Chapter 1033: Mysterious White Dust

For the Demon Plume clan, the Divine Arts Hall is a place of profound sanctity, whether in the Eastern or Western Demon Plume regions. Every generation's Grand Divine Master, even if their cultivation wasn't at the Sovereign level, held a status comparable to a Sovereign.

However, with the decline of the Eastern Demon Plume and the demise of its Grand Divine Master, the Hall in the Eastern Demon Plume gradually lost its former glory. All the Divine Masters within openly and secretly jockeyed for position, each vying to overcome the others and succeed to the position of Grand Divine Master.

Yue Dong, though a disciple of the previous Grand Divine Master, was not the only one qualified for succession. This is why she initiated a desperate plan to cooperate with the Lan family and plot to obtain the remains of Emperor Mingyan. If she truly succeeded, not only the Divine Arts Hall but the entire Eastern Demon Plume would fall under her and the Lan family's control.

But now... everything had changed. Fortunately, there was Er Niu! Er Niu, being kind-hearted and helpful, meant Yue Dong's plan had found a successor.

At this moment, in the Demon Plume city closest to the Eastern Demon Plume Divine Arts Hall, Er Niu, hearing that Xu Qing did not intend to proceed with him, turned his gaze to Xu Qing.

"That's true. Your most important task right now is to acquire an identity."

"So, after you've obtained your identity, will you come find me?" Er Niu asked.

Hearing this, Xu Qing shook his head. He had his own matters to attend to. Just as his Senior Brother wished to take control of the Divine Arts Hall, Xu Qing needed to resolve a problem that had troubled him for a long time. Xu Qing had pondered this issue many times but had never found a solution, until... the appearance of Xue Chenzi sparked some associations in his mind.

So, in response to his Senior Brother's words, Xu Qing calmly spoke. "I'm not sure when I'll return. That Xue Chenzi has some peculiar characteristics that interest me, Senior Brother. I plan to investigate them. I'll come find you after I've finished my investigation."

Xu Qing's words immediately piqued Er Niu's curiosity. "What characteristics?"

Xu Qing looked up, gazing into the distance. He sensed the mark he had left on Xue Chenzi, which had now mostly dissipated. However, to be safe, he had also left behind one of Little Shadow's shadow eyes. Thus, Xue Chenzi's whereabouts were not lost.

After sensing it, a peculiar light flickered in Xu Qing's eyes as he murmured, "Untouched by karma."

After speaking, Xu Qing took a step forward, instantly blurring and vanishing into the horizon. Er Niu gazed thoughtfully in the direction Xu Qing had departed.

"That's fine. With Junior Brother's current cultivation, a little caution won't hurt. Besides, this is the Eastern Demon Plume; isn't Lü Lingzi here?" Er Niu licked his lips, turned towards the Divine Arts Hall, and sped off.

In this manner, the Qing-Niu duo separated, each pursuing their own endeavors.

Several hours later, Xu Qing's figure, concealed throughout his journey, steadily approached, guided by the shadow eye in the skies above the Eastern Demon Plume. As he drew closer, a ripple stirred within him. Encountering Xue Chenzi and sensing his unique characteristics was an unexpected turn of events for Xu Qing. This unexpected encounter was the core of his internal turmoil, because the biggest problem that had troubled him during this period was his cultivation.

Ever since he died in the Human Imperial Capital and was revived by his master, who re-embodied him using a remnant face and flesh, he had gained immensely but also encountered many constraints. The fusion of his soul and body was just one of them. What worried him most was his cultivation level. To some extent, his cultivation had been stagnant. To break through the Void Return realm, all one hundred divine authorities within his Sea of Consciousness needed to fully shine. This was incredibly difficult.

Yet he yearned to become stronger, to enter the Spirit Nurturing realm. Whether it was the threat from Prince Ziqing or the ongoing war on the Continent of Wanggu, everything required him to become a true powerhouse to go further and act with more ease. Being constantly under his master's wing was not the path Xu Qing desired. But divine authority, unfortunately, was not something he could acquire merely through effort. Whether it was through enlightenment or plundering the authority of deities, both were uncertain endeavors. The word "uncertainty" was unacceptable to Xu Qing, whose cultivation had always progressed steadily.

"This body grants me defensive capabilities that are unshakable beneath the Sovereign realm and holds infinite potential... But it also imposes limitations on me!"

"And divine authority... while it boosts my combat power, each acquisition requires a stroke of luck!"

"My success is due to divine authority, and my difficulty is also due to divine authority!" Xu Qing murmured to himself.

He had previously pondered how to resolve this, even considering several methods. He even asked Seventh Master about it while in the Southern Phoenix Continent. Seventh Master's reply was that it was a new path with infinite potential, one that no one could fully guide him on. Ultimately, everything had to be explored by Xu Qing himself. All he could provide was the Profound Yang Immortal Light, which accelerated the fusion of soul and body.

During those months in the Human Imperial Capital, Xu Qing, while keeping an eye on Feng Lintao, was also devising a solution, and he finally thought of a method: to create a clone to cultivate independently, bypassing his main body, thereby achieving the goal of breakthrough.

However, he eventually abandoned it. Because after his deductions, he discovered that the possibility of cultivating through a clone was almost zero. The key reason for this was that his own karmic ties were too vast and numerous. Whether it was the karma from the outer sea, the karma of those deities, or his ties with Prince Ziqing... most importantly, it was with the Primordial Remnant Face. This meant that even if he created a clone, these karmic ties would cause severe problems for it. The clone would collapse on its own the moment it appeared, unable to bear these karmic ties. Even the Emperor's Scissors, sharp as they were, could not sever them.

Originally, this idea of creating a clone had already been rejected by Xu Qing. Until he previously encountered Xue Chenzi. Xue Chenzi's appearance and their confrontation within the blood mist allowed Xu Qing to notice some peculiar aspects. The threads of destiny on Xue Chenzi were different from ordinary people. Under Xu Qing's authority of erasure, he saw some faint white dust clinging to Xue Chenzi's threads of destiny. This was something Xu Qing had never seen on anyone else's threads of destiny.

Although he and Er Niu had deployed the Six Thieves of Delusion Immortal Art on Xue Chenzi at the time, they were unintentionally interrupted by the arrival of the young man in luxurious robes. But during the execution of this immortal art, Xu Qing had already sensed that those white dust particles actually resisted the Six Thieves Immortal Art. This made it difficult to imprint the seven emotions and six desires. This peculiarity caught Xu Qing's attention. Later, when the young man in luxurious robes arrived, Xu Qing seized the opportunity to intentionally let Xue Chenzi escape, while burying this matter deep in his mind.

On the road afterward, he seemingly followed blankly, but while listening to the conversation between the young man in luxurious robes and Er Niu, he was also pondering Xue Chenzi's unique nature in his heart. Ultimately, he formed a hypothesis: "It seems untouched by karmic retribution!"

A strange light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. It was now twilight, and as the last rays of the setting sun fell, he looked up at a low mountain not far away, and with a flicker of his body, he shot towards it.

At this moment, within the low mountain, a cave dwelling was hidden. Outside the cave, an array enveloped it, providing not only concealment but also considerable protection. Inside the cave, Xue Chenzi sat cross-legged in meditation.

After escaping from Xu Qing and Er Niu, he hadn't returned to his original cave dwelling. Instead, he checked himself for any marks and changed multiple cave dwellings to leave false trails. Finally, he settled in this current location. Currently, his face was pale, appearing greatly weakened, with veins bulging on his face, and his aura was unstable. Especially his great worlds, which had been seven, were now reduced to five, and all were dim and lusterless. The two missing great worlds had been self-destructed by him during his battle with Xu Qing and Er Niu, sacrificing them for the power to escape.

"That Yue Dong is not right. That bitch's attacks are more insidious and her combat power is stronger than before. And her corpse puppet... it actually gave me a chilling sensation! Especially that corpse puppet, it could actually coordinate with Yue Dong to unleash her Six Thieves of Delusion Immortal Art... Damn it."

Xue Chenzi's heart churned with unwillingness and resentment, but he didn't doubt Yue Dong's identity. This was because the Six Thieves of Delusion Art was both a hallmark of the Eastern Demon Plume Divine Arts Hall and a signature of Yue Dong herself.

"That bitch must have gained some significant opportunities after becoming part of the vanguard and going to Wanggu. In that case, killing her will require further planning." Xue Chenzi sighed helplessly. As he healed, he took out a jade slip. This was a mission jade slip issued by the Demon Plume Sacred Land to all clan members, listing all available missions and the amount of military merits earned upon completion.

"I need to continue accumulating military merits to exchange for more resources and qualify to enter other secret realms! Fortunately, there are plenty of humans, and many weak ones among them. I can just kill more and accumulate merits through sheer numbers!"

Xue Chenzi had to suppress his murderous intent towards Yue Dong. He was inherently a person skilled at endurance; otherwise, he wouldn't have waited until he felt confident enough before striking like thunder. But now he understood that his strength was still insufficient, so he planned to continue accumulating power and seek revenge only after he became stronger.

Just as his divine sense was searching the mission jade slip for suitable tasks, a sudden tremor came from outside his cave dwelling. The tremor was slight at first, but in the next instant, it intensified sharply, causing the earth to shake and a loud roar to echo. The array was shaken! Cracks appeared on the cave entrance.

This sudden change caused Xue Chenzi's expression to shift. He raised his right hand, about to press it to the ground. The ground around him was clearly etched with teleportation marks. One press, and he could teleport away. But his hand, just three inches from the ground, abruptly paused. In the shadow beneath him, an eye opened. It was Little Shadow! It erupted at the critical moment! Although it hadn't fully controlled Xue Chenzi, it could still manage this brief restraint.

Xue Chenzi's mind reeled. Instinctively, he let out a low growl and struggled to lift his left hand, intending to continue striking the ground's teleportation array. But at that moment, a cold voice emerged from his growl. "Found you!"

The next instant, as Xue Chenzi's mind boomed, Xu Qing's figure manifested his true form in an incredibly bizarre manner, emerging from Xue Chenzi's low growl as a sound wave. In the blink of an eye, he became perfectly clear, his right hand raised and gripping Xue Chenzi's neck. He then lunged forward, pulling Xue Chenzi's body out of the teleportation array and slamming him violently against the cave wall.

With a crash! The cave shook, and the mountain trembled. Xue Chenzi's eyes widened, his mind filled with horror. He tried to retaliate, but the hand gripping his neck sent out a power that made his entire body tremble. His body was being invaded by a foreign substance, wildly and rapidly. This sight terrified him to his core. Instinctively, he was about to unleash some hidden killer moves, but the next moment, he discovered with even greater horror that his body... couldn't move! Countless eyes appeared within his shadow! Under Xu Qing's attack, Little Shadow seized the moment of Xue Chenzi's mental disarray and successfully parasitized him.

Thus, the fear in Xue Chenzi's eyes intensified. Especially the person before him—at first glance, he seemed a stranger, yet subtly familiar. This intertwining sensation of strangeness and familiarity erupted in his mind, and then he suddenly remembered. As someone who had accumulated a great deal of military merit and killed many human cultivators, he had reviewed recordings of some high-ranking humans. The person before him was precisely someone he had seen in those high-level human recordings: Xu Qing, the Grand Tutor and Lord of the Human Second Domain.

Xu Qing had actually appeared within the Sacred Land, right before him, and attacked him... This realization struck Xue Chenzi's mind like a bolt of lightning, shattering his thoughts. He also abruptly understood that this matter must be connected to Yue Dong! It must be said, his reaction was quite swift. But unfortunately, it was too late.

Xu Qing, expressionless, grabbed Xue Chenzi and turned to leave the cave dwelling. He remained concealed throughout his journey. Several hours later, he found a desolate plain, descended underground, and after excavating a subterranean chamber, he finally released Xue Chenzi's neck and sat cross-legged beside him. He stared at Xue Chenzi, lost in silent thought. In Xue Chenzi's eyes, there was both despair and madness, yet he couldn't control himself, only watching helplessly as his body knelt before Xu Qing.

The subterranean chamber was silent.

After a while, Xu Qing first used the Yi Clan's Mysterious Sky Demonic Moon Pill to form a pill targeting Xue Chenzi. Then, his right eye, embodying the Authority of Erasure, suddenly flashed. What he saw were numerous threads of destiny appearing on Xue Chenzi's body. After a careful examination, as Xue Chenzi's mind trembled, Xu Qing reached out and seized one thread for close observation. On this illusory thread, just as Xu Qing had seen before, there was a considerable amount of white dust. These particles were also illusory, clinging to the thread, and gradually becoming one with it.

Xu Qing was keen to remove these dust particles and attempted to do so, but the moment he tried to remove them, they vanished on their own. Xu Qing frowned. This white dust was very important to him. Only by finding its source and acquiring enough of the dust could he, utilizing its karmic-untouched characteristic, make his idea of cultivating through a clone a possibility.

So, after a moment, Xu Qing's left eye also glowed with dao marks; that was the authority of the Six Thieves of Delusion Immortal Art. At this moment, Xue Chenzi's mind boomed once more. On one hand, he confirmed that Xu Qing and Yue Dong were certainly working together. On the other hand, he was also shocked by Xu Qing's authorities. Possessing two authorities before becoming a Sovereign was, in his memory, something unprecedented. But before his shock could last too long, under the gaze of the dao marks in Xu Qing's eyes, Xue Chenzi's mind blurred and he lost consciousness. But Xu Qing's research had only just begun. He wanted to discover what exactly this dust was.

Now, under the gaze of his dual dao marks, the threads on Xue Chenzi's body were not only comprehensive but also displayed colors. They contained karma, and the seven emotions and six desires! Xu Qing raised a hand and began studying them one by one.

Thus, time flowed by, and five days passed. During these five days, Xu Qing remained sleepless, immersed in his research. However, frustratingly, no matter how many times he tried, the white dust particles vanished on their own the moment he attempted to remove them. No method could preserve them. This made Xu Qing's frown deepen.

"Could it be that my approach is wrong..."

At this moment, as the morning of the sixth day dawned outside, Xu Qing suddenly raised his hand, snapped off Xue Chenzi's finger, and held it to examine the flesh. At the same time, wasting not a single drop of the opponent's blood, he began a deep exploration of Xue Chenzi's internal body. It started with a finger, then a palm, followed by an arm, and finally extended to the internal organs. Even Xue Chenzi's great worlds were within the scope of Xu Qing's research.

Finally, within Xue Chenzi's flesh, he discovered deeply hidden white dust. This discovery invigorated Xu Qing. But that was all it was, because the white dust within the flesh likewise rapidly dissipated once separated from Xue Chenzi's body. It was as if Xue Chenzi himself was the source.

"It's present in the threads of destiny, and in the flesh, but not in the great worlds. So, what about the soul..."

Several more days passed. After concluding his research on the physical body, Xu Qing fed Xue Chenzi some pills, ensuring the barely living opponent remained alive. Afterward, he began his research on the soul. Researching the soul required extreme caution, as even a slight overexertion could lead to irreversible damage. This would affect Xu Qing's subsequent research. Therefore, it took longer than before; only after ten days did Xu Qing withdraw his divine sense, his brow furrowed once more. In the soul, he searched all areas but found no white dust.

"Very strange. This Xue Chenzi seems like the source, yet not like the source!"

Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand, releasing a wisp of his own Divine Authority of Misfortune and entwining it around Xue Chenzi's threads of destiny. Simultaneously, he also partially deployed the Six Thieves of Delusion Immortal Art, maintaining a continuous assault. Then, he focused his full attention and observed carefully.

Several days later, Xu Qing concluded his research, closed his eyes, and fell into contemplation. His observations over these few days revealed the true function of the white dust. The so-called "untouched by karma" actually meant that this white dust was devouring karma. It slowly devoured the incursions of misfortune and the seven emotions and six desires.

"Unable to be stripped away, then only two paths remain now! Whichever succeeds, it will be acceptable to me!"

Xu Qing's gaze fell upon Xue Chenzi before him. At this moment, Xue Chenzi was barely recognizable, his flesh growing in a chaotic manner, making him look grotesque, surrounded by scattered limbs and fragmented flesh. Spiritually, he was utterly listless, barely clinging to life. Only his life-force, sustained by Xu Qing, still flickered. Now under Xu Qing's gaze, Xue Chenzi's heart was numb. The past month's experience made him wish only for death.

The next instant, Xu Qing raised his hand. With a grab, he extracted Xue Chenzi's soul and sealed it aside. The first path he intended to take was to refine Xue Chenzi's physical body and transform it into his own clone using the secret arts of the Heterodox Immortal path. The difficulty lay in its compatibility with his own origin and the peculiarities of the white dust. But if successful, Xu Qing would effectively possess a clone untouched by karma. Thereafter, cultivating with this clone would bypass the limitations of his main body.

Thinking this, Xu Qing formed hand seals. Instantly, threads of soul flew out, merging into the flesh before him, beginning the refinement process.

Three days later, as the makeshift humanoid before Xu Qing disintegrated into a splatter of blood, his refinement still failed.

"Ultimately, it cannot be of the same origin as me. Even by integrating soul threads and reshaping my soul within this flesh, it's still not possible. Additionally, that white dust is too peculiar; it's also one of the reasons for the failure!"

Xu Qing sighed, rubbed his brow, and his gaze fell upon Xue Chenzi's remaining soul, which was sealed aside. "Then, there's only one last path left!"

Determination flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. This last path was to search Xue Chenzi's soul at the cost of its complete destruction, to find the source of those white dust particles within its threads of destiny. With this thought, a resolute glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. He raised his right hand and immediately seized Xue Chenzi's soul. His divine sense rapidly expanded, comprehensively invading Xue Chenzi's soul amid its wails, beginning a destructive excavation, piece by piece, leaving no memory intact.

He saw Xue Chenzi's childhood, his growth, the feud with Yue Dong, and also the human cultivators he had killed to gain military merits. Countless memory fragments surged forth before Xu Qing, appearing frame by frame like a tide. Until finally, Xu Qing focused on memories from three months ago.

Three months prior, Xue Chenzi, with his accumulated military merits, had exchanged for a qualification to enter the World Origin Secret Realm. The World Origin Secret Realm was a precious location within the Eastern Demon Plume, containing dense world energy and numerous laws and rules, greatly aiding those in the Spirit Nurturing realm in advancing new worlds. It formerly belonged to the Lan family, but now that the Lan family had fallen, its ownership had transferred to Lü Lingzi. Previously, this secret realm was not open to the public. Only now, during the war, had it been opened as a strategic resource, allowing all cultivators of the Demon Plume Sacred Land to exchange vast amounts of military merits for access.

It was there that Xue Chenzi had cultivated his seventh great world. And it was after leaving this secret realm that white dust appeared within Xue Chenzi's destiny. After carefully checking and confirming this point, as Xue Chenzi's soul was extinguished, Xu Qing opened his eyes, a sharp glint appearing within them.

"Xue Chenzi underwent a change within a certain canyon in that secret realm. Unfortunately, his memories from entering the canyon until leaving it are blank! But it can be confirmed that the source is this World Origin Secret Realm... It seems I need to visit this secret realm, go to that canyon within it, and see what Xue Chenzi truly experienced there!"

After pondering, Xu Qing took out Xue Chenzi's mission jade slip. To enter the World Origin Secret Realm, a large amount of military merits was required for qualification. And the top-listed mission within this jade slip was precisely the bounty for Feng Lintao. Xu Qing glanced at it, then his divine sense swept over the other missions. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes, a decision already made in his heart.

With a flicker of his body, he instantly vanished from the subterranean chamber. When he reappeared, he was already in the sky, having transformed into Xue Chenzi. The Yi Clan's pills ensured Xu Qing's aura matched Xue Chenzi's. And with a month of mastering his form, Xu Qing had achieved meticulous perfection. Combined with the stitching of the Emperor's Needle, he was now a perfect substitute.

It was now early morning, the sun shining brightly. Amidst the dawn light, Xu Qing waved his sleeve, and a blood mist rose, soaring straight into the sky!