Chapter 1000: You All in This Realm…

The dark, oppressive sky, the swamp-filled land, and ruins from all directions created an intense atmosphere of gloom and oppression.

And within this dim, somber world of the Age of Ruins, an old man of the human race surprisingly appeared!

This sight was utterly bizarre.

Xu Qing couldn't tell if the other party was human or a ghost, an anomaly or a god.

But the vigilance and tension in his heart had reached their peak!

He could feel that ever since he had stepped into the outer sea, the elusive gaze had been coming from this place, or more precisely, from the old man in front of him!

And this realization was also the source of his tension!

The other party's intentions were unclear, and their true nature, good or evil, was hard to discern!

Xu Qing could also roughly imagine that ever since he had entered the outer sea, he had been observed. To be able to do this until their current encounter indicated that the strength of the person before him likely surpassed the Divine Stage!

“Could he be trapped here?”

As soon as this thought arose in Xu Qing's mind, he immediately cut it off. He had encountered many deities and understood that some terrifying beings could discern the thoughts in one's heart with just a single glance!

So, he put away all his thoughts and bowed deeply to the old man!

“Greetings, Senior.”

Beside him, Er Niu was now pale, his pupils contracted, and his body trembled slightly. The turmoil in his heart was already overwhelming!

With just a single glance from the other party, he felt as if his soul had been seen through, and all his secrets seemed unable to hide!

Such a powerful figure—Er Niu searched his memories and was certain he had never seen this old man before; even with his past life's memories, he remained a stranger!

However, his unique nature allowed Er Niu to assess the other party's cultivation more accurately than Xu Qing!

“What realm is this? Immortal of Xia? True God, or even beyond Immortal of Xia, beyond True God?”

Thinking this, the captain's breathing quickened, and his scalp tingled. So, he quickly put on a fawning and ingratiating expression and bowed deeply to the old man who was grilling!

“This junior, Chen Er Niu, greets Senior. Thank you, Senior, for the kindness of bestowing a name. For such a great kindness, this junior will surely devote all his being and repay this gratitude with all his might. Um, from now on, this junior will be called 'Hairy Monster'.”

Er Niu's words fell upon Xu Qing's ears, instantly striking him like thunder!

He knew his senior brother too well. Situations where the other party immediately became so respectful were extremely rare!

One must know that even with Yu Liuchen, his senior brother had only offered a barrage of flattery!

But now, he was actually saying the other party had bestowed a name upon him…

For his senior brother to act this way, Xu Qing felt the old man's terrifying nature even more deeply, and thus became even more cautious!

By the campfire, the old man, with a knowing, unreadable smile, cast his gaze upon Xu Qing and Er Niu once more!

“Hairy Monster,” the old man said, “you have the aura of a curse on you… Interesting. How is it that this curse feels like you cast it upon yourself? You've had quite a few past lives, so for now, I'll count you as human too!”

At these words, Er Niu gave a sheepish laugh!

As the old man spoke, he flipped the meat skewer he held in his hand. Wafts of a putrid smell emanated, making one nauseous, but after sniffing it, he actually swallowed, looking as if it were delicious!

“Do you want to eat?” the old man asked.

Xu Qing hesitated!

Er Niu quickly shook his head. Ever since he had consumed the cold energy and his body grew hair all over, he had indeed been having some stomach problems lately. Most importantly, he didn't dare to eat it!

Although he had once thought there was nothing his stomach couldn't digest, looking at the old man's gaze, he felt it was better not to eat!

“We won't eat,” Er Niu quickly replied, “Um, we're full from before!”

Hearing this, the old man's expression darkened!

Immediately, the oppressive feeling around them suddenly intensified. The sky roared, as if about to shatter, the earth churned, and water vapor rose!

The swamp seemed about to dry up.

This scene made both Xu Qing and Er Niu's hearts pound with fear!

Er Niu's expression became solemn as he turned to look at Xu Qing, utterly serious!

“Little Junior Brother, why aren't you quickly going to eat with the old grandpa? Respecting the old and loving the young is a virtue of our human race. The old grandpa is old, and you are young.”

Xu Qing glanced at Er Niu and pondered in his heart!

He understood the captain's meaning. This old man was strange, and if they continued to refuse, he worried the old man might turn hostile. Moreover, his own physical body was special.

Thinking this, resolve appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. He stepped to the campfire and sat down cross-legged!

Seeing Xu Qing approach, the old man raised his hand and threw a meat skewer over!

Xu Qing, with a solemn expression, caught it. Looking at the skewer in front of him and smelling the nauseating odor, he clenched his teeth fiercely and took a bite.

The next moment, his expression suddenly became strange. He looked down at the skewer in his hand and took another bite!

After chewing and swallowing, feeling the unparalleled deliciousness and the warmth within his body, Xu Qing silently, in three to five bites, finished the entire skewer!

Not far away, Er Niu, watching all of this, was a little curious. Just as he was about to ask Xu Qing, the old man by the campfire had a smile on his face as he looked at Xu Qing!

“Is it delicious?” he asked.

Xu Qing nodded. This meat of unknown origin could be said to be the most delicious thing he had ever eaten in his life!

The old man smiled, and raised his right hand, grabbing towards the empty space on his right. Immediately, a thunderous roar came from his right side, and a wall of flesh, as if pulled from afar, came surging forth!

This wall was as tall as the sky, vast and boundless. It was as if it were the very wall of this world itself. As it approached, the world itself seemed to shrink!

Finally, beside the old man, this vast wall of flesh halted. The old man then drew his hand across the wall of flesh, cutting off a strip of meat, skewered it, and continued to grill!

This scene made Xu Qing gasp!

Er Niu's eyes almost popped out. He stared fixedly at the wall. This wasn't just any wall; it was clearly the flesh from inside the terrifying creature in which they currently resided.

Seeing this, Er Niu licked his lips and quickly spoke, “Old grandpa, um… actually, I wasn't full before.”

“I wasn't full either,” the old man said blandly, and handed another skewer to Xu Qing!

Er Niu felt wronged, but dared not say more. He could only gaze longingly at Xu Qing!

Xu Qing quickly took it, ignoring Er Niu, and continued to eat!

The sensation of heat within his body grew increasingly intense. Towards the end, with almost every bite he swallowed, his aura would explosively surge!

Now, he naturally understood that this meat skewer was a true fortuitous opportunity for him.

His soul was nourished, and the connection between it and his flesh grew even tighter!

Therefore, he put in his full effort, eating bite after bite!

Er Niu grew increasingly anxious in his heart, saliva almost dripping from his mouth, yet he dared not approach. Finally, he could only silently tell himself in his heart, “It's just a piece of meat, what's the big deal!”

And so, under Er Niu's longing gaze, Xu Qing and the old man each ate several skewers. Eventually, Xu Qing genuinely couldn't eat any more!

Although he still wanted to eat, and his physical body could still accommodate more, his soul, after a significant surge, showed signs of saturation!

Seeing this, the old man's face broke into a smile!

“You like eating this, eh?” the old man said. “Alright then. I still have some fruit here, let's grill that!”

As the old man spoke, he raised his hand and grabbed into the void. Immediately, a cluster of black grapes flew out of thin air, landing in his hand!

There were over thirty grapes in the cluster, bunched together. Each grape was very plump!

However… after Xu Qing looked at them, he felt a subtle sense of familiarity.

It wasn't until he saw these grapes actually trembling, and one of them even split open slightly, like an eye!

Xu Qing's mind was violently shaken!

“This is…”

Er Niu was even more thunderstruck, his mind similarly reeling!

As both of them felt inwardly horrified, the old man used two fingers to pluck a grape. After a faint, piercing wail, he pulled it off and tossed it to the side!

Immediately, with a thundering sound, that grape directly grew larger!

It became a giant eye, emitting dazzling light!

It was precisely the sun that had appeared in the divine dream they had encountered on their journey!

At the time, Er Niu had said that this deity was terrifying, and its dream was surprisingly semi-real!

And now, this semi-real dream sun had actually appeared in the old man's hand, becoming the 'fruit' he spoke of!

Xu Qing gasped, and Er Niu's mind buzzed!

They stared blankly as the old man cut off some flesh from this giant sun, skewered a few pieces, and was about to grill them!

Xu Qing took a deep breath, immediately stood up, and respectfully said, “Senior, allow me!”

The old man smiled and handed it to Xu Qing!

Xu Qing caught it, feeling a powerful force erupt in his hand, pulling it sharply downwards. The next moment, he circulated his cultivation, and his physical body exerted its full strength, only then barely managing to hold it steady!

He tremblingly placed it on the campfire!

Er Niu looked at the grapes, his desire boundless, so he immediately patted his chest!

“Senior,” Er Niu said, “I see the fire is about to go out. I'm skilled at blowing on fires, I'm very good at it!”

With that, Er Niu ran over, squatted down, and began blowing on the campfire!

The old man watched the two of them with his unreadable smile and didn't stop them!

Thus, with Xu Qing and Er Niu's efforts, the grapes were finally grilled to perfection!

The first skewer naturally belonged to the old man!

For the second skewer, Xu Qing looked at his diligently working senior brother!

“Give it to him!” the old man said casually.

Er Niu was thrilled. He took the grape meat skewer from Xu Qing and began eating large mouthfuls, his eyes gleaming!

For the last skewer, Xu Qing took a deep breath and took a bite. Immediately, his body rumbled internally. After his soul reached saturation, it surprisingly continued to climb, and especially the divine source within him also began to boil!

For a time, apart from the crackling of the campfire and the sounds of swallowing, there were no other sounds!

After a while, Xu Qing truly couldn't eat anymore. Seeing that his senior brother still had an unsatisfied craving, he simply gave his half-eaten skewer over.

Er Niu was instantly touched and wolfed it down!

The old man beside them, watching this scene, patted his belly and stood up!

“Our meeting is fated,” the old man said. “And the little thing this old man is waiting for will also arrive soon. So, this old man will be leaving!”

As he spoke, he glanced at Xu Qing and Er Niu again.

“Although you two are not my kinsmen, you are also human. However, the realm you are from has actually attracted the Upheaval. I wonder if that is good or bad for the creatures of your realm!”

“And you, young man,” the old man said, looking at Xu Qing, “The one who helped you forge your physical body must be your elder, right? They're truly bold, and their path is wild, full of daring. However, you shouldn't have come to the Primeval Sea. Now that you're here, your aura will spread throughout the entire Star Ring!”

“This is also why I brought you here after sensing you. I wanted to see this physical body of yours, forged from the flesh and blood of the Upheaval!”

“This is truly an unprecedented path!”

“However, the human race of your realm has too little knowledge of the Primeval Sea, and doesn't know why one shouldn't come here. That's normal!”

As the old man spoke, his gaze fell upon Xu Qing's eyes, filled with admiration!

“Your character isn't bad either, young man,” he continued. “You know to help, not someone who eats free meals. This Hairy Monster also put in effort. Alright then, let me help you flick off the dirty things on you!”

As he spoke, the old man raised his hand and waved!

Immediately, a scorching wind rushed towards Xu Qing and Er Niu!

The next moment, Xu Qing heard a piercing wail echo behind him!

Two vague soul shadows materialized from Xu Qing and Er Niu's bodies. They recoiled in the hot wind, and after floating into the distance, these two soul shadows merged, surprisingly transforming into the little girl they had first encountered!

She had, surprisingly, never left.

Now that she appeared, the little girl looked at the old man in terror!

“Scram!” the old man said blandly.

The little girl trembled and instantly vanished!

Xu Qing and the captain, their minds in turmoil, immediately stood up to express their gratitude. With countless questions in their hearts, they were about to ask!

The old man suddenly looked up, gazing upwards, a smile appearing on his face!

“The little thing I've been waiting for has arrived!”