Chapter 1321: Emphasis

It's a warm and humid spring, and it has been raining for the past few days. The bodies had been displayed at the city gate for three days, forcing passersby to pinch their noses. Though it brought a sense of relief, if they remained hanging, they would soon begin to fester and cause disease.

Many commoners tried to snatch the blood-stained banner, claiming they would keep it as a memento, but it was eventually confiscated by the constables.

The mountain bandits, universally loathed, were not deemed worthy of burial. Laborers simply tossed their bodies into the mass grave outside the city, leaving them for the wild dogs.

Grey Hat later arrived at the mass grave, enduring the stench to examine the corpses.

An amateur sees the spectacle, but an expert looks for the details. Judging by the contusions on their necks, the bandit leader and seven or eight others were indeed hanged alive. The rest were strung up after death, and all of them had various injuries on their bodies.

Some injuries were caused by blunt objects, others by sharp weapons. A few had their arms and legs twisted off, seemingly by bare hands.

The bandits' opponents were clearly an entire team: well-trained, well-equipped, skilled in brutal combat, and all of them were seasoned professionals.

After the examination, he rode back.

He traveled nearly a hundred miles before reaching a temple.

This temple was far grander and more expansive than the smaller temples of Puyin and Shinan. The divine statue within even had a golden body.

As soon as Grey Hat entered, the temple keeper emerged and closed the doors and windows behind him.

Grey Hat then lit incense and candles, knelt before the statue, and began to pray softly: "My God, a new force has emerged near Feng County. The Daishan bandits have been entirely wiped out, and their bodies are displayed publicly..."

Listening closely, he recounted everything he had witnessed in Feng County.

The temple was very quiet, save for Grey Hat's hushed, soft voice.

However, when he mentioned the "dragon head carving," there was a soft *puff*, and the candles on the altar silently lit themselves. Grey Hat quickly prostrated himself with a loud thud.

After he finished speaking, everything returned to normal. Amidst the swirling smoke, the divine statue's face appeared especially solemn.

Before sunrise, on Tianxin Island in Lingxu City, stood Paiyun Hall.

This was the highest point of Lingxiao Palace, and indeed the highest point in all of Lingxu City, with the sole exception of the Stargazing Tower in the Celestial Palace.

As Envoy Du Yun ascended Paiyun Hall, drifting clouds and mist flowed through the hall, creating an ethereal atmosphere as if on the highest heavens.

Inside the hall, there were only two perpetual lamps and two attendants.

Straight ahead, a massive pillar, so wide it would take five people to embrace it, was entwined by a coiling figure, still as a statue.

Yet, its breathing was extraordinarily long and deep. With each inhale, a strong gust of wind swept through the hall, drawing white clouds into its mouth; with each exhale, thick white mist emanated from its nostrils and mouth, a magnificent sight to behold.

This was the origin of the hall's perpetual shroud of clouds and mist.

This was known as 'Swallowing Clouds and Spitting Mist,' the Emperor's unique divine ability for gathering spiritual energy.

Envoy Du Yun paused.

The view from here was uniquely splendid, offering a panorama of most of Lingxu Lower City and several other floating islands.

Anyone standing here would feel a surge of pride and a sense of surveying the world.

Naturally, Envoy Du Yun was accustomed to such sights; the Celestial Palace was situated even higher than Tianxin Island.

After a long silence, a deep voice, like rolling thunder, finally emanated from the pillar:

"Envoy, what brings you to Paiyun Hall?"

"Your Majesty," Envoy Du Yun took a step forward, looking up at the Azure Dragon on the pillar. "I bear a divine decree and have come concerning the Nightmare Qi."

"Again about the Nightmare Qi?" the Demon Emperor snorted. "When I last visited the Celestial Palace, I already told the Venerable Lingxu that the war against the Mu Kingdom should proceed gradually and not be rashly expanded! As the Nightmare Qi is insufficient, we have been making efforts elsewhere."

These insatiable Heavenly Gods even claimed that the Nightmare Qi contributed by Beijia from the eastern front was less than that from the small nearby Yuan Kingdom!

Recently, Imperial Nectar has been abundant, which means that the Nightmare Qi absorbed by the Heavenly Net Star has decreased in comparison. This rise and fall has greatly displeased the Heavenly Gods, who have been continuously urging Beijia to "take more action."

Hmph, they blame the lower realm for not doing enough, instead of managing their own divine order. The Demon Emperor was naturally displeased.

Envoy Du Yun asked, "By 'elsewhere,' do you mean?"

"Aren't you already quite aware?" the Demon Emperor said blandly. "I even sent Qingyang to the Shining Gold Plains!"

"That's where the strange thing lies," Envoy Du Yun said, pressing his palms together. "For the past three or four months, the Shining Gold Plains have remained engulfed in ceaseless warfare, yet during several major conflicts there, the Heavenly Net Star has absorbed almost no Nightmare Qi."

The Demon Emperor was somewhat surprised. "No Nightmare Qi absorbed? Could there be too many Dragon Punishment Pillars nearby?"

"Dragon Punishment Pillars can only intercept a small portion of Nightmare Qi; they cannot stop it entirely on a large scale," Envoy Du Yun said gravely. "From the fall of the Bo Kingdom to the chaos in the central and western parts of Shining Gold, the Heavenly Gods have repeatedly checked, and those battles yielded virtually no Nightmare Qi."

War leads to death, and death generates Nightmare Qi, but the Heavenly Net Star recorded no corresponding intake.

Where did the Nightmare Qi go? The Demon Emperor mused, "Has this situation occurred before?"

"Yes," Envoy Du Yun said, enunciating each word carefully. "Panlong City, Yuan Kingdom!"

At the mention of those three names, both sides fell silent. The temperature in Paiyun Hall seemed to suddenly drop several degrees.

"Panlong City?" The Demon Emperor savored the name, which had not been spoken in a long time.

This past was a thorn in the side of both Beijia and the Heavenly Gods.

"During the final battles to eradicate the Yuan Kingdom and Panlong City, though the fighting was incredibly fierce, the Heavenly Net Star received not a single speck of Nightmare Qi," Envoy Du Yun said grimly. "A recurrence of the past is not a good omen."

"Perhaps it's just a coincidence. The wars in Shining Gold are not particularly intense to begin with, so the yield is small." The so-called "great battles" on the Shining Gold Plains were insignificant in the Demon Emperor's eyes. The secret to that region's Nightmare Qi contribution lay in its endless, continuous skirmishes.

The Demon Emperor couldn't be bothered to think deeply about a few battles that failed to yield Nightmare Qi. However, the Heavenly Gods took it very seriously. This also indirectly indicated that the demand for Nightmare Qi in the Divine Realm had reached a fever pitch, where even a tiny bit, like a mosquito's leg, was being scrutinized.

Just as the Demon Emperor pondered, Envoy Du Yun stated, "The Celestial God Miaozhan insists."

When he presented the decree from a true god, the Demon Emperor let out a breath, and the clouds and mist within the hall grew denser.

"Do the gods believe that the missing Nightmare Qi in the Shining Gold Plains is once again connected to the Great Square Cauldron?"

"It's worth investigating."

The Demon Emperor remained silent.

The stolen lid of the Great Square Cauldron, the burnt Stargazing Tower, Zuju's betrayal of the Celestial Palace, and the immense damage suffered by Lingxu City that night... These linked events certainly did not make for pleasant memories. The most ridiculous part was that the true culprit had yet to be apprehended.

"There's one more matter," Envoy Du Yun added. "According to reports from divine worshippers, dragon head totems appeared in several locations on the Shining Gold Plains, but they vanished after only two or three days."

"Dragon head totems?" The Demon Emperor lowered its massive head; these words finally captured its attention! Being a dragon itself, it was particularly sensitive to this term. "What happened there?"

"There were small-scale battles, and a black cavalry force appeared. Afterward, dragon head totems would emerge on the gates and walls of those areas."