Chapter 872: Secrets Sunk into the Depths of the River
"We need to be faster."
The silent, green-clad stranger suddenly spoke: "His life force is severed. Boundless Green will sense it immediately."
For Sacred Domain experts like Bieyang Hong and Wuqiong Bi, they would inevitably leave imprints within their son's consciousness as a final safety measure. The green-clad stranger's aura could isolate the commotion in the tavern and the chill released by Mu Jiushi from heaven and earth, but it could not sever the connection between true blood and soul.
Mu Jiushi snapped out of her dazed state. She gently raised her finger and flicked it.
A very soft breeze shot from her fingertip, landing on Bie Tianxin's body.
With a series of crackling sounds, the ice sculpture collapsed into countless fragments. Then, as the wind brushed over them, they shattered further until they became crystalline particles as fine as sand.
The green-clad stranger reached out, swept the crystalline grains from the floor into his sleeve, and then led Mu Jiushi out of the tavern.
A priest entered the room, picked up a broom, and swept the floor completely clean.
If Chen Changsheng had been present, he would surely have recognized this priest, for he was an old acquaintance from the National Academy.
Priest Xin from the Pontifical Secretariat, appearing again after three years, had suddenly shown up in Fengyang County. Why?
Priest Xin went to the next room, fetched a stool, sat down in the corridor not far away, closed his eyes, and began to wait.
His expression was grim, because he was waiting to die.
A fishing boat left the dock of Fengyang County, heading upstream against the Gorge River. Once it vanished from sight, it sped forward without wind, moving at an unimaginable pace.
It didn't take long for the fishing boat to reach a stretch of river dozens of miles away.
The green-clad stranger stood at the bow, quietly gazing at the turbulent river surface, wondering what he hoped to discern from it—or perhaps he was searching for traces left by someone not long ago?
Mu Jiushi sat in the boat, watching the green-clad stranger's back, and asked, "The Black Dragon wasn't in Fengyang County today."
The green-clad stranger said, "That's right."
Mu Jiushi asked in confusion, "Since we couldn't act in Hanqiu City, why was it possible today?"
The green-clad stranger replied, "First, time is tight. Second, I didn't know where the Black Dragon was that day, but I know where she is today—and no one else does."
Mu Jiushi didn't understand, but she trusted his words.
The green-clad stranger seemed to see something, and lightly flicked his sleeve.
The crystalline powder, still carrying traces of chill, fell from his cuff. Washed away by the rushing river, it left no trace, not even a single ripple.
...
...
The Hate River had many tributaries upstream. One of them had clear water, wild trees growing along its banks, and beautiful scenery; it was called the Tong River.
In the upper reaches of the Tong River, the steep green mountain range was one of the five southern ridges.
Deep within the mountains stood a peak, perpetually shrouded in mist and clouds, appearing exceptionally mysterious and sacred.
That was the sacred land in the hearts of countless cultivators and believers—Saintess Peak.
The Southern Stream Nunnery was located on Saintess Peak, and its jurisdiction was vast, encompassing at least hundreds of peaks and thousands of miles of wilderness.
Like the Eternal Life Sect, the Southern Stream Nunnery was a founding temple of the southern branch of the National Religion. It had many affiliated minor sects, such as Ciji Temple and Lotus Pond, along with ordinary people who had lived there for generations. The area was bustling and lively, especially the small town by the Tong River, which was extremely vibrant.
One afternoon, the riverbank outside the town was quiet as usual. Suddenly, a gale arose without reason. The reeds in the river bent before it, and the yellow oxen on the meadow fled in panic.
Two streaks of emerald light flashed across the sky and vanished in an instant.
A dazed-looking young girl appeared by the riverbank—it was Nanke.
Chen Changsheng climbed up from the ground, dusted off his clothes, glanced at Nanke, wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing.
Then, three people landed out of thin air on the meadow.
Tang Thirty-Six and Hu Thirty-Two were still normal, just as they had been before entering the Zhou Garden.
But Zhe Xiu looked disheveled, with more dust on his clothes than Chen Changsheng, several tears in his fabric, and even a wound on his face.
Chen Changsheng was very surprised, thinking there should have been no enemies in the Zhou Garden. Who had he fought so fiercely?
Seeing his gaze, Zhe Xiu said, "I fought with those demonic beasts."
Hearing this, Tang Thirty-Six recalled the scene and shook his head repeatedly. Hu Thirty-Two also had a complicated expression.
At that time, they had been sitting at the highest point of the Zhou Mausoleum. Outside, thick smoke billowed, demonic beasts surged like a tide, and their furious roars seemed ready to tear the sky apart.
Zhe Xiu was like a stone in the midst of it all, sometimes submerged, sometimes emerging, making them both admire and worry.
Chen Changsheng didn't ask why Zhe Xiu had fought those demonic beasts, because he knew the reason.
Back in the Never-Setting Sun Grasslands, Zhe Xiu had been blinded, carrying Qi Jian as he fled everywhere, and had long since forged a deep enmity with those beasts.
Hu Thirty-Two looked at Chen Changsheng with even more reverence.
In Wenshui City and the canyon, this bishop had already treated Chen Changsheng with extreme respect, and it came from the heart. But now, his reverence came from an even deeper place.
How to judge the ability or potential of a true expert? There was a simplest method: look at the size of the small world they controlled.
The larger the small world one could command, the higher their level.
Now he confirmed that rumor—the Zhou Garden was indeed in the hands of His Holiness the Pope.
Years ago, when he served in the Qingxian Hall, he had once entered the Green Leaf World of the previous Pope.
He was very certain that the Green Leaf World was far smaller than the Zhou Garden.
This filled him with even more confidence in His Holiness the Pope, the National Religion, and... his own future.
Chen Changsheng naturally didn't know that letting Hu Thirty-Two enter the Zhou Garden—just as he had done with Anhua and Chen Chou—would bring such benefits.
At this moment, his gaze was fixed on the distant mountain range.
The mountains were beautiful, covered in lush greenery. Even under the noonday sun, there was no sense of dryness; just looking at them brought a feeling of peace.
The deeper into the mountains, the denser the vegetation, the richer the green, yet without any clutter. The increasing mist diluted the colors, adding more freshness and elegance.
And in the deepest part of the mist, a towering peak was faintly visible, seeming both real and illusory, its true form impossible to discern.
Was that Saintess Peak?
Looking at that distant peak, Tang Thirty-Six was also somewhat excited. Saintess Peak was a famous sacred site, and this was his first time seeing it with his own eyes.
Chen Changsheng's emotional shift was more because Saintess Peak was where Xu Yourong lived and cultivated.
In her later letters, Xu Yourong hadn't mentioned what Saintess Peak looked like.
He had imagined it many times.
Although Xu Yourong was probably still in seclusion and couldn't meet him,
just knowing she was on that peak stirred up a great deal of longing in him.
Like the most clichéd description.
At that moment, he wished he could sprout wings and fly over.
Nanke walked up to him, raised her head, looked at him very seriously, and said, "You want to fly? Then just tell me."