Chapter 537: Trampling Thistles On The Way To The Throne (part 2)
Back in Sea-Sealing County, the moment Bai Xiaozhuo died, the mountains and rivers of antiquity that had risen up throughout the prefectures trembled. When the second canopy of heaven disappeared earlier, they had begun to collapse. However, there was a will sustaining them that prevented them from falling apart. But now, they trembled so violently that they collapsed into pieces. Those pieces turned into dust and then disappeared, as if they were fading away into the past of tens of thousands of years ago. The sky became clear, and the lands returned to their previous state.
That said, the entire county was a disastrous mess. Ghastly scars crisscrossed the lands of Sea-Sealing County. There were seas of dead among all species, and many small nations and sects belonging to humankind had been wiped out of existence.
The war itself had taken a huge toll on the population. Then the lieutenant governor’s rebellion brought further calamity. Sea-Sealing County, which had only just begun to recover, experienced hail added atop snow.
Dead and wounded victims could be seen throughout all the prefectures. The survivors looked around blankly, many of them completely unaware of the reason for the catastrophe. The wails of the mourners filled heaven and earth. It was the same in the epicenter of the dramatic event, the county capital.
Grief filled the city. Although the blood rain was coming to an end, the casualties here were worse than anywhere else. Eventually, the night sky was revealed, and the moon looked down at everything below.
Two puppets that were experimental god bodies hovered in the air above the altar. Violent cracking sounds emanated from within them. As the sounds spread, the puppets’ aura faded. When the lieutenant governor died, and they lost their source, they opened their eyes, revealing that they had lost all of their energy.
When that happened, Seventh Prince looked out at the county capital and spoke in a voice that reached the ears of all the despairing mortals.
“The Lieutenant Governor’s Coup seriously harmed Sea-Sealing County. Heaven and earth are both furious. This is something that cannot be tolerated! Officers and soldiers, heed my command: crush all rebel elements from the Lieutenant Governor’s Mansion! Bring brightness and clarity back to the lands of Sea-Sealing County!”
In response, the commanders-in-chief rose into the air and shot in unison toward the two puppets.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of commanders-in-chief closed in, causing intense booms to shake heaven and earth.
Bursting with courage and determination, Seventh Prince seemed to erupt after having been forced to keep control for so long, and also attacked one of the puppets. Because he was going all out, a massive projected image appeared behind him, ensuring that all the mortals in the county capital could see clearly what was happening.
The commanders-in-chief attacked with lightning speed, and thus, the two puppets quickly lost their battle prowess and fell to the ground.
Next, Seventh Prince’s massive illusory body threw its arms up, thus preventing the blood rain from falling onto the city. The blood rain fell on him instead, leaving streaks of rot as it streamed down him. However, because Seventh Prince had blocked the rain with his own body, the golden dragon could unleash a roar that scattered the rain.
Meanwhile, the millions upon millions of troops outside the county capital flew up into the air and unleashed magical techniques and huge spell formations that drove away the mutagen.
Seventh Prince, who was widely regarded to be benevolent and generous by nature, issued orders for his troops to spread through the county capital to save the mortals. Because of his quick thinking, many mortals who had been just about to experience mutation, ended up saved. As a result, the scale of the mutation disaster was greatly reduced. Before long, excited cheering and songs of praise directed toward Seventh Prince could be heard in all directions....
That said, the people in the capital were not blind and deaf fools. The hearts of the people couldn’t be won so casually, and thus, there were many people who didn’t cheer and sing. That was especially true of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators from the three palaces who were present below the altar. All of them were looking coldly at Seventh Prince, their eyes filled with disappointment, anger, and derision. Also visible in their eyes was bitterness.
Many people were thinking about Palace Lord Kong. And many people were thinking about the words used to eulogize Palace Lord Kong after he fell in battle: he was the paragon of loyalty and responsibility. [1]
“At a time when our armies are on the move reclaiming our homeland, we can’t afford to have any chaos in the interior. Therefore, I forced myself to be patient.
“Though you have no way of knowing this, I can tell you that the puny Bai Xiaozhuo couldn’t possibly have done all of this by himself. He obviously has a huge network of allies, plus the lord and master he himself mentioned! After learning the truth of what was going on, I chose to wait and see if that lord of his would show up. What’s more, there’s another possibility to consider. It’s very likely that, as long as I didn’t step in, his lord and master wouldn’t step in. I... was a lurking threat keeping you safe!
“Perhaps you won’t be able to understand all of this. Perhaps you will still be suspicious of me. But you can’t deny the significance of my choices here.”
Below the altar, the hundreds of thousands of cultivators maintained silence. None were giving stock to anything the imperial prince was saying.
Seventh Prince sighed. Then his eyes hardened. “I can see why you’d like to stand there waiting. But we can’t wait for the reconstruction of Sea-Sealing County. We can’t wait for the humans in the county capital to recover. We can’t wait to save the tens of thousands of humans who need saving! At a critical moment like this, when nonhumans are definitely thinking of sowing chaos, our families, our sects, and our homes are all in critical danger.
“Marquis Yao, heed my command. Cultivators of the three palaces, heed my command. Officers and soldiers of Sea-Sealing County, heed my command! All of you cooperate with the imperial army to travel to all the prefectures in the county and crush any signs of rebellion. Save all of the afflicted humans. This is your responsibility!”
The hundreds of thousands of cultivators below the altar had mixed expressions on their faces. What Seventh Prince said all made sense, and there was no refutation any of them could provide. It was their responsibility to do as he’d ordered. But once they left the county capital, they would be truly scattered. It wasn’t that they would never be able to reunite. But while they were gone, it was entirely possible that everything could be flipped around. Black could become white. The strategy of ‘divide and conquer’ was a blade that could cut in any direction.
The three deputy palace lords looked disappointed. Marquis Yao sighed and was about to speak when, all of a sudden, he turned to look off into the distance. Master Seventh shivered and looked in the same direction. The Captain did the same, and already he was breathing heavily, his eyes shining with blue light and his expression one of delight. Even more delighted was Qingqin, who let loose an excited cry.
“CAW!”
The hundreds of thousands of cultivators all sensed that something was happening.
Seventh Prince frowned imperceptibly as he looked off into the distance.
A beam of light streaked through the air toward the county capital. It was not the speed of pseudo-Nascent Soul, but rather, that of Void Returning. Soon, it became possible to see a gigantic Wood Spirit moving at incredible speed. Standing on his shoulders was a figure in a blood-stained uniform. As his garment flapped in the wind, his eyes shone with unswerving determination. His good looks were unrivaled in all heaven and earth. He was none other than Xu Qing. Wrapped around his right wrist was a little white snake which looked curiously in the direction of the county capital.
Xu Qing’s arrival caused excitement to fill the hearts of the cultivators in the capital. Cheering broke out, creating a massive sound wave that spread out, resonating with heaven and earth.
In the canopy of heaven, the four-clawed golden dragon let loose a roar, and it pulsed with golden light that blessed Xu Qing. It also exhaled dazzling clouds that lit up all creation. As a result, all humans in the capital could clearly see what was happening. It was the first time this dragon had created auspicious clouds for someone other than an imperial prince.
The cheering in the county capital was so forceful the clouds trembled, and surpassed the cheering that had been directed toward Seventh Prince after Palace Lord Kong died and he returned having won a great victory over the Holytides. Back then, Xu Qing had been in the army outside the capital, and had looked up silently as Seventh Prince received the adoration of the crowds.
Today, Seventh Prince was in the capital city looking out at the crowds, and watching as Xu Qing returned to adoring cheering. This time, Seventh Prince was the one looking on silently. Even the statue of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity trembled.
What was more, immense streams of destiny aura swept toward Xu Qing and gathered above his head. As he neared, something became visible even to the naked eye of the mortals. It was....
A crown!
1. Seventh Prince himself said that Palace Lord Kong was the paragon of loyalty and responsibility in chapter 510. ?