The sky was pitch-black.
Only bolts of lightning appeared amidst the rumbling thunder, tearing apart the black sky.
The cold rain continued to fall, drenching the land of Fenghai County.
Xu Qing gazed in the direction of the county capital in a daze, and great waves stirred in his mind.
"The County Governor died…"
Xu Qing had only seen the County Governor a few times in the Sword Holding Palace. He didn't have any contact with him and only heard about him from others.
He knew that Fenghai County was still intact and hadn't been devoured and divided by the Holy Wave Race because of the contributions of the previous county governors.
The incumbent county governor had governed Fenghai County for 800 years. Despite not actively expanding the territory, he maintained a delicate balance internally and externally, showing great conscientiousness. Thanks to his leadership, Fenghai County remained under the control of the human race, with all its 13 provinces remaining intact, unlike the other six counties that had gradually lost their territories over the past thousand years.
And today, this old man had fallen.
Xu Qing didn't know the details, nor did he know what had happened in the county capital. As his emotions fluctuated, he thought of Zi Xuan, Kong Xianglong, and the others.
He immediately took out the command sword and voice transmission jade slip. However, before he could inquire, the command sword and jade slip emitted an intense vibration at the same time. Countless information erupted.
"Xu Qing, are you in the Prison Department? How are you?!"
"Xu Qing, the County Governor died without any warning!"
"Xu Qing, where are you? The Prison Department has collapsed!!"
"Countless criminals have fled and the capital is in chaos!"
The instant Xu Qing's perception fused into the command sword and jade slip, information violently gushed in his mind. There were voice transmissions from Kong Xianglong, Shan He, and the others, as well as some Sword Holders Xu Qing knew and Pawns from the Prison Department.
Xu Qing's body shuddered as a shiver rose from the bottom of his heart. At this moment, it rapidly spread throughout his body and finally transformed into a rumbling sound in his mind.
"The Prison Department collapsed?" Xu Qing's heart was in turmoil. He found it unbelievable and immediately asked Kong Xianglong about it with the command sword.
Kong Xianglong's voice was filled with grief and indignation.
"Xu Qing, the Prison Department exploded! Right now, there are too many criminals escaping… The Palace Master, Deputy Palace Master, and deacons are relying on the county capital's taboo to fight against the god's clone imprisoned in the Prison Department."
Xu Qing was about to continue asking when Zi Xuan's trembling voice rang out from the voice transmission jade slip.
"Xu Qing, you… where are you? Are you alright… I'm at the Prison Department but I didn't find you…"
Zi Xuan's voice was shaky. When Xu Qing heard this, he immediately replied. After knowing that Xu Qing was fine, Zi Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. She was about to continue asking but Xu Qing's heart was in an extreme mess right now. After a few hurried words, he immediately transmitted his voice to Kong Xianglong.
"Brother Kong, currently…" Before Xu Qing could finish transmitting his voice, Kong Xianglong's anxious voice rang out.
"Xu Qing, if you're not in the county capital, find a place to hide immediately. Don't return yet. You can return in a few days."
"A large number of prisoners from the Prison Department have escaped. You're a Pawn. You will be in extreme danger if you encounter them, in addition… something major has happened!"
"I just received news that the Holy Wave Race's army has appeared at the border of Fenghai County. This is premeditated! Xu Qing, the war is about to begin!"
Kong Xianglong's voice was hurried. When he finished speaking, it revealed determination.
Xu Qing's mind was in constant turmoil, with these events unfolding too quickly. He took a deep breath, landed on the ground and hid his aura.
He wasn't far from the county capital. With his cultivation, he could reach it in an hour. In that case, the prisoners from the Prison Department wouldn't take long to reach here.
Although most of the prisoners imprisoned in the Prison Department were weak, once those in Area C returned to the Wanggu Continent, without the suppression of the small world's Heavenly Dao, their combat strength would instantly return to its original strength.
Hence, Kong Xianglong was right. He needed to hide himself first and wait for everything to stabilize before returning in a few days. That was the best choice.
"Fenghai County is going to be in chaos." Deep underground, Xu Qing's eyes gradually revealed sharpness.
After a long time, he took out the jade slip and first transmitted his voice to the old man from Panquan Road to tell him everything, asking him to inform the Wood Spirit Race to be on guard. After that, he transmitted his voice to the captain.
However, there was still no response from the captain.
Xu Qing frowned. After some thought, he transmitted his voice to Qing Qiu but couldn't reach her as well.
Xu Qing sighed softly and kept the voice transmission jade slip. He then sat cross-legged and meditated to calm his mind.
Time flowed by and a day passed.
Xu Qing's command sword trembled intensely and the Palace Master's tired voice echoed.
"All the Sword Holders outside the county capital's territory, return immediately the moment you receive this notice. The time limit is tonight!"
"I have three things to tell you."
"Firstly, the County Governor has died."
"Secondly, the prisoners from the Prison Department have escaped. On the way back, you can do everything you can to protect your safety."
"Thirdly, the Holy Wave Race has invaded Fenghai County. According to the information, the ancestral emperor of the Holy Wave Race has awakened and ordered the entire race to start a war."
"Sword Holders… The war is here."
Xu Qing silently put away the command sword. He then checked his storage bag, and sensed his condition. A cold glint appeared in his eyes as he rose into the air.
It was noon, and the sky presented a peculiar sight. An expansive net spanned across the entire expanse.
This net flickered with crystalline light and covered an endless range.
Waves of pressure spread out from the crystal net. Almost at the instant Xu Qing appeared, the net in the sky flickered, as though it was recording him.
Xu Qing fell into deep thought and sped in the direction of the county capital.
On the way, he became even more vigilant than before. When he was about to reach the county capital, he received a voice transmission from Kong Xianglong.
In the voice transmission, Kong Xianglong told Xu Qing that the chaos in the county capital had been temporarily suppressed by the joint efforts of the three Palace Masters and the Deputy Governor. At the same time, because of the arrival of the war, the Sword Holding Palace Master, who was in charge of the war, would temporarily take over the position of County Governor.
Two decrees had already been sent out today.
One was to summon the Sword Holders, and the other was to seal the entire territory and fully activate the county capital's Taboo magic treasure.
The large net in the sky was the county capital's Taboo magic treasure.
Xu Qing looked at the crystal net and put away his command sword. He then flew toward the county capital, reaching it not long later.
The appearance of the entire county had changed drastically from when Xu Qing left.
The floating capital city was filled with a large number of cracks that made it look like it was riddled with holes. The three Upper Mystic Palaces around it were also damaged.
The most shocking thing was the ground.
The deep pit where the Prison Department used to be had already collapsed and the entrance was blocked by countless gravel.
Huge cracks spread in all directions with that place as the center.
The Prison Department no longer existed.
Other than that, there were several times more Sword Holders and patrolling cultivators in the county capital than before. They were scattered in all directions and were on high alert. Most of their expressions were filled with grief and indignation with a hint of killing intent.
Next was the anomalous substances and the remnant spell fluctuations. They hadn't completely dissipated here, causing many places to look distorted and blurry.
Xu Qing's heart sank. The moment he got close, many patrolling Sword Holders approached him vigilantly. There were also some divine senses that enveloped the surroundings. They only slowly dissipated after sensing Xu Qing's identity.
Xu Qing silently walked toward the Prison Department.
At the entrance of the blocked pit, some Pawns from the Prison Department were casting a spell, causing a narrow passageway to be opened there. After sensing Xu Qing's arrival, these Pawns turned their heads one after another.
No one spoke, and their expressions were all cold and sinister, like predatory beasts ready to devour their prey.
Xu Qing silently walked over and looked at the gap that had been opened. He then stepped in and followed the passageway into the depths. The cells in the surroundings were now in ruins.
Looking at these, a cold glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes until he arrived at the cell where D132 used to be.
D132's gate was already in pieces. Half of the area inside was crushed by the boulders, and the remaining cages were shattered. The prisoners inside had all disappeared.
The little boy also disappeared.
Xu Qing was silent. He walked to a corner and saw a small mountain formed by a pile of bamboo slip fragments.
Every bamboo slip recorded a similar content.
A long time later, Xu Qing left, taking those bamboo slip fragments with him to the 89th floor.
In Area C, Xu Qing looked at the shattered murals in the surroundings. The small world… had already collapsed.
"You're here."
A hoarse voice rang out from beside the collapsed rubble in the distance.
Ghost Hand, who was covered in injuries, was sitting in the darkness. There were scattered alcohol flasks around him and he was even holding one in his hand. He looked at Xu Qing and laughed bitterly.
"They all ran away. All of them ran away cleanly."
"I killed a few but I couldn't kill them all…"
Xu Qing walked over and looked at the heavily injured Ghost Hand who even had his cultivation base shattered. He could sense the dense intent of death emanating from the other party's body. He silently took out some medicinal pills and placed them to the side.
"I won't die yet. Xu Qing, do you have wine?" Ghost Hand threw the empty pot in his hand to the ground, producing clanking sounds.
Xu Qing nodded and took out a wine flask from his storage bag, handing it over.
Ghost Hand held the flask with a trembling hand and took a big swig. Immediately after, he started coughing violently and his face looked an abnormal red. He panted as he looked at the shattered murals and muttered.
"How could I die so easily? Xu Qing, do you know that I have been nurturing my sword for hundreds of years? However, I didn't use it… too many people escaped. I can only slash down one with this sword. I don't want to waste it like this."
"I prepared this for the sake of protecting Area C. I want to kill that bastard who destroyed the Prison Department…"
"Before I slash it down, I won't die." Ghost Hand muttered, his voice firm.
Xu Qing was silent. He cupped his fists and bowed, leaving with mixed feelings.
At that moment, in the Holy Wave Large Region, in an extremely special plain. This place didn't belong to any county and was located in the center of the Holy Wave Large Region. It was the holy land of the entire Holy Wave Race.
The terrain here was fully white.
It wasn't covered in snow but gravel.
Every single one of them contained dense spirit qi. There were also countless human-shaped statues in all directions of the plains that emitted an ancient aura.
They were the personal guard army of the Grand Duke Holy Wave, who had betrayed the human race back then.
Now that time had passed, all the cultivators in the army had turned into statues that stood on the white plain. From afar, they gave off a sacred feeling.
The source of this holiness was a white temple that was the only building in the plain.
This was the ancestral temple of the Holy Wave Race and also the place where their ancestral emperor slept.
At that moment, outside the temple, four tall figures were kneeling there motionlessly.
These four people were all wearing emperor robes and crowns. They were the monarchs of the four great dynasties of the Holy Wave Race. The Heavenly Wind Monarch was also among them.
"Ancestor, we have implemented the plan," the Heavenly Wind Monarch said respectfully.
"Ancestor, the Red Spirit Army has already entered Fenghai County. Also, we have found some clues about the Black Heaven Divine Son. Please make a decision." The Red Spirit Monarch spoke in a low voice.
The temple was silent. After a long time, an aged voice that seemed to come from the river of time echoed in the white plains.
"Let's put the matter of the divine son aside for now. We have to prioritize the important things first!"
"We respect the decree of the ancestral emperor!" The four monarchs bowed respectfully.
