Xu Qing had visited everyone he needed to visit in the continent of South Phoenix.

After arriving back at Sea-Sealing County, a month passed. During that time, Marquis Yao and Master Seventh made all of the necessary arrangements for the transfer of power in the Holytide Region and the half of the Nightspirit Region that they controlled.

At the same time, seven magnificent bridges were erected across the Yin Sacrifice River, connecting the Holytide Region to the Moonrite Region. Those bridges ensured that the two regions were now closely connected. Already, merchant caravans could be seen crossing both ways. The bridges made things a lot more convenient for low-level cultivators. Teleportation portals were also constructed connecting the two regions.

In some respects, the southern parts of Revered Ancient now contained two-and-a-half regions all joined together thanks to Xu Qing. It was a rare thing among the countless species of Revered Ancient. Humans were now far more than just feudal lords, which was quite a shock to many nonhumans.

Meanwhile, all of the developments ensured that new power structures were rising up in various counties and prefectures. For the most part, the new leadership all came from Sea-Sealing County. Grand Duke Holytide cooperated, so everything went very smoothly.

Eventually, a regional capital was established. Xu Qing was nominated as the region lord, not because of his cultivation base, but because he had formed an alliance with Moonrite, forced Grand Duke Holytide into submission, and earned the veneration of the Nightshade high priests. It would have been hard for any other person to turn Moonrite, Holytide, and Nightspirit into a unified whole.

However, it wasn’t possible for a single mind to manage an entire region, so a council was formed in the regional capital. Marquis Yao, the three Holytide emperors, and Pope You Sang were on the council, along with a representative from Moonrite. There were also members from smaller species and groups throughout the various regions. They would handle the day-to-day affairs of the two-and-a-half regions.

Anything that surpassed them would be escalated to the regional senate. The senate didn’t have many members. They included: Grand Duke Holytide; Ninth Sib; a Nightshade high priest who was entirely wrapped in cloth; and Master Seventh. In addition to those four, there were the Heir Apparent and Xu Qing.

With those structures in place, the Holytide Region, Moonrite Region, and half of the Nightspirit Region truly began to flourish. They worked together, both to thrive, and to keep each other safe.

After everything was set up, the time came for a long journey; Xu Qing and Ningyan set off for the Imperial Region to meet with the emperor.

It was very different from the way Xu Qing and the Captain snuck off to the Moonrite Region. For one thing, they had very different statuses now. Given who Xu Qing was, and the power he wielded, there was no way he could sneak around on his own. They departed with a lot of ceremony and pomp.

Swordsages from Sea-Sealing County would accompany them. And the party would be led by none other than the palace lord of the Swordsage Palace, Li Yunshan. Kong Xianglong was also coming along. Plumdark joined as well. Originally, Wu Jianwu didn’t want to come, but in the end, couldn’t resist Ningyan’s enthusiasm, and reluctantly agreed to come.

Of course, there was one other person coming along that couldn’t be left behind. It was the Captain.

After all of the arrangements were meticulously made, the traveling party left for the Imperial Region.

The Imperial Region was a great distance away from the Holytide Region. Because of the fact that Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity had conquered all of Revered Ancient, it was located in the center of the continent. Long ago, countless species had made pilgrimages there, as it was the pinnacle of Revered Ancient, and also a holy land. That region didn’t just have a special significance. It also had very unique geographical features. In order to travel there using normal means, it would take many years, and you would have to pass through the lands of countless species.

Therefore, traveling to the Imperial Region required the use of long-range teleportation portals, and the journey needed to be made along a specific route. That route had existed even in the days of the Ancient Emperor. It was called Dark Serenity’s Ancient Road. [1]

Humankind had seven counties built along the ancient road. That route was how Seventh Prince, as well as King Heaventide and his army, were able to travel from the imperial capital to Holytide so quickly. Each of those seven locations had massive teleportation portals. Of course, using them required the approval of the regions on both sides of the teleportation. A unilateral teleportation wouldn’t work.

Also, getting

to

the imperial capital was quite different than coming

from

it. When imperial forces came from the capital, they could bypass the dual-region controls, which made the process much faster. The opposite didn’t work.

Considering that these teleportation portals could cross entire regions, it was a given that it took a long time to prepare them for use. What was more, it was outrageously expensive. And Xu Qing had to pay for it. Thankfully, the imperial edict made it so that the Holytide Region was a lot more important than before, so all of the negotiations went smoothly.

The Holytide Region had one of those teleportation portals as well; it was located in Peaceful Prefecture, where it took up almost half of the entire prefecture. In recent years, it had only been activated once, when Seventh Prince arrived. He was the only person who had the authority to use it. However, the huge teleportation portal was in such a state of disrepair that Seventh Prince refused to use it again. As a result, a second portal was built in the Holytide Region. King Heaventide had arrived via that second portal.

At that moment, Xu Qing and the rest of the traveling party were standing on that very same portal. It was also roughly the size of half a prefecture, making it so large you couldn’t see to one end from the other. It was made from green jade and covered with countless magical symbols.

The green jade glowed, and the magical symbols flickered. Rumbling sounds echoed out like heavenly thunder. And then blinding light as bright as the sun rose up from the portal.

As the portal activated, the Captain’s face was a mask of anticipation. He had plenty of plans and arrangements for this, his first visit to the Imperial Region.

The Imperial Region is huge! I haven’t visited it in this life yet. Though I did visit it in a few previous lives, every tomb-raiding effort I attempted ended in failure. Let’s see if I succeed this time!

He licked his lips, and a crazy look appeared in his eyes.

Wu Jianwu stood next to the Captain, and when he saw that look, he snorted coldly and proudly lifted his chin.

“Your fiery heart counts for naught but zero; I’m going to the capital to worship a hero!”

The main reason he’d agreed to join Ningyan on this journey was that he wanted to visit Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity’s imperial palace and see if there was any poetry from the Ancient Emperor there. He felt he’d reached a bottleneck in his own poetry, and the solution was to read more of the Ancient Emperor’s work. The mere thought caused Wu Jianwu’s eyes to glitter.

Ningyan saw the looks in the eyes of the Captain and Wu Jianwu, but didn’t pay them much heed. Many thoughts were running through his head, many of them tinged with regret. He thought about the reason why he’d secretly fled all those years ago. He thought about how cold and unforgiving the imperial capital was. And he thought about how much he didn’t want to go back, although staying away was unrealistic.

With Biggest Bro around, I should be fine.

Taking in a deep breath, he instinctively looked over at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing stood with Plumdark and Kong Xianglong. Palace Lord Li Yunshan was also there, and he was talking to Xu Qing.

“Region Lord, the journey to the Imperial Region will involve seven teleportations, and we will pass through all of the other six human counties. Extreme long-range teleportations like this can be unsettling. After each one, we’ll need to take time to rest.

“The first stop will be Extreme Peace County, which is part of the Audeng Region. In that region, there are a lot of conflicts between human factions. As a result, over the years, Extreme Peace County hasn’t seen anything resembling extreme peace.”

Li Yunshan knew that he was responsible for keeping the traveling party safe, and had done a lot of research. As a result, he sounded very confident.

“That said, Extreme Peace County and Sea-Sealing County have had dealings through the years, so communication went well. They’ve already made preparations to allow us to teleport in. In a moment, the process will begin.

“In order to play things as safely as possible, we’ll travel in three groups. The first group will consist of myself and the swordsages. The second group will be all of the people coming with you, Region Lord. Finally, you’ll come through.”

Xu Qing courteously nodded. He didn’t find anything unusual about Li Yunshan’s arrangements. He was looking forward to this trip to the imperial capital.

Plumdark smiled, reached out, and took Xu Qing’s hand. He looked at her as the green light of the teleportation portal grew brighter and brighter, and the rumbling sounds grew more intense. The first teleportation was beginning. A wind kicked up, stirring Plumdark’s long, dark hair, and making her seem even more beautiful.

As the wind died back down, Plumdark’s voice reached his ears.

“Xu Qing, I have a premonition that this trip to the imperial capital is going to be very meaningful for you.”

As she looked into his eyes and smiled, she, along with Ningyan and the others, disappeared in the second wave of teleportations.

Xu Qing was left standing alone on the portal. Taking a deep breath, he looked up into the canopy of heaven.

Ninth Sib appeared there, looking down at him. He would not be going with Xu Qing to the imperial capital. At a certain point, the baby eagle needed to stretch its wings and grow up. You couldn’t follow it around for its entire life. Sometimes, letting go was the only option. He had already explained his reasoning to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing understood. Clasping hands, he bowed toward the sky, then bowed to Sea-Sealing County.

Green light flared, covering everything. When it faded, everything became still and quiet, and Xu Qing was gone.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Ninth Sib began the trip back to Moonrite.

Meanwhile, Master Seventh stood in a building in the county capital of Sea-Sealing County, looking in the direction of the teleportation portal. He looked a bit melancholy, like a parent watching children leaving for a long trip.

Big Sib died enough times in previous lives to know what the imperial capital is like. I don’t need to worry about him. If he wants to keep courting death, then death will come.

Fourth Sib... really does need to go to the imperial capital. There are things about the history of Revered Ancient that I could tell him, but he’ll understand better if he sees them himself.

That’s especially true of Summer Immortals.

Master Seventh closed his eyes.

1. Chapter 226 was entitled ‘Dark Serenity’s Ancient Road’ and basically described things the same as they’re described here. ?