Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
There was not much dispute in the private meeting. Most Magistrates believed that the Cardinal Blood Stone was the best evidence they had. If the Cardinal Blood Stone could not identify a member of the Black Vatican, their Stone of Guilt would be useless, too.
When a person was chosen as a Magistrate, they would place a drop of blood on the Stone of Guilt to imprint it. The Clergymen would hold the Stones of Guilt. They would only be given to the Magistrates during a private meeting to cast their votes.
They strongly believed it was impossible to fool a Stone of Guilt. It was tightly bound to a Magistrate. It was the main reason why they strongly believed that the Cardinal Blood Stone was the best way to prove a person was the Red Cardinal of the Black Vatican.
As for why the young woman looked nowhere close to Salan, the reason was fairly obvious, too. The Amnesia Bug had been proven. The only thing left was for the woman to admit that she was Salan herself. Unfortunately, due to the Amnesia Bug, even she had no idea she had Salan’s memories and personalities. As such, it was quite meaningless for her to admit anything. Besides, would a criminal really admit they were guilty?
—
Finally, two Holy Court Mages opened the door of the room. The Holy Court Mages were responsible for the execution of the criminal once they were sentenced guilty.
What was even scarier was that each Holy Court Mage was a Super Mage!
Old Bao was waiting outside the room. Even though he was once a Clergyman, he was not allowed to enter the room. He could only wait for the outcome outside the room. That being said, he could easily use his influence to learn the decision from the thirteen Magistrates.
“I tried my best, old friend,” Leonard let out a sigh and patted Old Bao on his shoulder.
Old Bao’s surname was not actually Bao. He only decided to conceal his identity after retiring and opening the Clearsky Hunter Agency. His real name was Song Qiming.
Song Qiming glanced at the other Magistrates, and they all gave the same response.
Song Qiming knew that the guilty verdict had been placed.
“A rare guest, if I’m not mistaken. It’s been ten years since you bothered to care about the Holy Judgment Court?” the Great Magistrate Dulanc said with a smile when he saw Old Bao.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“I have nothing to say to you. You will end up just like Essendale!” Old Bao said coldly. He turned and left immediately.
Dulanc’s face darkened as he glared after Old Bao.
Since Old Bao had already known the outcome, he was most likely going to do the same thing as Zhu Meng, Han Ji, and Pang Lai.
However, even he could not guarantee that the four of them could protect Mo Fan from the Parthenon Temple and the Holy Judgment Court.
—
—
Going up the mountain path, Mo Fan passed the Hall of Faith, skipped the Hall of Judgment, and soon arrived at the Starry Mountain Path leading to the Mountain of the Goddess.
Old Bao was already waiting for him at the Starry Mountain Path.
Han Ji immediately went up and asked, “How was it?”
If the Holy Judgment Court was able to make a fair judgment, they would be able to keep the situation under control, instead of worsening it. Han Ji was hoping that they could resolve it the easy way.
Old Bao shook his head and said, “I’m afraid they are going to announce it before night falls.”
“Mo Fan, if you really want to see her, you have no choice but to take the challenge. She’s still a member of the Parthenon Temple until the announcement. If you manage to overcome the challenge, you can request to see her in person. Even though the Parthenon Temple will not let anyone get close to Xinxia, I believe they have no choice but to obey the rule,” Pang Lai told Mo Fan.
Mo Fan nodded.
It was obvious that the people of the Parthenon Temple would not let him enter the Mountain of the Goddess, nor would they let him go any closer to the Hall of the Goddess. The challenge was the only way!
Old Bao walked up to Mo Fan and said to him in a low voice, “You have to use your own strength to overcome the challenge.”
“I understand,” Mo Fan replied.
Pang Lai had already mentioned that the Starry Mountain Path was protected by a powerful, ancient magic formation. Even the strongest power would be suppressed by it.
Even though Mo Fan had the Demon Element, if he really wanted to overcome the challenge and meet Xinxia in person, he would have to rely on his own strength!
“Mo Fan…” Pang Lai had the urge to say something.
Mo Fan turned to him, waiting for him to speak.
“If you fail, you might lose all your cultivation. The Holy Judgment Court has made its decision. Not many people in this world can change the outcome. Even the Holy Saint Wen Tai did not escape their judgment. Not long ago, Essendale, the strongest Shadow Mage in the world, failed too. You have just made a name in the World College Tournament, and you have received the Blessing of the God’s Seal. We all believe that you will surpass us in the future. There’s no limit to what you can achieve. I hope you understand that no matter what you do, you won’t be able to change the outcome. We sincerely wish that you can think about it calmly, so you won’t ruin your own life… at least, during the execution, I’ll ask the Chairman to request that you can see her one last time,” Pang Lai finally uttered the words he wanted to say all this time.
Tang Zhong did not say anything, because he was extremely familiar with Mo Fan’s character. Tang Zhong knew Xinxia’s fate had been sealed. He also had the urge to stop Mo Fan, and regardless of how reluctant Mo Fan was to accept it, it was still the truth that Xinxia was Salan. He did not want Mo Fan to sacrifice himself for nothing.
However, Tang Zhong was unable to say anything when he saw Mo Fan’s reaction.
Han Ji and Zhu Meng shared the same thoughts. If Mo Fan had not achieved his current heights by himself, they would surely have stopped him from trying anything ridiculous. Trying to barge in the Mountain of the Goddess was the same as challenging the decision and authority of the Parthenon Temple and the Holy Judgment Court. Even a Forbidden Mage was unwilling to oppose two formidable factions that were stronger than the Magic Associations!
Mo Fan looked at Pang Lai, and the others that had come to protect him.
Mo Fan never thought such an accusation would befall Xinxia. He was thinking of bringing Xinxia back to their country not too long ago, and the two could live a comfortable, carefree life. Unfortunately, this bad news had come out of nowhere. It felt like he was having a ridiculous nightmare.
Mo Fan had always thought dealing with the Black Vatican was an extremely difficult task. He had no idea who they were, yet the Black Vatican was thinking of killing him at all times. They were hiding in the dark, and every calamity they stirred made him feel like he was extremely weak and tiny.
But in Mo Fan’s eyes, the accusation that had befallen Xinxia was ten times scarier than going against the Black Vatican!
Against the Black Vatican, Mo Fan knew all he had to do was to work harder and become stronger. As for the situation that Xinxia was in, Mo Fan suddenly felt like he had fallen into a deep abyss, where he could never see the light again!
However, he was well aware of one thing: he wanted to see her, no matter the odds. He had to stay by her side. If such news was devastating to him, what would it do to Xinxia?
When she was young, she was so weak that she kept struggling to stand like a normal person. She would shed tears when she was alone. How could a girl like her face the accusations on her own!?
“If I can’t protect her, what’s the point of becoming stronger, or earning more glory?” Mo Fan replied.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“But have you ever thought…” Pang Lai wanted to say something.
Old Bao shook his head at Pang Lai. Pang Lai did not continue.
Mo Fan placed his foot on the Starry Mountain Path. Only those with permission were allowed to enter it.
Two months ago, Mo Fan was given permission, but today, he was an unwanted guest!
“Friend, this is the Starry Mountain Path. If you step through the entrance without permission, you are going to die a cruel death. You should reconsider your action,” a Holy Court Mage standing at the entrance said sternly.
“I’ve made up my mind,” Mo Fan responded.
Pang Lai was more familiar with the dangers of the Starry Mountain Path than anyone else. His face turned pale when he saw Mo Fan entering it.
Pang Lai decided to give up on his attempt after assessing the situation, but Mo Fan was even more determined than he was. He was not going to give up until he met Xinxia in person. He was going to lose his cultivation!
“An intruder has entered the Starry Mountain Path!”
“An intruder has entered the Starry Mountain Path!”
“An intruder has entered the Starry Mountain Path!”
The loud voice echoed across the sacred mountain. An ancient bell started ringing. It had not rung in many years, and sounded extremely heavy!
A dark, blue light of the Chaos Element appeared on the Starry Mountain Path. The extraordinary energy was swaying regardless of which direction the people were looking at the sacred mountain.
As Pang Lai said, once the intruder stepped through the arc-shaped entrance, the magic formation would activate at once, shrouding the long mountain path. Even the sky above it was tightly sealed. Mo Fan felt like he was in a void tunnel, as he could not see anything around him. He only saw four statues with murderous auras barring the way on the stairs.
Mo Fan could feel his strength being suppressed, but the suppression was not too strong. He was still able to use his full power.
However, Pang Lai had clearly mentioned that it was impossible to overcome the challenge of the Starry Mountain Path without the strength of the Super Level.
The news of someone barging in immediately shook the entire sacred mountain. Even the believers of the Hall of Faith heard it. The news continued to spread throughout the Citadel of Athens…
It was an ancient taboo. It attracted everyone’s attention when a courageous man attempted to break it!