Chapter 139
Chapter
139
2026
In a quiet corner of a tavern, two women sat facing one another. Seeing the anxious and uneasy expressions reflected on each other’s faces only deepened the worry in their hearts.
After Ye Zheng had helped them secure approval for publication, Wen Xin found herself with far fewer concerns while creating her work. Her novel, which took the Saintess as its prototype, had become immensely popular, much like Ye Zheng’s rapidly rising fame and reputation. Yet no one had anticipated that Saintess Ye Zheng would suddenly be caught in such overwhelming controversy.
Ever since the Saintess murder case was formally filed, Wen Xin had deliberately tightened her writing style and lowered her own presence. She was no longer the housewife who once needed Ye Zheng to personally guide her step by step. She understood clearly that at such a critical juncture, placing too much emphasis on Ye Zheng’s achievements would only provoke backlash from public opinion rather than help her.
Wen Xin knew there was very little she could actually do. If Ye Zheng were to be found guilty in this trial, then everything they had worked for would collapse like a landslide, leaving nothing that could be salvaged.
“This is driving me insane. Why hasn’t the verdict been announced yet?”
“What’s there to be nervous about? Do you really think Ye Zheng will be sentenced? Her own father is the presiding judge. These nobles never have to pay any price for killing commoners!”
“Even setting aside the Saintess’s past good deeds, she’s the one chosen by the Divine Sword. Do you honestly believe she’d brutally murder civilians? I heard from friends in the Western District that her team protected a lot of ordinary people there…”
“It’s just a sword. Isn’t it easy for noble brats to stir up hype? Besides, who knows whether that sword is even real or fake? I could just as easily claim that this fruit knife of mine was once used by the God of Hope.”
Hearing those ungrateful and dismissive remarks, Wen Xin felt a surge of anger so strong she wanted nothing more than to kick them. Sitting across from her, Zhuo Ya reached out and grasped her hand, whose veins were bulging from tension, and gently reassured her, “Have faith in the Saintess. She’ll definitely get through this trial safely.”
Wen Xin forced a faint, bitter smile. Even if the court declared Ye Zheng innocent this time, the Saintess’s once flawless reputation had already developed cracks that would be nearly impossible to mend.
Whether by design or coincidence, the presiding judge of this trial was none other than the Saintess’s own father.
If he, too, was part of the mastermind’s scheme, then the person behind everything was truly terrifyingly meticulous. Even if Ye Zheng won the case, countless people would still question whether her father had bent the law out of personal bias.
Saintess Ye Zheng had always been too perfect—her upbringing impeccable, her character beyond reproach, her good deeds widely praised, and even divine approval resting upon her…
It was precisely because she appeared so perfect that it felt unreal. And once even the tiniest crack appeared, countless fanatical and prying eyes would seize upon it, desperate to tear her apart through that fracture, using the Saintess’s unseen darkness to comfort the ugliness within their own hearts.
Wen Xin had sensed long ago that such a day would eventually come. Saintess Ye Zheng was still human. No one could remain flawless forever.
She believed that Ye Zheng would secure a not-guilty verdict in this trial. Afterward, she would do everything in her power to protect the Saintess’s reputation. If only Wende could arrest every last one of those gossiping people—anyone who dared doubt Saintess Ye Zheng ought to be thrown into prison—
“Wen Xin, look at the wall outside in the square!”
Zhuo Ya suddenly stood up and shook Wen Xin, who had been lost in her thoughts.
“It’s a projection!”
“What happened? Did something major occur? Could the empire be announcing the arrival of a special-grade Aberrant Realm?”
Inside the tavern, nearly everyone shot to their feet. Some had already rushed out the door, sprinting toward the square to get a closer look at the enormous projection cast onto the white wall.
The cost of operating projection equipment was extraordinarily high. Under normal circumstances, only major events, such as the coronation of a new king or pope, the appointment of a crown prince, or the annual Divine Descent Day celebrations, would justify broadcasting live projections across every district so citizens could witness and celebrate together.
Today wasn’t any kind of festival. A growing sense of unease spread among the crowd. Had some catastrophic disaster occurred? Or had an important figure in the Upper District met with misfortune, prompting a sudden change in leadership?
Those with sharper instincts quickly connected it to the only significant event happening that day. Wen Xin grabbed Zhuo Ya’s hand tightly, and the two pushed through the crowd, their eyes fixed anxiously upward.
On the vast white wall, the projected image flickered erratically at first. After a long moment, it finally stabilized and became clear.
A face of striking grace and gentle composure appeared before everyone. She curved her lips into a faint smile, gave a slight nod, and lifted her gaze to look straight ahead. At that instant, everyone present felt an inexplicable shiver, as though they were being watched directly. Those deep black eyes seemed to encompass every single person within their sight.
Many among the crowd had never seen Saintess Ye Zheng in person before, yet the moment their eyes fell upon the girl in the projection, only one word surfaced in their minds—“Saintess.”
“Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Ye Zheng, the thirteenth Saintess of the empire.”
The broadcasting device beside her synchronized perfectly, her clear and ethereal voice washing over the square and silencing all noise. Almost everyone held their breath, including those who had been speaking so rudely just moments earlier.
“Today, I’m standing trial in the Upper District Court for a murder case. I believe all of you are waiting for one answer, 'did Saintess Ye Zheng kill anyone?'”
“Yes… I did kill people.”
The square instantly descended into chaos. A storm of voices broke out all at once. Zhuo Ya, pressed tightly within the crowd, covered her mouth in shock. She looked toward Wen Xin in alarm, only to find Wen Xin standing there in a daze, a faint hint of anticipation flickering across her face.
“But I don’t believe I’m guilty. The Divine Sword has told me that only by eliminating these vile sinners can the Western District, the Lower District, and the entire empire truly attain peace.”
“I’m sorry that I can’t reveal each of their crimes to everyone right now, because in the eyes of certain individuals, I’m the real sinner.”
Within the slightly blurred massive projection, the Saintess in white robes slowly spread her arms wide. Her expression abruptly shifted, turning solemn and resolute.
“My identity as the Saintess was granted to me by the God of Hope. If I’m guilty, then only the gods themselves have the authority to take it away!”
“Next, I will challenge the ‘Holy Verdict.’ The truth and falsehood, the merits and transgressions of Saintess Ye Zheng, will be judged jointly by the gods and by all of you who are watching me at this very moment!”
Her powerful declaration was like a single drop of water splashing into a pot of boiling oil, instantly igniting a fierce reaction. Behind them, more and more people struggled to push their way into the square. The restless crowd surged like churning waves. Fortunately, the white-robed knights who had arrived earlier were working to keep order. Many recognized that the one leading them was none other than the Saintess’s own Order of Sacred Conduct.
Divine Judgment was an ancient method of trial within the empire. It was said that before the God of Hope ever descended upon this land, people had once worshipped other gods. Whenever they faced matters beyond the reach of human judgment, they would turn to divine power.
For instance, casting the accused into a river and deciding guilt based on whether they sank or floated, or subjecting them to trial by fire, duels, and other such practices.
After the God of Hope’s descent, these old beliefs and primitive methods of judgment were gradually cast aside. Now, there remained only a single way for the empire to seek divine judgment—the Holy Verdict.
Five hundred years ago, the God of Hope joined forces with the imperial family to confront the Demonic Dragon that was ravaging the world. During a clandestine meeting between the God of Hope and the emperor, someone betrayed the god’s decision, causing the entire plan to collapse. In the aftermath, the imperial family identified the traitor, yet they had no concrete evidence to convict him. And so, the God of Hope bestowed upon the empire a single sacred item.
A drop of golden divine blood that would never fade and would forever remain suspended in the form of a perfect golden droplet.
They cut open the traitor’s wrist and placed his bleeding hand into a pool. If the traitor was sufficiently devout to the god and his will resonated with the god’s intent, the divine blood drifting within the pool would actively merge with the traitor’s blood. If not, the divine blood would relentlessly distance itself from the traitor until every last drop of blood in his body was drained away into the pool.
The Holy Verdict could be applied for by anyone. Once it was passed, all sins would be completely absolved.
In the early days following its establishment, countless convicted criminals clamored to undergo the Holy Verdict. Not a single one succeeded, not even a certain pope who had committed a grave transgression and was ultimately bled to death while still alive.
After people came to understand just how unforgiving the divine blood’s requirements truly were, almost no one dared to apply for the Holy Verdict anymore. Facing execution through the standard legal process was, at the very least, quicker and far less agonizing.
And now, the Saintess intended to challenge this Holy Verdict that no one had ever managed to survive!
Within the Upper District Cathedral—
A vast pool had been embedded into the grand hall, its floor paved with flawless white jade. At the very center of the pool stood a pristine statue of the God of Hope, radiating an austere, sacred presence.
The divine blood was sealed within the deepest chamber of the church’s sacred artifacts, and the clergy were still in the process of retrieving it. Inside the hall, expressions varied from person to person, some concealed their unease, some were visibly perplexed, and others watched with barely hidden schadenfreude. Only Ye Zheng, who was about to face this fatal trial, appeared utterly calm.
“Ye Zheng, I don’t understand. You could’ve clearly walked away from all of this. Why did you choose this method to prove your innocence?”
Pei Xi had been holding back his question the entire way from the Upper District Court to the cathedral, but now he could no longer keep it in.
Ye Zheng swept a glance over the people around them. Nearly everyone’s gaze was, in one way or another, subtly drawn toward her. She smiled at Pei Xi and said, “There’s still some time before the Holy Verdict. Why don’t we step outside and talk?”
“Pope, my personal freedom isn’t restricted before the verdict, right?”
Ye Zheng fixed her eyes on Wen Jian, her smile faint and unreadable.
Wen Jian glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, then returned a faintly mocking smile. “Of course. There’s no need to rush. After all, this is your most… precious time.”
Ye Zheng shot Wen Jian a sidelong look, then led Pei Xi out through a side door, stepping onto a quiet and deserted path.
Pei Xi followed behind Ye Zheng, looking somewhat helpless. He hadn’t expected her to deliberately set aside time just to answer his question.
“Pei Xi, I’m very glad you cooperated with Wende to help me. After all, I used you before and even nearly killed you.”
Pei Xi’s lips pressed together, as if the unpleasant memory had resurfaced. “…It’s fine. I shouldn’t have tried to stop you that day either. Helping you now is also for my own sake.”
After saying that, Pei Xi slightly turned his head and studied Ye Zheng’s profile. He heard her respond in a light, almost casual tone, “You’ve recognized your own mistakes and limitations. That’s a pretty good sign of growth.”
Pei Xi choked on his words. Ye Zheng’s reply was completely different from what he’d expected.
The two walked side by side in silence for a while. Then, the young woman beside him suddenly spoke again, making Pei Xi stop in his tracks.
“Pei Xi, thank you for understanding. I need to apologize for some of my actions,” Ye Zheng said softly.
Finally hearing the response he’d imagined, Pei Xi froze. For a moment, he didn’t know how to reply. When he turned to look at Ye Zheng, his gaze dropped and he realized she had suddenly grabbed his wrist.
A rush of bewildered heat had just begun to rise to the young man’s cheeks when a sharp, cold pain suddenly shot across his wrist. Pei Xi’s blue eyes widened as he stared at it.
Water-like threads had coiled around his wrist, piercing straight into his veins. His blood was being slowly drawn out along those liquid strands.
“Ye Zheng, you—”
“Shh, don’t move.”
Ye Zheng’s fingers were nearly pressed against his lips. Pei Xi’s face turned ashen, his blue eyes quivering.
“You asked me why I did this? I’ll answer you now.”
“For the sake of my goals, I won’t hesitate to use any means, whether noble or dark, open strategies or hidden schemes…”
Ye Zheng pressed firmly on Pei Xi’s arm as he tried to struggle. The extraction of blood couldn’t be interrupted.
“Swallow this matter. I owe you a favor. If you expose it… I’m truly sorry.”
Pei Xi suddenly found the whole situation absurdly laughable. So this was what Ye Zheng’s apology really meant. It wasn’t remorse at all, it was a threat on his life!
He couldn’t understand why she was drawing his blood. Did Ye Zheng truly believe his blood would certainly fuse with the divine blood?
Under Ye Zheng’s unwavering gaze, Pei Xi’s eyes suddenly widened as a startling realization formed in his mind.
“Alright, thank you for your generous donation of blood, Pei Xi.”
The water-colored threads, now tinged with blood, slipped into Ye Zheng’s white sleeve and vanished. Right after that, a softer stream of water coiled around his wrist. Pei Xi lowered his gaze and saw that the wound on his wrist had already healed and disappeared completely.
Aside from his unnaturally pale face, everything that had just occurred felt as if it had been erased without a trace, like an evening breeze gliding over a lake.
Ye Zheng also left quickly, like a breeze that couldn’t be held onto.
When Ye Zheng re-entered the hall, she was immediately met with everyone’s gazes. She folded her hands neatly in front of her abdomen and slowly walked toward the massive pool at a calm, unhurried pace.
She looked into the pool and saw a single golden bead floating on the far side, radiating a blinding brilliance.
“Ye Zheng, you still have a chance to change your mind.”
Sykes stood in the middle of the crowd with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was dark as his golden eyes locked tightly onto Ye Zheng. “Are you sure you want to start the Holy Verdict?”
“I’m sure.”
Ye Zheng sat down on the edge of the pool, cautiously dipping one foot into the water, then shifted her whole body in. The water level reached her abdomen. Her high ponytail floated on the surface, making her look like a mermaid rising from the water, with only the upper half of her body visible and her long black “tail” drifting beneath.
A nun handed her a small knife. Facing the activated projection device not far away, Ye Zheng lifted her left hand and decisively cut the wrist hidden beneath her sleeve with the knife in her right hand!
Blood poured out continuously, quickly soaking half of her sleeve in red. Only then did Ye Zheng lower her left hand into the pool. The once-clear water slowly began to turn murky.
Inside the hall, the nun who had handed her the knife couldn’t bear to watch anymore and turned her head away, unable to endure the sight of such prolonged torment.
The golden divine blood floated at the far end of the pool. How much blood would she have to shed before the entire pool turned red and finally reached the divine blood on the other side?
The cruelest part was that the one undergoing the trial would see hope in the distance, feel their body slowly losing warmth and strength, and eventually die in despair.
Time passed minute by minute. Ye Zheng lowered her head in the pool as the blood around her gradually deepened in color.
She was already starting to feel dizzy. Her body temperature was dropping, and a cold sensation crept in, trying to shake her resolve.
Of course, no one could pass this twisted Holy Verdict. How could anyone possibly bleed enough to reach the far end of the pool? Unless the divine blood itself chose to move closer.
Ye Zheng knew she didn’t have enough devotion, nor could she resonate with the God of Hope, because she didn’t believe in gods at all. There was no reason for the divine blood to come toward her.
But what if the divine blood would move toward blood of the same origin?
On the experimental record sheets she had discovered in the Hope Project laboratory, Pei Xi wasn’t listed as a dragon-bone life form, but as the mysterious “X”.
“X” could be any form of life, but Pei Xi was the protagonist of this world and the successor actively summoned by the Divine Sword. The origin of his life was obvious.
His birth must’ve been connected to the God of Hope.
While Ye Zheng was flipping through a large number of legal documents in the imperial palace, trying to find loopholes, she suddenly remembered that the method used in the Holy Verdict involved the blood of the God of Hope.
Pei Xi was very likely an experimental product created with divine blood as its source.
Since Pei Xi, who shared the same origin as the God of Hope, could even summoned the Divine Sword, then could his blood also draw the divine blood closer?
Ye Zheng was gambling on this. She had no choice but to turn the situation around through the Holy Verdict. If she could win this wager under the watchful gaze of countless people across the empire, the emperor’s plan to suppress her would completely fall apart, and her reputation would soar even higher.
It was either lose everything or win it all.
The ticking of the wall clock echoed softly in the silent hall. Outside the hall, in the Upper District, Middle District, Lower District, and every sub-district across the major regions, countless people had poured into the streets just to witness this gamble.
On the massive projection, Ye Zheng hung her head, standing quietly in the center of the blood-red water like a statue that had been frozen in time.
Zhuo Ya could hear people crying. It wasn’t just the almost motionless Wen Xin beside her, but also people all around in the crowd. Many were truly weeping for the Saintess who was on the brink of death.
No one could remain unmoved by this scene. Even those who had once strongly questioned or even slandered the Saintess couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of respect when they saw Ye Zheng standing silently and calmly in the blood, never once showing even the slightest hint of regret or despair.
Zhuo Ya even heard the people around her praying, praying for the Saintess to remain safe.
Suddenly, Zhuo Ya’s eyes widened as she stared at the projection. She couldn’t help but wonder if the people’s prayers had, at this very moment, brought forth a miracle.
The seemingly frozen young woman stirred ever so slightly. A pale hand slowly extended out from the blood-red water. Her palm turned over —
The golden, droplet-shaped divine blood began to flow into her palm as though it had a will of its own!
Ye Zheng stood within the blood-red pool. Her upper body was so pale it almost blended seamlessly into her white robe. Her face, drained of color, still carried a faint, gentle curve of a smile, and her black eyelashes fluttered as calmly and softly as ever.
She was so pure and white that, at first glance, she resembled more a sacred, flawless divine statue than the towering sculpture standing at the center of the pool.
Like a newborn god forcing its way out of a sea of blood, she had used ancient blood itself to birth her new life!
“Saintess!”
“Saintess Ye Zheng!”
As the cheers surged like a roaring tidal wave, Zhuo Ya nearly teared up. She turned her head and noticed that Wen Xin wasn’t crying — instead, she was smiling, wearing a look of almost fervent devotion.
No one could remain perfect and flawless from beginning to end —
But she was Ye Zheng!
~~~End~~~