Chapter 538: Young Man, You Don't Play by the Rules!

Replacing the Great Black Umbrella, the sundial life-lamp that appeared within the fog of destiny was shining with brilliant light.

Although its disk was made of jade, as the lamp flame flickered, it took on a faint, crystalline texture, dazzling and piercing to the eyes, like a precious gem.

To Xu Qing, the material felt somewhat similar to his own purple crystal, as if this life-lamp were an extension of the purple crystal.

This point could be verified by the shadow's intense trembling at this moment, as well as the struggle emerging from the sleeping divine finger within the Ding Ding Yisaner Heavenly Palace.

It was as if the purple crystal had undergone some unusual changes with the appearance of the sundial.

As for the specifics, Xu Qing found them hard to grasp.

But he could clearly feel the bone-spur-like gnomon on the sundial emitting a fluctuation that shared the same origin and lineage as his own; this was what his bloodline had manifested!

Movement, this is what his bloodline has transformed into!

And when looking at this gnomon,

it appeared to be a needle, but in reality, there was a small carving at the tip.

If magnified many times, one could clearly see it was a seemingly ordinary purple chair.

Xu Qing's gaze sharpened.

As for the lamp flames floating around the gnomon, they were like suns, circling the gnomon while moving slowly, simultaneously casting

shadows that fell upon the sundial disk.

On those complex markings, they were incredibly clear, also moving slowly.

Xu Qing's mind surged violently.

He vaguely guessed why the life-lamp he had shaped took on such a form.

All of this had a great deal to do with the purple crystal.

"Is this a manifestation of the purple crystal merging with my bloodline?"

"And the aura on this..."

Xu Qing murmured in his heart; as the shadow of the needle moved, his life-lamp emitted an aura similar to that of the Time Bottle at this moment.

This was time!

But it was not consistent with the time of the outside world.

As it rotated, a vast power rose within, affecting Xu Qing's sea of consciousness and causing it to churn.

It affected Xu Qing's physical body, causing it to tremble.

Furthermore, it affected the outside world, causing the thousand-foot vortex to isolate all directions under its rumbling rotation, forcibly making the time within a thousand feet of this place

synchronize with Xu Qing.

In this way, the area within and outside the thousand feet seemed to turn into two different worlds, and the resulting chaos erupted at the edges, distorting

everything.

This was the phenomenon released when a new life-lamp formed in the world and collided with the laws of the Eastern Wanggu Continent; different

life-lamps produced different phenomena, all of which were the Eastern Wanggu Continent's

recognition of them.

This scene was something few could recognize the origin of; after all, since ancient times, those who had witnessed this with their own eyes were

few and far between.

And Xu Qing, within this thousand-foot radius, was currently sitting cross-legged, his whole body shining with purple light, a mysterious air

permeating his body, while the waves in his heart also continued to rise and

fall, unable to calm down.

He gazed at the sundial gathered within his sea of consciousness; regardless of whether this life-lamp was formed by the fusion of the purple crystal and his own bloodline,

the sense of shared origin radiating from the sundial made Xu Qing

clearly understand that this was his life-lamp.

It was completely different from the feeling he had when obtaining other life-lamps.

Other life-lamps, even when fused into Xu Qing's body, were ultimately unrelated to his bloodline in the slightest,

and to Xu Qing, they were merely dead objects.

He could use them and borrow their power, but he could never reach the heights of their true masters.

Therefore, to the cultivators of the Eastern Wanggu Continent, while life-lamps were good and were supreme treasures, they were only useful below the Spirit Repository realm.

Once one reached the Spirit Repository, they were useless and even had to be removed from the body to reduce karma.

This was the common sentiment of all cultivators who possessed the life-lamps of others without bloodline fusion.

But from now on, for

Xu Qing, it was different.

This life-lamp born from his bloodline could transform into a massive furnace when he reached the Spirit Repository, laying a foundation for his Spirit Repository

identical to that of a Sovereign.

Under that furnace, once Xu Qing entered the Spirit Repository, all matter could be placed into his secret repository to be refined,

turning it into his own substance, strengthening his secret repository, and walking

the path of the supreme.

This was an unparalleled advantage that only the descendants of Ancient Emperors and Sovereigns could possess.

And in Xu Qing's case, it went even further; he was not a descendant of a Sovereign enjoying blessings, he was the one who created the blessings,

so the life-lamp itself still possessed too many unfathomable

abilities that required him to develop them one by one.

For now, he could only sense that the power possessed by his life-lamp was related to time.

As for its might, he had not yet tested it, but a vague perception made him understand that his life-lamp's combat power was similar to other life-lamps,

not the kind that possessed

heaven-toppling power instantly, capable of suppressing all directions regardless of cultivation base.

Xu Qing felt a bit of regret.

But he also understood that it was unrealistic.

"The biggest difference between my life-lamp and others' is life and death; others' life-lamps are dead objects to me,

with no potential to speak of, merely borrowed."

"But my own life-lamp exists alongside my life; it possesses infinite potential and can grow with me."

"As for the time power upon it, it should come from the purple crystal."

Xu Qing pondered; as for the specifics, he knew the environment he was currently in was not suitable for deep contemplation, as the surrounding

thousand-foot vortex was too eye-catching.

And Ling'er was also transmitting urgently.

"Brother Xu Qing, run! Bad guys are coming, so many, many bad guys!"

Ling'er's voice was filled with tension; although Xu Qing's Heavenly Dao warning was also strong, it had been like this for days,

and there had been no

major changes, which was enough to show that Ling'er's perception was more precise.

So Xu Qing did not hesitate, suppressing all his thoughts, his body sinking into the magma, stealthily moving forward rapidly, quickly

leaving this place.

At the same time, he collected the red crystals that had precipitated on his body after the life-lamp formed.

This time, the number of crystals that appeared was not small; twenty-some appeared all at once.

As he left, the thousand-foot vortex also gradually slowed down.

Three hours after Xu Qing left, the vortex completely dissipated, and not long after, a group of Mirror Shadow tribe cultivators came whistling from afar in the Skyfire Sea.

The moment they approached, even though the vortex had dissipated, the residual power was still astonishing; as soon as those Mirror Shadow cultivators got close,

someone immediately exclaimed.

"Something is wrong here!"

As they spoke, the person who exclaimed retreated rapidly; the body they were parasitizing was now visibly withering,

and it was not that their vitality was being plundered,

but that their life was slipping away!

This scene caused the person's expression to change drastically.

The other Mirror Shadow cultivators also gasped.

"Either a powerhouse descended here, or some mysterious magic treasure appeared beneath the Skyfire Sea related to time; this matter is too big!"

"Moreover, the compass just sensed that twenty-some high-grade Skyfire Crystals appeared at once; this quantity... is enough to start a war!"

After looking at each other, their eyes revealed both wariness and greed.

"The State Preceptor is on the way; let us investigate first!"

"Inform all our clansmen in the Skyfire Sea to come here immediately!"

These Mirror Shadow race cultivators transmitted their voices to one another and immediately scattered to search individually.

At the same time, it was not just the Mirror Shadow race cultivators who arrived; in the distance, even more

cultivators, also having sensed the changes in the compass,

were breathing rapidly, one after another, as they headed straight for this location.

Some were alone, others in groups; the most numerous among them were the Sky Face race, who were heading straight for this

location from another direction.

Within a radius of ten thousand miles, it was as if an invisible vortex was drawing cultivators from all directions together.

At this moment, Xu Qing's Heavenly Dao warning was incredibly intense, and Ling'er's voice was also trembling as she spoke rapidly.

"Brother Xu Qing, too many people are coming, and I can also sense two very strong existences in the distance

who are rushing over."

Xu Qing frowned. His first thought was that the vortex formed by his life lamps had attracted the attention of all sides, but this

could not explain the many previous Heavenly Dao warnings.

"Could it be that red crystal?"

Xu Qing pondered, but in an instant, his body jolted, and he raised his right hand to press against the surface of the magma.

Almost the moment he pressed down, a great force descended from the fire sea, forming a giant mask that sank into the magma

and collided with Xu Qing's palm.

Amidst a roar, the hundred-zhang magma in this area caved in by a zhang, and as flames splashed everywhere, Xu Qing's figure was revealed.

The pressure from within the fire sea, under the impact of the force from above, appeared to show signs of erupting,

much like a squeezed balloon.

The next instant, Xu Qing sped into the sky, and the magma fire sea surged up from within, blooming into

a giant flower of flame amidst an earth-shattering sound.

As flames fell like rain in all directions, Xu Qing saw the person who had attacked him from mid-air.

This was a Sky Face race cultivator, whose nearly seven-zhang tall body filled the sky with a majestic

aura, especially his golden armor, which

made him shine with a blinding radiance in this firelight.

His cultivation base was also extraordinary; seven Nascent Souls sat cross-legged within his body, manifesting as seven giant masks outside him, each

with eyes closed, at the peak of the second tribulation of the Nascent Soul, seemingly not far

from the third tribulation.

The one who had just struck Xu Qing was one of them.

"Sneaky, skulking in the magma; you lowly human, are you trying to avoid the search this way?"

This Sky Face race cultivator looked at Xu Qing with cold eyes; the face on his own face was composed of many colorful lines, and at this moment, the lines at the position of his eyes flowed, forming two vortexes that turned

The lines of the position flowed and circulated, forming two whirlpools, transforming

These eyes were not ordinary and possessed special power, which was why he could see Xu Qing beneath the magma.

"The Mirror Shadow race is sealing off the surroundings; are they looking for you?"

The Sky Face race cultivator stared at Xu Qing, walking forward step by step, and spoke indifferently.

"Then, I suppose it must be you who took the Skyfire Crystal?"

"I only want five; give them to me, and I will pretend I didn't see you. You can think about it, but don't take too long; there are many

cultivators here, all searching."

Anyone facing such words in such an environment, unless their cultivation was enough to crush the opponent, would inevitably

weigh their options, so the moment these words were spoken,

this Sky Face race person's body suddenly flickered.

His speed erupted suddenly, stirring up a shocking aura as he headed straight for Xu Qing.

His speed was so fast that he arrived in an instant, choosing the very moment he judged Xu Qing would be weighing his options, but his idea fell

through; Xu Qing did not weigh anything and attacked at the same time.

To Xu Qing, such rhetoric was not worth mentioning; he saw the other party's intentions very clearly.

In an instant, the area roared; the Sky Face race person retreated rapidly, his expression changing, his eyes revealing a strange light.

"Thirteen Nascent Souls, five life lamps!!"

"No wonder it felt a bit off to me; you are not from the Jiyue Great Domain!"

That Sky Face race cultivator looked excited and licked his lips.

"A treasure like life lamps, you actually have five! Looks like you are a great genius of the human race from an outer domain who broke into our Jiyue..."

"... I wonder what you taste like."

While speaking, the Sky Face race cultivator formed seals with both hands, and immediately the seven Nascent Soul faces behind him all opened their eyes, staring in unison

at Xu Qing, while sharp sounds emanated from their mouths.

This sound pierced the air, forming ripples, with a shocking aura.

Xu Qing also retreated, his shadow spreading out in secret, fish bone in hand, killing intent filling his heart.

He knew very well that he had to end the battle as quickly as possible; otherwise, once more people were drawn here, it would be extremely difficult to leave,

so with a flicker, wings formed on his back, and his

speed soared as he headed straight for the enemy.

The Sky Face race cultivator sneered and charged out as well.

But before the two could collide again, Xu Qing's pupils suddenly constricted; he saw a blurred figure actually appear silently

behind that Sky Face race cultivator in this very instant.

Without any warning, without any signs, and while the Sky Face race cultivator had not noticed at all, that figure raised his

left hand, placed it by his mouth, and made a

gesture for silence toward Xu Qing.

Then he raised his right hand and pressed it onto the top of the Sky Face race cultivator's head.

A cultivation base infinitely close to the Spirit Repository realm flashed and vanished from within this figure; the Sky Face race cultivator could not resist at all, and the moment he realized it, the horror on his mask

became eternal.

With a bang, his tall body collapsed directly, along with the seven Nascent Souls; all of them collapsed, leaving only the mask on his face.

Countless flesh and blood, as well as the spiritual essence of the Nascent Souls, were drawn toward the mask, turning it blood-red, and then that

blurred figure who had killed the person with one strike raised his hand and took the

mask.

"Good luck; this little Sky Face race fellow was indeed a noble, allowing me to collect one more Sky Eye."

As a hoarse voice came from the blurred figure, Xu Qing felt as if he were facing a great enemy and retreated abruptly.

And that figure became a bit clearer at this moment.

This was a thin, withered old man, like a skeleton, with cold eyes and an aura of ferocity, but judging by his appearance,

he was human.

"Luck is not bad; this little fellow of the Heaven-Face race is indeed a noble, allowing me to collect one more Heaven-Eye."

"Outer domain human?"

Xu Qing was extremely vigilant, stepping back a few paces, the power of the forbidden poison circling his entire body, the fish bone hidden, and the shadow concealed within the firelight,

circling from all sides without revealing

This was a gaunt old man, like a skeleton, his eyes carrying a cold chill, his aura permeating with malice, but judging by his appearance

It was because this human old man before him put immense pressure on Xu Qing.

The other party's cultivation seemed to be Spirit Repository, but it also seemed not to be; he was clearly concealing something, but regardless, it was at least at the level of the

Nascent Soul fifth tribulation Great Perfection.

As for the other party's words, Xu Qing could not judge the man's intentions for the moment, so he chose not to answer.

He did not believe that after killing a Sky Face race member, the man would continue to linger here.

Xu Qing's judgment was correct; as the old man spoke, his gaze swept across the surroundings, then looked at Xu Qing again.

He seemed not to care about Xu Qing's silence, but instead raised his right hand to form a seal, and immediately a fluctuation of human bloodline

erupted from both of them simultaneously.

Seeing this, the old man's expression softened slightly.

"Kid, for the sake of you also being human, I will give you a warning: hurry up and put the Skyfire Crystal in your storage bag

into this box, if you don't want to be hunted down by all the cultivators

Xu Qing's judgment was correct; as the old man spoke, his gaze swept across the surroundings, then looked at Xu Qing once more.

He did not seem to mind Xu Qing's silence, instead raising his right hand to form a seal, and suddenly, a ripple of human bloodline energy

erupted from both of their bodies simultaneously.

Seeing this, the old man's expression softened slightly.

"Kid, in consideration of the fact that you are also human, I will give you a word of warning: hurry up and put the Skyfire Crystals in your storage bag

into this box, if you don't want to be hunted down by every

cultivator in the Skyfire Sea."

The old man spoke, raising his right hand to toss out a black jade box, which floated upon the magma.

The material of this jade box was unique; it remained unaffected on the magma, not being encroached upon

by the flames.

"This item is ten thousand spirit stones, including the information fee and the cost of the box!"

The old man glared at Xu Qing.

At this moment, an aura erupted in the distance, rapidly approaching.

Xu Qing said nothing; he took out a storage bag and threw it over, then turned and left, moving at high speed and vanishing in an instant.

"Don't you want the box?" The old man had just opened his mouth when the box resting on the magma abruptly disappeared.

This scene caused the human old man to raise his eyebrows.

"A bit of skill."

As he spoke, he turned and flickered, speeding away in another direction, his trail vanishing in an instant.

There is little sudden kindness in this world, so Xu Qing actually felt relieved that the old man had demanded spirit stones.

However, the vigilance he should have naturally did not diminish.

While departing, he fully concealed his aura and observed his surroundings; after confirming the other party was not following, he released his poison,

letting it permeate the area.

He used this to confirm it once more.

As for that black box, he had let the shadow envelop and retrieve it.

Now, while speeding away, the little shadow also transmitted emotional fluctuations to him, verifying that there were no hidden traps on the box;

it was merely a box made of a special material.

Only then did Xu Qing take it over and inspect it again. After confirming it was safe, he spread his poison restriction to crawl back and forth inside,

which finally put his mind at ease.

Afterward, he dove into the magma and placed all thirty-plus red crystals from his storage bag inside.

"According to my previous judgment and the words of that Heaven-Face tribesman, I have Heaven Fire Crystals on me? Then it is highly probable that

these are the red crystals formed by the burning of life lamps in the magma here."

."

"Can this box avoid it?"

"I must verify it as soon as possible."

While pondering, Xu Qing flew out from the magma. Since the Heaven-Face tribe could see beneath the magma, there was little point in sneaking inside.

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with a cold light as he flickered away.

Just like that, four days passed.

During these four days, perhaps because the box was truly useful, although Xu Qing encountered cultivators from other tribes, most ignored him

and whistled past. The occasional individual who blocked him to inspect him

was also instantly killed by Xu Qing.

He also obtained a compass, and there was more than one black box.

This item seemed quite common; most cultivators here possessed one. Some were empty, while others contained a few white

stones.

Xu Qing also experimented in an uninhabited area and discovered that once his red crystals were taken out of the box, they would be revealed

on the compass, but when stored inside, they were concealed.

"It is indeed effective!"

Even so, Xu Qing still threw away the old man's box. Even though he had previously sensed no issues, he could not guarantee there weren't means

he was unable to detect.

However, before throwing it away, he planted some poison inside, then used a box he had seized as a container

and gradually moved away from this Heaven Fire region.

And one day after he left, at the place where he had thrown the box, the mysterious human old man suddenly revealed his figure,

searched for a while, and found the box.

But the moment he touched it, the old man's expression changed. He threw it away at high speed, immediately took out an antidote pill to swallow, and began cursing

aloud.

"What the hell, are young people in the outer regions also this cunning? Not only do they litter, but they also use poison; they have no martial ethics."

The old man grumbled resentfully and turned to leave, but the next instant, he looked down at his decaying hand and, discovering that the antidote pill

had no effect, he gasped.

"What the hell kind of poison is this!"

While the old man was terrified, Xu Qing, on the Heaven Fire Sea, was coldly watching a trembling Mirror-Shadow tribe

cultivator before him. The other party originally had three companions; they had

come in response to a tribal summons to assist in sealing and inspecting this vast area.

Upon seeing Xu Qing, they had approached to interrogate him and even wanted to inspect his

storage bag.

Xu Qing had encountered this kind of thing several times in the past few days. It wasn't just him being searched; besides the Heaven-Face tribe, the Mirror-Shadow tribe

was inspecting all outsiders.

Thus, Xu Qing struck, killed several, captured this person alive, and had a friendly conversation.

"The function of those high-grade Heaven Fire Crystals is to be sacrificed to the Red Moon Temple."

"The Red Moon Temple arrives once every hundred years, floating beneath a rift deep in the Heaven Fire Sea, waiting there for the offerings

of the various tribes in the nearby regions. Heaven Fire Crystals are one of the

offerings."

"Besides that, they also make other demands each time, all of which must be met."

."

The Mirror-Shadow tribesman before Xu Qing spoke while trembling.

His body was covered in scars, especially the mirror on his forehead, which had over ten cracks. A fish bone was floating in front of

his forehead.

Xu Qing's eyes were contemplative. This was already the fourth Mirror-Shadow cultivator he had questioned along the way, and the answers he obtained were consistent.

He also asked about the arrival of the Mirror-Shadow tribe's State Preceptor, which was also a matter concerning the Heaven

Fire Sea.

He also learned that the State Preceptor's cultivation was at the Spirit Repository realm, and there were a total of three Spirit Repository powerhouses within the Mirror-Shadow tribe. As for the specific number of

secret repositories, ordinary tribesmen did not know.

It stood to reason that the Heaven-

Face tribe was in a similar situation.

"No Return to Void?"

Xu Qing was somewhat surprised.

Xu Qing was somewhat surprised.

He did not believe there were no Return to Void experts, and even if there truly weren't, a Spirit Repository powerhouse was still a significant threat to him.

Therefore, Xu Qing was even more vigilant in his heart and glanced at the fish bone.

The ancestor of the Vajra Sect within the fish bone immediately understood and thrust forward violently. The fish bone pierced directly through the mirror surface, and with the sound of a crack

echoing, the Mirror-Shadow cultivator's body and soul were destroyed.

His Nascent Soul had already been taken by Xu Qing earlier.

At this moment, as Xu Qing turned to leave, one could see more than ten Heavenly Demon bodies floating behind him.

They were like ghosts emitting a cold chill, floating around Xu Qing, causing his entire person to be permeated with an eerie intent.

"In any case, it is better to leave first."

Xu Qing pondered and flew toward the shore.

Even he could not stay in this Heaven Fire Sea region for long; the scorching power between heaven and earth was everywhere,

especially every time a magma flower burst, which would make

the high temperature here even more intense.

Xu Qing could feel his body was nearing its limit, so he planned to return to the shore to rest for a while

before changing direction to continue refining his life lamp.

After all, there were too many cultivators from the two tribes in this area of the Heaven Fire Sea now.

Additionally, he also needed to find a safe place to study what specific function his Sundial life lamp actually had.

These past few days, although he had been investigating, the surrounding dangers

were pervasive, making it impossible to calm his mind.

"And that old man, what is his identity?"

Xu Qing had also asked the mirror-image cultivator about this question, but according to his description, the other party did not know; it seemed that the

appearance revealed by that clan elder was also fake.

All of this made Xu Qing very vigilant.

Just like that, several days later, amidst this caution, Xu Qing finally left the Skyfire Sea and arrived at a shore.

There, he chose a barren mountain peak, dug out a cave dwelling, and set up an array to serve as his temporary

residence.

Not until everything was finished did Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged inside, finally let out a long sigh of relief.

After barely feeling a sense of security in his heart, he did not hesitate; he merged his consciousness into his Sundial Life Lamp and, through the

mysterious pull within his bloodline, went to carefully excavate the

function of this lamp.

Time flickered by, and seven days passed.

Inside the pitch-black cave dwelling, Xu Qing's eyes slowly opened, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.

Come.

"So that's how it is."

"