Chapter 71

Within the forum, aside from the chaotic fan wars among the stans of the four high-popularity characters, Wu Shu’s discussion volume was also extremely high, although most of it leaned negative.

In the latest chapter, Wu Shu delivered the final blow to the core at the critical moment. This directly triggered massive dissatisfaction among Pei Xi’s stans and readers who favored the protagonist group.

【This is way too despicable, isn’t it? Characters like this are annoying regardless of gender, blatantly stealing the Cloud Soarers squad’s credit.】

【Wu Shu is currently the character I hate the most. Sykes may be bad, but he is bad in a straightforward and open manner. Wu Shu has absolutely no magnanimity.】

【Pei Xi’s recent storyline has been suffocating. We finally got to see Pei Xi go all out and look cool, only for the results to be snatched away by someone else?】

【Does no one feel sorry for our Pei Xi? He got brutally beaten by Sykes last chapter, and now his points were stolen by Wu Shu in this chapter.】

【This character is only good-looking on the outside. Even the outfit that had the most highlights in this chapter ended up being changed. Lol.】

Ye Zheng actually admired her quite a bit. Wu Shu’s objective was extremely clear. She was not here in the Aberrant Realm to save people or play the hero. She was only here to win the competition. In the end, she successfully achieved her goal through outstanding skill.

Wu Shu was simply walking firmly along her own path. How could someone like this be considered a villain? She was merely an ordinary woman with desires.

『According to the original plot development, Wu Shu will be whitewashed, while the Sela you hid away is the true irredeemable final villain!』

The system suddenly popped up.

“What does Sela escaping have to do with me?”

Ye Zheng, remaining in the room, picked up the cup of water on the table and took a sip. Then she suddenly remembered her own setting and added, “Mm. The only connection is that Saintess Ye Zheng is currently in the state of having been captured by Sela.”

『Are you certain Sela will cooperate with you? If she reveals everything to the Church, you will be in danger!』

“Sela has no intention of cooperating with me. She is a beast that cannot be tamed, so there is no need to worry about her defecting to others, especially the Church or the imperial family.”

Ye Zheng recalled what had happened a few hours earlier during the fall. She remembered how she had used a water chain to hook Sela around the waist, forcefully pulled her upward, and successfully grabbed her hand.

The two of them fell into the flood together. Ye Zheng manipulated the current to carry them far away, conveniently bringing along the giant skull as well.

“Loosen your damn chain!”

Sela crawled out of the water. First, she wore a dazed expression as she processed everything that had just occurred. Then, overwhelmed by embarrassment and rage, she shouted at the equally drenched youth.

When Ye Zheng thought back to Sela’s expression at that moment, she still found it rather amusing. Being saved by someone she despised must have been an exceptionally stifling experience.

『In the original plot, Sela also escaped, but she did not take the Dragon Bone with her. You handed the Dragon Bone over to her. Sela will definitely become even more unhinged than in the original plot!』

『Sela’s ability level is not particularly high. Therefore, according to the original plot, without the Dragon Bone’s energy supply in the aberrant Realm, her destructive power was not that great. But now that you gave the Dragon Bone to her…』

The system sighed repeatedly, lamenting as it once again foresaw the plot heading toward an uncontrollable direction.

“I temporarily don't have the ability to conceal something as massive as the Dragon Bone. Once it is exposed, with my current strength, I cannot bear the consequences.”

Ye Zheng lowered her gaze, staring at the warm tea water in the cup.

“If I had left the Dragon Bone there, it would have inevitably been taken by the Church or the imperial family. Since that was the case, it was better to give it to Sela and gamble.”

“What if Sela is a beast? Those people are worse than beasts.”

Ye Zheng thought of Zhuo Ya, whom she had left at Wen Xin’s house. The secrets surrounding the Pope still required time to investigate, but unfortunately she could not move freely at the moment. The saintess was still officially listed as kidnapped and missing.

At present, the entire city was searching for traces of Sela and Ye Zheng. Ye Zheng could not guarantee that this hideout was absolutely safe, so she remained constantly alert to the movements outside.

In another three days, Bai Muqing would “accidentally” discover Sela’s whereabouts alongside the Church’s people and then rescue Ye Zheng.

Of course, the prerequisite for this plan was that Sela would be willing to cooperate and appear together with her at that location.

However, it did not matter. If Sela refused to cooperate according to the agreement, then she, as the hostage, would simply drag the kidnapper to that location in advance.

In any case, Sela was currently carrying the Dragon Bone and could not travel far. Coincidentally, it had been raining these past few days, and she was extremely familiar with the Dragon Bone’s aura.

“In the original plot, the search for Sela yielded no results, correct?”

Ye Zheng unfolded the newspapers from the past few days and skimmed through them.

『Of course. Sela still has plot relevance later on. She is a major shit-stirrer! She can pop up anywhere and cause chaos.』

“After all, you are my system. Please speak a bit more elegantly.”

The girl helplessly lifted her head from the newspaper. After all, she was currently the one responsible for handling Sela.

✧✧✧✧✧

The prolonged rainy season had ended. Today, in the lower district, the sun shone brightly, and the oppressive shadow cast by the high-risk aberrant Realm had been swept away.

Bathed in the warm sunlight streaming through the window, Pei Xi unfolded the latest newspaper. His brows and eyes, illuminated by the gentle glow, never truly relaxed. It had already been three days since the destruction of the blood flower, and since Ye Zheng and Sela went missing.

He had clearly eradicated the nightmare that had haunted him for ten years and killed the cruel aberrant plant that had devoured his parents. Yet instead of relief, his heart felt even more restless.

Was it because he did not receive the points he deserved? Or because the saintess he harbored some feelings for had gone missing? Or perhaps it was because, after killing the blood flower, he finally realized that it was not the true culprit behind his parents’ deaths, but merely a mindless blade wielded by another hand.

Pei Xi looked toward the knights passing by outside the window. Those clad in red uniforms had been dispatched by the imperial family, while those in white belonged to the Church. The lower district had never been this lively in recent memory.

The knight orders stationed in the lower district were usually composed of ability users below B-rank. Those with high talent typically rushed to the middle or upper districts. Even though the lower district faced the most frequent invasions, it always received the fewest resources.

These past few days, due to the hunt for Sela, the criminal who had shaken the entire empire, and the search for the missing saintess, the lower district finally welcomed the high-level ability users it had long demanded. Unfortunately, once the mission concluded, they would withdraw and return to the comfortable and leisurely middle and upper districts.

Perhaps because of this, these elites appeared imposing on the surface, yet their efficiency was not particularly high. They were unaccustomed to the narrow, crowded roads of the lower district, and even less accustomed to aberrant Realm that could descend at any moment.

That blonde girl, Sela, had killed multiple noble heirs and had nearly succeeded in taking down the Crown Prince. Sending such a large force to capture her and retrieve the saintess was reasonable. Yet Pei Xi could not shake the feeling that these knights outside the window had objectives beyond that.

In their search for Ye Zheng over the past three days, Pei Xi noticed that the knights from the upper district seemed to have inconsistent operational goals. Some of them appeared to be searching for something else entirely.

Pei Xi suddenly recalled the massive skull within the aberrant Realm. At the time, the situation had been too urgent for careful observation, but he clearly remembered the strange sense of attraction it exerted. The white remains seemed to beckon him closer, radiating a power that felt both majestic and intimate.

Unfortunately, when the aberrant Realm vanished, that white skull disappeared along with it.

Bang. The sound of a wooden board being struck echoed from the doorway, interrupting Pei Xi’s thoughts. He turned his head to see a hurried figure rushing inside.

“There is news about the saintess and that person!”

Lu Qi reported the good news to her companions while panting heavily, her eyes shining brightly.

Pei Xi immediately stood up. Roy and Kyle, who were also in the room, gathered around as well.

“It’s Bai Muqing! Bai Muqing brought the knight order and found Ye Zheng, but Sela escaped.”

“How is Ye Zheng? Falling into the hands of that kind of villain…”

Pei Xi clenched his fist as he spoke.

Lu Qi’s expression instantly turned indignant. “I heard that Sela wanted to publicly execute the saintess in the Sieg Square, but fortunately Bai Muqing arrived in time and stopped everything!”

The Sieg Square was the grandest square in the lower district, steeped in legends of the God of Hope slaying aberrant realms. The tallest statue of the Hope God in the lower district stood proudly at its center.

And yet Sela had chosen such a bright day to attempt to kill the saintess in that very place. What an outrageous provocation.

Upon hearing Lu Qi’s words, all three boys displayed expressions of shock. After giving it some thought, they realized it perfectly matched that blonde girl’s style. Sela had nearly killed the Crown Prince. What did Saintess Ye Zheng matter to her?

“Bai Muqing is truly impressive, being able to stop someone like that. But why would she bring the knight order to the lower district?”

Roy asked, somewhat confused. Bai Muqing was just a student like them. Besides, the knight order did not recruit women, did it?

Lu Qi replied casually, “What is so strange about that? Her brother is a lieutenant captain in the knight order. With Bai Muqing’s strength, even becoming a regiment commander would not be excessive, right?”

Roy thought it over and found it reasonable. Bai Muqing was already that powerful, and with her noble background, there were many things she could accomplish.

“She was probably borrowing manpower from the knight order. After all, Bai Muqing is a general’s daughter. Her father and brother lending her people to come to the lower district to find a friend could also be considered a form of protection.”

Pei Xi analyzed calmly. He did not dwell on this minor detail and instead continued questioning Lu Qi. “So the saintess should be safe, right?”

Since Sela had openly declared her intent to execute the saintess in the Sieg Square, he dared not imagine how that thug might have treated the kind and righteous saintess over the past few days.

Lu Qi grabbed the water cup on the table and gulped down a large mouthful before continuing.

“Ye Zheng seems fine. She has already been escorted back to the upper district.”

“But our lower district has completely exploded!”

“Hm?”

The three boys once again revealed expressions of shock and disbelief. Kyle blankly opened his mouth wide, while Roy hurriedly asked, “Exploded? What exploded?”

“It’s spreading like wildfire outside! The Saintess, right in Sieg Square, faced death threats without fear. Under the statue of the God of Hope, she directly confronted Sela on the spot and enraged her. Then Sela revealed the inside story of the Blood Flower incident!”

Pei Xi could not help stepping forward. His pupils shrank sharply. “What inside story?”

Lu Qi cleared her throat and repeated what she had heard.

“Sela said…”

『Rest assured. After you die, I will make the entire church pay with their lives, especially that Pope Wen Jian. Back then he drove us into Blood Flower. He should have died together with us long ago!』

Lu Qi deliberately adopted a cold and ruthless expression, imitating it perfectly. This girl who usually hated studying and memorizing somehow remembered every single word of this juicy piece of gossip without missing a beat.

“Pope Wen Jian is that deranged priest from the Blood Flower incident back then!”

In the Blood Flower incident, the priest who had been in charge had been deliberately concealed. Some rumors said that, in order to quell the anger of the lower district, that priest had already been executed by the upper district as an apology. Others said he had committed suicide out of guilt long ago.

But who could have imagined that the deranged priest had become one of the most powerful men in the empire, even famous for being kind and caring toward the common people?

Pei Xi completely crushed the corner of the nearby table in his grip. Lu Qi’s voice became distant in his ears as a powerful ringing filled his brain.

That face he had glimpsed once before, gentle and kindly, gradually surfaced before his bloodshot eyes.

How ridiculous. At the time, he had actually thought that middle-aged man looked benevolent.

“Pei Xi, Pei Xi, where are you going?”

His teammates behind him rushed forward and grabbed the boy who was running toward the outside. Pei Xi looked at the bright street scene beyond the door. Confusion appeared in his eyes once more.

What could he even do? Rush out and kill Wen Jian?

Pei Xi retreated back into the room unwillingly. He sat down in the chair again dejectedly and lowered his head into silence.

His teammates exchanged glances. They all knew Pei Xi’s family had died in the Blood Flower incident. His current mood must be extremely complicated.

Lu Qi was racking her brains trying to comfort him when Pei Xi suddenly raised his head. His gaze was deep as he looked at his teammates.

“I’m begging all of you. The Cloud Soarers team must win the championship in this competition.”

He had to become stronger than Wen Jian, climb even higher, so that he could truly kill the nightmare that had haunted him for ten years.

Only the imperial family could deal with the church. He needed to use the championship of this competition to obtain the Dragon Bone and directly enter the empire’s power structure.

✧✧✧✧✧

Inside the train, a girl in a white dress was curled up in the arms of her knight. Wende held the startled Saintess gently, stroking her head as if comforting a little bird that had stumbled back to its nest after a difficult journey.

Around them stood knights in solemn formation, escorting the Saintess home.

However, beneath their serious exteriors, these knights’ eyes flickered with unease. They all belonged to the church, yet today they had heard an unacceptable secret.

No, it could no longer even be called a secret. With so many people watching in the square, it had probably spread everywhere by now.

Admittedly, for the Pope, whose position was now firmly established, this secret could not shake his authority. But his reputation, even they as members of the church, could not help feeling disappointed. The difference from the image the Pope usually presented was far too great.

These knights wondered what kind of mindset the Pope must have when he enjoyed the sincere praise, adoration, and offerings from the people of the lower district.

Even if they themselves did not particularly look up to the common folk of the lower district, at least they would not put on such a hypocritical act.

The sins the Pope had committed had even implicated the innocent and kind Saintess. They had never seen Her Holiness appear so frightened and fragile.

Ye Zheng closed her eyes and rested against Wende’s embrace. The performance she had just put on was even more exhausting than fighting monsters in an aberrant realm.

She had only told Sela that she appeared there for execution. As for the rest, she had not told Sela anything.

Sela’s personality was not suited for acting. Ye Zheng needed her reaction to be completely genuine, so she had provoked her and guided her deliberately.

As expected, Sela’s response was authentic enough and carried strong emotional impact. It was just a bit taxing for her as the performer. Ye Zheng quietly rubbed her neck, which had been pinched purple. Just now, Sela had definitely felt murderous intent toward her again.

The girl let out a nearly imperceptible sigh. She hoped all of this was worth it.

She would slowly erode and dismantle everything belonging to Wen Jian. The change in this world would begin with this rotten Pope.

Perhaps in the future, some historian would discover that the sensational execution event that shook the entire empire was not, as the empire’s greatest thug Sela claimed, an execution of the Saintess.

It was the beginning of the Saintess’s execution of judgment.

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Authors Note

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Patting all the normal-university little treasures in the comments. You guys who chose this major are truly blessed.