Chapter 307: Spirit Repository, Returning Void, Spirit Imbuing

The words of Seventh Master echoed in Xu Qing's ears.

As he listened, he gazed into the distance at the mountain formed by the Southern Peak Ghost Emperor.

The waves in his mind surged uncontrollably, growing larger and more turbulent by the moment.

Even though his eyes would gradually sting from staring at that mountain, Xu Qing still looked carefully, watching with great earnestness.

He could not imagine what kind of cultivation base this god, as described by Seventh Master, possessed to have turned into a mountain after death, with a corpse that held such vast might.

It could be said that this was the most powerful existence Xu Qing had ever seen in his life.

Even the Juying from before could not be compared to it, and even the Sea Lizard Ancestor he had seen on the Forbidden Sea seemed to pale significantly in comparison to this Southern Peak Ghost Emperor.

The only thing that could rival it was the god of the Mermaid race, Mie'e, whom Xu Qing had seen in a mural on the Mermaid island.

It was also the place where Xu Qing had obtained his first Life Lamp.

In Xu Qing's memory, Mie'e also carried two great worlds on his body.

He did not know if this was a special transformation of a certain realm, but it did not stop his mind from churning.

Especially since... Seventh Master continued to speak.

"Fourth, today, here, Master will open the Heavenly Gate of cultivation on this Eastern Wanggu Continent for you, so that you may see everything clearly."

"For cultivators of our generation, the realm after Heavenly Palace Golden Core is the Nascent Soul realm. This realm is also divided into several minor stages, which you will know later, but the point Master wants to make is what comes after Nascent Soul!"

"After Nascent Soul, every realm is divided into levels. The gap between different levels is basically the difference between heaven and earth, extremely difficult to cross, and the further one cultivates, the more this is the case."

"You could even view them as different realms entirely!"

"After Nascent Soul, there is the Spirit Repository realm!"

"Spirit Repository is divided into five secrets, and after the five secrets, it is the Great Realm of Returning Void!"

"The Great Realm of Returning Void is divided into four stages, and after the four stages... is the Great Realm of Spirit Imbuing!"

Xu Qing's mind shook. As Seventh Master said this, he raised a hand and pointed at the mountain formed by the Southern Peak Ghost Emperor.

"Carrying two great worlds on the shoulders—this is the caliber of a mighty expert in the second stage of Spirit Imbuing!"

"Ancestor Xue Xue Lianzi is at the first stage of Returning Void, Shattering the Void and a Thousand Paths; the Alliance Leader is at the second stage of Returning Void, Myriad Transformations of Reality and Illusion. Behind them are the third and fourth stages. You can calculate for yourself how vast the gap is between them and this Southern Peak Ghost Emperor."

"As for our Ancestor, if he has a great opportunity in the future, there might be a sliver of a possibility of stepping into the second stage of Returning Void. As for the third stage of Returning Void... it is as difficult as ascending to heaven, almost impossible, let alone the fourth stage of Returning Void."

"As for Spirit Imbuing... let's put it this way: according to Master's judgment, there is not a single living Spirit Imbuing expert in the entire Yinghuang Province. Looking across the entire Fenghai County, there are no living Spirit Imbuing grand cultivators either!"

"Only this Ghost Emperor, who is currently in a half-dead state, is in the second realm of Spirit Imbuing!"

"But he is not a cultivator of Yinghuang Province; he fell here. His realm is so high that it has reached a shocking degree. Any such existence can be called a god."

Listening to all this, Xu Qing's mind was in violent turmoil. The cultivation realms of the Eastern Wanggu Continent were now completely clear to him through Seventh Master's words.

"And Yinghuang Province was a barren land before this Ghost Emperor fell here. Although there were many sects, they were incredibly chaotic, and few strong individuals were born until this Ghost Emperor died here, his life force turning into nutrients to nourish all living beings and races."

"It can even be said that four and a half of the six major forces in this entire Yinghuang Province are inextricably linked to him!"

"Regarding the Taisi Immortal Gate, no matter what the rumors are outside, in reality, they only grew to their current strength because they obtained a portion of this Ghost Emperor's inheritance."

"The Three Spirits of the Three Spirits Suppressing Dao Mountain are the three souls of this Ghost Emperor: Youjing is the human soul, Jueyang is the earth soul, and Tai-guang is the heavenly soul!"

"The Seven Malices existing within the two great worlds on the Ghost Emperor's shoulders are formed from the seven spirits of this grand cultivator!"

"And the Primordial Liyou Pillar controlled by the Sword Holders in the Far North is, in fact... the weapon that the Ghost Emperor stabbed into the earth before he died!"

Seventh Master's words were like thunder and lightning, roaring continuously in Xu Qing's mind. Especially the latter parts made Xu Qing clearly realize the terror and earth-shattering nature of the Great Realm of Spirit Imbuing.

A mighty expert in the second realm of Spirit Imbuing, after death, completely created a province, causing numerous forces to be born from him many years later.

This, indeed, could be called a god.

And at this moment, Xu Qing also understood that the god of the Mermaid race who had fallen, Mie'e, was an expert of this realm.

"What is above Spirit Imbuing?" Xu Qing took a deep breath and asked hesitantly.

Seventh Master raised his head and gazed at the firmament, looking not at the remnant face of the god, but at the starry sky.

"In the holy lands created by the Ancient Emperors and Sovereigns, and in the histories of the major races, there may be records of this." Seventh Master spoke softly, flicked his sleeve, and the magic ship dissipated, landing on the ground with Xu Qing and Ding Xue, who was standing to the side, looking somewhat dazed after hearing these words.

Ding Xue had heard everything that came before, but she could not retain it in her mind.

Some things, if one's cultivation level is insufficient, are actually harmful to know.

As they landed on this evil land, Xu Qing's heart was still surging.

Seventh Master glanced at Xu Qing, knowing he was digesting this information, so he led them toward a small town ahead. This... was the place Seventh Master had chosen.

This small town was located under Southern Peak Mountain. Although it was far from the Southern Peak Ghost Emperor mountain, because of the height of the peak, one could look up and see the body of the Ghost Emperor from here.

And it was positioned directly in front, making it convenient for observation.

"Next, we will stay in this small town. Xu Qing, you must observe this Ghost Emperor every day, with a limit of one hundred days, until you can outline his form in your heart."

Seventh Master walked with his hands behind his back, his words echoing as he led Xu Qing and Ding Xue—who, seeing Seventh Master's seriousness, dared not speak—into the town.

This town was not large, and the ground was full of filth. The season was mostly cold, and the autumn wind swept up large amounts of withered leaves, piling them in corners of walls, giving the town a desolate air.

But there was something unusual: the residents here, the elderly and the young, were equal in number...

This point caught Xu Qing's attention.

Ding Xue did not know what this scene represented, but Xu Qing saw some clues. However, he did not investigate carefully; for him now, the most important thing was to copy the Southern Peak Ghost Emperor mountain.

The arrival of the three of them also aroused the curiosity of the town's residents.

It was just that outsiders rarely came here. However, Xu Qing and Ding Xue had both concealed themselves upon arrival, as had Seventh Master, so to others, they looked like a family of three, which was not too unusual.

But in this man-eating world, everyone was vigilant; they had an instinctive hostility and sense of alienation toward outsiders.

Even though Seventh Master bought a property here and brought Xu Qing and Ding Xue to live, this alienation and hostility remained.

Xu Qing did not feel there was anything wrong with this. He sat cross-legged in his residence every day, and as soon as he looked up, he could see that majestic Ghost Emperor mountain. Just like when he was comprehending the Taicang Blade, he tried hard to copy it into his mind.

But this process was incomparably difficult, far exceeding the comprehension of the Taicang Blade. Yet Xu Qing did not feel anxious. He continued to gaze every day, and his whole person gradually became ethereal in this calmness.

As for Seventh Master, he took Ding Xue to wander around the small town every day, looking cheerful and kind, very fond of chatting with people, and gradually became familiar with the surrounding neighbors.

Whenever someone asked about their background, Seventh Master would look bitter and not speak. Seeing this, others would mostly be thoughtful, imagining various miserable pasts for this old man in their minds.

But if asked about the young girl beside him, Seventh Master would no longer be bitter, but proudly tell everyone that this was his daughter. As for the boy who stayed in the room all day and never came out, he was his son-in-law.

Every time Ding Xue heard Seventh Master say this, she was very happy and acted shy.

Just like that, the three of them settled down in this small town.

Time passed day by day, everything was very calm; Xu Qing meditated every day, and Seventh Master took Ding Xue out every day.

While becoming familiar with everyone in the town, the residents also slowly let down their guard.

And the strangeness of this small town gradually revealed itself.

Although the residents of this town were miserable, they were very united. Furthermore, although they were hostile to the three of them at first, after accepting them, they showed more kindness and gentleness.

This scene was rare in this world.

In addition, there were many elderly people and children in the town, which meant... this town had encountered very few dangers over the years, so the elderly and the children who did not have much self-protection ability could survive.

At the same time, there was a school in a corner of the town, where the teacher was responsible for teaching the children of the entire town to read and write.

The sound of childish reading that came from the school every day would make every resident of the town show a happy smile.

And among these children, there was one whom Seventh Master particularly liked.

This was a little boy of eight or nine years old, who was very good-looking.

He was a little different from the other children because he was very clean, his face was the same, and he carried a small leather bag as a schoolbag. He was exceptionally polite to everyone he saw when going to and from school.

Sometimes when Seventh Master was strolling on the street with Ding Xue and met this little boy, he would be shy at Ding Xue's gaze and timid at Seventh Master's stare, but he would still bow politely and then run home quickly.

His home was right next door to where Seventh Master lived. His father was a carpenter, and his mother made a living by making clothes and weaving cloth for the neighbors. In the morning, they would watch the child leave, and at dusk, they would stand at the door, waiting for the little boy to return.

Every night, the house would light up, and one could see the warmth of the family of three from the shadows on the window.

No matter how you looked at it, it was very ordinary.

But Seventh Master's eyes became brighter and brighter, and once, while sitting beside Xu Qing, he looked at Xu Qing, who was gazing at the Ghost Emperor mountain, and said with a smile.

"Fourth, what do you think about me finding a fifth for you and your fellow disciples?"

Xu Qing turned a deaf ear, still looking at the Ghost Emperor mountain, his eyes slowly becoming unfocused, until finally, without realizing it, he closed his eyes. Within his mind, the outline of a Ghost Emperor was rapidly taking shape.

But it did not end there. After taking shape, it was becoming clearer and clearer, as if a divine charm was slowly appearing.

"Hmm?" Seventh Master, who was speaking, suddenly turned his head to look at Xu Qing, a flash of surprise appearing in his eyes.

"It's been less than a month, so fast? Not bad, it's about the same speed as I was back then..." Seventh Master's voice paused, and the next instant, his eyes widened abruptly, staring straight at Xu Qing, gradually becoming moved.

"What is this kid doing... I only told him to carry the god in his heart, having the form was enough, but he... he is actually copying its charm!"

"

Discussing something with everyone: writing two chapters every afternoon is a bit stressful for a little newbie like me. I have to write until three or four in the morning every day, my sleep is poor, and I have no energy the next day.

I want to make an adjustment. I will still write two chapters every day, but I will stagger the time. The second chapter is being written and is expected to be later.