Chapter 1117: Heaven and Earth

**Chapter 1122: The Vastness of the World**

South of the Western Region's center, 3.97 billion miles away, stands a mountain named Black Stone.

Inside the mountain, there is a valley; within the valley, a pool. Its water is emerald green and unfathomably deep.

Evil spirits occasionally roam there, appearing as mist, dissipating upon touch.

The surrounding walls are jagged rocks, interlocked, with ancient trees reaching the sky, their branches and leaves obscuring the sun.

By the pool stands a stone platform, on which ancient seal script is carved, stating: "Land of Fallen Evil, let no good enter."

Few people ventured into this place on normal days; even when passing by, they would typically fly overhead outside the mountain, never intruding.

Only those who required the aid of evil energy for their cultivation would enter this mountain, limited to half an hour each day during the aurora's peak brilliance.

"Legend has it that this place is where a powerful, malevolent ancient cultivator buried his sword before his demise. The sword, named Black Stone, became the mountain, and the evil essence within it transformed into the Fallen Evil Pool."

At this moment, outside Black Stone Mountain, a black-robed youth gazed at the dark mountain, murmuring inwardly.

This youth was Xu Qing, who had departed from Black Cloud City.

After escorting Yunmen Qianfan to Black Cloud City, Xu Qing decided to wander through the Western Region. His primary destinations were the various exotic places described in the jade slip given by Yunmen Qianfan, such as the Time Desert.

The Fallen Evil Pool was closest to him, making it his first stop.

After gazing for a long time from outside the mountain, at the peak of the aurora's intensity, Xu Qing stepped forward and entered Black Stone Mountain.

He walked over rocks, past bushes, into the valley, where he saw the pool, the stone platform, and its inscriptions.

He also saw the so-called evil spirits.

He stared for a while.

During this time, evil spirits approached on their own, transforming into various malevolent specters, letting out ferocious roars as they lunged to devour him. However, the moment they touched Xu Qing, they all dissolved into smoke, swirling around him.

"This place cannot instantly kill cultivators, but it can contaminate souls and corrode flesh and blood. If one lingers too long, their soul will scatter."

"It's also related to the time of entry; I imagine when the outside aurora fades, the evil spirits' malevolent flames here will surge."

Xu Qing sensed his surroundings, his gaze sweeping across all directions, finally resting on the pool water.

A faint glow flickered in his eyes, and under his gaze, ripples appeared in the pool. Through the ripples, for a fleeting moment, he seemed to glimpse a stone coffin deep within the water.

"This coffin must not be disturbed."

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. The fact that this coffin had remained here until now indicated it was extraordinary, and he sensed an inexplicable danger in this place.

"Nor is this the place I need for enlightenment."

Xu Qing mused. Seeing that more than half an hour had passed, he retreated, preparing to leave.

But just as his body was about to exit the valley, an eerie wind blew from the pool, causing all the vegetation in the valley to rustle.

These sounds appeared ordinary; a mortal hearing them would only perceive wind and rustling leaves. However, to Xu Qing's perception, they were clearly eerie whispers.

“Sparse grass in empty woods, cold drizzle entwining with wind-blown leaves.”

“A slender, lonely soul, accompanying a person.”

“Lonely spring terrace, tonight calling for you everywhere.”

“Dimly seen, a thread of light, revealing a peach blossom face...”

The voice was chilling, echoing in the silent, secluded valley, as if a lonely soul in the nocturnal netherworld was calling out to someone.

At the same time, ripples spread across the pool, and a woman's head emerged from the water, revealing half of her face.

Pale skin, black hair submerged in the water, and a pair of equally white eyes stared intently at Xu Qing.

In an instant, the surroundings began to freeze. The ground, vegetation, and rock walls became instantaneously frigid. As the chill rapidly spread, the entire valley twisted.

Subsequently, the figure in the pool vanished, reappearing instantaneously on top of the water as if teleporting.

Dressed in white.

Immediately after, distortion recurred, and when she reappeared, she was already outside the pool.

Just as she was about to continue, a gigantic pair of scissors appeared above Xu Qing's head, snapping with a *crack*.

An invisible thread was instantly severed.

With the thread broken, the woman's eerie movement was also halted.

She stood still, a hundred zhang away from Xu Qing, her white eyes fixed on him.

Xu Qing remained calm throughout, and at this moment, he spoke softly.

"I am not the one you are looking for. If you persist, I won't mind making sure you can no longer wait."

After speaking, Xu Qing slowly retreated until he was out of the valley, and the surrounding temperature gradually returned to normal.

The valley showed no further anomalies.

Without hesitation, Xu Qing moved out of Black Stone Mountain. Standing outside, he glanced back at the mountain.

Vaguely, he seemed to sense that the eerie woman from earlier had now vanished within the mountain's valley, with only her previous whispers still faintly echoing.

"The legend is false."

"This isn't a burial ground for a sword; it's a seal, containing a deity."

"And to be able to contaminate an entire mountain even under this seal, in a world where deities are forbidden, that deity's true power back then must have been at least at the peak of the God Platform realm."

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze, turned, and left.

Half a month later.

South of the Western Region's center, 1.53 billion miles away, lay a plain named Sky Wind.

In the eastern part of the plain was a cave, its entrance ten thousand miles wide.

Downward, the cave narrowed progressively, eventually forming a long, narrow, unfathomably deep passage.

An inexplicable wind blew through the passage, incredibly powerful, as if an immortal who commanded wind resided there.

In the middle section of the descent, the cave walls were covered with strange totems.

"Legend has it that these totems are incantations left by the immortal who commanded wind, recording how to guide and control the power of wind."

"Rare and exotic beasts often appeared in the cave, moving through the wind as if illusions, yet seemingly real."

Outside the Sky Wind Cave, after a half-month journey, Xu Qing stood there, looking down intently, the descriptions from Yunmen Qianfan's bamboo slip appearing in his mind.

He spread his divine sense, and after sensing for a moment, a strange light gleamed in his eyes.

"This is indeed a remarkable place, containing the traces of the Dao of wind authority, and it's an open place for enlightenment. Below, hundreds of cultivators are meditating."

"The further down one goes, the fewer meditators there are, while the wind force increases, and the totem markings become denser."

Xu Qing had encountered the authority of wind before and had even simulated it to some extent with his own Wood Dao.

With a flicker of his body, he stepped into the Sky Wind Cave.

He descended continuously, seeing many meditating cultivators along the way. He paid them no mind, and they did not notice him; both sides remained undisturbed.

Ten days later, Xu Qing departed.

In the months that followed, the world was vast and the star ring immense. His figure appeared within the Blazing Void Mountain Range and on the Pinnacle of the Great Dao.

The Blazing Void Mountain Range, located west-central in the Western Region, stretched ninety million miles, its peaks ablaze with scarlet flames that seemed to ignite the sky.

Within, mountain ranges stretched endlessly, peaks rising and falling. The mountains were rich in igneous rocks, the color of crimson gold, and fierce flames burned perpetually, never extinguishing.

Fire phoenixes occasionally circled, breathing fire and spewing mist, their cries shaking the four directions.

There were many hot springs among the mountains, their steam rising like clouds and mist.

Legend held that within the Blazing Void Mountain Range lay an immortal palace named Blazing Void, the temporary residence of the Blazing Void Immortal Lord, one of the eleven Immortal Lords of the Fifth Star Ring.

Those with destiny could find the immortal palace here, thereby ascending to heaven in a single step and becoming a disciple of the Blazing Void Immortal Lord.

However, from ancient times to the present, the legend remained merely a legend; no one had ever possessed such a destiny.

Xu Qing resided in the Blazing Void Mountain Range for half a month, traversing all its locations. Although he found no destined encounter with the immortal palace, his comprehension of the Five Elements' fire element significantly improved in this flame-engulfed mountain range.

Yet, with this came a question.

"Where did the fire in this place come from...?"

There was no answer.

Even when he delved deep beneath the mountain range to explore, he found no clues. This fire seemed to be inherent, as if it had simply grown on the mountain range.

The word "grown" might not be entirely appropriate, but that was precisely the feeling Xu Qing had.

So, he simply sat cross-legged and attempted to gain enlightenment.

After an unknown period, vaguely, a palace like the sun seemed to rise in his mind, resonating slightly with him.

But the next instant, his vision blurred, and an ethereal voice echoed in his mind.

"Your karma is not with me."

As the voice appeared, his body was unknowingly sent outside the Blazing Void Mountain Range by a strange force.

There, Xu Qing remained silent for a long time, asking no further questions. He bowed deeply, turned, and left for the Pinnacle of the Great Dao.

The Pinnacle of the Great Dao was also located west-central in the Western Region, its exact boundaries indistinct. It took Xu Qing some time to find it.

This cliff stood like a severed giant blade in a Gobi Desert,

solitary and abrupt.

The cliff face was steep, as if carved by a knife and ax, towering into the clouds. Standing atop it, the clouds lay beneath him.

Ancient characters were carved on the cliff, stating: "The Path of the Great Dao, connecting Heaven and Earth."

In addition, a peculiar flower named "Flower of the Great Dao" grew on the cliff.

This flower was pure white, its petals subtly threaded with golden veins, seemingly symbolizing the supreme Dao between heaven and earth. Its medicinal properties were likewise unique...

It couldn't be eaten, only smelled.

As if hearing the Dao.

It bloomed once every hundred years, and when it did, its captivating fragrance permeated tens of millions of miles. Cultivators would come to the cliff to seek enlightenment, hoping to break through their cultivation bottlenecks.

Xu Qing arrived at an unfortunate time; it wasn't the blooming season. The next bloom was still over forty years away.

Thus, there were not many cultivators on the Pinnacle of the Great Dao.

However, here, Xu Qing felt as though his thoughts were invisibly enhanced, leading to more insights.

So, after half a year of wandering, he chose to stay here for a period.

On one hand, he summarized his enlightenment from his journey; on the other, he calmed his mind and studied the lump of soil he had acquired, which contained spatial energy.

Using this, he attempted to create the glue he had seen before.

During this time, he took out the divination jade slip that Yunmen Qianfan had given him upon their parting.

This jade slip not only contained Qianfan's divination power but also a segment of... a secret key.

It was a rune Xu Qing could not comprehend, exuding ancientness and mystery. It seemed to possess a life of its own, yet it was dim and illusory, as if it had not yet reached its moment to shine.

Gazing at this secret key, Xu Qing fell into thought.

The mission he had initially received was to escort the core members of the Yunmen family to a designated location. The information he had was that someone among them carried a secret key.

Later, he learned from the Earth Spirit Clan that this was, in fact, a gamble.

As for the true nature of the situation, Xu Qing did not delve deeper, but he was certain of one thing.

"When Yunmen Qianfan first gave me this jade slip, I checked it, and it... did not contain this secret key."

"This secret key has spontaneously condensed within the jade slip during this period."

Xu Qing pondered, then put away the jade slip. Regardless of what this secret key was or where it led, it was not his priority at the moment.

He planned to cultivate for a period at the Pinnacle of the Great Dao before heading to the Earth Rule Pool, the Cloud Mud Basin, and finally, the Immortal Fall Mountain Range, which was rumored to be the source of the aurora.

However, often, plans cannot keep up with changes.

The second phase of the Immortal Capital Hunt had, at this moment, reached a critical juncture!

This juncture was also the moment countless cultivators with insider knowledge had been waiting for and dreaming of!

On this day, the aurora in the sky vanished.

On this day, four stars became the most dazzling celestial lights in the entire Fifth Star Ring.