Shen Jue’s kneeling immediately inspired Shen Yu, Pei Du, and the others behind him, as well as the gathered citizens of Xindu.
In an instant, they fell to their knees in waves, spreading from the city gate to the streets and alleys inside, like a field of wheat bending before the wind.
“We beg the Divine Lady to lead us in reclaiming our lands!”
“Unify the world!”
“Reclaim our lands, unify the world!”
The shouts were chaotic yet fervent, bursting from the chests of thousands simultaneously, shaking the very heavens and earth.
Before the Divine Lady could speak, the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox in her arms spoke up impatiently. “The Divine Lady is the most beloved young disciple of the Heavenly Sovereign, and the Heavenly Sovereign already intends for her to succeed him as the Master of the Heavenly Palace.”
“Put such thoughts out of your minds! The Divine Lady cannot remain in the mortal realm to lead you in reclaiming lands or unifying the world!”
Its meaning was clear.
The Divine Lady held an incredibly prestigious status in the heavens; how could she possibly care for the paltry trifles of the mortal realm?
“Furthermore, the Divine Lady has already promised the Heavenly Sovereign that once the wager with the Weaver Girl is concluded, regardless of the outcome, she must return to the Ninth Heaven to focus on her cultivation. You mortals must stop trying to disrupt her Dao Heart again and again!”
The Divine Lady was returning to the Ninth Heaven to focus on her cultivation.
She wasn't staying in the mortal realm.
This news was nothing short of a catastrophe. Panic immediately surged in everyone’s hearts.
Before the Divine Lady appeared, their world had been desolate and gray. She was the one who had brought them light and hope.
No one wanted to lose that.
The Divine Lady reached out and gently stroked the spirit fox. The fox immediately quieted down, lying obediently in the crook of her arm.
Then, she lowered her eyes slightly, looking down at the dark mass of kneeling figures with a calm expression.
“The Heavenly Dao has its order, and everyone has their place. By slaying the Dragon Vein today, I have already disrupted the cycle of karma in the mortal world. I naturally will not knowingly repeat such a mistake by using divine power to determine the rise and fall of the world.”
Her words were flawless, fitting her transcendent status as a deity while leaving herself a path of retreat.
She said she 'would' not, not that she 'could' not.
After all, if she completely closed the door, how could she let these people convince her?
Shen Jue remained kneeling, his lips trembling, but he didn't know how to respond.
He had some self-awareness; with the limited knowledge in his head, he feared he wouldn't be able to persuade the Divine Lady.
Thus, he tilted his head and shot a glance at the three well-educated scholars behind him.
Receiving Shen Jue’s look, Pei Du and Lu Sui, both being newcomers, didn't dare to speak rashly for a moment. They feared saying the wrong thing and displeasing the Divine Lady.
In the end, it was Shen Yu who stepped forward again, carefully choosing his words as he composed a draft in his mind.
“Divine Lady, you just said that because you severed the Dragon Vein, you are burdened with karmic hindrances.”
“Regarding this, I have a few humble observations.”
The Divine Lady glanced at him sideways.
Those eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through the essence of all things, landed on Shen Yu. She gave a slight, noncommittal nod.
Shen Yu took a deep breath and spoke clearly. “The evil dragon broke its shackles to enter the world and would have surely brought chaos to all living beings. Your strike to slay the dragon was an act of saving the people from fire and water.”
“This is a great act of kindness. How can a benevolent deed result in a negative outcome?”
He paused. “I believe that the so-called hindrance is merely because a certain karmic cycle between heaven and earth has yet to be completed.”
The Divine Lady seemed to take an interest. “What do you mean by that?”
Shen Yu’s heart steadied. He knew that by asking this, she had given him the opportunity to continue.
“The Dragon Vein is severed, and the Yong Dynasty is doomed. The world will inevitably fall into chaos, with warlords carving out territories. Under the fires of war, the common people will find it hard to escape disaster.”
“Please hear me, Divine Lady. I embolden myself to suggest that the weight of this karmic hindrance lies not in the collapse of the state, but in the countless lives buried under the ruins when that collapse occurs.”
There was a moment of silence.
When the Divine Lady finally spoke, her tone betrayed no emotion.
“Are you suggesting that if I were to leave now and no longer concern myself with mortal affairs, I would instead be sowing an even greater evil cause?”
Cold sweat immediately broke out on Shen Yu’s brow. “I do not dare to presume to judge the Heavenly Dao; I am merely speaking on the facts of the matter.”
“As a disciple of the Heavenly Sovereign, you naturally understand the principles of the cycle of karma better than I.”
The Divine Lady’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she remained silent.
Seeing this, Lu Sui spoke up nervously. “Divine Lady, may this student offer a word?”
He had been thinking—how could she not understand the principles of karma that Shen Yu mentioned?
The reason she hesitated to agree wasn't that she couldn't figure it out.
Rather, she had other concerns.
The Divine Lady looked toward him.
Lu Sui suppressed his instinctive fear of the divine. “Divine Lady, what we seek is never for you to use divine power to decide the fate of the world, but rather to ask you to be that guiding light, pointing the way.”
Pei Du joined in at the right time, saying, “Divine Lady, this student, Pei Du, also has something to say.”
“We scholars understand strategy and military tactics; we possess the talent to govern a nation. How to reclaim the fragmented lands will be planned by us and fought for by the soldiers...”
“Divine Lady, you only need to oversee from the rear.”
“In this way, it would not be considered interfering with mortal karma, and it would allow you to resolve the karmic hindrances upon you...”
Yun Shu looked at the three master debaters. It was a good thing she had intended for them to take the initiative to beg her to reclaim the lands; otherwise, she would have had a massive headache dealing with these three.
The spirit fox said anxiously, “Divine Lady, they are just using clever words! You must not listen to them!”
Having said that, it turned to glare at Shen Yu and the others, its voice full of dissatisfaction. “Clearly, they are the ones begging you, yet they speak as if you are the one who owes them!”
As soon as those words were spoken.
The faces of Shen Yu and the other two turned deathly pale. Together, they bowed deeply toward the Divine Lady in the sky, their foreheads nearly touching the ground.
“May the Divine Lady judge clearly. We believers hold only reverence for you in our hearts and would never dare to have even a hint of disrespect. Lord Spirit Fox is right; it is indeed we who are begging the Divine Lady. Our words were improper. If the Divine Lady wishes to punish us, we are willing to accept it. We only pray that the Divine Lady does not lose heart because of this.”
The three knelt prostrate, their backs drenched in cold sweat.
“Rise.” The Divine Lady opened her lips and said calmly, “What you said just now is not without merit.”
Upon hearing this, the three were just about to rejoice when they were doused with a bucket of cold water by her next words. “But a few words alone are not enough to fully convince me.”
However, Shen Yu and the others didn't stay dejected for long. They had long understood that persuading a deity would be no easy task.
But they didn't want to miss a single opportunity.
The Divine Lady was a once-in-a-thousand-years enlightened ruler. If she were willing to stay in the mortal realm to civilize humanity, it would be the world's greatest fortune!
Just as the three were racking their brains for more ways to convince her, a frantic set of footsteps approached.
A young girl in a pink dress came running, followed by a young woman.
Both looked anxious, with fine beads of sweat on their foreheads.
Shen Yu recognized them at a glance. They were the two seamstresses who had taken on the heavy responsibility of studying the spinning machine that day.
As his thoughts raced, his heart suddenly sank, giving rise to a bad premonition.
Could it be... that something had happened to the spinning machine?
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