Chapter 950: I Do Invite Thee to Partake
From ancient times until now, formalized sacrifices among humans were divided into two parts.
First came the ancestral sacrifices. Then came the heavenly sacrifices. The ancestral sacrifices, as the name implied, were supposed to be for Dark Serenity. Though the empress actually didn’t mention Dark Serenity, but rather the Forefathers, it fell within the realm of what was reasonable, and didn’t count as a usurping of proper authority. For the leader of humankind to offer sacrifices to the Forefathers of humans just barely fell within the scope of etiquette.
However, the ‘heavens’ from the heavenly sacrifices could not be changed. Before Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity left, the ‘heavens’ referred to the ancient heavenly daos of Revered Ancient.
After the departure, word spread that the meaning of the ‘heavens beyond’ had changed. Starting with Emperor Eastglory, those ‘heavens’ referred to the holy lands. That wasn’t just the case for humans. All species in the Revered Ancient mainland who weren’t connected to a god would conform to that view of the ‘heavens beyond.’ Their heavenly sacrifices also involved worshiping their bloodline as it existed in the holy lands. Not offering worship was considered an act of defiance. Species who did things like that always ended up being destroyed somehow.
People from the holy lands were not commonly seen in Revered Ancient. They existed in the heavens beyond, lofty and above all else. However, they could still use special techniques to affect the hearts and minds of the species in Revered Ancient.
For generations, the human emperors had used the ceremonies of the heavenly sacrifices to make offerings to the holy lands. Apparently, the empress was not going to be an exception.
She stood on the Temple of Heaven, straight and tall as a mountain, as if she could provide protection to all living beings in heaven and earth. Destiny aura swirled around her, and with her imperial robes and crown, she looked completely dazzling. Her facial expression seemed relaxed, but her eyes were piercing, as if she could see through the dome of heaven and all the way to the holy lands. She seemed to fairly pulse with determination.
When the officials saw that, they felt very calm at heart. The truth was that the events that had played out so far made it seem like this day had lasted half a lifetime. The things that happened in front of their eyes were profoundly astonishing.
And yet, every single person present also felt... that the sacrificial event was only just getting started, and that what was to come would be even more of a violent tempest. As for what exactly that tempest would be, it was impossible for them to predict. After all, nobody had any clue what this empress had been planning over the years.
Did she love Dark War, or did she hate him? How did she assume the throne? What setbacks and torments had she endured? Presumably, only she knew the details. However, there was one thing that seemed obvious to everyone: she was not the kind of person who bowed her head to fate.
She was wise and valorous, and over the years that had passed, had created her own legend among the histories of humankind. Not only was she a woman, but also, she didn’t have any imperial blood. And yet... the aristocracy and government officials both on and off Planet Ancient Emperor were fully convinced of her right to rule.
At the moment, everything was silent.
Xu Qing’s mind was racing. As he thought back to everything, he realized that the empress had obviously been expecting him to take action.
I bet she knew from day one exactly what I was here for.
Breaths of time ticked by, until exactly forty-nine had passed. At that point, the court eunuch looked up, his eyes shining incisively and his expression extremely solemn. Then he continued with the same chant from the ancestral sacrifices.
“Sacrificing gifts to heaven brings prosperity to humankind. The sacrificer loses a year of life, and thus forty-nine is the limit.[1]
“First gift... the War Banner of Humankind!”[2]
As the words left his mouth, heaven and earth shook violently. The blooming flower of destiny aura in the dome of heaven tumbled to the side as numerous beams of blood-colored light shot up from Planet Ancient Emperor.
One after another they appeared, until there were a total of forty-nine arrayed above. They seemed to rip apart the sky, shred the air, and tear destiny as they revealed a huge banner that had been hidden as if in time itself.
The banner was now visible. As it unfurled, it covered the sky. In fact, it became the sky, with ripples flowing across it like majestic waves! As the lands went dark, life force flames appeared both inside and outside of Planet Ancient Emperor. They even formed in the imperial capital. Each one corresponded to a specific human! And that was because this was the War Banner of Humankind! It represented the will of humankind, the species’ battle spirit, and the dignity of all humans.
This banner wasn’t actually the most ancient version, but it was still profoundly meaningful.
The most ancient War Banner of Humankind had been created by Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity. It actually consisted of one main banner and 360 smaller banners. That set of banners had accompanied him as he conquered Revered Ancient. When he left Revered Ancient, he took them with him.
Humans of that time had used innumerable precious materials to forge their own new set. This later War Banner of Humankind accompanied Emperor Eastglory on the campaign trail, and contained the blood of countless nonhumans.
Ultimately, Emperor Eastglory suffered a huge defeat. Although the war banner never fell, it was ripped into many pieces that ended up being scattered throughout Revered Ancient. Even one tiny piece contained immense power. As those scattered fragments spread, some disappeared, some were collected up by nonhumans, some were acquired by human cultivators. Collecting all of them would be a monumentally difficult task.
As far as humans were concerned, it made more sense to just make a new banner than to expend all the effort required to collect the pieces of the old one. That was why they had ultimately given up on collecting the pieces.
Later, when the new banner was crafted, successive human emperors would use it when they waged war.
Over the countless years that had passed, that banner became a symbol of humankind. It was splattered with the blood of nonhumans, and thus, when it was unfurled, the aura of blood spread out into the world. At the same time, the will of humankind as a species surged. It provoked a strong reaction in the blood of all humans, as if calling out to them.
That included Xu Qing. When he looked up into the dome of heaven at the War Banner of Humankind, he thought back to the version of the banner he’d seen back in Seven Blood Eyes.[3]
Though Xu Qing didn’t know the full story about what happened with the original banner, he could see at first glance that the two of them were constructed similarly. In fact, they probably had the same origin. However, comparing the might and majesty of the two, one was like the full moon, while the other was like a firefly.
As Xu Qing studied the War Banner of Humankind, the court eunuch’s chanting again rang out.
“The war banner is presented. Let there be sacrifices! All lands and all parties, open up your heavenly prisons! Sacrifice them to the War Banner of Humankind!”
As the eunuch’s voice echoed out, thunderous rumblings echoed out from the War Banner of Humankind. As the deafening sound shook everything, the Five Greater Celestial Divisions in the imperial capital opened their prison doors. Squads of human cultivators escorted out innumerable nonhuman prisoners and dragged them up into the sky. There were millions upon millions of them.
At the moment, the cultivators in the imperial capital were looking up into the sky with solemn expressions. The people on Planet Ancient Emperor acted the same, including Xu Qing.
Meanwhile, teleportation portals within the imperial capital activated, connecting to prisons throughout the surrounding region. All of them received the same orders. They opened their prison doors and sent out the captives.
If someone could look down on the Imperial Region from high above, it would be possible to estimate that, after all the prisons were opened and emptied, there were probably somewhere around 50-60,000,000 prisoners. They were nonhuman cultivators who had been locked up during the empress’ rule. Most of them, however, had been taken captive after humans revealed their Dawning Suns.
The empress said one thing in a calm voice.
“Execute them!”
The cultivators standing behind the captives raised their sabers, and then screams rang out in heaven and earth. Millions upon millions of heads flew into the air. Millions upon millions of corpses fell to the ground. Innumerable quantities of blood fell like rain. However, it didn’t fall into the mortal world. A gravitational force erupted from the War Banner of Humankind, turning into a vortex that sucked up all of the corpses and blood.
At the same time, the teleportation portals surged, causing all of the corpses there to be teleported to the spot. All of them were also pulled into the War Banner of Humankind.
As of now, the War Banner of Humankind was a deeper crimson than it had ever been, and it was ghastly to behold. It was a blood-soaked event, but it was just further evidence of how the species of Revered Ancient lived brutal lives.
It wasn’t just human sacrifices that were like this. All species offered living sacrifices. It was a world in which the weak were the prey of the strong. That was the paramount magical law in Revered Ancient.
After the flesh and blood was absorbed, turning the war banner bright red, the way the banner stirred seemed to indicate... that there was a second phase about to begin.
It was the sacrifice of souls.
Next, the souls of the millions upon millions of executed prisoners were locked down and prevented from entering the cycle of reincarnation. They couldn’t leave, and thus, they could only gather and wait. Millions upon millions of nonhuman souls swirled in the air, making it seem like evil ghosts were invading the mortal world. Though the mortal world was a place of weakness, there were some situations in which devil ghosts couldn’t do anything more than howl and shriek.
Then the War Banner of Humankind flapped, and thunderous rumblings could be heard as the vast host of nonhuman souls were absorbed. All of them were sucked in to be nutrients for the banner!
At that point, the shrill voice of the eunuch again rang out.
“The sacrifice to the banner is complete. Let the empress officiate!”
Face completely expressionless, the empress reached up and made a grasping gesture toward the sky.
In response, the dome of heaven trembled and distorted, bending in the direction of the empress as the enormous War Banner of Humankind flew toward her.
An instant later, she snatched it out of the sky! With her hand gripping the flagpole, she hefted the war banner, looked up at the canopy of heaven, and then waved the banner forcefully.
It rippled like waves, filling the air above the imperial capital. And then it turned into a bright red vortex.
Things weren’t over yet, though. She once again waved the banner. The blood-colored vortex grew more intense. After it spun nine times, it was like a red tornado raging in the sky, shattering the air as it spread out. It looked like something was opening up!
Unfortunately, the heaven of Revered Ancient was sealed. It was possible to get in from outside, but not possible to get out from the inside. To do so required paying an astronomical price. Xu Qing and the Captain had only managed it by tapping into the power of a god domain.
Seeing that the empress was apparently doing something similar caused Xu Qing’s pupils to constrict.
Deafening rumbling swept out as Planet Ancient Emperor shook violently. Destiny aura was like a dragon, shooting up toward the vortex before slamming into it. As the dragon continued to roar, terrifying fluctuations erupted from Planet Ancient Emperor. Specifically... they came from the golden godfire burning on the planet.
Although the fire wasn’t complete, it did have the aura of a god in it. As Planet Ancient Emperor rumbled, the fire rose up into the sky toward the blood-red tempest. It looked like a shocking ancient stream of flames that could burn anything in its path!
And yet, things still weren’t over. Next, the empress swept her hand out, throwing the War Banner of Humankind like a spear toward the sky.
As a spear, it shot forward like a hammer crushing an ice cube. Nothing could stop it as it shot forth, backed by the fate of humankind, with a will to defy all odds.
At the same time, the empress took a step toward the canopy of heaven. When she appeared up above, she became the destiny aura and the will of humankind. Drawing on her imperial title and her daring personality, she clenched her right hand into a fist... and punched it toward heaven!
She seemed to be doing all of this to break open heaven! Using the vortex banner, the will of humankind, the dragon of destiny, the banner as the spear, the might of godfire, and her peak Imperial Sovereign battle prowess, it was possible to break open heaven and sunder the earth!
Intense rumbling and cracking sounds spread out. Heaven was splitting open!
A huge rift could be seen tearing through the canopy of heaven. The starry sky that existed beyond the world was now visible, along with a shimmering band of silver light.
That band was enormous, as it started in the starry sky above the Imperial Region and stretched out... far into the deeper starry sky. Far out in the imperceptible starry sky was a holy planet that was completely silver in color!
The planet wasn’t anywhere near as big as Revered Ancient. But it was still majestic. And if you looked closely at it, you would realize it looked a lot like Planet Ancient Emperor.
It was... the very same place that Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity had carved out years ago. It was... the Dark Serenity holy land!
As for the great silver band, it was apparently a path leading there! As of now, that path was visible!
The empress stood outside of the path, her eyes full of determination.
“I am the current empress of the humans in Revered Ancient. Today, I offer forty-nine imperial jade seals made from the nourished destiny aura of humankind as sacrifices to the Dark Serenity holy land.”
The empress waved her hand, and a host of glittering jade seals flew out of the destiny aura on Planet Ancient Emperor. Each jade seal was obviously a precious treasure, and contained immense amounts of human destiny aura, as well as the will of humankind. Because humans were currently rising to prominence, they were unusually sparkling and brilliant.
They even seemed to pulse with the power of faith. Now they were being respectfully offered by the empress to the holy land.
As everyone looked on, the empress inclined her head and bowed at the waist. The forty-nine jade seals flew into the rift and onto the silver path. Thus was completed the ceremony of the heavenly sacrifices.
Each sacrifice to heaven involved offering gifts to the holy land above. In the past, though the offerings were always jade seals made from destiny aura, there were usually not so many offered, nor was the canopy of heaven ripped open. Instead, it was done via an ancient method passed down by the holy lands.[4]
This time, though, things were different. Also different was how, as the forty-nine jade seals shot rapidly across that band of silver light, a force of rejection appeared. Ripples spread through the silver light, as if an inspection was being carried out. Then the forty-nine jade seals suddenly shivered.
Next, as all the human cultivators watched, something astonishing happened. The sacrificial offerings in the form of the forty-nine jade seals began to crumble from the outside, revealing what was inside.
There were forty-nine objects that resembled suns.
There were forty-nine balls of flame like hell.
There were... forty-nine Dawning Suns!
Looking up, the empress coolly said, “Would the holy land please enjoy the gift? I do invite thee to partake!”
1. The second line in this paragraph is extremely hard to decipher, even in Chinese. I enlisted Madam Deathblade to help, and we both read all the comments and did our own various bits of research and checking to try to determine the meaning. My interpretation is a fairly direct translation, and thus, it’s kind of vague. Normally speaking, I will translate the text in a way which either includes some of the unstated meaning, or makes it easy to guess. But in this case, since I can’t really determine exactly what it means, I’m leaving it vague. Personally, I think it means that the act of carrying out these sacrifices causes the person making the sacrifice to lose a year of longevity, and that it somehow relates to her being 49 years old. Though the time frames were never stated outright, if Ningyan is roughly the same age as Xu Qing, and he was born when his mother was in her 20’s, then she could well be about 50 years old right now. However, some Chinese commenters seemed to think it meant she was 490 years old, which I don’t think makes sense. Of course, maybe there are some things I haven’t thought about or am remembering incorrectly. In any case, it doesn’t seem to be very important other than to highlight that there is some formal/ceremonial justification for using the number 49 in this chapter. ☜
2. The War Banner of Humankind was mentioned a few times in early chapters, specifically,122 ,219.1 ,219.2 ,220 ,326 . ☜
3. See the previous footnote for all the references to the time the banner appeared in 7BE days. ☜
4. This part sort of pokes a hole in my argument that 49 is related to the empress’ age. However, for the life of me I can’t think of how a reduction of one year is relevant to anything, nor can I figure out how 49 or 50 is relevant to this section. Sorry guys, usually I can decipher the vague parts and explain them, but in this part I am falling short in that regard. The upside is that it’s only relevant in this chapter, and doesn’t seem to be deeply related to the larger plot. ☜