an immortal silver box.
The setting sun gradually sets, emitting its last glimmer through the clouds on the horizon. The king held the silver box, stared at the low sky for a while, then looked at the burned-down temple, and gave a low and calm order.
"King's order: Guards Corps, search the whole city. Count the civilians in the city, organize them into teams of a hundred, and escort them back to Shuigu City! All the captured gods, nobles and priests will be sacrificed on the spot! Order the soldiers to bury the bodies to avoid immune diseases .Send senior warriors to search the priest's mansion and take away the inheritance and sacred objects..."
"The rest of the generals, count the legions, gather the warriors, and go out tomorrow. All villages and towns within fifty miles outside the city will be burned! All young men and women, move away! If there is resistance, kill them all!!"
"Obey! Your Highness, your will is your mortal life!"
All the generals fell to the ground, saluted in unison, respectfully obeyed orders, and did not dare to disobey in the slightest.
Shulot nodded slightly and took one last look at the burning Holy Temple. Then, holding the silver box in his hands, he stepped on the blood of the sunset and walked down the towering Great Pyramid, never looking back again.
One day later, the Mexican Legion launched a large-scale attack on the entire city of Socholula, and then dispersed their troops in various directions, sweeping across the entire Cholula state. Soon, streaks of black smoke rose under the dim sky and connected into one piece on the horizon. Dozens of villages and towns burned, and tens of thousands of Tlaxcalans howled and were driven by Mexica warriors to the city of Water Valley, fifty miles to the southwest.
Black smoke rose all over the sky, and boundless blood fell. Black Wolf's royal flag moved again, escorted by thousands of guardsmen, back to the important town in the south. Behind the army heading south is the burning capital of the gods, the holy city of Cholula.
"In early June, the high priest died in the holy city of Cholula and was murdered by the priests of the holy city. The king was so angry that he attacked the city of Cholula and set it on fire. He slaughtered all the aristocratic noble warriors and militiamen, a total of two Ten thousand people. The bloodline of the Twelve Priests' families was cut off. Subsequently, the Southern Route Army plundered fifty miles around, captured Ding Kou Banyue, and killed ten thousand nobles, warriors and militiamen in total. Cholu State was burned and young men were captured. Men and women, a total of 120,000 people...
Within half a month, 30,000 of the 200,000 people in Cholu were killed, 120,000 were taken captive, and only 40,000 to 50,000 old and weak people escaped. The rich and prosperous Cholu State was completely wiped out and turned into a deserted land filled with dead people..."
The news of the destruction of the holy city of Cholula was like a meteor falling from the sky, suddenly bombarding under the Yanfeng Mountain, causing dust to fill the sky. Countless messengers from various countries ran quickly, carrying terrifying information that spread like waves. When all the Nava tribes in the world heard about this, they were all frightened and horrified! The name of the God of Death spread throughout the world, even eastward to the rainforest, and was known to all Mayan tribes.
