Chapter 991: Today, They All Stand for Him_Beyond the Timescape

<h4>Chapter 991: Today, They All Stand for Him</h4>

 Near the sea in the Southisle Region, a deafening sound could be heard in midair, apanied by an immense gale force wind. Everything shook.

 Shockingly, two figures were visible within the tempestuous wind, screaming along at high speed. They left behind two streaks in the canopy of heaven as they pierced through the air. Nothing seemed capable of slowing them down.

 There were powerful organizations in Southisle, as well as godly entities, hidden gods, and living beings in all parts of thend, who, as long as they had the power to see, made sure they did nothing to block Xu Qing’s path. They just watched him pass by.

 The waves made by Xu Qing’s disappearance had spread very far, and as a result, his name was known just about everywhere. He was the Grand Darkheaven of the Firemoons. He was also the imperial tutor of humankind. In the east of Revered Ancient, he was about as important as it was possible to get!

 Because of him, all of the east of Revered Ancient had been thrown into a bigmotion. The empress of humankind and the three gods of the Firemoons had offered an incredible opportunity. This went to show what both species really wanted, and also revealed who was in charge of the east!

 And thus, although the Southisle Region was sparsely inhabited... it was located in the east, and therefore, even people there had heard of the dharmic decrees issued by humankind and the Firemoon Darkheaven people. All sorts of organizations were paying very close attention as Xu Qing and Erniu left the desert and headed... toward the Forbidden Sea.

 As they made progress, word began to spread that Xu Qing was free. However, even as the news began to spread through the various regions, Xu Qing himself issued a dharmic decree in the Holytide and Nightspirit Regions!

 “Holytide and Nightspirit hereby dere war on the Vivifiends!”

 It was a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering decree. In Sea-Sealing County, which formed the core of both Holytide and Nightspirit, the decree caused an instant stir. Teleportation portals were activated on arge scale. Squads of elite cultivator veterans poured into the portals to carry out the orders of their region lord. And thus... an army gathered outside the Vivifiend holynd. War was about to break out!

 At the same time, me Phoenix issued a dharmic decree in the continent of South Phoenix.

 “The continent of South Phoenix hereby deres war on the Vivifiends!” Godly entities from Forbidden by the Phoenix took action, causing shocking fluctuations to flow out into heaven and earth.

 “Seven Blood Eyes hereby deres war on the Vivifiends!” On inds throughout the Forbidden Sea, countless derations echoed that made by Seven Blood Eyes, and killing intent began to converge on the Vivifiend holynd.

 “The Moonrite Region hereby deres war on the Vivifiends!” The Heir Apparent and his siblings had not left the Forbidden Sea. Upon hearing that Xu Qing was free, and after hearing about the derations of war, they added their voices to the mix.

 In the shortest of moments, all of Xu Qing’s allies took action. Spell formations were activated, and forces converged on the sealed Vivifiend holynd.

 This was what happened when Xu Qing went on the hunt. And the first step in taking out Floating Fiend was to rip up his holynd by the roots!

 Xu Qing was definitely the type of person who held grudges. That was how he had been since he was young. If someone treated him with hostility, he would take their life, even if it was before they could actually take action against him. Given that, there was little need to mention Floating Fiend, who had very nearly killed him.

 And since Floating Fiend was an Imperial Sovereign from the Vivifiend holynd, there was no way that the holynd would get off without repercussions. The grudge had been established, and there was no way to simply make it go away.

 What was more... killing Floating Fiend wasn’t going to be enough. If killing was to be done, there needed to be a lot of killing. And if extermination was going to happen, it would be a holynd that ended up exterminated. That was the way to prevent any future cmities from urring.

 “In addition, track down Floating Fiend. His people must pay with their blood!”

 Up in the dome of heaven, Xu Qing’s eyes overflowed with killing intent.

 Next to him, Erniu licked his lips, and his eyes seemed to glow with the color of blood. “You’re not thinking straight, little Ah Qing. There are some things in which one shouldn''t expect to be spoon-fed. It might taste good, but then you don’t gain the experience of peeling the food yourself.

 “If you want experience, then after you sacrifice the Vivifiend holynd, I can personally use the blood of that species to use my Grand Five Ox Essence-Tracing Grand Merciless Dao! That way, we can figure out exactly where that shithead is, and go put him to death!”[1]

 Erniu’s words echoed about as the sound of their passage pierced the clouds. Shortly after, they flew out into the sky over the Forbidden Sea. Without a moment of pause, they shot down through the waves into the water and moved in the direction of the Vivifiend holynd.

 Along the way, countless sea beasts burst into motion, bing a swelling wave that shot toward the Vivifiends. Godly entities rose up from the seafloor and joined them.

 When the two of them finally arrived on the periphery of the Vivifiend holynd, Xu Qing was met with a soul-shocking majestic scene.

 Countless banners pped vigorously in the wind. Innumerable cultivators were arrayed in ranks, pulsing with baleful auras that caused the wind and clouds to change colors dramatically. The cultivators present included the legions from the Holytide Region, the priests from the Nightspirit Region, a massive armed force from the imperial capital, as well as Seven Blood Eyes forces and allies from species all over the Forbidden Sea. There were also cultivators from the Moonrebel Congregation in the Moonrite Region! There seemed to be no end to the armed forces surrounding the Vivifiend holynd.

 Hovering up above were many familiar faces that caused warmth to rise up in Xu Qing’s heart.

 The Heir Apparent. Princess Brightblossom. Grandma Fifth. Eighth Sib. Ninth Sib. Ling’er was there. Also present was King Firecrusher, as well as the patriarch of Seven Blood Eyes, Sir Bloodsmelter. Powerful experts were present from the regions of Holytide and Nightspirit.

 High above everything else was me Phoenix, who blotted out the sky and sun, and was surrounded by a never-ending sea of mes that immted the sky. At me Phoenix’s side was Second Elder Sister.

 Everyone present was ready to unleash every bit of might they could muster. And they were waiting for Xu Qing.

 When Xu Qing strode over the horizon, his footfalls created rumbling sounds, and his presence created a surging momentum.

 “Greetings, Region Lord!”

 “Our respects, Imperial Tutor!”

 “Well met, Dao Child!”

 “Archbishop of Moonrebel!”

 Various forms of address could be hearding from different parts of the enormous army. Though the words spoken were different, the respect and fervor were exactly the same.

 He was the region lord of Holytide and Nightspirit. He was the imperial tutor of humankind. He was a dao child of Seven Blood Eyes. He was one of the archbishops of the Moonrebel Congregation! As he journeyed through time, he had umted these titles one by one, based on his own merit!

 Back during the days when he was tempering himself, he had held back from revealing his various identities publicly. As his Master had demanded, he focused on bettering himself. But in the course of his training, Floating Fiend hade along and tried to kill him. And thus, he arrived today in this manner.

 He was unleashing everything he had. When he arrived, ear-splitting rumbling sounds spread out, like heavenly thunder.

 He was only about 50 kilometers away from the holynd at this point.

 As for the Vivifiend holynd, its spell formation had already copsed, and the Vivifiends inside trembled in despair. Thanks to the pressure weighing down from all sides, their souls and bodies were experiencing intense pain, and most of them had blood oozing out of the corners of their mouths.

 Patriarch Vivifiend’s facial expression was grim. Over the past few days, he had prepared in every way he could manage. But when he saw Xu Qinging over the horizon, his heart started pounding. The worst case scenario he had imagined was bing a reality.

 Floating Fiend... failed....

 Patriarch Vivifiend felt immeasurable bitterness within himself as he watched Xu Qing approach. Therefore, it was without the slightest hesitation that he shifted his gaze to King Firecrusher.

 “King Firecrusher,” he said loudly. “Please notify Empress Summer Departure that the Vivifiend holynd is willing to surrender as a species, and be subsidiaries of humankind! This is a species oath backed by the destiny of our species. If humankind agrees, then from generation to generation after this day, we will abide by the agreement!”

 Patriarch Vivifiend was the leader of the Vivifiend holynd, and as such, he had his own ns and ideas. From the moment he decided to protect Floating Fiend, he had already analyzed the situation as a whole. But since the worst-case scenario was ying out in front of him, he didn’t have a lot of options to pick from. On the one hand... it was true that the almighty entity from the Emptystar holynd had a towering cultivation base, and betraying that individual would be very dangerous. However... he had no options left. Therefore, he kept speaking.

 “As for me, I’m willing to receive a soul-branding mark from the empress, and will even switch cultivation paths. I will change from the cultivator path to that of the gods. I will ignite my own godfire! In other words, I’m willing topletely part ways with the holynds!”

 In response to his words, countless eyes outside of the holynd shifted to look at King Firecrusher.

 King Firecrusher said nothing in response.

 Xu Qing didn’t stop moving. He was now only about 15 kilometers away from the Vivifiend holynd.

 Seeing that, Patriarch Vivifiend continued speaking. “If I be a god, then I should be able to reach the Altar God level. If that happens, I can be of immense assistance to either humankind or the Firemoons. And that means that when the more powerful holynds arrive, you’ll have more options to pick from!”

 He feared that almighty individual from the Emptystar holynd, but if he could ignite godfire, then he wouldn’t be a cultivator anymore. He would be listed among the gods. And he was fully aware that the ns of that almighty individual were contingent on avoiding conflict with the gods. Although it wasn’t aplete guarantee, considering the immense potential danger, it was the best option he could think of.

 And thus, he said what he did to King Firecrusher. He knew full well that the only hope he had right now was to appeal to the empress. The empress.... was a god. The god of humankind. And that ensured that hēr actions were for the benefit of hēr species.

 The empress obviously could have tracked down Floating Fiend, but instead, shē used it as an opportunity to reveal hēr intentions. From that, I can deduce that my previous spections were correct. The empress believes that absorbing my species will strengthen humankind. And that means that it doesn’t matter what Xu Qing thinks or feels.

 And yet, despite the fact that he was convinced of his own line of reasoning, the fact remained that King Firecrusher wasn’t saying a thing.

 As Xu Qing continued his approach, everyone parted to make way for him, leaving a path that led right to the Vivifiend holynd.

 Patriarch Vivifiend ignored that. “Empress Summer Departure,” he said loudly, “I know many secrets of the various holynds. I know the real reason why the holynds came here. And even more importantly, I know where the next set of holynds will arrive! Revered Ancient is about to be engulfed in the mes of war. It’s unavoidable. But with my information, humankind can gain a huge advantage!

 “Xu Qing is sound and in good health. Floating Fiend presumably already paid the price for his actions. Therefore, Empress, I request that you drop this matter. Let the me fall squarely on Floating Fiend, and allow his punishment to be the benefit gained by humankind. Isn’t that a good way to resolve this situation?”

 Patriarch Vivifiend looked up into the canopy of heaven. He could sense that the empress... was there. He still hadn’t even cast a nce in Xu Qing’s direction, and was instead just waiting for a response from the empress. He was convinced that he and his species, plus the information he had, were valuable enough that they could make up for Floating Fiend’s actions. sping hands, he bowed to the canopy of heaven.

 At that point, King Firecrusher finally reacted. He frowned.

 The surrounding armed forces, be they from Moonrite, Seven Blood Eyes, South Phoenix, Holytide, or Nightspirit, all remained in ce, neither speaking nor acting. As far as they were concerned, the person who was going to make the decision here wasn’t the empress, but rather, Xu Qing.

 And finally, Xu Qing arrived in front of the Vivifiend holynd. He looked it over calmly, then looked up at the canopy of heaven. He was also interested in the empress’ response.

 Next to him, Erniu’s eyes were narrowed, but glinted with a terrifying light.

 Finally, the empress responded in a cold voice.

 “It might seem like a reasonable choice to let one person be humiliated in order to gain an advantage for the entire species.

 “But years ago when Sea-Sealing County was in a deadly situation, this person, with a mere Core Formation cultivation base, did something that seemed like the act of a fool. He stood up for the people of Sea-Sealing County even though there seemed no hope of achieving sess.

 “The Moonrite Region used to be a grazingnd for Crimson Mother. But this person, with only a Nascent Soul cultivation base, stood up for the people of the region and saved them.

 “Before I ignited godfire, back when our species was in conflict with the Firemoons, he single-handedly went to their territory and became the Grand Darkheaven. And then, in front of all of the Firemoons, he demanded a ceasefire.

 “He bears The Emperor’s Sword. He earned a 30,000-meter pir of light in the assessment of the heart. And he has the same heart now as he did back then.

 “Therefore, let me ask you a question. If I turned a blind eye while he suffered humiliation, then what exactly would be the point of being human? What about the next time a human got humiliated? What about the time after that? If I let one of my people be humiliated just to earn an advantage for the species, well, maybe you would think something like that might be worth it. But in my eyes, there is no advantage in doing such a thing.

 “Maybe I am a god. But I’m a human god. I’m not the kind of god people just think about. I’m not the kind of god who lurks in the shadows. I’m a human of Revered Ancient! And I stand with my people!

 “Xu Qing stood up for everyone. And today, we’re standing up for him. Therefore, I hereby reject your offer of surrender!”

 As the words left hēr mouth, heaven and earth rumbled as if with thunder.

 The Vivifiends looked on in despair. Their patriarch’s face was ashen. Never could he have imagined that the response to his offer would be something like this.

 All humans present felt their hearts pounding with pride. The iciness in Erniu’s eyes eased a bit, and he snorted coldly in his heart. The violent irritation he had felt earlier toward the empress was starting to fade.

 Xu Qing looked back to the Vivifiend holynd.

 “Today, the Vivifiends are to be exterminated,” he said calmly.

 “Yes, sir!” the armed forces replied. Baleful auras red, bing a majestic and furious wave that surged toward the Vivifiend holynd.

 At the same time, the mountain erupted with corpse energy. The door from Forbidden by the Zombie that Patriarch Vivifiend had taken was being opened.

 Taking advantage of the chaos that ensued, Patriarch Vivifiend vanished. When he reappeared, he was on the horizon. Without a backward nce, he fled. He knew that there was no hope for the Vivifiend holynd, and thus, there was no point in him staying behind. If he could escape, then there would be hope for the future.

 But then the empress appeared in midair and took a step toward him. When hēr footnded, ripples spread through the canopy of heaven. It wasn’t just in that location. Ripples appeared in the sky over all the regions of Revered Ancient.

 The empress’s footfall affected daytime throughout Revered Ancient. Areas throughout the maind that were brightly lit experienced something like the extinguishing of amp, as all daytime turned into the ck of night. All regions were now dark. A god had blown out amp, causing all light to temporarily leave Revered Ancient.

 The only light now existed in the eyes of the empress as shē hovered in the air above the Vivifiend holynd. This was the empress’ godly authority. The concept of departing light converged in hēr eyes, making them the source of all light. And then, the concept of light flowed from all regions in Revered Ancient, converging into the darkness to make the glow of dawn light. Where that light went, heaven and earth became bright.

 Patriarch Vivifiend shivered as the light swept over him. As he blurred from head to toe, he reached out with his right hand as if to grab something. He opened his mouth to speak. But then, within that light, he became nothing. The only thing that remained behind was a helpless sigh echoing out in all directions. It became the end of everything.

 Next, all heaven and earth returned to normal. Then me Phoenix let loose a cry that could shake the heart and mind, and a massive sea of mes descended. The fire burned the sky, burned the air, and burned the mountain that made up the holynd. It continued down into the sea, making everything a world of fire.

 However, it only targeted the Vivifiends.

 Within that sea of fire were cultivators from all over, and they were on the warpath. Rumbling sounds echoed out, apanied by the din of ughter. The sounds weaved together into an energetic song being yed in heaven and earth.

 n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Xu Qing merged into that sound. His ughter came with the sound!

 ***

 In the depths of the Forbidden Sea, the fleeing Floating Fiend shivered as a sensation of unspeakable sorrow filled him. He looked over his shoulder in the direction of the Vivifiend holynd.

 The patriarch... just perished....

 1. The Grand Five Ox Essence-Tracing Grand Merciless Dao was first mentioned in chapter 832, and also came up in 862. ?

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Chapter 991: Today, They All Stand for Him