CHAPTER 1040: CHAPTER 10: WILL YOU ENTER MY NECROPOLIS?

The citizens within the Sanctuary Continent, especially the gifted Transcendents, are matters every Lord Divine must attend to.

Back then, the Empress was willing to step forward for Fisher.

Now, Mr. Bai Shu will certainly stand up for Song Ci.

Moments later, the prison officials from the Great Capital Prison arrived, carrying away the Holy Judge sitting in the alley... These guys, after being burned by Chi Huo, were physically intact, but their spirits were scorched to the point of withering, each with empty eyes.

Song Ci watched as this group was taken away, feeling somewhat uneasy inside.

He had just reviewed the relevant files and, hands on hips, exclaimed, "I can’t believe these guys are all East Continent people... just how many Light believers are there in the Great Capital?"

Unlike extreme organizations like the Changjiu Foundation, the faith of Light City is permitted by the council to spread.

Their believers are widespread across the Five Continents.

The lady softly said, "I will contact the Bai Family..."

"No need."

Gu Shen pointed to his head and said, "I’ve already contacted ’that one’."

Apart from Chu Ling, everyone was taken aback.

Contacting the Lord Divine... to them, it seemed an extremely difficult task.

Even Lu Nanzhi, who held the highest status among them, faced numerous troubles if she wished to see the Lord Divine.

Mr. Bai Shu now stationed at Qingzhong, guarding the land of the East Continent, with endless matters, remained aloof, and even the direct descendants of the Changye Bai Family rarely saw him once a year.

They obviously knew that Gu Shen, as a disciple of Qianye, responsible for guarding the Qingzhong Mausoleum, had closer access to the Lord Divine, making it somewhat easier than the average person... so the previous "very familiar" statement wasn’t a joke.

But they didn’t expect that "very familiar" was this familiar.

"Whizz—"

A streak of golden light circled before Gu Shen’s forehead, with remnants of a faint Divine Thought from the previously broken "Battle Golden Hoop", at this moment, golden light dispersed into the night of the alley, transforming into a swirling mist.

Within that mist, the Golden Divine Domain of Changye Qingzhong emerged.

And within the Divine Domain, a blurry figure sat cross-legged, old, young, and a child, three figures overlapped, divine majesty omnipresent, a single glance could stir the urge to kneel.

"Mr. Bai Shu."

"Lord Divine."

Upon seeing the figure within the Divine Domain, they immediately greeted with respect.

Even the always aloof Nan Jin turned respectful in his gaze.

"You may dispense with the formalities."

The figure within the Divine Domain spoke softly, "I have been informed of the matter..."

Earlier, when Gu Shen entered the mausoleum, he had informed Bai Shu of the details of the trip to the North Continent, including mentioning Fisher’s "Secret of Undead". Back then, Gu Shen had been mindful of Song Ci... after all, he had taken the Light City’s token crest, considering the clandestine manner in which those Holy Judges operated, it was inevitable that they would come for him one day.

Song Ci’s situation differed slightly from Fisher’s, as he had already received the benefits of the "Light" gift, even tasted the essence of Divine Power. If this were a transaction, Living Fish outright refused to trade... but Song Ci had taken the benefits first.

Causality is profound and mysterious.

To resolve the troubles, the Lord Divine must personally intervene.

"Xiao Gu mentioned your circumstances to me earlier."

Bai Shu specifically noted Gu Shen’s name.

Song Ci looked at Gu Shen, gratitude evident in his expression.

The latter merely waved his hand dismissively.

"Ying Ji... would you be willing to bring the Light token and enter my mausoleum?"

Bai Shu’s voice, each word sharp and stern, resonated with waves of Divine Thought.

Yet when uttering Ying Ji, it was surprisingly gentle.

An olive branch was extended.

"Willing! How could I not be? Such a good thing, I of course..."

Song Ci’s first reaction was to agree.

He knew what this invitation entailed!

This was an unparalleled opportunity, envied by countless!

Enter my mausoleum... the "entering the mausoleum" Mr. Bai Shu spoke of here, differs from the common interpretation... this was about bringing him into apprenticeship!

Becoming a Battle Disciple, where would the Holy Judges dare to approach then?

With Bai Shu Divine Throne personally taking action, the dream imprint of the token will naturally be dispelled!

Due to the incompatibility of the two Divine Powers, Song Ci might have a regret: having initially accepted the Divine Power of the Light crest, he couldn’t become a Battle Apostle afterward.

Yet this didn’t stop Mr. Bai Shu from teaching him combat techniques.

Song Ci was a born "Battle Warrior".

Who in this world wouldn’t want to learn combat following behind a Battle?

But halfway through, his voice stopped abruptly.

Thousands of thoughts crossed Song Ci’s not-so-smart mind, twisting and turning, and the second half of what he eventually spoke came out as a low request, "Mr. Bai Shu... is there another way... could I not go to your mausoleum?"

"Ying Ji!"

Upon saying this, Lu Nanzhi was both surprised and angry, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Song Ci remained silent and just lowered his head.

He wanted to stay in the Great Capital.

He wanted to stay by the lady’s side.

When he was at his most difficult, the lady extended a hand, and from that moment, he vowed in his heart to protect her and become the Great Capital’s strongest shield!

A drop of kindness, a spring in return.

The "Guiding Dream" of Light City couldn’t sway him... the great opportunity presented by Mr. Bai Shu, more tempting than the "Guiding Dream", still didn’t sway Song Ci.

With these words, the golden mist surrounding the Golden Divine Domain suddenly quieted.

Among the rising golden light, no one could see Bai Shu’s expression clearly.

Gu Shen glanced at Song Ci, his expression complex.

This boy...

That was an invitation thrown out by the Battle Warrior!

In the East Continent, this is truly an opportunity that countless people dream of!

"Mr. Bai Shu..."

Lu Nanzhi hurriedly spoke, pleading, "Please don’t be angry, this boy is confused, I’ll have him set off immediately."

"Heh."

From within the Divine Domain came a soft laugh, sounding completely unperturbed.

Bai Shu’s voice remained gentle: "Song Ci, rest assured, entering my cemetery won’t take too long... I’ll remove the ’emblem’ for you, erase the Light’s dream, and then you can depart."

Song Ci refused the Light, and also refused the Battle Warrior.

In matters like these, each Lord Divine has a different attitude.

The one from Light City would attempt to guide in dreams, completing the guidance directly on the spiritual level.

But Bai Shu is different.

He doesn’t insist forcefully.

Only, after receiving a reply, his way of addressing Song Ci changed, from gently calling him "Ying Ji" before, now... it reverted to using his name.

His attitude remained gentle, but this subtle change in wording already spoke volumes.

Upon hearing this, Lu Nanzhi knew that the die was cast...

"Soon, Bai Xiaochi will send someone to the Great Capital," Bai Shu said softly, "The Bai Family will come to receive you, and when the time comes, you can hold the token and enter the mausoleum with them."

After speaking, the golden mist in the alley dispersed.

"Ying Ji! Do you know what you just did?!"

Lu Nanzhi was uncharacteristically angry, her hand slapped heavily on Song Ci’s shoulder. He neither dodged nor resisted, only grinned sheepishly... but having done something so foolish, he didn’t dare to raise his head, merely hanging it down, smiling foolishly.

"I know..."

Song Ci didn’t dare look at Madam, nor did he dare look at Gu Shen, he just stole a glance at Lu Nanjin.

His voice was low, like a child who had done wrong: "The great opportunity that Xiao Gu found for me, I turned it down."

"..."

Seeing him like this, Lu Nanzhi couldn’t bear to reprimand him further, just looking at this fool with eyes that turned a bit sympathetic.

She certainly knew why Song Ci did what he did.

For her.

"Now the Great Capital is peaceful, East Continent more peaceful than ever before... I have become a councilor of the Dadu District, determined to integrate the Jiangnan Four Districts completely." Lu Nanzhi’s voice was hoarse, "Why must you stay in the Great Capital? When faced with such an opportunity, you should seize it, that is your blessing!"

"You’re right."

Song Ci still smiled broadly, without refuting anything.

"With such a choice...won’t you regret it?"

"..."

Will he regret missing this opportunity?

He certainly feels regret.

But... compared to regret, what he feels more is relief.

All along, his dream was simple, initially to conquer the Sincere Heart Association, then to witness Madam become the foremost person in the Great Capital... Now that these things are accomplished, he just wants to stay in the Great Capital, fulfilling his promise of protection.

The alley was silent for a moment.

Someone gently patted Song Ci’s shoulder.

"Song."

"Come with me for a moment."

The one patting his shoulder was none other than Lu Nanjin. After saying this, she turned and left with a wooden sword in her arms, twisting and turning in the familiar alleys of the old town to find a secluded spot.

"Xiao Lu?"

Song Ci was stunned, looking at Madam, and when she gave him a furious glare, he followed her with reluctance.

In the original alley, only Lu Nanzhi, Gu Shen, and Chu Ling remained.

Madam looked at the end of the alley dissipated by the sea of fire, the air filled with a scorched smell, her expression was not pleasant...

This simpleton, how could he refuse such a rare opportunity?

Thinking back to Song Ci’s earlier response, Lu Nanzhi was filled with regret.

After some time, she asked seriously, "Xiao Gu, you have a good relationship with the Lord, does Ying Ji... still have a chance?"

"I’m afraid... not."

Gu Shen shook his head.

He spoke honestly, "Actually, even before becoming Lord Divine, Mr. Bai Shu appreciated Song Ci’s combat talents, but this sort of thing... since Mr. Bai Shu brought it up voluntarily, there won’t be a second time."

No matter how talented a Transcendent is, it is not worth the Lord Divine’s repeated requests.

"What a pity."

Lu Nanzhi said sadly, lamenting, "In the past, when I reached out to save him, it was because I didn’t want him to become a bird in a cage, a crow in the city, hoping that one day... he might become the white parrot soaring above the Five Continents..."

"Madam, causes and effects, no one can predict. Today’s regret may not be a regret."

Chu Ling spoke up, comforting her, "Song Ci’s life is still long, perhaps his future is not so simple."

As she spoke, a night breeze blew by.

Chu Ling’s red and white ancient garment swayed in the alley.

Her gaze pierced through the alley, looking toward Song Ci beyond the layers of walls.

The destiny golden thread slipped silently through her fingertips...

She used Divination Skill to look.

Song Ci’s destiny was shrouded in a mist, making it impossible to see his exact future, a scene that arises only when intertwined with the "spark."