lcionline Chapter 216: Too blunt
Chapter 216: Too blunt
The palace deep within the sacred mountain is a forbidden area of the Aurora Empire, and arguably a forbidden area of the entire world. It houses the last vestige of divine light in the world, nurturing the world's cycles, and containing the very source of every ray of divine glory bestowed through prayer.
The Aurora Empire was born to protect this place.
The papal carriage stopped far away, and the saintess, out of respect and reverence, had to walk, accompanied only by a pure white Pegasus carrying the box containing the two tentacles.
Deep within the sacred mountain, it was still a world of ice and snow, but outside the magnificent and ethereal palace, a masterpiece of nature, flowers were blooming everywhere.
Large clusters of vibrant, blood-red flowers piled up on every open space; no one knew how they had taken root and grown from the ice and snow.
The saint stood at the entrance, carefully admiring this wondrous sight for a while. She knew in her heart that this was her first and last time coming here.
That's wonderful! It's so great that she's no longer burdened with the empty and lofty title and responsibility of saving the world. Let whoever wants that damning persona carry it; she's finally completely free of it today. Heaven has eyes, and God has blessed her. And thank goodness her brother found a reliable wife.
Such a magnificent scene might be a paradise on earth for those in high positions who have the power to visit occasionally, such as emperors or popes. But for the saints of each generation, it was nothing more than a dying sigh and a fleeting glimpse before their death.
As far as she knew, almost all the saints before her did not know the truth about entering the temple to serve the divine light, nor did they know that at the moment of sacrifice, many people felt a sense of happiness belonging to their faith, while many others felt resentment and painful despair.
Fan Qingyu closed her eyes, led the Aurora Pegasus step by step into the palace where the divine light was located, heading straight for the magnificent gate of the main hall.
The Aurora Pegasus, though carefully selected, dared not approach the palace gates any further. Fan Qingyu looked up at the unusually tall palace doors, sighed helplessly, and laboriously unloaded the box from the Pegasus's back—this single step had already exhausted all her strength. To carry this heavy box into the palace by herself was simply a pipe dream.
So she disregarded formalities, abandoned the box, held Moa's two tentacles in her arms, and pushed open the temple door to go inside alone.
The tall palace doors were exceptionally light, opening slowly inwards almost as soon as she touched them. Wings of some unknown creature were painted on the doors, swirling and rising, appearing as if they were openwork and crystal clear, shimmering with a magnificent luster that made it impossible to see what was inside.
Fan Qingyu held her breath and slowly walked in.
Despite the lack of wind, the pure white snowflakes continued to blanket the hall, eventually connecting to the smooth, glossy floor after a few steps. The floor was made of some unknown material, resembling a single, expensive, and rare piece of jade. It was smooth yet slippery, making it easy to walk on.
As far as the eye can see, there is not a single supporting pillar. It looks like something that could not have been built by human hands. All the materials and craftsmanship are awe-inspiring and remind one of the glory of the gods when they were on earth.
An ancient and distant gaze fell upon her, and Fan Qingyu immediately froze. The feeling of being locked onto by that gaze was so intense that she almost collapsed to the ground with all her might.
A few breaths later, a slender and graceful figure gradually emerged from the depths of the palace, appearing unhurried yet arriving in an instant.
Fan Qingyu stared blankly. This was Shenguang. A Shenguang who had fabricated a human form for herself. She saw that the face, devoid of joy or sorrow, was exceptionally young, like that of any young and delicate girl. But unlike the mysterious and aloof persona she had been artificially created for, Shenguang possessed an undeniable coldness and inviolability.
The divine light simply stands here, yet it represents all that is above it. The sacred mountain became sacred because of this temple. After the gods left, the ruler of the temple became this surviving cluster of divine light. It is the temple, it is the sacred mountain, it is all things, and it is the embodiment of the gods.
Shenguang remained silent, and under its deliberate release of pressure, Fan Qingyu was also unable to speak or bow. She had previously assumed, based on her brother's description, that it would at least outwardly appear kind and gentle. Now, aside from its appearance and surging divine power, this cold, scrutinizing demeanor clearly revealed Shenguang's true nature.
But when Fan Qingyu noticed that Shenguang was staring intently at the tentacle in her arms, she realized that Shenguang had long sensed this being of the same lineage as it, and that she was just a small fry, insignificant. Sure enough, after a long period of scrutiny, Shenguang finally shifted its gaze to her face.
"As a saintess, how regrettable it must be that you cannot stay by the side of the gods with me," Shenguang said, her tone loving and gentle, a stark contrast to her overall coldness and ruthlessness.
Fan Qingyu couldn't help but shout in her heart, "I have no regrets, don't try to manipulate me! Being by the side of the gods sounds nice, but isn't it just about sleeping here forever? I strongly reject this empty promise!"
"Heh." A strange smile appeared on Shenguang's face, slightly stiff, as if he were putting on a perfunctory smile with extreme calmness. To put it simply, it was a forced smile.
"It's over." Fan Qingyu muttered to herself, as if it could sense her thoughts.
"So she's a saint with an insincere heart." Sure enough, the divine light said sarcastically, "Is such a believer worth paying such a price for your life?" After saying that, it looked at the tentacles in Fan Qingyu's arms again.
"A mere monster created out of thin air, yet it dares to negotiate with me. It is nothing but an orphan who cannot restore the glory of its ancestors. Does it even deserve to trade with me?" Shenguang spoke arrogantly, but Fan Qingyu could clearly sense that it was already extremely greedy.
She wisely refrained from interrupting, but silently and subtly extended her tentacles further toward the divine light.
Shenguang's eyes widened, and he indeed stopped being stubborn.
"It's better than nothing," it said.
Then, he stretched out his hand, and a huge suction force pulled the two tentacles into his hand.
"you can go now."
Fan Qingyu turned around blankly, taking one step, then two, and accelerating from the third step onwards. Unfortunately, she was stopped again after only five steps.
"Wait a minute." The divine light spoke as if bestowing a gift: "Two tentacles, worth a hundred years. Including you, go back and tell the Brahma family that these three Holy Maidens don't need to be sent. Everything else will remain the same."
"Yes," Fan Qingyu replied respectfully, regaining her composure.
Shenguang watched her stand there obediently, pondered for a moment, then waved his hand, and a wind blade directly tore through her veil, revealing her beautiful, fair face.
"From now on you are no longer a saint. Go back."