Stuck in a Chinese novel

"My king, would you please reconsider? I urge you to not sully your esteemed hands with those fools." A man in a white robe said with utmost respect anyone could have for anyone.

The man on the throne, the pristine white throne that shined even when there was nothing to make it shine in the room, looked at the middle-aged man who was kowtowing on the ground and not daring to raise his head to look at him.

It wasn't because he was afraid. It was simply because he couldn't even think to look at the man on the throne due to the immense respect he held for him.

The others in the throne room, those who were also on their knees and holding their heads low couldn't help but believe that the man dared to say anything to the man on the throne.

The words of the king were absolute. Even if they were wrong, they couldn't be refuted. Saying anything otherwise was a sin punishable by death. They felt pity for the man but they didn't dare to defend him. Unlike the man on the ground, they didn't just respect the kind, they feared him.

The king looked at his most loyal subject who even after knowing what he was doing held no fear but just respect. His cold eyes blinked slowly and he said, "Rise, Bang Yu."

The middle-aged man named Bang Yu stood up, his head still low so as not to disrespect the king.

"Raise your head," The king said.

Bang Yu did so as he was told. Looking at the king was a privilege granted to only some and Bang Yu didn't have such a privilege but today, he was allowed to and he couldn't do anything otherwise anyway because the world of the king was absolute.

"My king," As Bang Yu laid eyes on the king, his eyes moistened and his voice trembled due to how noble and pristine the king was. Being able to look at the king like that, Bang Yu had no more regrets and he was willing to die even if the king did so for his sin.

"The world needs to know the might of the angels. They need to know that nothing stands above us. And to do that, I, the strongest of the angels will have to show it to them. Otherwise, it would hold no other meaning." The king, contrary to what everyone else thought, patiently explained to Bang Yu why he was the one going to the war no matter how low his enemy was.

"But, why do you think I should not go?" The king asked next.

"Due to how weak the other forces are," Bang Yu hurriedly said the answer he had prepared and even though he was still mesmerized by the king, he said so anyway because his mind wasn't too far gone, "I do not wish for the people to think of you as a king who tramples the weak. And such a weak army does not deserve to be trampled by you anyway.

They do not even deserve to be in the same space as you."

Utmost reverence and respect. Nothing else trumped that emotion. What Bang Yu represented was pure, without any impurity of personal greed or some hidden agenda. That was what made Bang Yu special. Even when the world turned against the king, Bang Yu was the one person who never did.

"Your words hold weight, Bang Yu. But I must be the one to go today. That is destiny." The king said before he retrieved something from his robe and threw it at Bang Yu, "Soon enough, children of that same destiny would spawn. Find them. They would be my key."

Before Bang Yu could ask anything, just as he grabbed the glowing red stone, he began to feel lightheaded.

"You will find your instructions on the stone, Bang Yu. Make sure to be the one to free me." As Bang Yu's mind finally turned blank, he heard the words of the king before he disappeared from the spot.

The others couldn't see what was going on due to their lowered heads but they could tell something was happening. The king stood up and said, "Except for you three, everyone else raise your heads while you three, kneel."

The king didn't point out which of the three but without even him telling, three men in the hall knelt on the floor. As for the rest, they raised their heads and looked at the king.

The king, whose features could only be defined by one word, ethereal, looked at them with his black eyes that were in great contrast with his white hair but somehow, that combination only enhanced his beauty.

The king looked at them, and said, "You have all been loyal to me up to this point. And for that loyalty, I look past your betrayal."

Before the people who were on their feet could even panic, something flashed throughout the palace court, and one by one, their heads fell on the floor.

Death in the blink of an eye. It was a phrase that didn't do justice in this case because the involved parties couldn't even process the words of the king when they died. Blinking their eyes was the farthest thing they could do.

"Rise," The king said once all the others were dead and had fallen on the floor, sullying the pristine white marble of the floor with their red blood.

The three individuals, two men, and one woman, stood up and looked at the king. The king waved his hand and said, "Commence the sealing ritual. This body has started to fade. Prepare a new one when Bang Yu removes your seal."

"My king," The woman respectfully said. Respect that was on par with Bang Yu's, "How will we find a vessel worthy of you?"

The king smiled, a smile that charmed even those with frozen hearts, and said, "Look for one with the body of eternity. You will find him easily. After all, he would be the only one to defy the destiny itself."

The woman nodded and said, "My king, your loyal subjects will make sure to find one that can truly bring out your majesty to its fullest. Please, leave it to me."

The king once again smiled and said, "Who will trust more if not the four of you? Now, be safe. Let us meet in a new era with a new future."

"Yes, my king," The three individuals collectively said and stepped forward. The king raised his hand and some sort of liquid began to form at the feet of the three individuals. Soon enough, it began to rise and engulfed the men and the woman.

Once they were encased in what looked like a block of ice, the king waved his hand and the ice blocks began to take the form of a stone.

Soon enough, they looked like normal stones you could find anywhere. The king waved his hand for the last time and the three blocks of stones disappeared from their spot just like Bang Yu.

Once the king was alone in the hall along with the corpses, he sighed and said, "It is time to leave this era. It was a good time."

The king then began to rise in the air and the wall of the palace in front of him exploded to expose him to the sky. He kept floating forward until he was out in the open.

Outside, what could be seen were waves and waves of something. They weren't ants but people. People and only people. As far as the eye went, there was nothing else that could be seen.

In the sky, there were thousands of people floating just like the king. They weren't like the king. Some of them had the same power as him while the others had a pale blue power emitting from them, some had a creepy dark aura around them, some were just buff, and some were draped in a crimson-red aura.

"A lot of people for an old man," The king said. His voice, which was so low that even the person next to him couldn't hear, was heard by every person, no matter how strong or how weak. They could hear him loud and clear and their hearts shook as they did.

All of theirs except for the ten men and women at the forefront who were dressed the same as the king and the power flowing through them was also the same as the king.

The one at the forefront, the one with the longest hair and darkest eyes said, "You are not just an old man, father."

"Haha." The king laughed, a slight chuckle to relay his laidback attitude.

He looked at the ten men and women, seven young men and three young women, and said, "Haa… You have all grown up so much. It was just yesterday you were all calling me father and skipping around me, asking me to carry you on your back."

His expression then softened as he remembered his children, "I do not hate any of you. I love all of you. And that is also why I will never hurt you. But as for the rest, there will be no exception."

Hearts trembled. Those who were told their fates weren't too looking forward to the battle to come but the reward at the end was too much. And loss meant the loss of everything.

So although they feared the king, they couldn't back out now.

As for the children of the king, they saw something they hadn't seen in a long time. The king hadn't shown what he was showing now in a long time.

Love.

And that love was more deadly than they all thought.

"Let us end this, my children. For I will see you all again." The king said before he raised his hand and then…

A bright shine engulfed everything as if the world were covered in bright divine light.