Chapter 180

Not far away, more than a hundred tall knights surrounded the imposing circular building. Patrol teams moved through the surrounding area, making it clear this was a heavily guarded restricted zone of the Church.

Pei Xi poked his head out from behind the building to observe the situation, his expression carrying hesitation. Now that he had calmed down somewhat from his anger, he started reconsidering the current situation. He realized that from the moment he received the Church’s letter until now, he had been constantly being pushed along, and only the person pushing him had changed from Wen Jian to Ye Zheng.

Wen Jian needed him to accomplish some purpose. As long as he left the Pope’s Palace now, Wen Jian’s entire plan would fall apart.

Pei Xi gazed at the grand and solemn building, truly realizing what he and Ye Zheng were about to do. This wasn’t the kind of harmless scuffle where one sought revenge after being bullied by senior students. Once they stepped into the altar and directly confronted Wen Jian, it would become a fight to the death.

But was it really necessary? He had heard that Wen Jian’s body could no longer hold on for much longer. The man was already running out of time. Was it truly worth risking the capital crime of assassinating the Pope just for revenge?

If the operation failed and he was caught on the spot by Wen Jian, wouldn’t that simply play right into Wen Jian’s wishes?

If the goal was only to stop Wen Jian’s plan, then the most rational choice right now would be to leave.

More importantly, when he thought about it carefully now, every word Ye Zheng had said since meeting him carried a vague, flower-in-the-mist quality. She had never clearly revealed her own purpose…

“Pei Xi, are you still hesitating?”

Ye Zheng’s voice suddenly rang out. Pei Xi’s body instinctively tensed in vigilance.

“I thought you were already prepared to kill Wen Jian, prepared to take revenge and wash away your hatred.”

Seeing Pei Xi’s expression change as if he wanted to explain something, Ye Zheng raised a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture. Disappointment flickered in her dark eyes.

“It seems that, during the moment we mourned the deceased together in the cemetery, I was the only one who showed genuine emotion.”

Pei Xi’s body trembled as if struck by lightning. His face stiffened, and even when he lowered his head, he could not hide his shame.

The words he had used to persuade Ye Zheng now stabbed back at him like a boomerang, striking him hard as the one who was wavering.

Pei Xi covered his face with both hands. It took him a long while before he finally lifted his head and looked at Ye Zheng again.

“I haven’t forgotten, Ye Zheng. I won’t back down.”

His voice was firm and resonant, clearly filled with determination.

Upon hearing this, Ye Zheng tilted her head and gave a soft laugh. Looking at Pei Xi’s now resolute expression, she nodded slightly in approval.

“That’s good. Don’t forget why we came, Pei Xi.”

“Then what does the Saintess plan to do next? Try to sneak in somehow?”

Pei Xi glanced toward the dense crowd of knight guards. “I’m afraid that won’t be easy to pull off. We should look for weaknesses in their defenses…”

“I already have a way.”

“…You’ve got another way?” Pei Xi couldn’t help but feel surprised. He pressed on, “What is it?”

“We show ourselves now and have the knights report us. Wen Jian will definitely agree to see us.”

Ye Zheng spoke lightly.

“…Isn’t that just walking straight into a trap?”

“You’re right. It is walking straight into a trap, but it’s Wen Jian who will fall into mine.”

Pei Xi shook his head in disagreement and stared at Ye Zheng in disbelief. “We’re going there to kill Wen Jian, not greet him. This is a capital crime!”

Entering the altar in full view of everyone—if the operation succeeded, it would be equivalent to announcing to the entire world that “we killed the Pope”!

Ye Zheng’s dark eyes remained steady, with not even the slightest trace of wavering on her face.

“If the operation succeeds, the only Pope will be me.”

“You understand, don’t you, Pei Xi? Once I become the Pope, Wen Jian’s death won’t matter anymore.”

Pei Xi’s blue eyes trembled. He had completely understood Ye Zheng’s meaning. If she held the authority of the Pope, the Church knights would serve her from that moment onward, and this Pope’s Palace would acknowledge her as its master. Who would dare offend the new Pope for the sake of a dead former Pope?

But Pei Xi still couldn’t understand why Ye Zheng was so certain she could become the new Pope. There was already a chosen candidate for the position. Even if Wen Jian died, it still wouldn’t fall to her. He had heard that the Church’s bishops didn’t support her.

Yet looking at Ye Zheng’s unwavering expression, Pei Xi felt an inexplicable belief rising in his heart that Ye Zheng would succeed.

He had known her for so long, and she had never once failed.

“Alright, I’ll cooperate with you.”

✧✧✧✧✧

Riley paced back and forth across the ancient stone slabs, his hands clasped behind his back. Today, he had changed into a new heroic outfit that made him appear tall and imposing. However, that confident aura had completely vanished the moment he learned that Ye Zheng had broken his ability.

Only through strong psychological suggestion could one enter that space. As long as no more than one person was inside, his ability was flawless!

Apart from Ye Zheng, the odds of anyone else accidentally entering were extremely slim. Could Ye Zheng’s luck really be that good?

Riley tried to comfort himself with the thought that even if Ye Zheng had escaped his domain, the Pope’s Palace was filled with people outside. It would be impossible for her to break through the layers of guards and rush in to stop the ritual. The priority right now was to find Pei Xi…

While he was stuck in endless overthinking, the door at the exit of the altar made a sound. Riley snapped back to attention, allowed the person to enter, and a trace of anticipation flickered in his eyes.

“Have you found Ye Zheng, or have you found Pei Xi?”

The reporting knight wore a slightly embarrassed expression. Clearly not good with words, he replied, “B-both.”

“Both of them? Excellent.” Riley clapped his hands and laughed.

“Y-yes, my lord. Both of them are waiting outside the door.”

“Ah, both of them are outside—” Riley suddenly lost his voice, his tone rising sharply. “You said Ye Zheng and Pei Xi are both outside!”

“The Saintess said she has brought your friend, Lord Riley, and wishes to come in to visit the Pope…”

Riley staggered back several steps. It took him a while to process this fact. Pei Xi had actually fallen into Ye Zheng’s hands!

Why did Ye Zheng know his name? Why had Ye Zheng targeted Pei Xi? And why had this idiot Pei Xi allowed himself to be taken hostage by Ye Zheng!

This was completely unreasonable!

A powerful force steadied Riley’s swaying body. The old man’s expression remained unchanged, as if he wasn’t surprised at all. Instead, he smiled, and a strange light burst forth in his eyes.

Riley looked at the old man somewhat shamefully and said fiercely, “I’ll have the people outside deal with Ye Zheng right now…”

“Heh, she’s holding Pei Xi hostage right now. We can’t act against her so easily.”

“Let them in.”

Wen Jian ordered.

Riley stared fixedly at the door. The door engraved with angelic reliefs was suddenly pushed open. The Saintess in white robes walked in unhurriedly with Pei Xi.

“Pope, it’s been a long time.”

Ye Zheng gazed at the short, shriveled old man and greeted him politely.

The old man, as withered as a dry leaf, did not speak for a moment. His gaze moved back and forth between the two of them, and the atmosphere grew tense.