Chapter 134: Leaving the Mortal

As his eyes opened and closed, the scorching power within a radius of over three thousand zhang surged, causing the mist to roll toward the sky and vaguely take the shape of a black umbrella, suppressing and concealing the fluctuations here.

This ensured that no one saw this scene, though all the wild beasts in this area were now trembling.

One by one, they prostrated themselves on the spot, not daring to move in the slightest.

On one hand, it was because Xu Qing's aura had now stepped into Foundation Establishment, and the pressure formed by Foundation Establishment was quite astonishing; on the other hand, it was the Life Lamp within Xu Qing's body!

This Life Lamp was shaped like a black umbrella; it was unknown what past events it had experienced, but its baleful aura was extremely heavy.

As for the formation of the Life Lamp, according to what the Captain had said back then, it was something that only cultivators possessing the bloodline of an Ancient Emperor Sovereign could condense using an Imperial-grade cultivation technique before the arrival of the God's remnant face.

In that bygone era, such people were already as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns; any one of them could suppress all directions, and the only ones who could fight them were those who also possessed the bloodline of an Ancient Emperor Sovereign and had condensed a Life Lamp.

The arrival of the God's remnant face caused most of the Ancient Emperor Sovereigns to leave, so it is extremely rare for anyone in this world to possess a Life Lamp now; only those seeds in whom great sects and major powers place high hopes have the opportunity to integrate one.

"I wonder which Ancient Emperor Sovereign's bloodline condensed this Life Lamp I have obtained."

After Xu Qing took out a spare, ordinary robe and put it on, he looked up at the shadow of the black umbrella formed by the clouds and mist. After a long while, he opened his mouth and took a slight breath, and instantly, all the scorching mist within a range of over three thousand zhang rolled back toward him.

It was as if Xu Qing had turned into a vortex, causing that scorching mist to arrive in an instant, drilling into his mouth and nose until not a single trace remained.

As the mist vanished, Xu Qing's eyes grew brighter, as if there were stars within them, emitting a soul-captivating radiance. His Foundation Establishment magic power was very intense, seemingly filling his body to the limit and instinctively radiating outward.

Xu Qing's expression remained as usual; he knew this was because he had just stepped into Foundation Establishment and his body had not yet fully adapted to this terrifying magic power.

"A Foundation Establishment cultivator cultivates their own magic apertures and Life Fire, eventually causing the Life Fire to form about three clusters to step into a new realm. My magic apertures can form four clusters of Life Fire." Xu Qing lowered his head to feel the slowly calming black umbrella Life Lamp within his body, deep anticipation appearing in his eyes.

In the Captain's remarks about the Life Lamp, he had once said that even in the era before the God's remnant face arrived, among the descendants possessing the bloodline of an Ancient Emperor Sovereign, not many could form a Life Lamp, and most only had one.

Only those true prodigies of that time, considered descendants with the potential of an Ancient Emperor Sovereign in the future, could form multiple Life Lamps, and the limit of the Life Lamps was the same as the Life Fire.

"One lamp, I am already very satisfied. I must open thirty magic apertures as soon as possible!"

Xu Qing felt his current self; under the shroud of the black umbrella, his cultivation fluctuations were relatively inconspicuous, because the existence of this black umbrella was even more conspicuous than he was.

Thus, Xu Qing lowered his head to look at the shadow. With a thought, a wisp of the shadow separated and merged into his body, shrouding the black umbrella Life Lamp.

As soon as it approached, the shadow trembled violently as if extremely repulsed, but under Xu Qing's calm gaze, it seemed not to dare to resist and could only let Xu Qing do as he pleased, turning itself into a covering cloth to conceal the Life Lamp.

Xu Qing's body instantly dimmed; although the Foundation Establishment fluctuations were still there, the Life Lamp was no longer visible.

"The only pity is the Haishan Art. Perhaps its level is too low, or perhaps it has reached its true limit, so it has always been unable to advance." Xu Qing felt some regret.

The Haishan Art had helped him a great deal, but he had cultivated it to the extreme, and breaking through was too difficult. Even now, he still could not achieve it. In Xu Qing's feeling, it seemed to be missing some opportunity.

"I will have to think about whether there is any way to raise the level of the Haishan Art in the future."

"As for now, once my cultivation stabilizes, I will return to Seven Blood Eyes as soon as possible. While registering my cultivation on the mountain, I will also go to exchange for a Foundation Establishment cultivation technique." Xu Qing currently had no Foundation Establishment cultivation technique and could not open new magic apertures, so he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to nourish his cultivation.

Just like that, time slowly passed, and a month went by.

From the time Xu Qing left until now, it had been nearly three months. The fluctuations within his body had also slowly become internalized, and with the shadow shrouding the Life Lamp, no matter how one looked at him now, he was no different from an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

At the same time, during this month, Xu Qing's understanding and control of the Life Lamp within his body had also become more profound.

At this moment, his eyes slowly opened and closed. After a faint flash of electric light vanished from his eyes, he calmly raised his hand to form a seal and pointed toward the firmament.

As the magic apertures within his body burned, an astonishing power radiated from the second magic aperture, surged through his meridians into his finger, and formed a powerful fluctuation that suddenly spread out, heading straight for the firmament.

In the firmament, a semi-transparent object formed, rapidly wriggling and expanding until it finally took the shape of a plesiosaur. Once this dragon appeared, it roared toward the sky, its body rapidly changing from semi-transparent to solid.

Moreover, a violent aura continuously gathered and rose upon it. Finally, when its form became completely real and no different from a true plesiosaur, a Foundation Establishment fluctuation spread from its body.

In the sky at this moment, the plesiosaur reflected in Xu Qing's eyes had a black body filled with a sense of the primordial, a long neck containing incomparable agility, a row of rapidly swaying sharp spikes on that neck, and eyes like bright lamps, making it look lifelike.

Even if placed in the Forbidden Sea, unless one attacked it, it would be difficult to see that it was formed by a technique.

Its body, which resembled a turtle shell, clearly possessed powerful defense. The sharp teeth revealed as it opened its mouth also carried a shocking ferocity, especially those four wide dragon fins; once flapped, they would surely allow for astonishing speed in the sea.

Looking at the plesiosaur in the sky, whose body had reached over three hundred zhang, Xu Qing stood up and stepped out. Without using a flying talisman, his body walked directly through the air.

Step by step, as if climbing a heavenly ladder, he walked toward the plesiosaur.

For the first few steps, Xu Qing was still a bit unaccustomed to it, but after taking seven or eight steps, he found the feeling, until he walked into the firmament and arrived in front of the plesiosaur.

As the plesiosaur lowered its head, Xu Qing stepped onto the top of the plesiosaur's head. The moment he turned around, the plesiosaur let out a low roar, its four huge dragon fins flapped violently, and its massive body suddenly whistled toward the sky ahead.

The speed was extremely astonishing.

To mortals, this plesiosaur was invisible, and even for Qi Condensation cultivators, unless they gathered spiritual energy in their eyes, they could not see the details clearly.

So, at a glance, Xu Qing appeared to be standing in the sky, with his hands behind his back, moving forward in a straight line!

This was Foundation Establishment.

Just like when Xu Qing was fleeing within the forbidden zone of the slums, the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor behind him was just like this, standing on that massive Angry-Eyed Jin Gang, moving forward in a straight line.

However, comparing them now, the shadow of the Angry-Eyed Jin Gang of the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor was far, far weaker than Xu Qing's in terms of both solidity and aura.

Although they were in the same realm, the difference between them was as vast as the heavens and the abyss.

Standing on the head of the plesiosaur at this moment, Xu Qing looked calmly at the earth, controlling the plesiosaur to fly toward the nearest city with a teleportation array.

Flying along the way, he saw the desolation covering the land, the harsh environment, and the white bones that had been dead for who knows how long.

The mortals of this world were pathetic.

Compared to mortals, the choices for cultivators seemed to be a bit more, but there existed the torment of heterodoxy, the risk of alienation, and the high cost of cultivation resources, which were enough to make too many cultivators despair.

To advance, one had to fight, and in fighting, there was inevitably a life-and-death crisis.

Therefore, the cultivators of this world were helpless.

Because of this, there were people like the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor, who perhaps had some glorious past, but in the end, after struggling bitterly to a certain point, chose to dwell in a corner, lording over others there and enjoying the remainder of their lives in this apocalyptic, chaotic world.

Such a choice had both advantages and disadvantages.

Xu Qing also wanted to be like that, but he was afraid that this kind of life would not last long before being crushed and shattered by a suddenly descending unknown crisis. Therefore, to truly settle down and truly survive, he had to make himself stronger.

"I just want to survive safely in this apocalyptic, chaotic world and live a little better." Xu Qing's gaze was internalized, and the plesiosaur beneath him increased its speed.

Gradually, as the wind blew more fiercely against his face, a city appeared far in the distance.

That was not the city Xu Qing had come from, but another place with a teleportation array.

Despite being in Foundation Establishment, Xu Qing's vigilance remained the same as when he was in Qi Condensation.

At this moment, as he arrived, he took a step forward, and as the plesiosaur dissipated, Xu Qing's figure also landed on the ground without a sound.

He straightened his clothes, changed his appearance, and turned into a sallow-faced middle-aged man, walking slowly toward the city ahead.

This city did not belong to Seven Blood Eyes.

Instead, like Red Plain, it was a teleportation point jointly built by the three parties: Seven Blood Eyes, Purple Soil, and the Departure Sect. Such things were very common in Nanhuangzhou.

After all, the human region of Nanhuangzhou was not small, and there were many blank areas between the various factions.

These places were either boundary points for each other or were as barren as chicken ribs—a pity to abandon, but unnecessary to occupy.

But for the sake of passage, there was the matter of joint construction and maintenance by the three parties.

Xu Qing's arrival immediately caused the guards in the city to be alarmed. It was truly because even though Xu Qing had concealed his Life Lamp and did not enter on the plesiosaur, his Foundation Establishment cultivation was still detected the moment he walked into the city.

Unless a Foundation Establishment cultivator very deliberately hides their fluctuations, even a trace of aura radiating from their entire body is enough to make a Qi Condensation cultivator's heart jump with fear.

Xu Qing was the same when he was still in Qi Condensation and did not have the ability to fight a Foundation Establishment cultivator. When he first met the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor, the other party looked at him from afar, and it made his mind roar.

And the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor had not formed Life Fire and could not enter the Profound Radiance state; at that time, it was just his normal state.

The lower the cultivation, the greater the feeling. Only after reaching the eighth level of Qi Condensation could one have some resistance, but often this resistance was more because the other party was a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a small sect with ordinary cultivation techniques and fewer than thirty magic apertures opened.

If it were a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a major sect, with more than thirty magic apertures opened to form Life Fire, then even if a prodigy in Qi Condensation were very powerful, they could not resist a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Profound Radiance state.

That was completely not the same level.

Like the arrival of Deacon Li outside the Water-Drawing Department back then; just a low shout made Xu Qing's mind tremble.

His arrival at this moment was the same for the cultivators in this city.

The little newbie did some mental calculations; tonight, there are people in love.

Some are embracing others.

And some have chrysanthemum stones all over the ground...