Chapter 531: Follow The Path Your Heart Chooses (part 1)

Seven-colored clouds shone in the dome of heaven, spreading out to fill the sky. They looked like beautiful flowers made of light, their shifting colors laced with gold as they hung over the grand ceremony taking place.

The roars of the four-clawed golden dragon thundered out as it exhaled multicolored clouds. Within the clouds were numerous illusory figures standing tall as they observed; they were all the governors from the history of Sea-Sealing County, there to bear witness to what was to come. Of course, they were just projections created by destiny aura.

Spirit energy gathered in the form of raindrops, which fell to the ground and dispelled the scattered mutagen that had seeped out from Forbidden by the Immortal. Countless plants began to grow vibrantly, while all living beings experienced a boost to their cultivation base, and found old injuries and conditions rapidly improving.

A golden age had arrived. All cultivators in the county capital, and in fact, all people in general, were cheering loudly. The various nonhuman representatives from around Sea-Sealing County who were there to witness the event couldn’t help but feel a deep reverence in their hearts. Even the Demi-Immortals respectfully bowed their heads.

Atop the altar, the commanders-in-chief who had come with the imperial prince from the capital all had eyes shining with zealous veneration. Thanks to the leadership of Seventh Prince, they had won a great victory, and had performed unheard-of services to humankind.

That group included the three commanders-in-chief assigned to the three palaces.

The lieutenant governor stood there looking up into the sky. His expression seemed to be a mixture of lamentation and reminiscence. And it was tinged with the sensation of ancient time, as if he had already witnessed someone achieve things such as the imperial prince had achieved, except, on a far grander scale.

It’s not a big deal. Everything will return to the way it once was, my Lord. Three days at the most after the Holytides fulfill their agreement, I will sacrifice all the living beings in Sea-Sealing County. I’ll squeeze out all of their destiny aura to create a boundless life fruit for you, sir.

The lieutenant governor smiled faintly. He was a man of

rigorous schemes and deep foresight

, and thus, he couldn’t stop his heart from swelling. However, he quickly wiped away any expression of reminiscence from his face. The kind smile returned, and the crow’s feet around his eyes seemed even more prominent.

Xu Qing was back in the crowd. As he looked up, his eyes were fixed, not on Seventh Prince, but rather, on the huge statue of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity.

Within his mind echoed a certain collection of words.

“A swordsage can execute judgment on anyone except the emperor!”

Those words had popped into his mind over twenty days ago, and he had been suppressing them for just as long.

Leaning over to the Captain, Xu Qing said, “Eldest Brother, after this, why don’t we come up with a good reason to leave this place?”

“Oh, that’s simple,” the Captain said proudly. “I already figured it all out. It’s been a full two years since we joined the swordsages. Normally speaking, new swordsages have to serve in the capital for three years. But you can reduce that time with military credits. Once we’re ready to make our move, we can just apply for a position outside of the capital, and I’ll grease the right wheels to make sure we end up assigned to Emperor-Receiving Prefecture.”

“It’s been two years?” Xu Qing said. Time really had flown by.

The Captain sighed. “Yeah, two years!”

“I guess that means I’m twenty years old now,” Xu Qing mused.

“That’s right, little Ah Qing. You still haven’t grown up all the way. Twenty years old!” The Captain chuckled heartily.

Xu Qing also chuckled.

On the altar, Seventh Prince raised his hand, and instantly, the cheering crowd of hundreds of thousands went silent. The entire county capital quieted.

“You fighting men of Sea-Sealing County have had it rough over the past half a year,” the prince said quietly. “I’ve watched your blood flow. The emperor has seen the sacrifices you’ve made. All humankind has borne witness to your service. The war is over. Humans are triumphant!

“For tens of thousands of years, the Nightshades humiliated us. Now we’ve made them pay the price for that. Countless Nightshades died on the field of battle outside the imperial capital. Then we released Dawning Sun in two of their regions, exterminating ten times as many Nightshade as died in the fighting!

“Humankind’s domain treasure shook heaven and earth! But what is most terrifying about our domain treasure is not that initial burst of power; rather, it is the fact that it will remain in Nightshade lands for a sixty-year-cycle, endlessly burning!

“During that sixty-year-cycle, a hundred times as many Nightshades will die as have already died. Whatever Nightshades are born in the meantime will be altered. Transformed. Granted, they have their own domain treasure. But they only have one. And they don’t have the courage to use it at the cost of their own lives. So they will hold back from using it. Their champion, High God Crimson Mother, has fallen into a deep sleep.

“As for us humans, we have already unleashed our domain treasure three times, and can continue to do so. In this war, we have accomplished something incredible, the likes of which hasn’t been seen for tens of thousands of years. Emperor Dark War is now known throughout all heaven and earth!”

Seventh Prince’s impassioned voice filled the sky. “Thanks to our hard work, Sea-Sealing County stands strong, just as before! But there’s more than that. Though three prefectures were lost, I... have brought them back! In addition to the three prefectures I recovered, we humans have also recovered control of half of the territory in the Holytide Region. That territory includes nine counties and a hundred prefectures!”

An excited wave of cheering swept through the crowd.

As Seventh Prince looked out, his gaze became filled with unswerving determination, and his voice deepened.

“That said, I’m aware that some people believe my methods to be overly cruel. They think my actions are for the purpose of turning Sea-Sealing County into my personal territory.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m aware that Sea-Sealing County needs a leader, and therefore, I submitted a formal petition to the emperor, and received official approval to appoint a new governor for you. And this governor is someone you’re very familiar with.

“Soon, I will leave Sea-Sealing County, and in all likelihood, I’ll never return. Instead, I will enter Holytide territory, to guard the frontier border!”

He finished speaking, and before the crowd could react, he turned to the statue of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity and bowed formally. Then he turned to the illusory governors in the clouds, and bowed even more deeply.

“The county of Sea-Sealing cannot be left unguarded. Throughout history, all governors of this county have been outstanding heroes.

“Therefore, on this day, I, Guyue Zhang’an, as the seventh son of Emperor Dark War, would like to nominate a candidate to be the new governor. After his heart has been assessed by heaven, earth, and the people, I will submit his candidacy to the emperor himself, and then await the official appointment. Lieutenant governor!”

The lieutenant governor smiled and clasped hands in his direction.

Seventh Prince looked down the altar. “Your pallid bolus is a blessing to all humans in the county capital. Your actions have freed countless humans from the corrupting pain of mutagen. This is your first accomplishment!

“During your time serving as lieutenant governor, you were cautious and conscientious. From assisting the governor to showing pity on the commoners, your hard work and meritorious service are known to all. This is your second accomplishment!

“During the war, you kept the interior safe, ensuring that the people of Sea-Sealing County didn’t devolve into chaos. You spared no effort to support the front lines. This is your third accomplishment!

“Going forward, you will lead all the cultivators in Sea-Sealing County. You will see to it that the county returns to business as usual. You will oversee the reconstruction. You will return the county to its previous state. This will be your fourth accomplishment!”

As Seventh Prince listed out all of the lieutenant governor’s meritorious accomplishments, the hundreds of thousands of onlookers, and the tens of millions of people in the county capital in general, all looked on, their eyes shining with reverence.

The lieutenant governor stood there with a kind, merciful look on his face.

Down below, Xu Qing looked down. He had no desire to watch any of this. He just kept telling himself that all he had to do was wait seven more days. In seven days, he could go back to Seven Blood Eyes.

The ceremony should be over soon.

After Seventh Prince finished listing out the lieutenant governor’s accomplishments, the crowd roared, and the prince smiled and nodded to the lieutenant governor.

The lieutenant governor then stepped forward. All eyes were on him as he walked up the stairs to the top of the altar, where he stood next to Seventh Prince.

A strong wind swept through the area. It wasn’t the result of a magical technique, but rather, a manifestation of the invisible destiny aura. It came as streams of destiny aura rose up from all of the mortals and all of the cultivators in the county capital. Up above, the clouds seem to grow thinner as the destiny aura formed a massive vortex. The vortex grew increasingly visible.

“That’s the county’s destiny aura,” the Captain said enviously. “It wouldn’t be of much use to me and you. But to a Void Returning cultivator, the destiny aura of an entire county could easily push you up an entire stage. In fact, it might be enough to step halfway into the Smoldering God level!

“With a blessing of destiny aura, he really will be the most paramount figure in all of Sea-Sealing County.”

Xu Qing looked down and said nothing.

Atop the altar, Seventh Prince looked over at the lieutenant governor.

The kind lieutenant governor softly said, “I hereby ask heaven: may I serve as the governor of Sea-Sealing County?”

The most important aspect of the governor’s coronation was the assessment of heaven, earth, and the people. It was a ceremonial tradition started by Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity that had continued to this day. In this case, ‘heaven’ was Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity. And as a representative of the imperial clan, Seventh Prince qualified to represent heaven. Looking solemnly at the lieutenant governor, he nodded.

“You may!”

As the words left his mouth, thunder rumbled in the sky. It was as if a million lightning bolts all fell at the same time. As the sound spread out, the vortex of destiny aura became even easier to see. Gradually, it was taking the shape of a crown.

The crown of the emperor had twelve tassels. The leaders of the regions had ten tassels. The imperial princes had nine tassels. And the leaders of the counties had five tassels. The regulations had been set in ancient times, and they had not changed. And thus, the destiny aura overhead was taking the shape of a crown with five tassels.

As the thunder rumbled, the crown-shaped convergence of destiny aura overhead echoed with another sound. It was like that of a boy weeping.

It struck Xu Qing to the heart, causing him to suddenly look up. The weeping was extremely clear to him, but no one else seemed to be reacting, as if they couldn’t hear it.

“Did you hear that, Eldest Brother?” Xu Qing suddenly said.

The Captain looked over at Xu Qing and shook his head. “I didn’t hear anything. Neither did you.”

Xu Qing didn’t reply. He knew that the weeping in the destiny aura was the boy from D-132. Considering that he and the Captain were both linked to a heavenly dao, there was no doubt that the Captain had also heard the weeping. The sound seemed to grow louder in his ears, and it struck him to the core.

There are a lot of things I still have yet to accomplish. I need to get back to Seven Blood Eyes.... My cultivation base isn’t strong enough. I have to stay alive. Everything depends on improving my cultivation base. Everything. There will still be time to fix everything. After I’m strong enough.

However, even as Xu Qing consoled himself, there was another voice in the back of his mind screaming at him that the governor’s killer, and Palace Lord Kong’s killer, was right in front of him. All of the calamity Sea-Sealing County had faced was the result of a plot carried out over many years by this very person. Of course, that voice was Xu Qing’s own voice. He forced it into silence.

It’s not my responsibility. Exactly. Not my responsibility.... I’m a nobody who needs to focus on staying alive. Besides, I don’t want to drag Master and Eldest Brother into this.

As Xu Qing kept looking down, he clenched his hands into fists.

Atop the altar, the lieutenant governor calmly continued speaking. “I hereby ask earth: may I serve as the governor of Sea-Sealing County?”

In this case, ‘earth’ were the lands of Sea-Sealing County, and in a ceremonial and symbolic sense, Seventh Prince qualified to respond.

“You may!”

Instantly, thunderous rumbling erupted overhead, like a million lightning bolts exploding at the same time. More destiny aura converged, and the crown became clearer. It even started floating down toward the altar. The weeping grew more intense, and almost pleading.

Xu Qing’s chest heaved and his heart pounded. He looked up. From his angle of view, it almost looked like Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity’s hands were placing the crown of destiny aura onto the head of the new governor.

Once the crown was on the head of the lieutenant governor, he would become the governor. He would be blessed by destiny aura, and he would be in charge of the entire county.

From that moment on, the heaven of Sea-Sealing County would belong to Torchlight. The lands of Sea-Sealing County would belong to Torchlight. And the destiny aura of Sea-Sealing County would belong to Torchlight. [1]

If that happened, then Sergeant Thunder’s death, Grandmaster Bai’s death, and Master Sixth’s death would become pure regret.

There was one unknown: would Master Seventh’s actions in Forbidden by the Immortal be able to evade the scrutiny of an entire county?

Probably. Master should be fine. Worst case scenario....

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his clenched fists relaxed briefly before falling back into fists. But then the Captain put his hand on Xu Qing’s shoulder.

“It’s almost time to leave, little Junior Brother,” the Captain said softly, squeezing Xu Qing’s shoulder.

On the altar, the lieutenant governor smiled kindly as his gaze swept across the crowd of hundreds of thousands. It passed Xu Qing, then focused on something far, far away.

“I hereby ask the people, the fighting men of the county, may I... serve as the governor of Sea-Sealing County?”

This was the final step in the ceremony. In this case, Seventh Prince didn’t qualify to respond, as the question was asked to the people of Sea-Sealing County.

“You may!”

“You may!!”

“You may!!!”

The response was immediate. Hundreds of thousands of voices joined together on the altar, and were joined by the even louder convergence of the voices of the mortals in the city. The popular sentiment had been made clear! All living beings were in agreement! Heaven, earth, and the people all approved!

The clouds above seethed, and millions upon millions of thunderclaps rang out. The crown with five tassels, which represented the safety of an entire county, finished forming. The destiny aura converged, causing the lands to tremble and the sky to ripple.

The pleading wail turned into one of despair, and then gradually began to fade from Xu Qing’s ears. The crown slowly lowered from the sky as if Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity were placing it onto the lieutenant governor’s head.

At that moment, the struggle within Xu Qing reached an explosive level. It felt like heavenly lightning was smashing into him, shattering his thoughts.

Looking up, he sighed. With that sigh, he exhaled the impure vital energy that had been building up within him for more than twenty days. He knew that he was powerless. And in recent days, he had come up with countless logical reasons to convince himself he was doing the right thing.

“I’ve been fooling myself,” he said quietly. “I can’t say those words. I can’t give my approval. Eldest Brother, I can’t hold back any longer.”

The Captain’s pupils constricted, Kong Xianglong gasped, Qing Qiu’s jaw dropped, and everyone else in the crowd looked on in confusion as Xu Qing flew up into the air.

1. When reading this part, I was initially confused as to why Xu Qing would connect the lieutenant governor to Torchlight. Though this passage is not written as internal dialogue, it’s clearly being explained from Xu Qing’s perspective. Only a few chapters ago in

chapter 529

, Xu Qing made the initial connection to Torchlight. We also got confirmation (from outside of Xu Qing’s perspective) in

chapter 530.2

. Though it’s not spelled out in extreme detail, the main factor linking them was Chu Tianqun and the white hand that originally appeared in

chapter 465

. That white hand later appeared in

chapter 525.2

. ?