The dark forest was silent, the cicadas in winter silent, the autumn insects silent.
The tea on the stone table was already cold, the lantern already extinguished.
Suddenly, a soft rustling came from some place in the forest.
The two of them looked over and saw a squirrel running across a tree at high speed.
This squirrel was very fat, its furry tail dragging a gray shadow behind it. It looked very cute.
Seeing this sight, for some reason, Chen Changsheng forgot about his impending death, a fate even more wretched than death. An innocent smile appeared on his face.
The Tianhai Divine Empress did not smile. She only quietly gazed at the squirrel, her thoughts inscrutable.
She waved her sleeve as if to brush away some emotions that she did not like.
The cute squirrel was currently jumping from tree to tree when it transformed into a flower of blood in midair.
Chen Changsheng froze, somewhat sorrowfully asking, "Why?"
The Tianhai Divine Empress did not answer his question. What answered him were the sounds rising one after another from the dark forest.
These sounds were very oppressive, popping and popping, like a leather bag filled with wine that could no longer endure the pressure inside and suddenly burst open.
A middle-aged man staggered out from behind a tree. His chest and abdomen had already sunk in, as if he had been directly crushed by some kind of terrifying force. His eyes, nose, mouth, and ears kept spurting blood. Before he could say anything, he collapsed.
Chen Changsheng recognized him. He was one of the three cardinals of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education.
He had come to find Chen Changsheng, or perhaps to protect Chen Changsheng on the orders of the Li Palace.
Now, he had died before Chen Changsheng's eyes.
Those oppressive sounds continued to echo. In the dark forest of early autumn, ten-some flowers of blood exploded out, whether on the trees or in the fallen leaves on the ground.
Each flower of blood represented the death of an expert of the Orthodoxy.
In the darkness even further away, a few Orthodoxy experts that had not been affected were forced to reveal themselves and scatter in all directions, but how could they possibly outrun the wind piercing through the forest?
As he gazed at this terrifying, almost bizarre sight, Chen Changsheng's body and mind went cold.
These people currently dying were all rarely seen experts in the world, but in front of the Tianhai Divine Empress, they were powerless to retaliate.
The Tianhai Divine Empress's hands were already held behind her back, the wind from her sleeves still piercing through the forest.
The merciless slaughter continued. People died from time to time, and the scene was indescribably tragic.
Chen Chang Sheng shouted that it was enough.
He thought his voice was loud enough, but she didn't seem to hear him.
He could feel the blood in his voice, but she didn't seem to feel anything.
Dozens of incomplete corpses lay quietly in the dark forest.
The Tianhai Divine Empress impassively gazed into the darkness and once more raised her right hand.
A painful groan suddenly sounded in the darkness, and then a person was forced out of the darkness.
The person who came out of the darkness was Liu Qing. The sword in his hand was bent out of shape, and his clothes were torn all over, with blood constantly flowing out.
He knelt amongst the fallen leaves, gazing at the Tianhai Divine Empress behind Chen Changsheng. His eyes were filled with shock and reverence, but not fear.
Su Li and that mysterious assassin had both left the continent. He, who had already cultivated to the peak of Star Condensation in Mount Han, was unquestionably the strongest assassin in the world. But it was simply impossible for him to get close to the Tianhai Divine Empress, and even his secret technique to conceal himself in the darkness had been seen through by her in a single glance. It was practically a joke.
After encountering the Demon Lord in Mount Han, he was already keenly aware of the gap between him and those true experts of the Divine Domain. He understood just how laughable it was for Su Li to insist on bringing them into the capital to kill the Divine Empress was, but he had still come to the capital.
Because he was an assassin, this was something he should do.
Assassins would always die, and to be able to die in an assassination attempt on the continent's strongest expert, he had nothing to be dissatisfied about. He even felt very excited. Neither Su Li nor his elder sister had truly exchanged blows with Tianhai. Although he had been defeated, as expected, he had still tried, and … Tianhai really was that strong!
As he gazed at the Tianhai Divine Empress by the stone table, Liu Qing's breathing became rather hurried, his eyes very bright, and he seemed rather excited.
The Tianhai Divine Empress slightly raised her brows.
She knew that Liu Qing was a person of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. Originally, out of respect for the Elder of Heavenly Secrets, she had not intended to kill him, but now she was prepared to kill him, because she did not like being looked at like this.
Perhaps it was because he had been watching her every move this entire time, or perhaps it was because there really was some sort of mysterious connection between them, but when he heard the rustling of the fallen leaves on the table and saw her raise her brows, Chen Changsheng knew that she was prepared to kill Liu Qing, just like how she had callously killed those Li Palace priests.
Liu Qing had saved Su Li in Xunyang City and helped him on Mount Han, so Chen Changsheng naturally did not want him to die, so he was very worried, especially when he heard the faint thundering of hooves outside the walls. He guessed that the Orthodoxy cavalry had heard the commotion and were currently hurrying over. If he could not stop her from continuing to kill, then tonight, the Orthodox Academy and the Hundred Herb Garden were highly likely to become a terrifying graveyard.
But he currently could not move, could only make very small movements above his neck, so he could only attempt once more to use words to persuade her. He looked at the Tianhai Divine Empress and pleaded, "Please let them go. They're all low-level cavalry and have nothing to do with this sort of major event. As for him … he's always been a madman, so there's no need to kill him."
The Tianhai Divine Empress lowered her head to glance at him, asking, "Why should I agree to your request?"
Chen Changsheng fell silent for a few moments, then replied, "After all, you gave birth to me, but you did not raise me. I also do not ask for anything else, just this one request."
The Tianhai Divine Empress's brows rose up once more, seeming to be mocking him.
Chen Changsheng pretended not to see the change in her expression, continuing, "Why must you kill so many people? Isn't it enough for you to just kill me? "
The Tianhai Divine Empress drew back her gaze and gazed at a puddle of blood on the fallen leaves. This puddle of blood had not been left by the Li Palace priests, but by the squirrel with the fluffy tail.
For some reason, she gazed at this puddle of blood in silence for a very long time, as if pondering something.
The hooves of the cavalry outside the academy walls grew closer and closer. One could faintly hear the chaos in the Orthodox Academy. Chen Changsheng could even hear Tang Thirty-Six's shouts.
Time continued to pass and he grew more and more nervous.
Suddenly, the Tianhai Divine Empress grabbed his collar. The night wind blew through the autumn forest and the two vanished.
Liu Qing struggled to stand up from the fallen leaves, once more vomiting blood. He gazed at the now empty stone table, his expression somewhat perplexed.
With the sounds of clashing and doors opening, several holes were torn open in the academy walls. The Orthodoxy cavalry and the people of the Orthodox Academy charged into the forest.
Liu Qing turned and vanished into the darkness.
… …
… …
Chen Changsheng felt his body lighten, and then he realized that he was in the air. The autumn forest of the Hundred Herb Garden had become a distant blanket beneath his feet, the lights of the Imperial Palace had become the reflections of the stars in the river, and the blazing torches of the Orthodox Academy had also gradually faded into the distance. Soon after, he saw the distant Qu River, saw the Dallying Forest, and then he entered a cloud.
Breaking through the clouds, the chilly night wind whistled over. The ground and those clear and shallow canals greeted him. His feet landed on the ground, and only then did he realize that he had already arrived at the Mausoleum of Books.
In the next moment, his feet once more left the ground. This time, he did not fly, but was lifted up.
The Tianhai Divine Empress carried him like he was a chicken waiting to be slaughtered. Crossing the clear canals of the stone plain, they arrived at the very bottom of the Divine Path of the Mausoleum of Books.
There was a pavilion there, and beneath the pavilion sat a person. His entire body was concealed in armor, making him seem like a bronze statue.
Tonight, the capital was cloudy, and very few stars could be seen.
When the Tianhai Divine Empress carried Chen Changsheng to the pavilion, the clouds in the night sky parted by an extremely small crack. Starlight spilled down and fell upon the armor.
The person in the armor woke up, and two distant and time-worn eyes appeared in the depths of the helmet.
The Tianhai Divine Empress declared, "All those who ascend the Divine Path are to be killed."
The person in the armor said nothing, only slowly raised his right hand and gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.
With this action, a few strands of dust flew out of the armor, as if more than six hundred years of time had been contained within.
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