Floating Immortal Order

There was nothing that could outweigh the importance of a word from the Dao Palace, which made the decision rather simple.

Just as Xu Chaoyang was about to open his mouth and speak his verdict, there was noise from outside Nourishing Heart Hall. Shortly after, a soldier announced in a loud and clear voice, “A courier from the Youyang Dao Palace has arrived!”

There was a mild change in Xu Chaoyang’s expression. He couldn’t help turning his gaze to Ye Zhaixing and Xu Fu, who were still standing in the center of the hall, then brought the higher ups of the Xu Clan with him out of the hall.

“Respectful greetings, courier.”

“At ease.” The person who showed up was a youth riding a white horse. He seemed to be in a hurry as he tossed over a simple, undecorated scroll. He immediately turned his horse around and started to leave as he said, “Since Junior Martial Brother Ye isn’t willing to cultivate, the Youyang Dao Palace will not impose further. I simply made this trip on master’s behalf to deliver the official documentation to Junior Martial Brother Ye.”

His voice drifted along on the wind as the youth on the white horse rode away. Before long, his figure had disappeared into the night.

Xu Chaoyang picked up the scroll and slowly unfurled it.

Ye Zhaixing hurried out of Nourishing Heart Hall, managing to catch the sight of the youth on his horse before he rode off into the distance. With an anxious look in his eyes, he shouted loudly after him, “Senior Martial Brother Zhang, I’m willing to cultivate! I will become a profound cultivator!”

Xu Chaoyang put away the scroll and shot a cold sideways glance at him, then ordered everyone back into Nourishing Heart Hall.

After everyone was seated back in the hall, Xu Fu looked at Ye Zhaixing, who looked dazed as he came back into the hall. Xu Fu smiled and said loudly, “Ye Zhaixing also has a fondness for slaughtering ordinary citizens. The other day, we received testimony from a guard saying that Ye Zhaixing had forcefully kidnapped a woman. He not only murdered her husband in public for everyone to see, he even buried that married woman alive afterwards! How can our Xu Clan tolerate a person like this?!”

Jin Wuyou furtively glared at Xu Fu out of the corner of his eye, a hint of displeasure hidden deep in his gaze.

Jin Wuyou had similar preferences as Ye Zhaixing. By attacking Ye Zhaixing in this manner, Xu Fu was also inadvertently insulting him as well.

Normally, this wouldn’t be considered excessive.

After all, in the Ruyang Region, the Xu Clan’s word was absolute. Xu Chaoyang and Xu Xiao would never be concerned with matters related to the younger generation of the Xu Clan bullying the commoners.

But to make matters worse, the most important thing was that scroll. Now, Xu Chaoyang didn’t need to have any misgivings about the Dao Palace’s opinion.

Xu Chaoyang directed a frigid gaze at Ye Zhaixing and said, “The Ruyang Army is present, yes?”

“Regional Lord!” Several dozens of armored elite martial artists strode into the hall in an orderly formation and cupped their hands in unison.

The members of the small and large families in the hall were rattled when they saw the Ruyang Army, which had thoroughly shaken up the surrounding Regions. Even though they had experienced what they were capable of during the eradication of the Guo Clan, their appearance was nonetheless striking every time they witnessed them.

Xu Chaoyang pointed at Ye Zhaixing and commanded, “Place shackles upon this miscreant and drag him to the public square for execution by a thousand cuts.”

So what if he would be a Xiantian martial artist in the future? To Xu Chaoyang, the face and authority of the Xu Clan was paramount. Moreover, the Xu Clan already had 3 Xiantian martial artists. Although Xu Qingcheng and Xu Qinying weren’t here, no one dared to overlook their influence and intimidation factor.

Xu Chaoyang didn’t care about Ye Zhaixing’s position as Emissary, because that scroll just now clearly stated that Ye Zhaixing himself stated that he didn’t want to cultivate anymore, which relieved him of all positions in the Province and Dao Palace.

This incident was extremely damaging to the Region and the face of the entire Xu Clan. Even though Xu Chaoyang felt pity over the loss of a future Xiantian stage martial artist, he was still callously firm in this decision.

“As you command, Regional Lord!”

The soldiers clad in the black armor of the Ruyang Army didn’t hesitate in the slightest. The leading officer kicked Ye Zhaixing in the back, forcing him to kneel on the ground. He took out a chain with sinister-looking barbs on it, and was about to bind Ye Zhaixing up in them.

“Regional Lord, Father, could you please spare his life?” Xu Yan said between sobs, mustering the courage to stand up. She had been crying since a while ago, and her tears were staining her beautiful complexion.

Xu Yan was Xu Chaoyang’s granddaughter. Although Xu Chaoyang didn’t have many descendents, Xu Xiao had many. As a result, there wasn’t actually that much familial affection between Xu Yan and Xu Chaoyang.

Xu Chaoyang’s brows furrowed slightly. He still hadn’t said anything when Xu Xiao spoke angrily. “Sit down! Is this any place for you to speak? You have the nerve to show such a lack of propriety!”

The tears began to stream down Xu Yan’s face even more rapidly. But she didn’t speak any more. She could only sob quietly.

In the past, her personality had been lively and clever, but that was simply because she had been naive and pure. After she married Ye Zhaixing, she slowly became more thoughtful and gentle, and her temper gradually became more mild.

Xu Chaoyang was usually quite solemn and strict, so Xu Yan didn’t dare to call him grandfather. She could only call him Regional Lord like everyone else.

As a woman in this family, she was powerless in this situation. She held tightly onto her silken handkerchief as she cried incessantly, tears rolling down her face.

A pleased look crossed Xu Fu’s face, and he slowly withdrew, returning to his seat at the table. After a while, many people came over to exchange toasts with him.

The several dozen troops of the Ruyang Army had already brought Ye Zhaixing out of Nourishing Heart Hall, and he didn’t resist.

After all, he was only a half-step Xiantian martial artist. While he might be able to stand up against 3 or 4 elite troops, there were several dozen of them present. He figured there was no way he could fight off that many.

Xu Yan eventually stopped crying, the sorrowful look in her eyes replaced by an empty gaze, her black hair spilling down in disarray. By her side, there were several other women from the Xu Clan consoling her.

Ye Zhaixing was dragged and shoved to the public square of the city. The barbed chains were wrapped around his torso, digging into his ribs and causing fresh blood to run in rivulets down his chest. Sharp, piercing pains were constantly being transmitted to his brain.

Ye Zhaixing looked up at the bright, resplendent moon hanging in the sky. Feeling the fresh blood flowing down his skin, his eyes slowly glazed over and became unfocused.

In the midst of his daze, a nearby elite soldier from the Ruyang Army picked up a sharp dagger and brandished it.

At that moment, a hint of regret appeared in his heart.

What am I regretting? That I didn’t choose to continue cultivating at the Dao Palace? That I performed so many evil deeds? Am I regretting the greed, lust, and wanton murders that I committed? Or is it the fact that I acted so tyrannically and oppressively, defaming corpses to try and hide my traces?

In fact, it was none of these things. The Xu Clan was too self-interested. What he really regretted was taking the entire Ye Clan with him to go under the Xu Clan. With his death, it would be difficult for the rest of the Ye Clan to avoid an unpleasant fate.

And in the end, he really did love Xu Yan.

Ye Zhaixing felt the sharp dagger slice across his skin. He gradually felt himself becoming numb to the excruciating pain. A wave of exhaustion flooded his mind, and he felt his eyes starting to close.

All of a sudden, a streak of dazzling light shot across the horizon. Ye Zhaixing forced his eyes to back open, and he watched as only two colors, black and white, blotted out the sky and painted the earth as it approached.

The brilliant phenomena approached Zhenhai City from afar, stopping right above it. A moment later, an ear-splitting sonic boom rippled out from the air.

Now that it was closer, the effulgence of the light and shadow gradually became clearer. Heaven and earth were dyed in black and white, causing even the moonlight to pale in comparison.

Depicted in the tapestry of black and white that spread across the sky were rugged mountains, elegantly flowing rivers, and bountiful nature. Although there were only two colors, the painting wasn’t monotonous, not lacking charm or grace in the slightest.

The countless citizens of Zhenhai City, from the commoners to the scholars and landowners, all rose from their beds and put on their clothes to go outside. They craned their heads to look up at the black and white painting that covered the sky, and many of them even knelt down in prayer.

The painting depicting mountains and rivers flickered and transformed into a youth in a black and gold Daoist robe. His jet black hair was tied up by a jade band behind his head. The edges of his robe were gilded in a brilliant gold that shone with a seemingly divine light.

The youth’s countenance was elegant and refined. His facial features were graced with red lips and white teeth, but his eyes were filled with an utter indifference, which he swept across the scenery below. With a flicker of black and white, he appeared directly above the city square.

“It’s a miracle!”

“Is he a god from heaven?!”

“But in all my life, I’ve never heard of such a myth. Has the moon god descended before us?”

The citizens all prostrated themselves and prayed, their expressions full of reverence.

The soldier from the Ruyang Army who was carrying out Ye Zhaixing’s execution was also struck dumb by the sight.

The expressions of the several dozen soldiers of the Ruyang Army in the city square all changed dramatically as they laid eyes upon the handsome youth in the sky, descending in a trail of black and white.

If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi!