Chapter 448: Seizing!
Xu Qing was feeling very nervous. Four days had passed since the spiritghost inspection. During that time, Xu Qing had collected a bit over a thousand dao fruits. And word had spread about the Captain going out and about to provide blessings that improved caste status. Thanks to the way the Captain operated, he had amassed quite a bit of valuable treasure.
But their true goal was the Ten Entrails Tree, which had not yet bloomed.
The more time that passed, the more uneasy Xu Qing felt. It was the same type of uneasy feeling he had experienced when he first arrived in the county capital. Both feelings came from his ‘heavenly dao bluegreen dragon.’
Another factor was that he hadn’t seen Mu Ye for quite some time. Based on what he could sense, Mu Ye was in a distant location.
They probably sent him to one of the royal dynasties.... Xu Qing checked the dao fruit he had harvested and calculated how much it would be worth in military credit. At that point, his desire to leave grew even stronger. But the Captain wasn’t ready to give up yet.
“Let’s just stay one more day, little Ah Qing! Tomorrow I have a big customer coming to get blessed. Besides, I heard that people have sensed fluctuations of change coming from the Ten Entrails Tree. I bet it’ll bloom tomorrow.
“If we wait just a bit longer, our big opportunity will definitely come along. Once we get into the depths of Ten Entrails of the True Immortal, this job will really pay off. I’ve been waiting for this day for a really long time.” The Captain looked at him with a crazy look in his eyes, licking his lips in anticipation.
“The dao fruits on the periphery can’t be eaten. But based on my research, little Ah Qing, the Ten Entrails Tree can be eaten. And believe me, it’s anything but ordinary. Every single bite contains an explosion of spirit energy. You want to speed up your cultivation too, right? Well I guarantee you’ll be able to.
"Most importantly, little Ah Qing... your Eldest Brother is preparing to give you a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering, absolutely consummate and spectacular bit of amazing good fortune! I can’t explain the details right now, as it’s too miraculous. You’ll have to see it to believe it. Trust me!
“Now, about making our getaway, I have it all planned out. I have a very amazing treasure that can teleport us all the way back to Sea-Sealing County. It’s ridiculously expensive to use, and that’s why I need to get to the Ten Entrails Tree before I can use it.”
Xu Qing took a moment to think about everything that had played out so far. Then he gritted his teeth and agreed to wait another day.
Eventually, night fell on the fourth day.
Late in that night, as Xu Qing was studying the Nightshade divine likeness, his expression flickered as he sensed something. He had vaguely felt something from the direction of the Ten Entrails of the True Immortal Tree. It was something sudden, like a burning flame that had just been ignited. By the time he looked in the direction of the tree, it was gone.
His eyes glittered brightly.
Was that what Mu Ye and the Captain mentioned? The supernatural phenomenon caused by the Ten Entrails Tree?
After peering out into the darkness for a short time, he closed his eyes.
Shortly thereafter, he again sensed that burning flame. This time, when Xu Qing looked over, he felt like he could see a figure in a white robe, undulating rhythmically as it rose up into the sky in the midst of the fire. No, it wasn’t a figure. There were many figures, all of them, rising into the sky as if dancing. Their movements were bizarre and full of mystery, as if this was some ceremony or rite designed to please heaven on high. As they danced, the flames climbed higher. They grew stronger.
Xu Qing heard pulsing sounds in his mind, sounds that seemed like they wanted to replace the thump of his heartbeat. There was chanting as ancient incantations were spoken in a tone of voice Xu Qing had never encountered before. Gradually, the sky in this vision split open. A huge rift appeared, within which was an unspeakable entity looking down at the lands below, as if waiting.
After some indeterminable period of time passed, an excited voice spoke, coming from the dancing figure in the middle of all the other figures. He shoved his right hand down, ripping open his belly and pulling out his own entrails, which writhed like snakes as he lifted them overhead. As he danced, and as the sound of drums thrummed, his entrails twisted and distorted. The other figures around him, all tore open their bellies, and more entrails whipped in the breeze. It was a horrendous sight.
The vision contained a bizarre power that influenced Xu Qing’s senses, and filled him with an unstoppable impulse to join them in ripping open his belly.
Just when he was about to do that, his third and fourth heavenly palaces vibrated. His poison core and the violet moon pulsed, causing his mind to shiver. Then the impulse to rip open his belly weakened.
Then he sensed that, in the direction of the Ten Entrails Tree, the sea of fire had expanded, becoming like a sea of blood that filled the world. Xu Qing shivered and opened his eyes. The vision was over.
It was light outside. As the sky beyond the canopy lit up, so did the human-shaped lanterns hanging beneath the canopy. At the same time, a burning smell swept out from the Ten Entrails Tree, filling everything underneath the canopy. Xu Qing could smell it. It reminded him of cooked flesh. It was pungent and acrid, at least when he smelled it. Then he took another breath, and it became sweet like incense.
Xu Qing’s sixth heavenly palace was more than half complete thanks to the slaughter in Unit C. But now, thanks to this incense, he could sense it progressing more toward completion.
His eyes lit up.
The Captain also sensed the same thing, and he rushed out of his palace residence, his eyes shining with craziness and longing.
“The Ten Entrails Tree is blooming!”
As the words left his mouth, an intense boom echoed out from the direction of the huge tree. Then another, and another, until there had been twelve of them, each louder than the other.
Everything trembled.
Next, Xu Qing watched as the massive canopy overhead seemed to shrink, allowing sunlight to fall onto the area beneath, which had been hidden in shadow for a hundred years.
However, closer inspection revealed that the canopy wasn’t actually shrinking. Instead, the twisting branches of the tree were separating from each other.
The process took about an hour. As the sky grew brighter outside, and more sunlight filtered down, the canopy... disappeared.
The ten tree branches all spread out in different directions, making them visible for all to see. Ten branches like ten entrails, swaying between heaven and earth! Countless fruits appeared on them, like innumerable eyes looking out.
Xu Qing stood. This was the moment they had been waiting for. He and the Captain looked at each other, and both could see the excitement in the other’s eyes. Then, without the slightest hesitation, they burst into motion. Qing Qiu and Ning Yan were also stunned by the huge tree, but before either of them could do much, Xu Qing waved his hand for them to follow. The entire group was just about to fly up into the sky over Heaven Zenith when, all of a sudden, the duchy’s teleportation portal shone with bright light. A host of figures in black garments appeared.
In the lead was a middle-aged man who, like Duke Heaven Zenith, had a Spirit Trove cultivation base. After stepping off the teleportation portal, he spotted Xu Qing and the Captain and flew straight toward them.
The other black-robed individuals flew in tight formation behind him, their expressions somber and desolate. There were a total of three hundred, with the weakest of them in the four-palace level. There were about forty who had seven- or eight-palace battle prowess, and there were ten in the Nascent Soul level.
The moment they appeared, Xu Qing and the Captain felt their hearts sink. Qing Qiu and Ning Yan inhaled sharply.
Their garments made them seem even more harsh and austere. After all, the black robes had ginkgo leaves embroidered on them, which all swordsages would recognize. They pegged these people as the swordsages’ deadly counterpart in the Holytides. They were from... the Black Guard. Considering that their uniforms were all exactly the same, they were obviously a single unit.
Though the Captain had never encountered the middle-aged man in the Spirit Trove level, Xu Qing had.
The first time was when he and Kong Xianglong had killed that quasi-Nascent Soul Black Guard cultivator. This man had been there, enraged and unable to do anything. The second time was at the Swordsage Palace when the Yao Clan brought in Xu Qing and the others for questioning. Today was the third encounter! [1]
I can’t believe it’s him! Killing intent flickered in Xu Qing’s heart as the man led his Black Guard subordinates in their direction.
As they neared, Xu Qing was able to get a close look at the entire group. As he scanned them, one person stood out. He was a young, handsome man with a spectacular cultivation base. He wasn’t in the Nascent Soul, but he did have nine-palace battle prowess. His Black Guard robe had two silver gingko leaves on it, which was one more than all the other Gold Core cultivators, and the same number as the ten Nascent Soul experts. What jumped out to Xu Qing was that this young man had a life lamp in him. Because it had been turned into a heavenly palace, most people wouldn’t notice it. But Xu Qing could tell that it was a blue stone lamp carved into the shape of a lantern.
As Xu Qing examined the young man, the middle-aged leader approached and clasped hands in greeting.
“I am Commandant Zhou Xingwu of the Heavengale Black Guard, here to receive you and provide an escort to the Heavengale Kingdom!” [2]
After Zhou Xingwu’s introduction, the other Black Guard cultivators fanned out into an arc formation and also clasped hands in greeting.
Qing Qiu and Ning Yan looked on nervously.
As for Xu Qing, he remained calm and refrained from speaking. The Captain, meanwhile, lifted his chin and frowned slightly.
“You’re dismissed. You don’t get to decide whether or not we go to the kingdom of Heavengale.”
Face completely expressionless, Zhou Xingwu ignored the Captain and looked at Xu Qing. “I come with royal authority and have been given a responsibility. Exalted one, I hope you don’t make things difficult for me.”
He was aware that Xu Qing was the one who was supposedly a godchild with an amazing bloodline. But he had his orders, and of course, as a Black Guard cultivator, he had his own ways of getting things done when necessary.
As such, he lifted his right hand. In response, the other Black Guard cultivators spread out, forming a complete circle. That said, they didn’t unleash baleful auras. Instead, they kept their heads bowed respectfully and didn’t even tap into their cultivation bases.
Seeing that, the Captain’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak. Except, that was when Xu Qing unexpectedly spoke.
“What’s your name?”
Zhou Xingwu’s eyes narrowed slightly. Following Xu Qing’s line of sight, he realized that he was speaking to the son of the provincial governor, who was one of the cultivators under his command.
The young man stepped forward, his expression cold as he clasped his hands and said, “Exalted one, I am your humble servant Lin Yuandong.” [3]
Xu Qing nodded.
“Zhou Xingwu, extract his life lamp. I want it.”
1. The first time Xu Qing saw this person was in chapter 420. The second time was in chapter 425. ☜
2. Zhou Xingwu. Zhou is #10 on the list of 100 common surnames. Xing is a character with many definitions. In this context, it gives the feeling of movement or action. Wu means “witch, wizard, shaman.” Madam Deathblade says this name sounds cool and unique. Somewhat dark. Also not a name an ordinary real-life parent would give their kid. ☜
3. Lin Yuandong: Lin is #18 on the list of 100 common surnames. It also means “forest, woods.” Yuan means “far, distant” and Dong means “east.” Together ‘yuandong’ is actually a loan word that means “Far East.” Madam Deathblade’s impression of this name is that it sounds a bit rustic and ordinary. ☜