Chapter 176: The Eerie Calm Before the Storm
Upon hearing Chen Changsheng’s words, Luoluo was deeply moved.
But in Chen Changsheng’s eyes, this was only natural.
Whether it was the position of the Demon Empress or anything else, if you wanted to do it, you did it; if you didn’t want to, you simply didn’t. You shouldn’t be influenced by any other factor, not even the fate of the entire continent.
Back when Tang Thirty-Six said he didn’t want to be the head of the Tang clan, he had held the same attitude.
Luoluo understood his way of thinking, but this sense of naturalness made her even more touched.
No one knew how much time passed before she reluctantly pulled away from his embrace, looked at him, and said softly, “I don’t believe Father would support Mother’s opinion.”
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then said, “I hope so too, but I don’t have much certainty.”
Abandoning the alliance with the human race and joining forces with the demon race was a historic turning point for the demon race and the entire continent.
For the sake of the demon race’s future, it was conceivable that the White Emperor might make any choice.
According to Chen Changsheng’s reasoning, some issues seemed hard to explain. For instance, when the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress once dominated the entire continent, why hadn’t the White Emperor been wary of the human race?
That was because they hadn’t stood high enough or seen far enough.
Back then, the internal problems of the human race had never been resolved. Shang Xingzhou had been quietly watching the capital from the shores of the lake, while His Holiness the Pope had been watching the Imperial Palace from the Li Palace with complicated emotions.
In those years, the White Emperor had secretly supported Shang Xingzhou, likely to balance the internal forces of the human race.
Later, the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress died.
Many powerful figures of the human race also perished, which also meant that the human race no longer had any major internal conflicts.
A unified will was inherently the most terrifying thing, especially since the demon race had also weakened significantly due to internal strife.
From any angle, it now seemed that the demon race had a natural need to ally with the demon race.
Thus, Chen Changsheng couldn’t make any definitive judgment about the White Emperor’s attitude.
As things stood now, his and the human race’s greatest hope still lay in the opposition within the demon race.
……
……
The atmosphere in White Emperor City was extremely oppressive. Soldiers on patrol and grim-faced demon guards could be seen everywhere.
Many shops on West Straight Street, usually bustling with activity, had closed, and the common folk rarely ventured out, making the place seem eerily deserted.
Compared to the city’s atmosphere, the tension on the vast plains along both sides of the Red River was even greater, like the wild fire beneath the Heavenly Tree, seemingly ready to erupt at any moment.
The Black Rock army stationed at Wild Mountain Pass had experienced a riot the previous night. The great demon general Xihe had barely managed to stabilize the situation, preventing any major disaster.
Even this most disciplined and elite beast cavalry unit of the demon race was showing signs of wavering morale, let alone the miscellaneous troops stationed among the mountains and the various large and small tribes. According to reports from various locations, in just two short days, several bloody conflicts had already broken out within the demon army, and the tribes had begun to muster their forces.
This was a signal of war, the harbinger of a storm.
What was about to happen was not a war with the demon race or the human race, but a war between two major forces within the demon race itself.
The entire demon race had already clearly split into two factions.
The royal will represented by Lady Shepherd and the Council of Elders, led by the chieftain of the Xiang tribe, supported an alliance with the demon race.
Standing on the opposite side was Luoluo’s faction, which had the support of the civil official system, represented by the Prime Minister, and many tribes, hoping to maintain friendship with the human race.
The former was stronger than the latter. The problem was that the latter held a very tough stance and had received strong support from the human race, represented by Chen Changsheng.
If Lady Shepherd tried to forcibly issue the imperial edict to the world, the demon race might truly descend into a civil war.
No one wanted to see such a scene. So, before the conflict escalated to its peak, whether it was the chieftain of the Xiang tribe or other major demon figures, their first thought was still to persuade the other side through negotiation. Thus, in the past two days, few pedestrians could be seen on the streets of White Emperor City. The mansions of the elders and ministers were constantly filled with guests, and even the morning court sessions had been suspended.
The two busiest places were the manor of the Xiang tribe and the Western Wilderness Daoist Temple.
The former was because the Demon Lord was likely still in that large courtyard very close to the Xiang tribe manor, under the protection of the Xiang tribe.
The latter was because Chen Changsheng was staying there.
The human Pope and the Demon Lord were in the same city, separated by only a dozen or so li—a scene unprecedented in history.
The atmosphere of this city had naturally become eerily strange.
Many tribal chieftains, wealthy merchants, and officials kept entering the Xiang tribe manor, only to emerge after some time. From their expressions, it was impossible to tell what had happened inside the manor, how their talks with the Demon Lord had gone, or even whether they had actually met the Demon Lord. In short, everything seemed very mysterious.
Chen Changsheng spent a day receiving representatives from various factions.
The chieftain of the Bear tribe and the chieftain of the Scholar tribe introduced many small tribal chieftains to come and pay their respects.
The Western Wilderness Grand Daoist Temple was suddenly packed to capacity.
When those two young representatives of the Meng tribe walked into the temple and expressed their support for the human race in the most resolute tone, Chen Changsheng was astonished.
It wasn’t because their excessive enthusiasm made him suspicious, but because he recognized them.
—Years ago, when he had traveled from Xining Town to the capital, hoping to gain admission into the Ivy Six Academies, he had once encountered a pair of hunter brothers from the Great Old Ridge. Those hunter brothers had successfully passed the exam to enter the Star Picking Academy and become honorable officers of the Great Zhou dynasty. How could he have imagined that these hunter brothers were actually demons?
Thinking back now, this was naturally a collaboration between the Great Zhou military and the Meng tribe.
Back then, the dean of the Star Picking Academy, Chen Guansong, had laid the groundwork. He was truly a remarkable figure. No wonder Shang Xingzhou considered him the only candidate for the next leader of the Great Zhou military. Unfortunately, he had ultimately perished in the final phoenix flames of the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress. His grand schemes and ambitions all came to nothing, but at least he left some shade for future generations.
Late at night, the representatives of the various tribes and officials who had come to pay their respects to Chen Changsheng gradually withdrew from the Western Wilderness Daoist Temple. Only a few of the most important figures remained. They were now the most steadfast allies of the human race. Seeing the day’s events, their confidence had grown stronger, but some things still made them very uneasy.
“If His Majesty emerges from seclusion, he can decide everything with a single word. Even if he is injured and needs to rest, how can he not show his face in the face of such a major event?”
Hearing the Bear tribe chieftain’s question, the Prime Minister was silent for a long time before speaking a single sentence.
“In these past few years, no one has seen His Majesty with their own eyes. Not even I have.”
“A few days ago, the Great Elder went to sense His Majesty’s divine consciousness,” the Scholar tribe chieftain said expressionlessly. “Old Xiang is the most patient and forbearing person I have ever met in my life. I simply cannot understand why he jumped out this time. Moreover, all the tribes on both sides of the Red River know that his relationship with the Empress is not good. Did he change just because of a single divine thought from His Majesty? If he really is the Empress’s man, then who can confirm whether he lied that night?”
After listening to this extremely low-voiced discussion, Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time.
He knew that these major demon figures were reminding him, or rather warning him, through this method.
But this matter was simply too unbelievable. Even though no one else was around, they only dared to mention it in such vague and ambiguous terms.
“For anything, you have to see it with your own eyes to judge its truth. I don’t want a demon civil war, but the current situation must be broken as soon as possible.”
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then said, “I will go see His Majesty the White Emperor.” (To be continued.)