Chapter 993

Erniu's sourness was naturally unknown to Xu Qing.

At this moment, in his half-month experience, he had perfectly executed the imperial decree given by the Empress.

Challenge the Western Demon Feather, all Divine Concealment experts.

It was just that his challenge was not about fighting, but about defense.

Thus, as half a month passed, the matter of Xue Chenzi mastering the Underworld Flame Great Emperor's secret technique, the Underworld Lotus, spread everywhere.

It also made the name Xue Chenzi possess a formidable reputation throughout the entire Demon Feather Holy Land.

As for the origin of the Underworld Flame Great Emperor's secret technique, some had questioned this, but considering he could become Lu Lingzi's follower and was the only cultivator brought to the Western Demon Feather.

From this, it could be seen that this secret technique was naturally taught by Lu Lingzi.

And Xu Qing's challenge was still ongoing.

After passing the Ninth Sovereign Mountain and the Eighth Sovereign Mountain, he had now arrived beneath the Seventh Sovereign Mountain.

Around the mountain body, a large number of cultivators had already gathered; the vast majority of these cultivators were native cultivators of the Western Demon Feather, and a portion had also rushed over from the Eastern Demon Feather.

So the moment Xu Qing appeared, an uproar arose.

Some were cursing angrily, some were cheering, making the area outside the Seventh Sovereign Mountain clamorous.

However, compared to the liveliness outside the mountain, the inside of the Seventh Sovereign Mountain was completely silent.

Just like this, amidst the gazes of the crowd, Xu Qing walked to the front of the Seventh Sovereign Mountain.

It was still the previous words, still sitting cross-legged with eyes closed on the stairs of the Sovereign Mountain, waiting for someone to appear to break his defense.

But this time, it was destined to be different from before.

Under Xu Qing's such challenge, and amidst such public opinion, there were finally Divine Concealment powerhouses who, either by their own wish or by suggestion, finally chose to break the rules.

They wanted to use this to end the farce that kept the Western Demon Feather losing face.

Like right now.

The moment Xu Qing sat down, a cold snort spread from the Seventh Sovereign Mountain to all directions.

"Xue Chenzi, don't be arrogant!"

As the voice echoed, a figure whistled from the mountain, heading straight for Xu Qing.

The person looked like a young man, with seven great worlds shining with brilliant light on his body, forming a vast power, like an overturning sea, arriving above Xu Qing with the momentum of crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood.

There, he did not pause in the slightest; a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he raised his right hand, suddenly pressing toward Xu Qing.

A massive palm print formed rapidly before him, covering the sky and falling toward Xu Qing.

Although other Divine Concealment experts' attacks also had such massive palm print manifestations, this time, this palm print was very different from the Divine Concealment cultivators Xu Qing had faced before.

This palm print was clearer, and all the patterns within it had no blurriness; most importantly, the rules and laws forming this palm were more terrifying in both quantity and level than what Xu Qing had encountered before.

And even more astonishing was that within it... there was actually the fluctuation of authority!

This fluctuation was strange; although the source was that young man of the Seventh Realm of Divine Concealment, careful identification revealed that the true source was the palm he raised.

On his palm, he was actually wearing a glove as thin as a cicada's wing.

This was... a Sovereign treasure!

It could erupt with power comparable to a Sovereign.

For a Divine Concealment expert to master and use it, the price must be high, but now, this young man of the Seventh Realm of Divine Concealment revealed decisiveness in his eyes, as if he were going all out, circulating his entire cultivation to drive the power of the glove.

It caused the manifested palm print to emanate a terrifying and astonishing aura, shattering the void all the way and enveloping Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's closed eyes slowly opened, and he looked up at the palm print that was growing larger above his head.

The Emperor Sword within his body was trembling; with just a thought, it could rush out and slash at this palm.

But Xu Qing did not use it; regardless of his expression or inner thoughts, he was not surprised by such a situation.

The other party breaking the rules was within his expectations.

He did not need to attack anymore.

Below the Sovereign level, he would handle it, but if power at the Sovereign level appeared, Xu Qing believed... this was likely what the Empress expected.

His own challenge was just a lead-in.

The Empress came to the Western Demon Feather to see the Demon Feather Great Emperor, and the Great Emperor chose to let her wait; naturally, there was other deep meaning within it.

This wait could be a day, could be a month, or could be indefinite.

Therefore, facing the provocations of other Sovereigns, the Empress did not choose to attack, but let Xu Qing challenge, because... the Empress did not like being passive; she wanted to grasp the initiative herself.

How to attack, when to attack, in what way and for what reason to attack, needed to be in her rhythm.

And everything was to make the Demon Feather Great Emperor issue the decree for a meeting.

Xu Qing analyzed the clues within this very thoroughly; he also believed that those people in the Western Demon Feather were not stupid, and presumably, they had also analyzed this matter thoroughly.

Therefore, when a cultivator holding a Sovereign treasure appeared, one could not simply judge the kindness or evil of the other party's intentions.

There was a certain possibility that... there was a Sovereign who did this on purpose.

For some unknown reason, they were helping the Empress, giving the Empress a reason, a stepping stone to grasp the initiative.

So in the next instant, when the palm print formed by the Sovereign glove was a hundred zhang away from Xu Qing, this palm print shook violently and actually suspended in mid-air, unmoving.

Beneath the palm print, Lu Lingzi's figure, just as Xu Qing had expected, appeared silently, raised his hand and waved it lightly; immediately, that massive palm print with imposing momentum dissipated instantly.

The surroundings fell silent.

Xu Qing stood up and bowed to Lu Lingzi.

That young man of the Seventh Realm of Divine Concealment also seemed to feel a sense of relief in his heart and immediately lowered his head to pay respects.

And Lu Lingzi's gaze fell on the Sovereign Mountain before him; he did not speak, but a trace of pressure rose from his body.

The sky changed color.

Immediately after, a towering figure manifested on the Sovereign Mountain; it was an old woman with a cold expression, looking at Lu Lingzi.

The earth rumbled.

Two forces at the Sovereign level were colliding in terms of aura, gaze, and pressure.

The power of this collision tore the void apart; spatial cracks appeared one after another in all directions, and storms even came from nowhere, circling the surroundings and forming a vast vortex.

Countless rubble rose into the air, and even the Sovereign Mountain shook slightly.

At the same time, the confrontation here immediately drew the attention of other Sovereigns in the Western Demon Feather; divine senses whistled over one after another, making the space-time here feel increasingly chaotic.

Threads formed by rules and laws were constantly revealed and constantly shattered.

A sense of oppression also enveloped the hearts of all cultivators here; just as everyone's souls were trembling, the voice of the Empress, who had incarnated as Lu Lingzi, echoed.

"Xue Chenzi, take out the token I gave you."

Hearing this, Xu Qing immediately took out the token and held it high.

As the Empress waved her hand, a trace of Sovereign aura emanated from within the token; in everyone's perception, this jade slip clearly contained Sovereign power.

"Have you ever used this token when sparring with the same clan of the Western Demon Feather?"

Hearing these words, Xu Qing responded in a deep voice.

"Never."

The Empress continued to speak.

"Have you ever dealt a lethal blow when sparring with the same clan of the Western Demon Feather?"

Xu Qing shook his head.

"Only deciding victory or defeat, never endangering life."

The Empress's gaze fell toward the Seventh Sovereign Mountain.

"The competition between our Demon Feather East and West is a spar between the same clan; ancient teachings all measure by fairness."

"Xue Chenzi possesses a Sovereign treasure but has never used it. Sparring only discusses victory or defeat, not life or death, and except for the first battle, he has not taken the initiative to attack since."

"And the Western Demon Feather secretly used a Sovereign treasure; if I hadn't appeared for this strike, Xue Chenzi would have had no possibility of survival."

"Such actions, harming the same clan, what is the meaning of this?"

The Empress's voice was icy, spreading to all directions.

The void in the surroundings rippled, and the divine senses of the Sovereigns from all sides narrowed; just as the atmosphere around Lu Lingzi's words became increasingly solidified, at this moment, a calm voice fell upon this place.

"Lu Lingzi, come to the Dao Platform to see me."

The appearance of this voice instantly corrected the chaotic space-time, made the collapsing rules and laws return to normal in an instant, and even dissipated the previous sense of solidification in an instant.

All Sovereigns immediately manifested their figures in the heavens and earth and bowed toward the wing-shaped Dao Platform.

Because the one who uttered this sentence was exactly the Demon Feather Great Emperor of this generation.

The Empress looked up, her expression as usual, and took a step into the void.

Her goal had been achieved.

And those Sovereigns whose divine senses had descended here also looked at each other, each having different thoughts, and dissipated one after another.

Soon, even the old woman of the Seventh Sovereign Mountain had her figure dissipate; only the young man who had just attacked Xu Qing in mid-air cupped his hands toward Xu Qing and turned to leave.

Xu Qing, beneath the mountain, watched this scene, knowing that his mission was considered complete and he did not need to continue challenging.

"Then..."

A thought arose in Xu Qing's mind.

"Since I've come to this Western Demon Feather, and have the Empress's cover, and have already stirred up some ripples through sparring, then... there is a place that perhaps I can explore by relying on these events."

Xu Qing had always remembered the information told to him by the Senior Brother; the two Immortal Art Halls of the Demon Feather Holy Land each inherited an immortal art.

"Five Dogs, Six Thieves..."

Xu Qing murmured in his heart; he had already mastered the Six Thieves Delusion of the Eastern Demon Feather, so this Five Dogs Abandoning Immortals technique of the Western Demon Feather—if it were any other time, Xu Qing understood that the difficulty of wanting to observe it would be immense.

But now...

"By relying on the Empress's name, and the momentum I've stirred up over the past half month, perhaps I can take a look!"

Xu Qing pondered for a while, and after confirming that his thoughts had no loopholes, his body flickered, rising into the air in an instant, and amidst the gazes and discussions of the large number of cultivators around, he flew away rapidly.

The direction he was heading was exactly... the Western Demon Feather Immortal Art Hall!

The Western Demon Feather Immortal Art Hall was not far from the Seventh Sovereign Mountain, built on a lake named Abandoning Immortals.

The lake water was pitch black, and the Immortal Art Hall was built of white stone; while exquisite and luxurious, it also had light flowing through it.

Contrasting with the lake water, it gave people a sense of strange tranquility.

And on the lake water, there were still hundreds of cultivators sitting cross-legged; these cultivators were male and female, old and young, all dressed in white, cultivating with eyes closed on the lake.

Bursts of immortal art fluctuations were exceptionally obvious.

When Xu Qing arrived, this was the scene he saw, and he immediately recognized that these people were exactly the Immortal Masters of the Western Demon Feather!

And his arrival did not attract the attention of the crowd here; Xu Qing only swept his gaze across, then focused his mind on the white Immortal Art Hall in the center of the lake, cupped his hands, and spoke in a low voice.

"Xue Chenzi, by the order of the Sovereign, come here to borrow the Five Dogs Abandoning Immortals technique for a look!"