After the Nightshade priests acknowledged allegiance, the war continued. But there was no more fighting in the section of the war theater that had been assigned to King Heaventide. Half of the Nightspirit Region was absorbed into the Holytide Region.

Most of the army went home, but some forces were garrisoned to oversee the Nightshade priests.

As for the senior high priest You Sang, he became the emissary of Xu Qing’s godly identity. He was extremely fervent in the way he prostrated to Xu Qing and explained his mission. In the future, he planned to build temples to the violet moon in all the prefectures of that half-region, with the purpose of gathering more and more adherents of the violet moon. Beyond that, he wanted to go to the Holytide Region, to the Moonrite Region, and to other regions to build temples there as well, to spread his gospel and make more disciples.

His identity was different now. He was the first pope of the Violet Moon Church. Of course, that was just what was visible on the surface. The Nightshade priesthood had as many powerful experts as the sky had clouds. There were even multiple Smoldering Gods among them.

That said, the priests operated differently than cultivators. They didn’t cultivate the dao. They were devoted to their god, and for the most part, their strength was a gift from that god. Because Crimson Mother was dead, they had become immeasurably weak, like lamps with almost no oil left to burn. It was a struggle for them just to stay alive.

Xu Qing’s arrival brought new hope for them. Because of his elevation in status, and because the violet moon had turned from illusory to corporeal, the weak Nightshade high priests were once again able to reach a peak level of power.

Xu Qing accepted that outcome, and then left the Nightspirit Region. He kept the immortal skills active. They formed a red cloud cover over the Nightspirit Region, which blocked the light and heat of the Dawning Sun. As a result, that half of the region was able to start recovering.

The war wasn’t over, though. In the other half of the Nightspirit Region, as well as the Nightshade Region, were both embroiled in death and fighting. However, none of that had anything to do with Xu Qing. The Holytide Region wasn’t responsible for the war in the Nightshade Region, only one part of the interspecies war.

Of course, King Heaventide had taken advantage of his part in the war to try to secure the Holytide Region for Seventh Prince. Despite him perishing, the Holytide Region still played its part in the war perfectly.

Going forward, the Holytide Region was going to be far more important than before. And Sea-Sealing County essentially had the power of one-and-a-half regions. As the governor, Xu Qing was more powerful than any previous governor in history. It was no exaggeration to call him royalty.

Most importantly, he had Ningyan at his side. Ningyan’s presence meant that Xu Qing’s actions were considered righteous. No one could accuse him of usurping imperial authority. The same principle applied when it came to the death of King Heaventide. When Ningyan took center stage and said the things that he said, it transformed the entire incident into friction between imperial princes.

Although there were plenty of people who realized the truth, there were some facades… that couldn’t be touched. For instance, a conflict between princes. If the facade were lifted, then all the events in the Holytide Region, the Nightspirit Region, and the Moonrite Region would turn into a dangerous conflict within humankind itself. The heavy price to be paid for such a conflict would come from whoever removed the facade. But the emperor didn’t want that facade touched, and thus… no one would touch it. The entire thing was a big, complicated game. A series of checks and balances. And just like an actual fight between cultivators, it all came down to the question of ‘is it worth it?’

Because of that, it was only about half a month after the events in the Nightspirit Region that two imperial edicts were issued in the Imperial Region and sent to the Holytide Region.

The first imperial edict was sent to Xu Qing.

“By the grace of the immortals, and backed by the Mandate of Heaven, these art the words of Emperor Dark War. Since ancient times, the ancestral emperors who did rule the world were aided by benevolent ministers. East Victory hadst Yan. Mirrorcloud hadst his loyal officials Zhu Xi and Chen Ken. Dao Life recruited Wang Xu due to that which he dreamt.

“When the ministers art responsible and the monarch just, the world is governed rightly. It hast cometh to my attention that a virtuous individual hath arisen in yond Holytide. He ruleth Sea-Sealing, bringeth order to Holytide, and createth peace in Nightspirit. He is calm and kind, hast protected the lands of humankind, and hast taken responsibility to expandeth our territory.

“I, the emperor, do admire his heart, value his virtue, and love his character. What is more, Holytide is where the Ancient Emperor hath built his foundation; it can well beest called the cornerstone of our lands, and is of singular strategic importance. Therefore, I hereby summon the virtuous Xu Qing to the great Imperial Region, where he shalt maketh the Imperial Academy his home, and from there issue his own rulings and proclamations. Thus speaketh the emperor.”

The second imperial edict was sent to Ningyan. The language was much simpler than the first imperial edict, and it was obviously a form of rebuke.

“My Twelfth Son Yan is stubborn and mischievous. He is restless both mentally and physically, and he selfishly fled the imperial capital in a very reckless act. He should have been watched over closely and not allowed to behave badly. That said, he’s still a child, and his mother passed away young. I, the emperor, failed to discipline him properly. With virtuous education and moral guidance, he will be suited to assist in the administration of Holytide.

“But first, he will return to the imperial palace. I shall tolerate no disobedience in this. If anything suspicious happens on the return journey, I, as the emperor, will be informed immediately. Should that happen, he will be executed forthwith, and I will not offer any chance for forgiveness.”

In a building in the Governor’s Mansion in Sea-Sealing County, Xu Qing looked thoughtfully at the two edicts.

Master Seventh and Marquis Yao weren’t present. Xu Qing was joined only by the Captain and Ningyan.

The Captain munched on a peach as he looked at the two imperial edicts. Then he clicked his tongue and looked over at Ningyan, who was standing there looking a bit reserved.

“Your dad isn’t bad at all, Little Ningy. He started out by cursing you, but in the end, he blamed himself…. He’s basically helping you take ownership of the King Heaventide incident. That said, your dad really is quite ruthless. That last sentence shows you how strict he is. If you mess up even a little bit, you’re dead!”

Ningyan looked fawningly at the Captain, then glanced out of the corner of his eye at Xu Qing.

“Captain,” he said in a low voice, “please, don’t joke around with me, sir. My dad… doesn’t treat me that well. He just said those things for the sake of Biggest Bro. He had no other choice. In my heart, the only people who matter are Biggest Bro and the Captain. I don’t care about anyone else. And I’ve already made up my mind. I don’t want to go to the Imperial Region. But if Biggest Bro and the Captain go, then Little Ningy won’t refuse. I’ll go back immediately.”

The Captain laughed heartily, stepped over, and threw his arm over Ningyan’s shoulders. He took out an apple and placed it in Ningyan’s hand.

An excited expression appeared on Ningyan’s face. Taking the apple, he looked thankfully at the Captain. As they looked into each other’s eyes, it seemed like they connected and, in that moment, became very close friends.

Xu Qing looked at them and chose not to spoil the moment by pointing out the truth…. Regarding the summons from the emperor, he knew that he had no choice but to go. If he didn’t, then the Holytide Region would be at risk. Furthermore… based on what Plumdark could sense, her lamp was in the Imperial Region.

Both emotionally and rationally, he had to go. Besides, he was curious to see what the imperial capital was like. What type of chosen were there? What was the scenery like?

Also… Seventh Prince had escaped, which meant there were definitely going to be repercussions for what happened. That caused Xu Qing’s killing intent to stir. There had to be a reckoning, both for what happened to Palace Lord Kong, and also for Seventh Prince’s other actions.

What’s more, the Grand Emperor is also there….

He looked in the direction of the Swordsage Division in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture. He had never stopped thinking about the assessment of the heart when he became a swordsage, and the majestic image of the Grand Emperor.

I need to go pay respects.

His eyes gleamed with determination. That said, he knew that the journey to the Imperial Region was going to be a long and arduous one, and it might be a while before he returned.

Therefore, before he left, he needed to take a trip back to the continent of South Phoenix. He needed to clean Grandmaster Bai’s grave, and also visit Sergeant Thunder. And of course, he needed to see Huang Yan.

There were some questions that he had already come up with answers to, and thus, he wanted to go to South Phoenix and chat with his old friend. As he was thinking about such things, a voice spoke into his mind.

“Fear not, milord. Master Freespirit will make sure to keep you safe and in good health on this trip to the Imperial Region. If anyone dares to harbor malicious thoughts about you, milord, I’ll immediately turn them into a ghost!”

Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior’s words were spoken with decisiveness that could sever nails and chop iron. The patriarch flew out and started circling around Xu Qing, shining with brilliant light.

Xu Qing looked at him.

A few days ago, Master Seventh had finished ensorcelling the Spike of Misfortune. The spike was dramatically different than before, being a much higher quality and much mightier. It also pulsed with an ancient aura.

Xu Qing’s iron skewer had started out as an extraordinary item, yet had been nothing more than a prized treasure. When Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior was its spirit automaton, it became stronger. And after experiencing lightning tribulation, it became even mightier. But in the end, it was still made from ordinary materials.

However, combining it with the fish bone from Forbidden by the Immortal transformed it completely. Adding Crimson Mother’s flesh to it, and under the skilled workmanship of Master Seventh no less, it had reached an astonishing level.

It could still be called an iron skewer, but it was larger now. And instead of just being a little spike, it was more like a fiendish club, with a sharp tip and a thick end. It was pitch-black and emanated an icy aura that locked down the surroundings. It also shone with dazzling light. There were three carvings on its end. One of them was the god from Forbidden by the Immortal, the other was Crimson Mother, and the third was the face of Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior. The first two had their eyes closed and their godly might reigned in. But the third had a flattering look that didn’t seem to match the spike as a whole. 1

Seeing the patriarch floating around him caused Xu Qing to think about what his Master had told him a few days ago.

“Fourth Sib, this thing has the bones of the god from Forbidden by the Immortal and flesh from Crimson Mother. But the soul automaton is somewhat lacking. That said, the foolish thing should manage if it works hard. In some ways, it’s fundamentally an embryonic god.

“So I reforged it using a Summer Immortal magic I found in some ancient records. As a result, you can call it an immortal weapon now! 2 𝚏rewe𝚘vel.𝚌𝚘m

“Just remember that one of the key features of immortal weapons is that if you detonate them, they release terrifying force. This spirit automaton is foolish enough that it can be easily tricked. So you should be able to take advantage of that. The best would be to get it to self-detonate. That’ll lead to the best results.”

Of course, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior hadn’t heard any of that. He just said, “I’ll do the same to the crappy shadow if I have to. If it dares to revolt, I’ll poke a thousand holes in it! I’ll make sure it knows it ranks second around here!”

After some thought, Xu Qing offered a look of praise.

Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior got even more excited.

1. The ‘club’ mentioned here is a Chinese character that can have many meanings. Most noteworthy in this context, it’s the character commonly attached to “golden vajra” when that word is used to describe a ritualistic weapon. I think that’s noteworthy considering the patriarch’s name contains that same term. In weapon form, the “vajra” has different looks, but in one version there is something like a dagger at one end with a head(s) and face(s) on the other. My guess is that the author envisions something like that for this upgraded version of the iron skewer. Here’s what such vajras look like. ☜

2. The character ‘Summer’ is the common character for summer, and also the same character as the Xia Dynasty, the very first dynasty of Ancient China, whose existence is somewhat debated by scholars. In any case, the character here involves some wordplay that I cannot explain without getting into spoilers. Just stay tuned for more details to come. ☜