Chapter 1297: Swallowed in One Bite (Second Update!)

The body of that being was a ball of flesh and blood, oozing slime, exuding a true god's deadly poison; seeing this scene, the flesh's writhing accelerated.

It was about to break through the void and depart in an instant.

But in the next moment, the Xia Xian commander's body flickered, appearing directly behind that true god; raising his left hand, his entire body blazed with silver light, the might of the Xia Xian erupted again, cutting off its path.

Causing that true god to pause.

"Xu Qing, you and I join forces, we..."

Before the Xia Xian commander could finish speaking, Xu Qing arrived at this moment with the might of ten thousand immortals, booming forward, and with a wave of his hand, a fingernail appeared ahead.

At the instant that fingernail appeared, a terrifying force surged within.

It twisted the starry sky, collapsed the void; though the pressure radiating out was not as great as before from the bridge, it still shocked all equally.

It was precisely a Dao artifact!

Upon appearing, it absorbed all temporal and spatial shadows behind Xu Qing, gathering them into itself, forming a light woven of gold and silver.

It shot toward that true god, tearing through the void.

With such speed, in an instant it neared and pierced through.

In a breath, that true god trembled all over, visibly collapsing; all poison dissipated, even the poisonous plum within became part of the void.

And so was its soul!

Body and spirit both destroyed!

This scene was too fast; Xu Qing's strike was swift to the extreme, and whether his own aura or the terror of that fingernail, both were earth-shaking.

So much so that the Xia Xian commander's mind and spirit were violently shaken; at this moment, gazing at Xu Qing...

Her expression grew solemn.

"Where is this a quasi-immortal? This is clearly a Xia Xian!

Even holding a Dao artifact, an ordinary Xia Xian encountering this person would still need to be cautious."

"Especially his current state—only a hair's breadth from breakthrough!"

"He possesses everything; the immortal embryo is fully formed, about to become an immortal, needing only the ascension of constitution!"

Seeing Xu Qing's state, this Xia Xian commander spoke solemnly.

"True Lord, please wait a moment!"

At the same time, those spirits around also each had their hearts pounding, fleeing madly, while the cultivators, in this aftermath of survival, were immensely exhilarated.

They flocked to pay respects to Xu Qing, then pursued and slaughtered the fleeing spirits.

Also going along was that Xia Xian commander.

With the true god gone, the remnants of the spirits in this place, under this Xia Xian commander's strike, together with his subordinates, would soon clear away the residual gods.

After completing this mission, this Xia Xian female cultivator returned to Xu Qing's side, clasped her hands in salute.

"Thank you for your assistance!"

This Xia Xian female cultivator spoke sincerely.

Xu Qing's expression remained normal; after returning the salute, he began conversing with this Xia Xian.

Until he understood the current battlefield situation, Xu Qing departed in farewell under the gaze of this cultivator and his subordinates.

Watching Xu Qing's back disappear into the starry sky, that Xia Xian commander also felt inner turmoil.

"The title True Lord, fortune added to his person, moreover he is the brother of the sought-after Immortal Lord... in this fifth star ring today, he can be said to be supremely noble!"

"And his own strength is astonishing... next time we meet, he will surely have broken through, becoming a Xia Xian."

Thinking of this, that Xia Xian commander suddenly felt a stir in his heart.

"He seems to still have no Dao companion..."

Xu Qing does not know how that Xia Xian female cultivator's thoughts flow; at this moment, he walks through the starry sky, wandering within the fourth star ring.

The deeper he goes, the more he can see the ruin of the fourth star ring.

Everywhere are visible stellar fragments and remnants of divine kingdoms.

The traces of war are boundless within this fourth star ring.

The whole is a scene of desolation.

No starlight remains, nor the golden radiance of the divine kingdoms.

It seems most of the fourth star ring has fallen into endless darkness.

Only the supply stars spreading from the fifth star ring have become the sole light within the fourth star ring now, and with the cultivators holding the upper hand in the war, the final mopping-up is underway.

"According to what that commander said, the mopping-up battle in the fourth star ring now is divided into two aspects: one is the cultivator army continually compressing the last area where the spirits have gathered.

The other is to take each supply star as a point of origin, clearing the surrounding battlefield and remnants.

The former are often war cultivator legions, while the latter... are mostly corpse-searching teams combined with garrison squads."

Xu Qing, lost in thought, thought of Zhou Zhengli and them.

"Along the way, I can also pass through supply stars to find their traces."

Recalling those comrades, Xu Qing's mouth curled into a smile.

"I don't know how they are now..."

Thus, time passed.

Xu Qing wandered within the fourth star ring, seeking a breakthrough opportunity.

During this time he also encountered some lingering spirits.

However, with his current peak quasi-immortal cultivation and combat power capable of matching a Xia Xian, as long as he does not encounter a peak true god or a divine lord, it poses no hindrance.

Also, through the supply stars, he contacted Zhou Zhengli, confirmed their location, and Xu Qing's direction changed, continually drawing near to where they were.

At the same time, the funeral party formed by Zhou Zhengli and others had just completed a battlefield mission, earned a period of leave, and was now returning to their affiliated supply star.

Xu Qing was missing during the initial battle at the Goddess Maiden Trading Post, and during that time, Zhou Zhengli and the others each experienced their own growth.

They participated in the total assault on the Fourth Star Ring, earned some military merit, and upheld the tradition of the Funeral Corps by looting corpses on the battlefield, while also not lacking in live captures.

Their cultivation levels all improved significantly.

Now, not only are they all quasi-immortals, but Xinghuanzi has already reached the mid-stage of quasi-immortal, not far from the late stage.

As for Xielingzi and Yuanshan Su, they are also in the state of being on the verge of breaking through to the early stage of quasi-immortal.

Additionally, Qianjun Piyi is similarly in this state, and their mindset is even better than when Xu Qing was present—this carefree, worry-free feeling makes the two brothers extremely pleased.

Only Zhou Zhengli shows little change in cultivation, but he is skilled at concealment; exactly how he is, others find hard to judge directly.

At this moment, after returning to the Resupply Star, seeing everyone about to leave, Zhou Zhengli smiles and speaks.

"Everyone, I have good news—I've contacted the Young Master, and he is now rushing toward our Resupply Star."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions varied.

Xielingzi narrowed his eyes, restraining the arrogant instinct that had arisen in his heart during this time.

Yuanshan Su seemed somewhat dazed.

Xinghuanzi remained expressionless, yet a glint of sharp light flashed in his eyes.

The one reacting most strongly was Qianjun Piyi—these two sword cultivators, who had originally been proudly transmitting thoughts to each other about where to go play next, instantly trembled upon hearing Zhou Zhengli's words, their minds and spirits shuddering.

Afterwards, they each dispersed.

Watching their departing figures on the Resupply Star, Zhou Zhengli's smile did not diminish, while his heart welled with excitement.

Compared to others, he and Li Mutu, who has been cultivating abroad and not yet returned, are the ones who most hope Xu Qing returns, because their initial following earned them the greatest gain when the Mingming Immortal Lord shook the Fifth Star Ring.

During this time, he clearly felt the Fifth Star Ring cultivators' attention toward them, and on the Resupply Star where they reside, everything is open to them.

Even Xia Xian, the guardian of the Resupply Star, has been quite courteous toward them.

All this makes Zhou Zhengli extremely proud of his past choice.

As for others' thoughts, Zhou Zhengli understands them deeply in his heart and pays no attention.

He knows that others' petty thoughts, in reality, could never bear fruit from the moment Xu Qing assisted the Aurora Young Master, and will vanish like smoke and mist with Xu Qing's arrival.

Thus, watching everyone depart, he chuckles lightly, decides to wait here, and will greet Xu Qing at the first moment.

Meanwhile, the departing crowd, each acting differently.

Xielingzi immediately entered seclusion; the remnant sword within his body is trembling.

"That one has returned—you and I spoke of this matter; if you dare continue, I have no objection…… but…… do you still dare?"

Xielingzi spoke in a low voice, and the remnant sword within his body conveyed a sense of frantic desperation.

Meanwhile, the Qianjun Piyi brothers have no thought left for play; they swiftly returned to their cave dwelling and immediately began discussing.

"What should we do…… that guy is back!"

"We're doomed, we're doomed—we've eaten too well lately, our sword bodies are incredibly sharp, he will surely be moved upon seeing us!"

"It's all your fault—I advised you not to eat too much!"

"It's all your fault—you were the one who started eating first!"

Amidst the brothers' intense mutual blame, Xinghuanzi had already left the Resupply Star, transforming into a long rainbow in the starry sky and returning to his secluded cave dwelling opened in the outside world.

That place is a fragment of stellar debris, which he discovered and chose to cultivate within.

Now, sitting cross-legged, Xinghuanzi's eyes reveal a glint of sharp light.

"Although the gap is growing ever larger…… but Xu Qing, I will not allow myself to fall too far behind!"

Xinghuanzi murmured, raising his hand as vast amounts of dust appeared out of nowhere, gathering before him.

This dust is not ordinary—each particle carries a terrifying weight.

That is the Heavenly Principle!

Gazing at this dust, Xinghuanzi's heart rises with anticipation.

During this time, through his own efforts and obtained opportunities, he has finally refined his Heavenly Principle to a greater extent.

This is his preparation for later ascending to Xia Xian.

The path he walks differs from Xu Qing's.

Xu Qing has not yet grasped his own Xia Xian Constitution, while Xinghuanzi has long known that his next Constitution is the Heavenly Principle.

"Finally refined to near completion—only needs a few more days of refinement, and this Heavenly Principle dust can be fully integrated by me!"

"At that time, what I lack to ascend to Xia Xian will be only the source substance nourishing the immortal embryo!"

Thinking this, Xinghuanzi's heart steadied; he formed hand seals, immersed himself completely, and continued refining.

But just then, an accident struck suddenly!

The cave dwelling he was in—void, without any omen—suddenly twisted and transformed into a great maw!

This maw appeared greedy in composition, like the mouth of a mad dog.

At the instant of its appearance, without hesitation, it lunged toward the Heavenly Principle dust before Xinghuanzi and swallowed it in one gulp!

Clean and clean, not a single grain left!

Then it vanished instantly!

Only a satisfied burp echoed, reverberating through the cave dwelling.

All this happened too suddenly.

Xinghuanzi staggered, his mind and spirit instantly churning, his eyes snapped open in fury, and a heaven-shaking, earth-splitting roar erupted from his throat!

His cultivation erupted torrentially!

——

Still writing, more to come later!