Chapter 1001: Turning Away

The rumbling of the earth still echoed in its aftermath.

No matter how the Seventeenth Sovereign struggled, it had no strength to resist; in its understanding of its own authority, it was clearly far inferior to You Lingzi.

Especially its wounds, which continued to erupt, countless wounds bleeding inward, the air from a radius of millions of miles penetrating every opening, as if seeking to fill every gap in the Seventeenth Sovereign's flesh and soul.

Once completed, the Seventeenth Sovereign would be utterly destroyed, both form and spirit.

The commotion caused by this scene was too astonishing, so in the first moment, across the vast lands millions of miles away, countless towering figures—whether true bodies or divine senses—descended in succession.

Some wore grave expressions, some eyes filled with astonishment, some appeared deep in thought, each different, yet the turmoil in their hearts was unanimous!

"You Lingzi's understanding of its authority has actually reached such a level!"

"No wonder it was valued by the Netherflame Great Emperor, and no wonder the Lan Clan's schemes against it ended in utter defeat!"

"And that Blood Dust Child…… is also no ordinary figure, though besides the Netherflame secret arts on him, he must surely have other hidden secrets—it's just a pity that his earlier battle with the West Moyu Child was obscured by You Lingzi."

"However, from the traces of the celestial demon fleeing the West Moyu Child's authority, one can still infer a little—it should be that, by some unknown method, the celestial demon was made to rebel."

"Though the authority of the celestial demon is astonishing in its slaughter, allowing the perceptive to advance rapidly, its drawbacks are equally hard to resolve, with the risk of rebellion and backlash ever-present."

As all sides were shaken, Xu Qing's heart also stirred with thought.

The Empress's arrival let him breathe a sigh of relief while confirming his earlier guess was correct—the Empress came to West Moyu to seize the initiative.

And now, the initiative had clearly been truly grasped, thus came the gesture of raising a hand to gather the air of millions of miles and let it fall upon the Seventeenth Sovereign.

This was to establish prestige.

This was also bearing.

Xu Qing inwardly realized, from this matter, he had also learned some methods of handling affairs.

This was knowledge he had never learned from Seventh Uncle.

Afterwards, his gaze fell upon the Seventeenth Sovereign, watching its struggle, watching the distortion of its face, he could imagine the weight pressing upon it—terrifying in magnitude.

As for the Empress, from beginning to end, her expression remained calm, she did not choose to slay, but at the instant the Seventeenth Sovereign could no longer bear it, the blood eye between her brows closed.

She took back the authority.

The great sun that had appeared in the heavens because of her also closed in that instant and finally vanished.

The air that had fallen upon the Seventeenth Sovereign, with the wind's dispersion, returned to the eight directions.

And without that weight, the wounds on the Seventeenth Sovereign's body healed at lightning speed—its form blurred, it vanished from the spot, reappearing in midair, gazing complexly at the Empress, uttering not a word.

Not only was he thus, but the sovereigns from all sides watching this battle also fell silent at this moment.

Indeed, this method of raising high and lowering lightly not only demonstrated understanding of authority, but also revealed the attitude of the strong.

"Can you still move?"

The Empress turned her head, glanced at Xu Qing, and spoke lightly.

Xu Qing quickly nodded.

"Then let's go, we return to East Moyu."

After speaking, the Empress stepped toward the horizon.

Xu Qing dared not hesitate, soared into the sky at great speed, and followed behind.

Thus, under the gaze of the sovereigns of all sides in West Moyu, the Empress led Xu Qing, walking calmly through the heavens, gradually vanishing at the horizon.

From beginning to end, no side appeared to block the way.

As for the West Moyu Child, it seemed already forgotten.

Dead, then dead.

Only the Seventeenth Sovereign, its expression even more complex, gazed upon the withered corpse formed by the West Moyu Child being backlashed by the celestial demon.

After a final sigh, it gathered the corpse, turned, and departed.

This western journey thus ended.

The wind returned, blowing across millions of miles, and the gaze carried by the wind also returned.

……

In the wing-shaped Dao Terrace of West Moyu, the West Moyu Great Emperor, sitting cross-legged in meditation, withdrew his gaze.

"Interesting."

"So certain, will I really let you act as you please?"

The West Moyu Great Emperor, eyes deep in meaning, murmured to himself.

As his words spread, a sharp, mocking laugh echoed above him.

This laughter came from midair, from the black-robed figure bound by iron chains and constantly burned.

"He naturally is certain!"

Upon hearing this, the West Moyu Great Emperor raised his head, gazed at the black-robed figure, fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed aloud.

……

At this moment, at the junction of East and West Moyu, the Empress walked ahead, Xu Qing followed behind.

Along the way, the Empress spoke not a word, Xu Qing also found it hard to speak.

He was recalling this western journey, trying to draw out more knowledge points from within to study.

"Since the Empress arrived in West Moyu, first the West Moyu Great Emperor issued a single decree, setting the tone."

"Then all the sovereigns, to some extent, scattered thoughts of challenge."

Xu Qing pondered in his heart.

Combining the situation of East and West Moyu, he found this matter not hard to understand—this was the contest between East and West Moyu.

Especially You Lingzi's sensitive identity, being both a disciple of the Netherflame Great Emperor of East Moyu and a peerless heavenly pride of East Moyu, furthermore having broken the Lan Clan's schemes, obtained sufficient bloodline power, and ascended to become a sovereign.

Afterwards, displaying outstanding means, he revealed the Netherflame Great Emperor's secret of secluded cultivation, shared it with all sides, united the other sovereigns of East Moyu without bloodshed, and with minimal obstruction, took over all forces and resources of the Lan Clan.

During this, he also released the several slots for attendants to enter the Netherflame Great Emperor's secluded cultivation ground, which faintly contained the intent of 'two peaches kill three warriors,' breaking the barrier between east and west, making West Moyu also have the possibility to intervene.

After Xu Qing carefully recalled, he learned some things from here and also understood the posture of West Moyu.

Because of such a background, such an identity, such methods, combined with a strong rise, it naturally made You Lingzi shine in the Moyu holy land, attracting attention from all sides.

However, some things are obviously not that simple to judge, so after the Moyu Emperor set the tone, for West Moyu, a certain degree of suppressing You Lingzi became an unspoken task.

"But the Empress did not engage in battle; instead, she arranged for me to take action and challenge, in order to seize the initiative."

Xu Qing summarized in his heart, knowing that he had perfectly completed this task.

Thus, after the arrival of the Seventeenth Sovereign, the Empress chose to act decisively.

"So here is a key point: did the Moyu Emperor truly not see it? Or, due to some unknown reason, did he intentionally allow it?"

Xu Qing looked at the Empress's back, thought for a moment, and then had a guess in his heart.

Thus, time passed.

Under the Empress's unhurried demeanor, the setting sun's afterglow fell upon the Tenth Sovereign Mountain, and the scattered cultivators gathered there saw on the sky the returning two.

In each bowed head, filled with excitement and respect, Xu Qing followed the Empress back to the Tenth Sovereign Mountain.

After entering the hall, Xu Qing bowed once, hesitated for a moment, but still spoke of the red candle totem on his back.

Upon hearing this, the Empress calmly spoke.

"I thought you would continue to hide it."

"Turn around, take off your clothes."

Xu Qing immediately took off his clothes, facing away from the Empress, revealing the candle totem covering his entire back.

The Empress's gaze fell upon it, she looked carefully for several moments, and her expression showed a hint of strangeness.

After a while, she spoke lightly.

"The source of this candle is not in Eastern Wanggu, but within this Ninth Star Ring, an ancient organization."

"Before this, I had not heard that it would transfer to cultivators, and if ignited, it can burn the soul."

"I can help you seal it, but for you, this object is both a disaster and a blessing; everything depends on how you use it."

"So, whether to seal it or not, you decide for yourself."

After the Empress finished speaking, she withdrew her gaze and sat cross-legged on the upper seat.

Xu Qing put on his clothes, pondered in his heart, reflected on the Empress's words, and did not immediately ask for sealing; instead, he planned to study it further himself, so he clasped his fists in thanks and was about to turn and leave.

The Empress's voice echoed once again.

"Do not leave Sovereign Mountain."

"In five days, go to the Immortal Arts Palace of Eastern Moyu with my token."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing blinked, and the image of his senior brother instantly appeared in his mind, so he turned his head to look at the Empress.

"Your Majesty, the Eastern Moyu Immortal Arts Palace..."

The Empress coldly snorted.

"The Eastern Moyu Immortal Arts Palace yesterday issued an announcement, inviting all sovereign forces of Eastern Moyu to come and witness the ceremony of the Grand Immortal Master."

"And it informed all parties that the original disciple of the Immortal Arts Palace's Grand Immortal Master, Miss Yuedong, had competed with the Grand Elder for this generation's Grand Immortal Master position, lost, and was captured alive by the Grand Elder of the Immortal Arts Palace."

"It will begin five days later, opening the Immortal Arts Palace inheritance ceremony, refining and separating Miss Yuedong's six thieves' false immortal arts."

"This ceremony requires the approval of all Sovereign Mountains, hence this invitation and witness."

The Empress's voice fell into Xu Qing's ears, and Xu Qing's expression instantly became strange.

He knew... the Empress must certainly know Miss Yuedong's identity.

And the matter of the senior brother contending with the Grand Elder of the Immortal Arts Palace for the Grand Immortal Master position and failing... Xu Qing's first reaction was that the senior brother had done it intentionally.

He knew too well his unreliable and crazy senior brother.

"Go take a look, see how Miss Yuedong is having her immortal arts stripped away."

The Empress glanced at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and loudly said yes.

Seeing Xu Qing like this, the Empress also raised her hand to rub her brow; her initial greatest worry had been the appearance of uncontrollable variables, so she had sent Xu Qing and Chen Erniu away, but they still came.

And each one was more troublesome than the last.

"Regarding the Immortal Arts Palace, the attitude of all Sovereign Mountains is non-interference in internal affairs, only supporting the victor; after you go there, do not let the situation escalate."

"Also inform your senior brother that the Sun Flame Upper God among the Three Gods of Yan Yue had previously mentioned wanting to recruit him into Yan Yue's war, but I politely declined."

The Empress spoke in a deep voice.

Xu Qing sensed the threatening intent in these words, quickly bowed, and took his leave.

Seeing Xu Qing depart, the Empress shook her head.

"No wonder their master wanted to let them roam freely, rather than keep them by his side..."

Time passed quickly, and five days went by.

In the early morning, as the morning light shone, on the Tenth Sovereign Mountain, Xu Qing's figure flew out, rushing straight to the Eastern Moyu Immortal Arts Palace, howling as he went.

His mood had no trace of anxiety, but instead rose with some anticipation.