Chapter 890: This Is a Papal Edict
The Prince of Xiang gazed at the distant platform, a faint glint of cold light flickering in his eyes.
The head of the Wu family and the old matriarch of the Muzhe family remained as calm as before, as if they had heard nothing.
Gou Hanshi looked at Bai Cai and shook his head slightly, signaling him to calm down.
The vice dean of the Huaiyuan Academy raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise showing on his face.
Figures like them had long anticipated that the Li Palace would inevitably oppose the merger of the Nanxi Sect, and that Chen Changsheng would inevitably step forward to speak.
The two grand-uncles of the Nanxi Sect were too emotionally stirred, and believing they understood Chen Changsheng's temperament well, had failed to foresee this.
But now that the Nanxi Sect's will had been unified, what could he possibly do?
Chen Changsheng's approach was very simple.
Since no one asked him, he answered his own question.
His answer was just two words.
"No."
Watching this scene, Tang Thirty-Six recalled the card game a few days ago at the old residence in Wenshui City and couldn't help but feel some emotion.
At that time, Old Master Tang had said he could kill Tang Thirty-Six, and Chen Changsheng had likewise said only two words.
"No."
Whether then or now, Chen Changsheng's voice was very soft, but it was louder than the shouts of thousands, like thunder falling from the high heavens.
Because he was His Holiness the Pope, and his words were a papal edict, naturally followed by billions of believers.
"They will not go to the National Academy or the Li Palace."
Chen Changsheng pointed at the young women kneeling on the ground and said, "Because the Nanxi Sect will not merge, and this is where they live and cultivate."
Seeing him speak so forcefully, Huai Bi said angrily, "This is the internal affair of my Nanxi Sect. I ask His Holiness the Pope not to interfere recklessly."
No matter the time, Huai Ren's expression was always so calm and gentle, even when the merger had seemed like a foregone conclusion earlier. Because she had anticipated that Chen Changsheng would step forward, but she had not expected his attitude to be so direct, even blunt.
"Your Holiness, what I said to you last night was only out of respect for your position. It does not mean that the Nanxi Sect's internal affairs require your consent."
Huai Ren looked at Chen Changsheng with a grave expression, her voice gentle but her attitude very firm.
Sheng Nu Peak had originated from a split within the State Church.
From the moment the first Holy Maiden founded the Nanxi Sect, the Li Palace had no longer had any say in the Southern Heavenly Dao Sect, let alone the Nanxi Sect's own affairs.
Even His Holiness the Pope had no authority to manage the matters of Sheng Nu Peak.
This was history, a history that everyone must respect.
Hearing Huai Ren's words, many cultivators from the Southern Heavenly Dao on the cliff-top platform nodded repeatedly. Even Gou Hanshi found it troublesome, unsure how Chen Changsheng should respond.
At this moment, another person whom no one had expected stepped forward.
The vice dean of the Huaiyuan Academy said with a smile, "Senior, your words are mistaken. You have been traveling far and wide these years, rarely concerning yourself with worldly affairs, so you probably don't know the relationship between His Holiness the Pope and the Holy Maiden. But who on the entire continent doesn't know? He can manage half of this Sheng Nu Peak, so how could the Nanxi Sect's affairs bypass His Holiness?"
Hearing this, the Prince of Xiang frowned slightly, the old matriarch of the Muzhe family smiled without speaking, the head of the Wu family shook his head repeatedly, while other cultivators wore strange expressions.
Not to mention the marriage contract that had once shaken the continent, after the snow battle at Naihe Bridge, rumors spread in the capital that Chen Changsheng had renewed his feelings for Xu Yourong and intended to revive the contract. If people had initially thought it was just Chen Changsheng's unilateral wish, later at the Hanshan Stone-Boiling Assembly, many had witnessed Xu Yourong saving Chen Changsheng from Guan Bai's sword. And then there were the events along the tens of thousands of miles from Hanshan to the capital, which had already become widely discussed. If not for the subsequent upheaval at the Tian Shu Ling, the entire continent would have been talking about it for two years. By now, who didn't know that Pope Chen Changsheng and Holy Maiden Xu Yourong were deeply in love, a divinely matched pair of Dao companions?
Hearing the vice dean's somewhat frivolous words, Huai Bi's face flushed red with anger, her brows shooting up as she shouted, "How dare you! Who dares to defame the Holy Maiden's honor? Ask my sword first!"
The murmuring on the cliff-top platform gradually subsided.
Huai Bi gripped her Dao sword, glaring at Chen Changsheng and shouting harshly, "Your Holiness, are you really forcing me to shed blood here?"
Chen Changsheng countered, "Is this a threat to me?"
Even the Prince of Xiang, the foremost authority in the court who had already entered the sacred domain, would take the initiative to pay his respects and dare not show the slightest disrespect in front of so many people, let alone threaten him. Though she was a grand-uncle of the Nanxi Sect with extremely high seniority, how could she have such audacity?
Huai Bi was furious, but she couldn't draw her sword. With a resentful sword hum, the sword intent left its sheath, cutting countless cracks into the surrounding bluestone.
In her pent-up fury, she nearly suffered internal injuries. Huai Shu quickly supported her and channeled a stream of pure true essence to help her stabilize her Dao heart.
Huai Ren looked into Chen Changsheng's eyes and said, "The demon race has temporarily retreated. The Nanxi Sect wishes to merge only to stand apart, unwilling to be used by certain ambitious individuals. Once the Holy Maiden emerges from seclusion, the sect can reopen at any time. What is improper about my actions?"
"You said these things last night, and I didn't have time to answer. My answer is no."
Chen Changsheng looked at her and said, "Even if you agree to the merger, it's still no. Sect affairs and the merger are two different things. Yourong entrusted the sect affairs to your temporary management, but that doesn't mean you have the authority to decide such a major matter as the merger. No disciple of the Nanxi Sect has the right to make that decision."
Then he looked at Huai Ren and Ping Xuan and said, "Of course, that includes you."
Huai Bi sneered, "Then who has the authority? Could it be Your Holiness the Pope?"
Chen Changsheng said, "No, I don't have it either. The only one qualified to decide on the merger is Yourong."
The Prince of Xiang, who had remained silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "His Holiness's words are reasonable. Such a major matter truly requires inviting the Holy Maiden out of seclusion to make the final decision."
A sense of alertness arose in Chen Changsheng's heart.
Yesterday, before the stone wall at the top of Sheng Nu Peak, he had vaguely sensed some problems. Now, it seemed the problems were gradually revealing themselves.
Could it be that the court and his teacher wanted to forcibly interrupt Xu Yourong's seclusion through this matter?
Everyone knew that forcibly interrupting a seclusion could cause immense harm, let alone the fact that she was now attempting something no one had ever tried before.
"No need. I'll handle it."
Chen Changsheng gave the Prince of Xiang no chance to exploit the situation. He continued looking at Huai Ren and said, "I am well aware of how important Sheng Nu Peak is to her. Now that she is in seclusion and cannot continue to care for Sheng Nu Peak and the disciples living here as she promised her teacher, then naturally, this matter falls to me."
A large part of the reason Xu Yourong had entered seclusion to cultivate was for him, so of course, he had to take on the responsibilities that should have been hers, such as guarding this peak.
Huai Ren said solemnly, "Are you saying that even the rules of my Sheng Nu Peak are to be judged by Your Holiness the Pope?"
Chen Changsheng said, "The Holy Maiden interprets the steles, and the Pope interprets the canon. This has been the case for countless years. Or do you believe that Sheng Nu Peak is not part of the State Church?"
A moment ago, Huai Ren had tried to use historical rules to make him back down. Now, he was using historical rules to force her to accept his argument.
Although Sheng Nu Peak belonged to the Southern faction, in the eyes of billions of believers and disciples, it was undoubtedly part of the State Church.
Not to mention these three grand-uncles of the Nanxi Sect, even if the Holy Maidens of past generations came back to life, they wouldn't dare deny this.
Huai Ren fell silent and spoke no more.
Seeing her senior sister like this, Huai Bi grew even more anxious and shouted loudly, "At least we are not subordinates of the Li Palace. Why should we be under your jurisdiction?"
Thinking of the Dao Sovereign's promise, she was so flustered that even her address became disrespectful.
Chen Changsheng looked at her and said, "I am the Pope, and I interpret the canon. Is Sheng Nu Peak not a part of the State Church?"
It was the same question, repeated again, even more forceful.
Huai Bi's Dao heart was shaken by the pressure, and she grew extremely agitated, shouting, "So what if it isn't?"
Chen Changsheng looked into her eyes and said, "If Sheng Nu Peak is not part of the State Church, what right does it have to interpret the Heavenly Book Steles? Tomorrow, I will issue a decree to the world, clearly stating this matter. Then I will send the State Church cavalry to surround Sheng Nu Peak, seize the rubbings of the Heavenly Book Steles, cut off the Nanxi Sect's inheritance, and let you know what true merger means."
Huai Ren, recalling the conversation from the previous night, suddenly changed expression.
She had told Chen Changsheng that the Nanxi Sect had three forms of merger.
What Chen Changsheng was referring to now was naturally the last one.
The Nanxi Sect's inheritance would be severed, merging with the Li Palace, returning to the orthodox line of the State Church!