In the azure sky, more and more flowing clouds gathered, gathering above the city, firmly blocking the sun behind it. Just like the words sung by tens of thousands of people at this moment, it made the world dim.
The flames on Ye Su's body grew stronger and stronger. His voice had completely stopped. In the raging fire, his face could not be seen clearly. His whole body was burning like a bright lamp.
The radiance that was spreading to the human world suddenly converged and then rose to the sky from the top of the woodpile. It was a holy beam of light that came from his body and fell to the deepest part of the distant sky.
A part of the dark sky was lit up. It was not as bright as the sun, but it was more real. Because the tens of thousands of people kneeling on the ground could see clearly what was there.
— There was a blue sky, dark clouds, relative darkness and real light.
The area of light suddenly dimmed again and quickly returned to its original appearance.
The raging fire on the pile of firewood had already risen into the air, as if it was going to burn through the sky. Ye Su's figure had already disappeared, and could not be seen at all. What was strange was that there was no horrible smell in the air of the small courtyard. Instead, there was a faint fragrance that made one's mind abnormally calm.
That beam of light, the sky that was lit up, and the strange fragrance, were they the signs of becoming a Saint?
No one knew, not Long Qing, not the tens of thousands of people kneeling on the ground, not the cavalryman of the Divine Halls, Xiaoyu, and those priests standing outside the small courtyard.
The scenes of becoming a Saint recorded in the West-Hill Scriptures had nothing to do with today's story. No one could know what was going on, including the Abbey Dean.
It was not important.
Ye Su had become a Saint. It had nothing to do with religion or the Divine Kingdom in heaven. He became a Saint in the human world and in the hearts of his believers. He was already a Saint.
Whether the Tang Empire and the Academy could win the war or not, the New Stream would inevitably spread in the human world. No one could stop it. He would be regarded as a Saint by countless believers.
Then he would be a Saint.
Suddenly, it started to snow. The drifting clouds gathered and covered the sky. Without the sunlight, ice crystals began to condense in the depths of the clouds, and then snowflakes began to fall.
Snowflakes drifted down and danced in the wind. They landed on the streets of the city, on the people kneeling in the square, on the small courtyard, and on the burning pile of firewood.
The snow melted into water when it came into contact with the devouring flames. As the snow grew stronger, more and more water was melted. The firewood was soaked and the fire was suppressed smaller and smaller. After an unknown period of time, it was finally extinguished.
The chanting of the tens of thousands of people also gradually stopped. People looked at the small courtyard with their final hopeful gazes. They wanted to see a miracle happen, but sadly found that there was no miracle.
The cross-shaped stakes had already been scorched and collapsed, and the extinguished firewood was in a mess. There was no sign of that person, and even the rope that tied him had already been burned to ashes.
Snowflakes fell on the crowd, on people's shoulders, and on people's faces. The snowflakes were melted into water by people's body temperature, moistening their dry lips because of anxiety and sadness. People drank the spring water and began to cry. The sound of crying became louder and louder, and the sorrow was endless, as if it was going to destroy people's hearts and organs.
The crying continued, and the snow kept falling. Time passed slowly, but the snow clouds in the sky did not disperse. People in the square gradually dispersed. Thousands of believers of the New Stream helped each other to leave. There was no conflict or killing during the whole process, and no one was imprisoned. Because Long Qing did not say anything.
He stood in front of the firewood, expressionless.
After a long time, the snow continued to fall. The last sparks in the extinguished firewood were extinguished, and the warm steam disappeared without a trace. Gradually, it was covered by the thick snow, and the ashes underneath could no longer be seen.
It was a vast expanse of whiteness. It was really clean.
…
…
Suddenly, there was a thunder in the sky.
Then, there was a second thunder.
The two thunders continued to follow each other, going back and forth between Heaven and Earth.
On the square, the cavalrymen of the Divine Halls of West-Hill, Xiaoyu, and other powerhouses of Haotian Taoism looked at the place where the thunder came from. They were vigilant, but more of them were fearful and uneasy, as if they had heard the wrath of Heaven.
The thunder kept changing its direction, which was impossible for ordinary people to capture. The thunder was terrible, and the power of Heaven was unpredictable. It was impossible for ordinary people to guard against it. What on earth was the thunder?
Long Qing looked up at the sky and saw the snowflakes that were stirred up by the two thunders and the invisible power in the thunder. He guessed who it was, but his expression was as calm as before.
A storm suddenly rose on the sea outside the Song Kingdom. The storm quickly landed on the shore, and the seawater was smashed on the famous breakwater. The remnants of the storm came to the square and turned into a roar.
The clouds in the sky above the city trembled slightly. A strong force spread from the point of the explosion and turned into a terrifying gale. Countless cavalrymen fell in the wind, and the war horses neighed in pain. Even the cultivators of Haotian Taoism had to raise all their cultivation to be able to withstand the gale.
The violent wind gradually subsided, and like water, it dispersed into the streets and between the houses. A circle about a hundred feet wide appeared on the square. There was no snow or blood in that circle. It was clean and empty, and there were only two people in it.
One of them was wearing an old cotton-padded jacket and holding a short wooden stick in his hand. He was the Eldest Brother of the Academy. The other one was wearing a long gown full of the smell of alcohol, with a flagon tied to his waist. He was the Drunkard, the most powerful person in the cultivation world.
The Eldest Brother's cotton-padded jacket was full of holes. Blood flowed from those holes and wet the cotton. He looked very embarrassed.
The Drunkard was not much better than him. His clothes were full of stains, and his left shoulder was a bit sunken. It seemed that he was hit by a stick. He wanted to take a sip of wine from the flagon, but found that his hand was shaking badly.
The thunders that roamed between the sky, the ocean, and the earth were the two of them chasing each other. They did not forget to fight even in the Distanceless State.
That was the highest level battle in the cultivation world, and also the most bitter one.
But in fact, the battle might not happen at all.
Yesterday, the Drunkard returned to the small town and said nothing to the Butcher, waiting for the future. The Eldest Brother stayed in the small building outside Linkang City, waiting for the result of the negotiation between the Academy and Taoism. Both of them had their own uneasiness.
The Drunkard's uneasiness did not disappear from the Peach Mountain last night and the appearance of Ye Su this morning. The Abbey Dean was not persuaded by Ning Que. He was happy to see the current situation, but he was still uneasy.
He thought that the uneasiness came from the Academy, and that the Academy would save Ye Su at all costs. So he left the small town in a hurry and returned to the small building outside Linkang City to meet Li Manman again.
Just like in the past few years, the Distanceless State was against the Distanceless State. Taoism and the Academy exchanged their most important chess piece. The Drunkard could not get rid of the Eldest Brother, and the Eldest Brother could not completely lock him down.
When they met, they could not separate, no matter to the mountains or the sea. So they began to fight, from the mountains to the sea. In the end, the Eldest Brother finally came here, but he was seriously injured.
He was the one who wanted to come, so he was the one who got hurt.
"The Academy always says that my body and spirit are rotten … What about you now?"
The Drunkard put his trembling hands behind his back, looked at him and said, "You have been with me for so many days. How long can you last? How many more times can you get hurt like today? "
His face was a bit pale, and his left shoulder was seriously injured. But compared to the Eldest Brother who was covered in blood and had many broken bones, his injuries were much lighter. So he was qualified to say that.
But the Eldest Brother did not listen to him. He looked at the snow pile in the small courtyard and smelled the embers under the snow. He remained silent and looked a bit depressed.
He was so badly injured that he could come here, but he was still late.
There was a faint sound of crying in the distance of the city. No one knew whether it was for the innocent believers who died in the conflict or for Ye Su who was buried in the fire. He listened in silence.
After a while, he turned to the Drunkard and said, "You were in the small town. Why did you come here?"
The Drunkard said, "You were in Chang 'an. Why did you come here?"
The Eldest Brother said, "You are committing a crime."
The Drunkard said, "A crime against the human world or the Divine Kingdom? The New Stream has shaken the foundation of the Divine Kingdom. He must die. If Taoism did not do it, I would. "
Long Qing had been silent since the Drunkard and the Eldest Brother showed up. He stood in the courtyard and looked at the two Grand Cultivators who he could only look up to. He looked calm and fearless.
Everything was going according to the Abbey Dean's plan. No matter how uneasy the Drunkard was, he would help Taoism to kill Ye Su before he found out the truth.
Because the Drunkard and the Butcher were greedy, as if they were the combination of countless generations of human beings. They not only wanted immortality, but also eternity. Eternity could only be found in the Divine Kingdom of Haotian. What would they do if the Divine Kingdom was gone?
In fact, if the Abbey Dean did not agree, the Drunkard and the Butcher would have already killed Ye Su. The two Grand Cultivators did not care about becoming saints at all.
They had long thought that they were saints, but so what? They were still like rats who had been hiding in the human world for tens of thousands of years, and finally became Haotian's dogs.
Of course, Long Qing understood the Abbey Dean's intention, especially after he had a conversation with Ye Su before his death. He knew that the Drunkard and the Butcher would regret it in the future, but it would not affect the fact that Taoism could order them around like dogs in the name of Haotian.
Thinking of this, Long Qing smiled. It was not a sarcasm, but a sincere sarcasm. He was mocking the Drunkard and the Butcher for being blinded by greed.
The five colors could blind people, and the five sounds could deafen people. The scriptures were right.
The smile on Long Qing's face disappeared, because someone was looking at him.
The Eldest Brother looked at him and remained silent for a long time. Then he asked, "Why?"
He was puzzled, and so was the Academy. No one could figure out why Taoism would do this. Burning Ye Su to death to help him become a saint would not help to destroy the New Stream. Instead, it would split Taoism. At least the Divine Hall of Judgment would not be trusted by Taoism anymore.
What was the Abbey Dean thinking?
"You can take Ning Que's failed attempt as all the reasons."
Long Qing said, "My Brother's death was not just a matter of the Academy. Without the Academy, he would not have died. At least, he would not have died so quickly. So your sorrow is meaningless."
After saying this, he bowed slightly to the Eldest Brother and walked out of the small courtyard. In the wind and snow, he mounted a horse brought by his subordinates. He didn't put the "Sha" Handscroll of the Tomes of the Arcane back to his bosom until he was far away.
The Eldest Brother watched Long Qing's figure disappear in the wind and snow.
He had sensed Ning Que's peculiarity outside Linkang. Today he felt it more clearly, but he did not have the energy to think about those things.
He looked at the courtyard again, at the pile of firewood that was withstanding the falling snow. Then he looked up at the falling snow and recalled something that happened in the past.
That year, it was also snowing in Chang 'an. Many people entered the city. Qi Nian came but was trapped in the snow forest by his Younger Sister. Jun Mo sat on the snow bridge for a whole night. The Youngest Brother and Sangsang killed Xiahou on the lake. He and Ye Su stood on the city wall and watched the snow for a whole night, talking about many things that did not matter.
They met several times, in front of the small Taoist temple, deep in the Snow-capped Peak of the Tianqi Mountains …
Even earlier, Sangsang was born in the human world. There was a black line on the Wilderness. He was drinking and reading by the pond on one side of the black line. Ye Su was chopping trees on the other side of the black line. It was said that he recited an interesting Taoist hymn and then began to travel around the world, trying to break through the barrier of life and death. He must have really broken through at the last moment.
So, he really died?
The Eldest Brother looked at the snow and kept silent for a long time. Ye Su's founding of the New Stream had a lot to do with the Academy. It was because Jun Mo had crippled him in front of the Verdant Canyon, and it was also because of the discussion he had with Ye Su.
Then he remembered that since many years ago, even before he became a disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy, the person he wanted to be the most was a scholar, a scholar who taught and educated people.
The scholar lived in a shabby alley and taught those poor children. He lived a poor life. He ate nothing and drank nothing, but he never changed his happiness or his Taoism.
He wanted to be such a person, but he did not expect that Ye Su had done so before him. In the last years of his life, Ye Su had always been such a person.
After a long time, he reached out his hand and caught a snowflake. He turned to the Drunkard and said, "In order to achieve immortality, you abandoned the entire human world. Even if you succeed, don't you feel lonely?"
The Drunkard said, "Death is the real loneliness. Take Ye Su for example. He has become a sage, but he has no connection with the world. He is the real loneliness now."
The Eldest Brother shook his head and said calmly and affirmatively, "You are wrong. He will not be lonely."
Ye Su gave up his belief for decades just so that human beings would no longer need belief. He left the world, but he left many things behind. He believed that those things would really change the world.
Many people were doing or were about to do the same thing as him. Jun Mo lit the wildfire at the bottom of the Giant Sinkhole, and he would lead the Academy forward. He was a sage, but he had many peers. How could he be lonely?
Sages should not be lonely since ancient times.
…
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
