All sorts of talk spread, not just in Arch-Emperor City, but in the Wildlands in general. The news even reached the cities belonging to the four heavenly kings.
All of the chosen who had butted heads with Bai Xiaochun in the Necromancer Kettle were trembling in fear. The tragic fate of Li Tiansheng had them all on edge. Furthermore, their clans all instituted severe restrictions on them, forbidding them from going out into the city. Everyone knew that although they could secretly plot against Bai Xiaochun, they couldn’t make any open moves against him.
Most of the parties involved all felt bad for each other, and were acting with full vigilance. At the same time, their desire to kill Bai Xiaochun grew more and more intense.
Furthermore, because no one dared to offend the Grand Heavenmaster, all of their killing intent came to be focused fully on Bai Xiaochun. Normally, the nobility and aristocracy were always at each other’s throats, but at the moment, they were all part of a strange alliance.
It didn’t matter whether or not they were truly loyal to the Arch-Emperor. The fact that two heavenly marquises had been taken out had them all nervous to the extreme. Although some parties hoped that going to offer greetings to the Grand Heavenmaster would help, many of them were trying to figure out a way to have Bai Xiaochun killed.
Unfortunately for those people, he stayed out of sight for an entire month. The people who wanted him dead couldn't very well storm the Inspections Manor, and therefore, they could only watch time go by as the day of ancestral sacrifices neared.
Everyone in the Wildlands took the matter of ancestral sacrifices very seriously. Whether it was the clans or the tribes, that day was a day of grand ceremony for the entire Arch-Emperor Dynasty.
The Arch-Emperor was always present for such sacrifices, and that was an important factor, even though he was a mere puppet. Furthermore, unless there were some unforeseen circumstances, all of the nobility and aristocracy had to show up as well.
The only major players who wouldn’t be present were the four heavenly kings. They wouldn't come to Arch-Emperor City unless some sort of heaven-shaking, earth-shattering event occurred.
Of course the reason for that… was their very delicate relationship with the Grand Heavenmaster. Although things seemed to be calm between the heavenly kings and the Grand Heavenmaster, if the heavenly kings ever came to Arch-Emperor City, and something went wrong, the implications could be very severe.
Instead of coming personally, they would usually send their heirs apparent to represent them.
The person to whom the sacrifices were offered… was none other than the first generation Arch-Emperor. It didn’t matter how many years had passed since his time, to the people of the Arch-Emperor Dynasty, that very first Arch-Emperor was the most ultimate of entities.
Apparently, the ancestral sacrifices also had some connection to the Hell-Emperor. After all, whenever the sacrifices were carried out, heaven and earth would be split open to reveal the Underworld River inside of a massive vortex.
The vortex would cover all of Arch-Emperor City, and would be filled with countless souls which would descend onto the city for the benefit of the people, who could simply reach out to take them.
According to the legends, a deva soul had once descended in such a fashion. Furthermore, it wasn’t just the nobility and aristocracy of the Arch-Emperor Dynasty who would participate in the event; the common people could do so as well.
Of course, although the nobility and aristocracy would reach out and take the souls, most didn't focus too much on that part of the event. To them, it was merely a good omen.
When the day came to offer the sacrifices, all of Arch-Emperor City was filled with a very somber air. Families emerged from their houses and dropped to their knees on the street to kowtow to the heavens. At the same time, bells tolled in the imperial palace, filling the city with their sound.
The heavenly marquises and heavenly dukes all donned their most formal attire and headed to the main square in the imperial palace, tranquil expressions on their faces the entire time….
That was when Bai Xiaochun emerged from secluded meditation. As he did, it was impossible for him to conceal the expression of excitement and anticipation that appeared on his face as he looked up at the city in the sky.
“I finally succeeded with seventeen-colored flame. And now, it’s time for the ancestral sacrifices….” Sighing, he flew up into the air, followed by 1,000 corpse troopers.
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Chapter
772: If You’ve Got What It Takes, Fight!
Chapter 772: If Youve Got What It Takes, Fight!
As the bells tolled, the streets of Arch-Emperor City filled with a sea of people. It was the same up above, too, with countless figures flying up to the imperial palace.
The city guard was out in full force to keep order and make sure that nothing unexpected happened on this day of ancestral sacrifice.
Of course, there was little chance of something like that; the city guard carried out their duties with the utmost loyalty. In fact, the area near the Inspections Manor was especially heavily guarded.
The matter with the two heavenly marquises the previous month had been monumental. The new inspections commissioner had made a huge splash, and was the target of almost universal animosity in the dynasty. If any mishaps occurred regarding him, it could affect the ancestral sacrifices, and that was something the city guard couldn’t let happen.
Even as the city guard paid special attention to keep the Inspections Manor safe, Bai Xiaochun flew up from inside of it, surrounded by a thousand corpse troopers.
As he did, the nearby nobles and aristocrats noticed, and many gazes came to be fixed on him. They all contained mixed emotions, with everything from hatred to fear.
When Bai Xiaochun sensed so many people looking at him, he cleared his throat, clasped his hands behind his back, and stuck his chin up. He even glared back at the people who looked at him with hateful expressions, making it look like he wasn’t afraid of anything in the world.
His haughty expression said it all: If you’ve got what it takes, then bring it on!
And that was the truth! He had the backing of the Grand Heavenmaster, as well as 1,000 corpse troopers. That meant that Bai Xiaochun could stare down the heavenly dukes if he wanted to, much less the heavenly marquises.
When the noble and aristocratic cultivators flying in the air sensed Bai Xiaochun’s attitude, they frowned, then looked fearfully at his corpse troopers before returning their focus to the imperial palace and flying onward.
“What a bunch of wusses. All shaking in their boots at the sight of the inspections commissioner!” Feeling very pleased, he continued to swagger his way slowly onward toward the imperial palace.
Of course, it wasn’t just the nobility and aristocracy flying through the air who noticed Bai Xiaochun. The common people down below in the city, countless soul cultivators and savage giants, all watched Bai Xiaochun flying upward.
“Inspections Commissioner Bai Hao!”
“That’s him! Last month, he shook down the clans of two heavenly marquises….”
“Nobody’s seen him for a month, but now that it's time for the ancestral sacrifices, here he is. He’s definitely going to cause another scene….”
In response to the buzz of conversation, the city guards in the area grew more vigilant. Although they didn’t flock to surround Bai Xiaochun, they did look around with killing intent, ready to leap to intervene if anything unexpected happened.