For Erniu, official positions and such weren’t important; as long as they sufficed, it was fine.
Although he was also a Sword Holder, since King Zhen Yan and the Human Emperor didn’t mention this at all, he didn’t care much. In his heart, prestige was the most important.
After all, he knew that although he was somewhat related to the human race, he couldn’t be considered a human.
In fact, even Erniu couldn’t figure out what race he was from.
‘Sigh, this is the problem with having too many past lives.”
Erniu felt proud and instinctively looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing’s gaze also landed on Eldest Senior Brother. He smiled slightly, his eyes filled with congratulations.
Seeing this, Erniu was incomparably happy. When he thought of that Great Heavenly Dipper Armor, he became even more excited.
The Grand Chancellor paused slightly after announcing the reward for Erniu, giving everyone time to accept this matter before he continued.
“The human race has regained fortune, first rising with the Sun of Dawn, intimidating the various foreign races. Then, Fenghai County fought against the Holy Wave and Black Spirit Regions, expanding the territories.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of the officials in the hall fluctuated.
Previously, it was only right for the imperial decree to confer the title of king to Xu Qing. However, most of them could tell that the latter part of the announcement wasn’t simple.
There would definitely be discussions rising with such an introduction.
Hence, guesses rose in their minds.
“In the following battle, the Black Heaven Region submitted the letter of surrender and the Flame Moon Race also retreated. Soon, there will be envoys discussing the thousand-year agreement in detail… There will also be an agreement with the Moon Offering Region for an alliance.”
“Our human race has experienced countless years and generations of ancestors had ambition. Now… there is finally hope!”
“Today, the human race’s territories are no longer one region and seven counties but four regions and seven counties!”
“Grand Imperial Capital Region, Holy Wave Large Region, Black Spirit Region, Black Heaven Region!”
“This is the time to honor our ancestors, to worship the heroes, and to inform the human race in the whole Wanggu!”
“In accordance with the heavenly mandate, Emperor Mystic War proclaims:
In the year 2939 of the Mystic War Calendar, following the ancestral worship eight hundred years ago, on the hundredth day at early hours, we shall reopen the ancient planet, entrust our fortune to the Heavenly Altar, and the Human Emperor shall carry the fortune of the race to once again worship the ancestors!”
As soon as the Grand Chancellor spoke, the hearts of the ministers in the entire hall instantly rumbled.
To the human race, the worship of the ancestors was an extremely important ceremony. It could even be said that the importance of it surpassed everything.
Only when the previous emperor passed away and the new emperor succeeded the throne or the human race obtained earth-shattering achievements could it be carried out.
After all, every time the Ancient Sovereign Planet opened, the resources needed could be said to be vast. In fact, in the era when the Human Emperors were still around and the human race was still considered powerful, every time the human race worshiped their ancestors, it would attract the attention of the entire Wanggu.
Although the human race’s situation was not as good as before, they were already showing signs of rising. The matter of worshiping their ancestors would probably also attract the attention of many foreign races.
Such a major event naturally shocked everyone in the hall.
However… according to the announcement, the human race had indeed obtained unprecedented achievements. It was only logical for them to pay respects to their ancestors.
lightsΝοvεl ƈοm Xu Qing’s heart also trembled. An imperceptible light circulated in his eyes.
He came to the Grand Imperial Capital Region to report on his work and a private matter!
That was to find the Clear Purple Mystic Lantern for Zi Xuan!
He even helped Ning Yan up because of this matter. This was because that lantern… was on the Ancient Sovereign Planet.
As the greatest foundation of the human race, the array formation on the Ancient Sovereign Planet was terrifying and its interior was definitely even more astonishing. Hence, it wouldn’t be opened easily unless it was to worship the ancestors.
At the thought of this, Xu Qing’s heart stirred slightly.
At the same time, the Grand Chancellor’s voice echoed again.
“The Eldest Prince made contributions in the Flame Moon, the Fourth Prince has achieved victories in bloody battles, and the Fifth Prince has defended the borders. These three princes excel among their peers, possessing both virtue and talent, practicing self-discipline and serving the public. Therefore, they are granted the honor of participating in the ancestral worship!”
With that, the Grand Chancellor turned and bowed to the Human Emperor.
The Human Emperor nodded without saying anything.
The Grand Chancellor waited for nine breaths of time before he raised his head. He turned his head and looked at the ministers in the hall with a deep gaze.
“Everyone, if you have something to report, please do so; if not, we shall end the meeting.”
The ministers lowered their heads.
Only Xu Qing took a step forward and bowed to the Human Emperor.
“Xu Qing wants to report something.”
As soon as Xu Qing spoke, the gazes of the surrounding people gathered over. Even the Human Emperor’s gaze landed on Xu Qing. It was the same for those Heavenly Marquises and Heavenly Kings.
King Zhen Yan also focused.
With Xu Qing’s current status, anything he said would definitely not be small.
The Grand Chancellor’s expression was solemn as he spoke.
“King Zhen Cang, what do you want to report?”
Xu Qing didn’t speak. Instead, he took out a jade slip and recorded the appearances and actions of the three holy land cultivators he had seen in Liaoxuan County.
Other than the part about the liaoxuan liquid, everything else was imprinted in it.
After doing this, Xu Qing raised it and the jade slip flew toward the Grand Chancellor.
The Grand Chancellor took it and swept it with his divine sense. At the next instant, his expression changed drastically. His eyes abruptly widened as he looked at Xu Qing.
“Heavenly King Xu, this…”
“It’s absolutely true,” Xu Qing said in a deep voice.
The Grand Chancellor’s expression and Xu Qing’s answer caused everyone in the surroundings to be bewildered. Only Erniu clearly guessed the content of the jade slip. He smiled and then continued to fantasize about the gorgeousness of his Great Heavenly Dipper Armor.
The Grand Chancellor took a deep breath. His composure was not usually shaken like this, but the information Xu Qing had informed him of was truly staggering.
The Grand Chancellor sent the jade slip in his hand to the Human Emperor without hesitation.
The Human Emperor swept his divine sense over expressionlessly. However, there was a hint of profound meaning in his gaze. He then waved his hand and sent the jade slip to King Zhen Yan.
After King Zhen Yan looked at it, his expression darkened and he handed the jade slip to the other Heavenly Kings.
A long time later, as various guesses emerged in the minds of the ministers in the hall, all the Heavenly Kings finished checking the jade slip, their expressions turning solemn. They didn’t hand the jade slip to the Heavenly Marquises.
The Human Emperor’s voice rang out as well.
“There’s no need to spread this matter. It is enough for the Heavenly King to know of it.”
Although there were many doubts, the ministers could only lower their heads. However, a haze unconsciously rose in their minds.
The sky outside also darkened at this moment. Amidst the rumbling of heavenly lightning, heavy rain fell from the clouds and scattered onto the human world.
Amidst the sound of the falling rain, Xu Qing no longer paid attention to the matters of the holy land. In his opinion, these things naturally needed someone from a higher position to take care of.
He was only a Nihility. The holy land was too high above, so it wasn’t his place to worry.
In his opinion, there was something more important than the holy land at this moment.
Hence, he spoke again.
“My trip to the Flame Moon was because of Ning Yan. Although Prince Ning Yan’s merits may not be apparent, in terms of both virtue and talent, as well as self-discipline and service to the public, he is the top choice.”
“Since His Majesty has conferred me the title of the Grand Tutor, I request Your Majesty to give Ning Yan the qualifications to participate in the ancestral worship.”
“I hope Your Majesty will approve.”
Xu Qing bowed.
His words weren’t fake. Everyone naturally knew about Xu Qing’s relationship with Ning Yan. Hence, a while later, the Human Emperor’s voice echoed.
“Granted!”
The moment the tone rang out, the Human Emperor’s figure turned blurry and disappeared.
This court assembly ended just like that.
As everyone left the main hall, most of the officials revealed a smile on their faces. They cupped their fists in congratulations toward Xu Qing and Erniu. For a while, voices rang out non-
stop, as though every one of them truly meant it.
In reality, though this wasn’t the case, overall, there was more goodwill.
This was determined by status and human nature.
When a person reached a certain height, most of the people around them would treat them kindly.
This was because the price of conflict was too high.
Unless it was for an even greater benefit, otherwise… the universe was filled with kindness for them.
“This is human nature. Everyone is filled with kindness because we’re the center of attention in the human race now.”
Xu Qing and Erniu, who had left the palace after receiving the high spiritual mansion token from the palace’s inner guards, walked on the streets toward the mansion while holding oil-
paper umbrellas.
The rain turned into threads that cascaded down the umbrella’s eaves. The universe turned hazy under the rain.
There weren’t many pedestrians on the road, and the scene of welcoming the hero also dissipated under the rain. Erniu’s leisurely words echoed as though he had seen through life.
“So, Little Qing, we have to work hard and not fall lower. I think you don’t want to see humanity at that time.”
Erniu patted Xu Qing’s shoulder. Xu Qing’s expression was calm as he replied.
“I’ve seen it before.”
“I forgot that your experiences when you were young caused you to see too many evils in the world.”
The captain smiled.
Just like that, they continued forward. They listened to the sound of the rain and looked at all living beings, enjoying the rare peace they had after returning from the Flame Moon.
Two hours later, the high spiritual mansion rewarded by the Human Emperor appeared before their eyes.
In the entire Imperial City, there were a total of 108 high spiritual mansions.
Most of them were empty and sealed.
This was because only Heavenly Kings had the qualifications to obtain this mansion.
As for each high spiritual mansion, its value could be said to be astonishing. This was because it was built on the cores of the human race’s protective array formation, so it gathered dense spiritual energy that surpassed the other areas.
Regardless of whether it was the materials used to build it or the decorations inside, everything gathered the peak strength of the human race. The array formation contained in it was also astonishing.
Other than that, every high spiritual mansion had different characteristics. For example, Xu Qing’s mansion had a spirit pool inside.
This spirit pool was quite helpful to one’s body and cultivation. In fact, it could even nourish one’s soul if used for a prolonged period of time. It was also because of this that this high spiritual mansion could be ranked in the top ten among the 108 mansions.
The Human Emperor had rewarded this mansion, showing how much he valued Xu Qing.
In front of the mansion, Erniu bade farewell.
“I won’t go. I’m going to look for the old man and see if he’s in the Grand Imperial Capital Region. After all, the flesh and blood of the fragmented-face… As the master, he can’t monopolize it!”
On the way back, the captain had never mentioned this matter. However, now that he said it, it was obvious that he had been thinking about it.
With that, under Xu Qing’s gaze, Erniu left with his head held high.
After sending off Eldest Senior Brother’s figure, Xu Qing suddenly pondered of something. After some hesitation, he suddenly spoke.
“Senior Brother, wait a moment.”
Erniu’s figure paused and he turned his head in surprise.
Xu Qing tried his best to keep his tone calm and spoke without any expression.