The moonlight was still the same, the wind was no more, and the snow was still there. The bloodstains on the snow were clear and soul-stirring. The Divine Hall of Judgment was dead silent, except for the occasional sound of rocks falling off.
The middle-aged priest walked to the balcony, followed by Xiong Chumo and Zhao Nanhai. The three of them looked at the bottomless abyss under the railings, the mist under the moonlight, and the old trees on the precipice. They remained silent for a long time.
Then they left without talking or looking at each other. Ning Que jumped, Haotian jumped, and so did Ye Hongyu tonight. Ning Que and Haotian could survive, but she could not.
Since death was the only ending, there was no need to care about it anymore.
She was the Great Divine Priest of Judgment, and her death would cause a lot of trouble. Taoism had many things to deal with. Xiong Chumo had to start preparing to suppress the anger of the Divine Hall of Judgment, Zhao Nanhai had to help stabilize the situation on Peach Mountain, and the middle-aged priest had to gather the will of Taoism.
More importantly, with the battle tonight and Ye Hongyu's death, Taoism would start to destroy the New Stream, and the war with the Tang and the Academy would officially begin.
After the three of them left, the heavily damaged Divine Hall became lonely again. Naturally, someone would be sent to the bottom of the precipice to confirm Ye Hongyu's death and search for her body. However, even if she could return to the Divine Hall of Judgment on that day, this solemn Divine Hall would not be able to welcome its master back.
…
…
The night was dark, and the moon was hidden behind the thick clouds. The crisscrossing streams, the stone bridges, and the cold-resistant wildflowers were all swallowed by the darkness.
It was very cold this year. The fields outside of Yangzhou City were frozen solid. In the dead of night, there was a muffled sound. Someone fell from the top of the city wall and smashed heavily into the ground, creating several cracks in the frozen ground. The person's leg bones immediately broke, but under such pain, he did not make a sound.
Wang Jinglue frowned. Even the dark night could not hide the paleness on his face. Countless beads of sweat came out of his body and soaked him.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and used his hands as his feet to crawl forward with difficulty. Only when he entered a bush and confirmed that he wouldn't be easily discovered did he let out a sigh of relief.
At this moment, there was another sound of something falling on the ground in front of the city wall. He pulled the bushes aside and saw a man lying on the ground. The man was covered with blood. Obviously, he was already dead.
The sound of hurried footsteps came from the top of the city wall, and then dozens of torches were lit. In an instant, the pitch-black night was driven away, and the top and bottom of the city wall were illuminated as if it was daytime.
The face of the man lying motionless on the ground was also illuminated by the torch. His face was covered in blood, but his facial features were barely discernible. Wang Jinglue's body trembled slightly, and the hand holding the branch trembled slightly. His face became even paler because he knew the man. To be precise, he was very familiar with the man.
He was very familiar with him. In the past few years, Wang Jinglue had represented the imperial court and secretly contacted the young people who were loyal to the Tang in Yangzhou City. He had made a lot of progress, and the young man who died was one of them.
The top of Yangzhou City wall became noisy. There were shouts and sounds of weapons clashing. Wang Jinglue looked up with difficulty. He knew that the young people who were loyal to Chang 'an were being chased by the powerhouses of the Divine Hall. He clenched his fists tighter, but he could not do anything. He could not help but feel hopeless.
More people fell, crashing heavily into the frozen field. Mud and blood splattered everywhere. Following that, more and more people fell, dying one after another.
His pale face was full of despair and pain. His eyes were full of regret. He regretted not realizing that his plan had been completely grasped by the Divine Hall. He regretted not predicting the Divine Hall's sudden attack.
He regretted letting these young people die.
The people who died tonight were his helpers in the warlords. They were all young people from Qinghe County. In Ning Que's words, they were the real hope. However … no matter how tough the young people's bones were, they were still broken.
Wang Jinglue's eyes turned red. He bit his lips and began to bleed.
He stared at the cavalrymen of the Divine Hall at the top of Yangzhou City wall. He looked at the figures illuminated by the torches. His body trembled in pain. He was like a wounded stray dog, but he did not dare to mourn.
He turned around and crawled on the ground like a dog. He crawled into the deepest part of the night. He bled as he crawled. He had to leave Qinghe County alive. He wanted to tell the Tang army on the other side of the Verdant Canyon what had happened tonight. He wanted to tell Ning Que that the Academy's plan had failed. He wanted to tell Chang 'an that the war had begun.
Ning Que did not expect that the West-Hill Divine Palace would suddenly make a move under such circumstances. Their cause and the young people of Qinghe County had suffered unimaginable losses.
But, I will be back.
On the day I return, the iron hooves will trample this difficult and cold field. Torches will be placed all over the manors by the Fuchun River. The souls of the young people who died will receive the grandest sacrifice.
Wang Jinglue crawled into the dark night, away from the light of the torches in Yangzhou City.
Snow suddenly fell and fell on the dead young people.
It also fell on him, who was like a dog.
…
…
The straightest street in Yangzhou City was brightly illuminated by the lights.
The sacred sedan moved slowly in the middle of the street. A dozen handmaidens beside the sedan kept sprinkling flower petals into the night sky. The flower petals mixed with the falling snow and fell together, pure and holy.
The wind blew and lifted the veil in front of the sedan, revealing Hengmu Liren's childish face.
Thousands of people of Yangzhou knelt down on both sides of the street. The leaders of the warlords of Qinghe County also knelt on the ground. No one dared to look at his face.
Tonight in the City of Yangzhou, people were killed everywhere. Blood poured into the cracks of the flagstones and flowed into the clear Fuchun River. It was the bloodiest night since the rebellion years ago.
Many young people who were loyal to Chang 'an died tonight. As for those who were not discovered by the Divine Halls, they would be much quieter after witnessing such a bloody scene.
Hengmu Liren only attacked once tonight. A dozen powerful figures from the Imperial Center Administration of the Tang were all killed. His hands were stained with blood. His will even made Qinghe County bleed.
But his expression was still so calm, naive and delightful.
He was not the Great Divine Priest of West-Hill, but he was as powerful and dignified as the Great Divine Priest of West-Hill.
He was the gift from Haotian to the human world. He considered himself as the spokesperson of Haotian. He sat in the sacred sedan and moved forward slowly in the scattered flowers and snow. He enjoyed the respect and love of mortals.
He liked this feeling very much.
The war with the Tang Empire had finally begun. Could Ning Que still sit in Chang 'an City peacefully?
Ning Que, when will you come out?
When will you come to see me?
Please come and fight with me.
Please come and be killed by me.
The light from the fire illuminated the night snow, making it look like white powder, like willow catkins in spring.
Hengmu Liren looked through the wind and snow, across the Verdant Canyon and fell on Chang 'an. He smiled and thought to himself.
…
…
The Central Plains were covered with snow. The Peach Mountain and the City of Yangzhou were all covered with thin or thick snow. Soon the Song would have a snowfall as well, which would be remembered in history. But before that, the snow suddenly stopped on the grassland. The clouds dispersed and the snow disappeared, revealing the bright moon.
To the north of the City of Wei, thousands of tents were being dismantled. Countless livestock were being driven away. The warriors of the Golden Tribe Royal Court were saddling their horses. Tens of thousands of elite cavalrymen were about to set off. It was a magnificent scene. But no sound could be heard. Except for the livestock's restless cries, the atmosphere was depressing.
As the most powerful power in the north of the continent, the nobles and citizens of the Golden Tribe Royal Court had every right to be proud of themselves for their successive victories against the Tang. But it was different this time.
Tonight, the entire Golden Tribe Royal Court would move south.
Moving south meant invading south.
It meant that the final battle was about to begin. It meant that they would have to fight to the death against the Tang that had ruled the world for thousands of years. Even the proudest warriors of the Golden Tribe started to feel nervous.
The first to leave the City of Wei was an ordinary-looking motorcade. It consisted of more than a dozen large carriages. There were not many people and they did not carry much supplies. So they moved easily.
But for the Golden Tribe Royal Court, this was the most important motorcade.
Thirteen high priests from the grassland were sitting in their own carriages. The skull necklaces on their chests were as white as pure jade under the moonlight coming through the window.
The national master wore a string of ordinary wooden beads, just like his ordinary clothes and his ordinary face. He looked at the bright moon outside the window and smiled calmly. No one knew what he was thinking.
For the cultivation world of the Central Plains, he was an uncivilized barbarian. Even if he led the Golden Tribe Royal Court to the embrace of Haotian, he and the priests were still wandering outside the orthodox cultivation world.
However, this did not affect his strength, nor did it affect his emotions.
He yearned for the bright moon. He wanted to go to the south and experience the thoughts of the people of the Central Plains. He wanted to go to Chang 'an and the Academy. But of course, he did not want to come back.
Young A Da was also looking at the moon. The air was washed by the wind and snow for several days. It was very clean. The grassland was very quiet at night, so the moon looked extra round and big.
Different from the national master, A Da did not think too much. He only felt that the moon was a bit dazzling. He squinted his eyes and his childish face was full of annoyance.
The Golden Tribe Royal Court was mobilized. More than a hundred thousand cavalries were about to go south. Chanyu was determined and moved quickly. But A Da was still not satisfied. He was in a hurry to go south.
He wanted to kill the Tang general named Hua Ying. He wanted to crush the last cavalries of the Tang army. From Xiangwan Plain to Hebei Prefecture, he wanted to conquer all the places with water and grass.
During this process, he would wait for the arrival of the iron arrow and Yu Lian together with the people in the motorcade. He wanted to break the arrow and kill the person.
Why? Because he wanted to do it. He wanted to take revenge on the Tang man named Ning Que. He wanted to defeat the legendary Academy. He thought that since he wanted to do so, it must be the will of Tengri Heaven.
…
…
It was not snowing in the capital of the Kingdom of Song.
The confrontation on the square had been going on for a long time. Thousands of followers of the New Stream, Taoist priests and cavalries of the Kingdom of Song looked at each other nervously. They were all exhausted.
Torches were lit on the high platform, lighting up the corner. Ye Su sat behind the table and pondered over the analysis of morality and justice. Chen Pipi knelt beside him and said nothing.
Tang Xiaotang and a dozen disciples of the Sword Garret also stood in front of the high platform in silence.
Facing the attack of the Divine Hall, they did not know how long they could hold on. They could not leave, so they could only wait.
Xiaoyu, the girl from the South Sea, looked terrible. She represented the attitude of Taoism. However, at the most critical moment of the day, the bell rang in the Taoist Hall. She had to stop and wait.
Wait? Why wait? Would Haotian show mercy to these traitors? Could Ning Que really persuade the Abbey Dean to let go of Ye Su and the followers of the New Stream? Wait for what?
No one knew what they were waiting for.
Were they waiting for the order to kill or the arrival of peace?
Those who knew about the peace talks with the Divine Halls of West-Hill also felt that it was too long to wait.
Only Long Qing knew what the Divine Halls of West-Hill were waiting for.
They were not waiting for the Abbey Dean to be persuaded or not. They were not waiting for the final result of the peace talks. They were not waiting for Haotian's order. They were waiting for someone's death.
In other words, the news of death.
The news of Ye Hongyu's death. Her death was the beginning of the war.
As long as the young Great Divine Priest of Judgment was alive, Taoism could not do anything to Ye Su.
Long Qing knew it, but he did not care. Because he knew that it was inevitable. Whether it was tonight or tomorrow morning, her death would come.
So he still chopped firewood as he did in the daytime. He picked up the branches and piled them in the middle of the yard. He piled them carefully as if he was making a delicate handicraft.
Thousands of people were confronting each other outside the wall. He was piling firewood on the other side of the wall.
Because he had plenty of time, he chopped a lot of firewood. Now he could even pile all the firewood wet with snow at the bottom and only put dry, flammable and perfectly shaped firewood on the top.
The dry firewood had been piled up to a radius of dozens of feet. It was so dense that it looked like the tomb of a king.
Or it could be the tomb of a sage.
At the top of the dry firewood, there were two stakes inserted horizontally and vertically. They looked like a person or a cross.
There was a rope hanging on the stakes.
The rope and the stakes were used to tie people up. The firewood was used to burn people.
Time passed slowly. The night was fading and the sky was getting brighter. On the other side of the wall, the chanting of the followers of the New Stream could be heard. The orderly chanting could drive away fatigue and more importantly, fear.
Long Qing listened to the orderly chanting outside the wall and repeated it softly. The tone was very interesting, as if they were singing.
He did not stop picking firewood. He looked serious and calm.
The silver mask was tied around his waist. He did not wear it. The scar on his face did not fade. Strangely, the scar was no longer horrible and ugly. The gray eyes on his beautiful face were particularly charming.
Listening to the chanting coming from outside the wall, Long Qing slowly repeated it. He placed the thin firewood on the pile and repeated these actions under the increasingly bright sky. Then, he suddenly stopped.
"We are the path, the truth, and the life."
He raised his head and looked over the wall to the east. He did not know whether it was the sunrise or some other building. He murmured and repeated it thoughtfully.
This was the capital of the Kingdom of Song. It was not famous on the mainland and could not be compared with Linkang, let alone Chang 'an. But this city was of great significance to Taoism.
It was the oldest Taoist temple on the mainland and had the longest history. Many Great Divine Priests had been dedicated to the Divine Halls of West-Hill. The people in the Zhishou Abbey had an inseparable relationship with this place.
The abbey dean, Chen Mou, was also from this place.
The Kingdom of Song was one of the origins of Taoism and the most conservative place.
Ye Su chose this place to spread the New Stream and make it the base camp of the New Stream. This must be the reason why he chose this place to spread the New Stream. He wanted to move forward in the most dangerous place and see the light in the abyss.
While he was thinking, a bell suddenly rang from afar.
It should be the Taoist temple of the Kingdom of Song.
Long Qing's expression froze.
When he saw the white smoke rising from the Taoist temple, he was sure that the news had arrived.
The solemn ringing of the bell and the wisp of white smoke rising into the clouds could only mean one thing.
A Great Divine Priest of the Divine Halls of West-Hill had left the human world and returned to the Divine Kingdom of Haotian.
Ye Hongyu was dead.
The youngest Great Divine Priest of Judgment in history was dead.
Long Qing stood behind the wall and watched the white smoke gradually dissipate into the sky. He thought of the dead woman and could not help but feel a lot of emotions. He was silent for a long time.
They were both from the Revelation Institute and worked together in the Judicial Department. He was the Second Priest and she was the Grand Master. He was the Divine Son of West-Hill and she was the peerless Tao Addict. He had never been as good as her.
When he chose to betray Taoism for power and became a lonely ghost, she had already sat on the Seat of Heavenly Black Jade — the Seat of Heavenly Black Jade that he could never forget.
He was always a loser in front of Ye Hongyu, just like he was in front of Ning Que.
When he was at the peak of his power, he subconsciously felt inferior in front of Ye Hongyu and even instinctively feared her. That was why he stabbed Lu Chenjia to death in front of her in the illusion of climbing the mountain in the Academy. He regarded her and Ye Su as the biggest Inner Demons in his cultivation.
Today, she finally died. Long Qing did not feel happy at all. Instead, he felt empty. Maybe it was because she did not die in his hands.
He could never make up for this regret. It was a pity.
Fortunately, Ye Su was still alive and he still had a chance to be burned to death by his own hands.
…
…
The solemn bell rang from the Taoist temple to the square and into the ears of thousands of followers of the New Stream and divine priests and deacons. It washed away their fatigue and tension and drew their attention to the Taoist temple.
There was a white smoke rising from the temple. It was holy and pure.
There was dead silence. As devout followers of Haotian, they knew what it meant. The followers of the New Stream, the divine priests and deacons of the Divine Hall, and the cavalrymen of the imperial court of the Kingdom of Song were all silent because of the white smoke. They could not get over the shock for a long time.
If it were any other time, they would have knelt down in front of the white smoke to express their sorrow and nostalgia. But now, the white smoke was a signal, a signal of war.
Xiaoyu raised the Taoist Sword in her hand and pointed it at the people on the high platform.
Behind her, dozens of Taoist powerhouses and more divine priests and deacons walked forward slowly. More and more cavalrymen of the Kingdom of Song poured out from the streets and alleys around the square.
The butcher's knife had been raised. The helpless followers of the New Stream huddled together in fear and retreated backward. The threat of death woke them up from the shock brought by the white smoke.
Ye Su sat behind the desk with his right hand on the scroll. He tilted his head and looked at the white smoke that had yet to dissipate. He was silent for a long time. The approaching enemies and the approaching death could not make him look away.
His sister was dead because he was dead.
In the past ten years, he was harsh and even cruel to her because of Chen Pipi and the things that happened in the past. But she still treated him like she was when they were young.
She was the one who treated him the best in the world.
That person was gone.
Ye Su was silent and speechless.
"You can go now." After a long time, he said, "My teacher wants me to die, so I will die. You are alive. That's good."
Yes, it was better to be alive than dead.
Looking at the white smoke, he thought sadly.
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