Sharing the Light of Heaven (Part Two)

With a thought from Li Tian, the sword that had rested on the table in the crown prince's chambers suddenly flew over and slipped into the ancestral temple.

The sword was black as ink from end to end, ancient and unadorned. Its cold gleam was restrained, its edge concealing a spirit of benevolence. It was as though heaven and earth had fixed their gaze upon it, solemn and majestic.

The Qi Emperor stared at it for a long time.

He slowly stepped forward and picked up the sword.

"Zhanlu..." The Qi Emperor ran his hand along the blade, as though he knew every line on it as well as the lines of his own palm.

"Zhanlu is a sword of the kingly way, a sword of benevolence."

The Qi Emperor held two fingers together like a sword and slowly drew them along the blade.

There was no blood.

But with every inch his fingertips passed, the lines grew brighter, until they were nearly golden.

When he reached the final inch, the entire sword shone like the blazing midday sun, and like a beam of light formed from the prayers of the people in a flourishing age of peace.

"With this sword..." The Qi Emperor's voice had grown noticeably weaker, and the sword mark between his brows had almost completely dimmed.

"Carry on the kingly way."

Having done all this, he handed the sword back to Li Tian.

Li Tian accepted it with both hands. The blade was burning hot, and seemed to have a heartbeat.

"I will remain in the palace for the rest of my days."

"When I pass, you will be the Emperor of Great Qi."

"The sword of the kingly way was born of the dynasty's fortune, and it endures by that fortune as well. The day you ascend the throne will be the day this sword acknowledges you as its master."

"When that time comes, you must remember."

At that moment, Li Heng-no, the Qi Emperor-

His voice was aged and weary, yet devoid of feeling, cold and hollow, as though he were merely delivering a message.

"The kingly way is not hegemony, nor schemes for power, nor slaughter."

"The kingly way is-"

"The people entrust their livelihood to you, and you bear it upon your spine."

"The people entrust their safety to you, and you shield them with your flesh and blood."

"The people entrust their names after death to you, and you inscribe them with the historian's brush for ages to come."

"This is an emperor."

"This is... the kingly way."

"Are you willing to shoulder the burden of all under heaven?"

Li Tian knelt, holding the sword in both hands, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles.

He clenched his teeth, his shoulders trembling violently, but he never let a single tear fall before the throne.

A long time passed.

"I... humbly accept this charge."

"I shall rule all under heaven!"

Outside the ancestral temple, a night wind suddenly swept through the corridor, making the window lattice rattle softly. The faint, scattered sound was like leaves falling in distant mountains, and like the anguished weeping of ten thousand people.

Li Tian raised his head sharply.

The Qi Emperor still sat on the dragon throne, his aged face as calm as ever.

But the sword mark between his brows went completely dark at that moment. Its last golden glimmer, like a dying candle in the wind, silently went out.

Spectral figures of the people appeared: old farmers tilling fields, artisans smelting iron, scholars reading, merchants bearing goods, soldiers guarding the borders, children at play... They were a miniature of Great Qi's thousand years of the kingly way, a flourishing age of kingly rule built from countless ordinary days.

The spectral figures wept.

Silent and lost, as though they had lost their closest kin.

Then, one by one, the spectral figures faded away.

The children vanished first, followed by the merchants, soldiers, artisans, scholars and old farmers... As each figure faded, it bowed deeply toward the royal city.

Throughout the royal capital, countless people awoke with a start from their dreams.

They rubbed their eyes and sat stunned for a long while, then suddenly felt the chill on their cheeks. They raised their hands to touch them, only to find their faces wet with tears they had not known they had shed.

"Your Majesty..." they all murmured.

At the chancellor's residence, Sima Ruiming put down his brush and gazed absently at the sky.

His mind was troubled and restless. Why?!

Hadn't his father said this journey was a sure thing? Could it be...?!

Sima Ruiming forced himself not to think about it and tried to compose himself to review memorials, only to find his hand trembling too badly to hold his brush.

The sky gradually brightened with the morning light.

Within the palace, the indistinct figure of a Daoist held a lamp in the distance, its flame flickering on and off.

"The light of day dawns, and the candle goes out, just as a person dies... I granted you three days, yet you vainly tried to reveal heaven's secrets... Sigh."

"Forget it."

"It is a sad and pitiable thing."

With a sweep of his sleeve, he gathered in a faint light that sped toward him.

At that same moment.

The Northern Region, Great Yin.

Yin Xuan stood atop the palace city.

He was much the same age as Li Heng, the Qi Emperor. They had become crown princes in the same year and ascended their thrones in the same year.

A Purple Mansion cultivator had a lifespan of twelve hundred years, and with a method of extending life, could gain another hundred.

He was only a little over four hundred now. Even so, with a single thought, a Purple Mansion cultivator could still look youthful and wear green robes.

But he no longer intended to do so.

Yin Xuan's hair and beard were now completely white, his black robes were torn, and his sword intent was wild and unyielding.

Below the city wall, eight hundred armored soldiers stood in formation, ready for battle.

They did not know when their emperor would return. They only knew that a tyrannical sword intent had suddenly shot into the sky above the royal city. Though it had lasted only an instant, they knew their emperor had returned.

They had gathered here of their own accord.

There had been no edict.

The eight hundred stood in silent formation, their armor reflecting the gloomy daylight that never left the Northern Region.

Yin Xuan looked at them.

The hundred veteran soldiers at the front wore old armor from a hundred battles. Its worn plates shone like mirrors, while their killing intent reached the clouds, fierce and unyielding.

The remaining soldiers stood ramrod straight, their eyes filled with an almost fanatical reverence for their emperor.

These were his troops, his subjects.

They were also Great Yin's sharpest sword of hegemony.

But he was about to die.

He withdrew his gaze and looked toward the palace city.

There, the crown prince had knelt for a full six hours.

"Yin Huan."

At the sound, Crown Prince Yin Huan raised his head. His tears had been held back, his heart was firm as a rock, and he wore his armor, just as the Yin Emperor once had.

His words rang out, forceful and clear.

"I am here."

The Yin Emperor remained facing the soldiers and did not turn around.

"In all my life, I have taught you little."

"The Technique of hegemony was passed down from the emperors of our clan, by word of mouth and personal instruction.

"You learned how to govern the people yourself, from the classics. You earned your skills in battle by risking your life on the battlefield."

"I only... stood in front of you all this time. I was never a father to you."

He paused.

"I braved wind and rain and fought a hundred battles."

"I bore the things you could not bear."

Yin Huan knelt, his fists clenched tight. His armor felt especially cold, yet the blood in his body boiled.

"Old friends in the Qi capital have withered away... like leaves falling in the wind."

"It is time for me to go as well."

The Yin Emperor's voice remained calm, so calm it was almost cold, as he gazed into the distance toward the Eastern Region.

"From this day on, you are Great Yin's heaven."

"The sword of hegemony has never been merely a sword for killing."

"It means bearing the weight of a nation, shouldering the lives of its people, keeping one's heart upright and guarding its borders."

"If you cannot hold it up, Great Yin will perish."

"If you can..."

Yin Xuan paused for a long time.

"Then I will have no regrets..."

"My son, you too can shoulder the burden of all under heaven!"

Yin Huan held back his tears, lowered his head and kowtowed heavily.

His forehead struck the cold stone, leaving a vivid trace of blood.

A long time passed.

The aged figure atop the wall slowly leaned against a battlement and faded away.

A sword fell to the ground with a clear ring.

Its blade was like flames cast from molten gold. Sword Qi surged into the heavens, its fierce might suppressing the world. In hand, it could settle heaven and earth, displaying the full might of hegemony.

Its name was Tai'e.

The eight hundred armored soldiers knelt and bowed at once, lowering their heads, their eyes brimming with tears.

The snow had stopped.

The wind still howled.

A faint glimmer of light also shone in Yin Huan's eyes.

The sword intent at the pinnacle of hegemony, which would rather break than bend, rather shatter than yield, was there as well!

The Southern Region, South-Pacifying City.

Ye Jinyu tilted her head back, watching the sky and the changing celestial signs and stars.

Beside her, Ye Anlan and the others were also silent.

They watched the celestial signs and the golden light that was fading away, as though seeking to catch the last tiny trace.

The system, too, offered only a few words.

"The light of heaven, the light of heaven, I share it with you!"

"The blue heavens are high, the yellow earth is thick; the cold and warmth of days wear away human life."

"Have you ever seen the wrath of mayflies and ants? With this sword, I severed the Luo River!"

"Fusang and Tang Valley, the Golden Crow and the morning dawn, the brightest light under heaven."

Ye Jinyu spoke softly.

"A Golden Core True Lord. What a grand undertaking."

"Young mistress?"

Ye Jinyu withdrew her gaze and turned to enter the hall.

"Pass down my orders."

Her voice was even, betraying no emotion. "Put the Southern Region under martial law. Prepare for war."

"If anyone from Great Yin in the north comes, receive them with courtesy!"

"Yes."

Ye Jinming left to carry out the orders.