558 In Front of Multitudes, the Peak is Lonely

'Mount Han' was this line of unbroken mountain peaks, and it was also used torefer to the highest and most solitary peak. Chen Changsheng raised the curtain and gazed at the lonely peak in silence,comparing it to the solitary peak behind Xining Village, but he could notdetermine which was higher. He was familiar with the solitary peak in the middle of the Cloud Grave andknew that it occupied a vast amount of space, but he never knew how tall it wasbecause it was always obscured by the clouds. Suddenly, he began to miss the old temple outside Xining Village, to miss histeacher and senior. Before entering Mount Han, there was a small village. It was said that thisplace was the final place ordinary people could permanently reside. Perhaps because cultivators would travel to the Heaven Lake year-round, thevillage was not at all desolate. It was actually rather lively, home to sometwo thousand people. Unlike the commoners of other places, the inhabitants of the small villagewere clearly informed on the Boiling Stone Summit. Upon seeing the convoy fromthe Li Palace and the Orthodoxy cavalry, they respectfully and solemnly yieldedthe way. They were under the care and jurisdiction of the Pavilion of HeavenlySecrets, but they were also believers of the Orthodoxy and did not dare to showthe slightest disrespect. Somewhat surprisingly, the convoy stopped outside the small village. After a moment, Chen Changsheng heard Mao Qiuyu's voice, "The people of thevillage heard that you were also in the convoy. They wish to see you." Chen Changsheng was a little taken aback. He didn't think about it too much,thinking that if they wanted to see him, then he would go. He stood andprepared to exit the carriage but was stopped by Tang Thirty-Six. You're prepared to go out just like this?" Tang Thirty-Six asked him. Zhexiu looked at Chen Changsheng and also shook his head. "What's wrong with how I am now?" Chen Changsheng said as he examined himself.Because of the long journey, he wore the most comfortable cotton school uniformof the Orthodox Academy. Given how long he had spent sitting, it had inevitablybecome somewhat wrinkled, but it was still very clean. He didn't feel thatanything about his clothes was improper. Tang Thirty-Six took out a brand-new set of clothes and threw it over, saying,"For this occasion, you should be somewhat more serious, because they're allvery serious." Chen Changsheng took the clothes and realized it was a Daoist robe that the LiPalace had sent over in the spring. This Daoist robe was made with the finest materials and tailored meticulously.Most importantly, woven upon it was a complex design signifying his status. He was currently not the Pope, so he could not wear the Divine Robe. ThisDaoist robe was special, representing his status as the future Pope. The reason Linghai Zhiwang refused to show himself the entire journey wasprobably that he did not wish to see Chen Changsheng wearing this Daoist robe. No one had imagined that Chen Changsheng had not worn it even once. He put on the brand-new Daoist robe and, with Tang Thirty-Six's assistance,tidied up all the details. As all this was going on, Chen Changsheng'sexpression was becoming increasingly conscientious. Tang Thirty-Six had spoken correctly. Those people waiting to see him were allvery serious and solemn, so he really should be more solemn and serious. "Is it okay?" After he finished putting on the Daoist robe, he asked Tang Thirty-Six andZhexiu. Zhexiu nodded while Tang Thirty-Six noted, "You've still forgotten the mostimportant thing." Chen Changsheng's hand fell upon his sword hilt then slowly departed. A wooden staff exuding a faint divine aura appeared in his hands. "I'm going," he said to Tang Thirty-Six and Zhexiu. Holding the Divine Staff, he stepped firmly out of the carriage. The world outside instantly grew quiet. In the distance, the cry of a youngeagle could be heard from the distant snowy peaks of Mount Han. A tide of innumerable believers, a dense mass of people, kneeled down inworship. The several hundred Orthodoxy cavalry also kneeled down. Wearing a Daoist robe, the Divine Staff in his hands, Chen Changsheng stoodbefore the tide, his young face somewhat nervous. He did not know how he should address this sort of scene. He strenuously recalled all those important figures he had met: the Pope, SuLi, and the Holy Maiden. Finally, he thought of Xu Yourong and his nervousness gradually faded,transforming into calm and sincere gratitude. As he gazed at the pious masses paying him respect, he used his calmest voiceto say, "May the Sacred Light be with all of you." …… …… "****, just where did he learn those words from? Really…I can't laugh at himthis time." Tang Thirty-Six had used his finger to raise the curtain a little and wasviewing the scene outside in shock. Zhexiu did not descend from the carriage because he had no interest in thesesorts of things. Tang Thirty-Six did not descend from the carriage for another reason. In this sort of situation, he wouldn't go out even if he were beaten to death,because once he appeared, he would also have to kneel down in respect to ChenChangsheng. Last year when the Pope affirmed Chen Changsheng's status, Tang Thirty-Six hadcalled an emergency meeting in the Orthodox Academy. In this meeting, heexplicitly stated that if there was no way around kneeling down and worshippingChen Changsheng outside, then once they returned to the Orthodox Academy, ChenChangsheng would have to return a kneel to Tang Thirty-Six. Zhexiu clearly understood why Tang Thirty-Six did not leave the carriage, buthe was rather confused as to why he didn't mock and ridicule Chen Changshenglike normal. Tang Thirty-Six gazed out the window at the scene, very calm and verysatisfied, seeming to be thinking about something. He was thinking about the conversation he had with Chen Changsheng on theOrthodox Academy's great banyan tree. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before he had to return to Wenshui, succeed to thefamily, and bear his own responsibility, to be the wealthiest in the world butbe trapped in one city. But before that, he had lived frivolously, he hadstrived and struggled together with his companions, and he had even fulfilledthe promise he had made. …… …… After departing the village, they quickly reached the mountain gate of MountHan. Chen Changsheng asked curiously, "Beyond this is the Pavilion of HeavenlySecrets?" The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets was the world's most famous place, but quiteinterestingly, very few people knew of its actual location. Given Chen Changsheng's current status, if he wanted to find out, he naturallycould, but just like how he had been rather ignorant of the common sense of thecultivation world when he first entered the capital, he truly wasn't veryinterested in this sort of thing. Comparatively, the knowledge in books was farmore important. "Idiot, if the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets were here, every update of theProclamations would be very slow." Knowing without any need to ask, the only person that would still dare tospeak to Chen Changsheng like this and also loved to talk was naturally TangThirty-Six. Chen Changsheng pointed at the mountain gate and said, "But 'Pavilion ofHeavenly Secrets' is written up there." Tang Thirty-Six was quite fed up with Chen Changsheng's lack of intelligenceon this subject, explaining, "Wherever the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets goes tomanage some affair, that place becomes the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. Forinstance, at the moment, the Boiling Stone Summit is about to begin, so thisplace is now the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. If the Pavilion of HeavenlySecrets needed to go to Dongchuan to open the auction, then Dongchuan would bethe Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets." Chen Changsheng very seriously digested these words, but he still didn'tunderstand what was going on. On the side, Zhexiu commented, "Deliberately mystifying." The Orthodoxy cavalry halted before the mountain gate. Linghai Zhiwang gazed at Chen Changsheng and emotionlessly said, "Do not shamethe Li Palace." Saying this, he turned and proceeded back down the mountain path. Chen Changsheng was somewhat confused. Mao Qiuyu explained to him, "We can only send you up to here. You will have towalk the rest of the way yourself." "Eh?" This was clearly the first time Tang Thirty-Six had heard of such arule. He asked, "Why?" Mao Qiuyu answered, "Those without invitation cannot be within five hundred liof Mount Han. These are the rules of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets." Chen Changsheng asked, "Could it be that other than the people on the list, noone else can go in?" Tang Thirty-Six replied, "Of course not, back when my father attended theBoiling Stone Summit, the clan's Guardians were with him the entire time." "Those without invitation cannot enter. The Elder of Heavenly Secrets did notinvite us into Mount Han, so we naturally cannot enter." As Mao Qiuyu spoke, his emotions seemed rather complex. Chen Changsheng was even more confused, thinking, the Orthodoxy is thereligion of the world. Even if the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets is powerful,how can it slight the Orthodoxy so? Tang Thirty-Six blurted out, "There's definitely some problem between HisHoliness and the Elder of Heavenly Secrets." Mao Qiuyu glanced at him, then chuckled and shook his head. Turning around, hedeparted down the mountain with the Orthodoxy cavalry. …… …… Upon entering Mount Han, one fell under the jurisdiction of the Pavilion ofHeavenly Secrets. Naturally, safety was also the responsibility of the Pavilionof Heavenly Secrets. Tang Thirty-Six had guessed correctly: there must have been some unknowngrudge between the Pope and the Elder of Heavenly Secrets, causing the Elder ofHeavenly Secrets to act very rudely to the Orthodoxy and forbid Mao Qiuyu,Linghai Zhiwang, and the rest of the Orthodoxy's convoy from entering MountHan. However, he still displayed respect towards the future Pope. A steward of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets was already standing at themountain path, his expression reverential. Chen Changsheng recognized this person. It was precisely that StarCondensation painter responsible for recording the battles of the MartialExhibition in front of the Orthodox Academy. Today, Mount Han was opening and all the cultivators that had come from thevarious places of the continent were all on the path into the mountain. Under the guidance of the steward of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, ChenChangsheng and the other two did not need to travel far before encounteringquite a few other groups of cultivators. As expected, forbidding entry to those without invitation was a rule targetedat the Orthodoxy. Amongst these cultivators, there were clearly experts who hadcome to help their juniors keep the situation under control. But whether it was those senior experts of deep cultivations or thoseself-confident and proud young experts, whenever they met Chen Changsheng, theyhurriedly yielded the path. No ordinary person could enter Mount Han—each of them naturally possessedextraordinary vision. None of the cultivators had a guide, and they had to walkthe mountain path on their own. However, Chen Changsheng and his group had ahigh-ranked steward of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets leading the way,meaning that he was assuredly no ordinary person. When Chen Changsheng passed them, someone seemed to recognize him and themountain path was momentarily filled with suppressed cries and gasps. They allrealized that simply yielding the way was insufficient and people hurriedlybegan to bow. There was even one pious wandering cultivator that kneeled downon the mountain path and kowtowed to Chen Changsheng. Chen Changsheng was prepared to do something when he suddenly saw a person upahead. This person had a delicate and handsome appearance, an aura of cold faintlydiscernible on his face, and he wore a yellow gown. It was Scholartree Manor'sZhong Hui. The young scholar that had taken part in last year's Grand Examination hadbecome much more composed and the Qi emitted from his body was also muchstronger. The mountain path suddenly grew quiet The story involving Chen Changsheng and the people of the Orthodox Academyagainst the students of Scholartree Manor at last year's Grand Examination, andeven its continuation in the Mausoleum of Books, had long been known by others. The mood became rather tense. No one knew what Zhong Hui would do and how ChenChangsheng would respond. After quite some time had passed, Zhong Hui slowly bent at the waist andclasped his hands.