Kong Xianglong silently took the storage bag and left the Sword Pavilion.
The sky outside was already starting to brighten. After watching Kong Xianglong leave, Xu Qing stood there, gazing into the vast expanse. Memories of the wish box from their previous mission flooded his mind.
"Osmanthus fragrance," Xu Qing mumbled.
He had checked that wish box back then and remembered that there was a faint osmanthus fragrance coming from it.
At that moment, muffled thunder rumbled in the sky. It was the season of rain in the county capital. Very soon, the pattering rain fell on the ground again.
The first rays of the morning also became a little dimmer due to the cover of the rain, causing the people who woke up early to be in a daze for a moment. It was as though dusk was coming again before noon.
Xu Qing returned to the Sword Pavilion and sat down cross-legged, calming down before continuing to meditate.
His current cultivation level was almost at the peak of the Golden Core realm. He was only one Heavenly Palace away from perfection.
After the accumulation during the war, it wouldn't be long before this Heavenly Palace reached 99% materialization.
"The item to place in this palace…"
Xu Qing sensed his Emperor Sword.
"If there's no other choice, I'll place the Emperor Sword in it."
Xu Qing took a deep breath and began to cultivate.
Just like that, time flowed by and very soon, half a month passed.
In this half a month, Xu Qing seemed to have been forgotten.
He didn't leave the Sword Pavilion, and not many people came to look for him. After the Seventh Prince entered the county capital, everything changed.
On the streets, there were clearly more cultivators from the Imperial Capital. What followed was gradually militarized control and the visits of the various races in Fenghai County.
The three great palaces were also reorganized. After the Seventh Prince arranged for the three generals to be the Palace Masters, the three palaces became his army as well.
A large number of Sword Holders from the Imperial Capital's Sword Holding Headquarters also entered Fenghai County's Sword Holding Palace and took over the various departments. It was the same for the other two palaces.
The military discipline was enforced even more strictly.
There were many people who were killed in the past half a month for violating military discipline.
Even soldiers from the Imperial City were among those who were executed!
Kong Xianglong had discussed this with Xu Qing before, and his tone was a little complicated.
In addition, the Seventh Prince made an announcement to all the sects in Fenghai County.
His words were harsh and unquestionable. He demanded all sects to serve in the military. Additionally, the authority over the Taboo magic treasures of the various sects was not returned.
Although this matter caused some waves, considering the general trend, no one could stop it.
Those nonhuman races also couldn't escape the strict measures. They were ordered to hand over half of their resources and join the alliance army to fight for the human race.
Under Kong Xianglong's lead, the reconstruction of the Prison Department began.
However, its location was changed, relocated to the Sword Holding Palace.
The first batch of prisoners was indeed the women and children of the Yao family. Although the demands for their execution were extremely high, Kong Xianglong didn't make a move. He chose to accept Xu Qing's suggestion.
Although Zhang Siyun had the guarantee of Deacon Sima, he couldn't escape an investigation. In the end, he chose to testify and expose his mother's clan.
This behavior was thought to be loyal to the human race, so he escaped this calamity and wasn't held accountable with the Yao family.
After all, his surname wasn't Yao.
His identity as a Sword Holder was also retained.
At this point, in the entire Fenghai County, there was only the Seventh Prince's voice.
Not only did his subordinates settle in the county capital, but they also spread to the Sword Holding Courts in the various provinces of Fenghai County. Moreover, because he had saved Fenghai County, he was welcomed warmly by everyone.
Around the same time, a rumor started spreading in the county capital and gradually to the various provinces.
The Immortal Forbidden was about to open.
Fenghai County, being the first stop of Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether when he arrived from the sea, had a special area called the Immortal Forbidden.
In the past, it was called the Immortal Land, not the Immortal Forbidden..
It was one of the 36 palaces of the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether.
Every Immortal Land was a world. In the past, not only were there rare treasures, but they also contained dense immortal qi. That was an energy that was of a higher level than spirit qi.
Hence, in the era of the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether, these 36 palaces were the royal domains, where many exotic beasts were also kept for hunting purposes.
However, after the god's fragmented-face arrived, everything changed.
As the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether, other sovereigns of various races and rulers left one after another, the 36 palaces became desolate. Many of them were abandoned. Some even became places for nonhuman races as the human race lost its territories..
There were also a few gods who entered and rested inside, causing the anomalous substances inside to be extremely dense.
The Immortal Land in Fenghai County was just like this.
There was a god sleeping there.
Its breath tainted the entire Immortal Land, causing it to be filled with death. It was a forbidden zone for life, so it was known as the Immortal Forbidden.
Since ancient times, the human race had only opened the Immortal Forbidden once.
The strong cultivators from the Grand Imperial Capital Region tried to obtain the divine source inside but failed. Although they didn't awaken the god, the power emitted by It during Its slumber had created a clone.
This clone almost caused a monstrous calamity for Fenghai County. In the end, the human race suppressed the clone. Although they couldn't destroy it, it was dismembered by the human race's State Preceptor.
Due to special reasons, they couldn't take it away, so it was ultimately sealed here. Moreover, the county capital was also relocated to this place. They also used the entrance of the Immortal Forbidden to build the Prison Department that shook the entire Fenghai County.
They used the luck seal and deceived the soul, making it think that it was an artifact spirit. Making it seal itself was also a strategy left behind at that time.
Now, after many years, the news that the Immortal Forbidden was about to open again stirred the hearts of countless people.
Even though there were some sporadic rumors about this matter before this, the County Governor and Deputy Governor didn't agree with this matter at that time. The Sword Holding Palace Master also hesitated.
This was because it was too dangerous.
A small accident might cause a calamity in Fenghai County and cause lives to be plunged into misery and suffering, becoming food for the god.
However, it was difficult to disobey the imperial decree, so Fenghai County could only delay the opening time.
Now, there was only the Seventh Prince's voice in Fenghai County.
Hence, after the rumors of the opening of the Immortal Forbidden, the Seventh Prince's decree was officially issued.
The Immortal Forbidden would be opened in half a month.
The first batch of people to enter would be the Sword Holders. They had to complete specific missions inside and lay the foundation for the second batch of people to enter.
As soon as this decree was issued, Fenghai County was even more shaken, especially the county capital.
Everyone was in a state of panic.
However, due to their trust in the Seventh Prince and the strength of the troops, the panic was quickly appeased. The preparations for activating the Immortal Forbidden also proceeded orderly.
Countless soldiers from the Imperial City continued to clean up the former Prison Department and excavate there, opening one seal after another. Under the effect of the county capital's Taboo magic treasure, they opened a path to the Immortal Forbidden.
Xu Qing didn't know much about the Immortal Forbidden but as a Pawn of the Prison Department, he knew a little more than others.
This was especially so after his Heavenly Palace transformed into D132. He was very clear that… the finger in the Heavenly Palace was the clone formed by the aura emitted by the god from the Immortal Forbidden back then.
The finger of a clone was already so astonishing. Back then, the human race had to gather its strength to defeat the clone. Even then, they could only dismember and seal it, and couldn't kill it.
It could be imagined how powerful this god was.
Xu Qing had sealed the finger and from the other party's reaction after seeing his Purple Moon origin, he could tell that the other party was very afraid of the Red Moon.
Clearly, there were different levels among gods.
Red Moon was evidently stronger than the god in the Immortal Forbidden!
However, to cultivators, a god was still an existence that was difficult to shake.
Xu Qing was on the list of the first batch to enter the Immortal Forbidden. Kong Xianglong, the captain, and most of the Sword Holders from the Sword Holding Palace in Fenghai County were among the first batch.
At this moment, Xu Qing was walking on the streets of the capital city. As he looked around for medicinal pills, he also tried to call out to D132's finger.
He wanted to understand more information about the Immortal Forbidden because he felt that there was something wrong with this matter of activating the Immortal Forbidden during the war.
However, the god's finger was in a deep sleep. Xu Qing's normal calls couldn't awaken it. Hence, after he bought the medicinal pills, he hesitated whether he should use the Purple Moon to stimulate it. However, the god's finger actually shook and woke up on its own.
This was because Xu Qing saw someone.
Zhang Siyun.
Although the Sword Holder's white Daoist robe had its own elegance, the person in this Daoist robe had a haggard expression. His eyes were bloodshot and he was in an extremely sorry state.
Zhang Siyun silently walked on the streets. When he saw Xu Qing, if it was in the past, he would definitely be filled with hatred. However, now, after taking a look, he lowered his head bitterly and quickly walked away.
Behind him, there were a few unfamiliar faces following him, as though they were monitoring everything about him.
Xu Qing looked at these expressionlessly but a shocking wave was erupting in his mind.
The source of this huge fluctuation was the shout of the god's finger echoing in his mind.
"Crimson Goddess has parasitized his body, this is Red Moon's clone!"
"Moreover, it's still in the stage of awakening. Hurry up and run!"
The shout of the god's finger contained intense nervousness, as though it was even more panicked than Xu Qing.
Xu Qing's breathing hastened slightly but he still maintained his rationality. He discovered that after the god's finger woke up, its thoughts were very clear and not as chaotic as before.
Hence, Xu Qing suppressed the shock he felt and tried his best to transmit his divine sense.
"It hasn't awakened though, right?"
"Soon, soon. It's about to wake up. Huh? Something's amiss… He has your human race's array formation on him. Kid, you humans are actually taking the initiative to help the Red Moon Crimson Goddess occupy this body!"
"In at most a month, Crimson Goddess will definitely wake up!"
"What are you humans doing? That's a High God, Crimson Goddess!!"
The god's finger roared and an obscure divine consciousness spread out from Its body. It used Xu Qing to check its surroundings. After noticing that the original Prison Department had been excavated, it suddenly trembled intensely and cried out involuntarily.
"That's an Immortal Land. It's about to be opened!!"
"The Crimson Goddess' clone and the opening of the Immortal Land are appearing at the same time… You, you, you… You humans, are you going to feed my main body to the Crimson Goddess!!"
The god's finger screamed.
