Chapter 972

The glacier land fell silent in an instant.

Lu Lingzi's gaze immediately drew the stares of the Lan family ancestor and the six elders here.

They had trepidation in their hearts regarding this Great Emperor's disciple.

It was truly because this one was a peerless heaven's pride in the entire Moyu Sacred Land.

His scheming was even more profound, making him hard to fathom.

Especially the magic eye at the center of his brow, which contained mysteries, not only allowing him to seize authority while at the Essence God level, but also allowing him to use all kinds of terrifying techniques through this magic eye.

And Lanyao, as Lu Lingzi's Dao companion, knew more about Lu Lingzi, so her expression changed instantly, and her breathing grew slightly rapid!

The ominous premonition that had surfaced in everyone's hearts, combined with her knowledge of Lu Lingzi, had become infinitely real for her!

Beside her, Yuedong was the same, her heart rising with unease; after a rapid exchange of glances with Lanyao, the two women did not hesitate, immediately retreating, attempting to widen the distance and find an opportunity to escape the battlefield!

At the same time, under the gaze of all, inside the Sacred Heaven Treasure Pagoda floating in mid-air, Chen Erniu was abnormal!

"Why are you looking at me?"

"What do you mean, am I his backup plan?"

"Or is it that you want me to continue voice-acting for him?"

Inside the pagoda, Chen Erniu was about to say something, but Xu Qing beside him, whose thoughtful look had already dissipated, stepped forward, actually walking directly out of the pagoda and standing outside!

Xu Qing's sudden appearance made everyone here, who were already highly vigilant, immediately solemn, their gazes instantly moving away from the pagoda and focusing on Xu Qing!

Chen Erniu also felt a trance in his heart, thinking of Xu Qing's previous gaze, and thus had a guess!

"Could it be..."

As for Lanyao, she was increasingly suspicious; Yuedong's expression changed again; the Lan family ancestor and the six elders felt an even stronger sense of unease, their brows tightly furrowed!

Only Lu Lingzi's smile remained as usual, looking at Xu Qing, speaking with a smile!

"Are you my backup plan?"

Xu Qing shook his head!

"Oh? Then why did you walk out?"

Lu Lingzi's eyes revealed a strange light, sizing Xu Qing up carefully for a few moments!

Xu Qing was expressionless, his gaze passing through the bubble wall in front, looking at Lu Lingzi and speaking indifferently!

"I am not your backup plan, but in our previous exchange, I discovered some interesting fluctuations on you!"

"Within your body, there is a trace of divine fire fluctuation, hidden extremely deep. If I weren't dominated by divinity now, with my sensing of divine fire fluctuations exceeding the past, and my special physical body, I fear it would have been very difficult to see!"

"So to be precise, it was my physical body's instinct that sensed this trace of fluctuation!"

"And I am very familiar with this fluctuation, so I was pondering its source just now... and finally, I found the answer!"

"This divine fire comes from the Human Emperor of Lixia!"

Xu Qing's gaze was calm, but his words were like thunder, exploding with a boom in all directions!

Chen Erniu widened his eyes, but soon returned to normal, laughing loudly and stepping rapidly to Xu Qing's side, putting on a confident look as if he had guessed it all along and had the whole situation in his grasp, speaking arrogantly!

"Little A-Qing is right, this is also what I wanted to say!"

Lanyao and Yuedong retreated without hesitation!

The Lan family ancestor and the six elders had their expressions change completely!

Xu Qing's voice contained no emotion, continuing to echo at this moment!

"I think, since you possess the divine fire of the Human Emperor of Lixia, then it is highly probable that the Empress gave it to you personally!"

"Combined with the mission given by the Empress this time, which was only to capture Lanyao alive... according to the Empress's status, such a small matter could not be valued by her, so it is more likely that this fishing trip, Feng Lin Tao is the bait, Lanyao is the bait, and you are also the bait!"

"The one being fished is the entire Lan family!"

"Additionally, before, when the human race and the Moyu Sacred Land were at war, many victories were due to the leakage of Moyu's strategic intelligence. Although the Empress placed it on Feng Lin Tao's head, but..."

"Feng Lin Tao's status, many intelligence reports, were not things he could grasp, so it must be someone else cooperating with the Empress!"

It was rare for Xu Qing to speak like this; at this moment, all his words swept past like a cold wind, gathering into one sentence!

"So your backup plan is not me, it is the Empress!"

The turmoil caused by these words was like a giant wave, roaring in the outside world!

The Lan family ancestor immediately spread his divine sense, sensing all directions, while his body swayed; instead of choosing to attack Lu Lingzi, he headed straight for the firmament, lifting his hand to tear a crack and leave!

The six elders also had their cultivation erupt completely, vigilant to the extreme, rising into the sky together!

What Xu Qing said, in their judgment, had a high degree of truth, so leaving here now and returning to the Sacred Land was the best choice!

Once entangled, if the Empress truly descended... the consequences would be unimaginable!

Although the magic eye was important, it was not as important as their own safety!

Especially the matter of Lu Lingzi colluding with the human race; once confirmed, they wouldn't even need to take action themselves. With this merit, the Lan family would naturally have a way to obtain the magic eye!

Xu Qing did not pay attention to their actions, and Lu Lingzi didn't even look at them either; he looked at Xu Qing, a trace of admiration appearing in his eyes!

"As expected of the human race's number one heaven's pride, no wonder the Empress let you come to help me!"

"The Empress promised that regarding my affairs, she would not tell anyone. I even thought she had violated her promise and told you about me!"

Xu Qing shook his head!

"The Empress didn't say a word, and the reason I walked out is that there were enough fish here; even if my judgment was wrong, it wouldn't matter!"

As he spoke, Xu Qing lifted his hand, taking the jade slip made of light given by the Empress into his hand!

Amidst Chen Erniu's anticipation, amidst Lu Lingzi's smile, amidst the rapid escape of the Lan family, and the moment the Lan family ancestor tore open a crack!

Xu Qing crushed the light slip.

A crisp sound echoed across the glacier!

Heaven and earth instantly turned pitch black.

It was as if a god had blown out the lamps of Wanggu, briefly extracting the concept of light from Wanggu, letting all the daylight at this moment become pitch black!

Only the points of white light drifting from the shattered jade slip became the source of light here at this moment!

Like the eruption of a dawn sun!

Brilliant into a sea of light, roaring across the entire firmament!

Thus, in the firmament, within the light source, walked a god with closed eyes.

This god wore imperial robes, an imperial crown, surrounded by the human race's destiny, appearing with a storm of divine aura, influencing time, affecting space!

The entire space-time seemed to have become a foil!

The teleportation crack torn by the Lan family ancestor solidified because of this; his body trembled in mid-air, unable to take a single step!

The six elders beside him had their souls trembling!

Lanyao and Yuedong in the distance became statues directly, dominated by endless fear!

All things moved because of the robes!

That peerless figure was none other than the Empress!

She took a step, arriving in front of Xu Qing, opening her closed eyes!

Endless light shone from her eyes, becoming the dawn light that tore through everything in the dark night!

Where this light passed, heaven and earth turned from pitch black to bright in an instant!

"You did very well!"

The Empress's first look was at Xu Qing!

As the words spread, the humanity that had dissipated from Xu Qing returned!

Xu Qing took a deep breath, bowing his head in respect!

Chen Erniu blinked, also hurriedly bowing!

The Empress withdrew her gaze, looking toward Lu Lingzi!

"Paying respects to the Empress, I have fortunately not failed the mission, having lured the Lan family ancestor and core elders all here!"

Lu Lingzi's expression was solemn, bowing, bending his waist deeply in respect!

The Empress nodded!

As Xu Qing said, the goal could naturally not be just Lanyao alone; what was needed were the core powerhouses of Lanyao's entire family. Only by refining the bloodlines of all these people could one shake that Great Emperor who was suspected to have fallen!

She had long since cooperated with this Great Emperor's disciple!

The reason for the human race's many victories in previous battles due to intelligence was precisely this person!

At this moment, seeing everything completed, the Empress spoke indifferently!

"What you need, I will give you!"

As she spoke, the Empress lifted her hand, a wisp of divine fire rising from her palm, flying toward Lu Lingzi!

Lu Lingzi's breathing grew rapid for the first time, heat appearing in his eyes; he had done all these things, betrayed the Sacred Land, all for... the divine fire.

Outsiders thought he valued his master's inheritance, but in reality, after descending to Wanggu, and after knowing about the Empress, his desire was no longer the Great Emperor's inheritance!

What he wanted was the spark to become a god; he wanted to become a god.

For him, his own future was everything, so he was unwilling to participate in this war!

Whether it was Wanggu or the Sacred Land, he did not want meaningless slaughter,

eventually becoming cannon fodder!

He only considered himself, planning to leave the Sacred Land and become a god himself!

After becoming a god, the sea is wide and the sky is high, he could go anywhere!

This was, after all, a universe of gods; leaving the cultivator system and becoming a god, he believed this was the right path.

Originally, he only desired this, without confidence!

But the Empress found him and gave him hope.

As the only successful person to become a god as a cultivator, the hope given by the Empress was incomparably important to him!

So, all these things since the war began happened!

Lu Lingzi took a deep breath, bowed to the Empress again after receiving the divine fire, then his body swayed, disappearing in an instant, heading straight for the horizon!

Almost the moment he left, in this glacier land, a sea of light surged!

In the light, the Empress walked toward the Lan family ancestor!

The Lan family ancestor was horrified in his heart; at this moment, the teleportation crack was right in front of him, yet he couldn't move a single bit, only able to watch the Empress approach!

The huge pressure and terrifying aura made the Lan family ancestor tremble; no matter how he struggled, the insurmountable gap in cultivation between them made everything futile!

The next instant, the Empress lifted her hand and pressed down lightly!

The Lan family ancestor revealed despair in his eyes, his body spread by the light, becoming a part of the light, taken away by the Empress!

Subsequently, the Empress looked calmly at the six Lan family elders!

The souls of these six instantly dimmed, melted by the Empress's gaze, dissipating and wiping away the traces of their existence!

Finally, it was Lanyao!

All were taken away by the Empress!

Before leaving, the Empress's voice echoed clearly beside Xu Qing and Chen Erniu!

"Yuedong this woman, possesses immortal techniques; in Feng Lin Tao's soul, hides the inheritance!"

These two are the reward for your completion of this mission!

Now that Wanggu is in chaos and the situation is complex, you two should not participate too deeply; it is best to find a peaceful place to retreat and comprehend the immortal techniques and inheritance!"

The voice gradually dissipated, heaven and earth recovered, the Empress had left!

Xu Qing's gaze fell on the unconscious Yuedong in the distance, lost in thought; beside him, Chen Erniu looked toward the horizon with suspicion, suddenly speaking in a low voice!

"Little A-Qing, why do I feel like the Empress is a bit strange? Why did she say so much, looking like she wanted to send us away..."

"She wouldn't be like the old man back then, wanting to eat alone behind our backs, right?"