Chapter 1040

"Spirit mine?"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

That there were guardians here was within his expectations, so Xu Qing was not overly surprised by the appearance of this Sovereign cultivator.

As for the other party's cultivation base, Xu Qing had also anticipated it.

After all, this place was suspected to be the Fifth Star Ring, and it was capable of suppressing the Flawless.

What truly surprised him was the term this guardian used for this place.

A mine generally refers to resources. In Xu Qing's previous understanding, a spirit mine should be a mineral vein formed by spirit stones, but looking at it now...

Using a god as the source, refining the god's life, then absorbing it through the sentient beings of a small world, filtering the impurities through one's own body, and subsequently filtering it again through the cultivator themselves...

In this way, the spiritual energy released becomes incomparably pure.

Viewed in this light, it does indeed fit the description of a spirit mine.

"Combining what those families mentioned earlier with the implications in this person's words, this place... belongs to the family they are part of."

"If a family has a Sovereign guarding a spirit mine, then what is the cultivation base of the ancestor within this family? And what kind of status does the world where this family resides hold?"

A sharp glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes; his speculation that he hadn't taken the wrong path and had indeed arrived at the Fifth Star Ring grew stronger.

"However, I arrived via the Primordial Sea; why did I appear in that small world? Does this involve other unknown circumstances or interference?"

"As for the specifics, I should be able to get some answers from this Sovereign."

Thinking of this, Xu Qing looked up, gazing at the sky from which the whistling sound came.

Although a Sovereign is formidable, Xu Qing had come fully prepared this time and possessed a trump card capable of slaying a Sovereign, so regarding a Sovereign...

"It is not impossible to kill, but a Sovereign will not stand there without any resistance, so... to ensure a true kill, I need an opportunity."

"Of course, if it can be resolved without a fight, that would naturally be better."

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. Looking toward the horizon, the roaring sound was now deafening, and the barrier shrouding this place also began to distort.

The next instant, the void was torn directly asunder by the other party's extreme speed, appearing from afar like an eye opening in mid-air.

And within that eye formed by the rift, a figure suddenly appeared.

Standing in mid-air.

This was a middle-aged cultivator with a rigid expression, a grim gaze, and a thin, gaunt frame; he did not look robust.

He wore a black robe that exuded a sense of gloom, and a wisp of red mist circled his body, flowing like a river, a shocking sight.

Most astonishing was the aura on his body.

This aura caused the heavens and earth to change color, suppressing the void in all directions, causing the sound of thunder to echo all around; amidst the continuous rumbling, the majesty of the newcomer was further highlighted.

Even the muddy water in the silt on the ground was drawn upward, circling around him.

It was as if the appearance of this middle-aged cultivator was like a black hole, capable of drawing in everything.

Even one's gaze, when falling upon him, was distorted.

At this moment, as Xu Qing looked toward this middle-aged Sovereign, the man's gaze also fell upon Xu Qing. After sizing him up, he spoke indifferently.

"Not a slave clan from within the spirit mine, nor a divine lifeform, and there are no traces of an intrusion from the outside."

The middle-aged cultivator looked down from above, gazing at Xu Qing. As he watched, a strange feeling suddenly rose in his heart.

Glancing again at the small world Xu Qing had slashed open, he narrowed his eyes, suppressed his killing intent, and his low voice echoed.

"It seems you appeared in the spirit mine out of thin air due to some accident. As for killing a few slave minions who were refining spirits, that is of no consequence."

"But what I need to know is your identity and purpose, and for what reason you appeared here!"

His voice carried an inexplicable sense of oppression, shrouding the surroundings.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed slightly; being able to see through his method of arrival at a glance showed the other party had a sharp eye.

"There are clues in this person's words; he is fishing for information to make a judgment. In that case... I can also indirectly probe." After thinking for a moment, Xu Qing cupped his fists slightly.

"I am Yan Xuanzi; due to a special accident, I ended up appearing in your territory..."

"What accident?" The middle-aged cultivator interrupted Xu Qing's words, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he pressed for an answer.

Xu Qing frowned slightly, keeping his voice calm.

"An exploration of a spatial rift."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator suddenly laughed, his gaze toward Xu Qing carrying a strange glint.

"Exploration? I think not."

"The small world where the spirit mine is located drifts outside the Great World and is not in the same spatial layer, so the probability of accidentally arriving through a rift is infinitesimal."

"And your cultivation base at the seventh layer of Spirit Repository, while it makes sense that you could kill those minions who hadn't had time to recover, but... to be able to slash open the boundary sky from within..."

"This kind of thing is rare; only some stunningly brilliant prodigies could do it."

The strange glint in the middle-aged cultivator's eyes grew more intense.

"But a prodigy... how could they not know the rules and sensitivities of a spirit mine? So, under my questioning, they would inevitably report their background."

"But you seem to know nothing at all."

"Added to the aura of the Outer Star Ring on you that hasn't fully dissipated, looking at it this way... you aren't a local cultivator, are you?"

The middle-aged cultivator's words echoed. Xu Qing remained expressionless, watching the other party continue to speak.

"I have heard... because this place was the Primordial Sea before it dried up, occasionally there are cultivators from other star rings who travel through the Primordial Sea in their respective star rings and arrive at my Fifth Star Ring."

"However, their cultivation bases are at least that of a Lower Immortal... of course, occasionally there are some prodigies who use other methods to pass through, and such prodigies usually have protectors by their side."

The middle-aged cultivator smiled, his gaze toward Xu Qing revealing a hint of greed.

"And you, under my questioning, still have reservations, which shows you have concerns and are unwilling to expose yourself, and it also shows you have no protector by your side..."

"A strange cultivator from an outer star ring, eh."

"The information about the outer star ring in your brain is of no small value to me."

The middle-aged cultivator's laughter grew louder, the strange glint intense. He raised his right hand and pointed at Xu Qing in mid-air.

The moment it fell, a massive finger composed of rules and laws materialized in mid-air. This finger was incomparably clear, the fingerprints visible, and as the finger descended, it grew larger and larger, with gullies crisscrossing it.

It replaced the sky, crashing toward Xu Qing with the momentum of Mount Tai pressing down.

The Sovereign's aura erupted fully, forming a shocking suppression.

Watching the finger, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, his body suddenly retreating.

That the other party could analyze this information from a few sentences showed he had remarkable intelligence. However, at the same time, Xu Qing also obtained the answer he wanted from this person's reaction.

This place was indeed the Fifth Star Ring.

And his teleportation process had not gone wrong.

This was what Xu Qing had been worried about in his heart earlier.

Now it seemed the answer was that this place was once the Primordial Sea, which had now dried up.

Then, arriving here via teleportation had a reasonable explanation.

Besides this, through the other party's reaction, Xu Qing also confirmed one point, which was... there was a high probability that apart from this middle-aged cultivator, there were no other powerhouses from his family here.

It was even very likely that it was not close to where his family was located.

Otherwise, the other party wouldn't be so concerned about whether there was a protector by his side.

Because if there were other powerhouses from his family here, or if the spirit mine was within his family, then there would be no need for such concern.

After all, in Xu Qing's judgment, those guarding spirit mines were Sovereigns, so the ancestors of their families would naturally be even stronger.

These thoughts flashed through Xu Qing's mind in an instant. He felt certain, and facing the incoming finger, a sharp glint erupted in his eyes. The Five Elements within his body erupted, resonating with the Five Elements rules in this divine prison, and at the same time, he waved his hand.

Immediately, a loud roaring sound came from the small world slashed open below. The Five Elements Dao within it was drawn by Xu Qing, rushing out along the boundary sky rift.

After merging with the Five Elements outside the small world, that Heavenly Dao Hand was formed once again.

The moment the Sovereign's finger pressed toward Xu Qing in mid-air, this Heavenly Dao Hand went from bottom to top, rushing straight toward the finger, grabbing it.

And twisted it fiercely upward.

A heaven-shaking loud sound.

That materialized Sovereign finger shook violently. Upon contact with the Five Elements Hand, the rules within it resisted, the laws collided, forming a series of booming sounds, whipping up an impact that swept in all directions.

The middle-aged Sovereign was not surprised by this; he had already seen that Xu Qing was extraordinary. At this moment, he raised his right hand, no longer using one finger, but pinching a seal with five fingers, pressing toward Xu Qing across the air.

Under this press, the five fingers instantly transformed into nine realms, and the nine realms became nine demons.

Nine ferocious giant demons, each with a different form.

Some carried giant mountains on their backs with massive bellies, some held up the sea with two heads and a baleful aura, some stood atop worlds with bone spurs all over their bodies, and some had the wailing of sentient beings circling them incessantly.

These nine demons appeared suddenly, each letting out a low roar, and charged toward Xu Qing, bellowing.

Xu Qing felt no great waves in his heart regarding this. Borrowing the previous impact, his body retreated again, while his hands pinched a seal. The Six Thieves Delusion Dao marks appeared in his eyes, and the Five Dogs Immortal-Abandoning Technique within his body began to operate.

The moment he struck, it was the... Immortal Forbidden Technique belonging to the cultivation system of the Wanggu Continent during the era of the Ancient Xuan You Emperor!

Using the Extreme Immortal Body to unfold the Immortal Forbidden Technique, in Xu Qing's nine days of research in the small world, its power was even more bizarre than when he was in his Divine Body, and its might was the same.

After all, this was a terrifying method specifically researched by the Immortal Technique Great Emperor for cultivators.

The moment it was unfolded, the Six Desires were no longer illusory emotions, but formed a Sea of Six Desires in front of Xu Qing!

A sea formed by six types of desires, directly covering the entire area, forming a vortex that rotated rapidly.

Within it, the six desires alternated and superimposed, erupting fully.

And while humans have desires, the desires of demons are even more intense.

So in the blink of an eye, the nine giant demons shook all over, submerged within the Sea of Six Desires. At the same time, Xu Qing's Five Dogs Immortal-Abandoning Technique was also launched in an instant.

With an invisible thought, it fell into the middle-aged Sovereign's sea of consciousness.

Tampering with his memories, hiding within them to bypass his perception, and then white hair appeared in the sea of consciousness, forming a vortex.

The gate swung wide open.

The Greedy Dog entered the house.

All of this caused the middle-aged Sovereign's mind to shake, and he frowned.

He had never seen such a technique.

"Interesting, is this a special Dao technique from the star ring you are from?"

Sorry, fellow Daoists, the air pressure is low today, and I have some chest tightness, so I am writing quite slowly and the update is late.