Chapter 722: Walking the Mortal World Carrying the Emperor Sword

On the Ancient Emperor Star, the statues of sages stood tall all around, while clouds and mist churned, blooming into flowers of mist that rose to form ornate canopies. Radiant light shone down, bathing those canopies in ten-colored auspicious hues as if all omens of good fortune had manifested!

Furthermore, the Qi luck of golden dragons dancing and breathing revealed the figures of all the human prodigies who were in the midst of enlightenment!

At this moment, these human prodigies all felt something in their hearts and opened their eyes one after another, looking toward the Emperor Sword that had burst out from the Ancient Emperor Star, a rainbow of light whistling straight toward the imperial palace!

Each felt a sense of shock and doubt.

Xiang Ningyan was among them, his eyes wide, his mind roaring!

And the tip of the rainbow where their gazes converged was none other than the Emperor Sword!

This sword was bronze in color, engraved with ancient patterns that carried a profound sense of history, while simultaneously embodying both tyranny and nobility!

All of this happened with such ferocious speed that before anyone could even process their emotions, the Emperor Sword, radiating an aura of creation and supreme nobility, had already arrived before the imperial palace hall.

There, without the slightest pause, it surged instantly toward the crowd gathered before the hall!

Wherever it passed, the void shattered; even the imperial palace shook, the plaza floor cracked, and terror rose in the hearts of those before the hall!

The moment the sword arrived, its power was monstrous, its momentum like a rainbow capable of swallowing mountains and rivers, carrying the human race's Qi luck and imbued with the vicissitudes of eternity, it swept past the Human Emperor, brushed by the Grand Chancellor, and traversed the crowd, heading straight for the right hand that Xu Qing had raised!

In the blink of an eye, the sword appeared above Xu Qing, the sound of sword-ringing echoing through heaven and earth, carrying a sense of recognizing its master, and this Emperor Sword slowly descended into Xu Qing's hand!

Xu Qing's right hand grasped it firmly!

The moment he touched the hilt, heavenly thunder echoed across the firmament, and the sage statues on the Ancient Emperor Star were drawn by it to perform a ritual, bowing in unison. The cultivators before the hall were all high-ranking officials of the human race, dragons among men in both temperament and cultivation.

Yet, even they felt waves in their hearts, turning their heads one after another to look at Xu Qing, to look at the Emperor Sword in his hand!

The seven-inch blade of the bronze Emperor Sword was piercingly sharp, its sword Qi crisscrossing, sharp enough to sever the heavens!

At this moment, the sword light shining in Xu Qing's hand rose to fill the sky, causing the winds and clouds to change color and the sea of clouds to churn; everyone who witnessed it was captivated!

It seemed that under this sword light, all divine weapons would lose their luster, and ten thousand armies would have to retreat!

And between the shaking earth and sky, the intersection with the sword light formed an aura that swallowed eternity, truly a brilliance that eclipsed the sun and moon and forced all things to yield!

The masses were astonished, the momentum shaking all directions!

Regardless of how the thousands of human prodigies on the Ancient Emperor Star had gained enlightenment, blossomed, or stirred hearts, it was meaningless compared to Xu Qing; the difference was clear, and the two sides were no longer on the same level!

What they had gained was a legacy, while what Xu Qing had summoned was the Great Emperor's sword.

Especially since it was the sword of the Sword-Wielding Great Emperor.

Its significance was extraordinary!

The Sword-Wielding Great Emperor founded the Jiangong lineage and established the Sword-Wielding Palace to protect the human race to this day; the sword in his hand could strike down anyone who hindered the development of the human race, no matter who they were, even the Emperor.

At this moment, after some recognized the origin of the sword, they immediately thought of the Great Emperor's awakening and summons when Xu Qing first arrived at the imperial capital, as if it all clicked into place at this moment!

As the successor of the Jiangong walked out from before the hall, the officials were stirred, looking at Xu Qing and the Emperor Sword with contemplation, while their eyes also revealed respect.

This respect was currently unrelated to Xu Qing; what they respected was the Emperor Sword.

And at this moment, Xu Qing's heart was also churning with great waves; holding the Emperor Sword, he thought of the last words the Sword-Wielding Great Emperor had spoken during the summons: everything depends on the heart!

Yet there was not much joy in his heart, because the moment he received this sword, it meant that his initial feeling was true!

The Great Emperor was going to fall!

He was entrusting his legacy!

And while he himself might not be the Great Emperor's only choice, this sword was equally heavy!

Xu Qing sighed inwardly and was about to put away the Emperor Sword, which contained a mission, when suddenly the sword's light erupted again, forming a sea of light that engulfed Xu Qing's figure, then left his palm and charged fiercely toward the center of his brow!

In the blink of an eye, the Emperor Sword and the radiating sword light vanished into the center of Xu Qing's brow, and his body trembled at that moment; behind him, three divine repositories emerged with a rumble, and while they emitted terrifying pressure, a fourth secret repository suddenly appeared.

Although it was only an outline, its appearance caused Xu Qing's cultivation base to surge instantly, and his aura grew along with it!

That fourth secret repository was still a patch of mist, but looking closely, one could see the vanished Emperor Sword nourishing within it, occasionally emitting a sharpness that could shock heaven and move ghosts and gods to tears!

The moment this Emperor Sword secret repository appeared, all three of Xu Qing's divine repositories shook, emitting divine might, and the Emperor Sword secret repository was no less inferior, its sword might floating in the sky!

Although it had nothing to do with the spirits of Xu Qing's three repositories, the terrifying power contained within this Emperor Sword gave it an extremely high status, though it could not yet be wielded or controlled by Xu Qing!

Because this was a sword containing a mission, controlling it was not something that could be swayed by personal will!

It would be more accurate to say that rather than being recognized as its master, Xu Qing had been chosen by the Great Emperor to be the Sword-Bearer!

To carry the Emperor Sword and walk the world; this sword was waiting for the moment it needed to reveal its mission, at which point it would fly out from the secret repository to strike its destined blow between heaven and earth!

And as the Sword-Bearer, he would also receive many benefits and achieve extraordinary things under the sword intent and gathered Qi luck emitted by this sword.

Gazing at the Emperor Sword secret repository, Xu Qing understood!

The sword-ringing secret repository blurred and dissipated along with the three divine repositories!

Heaven and earth fell silent; the Human Emperor looked at Xu Qing with deep meaning and a faint smile!

"Good!"

Beside him, the State Preceptor's expression remained unchanged, watching with a smile!

Xu Qing's gaze also turned to the State Preceptor at this moment, and in his heart, he tried to summon the Emperor Sword, thinking that if possible, he would like to strike a blow right now!

But unfortunately, the Emperor Sword remained unmoved!

Xu Qing felt regret, and as the Emperor Sword vanished, the fluctuations of the Ancient Emperor Star dissipated, the sage statues blurred, and finally, the vortex and the Imperial Prince's inheritance storm were revealed once again!

Everything returned to how it was before the Emperor Sword appeared!

But at this moment, most of the human prodigies who had been seeking enlightenment felt an unavoidable sense of frustration; only a very few could remain as they were.

Xiang Ningyan was one of them; although he was shocked, he thought about Xu Qing's experiences and suddenly felt this was normal, so he calmed down!

Then there was the Third Imperial Prince!

He was very happy to see Xu Qing act, because if the Fourth Imperial Prince had truly succeeded in gaining the Great Emperor's inheritance, then the Fourth Imperial Prince would have left everyone in the dust during this opening of the Ancient Emperor Star!

The current situation was perfect for him!

However, for the Fourth Imperial Prince, everything that happened today caused his heart to churn with intense emotion; he usually presented himself as a gentle and friendly person, but today...

As he sat cross-legged in the clouds, looking toward the imperial palace, his expression was initially gloomy!

He knew his reputation had been severely trampled, and his actions had become a foolish joke that would circulate throughout the imperial capital.

And his own inheritance had been taken away by someone right in front of the masses, his master, and his father!

In just a few breaths, his expression recovered, becoming gentle again, and he even raised his hands to bow toward the imperial palace to show respect for the Emperor Sword and congratulations to Xu Qing!

Such demeanor actually made many people think even more highly of him!

However, although the Fourth Imperial Prince appeared gentle, some seemed unwilling to let this opportunity pass!

Thus, just as Xu Qing was calculating the time and preparing to leave early under the pretext of stabilizing his enlightenment of the Emperor Sword, outside the imperial palace gate, on the rainbow bridge, someone stood before the golden-armored giants and bowed toward the palace!

"Greetings to Your Majesty. This humble one is Tuo Tuo Muwei, born in the Chenyun Domain. I returned to our clan sixty years ago. Today, witnessing Governor Xu snatch the Fourth Imperial Prince's inheritance before the masses, I feel indignant."

"For us cultivators, if our thoughts are not clear, our cultivation is hard to advance. Your Majesty has also advocated for our clan's spirit of martial competition. Today, this humble one dares to ask for guidance from Governor Xu!"

"I ask for Your Majesty's permission!" The speaker was a burly man in a coarse hemp robe, his figure massive, long hair draped over his shoulders, his expression arrogant and his eyes filled with a deathly intent!

As his voice spread in all directions, the fluctuations of a Great Perfection Spirit Repository also emanated from his body!

Five secret repositories appeared behind him, realized through body tempering; he stood there with his blood and Qi churning, the repositories behind him forming a blood cloud that spread in all directions!

As soon as he spoke, everyone outside the imperial palace watching the scene turned their heads!

On the Ancient Emperor Star, the Fourth Imperial Prince suddenly looked up, killing intent in his eyes; the other party was indeed from his estate, but this behavior was not ordered by him!

And for the other party to act this way at this time was extremely disadvantageous to him; even if discerning people could see the problem, some things would change their nature once they were twisted and spread.

Especially if it caused his father to be displeased, he would be affected even if he were innocent, so the killing intent in the Fourth Imperial Prince's heart flared up; he stood up abruptly, bowed to the imperial palace, and then shouted in a low voice!

"Tuo Tuo Muwei, what is your intention? Withdraw at once!"

Outside the imperial palace gate, Tuo Tuo Muwei lowered his head. "As Your Highness commands!"

"It was Tuo Tuo Muwei who was abrupt, but Governor Xu's actions were truly vicious and greedy to the extreme. He is not worthy of being enfeoffed, nor is he worthy of possessing the Emperor Sword."

When these words were spoken, the Fourth Imperial Prince's expression became even more shocked and angry; the other party had lowered his head, but the utterance of these words was also displeasing, so he was about to reprimand him!

But just then, the Human Emperor's voice came out faintly!

"Disrupting the order of the grand ceremony—execute him!"

As the Human Emperor's voice rose, the sharp edges of the great swords in the hands of the two golden-armored giants outside the palace gate gleamed, and as the words fell, the great swords fell as well!

Furthermore, the law of "words following the decree" descended; Tuo Tuo Muwei's entire divine body shook, and the next instant, his body was sliced into four parts by the two great swords and fell to the ground!

Furthermore, the law of "words becoming reality" descended, causing Tuomu Wei's entire divine body to tremble, and in the next instant, his body was sliced into four pieces by two great swords, falling to the ground!

As for Xu Qing, he had been calm from beginning to end, as if it had nothing to do with him; at this moment, he bowed to the Human Emperor!

"Xu has just obtained the Emperor Sword, and the secret repository is unstable. I ask for permission to leave early to stabilize my enlightenment!"

"Xu Qing has just obtained the Emperor Sword secret treasure and it is unstable; I request permission to leave early to stabilize my insights!"

The Human Emperor looked up toward the Ancient Emperor Star!

Xu Qing straightened up, nodded to the people around him, walked down the steps, and crossed the Chengxian Plaza until he reached the gate of the imperial palace; he did not even glance at the corpse on the ground as he walked past!

The wind blew, and his retreating figure was composed and unruffled!

The wind blew, and his back remained calm and unruffled!