Chapter 1 - Prologue - The Execution (1)
In a distant universe, on the shores of the Dead Sea, where the Divine Tree grows, there exists a magical realm called the Great Roxy Heaven.
Today, in this faraway land, a trial and execution is currently taking place.
Six beautiful mermen are tied up and kneeling on the execution platform, all dressed in white mourning clothes. Some face their fates undaunted, their backs straight; others bow their heads and sob, their voices wailing to the heavens.
These mermen belong to the Scale Clan, which for generations has been the guardian of the art in the Great Roxy Heaven. They are trained from childhood to be performers, entertaining the Roxinians with their songs and dances. Their beauty, the most charming of the five clans, will not fade away even if their bodies are destroyed; their enchanting voices, echoing in the clouds, will not be forgotten even if their souls are scattered..
Oblivious to the suffering and misery of these beautiful prisoners, in the central seat under the feathered canopy on the viewing platform sat a magnificently dressed, stern-faced woman, the Holy Consort of the Great Roxy Heaven.
She talked and laughed, playing with a chalice full of amber wine in her hand as she lazily surveyed the slender figure hanging high on the Divine Tree by the Dead Sea.
And the man was suspended from a thick branch by a special dragon rope. Although the shade of the tree provided him with a little protection, he had long since lost his spirit from repeated exposure to the nine blazing suns. The blood splatters on his snow-white robe looked like red plum blossoms; his once serene and beautiful face looked pale and haggard from the excessive loss of blood; his body was so frail that he seemed unable to bear even the weight of his robe, and the lower half of his body had lost its human form, turning into a long dragon's tail, coiled helplessly on the trunk of the tree.
"Little Ingdra, how does Her Highness's Nine Sun Roast taste? I thought you were just a white carp of the Scale Clan, but who'd know that you are actually a silver dragon and I couldn't kill you at all. Luckily, Her Highness came up with this brilliant idea, using a row of blazing suns to roast you and to bleed you dry for forty-nine days. Even if you have an immortal dragon's body, today you will be destroyed and your soul will be scattered!"
Lord Peacock sneered while looking up at the sundial, then turned to the Holy Consort, "It's time for the execution, Your Highness, please give your order."
The Holy Consort looked at Ingdra's haggard, breathless face, a pool of blood soaking through the roots of the Divine Tree beneath him, turning the surrounding soil dark red. Her phoenix eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth rose slightly in imperceptible delight, then she nodded towards Lord Peacock.
"Today your six brothers will accompany you so that you will not feel alone on your road to death. They will be killed first, and then it will be your turn. You should watch the show carefully and not waste Her Highness's special arrangement."
Lord Peacock plucked a feather and threw it to the torturers on the execution platform, "Begin the punishment!"
Seeing the torturers approaching, one of the prisoners struggled and shouted in the direction of the Holy Consort, "We are not guilty! Our Great Roxy Heaven was originally ruled by the five clans of 'Bareskin, Scale, Fur, Feather and Shell', but you, as the Holy Consort, have repeatedly stirred up strife among the clans in order for the Feather Clan to have sole power, causing our Eden to be in constant warfare ever since. And now, in order for your son, Red Phoenix, to gain glory on the battlefield, you disregarded the lives of the Roxinians and raised a new war, resulting in this new defeat, and yet you hold us, the innocent singers and dancers of the Scale Clan responsible for the defeat! ..."
This righteous and handsome young man was no other than Teague, the eldest brother of Leeyu Troupe.
The chains on his body rattled as he struggled. He looked at the Holy Consort with hatred in his eyes and blood dripping from his voice as he said, "Our old masters, who committed suicide to take the blame, so that their disciples, the seven of us, could be spared. His Majesty the Holy Emperor has granted our plea and pardon is imminent, but you have illegally set up this private trial to torture us, bent on killing us. Does Your Highness not have any mercy at all!"