Chapter 379: Heavenly Mandate Halved

As the emotions of the Ghost Essence fluctuated, the prison began to rumble, the surroundings shook violently, and the blood-colored cage flashed with blinding light.

The Ghost Essence sealed within had bloodshot eyes, and its roars echoed in all directions; the hatred it felt for the human before it had reached its limit.

All the negative emotions suppressed within its heart poured out now like a bursting dam.

"I am going to kill you!!"

The Captain looked up, sighed, and mocked.

"You don't even know how to curse people; you just repeat the same thing over and over. Do you want me to teach you?"

The Ghost Essence went completely mad.

Seeing this, the Captain coughed, his expression showing smugness. He naturally wasn't worried that he would really be killed by the Sword Holders and fed to the Ghost Essence; if that were truly the case, this wouldn't be the orthodox human faction.

After all, for the Sword-Holding Court, rules were rules and had to be followed.

What made him even prouder was that not only was the middle-aged Sword Holder beside him full of shock, but even his own Junior Brother showed a rare change in expression.

This made the Captain feel incredibly satisfied; he felt that this time, it was a win-win.

"I can brag about this in front of little Ah Qing for ten years. Besides, those old fogies in the Sword-Holding Court will surely change their opinion of me, Chen Chen Erniu, now that they see how outstanding I am."

Thinking of this, the Captain slowly put away those clothes, but he felt he was a man of his word, so that hair... he didn't take it, leaving it in front of the cage.

After tidying up the other items, the Captain walked to Xu Qing's side and raised an eyebrow.

"How was your Senior Brother!"

"Impressive!"

Xu Qing spoke sincerely, and after thinking for a moment, he even gave a thumbs up. The Captain laughed heartily, his mood wonderful, and he looked at Qing Qiu again.

Qing Qiu rolled her eyes at him, though she remained extremely vigilant in her heart.

The middle-aged Sword Holder nearby looked at Chen Chen Erniu with a complex gaze. He admitted that this Chen Chen Erniu did have some ability, but he now vaguely felt that such a fellow might affect the reputation of the Yinghuang Province Sword-Holding Court in the future.

After all, this person was too malicious and too shameless; recalling the sacred expression the other party had worn earlier, he couldn't help but want to slap him.

At the same time, in the main hall of the Sword-Holding Court, several Sword-Holding Elders were also looking at the light screen appearing before them with strange expressions; inside the screen were the three of them, including Xu Qing.

These elders had witnessed all of the Captain's words and actions from start to finish.

They were speechless for a long time, and finally, one elder shook his head and spoke.

"Too shameless."

Meanwhile, as the Ghost Essence's emotions fluctuated violently, the Sword-Holding Court's soul-searching finally found a breakthrough. The subsequent matters were not something the three of them could participate in, so they were soon sent away by the middle-aged Sword Holder.

As for the credit, the Captain was credited with the primary contribution this time, and the weight was not small.

Watching the three figures disappear from the Sword-Holding Court, the middle-aged Sword Holder let out a long sigh.

"The disciples of the Eight Sect Alliance this time..."

He shook his head repeatedly, not knowing how to evaluate them.

With the conclusion of this matter, Qing Qiu left with the Li Tu Sect immediately, as if she did not want to stay for even a moment longer.

As for the Eight Sect Alliance, they also chose to leave the day after the matter ended to return to the Eight Sect Alliance, but before the massive flying ship of the Eight Sect Alliance set sail, a small episode occurred.

The Captain had gone missing.

Whether he lacked the courage to return to the sect was clear; he was worried about the anger of Immortal Immortal Zixuan and the punishment from his own Master upon returning, as he didn't know what Immortal Zixuan had written in the reply letter.

However, with the Ancestor present, the Captain's escape plan was destined to fail.

Thus, less than half an hour after the flying ship's departure time, after Xue Xue Lianzi left and returned, he was holding the Captain, whose escape plan had failed.

The Captain's expression carried a deep sense of boredom, and amidst his repeated sighs, he was thrown directly onto the flying ship by Xue Xue Lianzi. Following an order, the flying ship roared into the sky, whistling away toward the direction of the Eight Sect Alliance. In an instant, the Tai Chu Li You Pillar standing on the earth became thinner and thinner in Xu Qing's eyes, until it finally disappeared from his field of vision.

Looking in the direction of the Tai Chu Li You Pillar, Xu Qing felt some ripples in his heart.

When he came, he was just a disciple of the Eight Sect Alliance, at most a quasi-Daoist; but now... he was a Ten Thousand Zhang Radiant Sword Holder, something that had never appeared in Yinghuang Province, and he had reached the peak during the selection phase, turning from a participant into a witness.

His status and fame were completely different from before.

Xu Qing felt this very clearly from the way the surrounding alliance disciples peeked at him.

Before, when the alliance disciples looked at him, it was mostly envy, but now, it was awe.

The change in their gazes came from his strength, but even more so from the change in his status.

Now, he was a cultivator of the Sword-Holding Department of the Five Upper Profound Divisions of the Human Orthodox Faction. With a command sword on his person and conclusive evidence, provided his own strength allowed, he could execute anyone below the Imperial level.

Likewise, under the protection of this status, if anyone were to kill him, they would face a warrant from the Sword-Holding Department. While enjoying these benefits, a Sword Holder also had to fulfill his obligations: to hold the sword for the human race and protect the common people. Xu Qing was silent; the mission of a Sword Holder was too great, and he did not know how he should act in the future.

"Hold fast to your original heart." Xu Qing murmured in his heart, then withdrew his thoughts, turned his head, and looked at the Captain who appeared beside him, limping.

"Junior Brother, I regret one thing."

"Ran too late?" Xu Qing glanced at the Captain's leg.

"No." The Captain looked grief-stricken. "I regret joining the Sword Holders so late. Otherwise, if I had realized the Imperial Sword earlier and nurtured it until now, even those in the Void Returning realm would have to be polite to me."

"First, you need to be at the peak of Nascent Soul, and second, you need to be able to live for two thousand years." Xu Qing reminded him.

"I..." The Captain raised his eyebrows, but seeming to recall something, he sighed.

"The peak of Nascent Soul in the Eastern Wanggu Continent is the limit of most cultivators' lives. There are many who get stuck here and cannot break through until their lifespan runs out..."

"After all, this level is equivalent to the peak of a realm in a small world. People in small worlds reach the peak of their realm, and the next step is to shatter the void and ascend to seek secrets. But that's easy to say; the two thousand years are the hard part."

"It's not like before the gods descended. Back then, there was no foreign essence. The Nascent Soul of the Eastern Wanggu Continent was also called Heavenly Mandate; one palace forms one soul, and one soul grants six hundred years of life. Now, lifespans are halved. Unless one has heavenly treasures, a peak Nascent Soul cannot nurture a sword capable of slaying a first-tier Void Returning cultivator."

"Things are not like they were before the gods descended; back then, there was no strange substance, and a Nascent Soul on the Eastern Wanggu Continent was also known as a Heavenly Mandate. One palace formed one infant, and one infant granted six cycles of sixty years of life. Now, lifespans are halved; unless one possesses heaven-sent treasures, a peak Nascent Soul cannot nurture a sword capable of severing the first stage of the Void Return."

Xu Qing was thoughtful; this was the first time he had learned about the Nascent Soul realm.

"Let's not talk about this. Junior Brother, I've thought about it—why don't you just submit to Immortal Immortal Zixuan when we get back? It's fine, just close your eyes and it'll be over. Otherwise, Senior Brother probably won't be able to go to Fenghai County with you; I'm worried Immortal Immortal Zixuan will slap me to death."

Xu Qing thought for a moment, took out a pouch, and handed it to the Captain.

"The things inside might help you survive the tribulation, Senior Brother."

"What's inside?" The Captain's eyes lit up, and just as he was about to open it, Xu Qing spoke calmly.

"Healing medicine."

The Captain's movements paused, and he looked at Xu Qing with resentment.

Xu Qing remained unmoved. He didn't believe the Captain would be in any life-threatening danger; at most, he would suffer a bit. And for the Captain, who loved adventure and playing with his life, he probably suffered more than anyone else in his life, so Xu Qing felt a little more wouldn't matter.

After all, even if the Captain's body was ruined, it would grow back in a few days; back then, when only his head remained, he recovered in just a month.

And the journey to Fenghai County was long; at worst, he would just carry the Captain's head when he left. He imagined that before they even reached Fenghai County, the Captain would be jumping around again.

The Captain sighed, but he put the healing medicine away and took out an apple to take a bite.

He felt that elixirs could also be sold for money. He was currently very poor, as most of his previous savings were spent on buying questions. Thinking about how so many spirit stones were exchanged for a ten-thousand-zhang radiance, his curiosity became intense again.

"You don't have to put in a good word for me with Immortal Immortal Zixuan, but can you tell me what you answered when the Great Emperor asked your heart back then?"

"I've thought about this question for a long time, pondering it day and night. Look, I've even lost hair."

The Captain blinked. In reality, he had said so much and laid so much groundwork just to ask this answer.

He felt his strategy in the snow last time was wrong; he couldn't just ask directly. He needed to lay some groundwork by talking about other things, like the Heavenly Mandate Nascent Soul, to divert Xu Qing's attention, and then ask naturally; that way, the success rate would be higher.

The moment he asked this question, in the secret chamber on the flying ship, Xue Xue Lianzi, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, moved his ears and focused on listening. Beside him, Immortal Dong You was also in the secret chamber, looking toward where Xu Qing was. Even in the distance, on the invisible Tai Chu Li You Pillar, that Great Sword-Holding Elder also raised his head, looking toward the direction where the Eight Sect Alliance's flying ship was departing.

As these old fogies listened and watched carefully, Xu Qing looked at the Captain's hair.

He felt his strategy in the snow last time had been wrong; he shouldn't have asked directly, but needed to lay some groundwork by talking about other things, such as the Heavenly Mandate Nascent Soul, to divert Xu Qing's attention before steering the conversation to his question, as that would increase the probability of success.

"Senior Brother, I already told you that day in the snow," Xu Qing said softly.

The Captain was stunned and recalled carefully. At the same time, Xue Xue Lianzi frowned and began to recall, while the Great Sword-Holding Elder showed surprise.

Soon, the Captain suddenly remembered that when he asked that day, although Xu Qing didn't speak, he had spat.

"Senior Brother, I already told you that day on the snow," Xu Qing said softly.

Thinking of this, the Captain hesitated.

Soon, the captain suddenly recalled that when he had questioned him that day, although Xu Qing hadn't spoken, he had spat.

"I spat at the god."

The Captain was a bit dazed.

"And then? You spat, and you got ten thousand zhang?"

"I also called it a son of a bitch." Xu Qing pointed at the god's remnant face in the sky.

Xue Xue Lianzi froze, the Great Sword-Holding Elder's expression became strange, and as for the Captain standing beside Xu Qing, he murmured.

"You... you called the god's remnant face a son of a bitch?"

"Not just once," Xu Qing corrected him earnestly.

"I cursed it several times. Besides calling it a son of a bitch, I also called it a dog-bastard and a pig-scum. In the end, I even said 'god-damned god'."

As Xu Qing spoke, he spat outside the flying ship. The Captain looked at Xu Qing, and at this moment, a strong light erupted in his eyes.

At this time, in the Sword-Holding Court, the Great Sword-Holding Elder was thoughtful, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. This smile continued to widen, and finally, he burst into laughter.

The laughter was incredibly hearty, and the sound spread throughout the Sword-Holding Court, making a large number of Sword Holders extremely surprised as they looked over. In their memory, the Great Elder had always been serious, whether here or lecturing on vegetation at the Dao altar, and it was extremely rare for him to laugh so heartily as he did today.

Especially as he laughed, the Great Elder actually uttered a curse.

"Son of a bitch!" At the same time, on the Eight Sect Alliance's flying ship, Xue Xue Lianzi laughed just as heartily, but as he laughed, his eyes grew a bit red.

Once upon a time, he had also cursed like that, but he didn't know when he had stopped daring to.

On the flying ship, the Captain took a deep breath. He raised his head, looked at the god's remnant face, and spoke loudly.

"God-damned god!" After saying this, he coughed hard and spat out a large mouthful of phlegm.

After spitting, the Captain laughed, and Xu Qing laughed too.

In the sky, the god's remnant face remained majestic, as if everything on earth was less than an ant compared to it. Time passed slowly like this; the flying ship swept across the Northern Plains, flew over the Yunxian Eternal River, and headed south along the Taisi Du'e Mountain.

"God-damned deity!" After saying this, he coughed forcefully and spat out a large glob of phlegm.

After spitting, the captain laughed, and Xu Qing also laughed.

In the firmament, the Remnant Face of the deity remained majestic, as if everything on the earth was inferior to even an ant when compared to it. Time passed slowly in this way, and the flying boat swept past the Northern Plains, flew over the Eternal Immortal-Nurturing River, and headed all the way south along the Taisi Mountain of Calamity.

It was not until noon half a month later, when the sunlight was at its most intense, that the majestic city of the Eight Sects Alliance appeared in the distance to all those on the flying boat who were gazing toward the south.

At the same time, waves of bell tolls echoed from within the Eight Sects Alliance, resounding through the clouds.

This was the Welcome Bell.

The bell to welcome the return of the Sword Holders.

Sigh, how could it be one to two! I'm spitting blood…

Is anyone going together?