Chapter 536: Where People's Hearts Belong, Only to the Way and Righteousness

One who defies the heavens must bear its immense weight. This burden is vast, capable of shattering body and soul, leading to eternal damnation. But if successfully borne, it is like nirvana. One who achieves nirvana will soar above the nine heavens, becoming the sole focus of heaven and earth. At this moment, Xu Qing, returning after treading through thorns, is that one who has achieved nirvana.

After enduring all previous tribulations, the figure that appeared in the eyes of countless people in the commandery capital was like the most brilliant light between heaven and earth. This light, thousands of feet high, ignited the emotional fire of the commandery's inhabitants, unleashing the suppressed hearts of Seahai Commandery after continuous suffering. Heaven and earth boiled for him; cheers erupted from all directions. Sound waves surged, and winds rose with gathering clouds. Indeed, the past two years, less than two full years, had been exceedingly difficult for everyone in Seahai Commandery.

"It seems unacceptable that such a solitary brave individual would cause him to be reprimanded by the Emperor," Zheng Guan muttered in his heart, looking towards Marquis Yao. Soon, this title was recognized, and many voices began to call it out. The First Prince fell silent, realizing the tide had turned. As the Palace Master's words rang out, all quarters seemed to erupt, and everyone's emotions were completely ignited. The First Prince sighed deeply in his heart. A bow from hundreds of thousands of people caused the Crown of Destiny above Zheng Ying’s head to roar, surging again, its light exceeding ten thousand feet. The Human Emperor clearly attached great importance to this, but rules could not be changed. Even if it failed, as long as it was attempted, this was the stance of Yaotian Commandery; even the Human Emperor could not easily dismiss it. In the same month, the Human Emperor issued seven edicts. The first edict mildly reprimanded the First Prince for negligence, giving him one demerit.

"Father Emperor will likely not accept it, but I must also weigh the will of Yaotian Commandery. Regardless, this action by Sir Zheng Ying is to risk everything, to spare no effort to tell the world, to tell all of humanity, to tell the Human Emperor, that Yaotian Commandery... only recognizes Marquis Yao." But today, they believed this person was Xu Qing! "Today, I shall accomplish something groundbreaking, something unprecedented for humanity!" Today is not seven-in-one; there is still daytime. Beneath the bright moon, no one paid attention to the First Prince. After a period of silence, the First Prince suddenly smiled and said, "I concede this round." This was the choice of Yaotian Commandery! After this, that thought completely vanished. "I imagine the heroic souls of the old Commandery Governor and Brother Liang Xiu in heaven would also accept my actions."

Rescue efforts across various provinces of Yaotian Commandery also unfolded, based on the commandery capital's order. Yaotian Commandery's forces were quickly mobilized. As hundreds of thousands of cultivators fanned out, they began to dispel anomalies and rescue civilians, everything proceeding in an orderly manner. Countless voices converged, like heavenly might descending upon the world. Before leaving, the First Prince turned and gazed into the distance at Zheng Ying. With this return, this grand ceremony, the image of Marquis Yao became incredibly clear in his mind. But Zheng Ying's words at this moment carried a different significance, because asking Heaven, asking Earth, and asking Humanity is the ceremony for crowning a Commandery Governor! Li Yunshan, among them, had a look of gratification. The imperial edict contained two key pieces of information regarding appointments: one was Zheng Kaiyi's appointment, and the other was Yaotian Commandery's autonomous right to recommend. The deputies of the Eight Palaces, including Xu Qing, each smiled and clasped their fists. Until Marquis Yao arrived at the altar plaza.

Everyone's heart was filled with extreme anxiety. They were lost, bitter, and helpless. They needed someone to appear and change everything, someone to lead them through all of this. The Human Emperor, with a boundless heart, and Marquis Yao, the Sword Bearer, walked out alone during the Commandery Governor's coronation ceremony, risking life and death, never forgetting his original intention, turning the tide, exposing the conspiracy, resolving the crisis of Sir Zheng Ying, and saving Yaotian Commandery from catastrophe. At the same time, all causes and effects of this change in the Commandery Prime Minister were fully disclosed to Yaotian Commandery without any concealment, ensuring all parties knew the truth.

The great upheaval in Yaotian Commandery was caused by the former Commandery Prime Minister, who was a member of the "Candle Illumination" faction. His true name was Bai Xiaozhuo. He had once been the Commandery Governor of Yaotian Commandery in the Purple-Green Upper Kingdom, and returned reincarnated through divine methods, causing chaos in Seahai to attract ancient entities to descend and bring calamity upon the common people.

"Ask Humanity!" Thunder rumbled in the sky. Though the "asking Heaven" pronouncement received no verbal response, that booming thunderclap was the sound of Sir Zheng Ying's heavenly curtain. "Commandery Governor!" But Yaotian Commandery's stance could not be ignored, which led to the appointment of Grandfather Yi. The First Prince in the sky, watching Marquis Yao approach and observing everything around him, understood that from then on, no one in Yaotian Commandery would be able to shake Marquis Yao's position in the slightest.

The fifth edict appointed the descendant of the Heavenly Marquis to serve as interim Commandery Governor of Seahai Commandery, Sir Zheng Ying. Notably, Zheng Kaiyi, a folk righteous cultivator, was appointed Commandery Prime Minister, and Sir Zheng Ying was granted the qualification to self-recommend for the next Commandery Governor position. Yaotian Commandery could also independently recommend anyone who met the Void Return cultivation criteria. The sixth edict declared "Candle Illumination" wanted throughout humanity, ordered all commanderies and provinces to immediately conduct self-inspections, and commanded the Seven Palaces of the Upper Profound to establish relevant departments to immediately patrol all regions and eliminate anything related to Candle Illumination.

The eight palace stewards also bowed, their gazes at Marquis Yao filled with a daze. "My child, for both public and private reasons, you must forge an indestructible golden body for Yaotian Commandery!" The seventh edict decreed the removal of the Commander of Yaotian Commandery's Eight Great Palaces and the appointment of Vice-Commander Xu Qing to the primary role. It further bestowed upon Zheng Ying, the Sword Bearer, a golden medallion, a yellow robe, qualification for the Imperial Academy, and first-class military merits for humanity. Wherever he passed, mortals bowed in reverence, and cultivators did likewise. He walked on, and it remained so throughout his journey. "Ask Earth!" Zheng Ying, amidst the gaze of countless people and the blessing of destiny, felt his heart surge and his emotions fluctuate intensely. With a smile, the First Prince chose to depart, leaving Yaotian Commandery with his large army. He would return to the Holy Land battlefield; that was his true stage.

Seven imperial edicts were proclaimed to the world. "Commandery Governor!" This represented the will of the people, the will of Yaotian Commandery. For a time, all human territories and commanderies were shaken, and the name of Marquis Yao spread far and wide. Moreover, it didn't matter. Even if this matter couldn't succeed immediately, as long as it was attempted, it would surely succeed in the future. "I merely did something that my heart desired." The demise of the old Commandery Governor cast a pall over everyone's hearts. The sudden arrival of war and the death of the Palace Master in battle descended like a thunderous calamity upon this gloom, tearing Seahai Commandery apart and leaving deep wounds in the hearts of all who survived. As for the Palace Master, he gazed at Marquis Yao, a smile on his face, a profound look in his eyes, and a hint of resolve. The crown above his head became even more dazzling. The start of the war had left the precarious Seahai Commandery only just beginning to recover, but the change in the Commandery Prime Minister brought despair.

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators at the altar and millions of mortals in the capital city all, at this very moment, let out a sound. The Palace Master's eyes gleamed with a strange light. As his words rang out, the earth rumbled, as if in response. Grandfather Yi did not bow, and Captain did not bow. Among the people of Yaotian Commandery, only their statuses granted them the privilege of not bowing, as they were not originally of the same lineage as Marquis Yao. In the history of humanity, a false-infant cultivator had never held the position of Commandery Governor. This matter was bound to attract great attention from the Human Emperor. But many things should not be left undone simply because they seem impossible. Captain, standing nearby, also puffed out his chest, his eyes filled with pride. "Yes!"

"Ask Heaven!" At this instant, the sky changed color, auspicious signs were endless, and cheers on the ground were boundless. Sound waves thundered in all directions. Regardless of gender, age, mortal or cultivator, in their eyes and in their hearts, there was only the figure of Marquis Yao. This person, they once thought was the Palace Master, but the Palace Master died in battle. And Marquis Yao also deserved to be the focal point of all beings in Yaotian Commandery. Because of the relationship between Grandfather Yi and Marquis Yao, everyone in Yaotian Commandery knew. Zheng Ying, observing all of this, felt a great wave surge in his heart. Afterwards, there were sporadic shouts from the mortals, which wasn't significant, as no matter how much they shouted, it was merely an outpouring of emotion and not to be taken seriously.

He stepped into the commandery capital, heading straight for the altar. No one asked them to do so, but after witnessing everything firsthand, they instinctively felt compelled to act that way. Amidst the cheers of the populace and when the atmosphere throughout Yaotian Commandery's capital reached its peak intensity, the Grand Elder of the Wood Spirit Clan, who was escorting Marquis Yao back, paused a hundred zhang outside the commandery capital at his signal. Especially since this matter was pushed by Seahai Commandery, as one of the meritorious individuals in the Commandery Prime Minister incident, as the only survivor among the elders during the war, as one who was wronged, and as one of the seven giants of Yaotian Commandery, he possessed that qualification. The catastrophe of Seahai, on this very day, began to recover. As the calls within the commandery capital grew louder and louder, Marquis Yao took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and walked step by step towards the rear. So he stood outside the commandery capital, silent for a few breaths. For Xu Qing, for the demise of the old Commandery Governor, for the resolution of Yaotian Commandery's great catastrophe, for the solitary brave one—any one of these reasons was enough to make them willingly and sincerely bow. Golden dragons roared, azure qin beasts cried out. Destiny continuously gathered from every human, from the sky, and from the earth, making the crown above Marquis Yao's head increasingly dazzling.

The First Prince bowed deeply towards Zheng Ying, towards the Eight Palaces, and towards the entire commandery capital. The Palace Master looked towards the commandery capital. The change in the Commandery Prime Minister thus began. Although the chance of this matter succeeding was almost zero, as ancient traditions were difficult to shake. They once thought it was the Seventh Prince, or the Commandery Prime Minister... And for Zheng Ying, new sails would also set forth. The Grand Ceremony for the Commandery Governor drew to a close. And among the people present, only he possessed the qualification to push this matter forward. Thus, someone in the cheers shouted the words "Commandery Governor!" The First Prince departed calmly.

Xuan Zhan Calendar, 7487, late November. A sense of bewilderment arose in his heart. He was only seventeen. Even though he had learned much from his Master and Captain, at this moment, Marquis Yao's emotions fluctuated immensely. He had never thought of becoming a Commandery Governor. His status would be at the pinnacle of Yaotian Commandery. As for self-recommendation, it clearly indicated that once Zheng Ying's cultivation reached Void Return, he would become the Commandery Governor of Yaotian Commandery on that day. At this moment, the sky shone, and the figures of successive Commandery Governors materialized one after another amidst the destiny, spreading across the horizon, standing in all directions, seemingly bearing witness to this moment. "The people's will has been ignited by him, unshakable, becoming an eternal flame." He gazed in all directions, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts, finally culminating in a deep bow. Thinking of this, the Palace Master clasped his fists and bowed heavily to Marquis Yao, his solemn voice spreading in all directions. From then on, regardless of whether the Human Emperor acknowledged it or not, in Yaotian Commandery, even without the title of Commandery Governor, his words would carry immense weight. The Human Emperor was moved. The moment he arrived, hundreds of thousands of Eight Palace cultivators on the ground all showed strong light in their eyes, clasping their fists and bowing to Marquis Yao! "Yaotian Commandery, besides Seahai Commandery, now has another person I will remember."