“The planet has a name. Planet Ancient Emperor! It’s not just the imperial palace constructed by Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity. There’s also a legacy in it that, supposedly, only people with imperial energy can gain enlightenment of. To this day, none of the successive imperial clans have succeeded at it.”
As Princess Anhai led them along, she continued to introduce the Imperial Region to everyone. “I once had the chance to read some ancient records that talked about the origin of the huge statue of the Ancient Emperor that rests on the planet. It wasn’t always there. After the Ancient Emperor left, that statue was brought from beyond the heavens by Emperor Mirrorcloud. Along with it came a dharmic decree from the holy lands. The ancient records I was reading didn’t explain what was in that decree. Few people know the details.
“Although Planet Ancient Emperor is considered the ancestral land of all humankind, it’s also a restricted area. You can only go inside to seek enlightenment during special time periods.”
As Xu Qing and everyone else learned more about the Imperial Region, they got closer and closer. Everyone was listening very closely to the information. As for the Captain, he looked at Planet Ancient Emperor with deep longing hidden in his eyes.
Damn. In my attempts to get in there, I died multiple times in past lives... and never succeeded. Then his gaze fell to the abyss, and he sighed again. I never got in there either.
Plumdark had a complicated expression on her face. She looked at Planet Ancient Emperor with reminiscence flickering in her eyes. It wasn’t lost on her that the planet up ahead was her home in a past life.
Although Ningyan didn’t know as much about Planet Ancient Emperor as Princess Anhai, he had grown up here, so he was used to the general concept. As she explained all the history and other information, he nodded frequently.
Wu Jianwu was visibly excited, and was convinced that he had an eighty to ninety percent chance of improving his poetry here. He could only imagine what poems might be there to be found in the imperial palace chambers.
As for Xu Qing, his attention wasn’t focused solely on Planet Ancient Emperor. He was looking through the rings to the abyss beneath the Imperial Region.
Princess Anhai had mentioned a legend that this very abyss led to a place called ‘Brilliant Heaven.’ Although few people could know what Brilliant Heaven was, after what Xu Qing had experienced in the Moonrite Region... he had an idea of what it was. It was the original home of both Crimson Mother and Li Zihua. It was also a highly suppressed taboo in Revered Ancient.As Princess Anhai continued with her introduction, she started talking about something that completely interrupted Xu Qing’s train of thought. “Legacies have been left behind on the planet by various heavenly marquises, heavenly kings, and Grand Emperors who died in battle over the years. There are also legacies from heavenly marquises and heavenly kings who left for the holy lands.
“The last person to leave behind a legacy was Grand Emperor Swordsage, who was the very last Grand Emperor of humankind. In order to make sure humanity wasn’t wiped out in war, he left a clone behind in the Imperial Region. The legacy left behind by the Grand Emperor is The Emperor’s Sword. It’s located in the depths of Planet Ancient Emperor, where it has remained buried for countless years....” [1]
Xu Qing looked back at Planet Ancient Emperor. To him, Grand Emperor Swordsage had deep significance. One of his main goals for this trip was to find the Grand Emperor and bow to him.
“Your Majesty Anhai,” he said suddenly, “is Grand Emperor Swordsage’s clone on Planet Ancient Emperor, or....”
It was the first time he’d spoken since arriving at the Imperial Region.
Princess Anhai was more than happy to answer his question. “Grand Emperor Swordsage’s clone turned into a statue, but it’s not on Planet Ancient Emperor. It’s outside, where it forms the final line of defense for the ancestral lands of all humankind. It’ll take a few more teleportations to reach the inner ring, and the imperial capital. Once we’re there, you can see it for yourself.”
Xu Qing nodded as they continued on their way.
Time passed. Because of having Princess Anhai with them, they were able to proceed through the Imperial Region without any trouble. Three more teleportations later, which was early in the morning of the next day, they finally saw the imperial capital.
That was also where Xu Qing spotted... Grand Emperor Swordsage!
The entire inner ring was the capital. Along its borders were numerous towering black towers, along with a host of statues. They circled around the entire Planet Ancient Emperor. Each statue was different in style and form. All were human, and they included men and women, old and young. They all had varying facial expressions. The seven emotions and six sensory pleasures were all visible on different statues.
“The black towers are part of the imperial capital’s grand spell formation. The statues, with the exception of the statue of Grand Emperor Swordsage, were all built by later generations. They’re the saints and emperors who have died in the years since the time of the Ancient Emperors.
“Among them are the original one-hundred-and-eight heavenly marquises, the thirty-three heavenly kings of the past, and nine Grand Emperors.
“Unfortunately, humankind fell into decline. Later on, Emperor Eastglory had twenty-seven heavenly kings who qualified to become statues here. But after the Darkheaven Rebellion, humankind truly fell into dark times. During Emperor Sageheaven’s time, only five heavenly kings could qualify. Things seemed to go well during the reign of Emperor Mirrorcloud, yet there were only six heavenly kings who qualified then.
“By the time Emperor Dao Life came, no one qualified other than the emperor himself. Now here we are, in the Dark War calendar, and things haven’t changed.” Princess Anhai sighed softly.
Off to the side, Kong Xianglong, who had been silent the whole time, couldn’t hold back from asking, “What cultivation base is required to qualify?”
“Imperial Sovereign. In the time of the Ancient Emperors, only Imperial Sovereigns could serve as heavenly marquises. The so-called heavenly marquises were like nobility from heaven, who could crush all the lands of an entire region.
“Only peak Imperial Sovereigns could become heavenly kings. Heavenly kings could crush multiple regions, or just one, depending on their whim. And the orders of heavenly kings could only be surpassed by those of the emperor.”
At this point, Princess Anhai looked at Xu Qing. “Senior Li Zihua of the Moonrite Region was an Imperial Sovereign, and thus, he was one of the heavenly kings that served the Ancient Emperor of the time. He has a statue here as well.”
“What about the Grand Emperors?” Xu Qing said.
“In the days of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity, many species would produce Grand Emperors. That said, they were relatively rare. Only humans, who benefited from the destiny aura of Revered Ancient, were able to produce nine. Their cultivation base surpassed that of the Imperial Sovereigns. As a result, they were also called... Quasi-Immortals. After the time of the Ancient Emperors, even now, there are no species who have produced Grand Emperors.” [2]
“Quasi-Immortal...” Xu Qing murmured, his eyes gleaming as he looked in the direction of the inner ring. He saw all the statues there, and also noticed that, in front of all the other statues, there was one particular statue that looked different.
It depicted a middle-aged man who initially seemed like a scholar. But if you looked closer, you would see a sharp glint in his eyes. He seemed domineering, as if his anger could shatter the ground in front of him and set the dome of heaven ablaze. It was as if his gaze was the type that could even kill gods. His hands were clasped behind his back, and a towering sword energy pulsed from behind him, becoming dazzling white light. All-in-all the statue was extremely realistic, as if he was a real person standing there. He was the last Grand Emperor of humankind, and also the only one who didn’t leave with Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity. He stayed behind to make sure humankind wasn’t wiped out in war. He was Grand Emperor Swordsage.
As Xu Qing looked at the statue, he took in a deep breath and inclined his head respectfully. At the same time, he asked Princess Anhai a question that he had wondered about for a long time. “What cultivation base did Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity have?”
Everyone else looked over. The Captain seemed extremely curious. Only Plumdark kept her gaze on Planet Ancient Emperor.
Anhai was silent for a moment. Then she sighed.
“Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity’s cultivation base is a bit of a mystery. That said, there are some imperial records that contain a description of him.
“Toward the end of the rebellion, the emperor came from the south. When he stepped onto Receiving Prefecture, the lands quaked to meet him. The heavenly daos blessed him from the dome of heaven, calling him a Quasi-Immortal. Three thousand years later, humans were once again in power. Countless species offered worship, and Grand Emperors bowed their heads, all of them calling him a Summer Immortal.”
Xu Qing’s pupils constricted.
“Summer Immortal!” Plumdark said from off to the side. “Despite all the species that exist and all the years that have passed, he was... the last Summer Immortal in Revered Ancient.”
Everyone in the group suddenly looked over at Plumdark. Even Princess Anhai did so. Plumdark closed her eyes and said nothing further. Everyone stood there silently.
Xu Qing had long since noticed that Plumdark seemed to be wrestling old memories, and thus chose not to ask any further questions. They proceeded on their way. As they neared, the statue of Grand Emperor Swordsage became easier to see. As for the black towers in between the statues, they glittered with mysterious light that spread out, connecting all of the towers and encircling the imperial capital.
Meanwhile, streams of divine sense emerged from the inner ring, along with numerous gazes. All of them locked onto Xu Qing and his group. The divine will and gazes contained different sensations. Some of them were on guard, some had mixed feelings, some were simply curious, some were hostile, and some seemed judgmental....
Although Xu Qing had never been to the imperial capital before, his name had long since reached these parts.
He was the most respected person in his region, backed by multiple Smoldering Gods, and the leader of the Nightshade high priests. He had participated in the killing of a god, and was also responsible for the death of King Heaventide.... Because of that, the imperial princes, princesses, and other nobility had no choice but to take him seriously. And of course, from the moment he stepped onto the teleportation portal to begin his journey, intelligence reports about him had circulated, which many people studied closely. Now, he had finally arrived.
They stopped at the void that led to the inner ring. As they stood there, Xu Qing could sense the terrifying power of the grand spell formation protecting the imperial capital. It contained a boundless mightiness, as well as the power to inspect anyone. If you entered the bounds of that spell formation, every secret within you would be revealed, including anything in your bag of holding. Normally speaking, such a high level of security wouldn’t be used outside of extraordinary circumstances. After all, just about everyone who came and went from the imperial capital had lots of secrets.
Xu Qing frowned and looked at Anhai.
She also frowned, took out a jade slip, and sent a message. She didn’t look very happy. “A few days ago some nonhuman agents showed up and triggered the grand spell formation. Since then, it’s been on high alert, scanning everything....”
The Captain sidled over to Xu Qing, smiled, and said, “It’s a pretext that no one could possibly find fault with. They want to use the imperial capital’s spell formation to scan us. Interesting. Seems the people here really are clever and shrewd. And dangerous.”
1. The name of the legacy technique is the same as the imperial-class technique used by the swordsages that Xu Qing learned a while ago. It’s not explained outright, but I think the idea is that this is the ultimate/complete version of that technique, or perhaps a parent technique to it. ☜
2. I try to avoid what I call “term cross-over” in which one English word is used as a translation for two different Chinese characters/words. But sometimes it happens, and it’s very evident here. The author actually uses a few different characters that I’m all rendering as ‘emperor.’ Not only do we have some ‘emperor’ uses that are referring to cultivation levels, but also, we have the actual ruler of humankind, who is also ‘emperor.’ Generally speaking, I capitalized cultivation levels, so that’s one way to easily tell the difference. The lower-case ‘emperor’ is referring to the rulership title, not anything related to cultivation. To make things more confusing, I’ve been capitalizing Ancient Emperor, yet as you will find out in this chapter, that’s not exclusively understood to be a cultivation level per se. I feel like I’m already getting into the weeds here, so to make things simple, just refer to the information in the narrative of this chapter to understanding the cultivation levels, and also, remember that the human emperor’s title isn’t necessarily indicative of the level of his cultivation base. ☜
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