Chapter 319

Xu Qing did not want to wait, and upon hearing his words, the disciples here immediately obeyed and led the way. Soon, Xu Qing arrived at the very center of these fourteen corpse ancestor statues.

Here, there were layers of protection. While the defense was strict, the divine sense fluctuations from the taboo magic treasure were also extremely strong, constantly sweeping across, ensuring that if there was any suspicious situation, the taboo magic treasure could detect it instantly.

In addition, there were a large number of formations here, and even countless magic tools, forming a dense blockade that solidified the void. After Xu Qing sensed this, his heart and soul were also shaken.

Until finally, at the very center of these fourteen statues, and also directly beneath the Seven Blood Eyes' bronze ancient mirror, Xu Qing saw a huge octagonal altar.

Cultivators were sitting at each of the eight corners of this altar. The feeling their cultivation gave Xu Qing was at least that of Golden Core experts with two Heavenly Palaces or more. The moment Xu Qing approached, these eight people opened their eyes simultaneously.

When looking at Xu Qing, their eyes revealed strange brilliance, and they did not stand on their status as protectors, but stood up and bowed politely to Xu Qing.

They were not strangers to Xu Qing and also knew that the other party could step into the Golden Core stage at any time, and once he stepped in, two Heavenly Palaces would form instantly. They could not treat such a person like an ordinary disciple.

Xu Qing also returned the courtesy politely and walked onto the altar.

On the way here, he had already learned the method of using this taboo magic treasure from the jade slip given by Seventh Master. He could do this method alone, but if he wanted the taboo to be fully activated, he needed others to assist him.

At this moment, Xu Qing took a deep breath, stepped onto the altar, and walked to the position in the very center. After sitting cross-legged here, he looked up at the majestic ancient mirror high in the sky. After withdrawing his gaze, Xu Qing formed seals with both hands and pressed them toward the altar on both sides.

The Golden Core protectors all around also knew their task and formed seals, pressing down simultaneously.

Immediately, the altar roared, and a strong light rose from where Xu Qing was sitting, shooting into the sky. This light was intense, making Xu Qing's figure within it blur. The next instant, this beam of light shot straight toward the firmament.

Immediately after, at the eight corners all around, following the seals formed by the eight protectors, light also shot out from where they were located. These eight beams of light were red. After blending with the light from Xu Qing's location in mid-air, the colors of the light mixed together, turning into blood light, and fell directly onto the ancient mirror high in the sky.

That ancient mirror shook abruptly, slowly no longer rotating and sweeping left and right, gradually leveling out from its vertical state, making the mirror surface face Xu Qing's location.

After the red light poured in, the next instant it turned into refracted light, suddenly falling toward the ground, overlapping with the incoming light, and once again enveloping Xu Qing's body.

Xu Qing's body shook violently. He felt an earth-shattering power, and at the same time, his body seemed to become transparent at this moment. One hundred and twenty dharma apertures turned into points of light, very clearly visible.

This made it more convenient for him to search for the one hundred and twenty-first dharma aperture, so he internalized his divine sense and searched rapidly within his body.

But this process was not very smooth. After about twenty breaths of time, the light dimmed and gradually dissipated. Xu Qing sat cross-legged there with his eyes closed, and after a moment, he opened them, revealing regret.

He did not find it.

"Sorry to trouble you all, let's do it one more time." Xu Qing spoke politely.

The eight people all around nodded with a smile and formed seals again. Soon, another round of light beams formed, and the ancient mirror refracted them down. Xu Qing, having become familiar with this feeling, immediately began to search for the new dharma aperture.

But this time, it was still a failure.

Xu Qing frowned. As the light dissipated, he thought of what his Master had said: those who had opened one hundred and twenty-one dharma apertures in the past mostly found the location of the dharma aperture between life and death.

"Sure enough, I am still missing the state between life and death." Xu Qing murmured in his heart. His mind surfaced with his former plan.

This plan was somewhat crazy and involved life-and-death crises, but Xu Qing no longer hesitated. He stood up and bowed to the sky.

"Third Master, disciple Xu Qing, requests the Sea Corpse Clan... life-and-death conversion!"

As soon as Xu Qing's words came out, the expressions of the eight protectors all around changed.

The Sea Corpse Clan's conversion could bring the dead back to life, but those resurrected were no longer the same clan as their former selves, even their memories were blurred, they became incomparably ferocious, and their cultivation starting point was not as good as before they died, requiring extremely powerful willpower and continuous cultivation to achieve a balance.

But this kind of conversion was only a conventional method. There was another kind that was even more heaven-defying, a means used only for future royal family members or those who held great expectations.

That was... the reversal of the living!

While this method was extremely painful, it preserved memories most perfectly, and the loss of cultivation was also smaller. But on one hand, it required willingness, and on the other hand, the failure rate was also extremely high.

The pros and cons were balanced; not all future royal family members or those who held great expectations would choose it.

Xu Qing's understanding of the Sea Corpse Clan came from the sect's archives, and since Seven Blood Eyes and the Sea Corpse Clan were sworn enemies, they naturally investigated them clearly.

This was the plan that had surfaced in Xu Qing's mind at that time.

He wanted to artificially create a relatively controllable life-and-death crisis, let himself be converted, and at the moment he was about to complete the transformation into a Sea Corpse clansman, he would find a way to solidify his state, keeping himself in that state between life and death. In this way, he could use the Seven Blood Eyes' taboo magic treasure to search for his own dharma apertures again.

The danger here was that once he failed, he would truly be converted into a Sea Corpse clansman, and there was even a chance of death.

"Xu Qing, have you considered this clearly!" From the firmament came a calm voice; it was the Peak Master of the Seven Blood Eyes' Third Peak, who looked like a scholar.

His figure appeared in the firmament, looking down at Xu Qing with a solemn expression.

"Disciple has considered it clearly." Xu Qing lowered his head and said in a deep voice.

The Third Peak Master was silent, looking at Xu Qing. After a long while, he sighed softly. He saw the hidden sorrow on Xu Qing and knew the relationship between Xu Qing and Sixth Master, but still shook his head.

"I cannot grant this to you immediately. I need to ask your Master." As he spoke, the Third Peak Master took out a purple jade slip, transmitted everything here into it, and informed Seventh Master of the alliance.

Soon, Seventh Master's hoarse voice came from within this purple jade slip.

"Xu Qing, are you sure?"

"Disciple is sure!" Xu Qing's voice was resolute.

"Old Third, help my disciple." The purple jade slip was silent. After a long while, Seventh Master's soft sigh came through.

"I obey the Sect Master's decree." The Third Peak Master spoke respectfully, then put away the jade slip and took a deep look at Xu Qing.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Please, Peak Master, shield the surroundings and gather the Sea Corpse Clan's conversion power onto my body." Xu Qing's expression was calm as he spoke in a low voice.

The Third Peak Master nodded. Soon, the eight protectors on the altar all retreated. After the surroundings were empty, formation light appeared, enveloping the area and sealing it off. Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged on the altar, took out a black wooden block, placed it before him, and then closed his eyes.

The next instant, following the Third Peak Master's wave, seven figures descended into the sky. Once these seven figures appeared, each emitted a rich alien quality; they were Sea Corpse Clan cultivators.

And each of them had cultivation at the Nascent Soul level, but after appearing, they all bowed their heads toward the Third Peak Master.

"Convert the power of one corpse ancestor statue, descend onto the altar, and help him convert into a Sea Corpse clansman." The Third Peak Master spoke indifferently. The Sea Corpse Clan's conversion required the Sea Corpse Clan's special power; this was a talent that outsiders did not possess.

Those seven Sea Corpse Clan cultivators were stunned upon hearing this and lowered their heads to look at the altar on the ground one after another. But they didn't dare to ask more and immediately formed seals. Under the Third Peak Master's gaze, in an instant, one of the fourteen corpse ancestor statues emitted a heaven-shaking hum.

That was the seventh corpse ancestor statue, and also one of the largest. As it vibrated at this moment, blue light spread out from within.

First the statue's legs, then the torso, then the arms, and finally the head, until its entire body turned blue. A blue halo like the sea spread out from within this statue, permeating toward Xu Qing on the altar below.

As the halo swirled and fell, it enveloped Xu Qing along with the altar, slowly invading and seeping into his body.

Xu Qing's body shook. A piercing pain from the depths of his heart spread from his entire skin at this moment, but this bit of pain was nothing compared to the injuries he had experienced before.

Whether it was obtaining the Life Lamp within the Mermaid Clan or the life-and-death opportunity in the Giant Dragon Chariot, the pain he had experienced far exceeded the present.

So even though the pain was piercing, Xu Qing's expression remained as usual. Gradually, his entire skin turned blue. This blueness was rapidly invading his entire body; his flesh, his bones, his meridians, his dharma apertures, and even everything else were being rapidly converted.

The Life Lamp had no effect at this moment. Only the purple crystal trembled at this moment, wanting to erupt to reverse all of this, but it was suppressed to death by Xu Qing.

The Jin Gang Sect Ancestor trembled, and the shadow was also terrified.

Xu Qing's aura was rapidly dissipating, and his vital signs were also decreasing significantly. But after this decrease reached a certain level, it slowed down.

The instinct of Xu Qing's body was unwilling to die, especially the purple crystal, which, no matter how much Xu Qing suppressed it, would still emit recovery, as if using his body as a battlefield to dispel this conversion intent.

"Third Master, another corpse ancestor statue!" Xu Qing opened his eyes abruptly, blue light appearing in them, and his voice drifted out with a cold wind.

This scene caused the expressions of the seven Sea Corpse Clan cultivators in the sky to change, and they looked at Xu Qing with solemnity. They rarely encountered this situation; only their former Emperor had had a similar scene.

The Third Peak Master was silent, and after a few breaths, he nodded.

"Another one!"

Those seven Sea Corpse Clan cultivators executed the order immediately. Immediately, the second corpse ancestor statue hummed. After the blue light spread over its entire body, it suddenly dispersed and enveloped Xu Qing.

Time passed, and the duration of this conversion grew longer and longer. Three days passed.

The statues flashing with blue light all around had changed from the previous two to five!

But Xu Qing's vital signs still had not reached their limit. Although they were still decreasing, the speed was extremely slow.

But looking at it, Xu Qing, who was sitting cross-legged there, had death aura permeating his entire body, which was extremely rich. From head to toe, he was almost no different from a Sea Corpse clansman.

Only the color of the flame of life in his heart was not yet blue.

All of this caused those seven Sea Corpse Clan cultivators to be moved once again. Such a long conversion was something they had never encountered. Even their former Emperor hadn't needed so long, nor had he needed five corpse ancestor statues.

And with such a long conversion and so many statues, once the other party was converted into a Sea Corpse clansman, he would definitely be the most stunning and brilliant person in the Sea Corpse Clan in countless years!

"Such a heaven-gifted talent, what is Seven Blood Eyes doing!"

"Creating an Emperor for my Sea Corpse Clan?"