Xu Yourong answered very quickly, as if she didn't even think about it.
However, Shang Xingzhou and Wang Po knew that this was because she had already thought about this problem too many times, so there was no need to think about it again.
Wang Po gazed at the approaching dust outside the Mausoleum of Books and sighed.
Shang Xingzhou looked at her and said, "Why should I agree to your request?"
Xu You Rong said, "Request is just a polite way of saying it, because I have to respect you as Chen Chang Sheng's master. In reality, this is my request for you."
There was only a difference of one word between request and demand, but the will they represented was very different.
Now, there was no one who dared to be so tough with Shang Xingzhou.
"Why?"
"Because you want to go on a northern expedition. You want to exterminate the demon race. You want the human race to unite the world."
They were all the wisest people in the world. There was no need for too much explanation. In the simple questions and answers, there was the truth in the depths of their Taoist hearts.
Looking at the situation outside the Mausoleum of Books, if this war truly began, no matter who won in the end, both sides would inevitably suffer grievous casualties. The aftermath would linger for many years, and the confluence of the north and south would once again become a bubble. The humans would sink into internal strife, and in the next few decades, they would not have the chance to defeat the demons and unify the continent.
A few decades later, Shang Xingzhou might die.
He would not allow such a thing to happen.
"I don't like Tianhai, and I also don't like Su Li, because no matter how far they see, in the end, they're only willing to see their own position."
Shang Xingzhou looked at Xu Yourong and said indifferently, "I didn't expect the Holy Maiden to be such a person."
Xu Yourong's expression did not change as she said, "If I can't even stand where I'm standing, what's the point of looking further?"
Shang Xingzhou said, "If you don't see far, it's easy to think too highly of yourself. Do you think you can cause chaos in the world by yourself?"
Xu Yourong said, "When people have too many thoughts, their minds will easily become chaotic. When people's minds are chaotic, how can the world not be chaotic?"
These words were spoken about the Prince of Xiang and Prince Chen Liu, about the Divine Generals taught by Chen Guansong, about the ministers of the court and the elders of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education, about every person who lived in this world and had their own views and ambitions about the world, including Shang Xingzhou and herself.
"As long as I'm here, the world will not fall into chaos.
Shang Xingzhou's expression was very calm, but there was a kind of convincing confidence.
Xu Yourong calmly said, "People will die, and you will not be an exception."
Shang Xingzhou looked at the South Stream Temple disciples and Wang Po and said, "You think that you can kill me today?"
Xu Yourong said, "At the very beginning, I thought that I could kill you, because I knew that your injuries had never healed."
Shang Xingzhou's eyes were deep and serene. He didn't expect that she could actually see through this.
In the Mausoleum of Books, the Tianhai Divine Empress had used her body, soul, and Dao to resist three supreme experts, waging a heaven-shaking battle.
Xu Yourong did not personally witness the battle, but in the following three years, she made many simulations and replays.
She realized that the Pope had not used his full strength that night. At the same time, she confirmed that the Divine Empress's strongest attacks had basically all landed in Luoyang.
It was at this time that Shang Xingzhou's injuries flared up in White Emperor City.
But from the Tianhai Divine Empress's choice that night, it could be seen that she valued Shang Xingzhou the most.
Xu Yourong would not doubt the Tianhai Divine Empress's insight.
She began to reexamine her original plan, and then made a very important change.
"You are much stronger than what the world thinks. It is indeed very difficult for me to kill you."
Xu Yourong looked at Shang Xingzhou and smiled. "But, I can trap you."
A sudden gust of wind blew away the dust on the Divine Path.
Two pure white wings ten-some zhang in length unfurled from her back.
Several hundred small white flowers once more bloomed in the mountains, and the disciples of South Stream Temple emerged from the various forests to stand in front of the Divine Path.
In this entire process, there was no confusion in their positions or the connection between them. It was so tight that no gap could be found.
If someone were to look down from the peak of the Mausoleum of Books, they would probably think of a shattered vase being reassembled in time.
"I can trap you."
These words sounded ordinary, but they were actually not simple at all.
Because trapping a peerless expert might not be as easy as killing him.
Shang Xingzhou's Daoist techniques were clear and exquisite. He rode the wind for a hundred li. Even in the Mausoleum of Books, he could advance or retreat without hindrance.
Not even the Tianhai Divine Empress could say such words to Shang Xingzhou.
In the entire world, only Holy Maiden Peak had the confidence, because they had the South Stream Temple sword array.
When Zhou Dufu was at his peak, he had also been trapped by the South Stream Temple sword array for a while.
If Xu Yourong only wanted to trap Shang Xingzhou in the sword array for a while, she could probably do it.
The problem was, just what was her goal in keeping Shang Xingzhou here?
Shang Xingzhou had come because of Wang Po.
If he was trapped by the South Stream Temple sword array, Wang Po would naturally be able to leave.
Where would Wang Po go?
Shang Xingzhou's gaze fell on Wang Po.
Wang Po said, "My mission was to draw you here."
Shang Xingzhou asked, "You can leave?"
Wang Po gazed at the end of the Divine Path and said, "The Mausoleum of Books will always be here. If I want to come, I can come at any time."
Shang Xingzhou's eyes chilled. "You think you can leave?"
These two sentences were extremely similar, but they actually conveyed different meanings.
The first sentence was about willingness, and the second was about ability.
Shang Xingzhou's words caused Wang Po to arch his brows.
His eyes were rather close, just like on a flat plain, the gloomy sky connecting to the ground.
As he raised his brows, a tree suddenly appeared between the sky and the plain, its trunk extremely straight.
"I am not willing to bully you with numbers, so I will leave. Otherwise, you could try to make me stay."
After saying this, his hand left the hilt of his blade and he prepared to leave.
Xu Yourong said to him, "Thank you."
Wang Po recalled his final conversation with Xun Mei outside the Mausoleum of Books and shook his head.
Following the path he had taken, passing through the forest and glancing at the small house behind the fence, he began to walk out of the Mausoleum of Books.
Who knew how many experts of the military, assassins from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, and blue-clothed Daoists from the Monastery of Eternal Spring were hidden in the forest and the buildings.
His hand still did not grasp the hilt of his blade, because these people were not qualified for him to pull out his blade, nor did they have the courage to show themselves.
Before the thick stone gate of the Mausoleum of Books, he stopped.
The princes and generals of the Chen clan, as well as the dense mass of cavalry, stood across from him.
A bishop walked up to him and whispered a few words. Wang Po shook his head.
The bishop was somewhat hesitant, but in the end, he did not dare to defy him. He ordered the Orthodoxy cavalry blocking the Mausoleum of Books to retreat along the river.
The crowd on the other side grew restless at this sight, but it quickly quieted down, because they all recognized who that seemingly shabby scholar was.
It was absolutely silent in front of the Mausoleum of Books. The atmosphere grew more and more oppressive, more and more tense. Even the descent of the flying carriage did not change the mood.
The Prince of Xiang was helped out of the carriage by his two younger brothers. Feeling somewhat sleepy, he rubbed his eyes and finally saw Wang Po standing there.
Slightly surprised, he asked, "What do you mean?" (To be continued.)
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