Chapter 1326

Xu Qing's voice echoed above the human imperial capital, fell upon the eight directions of the heavens, and entered the minds of the strong of all races.

It caused all the strong to tremble in mind and spirit.

They had thought this battle was merely the calamity brought by this ancient immortal, but now, upon hearing the words of Xu Qing and the ancient immortal, it seemed...

This battle was not as simple as it appeared on the surface; its background concealed a deeper layout.

The empress was also lost in thought there.

And Seventh Uncle raised his head, gazing into the starry sky, finally looking toward the Upper Wasteland's残面, as if in deep contemplation.

As for Zhou Zhengli and the others, their eyes gleamed with sharp light, recalling the mysterious unknown enemy they had encountered on the road back with Xu Qing.

One could say that, had Xu Qing's combat strength not been sufficient, their return journey this time... they would not have reached the end, but would have fallen along the way.

These scenes turned into countless thoughts, spreading throughout Eastern Wanggu.

Meanwhile, in midair, the ancient immortal gazed at Xu Qing, fell silent for a few breaths, then gave a hollow laugh.

"Interesting."

"It seems you have done some probing around my dwelling."

"Never mind; those matters are beyond my control. Today, between you and me, we speak only of this battle!"

"If you wish to see my law, then... let you see how it is!"

As the words left his mouth, the ancient immortal raised his right hand and struck his forehead hard.

With this strike, a sound surpassing heavenly thunder suddenly echoed.

The booming sound shattered the heavens, and the ancient immortal's body also trembled.

It was as if dust had fallen from his body; his curved, withered long hair instantly returned to its original state, and the cracks on his face turned back into wrinkles.

The withered immortal bones within his body also, in an instant, began to glow with a glazed light.

Thirty-six thousand hidden pulses simultaneously shot forth silver light; within the cracks corroded and gnawed by karma, there now seeped out a fire of law more blazing than the scorching sun.

This fire, like a dying star exploding, lifted his withered form high into the heavens, casting upon the firmament the shadow of an immortal who shrouded the sky and covered the earth!

Vast and boundless!

His aura, his cultivation, his soul, and even his karma—all were directly transformed from the ultimate state of withering by this single strike.

Restored to its original state!

This scene fell into Xu Qing's eyes; Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

With his cultivation, he could naturally see this was not a simple reversal, nor a normal recovery!

Because, although the opponent's injury had been feigned to lure the enemy, the injury was not fake; the myriad-world refraction under his own law support was truly an essential harm.

Unless the opponent's cultivation had reached the level of Immortal Sovereign, otherwise, it could not be so easily resolved.

Yet this ancient immortal had done it.

"It is not resolution, nor recovery—you have remade yourself anew!"

This is creation from nothing, emergence from emptiness, turning the impossible into the possible!

Xu Qing's voice was low and deep.

"Your law..."

Xu Qing looked toward the ancient immortal.

The ancient immortal stood treading the void, looking down upon Xu Qing.

"Have you seen my law?"

"If you have not seen through it, I will continue to show you!"

"Open Heaven!"

The ancient immortal's voice sounded like heavenly might; as it echoed, his entire body burned in the fire of law, radiating brilliant light, while the void around him, in the spreading of this fire, was scorched with fissures around the great immortal's dharma form.

Each fissure overflowed with what seemed like the purple qi of primordial chaos at the dawn of creation.

These primordial purple qi swiftly gathered together, and beside the ancient immortal, they actually formed one figure after another.

Their number was so great, directly reaching thousands upon thousands, boundless and endless!

And each one was none other than the ancient immortal himself—each was himself!

Though not truly existent, merely illusory without combat power, yet any one of them could, upon the main body being injured, instantly replace it, becoming his remade form!

This scene caused Eastern Wanggu to roar, all beings to tremble, and all races to despair.

Truly, this ancient immortal's strength is terrifying beyond compare!

"Life and death—I can control them."

As he spoke, the ancient immortal raised his right foot and stepped downward.

Instantly, the void beneath his foot shattered inch by inch, yet thousands of silver runes surged forth from the rupture, condensing at his feet into a "Karmic Law Wheel" a thousand zhang in diameter.

Upon this wheel were engraved all the stories of his life!

At this moment, they burned within the law's might, transforming into star sand that upheld his already radiant immortal form.

"Karma—I can also control it!"

Having said this, he raised his right hand and swept it.

The previously polluted karmic lines actually reversed and reassembled; those polluted into tumor-like masses burst apart one after another, transforming into pure immortal light that flowed back into his body.

The entire Eastern Wanggu continent trembled; the existing spirit veins suddenly boiled, and even those heavenly ways that had not fallen also appeared one after another, trembling in worship.

At the same time, behind him, the myriad worlds transformed by parallel law appeared.

Those myriad worlds overturned by Xu Qing were now being remade.

Within them, the world-protecting immortal tree that had collapsed due to his decline now had its roots growing逆生长 into the void, its canopy upholding his dharma form, each leaf chanting the legal words he spoke when he forged the Dao.

Furthermore, within those myriad worlds, some spiritual springs hung upside down like galaxies, some profound ice exploded into geng-metal sword rain; all errors within were being corrected, and all karma was being fed back to the ancient immortal, enabling him, in the void, to weave forth the dignified presence of the ancient immortal's descent into the world.

"And your parallel—I can also control it!"

"Not to mention the Dao of Heaven."

The ancient immortal spoke calmly, his damaged Daoist robe now glowing anew, forming a mysterious totem that seemed even older than the Dao of Heaven.

Then, with his supreme presence, he looked toward Xu Qing.

"Junior, my Constitution was initially countless, then infinite, until finally giving rise to the Power of Law!"

"This Law... before me, never existed!"

"I call it... Omnipotent!"

The ancient immortal's voice, now thunderous and astonishing, was no longer sound waves comprehensible to mortals, but a celestial resonance that detonated directly in the seas of consciousness of all living beings.

Wherever it spread, cultivators of all races spat blood involuntarily, forced to kneel and bow their heads, as the flesh and blood between their brows writhed and actually sketched the ancient immortal's Dharma form.

"I am undying and indestructible, capable of manifesting countless Constitutions, attaining infinite power, and even creating all things—so how dare you fight me!"

The ancient immortal lifted his right foot and took a step down.

A tremendous and terrifying pressure surged like mountains and seas collapsing toward Xu Qing, crushing withered wood and rotting timber, aiming to crush Xu Qing into powder.

Yet at this moment, Xu Qing seemed like a lone boat in angry waves, drifting and swaying in the storm.

But his expression remained calm, even as his clothes fluttered violently; his figure transcended the lone boat, resembling a reef in the sea.

Amidst the storm, he gazed at the ancient immortal, lost in thought.

After becoming Xia Xian, Xu Qing gained deeper insight into the life-and-death struggles among immortals.

This understanding came both from Master Bai's teachings and his experiences on the journey back, making him realize... the essence of immortal conflict is the struggle of Constitution!

And though the struggle of Constitution takes many forms, overall, it boils down to two aspects: technique and Dao.

The struggle of technique is the external manifestation of Constitution.

The struggle of Dao, however, is the collision of the inner essence of Law, and also a fundamental method of annihilation.

To a certain extent, the contact of Law can be seen as... striking at the most fundamental logic within the opponent's perceived Constitution-Law, causing them to collapse on their own!

Its inner danger often decides victory or defeat in an instant.

Therefore, the premise... is to see through the opponent's Law!

And now, Xu Qing has seen through it.

"Omnipotent?"

Xu Qing shook his head.

"I have already comprehended you.

Your Constitution is not infinite, but causal; your Law is also not omnipotent, but self-consistent.

Such a Constitution is indeed rare..."

"So what you need is for all things to have cause and effect, to be self-consistent, hence you first define for yourself a fruit named Omnipotent."

"With this fruit, by reversing yourself, you can likewise obtain a cause also named Omnipotent!"

As Xu Qing spoke, the awe-inspiring ancient immortal's eyes suddenly shrank.

"And in truth, I could have directly suppressed you, but to cut off your retreat..."

Xu Qing's eyes flashed with cold light as he slowly raised his right hand, pointing toward the ancient immortal from afar amidst the oncoming storm.

"Therefore, I will sever your Constitution, fundamentally, and utterly annihilate you!"

"And your Constitution-Law, when severed, is not difficult."

As Xu Qing spoke, seven lamps instantly appeared before him!

Exactly the Seven Lamps Netherfire Curse!

This curse, when Xu Qing cultivated his divine sense, had shown remarkable effect in multiple battles—it targets vitality, uses soulfire as a guide, relies on causality as power, and takes phantom lamps as its basis.

Its effect: when the lamp dies, the person dies; it can harm the soul and spirit.

But now, under Xu Qing's Constitution-Law, its inner essence was instantly dismantled and adjusted.

What was adjusted was the causal power contained within the Seven Lamps Netherfire Curse!

"Change the phantom lamp into a cage!"

In an instant, the seven lamps merged, rose into the sky, becoming one lamp, limiting the eight directions.

"Let the soulfire be the wick!"

The lamp fire draws immortal souls, gathering into a fire wick, sparks seeking to ignite, about to be lit.

"Let vitality be the lampshade, revealing the causal shadow!"

Xu Qing's eyes flashed with a dark gleam!

Instantly, outside the soul lamp, a lampshade appeared, and the soulfire ignited instantly, burning and scattering light that illuminated the lampshade, forming... the ancient immortal's silhouette!

Just like a shadow play!

Connected by causality with the ancient immortal!

"As for the content of the shadow play..."

Xu Qing gazed into the distance, at the ancient immortal whose expression had drastically changed, and spoke calmly.

"Is your Law not omnipotent? Are you not able to create all things?"

"Your causality and my divine power have now become one; with a single thought, you can project this causal shadow play."

"Then, you who are omnipotent, show me—can you create a stone you yourself cannot lift?"

As these words were spoken, the ancient immortal's face turned deathly pale in an instant, staring fixedly at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's gaze was captivating as he took a step toward the ancient immortal.

"You who are omnipotent, if you truly can create a stone you cannot lift, then you are not omnipotent!"

At the moment it fell, the shadow on the lampshade twisted instantly—this is the sign of a causal paradox!

And the ancient immortal retreated once again.

"If you, who are omnipotent, cannot create this stone, then you……are equally lacking in omnipotent power!"

Xu Qing's words became law, his Dao voice shaking the heavens.

Having seen the ancient immortal's constitution and laws, for Xu Qing, to sever his constitution and break his laws, what was needed……was a paradox!

Through the support and adjustment of the causal influence of the Seven Lamps Netherfire Curse, a self-negation of the concept of "omnipotence" was formed.

Thus forming a causal paradox!

Causing this divine ability, from its original "lamp extinguished, person extinguished," to become "lamp extinguished, causality collapses!"

Its name can no longer be called the Seven Lamps Netherfire Curse, but rather the Causality Shadow Play.

Thus the shadow play twisted, the ancient immortal's face turned pale, his body trembled, his constitution……was shattering, his laws, were being overturned.

The struggle of constitution, the battle of laws, this is the foundation of immortals.

He opened his mouth to speak, the constitution and laws within his body stirred, yet……he could not complete it!

Xu Qing shook his head, raised his hand and waved.

The soul fire within the lamp, in an instant, extinguished.

In the instant of its extinction, the ancient immortal spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood, his whole body directly withered away, his breath, his soul, his cultivation, his immortal body, all at this moment, violently trembled.

Because his constitution, his laws, are collapsing!