Chapter 1315: Departing the Star Ring, Gazing Back at Ancient Times

Xu Qing and Bai Dashi proceeded forward together.

They walked through the starry sky, they walked through time.

Their figures could not be sensed by ordinary cultivators; only Xia Xian could faintly perceive them.

Along the way, they also talked a great deal.

Past events, present stories, future imaginings.

Until, when they reached the edge of the fourth star ring together with Xu Qing, Bai Dashi departed.

Before leaving, this first teacher of Xu Qing gave him two items.

The first was a seed.

"Xu Qing, when you return to Eastern Wanggu, if Chen Fiyuan and Tingyu are still there, ask them one question: are they willing to come to me?"

"If they wish, you plant this seed for them; when the flowers bloom, they can come before me guided by the floral fragrance."

"What if they have already passed away?" Xu Qing asked softly.

"If they have passed, you will plant this seed before their tombstones."

Bai Dashi's voice was hoarse.

The second item he gave Xu Qing was a lantern.

The frame of this object was made by firing a certain special soil, upon which faintly appeared strange patterns, seemingly naturally formed, yet as if containing ancient runes, flowing with mysterious power.

Its material resembled Bai Dashi's medicine cauldron.

As for the lampshade, it was woven from a kind of mysterious spirit silk, emitting a faint seven-colored halo.

As the light flowed, it seemed dreamlike and illusory, as if gathering the splendid colors of all heavens and myriad worlds here.

The way those spirit silks were interwoven was extremely exquisite, actually forming faintly visible mysterious scrolls, at times revealing mist-wreathed immortal mountain paradises, at times emerging with the vast, star-strewn river of stars.

It seemed as if this lampshade itself was a miniature universe, containing endless mysteries.

And the most extraordinary thing was undoubtedly the wick inside the lantern!

It was actually an eyeball!

Even after undergoing the refining process, it still retained its spiritual essence.

It exuded a dignity and mystery that made one dare not gaze directly at it; as for the blood vessels on the eyeball, they emitted endless terror.

It seemed that a single glance could make all things in the world tremble.

According to Bai Dashi, this eyeball inside the lantern came from that divine venerable of the fifth star ring back then!

And after Bai Dashi himself refined this lantern using a special method of plants and trees, it could retain a trace of that divine venerable's divine authority!

"The divine venerable of the fifth star ring back then possessed divine authority of entropy!"

"So-called entropy is the process by which all things go from order to chaos, and at his peak…… he could alter all matter by increasing or decreasing it."

"The refining method of this lantern is my application of the Way of Plants and Trees; as my disciple, this method…… I also impart to you, hoping that after further exploration, you too can refine it."

……

Bai Dashi left.

He waited for Xu Qing for seven years at the fissure where the old divine venerable once was, and now his heart's wish is fulfilled.

And in the starry sky, Xu Qing stood at the edge of the fourth star ring, gazing at Bai Dashi's departing figure, and bowed respectfully.

After a long while, he looked at the lantern before him.

This lantern floated in the starry sky, swaying slightly, attracting gusts of void wind.

Within that wind faintly mingled ethereal immortal melodies, making listeners unable to help but become immersed; but after listening for a long time, one would discover that within this immortal melody, there were also whispers of spirits.

Listening to the whispers, after a moment, Xu Qing put away the lantern, turned around, and faced the entire fourth star ring.

On his face, a smile slowly appeared.

Appearing together with his smile was the hearty laugh echoing back from the fourth star ring.

This laugh, falling in this void, manifested as arc light, forming an illusory mirror with flowing light radiating in all directions.

From within that mirror, the figures of the Mingming Immortal Lord and his dao companion appeared.

"Junior brother, I know you wish to return home."

"Your ninth star ring, I dare not go……"

"It can be said that, aside from the few divine venerables native to your ninth star ring, other star ring divine lords and divine venerables of that level dare not go."

"Especially that Shang Huang, who not long ago even awakened……"

"Therefore, I cannot personally come to your aid on this journey."

Xu Qing nodded; he had gradually understood this over these years, especially now as Xia Xian, his perception of it is deeper.

Realizing that even as an immortal venerable, back then he only dared appear in the outer sea, and even then only inside a fish's belly, utilizing the power of the golden rat, and even so, he dared not linger too long, choosing to depart after a brief time.

"However, although I cannot go, I have also prepared a gift for you!"

Mingming smiled, raised his hand and waved; instantly the mirror where he was shrank, turning into a lens that shot straight toward Xu Qing.

"This is my constitution!"

"You once impersonated my identity back then; although at that time my constitution was a seal, you could also perceive my true mirror constitution then, so lending it to you should pose no obstacle."

"Moreover, since you are returning yourself, I remain uneasy, so I have brought all your subordinates here."

In the midst of speaking, Mingming raised his hand again.

Instantly the starry sky twisted, and in the next moment…… the figures of Star Ring Child, Zhou Zhengli, Xie Lingzi, Li Mengtu, Yuanshan Su, and others appeared one after another.

Qianjun Piyi, weeping with sorrowful faces, was also among them.

A total of eleven!

At the moment of their appearance, Mingming's voice sounded like a divine edict, echoing in their hearts and minds.

"I command you to follow the Extreme Qing True Monarch for three thousand years, guarding life and death!"

"After three thousand years, return, you immortal officials!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengli and Xing Huanzi were fine; they two, one indifferent to whether they could become immortals, believed that following Xu Qing would yield greater gains in the future.

The other believed they could rely on their own cultivation to advance.

Thus, though their thoughts differed, their expressions were similar.

However, the others were all moved.

The so-called immortal officials are the opportunity bestowed upon Xia Xian!

To them, this is a great fortune.

After all, not everyone can be like Xu Qing, successfully stepping into Xia Xian.

Therefore, in the next instant, everyone bowed in unison.

"We obey the Immortal Lord's decree!"

Afterwards, Xu Qing's former subordinates instinctively turned their gaze toward Xu Qing.

Sensing Xu Qing's cultivation, sensing that vast aura, they naturally understood—Xu Qing... had become Xia Xian!

And in their hearts, upon comparing their vision of Xia Xian, they also sensed a difference.

"Xu Qing... he bears the aura of the Immortal Lord!"

Xing Huanzi's heart trembled.

And at this moment, the gaze of Mi Ming fell upon Xu Qing as well, smiling, no longer speaking.

Gazing at the mirror before him, Xu Qing felt warmth rise in his heart, recalling the scenes of his arrival here; ultimately, Xu Qing bowed deeply before Mi Ming before him.

Mi Ming's smile grew gentler; beside him, the Spirit Phoenix Immortal Maiden softly said.

"Xu Qing, may all be well."

In that smile, in that blessing, the two figures vanished.

And at the instant they dispersed, a stream of light was flung from the void by Mi Ming, its lingering tone carrying a hint of teasing, echoing in all directions.

"By the way, I caught the three goddesses you promised, and they're all inside."

It is a bead.

Inside, three sleeping goddesses can be seen...

Xu Qing's expression was strange; he raised his hand and put it away.

And this scene fell into the eyes of Xing Huanzi and those around him; the others were fine, but Zhou Zhengli seemed thoughtful, murmuring inwardly.

"Does the Young Master like this kind?"

Before Zhou Zhengli could ponder further, Xu Qing had already raised his hand and descended toward the direction of the Fifth Star Ring.

In an instant, his constitutional law rippled, the starry sky churned, and a bronze tower appeared.

This was precisely the tower he had ridden when crossing the Primordial Sea before.

On the tower, the Holy Heaven Divine Vine still coiled, now long awakened, wandering outside the tower, sending waves of affection toward Xu Qing.

"Home..."

Xu Qing was about to step forward...

But in the next instant, his footsteps paused.

A huge bubble, unknown when, appeared in this starry sky, enveloping the universe, isolating all.

Thus, while Xing Huanzi and others remained unaware, in the distant starry sky, an old man wearing straw sandals approached.

The old man wore simple clothes, a coarse hemp robe, with a golden rat perched on his shoulder.

Gazing at this person, Xu Qing calmly spoke.

"Greetings, Immortal Venerable."

The visitor was precisely the Immortal Venerable of the Fifth Star Ring.

He stepped forward to stand before Xu Qing, examined him up and down, then coughed once.

"Kid, long time no see."

Xu Qing said nothing.

The other had, step by step, used him as a pawn; although he himself gained some benefit in the process, overall, it was merely a transaction.

Thus, there was nothing to exchange pleasantries about.

The Immortal Venerable also understood this, so after a slight smile, he raised his hand and produced a small bronze cauldron.

"This object contains the power of my single strike; I give it to you for protection."

"Finally... before you depart, I have a piece of news to inform you."

"The Ninth Star Ring, due to the awakening of the Upper Wasteland seven years ago, has caused the fate trajectory of the Eastern Wanggu Continent to shift..."

"Therefore, you had best hurry back."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

He had no hesitation; his body flickered, and he instantly appeared before the bronze tower, then swept his wide sleeve, drawing Xing Huanzi and the others inside, and stepped into the tower.

Afterwards, the bronze tower shuddered violently.

Beneath it, the void twisted, and a massive vortex appeared, from which waves of Primordial Sea aura seeped out, spreading in all directions.

Every Star Ring has a Primordial Sea.

And between the ascent of the thirty-six Star Rings, the Primordial Sea is the most direct connecting path...

At this moment, with the emergence of the Primordial Sea, the bronze tower blazed with light, and within it erupted a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering power.

This was Xu Qing's constitutional law power.

Under the effect of Wei, the bronze tower suddenly sank downward.

It fell into the Primordial Sea, vanished within the vortex of the waves, and disappeared from sight.

Afterwards... the primordial sea dissipated, everything returned to its original state, as if this sea had never appeared, only the lingering breath of the outer sea spread through this starry sky.

It grew increasingly faint.

In the starry sky, the Immortal Venerable gazed upon all this, finally raised his head, and looked into the distance toward the direction of the Ninth Star Ring.

After a long while, he murmured softly.

"I have never understood why the Upper Wasteland chose to remain in the Ninth Star Ring, to linger upon that small continent once called Huangtian and now known as Eastern Wanggu..."

"Is He seeking? Or is He... waiting?"

"Is He walking toward death, or... welcoming rebirth?"

The Immortal Venerable shook his head, turned, took a step, and his figure dissipated.

Only his thoughts remained, still rippling.

"Is the Divine Umbilical Cord truly the only path to transcendence?"

"Then, throughout ancient and modern times, has there truly been a deity who succeeded genuinely through the Divine Umbilical Cord?"

"Besides... what awaits us?"

—

There is still more today, today we activate the补更 mode.