Chapter 303: The Ancestor Earns Merit

"Items?" As Xu Qing was lost in thought, clear fluctuations continued to emanate from the shadow.

"Master... wait... merit..."

This time, there was no need for the Jin Gang Sect ancestor to translate; Xu Qing could roughly understand the shadow's intent himself. It was telling him to wait, that it could complete this task and thereby earn merit.

Thus, Xu Qing nodded.

"Master, Little Shadow is young after all. I think it would be better if I followed along to take a look." Seeing the shadow's eagerness to earn merit, the Jin Gang Sect ancestor felt a strong sense of crisis and hurriedly sent a voice transmission to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing agreed as well, and in the next instant, his shadow vanished directly from the ground. The black iron skewer where the Jin Gang Sect ancestor resided also flew out on its own, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Xu Qing sat cross-legged on the roof, waiting silently. Ding Xue blinked; she could not see the shadow, and as for the speed of the black iron skewer, it was already comparable to the level of two flames, so in Ding Xue's eyes, it remained imperceptible.

However, seeing Xu Qing sit down, she also sat obediently to the side, took out a box of pastries, and placed it beside Xu Qing.

Xu Qing looked up at Ding Xue.

"Brother Xu Qing, these are pastries I made myself. I don't know how they taste. I intended to practice more before making them for my aunt, uncle, and grandfather to taste. Could you help me try them first and give me some pointers?"

As Ding Xue spoke, a bundle of spirit notes was passed over with extreme proficiency.

Xu Qing was silent. He spread his spiritual sense to the surroundings. Although he could not find where his Master was, he felt that in all likelihood, his Master was paying attention to him here. Thus, he did not take the spirit stones but instead picked up a pastry and took a bite.

"Passable."

Ding Xue was quite happy. She sat there looking at the surroundings and spoke in a low voice.

"Brother Xu Qing, when are we going to catch that anomaly? I saw in the case files that the time for the killing is almost here..."

"It is already being caught," Xu Qing said calmly, looking into the distance.

At this moment, within the city, the Jin Gang Sect ancestor had originally been following the shadow, but the shadow clearly did not like the Jin Gang Sect ancestor, so it quickly hid itself.

"Little brat of a shadow, you really think I, the ancestor, am trying to sponge off your merit? This time, I'll let you see the ancestor's prowess." The Jin Gang Sect ancestor snorted coldly in his heart. After changing direction, he flickered and actually transformed into human form. His clothing also changed, and he looked no different from the commoners here as he slipped into the crowd and disappeared.

Just like that, time passed bit by bit. The shadow spread extremely quickly, discovering one anomaly after another, basically pouncing on them instantly and devouring them in a flash.

However, for every anomaly that died in this city, another would appear. Moreover, there was no pattern to where they appeared; it was more like they emerged from thin air, and it seemed they could never be killed off completely.

But the benefit of this was also very obvious, because until dusk fell, the death events that should have occurred today did not appear.

And as the moonlight descended, the number of anomalies appearing grew larger and larger. It seemed that if it did not complete today's killing, it would not give up. In the end, even Xu Qing, sitting on the roof, revealed a hint of solemnity in his eyes.

He looked at the small nation under the night, clearly sensing the chilling intent rapidly rising within it at this moment. The shadow was also incredibly busy, constantly devouring the large number of anomalies that were appearing.

"My interference has caused this anomaly to undergo a new change..." As Xu Qing muttered, Ding Xue, who was to the side, also felt that the atmosphere was wrong. Just as she was feeling somewhat nervous, a black light arrived in an instant, floated before Xu Qing, and transformed into the black iron skewer.

A wisp of divine sense flew rapidly from within into Xu Qing's mind.

"Master, I have found the source. Little Shadow is young after all; it only knows how to use violence to eliminate them, but it does not know that for such things that constantly spawn sub-anomalies, the more you provoke them, the more they are stimulated. To truly eliminate it, one must ultimately find the source."

"And the source is usually extremely hidden, and the clues could not have appeared recently; they are often hidden in small matters from many days ago."

"So, this humble one took on a disguise within this small nation and changed identities many times to investigate whether any strange events had occurred here over the past few years. Finally, I discovered that two years ago, a physician came to this nation. His medical skills were superb, and he had a habit when practicing medicine: he would give patients a small mirror and have them place it at the head of their bed."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

"How long was that physician here, and how many households placed this mirror?"

"Replying to Master, this humble one has already investigated all of this clearly. This physician practiced medicine in this small nation for three months before leaving. At that time, we Seven Blood Eyes had not yet come to the Alliance, so the disciples stationed here were unaware of this matter."

"And this humble one also went to several households that had the small mirror hanging. It is interesting to say that if a cultivator were to look at this small mirror, I fear it would be very difficult to see any clues. Of course, the Master is a different matter."

"And having been influenced by the Master for many years, I naturally have some discernment, and I discovered a trace of an artifact spirit upon it."

Xu Qing glanced at the Jin Gang Sect ancestor.

"This humble one understood, so I followed this trace and searched another round. Finally, in the home of a powerful family in this small nation, I saw a mirror hanging under their eaves. It should be the source of the main object."

"If my judgment is not wrong, that physician must be an evil cultivator who used this method to foster this mirror. Moreover, he could not keep such a treasure far away, so this evil cultivator must be hiding not far outside the small nation to facilitate his constant observation and retrieval of the fostered treasure."

Xu Qing was just about to speak upon hearing this.

"This humble one understood, so I went out again to find a suitable place. Finally, I discovered a small mountain. That is the best place to observe this small nation. There are hidden cultivation fluctuations within the mountain, and there is a cultivator inside. It should be due to their cultivation technique that they have fallen into some kind of deep sleep state. This humble one did not alert them and did not enter to investigate."

In the Jin Gang Sect ancestor's words, there was not a single request for credit, yet all his actions made Xu Qing have to sigh that the other party did things very comprehensively. While being watertight, looking at the anomalies rising everywhere in this small nation at this moment, although the shadow was also trying hard to devour them, it was clearly becoming more and more chaotic.

"I count this as a merit for you!" Xu Qing sent out his divine sense.

The Jin Gang Sect ancestor became excited immediately, and the black iron skewer even trembled. For some time now, he had not dared to speak, as Little Shadow's special ability had made it shine brilliantly, surpassing him to become the new favorite by the Master's side. He was worried that if he said the wrong thing, he would be casually sacrificed as cannon fodder by the Demon Xu.

At this moment, having this merit, he felt a bit more secure in his heart.

"Lead the way." Xu Qing sent out his divine sense, and the black iron skewer where the Jin Gang Sect ancestor resided immediately hummed and dashed forward.

Xu Qing leaped to follow. Although Ding Xue did not know what had happened, she could see the murderous look on Xu Qing's face, so she hurriedly put away the pastry box and followed behind like a little girl.

Soon, Xu Qing arrived at the mansion of the powerful family in the small nation. After spreading his sense and finding no cultivation fluctuations there, he did not disturb them but went straight to the place where the mirror was hanging. Upon approaching, he saw at a glance that this mirror was somewhat strange.

There was no strange substance on it, but when the wind blew and it swayed and turned, the moment it faced Xu Qing, Xu Qing's eyes felt a sharp, stinging pain. However, in the next instant, the Life Lamps within his body burned, and the canopy protection spread out, which allowed his eyes to recover.

Xu Qing was moved. One must know that with his current combat power and the toughness of his physical body, he still felt a stinging pain, which was enough to show the extraordinary nature of this small mirror. Thus, he raised his right hand and grabbed it suddenly.

But in the next instant, this small mirror actually emitted a strong struggle, instantly breaking through the force of Xu Qing's grab and heading straight for the firmament.

But in the blink of an eye, Xu Qing's figure had already appeared in mid-air. The four Life Fires and two Life Lamps within his body, along with his Imperial-grade technique, suddenly spread out. His seven-fire combat power was heaven-shaking as it merged into his palm, and he pressed down suddenly toward the small mirror that was about to fly away.

With such combat power, the small mirror immediately trembled. Unable to resist, it was grabbed by Xu Qing in one hand. His divine sense surged in suddenly, directly sealing it. At the same time, the mirrors placed before the beds of hundreds of households in this small nation shattered simultaneously.

At the same time, those anomalies that had been appearing frequently in the city also shook and vanished into smoke.

At the same time, on the top of the low mountain outside the small nation, within a hidden cave dwelling, a long rainbow flew out suddenly. Inside that long rainbow was a white-haired old man with a ferocious face. One could see layers of skin flakes on his exposed skin, as if he were molting.

But it was clearly not finished molting yet, yet his cultivation base of the first palace of Core Formation still spread out powerfully. He looked toward the small nation and let out a low roar.

"You brat, how dare you come to ruin this old man's good deed!"

His voice spread in all directions like heavenly thunder, causing the entire small nation to be shaken. As it did, Xu Qing's figure appeared. He swept a cold gaze over and rushed out rapidly, heading straight for the mountain where the old man was.

His speed was so fast that the Core Formation old man of this Tiangong could not help but change his expression. As his heart skipped a beat, Xu Qing had already arrived before him.

The moment they touched, the earth shook and the mountains swayed, the wind and clouds changed color, and the booming sound echoed through the nine heavens. In the next instant... the old man's body trembled, a mouthful of blood sprayed out, and his body was blasted backward by a great force, slamming into the small mountain.

As the small mountain collapsed and rubble fell, the old man's figure revealed horror and disbelief in his expression.

"Such combat power..."

Xu Qing's expression was calm, his eyes cold. Unless a Core Formation cultivator had two Heavenly Palaces, he could not compete with him.

But if it were only one Tiangong, his seven-fire combat power could suppress one palace with ease.

At this moment, the old man clearly realized this point as well. Amidst the spraying blood, he did not hesitate at all and retreated suddenly. He even unfolded an evil technique, transforming into a blood shadow to make his own speed skyrocket.

But behind Xu Qing, the Jin Wu manifested. Following the Jin Wu's roar, and amidst the contraction of the old man's pupils, Xu Qing's speed was even faster as he chased after him suddenly.

"You are Xu Qing of the Eight Sects Alliance!

"

The old man's scalp went numb. Seeing the Jin Wu and recognizing Xu Qing's identity, it was already too late to dodge. In an instant, Xu Qing caught up and threw a punch, which landed directly in front of the old man, blocked by a Tiangong.

But in an instant, the Tiangong collapsed and crumbled, revealing the shriveled Golden Core inside, which the Jin Wu roared and swallowed in one bite.

The old man let out a shrill, miserable scream, blood spraying wildly to the extreme. Xu Qing's right hand, carrying dense baleful fire, had already pressed onto the crown of his head, suppressing it downward, and the baleful fire instantly covered his entire body.

The scream was heaven-shaking!

There was already a huge gap between rogue cultivators and sect cultivators, not to mention that this old man had only promoted to Core Formation with three Life Fires. From foundation to aptitude to technique, the gap between him and Xu Qing was simply like heaven and earth.

At this moment, as the baleful fire permeated, a wisp of his soul was extracted and was constantly merging into Xu Qing's body. This person would serve as the first soul Xu Qing suppressed within his Dharma Apertures.

But just as Xu Qing was extracting the soul, his expression suddenly changed. The heaven and earth around him were instantly filled with rolling thunder. Within the clouds, there were seven or eight figures, each carrying greed, rapidly approaching Xu Qing's location.

There was even a vast figure revealed in the heaven and earth, with three Heavenly Palaces shining with heaven-shaking light behind him, causing his face to also reveal a sense of holiness within that light.

"Xu Qing, finally waited for you to leave the Eight Sects Alliance."

There is a third update today, but it is expected to be a bit later.