“Get it done a bit more quickly?” the Captain said doubtfully. He looked at Xu Qing, then rubbed his chin. Instinctively producing another peach, he took a few bites. “Little Ah Qing, did you happen to make a friend in the Star Emperor Preeminence Sect while I was away? Which girl is it? Is she good-looking? Is she hot? Could it be… that this girl is the one that left the smell of pollen on you?

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“You know, I have to offer you some constructive criticism. Don’t ever forget that you’re the Junior Brother, and I’m the Eldest Brother!” Sounding very serious, the Captain continued, “Therefore, in the future, please allow me to handle things like this!”

Xu Qing looked at the Captain and considered explaining, then decided he didn’t feel like it. Therefore, he sat down, closed his eyes, and paid no further attention.

Seeing Xu Qing react in that way caused the Captain to blink a few times. Then he sat down across from Xu Qing.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” he asked casually. “It’s all good! Whether or not your idea works doesn’t matter. I’ll remember your good intentions either way. I’m just looking out for your best interests, that’s all, little Ah Qing!”

Xu Qing’s eyes remained closed.

The Captain cleared his throat. Then, trying to look even more mysterious than before, he lowered his voice again. “Little Ah Qing, do you want to know the background of the Firemoon Darkheavens’ Great Hunt, and how it relates to god domains?”

Xu Qing opened his eyes and looked at the Captain.

Seemingly very pleased with himself, the Captain kept munching on his peach while he said, “As you know, the Firemoon Darkheaven people are very powerful, right? That said, they’ve never been able to match what humankind did in the past, in other words, conquer all species in Revered Ancient.

“There are four reasons for that.

“First among them is that there are actually four other species in Revered Ancient who are just as powerful as the Firemoon Darkheavens. Among those five great species, the Firemoons only rank third.

“Second among the reasons relates to the customs and lifestyle of the Firemoon Darkheavens. They actually have a relatively small population compared to the vast amount of land they control. Therefore, they wander a lot, establishing colonies and enslaving other species to wage war for them.

“Third relates to their three gods of sun, moon, and star. Each one of those gods has an individual temple that influences the mortal world. Because of that, the Firemoons aren’t truly united. They have three factions that are constantly contending with each other. They do have something called God Mountain, where the three gods’ temples are headquartered. Surrounding God Mountain is a god region that is considered supreme among the Firemoon Darkheavens. In other words, they have three main camps that exist in a tenuous balance, with the God Mountain in the middle.

“The fourth reason is that although the Firemoon Darkheavens have three gods, when it comes to overall strength and power, they don’t quite match up to other big species. Over the countless years, they’ve maintained a hunting tradition that they use to train members of their species like venomous bugs in a jar. That’s the main way they make their species so formidable, and also raise up powerful experts.

“Every sixty-year-cycle, they have a big hunting holiday. For a long time now, they’ve felt that weaker species aren’t good prey to hunt. So years ago, they set the final hunting ground as a god domain.

“And then, once every five sixty-year-cycles, they have their Great Hunt, when their three gods act together to open the entrance to the god domain. Then, the members of their species can enter the god domain and hunt the living beings inside.”

The Captain looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing considered the information. It was his first time hearing any of this, and it gave him a much better idea of how formidable the Firemoon Darkheaven people were. Then he thought about how humankind compared.

The Captain finished his peach and took out another.

“So now you know how their hunts correlate to god domains, right? By the way, I heard that every time the Great Hunt happens, the person who comes out on top of the various rounds of hunting will be conferred a special title by the God Mountain. And that title is darkheaven general!”

Xu Qing’s pupils constricted.

The Captain’s eyes glittered with dreamy longing. “In one of my lives, I participated in the Great Hunt. Sadly, something unexpected happened, otherwise I would have been named as a darkheaven general!”

“Even people who aren’t Firemoon Darkheavens can win the title?” Xu Qing asked.

The Captain nodded. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Firemoon Darkheaven or one of their subsidiary species. In fact, you can even be an outsider from distant lands. As long as you meet the qualifications and attend the Great Hunt, you have a chance. That said, from ancient times until now, only cultivators who are actually from the Firemoons have become the darkheaven generals. My current plan is to turn the Great Hunt into my chance to get into the god domain….”

The Captain licked his lips and then looked in the direction of the door. “Little Ah Qing, has your little lover returned your message yet? I’ve been waiting quite a while. Remember, this is the Magic Legacy Pavilion we’re talking about here. The old monster who guards it has a shocking cultivation base, as well as astounding senses. Every time I’ve even gotten close, I feel like there are countless needles piercing into my soul. Do you really think this lover of yours can really help me get past the monster of a guard?”

The Captain took a bite out of his peach and looked at Xu Qing. “I guess it’s not very realistic. There’s no way that monster will ever leave the Magic Legacy Pavilion. What’s your lady friend going to do, just escort me inside? If this isn’t going to work, I really need to get going.”

Xu Qing looked expressionlessly at the door. “Here we go.”

“Hmm?” the Captain said curiously, and was about to ask some more questions when the voice of a swordsage reached them from outside, explaining that someone had come seeking an audience with Xu Qing.

“Let him in,” Xu Qing said calmly.

“Who is it?” the Captain asked, getting even more curious as he stared at the door.

Before long, someone knocked on the door. Xu Qing waved his hand to open it

An old man entered the private chamber. He had white hair and was dressed in a daoist robe. It was impossible to deduce his identity, but his Void Returning cultivation base was incredibly powerful, and his eyes shone brightly.

The Captain’s guard immediately went up.

Meanwhile, the old man bowed deeply to Xu Qing, then took out a bag of holding. “They’re all there,” he said, putting it down in front of Xu Qing. “I don’t need them back for another seven days.”

With that, the old man turned and left. He only said that one thing, and hadn’t even cast a single glance in the Captain’s direction.

The Captain looked on doubtfully as he left, then turned his attention to the bag of holding. “Who was that, little Ah Qing? He had a very profound cultivation base. What did he mean when he said ‘they’re all there’…? What’s in the bag of holding?”

The Captain’s breathing had turned a bit irregular, and he was starting to come up with a guess about what was in the bag. And yet, he felt like the chances of that possibility being true were minimal.

“All of the jade slips from the Magic Legacy Pavilion in the Star Emperor Preeminence Sect are there.” Xu Qing flicked his sleeve and sent the bag of holding flying toward the Captain.

“Impossible!” The Captain leaned forward, grabbed the bag of holding, and scanned it with divine will. His eyes went wide and he looked at Xu Qing. His expression was one of pure disbelief.

Upon scanning the bag, he found that there were more than a hundred thousand jade slips inside. Based on the information the Captain had gathered earlier, they really did contain everything from the Star Emperor Preeminence Sect, and were truly from the Magic Legacy Pavilion.

Most importantly, within those more than one hundred thousand jade slips was some of the aura of the Wordless Book of Stone. And that meant… that the missing words were somewhere in these jade slips.

“This…” the dumbfounded Captain said.

Considering how much he knew about the Star Emperor Preeminence Sect, it was obvious that clearing out the Magic Legacy Pavilion of a branch division would be monumentally difficult. The only way it could happen would be if the leader of the branch division gave approval, or word came down from the sect headquarters. And whoever gave that word would need to be very important in the sect.

The Captain looked blankly at the bag of holding and thought about all the hard work, and all the money he had spent, and how even with all that, he’d needed another month to be able to reach his goal. And yet Xu Qing… did it by sending one single message. He didn’t feel any of the elation he should have felt at succeeding early. Instead, he felt a bit depressed. Then he looked up at Xu Qing with some hidden bitterness in his eyes. frёeωebɳovel.com

“Why didn’t you say earlier that—”

“You just told me today.” Xu Qing looked down, his face completely expressionless.

The Captain felt even more depressed than before. “Who was that guy?”

“I don’t know,” Xu Qing replied. “Probably an elder in the Star Emperor Preeminence Sect.”

“There’s no way!” the Captain replied. “Even an elder from their headquarters couldn’t get all those jade slips. He must rank higher than an elder!”

“It doesn’t matter. You got what you want. You just need to return them in seven days.” Xu Qing stood and walked out, feeling wonderful the entire time.

The Captain held the bag of holding as he watched Xu Qing leave. He really was at a loss for words. Finally, feeling more depressed than ever, he started looking for the missing words in the jade slips. As of now, there wasn’t any point in going back to the Star Emperor Preeminence Sect.

This kind of thing can’t keep happening. As the Eldest Brother, it’s too much of a loss of face….

His eyes gleamed with determination, and yet, he actually wasn’t sure what specifically to do.

What a headache. In the past, it was all about cultivation base, so as long as I worked hard to undo my seals, I could always regain my dignity as the Eldest Brother. But what do I do now…?

As the Captain continued to search for the missing letters, he tried to come up with ideas. In the end, he ground his teeth.

This really can’t keep happening! I guess I have no choice but to tap into the identity of my past-past-past-past-life!

***

Seven days had passed.

During that time, the investigation of the God-Merging School continued. On a daily basis, students from that school of thought were taken away. Groups and organizations throughout the imperial capital were paying very close attention to what was happening.

The death of Seventh Prince came about because he was found guilty and executed by The Emperor’s Sword. Therefore, he received no funeral. He was even stricken from the imperial records, and was not interred in the imperial mausoleum.

The historians were only allowed to mention something about him in passing.

“In the year 2936 of the Dark War calendar, Seventh Prince was found guilty of heinous crimes and was executed by The Emperor’s Sword.”

That was the end of the matter. The incense stick on the rainbow bridge that represented Seventh Prince collapsed into ash. Now there weren’t twelve incense sticks. There were eleven.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing’s name spread both inside and outside the imperial capital.

***

In the aftermath of Seventh Prince’s execution, Fifth Prince was summoned back to the capital. He had been away for many years as he followed the number-one heavenly king around the border regions. But now he had an assignment in the capital.

As news of the matter spread, discussions raged. That was especially true considering the death of Seventh Prince. Rumors went wild.

And that was because Seventh Prince and Fifth Prince had the same mother.

Days passed. One morning, bells tolled….

Outside the east gate of the capital, an ancient spell formation flared to life, sending dazzling light in all directions as an entire army teleported in. From a distance, it was possible to see war banners flapping.

Leading the army was a man mounted on a mutant two-headed black dragon. He wore a black suit of armor and stared at the capital with cold eyes. His long hair flowed freely behind him, and he pulsed with a baleful aura. Clearly, he had killed a lot of people. The army he led stood in ranks behind him, not making a single sound.

“I’m back,” the black-armored man said softly.