Chapter 1091: Refining the Divine Spirit Ore

The moment he looked, the pupils of the nine enormous blood-red eyes suddenly constricted. The skeletons seated cross-legged within the eyes, refining absorbed spiritual energy, also trembled. Clearly, Xu Qing's appearance was entirely unexpected for these nine eyes. They had no prior awareness and only perceived his presence the instant he stepped out. The implications of this scene caused the cultivators, those skeletal figures seated within the nine eyes, to feel a surge of unease.

"Excuse me," Xu Qing said calmly. "I wish to leave this place. Would you be so kind as to let me pass?"

If he could depart without a fight, that would naturally be preferable. However, Xu Qing's words clearly had little effect. The nine blood-red eyes now radiated intense hostility. The nine cultivators within, though unsure how this sudden arrival had entered their family's minor world, knew they could not permit any mishap here. Thus, their killing intent surged, and without hesitation, they immediately prepared to transmit news of this intrusion to the outside.

But Xu Qing had chosen this moment to reveal himself after extensive preparation, naturally ensuring he was fully ready. He knew these nine eyes were strange, but breaking through them wouldn't be too difficult. Even dealing with the cultivators inside them would be manageable for him. What he truly needed to guard against was interference from outside this realm during the process of breaking through. Xu Qing believed that given the arrangement of this minor world, there was a high probability of guardians existing outside. If they arrived and intervened while he was breaking through, it could easily lead to complications. Therefore, the best method was to ensure a smooth breakthrough, so that by the time they detected him, he would already be outside and much more secure.

So, as he ascended step by step, he powerfully swept his right hand. At the edge of the sky, above the nine eyes, the void twisted, the heavens rumbled, and a colossal pair of scissors suddenly materialized. These scissors were so immense they seemed capable of replacing the sky itself. The moment they appeared, an aura of an Emperor's Treasure swept in all directions like a storm. It was precisely an Emperor's Treasure capable of severing all traces and karma. After it appeared, it made a decisive snip. Though no sound was physically heard, in that instant, a "snapping" sound resonated in the souls of all beings and in the perception of the cultivators within the nine eyes, causing them to tremble. The information they were attempting to transmit outwards was severed in that very moment!

It wasn't over. The next moment, the Emperor's Needle shimmered, stitching together the severed karma and reconnecting the scenes Xu Qing had witnessed nine days prior. In doing so, on one hand, no information could now escape this place, nor could any fluctuations spread outwards, making it, to some extent, hidden and independent. On the other hand, the rejoining by the Emperor's Needle concealed everything. After this treatment, the outside world, unless divine sense was directly infused, would be unable to perceive any abnormality in this place for the foreseeable future.

Having accomplished all this, Xu Qing, who was ascending step by step into the sky, had a cold glint flash in his eyes. "Since communication is impossible, then..."

Xu Qing's raised right foot completed its final step. As this step landed in the void, the sky instantly rumbled, and lightning erupted from beneath his feet, soaring upwards like countless red serpents, striking towards the nine eyes.

The nine eyes trembled, each radiating red light. Simultaneously, the nine cultivators within quickly raised their hands, their expressions grave. They recognized the extraordinary nature of the two Emperor's Treasures and felt the complete isolation of their information. With resolve hardening in their hearts, they immediately began forming hand seals. In the next instant, the red glow from the nine eyes intensified, emitting astonishing defensive array power. At the same time, the bodies of the nine cultivators rapidly transformed from their withered state, using the absorbed life force from all beings to revive at full speed. It seemed to them that this sudden crisis demanded they seize every second, for only then would they have a chance at survival.

Xu Qing remained expressionless. Regardless of the cultivators' cultivation level, as long as they hadn't reached the Dominator stage, their revival would ultimately be useless. "This is also an opportunity to test my immortal body," Xu Qing murmured.

He narrowed his eyes, then suddenly raised his right hand and lightly pointed at the first eye in the sky. The next moment, the power of metal originating from his lungs erupted with his breath, sweeping across all directions and instantly permeating the entire minor world. This affected all metals, all weapons, and all cultivators within this minor world related to metal. In the blink of an eye, the heavens and earth rumbled... The metal element of this minor world's Five Phases was, in that instant, replaced! Xu Qing's Extreme Metal power, with overwhelming might, became the Dao of this realm! In his perception, at that moment, he could control all metal power in this realm with a single thought.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. The next instant, the metal element of this realm's Five Phases simultaneously erupted, converging from the earth, from the void, from the heavens and earth, forming a torrent that became a colossal finger composed of metal power. With one finger, he pointed at the first eye in the sky. With just a light touch, the eye, whose array was frantically operating and emitting defensive power, found its formation unable to block anything. It shattered with a crash, taking with it the eye itself and the cultivator who was currently reviving within it. There was no escape. A rumbling sound echoed as the eye collapsed and fell from the sky. The cultivator within shrieked, their body disintegrating, spirit and form utterly destroyed under the enveloping metal power of this realm!

The cultivators in the other eight eyes were horrified. Each one gave their all, trying to recover at full strength.

"This... this is Extreme Immortal," Xu Qing murmured. At that moment, he had a strong sensation that by replacing the metal Dao of this realm, he had transformed into its Heavenly Dao.

The next breath, he lightly uttered a word: "Wood."

The wood power from his liver surged with Xu Qing's voice, instantly spreading throughout the entire minor world. All vegetation in this realm, all cultivators related to wood, and all substances associated with wood trembled. Then, the realm's Dao was lost and replaced! A colossal finger, formed from Extreme Wood power, also materialized from the void, carrying abundant vitality and endless terror, descending upon the second eye. A scene that shocked all beings in this realm unfolded. One of the nine eyes fell again. The heavens and earth changed color, winds gathered, and Xu Qing's voice became a surging tide, the only sound in this realm.

"Water." The water from his kidneys replaced the water element of the Five Phases, rising into the sky, becoming rain, rivers, oceans, and the fundamental essence of all living things. This realm was too small. With Xu Qing having replaced its Heavenly Dao, he could control all beings with a single thought.

"Fire." The beating of his heart echoed like heavenly thunder, and fire erupted within this thunder, dazzling in the eyes of all beings and igniting all flames.

Finally... "Earth." The earth rumbled as if all the land in this minor world had, at that moment, gained its own will, conveying its suppressed rage of countless years towards the eyes in the sky. And the three fingers formed by them shot into the sky. Three eyes collapsed! Three cultivators perished! The power of the Five Phases was, in that instant, completely controlled and replaced by Xu Qing, who had transformed into the Heavenly Dao.

At the same time, the four cultivators remaining within the four blood-red eyes had also recovered their bodies from their withered state. Each rose, shocked, and extended a hand to grasp the giant eye they were in. The four giant eyes immediately shrank. Once pressed against their foreheads, and with their augmentation, powerful auras instantly erupted from their bodies. They had reached the Seven Realms of Dao Accumulation!

All of them now wore grim expressions, with deep apprehension rising in their hearts. One of them stared at Xu Qing and suddenly spoke. "Regardless of your purpose for appearing here, there is only one way to depart. That is for us to go outside and open a path for you from there. If you don't believe us, one of us four can go out. We have cultivated to this level; there's no need for unnecessary conflict and killing. What do you say?"

As this person's words echoed, the other three showed no unusual expressions, but inwardly, they were perfectly clear: regardless of the reason for this individual's appearance, unless their background was astonishing, trespassing into a family secret realm meant certain death. And the situation they faced now was one where they lacked confidence and did not wish to sacrifice their lives. Thus, they needed to get outside immediately and contact the elders of the secret realm. As long as those elders acted, this person before them was doomed. So they each nodded, and words were relayed. "What happened before was all a misunderstanding. It was also us reacting a bit excessively." As they spoke, the four slowly retreated, vigilance in their hearts.

Listening to their words, Xu Qing looked at the retreating figures of the four and shook his head. He raised his right hand. Immediately, the heavens and earth trembled, the world rumbled, and in the sky, the five Heavenly Dao fingers formed from the Five Phases, with Xu Qing's raised hand, reached out towards the four cultivators. The four cultivators' expressions changed. Their respective cultivations erupted as they tried to resist. But these five fingers were the Heavenly Dao formed from the Five Phases of this minor world, imbued with its will. When Xu Qing's killing intent spread, it was the heavens themselves unleashing murderous aura. Wherever they passed, the sky collapsed and the earth tore apart. No matter how these four cultivators struggled or counterattacked, it was useless. The next instant... as the Five Heavenly Dao fingers erupted, piercing screams echoed. The four cultivators became four bursts of blood, blossoming in an instant and scattering across the earth.

"I trust myself more," Xu Qing said calmly, gazing at the sky, and clenched his raised right hand in the void. Immediately, astonishing sword qi erupted from Xu Qing's body, forming an Emperor's Sword. With it in hand, he manipulated the Five Phases power of this place, wielded the might of this realm's Heavenly Dao, and channeled it into the Emperor's Sword. He slashed towards the sky! Sword qi surged heavenward, sword light extinguished the void, and sword intent shattered space. In the blink of an eye, the void shattered, the sky rumbled, and a colossal rift was forcefully torn open in the heavens, revealing the outside world's sky!

At this moment, the minds of all beings within this minor world rumbled like a hundred thousand peals of thunder. They stared blankly upwards, at the sky, at that massive rift. For the vast majority of them, this was a scene that shattered their understanding and exploded their reality. Beyond this sky, there was another sky. "Then what are we...?" Countless individuals gazed at this scene in bewildered shock, muttering softly, as Xu Qing, in mid-air, took a step.

Amidst the rumbling sky and the trembling world, Xu Qing's figure had already reached the rift. He lowered his head, glanced at this minor world, then with one step, he entered the rift, appearing in a strange new realm.

A gigantic dome, like a cover, enveloped the area. There was no trace of divine anomaly here, only dense spiritual energy. Through the dome, one could see the sky outside, filled with flowing red light, like an aurora or a vast river. As for the land beneath the dome, it was a swamp, as if formed after the sea had dried up. Numerous bubbles protruded from the swamp, and as Xu Qing's gaze fell upon them, his mind was shaken. He realized those bubbles... were actually minor worlds, one after another. And within all these minor worlds, deities were suppressed. This place seemed to be a prison for deities!

This sight made Xu Qing's breathing quicken slightly. At the same time, he also saw countless threads rising from these minor worlds, like wisps of smoke, spiraling upwards and merging into the very center of the dome. There was a vortex there, drawing everything in.

"This place is a divine prison... and beyond this dome, that's the true outside world," A faint glow flickered in Xu Qing's eyes as he finally formed a rough assessment of his current location. He then withdrew his gaze and looked into the distance. Almost the instant he looked, a Dominator's aura erupted at the very edge of his vision, followed by a piercing howl that spread in all directions. A Dominator was approaching. A cold voice, filled with intense killing intent, echoed through the area.

"Interesting. A rare prison break has occurred in the family's spirit mine that this old man guards."