Ze Tian Ji
Page 997Chapter 996 – Before the Bizarre Storm
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Luoluo was greatly moved by Chen Changsheng's words.
But in Chen Changsheng's view, this was a matter of fact.
Even regarding becoming the female Emperor of the Demi-human race, if one wanted to do it, one should do it, and if one didn't want to do it, then one naturally didn't need to do it. This choice could not be affected by any other factors, not even the future of the entire continent.
Back when Tang Thirty-Six had said that he didn't want to be the head of the Tang clan, he had taken the same stance.
Luoluo knew of what he thought, but this matter-of-fact manner moved her even more.
After some time, she reluctantly pulled herself away from Chen Changsheng's chest and softly said, "I don't believe that Father supports Mother's view."
Chen Changsheng quietly thought for a while, then replied, "I also hope so, though I'm not very confident."
Betraying the humans and joining hands with the demons was enough to change the course of history for the Demi-human race and the entire continent.
For the future of the Demi-human race, the White Emperor could make any choice imaginable.
Based on Chen Changsheng's speculations, there were still some questions for which there was no explanation. For example, why was it that when the Tianhai Divine Empress was intimidating the entire continent, the White Emperor had never been wary of the Human race?
This was because they were not standing high enough, could not see far enough.
At the time, the internal problems within the Human race had still not been resolved. Shang Xingzhou was standing on the edge of society, quietly watching the capital, while the Pope remained in the Li Palace, gazing at the Imperial Palace with mixed emotions.
Later, the Tianhai Divine Empress's death and the deaths of many more experts of the Human race meant that many of the internal conflicts within the Human race had also been resolved.
A united will had always been one of the most terrifying things, and one also had to consider it in light of the fact that the Demon race was much weaker due to its own internal discord.
In every aspect, there was seemingly an innate necessity for the Demi-human race to ally with the Demon race.
So Chen Changsheng could not make any definite judgment on the White Emperor's stance.
It now seemed that his and humanity's great hope lay in the opposing voices within the Demi-human race.
……
……
A suffocating atmosphere pervaded White Emperor City, with the entire city patrolled by soldiers and somber Beast Guards.
Many of the usually bustling stores on West Avenue were closed and few people could be seen, making the place seem cold and cheerless.
Compared to the mood in the city, the vast plains along the two shores of the Red River were even more fraught with tension. Just like the Wildfire beneath the Celestial Trees, they were ready to explode into flames at any moment.
A riot had taken place within the Blackstone Army, stationed at Wild Mountain Pass. Demi-human General Xi He, after many difficulties, was able to stabilize the situation, preventing any large incident from occurring.
Even this most elite and most disciplined unit of beast cavalry had a shaky morale, much less those other armies guarding the mountains and the various tribes, big and small. According to the news from all around, in two short days, several bloody conflicts had already taken place amongst the Demi-human Army and various tribes were already beginning to gather troops.
This was a sign of war, a presage to a storm.
What was soon to happen was not a war with the demons or the humans, but one between the two great factions within the Demi-human race.
Madam Mu, representing the will of the Imperial clan, and the Xiang clan leader, representing the Council of Elders, supported the alliance with the Demon race.
Standing across from them was Luoluo's faction. They had the bureaucracy as represented by the Prime Minister and the support of many tribes, and their hope was to continue the friendship with the Human race.
The former's strength was greater than the latter's, but the latter had a very determined stance and now had the strong support of the Human race, represented by Chen Changsheng.
If Madam Mu wanted to force the declaration of the decree to the world, the Demi-human race really might fall into a civil war.
No one was willing to see this, so before the conflicts flared up, the Xiang clan leader and all the other demi-human personages hoped to convince the other side through negotiation. As a result, no pedestrians were seen on the streets of White Emperor City for two days while the estates of the elders and ministers welcomed guest after guest. Even the court meetings had been put to a stop.
The places receiving the most guests were the Xiang clan's estate and the Daoist Church of the Western Wastes.
The former was probably because the Demon Lord was residing in the large courtyard nearby, under the protection of the Xiang clan.
The latter was because it was where Chen Changsheng resided.
The Pope of the Human race and the Demon Lord were living in the same city, separated by only ten-some li. This was something that had never once happened in history.
The atmosphere of the city had naturally reached an unprecedented level of strangeness.
Many tribal leaders, great merchants, and officials would enter the Xiang clan's estate and come out some time later. It was impossible to tell from their expressions what had happened in the estate or how their talks with the Demon Lord had gone, or even if they had met the Demon Lord. In short, everything was shrouded in mystery.
Chen Changsheng had used one day to meet the representations of the various factions.
The Bear tribe leader and the Shi clan leader had brought the leaders of many small tribes forward to pay their respects.
For a moment, the Daoist Church of the Western Wastes was packed with people.
It was not because the passion expressed by these two had elicited doubt, but because he recognized them.
Many years ago, when he traveled from Xining Village to the capital with the aim of entering the Six Ivy Academies, he saw a pair of hunter brothers from the mountains. These hunter brothers ultimately succeeded in entering Star Seizer Academy, becoming honored officers of the Great Zhou. He had never imagined that these two brothers were actually demi-humans.
Now that he thought about it, this must have been an agreement between the Great Zhou Army and the Meng clan.
The once-Principal of Star Seizer Academy, Chen Guansong, had truly been an extraordinary individual. It was no wonder that he had been Shang Xingzhou's only candidate for next leader of the Great Zhou Army. Alas, he had ultimately died in the final Phoenix flames of the Tianhai Divine Empress, so all his plans and schemes came to nothing. Fortunately, he had still left some protections for the later generations.
As the hour grew late, the various tribal representatives and officials began to leave the church, leaving only the most important personages. They were already the firmest allies of the Human race, and today's happenings had filled them with even more confidence. However, there were still some matters that made them very uneasy.
"If His Majesty leaves seclusion, he can settle everything with a word. Even if his injuries need rest, how can he not appear for such a major event?"
These words of the Bear tribe elder made the Prime Minister think for a very long time, after which he finally spoke.
"In these last few years, no one has personally seen His Majesty, and neither have I."
"A few days ago, the Chief Elder sensed His Majesty's spiritual sense," the Shi clan leader impassively said. "Old Xiang is the most patient and enduring person I have ever met in my entire life. I found it impossible to understand why he chose to jump out this time. Moreover, all the tribes along the Red River know that he has never had a good relationship with the Empress. This could change just because of His Majesty's spiritual sense? If he's really the Empress's man, who can say that he wasn't lying that night?"
These whispered words caused Chen Changsheng to silently think for a very long time.
He knew that these demi-human personages were using various methods to remind him, warn him.
But this matter was far too inconceivable, so even though they were sure that no one else was around, they still only dared to bring up this idea through vague and ambiguous methods.
"Any matter has to be seen with one's own eyes before determining truth and falsehood. I do not wish for the demi-humans to fall into civil war, but this situation before us must be broken as quickly as possible."
Chen Changsheng paused for a while, then said, "I will go see His Majesty the White Emperor."