Chapter 1059: You Self-Destructed Back Then…

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As Xu Qing spoke, a chilling aura radiated from him, like a cold wind sweeping across the plaza, spreading a sense of iciness into everyone's hearts.

Regardless of their past allegiances, the immortal masters present, now united under Yue Dong’s leadership, naturally regarded Xu Qing with hostility.

The Young Master of the Yun family also felt a surge of killing intent; he would not allow anyone to harm Yue Dong.

As for the representatives from the various Sovereign Mountains, they had long heard of the enmity between Blood Dust and Yue Dong. They saw no reason to intervene now, nor did they believe that a life-or-death battle would actually unfold here. At most, it would be a mere skirmish.

Besides, even if someone were to die, it had nothing to do with them.

So, after Yue Dong’s words, the elder from the First Sovereign Mountain maintained his grim expression and was the first to leave.

The other Sovereign Mountain representatives also departed, with Lin Kun from the Fifth Sovereign Mountain being the last to go. Before leaving, his gaze fell upon Xu Qing.

After Xu Qing gave a slight nod, Lin Kun smiled and exited the Immortal Arts Hall.

With the departure of the others, only Xu Qing remained among the Sovereign Mountain representatives. Facing the hostility of the immortal masters and the Yun family’s Young Master, Xu Qing remained impassive.

A cold glint flashed in Yue Dong’s eyes as he spoke calmly, "You may all withdraw as well. Do not enter without my command."

The immortal masters bowed their heads. Though they might have had their own thoughts, they were obliged to obey Yue Dong's decree, so they all retreated.

Only the Yun family's Young Master did not leave. Instead, he walked towards Yue Dong, adopting a stance as if to confront Xu Qing alongside her.

Even Er Niu felt a sense of helplessness towards this person.

It was simply that the other party had given too much. Both in terms of items and assistance, it made it difficult for Er Niu to treat him coldly, so he spoke calmly:

"This is a private matter between me and Blood Dust."

The Yun family's Young Master paused. Noticing Yue Dong’s resolve, he took a deep breath and chose to respect her.

"Alright, I'll be outside. Dong… just shout, and I'll come in immediately!" With that, he glared fiercely at Xu Qing before reluctantly leaving.

This scene struck Xu Qing as peculiar. The strangeness in his heart only became apparent on his face after the Yun family’s Young Master left, leaving only him and Yue Dong, and after Yue Dong raised her hand to set up an isolation barrier.

"Xiao A Qing, what kind of expression is that?"

Noticing Xu Qing’s expression, Er Niu also felt a sense of awkwardness and glared at him.

Xu Qing shook his head.

"Nothing. Congratulations, Senior Brother, on conquering the Western Demon Feather Immortal Arts Hall and becoming a Grand Immortal Master!" Xu Qing said, cupping his hands in a bow.

Seeing Xu Qing like this, Er Niu didn't dwell on his previous expression. His heart was now filled with pride and delight as he lifted his chin.

"Hmph, it was merely a small test for me, your Senior Brother. I don't really care much for the title of Grand Immortal Master."

Though he spoke these words, his expression and raised chin clearly conveyed to Xu Qing, "Come on, praise me, praise me more!"

Xu Qing understood Er Niu's habits well. So, after glancing at his forehead, he pondered for a moment and spoke softly,

"Throughout the entire Western Demon Feather, countless individuals aspire to become Grand Immortal Masters, but they can only gaze up at the goal, unable to achieve it. This clearly demonstrates Senior Brother's excellence; even in this sacred land of the Demon Feather, you are unparalleled!"

Upon hearing this, Er Niu was overjoyed. Being praised by Xu Qing brought him immense satisfaction.

Seeing his reaction, Xu Qing again glanced at Er Niu’s forehead and continued, "After all, that Grand Elder was a Spirit-Refining expert, and his control over wind, rain, thunder, and fire was particularly formidable."

At this point, Xu Qing deliberately paused and looked at Er Niu.

Er Niu, arrogant and disdainful, retorted, "What's that? Mine is even more amazing. That old geezer uses wind, rain, thunder, and fire; I use metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Every single one of the Five Elements is a supreme treasure!"

Xu Qing appeared thoughtful, then seamlessly interjected, "I imagine Senior Brother must have used the wood element of the Five Elements as the key fusion and refinement point!"

Er Niu scoffed, adopting a knowledgeable pose, "You don't understand this, do you? Wood isn't good. My focus was on metal."

"Metal?" Xu Qing shook his head, feigning doubt.

Seeing Xu Qing's skepticism, Er Niu couldn't help but speak, "Xiao A Qing, you're truly ignorant. The metal I used wasn't simple; it was from when you self-detonated..."

Er Niu suddenly stopped, realizing his slip of the tongue. His heart pounded, and he quickly corrected himself, "After you revealed your identity, that... this!"

Sweat beaded on Er Niu's forehead. Xu Qing, his eyes shining, watched Er Niu struggle to concoct an explanation and calmly spoke, "Senior Brother, what did I self-detonate back then?"

Er Niu chuckled awkwardly, backing away a few steps.

Xu Qing took a step, instantly traversing the space to appear before Er Niu, staring at his forehead. "Senior Brother, what's hidden in your forehead has always given me a sense of the same origin. That's the metal you mentioned, isn't it?"

More cold sweat broke out on Er Niu's brow. Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, he rolled his eyes and spoke with righteous indignation.

"Since you've discovered it, I'm relieved. When you self-immolated in the human imperial capital, your body turned to ashes, leaving only a few bone fragments. I painstakingly collected them, through countless hardships, intending to give them to you! But I was worried you'd be sad seeing your own remains, so I considered not letting you grieve, and decided to keep them on me as a memento." As he spoke, Er Niu became more self-assured. "Is it wrong for me to keep a memento...?"

Xu Qing stared at Er Niu, speechless for a long time. Finally, his face looked troubled, and he shook his head. "Senior Brother, this cauldron must be your previous life, no wonder you were beaten to death back then. You take everything!"

Er Niu, feeling guilty, was about to speak.

Outside the plaza, a ripple in the barrier signaled the Yun family's Young Master, inquiring out of concern.

The disturbance only ceased after Er Niu transmitted a reassuring message outward.

Xu Qing glanced in the direction the Yun family's Young Master had left, then considered his Senior Brother's actions, and spoke with deep meaning, "Senior Brother, you must treat this person well."

Er Niu, thick-skinned enough, pretended not to hear, raising his hand. "Let's not talk about that. Xiao A Qing, in a few days it will be the opening day of Emperor Ming Yan's secluded cultivation place. You recently went to the Western Demon Feather with that person, so that person is... that person, right?" Er Niu eagerly inquired.

Xu Qing nodded.

Er Niu took a breath. "As I suspected! It was clearly an attempt to monopolize at first. But Xiao A Qing, you went to the Western Demon Feather with that person—such a good opportunity. Was it just to challenge and gain fame?"

Er Niu looked at Xu Qing suspiciously. "This isn't the style you and I have cultivated over the years! With such a great opportunity, shouldn't you be doing some private business?"

Xu Qing blinked. "I went to the Eastern Demon Feather Immortal Arts Hall."

Er Niu's eyes lit up. "And then?"

"Then, I obtained a mark!" Xu Qing flipped his hand, and the mark of the Five Dog Abandoned Immortals appeared in his palm.

Er Niu's gaze immediately fixed on Xu Qing's palm, his eyes shining even brighter than before. "Haha! As expected, you're my junior brother, just like me! I knew it! If one doesn't know how to use such an opportunity, they're truly foolish! This mark is a treasure."

Er Niu licked his lips.

Xu Qing shook his head. "Unfortunately, according to my research, the Five Dog Abandoned Immortals requires specific rituals and inheritance to acquire. I only have this one mark, and I can't master it through normal means."

"I... I'll try!" Er Niu said, raising his hand to grasp the mark in Xu Qing's palm, seemingly activating an immortal art. The three illusory figures behind him simultaneously raised their hands.

With this grasp, he took the mark and pressed it to his forehead.

Then, under Xu Qing's gaze, Er Niu and the illusory figures behind him simultaneously trembled and closed their eyes.

Clearly, they had immersed themselves in this weakened version of the Five Dog Abandoned Immortals technique.

After a long while, Er Niu finally opened his eyes, showing a lingering fear. He let out a long breath and handed the mark back to Xu Qing. "Amazing. But it really does require some special inheritance and rituals. Otherwise, you can only perceive it, not master it."

Er Niu frowned and looked at Xu Qing. "You just said it's difficult to master this immortal art through normal methods, so does that mean there's an abnormal method?"

A profound glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes as he gazed at the mark in his hand and spoke in a low voice.

"After I returned to the Eastern Demon Feather, I tried to simulate it using Morninglight, but it failed. However, a thought then occurred to me: what if I continuously experienced the weakened version of this immortal art from the mark, letting it erupt within me repeatedly? This way, my body would slowly become accustomed to it, gradually developing corresponding antibodies. The principle of antibodies is to remember the characteristics of the invading substance; the more one understands it, the more comprehensive the antibodies produced will be.

So, although I cannot actively learn this immortal art due to the lack of inheritance and specific rituals, by repeatedly using this mark to unleash the immortal art within me, my body develops more and more antibodies against it. Once there are enough, my antibodies' understanding of this immortal art becomes comprehensive, effectively remembering it like an instinctive memory.

And by having my body instinctively remember this immortal art through antibodies, it means I have indirectly mastered it, successfully circumventing the restrictions!"

As for how to actively cast it once instinctively remembered, the method is through Morninglight's simulation. "With Morninglight's simulation, I can truly unleash the power of this immortal art, because the core is genuine!"

After Xu Qing finished speaking, he looked up at Er Niu.

Er Niu's eyes widened, staring blankly at Xu Qing. After a moment, he took a deep breath, unable to suppress his admiration for Xu Qing's idea, and murmured, "An ingenious idea, utterly inconceivable! It sounds like it might actually work."

Xu Qing nodded, glancing at the plaza's barrier. "But all of this depends on ensuring my safety during these repeated immortal art eruptions. Although it's a weakened version of the Five Dog Immortal Art, this technique is bizarre."

"Therefore, Senior Brother, I have a request this time as well!"

"I need you to protect me. And if I lose control, at the critical moment, combine our sixty percent authority to awaken me from the Five Dog Immortal Art."

Upon hearing this, Er Niu nodded solemnly. The two then discussed it. Xu Qing departed, while Er Niu gave instructions to the outside world, then chose to enter secluded cultivation.

That very night, Xu Qing returned.

And so, as the two delved into the research and experimentation of immortal arts, time flowed by.

Five days passed.

The major event that had been the focus of the entire Demon Feather Holy Land, with Emperor Demon Feather arriving from the west with his people, with the gaze of the various sovereigns of the Eastern Demon Feather, and with Lü Lingzi's emergence from seclusion, was about to begin.

The secluded cultivation place of Emperor Ming Yan was set to open.