Chapter 1057: Old Six Meets Old Six

Xu Qing's blessed land was located over nine hundred thousand li away; above the firmament, beneath crimson auroras, a youth in a bright yellow long robe was racing forward.

He tore through the void all the way, his speed so great the naked eye could scarcely perceive it.

His target was clear—precisely Xu Qing's position.

With cultivation nearing mid Sovereign Realm, as he rushed forward with a howl, his aura was restrained within a hundred zhang of his body, not leaking the slightest bit, and as he sped, it grew ever denser.

As for his appearance, it was ordinary, save for a not-so-obvious birthmark on the right side of his face, making him look somewhat strange overall.

Yet his eyes held a gleam of cunning—clearly no ordinary fellow.

At this moment, his eyes flickered even more.

"Not moving at all?"

"Interesting……"

"Either this person truly hasn't noticed, and the range of his quasi-immortal sovereign's decree is merely initial; or he's feigning, having laid traps and the like!"

"Of course, there's still a third possibility—that this person is supremely confident……"

The youth narrowed his eyes, pondering in his mind, yet his speed did not diminish in the slightest.

"But to me, I fear no traps!"

"Even if it's the third possibility, there's still room to maneuver."

Thinking this, he suddenly raised his hand, took out one of a pair of specially crafted same-space storage rings he had made, and flung it downward.

Below lay a swamp.

The ring shot down swiftly, sinking into the mire.

This action seemed casual, wasting not a moment of the youth's time; in the next instant, his figure howled past this spot.

Generally speaking, storage rings contain storage spaces, while the ring itself is like the door to that space.

Conventionally, there is only one way to open the door to a storage space.

But this youth had made two.

As to why, outsiders do not know the reason—it is his secret, and nearly all who understand this secret have been slain by him.

Either that, or it's a trap—something like a deception set up to lure someone in!

Of course, there's also a third possibility: this person is incredibly confident...

The youth narrowed his eyes, his mind racing with thoughts, yet his speed did not diminish in the slightest.

But to me, I'm not afraid of traps!

Even if it's the third possibility, it's not without room to maneuver.

Thinking this, he suddenly raised his hand, took out one of the pair of specially crafted same-space storage rings he had made, and flung it downward.

Below, there was a vast swamp.

The ring shot downward at high speed, sinking into the swamp.

This action seemed casual, as if done without thought, wasting not a single moment of the youth's time— in the next instant, his figure shot past like a whirlwind.

Generally speaking, storage rings contain storage space, and the ring itself is like the door to that space.

Conventionally, there is only one way to open the door to the storage space.

But this youth, however, had crafted two.

The reason for this is unknown to outsiders—it's his secret, and nearly everyone who understands this secret has been slain by him.

And killing intent, too, was building up with the youth's rush.

Time itself seemed to feel this killing intent and urgency, flowing by in a rush people hardly noticed.

The distance drew ever closer.

Seven hundred thousand li, five hundred thousand li, three hundred thousand li……

Until one hundred thousand li!

At this distance point, the youth's already astonishing speed suddenly surged.

He resolved in his heart: no matter which of the possibilities he had analyzed the opponent was, his method would proceed as planned.

His plan was to, within the one hundred thousand li initial perception range of all quasi-immortal sovereign decrees, shift abruptly, giving the opponent no chance to react.

At this moment, above Xu Qing's blessed land, the firmament suddenly roiled; a thunderous boom erupted at this instant, heavenly in its devastation, and a blue light source appeared in the blink of an eye, its light sweeping outward in all directions.

At the moment the crimson aurora of the heavens seemed to be veiled, a massive stone hammer appeared.

This hammer was archaic, exuding an ancient air, as if it had existed for ages; upon its appearance, it hesitated not, smashing downward toward the barren mountain.

Suppress!

Heaven and earth trembled; a ring-shaped wave, accompanying the blue light, spread rapidly; wherever it passed, if there was substance, it was torn apart utterly.

Yet the stone hammer itself was not substantive.

Its descent actually pierced the barren mountain, appearing directly above Xu Qing's head as he opened his eyes inside the mountain's blessed land.

Its speed was incredible, its momentum immense.

In the flash of lightning and flint, it gave Xu Qing no chance to catch his breath, directly enveloping him and crashing down hard.

At the same time, following the hammer, the youth with the birthmark on his right cheek displayed the same terrifying speed, close on the hammer's heels.

Killing intent, too, burst forth in a heaven-shaking manner at this moment.

In this moment of crisis, Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged there, had his expression change violently; as he lifted his head, he formed seals with both hands, and instantly the restrictions around him rose.

The Nine-Nine Restrictions opened; hundreds of thousands of restrictions howled out from all directions, filling the entire range visible to the eye, forming strands of restriction lines that coalesced into a fist.

He struck the descending stone seal with all his might.

At this moment, the tremendous roar shook heaven and earth, its waves reaching all directions.

The barren mountain where Xu Qing's blessed land lay instantly became flying ash, taking the nearby earth with it, all turning to dust that scattered in all directions.

Even the void was distorted, forming rift after rift in space.

The fist formed by tens of thousands of array restrictions ultimately had too few numbers, and now it crumbled inch by inch.

Yet by leveraging the power of the array restrictions themselves and the explosion from their collapse, the falling stone hammer still had its momentum blocked and was lifted upward.

However, this immense impact also left Xu Qing in a poor state.

His face was pale, his entire body trembling, but clearly in this crisis he could not afford to dwell on much, and in a flash he sought to use this opportunity to flee.

But in the next instant, the youth behind the stone hammer had already approached, a Dao mark flashing in his eyes as he raised his right hand and swung.

In the blink of an eye, a great wind arose!

His authority is wind.

At this moment, heavenly wind descended and instantly became a storm, swirling around this place, sweeping everything aside, and even raising a wind wall like a seal.

Blocking Xu Qing's path.

Meanwhile within the storm, low growls echoed, and in the next instant, countless troops and horses appeared within it, charging from all directions toward Xu Qing.

And above, the youth with a birthmark on his right face also radiated berserk killing intent, rushing straight at Xu Qing.

Seeing no way to escape, Xu Qing's eyes flashed with madness, as if he had given up everything, and he raised his hand and waved.

Instantly, he erased the authority rising in this place.

And it opposed the wind authority.

Subsequently, Xu Qing's body surged upward, and as he formed hand seals, one divine ability after another manifested, swirling around himself and the youth in battle.

The two sides immediately made contact.

A booming resonance echoed.

Xu Qing's madness intensified, like a desperate last stand in a hopeless situation, disregarding himself, his sole aim to force the opponent back.

For a time, the sound was fierce and deafening, the intensity instantly reaching its peak.

But clearly their gap was not small, and after more than ten breaths, Xu Qing's entire body shuddered, and the youth's hand appeared strangely atop his head.

With cruelty, giving Xu Qing no chance at all, and having exchanged no words since the battle began, he clenched down hard.

With a boom, Xu Qing's skull split into five pieces and directly collapsed.

Yet in the instant before collapse, Xu Qing unhesitatingly chose self-detonation, seeking to block the opponent while leaving behind a wisp of soul, as if to flee far away.

The booming sound rang again, shocking the heavens.

The self-detonation power formed a terrifying vortex, but the youth merely coldly snorted, and then, astonishingly, a Dao mark aura rose on his body, forming a sea of fire.

He actually possessed two authorities.

One was wind, one was fire.

Moreover, his fighting style differed from that of the spirit ore guardian slain by Xu Qing and that city lord—he struck with authority, and his strikes were killing moves.

At this moment, the sea of fire surged toward the vortex generated by the self-detonation and violently swallowed it.

As it seemed all would be resolved, and as the fire sea churned and merged with the surrounding wind, swelling violently, it intercepted Xu Qing's fleeing soul and shattered it completely.

At this moment!

Underground, the true Xu Qing suddenly opened his eyes.

The previous image was naturally formed by the琉璃寶樹, and it must be said that the image transformed by this tree had no distinction in aura from Xu Qing himself, and could even manifest a soul.

Though false, for a short time it made people unable to tell the difference.

It also successfully drew in the power of the fire authority of the comer, causing both the opponent and himself to reveal an opening at this moment.

Thus, Xu Qing's eyes flashed with a cold light.

The Five Elements authorities all erupted.

In that instant, the surroundings became flying ash as the earth churned, and the earth's power rapidly gathered from all around at this moment.

In the upheaval of earth and shaking of mountains, the earth flowed like a sea, covering the wind and suppressing the youth's authority of fire.

Then Xu Qing's Five Elements fire appeared in the heavens, the fire sea spreading, heavenly fire flowing.

Moreover, countless water vapors formed between heaven and earth, each containing a manifestation of Xu Qing's likeness, his aura magnificent.

Additionally, wood power coiled, forming countless wooden sword sheaths filling the eight directions.

And within each sword sheath at this moment, metallic power emitted radiance.

The Five Elements authorities all manifested together, their killing power at this moment reaching terrifying levels.

Yet Xu Qing still felt uneasy, and without hesitation lit the Soul-Commanding Incense.

The incense smoke rose, the Soul-Commanding formed, incense burning, life burning.

And as the Five Elements authorities descended, Xu Qing himself decisively surged up from underground.

Like a stone breaking the heavens, he held the Emperor Sword and rushed straight at the youth.

Though this sounds slow when spoken, it all happened in an instant.

Even in Xiao Ying's place, upon Xu Qing's mental transmission, her own Realm of Darkness activated, shrouding the four directions, controlling all shadows within the aurora's range, and assisting in the strike.

This is the killing trap Xu Qing prepared!

Facing all this, the youth's expression finally changed greatly, his body violently recoiling, while he again operated his wind and fire authorities, and himself brandished a treasure.

Simultaneously, he displayed his own divine abilities, attempting to evade this killing.

But clearly, it was already too late.

Although he judged that Xu Qing had made preparations, he failed to immediately recognize that the琉璃寶樹's image was false, which destined this very situation to occur.

Thus, in the frenzy of the Five Elements authorities, the earth catalyzed the body, the fire sea extinguished laws, metallic radiance catalyzed the soul, wood power severed life, and water vapor brought extinction!

Shadow entwined, one sword shattered.

The booming sound violently spread, its echoes endless.

The youth's body also shattered in this echo, breaking into five pieces, becoming countless fragments of flesh and a storage ring.

The battle ended.

Xiaoying was overjoyed, her emotions surging at this moment, happily rolling the pieces of flesh and rings toward Xu Qing, ready to claim credit.

But... Xu Qing's face darkened instantly at this moment, he sharply raised his hand and pressed forward, immediately blocking the flesh and rings Xiaoying had rolled.

Xiaoying froze.

Xu Qing's eyes flashed with cold light; he felt no absorption of the opponent's authority, nor any increase in the rank or range of the Immortal Capital Order.

The opponent, not dead!

And regarding the sensing of the token, due to the proximity, the stars were overlapping, so even Xu Qing could not immediately trace the opponent's whereabouts through their token unless he immediately distanced himself.

These thoughts flashed through Xu Qing's mind in an instant, and he suddenly raised his hand.

In the next instant, the void rippled, becoming like a water surface!

Heaven and earth could be seen as a well.

Exactly, fishing for the moon in the well!

Xu Qing's move was extremely decisive, and the range of fishing for the moon in the well covered the entire surrounding area.

And this decisiveness was extremely crucial.

At this moment of manifestation, the reflection appeared!

On the water surface, the techniques and authorities Xu Qing had previously displayed emerged, like mirror images, reflected within.

This is the reflection Xu Qing chose.

Furthermore, at the location of those flesh pieces and storage rings, techniques and the two authorities of wind and fire were also reflected.

Even the items inside the storage ring space were reflected in this way.

Xu Qing, at this moment, also noticed the anomaly!

This storage space had two doors!

At the same time, he discovered that on the surface of the storage ring's space, a shadow was conspicuously attached.

It seemed not merely attached.

In Xu Qing's perception, there was a word that could describe it.

That word was sticky!

This shadow seemed to be stuck to the wall of the storage space, existing in an extremely concealed manner.

And originally, it seemed to have been poised for action.

But under the influence of fishing for the moon in the well, all things stilled, affecting him as well; though due to his sovereign power, it could not be absolutely still, his movements still slowed down.

This scene caused Xu Qing's expression to grow heavy with gravity.

He immediately analyzed: this, then, was the opponent's true body!

And what I had previously slain was a clone!

The opponent did not discern that my form, transformed from the琉璃寶樹, was not my true body, just as I had likewise failed to discern that what the opponent displayed was not their true body.

He and the opponent, both chose this method to deceive the enemy.

As for the true body, both were also at close range, utilizing the overlap during the sensing of the token to remain hidden.

Only, the opponent's behavior of sticking to the storage space wall was obviously more concealed, and its mode of existence was also special.

That stickiness seemed almost fused with the storage bag's space wall.

Thus, to some extent, it could be considered as existing between the real and the illusory.

External force could hardly harm it.

Xu Qing did not know how the opponent achieved this.

But now was not the time for contemplation.

He hesitated not, and within the well of fishing for the moon, he caused all the techniques he had previously displayed to erupt once again.

"Even if you hide inside, placing yourself between the real and the illusory, I can still harm you!"

Fishing for the moon in the well is originally a spatial law.

Let alone the opponent being stuck to the spatial wall—even if truly fused, the power of fishing for the moon in the well could still reach!

Upon this eruption, all of Xu Qing's previously displayed techniques and authorities roared again within the well of fishing for the moon.

This time, the target was that shadow!

In an instant, everything collapsed.

At the same time, ninety thousand li away, in the swamp, the storage ring previously thrown down by the youth suddenly flashed.

A figure emerged from within.

It was precisely the youth with a birthmark on the right side of his face.

But now, his complexion was pallid; upon appearing, he spat out a large mouthful of blood, then fiercely gazed in the direction where Xu Qing was.

Expression heavy with gravity.

His authority is wind and fire.

Two authorities, already heavenly pride, yet he was not satisfied.

Only, limited by his talent, he could not form a third authority.

Thus, he forged a new path, pairing a rare special object containing spatial energy with his fire authority to burn it into grease, then merging it with a certain amount of immortal fluid to maintain its liquid state.

When needed, he would use his wind authority to make the immortal fluid within scatter swiftly.

Thus, it would re-solidify, thereby achieving the sticking effect.

With this method, before engaging in life-and-death combat, he would attach his true body to the wall of the storage ring's storage space, making himself quasi-real, nearly one with space.

This method is extremely concealed; often when the opponent believes they have slain him and come to examine the storage ring, he suddenly erupts.

To launch a sneak attack.

Invincible in all endeavors.

It's just that in the Immortal Capital Hunting Trial, because the quasi-Immortal Capital Order would be absorbed after death, this invisibly caused a flaw in his usual concealment method.

"Although this damned quasi-Immortal Capital Order's plundering rules affected my concealment effect."

"But being able to sense it instantly, not giving me a chance to ambush, this person is also not simple."

"And after sensing it, he even had a method to injure my true body, making him even less simple, especially his authority..."

Thinking of this, the youth's eyes narrowed.

"And this person's previous arrangements show his intellect, his authority shows his talent, his actions show his decisiveness—all these together... this person is a rare peerless heaven's pride!"

"As for cultivation, it should also be concealed."

He felt wary in his heart, his body swayed, and he intended to leave.

Facing such an opponent, he felt that engaging in a life-and-death battle in the early stage of the second phase of the hunt was not worthwhile.

Moreover, the opponent's previous methods had also injured him, and his current condition was poor.

He needed to find a place to heal his wounds.

"Still need to be careful of being pursued by the opponent...

The youth sighed, but just as he was about to leave, his expression suddenly moved, he took out a transmission token, sensed it for a moment, and his eyes flashed.

"I have one here, perhaps it's the person you're looking for."

He thought for a moment, then suddenly sent a transmission reply.