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Groups like the Eight Sect Coalition all had subsidiary sects there. In their respective prefectures, they were the dominant force. But in the capital, they had to bow their heads in subservience. That was because, above them all, there were three even more powerful sects. It could well be said that those three sects were the most powerful in the entire county, which was why their headquarters could be found in the capital itself.

“Those three sects have a lot of disciples who are members of the Swordsage Palace,” Chen Tinghao went on to explain. “In some respects, you could say that those three sects are part of the Swordsage Palace, and will stand by any decisions made by the palace. That relationship is one of the main reasons those three sects have survived for so long in Sea-Sealing County. The two of us are actually disciples of the Supreme Ancient Lightning Order.”

Chen Tinghao then went on to explain more about Yao Mansion. As an aristocratic clan of chosen cultivators, they truly were like high-class nobles.

“Although Heavenly Marquis Yao perished years ago, the reserve powers he had gathered ensured that the Yao Clan was able to survive long after being sent out of the imperial capital. As a result, that clan has long stood tall and proud in Sea-Sealing County alongside the three great sects. However, considering the capital as a whole, the three great sects and the Yao Clan only count as fourth-tier. Above them are two nonhuman species that count as the third tier.”

Chen Tinghao was clearly a straightforward person. And once he found out that Xu Qing and the Captain were fellow swordsages, he let his guard down a bit toward them. It was very different from what Xu Qing was used to dealing with in the sect.

“Those two nonhuman species are the Saintfiends and the Demi-Immortals!” [1]

Upon mentioning those two species, Chen Tinghao’s expression turned slightly grim.

Xu Qing and the Captain both had serious expressions on their faces. As for Master Fifth, who stood off to the side, it was obvious that she was aware of most of these things. That said, none of the other coalition disciples onboard were privy to such details, as none of them had any way of getting information like this.

Sun Liying tucked a stray hair behind her ear and softly said, “Fellow Daoists, once the two of you are in the capital city, you need to be very wary of those two species. The Saintfiends have two faces, one in front and one behind. They look bizarre, but beyond that, are known for their deep thinking abilities.

“As for the Demi-Immortals, they look very similar to humans, except that their hair, eyebrows, and eyes are pure white. They’re extremely arrogant and have astonishing battle prowess.”

Xu Qing nodded and took note of the features of the two nonhuman species.

Chen Tinghao sighed. “Those two species are the strongest in Sea-Sealing County next to humans. They coexist with us thanks to the treaties and agreements brokered by our governor. That said, things can be tense between species, and the conflicts only seem to grow more dramatic over time.

“Regardless, the situation with them is still under control. After all, though Sea-Sealing County is part of the Holytide region, it’s still completely autonomous. Unfortunately, the Holytide species has long been eying us like tigers eying prey.”

“So we’re dealing with internal strife and external aggression!” the Captain exclaimed.

“That’s right,” Chen Tinghao replied, thumping his thigh with his fist. “Internal strife and external aggression. That’s the perfect idiom to describe it.

“Inside Sea-Sealing County, we have two nonhuman species with wild ambitions. Outside the county, we have the Holytide species wanting to either annex or destroy us. If it weren’t for the fact that the afterglow of glory still lingers on humankind, we would long since have been swallowed up. For now, we humans have one region and seven counties, and we can’t afford to lose any of them.”

It had been some time since Xu Qing learned that humankind was in a state of decline. However, this was his first time hearing firsthand what that meant.

“But let’s not dwell on that,” Chen Tinghao said. “Once you’re in the capital, you’ll be able to see the situation with your own eyes.

“Let me keep explaining the power structure of the capital. Next up are the second-tier powers, which are the three palaces. They are the Swordsage Palace, the Administration Palace, and the Justice Palace.

“Our Swordsage Palace is in charge of everything related to battle. Whether it’s war with nonhumans to the arresting of dangerous criminals, it’s all the responsibility of the Swordsage Palace.

“The Administration Palace is in charge of overseeing rites, ceremonies, education, the reading of imperial edicts, and audits. It’s also responsible for keeping a record of the history of humankind.

“Then there’s the Justice Palace, which is responsible for enforcing the law locally and trying criminals. They have their own law enforcement cultivators who have broad investigatory authority.

“We humans have the Five Greater Celestial Divisions and the Nine Minor Terrestrial Divisions. Considering that Sea-Sealing County is only a county-level area, for years now, we’ve only worked with three of the Greater Celestial Divisions. Those three palaces are associated with those specific divisions.”

Xu Qing had known all along that the Swordsage Palace was important in the capital city. However, now that he was hearing they only counted as a second-tier power in the capital, and there was another tier above the three palaces, he had an idea who that first-tier power was.

“The first-tier power is the governor!” said Chen Tinghao solemnly. “Outside the capital, you might hear people claiming that the governor is indecisive and weak. That he’s always compromising. But the truth of the matter is that... we swordsages respect the governor more than anyone other than our palace lord.

“The governor has led Sea-Sealing County for eight hundred years. Though he hasn’t expanded our borders, he has maintained stability. He’s cautious and conscientious, and has thus ensured that we humans continued to hold thirteen prefectures. That’s a rare thing considering that in the other six counties, they’re constantly dealing with the loss of prefectural territory.” Chen Tinghao took a deep breath, lowered his voice, then continued, “Over the past eight hundred years, the governor has survived forty-seven assassination attempts....”

Xu Qing reacted with visible surprise, and the Captain gasped.

Chen Tinghao let loose a soft sigh and went on to say that Xu Qing and the Captain would have plenty of time to learn more once they were in the capital.

Time continued to pass. The half-month went by quickly. The desert gradually gave way to greener lands. Below the flying ship they saw rolling plains without many mountains. What was more, the mutagen was faint and the spirit energy seemed much stronger than other areas they’d passed through.

The sky was bright blue, without a cloud in sight. Xu Qing stood at the prow looking out at heaven and earth. Everything seemed clear from up here, especially given the view of all the cities below.

For example, the city they were just passing over was filled with smiling people who seemed full of hope regarding life. In other prefectures, where mortals faced a daily struggle just to survive, you rarely saw smiles like that.

“We’re approaching the border of the county capital,” Chen Tinghao said. “Soon we’ll be able to take any of the teleportation portals directly into the city. There’s a public portal complex just up ahead.”

Chen Tinghao pointed, and Xu Qing looked in that direction. A moment later, his eyes shone brightly.

The Captain’s eyebrows rose, and the other disciples suddenly had very serious looks on their faces.

In the direction Chen Tinghao had pointed, there were gray clouds that spread out wide enough to cover an entire city. As the clouds rippled, it was possible to see a huge bird within them.

It was very strange-looking. It had three heads, each of which looked incredibly vicious. Its abdomen was large while its wings were small. Its feathers were in a complete mess, and yet, astonishing godly fluctuations rolled out from it in all directions. The bird held something in its claws, though it was hard to see clearly what it was. It was flying right toward the flying ship, kicking up intense whirlwinds around it along the way.

“It’s Senior Qingqin!” Chen Tinghao said, looking surprised. “Senior Qingqin was a friend of the previous governor. Eight hundred years ago, when that governor returned to the imperial capital, he invited Senior Qingqin to go along. He didn’t, and instead stayed behind in Sea-Sealing County. You’ll occasionally see him flying around. He’s an ancient mutant beast with a bloodline that traces back to the era of the Ancient Emperors. In fact, some people say that one of his ancestors was actually a follower of one of the Ancient Emperors.” [2]

As Chen Tinghao offered this explanation, the great bird got closer and closer, whereupon screaming could be heard coming from the direction of its claws.

“Help! Help me! I’m a swordsage! The Grand Emperor gave me a 180-meter beam of light!”

The shrill, terrified voice actually sounded familiar to Xu Qing.

Similarly, the Captain’s eyes glittered. “Is that Ning Yan? Is that bird trying to eat him?” [3]

Given that Ning Yan had previously attacked Xu Qing, Xu Qing wasn’t inclined to pay much attention to him.

However, when Chen Tinghao heard Ning Yan’s words, he clasped hands toward the great bird Qingqin. “Exalted Qingqin, please, quell your anger! Would it be possible to check if this person is really a swordsage? If he is, then I would like to humbly request that you spare him....”

Xu Qing looked oddly at Chen Tinghao, as did the Captain. Then the Captain gave Xu Qing a look that said, “He doesn’t know him at all, but once he hears he’s a swordsage, he offers to help him?”

Xu Qing suddenly looked thoughtful.

Sun Liying could guess what the two of them were thinking and softly said, “You’ll be treated the same way.”

Then she hurried over to Chen Tinghao’s side and also offered greetings to the bird.

The Captain was on guard. Perhaps all swordsages acted like this. But considering he only received a one-meter light, he was skeptical that anyone would save him like this. That was why he hadn’t said much on the journey, as he was worried it might somehow cause the topic of conversation to shift to that light of his.

Arch-Immortal Plumdark stepped out onto the main deck and walked over to Xu Qing’s side, where she looked out vigilantly.

After Chen Tinghao and Sun Liying offered greetings, the great bird soared in a circle, looking down at the flying ship with its three heads and six eyes. It seemed to be looking at something in particular. Then it opened its claws.

Ning Yan screamed shrilly as he fell. Chen Tinghao flew out and caught him, then brought him back onto the flying ship. Meanwhile, the great bird let loose an unpleasant squawk, then flapped its little wings and headed back into the clouds.

Why did I get the sensation it was looking at me? the Captain thought.

Off to the side, Wu Jianwu nodded vigorously, and he seemed somewhat dazzled. It was looking at me! Could it be... that it recognized the aura of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity?

Xu Qing stood there without saying a word.

Chen Tinghao kept a firm grip on Ning Yan as he prepared to ask him about his identity. The terrified Ning Yan, meanwhile, had noticed Xu Qing and the Captain. Instantly, his eyes went wide, and a tremor passed through them. Then he dramatically struggled briefly as if he thought he might somehow free himself.

Surprised, Chen Tinghao looked at Xu Qing and the Captain. “You know him?”

“Yeah,” the Captain replied. “This fellow is from Emperor-Receiving Prefecture as well. He’s our adjunct swordsage.” The Captain managed to put special emphasis on the word ‘adjunct.’

With a smile, Chen Tinghao released Ning Yan onto the deck of the ship.

Xu Qing looked at him coldly.

Ning Yan started shivering even more dramatically. Inside, he was full of grief and indignation. It hadn’t been easy making the journey to this place. Then, immediately upon arriving, he was suddenly snatched up by that unreasonable bird. Now he was free, yet somehow things had become infinitely worse as he was now face-to-face with someone who would seek revenge over the smallest grievance. Xu Qing.

As profound anxiety gripped his heart, he looked over and saw Arch-Immortal Plumdark. Eyes suddenly lighting up, he ran over and flopped to the ground in front of her.

“Matriarch! Ma’am, I’ve finally found you!”

1. I haven’t mentioned it up to this point because it wasn’t really relevant, but most of the nonhuman species have the literal character for “race/species/people” in their name. In this case, the “Demi-Immortals” follow that same pattern. So don’t think of their species name as a cultivation level. ☜

2. Qingqin: This doesn’t come across as a surname/given name combo, which is why I’m translating it as a single ‘word.’ Qing is the same character from Xu Qing’s name, and it means “green, blue, cyan.” Qin generally refers to a reed plant called Phragmites japonica, or more broadly, reeds in general. When asking Madam Deathblade about this name, she initially thought it sounded like “the name of a servant or concubine.” Then I showed her the context and her reaction was: “ITS A BIRD??!!” So… yeah. Given the physical description of the bird plus its name, it comes across a bit comical. ☜

3. Ning Yan was named the adjunct swordsage in chapter 372. He was originally introduced without a name in chapter 359, when he attacked Xu Qing. Ever since then, Xu Qing disliked him. He was originally described as having a prominent nose ring. ☜