Chapter 1044: Dog Thief Gains Fame

Xu Qing felt helpless! By his true nature, he would never have acted or spoken this way.

But this was, after all, the Empress's decree! The Empress's words hinted that he should be ostentatious, and having received her grace, Xu Qing couldn't refuse to comply.

So, he could only recall his Senior Disciple's mannerisms and tone of voice, which led to his previous remarks and his current arrogant stance. In everyone's eyes, his figure was far beyond mere arrogance. It was downright audacious.

At this moment, Xu Qing, standing at the foot of Sovereign Mountain with his hands clasped behind his back, appeared utterly domineering to all present on the mountain! Facing a high-tier mighty figure at the Ninth-Tier Soul Condensation Realm, he dared to utter such words!

The next instant, fury surged from the numerous cultivators on the mountain; figures ascended into the air, their gazes converging and locking onto Xu Qing! Faced with such pressure, Xu Qing remained extremely vigilant internally, but outwardly revealed nothing, even closing his eyes.

All of this made the elder from the Ninth-Tier Soul Condensation Realm, who had stepped forward, laugh in anger.

"Good, good, good."

Xu Qing's words and arrogant demeanor caused a cold glint to flash in the elder's eyes. In his lifetime of battles, he had encountered insolent individuals like Xu Qing before. However, almost all of them had ended up dead.

Seeing Xu Qing even close his eyes at this moment, the Ninth-Tier Soul Condensation Realm elder, suspended in mid-air, suddenly raised his right hand. The next moment, the sky changed color, the earth rumbled, and a storm swirled around them!

As the elder's right hand descended, a colossal palm print materialized directly behind him, seemingly replacing the very sky. It pierced through his form and, along with his hand, slammed towards Xu Qing! This single palm strike fully displayed the power of his Ninth-Tier Soul Condensation Realm, creating a world-shattering might. Even the fabric of rules and laws seemed to tear under the force of this palm print! Cracks even appeared in the void! It soared straight towards Xu Qing!

Like a sweeping gale, it ruffled Xu Qing's long hair and robes, but Xu Qing remained still, his eyes still closed. Until that massive palm print, imbued with destructive power, crashed down, shaking heaven and earth!

In everyone's eyes, at that very instant, black flames suddenly appeared on Xu Qing. These flames rapidly spread beneath his feet, forming a brilliant black lotus. The lotus bloomed, its countless fiery petals swirling around, with Xu Qing positioned precisely at its heart. The black flame lotus ascending around him seemed to have created a perfect defense for him. It directly collided with the colossal palm print descending from the sky!

Deafening roars echoed across the heavens! The black lotus remained as it was, still burning, its petals still swirling and dancing. Xu Qing inside, not even a single strand of his hair affected, hadn't even opened his eyes, merely uttering a faint remark!

"Two more moves!"

As his voice echoed, the elder in the sky narrowed his eyes, and the numerous cultivators on Seventeenth Sovereign Mountain also showed shifts in their expressions! Not just anyone could withstand a full-power strike from a Ninth-Tier Soul Condensation Realm expert! To achieve this alone signified immense power!

Especially... among them, some learned individuals stared intently at the black fiery lotus surrounding Xu Qing, feeling a faint sense of familiarity, as if they had seen it described somewhere before! Soon, someone recognized it and cried out in surprise!

"This is the Nether Lotus."

"Within the Eastern Plume, it's the protective secret art of Emperor Netherflame."

As the voice echoed, more and more people immediately recalled the various legends and records about Emperor Netherflame documented in ancient texts! This Blood Dust, he actually mastered such a secret art.

"No wonder Sovereign Lu Lingzi brought this person with him when he came to our Western Demonic Plume this time."

"This is also why Blood Dust is so brazen."

A clamor spread in all directions. Xu Qing remained as before, standing with his eyes closed, while the Ninth-Tier Soul Condensation Realm elder in mid-air now frowned deeply. He had heard of the Nether Lotus; legend had it that this secret art provided astonishing defense!

So he narrowed his eyes, suddenly raised his hands, and rapidly performed hand seals. Instantly, the nine grand worlds behind him simultaneously shone, each raising its highest peak from within itself! These nine peaks transformed from illusory to real, appearing from their worlds in the Holy Land's sky, linked together like a string of pearls. The moment they manifested, they stirred the surrounding laws of heaven and earth, causing lightning and thunder to continuously erupt!

Then, with a point of the elder's hands, the nine mountain peaks whistled towards Xu Qing! It wasn't over. After displaying the second technique, the elder simply raised his right hand and pressed his brow. Instantly, the nine grand worlds behind him rumbled once more! From within them, countless rules and laws radiated, all representing the path the elder had comprehended throughout his life!

After they appeared, with a roar from him! "Transforming the Dao into a tip." His Dao converged before him, forming a gigantic spear tip. Then, the elder's voice deepened, echoing once more!

"Forming the shaft with worlds." The nine grand worlds arrayed themselves, interconnected, appearing like the shaft of a spear from a distance.

"Using burning techniques as the spear tassel." The elder roared, and countless techniques erupted from his body, swirling in dazzling colors around the world-shaking spear shaft! Finally, a murderous glint flashed in the elder's eyes, and he pushed fiercely!

This awe-inspiring colossal spear shot through the air directly towards Xu Qing! The elder's intention was clearly to display both the second technique and the third divine ability simultaneously! Using such a method, he aimed to try and break through the fabled Nether Lotus!

At this moment, heaven and earth changed color, and countless gazes watched. It was clear that the first to strike Xu Qing from the sky were the nine mountains! Though these nine mountains appeared massive, they rapidly shrunk as they sped forward, ultimately transforming into nine great swords that powerfully struck the Netherflame Lotus rising from Xu Qing's body, which everyone watched. Their momentum was like overturning mountains, their power like draining seas!

Xu Qing's body trembled, and the Nether Lotus, visible to all, shone intensely. Despite the raging flames, no matter how sharp the nine mountain-transformed swords were, they failed to even slightly budge Xu Qing! Soon, with the eruption of the Nether Lotus's fire, the nine mountain-swords reverted from reality to illusion, until they vanished. But the instant they dispersed, the terrifying colossal spear pierced through all illusions and landed directly above Xu Qing's head!

The spear tip, its sharpness fully revealed, unleashed an extreme force, erupting violently! A tremendous roar erupted, accompanied by a shocking impact! Under this impact, Xu Qing's body was unable to remain in place and was forced to retreat! As his body receded, the terrifying colossal spear, unstoppable, continued to charge forward before him!

Xu Qing's eyes suddenly opened, intending to raise his hand to block, but the colossal spear was too fast. Before Xu Qing could even raise his arm, it had already pierced his chest! The spear tip made contact, Xu Qing's body shook, and he retreated once more! Ten zhang, a hundred zhang, five hundred zhang! He retreated further and further!

Though the spear tip was incredibly powerful, it couldn't penetrate Xu Qing's physical body. As Xu Qing retreated a thousand zhang, its momentum slightly weakened. Xu Qing then took a step back and abruptly halted! In an instant, the spear tip lodged in his chest trembled, emitting cracking sounds, visibly cracking, and then shattering! Starting from the tip, the shattering spread continuously, quickly reaching the spear shaft, until finally, with a massive roar, the entire spear collapsed!

The power of this spear had reached the peak of Soul Condensation, but ultimately, it still hadn't reached the Sovereign level! Thus, as wind swept through the world, Xu Qing, standing there, spoke faintly!

"It's over!"

Silence fell all around! The Ninth-Tier Soul Condensation Realm elder in mid-air gazed at Xu Qing with a complex expression. After a long moment, he silently shook his head. He turned, took a step, and returned to the mountain.

Xu Qing walked forward, traversing a thousand zhang, returning to the foot of Sovereign Mountain. He stepped onto the nearest stairs, sat down cross-legged, and looked up at the mountain. Recalling his Senior Disciple's usual demeanor, he spoke faintly!

"I will sit here. Below the Sovereign level, without using Sovereign treasures, if anyone can break my defense within three days, then I lose."

On Seventeenth Sovereign Mountain, the cultivators remained silent. Even cultivators of the Ninth-Tier Soul Condensation Realm couldn't break Xu Qing's defense, and all other Soul Condensation cultivators felt a sense of powerlessness. Further attempts were meaningless.

While there was more than one Ninth-Tier Soul Condensation Realm cultivator on this mountain, and from Xu Qing's previous actions, they had already judged that his offensive power seemed somewhat lacking, his defense was simply too extreme! However, unless they acted like him, sitting there and letting others attack, they were helpless against this Blood Dust. But for those with higher cultivation than Blood Dust, being forced to choose such a method would be tantamount to admitting inferiority...

Because their cultivation levels were unequal, it was reasonable for Blood Dust not to be able to break their defenses! But for them, a victory achieved by such means was no different from a defeat! In fact, they might even lose more face than if they had simply lost. Most importantly, while this appeared to be a struggle between cultivators, it was, in essence, a struggle between Sovereigns, and furthermore, a competition between the Eastern and Western Demonic Plumes!

And so, the entire Sovereign Mountain fell silent.

Time flowed, and three days passed. In the Western Demonic Plume, ripples had already begun. Xu Qing opened his eyes punctually and stood up. Under the complex gazes of the mountain's cultivators, he said nothing, turned, and headed towards the sky, making his way to Sixteenth Sovereign Mountain.

Upon approaching, amidst the hostility of the cultivators on Sixteenth Sovereign Mountain, Xu Qing sat cross-legged on the mountain's steps and spoke faintly!

"You should know the rules by now! Below the Sovereign level, without using Sovereign treasures, if anyone can break my defense within three days, then I lose."

Three days later, Xu Qing shook his head and left. During this period, several cultivators from that mountain made their moves, but all failed. Ultimately, like on Seventeenth Mountain, they chose silence!

Thus, Xu Qing proceeded to Fifteenth Sovereign Mountain, continued to sit down, and continued to utter the same words! From then on, he spent three days at each mountain. Half a month later, when his figure appeared on Tenth Sovereign Mountain, the name Blood Dust had become thoroughly renowned throughout the entire Western Demonic Plume! He was known by all, a focal point of countless cultivators in the Western Demonic Plume.

Similarly, news of Xu Qing's exploits in the Western Demonic Plume also reached the Eastern Demonic Plume! For a time, cultivators in the Eastern Demonic Plume were greatly invigorated. Many even crossed the border to the Western Demonic Plume, eager to witness everything with their own eyes!

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Demonic Plume, inside the Immortal Arts Hall! Yuedong sat cross-legged in a hall, as a bloody aura permeated from outside. Soon, footsteps echoed outside the hall. Yuedong opened her beautiful eyes and gazed out.

She saw a young man in luxurious robes, his face full of affection, approaching quickly, a severed head still clutched in his hand! Upon reaching Yuedong, the youth in luxurious robes spoke gently!

"Dong'er, that old scoundrel dared to question your identity. I've already eliminated him for you. Rest assured, with me here, no one in the Eastern Demonic Plume will dare to harm you! However, something has come up! Do you remember that Blood Dust? It's all my fault. Last time, I could have clearly slain that scoundrel, but I disrupted your move. Alas! Who would have thought that wretched scoundrel would have such an opportunity, becoming a retinue member of the Tenth Sovereign, and now even making a name for himself in the Western Demonic Plume? Damn him. But rest assured, I will definitely help you slay this wretched scoundrel and take his dog's life."

The youth in luxurious robes declared solemnly.

Yuedong blinked, startled. During this time, someone had been helping her handle the power struggle in the Immortal Arts Hall, so she had focused entirely on studying the immortal arts she had acquired. She was unaware of the events in the Western Demonic Plume! Hearing these words now, Yuedong's heart skipped a beat.

"Little A-Qing actually got involved with the Empress and even made a name for himself!"

Thinking of his junior disciple once again overshadowing him, Er Niu took a deep breath, instantly feeling immense pressure, and a sense of inexplicable grievance also arose. "Weren't we supposed to be keeping this to ourselves? How did those two end up together and leave me behind?"