Chapter 398: Human Sovereign

The old man’s words were cold, tinged with a chilling intent. A natural aura of menace emanated from him, coupled with his stern expression and a hint of ferocity, creating a powerful deterrent.

Xu Qing sensed that this elder also possessed Nascent Soul cultivation, but his aura seemed stronger than that of the Sickle Ghost. He nodded in acknowledgment.

“Very good,” the old man said, looking at Xu Qing, his laughter also carrying a sinister chill.

“That Sickle Ghost, relying on his unique ability to coexist with the Saint Sullen race’s poison, constantly releases toxins. Yet, he only has a superficial understanding of toxicology. This batch of Sword Holders is quite impressive! Your name is Xu Qing, right? Come here. As a reward for poisoning the Sickle Ghost, I will allow you to assist me in explaining the myriad races.”

Xu Qing stood up and walked forward, standing respectfully by the old man’s side.

The old man shifted his gaze from Xu Qing to the assembly in the hall. “You may call me Ghost Hand. I am responsible for explaining the characteristics and fatal weaknesses of some common myriad races.”

Qing Qiu instinctively glanced at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing focused. He detected a strong smell of blood on the old man, and also noticed that Kong Xianglong’s reverence for him surpassed what he had shown for the Sickle Ghost earlier.

As Xu Qing pondered, Kong Xianglong’s telepathic message reached his ear. “Pawn.”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed. He knew the meaning of “Pawn,” which indicated that the old man before him was from the Form Prison Department. At the same time, his interest in the upcoming lecture significantly increased.

Previously, when he was with the Seven Blood Eyes’ Bounty Division, he had dealt with some foreign races on the Forbidden Sea. He knew that many races had vastly different bodily structures from humans, which meant their fatal weaknesses also differed. This was the case for races like the Ghostly Nether Race and the Starfish Race.

“The Misty Smoke Race: This race is born under the sun and naturally exists within an aura. They appear to have no fatal weaknesses, but in reality, their entire body is vulnerable. You must use wind spells to attack them…”

“Xu Qing, catch this.”

The old man spoke indifferently, raising his right hand and waving it. Immediately, a block of ice appeared before him, floating in front of Xu Qing. Xu Qing promptly raised his hand and caught it. At such close proximity, he could perceive it more clearly than others. The ice was transparent, and a wisp of smoke could vaguely be seen sealed within.

“Dealing with the Misty Smoke Race can also be simpler. Like this, you can just freeze them.”

After introducing the Misty Smoke Race, the old man flicked his sleeve, put away the ice, and continued to introduce other races.

“The Cloth-Hair Race: Their innate talent allows them to transform enemies into puppets. Their fatal weakness is their third finger; that is where their life essence resides.”

The old man waved his hand again, and a small, emaciated corpse appeared, also floating in front of Xu Qing. Xu Qing used his magic to manipulate it, rotating the corpse according to the old man’s instructions. The corpse was entirely green, had a single horn on its head, and was naked and covered in wrinkles.

“Xu Qing, find his third finger.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing immediately raised the corpse’s right hand, revealing its half-shattered third finger, and presented it to all the Sword Holders.

“There’s also the Two-Faced Race, a close branch of the Saint Devil Race.”

“Due to the alliance, the Saint Devil Race cannot be wantonly killed, but the Two-Faced Race can. Like the Saint Devil Race, they have powerful bodies. Their fatal weakness is to strike their dual foreheads at the moment their two faces rotate to form a diagonal alignment.”

The old man waved his hand again and produced a Two-Faced Race corpse, over two zhang tall. Blood could be seen dripping from its forehead. Xu Qing perceived it more clearly. He saw that the wounds on both faces were sword marks, a single sword piercing through the entire skull, passing through both foreheads.

The surrounding Sword Holders all looked serious, growing increasingly solemn, not daring to be distracted in the slightest, listening intently.

For the remainder of the time, the old man described hundreds of foreign races. With each explanation, he would produce a specimen of that race, and every specimen appeared to have died recently. Some were even alive, and the old man directly killed them at their fatal points in front of everyone.

Gradually, the smell of blood in the hall grew stronger.

During this process, Xu Qing gained a great deal. Not only did he see clearly and perceive thoroughly, but he could also sense many intricate details.

“Finally, the Quasi-Immortal Race.” The old man said, grinning, seemingly pleased with his previous killings. He pulled out a wine gourd and took a large swig.

“Everything you’ve seen so far, I specifically went out to find and kill over the past few months for this class. Every single one of them had brutally murdered our human cultivators multiple times, and some even tortured and killed Sword Holders. They were all wanted by the Sword Holder Palace.”

“I’m pleased that none of you in this batch are the kind of rigid fools who would suddenly feel sympathy for foreign races halfway through. In earlier years, such idiots occasionally appeared.”

“The Quasi-Immortal Race is difficult to deal with. I brought this one from the Prison Department. Unfortunately, like the Saint Devil Race, they cannot be killed.” As the old man spoke, he waved his hand, and a Quasi-Immortal Race cultivator appeared before everyone. The cultivator was unconscious, floating in mid-air in the hall.

“Look closely. The Quasi-Immortal Race has similarities with humans, but they possess five hearts, which contributes to their strength. They also have powerful regenerative abilities and very few fatal weaknesses. Personally, I believe their kidneys are more fatal than their hearts. Of course, I would suggest that if you encounter them in the future, you try to dismember them. That way, it will be foolproof.”

“What I’ve told you are the physical fatal weaknesses of various races. As cultivators, due to different magical techniques, there are many other differences. These you will need to judge on the spot.”

“Regarding the Quasi-Immortal Race, there’s one more thing I need to remind you of: their Immortal Puppets are stronger than their own people. These are evil killing constructs created purely for combat. Every Immortal Puppet is at least at the Nascent Soul level. I don’t know the specifics of their creation process, but I do know they are forged from living Quasi-Immortal Race members. The cruelty of the steps is unimaginable, with the purpose of inciting their malevolence and madness, allowing them to integrate with special exotic substances and develop abilities similar to corrupting all things.”

After speaking, the old man put away the Quasi-Immortal Race cultivator, took another large gulp of wine, and then stood up.

“It’s a pity I can’t dismember this Quasi-Immortal in front of you. There’s an alliance among the three races, and one of its clauses states that if a criminal from any of the three parties is caught committing a crime in another’s territory, they can only be imprisoned for a maximum of ten years before being transferred back to their own race. This applies to the Saint Devil Race, the Quasi-Immortal Race, and also our human race.”

The old man shook his head, no longer paying attention to the crowd, and strode out.

Xu Qing also returned to his desk and sat down cross-legged.

Outside, it was already afternoon, nearing dusk, and the evening glow had arrived early, streaks of it painting the sky.

As the evening glow intensified, a figure walked into the Sword Holder Palace.

It was an old man in a long green robe, with white hair and bright eyes. A sense of scholarly elegance was very evident about him.

As he walked, all the Sword Holders who saw him respectfully greeted him. “Greetings, Lord Prefectural Aide.”

The Palace Masters of the three great palaces in the Prefectural City held power second only to the Prefectural Governor. Below that level was the Prefectural Aide.

The Prefectural Aide walked towards the Hall of Knowledge with a smile on his face. Along the way, he looked at the surrounding palace complex and spoke to the Sword Holder accompanying him. “I recall the last time I was here was ten years ago. Yesterday, I heard the Prefectural Governor say that this batch of new Sword Holders at the Sword Holder Palace is quite good. I’m taking this opportunity, while teaching a class, to see the talented young elites of our human race.”

The one accompanying the Prefectural Aide was the chief of the Sword Holder Palace’s four deacons. He smiled upon hearing this. “These young men still need tempering. Lord Prefectural Aide, your knowledge is vast; if you could offer them some guidance, it would be a great fortune for them.”

The Prefectural Aide nodded gladly and proceeded with the Sword Holder Palace deacon to the Hall of Knowledge.

The moment they entered, seeing the deacon personally arrive, everyone in the hall stood up to greet them. Xu Qing did the same, looking at the two approaching figures.

“This is Lord Prefectural Aide of our Feng Hai Prefecture. He will now explain the history of the human race and methods of self-preservation using herbs and plants when in danger.” The deacon spoke solemnly. “Lord Prefectural Aide is truly virtuous and of immeasurable merit. Six years ago, he improved the White Pill and developed the Plain Pill, which doubled the effect of dispelling alien substances. This was a great act of virtue, significantly reducing the suffering of the Prefectural City’s citizens from alien afflictions.”

At this point, the deacon cupped his fists and bowed to the Prefectural Aide.

The Prefectural Aide returned the bow and spoke with emotion. “I do not deserve the praise of ‘immeasurable merit.’ The cultivation of herbs for the Plain Pill takes time, and currently, it can only be provided to the citizens of the Prefectural City. It would only truly count as merit if it could be popularized across all thirteen prefectures of the county and even the entire human territory.”

“Your humility, sir,” the deacon said respectfully, then bid farewell and left. After he exited the Hall of Knowledge, the Prefectural Aide, now the focus of Xu Qing and the others, smiled as he walked to the head seat, sat down, and spoke in a gentle voice. “Please all sit down. Your deacon overpraised me; I am merely a scholar.”

Everyone bowed respectfully, then sat down, looking up at the Prefectural Aide.

Xu Qing looked at him, sensing an aura similar to that of Grandmaster Bai and the Grand Elder of the Sword Holder Court. This instinctively made him feel favorably towards the Prefectural Aide. Especially the mention of the Plain Pill earlier sparked his interest, and he decided to buy one to study later.

The Prefectural Aide’s lesson was also very interesting. He lectured on the history of the human race, from the glory of Emperor Xuan You and the myriad races paying homage on the Continent of Wang Gu, up until the arrival of the Divine Remnant and the Great Calamity of Wang Gu.

He then focused on the various Human Emperors throughout the era following the Divine Remnant. Some were inept, some were wise and sagacious, some attempted to revive the human race, while others were content with the status quo.

“In the 37938th year of the Eastern Victory Calendar, the Eastern Victory Human Emperor, being overly ambitious and heedless of warnings, launched a war against the Blazing Moon Profound Heaven Race with the full might of the human race. This war resulted in a devastating defeat, washing away tens of thousands of years of human accumulation, and countless young men were buried in foreign lands. Afterward, the nation’s strength never recovered, becoming a turning point in the decline of our human race, historically known as the Profound Heaven Catastrophe.”

“In the 21435th year of the Sacred Heaven Calendar, a series of consequences from the Profound Heaven Catastrophe accumulated and erupted. Over ten millennia, our human race lost thirty-nine domains, and billions of human citizens were displaced, becoming slaves to foreign races, scattered across Wang Gu.”

“These scattered people in foreign territories, generation after generation, were unaware of their own race, and died without knowing where their home was. A few of them, in better circumstances, managed to form small nations, but they too constantly faced slavery and annihilation.”

“It wasn’t until several years later, during the Mirror Cloud Calendar, that our human race had an opportunity for resurgence. The Mirror Cloud Human Emperor was wise, and a small nation within the Violet Azure Domain rose against the odds, conquering an entire domain.”

“This nation was named Violet Azure. Its ruler was ordinary, but its Crown Prince was exceptionally brilliant and astonishing, hailed as the foremost prodigy of the human race after the Divine Remnant. He was born imbued with the destiny of humanity; at the moment of his birth, all forbidden lands on the Continent of Wang Gu wailed, and strange blood flowed, spreading beyond each forbidden zone.”

“Later research suggested that he was a self-salvation attempt by the vast realm of the Continent of Wang Gu, channeling the power of the entire realm to bring him into existence. He was entrusted with the mission of unifying Wang Gu.”

“This Crown Prince of Violet Azure, capable of suppressing an era, stood across from the Mirror Cloud Human Emperor, facing north and south. Through their combined efforts, they finally stabilized our human race from its continuous loss of territory.”

“At that time, the human race still possessed three domains and twenty-seven prefectures. The great Violet Azure Domain, which is beneath our feet, is now the Saint Sullen Domain!”

“Then, this unparalleled prodigy fell.”

“He perished on the land of the Violet Azure Upper Kingdom. At that time, all the myriad races involved in his assassination were astonishing figures, and even the sleeping gods of the earth took action. The Mirror Cloud Human Emperor arrived too late with reinforcements. Thus... there was no more Violet Azure in the world. That unparalleled prodigy ultimately died in battle on an overseas continent far from here.”

“On the day of his death, the mountains of Wang Gu trembled as if shouting, billions of rivers flowed backward as if weeping, and even the Divine Remnant in the sky opened its eyes for this.”

“It wasn’t until several years later, with the disappearance of Violet Azure and the appointment of the Grand Duke Saint Sullen as Domain Lord, in the 12578th year of the Daoist Era, that even with the wise and virtuous Daoist Human Emperor, everything still changed: the Dark Heaven Race rose and invaded our human race!”

“The Daoist Human Emperor personally led the expedition, and the entire race resisted. They could have successfully repelled the Dark Heaven Race, but at a critical moment, Grand Duke Saint Sullen betrayed them, handing over a domain to Dark Heaven and even mixing his own bloodline with that of Dark Heaven, turning against humanity!”

“After this war, the human race lost two domains and twenty prefectures... historically known as the Saint Sullen Betrayal.”

“From that moment on, the great Violet Azure Domain was renamed Saint Sullen.”

The Prefectural Aide’s voice seemed to lead everyone into the long river of time, where they witnessed the history of the human race over many years. The entire process was stirring, containing both fervor and sorrow.

“Thus, the hell of our human race spread throughout Wang Gu, leaving us with only one domain and seven prefectures. It is now the 2931st year of the Profound War Calendar. May our Profound War Human Emperor bring back the sacred light.”

After speaking, the Prefectural Aide let out a soft sigh.

“The future rests on you. I hope you will inherit the ancient traditions and become Sword Holders who can truly protect humanity, rather than acting out of self-interest!”

The hall fell silent; everyone was quiet.

Xu Qing lowered his head. Unbeknownst to him, his hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white and he had lost all sensation.