Chapter 473: Sealing the Sea Battle

The Palace Lord's unwavering resolve needed no elaborate words; this single sentence was enough.

All Sword Holders looked up, their gazes converging on the Palace Lord. In their eyes were persistence, respect, and trust.

"All of you took an oath the moment you became Sword Holders, and in the ceremonies you participated in, there was also a specific phrase."

"Defend humanity, vanquish the perils of the dawn, and let the light of heaven and earth shine forth."

"This phrase is not just a slogan," the Palace Lord said calmly. "You've shouted it, and I've shouted it. And now... we need to act upon it. Therefore, from now on, you must be like brothers and sisters, assisting each other with all your might. Never waver, never admit defeat! We will live and die with Fenghai Commandery, fighting to the very end! Even if the entire Fenghai Commandery descends into war and collapse in the future, our human army, under the sacred decree of the Human Emperor, will continue the fight until the opportune moment arrives. The flame of the Saintly Ocean Clan's legacy shall finally be extinguished!"

The Palace Lord gazed at the one hundred thousand Sword Holders before him.

"Now, I will issue my orders!" the Palace Lord said, his voice sharp and resolute. "Xu Qing, record this."

Xu Qing stepped forward three paces, took out a jade slip, his expression serious, ready to record.

"Convene all human sects and forces within Fenghai Commandery, with the exception of Yinghuang Prefecture and Quzhao Prefecture, which are currently resisting the Corpse and Robe Taboos! The Saintly Ocean Clan's invasion is aimed at our annihilation. If those sects fail to comply with orders, even if they don't die at the hands of the Saintly Ocean Clan in the future, they will become traitors to humanity. Notify the Sword Holding Courts in each prefecture to lead the human cultivators in their respective prefectures, unify under command, form an army, and immediately proceed to the western battlefield to prepare for combat. Notify the Enforcement Palace to organize the allied forces of the foreign tribes and order the Yao Family to cooperate in defending the northern front of Fenghai Commandery! Notify the Penal Palace to organize the three major sects in the Commandery Capital to serve as a bridge between the two major war zones in the northwest and assist with logistical transport! Notify the Commandery Administrator to use the power of the commandery administration to protect the Commandery Capital and maintain order within Fenghai Commandery. Additionally, notify all foreign tribes and forces within Fenghai Commandery that have not yet participated in the war, regardless of whether they are demonic or unusual entities: to prevent internal turmoil during wartime, all cultivators at the Spirit Treasure and Return to Void realms must participate in the war. Not a single one may be left behind. Those who defy will face extermination! Notify all human forces to activate all forbidden magical artifacts. During this period, with the exception of Yinghuang and Quzhao Prefectures, the Commandery Capital's forbidden powers will take over all authority."

"Four Deacons."

The four deacons of the Sword Holding Palace, including Daoist Sinan, immediately stepped forward upon hearing this and bowed respectfully to the Palace Lord.

"You four are responsible for supervision. If anyone disobeys orders, execute them!"

"We obey your decree!" the four deacons said in deep, solemn voices, their expressions solemn.

Xu Qing recorded all the orders as they were issued. This was his duty: after the upcoming meeting, he would immediately notify and ensure their execution, as well as complete the records.

"Brother Yunfan, Brother Shentu!" The Palace Lord turned to look at the two Vice Palace Lords of the Sword Holding Palace beside him. These two elders stepped forward, their expressions respectful. "The prison break at the Penal Division must be resolved quickly. Thirty percent of the Commandery Capital's Sword Holders will remain in the Commandery Capital. The remaining seventy percent will be divided into seven hundred companies of one hundred people each, which will then be further divided into numerous small teams, forming at least seven thousand squads. Each will spread out to cover a specific area, equipped with several enforcers, to kill the escaped convicts! Capture them if possible; if capture is not feasible, then slaughter them all, leaving none alive. I ask the two Vice Palace Lords to lead this operation. It is imperative that the arrests are completed within ten days. After ten days, assemble in the Commandery Capital and proceed to the battlefield!"

The two Vice Palace Lords immediately nodded upon hearing this. The hundred thousand Sword Holders below each felt their killing intent rise and unanimously pledged their obedience. Especially the enforcers of the Penal Division among them, their expressions were grim, and their killing intent grew even stronger. After all, their duty was to suppress criminals, and they were intimately familiar with them. With the cooperation of other Sword Holders, their efficiency would be even greater. In fact, for the enforcers of the Penal Division, even if the Palace Lord hadn't issued this order, they had already reached a consensus among themselves: to catch the prisoners who escaped from their own supervised cells themselves. Xu Qing shared this consensus!

At this moment, with the orders issued, all Sword Holders immediately began to act that night. Most of them left the Commandery Capital under the arrangements of the two Vice Palace Lords. Although Xu Qing did not go out, his subsequent work was extremely complex, with almost no time for rest. He had to assist the Palace Lord in handling intricate administrative affairs and compile war reports received from all directions. So, after the general assembly, during the small meeting the Palace Lord convened with the Enforcement Palace and Penal Palace, Xu Qing stood by. While recording everything, he was also rapidly disseminating the Palace Lord's announcements. Soon, Xu Qing's voice, amplified by the internal power of the Sword Holding Palace, spread throughout the prefectures of Fenghai Commandery. After a series of decrees were conveyed, within a single night, all forces in Fenghai Commandery became aware of the accompanying scribe by the Palace Lord's side.

Being so close to the Palace Lord, Xu Qing personally witnessed the Palace Lord's mental exhaustion from working day and night over the next few days. Almost every day, the Palace Lord had to communicate with the Commandery Administrator and the other two Palace Lords. In this process, more decrees were issued, and Fenghai Commandery quickly became a maelstrom of activity. The war reports Xu Qing needed to compile also increased, to the point that he simply conscripted some Sword Holders to his side, establishing the Scribe Division. Qingqiu was among them. She had returned two days prior, and Xu Qing, using his official authority, learned of her return immediately and promptly conscripted her. Upon seeing Xu Qing, Qingqiu's expression was clearly complex and peculiar, but Xu Qing had no time for further conversation at that moment and rapidly arranged numerous tasks. "If only Captain were here..." Amidst his busy schedule, Xu Qing often thought of the Captain, but unfortunately, the Captain remained missing. Besides that, foreign tribes occasionally visited, and at these times, Xu Qing would receive them on behalf of the Palace Lord.

At this moment, in the reception hall of the Sword Holding Palace, Xu Qing, while rubbing his temples, looked at the foreign cultivator before him, whose face was filled with anger. This was an envoy from the Spirit Ear Tribe. This tribe resembled humans, except they had an extra pair of ears, double pupils in their eyes, greyish skin, and no hair. "Lord Xu," the envoy began, "it's not that our tribe doesn't want to participate in the war. Our ancestors and others truly cannot leave. Once they depart, our great enemy, the Purple Water Tribe, will certainly seize the opportunity to attack." Xu Qing held a jade slip in his hand. During this period, almost all visiting foreign tribes came for one reason: the Palace Lord's demand that cultivators of the Spirit Treasure and Return to Void realms from all tribes must participate in the war. This matter caused strong backlash from many forces, but they dared not openly resist, so they could only come here to complain and protest. "Your tribe has nine late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, thirty-seven mid-stage, one hundred forty-five early-stage, and three hundred Core Formation cultivators. Their strength is comparable to the Purple Water Tribe... So what do you mean by 'seizing the opportunity to attack'?" Xu Qing's gaze was cold as he stared at the foreign envoy before him. The moment he spoke, the Spirit Ear envoy's expression changed. The numbers Xu Qing cited were incredibly precise; in reality, this was a secret of their tribe, with thirty percent being secret cultivators whose existence was not publicly known. Having been exposed in a single sentence, he hesitated, about to speak, just as Xu Qing received a summons from the Palace Lord. Xu Qing then stood up and calmly spoke. "Either comply or face extermination. Qingqiu, you handle this. If they do not comply, inform Deacon Sinan." Qingqiu, standing nearby, affirmed and walked towards the Spirit Ear cultivator. Xu Qing paid no further attention and left for the Sword Holding Grand Hall.

There were too many incidents like that of the Spirit Ear Tribe. Their intentions were actually quite simple: on one hand, their tribal powerhouses did not want to be tied to Fenghai Commandery on the battlefield. On the other hand, they also harbored other thoughts. For instance, if Fenghai Commandery were to suffer defeat, tribes and forces that retained their strong cultivators would be better positioned to secretly claim a share of the spoils. With some caution, amidst the chaos of war, they also wouldn't worry about future reckoning. This was, in fact, also a concern for the Palace Lord, which is why this mandatory decree was issued. The four deacons had already carried out several recent exterminations. "Internal strife and external threats," Xu Qing murmured to himself. The true state of Fenghai Commandery at present could be said to be best known within the Scribe Division. All war reports from all directions had to converge with him, to be organized and verified by him before being immediately reported to the Palace Lord. This was the Palace Lord's appointment. While everything was simplified during wartime, Xu Qing's burden was also immensely heavy. Not only did he have to organize, but he also had to find ways to ensure accuracy.

While pondering this, Xu Qing soon arrived at the Sword Holding Grand Hall. As the Palace Lord's sole accompanying scribe, he possessed the right to enter without announcement. As the Sword Holders outside the hall bowed respectfully, Xu Qing quickly walked in. At this moment, the Palace Lord was not alone in the hall. The Commandery Administrator and the Palace Lords of the other two Upper Profound Palaces were also present, along with a middle-aged cultivator dressed as a scholar. Xu Qing had seen this person in the past few days and knew he was Marquis Yao. Currently, these five individuals were engaged in an argument. "Brother Liang Xiu," Marquis Yao began, "at a time like this, how can we excessively oppress the various tribes within the commandery? If this matter cannot be resolved quickly, with individual rebellions, our preparations for forming an army will also be delayed by the time the forbidden powers dissipate!" "Tianyan also has a point," the Commandery Administrator sighed, speaking from the side. "Liang Xiu, is there something inappropriate about this matter? Actually, we can utilize the powerful individuals within these foreign tribes through other methods." As for the Palace Lords of the Enforcement Palace and Penal Palace, these two powerful individuals, one female and one male, were currently expressionless, observing with cold eyes. Xu Qing lowered his head and walked to the Palace Lord's side. He saw that the Palace Lord's expression was grim, listening silently to the words of Marquis Yao and the Commandery Administrator, so he stood there without disturbing them. After a long while, the Palace Lord of the Sword Holding Palace spoke calmly. "Xu Qing, read out today's war report." Xu Qing nodded, stepped forward, and calmly delivered the report.

"The Corpse and Robe Taboos have erupted extensively. The Corpse Taboo caused the most devastation, followed by the Robe Taboo. Ultimately, through the efforts of Yinghuang Prefecture and Quzhao Prefecture, both taboos were successfully contained and are now in a stalemate. According to reports from the Sword Holding Courts of both prefectures, they can hold out for one month. Within Yinghuang Prefecture, the Seven Blood Eyes, an alliance of eight sects, have invited ninety-three foreign tribes from the Forbidden Sea and the Southern Phoenix Continent for assistance. The Sword Holding Courts of the other eight prefectures completed their full conscription today, gathering three major sects, nine hundred seventy-five medium sects, and seven thousand eight hundred thirty-one small sects. They are progressively heading to the western battlefield. A total of thirty-nine human sects of various sizes refused to comply with orders. In accordance with the Sword Holding Palace's decree, they have been dealt with by their respective Sword Holding Courts as a warning to others. The allied forces of foreign tribes organized by the Enforcement Palace and the Yao Family have reached thirty percent of the northern battlefield's capacity but have not yet mobilized. The Penal Palace has organized the three major sects of the Commandery Capital, and they are fully armed. These three major sects, dedicating the full strength of their entire sects, have transported the first to sixth batches of strategic supplies to the battlefield. Additionally, among the foreign tribes and forces that have not yet participated in the war, four hundred twenty-one locations refused to dispatch strong cultivators, and only two hundred fifteen tribes responded to the decree. The four deacons today exterminated thirteen tribes, which had a significant deterrent effect, and request permission to continue. The takeover of forbidden magical artifacts from human forces was fully completed half an hour ago. Within Fenghai Commandery, Sword Holders who went out today killed forty-nine thousand five hundred thirteen convicts, an increase of ten percent from yesterday, but nine hundred seventy-one Sword Holders sacrificed their lives. The western battlefield is in critical danger. Several Saintly Ocean Clan cultivators at the third stage of Return to Void have appeared, and the Earth Dynasty has joined the war. The Commandery Capital's network of forbidden magical artifacts has retreated seventy thousand li. On the northern battlefield, the Heavenly Wind Dynasty arrived today, with its Emperor personally leading the campaign."

Xu Qing spoke softly, then stepped back.