The sky grew calm.
The earth fell silent.
The entire world seemed to become still.
But at this moment, within the Imperial Academy and among all the various forces in the Imperial Capital, violent storms surged in their hearts. All their divine senses, all their gazes, converged on the Emperor Sword in the air above the academy and… where the Seventh Prince had disappeared.
The Seventh Prince's body and soul were destroyed, and had no chance to enter reincarnation.
A dignified prince had fallen just like that.
This was the second prince who had died during the reign of the Human Emperor Mystic War.
Back then, when the Eleventh Prince died, the Human Emperor was filled with monstrous anger. In order to investigate this matter, the blood rain that was caused inside and outside the Imperial City spread to an extremely large range and countless people died.
It only slowly calmed down a year later.
Today… another prince died, right in front of the Human Emperor and countless people.
Moreover, the Human Emperor had already agreed for the Seventh Prince to use the Immortal Inquisition Bell to prove his innocence, but Xu Qing had refuted him.
As a result, the turmoil of their minds created a stifling atmosphere, with rapid breaths turning into a heavy tension. The gazes from all directions seemed to transform into towering mountains pressing down from all sides.
They gathered in the Imperial City and accumulated in the Imperial Academy. In the end, this heavy weight bore down upon Xu Qing.
Xu Qing's expression under the mask didn't change at all. He slowly descended from the air, landing on the white Dao platform. There, he bowed respectfully to the phantoms of the ancestors in the sky, to the Imperial Academy students below, and to the Variant Immortal School Head behind him.
Finally, he lifted his hand and paused a little, before slowly removing the mask on his face. He removed the concealment given by the Imperial Academy's rules and revealed his true appearance.
That face that was revealed in front of everyone was peerlessly beautiful.
Like the first ray of sunlight at dawn, it bathed the Imperial Academy in a gentle yet dazzling glow.
Beneath the arched eyebrows, a pair of eyes as deep as tranquil lakes, akin to the North Star in the night sky, exuded an aura of transcendence, calmness, and composure.
His long hair flowed like a waterfall, fluttering in the wind. Every strand was filled with the power of life and determination to kill.
All of this caused Xu Qing to resemble a radiant star in the night sky.
The corners of his student robe fluttered lightly like drifting clouds in a poem, and the remnants of golden light upon him shimmered like the reflection of the moon on a tranquil autumn lake—brilliant and serene.
The Emperor Sword whistled back, slowly fusing into Xu Qing's back. Although it gradually disappeared, its existence was the symbol of Xu Qing's identity.
Xu Qing lifted his head, casting one last glance towards the Emperor in the projection in the sky.
He bowed.
He bowed deeply, paying respects first as a student to the students and the Variant Immortal School, then removing his mask and bowing as the Region Lord to the Emperor.
The Human Emperor remained silent, and nobody knew what he was thinking. After a while, he slowly closed his eyes. The gazes of the thirteen Heavenly Kings under his command, though their faces were blurred, were filled with profound meaning as they looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing also didn't speak. After bowing, he came to the side of the shocked Variant Immortal School's school head and sat at the side with his eyes closed.
Last night, in that house, the moment he obtained the jade slip, he had already tried to summon the Emperor Sword. At that time… the Emperor Sword moved.
This was also the reason why Xu Qing was certain that the Seventh Prince would definitely die.
As for the many times the Seventh Prince wanted to prove himself with the Immortal Inquisition Bell, Xu Qing didn't want to test it and wouldn't give the other party this chance, regardless of whether the scene in the jade token was true or false.
That wasn't important.
The Emperor Sword moved and it was enough to explain everything.
As Xu Qing closed his eyes, the silence in the surroundings lasted for a long time before the sound of someone gulping could be heard. This was the first time in their lives that they had seen someone kill a prince with their own eyes.
This impact was incomparable.
Regardless of whether it was the people from the Imperial Academy or the cultivators from the Imperial Capital, the ones who were the most shaken were… the other princes.
The Third Prince, who was standing beside the Principal, couldn't help but shudder. The gaze he used to look at Xu Qing was also filled with reverence and fear.
He wasn't clean either, so he was afraid.
Outside the Imperial Academy, from the Eldest Prince to the Tenth Prince, their hearts instinctively trembled. For them, Xu Qing's actions this time had already possessed the authority of the Tutor of the Princes.
Even the Tutor of the Princes only had the authority to restrain, not the right to execute.
How could they not be afraid of Xu Qing? After all… the move by the Emperor Sword represented the righteousness of the human race. Even the Human Emperor couldn't stop it, so how could the others resist?
"His authority… is too great!" This was the thought of all the princes other than Ning Yan.
When Xu Qing chose to sit beside the Variant Immortal School's school head, it gave off a different meaning.
All of a sudden, in the eyes of the students and various forces, the Variant Immortal School looked different.
This was the school Xu Qing had chosen. Moreover, Xu Qing had proved that this school wasn't evil. With the might of killing the Seventh Prince, he used blood to wash away the misunderstandings of the world about the Variant Immortal School and the slanders from the Divine Fusion School.
The emotional upheaval caused by these events had already reached an unprecedented level.
Soon, the rainbow light from the Variant Immortal School's Dao Platform directly soared from a thousand feet to tens of thousands of feet tall. All the students who had joined the Variant Immortal School were extremely excited at this moment.
As for the students from the other schools, perhaps they didn't approve of the Variant Immortal School, or perhaps they had never encountered Xu Qing before and were unfamiliar with him. However, now they witnessed Xu Qing displaying the might of the Emperor Sword without fear of the imperial power,
This scene brought an unprecedented huge impact to the younger generation.
"No wonder he could become the ruler of a region!"
"I heard that back then, it was Xu Qing who stood out alone and uncovered the cause of the storm in Fenghai County!"
"I also heard that during the Sword Holder's Heart Inquisition, Xu Qing's answer resulted in a 100,000 feet of light to shine. This means that his character can be trusted. I originally thought that this was more or less an exaggeration, but from the looks of it now, this might be the reason why the Emperor Sword chose him!"
"The person recognized by the Great Emperor and chosen by the Emperor Sword chose the Variant Immortal School. This school… must be extraordinary!"
As various thoughts echoed in the students' minds, the Variant Immortal School's school head felt tumultuous emotions surging within him. A sense of dizziness grew stronger, and he felt as if his head was congested, overwhelmed by waves of excitement.
Today's events had completely exceeded his expectations. Even now, he hadn't fully adapted to them. Instinctively, he looked towards Xu Qing beside him, opened his mouth to speak, but found himself at a loss for words.
Finally, he took a deep breath and lifted his head, proudly looking at the silent Divine Fusion School on the black Dao Platform.
The Divine Fusion School's school head's gaze remained fixed on Xu Qing, displaying a mixture of complexity, nostalgia, and a hint of sharpness. Eventually, he withdrew his gaze and looked towards the place where the Seventh Prince had fallen, sighing lightly.
'What a well-planned show for the Emperor… The Seventh Prince, this chess piece, hasn't demonstrated its value yet, nor has it reached the point of being extinguished, but it was prematurely detonated.'
'I think Xu Qing… has guessed my identity.'
'Twice… This time, I miscalculated by two points.'
The Divine Fusion School's school head sighed lightly, his gaze shifting towards the direction of the Star-Picking Tower. A sense of remorse welled up in his heart as he felt that he might truly be growing old.
At that moment, amidst the silence, the Principal let out a deep sigh.
He didn't expect such a situation to occur during a Dao discussion. Moreover, the Dao discussion… wasn't over yet.
Hence, after a brief moment of contemplation, he looked towards the Human Emperor.
"Proceed."
The Human Emperor spoke, his voice deep and resonant.
The Principal froze as he heard some additional meaning. Hence, his hoarse voice echoed in the Imperial Academy.
"The third segment of the Dao Discussion will be futurity!"
"Futurity signifies the future. Both the Variant Immortal School and the Divine Fusion School have already expressed their respective ideologies prior to this, but ultimately, we cultivators must see whose path leads straight to the Great Dao."
"The students here are witnesses. Please display your cultivation arts!"
After the Principal finished speaking, the Variant Immortal School's school head took a deep breath and stood up. All his cultivation base erupted and more than 100,000 soul threads spread out from his body, forming a vortex in the air. As it rumbled, it weaved into an earth child.
This was his limit but the Variant Immortal School… had an ancestor as well.
Shortly after, the earth child let out a roar in the direction of the Variant Immortal white tower.
The roar was like thunder that exploded in all directions. In the white tower of the Variant Immortal School, the room of seclusion opened loudly. A white-haired old man in a Daoist robe walked out.
This old man wasn't wearing a mask and his eyes were filled with spirit. His entire body emitted a terrifying pressure as he walked step by step in the air.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived on the Dao Platform of the Variant Immortal School.
His appearance caused many discussions. The Principal stared at the person and spoke softly.
"Chen Daoze."
The person who arrived was none other than the ancestor of the Variant Immortal School, Chen Daoze.
At that moment, he was standing on the Variant Immortal Dao Platform. The first person he looked at wasn't the Principal but Xu Qing.
After staring at him, Chen Daoze nodded slightly. He then gazed at the Principal and cupped his fists.
"Principal, I just exited my secluded practice, so I am a bit late."
"The discussion of futurity will be shown by me."
As he spoke, Chen Dao's body rumbled and soul threads rose from his sea of consciousness. 100,000, 200,000, 300,000, 400,000… Finally, 600,000 soul threads covered the sky and earth, churning in all directions.
Its aura shook the area.
Finally, they gathered and weaved together, forming an even more vast figure. Divine power spread out, the world dimmed, and anomalous substances spread.
That figure was a god!
It was a black-skeleton god who had been killed by the Great Emperor in years past.
Tattered black robes billowed around its form, while its deer-like body was covered in scales, and its four eyes exuded a light that incorporated the light of the sun and moon. Standing tall in the sky, it instilled fear in all living beings.
The students of the Imperial Academy were rendered speechless, while those from various forces outside were equally shaken to their core.
Those who knew about the Variant Immortal School knew that 600,000 soul threads had never been accomplished before. It was almost a myth. Hence, an uproar broke out.
"600,000 to weave the body of a god…"
"This… this is the Variant Immortal School?"
Gasps of horror rang out in the surroundings of the Imperial Academy's Dao platform.
"It's merely a form, devoid of its divinity. Using 600,000 soul threads just for this, looks like the Variant Immortal art is nothing more than this."
Amidst the uproar of the students, a low voice emanated from the black Dao Platform where the school head of the Divine Fusion School stood.
He recognized that his time was running out, and at this moment, he no longer cared about life or death. What he cared about was displaying the item.
Since the display item prepared for the buyer had been cut down before demonstrating its value, why not use himself as the display item?
At the pondered of this, a hint of determination appeared in the eyes of the Divine Fusion School's school head. As his voice echoed, he slowly positioned up.
Xu Qing's eyes also opened at this instance as he gazed at the school head. At this moment, his killing intent couldn't be suppressed and transformed into an invisible sword that was extremely sharp.
