On the other side, Shen Luo's figure shuttled through the streets, moving forward quickly, heading straight towards the Imperial Observatory.
The extent of the damage done to the cities along the way was far beyond his expectations.
In particular, the scene on both sides of the Furong Canal, which runs through the city and connects to the royal garden Xingqing Lake, was horrific.
The river bank, which was originally built of bricks and stones, seemed to have been continuously rammed by some huge creature. There were signs of cracks and collapse along the bank, and the usually clear river water became turbid.
Shen Luo looked at the bloodstains on the ground along the shore and the floating corpses in the river, and a trace of pity flashed in his eyes.
When he came to a place not far from the imperial palace, he suddenly heard a cry coming from the front. He looked over and saw a group of Chang'an citizens with disheveled hair and bloodstained bodies, crowding in front of an archway outside the royal garden.
Shen Luo glanced around and found that there were seven or eight Yuling Guards in front of the people. They were holding weapons and shouting at the people to retreat: "Are you looking for death? How dare you trespass into the royal gardens? Get out of here immediately!"
"General, please have mercy on us and let us hide in there. Our Pinglifang has been ravaged by monsters, and there are only a few neighbors left in the neighborhood. Please give us a way to survive and let us hide in there. As long as the monster plague is eliminated, we will leave immediately." A white-haired old man, leaning on a walking stick, said tremblingly.
"The government has issued an order for everyone to return to their respective quarters, and has also sent monks and troops to provide protection. If you rashly run out like this, not only will you be violating the order, but you may also easily lose your life. Go back quickly." Yu Lingwei advised earnestly.
"Those soldiers can't stop the monsters at all. They can't even protect themselves. How can they protect us?" someone among the refugees shouted.
"Everyone knows that the safest place at this time is the imperial palace. We just want to hide in this royal garden. Isn't that enough?" A resentful woman asked with tears on her face.
"Wow..."
A baby's cry sounded particularly loud amid the noise.
"Hold him quickly, don't let him cry, or it will attract the monster." A young man was so scared that his legs were trembling and he shouted anxiously with fear in his eyes.
As soon as he finished speaking, a beast-like roar came from the river.
I saw muddy waves surging in the river, overflowing along both sides of the river. In the middle of the wave, I could see a huge dorsal fin sticking out of the water, leading a line of flood rushing towards this side.
"The monster is coming, it's really coming..." someone exclaimed.
Everyone immediately panicked and crowded into the archway of the Royal Gardens.
The Yuling Guards were duty-bound and could not let them go. They shouted, "Retreat, retreat quickly. There are traces of evil spirits in the royal gardens, and they are being cleared out. If you rush in like this, even if you survive, you will be beheaded later."
"Don't worry about it. Just survive first. If you die, nothing you say will be of any use." The young man cried in horror.
"Don't you think the Tang Dynasty loves its people like its own children? Let us in..."
"I don't want to die, let me in."