Chapter 764: Dancing in Vain to the East Wind
Xu Qing thought about it for a moment. He was getting the sensation that, as more of the chosen succeeded at gaining enlightenment, the summoning call from Planet Ancient Emperor was getting stronger. He couldn’t be absolutely certain. But it felt like the clouds and auspicious light were somehow strengthening the call.
Xu Qing had no idea why that might be happening. Nor did he know what was in those mountains. But there was one thing he was certain of. Whatever was in the mountains was astounding.
He tried to respond to the call. To sense more about it. No such efforts amounted to anything. It didn’t have anything to do with his physical position. After all, he hadn’t gone to seek enlightenment, so he didn’t need to be seated cross-legged in the clouds. Besides, his current position could also be considered very close to the planet.
As a result, the biggest obstacle to any response from Xu Qing were the sealing marks covering the planet itself. The emperor had only opened the outer layer of seals. Beneath that layer were many more successive layers, almost like egg shells, one after another. Those outer shells couldn’t stop the summoning call, but they could block Xu Qing’s response to it.
As Xu Qing continued to ponder the situation, he sensed the call increasing in intensity again. Eyes narrowing, he looked at the planet as a second vortex suddenly appeared.
The first cloud vortex had sprung up for Meng Yunbai when he acquired the heavenly marquis legacy. The second was forming around a bald, middle-aged cultivator wearing a hemp robe.
He was from Words of Truth, and his name was Flame Star. At the moment, he was surrounded by the projection of a crimson scorpion. Even from a distance, it was possible to see the scorpion howling to heaven, its tail swaying. It even formed afterimages as it rocked back and forth. The scorpion even influenced the outside world, sending out a fiendish aura in all directions. The vicious thing also emanated a terrifying aura that was no weaker than the holy sign caused by Meng Yunbai’s enlightenment. What was more, it seemed far more brutal.
The two vortexes were in two different locations on Planet Ancient Emperor, and though they exerted an influence on each other, they were also limited to their own specific area. That said, they did affect the other chosen, causing them to be covered over by clouds.
“It’s only been two hours, but there are already two chosen who’ve gained enlightenment of heavenly marquis legacies. It seems this Nightshade war has really bolstered our human destiny aura.”
“What a pity one of them is from Words of Truth....”
“People from Words of Truth really are eccentric weirdos. On an individual basis, they’re sometimes tolerable. After all, they mostly focus on painstakingly practicing cultivation all the time. But if you start getting into their teachings, you’ll find that they’re even more insane than the Church of Departure.”
Xu Qing didn’t pay much attention to the chatter around him. He was focused completely on the summoning call. As of now, he was convinced that the successes at enlightenment were strengthening the call, especially the heavenly marquis legacies.
Whenever someone succeeds at enlightenment, it’s as if something inside Planet Ancient Emperor is absorbing the streams of consciousness. And that process is loosening the seals on the planet. That’s why the call is getting stronger.
As Xu Qing came to that understanding, he kept a close eye on the clouds, all while hoping that more people succeeded at gaining enlightenment.
That was when a familiar voice spoke from next to the emperor, which drifted out and reached Xu Qing’s ears.
“Your Majesty, not much time has passed, and already, some of our human chosen have gained enlightenment. Why not open up another sealing level? Although it will reduce the amount of time, it should also increase the chances of success.”
The person who had spoken was none other than the imperial preceptor.
Everyone looked over at the emperor. When Planet Ancient Emperor was opened up, each sealing layer made the legacies in the clouds stronger, but at the same time, reduced the overall length of time that the seals would remain open.
The emperor turned his head slowly to look at the imperial preceptor.
The preceptor smiled.
A long moment passed, and then the emperor said, “Very well.”
When the emperor gave orders, they would be strictly enforced. The moment the words left his mouth, intense rumbling sounds echoed out from Planet Ancient Emperor, and the destiny aura became countless golden dragons. Another sealing layer was being opened up.
More clouds seethed, and radiant light spread to cover the entire ancient planet. What was more, thanks to the boost provided by the opening of the sealing layer, dozens of chosen almost instantly succeeded at gaining enlightenment. And there were two of them who acquired heavenly marquis legacies.
One of them was Junior Emperor Peng from the Star Emperor Preeminence Sect. As a vortex sprang into being around him, his expression was one of defiance; he actually wasn’t pleased, yet wasn’t in the position to give up.
The other person was one of the imperial princes. Sixth Prince!
Many people took note of the fact that Sixth Prince was the first of the imperial princes to gain enlightenment. Sixth Prince was normally a licentious playboy whose mansion was filled with beautiful girls, and who seemed to have little interest in life other than throwing big parties. In fact, many people hardly associated Sixth Prince with the concept of cultivation. He didn’t seem to care about power and influence, and only cared for romance. What was more, his relationship with the female King Wildmist was unusual and somewhat suspicious. Yet today, he was the first to succeed at enlightenment.
The heavenly marquis legacy he acquired was different from any of the others. It came from the dao of Marquis Flowermidst, and was primarily a dual cultivation technique....
“It actually fits perfectly with Sixth Prince’s personality and temperament. That must be why he succeeded at enlightenment.”
Within the crowd, some people smiled and some people frowned. The emperor revealed no facial expression at all, making it impossible to tell if he was pleased or not. The imperial preceptor smiled faintly.
Xu Qing wasn’t paying attention to Sixth Prince and his success. Because the second sealing layer on the planet had been opened, the summoning call had become even stronger. In fact, after the two heavenly marquis legacies, the call grew shockingly intense to Xu Qing’s senses. What was more, he could now tell for certain that the call was targeting him specifically. No one else had sensed it.
What exactly is it...?
As Xu Qing pondered that question, time passed.
Thanks to the second sealing layer being opened, successes occurred almost constantly. Over the course of an incense stick’s worth of time, the eyes of all the participants began to shine brightly.
A storm was building on Planet Ancient Emperor, spreading to cover the entire planet, and even covering the vortexes caused by the heavenly marquis legacies. Within that storm was visible a figure, seemingly walking out from ancient times, step by step. He was burly and tall, with a suit of blood-red armor, long crimson hair, and a pressure that caused the entire imperial capital to tremble.
“Heavenly king!”
“That’s King Nightslaughter!”
“He was a close follower of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity, and waged war against 137 species. Every single battle he fought was a massacre. Eventually, the emperor appointed him as the leader of five regions. I can’t believe it’s King Nightslaughter!”
Everyone in the crowd was stunned, and the populace of the imperial capital was shaken to the core. This was the first time in a thousand years that the legacy of a heavenly king had appeared!
The person gaining enlightenment of this heavenly king legacy wasn’t a chosen from one of the sects. It was the talented and erudite Third Prince who was currently assigned to a position at the Imperial University. From a distance, it was possible to see the tempest surrounding Third Prince, causing his hair to whip around him wildly. His facial features were delicate, yet heroic. Within his narrow eyes swirled streams of light that added luster to his appearance.
His success caused smiles to appear on the faces of the officials, and resulted in many words of praise. The emperor even nodded slightly.
Of course, no one had any idea if all of this was happening naturally or if it had been set up.
Regardless, the nod from the emperor revealed his attitude, and to many people, it was a signal.
Yet even as Third Prince made a scene, another loud rumbling sound echoed out from Planet Ancient Emperor. This time, it came from a different direction. It came from Fourth Prince. There, a massive tornado sprang up, suppressing all of the heavenly marquis vortexes and those gaining enlightenment within them.
It was the second heavenly tempest to spring up on the planet.
The projection of another heavenly king appeared, striding forward. Before the figure could even become clear, Fourth Prince opened his eyes from within the storm and viciously slapped his own chest. That blow caused blood to spray out of his mouth, which transformed into a blood-red umbrella that floated over his head, preventing any enlightenment.
The heavenly king stopped walking, then slowly faded away along with the tempest. That scene caused the eyes of many onlookers to glitter. Some distance away, Third Prince noticed what was happening and scowled.
“He actually rejected that heavenly king legacy!”
“You only get one chance at enlightenment, and if you accept something, it means you can’t accept anything else. Fourth Prince stopped the enlightenment before it really began, which means he actually has another opportunity.”
“Not even that is satisfactory for him? I guess that means he wants the legacy of a Grand Emperor. If it works, people will call him courageous. But if it doesn’t work, he’ll be called a moron!”
Fourth Prince’s actions made him quite the center of attention. Many in the audience looked over to see how the imperial preceptor was reacting. After all, Fourth Prince was the imperial preceptor’s successor apprentice. And when you consider how the emperor had reacted to Third Prince’s enlightenment, there were obviously layers of meaning to unpack.
The atmosphere outside the palace was lively. However, just as before, Xu Qing wasn’t paying attention to any of that. He was still focused on that summoning call. And he was frowning.
When Fourth Prince seemed on the verge of succeeding at enlightenment, that summoning call had surged like the tide. But then Fourth Prince gave up, and that tide ebbed.
Xu Qing looked at Fourth Prince briefly. He instinctively disliked him, but at the same time, had to admit that his powers of understanding were shocking.
After about an incense stick’s worth of time had passed after Fourth Prince abandoned the heavenly king legacy, intense ripples spread out on Planet Ancient Emperor. Numerous golden dragons roared, and the destiny aura surged like the sea. Blinding light erupted from the planet, suppressing the tempests of the heavenly king legacies, and attracting the attention of everyone in the imperial capital. Outside the palace, many officials rose to their feet with serious expressions on their faces.
“Those fluctuations....”
“They surpass those of heavenly king legacies. Don’t tell me....”
The imperial palace went silent. The populace of the imperial capital all had grave expressions on their faces. And Fourth Prince was incapable of concealing how excited he was as he looked up.
Shockingly, a host of figures were appearing in the sky of Planet Ancient Emperor. They were illustrious figures from the past, including heavenly marquises and heavenly kings. As they appeared in dazzling glory, it was to the shock of all onlookers that they faced Fourth Prince and bowed!
That struck the onlookers to the core. After all, according to the ancient records, that was the sign of successful enlightenment of Grand Emperor sealing marks! This was the first time anything like this had happened during the reign of Emperor Dark War!
Then it became obvious that the illustrious figures from the past weren’t bowing to Fourth Prince. Rather, they were bowing toward Planet Ancient Emperor, where a spectacular mountain was rising up. As the mountain floated up into the air, it crumbled, revealing something sharp that had been concealed inside.
It was a sword! The sword of Grand Emperor Swordsage!
Emperor Dark War’s expression was grave as he shot to his feet and looked at The Emperor’s Sword. The officials behind him reacted similarly, their eyes shining brightly as they looked at Fourth Prince. The other imperial princes were similarly moved.
This dramatic legacy ensured that Fourth Prince stood out above all others.
Then, as Fourth Prince excitedly reached up to The Emperor’s Sword, Xu Qing, who had also risen to his feet, looked at the sword and realized that the call was coming from it. And then... he extended his hand.
The Emperor’s Sword rising from Planet Ancient Emperor vibrated and then emitted a sound like metal scraping against rock. It burst into motion, shooting past Fourth Prince. Fourth Prince was stunned as the sword whistled by, creating such a strong wind that he was shoved away from it. Yet his gaze followed it as it shot toward the imperial palace....