While Lu Jun was under house arrest on his side—
Mo Fan and the other National Institute team members went to find Shao Zheng, Pang Lai, Han Ji, and the other high-ranking officials.
Originally, Shao Zheng had been in a great mood because his own team had just won the championship, but the moment he heard that Lu Jun had been taken away by the people from the Holy City, his expression darkened and anger rose instantly. This was unacceptable!
"Don't panic. I'll go to the Parthenon Temple immediately to demand him back from Dulank."
Shao Zheng spoke sternly, "As for your relative, Mo Fan—Ye Xinxia—if she voluntarily gives up her position as the Parthenon Saintess candidate, then I'll bring her back as well."
The group wasted no time and immediately rushed to the Parthenon.
At this moment, on the Parthenon's Goddess Peak, inside a grand and luxurious hall, the Great Sage Merola was speaking with the Holy City's Chief Judge, Dulank.
Upon hearing the news passed up by his subordinates, Dulank's brows furrowed deeply. "The Chinese are here this fast?!"
Merola's expression was unpleasant, and she said in a low voice, "You acted too hastily. You almost ruined our Lord's grand plan."
"However…" Merola's tone shifted, "No one can enter the Parthenon without an official summons, unless they go through the Stellar River Path. I have my ways to stall them for a few days. You should begin your operation immediately."
At the foot of Goddess Peak, Mo Fan was pacing anxiously in circles, while Shao Zheng managed to keep his composure, though inwardly his dissatisfaction grew by the minute.
The Parthenon Temple's response was sluggish. Though the reception ceremony was grand and courteous, the etiquette process was overly complicated, wasting a great deal of time.
A whole day passed just like that.
That night, Shao Zheng and the others were not even allowed to request a meeting—it was deemed improper and discourteous. The upper echelons of Goddess Peak were all women; there was no reason to have a conversation at midnight. Moreover, they were not permitted to wander freely.
The next day, Jiang Shaoxu came running in haste, waving her phone and shouting, "This is bad! The evidence against Lu Jun is deemed insufficient. The Parthenon has ruled that Salan isn't truly dead, and the death of Saintess Andre is suspected to be connected!"
"Oh, and there's more—Lu Jun is accused of using forbidden magic. He's to be detained for a month."
Shao Zheng glanced at the report, his anger surging uncontrollably. This wasn't just a stain on Lu Jun's name—it was an insult to our Country's honor.
"These people move really fast."
He let out a cold snort. "I'll have them issue an official protest immediately. We must see Lu Jun."
Mo Fan, furious, cursed out loud, "Those Parthenon bitches!"
"The Holy City holds enormous power. It might take time and negotiations to free Lu Jun, but Xinxia should be able to leave right away."
With Shao Zheng's keen insight, and based on the information Mo Fan had provided, he quickly pinpointed the core issue. At first glance, Lu Jun's house arrest, Salan's death certificate, and taking Xinxia away seemed like three separate matters but in truth, they were one and the same.
They all pointed toward the Parthenon's Saintess succession. If Xinxia withdrew from the contest, the other two matters would naturally collapse.
But would this hidden faction within the Parthenon really let Xinxia go so easily?
This time, to everyone's surprise, it was the Matron of the Temple herself who appeared.
At Goddess Peak, the Matron said calmly, "Regarding the championship reward—the Divine Seal Benediction—I've already completed the preparations. In a few days, the people of China can come receive the blessing. If you miss it, it won't be held again."
Hearing this, Shao Zheng frowned. He knew that after receiving the Divine Seal Benediction, the recipient would need a full month to stabilize and digest its power. This was clearly a stalling tactic.
Mo Fan protested outright, "Can't your side wait just a bit? Don't forget that Zhao Manyan and Lu Jun are both still detained!"
The Matron looked regretful. "I'm afraid that's impossible. The ritual has been prepared long in advance. I only just learned of this matter myself—if you miss it, you'll have to wait until the Saintess ascends."
"Damn it," Mo Fan cursed under his breath. "They're deliberately tying my hands!"
Fortunately, Shao Zheng stepped in and said directly, "One of our National Institute members has a family member studying under you. I wish to take her away now."
He didn't bother with niceties or formalities—he made his demand outright.
"This matter…" The Matron's expression turned troubled. "You mean Xinxia? That child is incredibly gifted. It would be such a waste. Besides, before the Saintess position is finalized, a candidate is forbidden to leave or withdraw."
"Damn it!" Mo Fan's temper flared. He was about to throw a punch—nothing worked, everything was blocked.
The Matron offered comfort, "It will all be settled soon—within a month. By the time you finish the Divine Seal Benediction, the results will be decided."
No matter how anxious Shao Zheng or Mo Fan were, they had no choice but to negotiate. Directly provoking both major powers was impossible.
One must remember—later, even when Mo Fan, with all his fame and halos, was captured by the Holy City's Archangel Sariel and taken to the Holy City, Chinese still didn't act rashly.
Moreover, even the other National Institute members who had come with them began wavering. People like Guan Yu and Dongfang Lie—descendants of major clans—were anxious to accept the blessing once they heard that missing the Divine Seal Benediction meant waiting an extremely long time.
In their view, the only real problem was Captain Lu Jun being under house arrest; as for Xinxia, those were just exaggerated worries. Even Mo Fan's sense of danger was based purely on intuition—he didn't know the full truth.
Even Shao Zheng eventually advised Mo Fan to calm down. "First, take the Divine Seal Benediction. I'll find a way."
Mo Fan felt utterly frustrated but then he suddenly remembered something. Right, the Stellar River Path!
That road could bypass all of the Parthenon's restrictions and lead directly to the Goddess Peak to meet a high-ranking figure—no one, under any circumstance, could interfere.
The Stellar River Path was a special route leading to the summit of Goddess Peak, inscribed with powerful seals that suppressed all mages' cultivation to below the High-Tier and to pass through, one would have to overcome its trials.
Along the way were four great checkpoints, each guarded by a terrifying demon creature.
It was said that, originally, the Parthenon Temple had no such path. Long ago, a Greek soldier had foreseen the outbreak of a great catastrophe and sought to ascend the mountain to warn and plead for aid.
However, because his rank was too low, he was denied an audience with the higher authorities, and in the end, he was powerless to prevent the disaster from descending upon them.
Afterward, the Parthenon suffered grievous losses. In deep remorse, they changed their ways and ordered the construction of the Stellar River Path.
Although Mo Fan thought this story sounded rather far-fetched, and that the Stellar River Path was more symbolic than practical, it was indeed his only chance to see Xinxia.
Mo Fan hurried to ask Pang Lai about it, as the man had once, in his youth, attempted to force his way through the Stellar River Path.
But Pang Lai shook his head and said, "I advise you not to get any ideas. This path is harder to ascend than the heavens themselves. Unless your Lightning Element has reached the Heaven Seed level, or you possess both a Soul Seed and the Divine Seal Benediction technique, otherwise…"
Hearing this, Mo Fan secretly made up his mind. Not strong enough? Then after receiving the Divine Seal Benediction, I'll make my move. I must take Xinxia away.
On the third day, atop an altar on Goddess Peak, the Sacred Tree stood tall, cascading thousands of auspicious rays of light like flowing ribbons of silk. The skies were filled with divine radiance, and solemn chanting echoed across the mountains.
The Matron stood bathed in holy light, her figure as sacred and radiant as a deity descended to the mortal realm.
One by one, the National Institute members received the Divine Seal Benediction, then hurried back into seclusion to stabilize and absorb it.
At the beginning, the Divine Seal Benediction bestowed a 2.5-fold increase to one's base power, which would gradually diminish over time. For ordinary mages, being able to retain even a 1.5-fold enhancement was already considered remarkable. Even so, this blessing to a single magic element was equivalent in value to a Water-Avoiding Bead.
As Mo Fan worked hard to refine the energy, he unexpectedly discovered that the Little Loach Pendant was assisting him, slowing down the dissipation of the blessing's energy and further raising the limit of how much could be stabilized.
Could it ultimately reach double?
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
Patreon. Com/ALLISWELL123