Chapter 183

On December 1st, at five in the afternoon, the Church formally announced the name of the twenty-second Pope to the entire nation: Ye Zheng.

The instant the news spread, countless people poured into the streets to celebrate. Even the usually reserved upper district saw students gathering spontaneously across campuses, rejoicing together. This was the most widely supported name in centuries, no longer an obscure and cumbersome noble title that ordinary people had never even heard before. Her name was known everywhere, echoing across the empire. From elders in their eighties to the youngest children, there wasn’t a single person who hadn’t heard it.

That night, lights blazed on until dawn. When the sun rose the next day, Ye Zheng’s name still rang clearly through every corner of the empire.

She was the most exalted Saintess since the first-generation Saintess, the God’s Chosen one foretold to save the world from impending doom. Before long, she would also be inscribed into the empire’s history books with an undying name, becoming the existence closest to the gods since the end of the Divine Descent era!

“YE! ZHENG!”

Inside an abandoned factory in the Western District, a furious blond youth lashed out and kicked over a rust-eaten machine in a burst of rage. The moment she received the news, Sela erupted into a pointless tantrum, while the people around her all lowered their heads, too afraid to even breathe too loudly.

Sela didn’t understand the differences between those messy titles like cardinal, duke, or commander, and she couldn’t be bothered to care about them either. As long as she wanted someone dead, weren’t they all just chunks of flesh waiting beneath her blade?

Emperor and Pope were the only two positions she could actually remember. She knew that whoever occupied those two seats was the one who truly ruled the entire country!

“Sela, Ye Zheng becoming Pope isn’t necessarily a bad thing for you either.”

Lu Qi spoke in a low, careful voice. She didn’t dare let any obvious joy show on her face, even though her heart had been leaping and celebrating nonstop from the very moment she heard the news.

If she remembered correctly, there had never once been a woman who became Pope in the empire’s entire history. Ye Zheng was even still a minor. Lu Qi was certain that Ye Zheng must be the youngest Pope the empire had ever seen.

She was only one year older than Lu Qi, yet she had already accomplished things that could shake the world. Lu Qi felt a dizzying sense of unreality. Was she really friends with someone so extraordinary?

“Idiot, Lu Qi! Even if she became Emperor, there wouldn’t be any benefit for me!”

Sela glared with her crimson eyes, fixing her gaze on the enormous white dragon bone placed inside the factory. She was now the leader of the “Saints,” a heretic hunted by the Church. How could Ye Zheng possibly allow her to continue growing stronger after ascending to the position of Pope?

The more she thought about it, the darker her expression became. That’s right. From the very beginning, Ye Zheng had invited her to the Western District. It was very likely a carefully laid trap that killed two birds with one stone. She had used Sela’s ability to help conceal the dragon bone and those strange individuals, while at the same time exploiting Sela’s need for the dragon bone to confine her within this remote Western District.

Lu Qi noticed that something was off about Sela’s expression and stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Ye Zheng will cover for us. She said she would come back. She’ll help those dragon-bodied people return to normal, and regarding your situation… Ye Zheng didn’t say anything bad either.”

During this period, she had been in frequent contact with Sela. At first, her impression of Sela had still been stuck in the Blood Flower Aberrant Realm, where Sela had mercilessly slaughtered noble students and controlled the Crown Prince, causing massive chaos. She had seemed like a terrifying wanted criminal.

But after spending time with her, Lu Qi came to realize that Sela wasn’t actually that bad. Although she wasn’t especially polite or gentle, and would sometimes drag her subordinates out to stir up trouble, scold and hit people, and had even nearly seriously injured her several times during ability sparring…

Sela wasn’t the cruel and evil villain Lu Qi had once imagined. Most of the time, she was simply a bad-tempered girl who was the same age as her.

Recently, because of the dragon-bodied people, Sela had fallen out with Annabella. Lu Qi had written to Ye Zheng asking for help, and the other side had provided her with a few talking points that had barely managed to soothe Sela.

A trace of delight appeared on Lu Qi’s face as she looked at Sela with hopeful eyes. “You’re also Ye Zheng’s friend. Maybe our Pope will soon remove your wanted status. Then we can go find her together…”

Slap!

Sela suddenly flung Lu Qi’s hand away with such force that Lu Qi nearly stumbled and lost her footing. The two of them stared at each other, unconsciously widening the distance between them.

“Make me wait for Ye Zheng to show me mercy again?”

Sela spoke without any expression.

When she was seven, she’d been trampled underfoot by others. In that moment of despair, she’d reached out to Ye Zheng for help. It took a full ten years before Ye Zheng finally caught hold of her falling hand.

But by then, it was already too late. Trust had twisted into sharp claws, raking at her heart. Only betrayal could bring her any sense of comfort.

Sela stood where she was, her expression dark and unreadable. After a long silence, she slowly widened her crimson eyes and looked at Lu Qi with a faint, crooked smile.

“Oh right, there’s one more piece of news I forgot to mention.”

“Your dear friend Ye Zheng has already issued orders to hunt down your other friends.”

Sela’s red pupils mirrored the shifting emotions on Lu Qi’s face. At last, she smiled in clear satisfaction. “It’s the Cloud Soarers team. I heard Pei Xi killed the previous Pope along with his assistant. The remaining two helped him escape. Now, all of them are on the wanted list.”

Sela lifted her hand and lightly patted Lu Qi’s stiffened cheek, her voice dripping with malice. “So, what are you going to do, Lu Qi? Do you really think they’ll come all the way to the Western District to look for you?”

“They clearly killed someone as vile as Wen Jian, yet they’re still being hunted down. Once they’re caught, it’ll be a capital offense. How pitiful.”

“When that time comes, will you choose to help Ye Zheng capture your former teammates, or will you help them slip away from her pursuit?”

Sela burst into laughter, then raised a hand to wipe the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “Don’t worry. No matter which choice you make, I’ll keep it a secret from Ye Zheng for you.”

She slipped an arm around Lu Qi’s shoulders like an intimate sister, leaned in close to her ear, exhaled softly against it, and smiled. “After all, we’re good friends, aren’t we?”

Lu Qi lowered her head in silence, her gaze fixed on the dusty gray floor. The innocent, hopeful smile had already disappeared from her face, and her fists tightened unconsciously.

Bang!

With a single strike, she knocked Sela to the ground.

✧✧✧✧✧

Inside the rumbling train, three bedraggled young men huddled together in the cramped, dimly lit cargo hold, exchanging silent looks.

None of them had imagined that in the span of a single day, they’d fall from celebrated prodigies to wanted fugitives.

“Pei Xi, you said you didn’t kill anyone, but Ye Zheng must have had a reason to put a bounty on you, right?”

Roy folded his arms and fixed his eyes on his quiet teammate. After hearing the news, he and Kyle had rushed to find the fleeing Pei Xi. The three of them had staggered their way through waves of pursuers, and after hiding for several days, had secretly boarded this train bound for the Western District under the cover of night.

Only now did they finally have a moment to piece together everything that had happened.

“It was Ye Zheng who killed them. She shifted the blame onto me, most likely to give the Church a reasonable explanation.”

Pei Xi drew in a deep breath and spoke slowly, “But more likely, it’s because I took the divine blood with me.”

The eyes of his two companions widened instantly. Kyle stammered in disbelief, “Di-divine blood? The one we’re thinking of?”

The empire’s greatest treasure, the miraculous blood left behind by the God of Hope. Not long ago, Saintess Ye Zheng had flawlessly overturned the judgment of the Holy Verdict with the recognition of the divine blood.

Roy frowned in confusion. “Why did you take the divine blood? Are you out of your mind?”

“If what Ye Zheng wants is the divine blood, then we could try reaching out to her. There might still be a chance for a peaceful resolution…”

Pei Xi’s expression darkened as he cut Roy off. “It’s not that I chose to take it. The divine blood entered my body on its own. I can’t locate it at all, and there’s no way for me to return it.”

At the time, he’d been preparing to leave when he noticed the vessel roll down from the altar. Urged by an indescribable impulse, he’d stepped forward and picked it up. The lid had already disappeared, and the divine blood inside had suddenly flowed along his fingertips and slipped into his body.

“I originally intended to remain at the Church and wait for Ye Zheng to come out, to see whether the Church had any method to extract the divine blood. But after thinking it through, the risk was far too great. It was better to leave first.”

The divine blood carried profound significance, embodying the gods’ recognition. Ye Zheng had once used that divine blood to build momentum for herself. Would she really allow another God’s Chosen to exist?

To keep the truth of the Holy Verdict from being exposed, Pei Xi had no doubt that Ye Zheng would kill him over it!

Noticing Pei Xi’s darkened expression, the other two young men stopped pressing him with questions. The three of them leaned silently against the train carriage. Then, without warning, the carriage jolted violently before grinding to an abrupt halt.

They exchanged glances, a flood of possibilities flashing through their minds. Had the Church already tracked them down and forced the train to stop?

Pei Xi moved carefully to the carriage door, easing it open just a crack as he looked outside.

His blue eyes trembled. Then he shoved the door wide open and leapt down from the carriage.

It wasn’t pursuers. It was an Aberrant Realm.

He stared at the vast, shadowy cavern before him and could already sense countless monsters lurking within the darkness. The level of this Aberrant Realm was likely no lower than B-class.

Pei Xi suddenly grabbed his left wrist. Looking down, he saw a golden trace shifting across his skin.

The divine blood was stirring restlessly.

Somewhere in the distance, something seemed to be calling out to him.

✧✧✧✧✧

At the same time.

The first bell of the morning rang out, its clear, melodious tone gently awakening the serene cathedral of the Upper District. Hundreds of clergy members moved busily both inside and outside the church.

Within the cathedral, beneath a golden canopy, stood the solemn papal throne. That magnificent yet vacant seat awaited its new master. Outside, a vast crowd had already gathered in the square before the cathedral doors. Among them were devout believers from the Upper District, along with representatives from the Middle and Lower Districts. The front rows, lined with carpets, had been reserved for distinguished guests.

Bai Muqing arrived at the square at dawn. She hadn’t asked her family to arrange a seat for her, instead choosing to squeeze in among the ordinary citizens.

She’d underestimated everyone’s enthusiasm. She thought she’d come early enough, yet many people had already been lining up since the night before. In the end, she could only find a place at the back of the crowd.

Fortunately, her ability granted her an exceptionally wide field of vision, so the tightly packed crowd didn’t obstruct her “sight.”

Bai Muqing waited quietly. Quite a few unexpected faces had appeared today, which surprised her a little. Still, considering how significant this day was, it wasn’t entirely strange that they’d come.

Just as she was about to observe more closely, a grand melody accompanied by the tolling of bells echoed out, drawing nearer. The crowd immediately surged like a rising tide.

Only a moment earlier, the square had been chaotic, packed tightly with people. Yet in the next instant, everyone instinctively stepped back in perfect unison, their gazes turning in the same direction, filled with fervent devotion.

Dozens of clergy members in elaborate ceremonial robes parted the crowd, opening a wide path across the square. Under the watchful eyes of thousands, a figure clad in a pure white robe and a golden shoulder cape stepped forward into view.

Aside from the golden cape, she wore no other extravagant adornments. Even her bangs had been swept back neatly, revealing a face that was both clean-cut and imposing.

She walked with composed solemnity, advancing unhurriedly through the fervent atmosphere. Then, in a fleeting instant, she slightly inclined her upright posture and turned her head, revealing a brief, passing smile.

At that very moment, the crowd was completely ignited. Like fireworks going off one after another, they cried out that name again and again without pause.

Surrounded by members of the clergy, Ye Zheng crossed the square, climbed the steps, and proceeded toward the altar before the cathedral.

As she turned, the golden tassels of her cape shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight. Gazing down at the cheering crowd below, Ye Zheng’s dark eyes also blazed with fervent intensity.

An elderly cardinal began to recite the blessing. The crowd gradually fell silent. As Ye Zheng listened, her gaze drifted across several familiar faces among the audience, and the smile within her eyes deepened.

Teacher Qin Lu, Heath, Yu Tianming, Bishop Old Colonna, and Crown Prince Sykes Aston.

The moment their eyes met with her somber golden gaze, the cardinal finished the blessing. Another cardinal stepped forward and presented her with the scepter that symbolized papal authority.

Ye Zheng lowered her gaze toward Sykes Aston. Under his complicated and restrained look, she accepted the scepter with her own hands.

From that moment onward, she was Papess Ye Zheng.

Amid the cheers of tens of thousands, Ye Zheng placed one hand upon the divine sword at her side while raising the scepter high with the other!

“Today, we gather here to witness this sacred moment together.”

Ye Zheng spoke slowly, yet her voice carried clearly: “With a humble heart, I thank the gods for entrusting me with this sacred mission. I thank all of you for your trust and support. I’m but insignificant, yet I become great because of you!”

“From this day forward, I’ll do everything within my power to devote myself to peace and justice. I’ll fight for you and for the light!”

Before her words had even fully faded, a wave of thunderous applause surged across the entire square. Standing beside Ye Zheng, two cardinals jointly bore the sacred crown in their hands. This marked the most vital and decisive segment of the papal coronation ceremony.

By tradition, the cardinals would personally place the crown upon the Pope, and the Pope was meant to bow her head, waiting with quiet reverence for that solemn instant.

Yet Ye Zheng didn’t lower her head. Her gaze remained fixed on the faintly trembling hands of the two cardinals holding the crown. Amid the rising gasps of astonishment around her, she reached out without hesitation and took the crown into her own hands.

Her fingers closed firmly around the weighty, intricately adorned triple tiara. She shut her eyes, then slowly lifted it and set the crown upon her own head.

In that very instant, the square fell into a deathly stillness, as though the entire world had drawn in a breath and forgotten to release it, silently witnessing this sacred and magnificent moment. Within the crowd, Bai Muqing found herself doing the exact same.

For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, a thread of tension coiled tightly within her chest.

Through her 【Divine Domain】, she perceived the surging emotions concealed beneath Ye Zheng’s composed exterior, her soul itself shining with an intense, almost blinding brilliance.

The moment that crown settled into place, Ye Zheng would formally ascend as the empire’s Pope, standing at the absolute peak of authority.

Under the collective, expectant gaze of countless onlookers, every movement Ye Zheng made seemed to slow, as if stretched out and magnified for all to see.

At the exact instant the crown touched her head, Bai Muqing’s lips first curved upward in sincere delight. But almost immediately after, her expression shifted sharply.

She realized that Ye Zheng, now crowned, had abruptly gone completely still, as if time itself had frozen around her. The once fervent atmosphere collapsed into a strange, suffocating silence.

Noticing the unnatural stillness atop the platform, some within the crowd began to sense that something was wrong, and uneasy murmurs started to ripple outward. Bai Muqing’s heart clenched tightly. She was just about to extend her 【Divine Domain】 further to investigate when Ye Zheng suddenly moved once more.

She lifted her head, now crowned with the weighty triple tiara. Even that opulent crown seemed to dim in brilliance before her clear, commanding face.

Ye Zheng rested her hand on the sword at her side. Without offering any explanation for the brief moment of tension, a radiant golden light suddenly cleaved through the stagnant silence. In an instant, the crowd’s cheers surged once more like a rising tide.

“Her Holiness the Papess!”

“Ye Zheng! Saintess Ye Zheng!”

The golden divine sword, a symbol of hope, was raised straight toward the sky above the cathedral. Ye Zheng’s gaze cut through the sea of people and fixed itself on the far distance. Within the depths of her eyes, dark flames smoldered and burned.

At the exact moment she donned the crown and completed the ritual of inheritance, she had truly inherited everything from Mercè!

✧✧✧✧✧

While sunlight in the Upper District made the golden sword in Ye Zheng’s grasp shine with dazzling brilliance, Pei Xi, his body caked in mud, struggled to wrench his leg free from the swamp. He shoved aside the corpses of monsters along with the now-dulled gold and silver treasures, reaching his hand further inward.

Within the dim cavern, he pulled with force. A sword slowly emerged from the mire.

Before Pei Xi could make out the sword’s appearance, the divine blood flowing within his wrist suddenly crept outward, crawling along the blade through his fingertips. Golden blood streamed across the dulled surface. In the very next instant, a burst of radiant golden light erupted from the sword, illuminating half the cavern!

Pei Xi stared in stunned disbelief at the golden sword now in his grasp. A startling realization surged within his mind.

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Authors Note  

┻━⁠━━━━⁠━━⁠━━━⁠┻  

The story has now entered its middle-to-late phase. Ye Zheng’s path as the great villain has officially begun!

Who would’ve thought that when I first started writing, I only planned for 400,000 characters… (sobs)