Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 637: The Hottest Show in Moonrite

When the Captain finished speaking, Wu Jianwu felt incomparably wonderful. He definitely got the best role of the performance, and it caused a poem to pop into his mind.

Erniu seems like he’s tearing things apart, a well-rounded hero always has a heart!

He didn’t speak the words aloud, but the sentiment was visible on his face.

The Captain noticed that look and smiled approvingly.

When Ling’er realized that roles were being distributed, she stuck her head out of Xu Qing’s sleeve and looked at the Captain.

“What about me, Elder Brother Erniu? What about me?”

Without a moment of hesitation, the Captain said, “You? Well you’re the godpriest’s little daoist partner, of course!”

Ling’er was very pleased to hear that.

“And then there’s you, Little Li. You’ll stick close to Little Ningning, as you’ll be the court eunuch who reads out the imperial decree.”

Li Youfei didn’t have any expectations about the role he was to play, and considering that Xu Qing was assigned to be the stage crew, he simply nodded agreeably.

“What about you?” Xu Qing asked calmly.

“Me? Hahaha! Well, I’m getting a bit too old to have an onstage role. I’d rather you young whippersnappers get a chance at fame. You’re our future, after all. Therefore, I’ll simply be serving all of you from behind the curtain.”

Looking completely calm and collected, the Captain went on to distribute jade slip scripts to everyone.

Wu Jianwu was carefully studying his script, and had already started practicing some of his lines. Ning Yan was also interested in the script, although not as much as Wu Jianwu.

Nethersprite did little more than glance at it and snort coldly. Then she went back to smacking the lantern. Perhaps because she was able to vent her killing intent, or perhaps because the lantern just felt good, she found the practice of smacking it to be very enjoyable.

The Captain didn’t seem bothered by what Nethersprite was doing. He looked immensely pleased as he studied his little team. He was getting very excited about what was to come shortly.

“Study your lines closely, everyone. Remember, every living being in the Moonrite Region is going to be watching you. After this, we’re doing makeup and then putting on the period costumes. With the assistance of Big Sis Nether, everything is ready.”

Wu Jianwu nodded enthusiastically. Ning Yan suddenly seemed to be taking the situation a lot more seriously.

The only one who didn’t seem very excited was Xu Qing. His script was fairly simple, and he didn’t even have any lines to memorize. In fact, there wasn’t really any information at all in his script. All he had to do was make sure a lot of blood sprayed everywhere when Crimson Mother was beheaded. His main role really was to handle the blood. And his other role, that of the God Decapitation Altar’s godpriest, didn’t have any speaking lines. He just needed to slash a saber down. Although the Captain had named the role ‘godpriest,’ the reality was that he was the executioner.

Given that he didn’t have much to do, Xu Qing started looking more closely at the ruins of the altar. Its ancient aura was very strong, and the ravages of time were clearly evident everywhere. It reminded Xu Qing of the temples where he had studied the Supreme Vastness Solitary Saber. They imparted the same sensation of the passage of countless years.

I wonder if there’s any enlightenment to be gained here.

Xu Qing’s thoughts began to wander.

Meanwhile, as the director, the Captain figured he should do as much as possible to help everyone understand their roles. Therefore, he decided to give a little bit of an explanation about the performance. Clearing his throat, he hopped up onto a large chunk of stone, then looked down.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the Captain said passionately, “we will be performing a play in two acts. If you look at your scripts, you can see the work you have cut out for you. Act 1 is called Demon Mother Disrupts Revered Ancient!”

Xu Qing wasn’t paying any attention. As he stared at the rubble of the altar, he could sense how ancient it was. In fact, the Captain’s voice almost seemed like it was coming from a different time.

“The story basically explains how Crimson Mother, before reaching godly ascension, was arrogant and despotic, threw Revered Ancient into chaos, spread torment and suffering, and ultimately displeased the Imperial Sovereign so much that he crushed her. Of course, there will be some narration during this part, which will be provided by yours truly!

“When the scene opens, the Imperial Sovereign will appear, surrounded by suns, moons, stars, heavenly bodies, wind, thunder, lightning, and rain. Long story short, a host of divine abilities and magical techniques will be used to create a dazzling, colorful image. It will be incomparably beautiful. I’ll handle all of that, of course.”

As he spoke, the Captain’s eyebrows danced up and down. Clearly, he was going to be taking center stage in his own way. Meanwhile, Xu Qing was so immersed in his senses that an image had formed in his mind.

“After that?” the Captain continued, “Well, upon establishing the grandeur and might of the Imperial Sovereign, he will berate Crimson Mother in front of all creation, and will list out her nine criminal offenses! Crimson Mother, being completely arrogant and wicked, will try to devour the Imperial Sovereign. The Imperial Sovereign will then launch a palm strike, severely injuring Crimson Mother.

“We really need to impart the Imperial Sovereign’s invincible majesty. Ning Yan, you need to capture that feeling. Remember, the Imperial Sovereign is like a king. Just tap into your memories and imagine what a truly exalted individual is like. You can do it. I have full confidence in you.”

Thanks to the Captain’s encouragement, Ning Yan thought of his father. He nodded.

“As for Big Sis Nether....” The Captain turned to Nethersprite.

She looked back at him coldly.

He chuckled.

“Big Sis Nether,” he said warmly, “you don’t really have to say very much. However, acting as Crimson Mother is going to be a bit of a challenge for you. After all, Crimson Mother is inherently vicious and evil, unlike you, ma’am. Big Sis Nether, you’re inherently honest and kindhearted. So basically, you just need to act in the exact opposite way you normally would. That will make your performance perfect!”

Nethersprite smiled sarcastically.

The Captain blinked a few times, then continued, “Next is act 2, which is where the climax of the play comes. The story picks up after the Imperial Sovereign arrests Crimson Mother and brings her here. No matter how hard she struggles, she can’t free herself. She’s been ruthlessly restrained.

“We’ll need some magical techniques to add to the effect. You know, wild colors flashing in heaven and earth. Winds screaming around. Things rumbling. It needs to be a very dramatic scene.

“As the tension builds, Crimson Mother is forced to kneel in front of the Imperial Sovereign. In turn, the Imperial Sovereign clasps hands to heaven, beseeching Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity to bear witness. A projection of the Ancient Emperor arrives, and the court eunuch reads out the decree. Like before, we’ll need a lot of dramatic stuff happening in the background!”

The Captain was really going all out. He’d clearly put a massive amount of thought into the script.

As the entire play was explained in a very eloquent manner, Xu Qing shivered. Peering at the outline of the image in his mind, he realized a wind had picked up, carrying with it chanting from the ancient past. However, he couldn’t quite make out what was being said.

“And then?” the Captain said, his voice echoing loudly. “The Imperial Sovereign will give the order, and Xu Qing, you, as the godpriest of the God Decapitation Altar, will raise the guillotine blade high into the air and then chop it down! However, don’t forget that you’re also in charge of the blood effects. Make sure to time it well so it looks real. [1]

“Although this isn’t exactly how it happened down to the finest detail, there’s not much we can do about that. We have no way to imitate the Imperial Sovereign’s divine abilities, the type that uses heaven as the blade and earth as the altar, and connect to the sun and moon to create an insurmountable grandeur. As such, we’ll just do what we can.”

The Captain sighed. He really wished he could put an Imperial Sovereign’s divine abilities on display. That would have been absolutely shocking. Sadly... without being an Imperial Sovereign, it wasn’t possible to show off an Imperial Sovereign’s divine abilities.

If only the Heir Apparent and his siblings would give a helping hand. That would be so great....

The Captain scanned the area but didn’t see any sign of the ‘grandpas’ and ‘grandmas.’ Pushing that idea away, he looked at Nethersprite.

“Big Sis Nether, remember to plaster a look of extreme hatred onto your face the moment you’re beheaded. To do that, you—”

“All I have to do,” Nethersprite interrupted venomously, “is look at you and my hatred will reach the most extreme level possible!”

The Captain blinked a few times, backed up a few steps, and looked at Wu Jianwu. “Little Jianjian, you just do your thing as usual. That’ll be fine. Little Ah Qing, you... hey, what are you doing?” The Captain looked in surprise at Xu Qing and realized he seemed to be seeking enlightenment. “Little Ah Qing, you can’t just randomly seek enlightenment here....”

Xu Qing nodded.

Curious, the Captain continued, “What are you seeking enlightenment of?”

“I hear some sort of chanting,” Xu Qing said, looking off into the distance.

The Captain was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. Where’d you get these powers of understanding?? He cleared his throat. “Well then... just carry on.”

Turning away from Xu Qing, the Captain took a deep breath and threw his hands into the air.

“Okay everybody,” he said excitedly, “the time has come for the first rehearsal of God Decapitation!”

Wu Jianwu immediately got into character, clasping his hands behind his back and standing straight. Li Youfei hurried over to stand next to him.

Ning Yan flew up into the air and looked down at Nethersprite. Thinking back to how his father would speak and act, his facial expression gradually turned dignified.

“Demon woman!” he barked.

Nethersprite glared up coldly at Ning Yan. Ning Yan’s majesty collapsed under her gaze.

“Stop!” The Captain looked very anxious. “You’re not putting the right emotion into it, Little Ningning. Start over from the beginning!”

***

As the rehearsal went on, everyone worked hard. Ning Yan had trouble a few times, but in the end, there was nothing the Captain could do to change that.

Finally, Xu Qing took to the stage. Continuing to work on enlightenment, he drifted out expressionlessly, then floated in the air looking down at Nethersprite. His gaze caused Nethersprite to frown and her gaze to seem a bit more serious. Inside, she was feeling an inexplicable pressure.

Ning Yan noticed that, and tried to imitate Xu Qing’s expression, and it turned out to be a big improvement.

The Captain saw that and sighed inwardly. The truth was that the script they were working with was different from the original script he’d created. In the original version, there had been more romance and grudges. That had made the script more emotionally impactful. But when he realized that the Heir Apparent and his siblings might be watching, and that the play was actually depicting their father, the Captain decided not to include those parts.

Seeing that Ning Yan was still struggling to pull off a good performance, the Captain stepped out and prepared to offer some more direction.

However, before he could, a cold harrumph echoed out, causing everyone who was part of the rehearsal to feel like they were being shaken down to their soul.

“This entire thing is a hot mess!”

The voice boomed like thunder as the Heir Apparent appeared in the air with his siblings. Fifth Sister looked down expressionlessly. Princess Brightblossom was frowning slightly. Eighth Sib had his arms crossed over his chest as he sneered at Chen Erniu.

Xu Qing clasped his hands and bowed.

“Grandpa...” the Captain said fawningly, and was about to offer an explanation.

Before he could, the Heir Apparent said, “Your play is completely wrong! Xu Qing, you don’t need to provide any blood effects. And you also don’t need to act as a godpriest. Go over to the God Decapitation Altar and continue seeking enlightenment from the lingering killing intent there. It’s going to be a big help to your cultivation.

“If you can gain enlightenment of the killing will of the God Decapitation Altar, you’ll have acquired amazing good fortune, and this trip will not have been made in vain. Of course, it’s all going to come down to your powers of understanding. How much you gain enlightenment of will depend on you.”

“Yes, sir,” Xu Qing said, his eyes shining. Hurrying over to the altar, he sat down cross-legged on one of the crumbled boulders. Closing his eyes, he focused all of his senses on the surrounding energy.

Next, the Heir Apparent pointed at the Captain. “Now, you’re going to be the godpriest. You have experience as a guard, right? Just act like that.”

The Captain shrank back a bit. He had no desire to have a role like that, yet didn’t dare to reveal his inner thoughts. He quickly hurried over to the spot Xu Qing had been occupying moments before.

“Alright, start over, and I’ll make some adjustments!” With that, the Heir Apparent dropped out of the air and sat down cross-legged, to be joined by his siblings.

Everyone else was vastly more nervous now, but they started the rehearsal over. This time, the person stopping them constantly wasn’t the Captain, it was the Heir Apparent. Thanks to him, the script and the lines were changed. As everyone slowly got into character, the images that the Heir Apparent remembered witnessing personally began to take shape. He exaggerated some things, but that just made things more realistic than the Captain’s version.

As the four siblings watched, gleams of reminiscence appeared in their eyes.

Xu Qing was no longer part of the rehearsal. He sat cross-legged at the ruined altar, focused entirely on the surrounding energy. As time passed, he gradually sensed a wind blowing out of nowhere. When it touched him and reached his heart, ripples spread through him....

1. Based on later descriptions, the ‘guillotine’ mentioned here is not the type of guillotine you might think of from the French Revolution. It’s more like a guillotine paper trimmer. In other words, it looks roughly like a larger version of one of these. ☜