Sometimes, even when one had suspicions or certainties about something deep down, experiencing it firsthand still stirred up waves of emotion in the heart.
The magnitude of these waves depended on the significance of the matter to the individuals involved.
The greater the degree, the more intense the waves would be.
At that moment, on the right of the Human Emperor, in the empty space he was looking at, the void fluctuated and a gentle voice followed.
"Your Majesty already has an answer. How can outsiders give their view? Can I make Your Majesty change your mind?"
As the voice rang out, a back view gradually materialized in the void to the right of the Human Emperor, attracting everyone's attention.
He was clad in a white Daoist robe exuding elegance, with long purple hair giving an otherworldly impression, and his tall statue exuded a commanding presence.
Hearing the voice and looking at the back view, Xu Qing was expressionless. However, his right hand was already clenched tightly with veins bulging on the back.
He didn't need to identify him from the front. This voice and this back view... were enough for him to confirm the other party's identity.
A month ago, with the reminder of the clay fox, he had some guesses about the identity of the State Preceptor. However, when he really saw him, surprise and fluctuations still turned into a storm in his heart.
He didn't know how this person became a State Preceptor and was able to appear here openly.
He also had no idea what kind of connection or deals the other party had with the Human Emperor.
He only knew that the other party was Illuminate. He had killed Lord Sixth and led the change in Fenghai County. There was an irreconcilable enmity between them!
He only knew that the other party... was the crow he had to kill!
However, the current Xu Qing was no longer the same as before. When he saw Crown Prince Purple Green, his emotions didn't collapse. He could already hide his emotions deep in his heart and not reveal them.
Hence, Xu Qing lowered his gaze and exhaled deeply until he heard everyone's voices.
"Greetings, State Preceptor."
Everyone lowered their heads and greeted respectfully.
In the orthodox lineage of the human race, although the State Preceptor didn't have any real power, his status was high, second only to the Human Emperor and the Great Emperor.
At that moment, the Human Emperor looked at everyone greeting the State Preceptor. A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked at the Ancient Sovereign Planet.
As for the State Preceptor who appeared beside him, he turned around, revealing the mask on his face.
It was a white smiling face mask, eerie in appearance, yet when one met his gaze, they would instinctively overlook the mask's presence, for the State Preceptor's eyes, more than anyone else's, held an otherworldly brilliance, captivating all attention.
He faced the officials and nodded. His gaze then landed on everyone one by one. Finally... it landed on Xu Qing.
Xu Qing lifted his head and looked at him.
The State Preceptor laughed.
He had his own pride and his own way of doing things. If it was someone else who was the State Preceptor, they might not reveal their true body for various reasons.
However, he was Crown Prince Purple Green!
He never did things covertly, nor did he let any purpose influence his actions.
So, when he appeared, he raised his hand and removed the mask covering his face, revealing his true visage to the officials.
This was the first time the officials saw his face.
Prior to this, the only person who saw his face was the Human Emperor. As for others, they only saw him in white robe and a white smiling mask.
At that moment, as the mask was removed, the face that was revealed in front of everyone caused everyone's expressions to change and bewilderment to rise in their hearts.
This face was 70% similar to Xu Qing's!
However, it was paler, colder, and more sinister.
However, his resplendent eyes seemed to contain no impurities and were incomparably clear.
As for the sharply arched eyebrows above his eyes, the thin and pursed lips, and the angular features, all of these made the State Preceptor resemble a celestial white dragon, beautiful yet aloof.
Everyone outside the hall maintained silence, immersed in their own thoughts. This was because the resemblance between the State Preceptor and Xu Qing wasn't just the appearance but also their inner qualities.
Although spells could do this, such a method clearly didn't match the State Preceptor's status.
So... there was only one explanation.
This explanation caused everyone to fall into deep thought. They recalled the assassination attempt in the Imperial Capital, and there were also some who looked at the Human Emperor with obscure thoughts.
As for the State Preceptor, he didn't care about everyone's gazes. At that moment, he looked at Xu Qing and smiled. His eyes were as gentle as ever as he spoke softly.
"Brother, we meet again."
Xu Qing's expression was calm. He looked at the State Preceptor in front of him and didn't speak.
"I did not orchestrate the assassination attempt, nor would I deign to do so."
The State Preceptor said with a smile. After he finished speaking, he turned and sat beside the Human Emperor, looking at the heaven's chosen on Ancient Sovereign Planet with him.
The officials did the same.
Xu Qing's expression was still the same, as though he hadn't seen Purple Green. He sat there and lifted his head to stare at Ning Yan on the Ancient Sovereign Planet, calculating the time when he could leave.
He needed to do this to disperse the storm in his heart.
Outside the hall, it was as quiet as the surface of a calm lake.
However, the hearts of everyone here were filled with waves. If the waves joined, they would probably form huge waves that would drown everything.
Time passed bit by bit amidst the external silence and internal waves. Very soon, two hours passed.
The comprehension of the heaven's chosen on the Ancient Sovereign Planet also changed at this moment.
Among the thousands of cultivators sitting cross-legged outside the Ancient Sovereign Planet that was surrounded by clouds, an auspicious sign appeared on some of them, transforming into various phenomena. There were also multicolored lights shining on some.
That meant that the cultivator had succeeded or was about to succeed. The more auspicious phenomena and multicolored lights there were, the higher the level of comprehension.
However, more people were still comprehending.
However, the cultivators who succeeded didn't comprehend the Heavenly Marquises' inheritances but the inheritances left behind by those heroes below the Heavenly Marquises who had died in battle over the countless years.
There were divine powers and cultivation arts inside. Although they weren't as good as the legacies of Heavenly Marquises, they had their unique aspects. To be able to comprehend them was also an opportunity.
"That's the combined sword technique of Chen Qinghai, commander of ten thousand under the Sword Holding Great Emperor back then. Excellent, excellent. The heaven's chosen sent by the Sword Holding Palace this time is indeed extraordinary, second only to the Heavenly Marquis' inheritance!"
"It's not just Chen Qinghai's Dao that was comprehended. Look over there, the Yin-Yang statue has manifested. This is the Black-and-White Evil Transformation Art that was described in the ancient books. The person who comprehended it looks unfamiliar. From his clothes, he should be a disciple of the Divine Harvest Vast Cosmos Sect."
As they watched, the silence outside the hall was broken. Some officials chatted and laughed among themselves again. Gradually, when there was some excitement, the number of people who succeeded in comprehending increased one after another.
The lights outside the Ancient Sovereign Planet continued to shine and auspicious signs appeared frequently.
The cultivators who succeeded would be sent out of the Ancient Sovereign Planet and appear on the rainbow bridge. Everyone only had one chance to comprehend.
As for Xu Qing, his gaze landed on the location of Ning Yan on the Ancient Sovereign Planet. In two hours, there were no changes to Ning Yan. He seemed to be putting in a lot of effort but it was obviously ineffective.
Xu Qing wasn't in a hurry. Ning Yan's aptitude wasn't bad. Even if he didn't obtain a Heavenly King's inheritance, he would definitely gain something.
With such thoughts in mind, Xu Qing's gaze moved away from Ning Yan and landed on the others, continuing to disperse the storm rising in his heart.
As his gaze swept over, although he didn't know almost all of these heaven's chosen, he could tell who the princes were through their robes. Xu Qing had seen a few of them before.
For example, the third princess.
For example, the Seventh Prince.
This was the first moment Xu Qing had seen the latter after coming to the Imperial City.
The instant he looked at the Seventh Prince, Xu Qing's gaze was cold and focused. After sensing that there were no auspicious signs or multicolored lights on the other party, Xu Qing shifted his gaze away and was about to look at the third princess.
However, at this moment, Xu Qing's heart suddenly stirred. His gaze followed his heart and peered at a cloudy area that no one was in.
The clouds and fog there were relatively thin compared to the other areas. One could even see some mountain terrain on the Ancient Sovereign Planet under the clouds.
What attracted Xu Qing was the mountain range on Ancient Sovereign Planet.
Although the distance was very far and only the first layer of clouds had opened on the Ancient Sovereign Planet, Xu Qing felt a weak fluctuation coming from the mountain range.
This fluctuation was very light. It came from under the mountain and existed in the interior of the Ancient Sovereign Planet. Moreover, it was additional like a summoning.
Xu Qing fell silent. His gaze swept across the surroundings of the thin fog outside the Ancient Sovereign Planet. Although there was no one in the thin fog, there were still cultivators comprehending in the surroundings.
However, it was as though… none of them sensed this summoning. It was as though this summoning had a special meaning.
'What is that… Is it also an inheritance?'
Xu Qing pondered. Looking at the others' gains, he discovered that this so-called inheritance was actually formed by some consciousness that wandered between the clouds.
In comparison, the summoning from the mountain range seemed to be additional like a special aura emitted by a material object.
Just as Xu Qing was pondering, the clouds and fog on Ancient Sovereign Planet suddenly circulated faster. Fog rose and drowned the surroundings, enveloping the figures of all the heaven's chosen. Only one person was revealed and became the center of attention.
This was because this cloud tide was caused by this person. From afar, a huge vortex was spinning in all directions with this person as the center.
There was too an ancient holy statue that carried dignity and holiness. It rose from this person's body and was a hundred thousand feet tall. Golden flames spread out and burned the surroundings.
"Heavenly Marquis Inheritance!"
"This is the dao technique of Heavenly Marquis Flame Spear, ranked tenth among the one hundred and eight Heavenly Marquises."
"The person who comprehended it is… the grandson of the Supreme Commander, Meng Yunbai!"
In the Imperial Capital, the various forces and rogue cultivators were all looking at the Ancient Sovereign Planet from afar. When they saw this scene, their expressions changed.
Even many of the other cultivators on the Ancient Sovereign Planet opened their eyes and peered at Meng Yunbai. Their expressions changed. Some were complicated, some were envious, and some were unwilling.
Outside the palace, the officials smiled. There was admiration in the Human Emperor's eyes.
Only Xu Qing's gaze swept past Meng Yunbai before looking in the direction of that hidden mountain range again.
'The summoning has become even additional intense…'
