Chapter 371: This Heart Unchanged

What is a deity?

Xu Qing didn't know if others were asked this question, nor did he know their answers.

He now stood in the starry sky, gazing down at the terrifying divine remnant below. He watched its golden spine coil round and round, and the continent it entangled looked like food. All of this left Xu Qing's mind feeling somewhat lost.

His mind instinctively recalled his childhood, the first time he saw the eye of the supreme divine remnant, stretched across the sky, that dictated the fate of all beings, open. After that, his family was gone, all beauty vanished, and the city disappeared from the world. In the blood rain, all that remained for him was fear, despair, weeping, and helplessness.

Xu Qing fell silent. He remembered his years as a street urchin, when he ate anything, edible or not, just to survive. His only unwavering boundary was not to eat people. He had smelled human flesh and seen living people consumed until only skeletons remained, boiled into soup. There were times when his hunger was extreme, but looking at the cannibalistic scavengers and then at the divine remnant in the sky, he felt it would be better to die than to live like that.

Besides hunger, his greatest fear was winter. Every winter was a test of life and death. He had seen too many people freeze to death and stripped too many corpses of their clothes; it could be said that every piece of clothing he wore back then came from the dead. Therefore, he cared deeply about new clothes.

And then there was the corruption. This torment was slow but penetrated deep into the bone, causing immense pain. Throughout his journey, living at the very bottom of this world, he witnessed countless miseries of life and countless dark aspects of human nature. Many people like him lived in pain, enduring despair with no future. Each time he neared death, he would look up at the majestic yet ruthless divine remnant in the sky, observing its clean face, as if seeing its indifferent eyes once more.

Xu Qing remained silent. His memories flowed slowly in his mind. He thought of the small town where he finally settled, and before his eyes appeared the deity's second opening of its eye. Unlike the first time, that small town did not disappear. Instead, he saw greenish-black corpses, mutated ferocious beings, crumbling flesh, and an acrid, unyielding stench permeating the decay.

Next, he thought of the breathing on the red moon, its lofty posture, and the evil emanating from within it. Then, he remembered the golden eyes within the ghost cave, and the trembling song of the red-robed woman in the wooden hut, meant to soothe. All of this surfaced in his mind. Finally, all these images merged with the divine remnant he saw outside the ancient continent.

Gradually, in his heart, they converged into a phrase he had spoken countless times as a child.

What is a deity?

"A son of a bitch!"

Xu Qing looked up at the immense light source above the starry sky, at the faintly visible figure within, and spoke calmly.

As soon as he spoke, the light source shook violently, and the gentle voice suddenly echoed. "What did you say?"

"I said, deities are sons of bitches!" Xu Qing's expression was serious. After speaking again, he added, "When I was a kid, I also cursed it, you bastard!"

Xu Qing pointed at the divine remnant below. "I also called it pig scum." He thought carefully for a moment, then added, "Most often, I cursed them as goddamned deities!"

After speaking, Xu Qing spat towards the divine remnant below. As a child, he would always spit whenever he cursed a deity. Usually, it landed on the ground, but this time Xu Qing was happy; he felt it might land on the deity's face.

As the spit continued its descent, the light source above shone with unprecedented intensity, and the gentle voice within erupted into laughter.

"A son of a bitch deity, a goddamned deity!"

The laughter carried immense joy, growing louder and louder, causing the entire starry sky to tremble. As Xu Qing's vision blurred, he heard a sound of admiration emerge from the laughter.

"Many curse deities, but very few can stand before me and speak like that. No one knows I cursed them the same way back then, but I'm not as good as you, because I didn't spit."

"Young friend, though your body has flaws, they do not obscure your virtues. I bestow upon you ten thousand feet of divine radiance. May you never change this heart, no matter when!"

The next instant, amidst the roar of laughter, Xu Qing's vision blurred. He was still standing on the steps before the Great Emperor's statue, and as he looked up, the statue trembled violently, erupting in immense radiance. This radiance, in a blink, reached over two thousand feet and continued to spread. It reached over four thousand feet and didn't stop, then over six thousand, eight thousand… finally expanding outwards to a full ten thousand feet!

The world's colors changed, winds reversed, and the entire sky seemed to be pierced by this light, clearly visible from great distances. Unprecedented!

All humans in Taichu Liyou City had their expressions utterly transformed; even in the most solemn setting, gasps of astonishment still broke out.

"Ten... ten thousand feet?!"

A tremendous surge rose in their hearts, filled with disbelief and incredulity. Amidst countless commotions and exclamations echoing like thunder, all the Sword Holders in the sky were profoundly shaken, looking at the Great Emperor's statue and Xu Qing in awe. In other commanderies, they didn't know if ten thousand feet of radiance had ever appeared, but in Fenghai Commandery, this was the first time! Such an event surpassed everyone's understanding. Even Xue Lianzi on the ground was lost in thought.

"Seventh Brother's disciple... so powerful?"

Not only them, but the Sword-Holding Elders in the sky were also moved as never before, their eyes shining with wonder as they looked at Xu Qing as if he were a priceless treasure. Especially the Grand Elder among them, who had recognized Xu Qing long ago, now had an intense light in his eyes.

They clearly understood that while all participants in the Heart-Questioning Oath could be called "Blessed by the Great Emperor," in reality, this was merely an assessment, an implicit condition for promotion. Only by reaching a certain height could it be considered a true Great Emperor's blessing, like Qingqiu, who would be more valued by the Sword Holding Court. But... if the height reached an unprecedented ten thousand feet, then it could no longer be described as a mere blessing. This was the Great Emperor's personal selection! Unparalleled! For such a Sword Holder to appear in Yinghuang Prefecture was a great achievement for the Yinghuang Prefecture Sword Holding Court.

At this moment, everyone, both in the sky and on the ground, was stunned.

Hong Nyu Qingqiu stood frozen, staring blankly at everything. An indescribable feeling rose from the depths of her heart. She turned to look at Xu Qing, her eyes gleaming. "No, let's not try to take him down with us anymore... I'm scared," the malevolent spirit in her mind quickly advised.

Ning Yan, standing nearby, trembled all over, his eyes showing horror mixed with deeper terror. He recalled his earlier actions, and now his entire body was soaked in cold sweat from anxiety.

The Captain was also bewildered. He stared blankly at the ten-thousand-foot radiance from the Great Emperor's statue, a deep confusion welling in his heart. "Why? Why was mine only ten feet? My answer was good too!"

"How did little Ah Qing answer?" The Captain mumbled, then suddenly looked at Xu Qing, his curiosity incredibly strong. In fact, not just him, everyone wanted to know what Xu Qing's answer was.

As for Zhang Siyun at the edge, he lowered his head, his hands clenching tightly within his robes.

Xu Qing, the focus of countless gazes, was silent. He looked at the Great Emperor's statue's ten thousand feet of radiance and the violent ripples stirring in the sky. He didn't actually think his answer was particularly good, because as a child, he had seen too many people curse like that. When merely surviving was difficult, facing deities, even with fear, the courage to curse them naturally remained. This was the courage of the common folk, and also their tragedy.

The words spoken earlier by the Great Emperor's statue echoed in Xu Qing's mind. This reminded him of his childhood slum, where only those on the verge of death would become fearless enough to mock and insult the city lord. But when they had food to eat, they would, like the wealthy people in the city, treat the city lord with utmost respect, not daring to defy him in the slightest. Xu Qing dimly understood, but he didn't know if his thoughts were correct, until the lingering echo of the Great Emperor's statue in his mind repeatedly reverberated with its final sentence.

May you never change this heart, no matter when!

Xu Qing nodded.

Meanwhile, with the ten thousand feet of radiance from the Great Emperor's statue, this scene shook more than just Yinghuang Prefecture. Far beyond Yinghuang Prefecture, in Fenghai Commandery's capital, a long bell toll suddenly resounded within the Sword Holding Palace. The Dao Bell of the Sword Holding Palace, gifted by the Imperial Capital region, had for countless years only rung out during significant events. But today, its bell suddenly reverberated. Though only once, it still caused a ripple of change in the expressions and minds of all male and female cultivators within the Sword Holding Palace. Soon, the reason for the long bell toll was investigated.

"Yinghuang Prefecture, newly promoted Sword Holder Xu Qing, during his Heart-Questioning Oath, received the Great Emperor's blessing of ten thousand feet of radiance, thus the Human Dao Bell of Fenghai Commandery tolled once!"

This answer caused all Sword Holders within the Sword Holding Palace to be shaken, remembering a name: Xu Qing!

Moreover, streams of auras, carrying a sense of challenge, surged from within the Sword Holding Palace. Those emitting these auras were the proud and outstanding prodigies of this generation within the Sword Holding Palace. They came from various prefectures of Fenghai Commandery, having arrived to report after acquiring their Sword Holder status. Yinghuang Prefecture, being remote and near the sea, was therefore the last place for the Sword Holder trials. Sword Holders from Yinghuang Prefecture had just completed their selection and would need some time to report to the Sword Holding Palace. Yet, even before Xu Qing's arrival, his name had already spread throughout the Sword Holding Palace.

At this moment, in the back mountains of the Sword Holding Palace, amidst a forest of swords, a woman in white robes slowly walked out. This woman was stunningly beautiful, with lips like vermillion clouds, and a graceful figure that exuded charm at first glance. Notably, beneath her right phoenix eye was a tear mole, yet her expression was as cold as autumn frost. She was truly a beauty capable of toppling cities. Now, she reached the edge of the sword forest, lifted her elegant head, and with her phoenix eyes, gazed towards Yinghuang Prefecture. Her vermillion lips parted slightly, and her voice was like a clear spring.

"Yinghuang Prefecture... Yun'er should be arriving soon. Mother is waiting for you here."