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Chapter 501: Half-Step into Smoldering God (part 3)

In all directions, the water of the Forbidden Sea exploded. Water sprayed everywhere as an endless tempest built on the Forbidden Sea, sweeping across all of the islands there, causing the sea level to rise by hundreds of meters.

The golden face was instantly inundated, yet it fought back defiantly. Its eyes were open, as was its mouth, as it howled in frustration. However, the sealing net surged with force. After the brief pause in the chanting of the daoist sutra, it returned with a thunderous roar, clamping down with suppressive strength.

In the end, the face could do nothing but howl begrudgingly as it sank down.

Previously, the sealing would have worked, but required much more time. But that was only with the combined might of an entire prefecture, nearly a hundred species from the Forbidden Sea, a host of top experts and taboo treasures.

Adding in the palm strike of a half-step Smoldering God, it sped up the process dramatically. The reality was that not even the might of a half-step Smoldering God was enough to seal Forbidden by the Zombie with a single blow. It was only because of the combined strength put into play by Emperor-Receiving Prefecture that one single blow was enough to complete the sealing.

Neither side could have accomplished it so quickly on their own.

When the golden face sank into the sea, covered by the blood-colored net, the image of the Ghost Emperor couldn’t remain whole. Just before it collapsed, the somewhat vacant eyes of the Ghost Emperor didn’t look at anyone present. Instead, it looked at the sinking face. Then it opened its mouth as if to say something, except no words came out. A boom rang out, and the Ghost Emperor crumbled into dust.

Rain fell from the sky, like weeping. Heavenly daos dispersed, like sighing. The supernatural phenomena departed, like demolished daos.

However, nine beams of light remained, shooting out to form the heavenly and earthly spiritual souls, plus the seven physical souls. All looked dazed, but at the same time, thrummed with emotional fluctuations. This event had been momentous for them.

What was more, they knew it probably wouldn’t happen a second time, unless Xu Qing was willing to make it happen. It required protection from Qingqin’s godlight, and more importantly, the entire might of a prefecture joined with that of nearly a hundred nonhumans, all under the command of the Swordsage Court, backed by dozens of taboo treasures and nearly a hundred Void Returning experts. That wasn’t likely to happen ever again.

The catastrophe in Forbidden by the Zombie had been temporarily ended!

No one could wipe forbidden grounds out of existence. From ancient times until now, whenever a forbidden ground went out of control, their method of resolution was sealing.

As for this particular catastrophe, it was the result of outside meddling. The Holytides wanted it to happen to give them an advantage in the war. They needed to limit the battle prowess Sea-Sealing County was capable of fielding, and had therefore dispatched agents into Forbidden by the Zombie to secretly open the ancient bronze door there. They only opened it a crack, but that was enough to cause Emperor Zombie to be devoured. Without that emperor, the various entities that resided in Forbidden by the Zombie had nothing to keep them in check, and they began proliferating.

But that was only one aspect of the catastrophe. The aura of a god seeped out of the opened door, which was the second aspect.

Therefore, the sealing which had been carried out didn’t just prevent the various evil entities inside Forbidden by the Zombie from escaping to cause harm, it also ensured that the door was tightly shut again. That was the most challenging aspect of the sealing formation that had been powered by over 2,000,000 cultivators. When the door of a god was opened even by a crack, it wasn’t easy to shut.

Emperor-Receiving Prefecture had gone through countless trials and tribulations since the fighting started. And they had pushed the door until it was on the very verge of being closed. Then a half-step Smoldering God arrived and sped things up, completing the sealing. The only thing left to do was a bit of cleanup work.

As for Xu Qing, he had benefited greatly. His expression was currently blank. Thanks to his connection to the Ghost Emperor projection, his mind had gone through a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering baptism.

That baptism had a profound effect on his senses. To any other observer, the arrival of a half-step Smoldering God would be an incomparably shocking assault on one’s vision. It could even be likened to a painting. In the end, no matter how clearly those observers saw what was happening, they were only ‘seeing.’

That wasn’t the case with Xu Qing. He was the one who had created that ‘scene’ and that ‘assault on vision.’ He participated in it, and had been an integral part. He was not an outside observer. He was a participant. Therefore, what he had sensed surpassed what anyone else could possibly know.

The power of a half-step Smoldering God had in some ways led Xu Qing in a certain direction, and given him a window through which to observe what it meant to be a Smoldering God.

Most importantly, it affected his understanding and his soul. He had gone through an astonishing expansion of understanding; going forward, whenever he faced powerful experts, he would have a much stronger mental state! It was roughly the same when it came to his soul. A half-step Smoldering God had been created out of nothing, and that provided a deep tempering. It wasn’t a tangible benefit, but it was something that would prove very useful later on.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and looked down toward the grand elders and the others, who were rising up from the yin formation now that the face was sealed.

Xu Qing knew that though the grand elder had been mostly concerned about the sealing, he had also provided an amazing destined opportunity. Xu Qing clasped hands and bowed solemnly to the grand elder.

The grand elder gave a faint nod in return, and a look of approval appeared on his exhausted face. Xu Qing had gotten his start in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, and this grand elder had viewed him as important even back then.

Sir Bloodsmelter felt similarly, and it went without saying that Master Seventh was the same. Master Seventh stroked his beard looking very pleased with himself.

Arch-Immortal Plumdark’s eyes overflowed with an unreadable expression, but her gaze was clearly focused on Xu Qing.

Then a loud caw rang out, causing all eyes to shift to Qingqin.

Qingqin hovered haughtily in the air, and his call was apparently a reminder to everyone that he had also played an important role.

“Many thanks, Senior Qingqin!” the grand elder said respectfully, clasping his hands and bowing.

The other Void Returning experts all bowed in thanks, as did the 2,000,000 cultivators.

Qingqin seemed very pleased with the prestige he had garnered. He instinctively looked in the direction of South Phoenix, and suddenly realized it was strange that his Eldest Brother hadn’t come. But then again, his Eldest Brother had his own set of principles, and obviously didn’t like brushing shoulders with all sorts of species. At least, that’s what Qingqin believed was the case.

The heavenly and earthly spiritual souls and the seven physical souls had all recovered. August Spirit Sporelight, who was the leader, looked grimly at the grand elder, and then Xu Qing.

“We’ve done our part. Now it’s your turn.”

Xu Qing nodded gravely.

August Spirit Sporelight turned and vanished. August Spirit Sunslaughter did the same. The seven physical souls turned into smoke that flew up into the air and vanished. During the entire time, none of them had even looked at Nethersprite.

If the Swordsage Court wanted to return her, they would. If they didn’t, then everyone seemed fine to leave her behind as a hostage. Nethersprite was obviously disappointed with that, but couldn’t do anything about it. She knew full well that her compatriots cared more about their personal freedom than any bonds of companionship.

After the Ghost Emperors souls were gone, and the cleanup work began, the grand elder called for a meeting with Xu Qing and the Void Returning patriarchs. One of the people in that group was the president of the Eight Sect Coalition. He looked at Xu Qing differently than he had before. He showed more respect.

“Xu Qing, do you mind telling us what you plan to do next?” the grand elder asked, massaging the bridge of his nose.

The gazes of the dozens of Void Returning cultivators all shifted to Xu Qing. Any other cultivator who had so many gazes like that locked onto them would started trembling uncontrollably. But after everything Xu Qing had experienced, including the gazes of multiple gods, he had no trouble having some Void Returning cultivators looking at him.

“The situations on the northern and western fronts are critical. The power of the taboo treasures is weakening. The front lines are in danger. Palace Lord Kong issued a dharmic decree giving me the power to represent him in all matters. My main job is to gather resources and troops from throughout Sea-Sealing County. I’ve already handled the supplies, and in fact, they should already have reached the battlefield. In terms of troops, my thoughts immediately turned to Injustice Prefecture and Emperor-Receiving Prefecture.”

Xu Qing looked at the grand elder.

The grand elder nodded, looked around at the group, then calmly said, “What do all of you think?”

Sir Bloodsmelter was the first to respond. “We fight!”

Master Seventh’s facial expression remained the same as ever as he nodded.

Arch-Immortal Plumdark looked at Xu Qing. “The Dark Serenity Sect will fight.”

The other patriarchs of the Eight Sect Coalition thought the matter over briefly, then agreed. Finally, the president looked at Xu Qing and gave an encouraging smile.

“It’s only natural that our Eight Sect Coalition will support its dao child. And more than that, we support humankind!”

The grand elder turned to look at the other Void-Returning cultivators. “In that case, what about the Supreme Arbiter Immortal Society and the Church of Departure? And what about all you other human sects from throughout Emperor-Receiving Prefecture?”

The Supreme Arbiter Immortal Society had about ten Void Returning cultivators. They exchanged glances. Obviously, they had no reason to refuse the call, so they nodded in agreement.

The group from the Church of Departure took a moment longer, but also agreed.

The grand elder gave one final look at the group then turned to Xu Qing with a somber expression. “In that case, Secretary-General Xu, please represent Palace Lord Kong and give us your orders!”

Xu Qing’s expression was grave as he took out the palace lord command medallion and raised it high. As the medallion glittered with bright light, Xu Qing spoke in an imposing voice.

“I hereby call for all organizations in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture to follow the command of the Swordsage Court and make haste to Injustice Prefecture. There, you will help resolve the catastrophe with Forbidden by the Garment. Afterwards, the combined forces of both prefectures will head to the western front!”

“The palace lord’s orders shall be followed!” the grand elder said, bowing solemnly.

The swordsages who flanked him all had very serious expressions on their faces. As they bowed their heads to acknowledge the orders, somber and desolate auras pulsed from them. The other Void Returning experts all inclined their heads to the command medallion.

Two hours later, the grand elder of the Swordsage Court stood at the head of a new army.

The nonhumans who had come from various parts of the Forbidden Sea to help with Forbidden by the Zombie weren’t interested in participating in another war, so they took their leave. The Swordsage Court didn’t cause any problems for them, and in fact, courteously saw them off.

Not everyone from Emperor-Receiving Prefecture joined the new army. People from various sects and species stayed behind to take care of matters with Forbidden by the Zombie.

Among those who the grand elder ordered to stay behind were Master Seventh and Arch-Immortal Plumdark. They were to be in charge of the final cleanup at Forbidden by the Zombie.

When Xu Qing heard that order, he glanced at the grand elder. In his heart, he suspected that the grand elder had done that because of him. After all, things on the battlefield could get very dangerous.

Xu Qing accepted the situation without comment.

Everyone else was to be part of the new army. The Seven Blood Eyes contingent would be led by Sir Bloodsmelter.

At the behest of the grand elder, all Emperor-Receiving Prefecture sects sent the power of their taboo treasures to the county capital. As a result, the golden net shimmered briefly above Emperor-Receiving Prefecture. With more taboo treasure power under the control of the county capital, the northern and western fronts both grew a bit stronger.

And with that, Emperor-Receiving Prefecture’s army headed toward Injustice Prefecture.

From a distance, it was possible to see tens of thousands of massive flying ships moving through the air. They were followed by even larger numbers of smaller magical ships. The movement of Emperor-Receiving Prefecture’s army was quite impressive. Wherever it went, immense pressure weighed down in all directions.