Chapter 475: Clues Left by the Palace Master

That same night, after the Reverent Palace Lord and the Penal Palace Lord departed the county capital for the northern warzone, one hundred thousand Sword Holders of the Sword Holding Palace, led by the Palace Lord, set off in a mighty procession.

These one hundred thousand represent the elite force accumulated by Feng Hai County over hundreds of years. Each one of them had once been a preeminent talent from various states, and after passing through layers of assessments, ultimately became a Sword Holder. Every one of them had undertaken numerous missions, enduring extensive tempering in both combat and resilience. It could even be said that they were the core of Feng Hai County, and on them rested the future!

But today, these one hundred thousand Sword Holders were mobilized. With determination, with a vow to fight to the death, and carrying the words and oaths recited in past rituals, they advanced towards the western warzone.

Xu Qing stood on a mountain peak outside the county capital, concealing himself, and gazed into the darkness in the direction the army had departed. In the cold wind, his robes billowed, rustling loudly, and his long hair fluttered behind him.

He watched silently. After a long while, Xu Qing's eyes sharpened. He turned and vanished into the darkness, setting off on his journey to Zhaoxia State.

Like a lone wolf traveling in the night.

"Zhaoxia State," Xu Qing thought in the darkness. Speeding at full throttle, he felt a stir in his heart despite his vigilance and caution. Because Mount Zhaoxia was located within Zhaoxia State. And what he had most desired when he first arrived at the county capital was to go to Mount Zhaoxia, but he had never imagined that he would now achieve it in such a manner.

As he continued his journey, Xu Qing took out the jade slip given to him by the Palace Lord and began to examine it in his hand. Before the Palace Lord departed, he had told Xu Qing many things and clearly expressed his thoughts. The sudden demise of the County Governor was filled with strangeness, and anyone could be the culprit behind it.

The contents of the jade slip also caused Xu Qing to pause abruptly moments later, his footsteps halting and his breathing quickening slightly.

"Light Tribulation Life Pill?" Xu Qing murmured to himself; deeply versed in alchemy as he was, he had never heard of such a pill.

In the Palace Lord's jade slip, this pill was emphatically described as a forbidden pill, strictly prohibited from being refined during the reign of the Xuan You Ancient Emperor, universally destroyed, and long since lost. Even the original prohibition of this pill was met with a response from all races; the high-ranking members of every race detested this pill deeply.

This Light Tribulation Life Pill had no effect on ordinary cultivators. But for the rulers of various races, it was a tribulation pill that could not be resolved and could even cause instant death. Its principle was related to fate power. This pill could detonate the power of fate within a person, causing instant death; the more fate power one accumulated, the greater its potency.

Historically, this pill was originally created to resist the rule of the Ancient Spirit Race, conceived from the light of the setting sun during the era of its decline. Later, during the era of the Xuan You Ancient Emperor, this pill reappeared, poisoning many humans who had accumulated fate power and harming many rulers of other races; even three emperors of other races died by its hand.

Whether human or other races, as long as they were on Wanggu Continent, those in high positions would naturally gather the fate power of their respective races. This fate power could bestow upon them a certain degree of destiny. But at the same time, if this fate power transformed into a tribulation, its backlash would be terrifying.

The Sword Holding Palace Lord, in his investigations over the past half month, had pointed all clues towards this Light Tribulation Life Pill. Xu Qing's pupils contracted as the information left by the Palace Lord in the jade slip appeared in his mind.

"Based on my investigations during this period, the demise of the old County Governor has many possible explanations. But among these many possibilities, only a few could simultaneously affect the Penal Affairs Department, which I, Kong, oversee. What is suppressed within the Penal Affairs Department is the last external clone of a sleeping deity from the Forbidden Immortal Land. The method of suppression is related to fate power, transforming into a power of oblivion, causing the deity's clone to believe itself to be the Penal Affairs Department's artifact spirit. He is one of the future successors I intend to cultivate, and he is trustworthy. Penal Affairs Department's Cell D132 was formed by the outward dispersion of the suppression force. Inside it lies a finger of the deity's clone, and a spirit formed from Feng Hai County's fate power."

The power of the deity's clone from the Forbidden Immortal Land causes anyone who remembers it to fall into endless misfortune; according to past records, this misfortune becomes progressively more terrifying until death! As for the function of the D132 fate spirit, it is to erase the memories of those who see the deity, causing them to forget, thereby severing the karma. Therefore, ordinarily, no matter what happened in the county capital, even the demise of the old County Governor, it could not affect the Penal Affairs Department, because the Penal Affairs Department has existed for too long, enduring the appointments and departures of numerous County Governors. After I eliminated the few existing possibilities one by one, I ultimately focused on the Light Tribulation Life Pill. As for why I thought of this pill, subsequent investigators can refer to Classified Dossier Nineteen.

"However, all of this was investigated by me based on limited clues. Time is of the essence, and since the enemy is hidden while we are exposed, I cannot reveal my suspicions. Moreover, the warzone is now precarious and the safety of Feng Hai Capital is even more critical, making it difficult for me to investigate discreetly."

"Therefore, I will dispatch Scribe Order Xu Qing to discreetly investigate and verify a clue."

"That is, Zhaoxia Light."

"Because to activate the Light Tribulation Life Pill, a condition is required: the light from before a sun's demise. And this light's preservation time is extremely short."

"Coincidentally, this light occasionally forms on Mount Zhaoxia."

"However, given the scheming and methods of the conspirator, this investigation will likely be ineffective. But it cannot be left uninvestigated. As for the outcome... if I, Kong, fall in battle, please, subsequent investigators, question Xu Qing."

Xu Qing stood on the dark plain, silently putting away the jade slip. He turned to gaze in the direction of the western warzone, and after a long moment, he blurred, speeding towards Zhaoxia State.

In this way, several days passed. While everyone believed he was still by the Palace Lord's side, already en route to the battlefield, Xu Qing activated the concealment jade slip given by Supreme Immortal Zixuan throughout his journey, silently arriving at the state border between the county capital and Zhaoxia State.

This state border region was not small, and a peculiar wind occasionally swept through the area. Wherever this wind passed, countless chaotic spatial cracks would appear in mid-air, making flight difficult and forcing people to travel rapidly on the ground. Furthermore, this wind only affected the sky, leaving the ground unharmed. Legend had it that this wind was a unique climate formed after a sun's demise in Zhaoxia State, its influence spreading in all directions, and was called "Solar Wind" by the locals. When this Solar Wind blew, it was difficult to resist unless one's cultivation was incredibly powerful. Only after the wind subsided could one fly. Only by traversing this area could one truly enter Zhaoxia State.

Here, Xu Qing sped along, landing when the wind rose and re-ascending when it dissipated. During this journey, he also witnessed the tremendous impact of the war on Feng Hai County. In various human minor states, the people were panic-stricken. Wild villages and towns became increasingly desolate. On every person Xu Qing saw, there was fear of war and confusion about the future. As for other races, although they too were affected, Xu Qing, having shed his Sword Holder robes and donned an ordinary long gown, could still perceive greed and ambition in the other races he encountered. It was imaginable that once Feng Hai County's warzone fell and the Saint Lan Race army rushed in, these other races within Feng Hai County would likely immediately turn against humanity and plunder everything amidst the chaos. The Palace Lord's decree was correct; if the strong individuals within these other races were not conscripted, the danger would be even greater.

Xu Qing's eyes turned cold. As he continued his journey, he also saw places where human sects had once been, all of which had now activated their mountain-sealing formations. Most of the cultivators within had already been conscripted to the battlefield. In addition, forbidden artifacts from major sects also appeared between heaven and earth, their authority taken over by the county capital's forbidden artifacts for unified deployment. In these past few days, the sky had changed over a hundred times, each time causing the world to change color, winds to surge, clouds to gather, and roars to reverberate in all directions. Xu Qing knew that this was due to the activation of forbidden artifacts.

At this moment, around noon, the sky rumbled again. Xu Qing looked up and saw dazzling streams of light rapidly flowing across the vast sky, emitting astonishing pressure. They split into two parts, heading towards the west and north. There, the power formed by these forbidden artifacts from human sects would erupt, creating immense destructive force. The rumbling of the sky, occurring every few moments, constantly reminded Xu Qing that the war was raging fiercely. Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and continued forward.

Another two days passed. On the edge of Zhaoxia State, with only a day's journey remaining, as dusk fell on this day and the Solar Wind appeared in the sky, Xu Qing, speeding across the ground, saw a village. There was something very wrong with this village. Everything inside was extremely illogical, completely different from a typical village. For instance, the trees in the village were not growing on the ground, but suspended in mid-air. There was also a flock of birds floating in the sky, their wings flapping but unable to move forward, as if confined. Under the Solar Wind, they were gradually deteriorating. The ground was even more bizarre, with the village houses built upside down. Furthermore, many areas would occasionally disappear and reappear, as if glitching. At the village entrance, there was also a bald-furred dog with a human face, growling at Xu Qing and baring its teeth.

As Xu Qing's gaze swept over it, dusk vanished at that moment, and night descended. In an instant, everything here changed again; as darkness fell, everything surprisingly returned to normal, becoming a very ordinary small mountain village. As for the dog at the village entrance, it also transformed into a tall, clumsy oaf, showing Xu Qing its black and yellow teeth and waving continuously.

Xu Qing remained expressionless. He had no time to waste here. With a flicker, he bypassed the village, about to depart. But at this moment, the village behind him suddenly trembled; all the buildings grew slender legs, rose from the ground, and began to pursue Xu Qing. Xu Qing paused and turned to look. All the buildings in the village had squatted down. The clumsy oaf at the village entrance was still baring its yellow teeth and waving at Xu Qing. As its smile turned eerie, the entire village also exuded malice.

Xu Qing glanced at it and stepped forward. The shadow hidden in the darkness behind him emitted excited emotional fluctuations, continuously spreading, and the sound of swallowing echoed in the quiet night.

"Hungry... hungry..."

Hearing the shadow's drooling sound, Xu Qing felt its emotional fluctuations and couldn't help but recall how in the Ancient Spirit Emperor's Grand World, the shadow had endured nausea, consuming many evil souls, only to throw up in the end. This display of loyalty made Xu Qing feel he should reward it, so his footsteps quickened. In a few moments, he arrived within this self-inviting village, standing before the clumsy oaf at the village entrance, who was smiling eerily at him. Seeing Xu Qing's arrival, the clumsy oaf was about to speak, but the shadow behind Xu Qing could no longer restrain itself and suddenly pounced.

As the black shadow enveloped it, the clumsy oaf vanished.

As chewing sounds emanated from the shadow, echoing throughout the village, all the buildings in the village trembled. Eyes grew out of these houses and trees, and rapidly contracted as they looked towards Xu Qing.

"Go ahead and eat," Xu Qing stood still, expressionless, and said softly.