3044 Seeds of Light There was an abandoned Sacred Hall in the depth of the forest. That place was full of barren grass. Even the elders who had been living for several decades in Parthenon Temple had no idea about the existence of the ancient Sacred Hall. No one had ever asked about it. Ye Xinxia and Haylon walked toward the abandoned Sacred Hall. The blood stream happened to flow along the two sides of the abandoned Sacred Hall. The sunlight was shaded by the thick trees. The vines intertwined along the ruined walls of the abandoned Sacred Hall. When Ye Xinxia stepped through the crumbling entrance, she felt there were many pairs of eyes watching her as she arrived . There were many people inside the abandoned Sacred Hall. Most of them wore black clothes. They were stained with blood. The smell of blood was strong and permeated through the air. Ye Xinxia looked at them. They were Parthenon Temple’s knights credited for slaying the members of the Black Vatican. Ye Xinxia’s heart ached for them when she looked at their faces. “You’re Parthenon Temple’s heroes, but after this, you must run for your life. Run away from me and run away from the truth of this matter. Run away for the sake of Parthenon Temple…” Ye Xinxia felt extremely remorseful. She had no other choice. This was the only way to protect Parthenon Temple’s thousands of years of foundation. Perhaps, her own incapacity had sacrificed the knights who were absolutely loyal to her. “You follow me and trust me, but I couldn’t usher you to a bright future. I’m an unworthy Goddess. I’m sorry for letting you down.” Ye Xinxia bent down and bowed deeply at the knight slayers who had helped her to get rid of the Black Vatican. These people had to leave Parthenon Temple immediately. They could be listed as wanted criminals. The Magic Association would chase after them. Furthermore, they were unable to reveal their true identity. They had to continue to act as if they were the members of the Black Vaticans. The people would despise them. The knights had to flee. They had become the “true” members of the Black Vatican in the eyes of the public. The truth was, they were knights that brought glory to Parthenon Temple. They were brave warriors and had been through fire and blood with Ye Xinxia. Their spirits were highly admirable. When Goddess Ye Xinxia was at her wit’s end, the knights stood up for her and executed the plan. Ye Xinxia did not know how to pay them back. They had sacrificed themselves for her. “My lady, we never wanted anything from you. It’s our own will to follow you. Your ideal future is also our ideal future. You walked down the path with a steadfast spirit, and we believed you did it with a clear conscience, that’s why we share the same goal. We removed the darkness that shrouded Parthenon Temple with our own hands, and this is the true glory that we desired to achieve!” The Golden Sun Knight, Jiang Bin, kneeled. His eyes were covered with a black cloth. Even though he could not see anything and could not even see Ye Xinxia’s face, he knew the Goddess was right before him. She was a Goddess worthy for them to swear fealty to. She had the courage to confront the filthy darkness. She never gave in to her destiny. Above all, she was just like the rest of the Parthenon Temple knights who truly stood guard over the temple. Regardless of how rotten and dirty it was, they never gave up and continued pursuing a brighter future. The other knights kneeled, including Hua Lisi and the Lord of the Hall of Knights, Haylon. At that moment, there were a total of one thousand and one people inside the abandoned Sacred Hall, including the Lord of the Knight, Haylon. Their hands were covered in blood. Together with Ye Xinxia, the world would almost certainly despise them. However, they knew their purpose. They did it without a single shred of doubt or hesitation. Without the blessing of the spirit or the intoxication of their glory, everyone was aware that the massacre inside the temple was for the sake of a better future. They did not do it for their own sake or purely for the Parthenon Temple… “Go now. Hurry!” said Ye Xinxia to the one thousand and one knights. They were the most celebrated warriors of the Parthenon Temple, but they had to flee. The mark of the Black Vatican would stay with them for the rest of their lives. So long asParthenon Temple existed, the knights would not be acknowledged. The moment the people found out the truth, the fact that Ye Xinxia was the Supreme Pontiff of the Black Vatican would be revealed. Humans were complicated things. Even after they knew the whole story, Ye Xinxia could not escape from being condemned as the Supreme Pontiff of the Black Vatican. She was a Goddess. She could never have even the slightest bit of connection with the Black Vatican, let alone be the Supreme Pontiff herself! The secret would be buried along with the demise of the Black Vatican. Once it was revealed, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, Ye Xinxia did not have a choice. The one thousand and one knights, including Hua Lisi, who assassinated the Italian Red Cardinal, Haylon, Lord of the Hall of Knights, who assassinated Salan, and the black-clad knights who assassinated members of the Black Vatican, deserved to be honored on the first day of the Blessing Day. However, they were required to leave Parthenon Temple permanently as of today. They had to carry the identity of Black Vatican members while keeping Ye Xinxia’s true identity as Supreme Pontiff a secret forever. Ye Xinxia turned around. She didn’t have courage to look into their eyes. Hua Lisi and Haylon followed Ye Xinxia and sent her off. After a few steps, Ye Xinxia’s eyes turned red. She asked Hua Lisi with an almost uncontrollable emotion, “Hua Lisi, if some day you were arrested by the members of the Magic Association and brought to me as the real member of the Black Vatican, what should I do? What should I do? I can’t let this thing happen. It will be hard for me to accept if any of you were killed as the dirty Black Vatican because of me… Hua Lisi, let them stay there. I’ll do everything I can to make it safe for you all.” Ye Xinxia thought she hadn’t done things in the right way. There must be another way that could clear their names from the massacre and allow them to be honored in the hall. They should not spend their lives hiding, much less risk being wanted and hunted by the world. Whenever Ye Xinxia thought that they might be gone forever, her heart ached. The Black Vatican was eradicated. But what could she do for the one thousand and one knights? They didn’t deserve this! “You don’t have to worry about us. We have our own arrangement. You’ve done very well. If I were you, I would have become the Black Vatican’s puppet long ago and still would have remained unaware of it. You discovered everything. You carry a heavier burden than any of us. You found the only way out for Parthenon Temple that had long fallen into a dark swamp,” said Hua Lisi to comfort Ye Xinxia. If Ye Xinxia had not done this, more people would have died. If Parthenon Temple was under control of the Black Vatican, it would be hard to imagine how many innocents would be harmed in the future. Those who longed to walk in the light would be persecuted, and human’s evil nature would be magnified. Ye Xinxia stopped all this from happening. She persevered, and she held strong to her own belief in the middle of the crumbling Parthenon Temple. Parthenon Temple had no need of a God. The people were not after God’s holy light. They were after the light of humanity that had not been polluted by the world, like Ye Xinxia’s light. “But—” Ye Xinxia wanted to say something. At that moment, Haylon glanced at Hua Lisi. Hua Lisi immediately helped Ye Xinxia out to allow her to take a rest inside the temple. Parthenon Temple needed Ye Xinxia. She should not be around the abandoned Sacred Hall. The storm was not over yet. Ye Xinxia had to return to Parthenon Temple. She had to declare to the world in the name of the Goddess that she would not spare the “murderers” of the massacre. She still had a lot of things to do. At that moment, Ye Xinxia must not be emotional. Even though she felt sorry for the one thousand and one knight slayers, she would risk exposing herself if she showed any hints of emotions. The remnants of the Black Vatican may even take advantage of this opportunity. Haylon hurried to the abandoned temple. Meanwhile, Hua Lisi helped Ye Xinxia leave the place. Ye Xinxia seemed to realize something. She looked at Haylon’s silhouette as he quickened his pace to the temple. Hua Lisi tried to distract Ye Xinxia, hoping that Ye Xinxia would focus on how to handle Parthenon Temple that was riddled with holes. However, Ye Xinxia had an insight of one’s emotion, she noticed a slight restlessness on Hua Lisi’s face. “My lady, you—” Hua Lisi tried to stop Ye Xinxia. Ye Xinxia broke free from Hua Lisi. Ye Xinxia turned around and walked toward the abandoned temple. She ran. She charged at the abandoned Sacred Hall. “Haylon, stop!” The moment she left the Sacred Hall, she had noticed it. She could not let Haylon do this. All of the knights were respectable. If Haylon killed the knights for the sake of keeping their mouths shut, she would never forgive herself for the rest of her life. … Plink! Plink! Plink! Plink! Plink! Blood gushed out of the temple. As soon as Ye Xinxia rushed to the abandoned Sacred Hall, she was greeted by the sight of a pool of blood. Blood gushed out of the black-clad knights’ necks. There was too much blood gushing out of their necks. The knights’ clothes had turned red. The mossy gray stone tiles under their feet turned into a pool of blood. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮 “My lady…” Several black-clad knights stood in the forefront. They were shocked to see Ye Xinxia return to the Sacred Hall. Upon seeing the sight before her, Ye Xinxia was so shocked that she felt her soul had been sucked away! She had sensed something. She sensed that Haylon might bury the one thousand and one knights inside the abandoned Sacred Hall to keep the secret forever. That was why she had run to the temple. She wanted to stop Haylon! Haylon was not the one slitting their throats. The knights themselves did it! A thousand people stood inside the abandoned Sacred Hall. They remained upright. They remained motionless even till the moment they died. Each of them wielded a black dagger. They slit their own throats with those daggers. The sight of a thousand reddened arterial wounds was shocking to behold. Blood flowed down their necks, painting everything red. “No! No! No! Don’t do this! Don’t do this!” Ye Xinxia summoned her Divine Soul. She wanted to save the black-clad knights who had made tremendous sacrifices for Parthenon Temple. “People change. Regardless of how loyal we are, as time passes, everything will change. We don’t ever want to betray you. We won’t allow the future to tempt us in any way.” The passage of time could change a person. No one could guarantee that one’s nature would not be corroded along with it. Everyone had to live in the present. Therefore, the one thousand and one black-clad knights made the decision. To them, this was the ultimate form of protection. And they found Ye Xinxia worthy of offering her their protection. … The Divine Soul appeared before Ye Xinxia. She wanted to resurrect the people from the dead with her Resurrection Divine Art. The divine light shone brightly and illuminated the abandoned Sacred Hall. However, she could only save a person using the Resurrection Divine Art. Furthermore, the person had to have the desire to be resurrected. The truth was that none of the knights wanted to return to life. More blood spilled out of their wounds. Even though they tried to remain standing, they could not. They collapsed one after the other. Despite the fact that Ye Xinxia had mastered the world’s most sophisticated spell, she could not bring back the one thousand and one black-clad knights’ back to life. Ye Xinxia’s white dress was stained red. She cried in the middle of the pool of blood. This was her first day as the Goddess, but she could not resurrect any of them from the dead. What had their supreme pureness and the heartfelt protection brought to her? They had been like seeds yearning for light. How humble and fragile they were in the wild and barbaric world. … The glory light of the Parthenon Temple lasted all night. The believers, dressed in monk robes, meticulously washed the blood stains on the steps with buckets of water. A strong breeze blew in from the sea, causing the flowers that had bloomed all over the Parthenon Temple mountains to fall. Parthenon Mountain was filled with the intoxicating fragrance of flowers. Ye Xinxia’s white dress was stained red with blood. She walked back to the Hall of the Goddess in a soulless state. Everyone inside the hall smiled happily. They held a large bouquet of white and flawless olive flowers and chatted incessantly. Ye Xinxia did not hear a word from them. She kept walking until she reached a quiet place where she belonged. A middle-aged man approached Ye Xinxia. “Xinxia, what’s wrong?” Mo Xinjia looked at her. After so many years, this was his first time seeing Ye Xinxia in her current state. She looked as if her soul had been sucked away. Shouldn’t they be celebrating the occasion? Shouldn’t she feel happy after winning the election? Why did she look sadder than someone who lost a competition after many years of hard work? Ye Xinxia looked up to see Mo Jiaxin’s worried face. “Are you not feeling well? Let’s go home.” Mo Jiaxin was worried. For some reason, he wanted to take her away from this place. While the rest of the people could not see through her calm expression, Ye Xinxia was Mo Jiaxin’s daughter, so he was aware of how dejected she was at that moment. It did not matter even if she gave up being the Goddess. If this was what becoming the Goddess brought to her, then she might as well leave it all and follow him home. At the very least, she had Mo Jiaxin and Mo Fan with her at home. Ye Xinxia would always be the apple of their eyes. Mo Jiaxin and Mo Fan never let her suffer any grievance. They did not want to make her sad. But looking at her in her current state, Mo Jiaxin was very worried. Even though she did not speak a single word, he knew she was trying not to collapse. As her father, Mo Jiaxin could not stop himself from tearing up. Was she still the same Xinxia that he and Mo Fan had given their everything to protect? If he only knew Ye Xinxia would suffer like this, he would have done everything to prevent her from coming to a place like this. She was an ordinary girl. She was soft and frail. She had difficulty walking, so she always needed someone’s help to take care of her. Mo Jiaxin and Mo Fan were the most important people in her life. When he looked into her eyes, he sensed the purity of her heart. She had never been polluted by the complicated world. A girl like her made them want to protect her at all costs. They could not bear to see her getting hurt. Although she only had him and Mo Fan as her family, they could protect her well. Why did she return to Parthenon Temple? Several thousands of people surrounded her and failed to take good care of her. She looked as if she had been to hell and back. What was the purpose of becoming the Goddess? She should have stayed at the university and spent time with the people who were as gentle as her. She should have done things that she enjoyed. She should have lived a carefree life just like any other ordinary girl. “Let’s go home. You don’t need to care about things here anymore, alright?” Mo Jiaxin tried to comfort her. Ye Xinxia’s pale face showed some emotion upon hearing Mo Jiaxin’s words. She longed to go back home. If only she could forget everything that happened in the temple… She tried to hold back her tears, but her eyes blurred with them anyway. “Don’t cry. If Mo Fan saw you in this state, he would certainly tear Parthenon Temple apart.” Mo Jiaxin’s heart bled for her, but he did not know how to help her. Ye Xinxia wiped her tears. Despite her congested nasal passages and tightened throat, she took a few deep breaths to steady herself. “You once told me that if someone close to us passes away, we could plant a tree in the courtyard…” Ye Xinxia sobbed. “Yes. A while ago, I helped a lady plant a pear tree. Where do you want to plant it? Let me help you.” Mo Jiaxin felt great relief hearing her finally speak. “There…” said Ye Xinxia. She pointed at a forest. It was the same forest she always saw when she woke up in the morning.