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Chapter Seventy: The Presiding Judge

  The vice president shook his head and said, "It's still not very clear. The incident in Black City has shocked the entire upper echelons of the Sunset Empire, and the Emperor himself has issued an order to dispatch a trusted minister to handle the matter there. All news has been completely blocked off. The Thieves' Guild only received this much information, and nothing specific is known. I think we can only wait for further news."

  "It's been so long since then, has the successor of the Underworld King been found?"

  The deputy director said with some embarrassment, "Our own people, plus the thieves' union, are all searching for him, but that little guy seems to have vanished into thin air, without a single clue."

  The master's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he said in a cold voice: "A group of useless people, that kid is not important, what's important is the Ming Wang sword on him. The Ming Wang sword can bring us how much benefit, you should be very clear. Immediately dispatch more manpower, we must see the person alive or dead, find him as soon as possible."

  The vice president wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with one arm, repeatedly answering. He was most aware of the terror of the master, and after losing an arm, his power had greatly decreased, and he had lost a lot of utility value. If he couldn't find that disciple of the underworld king again, it was very likely that the master would find an excuse to kick him out of his current position, or even kill him. To preserve his life, this time he must find the trail of that kid.

  Does the Thieves' Guild really not know about the specific news of Dark City? Of course not, as the most informed group on the continent, how could they not be clear about such a big thing?

  Meng Feng clenched the report from her subordinate in her room, her eyes flashing with cold light. Two days ago, when she received this news, her desire for revenge had surged. The message stated that among those who died in Black City, a large number of them had turned into mummies. This made her quickly think of Fourth Uncle's death. Only the Underworld Sword could have caused such a result. Half a year had passed, and finally, there was news about the culprit who killed Fourth Uncle, and he was in the Empire of Sunset. It was time for her to take revenge. She clearly knew that the Killer's Guild was also searching for Ah-Dai's whereabouts, so she only reported part of the situation to her father, hiding the specific details under the pretext of the Empire of Sunset blocking the news. Only if others didn't know about this news could she secretly avenge herself. She crumpled the paper in her hand into a ball, and with a burst of energy, it turned into a pile of powder.

  "Hum! You're the murderer who killed Fourth Uncle, I absolutely won't let you live again. Wait for it, I will definitely kill you to comfort Fourth Uncle's spirit in heaven."

  In the Sacred Palace of the Vatican.

  Genya and his father-in-law, another red-robed priestess named Nana, looked at the intelligence from the Sunset Empire. The Sacred Court does not engage in production and relies solely on donations from believers to sustain itself. Every year, the royal family of the Sunset Empire donates tens of millions of gold coins, a number that the other three countries combined cannot match. This is why the Sacred Court has always protected the Sunset Empire, not only because of the mission left by their predecessors but also because the Sunset Empire is their largest source of income. The dark forces in the Sunset Empire are rampant, and they are not unaware of it. However, for the sake of the Sacred Court's better development, they can only turn a blind eye, pretending to be ignorant. Moreover, from the intelligence they have received, those dark forces, although powerful in the Sunset Empire, pose no threat to the Sacred Court, so they let them be.

  Nana muttered to herself, "The Dark Castle actually has a golden divine light, this is impossible. Even we, who are closest to the gods, have never seen the divine light, how can it appear there? Could it be that the heavenly god is manifesting, warning us?" The other two red-robed priests were not in the temple, so the information naturally fell into his and Xuan Ye's hands. As for the matters of the Lu Ri Empire, Nana was always in charge, and such a big event had occurred, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

  Xuanye frowned and said, "It shouldn't be a divine sign, otherwise, we would have sensed something. Over 100 square kilometers were flattened, if we joined forces with the support of the White Robe Sacrifice, our combined forbidden spells could achieve this effect too. Could it be man-made? This Sunset Empire deserves some punishment anyway. The other day, I had the emperor of the Sunset Empire, Quan Yi, release the captured spirits through the Sacrificial Temple in Daybreak City, but they actually denied it, saying they hadn't seen any spirits at all. Hmph, these guys are getting too arrogant now. If not for the economic needs of the Church, I would have supported the destruction of this despicable race by the Huasheng Empire long ago." Just mentioning this matter made him angry, and the emperor of the Sunset Empire, Quan Yi, seemed to be ignoring him completely.

  Nah Yan was very satisfied with this son-in-law. Xuan Ye not only being the Pope's son, but also his own strength made everyone admire him. At a young age, he had already reached the position of Red Robe Priest, and was the most likely candidate to succeed the Pope. When she first learned that he liked her daughter, Nah Yan even smiled in her sleep. "En, Ye Er, don't be impulsive, you need to be more steady when dealing with things. What you said earlier makes sense. However, this matter shouldn't be so simple. We must handle it carefully."

  Xuanye's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he said in a cold voice: "Although I don't know how the divine light appeared, but the city lord's mansion was washed in blood, I clearly know who did it." The corpse that turned into a dry corpse can only be done by the Mingwang Sword. Ah-Dai, you actually call yourself the God of Death, hum! Remember when I told you earlier, if you use the Mingwang Sword to do evil things, I will not let you go, even if the Tiange Sword Saint protects you.

  Nana was shocked and asked: "Do you know who did it?"

  Xuanye nodded and said, "Father-in-law, I'd like to take a look at the Luori Empire. Let me handle this matter for you."

  Nana furrowed her brow and said: "For such an important matter, shouldn't we report to His Holiness the Pope before making a decision?"

  Xuanye's heart stirred, and he came to his senses from his anger. He remembered Yueyue's words, "Yueyue said that Ahdai is the savior, can I move him?" Regardless of whether Ahdai was truly the savior or not, before figuring it out, Father would absolutely not allow himself to touch him. It had been over half a year since Yueyue had gone into seclusion. Although Father hadn't said anything about Yueyue's progress, from the several times he saw Father, his face was filled with excitement, indicating that Yueyue's progress must be very rapid. The Pope's entire mind was focused on Yueyue. If he were to handle Ahdai now, Father would definitely be furious. A flash of insight struck Xuanye, and he suddenly remembered the time when Father had ordered four Saintly Judges to monitor Ahdai. His eyes shone brightly as he said, "Father-in-law, let's put this matter on hold for now. You use our influence in Black City to calm the people's hearts first. I'll go to the Tribunal."

  "What? You're going to look for Xuan Yuan that guy, don't you know his temper?"

  Xuanye smiled wryly and said, "How would I know? Apart from Father, he doesn't give face to anyone else. However, after all, he is my uncle, and I am doing this for the Church's affairs, so it should be fine." The Saint Inquisitor will only pass on the message to the Pope and the Chief Inquisitor, but the Pope has been supervising Xuanyue's cultivation and can't be found anywhere. There's no choice but to go find the Chief Inquisitor.

  Genyuu, the chief judge of the Sacred Tribunal, is the younger brother of the Pope. He disappeared at the age of three and returned to the tribunal over 40 years later, taking on the role of chief judge with his extraordinary abilities. Genyuu's personality is extremely reclusive; unless a major event occurs, he rarely leaves the tribunal, and no one dares approach him. The general affairs of the Tribunal are handled by two vice-chief judges, while he remains alone in his chamber, quietly cultivating his powers. Except for the Pope, no one else sees him. Although nominally equal to the four Cardinals, Genyuu is deeply aware that his uncle's martial prowess surpasses all others, second only to the legendary Sword Saint of Heaven's Wrath. If not for the involvement of the potential savior, Aisaka, Genyuu would have refused to meet with his uncle.

  Na Yan smiled and said, "Since you're not afraid to take the risk, go ahead and do it. I'm getting old and want to enjoy some peace and quiet for a few days. By the way, it's been over half a year since we last saw Yueyue, is she still in closed-door training? The Pope really is something, letting a 16-year-old girl work so hard, what if she gets exhausted?" He had always doted on his granddaughter. When his own daughter was young, he had been too strict with Nasa in order to help her gain a foothold in the church. As for this granddaughter, Na Yan had poured out almost all of his emotions, making Nasa often feel jealous of her own daughter.

  Xuanye sighed, he himself had been thinking about his daughter too. Nasa had mentioned several times that she wanted to see her daughter, but how could he bring it up with his father? "Father kept the matter of Yuèyuè a secret, even I don't know the specific situation. It seems we can only wait for now. Father-in-law, you go rest first, I'll go find Uncle right away." After saying that, he bowed to Nasa and left the Bright Hall.

  Out of the Great Hall of Radiance, Xuan Ye walked alone towards the Tribunal in the northeast. The Tribunal and several grand halls of the Church were adjacent to each other, with thousands of judges residing within the Tribunal.

  "Ah! Isn't this Cardinal Red? What wind has blown you here?" A clear voice rang out.

  Xuanye fixed his gaze and saw that it was indeed Balun, one of the two deputy chief judges of the Tribunal, known as the Blade God. Balun's age was not much different from Xuanye's, and he was the son of the previous chief judge. The two had grown up together since childhood and were extremely close. He stood at around 1.7 meters tall, with an ordinary appearance but possessing extraordinary abilities. He excelled in wielding a radiant short blade, his skills being exceptionally powerful. At just thirty-seven years old, he relied on his own strength to climb to the position of deputy chief judge, making him the best candidate to succeed as the next chief judge.

  Xuanye walked towards his old friend and smiled: "What's wrong, Old Ba? Don't you welcome me?"

  Balun laughed and looked at his close friend, "How could I not be welcome? Since you became the Red Robed Archbishop, we've had fewer days to spend together. Let's go have a drink when you're free."

  Xuanye said: "I'm afraid you won't be able to make it, after becoming the deputy chief judge, aren't you busy with many things, so busy that you can't even take a break now."

  Ba Bulun helplessly said: "What can we do? There are too many things, and our trial elder is lazy, so only I and Feng Shu have to be busy."

  "Let's go, take me to Uncle Jingxiu's place, I have something to discuss with him."

  Ba Bulun furrowed his brow slightly and said, "Brother, it's not that I'm hitting you, although you're the nephew of the trial judge, but he might not see you either. Want to hit a nail?"

  Xuanye smiled bitterly and said, "If it wasn't for something very important, do you think I'd be willing to come find Uncle? Don't I know his temper well enough? Let's go, I'll grit my teeth and go anyway!"

  "Since you're not afraid, I'll take you there. I want to see the look on your face when you're scared."

  Xuanye said in a bad mood, "You, as the deputy chief judge, still have a childish temper." The two walked together towards the interior of the courthouse, gradually disappearing into this tall building.

  As they walked, Xuan Ye suddenly asked: "By the way, how are your sister and my godson lately? It's been a long time since I've seen them."

  Ba Bulun looked around, seeing no one noticing him, and then sighed: "You don't know your sister-in-law's temper, it's really miserable for me! These days she quarreled with me again, making my heart uneasy."

  Xuanye said in a low voice: "Isn't it being driven out of bed by your sister-in-law again?"

  Balun's face turned red as he said, "What do you say? I don't know how many times this has happened already. I have no way to deal with her, and every day she accompanies me with a careful heart, yet she still always finds fault in me?" He was born to be henpecked, and from a young age in the Tribunal, he had a reputation for being controlled by his wife. Many goddesses liked him, but during an execution mission, he fell in love at first sight with a girl outside of the Tribunal. The girl seemed like a celestial being, but she didn't pay attention to him at all and didn't even consider him, the young hero of the Tribunal. Later on, he found out that this girl was actually the daughter of a great noble from the Empire of Light. He begged his father, who was then the Chief Judge of the Tribunal, to personally go and propose marriage. After much effort, they finally welcomed her into their family. Balun naturally doted on his wife, but she seemed to have no good feelings towards him at all. No matter how hard he tried to please her, she wouldn't give him a good look. Twenty years after their marriage, outside of the house, Balun was a glorious Vice-Judge, but once he returned home, he became a slave to his wife. His fear of his wife was almost legendary throughout the Tribunal and was often used as a joke. However, Balun didn't mind at all. His love for his wife only grew stronger with age, and as long as she wanted something, he would definitely make it happen for her. The couple had one son, who was 19 years old this year and inherited his mother's looks and his father's martial arts talent. He already had a small reputation in the Tribunal.

  Xuanye couldn't help but shake his head, thinking to himself, "Still, my own wife is the best!" "You've been married for so many years, and your temper hasn't changed at all, have you?"

  Ba Bulun shook his head and said, "You also know that at first it was all my one-sided affection, she didn't have any feelings for me. Although so much time has passed, I've never felt like she liked me. But the more she's like this, the more I want to treat her well. Someday, if she can truly like me, even if I die, it would be worth it."

  Xuanye looked at Balun's sad expression and quickly changed the subject, saying: "Where is my godson? How is his cultivation now?" The two families were close friends, so Balun's son naturally recognized Xuanye as his godfather, while Xuanyue also recognized Balun as her godfather. Balun was extremely fond of Xuanyue and couldn't wait for her to marry his son soon. When he heard Xuanye ask about him, he quickly said: "My son is quite good! I've taught him almost everything I know, and now it's just a matter of time before he surpasses me. Last year, the Judge even personally guided him for a month - an honor that even I haven't received! This kid's future will definitely be brighter than mine. By the way, how is Xuanyue doing? It's been a long time since I've seen her, and I really miss that little girl."

  Xuanye didn't know what "Babylon" meant, and smiled: "That girl is now cultivating with the Pope, and has been in seclusion for over half a year?"

  Balun laughed and said, "This girl has changed her nature at some point, but it's good this way. You and the Pope are both leaders of our church, and if Moon can't inherit your divine power, it would be a pity. The children have all grown up, and we've gotten old too. What do you think about what I told you last time? Shouldn't we settle the marriage between the kids first? My foolish son is infatuated with your daughter Moon, just like I was back then. He's already told me that he won't marry anyone else."

  Xuanye forced a bitter smile, how could he tell Balun about the relationship between his daughter and Ahdai? He could only hope that after his daughter followed him to cultivate, she would forget that silly boy. "The children are still too young, my Moon is only sixteen years old, I'm not willing to marry her off so early! What's your hurry?"

  Ba Bulun smiled and said, "How can I not be anxious? Yueyue is so beautiful, there will be fewer people chasing her in the future! I don't care, although marriage is not urgent, but we can get engaged first. I'll take it as you've agreed."

  Xuanye lost his smile and said, "You're so old now, but you still act like a child. I haven't agreed to this yet, let me go back and discuss it with Nasa first. Besides, we also need to get Moon's consent. I won't force my daughter to do something she doesn't want to do." He actually wanted to agree to the engagement between Bao Lun Jie and his family, but under these circumstances, how could he agree?

  Ba Bu said with some dissatisfaction: "My stupid kid is not worthy of your family's Yuèyuè, and he's still being stubborn."

  "Ah! We've arrived, this must be where Uncle is in seclusion." At this time, the two had already walked to a garden at the very back of the temple. At the end of the garden was a small, solitary house that wasn't very big, made from hard granite.

  Ba Bulun stopped in his tracks, a hint of fear on his face. "You go yourself, I can't stand the temper of Judge Lao."

  Xuanye helplessly shook his head and walked alone towards the small house. About ten meters away from the room, he clearly felt the enormous energy fluctuating inside. He couldn't help but secretly admire it and respectfully said in a loud voice: "Hongyi Xiannüe Xuanye, requesting to see Lord Judge." Although their ranks were equal in the church, Xuanye's respect for this uncle was no less than that for his own father, the Pope. He wrapped his voice with light magic power and slowly sent it into the room. The energy inside the room suddenly converged. A low, cold voice sounded, "Who allowed you to disturb me? Don't you know I'm in meditation?" The voice was devoid of emotion, as if Lord Judge didn't even know that the person standing outside was his own nephew.

  Xuanye's mind was slightly shaken by the low and solemn voice, his heart chilled, he hurriedly urged the spiritual power in his body to protect himself all over, "Your Honor, Judge, Xuanye has come this time with an important matter to inquire."

  The low voice sounded again, "Speak, I hope what you say will satisfy me."

  Kokuya's mouth corners twitched slightly, "It was like this, roughly over half a year ago, the Pope issued an order to have the four Holy Inquisitors go and monitor a person. Recently, the Vatican suddenly received intelligence from the Empire of the Setting Sun that the Black Castle's castle lord residence had been bloodbathed, and judging from the dead bodies in the residence, I deduced that it was the doing of the person being monitored by the Holy Inquisitors. Therefore, I came here to ask you, where are the Holy Inquisitors currently located?"

  "Those guys in Dark Castle should have been dead long ago, why are you meddling in such trivial matters? Only the Pope can command the Holy Inquisitors in the Vatican, what are you asking me for? Leave quickly."

  "But the Holy Judges send back some messages every now and then, which should be in your hands."

  "This matter is not important, don't bother me again." A surge of energy burst out from the room and through the walls, sending Genya flying out and landing beside Balun. Despite being protected by divine power, he still felt like he couldn't catch his breath. This uncle of mine really has no regard for human life!

  Ba Bulen stifled a laugh, watching Xuan Ye get rejected. He seemed extremely pleased. Xuan Ye glared at him and suddenly had an idea, exclaiming loudly: "Your Honor, I met the Heavenly Sword Saint a few days ago and even sparred with him! Don't you want to know what happened?" Xuan Ye knew that his uncle's only hobby was martial arts training, and the Four Great Sword Saints were always his goal. He had once said that by the time he turned 80, he should be able to match their abilities.

  As expected, Xuan Ye's words took effect, and the tightly closed door opened. A figure flashed out from the doorway, seemingly in just an instant, and suddenly there was one more person in front of Xuan Ye. This person wore a white long robe, with disheveled hair and beard, skin as delicate as a baby's, and a pair of phoenix eyes that shot out cold glints between their opening and closing. It was none other than the Sacred Tribunal's Judge, Xuan Yuan. He stood one foot away from Xuan Ye and said calmly: "Have you seen the Heavenly Sword Saint? Tell me, what does he look like?"

  Genya felt his entire body being bound by a surge of energy, and the immense pressure was constantly stunning his mind. He looked at his uncle and said, "More than half a year ago, before the Pope ordered the four Holy Inquisitors to monitor that person, I went to Tianfa Mountain, where I met the famous Tianfa Sword Saint. He looked like he was about my age, except for a head of white hair; his body was like that of a middle-aged man. His power was terrifying - with just one swing of his hand, he could use the clouds and fog in the mountains as his own weapons, piercing through a distant mountain peak. I lost, I didn't even have a chance to chant my spells before I was defeated. He's the strongest warrior I've ever seen. The Pope said that in a one-on-one situation, there's no one in the world who can be his opponent." As soon as he finished speaking, the enormous pressure suddenly disappeared. Genya put his hands behind his back, and his eyes flashed with light, his gaze somewhat dazed, as if imagining the scene when Genya met Tianfa Sword Saint. He let out a soft sigh, "It seems I'm still no match for him... The gap is too big."

  Xuanye saw his uncle and hurriedly said: "The four holy inquisitors sent by the Pope are monitoring the re-transmitted disciple of the Tianxia Sword Saint, and he also has the Tianxia Evil King Sword on him. That's why I came to ask you about the whereabouts of the Holy Inquisitor. Many people died in Hei Cheng this time. We must understand the situation clearly."

  Xuanyuan glanced at Xuanye and said, "The news that came back a few days ago stated that the people killed by the person being monitored were all deserving of death. He is still in the Empire of Sunset. Moreover, this person has extremely strong abilities. At a young age, his martial arts have already reached a very high level, according to the report of the Holy Judges, his strength is not below any of the Holy Judges, even without using the Mingwang Sword. At the same time, this person also has very strong magical abilities and actually summoned two dragons, one silver-gold giant dragon and one bone dragon. The divine light in Black Castle that was like a miracle might have been created by them. Being able to rush out of Black Castle from among thousands of soldiers is something even I find surprising. I didn't think that the Tianxia Sword Saint's disciple would also have such abilities." Originally, the four Holy Judges had been secretly protecting Ah'Dai and others all along. When they were surrounded by Horton and fell into a desperate situation, the Holy Judges had already prepared to take action, but Ah'Dai suddenly summoned two giant dragons, causing them to temporarily give up on their plan. Later, when Ah'Dai and others were surrounded by thousands of soldiers, they were monitoring from not far away until the Saint Evil released the Dragon Language Curse, at which point the four people could only shrink together, relying on their own strong strength to jointly resist the attack that was like a forbidden curse, barely preserving their lives but also suffering heavy injuries. They were the only survivors under the golden devouring of the Dragon Language Curse. Originally, they had already lost Ah'Dai's trail, but later Ah'Dai returned to Black Castle for revenge and was again targeted by them.

  "What? Summoning a giant dragon, this... how is this possible? The summoning magic has long been lost, and the Church's scriptures also do not record the possibility of summoning dragons!"

  Xuan Yuan coldly snorted, "The fact is right in front of us, this self-proclaimed Death God youngster has indeed summoned a dragon, and it's even two-headed."

  Xuanye's heart rose with a chill, could it be that everything Yueyue said was true? Was Ahdai really the savior of the thousand-year calamity? Otherwise, how could he summon such a powerful creature as the dragon. Thinking of his promise to Tiange Sword Saint, for the first time, he lost confidence. Although his abilities were exceptional, the dragon that had never been seen before was beyond his imagination. "Thank you, Judge, I will immediately go and report this matter to the Pope and ask him to make a decision."

  Xuanyuan turned around, his back facing Xuanye, "No need, he already knows."

  Xuanye was about to say something, when a white figure suddenly appeared beside Xuanye. "Yes, I already knew." The person who came was Xuanye's father, the current Pope.

  "Your Holiness," Balbon and Genya hastily bowed in unison.

  The Pope smiled slightly and said, "We're all on the same side, no need for formalities. I'm also shocked by this matter, it seems that everything Moon said was true. Ah-Dai may have killed many people this time, but as the trial judge said, those were people whose souls had been corrupted by darkness. This incident won't shake the foundations of the Sunset Empire, although they've been economically helpful to the Vatican, we will not support their dark forces. Let them resolve this matter themselves. As for the Savior, it's best to let him develop on his own, we shouldn't interfere, everything has its own destiny. Ye Ye, pass down the order to our people in the Sunset Empire, have them help the local powers calm the people."

  "Yes, Your Holiness."

  The Pope said, "Alright, you may go down. I still have something to say to the Judge." Xuan Ye and Ba Bu Lun exchanged a glance, bowed and retreated. Watching their departing figures, the Pope said, "Brother, are you still so obstinate?"

  Xuan Yuan said calmly: "Martial skills are my only goal. My wish is to defeat the four great sword saints. You should know this."

  The Pope sighed and said: "Actually, your current strength, except for the Tian Can Sword Saint, should be no different from the other three Sword Saints. What's the point of this?"

  Xuan Yuan Dao said: "However, the Tianfu Sword Saint is my goal. What he can do, I must also be able to do. Big brother, don't persuade me anymore."

  The Pope sighed and said, "Go out and clear your mind. Don't you want to go see that young man?"

  Xuanyuan's body shook, and he said: "You're willing to let me leave the Vatican?"

  The Pope nodded and said, "You've been in the Vatican for long enough, it's good to go out and take a walk. However, you should know that with your current abilities, challenging the Four Great Sword Saints is still a bit too early. I don't want to hear news of your death. That child called Ah-Dai, I hope you'll personally go take a look at him. If he's really the savior, I think you should be the one to stimulate his potential."

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  To repay book friends, starting today, continuous unlocking begins, welcome everyone. At the same time, I hope everyone can go and read my new book "Only I Am Immortal", thank you.

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