Nightfall

The Great Divine Priest of Judgment who sat above the black jade throne slowly opened his eyes. He looked at the girl who knelt outside the curtains with her head lowered. Her face was devoid of any expression, but her eyes carried many different ones instead.

After some time, the Great Divine Priest of Judgment said coldly, "Even though you are now useless, I hope that you have retained your good judgment."

The slightly hoarse voice was calm and elegant, with an undertone of violence. It sent the curtain before him swaying wildly as his crisp voice reverberated in the empty hall like an incessant thunderstorm falling into an empty ceramic bowl.

Ye Hongyu knelt before the curtains silently. Her expression did not change due to the rattling sounds or the power in the voice. She only lowered her head slightly to look more respectful.

A deacon from the Judicial Department appeared from behind the curtains with an archive in his hands. He walked to her and smiled comfortingly before handing it to her.

Ye Hongyu received the archive quietly. She did not stand up but continued kneeling and read it carefully before descending into thought.

The archive was sent by the Divine Hall delegation in the Tang Empire through a secret mean and was written by priest Cheng Lixue from the Revelation Department. It described the battle between Ning Que and Liu Yiqing at the Academy’s side doors in detail. The emphasis of the description was on the Divine Skill that Ning Que had employed at the end.

"You have met that person. What do you think?"

The Great Divine Priest of Judgment’s cold and solemn voice rang behind the beaded curtains once more.

Ye Hongyu listened quietly to the sound of the curtain beads hitting each other. She started slowly, "Ning Que’s progression in State has exceeded my expectations. As for the Divine Skills that the Revelation Department mentioned... In my opinion, it is just a skill that resembles the Divine Skill. According to the details, the Qi of Heaven and Earth gathered on his blade eventually turned into Haotian Divine Light. It should have come from within the blade and not nature."

All was silent within the temple.

Ye Hongyu grew suspicious about Ning Que’s true skills after having read the archive. This suspicion pointed to a surprising fact that led to the silence in the room.

After some time, the Great Divine Priest of Judgment asked in a low voice, "Can you confirm this?"

Ye Hongyu shook her head. She said, "Mr. Ke had once shown Divine Skills to the world. Furthermore, Ning Que’s handmaiden had once been a student of the God of Light. No one would dare to suspect him with no evidence, and even if they did, they cannot tell the world of it."

The Great Divine Priest of Judgment watched the girl kneeling before him emotionlessly. He suddenly said, "Can you prove it?"

Ye Hongyu said calmly, "I could in the past, but not anymore."

The Great Divine Priest of Judgment looked at the girl’s demure expression and felt annoyance growing in his chest. He said angrily, "Then what use do you have?"

After a moment of silence, Ye Hongyu said, "At least I still have my judgment."

A thunderous cough sounded suddenly behind the bead curtain and did not stop.

After a long while, the Great Divine Priest of Judgment finally managed to stop coughing. He looked at her coldly through the beaded curtains and said, "You have been defiled by the devil Lotus, and you need to purify yourself. Choosing a stone house to practice penance was a good choice. You need not deal with the matters in the department during this period."

Ye Hongyu knew very well that the Great Divine Priest of Light’s simple statement had stripped her of her position as the Grand Master of the Judicial Department. In actuality, she rarely interfered with matters in the Judicial Department ever since her return from the Wilderness and had gone into seclusion in the stone house. However, not concerning about that and being stripped of her right to interfere were two different things.

Her strength had been severely damaged, and her State had fallen to the middle Seethrough State and would continue to fall. If she did not have her position as a priest in the Judicial Department, those who had been badly treated by her previously might act beyond their mocking and scornful gazes.

Ye Hongyu knelt before the God and did not reply.

The Great Divine Priest of Judgment leaned back tiredly and wiped his face with his hand. He looked at the girl on the other side of the curtain and a look of annoyance and scorn flashed through his eyes.

As a God sitting in the clouds, he would definitely not be able to accept that someone would try to keep her pride and refuse to kneel or lower her head respectfully before him. The Hierarch had admired Ye Hongyu’s talents in the past, and he himself and the others in the abbey had thought well of her. That was why he had allowed her pride and watched calmly. However, she no longer had the right to be proud and so she should remain silent.

"I have already sent a letter to the abbey with regards to this matter. Your brother expressed his gratitude for my decision."

The Great Divine Priest of Judgment looked at the girl behind the curtains coldly, crushing the last glimmer of her hope.

Sure enough, Ye Hongyu’s expression turned bleak after hearing that. She began to tremble and her expression was full of self-deprecation and loss. She was like an egg that looked hard, but her thin shell had been broken to reveal the fragility within.

After some time, she emerged from her daze and smiled sadly. She bowed deeply to the God behind the curtains and said, "Thanks to your care over the years I could attain my achievements up to now. Please accept my bow of gratitude."

The Great Divine Priest of Judgment frowned as he watched the girl bowing before the curtains. He suddenly felt that his decision might have been a little hasty. Behind the sad smile on the girl’s lips and her words filled with hopelessness and sadness lurked something that he did not understand.

After the bow, Ye Hongyu stood up slowly. And just as she was about to leave, she looked at the Great Divine Priest of Judgment sitting on the Ink Jade throne and said softly, "Even though this might have come a little late, I feel that the Judicial Department should not interfere in the matter between the Sword Garret of South Jin Kingdom and the Academy."

The Great Divine Priest of Judgment coughed painfully again as he looked at her. He yelled sharply, "Your falling State is not scary, what is truly scary is the cowardice in your Taoist Heart. The West-Hill Divine Palace rules over the world and the Judicial Department carries out teachings and implements the laws. Who would dare question this?"

Ye Hongyu did not say anything else but walked out of the Taoist temple.

She stood on the highest steps outside the temple and looked at the smoke coming from the fields a distance from the Peach Mountain. After a moment of silence, she sighed, "Someone is going to die again."

The deacon who handed her the archive had walked her out of the temple and was standing beside her silently. He could not help but sigh when he heard her lament, and he said softly, "God has been ill in the past months and his cough is bad. That is why his temper has worsened. Do not think too much into his words. As for the Sword Garret, those who have to die will die."

As the powerful and terrifying Great Divine Priest of the West-Hill Divine Palace whose State was at the peak of Knowing Destiny, he sat above the clouds and viewed the people in the world like they were ants. Someone like him should be immune to all diseases, much less a cold. If he couldn’t catch a cold, why would he cough? If he didn’t cough, would his temper be so bad?

Ye Hongyu looked at the deacons from the Judicial Department who looked at her mockingly, scathingly and pityingly. She suddenly said sympathetically, "He wouldn’t heal so easily after being hurt by the God of Light."

...

There was a Hierarch Lord and three Great Divine Priests in the West-Hill Divine Palace.

No matter whether the person sitting on the throne was old, ill, injured or imprisoned, they were treated with utmost respect as long as they are alive. They were Great Divine Priests that were respected and prayed to by billions in the world.

On a certain day last year, the Great Divine Priest of Light who had been imprisoned in the You Prison for decades betrayed his sect and escaped. Then, he went to a nameless mountain on the outskirts of Chang’an where he fought with Master Yan Se and died.

There was thus an empty throne in the West-Hill Divine Palace.

It was waiting for someone.

The West-Hill Divine Palace would not allow this situation to drag on for too long. When they found out that the Great Divine Priest of Light had left a successor, the Divine Hall’s most important task at hand was to bring that person back to the West-Hill.

This matter was still kept under wraps and had not been announced to the masses.

If anyone outside of the Divine Hall found out about this, they would be confused. Why did those from the West-Hill Divine Palace choose to keep the Great Divine Priest of Light’s successor, when he had betrayed them and brought harm to the Divine Hall?

However, there was no question about the succession to those from the West-Hill Divine Palace. Because the Great Divine Priest of Light who had betrayed the sect was still the Great Divine Priest of Light. Furthermore, over the years, the three successors to the thrones in the Peach Mountains were not chosen by the Hierarch or the Great Divine Priests themselves. They were decided by Haotian.

The three successors of the thrones were all walking on their own paths.

The succession of the Judicial throne was decided by Haotian through an evaluation of the successor’s strength.

The successor of the Revelation throne was decided through Haotian’s revelation.

The successor to the throne of light was a decision made by Haotian through the succession of light.

The Great Divine Priest of Light who was on the brink of death had found his successor in Chang’an. This must have been the will of Haotian. Then, that successor would be the future Great Divine Priest of Light.

The hierarch of the West-Hill Divine Palace and the God of Revelation grew more determined to have the true successor of the Great Divine Priest of Light return, especially after they heard the news from the South Seas.

...

In the Old Brush Pen Shop on Lin 47th Street.

Ning Que silently looked at Cheng Lixue who stood before him.

He had once met this priest from the Divine Hall Revelation Department when he was in the Right King’s Palace of the Wilderness. Cheng Lixue had been calm and impartial in that fight and had left a good impression on Ning Que. However, Ning Que felt uneasy as he looked at Cheng Lixue’s snow white hair.

Ning Que felt that he was dreaming. Cheng Lixue was a bigwig from the West-Hill Divine Palace, but his attitude was sincere and humble. When Sangsang had served him tea, he behaved respectfully. Was he the son of Sangsang and him from the future?

Ning Que held his cup of tea and spoke after a moment, "I somewhat understand what happened, but I cannot promise you anything."

Cheng Lixue looked at him quietly. He suddenly frowned and said, "Even though there have been many misunderstandings between the Divine Hall and the Academy over the years, we still respect each other."

Ning Que replied, "I respect Haotian Taoism."

Cheng Lixue sighed, "Junior Sister Sangsang will one day become the Divine Hall’s God of Light. Millions of Haotian believers including myself will have to kneel and bow before her. We would not dare to speak more than we should or sneak an extra glance at her. However, you, Mr. Thirteen, have had her make your bed and pour your tea. What kind of respect are you showing to our sect?"

...

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