OUTSIDE OF TIME

788 Where the Human Hearts Belong, Only Dao and Righteousness

Those who broke through to the sky had to bear its weight.

This weight was so huge that it could destroy their body and soul.

However, if they could endure it, it would be akin to a rebirth through nirvana.

A nirvana cultivator should soar through the nine heavens, becoming the sole focus of the world.

At this moment, Xu Qing, who had returned after treading through the thorns, was a nirvana cultivator.

After experiencing all the calamities before, the figure reflected in the eyes of the people in the capital city was like the most resplendent light in the world.

This brilliance, towering thousands of feet high, ignited the emotions of the people in the capital and ignited the suppressed hearts of the citizens of Fenghai County, which had endured continuous hardships.

The world boiled over and everyone cheered for him.

The sound waves churned and the wind blew.

Everyone in Fenghai County had suffered a lot this past year.

The fall of the former county governor cast a shadow over the hearts of the people, and the sudden onset of war, coupled with the demise of the Palace Master, was like a thunderclap that descended amidst this shadow, tearing through Fenghai County. Among all those who survived, it left behind profound wounds.

The end of the war caused the unstable Fenghai County to recover a little. However, the change in the Deputy Governor made people feel despair.

Everyone was extremely anxious. They were at a loss, bitter, and helpless. They needed someone to appear and change everything. They needed someone to lead them and break through everything.

They had once thought that this person was the Palace Master, but the Palace Master had died in battle.

They had once thought that it was the Seventh Prince or the Deputy Governor…

However, today, they felt that this person was Xu Qing!

At that moment, the sky changed color and there were endless auspicious signs. The cheers on the ground were endless and the sound waves rumbled in all directions. Regardless of whether it was men, women, old or young, mortals or cultivators, in their eyes and hearts, there was only Xu Qing’s figure.

Right now, the gazes of all beings in Fenghai County’s capital were gathered on Xu Qing.

The golden dragon roared and Qingqin let out a cry. Fortune from every human, from the sky, and from the ground continued to gather, causing the crown halo on Xu Qing’s head to become even more dazzling.

Amidst the cheers, someone shouted the words ‘county governor’!

Very soon, this form of address was acknowledged. Many voices shouted out one after another.

“County governor!”

“County governor!”

When the atmosphere in the entire city was extremely enthusiastic, the great elder of the Wood Spirit Race, who was escorting Xu Qing back, stopped a thousand feet away from the capital city.

Xu Qing, who was on his shoulder, watched all of this and great waves rose in his heart.

After all, he was only 20 years old. Even though he had learned a lot from his master and captain, at this moment, he was unable to calm his emotions. He had never thought of becoming the county governor.

Before this, he didn’t have this thought at all.

He had merely followed his heart.

Hence, he stood outside the city and fell silent for a few breaths.

A sense of confusion rose in his heart.

When the cries in the county capital grew louder and louder, Xu Qing took a deep breath and suppressed the waves in his heart as he walked forward step by step.

After stepping into the city, he headed straight for the platform.

Wherever he passed, mortals and cultivators alike would bow to him.

The crown on his head became increasingly eye-catching.

This lasted until Xu Qing arrived at the square.

The instant he arrived, the eyes of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators from the three palaces revealed an intense glint. They cupped their fists and bowed to Xu Qing!

No one asked them to do this, but after witnessing everything with their own eyes, they instinctively wanted to do so.

For their respective Palace Masters, for solving the death of the former county governor, for resolving the calamity that befell Fenghai County, for stepping out alone—any of these reasons was enough to make them willingly and sincerely bow in reverence.

The bow of hundreds of thousands of cultivators caused the crown of fortune on Xu Qing’s head to emit a rumbling sound. It became more resplendent and its radiance exceeded 100,000 feet.

The Deputy Palace Masters smiled and cupped their fists.

Among them, Li Yunshan had a gratified expression.

The deacons also bowed. They looked at Xu Qing in a daze.

Old Master Seventh didn’t pay his respects, nor did the captain. Among the people in Fenghai County, only the two of them had the identity to do this. This was because they were from the same lineage as Xu Qing.

The pride in Old Master Seventh’s eyes couldn’t be concealed at all.

The captain was the same. He puffed out his chest and revealed a smug expression.

The Seventh Prince, who was in the sky, looked at Xu Qing who was walking over and everything in his surroundings. He understood that from now on, no one in Fenghai County would be able to shake Xu Qing at all.

Marquis Yao stared at Xu Qing and a smile appeared on his face. There was a deep meaning in his eyes and a hint of determination.

Today, he was going to do something groundbreaking, something that had never been done in the history of the human race!

Among everyone here, only he had the qualifications to push this matter forward.

The possibility of this matter succeeding was almost zero since it was difficult to shake the ancient traditions.

However, many things cannot be left undone simply because they seem impossible to accomplish.

Even if he failed, as long as he did it, it would be the attitude of Fenghai County. Even the Human Emperor had to weigh the pros and cons carefully.

Moreover, it didn’t matter if he failed. Even if he couldn’t succeed directly now, as long as he did it, it would definitely happen in the future.

‘I believe the heroic souls of the old county governor and Brother Liangxiu in heaven will agree with me.’

Marquis Yao mumbled inwardly and looked at Xu Qing.

‘This child, for both the public and personal reasons, I will create an indestructible body for him in Fenghai County!’

At the thought of this, Marquis Yao cupped his fists and bowed deeply to Xu Qing. His voice was solemn as it spread in all directions.

“I ask heaven!”

As soon as Marquis Yao spoke, the surroundings seemed to explode. Everyone’s emotions were completely ignited at this moment. The Seventh Prince let out a long sigh inwardly.

Previously, the shouts were sporadic and were nothing much. After all, no matter how much they shouted, they were just agitated words and couldn’t be taken seriously.

However, the meaning of Marquis Yao’s words was different. This was because asking the heaven, earth, and human was the ritual for the coronation of the county governor!

In the history of the human race, there had never been a case of a fake Nascent Soul cultivator serving as a county governor. This matter would definitely attract the attention of the Human Emperor.

Especially since this matter was propelled by Yao Tianyan. As one of the contributors to the battle against the Deputy Governor, as one of the few elderly survivors during the war, as someone who suffered unjustly, and being one of the former five giants of Fenghai County, he was indeed qualified to do this.

‘There’s a high chance that Father won’t agree but he also has to weigh the will of Fenghai County. No matter what, Yao Tianyan is risking everything to tell the world, the entire human race, and the Human Emperor that Fenghai County… only recognizes Xu Qing.’

‘The people’s hearts have been ignited by him into an eternal fire.’

The Seventh Prince fell silent. He knew that the situation was hopeless.

At that moment, the sky shone. The bodies of the previous county governors appeared one after another and spread to the horizon, standing in all directions as though they were witnessing this moment.

Thunder rumbled in the sky. Although the heavens didn’t respond, this thunderclap was the sound of heaven in Fenghai County.

“I ask the earth!”

A strange glint appeared in Marquis Yao’s eyes. As soon as he spoke, the ground rumbled as though it was responding.

“I ask the human!”

Marquis Yao looked at the city.

The hundreds of thousands of cultivators in the square and the millions of mortals in the city all spoke at this moment.

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Countless voices gathered together, as though heavenly might had descended on the world.

This represented the people’s hearts and the will of Fenghai County.

This was the choice of Fenghai County!

Xu Qing’s emotions surged under the attention of everyone.

He stared at his surroundings with a myriad of emotions. In the end, it transformed into a bow.

He bowed deeply to Marquis Yao, the three palaces, and the entire city.

From now on, regardless of whether the Human Emperor acknowledged him or not, in Fenghai County, even if he didn’t have the status of a county governor, his words would still carry incomparable weight.

His identity would be at the peak of Fenghai County.

Under the moonlight, no one paid attention to the Seventh Prince. After a moment of silence, the Seventh Prince suddenly smiled. In this game, he acknowledged his defeat.

With a smile, he chose to depart, leading his army away from Fenghai County. He would return to the Holy Wave region, for that was his stage.

Before leaving, he turned his head to gaze at Xu Qing from a distance. After his return and the grand ceremony, Xu Qing’s figure was extremely clear in his mind.

“Other than Yao Tianyan, there’s another person in Fenghai County who is worthy of being remembered.”

“Because of such a lone hero, it doesn’t seem unacceptable for me to be reprimanded by Father.”

The Seventh Prince left calmly.

The calamity brought by the Deputy Governor ended just like that.

The power of Fenghai County was quickly mobilized. As hundreds of thousands of cultivators spread out, they began to disperse the anomalous substances and save the mortals. Everything was orderly.

The rescue missions of the various provinces in Fenghai County were also carried out under the orders from the capital city.

At the same time, regarding the various causes and effects of the Deputy Governor’s rebellion this time, there was no need to hide anything. All the information was published throughout Fenghai County, allowing everyone to know the truth.

The curtain of the County Governor’s Ceremony fell.

Mystic War Calendar, Year 2932, the end of November.

The upheaval in Fenghai County was caused by the Deputy Governor who was a member of Illuminate, and his true name was Bai Xiaozhuo. He was once the county governor of Fenghai County in the era of Purple Green Kingdom. He reincarnated using divine techniques and returned with the intent to disrupt Fenghai County, attempting to draw forth an ancient arrival and bring calamity to the people.

Xu Qing, the holder of 100,000 feet light in the Emperor Heart Inquisition and a Sword Holder, walked out alone during the County Governor Coronation. He didn’t care about life and death and remained true to his heart. He turned the tide, exposed the conspiracy, resolved the crisis in Fenghai County, and saved it from the calamity.

The Human Emperor was moved.

That same month, the Human Emperor issued five edicts, with the first edict sternly reprimanding the Seventh Prince for his oversight and giving him an official warning.

The second edict declared a manhunt for the Illuminate members throughout the entire human race territory, commanding all counties to conduct immediate self-inspections. It also ordered the establishment of relevant departments within the Upper Mystic Five Palaces, dispatching them immediately to patrol all regions and eliminate any Illuminate-related elements.

The third edict appointed Yao Tianyan, a descendant of the Heavenly Marquis lineage, as the acting county governor of Fenghai, and selected Zheng Kaiyi, a prominent cultivator, to assume the role of deputy governor. The edict also granted Fenghai County to recommend the next candidate for the position of county governor by itself. Those who meet the criteria of Nihility cultivation base were eligible for recommendation by Fenghai County.

The fourth edict removed the generals from the position of the palace masters of the three palaces in Fenghai County and appointed the Deputy Palace Masters as the new leaders.

The fifth edict awarded the Sword Holder Xu Qing with a golden plaque, a yellow robe, qualifications for the Imperial Academy, and first-class battle merits.

Five imperial edicts were announced to the world.

In an instant, the human race’s regions were all shaken. Xu Qing’s name spread everywhere.

As for the appointments in the imperial edicts, there were two places where key information was clearly revealed. One was Zheng Kaiyi’s appointment, and the other was the right to self-recommend in Fenghai County.

Clearly, the Human Emperor attached great importance to this, but the rules couldn’t be changed.

However, he had to consider Fenghai County’s attitude. Hence, he appointed Old Master Seventh.

Because everyone in Fenghai County knew about Old Master Seventh’s relation with Xu Qing.

As for the self-recommendation, it clearly meant that as long as Xu Qing’s cultivation reached Nihility, he… would be the Fenghai County Governor.

The catastrophe of Fenghai ended just like that. Everything began to recover.

For Xu Qing, a new starting point and new horizons were about to set sail.