Chapter 795: The Emperor’s Sword Executes an Imperial Prince
The words “Emperor’s Sword” echoed out in all directions, shaking even the clouds. The sky above the Imperial University shook violently, and shock waves rolled out continuously. A boundless might appeared from nowhere, becoming like a tempest that crushed down in the university.
The white towers swayed back and forth, and numerous students’ hearts pounded in fear. Everyone was completely focused on the person atop the white daoist altar, who at the moment, looked exactly like everyone else.
As of this moment, one person was the focus of a myriad of gazes.
“Did he just say... The Emperor’s Sword?”
“Is that guy actually....”
An uproar swept through the students, and a similar reaction occurred among the observers outside the university.
The Xeno-Immortal schoolmaster’s eyes were filled with outright disbelief. Back when Sir Dark-Thunder stepped out into the open, the schoolmaster had wondered if he could be the enigmatic master. But things were happening so quickly that he almost couldn’t react. This person... wasn’t the enigmatic master, and yet, his identity was equally shocking.
It’s him! How did I manage to recruit him into the Xeno-Immortal School?
The schoolmaster was starting to feel more happy than shocked. Although this wasn’t the person he had been hoping would show up, his status and identity were still astonishing.
Xu Qing stood tall and straight on the dao altar. He wore the white hemp robe of a student, plus the same mask as everyone else. He looked no different from any other ordinary student from the Imperial University.
The Imperial University had special rules requiring everyone to dress exactly the same, specifically for the purpose of concealing everyone’s true identities. But sometimes, the same article of clothing could look different when worn by different people. And in some situations, such differences can be blown completely out of proportion. That was what was happening right now.
However, Xu Qing didn’t care what other people were thinking. He was thinking about one word: kill. He’d been wanting to kill Seventh Prince for a long time now.
That animosity had been building since years ago in Sea-Sealing County, when Seventh Prince monopolized all the glory and honor, while simultaneously forcing Palace Lord Kong into his death. From that moment on, Xu Qing had been thinking about putting an end to him. Of course, he’d been unable to do it back then. But things were different now.
His eyes contained a might like heaven or the dao. They contained the ideals of humankind, and they were ice-cold as they looked at Seventh Prince. Right now, he had the upper hand. And despite Seventh Prince being higher in the air, he had the opposite.
An interesting thing about time is that, as it flows, it has the power to take people in high places and make them low, or take lowly people and lift them up.
When Xu Qing first laid eyes on Seventh Prince, he was riding a golden dragon through the sky, leading a magnificent army of countless men and horses. He was like a rising sun that illuminated the battlefield on the border of Sea-Sealing County.
The second time he saw Seventh Prince was when a host of cultivators clustered around him as he made his way into the county capital. He was high-spirited and full of mettle that day, as all people bowed to him in worship. Xu Qing had been outside of the city in the army. Comparatively speaking, he had been unnoticed down in the mud, while Seventh Prince was in the clouds in heaven.
The third and fourth occasions were similar.
Then Xu Qing got back from the Moonrite Region to find that things had changed. That led to this day... when everything was turned around.
That was the fascinating power of time. That was why people would thirst for destined opportunities, and it was also why Xu Qing had never given up.
In the past, Xu Qing had never been in the clouds. And today, Guyue Zhang’an was the one in the mud.
Seventh Prince was feeling something similar. It was now getting hard for him to keep calm; as his confidence eroded, his facial expression began to change. From his perspective, the person on the dao altar who had just talked back to the emperor was so high above himself that the difference between the two of them was like the difference between the clouds and the mud. He was shaking harder now than he ever had in the past, and complex feelings were overtaking him.
As Xu Qing looked at him, his anger surged to manic levels.
“You’re Xu Qing!” he growled in a raspy voice.
People had already started to guess who Xu Qing really was from the moment he stepped out in front of everyone. But now, Seventh Prince was stating his identity out loud.
The atmosphere in the Imperial University and the imperial capital suddenly got extremely tense.
And that was because Xu Qing was anything but a simple person. He was the only region lord among humans, and he also bore The Emperor’s Sword! Because of The Emperor’s Sword, Xu Qing did qualify, in some respects, to talk back to the emperor. Having such qualifications, and actually using them, were two different things. Clearly, Xu Qing did dare to use them!
There was no doubt about his status when he uttered the words, “Why question a bell when you can question a sword?”
What was more, the might pulsing from his eyes became golden light that spread in all directions. In fact, it wasn’t just his eyes. Golden light spread off every inch of him. In the blink of an eye, hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of streams of golden light surrounded Xu Qing, becoming a sea of light.
As the light became blinding, a huge sword appeared behind Xu Qing, in front of the eyes of everyone present.
From a distance, it was possible to see a sword of ancient bronze, covered with complex designs, and pulsing with a paramount domineering sensation. This was a shocking sword that could sunder the heavens and crush the earth.
The Imperial University trembled. The daoist rite center began to crack. All onlookers were astonished. Boundless destiny aura swirled into the forms of clouds above the imperial capital, and it gave all living beings in the imperial capital the urge to drop down and prostrate.
This was a sword of humankind! This sword represented all the ideals and traditions of the human species.
This was The Emperor’s Sword!
The students in the university inhaled sharply and instinctively bowed to The Emperor’s Sword. Even the leaders on the God-Merging School’s daoist altar were so shaken that they chose to bow to the sword. The emperor looked at Xu Qing wordlessly.
Seventh Prince was fully aware that Xu Qing had always wanted to kill him. That was why he had constantly been taking steps to see Xu Qing dead. But in situation after situation, Seventh Prince lost the initiative, and eventually, had no choice but to simply wait for the right opportunity to come along.
Now, before that opportunity could come, Xu Qing made a move. A deadly crisis had struck, and it was like thunder smashing into his mind.
“Xu Qing!” he shouted desperately, “how could you possibly use The Emperor’s Sword for personal reasons?”
Then Seventh Prince looked at the emperor, his expression full of admiration, respect, and love.
“Father, I’m an imperial prince. Humankind has been in decline my entire life. Meanwhile, I’ve watched you work yourself to the bone for the sake of the people. Their plight fills you with pain, and that’s why you swore to devote your entire life to reviving our species.
“That’s why I chose to save Sea-Sealing County. We need to expand human borders. I’ve never forgotten all the things you taught me from a young age, sir, and therefore, how could I possibly behave in such an animalistic way? The person in that image is not your son!”
Seventh Prince’s voice thrummed with grief as it echoed out in all directions.
The emperor’s eyes flickered with more intensity than before, but he didn’t speak. Pressure from him rolled out, weighing down on the entire Imperial University. He was the emperor. But he was also a father. Although he suppressed the second identity to the point where it was hardly recognizable, in the end, this was a case of someone threatening to kill his son right in front of him. As a father, how could he remain calm in a situation like that?
The heavenly kings in his presence exchanged glances, then focused on Xu Qing.
The university students were shaking, and the organizations out in the city were all taking the situation very seriously.
A major event was playing out this day.
What was more, the words spoken by Seventh Prince actually made sense.
But then a cold voice pierced through all the various thoughts in the minds of the onlookers.
“Pipe down,” Xu Qing said, looking coldly at Seventh Prince.
As the words left his mouth, the clouds seethed, parting to reveal numerous enormous figures that struck shock into the hearts of all, and filled everyone with the urge to drop down and bow. These... were the worthy sages of the past from all the clans and sects that made up humankind. And they were all appearing here and now.
Their arrival was destabilizing and shocking. Everyone inside and outside the university looked on in shock. The doubts Seventh Prince had raised were being crushed.
This was not using an imperial weapon for personal benefit. This was the blessing of the destiny aura of humankind, and the approval of the sages of the past. It was a manifestation of the dao of a species.
Xu Qing looked up and clasped hands to the sages above.
“On this day, I, Xu Qing, call upon the sages of the past to witness this judgment against Guyue Zhang’an, the seventh son of Emperor Dark War!” Xu Qing’s gaze dropped to land on the terrified Seventh Prince. “Guyue Zhang’an, you have committed four crimes.
“Your first crime is that you colluded with Torchlight, as well as with the Holytide species. This crime is punishable by death!”
As the words left Xu Qing’s mouth, The Emperor’s Sword behind him shone with a 30,000-meter light, causing the thrum of a sword to boom like thunder.
“The second crime is that of arranging for the death of Palace Lord Kong of the Swordsage Palace in Sea-Sealing County, all for the sake of earning military credit for yourself. You stood idly by while millions upon millions of Sea-Sealing County cultivators died, all to build yourself the reputation of a hero. This crime is punishable by death!”
The Emperor’s Sword vibrated, and the sword itself trembled as a powerful energy built up within it.
“Your third crime is that of participating in the conspiracy to murder the governor of Sea-Sealing County. This crime is punishable by death!”
The trembling Emperor’s Sword rose up into the air, and then tilted onto its side so its point was directed straight at Seventh Prince. Destiny aura powered into it, causing it to shine brightly and emanate the might of extermination.
“Your fourth crime is that, for the furtherance of the God-Merging techniques you cultivate, you devoured the souls of countless human commoners. This heinous crime is punishable by death!”
By the time Xu Qing finished explaining the fourth crime, the killing intent in his eyes shone brightly. Pointing his finger at the trembling Seventh Prince, he calmly continued, “Emperor’s Sword, please execute this traitor against humanity!”
The Emperor’s Sword pulsed with such astonishing mightiness that the sky turned golden. Illusory palaces rose up everywhere, and within them were projections of Grand Emperor Swordsage. The sword moved, slashing toward Seventh Prince. It was backed with powers that could devour mountains and rivers, and could shatter the air. It was backed by the souls of countless fallen humans. It contained something profoundly ancient that could not be blocked or evaded.
Seventh Prince was struck with terror. Rushing toward the emperor, he despairingly screamed, “Father—”
His words were cut short.
The Emperor’s Sword slashed forth with the might to sever the heavens. Seventh Prince didn’t stand a chance of fighting back. Before he could flee, his arms exploded, his legs shattered, and his torso blew up. His eyes contained terror and defiance in the moment before his head was ripped to shreds. He had been reduced to ashes. His soul wasn’t in the position to escape calamity. It was wiped out of existence. He had been killed in body and soul. His spiritual souls were gone, and his physical souls had dispersed. The dao that he had cultivated for his entire life had gone up in smoke. The imperial bloodline would not be continuing with him.
The Emperor’s Sword could even execute the emperor. In that case, what could it do to an imperial prince?