Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Another, even more majestic, mountain appeared in front of the Imperial City.

It was the Xiang clan leader. He gazed apathetically at Chen Changsheng and declared, "It is already late. It is inconvenient even for Your Holiness to enter the palace."

He turned to Luoluo and said, "Your Highness must keep in mind the dignity of the White Emperor clan in your conduct."

Although these words were spoken indifferently, they had an incredible weight.

Luoluo looked at this elder that had spoiled her rotten as a child and suddenly found his face to be very unfamiliar.

Chen Changsheng knew of the Xiang clan leader's position in the Council of Elders and could clearly feel his unfathomable strength.

But his response was still calm, straightforward, unflinching.

Like a shallow stream, its surface like a mirror, so clear that one could see the bottom, but between the swimming fish was naught but hard stone.

He said, "I wish to use the passage in the Imperial City to visit His Majesty the White Emperor in the Starfall Mountains. Why do you want to stop me?"

The Xiang clan leader turned stern. Never had he imagined that Chen Changsheng would admit to his intentions.

And then he realized that there was no good answer.

In the tense situation, there was every reason to be suspicious of Chen Changsheng sneaking into the Imperial City at night, leaving him with ample reason to object.

But now that Chen Changsheng had admitted his intentions, those reasons to object suddenly lost a great deal of their power.

Why had he not thought about this problem beforehand?

The Xiang clan leader stared into Chen Changsheng's spotlessly clear and calm eyes and suddenly thought, could it really be true that the simpler one's mindset is, the easier it is for one to be confused by fogs and mists?

Bu he still had to stop Chen Changsheng from entering the Imperial City.

"The entire continent knows that His Majesty is quietly cultivating and recovering from his injuries. He is currently at a vital bottleneck and cannot be disturbed. For Your Holiness to insist on meeting him, what are your intentions?"

"The alliance between the two races involves the well-being of the continent. His Majesty the White Emperor cherishes all living beings, so how can he care only about recuperating and cultivation, paying no mind to these matters?"

He looked at the Xiang clan leader and asked, "And just what are your intentions in preventing me from seeing His Majesty? Guilt, or fear?"

Although it was not explicitly stated, who could not understand the meaning contained in this question?

The wind blowing in front of the Imperial City felt like it had dropped several degrees.

Xiang Qiu angrily roared, "Cease, or end up covered in blood!"

Chen Changsheng looked at the Xiang clan leader and continued to ask, "Is this your meaning, or Madam Mu's meaning? Just what do all of you mean?"

He had completely ignored Xiang Qiu.

As he was the Pope, the only person in all of White Emperor City with the right to converse with him on equal terms was Madam Mu.

The Xiang clan leader was the patriarch of the greatest clan of the Demi-human race and was also the Chief Elder of the Council of Elders, so he barely made the grade.

Xiang Qiu was just the Xiang clan leader's son. No matter how strong he was, what right did he have for Chen Changsheng to respond to him?

To Chen Changsheng, this was not deliberate ignorance, but a very normal reaction. To Xiang Qiu, this was an enormous humiliation.

When he noticed the change in the situation, his complexion turned even nastier, his breathing heavier.

Those experts who had torn open the darkness with him and were prepared to engage in a history-making assault remained quiet and solemn.

But the cavalry leaders that had moved with them clearly thought differently.

Prior to Chen Changsheng's words, no one in the Demi-human race had ever been concerned about the White Emperor's safety, much less that he might have been caught in some terrifying conspiracy.

The position of White Emperor in the Demi-human race was too esteemed, comparable to a god.

No one could imagine him being caught in a trap.

Of course, Chen Changsheng's words were able to affect the situation partially due to his identity.

The effect of the Pope's words versus the words of an ordinary passerby was like the discrepancy between the heavens and the earth.

More importantly, the story of the Cinnabar Pill had spread throughout the continent several months ago, the legend of the Pope using his blood to save the common herd.

Moreover, the events of the past had given the demi-humans an exceptionally good impression of Chen Changsheng, and they simply didn't believe that he could lie.

Chen Changsheng did not wait for the mood in front of the Imperial City to grow more complicated, nor did he wait for an answer to his question.

"No one can stop me from seeing His Majesty the White Emperor."

He stared into the Xiang clan leader's eyes and solemnly added, "Unless you kill me."

After saying this, he walked forward.

In the shroud of the night, the Imperial City was extremely quiet, his footsteps loud and clear.

Several thousand elite demi-human cavalry and many demi-human experts, either concealed in the darkness or already revealed, silently and nervously stood at the ready.

The same blood ran through their bodies, and now they felt the same cold sweat.

With Chen Changsheng's footsteps, the atmosphere in the Imperial City grew increasingly tense.

As Chen Changsheng got closer and closer, the Xiang clan leader's expression turned graver and graver.

As Chen Changsheng got farther and farther, Xiang Qiu's complexion grew darker and darker.

Chen Changsheng's words might have been able to stir doubt in the crowd, even change a few stances, but the pair were confident that they could keep Chen Changsheng here.

They could even kill Chen Changsheng.

And they were certainly not afraid to kill Chen Changsheng.

Because the two of them were currently furious.

In their view, Chen Changsheng was too sinister. He was not like a Pope at all, but more like the legendary Demon Military Advisor Black Robe.

How could he use such a shameless lie to frame and slander them?

The Red River Beast Guards in front of the Imperial City silently yielded the path, parting like the tide.

As Chen Changsheng walked past the Xiang clan leader, he did not even pay him a glance.

Xiang Qiu groaned at this sight, blood trickling from his lips as he suffered an internal injury.

Even so, neither he nor his father attacked Chen Changsheng.

Because the darkness deep within the Imperial City had remained silent, no voice issuing from within.

Chen Changsheng entered the Imperial City, just like he had for several nights.

When he was still a young Daoist from Xining Village entering the capital for the first time, his gaze had been just as calm, his expression just as resolved.

And then, he saw Madam Mu.

Beneath a pear tree, in front of a stone hall.

It was not the season for pear trees to bloom, but since that pear tree on the observation platform had been able to bloom several days ago, the pear tree could naturally bloom now as well.

A breeze blew past, though it was hard to tell if it was from the Starfall Mountains in the north or the great sea to the west.

Countless white flowers dropped from the branches, falling on the ground and on her body.

One little flower dropped straight onto her hair. It lightly shook in the wind, both beautiful and tinged with a hint of mourning.

Her white dress was very plain and seemed extremely solemn.

Her eyes were a glossy black. Reflecting the starlight, they appeared extremely serene, seeming to embody the secrets of the heavens, but also a desire to kill.

Her visage was one of apathy, but there was an extremely faint sorrow concealed within.

Had somebody died?

Was she mourning a relative?

Was it that Imperial Uncle of the Great Western Continent called Mu?

Or was it someone even closer to her?

Or was it himself in a little while?

Chen Changsheng thought of this question, but he had no desire to know the answer.