After taking everything in, Xu Qing focused on the front lines of the human forces.

The enormous golden net that filled the sky and connected to the lands below were what cut off the field of battle like a screen. Whether it was above or below, the Holytides’ tactics were all blocked by the humans’ fourth line of defense. The majestic golden net didn’t just connect heaven and earth, it spread to the left and right for a seemingly endless distance.

If someone possessed a pair of eyes that could see all of Sea-Sealing County at the same time, they would see that the net reached all the way to the northern front, creating a barrier at every spot where the Holytides were encroaching on the county.

The huge ravine that formed the fourth line of defense had been selected for its location within the golden net. Behind the ravine were hosts of tents as well as defensive war machines. Innumerable human cultivators, all of them visibly wracked with exhaustion, worked to build and maintain the various structures.

There were rows of military magical devices that resembled thorns, filling the ravine and pointing in the direction of the Holytides. There had to be hundreds of thousands of them, and they glittered brightly and caused the air in front of them to distort in waves. In fact, the distortions were so intense that small rifts were torn open, causing deafening sounds to echo out. They weren’t explosive bangs, but rather, deep and sustained rumblings.

The magical devices weren’t unleashing techniques that could be seen with the naked eye. Rather, they were deploying magical sound waves to deal with the black snow. When fully deployed, they mostly negated the effects of the black snow clumping together, and would cause it to melt earlier than normal. The intense rumbling sounds put out by the devices were constantly drifting out over the front lines.

Hundreds of Void Returning experts sat cross-legged in the golden net, guiding the power of the taboo treasures to defend against the diamond-shaped magical devices used by the Holytides.

They also collected data and coordinates that were used to dispatch cultivators to kill the enemy.

Scattered everywhere on the ground were enormous war puppets that were clearly the work of human hands. They towered over the surrounding area like mountains. Each puppet was stationed atop a spell formation, and was operated by an entire squad of cultivators. It went without saying that they were incredibly mighty.

Most hair-raising of all were the nine enormous Emperor’s Swords! They were beyond massive, as they stretched from the ground high into the sky. They radiated immense majesty and disturbing power. Looking closely at them, it was clear that the nine Emperor’s Swords were actually composed of countless smaller Emperor’s Swords. By combining the power of all those swords, it was possible to create an incredibly powerful weapon unique to humankind.

High in the sky was the enormous Dao Bell. That bell had been gifted to Sea-Sealing County’s Swordsage Palace on the day of its founding by the Swordsage Division headquarters in the imperial capital. It had originally been hung in the Swordsage Palace. But it had been moved to the field of battle. After all, it was… a precious treasure of Sea-Sealing County’s Swordsage Palace, and was considered one of the reserve powers of both the Corrections Division and the Swordsage Palace as a whole. It wasn’t just something that could be used as a weapon against enemies. It also provided a rousing boost to the humans and their allies. 𝙡𝙞𝒃𝒆𝓪.𝓬𝒐𝒎

From a distance, it was possible to see that the huge bell was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of bronze coffins, each of which was covered with many layers of sealing marks. Those coffins didn’t contain dead people; they contained living people! There were men and women, old and young. They were ‘living swords’ created by the Swordsage Palace over the years, and their sole purpose was to be used in a wartime situation like this.

The majority of them were people who had lived in times of relative peace. When they reached the end of their life without ever having unsheathed The Emperor’s Sword, they had submitted special requests to use a secret magic to enter a state of suspended animation. At the same time, The Emperor’s Sword was fused with their life force.

Once they woke up, they could unleash a single attack with that special sword that was now a permanent part of their own life. There were others who, knowing that they couldn’t progress any further in their cultivation, made the same decision to become living swords. Every single one of them knew that, were they to be woken up, it would be at a moment when Sea-Sealing County faced grave danger.

At the moment, about thirty percent of the coffins were empty. The swordsages in those coffins had been awoken in the fighting. Every single one of them had, without the slightest hesitation, ended their own lives to unleash that final devastating sword attack.

As Xu Qing looked on, a group of several dozen figures flew out from the front lines and headed toward him and the army he led. As they neared, it became clear that they were being led by one of the deputy palace lords. The fact that he was coming personally made his attitude very clear. He looked exhausted but also excited. Considering the high level of his cultivation, it wasn’t common to see such things on his face.

Kong Xianglong was in the group flanking the deputy palace lord. Kong Xianglong was injured, and looked a bit depressed, although when he saw Xu Qing he managed to force a smile onto his face.

Xu Qing’s heart sank upon seeing Kong Xianglong in that state, and he suddenly got a very bad feeling. However, now wasn’t the time to ask questions. As the deputy palace lord neared, he spoke in a loud voice.

“Brother Mingyi, Brother Gongze!”

The grand elders from the Swordsage Courts in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture and Injustice Prefecture flew forth and clasped hands respectfully to the deputy palace lord.

“You came just in time. Just in the nick of time!” The deputy palace lord took a deep breath and forced himself into a state of relative calm. “Palace Lord Kong has issued commands. The Void Returning experts and other sect leadership from Injustice Prefecture and Emperor-Receiving Prefecture are to immediately proceed to the forward command tent. The palace lord wants to see you! Everyone else will set up camp and wait for orders. Please, follow me!” The deputy palace lord clasped hands to the forces from the two prefectures. Then he looked at Xu Qing, his eyes glittered with open admiration. “Secretary-General Xu, you come to the command tent also.”

“Yes, sir,” Xu Qing said somberly.

No one wasted any time. The deputy palace lord led them to the command tent.

Just before leaving, Xu Qing looked over at the Captain.

The Captain’s body was now roughly equivalent to a seven- or eight-year-old. He was standing next to one of the Spirit Trove honor guards, and looked just like a kid. Noticing Xu Qing’s gaze, he waved as if to say, “See you in a bit.”

Xu Qing nodded and followed the others to the command tent.

Along the way, Xu Qing noted countless wounded human cultivators. Clearly the front-line cultivators had been aware reinforcements were coming from two prefectures; as the group made their way to the command tent, numerous cultivators walked out of their tents and looked at Xu Qing and the others, excitement visible on their faces. There were sect disciples, rogue cultivators, and swordsages as well. Some had very serious injuries, others had minor wounds. But all of them clasped hands and bowed deeply to Xu Qing. The situation had been dire, bitter, and exhausting. No one seemed to be in a state of despair, yet they were longing for hope. And that hope had just arrived!

Xu Qing could sense the emotion in the eyes of the cultivators as he made his way through the camp. He saw some who looked taciturn or cold. Others were bitter, or had eyes glowing with killing intent. But all of them changed when they saw Xu Qing. Clearly, their spirits were lifting.

Of course, there were many swordsages present. Xu Qing even spotted Chen Tinghao and Sun Liying. Both had serious injuries, and Sun Liying was supporting Chen Tinghao with her arm. When they spotted him, both smiled. Because of being so close to the battlefield, the noise of the magical devices was almost deafening, making it pointless to call out greetings.

Xu Qing gave them a nod. Seeing Chen Tinghao so badly hurt, yet in good spirits, caused him to sigh inwardly. Xu Qing had always liked those two. They had been the ones who introduced the county capital to them, and also stood up for him to the Justice Palace. 1

Xu Qing soon passed them. Before long, the deputy palace lord had led them through the camp to the command tent that overlooked the ravine.

This place was the Command Department, which oversaw the front lines.

There were several hundred guards keeping an eye on the area. There were also swordsages with civil post assignments, standing by waiting for orders to come out of the tent. They were the ones responsible for making sure those orders got delivered and executed. Orders streamed out of the command tent, whereupon the civil swordsages outside raced to execute them.

“Have the Seventh Battalion advance to the front lines immediately. I want to be apprised of even the slightest Holytide movements!”

“Arrange for the Ninth Battalion to split up and try to infiltrate the battlefield. I want updated data on the black snow levels!”

“Have the Corrections Division form small squads to track down the Black Guard infiltrators. We cannot allow the fifth line of defense to be sabotaged before it’s even ready!”

Xu Qing’s eyes glittered as he took stock of the civil swordsages. When those swordsages noticed Xu Qing, they were initially surprised. Then their eyes shone with respect. Those who accepted new orders and raced off would take the time to bow briefly to him as they passed. Because of their status and rank, as well as their focus on time management, they would rarely take time to show respect to others in a wartime situation. But they absolutely had to do so for Xu Qing. After all, they were all attached to the Secretariat Division now, which meant that they were his subordinates.

Though Xu Qing hadn’t come to the battlefield, the Secretariat Division had traveled with the army to the front lines.

Xu Qing nodded to them, indicating that they should hurry about their business. Meanwhile, the deputy palace lord stopped out front of the command tent.

“Palace Lord, the Void Returning experts and sect leadership from Emperor-Receiving Prefecture and Injustice Prefecture are here.”

“Enter!” Palace Lord Kong said from within the tent.

The Void Returning experts all filed into the tent solemnly. Before long, the only people outside the tent were the guards, as well as Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong.

Xu Qing looked over at the haggard and dispirited Kong Xianglong.

“What’s wrong, Big Bro Kong?” he asked softly.

1. Chen Tinghao and Sun Liying were introduced by name in chapter 390, though they were present without names in earlier chapters. We last saw Chen Tinghao “onscreen” in chapter 425. ?

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