Linghai Zhiwang looked at this elder who had once been like a teacher and a father and said, "The Empress has already defied the heavens and changed Chen Changsheng's fate, so why does Your Holiness still make this choice?"
"This matter has nothing to do with Chen Chang Sheng, nor does it have anything to do with Senior. The choice can only be one's own choice."
The Pope glanced at the Green Leaf in the basin and said with a sense of disappointment and frustration, "In my life, I never knew how to choose. I was like a blade of grass, drifting with the wind. It was like this several hundred years ago, and it was still like this twenty years ago. Senior Brother is right, I am truly a very useless person. It is always only at the final moment that I can act according to my heart, but by that time, it is often already too late. Thus, Senior Brother broke off relations with the Empress, thus Zhu Luo and Guan Xingke died. If we carefully consider it, all of this should be my fault. "
In the last two years, because of the Orthodox Academy's rebirth, the Pope no longer supported the Orthodoxy's new faction. Whether it was Linghai Zhiwang or Daoist Siyuan, both of them held a deep grudge against the Pope. However, they did not harbor any malice towards the Pope, because they were keenly aware that in the one thousand years of the Orthodoxy, the Pope was a true, pure cultivator.
At these words, Linghai Zhiwang and Daoist Siyuan raised their heads and saw that the Pope stood in the Sacred Light, making it impossible to look directly at him.
Daoist Siyuan said in pain, "You don't have to force yourself to make a choice."
The Pope said, "My choice should benefit all living beings."
After saying this, he walked out of the [Light Palace].
Thousands of priests knelt down outside the hall like a tidal wave.
The Pope looked in the direction of the Mausoleum of Books and said, "Why don't we return together?"
The Tianhai Divine Empress's reply to this proposal was very clear, her voice cold and indifferent, brimming with ridicule. Perhaps it was because of disappointment?
"Give the position to these idiots? You've really gone senile. Go to hell then. "
The Pope faintly smiled, knowing that she was not in a good mood, and then shook his head.
The Green Leaf was no longer in his hands, but floating in the darkness behind him.
As the night breeze blew, the green leaves swayed slowly, as if they were shaking their heads.
As the green leaves swayed, many people appeared in the Hall of Clear Virtue, which was still some distance away from the [Light Palace]. These people were the experts of the Orthodoxy who had secluded themselves to break through, the priests who were quietly cultivating and comprehending the Dao. They were already used to life in the Green Leaf World, and now that they were suddenly called out, they had blank expressions, not knowing what was going on.
After a moment, they understood the current situation, and their expressions instantly became grave. They met up with the priests of the Li Palace and then left along the Divine Avenue, dispersing to various parts of the capital.
…
…
The Li Palace had finally moved, and the situation in the capital was settled.
Liang Wangsun left the Lingyan Pavilion. For some reason, the Tang Second Master did not kill him.
The Yulin Royal Guards began to have internal strife, and the sounds of fighting could be heard everywhere in the Imperial Palace. It was only when Prince Chen Liu took the so-called will of the late Emperor and charged into the Imperial Palace alone that the situation was somewhat brought under control.
Soon after, several princes followed closely behind. Eighteen cardinals led three hundred priests into the Imperial City, and the Imperial Palace finally regained its peace.
The situation in the Imperial Court was even more complicated. The rebellion was encountering enormous resistance, and if not for the insistence of the Minister of Rites, the experts of the Ivy Academies led by Principal Zhuang Zhihuan of the Heavenly Dao Academy might have killed even more people tonight.
The turmoil in the capital gradually subsided.
The rebellion was gradually gaining control of the situation, but true victory and defeat were still far from being decided, because the Mausoleum of Books was still there.
There were no armies around the Mausoleum of Books, nor were there any cultivators from the various provinces and counties, because the level of the battle here was too high.
People came one after another to the Mausoleum of Books, and even the most unremarkable of them was an important personage.
Mao Qiuyu came, and with him came a tall and thin old man dressed in a Daoist robe and a little girl.
In the darkness around the Mausoleum of Books, on the opposite shore of the dried-up river, the hidden experts of the various great clans and sects gradually revealed themselves.
The Tang Second Master did not appear. He had silently left the Lingyan Pavilion and then appeared before no one again. This was the style of the Wenshui Tangs. When the matter was done, they would leave with a brush of their robes, and only when it was time to receive their reward would they appear again. And not many people knew that the Tang clan had played the most important role in tonight's coup in the capital.
While many people had arrived at the Mausoleum of Books, the head of the Qiushan clan had already left. On the official road to the south, in response to the question of the Guardian, he thought it over, then said, "There are too many people."
… …
… …
Chen Changsheng silently gazed at these sights below the Mausoleum of Books, his thoughts inscrutable.
In truth, not even he knew what he was thinking, what he should be thinking.
The tall and thin Daoist standing next to Mao Qiuyu was probably Archbishop Daoist Baishi, but who was that little girl?
That little girl had a very delicate appearance, so how could she have the right to stand together with these two important figures of the Orthodoxy?
"Mu Jiushi, when did you return from the Great Western Continent?"
The Tianhai Divine Empress gazed at the little girl, slightly arching her brow.
Upon hearing this name, no matter how absent-minded Chen Changsheng was, he still somewhat sobered up.
It turned out that this delicate and elegant little girl was actually Mu Jiushi, one of the Orthodoxy's Six Prefects?
He had never imagined that this most enigmatic figure of the Orthodoxy would actually be so young. And from the Tianhai Divine Empress's words, could it be that she had some connection to the Great Western Continent?
Mu Jiushi gazed at the peak of the Mausoleum of Books and somewhat embarrassedly laughed. "Empress, I was only sent here as a witness. Empress, please don't be angry at me."
The Tianhai Divine Empress mocked, "If it weren't for the fear that it would be too unsightly, even the demons would have sent people over tonight."
No one answered her question, not the Pope walking over in the darkness or Daoist Ji who had just entered Luoyang.
Because just as she had said, this was a very shameful matter.
The Tianhai Divine Empress was keenly aware that on this continent, this sort of shameful matter had occurred many times, that similar scenes had occurred before.
But she was very confident that she would not meet the same dull end as that man.
"In the end, the strongest beneath the starry sky is still beneath the starry sky. We are the person who wishes to trample through the starry sky."
Chen Changsheng heard her voice. He did not really understand, but he was also too lazy to think about it.
He was still alive, as if he had already succeeded in defying the heavens and changing his fate. In the future, he could continue living like this. This was an extremely joyous matter, but for some reason, there was not the slightest trace of joy in his heart. He had lost interest in everything, not even in this magnificent battle that was bound to be recorded in the annals of history. He did not think about anything at all.
But when he gazed at the black smoke and open flames that would occasionally rise from the streets of the capital, he was still somewhat worried.
He did not know what the current situation of the Orthodox Academy was, those … friends that truly cared about him, how they were doing.
… …
… …
The Imperial Guard and the Orthodoxy cavalry had already withdrawn. It was unknown where in the capital they were fighting.
It was quiet in front of the Orthodox Academy's gate. There were withered leaves in Hundred Flowers Lane, but not a single person could be seen.
After Tang Thirty-Six left, he had not returned. Zhexiu was keenly aware that this was definitely not because of himself.
Thus, Zhexiu also left the Orthodox Academy and infiltrated the darkness.
The teachers and students of the Orthodox Academy were not asleep. They stood in front of the library, their expressions very anxious. Some students were saying that they should go out and find the principal and the others.
"Don't worry about what happens outside. No one is allowed to leave."
Su Moyu sternly said, "Tonight, anyone who dares to take a single step out of the academy gate will have their name removed on the spot!"
Hearing these words, the somewhat restless students gradually calmed down.
Su Moyu ordered several teachers to properly pacify the aftermath, then walked to the gate and said to Ye Xiaolian, "Junior Sisters, you've worked hard tonight."
The sword array of South Stream Temple was enough to intimidate any faction that attempted to take advantage of the chaos to harm the Orthodox Academy.
After Su Moyu finished arranging these matters, he walked to the gate and gazed at the dark streets. As he listened to the sounds of fighting in the distance, his mood became very heavy.
Chen Changsheng, Tang Thirty-Six, Zhexiu, and Xuanyuan Po had all left. He was the only one left in the Orthodox Academy.
He had to ensure the safety of the Orthodox Academy. This was also the only thing he could do.
Ye Xiaolian walked to his side and also gazed into the darkness, her elegant face covered in worry.
The disciples of South Stream Temple had been ordered by the Holy Maiden to guard the Orthodox Academy, but the Holy Maiden had not returned after going to the Imperial Palace. Tonight, the capital was in chaos, so was the Holy Maiden well?
… …
… …
After the bamboo carriage left the capital, it headed south. In a short period of time, it had already traveled a thousand-some li.
Perhaps because it was tired, or perhaps because it was too dull and uninteresting, the Black Goat stopped by the Tangwang River.
Starlight fell upon the clear Tangwang River, blown into countless silver leaves by the night wind. The light reflected into the carriage window and painted many beautiful silver patterns on the walls of the carriage.
These starlight fell upon the extremely beautiful faces of Xu Yourong and Mo Yu, but they seemed rather gloomy, just like their current mood.
The wooden hairpin was stuck in Xu Yourong's hair. She could not move, could only speak.
She looked at Mo Yu and said in a low voice, "Have you guessed something?"
The palace dress on Mo Yu's body began to tremble. This was because her body was trembling.
She gazed at Xu Yourong, appearing especially weak and helpless. She did not seem like the Grand Lady Mo who would usually kill decisively in the Imperial Court. Instead, she seemed like a little girl who had been suddenly abandoned.
"You … what do you want to say?"
The two of them were the most intelligent women in the world. The further they got from the capital, the calmer their minds became, the more conjectures they had. Now, they obtained some sort of confirmation from the other's expression, causing them to become even more alarmed.
Whether it was the wooden hairpin in Xu Yourong's hair, or the Black Goat standing by the Tangwang River staring in a daze at the capital, or the two of them themselves, they were all proof.
If the Divine Empress had complete confidence in tonight's situation in the capital, why had she allowed them to leave?
Xu Yourong's face was somewhat pale as she said, "Let's go back."
Mo Yu was quiet for a very long time. In the end, she did not listen to her opinion, saying, "This is the Empress's decree. Let's continue."
As she said this, her expression was very calm, but her voice trembled as if she might cry at any moment.
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