Chapter 1047: Grateful Heart

Beyond time!

All beings are both a whole and individuals. This holds true for mortals and cultivators alike.

For mortals, the soul resides within the body, and their flesh and blood circulation contains a system designed to resist harmful external elements. This reduces the likelihood of illness and the risk of life-threatening dangers.

Cultivators are even more so; with spiritual energy bolstering their bodies, all internal circulations and functions proceed according to specific patterns. Furthermore, this system of operation becomes increasingly perfect depending on their cultivation level and life stage.

Beyond a certain point, it becomes difficult for outsiders to find any weaknesses, eventually forming a self-contained defense against external forces. To decisively defeat such a cultivator, one must either overwhelm them with superior strength and break them down completely, or if at the same cultivation level or even weaker, a special method is required to turn the tide.

Immortal arts were created in ancient times based on this very principle. Their fundamental approach centers on the concepts of 'bizarre' and 'special,' emphasizing the use of unique methods and strange pathways to bypass an opponent's natural defenses and unleash devastating attacks.

Human nature, however, is complex and intangible. Therefore, it often becomes a crucial point of breakthrough for certain immortal arts.

For example, 'Six Thieves of Delusion' harnesses the seven emotions and six desires within it—all of which are intentions or thoughts. Using intentions as a guide, it reverses cycles, infiltrates defenses, and creates exploitable weaknesses from within.

As for 'Five Dogs Renounce Immortality,' its essence lies in the thoughts and inclinations of temperament. The character 'She' (舍) can denote a dwelling, such as the body where the soul resides. Hence, there is a technique called 'Soul Seizure.' Besides this, the character also means 'to let go' or 'to abandon.'

But it is difficult for people to let go. That's why the saying exists: "Not letting go of worldly possessions and all existence"—this idea becomes a weakness that allows one to bypass one's external defenses. Through this vulnerability, the immortal art is unleashed.

As for the appearance of Junior Sister Yue Dong's memory, that is a unique aspect of the immortal art. Only in this manner can it remain hidden, preventing immediate detection. Its principle is to use one's own self to deceive oneself. As long as it's not immediately detected, it provides an opportunity for the 'Avaricious Thought' to mature. It's like opening a door out of nowhere in a closed room. This window is five breaths, and this is the true meaning of the 'Avaricious Dog Entering the Abode'.

Overall, immortal arts rely on their bizarre nature, unfolding through the 'Five Dogs' concept with a specialty that transcends traditional understanding, forming lethal damage in a way that is extremely difficult to block. Once the door is open, external evil naturally invades.

That white eye represents the 'Greed' concept within 'Five Dogs Renounce Immortality.'

“Unsatisfied desires are called Greed; when the Greed Dog enters the abode, one is bound!”

Greed can shackle the mind and bind the self. Thus, the door swung wide, and the white eye appeared. The moment it gazed at Xu Qing, his mind was instantly turbulent, experiencing a four-breath trance. A strange seal, working from inside out, emerged, following the gaze of the white eye and sealing everything within Xu Qing. These four breaths were the time it took for the seal to form. If it couldn't be broken within four breaths, then...

“Delusional adherence to rules is called Folly; when the Folly Dog enters the abode, one falls into the cycle of life and death!”

A white vortex silently appeared in Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness, below the white eye, continuously spinning and generating a force of separation. What was being separated was the integration of flesh and soul. Three breaths later, a large white mouth appeared beneath the white vortex. This mouth opened, exuding boundless malevolence.

This was...

“Ignorance of true nature and seeking victory through dispute is called Malice; when the Malice Dog enters the abode, one falls into hell!”

The large white mouth swallowed fiercely! What it swallowed was the soul.

Finally, around the eye, the vortex, and the mouth, the fifth concept of 'Five Dogs Renounce Immortality' appeared! It was a white visage! Under its influence, the 'Five Dogs Renounce Immortality' art in Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness became complete, manifesting as an entire face. White hair fluttered, and the expression was eerily a mix of a smile and a cry, extremely bizarre! It merged into Xu Qing's physical body.

“Not attaining non-birth yet presumptuously rejecting the three lower realms is called Precipice; when the Precipice Dog enters the abode, one permanently loses their human form.”

The world before Xu Qing's eyes turned pitch black.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, at the bottom of the Abode Immortal Lake, on the massive white rune where countless corpses lay, another body was now added! It was Xu Qing. His hair turned white, his skin likewise, and his eyes opened, emitting a white glow, seemingly becoming one with all the surrounding corpses. His expression was the same.

But the next instant, a sudden change occurred! Outside Xu Qing's body, numerous threads of seven emotions and six desires suddenly appeared from the void. These threads emanated the immortal art fluctuations of 'Six Thieves of Delusion,' having been laid by Xu Qing in advance. Now activated, they swiftly approached Xu Qing. The moment they made contact, some threads pierced Xu Qing's flesh, burrowing into his body and heading directly for the white visage! The other threads wrapped around his body externally, quickly entwining him into a humanoid cocoon.

This cocoon contained a seal. It sealed the white visage within Xu Qing's body, preventing it from escaping. And this was Xu Qing's plan. He wanted to personally experience the 'Five Dogs Renounce Immortality' art. Although the art was strangely astonishing, Xu Qing had some confidence. The source of this confidence came from 'Six Thieves of Delusion.' After all, 'Five Dogs Renounce Immortality' and 'Six Thieves of Delusion' were originally a single immortal art.

Thus, time passed. Beneath Abode Immortal Lake, there was complete silence. For a moment, even the lake water seemed to stop flowing. An hour later, from among the many corpses, the cocoon formed by Xu Qing suddenly emitted a cracking sound. The sound started faintly but quickly grew denser, eventually causing cracks to appear on the cocoon. As more appeared, the cocoon suddenly shattered into pieces, revealing Xu Qing within.

His hair was no longer white, returning to its original color, as were his eyes. Only a lingering sense of trepidation remained within him.

“This is 'Five Dogs Renounce Immortality'!” Xu Qing murmured. “This art is even more bizarre than 'Six Thieves of Delusion.' No, that's not right. It's because Yue Dong's own strength was insufficient, so the 'Six Thieves' she deployed against me could be broken. And the source of the immortal art here is this mark!”

Xu Qing lowered his head, gazing at the massive white mark beneath his feet. He could feel that the mark was incredibly ancient, imbued with the passage of time, and he judged it was highly likely from the Era of the Profound Nether Ancient Emperor. It was even possible that this mark was the foundational symbol for the 'Five Dogs Renounce Immortality' art itself.

“If I hadn't already mastered 'Six Thieves of Delusion' and transformed it into a Dao Mark of Authority, completely integrating it with myself, I'm afraid this time I wouldn't have been able to recover so quickly from this immortal art!” Xu Qing looked up, gazing at the surrounding corpses. He now understood that these were all individuals who had come here to comprehend the art but had failed and died.

“This immortal art!” Xu Qing withdrew his gaze, letting it fall upon his right hand. At this moment, the shattered cocoon reformed into threads, gathering from all directions. Soon, a faint mark slowly appeared in Xu Qing's palm. The mark looked identical to the white mark at the bottom of Abode Immortal Lake, merely countless times smaller. If one looked closely, they could also see that the totem of this mark was actually an abstract mask. This was Xu Qing, after extracting the white visage formed within him using the 'Six Thieves of Delusion' immortal art, forcibly retaining it through the mutual attraction of the same immortal art origin.

As he gazed at it, Xu Qing's divine sense merged into it, as if reliving his experience with 'Five Dogs Renounce Immortality' once more. He ultimately confirmed the internal essence of this immortal art:

“The Avaricious Dog hides within the spellcaster's memory by linking a segment of memory. Due to its special and hidden nature, it is difficult to detect. If the spellcaster cannot eliminate it within five breaths, then the Greed Dog emerges!”

“The Greed Dog's role is to seal, preventing the spellcaster from escaping. This seal requires four breaths to form. If it is not eradicated during its formation, then the seal is complete, and the Folly Dog emerges!”

“The Folly Dog's power is a vortex, aiming to separate the spellcaster's soul and body, making any existing weakness larger. If it cannot be destroyed within three breaths, then the Malice Dog arrives.”

“The Malice Dog swallows the soul. If not eliminated within two breaths, then the Precipice Dog arrives!”

“The Precipice Dog merges with the body. There is only one breath to kill it. If it cannot be shaken within one breath, then... the 'Five Dogs Renounce Immortality' art succeeds!”

“If this immortal art succeeds, it can unleash astonishing lethality. To some extent, it means using oneself to kill oneself. Therefore, not only can it allow the weak to defeat the strong, but this art also inflicts even greater damage to the soul!”

“However, there's still one thing I don't understand,” Xu Qing pondered. “‘She Xian,’ ‘She Xian’—what does this mean? To let go of immortals? To abandon immortals? Or for oneself to become an immortal abode?”

Xu Qing vaguely felt that these two characters held another, very important layer of meaning for this immortal art. Because he hadn't fully learned this immortal art, he couldn't completely grasp its meaning at this moment. Xu Qing felt a touch of regret. However, he also understood that this art was vast and could certainly not be learned in a short time. What he had now was merely the foundation. This gain was only possible due to the mutual attraction with the 'Six Thieves' immortal art.

“So, it is both a foundation and a qualification! Only by possessing this qualification is there a possibility of mastering it!”

Xu Qing put away his inner regret, looked up, and with a sway of his body, shot directly toward the lake's surface. As he left, the Abode Immortal Mark at the bottom of the lake faintly dissipated, as if it was no longer complete.

At the same time, in the Immortal Arts Hall outside, deep within lay a forbidden chamber sealed by layers of enchantments. Inside the chamber was a black stone bearing an ancient mark, identical to the mark at the bottom of the lake. This was the true Abode Immortal Mark. However, even it had become somewhat dim, as if a part of it had been separated. Since Grand Immortal Master Xi Moyu had not yet returned from his travels, this scene remained unknown to anyone.

At this moment, on Abode Immortal Lake, those Immortal Masters of Xi Moyu were still meditating and comprehending. Less than two hours had passed since Xu Qing sank to the lake's bottom. Therefore, when Xu Qing's figure broke through the lake's surface and appeared, not many Immortal Masters noticed it. Those who did see him were initially stunned, but then realized, surmising that he hadn't truly comprehended the art, but had probably retreated out of discomfort. Each felt a touch of disdain.

Xu Qing paid them no mind. Gazing at the white Immortal Arts Hall, he recalled his master's teachings about having a grateful heart in all actions. After a moment's thought, he cupped his fists and bowed towards the Immortal Arts Hall. With this, his heart felt at ease, as if he owed nothing. In the future, if he saw them, he could confidently fight them. Then he turned and sped away.

This scene was witnessed by the young man inside the Immortal Arts Hall, Xue Chenzi, who couldn't help but sneer.

“Arrogant upon arrival, bowing upon departure—I've seen plenty of such people who are initially haughty but then subservient. Some always believe they are prodigies, thinking they are omnipotent, but after experiencing the torment of our hall's immortal arts, they all turn into mere commoners! This Xue Chenzi is even more cowardly. Looking at the time, this person was clearly scared away! Not worth worrying about!”