The Word of Heaven

Chapter 253: A Century of Life and Death

Outside the capital, on a solitary cliff.

It was already winter, but the river was still roaring, having not been frozen by the falling snow.

The trees on both sides of the river still retain their old green color, and look even older under the dim light of the sky.

Gu Zhuo sat on the edge of the cliff, next to him was a tea stove that he had brought from somewhere, silver charcoal was burning in it, bringing warmth.

The tea makes a gurgling sound as it boils, which is not pleasant to listen to, but it is different after all.

He looked at the divine capital in the distance, and his eyes seemed to be able to reflect all the scenes in it, whether false or real.

The solitary moon was already incomplete, the sword's power and aura had not diminished in the slightest, but it had eventually lost its initial brightness, and its decadence could no longer be concealed.

Just as the Queen said to Lin Wanyi, there is a more than 70% chance that the battle between Qing Xiaoyue and the Southern Sect of Sword Dao will result in both of them perishing.

In the Divine Capital, in the ordinary alleys, the fight between Wuyoushan and Xuntiansi became more and more intense.

The former seems to have a vague sense of gaining the upper hand, perhaps because the Sky Patrol was brutally dismembered last year, or perhaps because those who once lived in the Sky Patrol were forced to stand on the opposite side of it this time.

Principles like knowing yourself and knowing your enemy will still be true thousands of years later.

However, the Divine Capital has never been limited to the Sky Patrol Department. I believe that with the joint assistance of other departments, the current situation will change quickly and there is no possibility of further deterioration.

What is very interesting is that all of this chaos and unrest were concealed from the sight of most people by the unspoken understanding of both sides, allowing the people in front of the imperial city to still have the luxury of peace.

There was the sound of wheels rolling over the mountain road.

Gu Zhuo withdrew his gaze.

He picked up the teapot, letting the fire appear in the wind, and began to pour tea.

It's two cups.

Hot mist rose from the surface of the tea and was blown away at an extremely fast speed, as if it had never existed.

It is completely different from the thick fog on the island in the middle of Yishui River.

Therefore, it is reasonable for those who come here to be dissatisfied.

"How do you make this tea?"

Wang Ji took a bite and said with disgust in his voice: "It tastes really messed up."

Gu Zhuo didn't care and said calmly, "You come and soak next time."

"We'll talk about it next time."

Wang Ji put down his teacup and asked the same question as Dao Xiu, who was standing in front of the Weiyang Palace in the capital of the gods: "How long has the White Emperor been preparing for today?"

Hearing this, Gu Zhuo looked at him strangely and said, "How could I know?"

Wang Ji thought that seemed to be true.

Why did he still ask subconsciously?

At the same time, the White Emperor also gave his own answer.

The answer is very clear.

——I don’t understand what you are talking about.

"It's impossible to admit something like this to your face."

Wang Ji said sarcastically, "What monks like to do most is to talk nonsense, and even people like Daoxiu are no exception."

Gu Zhuo said: "After all, it is not yet time for them to take action."

The victory or defeat of the White Emperor, Daoxiu and the other two will directly determine the final outcome of this war or coup.

Everything both sides are doing now is essentially using all the means at their disposal to try their best to influence the final outcome.

In other words, the life and death of anyone other than the four people who have attained enlightenment are irrelevant.

Whether it is Qing Xiaoyue or the Southern School of Sword Dao.

Even Pei Jinge and that proud sun on earth.

Therefore, today's situation is more like a coup that has been planned for a long time by both sides, rather than a real war.

A hundred years ago, in the war that swept the entire world, although Yuhua was extremely important, it could not decide everything like it does today - otherwise how could the Taoist sect be defeated.

The snow on the cliff is flying like cotton wool, and there seems to be no end.

Wang Ji watched this scene silently. In the distance, the magnificent city that had stood a hundred years ago suddenly said, "Do you know why I came here?"

Gu Zhuo asked: "Why?"

Wang Ji said seriously: "Because I'm afraid it will be too late."

Gu Zhuo was slightly stunned and thought to himself, I don’t want to hug you.

The next moment, he reacted and said, "Do you think I will die today?"

"When the city gate is on fire, the fish in the pond are also affected. Aren't you the fattest fish?"

"I know you may not do anything, but you have to watch from the sidelines. Then I must be afraid that my debts will be wiped out after I die."

Wang Ji rolled his eyes and said angrily, "Why else would I come all the way here pushing my wheelchair? Do you really think I have nothing to do?"

Gu Zhuo was not embarrassed, after all, he was the one who owed the debt.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Wang Ji poured himself a cup of tea, took another sip, and suddenly said, "The master went to Xuandu before."

Gu Zhuo said calmly: "I don't know."

Wang Ji said, "To ask for the morning and evening bells."

Gu Zhuo glanced at him.

"You should know that after Bai Nanming died, the abbot came to Yishui and hoped that I could make a move today. I did not completely refuse and the conditions I gave were very simple."

Wang Ji continued, "As long as the Dawn and Dusk Bell appears, I will be willing to stand on their side."

Gu Zhuo smiled and asked, "What if the Morning and Evening Bell appeared because of the White Emperor?"

Wang Ji couldn't laugh after hearing this, and felt a little strange. He asked, "Is this a joke?"

"Ah."

Gu Zhuo said in a gentle voice: "According to what you said before, after her death, I really can't find a reason to let the morning and evening bells ring today."

Wang Ji thought that this was indeed the truth.

"and……"

Gu Zhuo's smile gradually faded, and he said, "I promised someone that I would watch from the sidelines today."

Wang Ji remained silent, thinking that the person should be Bai Nanming.

Then he thought of the events of a hundred years ago, feeling a lot of emotion, and spilled the undrunk cup of tea into the air.

The tea fell in and left no trace.

Gu Zhuo looked at the old man.

Wang Ji took out a pot of wine from somewhere, threw it to him, and said: "It is a rare grand event in the world. We should drink wine instead of tea."

Gu Zhuo said: "That makes sense."

After saying this, he raised the wine jug and took a sip.

As the wine enters the throat, the spicy taste spreads instantly.

In the distance, the sound of the gods' capital kept coming with the wind and reached this cliff.

Just outside the cliff, in the dense forest.

The former boss was standing on an ancient tree, also holding a pot of wine in his hand, drinking very slowly.

His sight never left the capital for a moment, and the corner of his eyes always stayed on the isolated cliff. His eyes were not indifferent, but showed a kind of warm love that was almost intoxicated.

……

……

The questions and answers in front of the Weiyang Palace did not last long.

There was no reason for His Majesty the Emperor to admit to any prior planning. No matter how profound Daoxiu's Buddhist words were, they could not make him change his decision.

This unexpected fall on deaf ears actually calmed down the anxious heads of many aristocratic families, because there was truly no turning back at this moment, and life and death depended on this moment.

Realizing this, the people in front of the temple no longer hesitated and did what they should do now.

……

……

The Song family had a reputation in the Divine Capital that could not be ignored. In the days before the grand court meeting began, countless people came to visit, as if they wanted to break down the iron threshold in one breath.

All he wanted was to be the current head of the Song family and have his name placed in front of the Weiyang Palace, opposite the Emperor.

However, until the very last moment, the head of the family did not give up his loyalty in the face of the facts presented by various lobbyists and the queen's cold and cold-blooded attitude towards the aristocratic family.

This decision left a deep impression on many people.

Therefore, when the prime minister said those words in front of the Weiyang Palace, the noble families standing on the side of the sect naturally began to think of the Song family and decided to use this as a counterattack.

More importantly, according to the information provided by Wuyou Mountain, one of the core elements of the Divine Capital Array is located in the Song family garden.

The imperial city's great formation had not yet been fully activated. No matter how huge the flying boats that cruised across the sky and cast shadows were, they could not completely block the messages that were transmitted by various means.

As a result, the tightly closed door of the Song family was broken open, and the rumbling sound was like thunder, echoing throughout half of the divine capital, and could not be covered up at all.

The powerful men who were loyal to various families walked in, and then met the Song family members who did not look surprised, as well as the court officials who had been ready for battle, and a fight began.

Song Jinglun broke through to the realm of nourishing the spirit in late autumn this year. There is still a huge gap between him and a true strong man, but he cannot stay out of this life-and-death moment.

He had experienced life and death in Wangjing City and thought that there would be no surprises today. However, when he saw with his own eyes his best friend who had been drinking at the same table with him not long ago, breaking into his home with strangers and walking towards the rockery in the garden based on his old memories, a strong feeling of confusion and absurdity once again surged into his heart and could not be erased at all.

They stared at each other from across the corridor, but never said a word.

All that is left for the two is life and death.

The battle did not last long and ended with a tragic victory for the imperial court.

Song Jinglun's face was pale and he kept coughing, with blood foam splattering from his lips.

He stood in front of his best friend who was no longer able to resist, ready to kill.

At this moment, the best friend hugged his thigh with his last bit of strength, crying and shouting: "I just don't want to die, and I don't want to come here. This is not my decision. You can give me a way out..."

Song Jinglun was stunned for a moment, and the hand holding the sword slowly lost strength and no longer held it tightly.

The best friend seemed to sense his hesitation and continued to cry and beg.

The sound of wailing blended with the sounds of fighting scattered throughout the Song family. When it was almost impossible to distinguish them... it suddenly stopped.

A cold light flashed by.

What followed was blood splattering high.

Song Jinglun suddenly opened his eyes wide, before he could do anything, the paleness on his face was wiped away by a bright red.

"You had a meal with him a few days ago. Why do you think he wanted to have that meal with you?"

The voice seeking knowledge came from not far away, and it was very weak.

Song Jinglun looked over and saw that his clothes were all stained red around his abdomen. Looking deeper, he could even see the scenery behind him.

Qiuzhi said self-deprecatingly: "I got hurt because I had the same idea as you."

Having said this, he dragged his staggering feet towards the garden and continued to guard the core of the formation.

Song Jinglun followed.

"What will happen to the Lin family?"

"I do not know."

"What will happen to us?"

"That depends on what happens in the palace in the end. For people like you and me, the only thing we can do now is to pray sincerely. There is no more use."...

……

The Lin family's reputation in the capital is far inferior to that of the Song family. This has little to do with their strength, but is mainly due to their low profile.

If it weren't for the Queen, most people wouldn't care about the Lin family, but today is an exception.

Because on the day when the Lin family decided to stand on the side of the sect, a decree was secretly transmitted from the palace, or the imperial study.

The meaning is so clear that there is no room for misunderstanding.

——The entire Lin family was executed.

This decree was faithfully delivered to the Sky Patrol Department, the City Gate Department, the Imperial Guards... and to the ears of those who would walk the streets of the capital today, and then was faithfully executed.

Behind the tightly closed door of the Lin family, the magnificent mansion was littered with corpses. The blood had been covered by the pink snow several times, but it still couldn't hide the red that seeped out of it.

Before the incident, no one in the Lin family could have imagined that the imperial court would deploy such a huge force to wipe out their entire family, and they were caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties.

A flash of fire lit up the sky.

The Lin family's high-rise building is collapsing and turning into ashes.

Lin Qianshui stood in the building, feeling the scorching flames coming from all directions, and looked at the deacons from the Imperial Sky Patrol standing guard outside, remaining silent.

Her face had long been dirty, without any of her usual beauty, and her body was covered with wounds.

She knew that she was about to die, and thinking about the words Lin Wanyi said when he entered the Divine Capital, she did not feel angry as if she had been deceived, but she just felt an inexplicable strong sense of sadness in her heart.

The corners of her lips curled up slightly and she smiled sadly, preparing herself to die more beautifully.

Just at this moment, the wind and snow suddenly became stronger.

It was as if all the snowflakes in the sky turned into water to put out the fire under some invisible will.

The deacon of the Sky Patrol who was in charge of guarding outside the building suddenly became serious and began to be on guard.

But they are in the sky and earth, how can they protect themselves from the wind and snow?
A snowflake silently slid across the throats of two of them, and a line of blood emerged, instantly solidifying into ice and then spreading.

The next moment, two heads fell down like ripe persimmons.

boom.

The two Sky Patrol deacons who were at the state of nourishing the spirit died like weeds on the roadside.

Lin Qianshui opened her eyes wide and looked at the strange figure with an expression of disbelief.

The man didn't say a word. He stepped into the burning wooden building as if he was in a leisurely garden and disappeared into the sea of ​​fire with her.

When the real powerful person in charge of the Lin family in the court came here, he could not find any extra matters to deal with except the headless corpses of his two subordinates.

He silently watched the tall building collapse, the black smoke rising up to the sky, and said woodenly: "It was the people of Qingjingguan."

……

……

Yes, the person who saved Lin Qianshui was Chu Jun.

After reading the letter, she listened to the rain under the eaves all night and finally decided to rush to the capital.

It's not about winning or losing or right or wrong, she just thinks that when she has the power to protect herself, she should keep her friends out of it as much as possible, like Lin Wanyi.

That's what she wanted to do.

That's it.

So when those unfamiliar faces died wailing and the entire mansion was stained red with blood, Chu Jun did nothing until he met Lin Qianshui, whom he had met several times.

After leaving the Lin family mansion, the two walked on the street.

The gods are very lively.

The long street was filled with people walking hurriedly.

Under the sky, countless noble families were burned to ashes today.

The battle between the Qin Dynasty and various sects in the world is no longer obscure, and is finally exposed to the light of day and the eyes of the people.

……

……

"Nowadays……"

Lin Wanyi's voice became very difficult: "How many people will die?"

Her eyes were no longer on the square outside the temple, but looking at the sky through the window.

The snow was still falling, but the sky was bright.

The clouds are red, are they being burned by the fire from the human world?
Or is it blood?
It was quiet in the Weiyang Palace.

His Majesty the Emperor said: "There will be a specific number after the dust settles."

Lin Wanyi thought, it seemed to be the case.

She did not doubt the truth or falsity of the number, but just felt that... it turned out that the vast majority of people who died today would eventually become a number without a self.

All this is just to increase the chances of winning in the final battle.

The Queen's voice rang out, still gentle.

"It feels absurd?"

“It’s hard not to.”

Lin Wanyi said softly: "Because I am a human."

The Queen smiled slightly and said, "I think this is a very insignificant matter."

Lin Wanyi was stunned for a moment, turned to look at her and asked, "Why?"

“Practice is a real thing.”

The Queen said in a gentle voice: "There are important differences between people, and the life levels of each are absolutely different. If you are determined to pursue the great path, you should learn to ignore the death of ordinary people sooner."

Lin Wanyi didn't know what to say.

This sentence sounds reasonable.

After all, that's what it is.

The next moment, she thought of what she had said to Lin Qianshui in the carriage not long ago, and her determination became firm again.

Other people's opinions should not be the world in her eyes. If she reaches the top of the road, it should be to make this world a better place.

The Emperor's voice rang out.

"wrong."

“If you really stand at the highest point in the world one day, the most gentle thing you can do for the world is to do nothing.”

“As long as you have the desire to change the world, the fate of countless people will be changed because of you. When you look back, you will often find that it was not a good result.”

His eyes were somewhat vacant, and he recalled the distant past with deep emotion, saying: "This happened a hundred years ago, and there was a similar thing hundreds of years ago, and there was the same thing four thousand years ago."

Lin Wanyi was stunned.

His Majesty the Emperor looked at her and said calmly, "This world is too heavy and has its own inherent ruts. That is the direction of progress. Don't try to change the path it has chosen by yourself, or you will be crushed to death by this world."

For some reason, Lin Wanyi knew that these words were spoken to her, but it felt like she was talking to herself.

This conversation ends here.

The fighting in the capital was still going on. People were dying all the time. Blood kept flowing out from the doors of every house, slowly dyeing the ancient blue bricks and stones on the street red.

There was no silence in front of the Weiyang Palace; the noise could not even cover the falling snow.

At the prime minister's suggestion, General Wang no longer used cruel means to restrict the people in front of the palace from communicating with the outside world.

As a result, various situations fell into everyone's ears like snowflakes in a very short period of time, bringing one bad news after another.

The Song family failed to capture the city, the Lin family was almost wiped out, and the hidden agents in the City Gate Division failed to cause any trouble... If Wuyou Mountain had not demonstrated its astonishing combat power today, the situation would have completely collapsed.

Beforehand, everyone knew that this would be an extremely difficult war, but the vast majority of people believed that it would be a stalemate and a long war of attrition in which victory would be won at the cost of lives and blood.

However...the truth is so cruel.

Many people from noble families turned extremely pale, lost their minds, and almost fell to their knees.

Daoxiu and the abbot did not speak to each other and their expressions remained calm.

The master of the temple spoke.

"The capital of God."

He said with emotion: "It is indeed your Majesty's divine capital."

No matter how you listen to it, this sounds like nonsense.

However, to a very small number of people, it has a different meaning.

His Majesty the Emperor said: "With his previous example of death and disappearance, how dare I not let the gods be my own capital?"

The master of the temple said: "It's just that in my opinion, even if Xuandu was his Xuandu back then, the ending would still not change."

There was an uproar in front of the palace.

It was not until this time that people realized that the "he" in the words was the Taoist Master.

As everyone knows, history books only briefly mention the details of the Battle of Xuandu, and are unwilling to give it any extra ink.

Is this mystery going to be revealed today? !
The charismatic sun in the world, who had been keeping his head down since entering the palace, slowly raised his head as he listened to the conversation in the wind and snow, with a bright light in his eyes.

Even as proud as he was, he was still extremely curious about the truth of that decisive battle.

Daoxiu recalled the scene of that day, chanted the Buddha's name softly, and felt deeply moved.

The abbot of Changle Temple slightly raised his head, and his eyes, as silent as stone, blossomed with the warm light of life, like flowers blooming.

……

……

Outside the capital, on a solitary cliff.

Gu Zhuo had an indifferent expression. He held the wine jug with two fingers and poured the liquor into his lips.

Wang Ji looked at his profile, worry gradually showing in his eyes.

Gu Zhuo put down the wine and suddenly asked, "Are you curious?"

Wang Ji laughed and said, "As long as you are willing to say it."

Gu Zhuo said: "I don't think that's interesting."

……

……

“That’s a very interesting thing.”

The master of the temple stood in front of the Weiyang Palace, looking at the White Emperor from a distance of several hundred feet and said, "Why is it interesting? Because it is very likely something unprecedented in the history of cultivation."

His Majesty the Emperor said: "If I remember correctly, you did not participate in that battle back then. Why do you feel as if you were there at this moment?"

The master's expression remained unchanged, as if he could not hear the sarcasm in the words, and he said calmly: "It is precisely because I have never fought in person that I can see the truth as a bystander."

His Majesty the Emperor smiled and said, "For example?"

The master of the temple raised his head and looked at the sky dyed red by blood, and said thoughtfully: "For example, in the battle of Xuandu that year, the Taoist master did not die under the iron spear of the princess, but died at the hands of the heaven."

As soon as he finished speaking, the square in front of the palace fell into dead silence.

A long silence.

The Emperor's voice sounded again.

"and then?"

The corners of the master's mouth slowly curled up, revealing a complicated smile, and he sighed and said: "Then, this is also the problem you are facing, Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)