Chapter Seventeen: A City of One

Liu Ru gradually began to understand. Yue Yi used the Ten Divine Punishments to usher in the age of the Saints, and in doing so, he bound his own life and fate to that era. If the era were to end, as its founder—even as a Saint—he would undoubtedly perish.

"Why must there be such a cruel rule?" Liu Ru couldn't help but ask.

"Because the world itself possesses a will," Su Ziye replied calmly. "Have you ever heard of divine punishment?"

Liu Ru shook her head.

"Divine punishment corresponds to forbidden words and knowledge. Even if you obtain such knowledge, you cannot share it with the world. If you dare to speak it aloud, you will immediately suffer a severe penalty, which usually ends in death," Su Ziye said, gazing at Liu Ru.

These concepts had been mentioned by Qian Shu when Liu Ru first displayed the Flame of Flowing Gold, but at that time, she hadn't understood, so now, hearing Su Ziye reveal these truths, she was deeply shocked.

"Why is that?" Liu Ru asked.

"Because certain beings can use the world's rules to punish others," Su Ziye said simply. "Those beings may not be stronger than Saint Yue Yi, but their understanding of this world far surpasses that of Yue Yi, who had only just become a Saint."

"In the end, when the three Saints understood all of this, it was already too late."

"Yue Yi could not end the era he himself had created. Instead, anyone who wished to challenge this age would have to defeat him, the ultimate master behind it all."

"And what happened after that?" Liu Ru looked at Su Ziye.

She already knew the final outcome, but she still wanted to know what had transpired in between.

"To end the age of the Saints, first you must break through Nightleaf City, and then kill Yue Yi," Su Ziye said simply. "And without a doubt, this is a task as difficult as reaching the heavens."

"Even when Ye Xuanyin annexed the other nations of the continent, Yue Yi remained silent and indifferent. But when the blueprint of the Lanye Empire took shape and Nightleaf City became an isolated island, everything inevitably came to a head."

"The Lanye Empire still uses the first year of the Lanye Calendar, which marks the year Nightleaf City was finally conquered, established as a secondary capital, and Ye Xuanyin formally ascended as Emperor Yuantai. But Ye Xuanyin's first assault on Nightleaf City began twenty years before that first Lanye year."

"In other words, the war to challenge a Saint, waged with the might of an entire nation, lasted twenty years."

"Could it not have simply continued? Could Ye Xuanyin not have recognized Nightleaf City's independence, and let the two sides coexist in peace?" Liu Ru countered.

"Many believed so, especially Marshal Lan Ying. You should remember, Marshal Lan Ying was the head of the Lan family. To put it bluntly, among the six Lan houses, only Marshal Lan Ying never changed his surname, because he was already Lan by birth," Su Ziye smiled at Liu Ru. "In other words, the Lanye Empire was meant to be founded by Lan Ying and Ye Xuanyin together."

"After all, Yue Yi had three outstanding disciples: Ye Xuanyin ranked second, and Lan Ying ranked third."

"What about the first?" Liu Ru couldn't help but ask.

Su Ziye raised his hand and pointed to the towering Leaf Tower nearby.

"Our beloved dean," the youth said succinctly.

Liu Ru never imagined that a figure from legend still lived among them, and was startled. "He can't hear us talking here, can he?"

She feared the tragedy of the Third Prince might repeat itself.

"He shouldn't be able to, though perhaps he might. But what does it matter?" Su Ziye said calmly. "These events have already happened; even the principal actors do not treat them as taboo."

"But Ye Xuanyin's will ultimately prevailed over Marshal Lan Ying's, or rather, the vast majority wished for the Saint's death," Su Ziye looked at Liu Ru. "At any cost."

"Why?" Liu Ru asked.

Without a doubt, throughout everything, Saint Yue Yi had always been a good person.

Even when Ye Xuanyin intended to end his era, he never tried to forcibly suppress her; instead, he waited in silence.

"Because of fear," Su Ziye said, meeting Liu Ru's eyes. "Back then, everyone knew the tale of the Ten Divine Punishments. Their entire lives were lived under that shadow."

"Whether Heaven truly has eyes may be unknown, but whether the Saint has eyes is clear to all. If anyone in your city defies the Saint's decree, destruction can fall upon your entire city, or even your nation. If it were you, would you be afraid?" Su Ziye asked.

"Of course, now Ye Xuanyin leads countless people to overthrow the Saint's rule, and they are close to success. But if they do not seize the moment and challenge the Saint, who knows when he might cease his silence, and a new Ten Divine Punishments descend upon the world, wiping out all who resist?"

"And now, the Saint's silence leads them to believe Yue Yi is in a weakened state. Only now do they have a chance to slay a god."

Liu Ru nodded.

Just imagining it, one could understand such terror.

Yue Yi's power was deeply rooted in the minds of all. As long as he lived, those who dared resist would never truly find peace.

"So in the end, Marshal Lan Ying journeyed alone to the East, to conquer the vast lands of the northeast. The Lanye Empire's expansive eastern territory, bordering the Empire of Stet, is his achievement."

"And on the western front, Yue Yi organized attack after attack on Nightleaf City. It was a spectacle unparalleled in the history of human warfare. Even then, Nightleaf City gathered the greatest warriors of the human world; the students of Nightleaf Academy were elite troops. Yet throughout the entire conflict, only one person fought for Nightleaf City—the Saint himself." Su Ziye said with deep feeling, "For example, the dean who now sits at the summit of Leaf Tower, acknowledged as the greatest living person. Even then, he was an absolutely formidable monster—even Ye Xuanyin could not prevail against him. Yet even he could not participate in this war."

"Because the essence of this war was one man against the world."

"And so the Saint alone defended the city."

"He defended it for twenty years."