Chapter 989: Red Candle on the Back

Although Xu Qing’s understanding of divine authority was limited, he had seen quite a few examples, whether possessed by himself or sensed from other gods, and he had even conducted his own research into it.

He knew that divine authority was different from the origin; it was more ancient and belonged uniquely to the lineage of gods.

It could influence all things, affect all living beings, and cover the entire starry sky, even the thirty-six star rings.

Because this place was the universe of the gods.

At the same time, divine authority was divided into two levels: possessing the qualification to use it, and exclusive enjoyment. The former meant sharing a specific divine authority with other gods, as if in competition.

Only by devouring and plundering other gods who possessed the same divine authority could one reach the second level.

To become the sole possessor of a certain divine authority.

According to Xu Qing’s initial understanding, anyone who achieved this was at least a True God.

And in Xu Qing’s previous understanding, divine authority did not seem to be divided by strength, but by the degree of control and... the range!

Range was the key to divine authority.

But just a moment ago, this understanding was shaken in Xu Qing’s mind.

Because in that instant, the strange divine authority woven from three strands of divine authority emitted an aura that was terrifying to the extreme, surpassing everything, and frightening to the utmost.

It was enough for him to easily perceive the division between strength and weakness.

Xu Qing did not know what this divine authority was; he could only make a simple judgment based on the characteristics of good luck, bad luck, and the Purple Moon.

But clearly, this was not the time for exploration. Under the eruption of the candlelight, as his physical body sank onto the wick and the moment arrived to extinguish the red candle...

Within Xu Qing’s sea of consciousness, the backlash from the red candle’s flame was also nearly overwhelming, the fire revealing madness and burning intensely.

This fire had no choice but to burn the three strands of divine authority, because Xu Qing had wrapped the strange divine authority woven from these three strands around his soul.

To resist the candlelight.

Despite this, the scorching of Xu Qing’s soul by the residual heat still existed.

The number of his soul strands grew fewer and fewer, until finally, there were less than ten thousand left...

Outside, he had lost all his clothing, his crimson body sitting completely upon the wick.

Boom!

Following the descent, a heaven-shattering, earth-shaking roar echoed throughout the entire World Origin Secret Realm.

The candlelight was extinguished!

In this instant, the fire within Xu Qing’s sea of consciousness vanished instantly. On the riddled ruins of his mind, the strange divine authority woven from the three strands also underwent a massive change.

From a state where they could not merge, they had actually merged by ten percent during the previous burning of the flames.

A vast aura of divine authority surged within, sweeping through Xu Qing’s entire sea of consciousness.

And outside, the moment the candlelight was extinguished, a drastic change also occurred.

The residual light faded, and all the stars vanished in unison. Whether it was the collapsing stars seen with the naked eye or the pictures that had transformed under his shadow-gaze, they were all wiped away in this instant.

Disappearing along with them were those shadows, which vanished into thin air as the candlelight went out.

It was as if all this illusion had become a thing of the past because the candlelight was no more.

The entire world plunged into pitch darkness.

It seemed as if the World Origin Secret Realm itself had also disappeared at this moment.

A long time later, Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged in meditation, slowly opened his weary, bloodshot eyes.

The weakness of his soul caused him to feel dizzy.

Looking out, there was only darkness. He could see neither far nor near. In this lightless world, even gazing with his divine eyes revealed only nothingness.

Even the candle beneath him was nowhere to be found.

Only a sense of having survived a catastrophe rose in Xu Qing’s heart.

"The candlelight is extinguished, the shadows have vanished..."

Xu Qing murmured. He raised his hand to touch his cuff, and upon feeling the mask, his heart eased slightly.

This object was still there.

Xu Qing did not want to linger here too long; he was unsure if the candlelight would reappear soon, or if everything in this secret realm would restore itself in the next moment.

So he quickly took out the secret realm token, intending to initiate his return.

But just then, Xu Qing’s expression suddenly changed, and he whipped his head around.

Behind him was nothing but void; apart from the pitch black, there was nothing else.

Yet Xu Qing’s heart was extremely vigilant. Just a moment ago, he had vaguely felt... that the vanished candle seemed to have appeared again.

"Not right!"

Xu Qing’s right hand flew up and pressed against his own bare back. Upon this touch, the different texture transmitted to his fingertips caused a wave of shock in Xu Qing’s mind.

The red candle had not truly disappeared!

For some reason, it had imprinted itself onto Xu Qing’s back. In Xu Qing’s perception, it was like a tattoo, occupying his entire back.

But fortunately, upon his investigation, he discovered that the candle appearing on his back was in an extinguished state.

Xu Qing frowned, a multitude of guesses rising in his heart, while he squeezed the token.

But... the token still had no reaction at all.

It should be known that the token had reacted before, only to be interrupted by the red candle’s light.

But now, it truly seemed to have lost its connection to the World Origin Secret Realm, becoming completely useless.

"World Origin Secret Realm..."

Xu Qing’s heart sank, and he squeezed it again, continuing to try.

Meanwhile, outside the World Origin Secret Realm, the moment the candlelight was extinguished, an astonishing change was also erupting.

The first thing to change was the massive jade slip where the World Origin Secret Realm was located. This jade slip, which had originally been shining with light and appeared full of precious radiance, dimmed in an instant.

As it dimmed, the land where it resided seemed to lose its nourishment and became cracked and dry.

Looking out, cracks spread across the basin, and even some nearby mountain ranges collapsed inexplicably, with rubble tumbling down.

It was as if the spiritual energy had been drained away.

So much so that the seal where the jade slip was located dissipated, allowing outside cultivators to see clearly through to where the jade slip was, even without holding a secret realm token.

Consequently, shock rippled through the minds of the Demon Feather cultivators who were stationed nearby and cultivating with the help of the local spiritual energy. They opened their eyes one after another, their hearts rising with suspicion and horror.

"The spiritual energy here has vanished..."

"The seal of the World Origin Secret Realm is also dissipating!"

"What has happened!"

Amidst the turmoil in everyone’s minds, on the Tenth Sovereign Mountain, inside the hall at the peak, Lu Lingzi, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened her eyes at this moment, her brows instantly furrowing.

Silently, her divine sense spread out, directly enveloping the location of the World Origin Secret Realm and suppressing it downward.

Immediately, the heaven and earth around the World Origin Secret Realm solidified, sealing everything.

Following that, her divine sense flew into the jade slip. The moment she entered, even someone as powerful as the Empress felt a breeze stir in her mind.

She had naturally been to the World Origin Secret Realm and knew the ins and outs of it.

But now, under her divine sense’s inspection, this place was pitch black.

The red candle had vanished, the stars had vanished, and everything had become nothingness.

Only, in the place where the red candle had originally been, Xu Qing was sitting cross-legged, holding the token she had given him, trying various methods to activate it...

This scene made the Empress fall silent.

After a long while, her voice echoed in this void.

"What are you doing?"

Xu Qing’s movements paused, joy rising in his heart, and he looked up toward the distant void.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"There was an anomaly here earlier, and I intended to use this jade slip to leave, but this jade slip... has failed."

Xu Qing stood up and cupped his fists. He knew that since the Empress had arrived, it meant he was rescued.

But the Empress, upon hearing Xu Qing’s words, did not respond. It was not until thoughts rose in Xu Qing’s heart that he vaguely seemed to hear a sigh.

Afterward, the Empress spoke.

"You really didn't listen to a word I said..."

"After you get out, come see me immediately!"

The moment these two sentences were transmitted, a vast power rolled in from the void, gathering on Xu Qing’s body, emitting a thunderous roar and forming a massive vortex.

With one suction, it drew Xu Qing inside, and the vortex vanished along with him.

After sending Xu Qing away, the Empress’s blurred figure appeared in the void.

What appeared here was only a body manifested by her divine sense. She gazed at the surroundings for a moment, then finally shook her head.

"I thought only his Senior Brother was troublesome, but I didn't expect this Xu Qing to be the same."

The Empress took a step and vanished into the void, appearing outside on the jade slip. She raised her right hand and pressed down, and immediately, the massive jade slip regained its luster.

The surrounding seals also formed once again.

Everything looked no different from before.

But if anyone were to enter the interior of the jade slip, they would discover... the World Origin Secret Realm had indeed disappeared.

However, the Empress would naturally not let such a thing happen, so soon, a decree was issued from the Tenth Sovereign Mountain.

The World Origin Secret Realm had a deficiency in spiritual energy and would be closed for repairs for a hundred years, during which it would not be open to the public.

This World Origin Secret Realm, in terms of ownership, now belonged to the Tenth Sovereign, so Lu Lingzi’s decree here carried authority.

Even though it was currently wartime and the World Origin Secret Realm had been incorporated as a strategic resource, given that Lu Lingzi was newly appointed, no one would truly be pedantic about such matters.

As a Sovereign, these privileges were naturally hers.

Of course, regarding the matters of the World Origin Secret Realm, the Empress still needed to handle some details to cover them up completely.

At this moment, Xu Qing appeared on a plain a hundred miles away from the World Origin Secret Realm, feeling somewhat uneasy.

The moment he appeared, he immediately transformed into Xue Chenzi, then turned back to gaze into the distance at the World Origin Secret Realm being resealed, feeling hesitant in his heart.

He could not say for sure what the harvest of this trip was; while he seemed to have obtained the mask, that eerie candle had been imprinted onto his back.

At the same time, Xu Qing also felt apologetic for causing trouble for the Empress; his personality was just like that, clear about gratitude and grudges, and unwilling to owe anyone.

After a long while, he took a deep breath.

"Then I shall go help the Empress and do my best to fulfill her wishes."

Xu Qing’s body flickered as he headed straight for the Tenth Sovereign Mountain.

On the way, he focused his attention on the strange divine authority within his body.

Good fortune, as the name suggests.

Bad fortune, likewise.

As for the Purple Moon divine authority, it belongs to the light of the purple moon, shining upon all things to seek out flaws in life; once found, they can be invaded by poison prohibitions.

"Mastering fortune, and also mastering the flaws of life."

"The divine authority formed by their fusion..."

Between heaven and earth, the speeding Xu Qing suddenly paused in mid-air; his breathing became slightly rapid, a strange light appeared in his eyes, and a word emerged in his mind.

"Could it be... destiny?"