Chapter 794: Exhibit

The sky was tranquil.The earth was silent.The entire world seemed to fall into a profound stillness.

But at this moment, a fierce storm raged within the hearts of all students in the Grand Academy and the various factions throughout the Imperial Capital. Every divine sense, every gaze, converged on the Imperial Sword suspended in the air above the Grand Academy and... the spot where the Seventh Prince had vanished.

The Seventh Prince had been utterly annihilated, his body and spirit destroyed, his soul scattered, leaving him no chance to enter reincarnation.

A dignified Prince had fallen. This was the second Prince to die during Emperor Xuanzhan's reign.

When the Eleventh Prince died years ago, the Emperor's rage was boundless. To investigate the matter, a rain of blood swept through the Imperial Capital and beyond, affecting a vast area and causing countless deaths.

It only gradually subsided a year later.

And today... another Prince had died, slain by the Imperial Sword, right before the Emperor's eyes and in front of countless onlookers.

Especially since the Emperor had already given his consent for the Seventh Prince to prove his innocence with the Immortal Inquiring Bell, only to be refuted by Xu Qing's single statement.

Thus, the churning of minds created a suffocating atmosphere, rapid breaths turned into a heavy silence, and gazes from all directions seemed to transform into colossal, thousand-ton mountains.

They converged within the Imperial Capital, accumulated in the Grand Academy, and ultimately pressed down heavily upon Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's expression beneath his mask remained unchanged; his gaze was calm. His body slowly descended from mid-air, finally landing on the white platform. He bowed to the spectral figures of the ancient sages in the sky, then to the students of the Grand Academy below, and finally to the Master of the Heretical Immortals faction behind him.

Finally, he raised a hand to his face, paused briefly, and then slowly removed his mask, voluntarily abandoning the Grand Academy's protective rules. His true face was revealed, reflecting in everyone's eyes.

The face revealed to the multitude was exquisitely flawless.

Like the first ray of dawn, it spread over the Grand Academy at that instant, gentle yet dazzling.

Beneath his sword-like brows were eyes like deep lakes, resembling the Big Dipper in the night sky, revealing an otherworldly composure and calmness.

Long hair flowed like a waterfall, fluttering in the wind, every strand filled with the vigor of life and the resolve of combat.

All of this made Xu Qing, standing on the platform, shine like a star in the night sky.

The hem of his student's robe gently fluttered like a poetic wisp of cloud, and the lingering golden light on him was like the reflection of the moon on autumn water: brilliant and serene.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Sword, which had returned with a whistle, slowly merged into Xu Qing's back. Although it gradually blurred and vanished, its very presence was a symbol of Xu Qing's identity.

Xu Qing looked up, his final gaze directed towards the Human Emperor within the projected Imperial Palace on the horizon.

He bowed deeply.

He had bowed as a student to the students and the Master of the Heretical Immortals. Now, with his mask removed, he bowed to the Human Emperor as a Domain Lord.

The Human Emperor remained silent. No one knew what he was thinking; they only saw him slowly close his eyes after a period of quiet. His thirteen Heavenly Kings, though their faces were indistinct, mostly fixed their deeply meaningful gazes upon Xu Qing.

Xu Qing also said nothing. After his bow, he walked to the Master of the Heretical Immortals faction, who was still full of shock, and sat down beside him, closing his eyes as well.

The previous night, in that house, the moment he received the jade slip, he had already summoned the Imperial Sword in his mind. At that time... the Imperial Sword had stirred.

This was why Xu Qing was certain the Seventh Prince would die.

As for the Seventh Prince repeatedly asking to prove his innocence with the Immortal Inquiring Bell, Xu Qing had no desire to investigate, nor would he give him the chance, regardless of whether the images in the jade slip were true or false.

It wasn't important.

The Imperial Sword's movement was enough to explain everything.

As Xu Qing closed his eyes, the Grand Academy, after a long silence, gradually filled with gasps of breath. For everyone present, this was the first time in their lives they had witnessed a Prince being slain.

The shock was unparalleled.

Among the students of the Grand Academy and the cultivators of the Imperial Capital, the greatest sensation and shock, indeed the highest level of consternation, came from... the other Princes.

The Third Prince, standing beside the Grand Academy's Headmaster, trembled uncontrollably. His gaze towards Xu Qing was filled with both awe and apprehension.

He wasn't clean either, so he was afraid.

Outside the Grand Academy, the First Prince, Second Prince, Fourth Prince, Sixth Prince, and even the Tenth Prince, all felt their hearts instinctively tremble. For them, Xu Qing's action already possessed the authority of a Grand Tutor to the Princes.

Even a Grand Tutor only had the right to discipline, not to execute.

How could they not be afraid? After all... execution by the Imperial Sword represented the great righteousness of humanity, something even the Human Emperor could not obstruct. How could anyone else resist?

"His power... is too great!" This was the silent thought of all Princes at this moment, except for Ning Yan.

And Xu Qing's final choice to sit beside the Master of the Heretical Immortals faction carried an even deeper significance.

Suddenly, the Heretical Immortals faction appeared completely different in the eyes of the students and all other parties.

This was the faction Xu Qing had chosen. Furthermore, Xu Qing had proven the Heretical Immortals were not evil for this faction, using the slaying of the Seventh Prince as a display of power, washing away the world's misunderstanding of the Heretical Immortals faction and the slander propagated by the Spirit Fusion faction.

The emotional commotion caused by all these events had already reached an overwhelming scale.

Thus, the rainbow light from the Heretical Immortals' platform immediately surged, rising from a hundred zhang to several thousand zhang high. All students who had previously joined the Heretical Immortals faction were now incredibly excited.

As for students from other factions, they might not have recognized the Heretical Immortals, or they might have only known of Xu Qing and his deeds without direct contact, making him a stranger. But now, having personally witnessed Xu Qing defy imperial authority and display the might of the Imperial Sword...

This scene delivered an unprecedented immense impact to the younger generation.

"No wonder he could become a Domain Lord!"

"I heard that in Feng Hai County back then, Xu Qing alone ventured out and uncovered the cause of its storm!"

"I also heard that when Xu Qing held the sword and inquired within his heart, it emitted ten thousand zhang of light, signifying his trustworthiness. I initially thought this was somewhat exaggerated, but looking at it now, perhaps this is precisely why the Imperial Sword chose him!"

"A person recognized by the Great Emperor and chosen by the Imperial Sword has selected the Heretical Immortals faction. This faction... must be extraordinary!"

As these thoughts from the students continuously echoed within their minds, the Master of the Heretical Immortals faction on the white platform felt his heart churning. A sense of bewilderment intensified, and his head felt as if it were flushed with blood, waves of excitement surging through him.

Everything that had happened today was completely beyond his expectations. Even now, he hadn't fully processed it. Instinctively, he looked at Xu Qing beside him, opened his mouth, but found himself speechless.

Finally, he took a deep breath, raised his head, and proudly gazed at the silent Spirit Fusion faction on the black platform.

The Master of the Spirit Fusion faction, however, had kept his gaze fixed on Xu Qing, his eyes reflecting complexity, emotion, and a hint of sharpness. He eventually withdrew his gaze, looking at the spot where the Seventh Prince had fallen, and sighed softly in his heart.

"A perfectly arranged demonstration for the Human Emperor... the Seventh Prince, this chess piece, hadn't yet shown his value nor reached the point of being extinguished, yet he was detonated prematurely."

"I suppose Xu Qing... also guessed my identity."

"Twice now... this time, I miscalculated on two points."

The Master of the Spirit Fusion faction sighed lightly, his gaze shifting towards the direction of the Star-Plucking Tower outside. A hint of shame arose in his heart; he felt he might truly be growing old.

In the lingering silence, the Headmaster of the Grand Academy let out a weary sigh from mid-air.

He hadn't expected such a turn of events in a mere debate, and the debate... wasn't even over yet.

After a brief deliberation, he looked towards the Human Emperor.

"Continue," the Human Emperor spoke for the first time, his voice deep and profoundly resonant.

The Grand Academy Headmaster's heart tightened; he discerned an unspoken meaning. His hoarse voice then echoed through the Grand Academy.

"The third segment of the debate: Discussion on 'Yi'!"

"'Yi' signifies the future. The Heretical Immortals faction and the Spirit Fusion faction have already presented their respective philosophies. However, we cultivators must ultimately see whose path leads directly to the Great Dao."

"With the students here as witnesses, both factions, please demonstrate the ways of your cultivation methods!"

After the Headmaster finished speaking, the Master of the Heretical Immortals faction took a deep breath and stood up, his cultivation erupting throughout his body. Over a hundred thousand strands of soul-silk emanated from him, forming a swirling vortex in mid-air that rumbled as it wove itself into a divine earth-child.

This was his limit, but the Heretical Immortals faction... had an ancestor besides him.

So, soon after, this appearing earth-child let out a low roar towards the direction of the Heretical Immortals' White Pagoda.

The roar, like thunder, exploded in all directions. Inside the Heretical Immortals' White Pagoda, the secluded cultivation chamber burst open, and a white-haired elder, clad in a Daoist robe, stepped out.

This elder wore no mask; his eyes were full of divine light, and a terrifying pressure radiated from his entire being. He ascended the void step by step, instantly approaching the platform.

In the blink of an eye, he was on the Heretical Immortals faction's platform.

His appearance sparked many discussions. The Headmaster of the Grand Academy gazed at the newcomer and spoke softly,

"Chen Daoze."

The newcomer was indeed the ancestor of the Heretical Immortals faction, Chen Daoze.

Standing on the Heretical Immortals' platform, his first glance wasn't at his faction master, but at Xu Qing.

After a fixed gaze, Chen Daoze nodded slightly, then looked at the Grand Academy's Headmaster, cupping his fists in a bow.

"Headmaster, I, Chen, have just emerged from seclusion and arrived late."

"For this 'Discussion on Yi' segment, I, Chen, will begin the demonstration."

As he spoke, Chen Daoze's body rumbled, and strands of soul-silk surged heavenward from his sea of consciousness: one hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, four hundred thousand... until finally, six hundred thousand strands of soul-silk, covering the sky and earth, churned across the Grand Academy's firmament in all directions.

They devoured mountains and rivers, their might shaking the heavens.

Finally, they converged and wove together, forming an even more colossal figure. Divine power spread, the sky and earth lost their color, becoming dim and blurred as exotic matter permeated the air.

That figure was a god!

A black-boned god, slain by the Great Emperor in earlier years.

A black, tattered robe fluttered around its form. Its black deer-like body was covered in scales, and its four-eyed head contained the light of the sun and moon. It stood tall between heaven and earth at this moment, causing all beings to tremble with fear.

The students of the Grand Academy were speechless, and all parties outside felt their minds shaken.

Six hundred thousand soul-strands—for anyone familiar with the Heretical Immortals faction, this was an impossibility, almost a myth. Thus, an uproar erupted sharply.

"Six hundred thousand woven to create a divine body..."

"This... is this the Heretical Immortals faction?"

Gasps and cries of astonishment rose in chaotic waves around the Grand Academy's platform.

Amidst the students' clamor, the Master of the Spirit Fusion faction on the black platform spoke in a low voice: "It only has its form, not its divine essence. The Heretical Immortals' method of sculpting with six hundred thousand soul-strands is nothing more than this."

He knew his lifespan was nearing its end. At this point, he no longer cared about life or death. The only thing he truly cared about was the demonstration.

Since the 'display item' prepared for the buyer had been cut down before it could even demonstrate its value...

...then it was not impossible to use himself as the display item.

As he thought of this, a decisive glint appeared in the Master of the Spirit Fusion faction's eyes. As his voice echoed, he slowly stood up.

Xu Qing's eyes also opened at this moment. He looked at the Master of the Spirit Fusion faction, and in that instant, his killing intent, now uncontrollable, transformed into an invisible, exceedingly sharp sword.