Chapter 106: Simply Kill Them All
"If he truly is Crown Prince Zhaoming, then I imagine many people wish him dead right now. Although those people may already know he is likely near death, you should be well aware that their lives, fortunes, and even their clans' legacies for a thousand generations are all tied to you. They will take no risks; they will not allow him to live even one more day."
Xu Yourong said calmly, "Therefore, I cannot leave the National Teaching Academy, and the sword formation of Nanxi Zhai will never be lifted."
The elegant pale celadon teacup turned slowly between her fingers, like a waterwheel pushed by a stream—smooth, silent, unhurried.
The Holy Empress gazed at the cup in her hand, a faint, meaningful smile on her lips. She said nothing.
The pale celadon cup was beautiful, seemingly hard, but to her, a single thought would suffice to grind it to dust.
Xu Yourong had never expected the Holy Empress to save Chen Changsheng, even if he might be her own biological son.
Moreover, His Holiness the Pope had no cure for Chen Changsheng's illness, and Her Majesty likely did not either.
But she hoped that in what might be Chen Changsheng's final days, he could enjoy a period of undisturbed, serene beauty.
Ever since he turned ten, Chen Changsheng had carried the shadow of death, trudging forward with no time to catch his breath. Whenever she thought of this, she felt a pang of sorrow.
"If you agree, I will take him away from the capital tomorrow."
Xu Yourong looked at the Holy Empress as she spoke.
The Holy Empress's smile faded, and her expression turned cold. "If he truly is my son, then every extra day he lives is another day of unease for me."
Xu Yourong said, "On the journey back from Cold Mountain, I searched through all the sacred texts. There is no concrete evidence of Heavenly Dao backlash."
"That is because neither the Founding Emperor nor Emperor Taizong ever violated their original oaths. The former killed all his children except Emperor Taizong, and the latter directly slaughtered all the elders depicted in the portraits of Lingyan Pavilion. If Wang Zhice hadn't fled quickly, Emperor Taizong might have reigned for a thousand generations and still be sitting in my seat today."
When she mentioned the Founding Emperor and Emperor Taizong, her tone was far from respectful. When speaking of the universally revered Emperor Taizong, her words dripped with sarcasm and disdain.
"Two years ago, when Chen Changsheng lit his Destiny Star in the National Teaching Academy's library, Mo Yu and I happened to be on the Sweet Dew Terrace. At that time, I said something: a Destiny Star could also be a destined nemesis... If fate decrees that only one of us can live, do you think the Heavenly Dao would let him die or me die?"
The Holy Empress's voice grew colder.
Xu Yourong understood clearly that before the Heavenly Dao delivered its final judgment, Her Majesty would provide her own answer in advance.
The Holy Empress stood up, gesturing for her to say no more. With her hands clasped behind her back, she walked to the window and gazed at the sky, which seemed to be burning.
Xu Yourong also walked to the window, looking at the crimson twilight sky. She squinted slightly, and in her mind, she clasped her hands behind her back as well.
Viewed from behind, their postures were identical, as if they were mirror images, or like a mother and daughter.
The Holy Empress said, "No matter who looks, you resemble my daughter more than Pingguo does."
Pingguo was the daughter she had adopted from the Tianhai clan, closely related by blood, with some facial similarities.
In her youth, she had been one of the most renowned beauties in the world. Xu Yourong was now universally recognized as the most beautiful young woman. But though both possessed ultimate beauty, they were not alike.
Yet, as she said, no matter who looked, Xu Yourong seemed like her own daughter.
That was because of their similar temperament, bearing, and spirit.
"In fact, I have always regarded you as my daughter, because we share the same bloodline."
The Holy Empress looked at the burning clouds on the horizon, her beautiful face radiant with light, exuding immense power and confidence: "Back then, I sacrificed the starry sky, defied fate, and willingly accepted childlessness to ascend the throne. I have never regretted it, because I know well that not even the Heavenly Dao can stop the phoenix's rebirth."
That burning cloud drifted slowly westward across the sky, resembling a phoenix breaking through flames.
"You are my descendant, my successor."
The Holy Empress turned to Xu Yourong and said calmly, "As for whether he is my son, I simply do not care."
Xu Yourong thought to herself, but he is your own flesh and blood—could there truly be no affection at all?
"I have taught you for so many years, and now it seems that teacher of yours has taught you back to square one."
The Holy Empress said expressionlessly, "Emotion is the cheapest thing in the world. Morality is merely an excuse for the weak to protect themselves. None of this matters."
Xu Yourong asked, "Then what is the most important thing?"
The Holy Empress gazed at the sky and said leisurely, "Existence."
Xu Yourong pondered for a moment and asked, "How should we exist?"
"How to exist—each finds their own wonder. Whether existence can endure, how the soul can remain undying—that is the Great Dao."
"All things have a beginning and an end. Even those who attain great freedom beyond the divine must still face birth and extinction."
"The physical easily decays, but its shadow does not perish. In the end, it comes down to the depth of the traces left behind."
The Holy Empress turned to face her and said, "And those traces come from our footsteps, following the direction of our hearts."
Xu Yourong asked, "What if someone blocks the path ahead?"
The Holy Empress said, "Then we must have the ability to kill everyone who stands before us. Only then can we lead this world forward according to our will, imprint our souls upon history. Even if countless people curse us for generations, they cannot erase it. Only thus can we approach true eternity."
Xu Yourong frowned in confusion and said, "If everyone opposes us, how could it possibly be possible to kill them all?"
"Of course it's possible. It's a very simple matter."
The Holy Empress's voice echoed through the empty palace.
"First, kill all of those over there."
She looked toward the distant north, as if speaking to the unending wind and snow there.
"Then, kill all of those over there."
She gazed toward the distant west, as if proclaiming to the boundless ocean.
"Next, kill all of those over there."
She withdrew her gaze and looked toward a certain place in the capital.
With her words, the trees on both sides of the sacred path outside the Divine Palace suddenly rustled without wind, and countless green leaves fell with a whisper.
"Finally, kill all of those over there."
She looked up at the sky, her eyes deep, as if trying to pierce through the burning heavens.
...
...
Twilight faded, and night fell. The tavern outside the National Teaching Academy remained closed. Hundred Flowers Lane was very quiet, with only occasional calls from street vendors. But having been warned by the National Teaching cavalry in advance, knowing that the Holy Maiden and the disciples of Nanxi Zhai were staying in the academy, their cries were restrained and not loud.
An old man selling gardenia flowers, using the cover of night, approached the wall of the National Teaching Academy, pretending to relieve himself, but suddenly vanished.
A cart delivering food from Cheng Hu Restaurant entered through the back gate of the academy. More late-night snacks than usual were carefully carried into the kitchen by the cooks, prepared for the students and Nanxi Zhai disciples to eat in the evening. A middle-aged delivery man chatted idly with a cook, then disappeared into the gray wall outside.
Similar scenes occurred in many places but went unnoticed by anyone.
Fourteen people had infiltrated the National Teaching Academy under the cover of night, all of them assassins and killers.
Apart from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and the Black Robe, only the Qingli Department could gather so many powerful assassins and killers in such a short time.
The female disciples of Nanxi Zhai were highly skilled in swordsmanship, and their sword formation was extremely powerful. But they were Daoist disciples who had cultivated in seclusion among the peaks, lacking experience in such matters. The outer walls of the National Teaching Academy stretched for over ten li, and no matter how tight the patrols of the National Teaching cavalry, they could not control every area.
Not everyone in the National Teaching Academy failed to notice the assassins' infiltration.
Just as the old man selling gardenia flowers approached the academy wall, Zhe Xiu opened his eyes.
He was not in the building but on the large banyan tree by the lake.
During the day, Chen Changsheng had spoken his final words and many other things.
Tang Thirty-Six and Su Moyu remained silent. Xuan Yuan Po had run off. Zhe Xiu said nothing, climbed the tree, hugged the Demon Commander's banner and sword, and began to sleep.
Behind him was the sword formation of Nanxi Zhai, and beyond that, the small building where Chen Changsheng was.
To kill Chen Changsheng, one first had to get past him.
Back on the Azure Cloud Ranking, he was ranked second, the only young genius who could threaten Xu Yourong's position—not because his cultivation level was higher, but because his combat ability was extremely formidable.
Now, in the National Teaching Academy, his cultivation level was not the highest either, but if one set aside magical artifacts and other factors, even Chen Changsheng was no match for him.
Because he had grown up on the desolate and dangerous snowy plains, a wolf cub who had lived facing death.
Last autumn, at the gate of the National Teaching Academy, Chen Changsheng had shattered the star domain with one sword, stunning everyone. Zhe Xiu had said at the time that at least five people could do the same thing—defeating Star Gathering with Penetrating Obscurity.
The five he mentioned were Qiu Shan Jun, Xu Yourong, Gou Han Shi, himself, and Zhe Xiu.
Zhe Xiu's perception of danger was extremely sharp. Expressionlessly, he scanned the night-shrouded National Teaching Academy and quickly spotted at least seven assassins.
However, what happened next was very strange. The assassins fell one by one—some in the grass, some deep in the woods. One assassin tried to escape through the water but sank and never resurfaced. All that could be seen were faint traces of red in the lake water.
Only then did Zhe Xiu realize that the National Teaching Academy was hiding so many powerful figures. Although these figures were clearly allies, not enemies, it still sent a chill through him.
...
...
A carriage stopped outside Hundred Flowers Lane.
The dim light inside the carriage cast a yellowish hue on the white paper on the table, and the ink on the paper appeared slightly blue.
The faces of the two Qingli Department officials grew increasingly pale.
Undoubtedly, ever since the Holy Empress took power, the yamen on North Soldier Lane had been the most sinister and audacious institution on the continent.
But tonight, the Qingli Department's target was no ordinary person—it was the future Pope. Even thinking about this fact made the two officials feel extremely tense and afraid.
Not a single one of the assassins who infiltrated the National Teaching Academy had returned.
Even more terrifying was that no sound had come from the academy, as if no battle had occurred at all.
The night shrouding the National Teaching Academy seemed like an abyss, silently devouring the lives of over a dozen of the Qingli Department's finest assassins.