Ning Yan's sudden kneeling surprised everyone.
Purple Mystic Fairy glanced at him indifferently, as though she was used to such actions.
"Mystic Nether Sect?"
"Ancestor, you're wise. I'm a cultivator of Mystic Nether Sect. When I was in the sect, I admired the sect ancestor of the 3,700 Mystic Nether Sects of the Yinghuang Province."
The captain had a strange expression. Xu Qing frowned and recalled the specialness of the Mystic Nether Sect.
Due to the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether, there were many Mystic Nether Sects. Sects of all sizes would call themselves the Mystic Nether Sect if they had even a slight connection to the ancient sovereign.
For example, back at the Grand Affairs Misfortune Passing Mountain, Xu Qing and the captain had seen a Mystic Nether Sect.
This Ning Yan was clearly from a similar sect. After all, Purple Mystic Fairy knew very well if he cultivated the Mystic Nether Sect's cultivation arts. Hence, thinking of the greeting, she nodded and let him travel with them.
Ning Yan panicked. He didn't want to be on the ship but he didn't dare to refuse. He could only bite the bullet and hide at the edge of the corner, not daring to look at Xu Qing. He felt uneasy, like a bird startled by the twang of a bow.
Xu Qing swept his gaze over and prepared to settle the score with the other party when there was no one around.
However, the captain's eyes revealed a strange glint. He walked over and circled the nervous Ning Yan a few times. He looked interested as he asked.
"Kid, there's something wrong with you. You were toyed with by the large bird but you didn't die. Your injuries aren't very serious either."
"Senior Brother Chen, my bloodline showed atavism when I was young and the power of my bloodline is protection," Ning Yan hurriedly explained.
When the captain heard this, he licked his lips and laughed. He went up and hugged Ning Yan's neck as he spoke in a low voice.
"There's no need to be afraid of Xu Qing. I'm his eldest senior brother. You should have heard those rumors about Xu Qing being extremely respectful to me when you were at the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar, right? Let me tell you, that's true."
"In the future, you just have to listen to me. You're my brother, so you're Xu Qing's brother. What's the most important thing between brothers? Friendship, right?!"
Ning Yan didn't dare to say no and hurriedly nodded.
Xu Qing glanced at the captain. He felt that this scene was a little familiar, as though he had seen it on someone before. As such, he glanced at Wu Jianwu at the side.
Wu Jianwu was also stunned. He thought of his previous encounter and looked at Ning Yan sympathetically.
The captain was hoodwinking Ning Yan as the flying ship moved forward. It wasn't far from the teleportation point Chen Tinghao had suggested.
That place was actually the last teleportation location on the route of the Eight Sects Alliance.
"After this teleportation, we'll arrive at the county capital. Xu Qing, I just asked my good friends in the palace here… Only now did I know that you actually got a 100,000 feet long light!"
Chen Tinghao looked at Xu Qing in shock. Previously, he had gone out on a mission and hadn't returned for a long time, so he only learned of this when they entered the range of the county capital.
"There are still many things I don't understand. If I do anything inappropriate in the future, I hope Brother Chen can remind me." Xu Qing's expression was sincere as he cupped his fists.
"Naturally. Xu Qing, your light is unprecedented in Fenghai County. Do you know what this means?" Although there was envy in Chen Tinghao's eyes, there was no hint of jealousy.
Xu Qing shook his head.
"It means that you're the one who can be trusted the most. It means that you're very upright and it will be of great help when you take up your post." Chen Tinghao sighed with emotion.
"Post?" Xu Qing knew that he was going to be arranged to take up a post but he didn't understand the details. Hence, he asked.
"According to the rules, new Sword Holders have to serve in the county capital for three years before they can go out. You will be arranged to take up a post after you take the oath."
"The military contributions obtained from different posts are different, so they are very important."
"After all, to us Sword Holders, everything is related to military contributions!"
"Among the many posts in the Sword Holding Palace, it is the easiest to obtain military contributions in patrolling, inspection, and other related departments. There's also information and law enforcement. However, the opportunities for those in internal affairs to obtain military contributions are fewer."
"There's also a special post where you can obtain more military contributions. However, that place never recruits new Sword Holders, and veterans can't apply either. All the Sword Holders in that post are specially recruited by the Palace Master's decree."
Chen Tinghao's eyes revealed fascination.
"The person has to have an extremely clean background and a pure mind to be qualified."
Xu Qing was a little curious and looked at Chen Tinghao.
"That's a Pawn!"
"Pawn?" Xu Qing was stunned.
"That's right, a Pawn. A Pawn of the Prison Department. You'll know when you reach the county later. One of the greatest characteristics of the county capital is the Myriad Races Prison!"
Chen Tinghao smiled and there was a hint of pride on his face.
"The people imprisoned by the Prison Department are all the ferocious people of the myriad races and bizarre entities from ancient times until now. That place is the largest prison in the entire Fenghai County. Most of the prisoners there are people who have killed countless beings. They are extremely savage but even their expressions will change when they hear about the Pawns."
"Because all the people from the Prison Department claim that they are just a pawn."
"Therefore, there was the term 'Pawn'. They intimidate all evil."
At this point, the fascination in Chen Tinghao's eyes deepened and turned into desire.
"My sect's past ancestor was specially recruited by the Palace Master as a Pawn. Unfortunately, he died in the line of duty many years ago."
At this point, Chen Tinghao shook his head.
"However, Xu Qing, you can't go to the Prison Department. Although the Pawns are special, you're even more special. A Sword Holder with 100,000 feet long light will definitely be respected by everyone. Maybe the next time I see you, I'll have to give you a Sword Holder salute."
Xu Qing looked at the distant. Actually, he wasn't particularly concerned about taking up a post. After coming to the county capital, he looked at everything here and the complexity in his heart grew stronger and stronger. Hence, he spoke softly.
"Brother Chen, is Mount Morning Glow here?"
"Mount Morning Glow?" Chen Tinghao glanced at Xu Qing.
"Mount Morning Glow is in Morning Glow Province which is one of the three provinces closest to the capital. That place has long become the trial ground of my Sword Holding Palace and outsiders aren't allowed to enter. If a Sword Holder wants to go there, they have to spend a certain amount of military contributions."
"The military contributions required aren't small because that place was the resting place of an ancient sun. At the same time, it's also the place where the sun fell. From time to time, streams of light will overflow from the long river of time and shine there."
"Every stream of light before the sun fell contains Dao runes. They are also top-grade materials for refining weapons and pills. There are very few of them and every time they appear, they will be recorded."
Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. He looked calm but there were intense fluctuations in his mind. This was the first time he knew about Mount Morning Glow in such detail.
Chen Tinghao didn't ask Xu Qing why he was interested in Mount Morning Glow. Instead, he reminded him.
"If you want to go to Mount Morning Glow, you have to accumulate military contributions well."
Xu Qing nodded.
Not long later, the flying ship arrived at the location of the teleportation array. As Purple Mystic Fairy walked out and the flying ship was put away, more than a hundred cultivators landed on the ground one after another.
On the ground, there was an ancient teleportation array in the shape of an altar. Its range was very large and its entire body was grayish-black. One could see long marks intertwining and flickering with light.
There were Sword Holders guarding the surroundings. They clearly knew Chen Tinghao very well as they greeted him happily. A few of them even hugged him.
Their emotions allowed Xu Qing to have a better understanding of the Sword Holders.
Very soon, under the arrangement of these Sword Holders, the group of people from the Eight Sects Alliance walked into the teleportation array. Under the shockingly vast light, they completed the last teleportation of this trip.
When they appeared, they were already outside the county capital!
An astonishingly huge statue was reflected in everyone's eyes the moment their figures appeared.
It was a statue of Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether. It was astonishingly vast, as though it could support the world.
Compared to it, everyone was like dust. In fact, if an ordinary person lifted their head, they wouldn't be able to see everything about the statue.
It stood on the ground with the sky above its head. The clouds only reached its waist and it required the cultivators to focus extremely before they could barely see it in its entirety from afar.
The statue's hands were raised as though it was embracing the world. Between the statue's hands was a majestic floating city.
That was the county capital.
The size of this city was several times larger than the Eight Sects Alliance's city cluster. There was endless light inside that transformed into a sea of light.
There were three smaller palaces floating around it.
Although they were smaller than the city, any one of these palaces would occupy an extremely vast area on the ground.
Xu Qing was shocked when he saw the three palaces and the city.
However, what caused even greater waves in his mind was the ground.
Directly below the floating capital, under the feet of the ancient sovereign's statue, the ground was as smooth as a mirror. Under the mirror… was a super large prison built underground.
The mirror-like ground above the prison was translucent. If one stood high in the sky and lowered their head, they would be able to see that there were many layers underground, like an abyss.
That place was the Prison Department that Chen Tinghao had mentioned earlier, the largest prison in Fenghai County!
In the air between the prison and the floating city was a huge ancient bronze sword.
This sword was vast and majestic. The sword light it emitted was resplendent and could be seen in all directions.
The character '元' was engraved on the body of the sword. It was a Sword Holder's sword.
The sword slowly rotated, emitting an indescribable terrifying pressure.
It guarded the capital while suppressing the prison!
This wasn't the end. There were some buildings on the ground that attracted the attention of everyone from the Eight Sects Alliance.
They were the pentagonal sword pavilions built around the prison!
These Sword Pavilions were arranged in circles and in an extremely orderly manner. However, their heights varied. The tall ones were almost the height of the capital city, and the short ones were only dozens of feet tall.
There were so many of them that there were probably more than 100,000 of them. Each of them was separated by 10,000 feet, forming a ring that circled dozens of times.
"Those are the Sword Pavilions. When the Sword Holders come to the capital for duty, they will put down their spirit swords here and form a Sword Pavilion. It's also where the Sword Holders usually stay!"
"As long as the Sword Holder doesn't die, the Sword Pavilion won't dissipate. If someone dies in battle, their details will be read out by the deacons in a specific ritual before the Sword Pavilion disappears."
"Welcome to the Sword Holder's headquarters in Fenghai County and the county capital!"
Chen Tinghao laughed and bowed to Xu Qing and the others. He originally planned to leave but he discovered that the Eight Sects Alliance seemed to be waiting for someone. Hence, he didn't leave but waited with them.
The Eight Sects Alliance was indeed waiting.
They were waiting for the people from the branch sect. On one hand, Purple Mystic Fairy had come personally. On the other hand, they could not enter the county capital casually, and needed someone to guide them.
Originally, according to the agreement, the people from the branch sect should have arrived long ago. However, after waiting for a while, they still didn't see any branch sect disciples.
A dark glint appeared in Purple Mystic Fairy's eyes. She had already used the jade slip to transmit her message but she didn't receive any response.
"There should be a problem," Lord Fifth, who was standing beside Purple Mystic Fairy, said in a low voice.
The person guarding the branch sect wasn't an ancestor-level cultivator, so it was impossible for them to neglect Purple Mystic Fairy. They also didn't have the guts to do it, but they didn't appear.
There was only one explanation for this.
Something had happened to the branch sect.
Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. Such a thing had happened just after they arrived. This matter clearly couldn't be explained by coincidence.
"Are they targeting us?" Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. The captain's eyes also shone with a cold glint. The two of them looked at each other.
