Chapter 1215 - Snatching from the Tiger's Mouth

The amount of this primordial essence had reached a shocking extent. After all, this was a True God! And a True God, in any ascending planetary ring, is the darling of the ring, the convergence of all the loved rules and laws of the ascension. Therefore, there is the obvious innate difference from lower immortals—the immortality of the True God! As long as the true name exists, as long as it is remembered, the True God... will never truly die. This is the essence of the ascending planetary ring, unshakeable. Even an Immortal Sovereign cannot change it. Even if he can suppress countless True Gods with a mere wave, he cannot prevent their return. After all, this is the ascension of the divine! Innately, immortals... are inferior to gods. And there is only one Immortal Sovereign. Yet, beyond the God Sovereign, there are the legendary deities, but in the system of immortals... the Immortal Sovereign is the end. Beyond the Immortal Sovereign, there is no path. Or rather, it may exist but has not yet been found. Therefore, to truly destroy a True God from its essence, unless within the immortal system, the Immortal Sovereign finds a path and successfully steps forward, advancing to the legendary realm of immortality equivalent to that of a deity. Only then can it be done! It is precisely because of this innate gift related to the essence of ascension that the method of suppressing True Gods through containment exists. This keeps the True God between life and death, stripping away their freedom, but not truly killing them, thus rendering revival impossible. Only this way can the number of True Gods appearing in the world gradually decrease to some extent. Thus, at this moment, three low-level beings, whom He could easily crush with a wave of His hand in His prime, were like lice, frantically absorbing His essence! The Mud Fox inhaled. He found it all too exhilarating! Before this, He had never truly faced a true god! Imprinted within His divine soul, within the legacy of the gods, was an awe and yearning for true gods, compelling Him instinctively to bow His head. He wouldn't even consider the act of plunder. Just like when Xu Qing and Er Niu plundered the remnant flesh, the Sun, Moon, and Star trio were terrified yet dared not seize it, fearing the consequences. The situation now was similar. The difference was, this true god was imprisoned, so even if there were consequences, they were insignificant. Another difference was that the Mud Fox was no longer the pure Godfire it once was; He had stepped onto the divine platform, needing only one more great realm to advance. His Star Flame was not without the hope of one day becoming a true god! And then... Xu Qing was absorbing! With someone demonstrating before Him, the Mud Fox inhaled deeply, gritting His teeth and choosing to ignore the reverence for true gods embedded in His divine soul's legacy. His eyes filled with madness as He suddenly devoured. In an instant, the dense essence rushed into the Mud Fox's body, replenishing His divine form, nourishing His divine soul, perfecting His divine authority, continuously elevating His divine rank, and pushing His divine authority... towards the divine status! The sensation of pleasure, the feeling of becoming ever more powerful, the sense of life leaping forward, caused the Mud Fox to moan a few times uncontrollably. It was a powerful feeling. But unfortunately, neither Xu Qing nor the Seaweed showed the slightest ripple. The Seaweed was excited. Its life was unique; though it was of a different race, it was the only one of its kind in the entire Fifth Star Ring. In other words, it alone was an entire race. Moreover, for it, there is no need for cultivation; from the moment of birth, it instinctively absorbs the primordial essence drifting through the starry sky to grow. To what extent it can grow, it does not know. It only knows that the primordial essence it requires is incredibly vast, and over the years, even though it has been secretly siphoning, it has never reached maturity. In its understanding, maturity is comparable to a lesser immortal, comparable to a true god. So it has been striving incessantly until this moment, when it sees hope and is enveloped in it. Thus, its devouring knows no bounds. Compared to it, at this moment, Xu Qing has already given his all. He is acutely aware that time is fleeting! Even with the combined strength of the three parties, they cannot hold out for long in this place, so in this brief window, how much can be absorbed depends on one's own ability. In the next instant, outside Xu Qing's body, the laws of time and space are fully activated, and within the overlapping universes, versions of him from all time and space manifest, joining with the Xu Qing of this timeline to... absorb! Using this timeline as a node, linking other timelines, invoking all his selves across time, in such a way... the speed at which Xu Qing absorbs reaches a staggering level in an instant. In just a moment, seventy percent of the primordial essence gushing from the sun's wound pierced by the great sword rushes towards Xu Qing, drawn in by him. Although it cannot be instantaneously assimilated, Xu Qing was prepared; those portions that cannot be immediately absorbed are sent to his selves in other timelines. Working in harmony, the devouring continues. Such dense primordial essence provides Xu Qing's immortal embryo with unprecedented nourishment. His mind roars, his soul ascends, his physical body rises, and his immortal embryo surges! His immortal embryo, which had already reached an indestructible state, visibly solidifies under this extreme ascent, filled with the dense primordial essence, radiating a brilliant light. This light flows, and the indestructible aura on the immortal embryo grows ever stronger, directly achieving the great completion of indestructibility! Xu Qing's entire body trembles, his eyes shining with excitement. He was acutely aware that the next step after reaching the Immortal Embryo's Undying Realm was the true fusion of Illusion and Reality achieving mutual perfection. This fusion required a vast replenishment of primordial essence. Once the fusion successfully unified, the Immortal Embryo could truly be molded. This signified... Xu Qing's genuine cultivation would break through the Sovereign realm, stepping into the Quasi-Immortal! Such an opportunity, such a fortuitous creation, drove Xu Qing to further madness. Moreover, the Immortal Embryo's mastery in this Undying realm also enriched Xu Qing's Temporal Constitution, allowing him to wield even more parallel dimensions. In an instant, he reached a hundred worlds! A hundred worlds, a hundred versions of himself. This magnified the power of this devouring process, creating a positive cycle. Mud Fox and Seaweed, at this moment, were also frenzied, exerting all their efforts to seize more. Thus, with the concerted efforts of all three parties, the first wave of surging primordial essence gradually thinned. Seeing this, the light in Xu Qing's eyes flashed as he endeavored to push the collection wooden slip in his right hand deeper downward. He induced more primordial essence, causing it to be drawn forth again, about to surge. Mud Fox and Seaweed, in their excitement, seemed like younglings eager to be fed, ready for another round of devouring. But just as this second wave of primordial essence was drawn out and surged upwards... suddenly, at the wound where the great sword was embedded, a silver light flashed intensely. This light was blinding in an instant, soaring to the sky, forming a ring of light centered on the great sword, like a seal, covering the wound below with a forceful sweep. Under this sweep, the surging primordial essence was immediately blocked. A rumbling sound echoed as the primordial essence... was unable to break through! Simultaneously, a deep voice tinged with anger, like an overwhelming wave, emanated from within the silver light. "Who dares to be so bold as to covet the provisions of this Immortal God!" As soon as the voice emerged, a surge of murderous intent erupted, forming a force that swept across the surroundings with overwhelming might. This scene caused Xu Qing's eyes to narrow. He realized that the silver light had transformed into a seal, and upon sensing it, he discerned that this seal differed in origin from the great sword, appearing as though it had been added later. However, this was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. At the instant the murderous intent exploded, he had already retreated. The Temporal Constitution was at the forefront, with the parallel dimensions providing protection. The mark formed by the Fox Enchantress was also fully exerted, granting Xu Qing an enhancement that allowed him to retreat at a speed so swift it nearly grazed the edge of the murderous intent. Even with just a brush against the edge, the terror of this murderous intent was enough to instantly destroy several of Xu Qing's temporal avatars. He himself coughed up mouthfuls of blood one after another. Not wasting any of the expelled blood, Xu Qing employed the blood escape technique with each mouthful, continuously relocating. Amidst a series of roars, he finally retreated to a relatively safe distance. Here, Xu Qing panted heavily, fleeing once more until he emerged through the entrance he had come in from. Standing in the starry sky, Xu Qing's mind finally eased somewhat. He first checked himself and then probed the reserves of primordial essence in his parallel dimensions. "If I fully assimilate this amount, it should barely allow me to reach the completion of the Immortal Embryo stage and step into the Quasi-Immortal realm!" "But it's just barely. If there were a bit more, I could ensure no obstacles..." "Once I step into the Quasi-Immortal realm, my combat strength will also soar!" Xu Qing licked his lips, gazing at that sun with deep eyes. The surge of murderous intent just now was definitely not something a Quasi-Immortal could possess. "That was a Lower Immortal..." "This place had a Lower Immortal who once set up a layout, using it as a source of primordial essence collection, like a self-made prison... And my arrival was akin to plucking a fruit, hence triggering the power of the seal." Xu Qing's mind spun with thoughts, then he turned his head, shifting his gaze away from the sun, and landed on the colossal Seaweed. After the absorption just now, the leaves of this Seaweed had now grown an additional one. Although it was a newly sprouted leaf, its aura was noticeably stronger than before. "You knew all along, didn't you." Xu Qing suddenly spoke. The Seaweed remained silent, and after a moment, its divine sense echoed. "He was the last warden responsible for this cosmic prison in the Aurora Immortal Palace. Back then, he was a Quasi-Immortal, later advancing to a lower Immortal and changing allegiance. However, when he ascended to Immortal, he encountered some issues and could not leave his place of seclusion.", the Seaweed answered truthfully. After consuming a portion of the primal essence, it wished to continue, so it no longer concealed anything. Xu Qing was deep in thought. The fall of the Aurora Immortal Lord, though it dimmed the glory of the Aurora Immortal Palace and brought calamity to the high-ranking members of the Aurora Beyond Heavens, only affected Immortals. Those unqualified to attend the wedding, unworthy of witnessing the rotation, still had many who survived. "So unless this seal is resolved, it will be difficult to continue absorbing. To give up now would be somewhat unwilling." A glint of coldness flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. Although the opponent was an Immortal, this Fifth Star Ring was not without order. "Gather everyone and make use of the identity of the material collector... even an Immortal cannot act recklessly in this orderly Fifth Star Ring!" "Moreover, with more people, the power of the seal can be shared. At the same time, Far Mountain Su and Xinghuanzi are needed. Their cultivation can provide great assistance." With this in mind, Xu Qing had made up his mind and was about to gather everyone. Suddenly, the Seaweed rippled, and a message came from the jade slip on Xu Qing's body. The sender was Xinghuanzi! "Within the Hunyuan Imperial Family, there is a secret, and I sense something I urgently need inside, but this family also possesses an exemption decree granted by the Aurora Beyond Heavens." "This decree allows the family to be unaffected by material collection, and additionally, there are powerful figures within the family!" "Currently, they use this decree to obstruct externally and have powerful figures to intimidate internally. Xu Qing, I will share half of what I obtain with you." "Do you dare to join me?" This message was clearly a plea for help. Such a straightforward request for assistance was indeed in line with Xinghuanzi's proud character. Xu Qing raised his eyebrows. He pondered over the fact that since Xinghuanzi had chosen to seek assistance, it indeed indicated that there was something he urgently needed. On the other hand, it also suggested that the formidable individual he mentioned must truly be very powerful! After considering this, Xu Qing transmitted a message, "I also have a matter here that requires your cooperation afterward." "Deal!" Xinghuanzi replied decisively without inquiring about the reason. "Deal!" Xu Qing put away the jade slip and was about to leave, but after a moment of thought, he turned back to look at the Seaweed, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, and suddenly spoke, "Can you leave this place?"