Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 910: Grand Darkheaven!

The Captain appeared to be smiling, but inside had felt a very sour feeling.

Look at that High God Starfire! Now that’s what I call love!

The Captain sighed inwardly as he thought back to the life in which he pursued High God Moonfire. Despite expending the strength of nine bulls and two tigers, he nearly went crazy in that pursuit. He drained himself mentally and paid an immense price on multiple occasions, including giving so many gifts he lost track of how many and setting up countless romantic scenarios. It was only at that point, after sinking to the depths of shamelessness, that he finally got a return on his investment. It was hard to even think about it nowadays.

Xu Qing, in contrast, hadn’t done hardly a single thing this entire time....

Wait. Could it be that female gods don’t like you to take initiative, but at the same time, expect you to not just sit around doing nothing? Could it be that they don’t like you to set your targets on them, but at the same time, expect you to have a target? Simply put, they don’t like you to pay too much attention to them, but at the same time, you can’t just ignore them!

The Captain shivered as he was struck with sudden enlightenment.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing’s eyes glittered. He wasn’t paying attention to the Captain’s facial expression, and of course had no idea what sort of enlightenment the Captain was experiencing. His attention was focused on the three stewards in the canopy of heaven. He was determined to get the title of Grand Darkheaven, and had done a lot to make sure that happened. Therefore, he was prepared to deal with any obstacles that might block his path.

Contrary to expectation, everything just worked out in his favor. It actually seemed suspicious. That said, he didn’t see any need to do any of the things he’d planned to do at this moment. He just struggled to accept the reality that things were going so smoothly. From the time he was small until now, he had very rarely been in situations in which there weren’t unexpected twists and turns.

That was especially true after he joined Seven Blood Eyes and got to know his Eldest Brother.... After that, just about everything he did involved toeing the line between life and death.

Xu Qing was actually used to setbacks and obstacles. Without taking risks and endangering his life, it didn’t seem possible to acquire anything rewarding. The end result was that experiencing this sudden and smooth victory actually left him feeling somewhat unsettled.

The Captain, having just gained enlightenment of a major dao, looked over and noticed the look on Xu Qing’s face. He blinked a few times. He could guess what Xu Qing was thinking, and it reduced the sour feeling in his heart by a bit and replaced it with a pleased sensation.

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Thanks to my leadership, little Junior Brother has finally developed some proper instinctive responses.

Sounding somewhat lofty, the Captain said, “I’m very proud of you, little Junior Brother. As you know, we cultivators should disdain handouts. Hmmmphh! If we want something, we take it with our two hands. It’s all about having that life-risking psyche! That’s how you get stuff. Only then can victory truly be sweet!

“If I were you, I would outright refuse to accept this. Then, I would use my carefully planned stratagem to get what I want. The alternative is to reap without sowing, and a victory like that isn’t going to be sweet at all.”

Xu Qing looked at the Captain and could tell what he was thinking. Voice cool, he said, “Maybe it’s not sweet. But it still smells good.”

The Captain’s eyes shot open and he was about to offer a retort. Before he could, the Firemoon master of ceremonies hovering in midair in front of the three stewards tents repeated his words from moments before.

“Xu Qing, please approach the podium for a meeting with the three stewards of our species!”

The second utterance of those words caused all of the Firemoon Darkheavens around God Mountain, plus the subsidiary species, to calm down a bit instead of being so shaken. One by one, they looked up into the canopy of heaven.

Seeing that, Xu Qing’s eyes shone with determination as he unhesitatingly flew up into the air, becoming a bright beam of light that shot toward the master of ceremonies.

The moment he appeared, countless gazes and innumerable streams of divine sense locked onto him. Among those who looked on, some had mixed feelings, some were shaken, some were antagonistic, and some felt admiration. Virtually every facial expression imaginable was present, and everyone stirred inwardly.

Grand Prince was present, and he couldn’t have been more excited. As the leader of the human diplomatic mission, it was only natural that he was present to witness the ceremony at the end of the Great Hunt. After meeting with failure in the second round, he hadn’t qualified to join the third round in the god domain, and thus, all his hopes had been pinned on Xu Qing.

Although he hadn’t been very confident that Xu Qing would succeed, he hadn’t given up hope. Now that everything was materializing, he was feeling very stirred up. From ancient times to modern, it was rare for any species other than a Firemoon to win the title of darkheaven general. But... never before had any foreigner become the Grand Darkheaven. After all, it was the greatest honor that any member of the Firemoon Darkheaven species could receive.

Now, as countless people looked on, Xu Qing stopped in front of the master of ceremonies and nodded.

The master of ceremonies looked at Xu Qing curiously for a moment before turning in place.

Xu Qing took a deep breath. During this ceremony, he was essentially in the presence of the full terrifying strength of the Firemoon Darkheaven people. Though the three gods weren’t present, and though the Firemoons could be said to have as many powerful experts as the sky had clouds, there was no doubt that they were many, many cultivators. No wonder they could dominate so many other species and occupy such a high position in Revered Ancient.

That was especially true considering that Xu Qing had no way of knowing what percentage of their total number of top experts were present at the ceremony.... What was more, according to historical records, after Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity, humankind wasn’t necessarily considered weak, yet had still been dominated by this species. That seemed to indicate that the forces they had on display now didn’t constitute the totality of their assets.

Back in the god domain, the three gods had expended massive resources to become Flawless Gods, but Xu Qing got the feeling the species still had a lot more to tap into.

However, now wasn’t the time to contemplate all of that. Maintaining a somber facial expression, Xu Qing looked in the direction of the statues of the three gods, and the three grand stewards seated there. Clasping hands, he bowed.

“I, Xu Qing, offer formal greetings to the three stewards.”

The three stewards, who represented the apex of royal authority among Firemoon Darkheavens, consisted of an old man, a middle-aged man, and a youngster. All wore imperial robes and were the picture of majesty.

The old man was tall and burly, like a mountain. The terrifying pressure he emanated made it seem like he had endless strength. His expression was one of unswerving determination and courage, as if no amount of hardship would shake his decisive nature. His eyes were so piercing it seemed they could see into the hearts of all people, and clearly perceive all things in the world.

The middle-aged steward was scholarly and refined, like a gentle spring breeze. His expression was placid, and his eyes seemed to contain boundless wisdom. He seemed as genial as the warmth of the sun in the morning, making him come across as gentle and amiable.

Finally was the youngster, who didn’t look anything like the other two. Physically, he looked young, but his expression was mighty and domineering, like a mountain lion prowling down out of the mountains. His eyes were as sharp as sabers, instilling fear into anyone he looked at.

The three stewards, all of whom were very different from each other, simultaneously looked at Xu Qing as he bowed to them.

Their gazes caused Xu Qing to shiver. Those gazes were as sharp as swords and seemed to penetrate into the depths of his being.

But then, four bits of godly authority glimmered within his void soil, and over a hundred illusory bits of godly authority rose up. It was as if they sensed something offensive, and were automatically rushing to resist.

The three stewards’ expressions flickered and their gazes dimmed. As of that moment, they could no longer see any of the deep truths in Xu Qing. At the same time, faint exclamations of surprise could be heard in the crowd. Those exclamations came from the various members of the nobility arrayed beneath the tents of the three stewards.

If that were all there were to the situation, it might not have been a big deal. But then Ninedawns manifested outside of Xu Qing. Nine skulls appeared, all of them roaring loudly. The deafening sound echoed out like heavenly thunder. The skulls turned into lamps, which slowly rotated around him. An antemage aura surged.

Below, all Firemoon cultivators felt their bloodline power reacting to varying degrees. It didn’t matter the level of cultivation base. It didn’t matter if they were a random, ordinary cultivator or one of the stewards. Every single one was affected.

Facial expressions flickered everywhere, and the nobility suddenly looked very serious. The master of ceremonies, who was the closest to Xu Qing, literally gasped out loud. No longer was he looking at Xu Qing curiously. Instead, he seemed bewildered. It was true that something similar to this happened after Xu Qing finished the second round. But the difference between that and this was like the difference between earth and heaven.

The previous occasion resulted in a slight stir to the bloodline. But this time... the Firemoon blood was seething in everyone! That was obviously because the antemage in Xu Qing’s fifth trove, the mage trove, had become a heavenly dao, and also because he had broken through from Spirit Trove to Void Returning.

“Ninedawns....”

Complicated expressions could be seen in the eyes of the three stewards. Clearly, they knew the details of the grand steward who had unified their species. In fact, maybe it was possible that they knew about the deal the grand steward had made with the gods. Therefore, a host of thoughts ran through their heads as they looked at Xu Qing. Ultimately, they didn’t say anything. They just nodded to him.

Noting the stewards’ silent approval, the master of ceremonies once again spoke in a loud voice.

“The human Xu Qing is hereby awarded with the title of Grand Darkheaven of the Firemoons. Let all of the sundry species in Revered Ancient be notified!

“He is awarded with the Grand Darkheaven Armor, making him invincible in heaven and earth!

“He is awarded with fiefdoms in the form of nine counties, to nourish him in cultivation!

“He is awarded with the Spirit-Devouring Dagger, to make him even more incisive!

“He is awarded with the blessing of Starfire, and is thus a general of the Starfire Temple!

“He is awarded with a Darksage medallion, giving him equal standing to the nobility. All Firemoons will support him, and all subsidiary species will kneel to him. No member of any of the countless species will dare to disobey his orders!”

With each statement came a new reward, shaking all of the cultivators present to the core. These rewards really were the highest honor. The Grand Darkheaven Armor was said to be a precious treasure. Although it wouldn’t literally make him invincible, once he donned it, even Smoldering Gods would have trouble penetrating it. Fiefdoms in the form of nine counties was equivalent to roughly half of a region. The Spirit-Devouring Dagger was even more shocking. It was such a deadly weapon that merely hearing about it would cause most enemies to go weak at the knees from terror.

And there was little need to mention the blessing of Starfire. Being a general of the Starfire Temple made it obvious that he had the grace of a god. Finally was the Darksage medallion, which made him equal to the nobility among other species.

Even Xu Qing was surprised by these rewards, and it brought mixed emotions to his eyes. He was fully aware that all of this was happening because of High God Starfire. What he didn’t understand was why High God Starfire had been helping him from the moment they met. He refused to believe that it had anything to do with his primal yang. And yet, he had no idea what karma or situation could explain it all.

Even as those complicated thoughts went through his mind, a cold voice rang out from the Firemoon Darkheaven people below.

“I request that the stewards honor my petition to fight Grand Darkheaven Xu Qing!”

A figure flew out of the crowd and into the air. He wore a robe as red as fire, and had hair that seemed to be formed from the dao. He had facial features that weren’t necessarily flawlessly beautiful, but were still extremely handsome. His slender frame pulsed with a terrifying aura, and above his right shoulder was a ball of white fire. Shockingly, that fire pulsed with the aura of a major world. This person was none other than Sir Firedark, who no longer looked like a woman.

His eyes glittered with the desire to do battle as he looked at Xu Qing. “Grand Darkheaven Xu Qing, do you dare to fight me?”

His words slashed through the area like a blade.

All of the surrounding Firemoon cultivators looked on with serious expressions. The cultivators from the subsidiary species exchanged surprised glances. The three stewards looked thoughtful, and even God Mountain reacted, as it glowed with golden light.