Chapter 2044: The Empress's Edict

The Holy Maiden of Fusang descends upon the Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou Star Domain!

The instant this Holy Maiden appeared, the Ziwei Enclosure's bucket-handle collapsed, the curtain of stars tore open a gap of nine-layered blood-rosy clouds, and a golden divine tree that pierced heaven and earth swayed its branches and leaves, containing the origin of the Great Dao of the Sun, infinitely radiant.

Within the Great Dao, in boundless radiance, countless branches cast an incomparably noble ribbon of colored clouds this way.

Within the colored clouds, a beautiful and moving woman, wearing a phoenix crown, dignified and noble, appeared within the Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou Star Domain.

Before this woman, nine heavens of Lei Ting opened the way; the Kaiming Beast's nine heads roared in unison; crimson lightning fell like a great axe; the sea of clouds melted into a thousand-tiered staircase of profound ice, its steps reflecting the rise and fall of all the heavens;

the evening glows of all the heavens spread out into an imperial avenue; the Jasper Lake's fine frost surged forth, freezing the raging waves of the Long River into icy glazed glass; jade spirit grass and moonlit jade trees covered the ground, splendid beyond compare.

On both sides of the imperial avenue, thirty-six jade maidens in profound skirts stood on the left and right; the left ranks struck the Green Sky Chime-bells, whose sound drove away the three calamities' aura; the right ranks shook the Yellow Springs Soul-Stirring Bells, whose soul-swaying waves repelled the netherworld,

and beside the Divine Maiden, the Zhu Que Holy Maidens guarded her left and right.

All these ceremonial displays were dignified and splendid, conforming to the rites of the human race, overlord of the Endless Starry Skies, representing the consensus of the Endless Starry Skies' human powerhouses — this is what they have acknowledged.

This is consensus.

Even a stubborn stone, once acknowledged by the many human powerhouses of the Endless Starry Skies and made their consensus, can in an instant become the Endless Starry Skies' supreme treasure, the Imperial Jade Seal.

This is rites; this is the extreme importance of consensus.

This stretch of starry sky had long been filled with many human powerhouses standing in respectful attendance, their ranks far exceeding those of the past — at least several tens of millions of years had passed without such a scene appearing.

Among these powerhouses, the very foremost — the Limitless Sword Venerable, the Zhenjun He Huan Supreme, the Burial-Heaven Sword Venerable, the Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou Supreme, and others representing the strongest Supremes of the Eight-Tribulation Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong — were followed by Supremes of the Seven Tribulations, Supremes of the Six Tribulations, and so on.

Beneath these Supremes were the juniors — the Limitless Sword Sons, the Zhenjun He Huan Holy Maidens, and so on.

Beneath these Sword Sons and Dao Sons were the strongest from every region, the most gifted, the star-domain prodigies who each had a specialty in array dao, alchemy dao, talisman dao, painting dao, and the like — only such people had the qualification to come here.

In the instant the ceremonial immortal music paused.

"We, "

"pay our respects to Her Highness!"

The Limitless Sword Venerable, the Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou Supreme, and others bowed respectfully to a Celestial cultivator.

The ancient Fusang Holy Land had, since time immemorial, been the homeland of the Empress; throughout history it had many times given birth to the Empress of the Human Sovereign, and in tradition it even surpassed an ordinary True Immortal Maiden.

Historically, the Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou Holy Land, the Zhenjun He Huan Holy Land, the Burial-Heaven Immortal Sect, and other sects had many times paid respects to the Empress of the Fusang Holy Land; they were long accustomed to it and did not feel humiliated or disgraced, for it had occurred many times in history and was a matter of course.

On the contrary, the existence of the Fusang Holy Land greatly strengthened the legitimacy of the True Immortal Maiden and reinforced the traditions of the human race.

"Honored seniors, please rise quickly."

"This Palace is but a junior; truly I cannot bear such great ceremony from you, honored seniors."

The Fusang Holy Maiden's voice was gentle, comforting, without any sharpness, and she held these seniors of the immortal path in great respect.

"Your Highness speaks too gravely."

The many Supremes showed a trace of ceremonial alarm and rose one after another.

"Since the passing of the Wanfa Ancient Sovereign and the collapse of the Immortal Dynasty, the Fusang Holy Land has not been seen by you all for several tens of millions of years; now that we meet again, I see you are all still well."

"This Palace's heart rejoices greatly."

The Fusang Holy Maiden smiled and, looking at each Supreme, asked with concern: "Senior Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou, in the year when the star road collapsed, I vaguely saw the Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou Holy Land being besieged without cease by the joint armies of gods and demons — I wonder how you escaped in the end?"

In that era, the Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou Holy Land, in its prime, had done many things and drawn many gazes.

"Many thanks for Your Highness's inquiry."

"At that time… fortunately, we relied on the protection of our ancestors."

The Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou Supreme gave a bitter smile.

The two chatted idly for a while, both overcome with sighs.

"Senior Burial-Heaven,"

"I have heard that when the immortal road collapsed, your honored sect activated the ancestral method, burying yourselves within the starry sky to nurture a new generation of Sword Sons and Dao-protectors, only emerging when the moment was ripe — the immortal art is truly wondrous and admirable…"

The Fusang Holy Maiden looked again at a Supreme within the black fog, whose back seemed to bear a coffin.

"Your Highness overpraises."

"Our sect's method is, in truth, far inferior to the Fusang Divine Tree…"

The Supreme within the black fog said in a hoarse voice.

The Fusang Holy Maiden, who had come from afar, chatted warmly with the many Supremes, speaking of the histories of their sects from days past; those several tens of millions of years of hardship left them all sighing with emotion.

She also spoke of the many friendships between the Fusang Holy Land and the various sects throughout history, how they had once aided one another, and how the bonds between the sects were incomparably deep.

Both sides chatted and laughed, the atmosphere gradually growing harmonious.

At last, the many cheerful words gradually fell silent.

It has come.

Many Supremes sighed softly in their hearts; they had already foreseen it.

"The Seven Kill Divine Dynasty is the backbone of our human race; it has many times repelled the invasions of foreign races, defended our human territories, and Li Xia Da Gong — it is beyond doubt a meritorious servant of the human race."

"Who can say there was no merit within it?"

The Fusang Holy Maiden's voice grew cold by degrees, and she sighed lightly: "But alas, the Seven Kill Sword Lord lost his mind and actually committed regicide!"

"Such a madman, if not severely punished to warn all under heaven, how shall our human race stand in the Endless Starry Skies in the future?"

"You must know that our human bodies are frail and our talents insufficient."

"True Dragons have bloodlines and powerful physiques; Phoenixes possess undying heavenly fire, are born undying, and are born to ascend to the supreme; the Divine Dao borrows incense and offerings, transforming them into divine power to enslave all spirits under heaven… these races all possess talents far surpassing those of the human race, born to stand at the pinnacle of all races."

"And what do we humans have?"

"We humans have only order."

"Hierarchy and order, sincere unity, the sovereign does not fail his ministers, the ministers do not fail their sovereign — only thus was the glorious past of the human race as overlord of the Endless Starry Skies forged; the human ancestors have shown us the way."

"Order!"

"This is the life of the human race!"

"The Seven Kill committed regicide — this violates all order; this is digging up the very roots of the human race!"

The Holy Maiden of Fusang's voice spread in all directions.

One after another, the Sovereigns fell silent.

"Such a mad and depraved villain must be punished by the strictest law."

"To defend the order of our human race."

The Holy Maiden of Fusang's voice grew ever gentler, and she sighed softly: "Alas, Your Majesty is benevolent and does not wish to commit further killing."

"This damages Your Majesty's foundation too greatly, damages the entire human race too greatly. If the law is too lenient, in the future everyone will imitate it, everyone will assassinate the sovereign and plot treason, the human race will once again become a chaos, and the entire human race across the Endless Starfield will be buried because of it."

"This Palace must consider for Your Majesty, must consider for the human race's ten thousand generations."

She looked toward the Sovereigns one by one, took out her seal, and stamped it upon an imperial edict.

This imperial edict burst forth with azure light; character after character bloomed across the heavens, radiant and resplendent, noble and majestic, representing the will of a True Immortal Empress.

The many Sovereigns fixed their gazes and looked.

"…The Seven Killings Divine Dynasty, regicide and treason, crimes most heinous…"

"…Guilty before the human race, guilty before the Heavenly Dao."

"…In violation of the Heavenly Dao, in violation of human ethics, unpardonable; the entire clan shall be exterminated, not a single chicken or dog spared!"

These mere several hundred characters, each one seemed as if inscribed in fresh blood, carrying a heaven-shattering killing intent, a sea of blood filling the sky, making even the Sovereigns' breath catch for a moment.