Chapter 652: Choice Is Error, Vision Determines Scope
Popular Recommendations: , , , , , , ,
The scenes at Success Ridge, the stories within the Black Mountain Camp barracks—these were unfolding in many places tonight. The Western Sea Army’s forces, returning to reinforce the capital, were blocked at the Guiyuan Ridge line, and the Grand Inquisitor Anlin from the Detached Palace had entered the camp. Most crucially, the Tianhai family had successfully thwarted the plan for both armies to advance on the capital.
Tonight was the most critical night for the entire human world to oppose the Tianhai Saint Empress. All her enemies and rivals, even her own kin, had stepped forward, displaying unimaginable strength.
…
…
“You don’t even know who your own son is, so what right do you have to rule the Great Zhou?”
“You can’t even control the mortal realm, so why prattle on about defying the Heavenly Dao?”
“You can’t control anything—now, including your own fate.”
“Tianhai, abdicate.”
The Daoist Calculator left that street.
In the puddles on the street, it seemed his footprints still lingered.
The sound of chopping meat from the butcher’s shop stopped. The clashing of battle erupting across the capital had finally reminded the butcher what was happening in this world.
In just a short time, the entire situation had undergone a earth-shattering transformation.
The Imperial Carriage Diagram sank back into the earth, the grim formation’s intent vanished, and chaos spread through every corner of the capital. The several armies racing back to the capital had halted their advance for various reasons. Some troops were still trying to push forward through the torrential rain, but it was clear they could no longer return in time.
The Heavenly Book Mausoleum was quiet—eerily quiet, so quiet it was strange.
The Tianhai Saint Empress stood at the edge of the sacred path, hands clasped behind her back, gazing down at the capital city below. A faint, mocking smile appeared on her exquisite face.
This world had once belonged to her.
Whether that mocking smile was directed at the world or at herself, no one could tell.
Then, she looked toward the Detached Palace in the northwest of the capital, which had remained silent all along.
At this very moment, the voice that countless people had long awaited finally rang out.
His Holiness the Pope’s voice was calm, but anyone could hear the melancholy within it.
“We were all wrong. Only Merisa was right.”
The Tianhai Saint Empress raised an eyebrow slightly, showing some interest, waiting to hear more.
The Pope thought of old friends and recalled past conversations, his tone filled with emotion: “He always believed that in the end, you would choose to save Changsheng, no matter who Changsheng was.”
“And as long as you chose to save him, you would fall into this predicament.”
The Daoist Calculator’s voice came from the northern plains of the capital.
At that moment, his figure appeared in a field of autumn grass. More than ten li away at the city gate, the jade ruyi, brimming with boundless soul force, had just manifested.
“I always thought this was a choice I gave you, but in truth, it was a choice the Heavenly Dao gave you.”
The Daoist Calculator spoke calmly from the autumn grass field, his voice echoing in the night sky before the Heavenly Book Mausoleum.
“Killing him, devouring him, or saving him—these were all options. But no matter which you chose, it was wrong. Only when you refused to take the test, refused to make a choice, would you be right. And among these wrong options, you picked the most foolish one, turning a predicament into a dead end.”
The Tianhai Saint Empress said calmly, “Who in this world has the right to speak of ‘predicament’ or ‘dead end’ to me?”
The Daoist Calculator replied, “Of course, you say it to yourself. Your ability to rule this world doesn’t stem from your marriage to the late Emperor, nor from your governing skills, but solely from your power. As long as you are strong enough, no one dares to harbor treacherous thoughts. Even if they do, they dare not act. But you chose him, weakening yourself, and that gave the world the chance to turn treachery into action, gave them courage. Not to mention, this choice of yours meant abandoning the Tianhai family, turning even your most loyal forces into your opponents.”
The Tianhai Saint Empress’s gaze fell upon the capital, seeing scenes of slaughter and the quiet Tianhai family estate.
Then she looked beyond the capital, seeing the valleys in the rain and the blood within them.
The Daoist Calculator’s voice rang out again before the Heavenly Book Mausoleum: “Everyone has already left you.”
The Tianhai Saint Empress said expressionlessly, “That’s because they are fools, seeing only what’s in front of them.”
The Daoist Calculator’s voice suddenly turned stern.
“Is this shortsightedness? No! Think of Chen Guansong, think of those divine generals. Their betrayal of you ultimately stems from disappointment in you! In your two hundred-plus years on the throne, the demon race was at its weakest. Yet you, with your narrow vision, only sought to preserve your loyal army’s strength, defending against the demons without attacking. You achieved not a single merit, and even twenty years ago, you were forced to cede territory and sue for peace! You handled state affairs well enough, though with extreme tyranny, and you managed the unification of north and south skillfully, though that was mainly the Saintess’s achievement. But in this regard, you brought shame upon all of humanity!”
“So it was for the sake of righteousness that people betrayed me?”
A mocking smile once again appeared on the Tianhai Saint Empress’s exquisite face.
This time, it was clearly directed at the world.
“Have you considered that tonight, in the battle at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, countless human experts will inevitably fall, leaving us withered and depleted. The various armies are caught in a dilemma, their morale unstable. If the demon army takes advantage to invade the south, who will stop them? If they ravage the Central Plains and slaughter the people, who will bear that responsibility? Righteousness? Can you bear it?”
The Tianhai Saint Empress glanced at the Detached Palace, a half-smile on her lips.
“I lured the Demon Lord to Cold Mountain, first letting him fight the Heavenly Mechanism Elder. The Heavenly Mechanism Elder was severely wounded and couldn’t come to the capital tonight to aid you. Then I invited the White Emperor to ambush the Demon Lord north of Cold Mountain. The Demon Lord was gravely injured and could only return to Snow Old City to recover. I also have arrangements in Snow Old City. After tonight, there will be results, though Your Majesty may not live to see them.”
The Daoist Calculator’s voice was calm and composed: “I spent twenty years arranging tonight’s scheme. Naturally, there are no omissions. Your Majesty need not worry.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Changsheng finally confirmed that his encounter with the Demon Lord in Cold Mountain was indeed a setup by his master.
His body grew colder, not because of the night rain or the wind atop the peak.
Every time he recalled the scene of seeing that middle-aged scholar before the persimmon grove by the stream, he felt a chill.
His master had used his greatest secret to lure the Demon Lord to Cold Mountain, yet he had known nothing about it.
At that time, he had truly come close to death.
“That’s right. You raised me for over a decade, so you might as well use me a few more times to make it worthwhile.”
He murmured to himself.
“Has your vision always been fixed only on the north?”
The Tianhai Saint Empress looked at the autumn plains north of the capital, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips: “Your scope is ultimately too small.”
No one could understand her words.
Whether regarding vision or scope.
The Daoist Calculator had orchestrated the scheme in the capital and made arrangements in Snow Old City. By any measure, it could be called a grand scope. Yet in her eyes, it only earned such a contemptuous evaluation.
“Everything is an excuse. You just don’t like a woman standing above you. You’re like that, and so is Chen Guansong.”
The Tianhai Saint Empress’s gaze drifted further away, and her voice drifted as well.
Only Chen Changsheng could hear her voice.
Because by now, she couldn’t be bothered to say anything more to this world.
—After she realized that those so-called enemies and rivals were, indeed, all a bunch of useless fools.
…
…
(Shockingly, I’ve discovered that I haven’t missed a single update for two months. What’s happening to this world… To celebrate, there will be another chapter tonight. In the coming days, I’ll be going to Shanghai for a book signing and attending the annual meeting. If I can’t update, I’ll let everyone know in advance.)