CH 212

Villainous Emperor (12)

The second round of testing is about to begin.

Everyone takes turns going up to the stage according to the order determined by drawing lots. On the table, there are many scattered wooden boards with various strange carvings. The candidates for the Saintess’ position are required to draw one from these wooden boards and describe what they see to Fu Sheng.

This has been the tradition in Guozhou for selecting the Saintess.

It is said that when a chosen Saintess gives a satisfactory response to the deity’s calling, a vision will appear.

If no vision appears, there is no need to worry. Fu Sheng will choose a woman who is more suitable for the Saintess position from among all the candidates to participate in the next round.

According to the doctrine of the Hidden Moon Sect, it is recorded that when the first Saintess appeared, there was an earthquake outside the city, and wildfires engulfed the world, causing a catastrophic disaster unseen in a century. The most severely affected place was the capital of the Jiang Kingdom, where many high-ranking officials and nobles perished. The Hidden Moon Sect told its followers that this was the deity resisting evil spirits and punishing the arrogant people of the Jiang Kingdom. However, they were unaware that the deity itself was the greatest evil spirit.

Song Xu Yi was ranked ahead of Jiang Ruoyu, and soon it was her turn to go on stage.

After Song Xu Yi went on stage, she randomly picked a wooden board. She had already accepted the fate of being eliminated if her appearance did not match the predetermined criteria. However, as she looked at Fu Sheng, who was smiling faintly while fanning himself, Song Xu Yi suddenly had a thought — she wanted to take a risk, to try to challenge the deep-rooted reverence of the people towards the Hidden Moon Sect…

What if a Saintess appeared who completely contradicted the doctrine of the Hidden Moon Sect?

Song Xu Yi lowered her eyes. As she handed the chosen wooden board to Fu Sheng, the once calm sky suddenly became windy, and the flowers nearby all bloomed at once…

Even though it was just a moment, it was enough.

— Everyone in the venue witnessed the appearance of the vision.

The whole venue erupted into commotion, and the nonchalant expression in Fu Sheng’s eyes dissipated in an instant. He lowered his gaze and quietly observed Song Xu Yi, folding his fan and revealing a smile. “Well, this is quite rare.”

Song Xu Yi showed no signs of surprise. She gazed back at him calmly with a serene expression.

Fu Sheng possessed no spiritual power, but there were practitioners in the Mortal Realm who could perform basic spells, even though humans couldn’t ascend to become deities. When Song Xu Yi just now cast her spell, she completely concealed her aura, even the hidden gods in Guozhou couldn’t discern the origin of this phenomenon.

Fu Sheng glanced at Song Xu Yi, raised his hands, and the noisy crowd immediately quieted down. He lowered his head and received the wooden board from Song Xu Yi’s hand. After examining the patterns on the wooden board, a trace of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

He raised his eyes again and looked at Song Xu Yi before speaking in a gentle tone, “Miss, what is your interpretation of this pattern?”

It was an incredibly eerie depiction: thick black clouds engulfing the city, numerous specters roaming through the streets, the defending soldiers falling one by one, and the city flowing with rivers of blood. Above the clouds stood a lofty deity, coldly observing everything.

It seemed like a prophecy, yet also a warning.

As Song Xu Yi gazed at the image, she instinctively felt discomfort. Even though she knew what Fu Sheng wanted to hear, she had approached this with a probing mindset. After some thought, she spoke, “Bloodshed and authoritarianism.”

“Oh?” Fu Sheng elongated his tone and opened his mouth, giving Song Xu Yi a deep look. However, he didn’t say anything else. He placed the wooden board back on the table and let Song Xu Yi step down from the stage.

After a few more girls went up on stage, it was finally Jiang Ruoyu’s turn.

Almost the moment Jiang Ruoyu stepped forward, the attention of many people in the venue became fixated on her. Jiang Ruoyu was undeniably stunning, attracting everyone’s gaze as soon as she appeared in the crowd.

Moreover, more than one person noticed the resemblance between Jiang Ruoyu and the previous Saintess in terms of appearance. Murmurs arose again in the audience. Song Xu Yi listened to their discussions and learned that they collectively referred to this type of appearance as the “Saintess Look.” There was no doubt that Jiang Ruoyu possessed the Saintess Look, and she embodied the pinnacle of this appearance.

In the city of Guozhou, there was an unwritten rule that the person with the most pronounced Saintess Look in the second round would usually become the ultimate winner.

Under normal circumstances, Jiang Ruoyu would undoubtedly be the most popular candidate for the Saintess position. However, due to the appearance of Song Xu Yi with a vision, now everyone began to speculate on who would be the chosen Saintess for this round.

However, Jiang Ruoyu paid no attention to these small discussions in the venue.

As she entered the area to draw a wooden board, Jiang Ruoyu’s heart suddenly throbbed fiercely, causing her to feel short of breath…

It felt as if something had sprouted inside her body all of a sudden, and her entire body began to act beyond her control.

She initially intended to choose the nearest wooden board, but her hands seemed to move on their own accord towards a board at the side.

Jiang Ruoyu only discovered afterward that she and Song Xu Yi had drawn the same wooden board. However, at this moment, Jiang Ruoyu was unaware of this fact. She only felt a strange sense of being controlled, as if an invisible force was manipulating her movements since she stepped onto the stage.

Jiang Ruoyu tightly bit her lower lip. The intense pain momentarily brought clarity to her consciousness. When she regained her senses, she noticed that Fu Sheng’s gaze had a peculiar quality: it seemed like he was looking at her, yet also looking through her at someone else.

Jiang Ruoyu hesitated for a moment, and the invisible force surged once again, overwhelming her like a tide. She could vividly sense what she was doing, but her actions and body were no longer under her control. She became like an unrelated bystander, observing her own body’s movements from the side, unable to intervene.

After seeing this pattern, Fu Sheng once again narrowed his eyes. In an instant, he regained his composure and asked the same question, “Miss, what is your interpretation of this pattern?”

Jiang Ruoyu could sense that Song Xu Yi was looking in her direction from the stage below. She initially had her own response in mind, intending to answer the question according to Song Xu Yi’s preferences. However, when the words reached her lips, certain voices intertwined with her deepest desires, and involuntarily, they spilled out from her mouth—

“Submission,” Jiang Ruoyu heard her own icy, hoarse voice, as if it were her voice yet transformed into someone else’s.

After Jiang Ruoyu spoke these words, the force that seemed to envelop her in the shadows disappeared.

As if after a grueling struggle, reclaiming control of her body, Jiang Ruoyu’s heart was suspended, and almost instinctively, she looked towards the stage below. Once she caught sight of the smile in Song Xu Yi’s eyes, Jiang Ruoyu took several deep breaths, finally relaxing her entire being.

Upon hearing Jiang Ruoyu’s response, a gleam of light flickered in Fu Sheng’s eyes. A smile formed on his face, and he didn’t hesitate to compliment Jiang Ruoyu’s answer, “Well said, Miss.”

……

Jiang Ruoyu curved her lips, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She bit her lower lip, quickened her pace down the stage toward Song Xu Yi’s direction. However, when she reached Song Xu Yi’s side, she suddenly stopped and lowered her head abruptly.

“You’re quite capable. You’re the first human in all these years to break free from my control.” A voice unexpectedly emerged in the depths of her heart, seemingly her own voice, but filled with malevolence. “If you reveal my existence to her, I wouldn’t mind killing her in Guozhou—”

“Deicide1, it would be a great feast for me!”

Jiang Ruoyu’s eyes sharpened, and she clenched her fist tightly.

What kind of entity was this voice within her body?

Song Xu Yi noticed Jiang Ruoyu’s silence and turned to look at her. “Ruoyu, what’s the matter?”

If it were any other day, Jiang Ruoyu would have already discussed the wooden board pattern with Song Xu Yi. She wouldn’t remain silent for so long…

“It’s nothing.” Jiang Ruoyu cautiously lifted her head, glanced at Song Xu Yi, and forced a smile. Her legs trembled as she approached Song Xu Yi, lowering her voice. “I’m afraid Sister will blame me. I said something unfavorable against my own will.”

Just as Jiang Ruoyu finished speaking, she heard a cold hum in her mind. However, Song Xu Yi didn’t suspect anything and smiled wryly, sighing, “Is this how you perceive me in your heart?”

Jiang Ruoyu tugged at the corner of her lips, secretly relieved: Thankfully, her sister hadn’t noticed the peculiar presence within her body.

“Deities, born as spiritual beings, high and mighty, preaching righteousness and morality, yet truly embodying false benevolence and false righteousness…” The voice in her mind taunted once again.

Jiang Ruoyu clenched her lips tightly, exerting all her strength to prevent any trace of an unusual expression. She smiled and spoke to Song Xu Yi, “Sister, everything you do is right in my heart.”

Jiang Ruoyu desperately tried to ignore the voice in her mind and engaged in a discussion with Song Xu Yi about the wooden boards they had drawn. It was only then that she realized both of them had chosen the same pattern.

And that eerie voice in her mind provided an explanation: “This is the divine card. Only those with divine essence would be chosen…”

Jiang Ruoyu bit her lower lip tightly.

Despite her reluctance to admit it, it was evident that the sinister deity of Guozhou had taken possession of her.

Song Xu Yi had previously warned Jiang Ruoyu to be cautious about the peculiarities surrounding the Saintesses of Guozhou. But Jiang Ruoyu had initially believed it to be the manipulations of the Hidden Moon Sect, never expecting the existence of an actual malevolent deity.

Recalling Song Xu Yi’s condition when she was severely injured, it was clear that Sister was no match for this deity. And now, in the domain of this deity, Jiang Ruoyu could only suppress her disgust towards the malevolent deity and feign composure.

And suddenly, the malevolent deity fell silent.

As the event drew to a close, Fu Sheng selected ten candidates for the position of Saintess from among the participants. Surprisingly, and yet not entirely unexpected, Song Xu Yi was among the candidates for Saintess.

It was evident that Song Xu Yi did not possess the so-called “Saintess Look” of Guozhou.

However, due to the divine aura surrounding her, she exuded an aura of warmth and kindness, making people unable to harbor any ill feelings upon seeing her.

Both Song Xu Yi and Jiang Ruoyu were popular candidates for the divinity this time.

“I favor that Miss with the surname Song. The world is becoming worse day by day, and she appears to have a calm temperament. She could lead us to overcome famine and plague…”

“But she lacks the appearance of a divine goddess. It is the Miss Jiang who truly embodies the grace of a celestial being, making one want to bow down at her feet…”

Amidst the lively discussions of the crowd, Song Xu Yi noticed a slight restoration of her divine power. Some faint currents of belief began to gather within her body. Fu Sheng announced the timing of the third round of selection, “Three days from now, all the ladies are requested to proceed to the Test God Cave on the Purple Gold Cliff.”

Song Xu Yi nodded in agreement, but in an instant, an unexpected event occurred. Almost immediately after Fu Sheng’s announcement, a cry of agony from the Emperor of Jiang Kingdom resounded in Song Xu Yi’s mind, “Goddess, save me…”

Countless cries of despair from members of the Jiang Imperial Family echoed incessantly in Song Xu Yi’s mind. Vivid images emerged in her mind: the palace of Jiang Kingdom had turned into a purgatory, engulfed in flames that devoured everyone. People desperately tried to escape the inferno but couldn’t find a way out…

Song Xu Yi clenched her fist, nearly wanting to rush back to the capital of Jiang Kingdom from Guozhou. However, the barrier above Guozhou once again took effect, preventing Song Xu Yi’s divine spirit from leaving.

Simultaneously, within the same timeframe, that peculiar voice resurfaced in Jiang Ruoyu’s mind, accompanied by equally brutal and absurd visions…

In the face of death, no one upheld the Imperial Authority. Palace guards and maids scattered in all directions, and the Emperor was terrified, running for his life under the protection of a few loyal attendants. They even pushed Jiang Huan, the Emperor’s daughter who was about to be married, into the sea of flames…

Half of Jiang Huan’s body caught fire, and her mother, Concubine Wang, glanced at her before gritting her teeth and leaving as well…

Within the palace, now transformed into a human purgatory, the only place that remained unscathed by the fire was the Temple of the Goddess. Dong Rou, Jiang Ruoyu’s mother, slept peacefully beneath the divine throne.

“I alone will be the best god you can ever have! This useless Song Xu Yi, the so-called Goddess, can only shackle you.” That voice, filled with pride and deception, resounded in Jiang Ruoyu’s mind. “Didn’t you despise the palace of Jiang Kingdom?”

“To celebrate our encounter, I made a special trip to the capital. Although it took great effort, I set fire to the palace. When everyone is dead, you will be the only Emperor…”

“At that time, when the entire nation worships me, I will become the most powerful god in the world, and together we will pierce through the Three Realms. No one will be able to stop us! And once you possess supreme power, do you think Song Xu Yi will hesitate to be your friend?”

“Enough!” It must be acknowledged that certain words from that voice struck a chord within Jiang Ruoyu, touching upon some of her hidden thoughts. However, when she turned and saw Song Xu Yi’s pale face, Sister must be extremely worried, the rug pulled out from under her feet…

How could Jiang Ruoyu allow Sister to suffer because of her?

Jiang Ruoyu clenched her lips tightly.

“What do you want in order to extinguish this fire?”