Chapter 375: Heaven's Mandate Halved

As the spectral being’s emotions fluctuated, the prison roared, the surroundings violently shook, and the blood-red cage shone with dazzling light. The spectral being, confined within, now had bloodshot eyes, and her roars echoed in all directions. Her hatred for the human before her had reached its peak. All the negative emotions suppressed within her heart now burst forth like a breached dam.

"I'm going to kill you!!"

The Captain looked up, sighed, and mocked. "You don't even know how to swear. It's always just that one phrase. Do you want me to teach you?"

The spectral being went completely insane.

Seeing this, the Captain coughed, a smug expression on his face. He naturally wasn't worried that the Sword Holders would actually kill him and feed him to the spectral being; if that were the case, it wouldn't be the proper way of the human race. After all, for the Sword Holding Court, rules were rules and had to be obeyed. What made him even prouder was not only the shocked expression on the face of the middle-aged Sword Holder beside him, but also the rare change in expression on his junior martial brother's face. This made the Captain feel extremely pleased; he felt he had achieved a win-win situation this time.

"I can brag about this to Little A Qing for ten years now," he thought. "Plus, those old geezers among the Sword Holders will definitely change their perception of me, Chen Erniu, after seeing how outstanding I am."

Thinking this, the Captain slowly put away the clothes. However, believing himself a man of his word, he did not take the hair, leaving it in front of the cage. After tidying up the other items, the Captain walked over to Xu Qing's side and raised an eyebrow.

"How's your senior martial brother?"

"Amazing!" Xu Qing said sincerely, even giving a thumbs-up after a moment's thought. The Captain burst into laughter, feeling incredibly good, then looked at Qing Qiu. Qing Qiu rolled her eyes at him, her heart filled with extreme vigilance.

The middle-aged Sword Holder beside them looked at Chen Erniu with a complex gaze. He admitted that Chen Erniu indeed had some ability, but now he vaguely felt that such a fellow might affect the reputation of the Sword Holding Court of Yinghuang State in the future. After all, this person was too mischievous and too despicable. Recalling the sacred expression on the Captain's face earlier, he couldn't help but want to slap him.

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Sword Holding Court, several Sword Holder elders were also staring with strange expressions at the light screen floating before them, which showed Xu Qing and the two others. These elders had witnessed all of the Captain's words and actions from beginning to end. For a long while, they were speechless. Finally, only one elder shook his head and spoke.

"Too despicable."

At the same time, with the fierce fluctuations in the spectral being's emotions, the Sword Holding Court's soul-searching finally found a breakthrough. The subsequent matters were beyond the involvement of Xu Qing and his two companions, so they were soon escorted away by the middle-aged Sword Holder. As for credit, the Captain was awarded the highest merit this time, a significant recognition.

After watching the three figures disappear from the Sword Holding Court, the middle-aged Sword Holder sighed deeply. "The disciples from the Eight Sects Alliance this time..." He shook his head, unsure how to evaluate them.

As the matter concluded, Qing Qiu immediately departed with the Litu Sect, seemingly not wanting to stay a moment longer. As for the Eight Sects Alliance, they also chose to leave the day after the incident to return to their base. However, a small incident occurred before the alliance's massive flying boat set sail. The Captain, he went missing.

He clearly lacked the courage to return to the sect, obviously fearing Celestial Master Zixuan's wrath and his master's punishment upon his return, as he didn't know what Zixuan had said in the reply letter. However, with the Ancestor present, the Captain's escape plan was doomed to fail. Thus, less than half an hour after the flying boat's scheduled departure, after the Blood Refiner left and returned, he held the Captain, whose escape plan had failed, in his hand.

The Grand Origin Spectral Pillar became thinner and thinner in Xu Qing's sight until it finally vanished from view. Looking in the direction of the Grand Origin Spectral Pillar, Xu Qing felt a ripple in his heart. When he arrived, he was merely a disciple of the Eight Sects Alliance, at most a quasi-Dao Child. But now, he was a Sword Holder of Myriad Splendor, a phenomenon never before seen in Yinghuang State, who had reached the peak even during the selection phase, transforming from a participant to a witness. His status and reputation were completely different from before.

Xu Qing could clearly feel this from the glances the surrounding alliance disciples cast his way. Previously, the alliance disciples looked at him with more envy, but now, it was reverence. The change in their gazes stemmed not only from his strength but more so from the transformation of his identity. He was now a cultivator of the Sword Holding Department, one of the Five Divisions of the Upper Profound, representing the orthodox human race. Possessing a command sword and with undeniable evidence, he could execute anyone beneath the Emperor, provided his own strength allowed. Similarly, under the protection of this identity, anyone who killed him would face a bounty from the Sword Holding Department. While enjoying these benefits, a Sword Holder also had to fulfill their duty: wielding the sword for humanity and guarding all living beings. Xu Qing fell silent. The mission of a Sword Holder was too grand; he didn't know how he should proceed in the future.

"Hold fast to your original heart," Xu Qing murmured inwardly. He then reined in his thoughts, turned his head, and looked at the limping Captain who had appeared beside him.

"Junior martial brother, I regret one thing."

"Ran too late?" Xu Qing glanced at the Captain's leg.

"No," the Captain said with a look of indignation. "I regret joining the Sword Holders so late. If I had understood the Imperial Sword earlier and nurtured it until now, even a Void Return expert would have to be polite to me."

"First, you need to reach the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and second, you need to live for two thousand years," Xu Qing reminded him.

"I..." The Captain's eyebrows twitched, but then he seemed to recall something and sighed. "The peak of the Nascent Soul stage on the Ancient Continent is the limit for most cultivators in their lifetime. Many get stuck here and cannot break through until their lifespan ends... After all, this level in a minor world is equivalent to the peak of that realm. People in minor worlds who cultivate to the peak of the realm then break through the void and ascend to seek secrets. That's fine, but two thousand years is difficult. It's not like before the divine beings descended. Back then, there was no anomalous substance, and Nascent Souls on the Ancient Continent were also called 'Heavenly Mandate'. One palace forms one Nascent Soul, and one Nascent Soul grants six *jiazi* of lifespan. Now, lifespan is halved. Unless one has rare treasures, a Nascent Soul at its peak cannot cultivate a sword capable of slaying a first-tier Void Return expert."

The Captain was dejected. Xu Qing was thoughtful; this was the first time he had learned about the Nascent Soul realm.

"Let's not talk about that anymore, junior martial brother. I've been thinking, maybe after we go back, you should just agree to Celestial Master Zixuan? It'll be fine, just close your eyes and it'll be over. Otherwise, I, your senior martial brother, probably won't be able to go to Fenghai County with you. I'm worried Celestial Master Zixuan might slap me to death."

Xu Qing thought for a moment, then took out a pouch and handed it to the Captain. "What's inside might help you, senior martial brother, endure this tribulation."

"What's inside?" The Captain's eyes lit up. Just as he took it and was about to open it, Xu Qing's calm voice came.

"Healing medicine."

The Captain paused, looking at Xu Qing with a resentful expression. Xu Qing remained unmoved. He didn't believe the Captain was in any mortal danger; at most, he'd suffer a bit. And for the Captain, who loved adventure and courting death, he'd probably suffered the most in his life, so a little more wouldn't matter to Xu Qing. After all, even if the Captain's body was maimed, it would grow back in a few days; he had once recovered in just a month even when only his head remained. And the journey to Fenghai County was long; at worst, Xu Qing could just carry the Captain's head when he left. He figured by the time they reached Fenghai County, the Captain would be lively again.

The Captain sighed, but put the healing medicine away and took out an apple, biting into it. Having boarded the flying boat, the thought of his many spirit stones only yielding a ten-foot radiance reignited his intense curiosity.

"You don't have to put in a good word for me with Celestial Master Zixuan, but can you tell me what you answered when the Great Emperor questioned your heart back then? I've been wondering about this for so long, pondering day and night. Look, I've even lost hair over it."

The Captain blinked. In truth, all his preceding elaborate setup was precisely to elicit this answer. He felt his strategy during their last encounter in the snow was wrong; he shouldn't have asked directly. He needed to lay some groundwork, discussing other things like the Heavenly Mandate Nascent Soul, to divert Xu Qing's attention, and then ask naturally. This way, the success rate would be higher.

The moment he posed the question, in a secret chamber on the flying boat, the Blood Refiner, who was meditating cross-legged, twitched his ears and listened intently. Celestial Master Dongyou, who was beside him in the secret chamber, also looked in Xu Qing's direction. Even on the distant, invisible Grand Origin Spectral Pillar, the Grand Elder of the Sword Holders raised his head, gazing in the direction where the Eight Sects Alliance's flying boat departed.

As these old figures listened and watched intently, Xu Qing glanced at the Captain's hair. The Captain looked at Xu Qing eagerly.

"Senior martial brother, I already told you that day on the snowy ground," Xu Qing said softly.

The Captain was taken aback and recalled carefully. At the same time, the Blood Refiner also frowned and began to recall, while the Grand Elder of the Sword Holders showed a surprised expression. Soon, the Captain suddenly remembered that when he asked that day, Xu Qing hadn't spoken, but had spat.

"You... spat?" Thinking of this, the Captain said hesitantly.

Xu Qing nodded. "I spat at the divine being."

The Captain was a little stunned. "And then? You spat, and it became ten thousand feet tall?"

"I also cursed it," Xu Qing said, pointing at the divine remnant face in the sky.

The Blood Refiner froze, the Grand Elder of the Sword Holding Court showed a strange expression, and the Captain, standing beside Xu Qing, murmured at this moment. "You... you cursed the divine remnant face once?"

"Not once," Xu Qing corrected him seriously. "I cursed it several times. Besides calling it a bastard, I also called it a dog, and a pig-scum. And finally, I said, 'divine being!'"

As Xu Qing spoke, he spat out of the flying boat. The Captain looked at Xu Qing, his eyes gleaming with intense light at that moment.

At this moment, in the Sword Holding Court, the Grand Elder of the Sword Holders was thoughtful, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. This smile grew wider and wider, eventually bursting into loud laughter. His laughter was utterly uninhibited, echoing throughout the Sword Holding Court and greatly surprising many Sword Holders, who turned to look. In their memory, the Grand Elder was always serious, whether there or lecturing on plants at the Dao Altar. Such hearty laughter as today was exceedingly rare. Especially as he laughed, the Grand Elder actually uttered a swear word.

"Damn it!"

Simultaneously, on the Eight Sects Alliance's flying boat, the Blood Refiner also burst into laughter. But as he laughed, his eyes reddened slightly. Once upon a time, he had cursed in the same way, but he didn't know when he had stopped daring to.

On the flying boat, the Captain took a deep breath. He looked up at the divine remnant face and spoke loudly. "Divine being!" After saying this, he coughed forcefully and spat out a large mouthful of phlegm.

After spitting, the Captain smiled, and Xu Qing also smiled.

In the sky, the divine remnant face remained majestic, as if everything on earth was less than an ant compared to it. Time slowly flowed on. The flying boat swept past the Northern Plains, flew over the Immortal-Veiled Ancient River, and proceeded south along Mount Tai Si's Salvation path. Half a month later, at high noon when the sun was strong, the grand city of the Eight Sects Alliance appeared in the distant view of everyone on the flying boat looking south. Simultaneously, peals of bells echoed from within the Eight Sects Alliance, resonating through the sky. These were the welcoming bells, bells to welcome the returning Sword Holders.