Chapter 465

Feng Hai County, a teleportation array some distance from the capital. Following the shining of light, Xu Qing's figure walked out from inside.

His face was pale, and the feeling of weakness in his body became more and more intense. After appearing, he didn't have any hesitation and headed straight for the distance, using the fastest speed to step into a barren mountain, looking for a hidden cave.

The moment he stepped in, blood gushed out again. Xu Qing's eyes were a bit dark. After sitting cross-legged, he gasped for breath, but he gritted his teeth and pinched a secret technique, sealing the surroundings.

According to his past experience, he should have recovered at least half in a day.

But now, not even one-tenth had arrived.

While the pain in his internal organs constantly invaded, Xu Qing also felt the reason why his injury recovered so slowly this time.

Inside his body, his internal organs had all shattered, the flesh and blood on his thin body had also withered, and there were countless cracks on his bones.

These were the sources of the severe pain.

As for the withering, it was because his sea of consciousness was very dim now, and the light of his soul was far less shining than before.

But these actually didn't count for much to Xu Qing. He had experienced more severe and miserable injuries than this before. What made him heavy now was that besides these injuries, there were countless needles as thin as cow hair in his body!

These needles didn't have a substantial form, as if they were transformed from countless fragments of light, permeating Xu Qing's physical body and corpses, constantly shining.

It was precisely because of them that Xu Qing's injury recovered slowly.

Fortunately, under Xu Qing's suppression, there were only a few areas on his bones where needles existed, and most of his bones had not been affected.

"Divine power..." Xu Qing murmured, his face gloomy, and ruthlessness revealed in his eyes.

Actually, on the way back, he had already tried many methods to try to disperse these needles. Although it was not without effect, it was very slow.

Xu Qing couldn't wait that long.

Because he clearly felt his Heavenly Dao warning did not decrease in the slightest following Chu Tianqun's death, but instead became more intense!

This discovery made his heart remain in a state of high tension on the way back.

Especially the closer he got to the capital, the more astonishing this sense of crisis became.

This made Xu Qing immediately realize that the crisis... came from the capital!

And he recalled that the first time this sense of crisis appeared was also in the capital. Later, he moved away to the Saint-Lan Clan. Although the sense of crisis was still there, it was not intense.

It was not until he returned to Feng Hai County that this sense of crisis rose again.

"Looking at it this way, the crisis in the desert before was not because of Chu Tianqun, but because my direction was constantly approaching the capital..."

"Why is this!"

Xu Qing was silent. He couldn't figure it out, but he knew that no matter what, he had to recover his injury as soon as possible to maintain his combat power at the peak, so he couldn't wait. And before the injury recovered, he was full of vigilance toward the capital.

This was also the reason why he didn't rush back to the capital at the first time.

"If I want to recover faster, I can only use special methods!"

Xu Qing took a deep breath, ruthlessness revealed in his eyes. His Third Tiangong operated instantly, and the power of the Poison Prohibition erupted, spreading to every inch of his physical body.

It was not to resist and resolve those needles transformed by Chu Tianqun's divine power, but to invade all the flesh and blood, making his body rot as if poisoned.

Then he didn't have half a moment of hesitation. With cold eyes, he took out a dagger and scraped the flesh on his body.

First, starting from one arm, he scraped off the flesh and blood that had rotted from the poison, along with the light needles inside, piece by piece. The harsh sound of friction with the bones echoed in the surroundings, and the feeling of severe pain was countless times stronger than before.

Xu Qing's body trembled. In an instant, his whole body was soaked with sweat, and the sweat beads on his forehead fell drop by drop.

This was the method he could think of. Since the light needles in this piece of flesh and blood were slow to disperse, then just dig them out directly. And the role of the Poison Prohibition power, besides making his flesh and blood better to be handled cleanly, was to prevent the light needles from moving.

Xu Qing was a ruthless person. He was ruthless to his enemies, and even more ruthless to himself.

As time passed, his treatment of himself didn't stop in the slightest. Pieces of flesh and blood were dug out by him. Until he reached the limit of what his body could bear, he immediately stopped and looked at the golden light on his wrist.

He instinctively didn't want to trigger the power of the golden light again, so he couldn't let himself be in a near-death state.

Detecting that the golden light was fine, he operated the purple crystal to recover the flesh and blood he had dug out. After having strength, he continued to dig meat.

Just like that, repeating the cycle, four days later, Xu Qing finally took out all the light needles.

During this period, he constantly took elixirs, and the purple crystal was also operated throughout, making the recovery power greatly improved.

As for the light needles existing in the sea of consciousness, they were also forced into the flesh and blood under Xu Qing's gritted teeth, relying on the dual permeation of the purple moon power and the Poison Prohibition, and were dug out by him alive.

Having done this, Xu Qing's eyelids were about to be unable to open. The pain of the whole process was hard to describe in words, and such a price finally made his body begin to improve in this constant recovery.

Until another three days passed, Xu Qing's injury recovered completely.

Walking out of the cave, he looked at the sunset glow on the firmament, breathed out a long breath, and then pondered. After a long while, Xu Qing's expression revealed decisiveness.

His body flickered, left this place, and headed to the teleportation array.

The capital, he had to go back eventually. On one hand, the Dao fruit needed to be exchanged for military merit; on the other hand, he also had to go to the Tai Xu Realm to continue collecting the Demon-Transforming Talismans.

Just like that, that night, Xu Qing's figure appeared in the teleportation array of the capital. The moment he walked out, he looked at the familiar capital, looked at the huge statue of the Ancient Emperor Emperor Xuanyou, suppressed the rising feeling of heart palpitations, and returned to the Sword Pavilion.

After sitting cross-legged, he transmitted his voice to the Captain at the first time, but there was no response.

Xu Qing knew that the Captain should not have returned yet, so he transmitted his voice to Zi Sister Xuan again, informing her that he was safe.

Zi Sister Xuan replied instantly, her words carrying concern. Even before long, she appeared outside Xu Qing's Sword Pavilion.

Under the moonlight, Zi Sister Xuan, in a blue dress, looked at Xu Qing, her eyes carrying concern.

"Why did you go out for so long this time?" During the conversation, Zi Sister Xuan's gaze fell on Xu Qing, carefully checking and finding that he was indeed fine, only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Xu Qing bowed with cupped hands.

"I encountered a little thing on the way, so I was delayed." Feeling Zi Sister Xuan's concern, Xu Qing said softly.

Zi Sister Xuan nodded. It seemed she still had things to deal with. Detecting that Xu Qing was fine, she gave a few instructions and left in a hurry.

Looking at Zi Sister Xuan's departing figure, Xu Qing suddenly spoke.

"Upper Immortal, I have always had a feeling of heart palpitations recently. Take care."

Zi Sister Xuan paused her steps, turned her head to look at Xu Qing, smiled beautifully, nodded, and left.

After returning to the Sword Pavilion, Xu Qing pondered and transmitted his voice to Kong Kong Xianglong again, asking if anything had happened in the capital recently. He learned that except for the fluctuations of the Black Heaven Divine Child in the Saint-Lan Clan, everything in the county was as usual.

And Kong Kong Xianglong was not in the capital; he was performing a mission outside. At this moment, he hurriedly asked Xu Qing about the Saint-Lan Clan.

"Yes, there are two groups of the Black Heaven Clan there..." Xu Qing coughed. This matter could not be explained.

"This subject is here!" The Sovereign of the Heavenly Peak Kingdom responded loudly.

"Thousands?"

"Yes... there is also a share belonging to you inside." Xu Qing responded.

"Enough brother!! Xu Qing, don't be in a hurry to sell the Dao fruit. The Ten-Intestine Tree is gone, the price of this thing will definitely skyrocket. Cough, cough, although we are all Sword-Holders, but... sometimes, we should still fleece what we can!" Kong Kong Xianglong coughed and responded quickly.

Xu Qing was not surprised. Although Kong Kong Xianglong was loyal to the Sword-Holders and had faith, no one would think that military merit was too much. So the two said a few more words and ended the voice transmission.

"The capital is normal, and the source of the sense of crisis is also here. So does it mean that the sense of crisis in the capital is only aimed at me alone?" Xu Qing put down the command sword and pondered.

He didn't feel that he was overthinking, and his vigilance had not decreased.

One night passed without words. Early the next morning, Xu Qing left the Sword Pavilion with vigilance and went to the upper capital. After re-purchasing the consumed elixirs, he went to the branch of the Demon-Transforming Sect in this place.

After paying a certain amount of military merit, Xu Qing went to the Tai Xu Realm again.

No matter where the crisis came from, Xu Qing felt that the Ghost Emperor Mountain, as his trump card, should be replenished as soon as possible. After all, although it was integrated into the Tiangong, the illusion still needed Demon-Transforming Talismans to share.

However, after integrating into the Tiangong, his control over the Ghost Emperor Mountain was smoother.

And this trip to the Tai Xu Realm, Xu Qing was familiar with the road. In that gloomy world where the brain tree full of whispers was located, his appearance immediately caused fluctuations.

Wherever he passed, countless brain trees trembled and screamed to avoid him.

It was really because Xu Qing had been too ruthless last time, so much so that although he hadn't come for these days, things about him had long spread among these brain trees.

However, Xu Qing's cultivation was not comparable to before. Although those brain trees retreated, Xu Qing soon caught up. Just like that, when the time limit arrived, Xu Qing was satisfied and teleported out.

"Seventy-five!" When walking out of the branch, Xu Qing touched his storage bag and went to the book collection place of the Sword-Holding Palace. He wanted to find the origin of the golden light on his wrist.

But unfortunately, the books in the Book Collection Hall were like the sea. Xu Qing saw it until very late and didn't find it, so he returned to the Sword Pavilion.

"Continue to look for it in the Book Collection Hall tomorrow, must find it!"

"If it still doesn't work, go to the Criminal Prison Division to be on duty, ask the Palace Master, and then I won't come out for a short time." Xu Qing felt that since the capital was dangerous to him, the safest place must be the Criminal Prison Division.

After all, the Palace Master was sitting there.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing sat cross-legged, his eyes closed.

The outside world was pitch black, and the clouds and mist were invisible. In the middle of the night, Xu Qing finished his breathing cycle, opened his eyes, lowered his head to look at his right wrist, and his left hand raised, stroking it gently.

"This golden thread... what exactly is it?"

A clap of thunder came from the sky. The rumbling sound echoed, and a strong wind rose, turning into a whimper like a crying sound, echoing outside the Sword Pavilion.

A rainstorm was about to arrive.

This night was darker than ever before.

The moon could not be seen in the firmament, covered by endless clouds and mist. Only bursts of muffled thunder echoed constantly between heaven and earth, as if a god was roaring.

Following that were flashes of lightning, emitting bright light between heaven and earth.

It illuminated the capital and also illuminated the jungle mountain range where the Wood Spirit Clan was located.

The wind blew from heaven and earth, shaking countless trees. While making a rustling sound, the rain also turned from drop by drop into a downpour in the blink of an eye, sprinkling on the world.

In the wind and rain, a shrill roar pierced the long sky, enough to make everyone who heard it feel numb. In the basin of the Wood Spirit Clan, it rose to the sky.

This sound carried endless sadness, carried heartbreak, spread to all directions, spread to heaven and earth, thunder could not suppress it, and wind and rain could not cover it.

Following the flash of lightning, a disheveled figure rushed out of the Wood Spirit Clan like crazy.

This figure was an old man.

His eyes were bloodshot, his face was full of tears. In this miserable laugh, his expression was distorted, his body trembled uncontrollably, and he galloped toward the direction of the capital with all his strength.

The wind and rain were even greater, pouring for a whole night.

It didn't slowly decrease until dawn. And between heaven and earth, it was permeated by hazy water vapor. In the distance, the clouds and mist slightly dispersed, and the early sun seemed to be sick. The dim yellow light barely illuminated the world.

Outside the Criminal Prison Division, in the Sword Pavilion, Xu Qing opened his eyes. After ending the night's cultivation, he got up and walked out of the Sword Pavilion.

Walked into the drizzle.

"I'm going to the Book Collection Hall of the Sword-Holding Palace to continue looking for the origin of the golden light. It's a pity that the little boy Ding Ding Yisaner cannot communicate. Otherwise, he should know some clues about the golden thread."

"But there, after I find the clues, I can go to confirm."

Xu Qing murmured in his heart, rose into the air, and headed straight for the Sword-Holding Palace.

In the wind and rain, his figure galloped in mid-air. Soon, he stepped onto the wet bluestone platform on the edge of the Sword-Holding Palace. Just as he was about to walk toward the Book Collection Hall, Xu Qing's expression suddenly moved, and he turned his head abruptly to look at the distant heaven and earth.

Between heaven and earth, at this moment, an old man with bloodshot eyes and extreme grief was flying toward the Sword-Holding Palace crazily.

While flying, he kept emitting shrill roars from his mouth.

"Xu Qing, Xu Qing, Xu Qing!"

His voice was extremely loud, not only containing cultivation, but also as if he had used all his strength, a tearing roar.

It was precisely the old man Ban Ban Quanlu.

He didn't know Xu Qing's specific location, but he knew that Xu Qing was a Sword-Holder, so he could only roar like this when approaching. But this was the capital. Having lost his sense of proportion because his heart was in chaos, before he could even get close, he was immediately locked by waves of divine thoughts and could not continue to move forward.

The old man Ban Ban Quanlu was disheveled. He didn't see Xu Qing in the Sword-Holding Palace in the distance. At this moment, standing in the wind and rain, he looked at the unfamiliar capital, his voice carrying indignation, carrying tragedy, and becoming more and more shrill.

"Xu Qing! Come out!"

His roar spread to all directions and also caused many Sword-Holders to frown. In the patrol outside the Sword-Holding Palace, several people walked toward him solemnly.

"Who is making noise!"

"I want to find Xu Qing, please, help me find him, I have a huge matter to find Xu Qing for!!"

"You don't have to be anxious, just wait here, someone will report for you." The Sword-Holder who walked to the front of the old man Ban Ban Quanlu and blocked him noticed the madness in the other party's eyes and comforted him while being vigilant.

Inside the Sword-Holding Palace, Xu Qing looked at the old man who was blocked in the distance and recognized his identity. The other party's appearance was very abrupt, and the entanglement between the two was not deep.

Just when Xu Qing was thinking here, the old man Ban Ban Quanlu, who was blocked in the distance, transmitted his voice again with a tearing sound.

"No time, no time." During the conversation, this old man, who had completely lost his mind and lost his reason, rushed out suddenly.

"Xu Qing, Xu Qing, where are you, help, really help!!! The golden thread on your body..."

The old man Ban Ban Quanlu's body trembled, and it seemed that blood was about to drip from his eyes. He shouted crazily toward the surroundings. And this time, his voice had almost just been transmitted, and before he could finish speaking, a gust of wind suddenly swept from the Sword-Holding Palace in an instant.

Instantly, Xu Qing's figure appeared in front of the old man Ban Ban Quanlu, raised his right hand, and directly blocked the surrounding Sword-Holders.

The surrounding Sword-Holders immediately looked respectful. After bowing to Xu Qing, they pushed away one by one. And Xu Qing had no time to return the salute at this moment. He stared at the old man Ban Ban Quanlu in front and spoke rapidly.

"The golden thread on my body?"

Looking at Xu Qing who appeared in an instant, the old man Ban Ban Quanlu stepped forward and grabbed him, calling out urgently.

"Xu Qing, Xu Qing, come with me, we are going to save Linger!"

Xu Qing's body avoided him, looking at the crazy old man in front of him coldly.

"Speak clearly!"

The old man's face was haggard, his expression anxious, but he also recovered some reason at this moment. He knew that Xu Qing didn't know anything about what Linger had done. With the other party's caution, it was impossible to just leave with him like this.

"Xu Qing, the golden thread on your body is Linger's life-bound. In order to save you, she is already in danger!!"

"No time to waste here, come with me, I'll tell you on the way!"

After speaking, the old man Ban Ban Quanlu flew forward rapidly.

Xu Qing's heart shook upon hearing this.

The golden thread on his wrist was his secret, and only he knew the great kindness that the golden thread had for him. He had never told outsiders. At this moment, his breathing was slightly rapid. No matter how the other party knew, even if this matter contained some unknowns, he could not keep his heart calm at this moment.

With one step, Xu Qing's figure rushed out, caught up with the old man Ban Ban Quanlu, and while galloping with the other party, he spoke rapidly.

"Linger's life-bound? Linger? The one who appeared on Mermaid Island?"

Xu Qing didn't have much impression of the name Linger. When he was on Mermaid Island, a young girl had given him a lot of activated strange substances, but it was only a one-time encounter, and he hadn't seen her since.

"You don't even know who Linger is..." The old man Ban Ban Quanlu laughed miserably, his expression revealing endless sadness, and a feeling of absurdity rose in his heart.

"Silly girl, really a silly girl. In this world, how can there be a silly girl like you..."

Xu Qing didn't know why, but his heart felt a bit stinging when he heard this sentence. He was about to speak, but the old man Ban Ban Quanlu turned his head suddenly while laughing miserably, staring fixedly at Xu Qing. The bloodshot eyes covered the entire range of his eyes at this moment, making both eyes reveal blood light.

"Linger is my daughter, which is the white snake you saw. The one you saw on Mermaid Island was her first transformation!"

"The golden thread on your body is her life-bound thread. It can add luck to you and block disasters for you. If you die, she dies, and if she dies... you are fine!!"

The old man Ban Ban Quanlu gritted his teeth.

Xu Qing's heart shook.

"In order to save you, Linger has been injured three times! Three times!"

"If you don't believe it, recall it yourself. The first time was more than two years ago!"

"The second time was not long after the first time!"

Xu Qing's heart stirred up huge waves, his breathing was extremely rapid, and his mind was roaring. Actually, he had recalled all of this. The first time the golden thread appeared was more than two years ago, when he was in the rental land of the Sea Corpse Clan, using the forbidden magic treasure of the Seven Blood Children, from life to death, and then from death to life.

Between this life and death, he opened the 121st Dharma aperture.

At that time, at his most dangerous moment, the golden thread emitted light, resolving the crisis for him.

Then not long after, he and the Captain left the Three Spirit Town Dao Mountain. On the way, he tried to put the Poison Prohibition Elixir into the Third Tiangong. Finally, in the danger of nine deaths and one life, the golden light on his wrist appeared again, producing a series of coincidences, and resolved the crisis for him again.

"And the third time!" The old man Ban Ban Quanlu's eyes were sad, and he roared at Xu Qing.

"The third time was before, not long ago. I don't know what you encountered, but it must have been a life-and-death crisis. How do you think you survived? Huh?"

"It was Linger. Linger substituted her life for you during the inheritance!!"

"And she... failed the inheritance last night."

The old man cried, his voice sobbing.

Xu Qing's whole body shook violently. At this instant, a monstrous roar erupted in his mind, as if ten million, ten million heavenly thunders had exploded in his heart.

Having grown up in bitterness and struggled through the cruel world, he would not feel at ease if he didn't kill all his enemies, and he would seek revenge for the slightest grievance.

Similarly, he valued kindness extremely highly. Captain Lei was like this, Master Bai was like this, Seventh Master was like this, and Sixth Master was also like this.

But now, he had actually owed so much without knowing it.

"She... substituted her life for me..." Xu Qing's whole body's blood was flowing rapidly as never before at this moment. He turned his head suddenly, grabbed the weeping old man, and essence light revealed in his eyes.

"How is she now?"

Xu Qing grabbed very hard, and the old man's arm made a clicking sound, but the old man had long forgotten the pain. To him, the harder Xu Qing grabbed, the more he felt that the hope of saving her was greater.

Because this represented that the other party cared.

"Inheritance failed, soul fell into the abyss..."

Xu Qing was silent. The canopy on his head exploded at this instant. The Underworld Spirit Blood Pool behind him suddenly manifested. The Canglong Heavenly Dao under his feet roared out. The shadow under his body rose instantly and covered him. After being shrouded, the physical power exceeding ten palaces rose to the sky on Xu Qing.

"You point the direction!" Xu Qing's voice was hoarse, revealing decisiveness in his eyes. The moment he transmitted it, he dragged the old man Ban Ban Quanlu and rushed forward rapidly.

The speed was so fast that it was comparable to teleportation, stirring up a deafening sound of breaking the air. This was Xu Qing's fastest speed!

Wherever he passed, the firmament roared, the earth trembled, and the void echoed with endless ripples.

The Wood Spirit Clan was isolated from the world, so they didn't build teleportation arrays, but the place where they were located was not far from the capital, so the old man used half a night to gallop and arrive.

But to Xu Qing, at his extreme speed, it only took a short half-hour. The Wood Spirit Clan basin... was in sight!

Two-in-one!