Everyone knew that Shang Xingzhou did not like his student, Chen Changsheng.
As for the reason, Yu Ren and Chen Changsheng had roughly guessed at it, and their guesses were only getting deeper and deeper.
But to the people of the world outside of Xining Village's old temple, this had always been an extremely difficult question to understand.
From a personal point of view, Shang Xingzhou had raised Chen Changsheng from a young age. Even if all this had begun as a scheme, in his view, Chen Changsheng should still be more trustworthy than anyone else. Even if Shang Xingzhou wanted the Human race to achieve unprecedented unification and thus defeat the demons, supporting Mu Jiushi to become Pope and thus ally with the Great Western Continent was not necessarily better than Chen Changsheng ascending to the position of Pope and the Imperial Court obtaining the full support of the Li Palace.
No one could understand Shang Xingzhou's thoughts, and not even the Pope's conjectures were tenable. After brushing past each other in the Mausoleum of Books in the morning light, all this had happened naturally. However, in the many stories that followed, Shang Xingzhou had never clearly expressed that he wanted Chen Changsheng to die. Even if this was a secret known to the entire world, in the end, Shang Xingzhou had never expressed it on paper, never put it into action. Only tonight, when Shang Xingzhou admitted it to Yu Ren, did he reveal his intentions to the heavens and earth for the first time.
The starry sky instantly dimmed as an invisible killing intent enveloped the capital.
Chen Changsheng's life and death depended on one's own efforts, depended on Shang Xingzhou's attitude, and now it was inextricably linked to the life and death of another mighty figure.
The Li Palace had long ago expressed its stance. The Pope would not permit Shang Xingzhou to harm Chen Changsheng.
The problem was, how many more days did the Pope have left to live?
In the end, nothing happened in the Li Palace that night. The starlight, torn apart by the snow and scattered clouds, fell upon Madam Mu's clothes, so beautiful that it seemed unreal.
As dawn approached, Shang Xingzhou finally left the Imperial Palace, arriving between the gray eaves of the five beautiful and divine old temples of the Li Palace.
Before he formally appeared, Madam Mu had already left, bringing with her a sky of snow and starlight.
Other than the Pope, the Li Palace would only ever allow one Saint to enter. To the Orthodoxy, this would mean war.
That night, Shang Xingzhou and the Pope engaged in a very long conversation, probably the last conversation of their lives. No one knew what they discussed or whether the Imperial Court and the Orthodoxy had reached some sort of agreement, but starting from the next day, a warm spring breeze descended upon the capital ahead of time. An atmosphere known as reconciliation gradually began to spread. Zhexiu and Mo Yu were taken out of the Court of Judicial Review. The former was sent by the army to the north while the latter was returned to the Orange Garden and temporarily placed under surveillance.
It was still winter, and the so-called spring breeze was naturally illusory. Everyone knew that this situation could last for a long time, and it could come to an abrupt end at any time.
No one knew how many more days the Pope could live, nor did they know that once the Pope returned to the sea of stars, Shang Xingzhou would not keep the promise he made that night.
The atmosphere in the capital gradually became tense. Many people seemed to have already seen the violent storm in advance. No, in the middle of winter, it should be a blizzard.
Amidst the uneasiness and anticipation, the new year approached. There was a heavy snowfall in the capital, turning the streets and buildings white. It was a beautiful sight.
The Li Palace in the snow was even more beautiful.
Chen Changsheng supported the Pope as they walked out of the secluded side hall and arrived at the largest plaza in the center of the group of palaces.
In the past few years, he had often gone to the Li Palace, but the place he went to the most was this secluded side hall. This was his first time coming here with the Pope.
The gray stone plaza was covered in snow like a carpet. The stone pillars that seemed scattered but were actually arranged in an orderly fashion were already covered in snow. Chen Changsheng's spiritual sense could clearly sense that an extremely ancient and distant Qi was concealed beneath the plaza. If this was an array, it was probably no weaker than the Imperial Design.
Gazing into the distance, several palaces were faintly discernible in the wind and snow. He knew that those were the famous Grass Moon Hall, Pure Cassia Palace, Moss Institute … There were six halls in the Li Palace, and each hall had a precious treasure that represented the history and supreme authority of the Orthodoxy. That was why the saying of the Six Prefects was gradually developed.
He knew why the Pope had brought him here.
The divine and vigorous Qis in the Grass Moon Hall, Pure Cassia Palace, and other places were all expressing their allegiance to him.
"This year's snow is too great."
The Pope's gaze pierced through the snow and fell upon the distant north, his wrinkled and spotted face revealing worry for the future. "Xuelao City is in internal strife and the demons are unprecedentedly weak. This snowstorm will cause many tribes to waver and incite many battles. At the beginning of spring next year, the wolf cavalry will assuredly move south."
The snowstorm was very beautiful, but also very cruel. The demons would assuredly suffer enormous losses, and with this rebellion, Xuelao City would not be able to recover its strength in a short period of time. Under these circumstances, the Pope's conclusion that the demon army would invade the south next year didn't sound very logical, but Chen Chang Sheng understood that this was something that would inevitably happen – the demon race was a crazy and terrifying race. The weaker they were, the more bloodthirsty and cruel they were. This was because they knew that this was the only way they could survive this most difficult period of time.
The Pope sighed, "Since we hate each other, it's better to leave as soon as possible."
These words had no head or tail, and only Chen Changsheng could understand them. After the coup of the Mausoleum of Books, many people had speculated that he would leave the capital. In truth, he had always wanted to leave, but at the time, he knew that his master would not let him leave unless he died.
Now it seemed that the conversation between the two Saints in the Li Palace had ultimately changed something.
"Very well," he said.
The Pope looked at him and said, "You are the successor I have chosen. No matter how many years pass, you must return."
Chen Changsheng replied, "When I am needed, I will return."
The Pope said, "He wishes to speak with you."
Chen Changsheng thought it over, then replied, "Very well."
… …
… …
The Li Palace glowed with light. The snow falling from the night sky seemed to become the heavenly flowers of the Divine Kingdom, so beautiful that it was intoxicating.
The priests and cavalry of the Orthodoxy, as well as the various levels of clergy, stood on the plaza, occasionally illuminated by the light, like a vast ocean under the morning sun.
The Great Hall of Light was even more dazzling, making it impossible to look directly at it. It was indescribably dignified.
In the Great Hall, several thousand cardinals and archbishops bowed, their faces filled with piety and reverence.
The stone wall slowly opened. Under the gazes of the Twelve Sages and the statues of the heroic spirits of the Divine Kingdom, the Pope and Chen Changsheng walked out from the light.
The Pope took the Divine Crown from Mao Qiuyu's hands and placed it on Chen Changsheng's head.
Chen Changsheng gripped the Divine Staff and walked to the very front. He began to receive blessings and to give them.
His body was somewhat stiff, but his expression was extremely serious, his movements meticulous. He had not made a single mistake, even the tiniest request in the Daoist scriptures. It could be called perfect.
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