Chapter 208: Approaching the Gods (30)
Princess hadn't expected the Emperor to lose his composure to such an extent. Tilting her head, she asked, “Imperial Brother, what do you mean? Will the gods interfere with this Examination?”
The Emperor looked at the mirage in shock, not speaking. After a long moment, he finally asked, “What?”
It seemed Imperial Brother was truly agitated, thinking this, Princess had no choice but to repeat herself.
“Normally, no…” The Emperor shook his head, “He only looks at the outcome.”
“Then why intervene now?”
“One possibility is that someone invoked it, another possibility… is that her actions brought about divine punishment…”
As the Emperor spoke, he watched until the Xuezis named Liu Sheng led a group of Mortals to resolve the nest, then he sat down with an unreadable expression.
“From the looks of it, I always feel it’s the latter; the gods have sent down punishment.” Princess frowned slightly, “I just don’t know how she offended the gods… even though her faith value is so high.”
“In such an Examination, what could she, a mere Xuezis, do to offend the gods?” The Emperor chuckled deeply, finding the idea a bit far-fetched.
“If we’re talking about it, what’s most important in an Examination hall? Could it be, cheating?” Princess’s red lips parted slightly as she softly uttered two words.
The last two words resonated, and the entire palace fell silent.
The Emperor pondered for a moment, then shook his head in denial: “Impossible, she’s just an ordinary Xuezis, how could she cheat?”
“Why not look into her background? Putting aside this bold guess of mine, I am also curious how such a formidable woman suddenly appeared.”
Princess casually suggested, lowering her gaze and gently fanning herself, adding a little heat to the tea brewing on the small red clay stove.
Hearing this, the Emperor stroked his chin thoughtfully, then took out his spirit message and sent a message.
“There should be results very soon.”
…
“If it truly is the Supreme God intervening, it should be due to her abilities exceeding control.” Yan Xueshi mused, “Don’t you think she’s a bit too formidable… far exceeding other Xuezis?”
Although she had a good impression of the Xuezis Liu Sheng, the more she looked, the more she felt something was strange.
“Isn’t the purpose of our current imperial Examination format to identify Xuezis who excel in practical application?” Hanshan Jun reminded with a frown, “Rather than merely those who can theorize on paper, as in the past.”
“Hanshan Jun’s words are reasonable.” Yan Xueshi nodded, “I am just curious about the ability she is currently demonstrating, which far surpasses others.”
“To say she’s strong, it’s actually just using the holy sword and holy water. By now, basically every Xuezis has a set; the key is how you use them.” Hanshan Jun pointed out sharply.
“I don’t think it’s just that… there must be other abilities.” Yan Xueshi, being quite experienced in the application of spiritual power, was naturally sensitive to the manifestation of energy flow.
“You don’t need to argue. According to Your Majesty, when the divine bestowal of Tang Country reappears, all abilities are possible.” Li Shangshu pressed his hands down, signaling an end to the argument, then continued in a deep voice, “Therefore, it probably has nothing to do with the strength of her power.”
“Li Shangshu seems to already have an answer in mind.” Ling Shangshu said coldly.
“Yes, but it’s not necessarily an answer; the will of the gods is beyond what we Mortals can know. It’s just a slight guess—although she has divinely bestowed power, she is not walking the Righteous Path.” Li Shangshu sighed.
“May I ask Li Shangshu, what is the Righteous Path?” Mei Yuanzheng, who had been silent by the side, spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
“Like Wen Xuanning, using sacred power, that is the Righteous Path.” Li Shangshu pointed to Wen Xuanning’s mirage.
Through the Supreme God manifesting divine signs, the weirdness in the city gradually disappeared. Wen Xuanning systematically molded this city into a new divine kingdom of faith.
Like Liu Sheng, Wen Xuanning also successfully ascended to the position of Grand Divine Official, with the former Grand Divine Official moving to a secondary role.
He himself cultivated a divine radiance all over his body, and combined with his handsome face, even his divine official robes were replaced with white, making him appear as pure and sacred as a divinely chosen envoy. Wherever he walked, fragrant flowers filled the ground, and the common people prostrated themselves.
In contrast, on Liu Sheng’s side, while she claimed to cultivate faith, she was still using the power of various weird objects. Her battles were filled with Guai Qi, and she hadn't even triggered a divine descent.
Even Chu Shudu and Lin Shuying, by chance, triggered the Supreme God’s descent, adding a significant wave of faith.
Now, coupled with the sudden divine punishment, everyone couldn't help but harbor some other thoughts about Liu Sheng, who was first in faith value.
As for what those thoughts were, they were all seasoned officials and naturally wouldn't show them casually, only secretly observing each other's varied expressions.
“Wait, the War of Faith!” Yan Xueshi exclaimed, pointing at Wen Xuanning’s mirage, “It was Wen Xuanning who started it first?!”
“It’s probably the divine will condensed on him, and his faith value exceeding a thousand, fulfilling the conditions, which made the previous Grand Divine Official voluntarily tell him.” Li Shangshu squinted, “Only the Grand Divine Official knows how to initiate it.”
“Yes, according to this process…” Hanshan Jun lowered his head to confirm the “War of Faith” section written on the paper.
“Does this not further indicate that a certain condition for Liu Sheng’s faith was not met?” Yan Xueshi asked curiously.
“Probably so.” Li Shangshu nodded.
“It seems the Wen Family boy is catching up.” Mei Yuanzheng chuckled, “His comprehension is truly good.”
Li Shangshu was already delighted that Mei Yuanzheng rarely spoke to him, and hearing this, he smiled even more brightly: “Isn’t that so? Activating it now gives him too great an advantage; others have no power to fight back. This boy, he secretly built an altar long ago.”
…
At this moment, in Tian eighteen City, on the square behind the temple, a towering altar stood majestically, reaching into the clouds.
An octagonal stone platform, built from white stones, with a towering cylindrical pillar in the center. The pillar was carved with ancient runes and totems, and the edges of the altar platform were decorated with eight statues. The statues had various expressions, each holding a round plate inscribed with one of the eight characters: “Heaven, Earth, Mystery, Yellow, Universe, Vast, Primordial, Desolate.”
Wen Xuanning stood atop the high altar, his snow-white divine robe fluttering in the wind, his expression sacred and inviolable. He truly appeared like a god now.
“You eight, having experience in building altars, are you willing to go forth for my God?”
Wen Xuanning’s voice echoed like thunder across the square, filled with inviolable majesty.
The city’s believers looked up at Wen Xuanning on the altar, their eyes filled with fervent reverence. Eight believers who had participated in the altar’s construction stood on the foremost magic circle and said in unison, “We are willing to go forth for God!”
Wen Xuanning nodded in satisfaction, his gaze like a torch, sweeping over the people before him.
“Dear citizens, this battle is no small matter. To protect the pure doctrine of the Supreme God, and to uphold the orthodoxy of our faith, we must take action. We cannot tolerate any misleading or blasphemy of the faith.”
“Another city, though sharing our faith in the great Supreme God, their temple is inactive, their divine book interpretation deviates from the Righteous Path, making them unable to connect with the Supreme God, resulting in insufficient faith power and weird objects still rampant among Mortals. Since this is the case, we have a responsibility to take over their temple to ensure that the Supreme God’s will is not twisted, faith is not shaken, and light descends upon Mortals!”
“Supreme God above, may the sanctity of faith be eternal!” Wen Xuanning finally said with a pious expression.
“Supreme God above!”
“Supreme God above!”
“Supreme God above!”
The devout and fervent shouts of the believers echoed through the city, their Aura soaring to the sky.
Just then, a divine radiance lit up in the clouds, like the first light of dawn, and sacred light gradually spread. From within the light, a huge god’s face emerged from the clouds, descending with sacred expressions of joy or sorrow.