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Chapter 463. Long ago (3)

The God of Miracles silently followed the Imperial Preceptor girl's carriage all the way to the Imperial Preceptor's residence.

Passing through the vermilion gate, a wide-open space suddenly appeared before me.

The mansion has deep courtyards, where flowers bloom in profusion, bright and dazzling. Clear springs flow gently from between the rocks, their gurgling sounds lingering in the air.

He stood quietly to the side, his gaze slowly sweeping over everything, his eyes still filled with a deep curiosity that had not yet dissipated.

At first, the Imperial Advisor led him on a stroll through the garden, smiling as he showed him various sights.

After a while, a servant hurried over and whispered a few words in her ear.

The Imperial Preceptor's expression shifted slightly. He then led him to a quiet courtyard on the side and told him to rest for a while before turning and leaving quickly.

God, of course, never tires.

He sat quietly on the stone steps in front of the courtyard for a while, gazing intently at the swaying flowers in the back garden.

Then, he slowly raised his head.

Above the main courtyard, a golden-purple aura was swirling around.

Its color is like the sunset, its shape is like a dragon, and its deep and flowing movements exude a hidden majesty—this is what the human world calls "dragon aura," which can only be manifested by those who are destined by heaven.

It was obvious that a distinguished guest had arrived at the Imperial Preceptor's residence.

Unfortunately, this distinguished guest seemed to have a troubled life. Deep within the magnificent gold and purple, there was a faint line of ink, silently indicating that his luck was about to run out.

The God of Miracles blinked slowly, then stood up and walked towards the main courtyard where the girl was.

He quietly concealed his presence and slowly approached the main courtyard.

Outside the moon gate, two figures stood by a clear pond in the courtyard.

One of them was the familiar Imperial Advisor, dressed in a black and white robe.

The other man stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a black dragon robe embroidered with a dragon with its head held high in gold thread. In the sunlight, he exuded a silent but imposing aura.

The man was tall and straight, like a lone pine tree standing in the snow.

Her long, ink-black hair was meticulously tied up with a gold crown and jade hairpin, revealing a clear and aloof facial profile.

Her eyebrows resembled distant mountains, her nose was straight and elegant, and her eyes reflected the shimmering light of the pool, yet were unfathomable, as if they held the frost and snow that did not belong to her age.

It was the voice of a young woman, clear and melodious, yet her words carried a commanding air of authority, resounding deeply:

"...In your opinion, my dear minister, the incense smoke in several temples in the city seems to be sluggish lately, which seems unusual?"

"Exactly."

The Imperial Advisor, dressed in black and white robes, bowed slightly, his cool voice ringing out clearly in the quiet courtyard:

"Recently, the divine aura in temples everywhere has become increasingly...vigorous. Normally, such a flourishing aura would be an auspicious sign. But this... "

She paused slightly, as if considering her words.

"This 'flourishing' is no longer the usual sign of a thriving incense offering. Its momentum is like a surging tide, unrestrained and has already crossed a certain boundary."

She raised her eyes, her gaze passing over the young emperor in his dragon robe before her, and landing on something further away. Her tone was solemn and certain:
"I believe that the barrier separating the human world from the divine world has... failed."

After he finished speaking, the courtyard fell into a long, almost frozen silence.

Only the wind rustled through the treetops, creating a soft, almost sighing sound.

The pool was still, reflecting two equally solemn faces, as well as the lingering, dark golden-purple dragon aura above them.

Seeing the young emperor remain silent, the Grand Preceptor sighed deeply, his sigh filled with a worry beyond his years.

"This matter is not due to my excessive suspicion."

Her voice was low:
"Recently, strange phenomena have been frequent, and none of them are good omens."

"First, at sunset, a long, illusory staircase of interwoven yellow and black appeared on the horizon. It vanished in an instant, but was seen by many. Then, the temple's divine power suddenly surged, no longer in a state of ordinary nourishment from incense."

"The spirits and monsters of the mountains and fields are restless, with many breaking through the barriers to escape... All these signs combined suggest that..."

She paused, then looked directly at the emperor:
“It is too similar to the ‘sign of the end’ recorded in my family’s ancestral records.”

Another oppressive silence spread, and even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

After a long pause, the young woman in the dragon robe slowly spoke, her voice still cold and clear, yet seemingly carrying an immense weight:

"What's the worst-case scenario...?"

The Imperial Advisor's expression grew increasingly solemn, and her words were cold and cruel: "If the barrier separating the two realms completely collapses, the gods will descend upon the world directly. At that time, the laws will crumble and order will cease to exist."

"The dynasty's foundation... will crumble like a sandcastle caught in the tide. And the people of the world..."

She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, revealing a bottomless darkness within them:

"There is little chance of survival."

It was dusk, and the sky was dyed a chaotic mix of orange and dark purple by the setting sun.

The young emperor stood with his hands behind his back in the courtyard, his gaze fixed on the dim horizon where yellow and black met.

Sure enough, that small, blurry shadow of the stairs quietly reappeared.

It is not a physical entity, but rather like a distorted remnant branded into space, silently suspended in the twilight.

No one knows where it leads or why it appears.

But that fleeting, illusory, yet recurring existence itself is like a cold, long needle, carrying an indescribable, heavy sense of foreboding, piercing into the viewer's heart.

The emperor gazed for a long time before finally turning his gaze away and turning to the imperial advisor beside him.

Her voice was calm, yet it seemed to carry a heavy, resolute tone:
"My dear minister, please cast a divination for me."

The Imperial Preceptor didn't say much, but simply took out an ancient-looking gold compass from his sleeve.

She lightly touched the plate with her fingertips, closed her eyes in concentration, and her whole body calmed down.

Only the compass needle in the center and the surrounding nested runes began to slowly shift and flicker as she made her subtle calculations.

Time slipped away silently, and the light and shadow in the courtyard shifted subtly.

After a long while, her fingertips paused, and the mysterious aura around her suddenly dissipated.

The girl opened her eyes, looked down at the direction where the compass had finally stopped, and after a moment, shook her head very silently.

This simple action speaks louder than a thousand words of judgment.

The young emperor looked at her, and the last glimmer of light in his eyes seemed to vanish as well.

She didn't ask any further questions or say a word; she simply turned around and walked out of the courtyard.

"The Emperor is setting off—"

In the distance, the eunuch's high-pitched, drawn-out chanting pierced through the twilight and gradually faded away.

In the courtyard, only the Imperial Preceptor remained, standing alone.

She kept her eyes downcast, staring at the compass in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the pressure, her brows furrowing more and more tightly.

After a long while, it turned into a very low and deep sigh, which dissipated into the rising evening breeze.

"despair……"

Light footsteps sounded from behind.

The little sprite I brought back in the afternoon somehow wandered in and silently stopped not far from her.

The Imperial Advisor quickly concealed all the maturity and vicissitudes on his face, and put on that sly and lively smile again.

She turned and waved to him, her tone light and cheerful:
"Little monster, what are you doing standing there? Are you hungry? Your Grand Tutor sister will take you to the outer street to eat the newly released osmanthus sugar cake, it's so delicious."

However, the child did not respond to her invitation.

He simply raised his eyes calmly, his gaze falling directly on the golden compass she hadn't yet put away, his voice clear:
"What did the Imperial Advisor divine?"

The smile on the Imperial Advisor's face faltered slightly.

She looked at him, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes, as if she hadn't expected him to ask such a question.

That surprise was quickly replaced by a deeper weariness.

She no longer concealed it, her gaze returning to the unchanging direction of the compass, a bitter smile curving her lips:

"The end of humanity has been calculated."

Her voice was very soft:
"The thread of destiny ends here. Glory emperors, countless ordinary people... including myself, no one can escape."

"Everyone... has to die."

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　　(End of this chapter)