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636 Loneliness and Adversity
The hall fell silent.
Regardless of whether it was the Deputy Governor, Marquis Yao, or the two Palace Masters, they all had some knowledge of the situation. However, their information was not as detailed and comprehensive as the Sword Holding Palace.
After all, the Sword Holding Palace’s Palace Master was the temporary county governor, and everything related to the warfare was managed by the Sword Holding Palace. The information here was naturally the most complete.
“Did you hear that?” The Sword Holding Palace’s Palace Master slowly spoke.
“Deputy Governor, it’s not that I don’t want to use better methods to make those foreign races send out their experts, but we don’t have time.”
The Deputy Governor fell silent.
“Marquis Yao, why aren’t 70% of the alliance army moving out? How dare they demand for such a huge amount of resources!” The Sword Holding Palace Master’s voice revealed a hint of killing intent.
“As for the 400-odd races and forces that refused to send experts, what do you think they will do once Fenghai County is in chaos? Marquis Yao, have you thought about it?!”
“Now that the two battlefronts are in danger and Fenghai County has already reached such a state, why do I need to hear your nonsense to kill some nonhumans?!”
The Sword Holding Palace Master’s tone caused the entire hall to feel cold.
“What if those nonhuman races join forces to resist?” Marquis Yao frowned. His expression was gloomy as he looked at the Sword Holding Palace Master.
“Kill.” The Sword Holding Palace Master calmly said.
“If they are forced to send experts, what if those experts rebel during the war? Can you kill them all?!”
“Xu Qing, inform the four deacons to continue exterminating those disobedient races. Let’s see who dares to disobey.” The Sword Holding Palace Master slowly spoke, ignoring Marquis Yao.
Xu Qing nodded and recorded it.
“Kong Liangxiu, you’re headstrong and self-opinionated. If Fenghai County can’t be defended, those nonhuman races will…” Marquis Yao stood up and stared at the Sword Holding Palace Master.
The Sword Holding Palace Master coldly looked at Marquis Yao.
“If Fenghai County is destroyed, why would I still consider those nonhuman races?”
Marquis Yao stared at the Sword Holding Palace Master. He flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
“Yao Tianyan, when are the nonhuman races of the Alliance moving?” The eyes of the Sword Holding Palace Master narrowed slightly as he calmly spoke.
“In a day!” Marquis Yao’s cold voice came from outside the hall.
The Deputy Governor sighed and stood up to bow to the Sword Holding Palace Master before leaving as well. As for the other two Palace Masters, they stood up expressionlessly and left the hall.
Very soon, the entire hall fell silent. Only Xu Qing and the Palace Master were left.
After everyone left, the Palace Master remained silent for a long time before taking out a jade slip and gently pinching it. He looked in the direction of the Yao Residence and frowned.
“Is it him?”
At the same time, Marquis Yao, who had left the Sword Holding Palace, had a look of anger on his face. After he returned to his office, the anger on his face disappeared and turned into a deep gloom as he muttered.
“It shouldn’t be Kong Liangxiu. In that case, who exactly murdered the County Governor…”
Time flew by, and before they knew it, ten days had already elapsed.
During these ten days, Xu Qing didn’t have any time to rest at all. Every day, more and more battle reports came from everywhere, and they continued to increase as military forces reached the two major battlefields in the north and west. The battle with the Holy Wave Race also continued in a tragic direction.
The battle reports would come every moment.
Marquis Yao indeed did what he said back then. Who knew how he did it, but he only used a day to make those nonhumans of the Alliance participate in the war.
As for him, he and most of the Yao Residence’s clansmen went to the northern battlefield.
Before he set off, he didn’t see anyone.
However, Xu Qing saw the Palace Master walking out of the main hall and looking in the direction Marquis Yao had left in.
As for the missions of the four deacons and the two Deputy Palace Masters, under their forceful tactics, they finally intimidated all the nonhuman races who didn’t participate in the battle, causing the experts in their races to have no choice but to obey the Sword Holding Palace’s decree and join the army.
Hence, other than in the battlefields, there were no Spirit Repository and Nihility cultivators in Fenghai County.
This was the case even among the escaped prisoners.
The operation to capture them was carried out thoroughly. The ones with the higher cultivation were prioritized first. Although many of the weaker prisoners were able to escape, the stronger ones were all killed..
Very soon, the Sword Holders who went out to clear them out began to return. On the tenth day, all of them returned to the county capital.
At this moment, the battlefield had reached a critical juncture.
The battle reports Xu Qing received revealed endless misery. The number of casualties every day was a shocking sight and it was increasing. Late at night on the tenth day, he received an urgent report from the west and north.
The entire net of the Taboo magic treasure of the county capital was about to collapse and couldn’t last for long. Once it collapsed, the Holy Wave Race’s army would storm into the county like a flood.
However, the reinforcements of the human race still hadn’t arrived.
In fact, Xu Qing knew through the battle reports that the imperial region and the other counties, which were extremely far away from here, were also encountering a similar situation. The Black Heaven Race… had moved out on a large scale.
The various subordinate races under it had also made their moves. In an instant, the entire human race’s territories were facing a crisis.
When Xu Qing handed this battle report to the Palace Master, the Palace Master clearly knew of it beforehand and was wearing armor in the hall.
This armor was black and consisted of over a hundred pieces that emitted a terrifying might.
Upon seeing Xu Qing, his expression was as solemn as ever as he waved at him.
“Come, help me put on the armor.”
Xu Qing silently walked over and picked up the armor pieces. When he was putting it on for the Palace Master, the latter stood there and looked at the setting sun in the distance. He suddenly smiled.
“The last time I wore armor, my eldest son was still by my side. It’s been many years.”
Looking at the Palace Master who had clearly aged a lot during this period of time, Xu Qing recalled what Ghost Hand had told him about the death of the Palace Master’s children.
“My eldest son committed suicide. Back then, I arranged for him to infiltrate the Holy Wave Race. After he completed his mission, his identity was exposed. In order not to affect my plan, this kid committed suicide,” the Palace Master said calmly.
Xu Qing fell silent. He picked up another piece of armor and continued to put it on the Palace Master.
“My other son was too straightforward and valued emotions and righteousness, but also flirtatious which is quite contradictory, so it’s very easy for him to be schemed against.”
“However, no one knows that he still has an heir left behind. That grandson of mine… is very, very good.” The Palace Master smiled. This was the first time Xu Qing saw a smile on the Palace Master’s face.
As for the grandson he mentioned, after Xu Qing found out that the Palace Master’s surname was Kong a few days ago, he already had a guess.
The smile dissipated from the Palace Master’s face after Xu Qing put on the last piece of armor.
His expression became solemn again, giving off the feeling that his personality was extremely rigid and harsh. He took the helm from Xu Qing and spoke in a low voice.
“Pass down the order to the Observance Palace and the Law Palace to send the two Palace Masters to the northern war zone. We must defend it!”
“As for me, I’ll lead 100,000 Sword Holders to the western battlefield. I’ll go and see how much those old fellows of the Holy Wave Race have improved.”
Xu Qing nodded solemnly.
“Palace Master, when are we setting off? I’ll go make some preparations.”
“You don’t have to go to the battlefield. I’ll arrange for a substitute to replace you for others to see.” The Palace Master looked at Xu Qing with a deep gaze.
Xu Qing’s eyes widened as he gazed at the Palace Master. Clad in the pitch-black armor, a palpable baleful aura emanated from him, enveloping his figure. It seemed as if the roars of ferocious beasts reverberated around him, while malevolent souls materialized on the surface of his armor.
“You will carry out a confidential mission.” The Palace Master’s gaze landed on Xu Qing’s eyes, as though he wanted to take a closer look at him.
“After about fifteen minutes, set off for the Morning Glow Province. Go to the secret area of the Sword Holding Palace there and investigate something for me!”
After saying that, the Palace Master handed a jade slip to Xu Qing.
This jade slip was the simple slip he had gently pinched when he was alone in the hall a few days ago.
Xu Qing took the jade slip with a solemn expression and didn’t speak.
The Palace Master turned his head and looked at the setting sun outside the hall. After a long time, he slowly spoke with a hoarse voice.
“Half a month ago, it was the same sky when the County Governor… died.”
“Xu Qing, if I die in battle, hand this jade slip to the new official county governor.”
“The jade slip contains the clues I found regarding the sudden death of the old county governor…”
Xu Qing’s mind shook as he looked at the Palace Master.
The Palace Master continued to look at the sunset outside.
“The old county governor’s death is filled with bizarreness. It isn’t as simple as the Holy Wave Race assassinating him. The old county governor was half a step into Soul Accumulation Realm. How could he die silently without any resistance? If I didn’t understand him, I would have thought that he did this on purpose!”
“However, he really died, and there is something really off about his death.”
“However, time waits for no man. I don’t have time to continue investigating.”
“I don’t know who the Human Emperor will send to Fenghai County, but you can just give it to him.”
“The reason why I am giving it to you is because I don’t trust anyone here. My grandson is very impulsive and isn’t suitable for such a task!”
“Yao Tianyan, the Deputy Governor, the Law Palace Master, and the Observance Palace Master might all be the culprits behind the scenes. The death of the old county governor and the collapse of the Prison Department must have been caused by our own people in the county capital. In fact, in the eyes of some people, I’m the most suspicious!”
“The person behind this is hiding too deeply. If we don’t dig him out, Fenghai County will be in a precarious situation… Xu Qing, I believe that you’re not the culprit’s subordinate. It’s not because of your background but because of your heart inquisition radiance.”
The Palace Master spoke softly.
Xu Qing’s breathing was hurried. The Palace Master’s words caused great waves in his mind.
“I’ll give you another token. This token can allow you to head to any secret lands of the Sword Holding Palace in Fenghai County. You don’t need battle merits and you won’t cause any fluctuations in the array formations of the secret lands. You can sneak in and investigate.”
“In addition, this token also contains a one-time chance to use the county capital’s Taboo magic treasure to ensure your safety during the investigation.”
The Palace Master took out a blue token and handed it to Xu Qing. After that, he turned and walked out of the hall. When he reached the door, he spoke with his back facing Xu Qing.
“Do you still remember the first thing I said when I saw you in the Prison Department a year ago?”
“I remember!” Xu Qing looked at the Palace Master.
“Say it out loud.”
“As Sword Holders, every one of us is a sharp sword of the human race. We have to be prepared to die for the human race at all times,” Xu Qing said loudly.
The Palace Master laughed and put on the helm of his armor. The moment he stepped out of the hall, his voice echoed in Xu Qing’s ears.
“I… am also a Sword Holder!”