Chapter 306: Ghostly Seizure of the Dao

Seeing Xu Qing speak so naturally about going to a poison-path sect to "study," his face not even flushing, Seventh Master felt even more admiration, so he laughed heartily and nodded.

"Naturally, they exist. Come, Master will take you." With that, Seventh Master led Xu Qing away from the sect.

In the sky, without needing a prompt, Xu Qing turned and bowed solemnly toward the sect below.

Seventh Master was even more satisfied; he bowed as well, then led Xu Qing onto the magic ship.

As for Ding Xue, she was still cultivating. Her natural aptitude was clearly quite ordinary, so even with the help of the soul bead, the difficulty of opening her magic apertures remained significant.

Time slowly slipped away as Xu Qing and Seventh Master studied. A month later, as the magic ship penetrated deep into the western region of Yinghuang Province, and Seventh Master's cultivation technique for Xu Qing reached perfection, this period of study came to an end.

Xu Qing had gained immensely in his knowledge of vegetation, and his understanding of the poison path had also improved significantly. In particular, the few evil poison sects they had visited provided Xu Qing with quite a shock through their poison canons.

For instance, the Art of Planting Poison was one such method; it involved turning flesh and blood into a pill furnace, using bloodlines to form curses, and thereby refining potent toxins.

However, none of this was the main point for Xu Qing right now. His eyes burned with fervor as he looked at a small black sphere rising in Seventh Master's palm.

This sphere was composed of countless runes and contained terrifying fluctuations. Even more mysterious was that a single glance at it felt as if countless pieces of information were surging into his mind.

"Old Four, give me the Ghostly Heart of that girl, Prince Sima Ru." Seventh Master's expression was solemn as he spoke slowly.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. He recalled the day his Master told him that the heart had a great use, so he immediately took Prince Sima Ru's Ghostly Heart from his storage bag and handed it to Seventh Master.

Seventh Master flicked his sleeve, merging the Ghostly Heart into the small black sphere. The sphere instantly boiled as if alive, continuously emitting heart-shaking roars.

"Old Four, the technique Master created for you is based entirely on your own characteristics. It will form an imprint within your heart and mind."

"This method of inheritance is something I created myself, referencing Imperial-grade techniques!" As he spoke, the small black sphere in Seventh Master's hand ceased its roaring and transformed into a mass of black liquid, which floated toward Xu Qing at Seventh Master's wave.

"Look up!" Seventh Master's voice echoed. Xu Qing looked at the floating black liquid and raised his head.

The next instant, the liquid touched his brow. A piercing pain surged through him as the liquid seeped into his skin, permeated his bones, and continued to evaporate until it transformed into a strand of strange power that gathered within Xu Qing's spiritual sense, intertwining to form a black imprint!

The moment this imprint appeared, thunder rolled in Xu Qing's mind, and his body roared as if a great tide were surging; he felt like a lone boat tossed in a raging sea.

In particular, this imprint was not a dead object; it was pulsing!

It beat like a heart, and its frequency remained in sync with Xu Qing's own heart.

With the echoing of *thump-thump, thump-thump*, a massive amount of information erupted from the rune imprint, filling Xu Qing's sea of consciousness. Xu Qing instinctively closed his eyes, sensing it with his whole heart.

Meanwhile, in his sea of consciousness, Seventh Master's voice, aged yet proud, echoed.

"Old Four, every disciple of mine practices a different technique. I personally research and tailor-make them for each one!"

"This Golden Core technique of yours is based on the Ghostly Heart. I researched hundreds of Golden Core techniques, especially the arts passed down by the Ancient Xuanyou Emperor, before finally creating it."

"This technique is extremely tyrannical, fitting the momentum of your strikes; it is incredibly insidious, fitting your style; and it is incomparably cruel, fitting your murderous nature."

"This technique is named... the Ghostly Seizure of the Dao!"

"This technique can turn one of your hands from solid to void, transforming it into a Ghostly Hand. With this hand, you can reach directly into an enemy's spiritual sense and heavenly palace to seize their Golden Core."

"Then, you refine it, keeping its essence to nourish your own heavenly palace. By seizing and gathering in this way, you can accelerate the formation of your own Golden Core!"

"In this way, you will become stronger with every battle and stronger with every kill after entering the Golden Core realm!"

"Your future path is to cultivate through slaughter and prove your path through blood!"

"When cultivated to the extreme, your entire body can enter a ghostly state, thereby acquiring a portion of the Ghostly Clan's characteristics. Although the talent of 'immortal seizure' is difficult to possess, it can allow you to ignore certain spell powers and exist in a state of shifting between void and reality!"

Seventh Master's voice sounded like muffled thunder, roaring in Xu Qing's mind. At that instant, the rune imprint erupted with brilliant light, and a massive amount of information regarding the Ghostly Seizure of the Dao flooded Xu Qing's mind.

Much like when he learned the Imperial-grade technique *Golden Crow Swallows Ten Thousand Spirits*, it was branded directly into his heart and mind.

That imprint acted like a seed of inheritance, giving Xu Qing's technique a characteristic of being impossible to plunder—though not quite at the Imperial grade, it was still shocking enough to be unheard of.

Xu Qing's closed eyes suddenly snapped open. His breathing grew rapid. When he looked at Seventh Master, his eyes shone with intense light. After a long while, he stood up and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Master!"

After sensing the technique, Xu Qing realized its power was astonishing, especially since it was highly compatible with his own nature. It didn't require him to change his fighting style; rather, it was a qualitative change in the same direction as his original foundation.

Once he entered the Golden Core realm, he would be able to master this technique instantly.

At this moment, late at night, the evening wind blew, lifting Seventh Master's white hair. He stood there looking at Xu Qing and smiled slightly.

"You also don't be happy too early. This cultivation technique is too overbearing, and it's easy to get lost in practicing it. The large amount of divine sense contained in the Golden Cores you seized will wash away your heart and mind, making you a crazy person who only knows how to kill."

"Therefore, to practice this method, you need a support point to hold up your soul, so that the various distracting thoughts within the Golden Cores you seize in the future cannot shake you in the slightest."

"So, I am going to take you to a place next. I have mentioned it to you before—it is... Nanyue Ghost Mountain!" Seventh Master spoke calmly.

Xu Qing immediately thought of the human-shaped figure on the map his Master had drawn for him when he was learning techniques.

At the time, his Master had said that Nanyue Ghost Mountain might be his place of destiny.

He realized at this moment that what his Master had said back then was about this very matter.

Back then, Seventh Master had already begun to ponder Xu Qing's technique. Xu Qing realized this, and his gratitude deepened.

"Let's go. We are going to Nanyue Ghost Mountain to... plant a god in your heart!"

Seventh Master's words were profound. Without waiting for Xu Qing to ask, he flicked his sleeve, and the magic ship roared, speeding toward the direction of Nanyue Ghost Mountain. They were already in the west, so they were not far from it.

On the way, Ding Xue woke up.

She had finally opened thirty magic apertures and successfully ignited a strand of life fire. She was excited, activating her Profound Radiance state on the magic ship, continuously sensing the speed and explosive power that far exceeded what she had once possessed.

Watching Ding Xue, Xu Qing felt a sense of emotion. He thought of the difficulty of his own first strand of life fire, and especially seeing Seventh Master's doting gaze toward Ding Xue, even taking out another soul bead to hand to her, Xu Qing fell silent.

He felt the same sentiment the Captain had once expressed.

"Girls should be raised with wealth; boys should be raised with hardship!" Seventh Master glanced at Xu Qing.

Ding Xue covered her mouth and laughed at these words. She took out some small boxes containing snacks and gave one to Seventh Master in a well-behaved manner. Seventh Master was very happy, and Ding Xue quietly handed a larger snack to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing took it and looked at Seventh Master.

Seventh Master glared.

Xu Qing said nothing, took a bite, and closed his eyes to meditate. While sensing the technique, he also pondered his one hundred and twenty-one magic apertures.

Perhaps because Seventh Master was present, Ding Xue was clearly reserved. She didn't give Xu Qing spirit tickets or ask questions as she once had, but instead maintained a lively demeanor, causing the magic ship to occasionally ring with her clear, bird-like voice and Seventh Master's hearty laughter.

But as they approached Nanyue Ghost Mountain, Ding Xue's words grew fewer, and Seventh Master's laughter gradually vanished, because... the earth here was filled with misery.

On the ground, one could see countless ruins and decay; skeletons and birds and beasts feeding on carrion were everywhere. The area was filled with weirdness, and the cold, eerie feeling grew stronger and stronger, until, far away, Xu Qing saw a mountain that shook the heavens and the earth.

That mountain was incomparably tall, standing between heaven and earth. Looking closely, one could see that the mountain was, in fact, a person sitting cross-legged in meditation!

The features were obscured by dust, but it was hard to hide the ferocity. It wore pitch-black armor, held a giant blade, and carried two worlds on its shoulders.

It was like a spirit of an evil god, sitting cross-legged in the distance.

Just one glance was enough to make Xu Qing's heart and mind roar. He didn't see a mountain; he only felt that the cross-legged ghost body possessed heaven-shaking momentum and a spirit that could swallow the ages.

The higher one's cultivation, the deeper the feeling. Conversely, ordinary mortals saw only a mountain and would not experience such heart-shaking turmoil.

In Xu Qing's eyes, the figure exuded terrifying pressure, heaven-shaking to the extreme, as if every inch of its armor contained the power to destroy all directions.

And the two great worlds on its shoulders were lifelike, containing countless demons, ghosts, monsters, and evil spirits, with evil intent surging into the sky, shocking to the eye.

This was Nanyue Ghost Mountain of Yinghuang Province.

As for that evil god spirit, it was also known as the Nanyue Ghost Emperor.

The two worlds on its shoulders, regardless of how glorious they might have been in the past, were now inhabited by fierce and evil beings of various clans, led by the Seven Evils of the Ghost Mountain, becoming one of the six great powers of Yinghuang Province.

"Old Four, your task is to move this god into your heart and make it the pillar of suppression for the distracting thoughts of the Golden Cores you seize in the future!"

"If you can do it, I will allow you to practice the technique."

"If you cannot, I can only teach you a secondary Golden Core technique."

"If you can't do it, I can only teach you the secondary Golden Core cultivation technique."