Chapter 796: Display Item
The dome of heaven was quiet. The lands were still. The entire world had become tranquil.
All students in the university, and everyone outside of it, were feeling shaken by a tempest of emotion. All streams of divine will and all eyes had been focused on The Emperor’s Sword in the sky above the Imperial University... and the spot where Seventh Prince had disappeared.
Seventh Prince had been killed in body and soul. His physical form was no more, and his dao had dispersed. His spiritual souls were gone, and his physical souls had dissipated. He was deprived of any chance to enter the cycle of reincarnation. A mighty imperial prince had perished.
This was the second time an imperial prince had died during the reign of Emperor Dark War. The first time was when Eleventh Prince had died. Back then, the emperor had been furious. The investigation of the matter led to a widespread rain of blood. Many people died. In fact, the entire matter took a whole year to die down.
Today... another imperial prince died. This time, it happened right in front of the emperor as well as countless other witnesses, as he was executed with The Emperor’s Sword.
What was especially noteworthy was that the emperor had approved Seventh Prince’s request to use the Immortal Questioning Bell to clear his name, only to have Xu Qing interrupt and countermand the decision.
The shock in the hearts of the onlookers turned into an oppressive aura. As they breathed heavily, the atmosphere grew tense, and the gazes became as weighty as mountains.
It converged on the imperial capital, and then the Imperial University, and finally on Xu Qing. Beneath his mask, Xu Qing’s expression hadn’t changed at all. His eyes were calm. Floating down, he landed on the white daoist altar, then turned to the sages above and bowed deeply. Next, he bowed to the students in the university. Then he bowed to the Xeno-Immortal schoolmaster.
Finally, he reached up, put his hand on his mask, and slowly removed it, thus voluntarily abandoning the rules of the university. He was revealing his face for everyone to see.
It was a spectacularly beautiful, absolutely flawless face. It was like the first rays of morning sun shining onto the Imperial University. Sword-like eyebrows framed eyes that seemed like bottomless lakes. They were like stars glittering in the dead of night, filled with a calmness that surpassed the mortal world. He had long hair that cascaded down his back like a waterfall, each strand of which brimmed with life force, strength, and the determination to kill.
As Xu Qing stood on the dao altar, he shone like stars in the night. His student garment swayed in the breeze, like the streaming clouds that might be mentioned in poetry. Golden light shone off him, like the reflection of the moon in a pond during autumn.
The Emperor’s Sword was already fading from view, but its mere existence was a symbol of Xu Qing’s identity. He finally looked at the emperor in the imperial palace. He bowed at the waist.
As a student of the university, he had bowed to the Xeno-Immortal School. After taking off his mask, he was a region lord bowing to the emperor.
The emperor sat there silently. It was impossible to determine what he was thinking. But after a long moment of silence, he closed his eyes. The thirteen heavenly kings all seemed somewhat embarrassed. With eyes full of various emotions, they looked closely at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing said nothing further. After bowing, he walked back to the visibly astonished Xeno-Immortal schoolmaster and sat down next to him. He closed his eyes.
The previous night when he grabbed the jade slip, he had already called out to The Emperor’s Sword in his heart. And... The Emperor’s Sword had stirred.
That was how Xu Qing knew that Seventh Prince was going to die.
When Seventh Prince opened his mouth and asked to clear his name with the Immortal Questioning Bell, Xu Qing wasn’t interested in hearing the result. It didn’t matter whether the image was real or not.
They weren’t important. The fact that The Emperor’s Sword had stirred proved everything.
When Xu Qing closed his eyes, there was a long moment of silence in the Imperial University. Then people began to breathe again. For all of these people, it was the first time in their life personally witnessing the death of an imperial prince. It was incomparable.
There was one group of people who felt even more deeply shaken than the students in the university or the cultivators on the outside. And they were... the other imperial princes.
Third Prince was currently in the Imperial University, and he was shaking uncontrollably. As he looked at Xu Qing, his gaze was one of fear and trepidation. He wasn’t completely pure and innocent either, and thus, he was afraid.
Outside the university, Grand Prince, Second Prince, Fourth Prince, Sixth Prince, and Tenth Prince were also shaking. To them, this action by Xu Qing was like something that only the tutor of imperial princes could do. In fact, though such a tutor would have the power to punish, he definitely would not qualify to impose the death penalty. How could the imperial princes not be afraid? After all... when executing judgment, The Emperor’s Sword represented the righteousness and virtue of humankind. The emperor couldn’t interfere with that, much less anyone else.
He’s... way too powerful! That was what all the imperial princes were thinking, with the exception of Ningyan.
What was more, it was very significant that, after everything played out, Xu Qing sat down next to the Xeno-Immortal schoolmaster.
In the shortest of moments, the viewpoint of the students and the other cultivators regarding the Xeno-Immortal School changed.
That was the school of thought that Xu Qing had selected. And in order to prove that the Xeno-Immortal School wasn’t evil, he had executed Seventh Prince. He had used blood to clarify any misunderstandings people had, as well as to clear away the reproach heaped forth by the God-Merging School. Everything that had played out had caused shock to build upon shock in the hearts of everyone.
The prismatic beam of light from the Xeno-Immortal School’s dao altar shot higher into the air. It went from 300 meters to 3,000 meters. All students who had previously joined the Xeno-Immortal School were now feeling immeasurably excited.
There were still students from other schools of thought who didn’t approve of the Xeno-Immortal School. And there were also people who had never had any dealings with Xu Qing or even seen him. But now, they had seen with their own eyes that he wasn’t afraid to call on the might of The Emperor’s Sword in front of the emperor. The development had a monumental effect on the younger generation.
“No wonder he’s the lord of an entire region!”
“I heard that years ago in Sea-Sealing County, Xu Qing stepped out alone and blew the top off a huge conspiracy!”
“I heard that during the swordsage assessment of the heart, he got a 30,000-meter pillar of light. That proves that he has good character and is trustworthy. I used to think those were just exaggerations and rumors. But now I can see why The Emperor’s Sword chose him!”
“The Grand Emperor approved of him, and The Emperor’s Sword picked him. Then he chose the Xeno-Immortal School. That means that this school of thought... is definitely extraordinary!”
Meanwhile, on the white dao altar, the Xeno-Immortal schoolmaster’s heart raced, and the daze that had enveloped him seemed to intensify. He felt like all the blood in his body was racing to his head, filling him with pulses of excitement. What had played out today so far completely surpassed anything he could have predicted. Even now, he almost couldn’t believe it was real. Turning to look at Xu Qing, he opened his mouth to speak, yet couldn’t think of anything to say. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked over proudly at the God-Merging School on the black dao altar.
All gazes from the God-Merging School were fixed on Xu Qing. They contained a variety of emotions. Some seemed regretful, others antagonistic. But when people looked from Xu Qing to the spot where Seventh Prince had perished, all they could do was sigh inwardly.
The schoolmaster of the God-Merging School was having trouble organizing his thoughts. What an impressive show put on for the emperor.... Seventh Prince was a game piece that I hadn’t yet deployed properly. Nor was it time to get rid of him. But now he’s gone. It seems to me that Xu Qing... probably realizes who I really am. Twice.... This time, I miscalculated twice.
The God-Merging schoolmaster sighed and looked off in the direction of Star-Plucking Tower. He suddenly felt ashamed, and at the same time, very cold.
At that point, the chancellor of the university sighed. He could never have predicted that this dao debate would turn out like this. What was more, the dao debate... wasn’t over yet. After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he looked at the emperor.
“Continue,” the emperor said. It was his first time speaking, and his voice was deep and grim.
The chancellor hesitated briefly, as it seemed there was an additional meaning in the emperor’s words. Then he looked out at the university.
“In the third stage of the dao debate, you will debate the hereafter.
“The ‘hereafter’ refers to the future. The Xeno-Immortal School and the God-Merging School have both made their way of thinking clear. But the fact remains that, as cultivators, we must see which of these two paths will lead to a great dao.
“We have the students here to bear witness. So, both sides of the debate will now reveal the dao of your techniques!”
The moment the chancellor finished speaking, the Xeno-Immortal schoolmaster took a breath and stood. Unleashing his cultivation base, he sent more than 100,000 soul threads out, creating a rumbling vortex that turned into a godly earthchild. That was his personal limit. However, the Xeno-Immortal School... also had a patriarch around.
An instant later, a howl erupted from the Xeno-Immortal School’s white tower. A rumbling like thunder filled the university as the tower’s secluded meditation facilities opened, and a white-haired old man emerged, clad in a daoist robe. He wore no mask, and his eyes gleamed with great spirit. He pulsed with a terrifying pressure as he strode through the air until he reached the dao altar.
In the blink of an eye, he was on the altar. His arrival provoked a lot of hushed conversation among the onlookers.
The chancellor looked at the new arrival and quietly said, “Chen Daoze.”
This person was the Xeno-Immortal School’s patriarch, Chen Daoze. As he stepped onto the Xeno-Immortal School’s dao altar, he didn’t look at the schoolmaster, but rather, at Xu Qing. He nodded. Then he turned to the chancellor and bowed.
“Chancellor, I’ve come out of seclusion a bit late. In this round of debating the hereafter, I will be the first to reveal what I’m capable of.”
Rumbling sounds echoed out of Chen Daoze as soul threads spread rapidly from his sea of consciousness. 100,000. 200,000. 300,000. 400,000.... In the very end, 600,000 soul threads filled the sky over the Imperial University.
Then, he waved them together into a shocking figure that pulsed with god power. Heaven and earth went dim, and mutagen proliferated.
This image was that of a god! It was a god of black bones that had long ago been slaughtered by Grand Emperor Swordsage. The god wore a long black robe and had the body of a pitch-black deer, covered with scales. It had four eyes, all of which glittered like suns and moons. Its mere presence struck fear in the hearts of everyone.
The students gasped in shock, and the cultivators outside the university were deeply shaken.
To anyone who understood anything about the Xeno-Immortal School, 600,000 soul threads was a pure impossibility. It was almost like a fairy tale. Shock abounded.
“A god weaved from 600,000 soul threads...?”
“Th-this... this is the Xeno-Immortal School?”
Gasps and exclamations ensured that the scene surrounding the dao altars was one of pure chaos.
Hearing the uproar, the God-Merging schoolmaster growled, “It’s just the form, not the spirit. When you use 600,000 soul threads with Xeno-Immortal techniques, this is the only thing you’ll get.”
He knew that he was reaching the end of the line. But at the moment, he didn’t care whether or not he died. He just wanted to put on a good show.
Unfortunately, his display item had been destroyed before he could show off how valuable it was. Therefore... he would have to use himself as the display item. Having reached the conclusion that this was definitely the best idea, the God-Merging schoolmaster rose to his feet.
At that moment, Xu Qing’s eyes opened. He looked at the God-Merging schoolmaster, doing nothing to hide the killing intent in his eyes, which became like an invisible, razor-sharp sword.