Chapter Seventy-Five: The Moment of Departure

“What about Zilong?” Ruolan turned her gaze to the young man beside her.

Tonghu smiled but said nothing.

Yin Seventeen shook his head helplessly. To be chosen and accepted as the personal disciple of a Gold Saint already spoke volumes.

Zilong was undoubtedly the designated successor for the Libra Gold Saint.

“By the way, Master Tonghu, when we left Sanctuary, His Holiness the Pope asked us to convey his greetings to you!” Yin Seventeen bowed respectfully to the elder once more.

Ruolan, her expression solemn, followed suit.

Though she was usually carefree, she knew that matters like this allowed for no carelessness.

“The Pope, hmm? Hahaha…”

Yin Seventeen could detect a trace of disdain in the old man’s laughter.

He knew there were hidden currents in these matters, but as a mere Silver Saint, he was far from qualified to get involved.

All he could do was mind his own business and pretend he’d heard nothing.

But unfortunately, Tonghu was not about to let him off so easily.

“Young man, what do you think the Pope is? What is the Goddess? Between the Pope and the Goddess, who stands above and who below?” The old man fired question after question at Yin Seventeen.

Ruolan, standing nearby, nearly answered on instinct, but her mouth hung open without a word. This was not an easy question at all.

“Well…” Yin Seventeen wanted to brush it off, but the sharp glint in the elder’s eyes forced him to set aside his evasive thoughts.

Clearly, this old fox Tonghu was testing him.

A wrong answer might make him an enemy, and that would be a terrible outcome.

After a moment’s thought, Yin Seventeen replied slowly, “The Pope is the Goddess’s representative on earth, and when the Goddess is absent, he temporarily leads Sanctuary in her stead.”

“So, when the Goddess is present, naturally she is the master and the Pope is subordinate.”

The answer was simple enough. Yet, the relationship between the current Pope and the Goddess was delicate, and Yin Seventeen had no desire to get caught in that tangled web, so he would have preferred not to answer.

“Very good, very good!” Tonghu beamed, clearly satisfied.

Three days later, Yin Seventeen and his companion bid farewell to Tonghu at Five Elder Peak.

Though they had stayed for only three short days, the guidance they received from Tonghu was invaluable.

“Master Tonghu, we’ve been away from Sanctuary for over ten days now. It’s time we return,” Yin Seventeen said respectfully.

“Yes.” The old man nodded, then solemnly added, “Indeed, you should return.”

“I can sense, from the far side of the Pacific, a most ominous presence gathering.”

“I fear war is about to break out in Sanctuary!”

Saints had already stepped beyond the bounds of mortals; though still human in form, they were set apart by otherworldly power. They could sense the omens of fortune and disaster.

The ominous aura from across the Pacific conjured in him the specter of war.

“Is this the beginning of the Holy War?” Ruolan asked, her face tense.

“No,” Tonghu shook his head. “Neither the Sea Realm nor the Underworld has made any unusual moves. This is not their doing, but the meddling of evil gods from beyond the world.”

Five years ago, the evil gods shook the laws of the world, weakening its barriers and allowing a great many of them to infiltrate.

And now, with the Holy War approaching, the situation was graver than ever.

Ruolan let out a long breath. “So it’s just the evil gods from beyond. In that case, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“With a Gold Saint like Master Tonghu, peace will surely return to the land!”

She had not forgotten how, in the Nile region, Lord Shura had so effortlessly slain that possessed evil god.

“You silly rabbit. If you take the evil gods so lightly, you might just lose your life.” Tonghu glanced at the girl, his eyes full of warning.

Feeling the gravity in his gaze, Ruolan shivered.

“This time is not like those petty disturbances. This is true war! War claims many, many lives.”

“Even Gold Saints are no exception.”

At those words, the ring on Yin Seventeen’s left hand sent a strange ripple into his heart.

The Goblet Saint Cloth was calling to him, urging him to manifest it.

Though he didn’t understand why, he patiently poured his cosmos into the ring.

In an instant, the ring on his left hand transformed into a streak of silver light that fell to the ground, finally becoming a silver, short-stemmed goblet.

“Eh? Why did you manifest your Cloth?” Ruolan exclaimed in surprise at the sight of the enormous silver goblet.

Zilong, meanwhile, looked on with curiosity.

He had seen Ruolan’s Lepus Cloth before, but never Yin Seventeen’s Goblet Cloth.

This was his first time seeing it.

Apart from curiosity, however, there was a faint envy in his heart.

After all, that was a Silver Cloth. The “Dragon” Cloth his master had prepared for him was only a Bronze Cloth.

Tonghu looked at the goblet with a face full of nostalgia. Rising slowly, he walked over on unsteady legs.

“In the blink of an eye, it’s been over two centuries,” the old man murmured, his rough hands gently caressing the silver goblet, heart overflowing with emotion.

Shuijing, my old friend, I miss you.

“By the way, why did you suddenly manifest the Goblet Cloth, young man?” After his moment of remembrance, Tonghu looked to Yin Seventeen.

Yin Seventeen scratched his head, puzzled. “Just as you mentioned war, Master, the Goblet Cloth stirred. It seemed to have something to tell me and wanted me to manifest it.”

“What does it wish to tell you?” Tonghu was briefly taken aback, then his eyes lit up in understanding. “That’s the unique power of the Goblet Cloth. From time to time, it’s triggered to reflect an image from the River of Fate.”

“It reveals something related to the conditions that set it off.”

As the close friend of the previous Goblet Saint, he knew the Cloth well.

“So it’s a prophecy? That’s amazing!” Ruolan was clearly excited.

“No, not a prophecy,” Tonghu shook his head. “It could also be a glimpse into the past.”

In the River of Fate, time had no meaning. The images reflected by the Goblet Cloth could be past events or visions of the yet-unborn future.

“Oh! That’s right! The Goblet Cloth’s brand did mention such an ability! But I’ve never triggered it once since receiving it, so I’d forgotten all about it!” Yin Seventeen laughed wryly.

The brand made it clear—the Goblet Cloth’s power to reflect the River of Fate could not be controlled at will, only triggered by chance, so he hadn’t thought much of it.

Today was his first encounter with it, so he hadn’t reacted in time.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Show us what it’s reflecting!” Ruolan urged eagerly.