Chapter 1171: Star Ring Son, Drive

A tidal wave of emotion surged within Xinghuanzi at that instant, as if countless thunderbolts were exploding in his heart, making his breathing quicken and his pupils contract.

He could distinctly feel his connection with his host rapidly severing, driven by an irresistible and unstoppable force.

The power of this disconnection was irreversible!

His "pre-destined connection" was the very foundation that allowed him to inhabit the Fourth True Monarch.

Now, that foundation was continuously collapsing!

Furthermore, his consciousness, under this unstoppable trend, began to wither, emanating decay. It even spread to the current reality, as if truly like a leaf, rapidly shriveling.

During this process, both his order and his rules were collapsing. This included the golden chains, which were the essence of Xinghuanzi's fundamental law.

These chains were now… breaking, as Xinghuanzi's consciousness withered.

Each breaking link inflicted an indescribable agony on Xinghuanzi's consciousness. For the first time in his life, he felt panic.

As for the judgment he had summoned…

The moment the marriage contract appeared, the judgment could not proceed!

All thirteen coffins trembled, and the voices within them receded. It was as if everything was reversing; the words spoken, the laws formed, now materialized only to roll back and cease to exist.

The might of the Immortal Lord transcends all.

At this moment, it wasn't just Xinghuanzi whose expression changed drastically. The two immortal swords were also affected. "Thousand Armies Retreat," suspended in mid-air, also trembled. The scene unfolding before them was truly beyond their comprehension.

Indeed, far too many unexpected events had occurred today, one after another. An identity thought impossible to obtain was acquired by a mysterious person. Something that shouldn't have recognized a master inexplicably did so.

And now… the marriage contract had actually appeared! Its inscribed words could actually be used in such a manner. All of this caused "Thousand Armies Retreat" to thunder in their minds.

The marriage contract, at least in this space-time, held a status and significance that, if not supreme, was certainly among the highest! It contained all the blessings of the Aurora Immortal Lord for her son. This blessing was her will. This will permeated every line and character of the contract, making each word a fundamental law of this space-time! It was also the ultimate decree! Under its flow, order itself had to bow, and rules had to alter their course. Any contradiction to it meant contradicting the will of the Aurora Immortal Lord. And in the entire Immortal Palace, only the Aurora Immortal Lord and her son could possess this item.

Therefore, the moment the marriage contract appeared, heaven and earth changed color. All outcomes were now predetermined and could not be rewritten.

The reason Xu Qing could conceal the original text on it and make the contract's words appear as he desired was because the Young Master he inhabited had his name written on the marriage contract! Thus, he possessed the qualification.

Even so, it required the opportune moment, which was the turbulence of space-time. And this turbulence had to reach a certain degree to be effective. This was also why Xu Qing had to ensure that everyone achieved their goals tonight, changed history, and created space-time tremors. He needed the space-time turbulence to eventually erupt with the force of a tsunami! By relying on this power, he could draw upon the naturally flowing source of time's ripples to conceal the marriage contract's original text.

Therefore, this scene, though seemingly simple, was actually complex to execute, requiring intricate steps and the fulfillment of all preconditions before it could be unleashed! Such an explosion, achieved with such difficulty, naturally stunned everyone.

At this moment, thunder roared across the sky, shattering the void. A thunderous roar, carrying immense power, blanketed the area and spread throughout every part of the Sword Forge. Looking up, the sky was enveloped in lightning, forming a web of electric arcs that seemed to merge with the space-time turbulence, creating a tsunami.

And the figure standing atop the tsunami, with long hair billowing, possessed an awe-inspiring aura. His sharp gaze, in particular, seemed capable of piercing through all things in the world. He was staring intently at the Fourth True Monarch. On the marriage contract before him, sixteen clear characters appeared, radiating brilliance, boundless light, and auspicious colors that spread in all directions.

Under its light, the Fourth True Monarch's expression twisted, and black mist emanated from his body. This black mist gathered above his head, forming a blurry shadow of Xinghuanzi, which was now dissipating!

All unwillingness became meaningless. All struggles were futile. In the light of the sixteen characters on the marriage contract, under this unstoppable power, even the formidable First Star from the outside world had no power to overturn it.

He could only, and had to, be expelled! His pre-destined connection with the Fourth True Monarch had completely severed. The power of leaf-withering had invaded him, causing immense harm. He, who was originally the one to expel others, was now being expelled. His fundamental law was also breaking. Not only did he gain nothing in this fourth layer of the world, but his losses also struck at his very foundation.

All of this caused his gaze towards Xu Qing, just before his dissipation, to reveal an intense killing intent.

"This time, I admit you have won, but… our battle is not over," Xinghuanzi's voice echoed. "I will go to the fifth layer, where you cannot enter, and there I will ascend to a Quasi-Immortal! And to repay you for preventing my law from becoming perfect… when this Immortal Palace's creation ends, and you lose your identity in this space-time and appear outside, that will be the moment I kill you!"

His words echoed. The conscious shadow of Xinghuanzi vanished into thin air. He was expelled from this space-time. The "orderly" faction in this game had completely failed. There was no longer any chance of a comeback.

As for Xinghuanzi's words before his expulsion, though filled with endless killing intent, Xu Qing's stance was already firm. He would naturally not be perturbed by the other party's murderous aura.

"By the time this Immortal Palace's fortuitous encounter ends, my cultivation will certainly not be what it is now!" Xu Qing murmured to himself, then turned to look at the Fourth True Monarch's main body. Without Xinghuanzi's consciousness, the Fourth True Monarch's body vanished into thin air like a bubble.

This sight made Xu Qing thoughtful for a moment, but in the next instant, his expression returned to normal.

At this moment, after the "orderly" faction's failure, space-time roared. Like wild horses unleashed from their reins or a flood without a dam, the turbulence of space-time erupted with unprecedented intensity. Vast quantities of space-time sand appeared from the void, emerging from all beings and objects within the Immortal Palace, gathering around Xu Qing and falling like rain. The amount was a hundred times more than what he had possessed before! These dazzling grains of sand continuously fell and converged, eventually forming an hourglass! It floated before Xu Qing!

The moment this hourglass appeared, heaven and earth shook, the Immortal Palace trembled, and the world undulated. Its dazzling brilliance seemed to overshadow everything else. This was a supreme treasure of space-time!

Xu Qing gazed at it, his mind strongly fluctuating. Through his own fundamental law, he could clearly sense that the hourglass contained the time of one incense stick. More precisely, it was one incense stick of time that transcended this space-time! This hourglass could be used at any time, in any past history, in any era, to forcibly add an extra incense stick's worth of time. And it could not be erased! It was as if it existed beyond space-time, beyond the flow of time itself!

Concurrently, Xu Qing's own fundamental law grew as he comprehended this hourglass. Countless insights into time emerged in his consciousness, filling his fundamental law and nourishing his decree, making his fundamental law seem to have traversed countless years in this short period. It reached the zenith of the eighth extreme!

As his fundamental law grew, Xu Qing's aura, combat power, and cultivation all surged dramatically at this instant. He was just a hair's breadth away from the Nine Realms of Incarnation!

"Because my foundation is now fully sufficient, the moment I break through this last sliver and enter the Nine Realms will also be the instant I ascend to the Master realm!" Xu Qing thought. "And my Master realm will not only be stronger than ordinary individuals, but with this profound accumulation, the Master realm… will merely be a transition! Achieving Quasi-Immortal is just around the corner!"

Xu Qing took a deep breath, raised his head, and gazed towards the horizon. At this moment, though the horizon was blurred due to the chaotic heavenly secrets, dimly, the rising sun could be seen ascending into the sky.

Day had broken.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, falling upon the Sword Forge and also upon Xu Qing. Xu Qing, bathed in this beam of sunlight, withdrew his gaze from the horizon and looked towards the exit of the Sword Forge.

He spoke softly. "Come out."

At the exit, the void twisted, and a figure converged and appeared within it. It was a young man in white clothes, unassuming in appearance, but with a gentle expression and a warm smile, as if completely harmless. He bowed to Xu Qing.

"Zhou Zhengli greets the Young Master." The young man's voice was soft. "Young Master's performance in this battle, both in strategy and execution, was absolutely stunning. Truly, it was an immortal's might that shocked the world, a dragon among men!"

This young man was none other than Zhou Zhengli, who had previously been by Xinghuanzi's side! At this moment, his expression was frank, his eyes sincere, and his smile held a mix of emotion and profound respect.

A chill emanated from Xu Qing's eyes. This person had entered the Sword Forge the moment Xinghuanzi was expelled. He seemed to be hiding, but in reality, he had revealed his aura, as if deliberately giving others a chance to discover him. No Star was a simple individual, yet Zhou Zhengli, who had always been by Xinghuanzi's side, seemed to have no presence throughout this entire struggle. It was easy to overlook him. Yet, despite Xinghuanzi being expelled, he remained safely present. This fact alone indicated something amiss.

Furthermore, after understanding and interacting with Evil Spirit Son, Xu Qing had witnessed Evil Spirit Son's cunning. This gave him an indirect judgment of Zhou Zhengli, who had consistently contended with Evil Spirit Son. This person was adept at concealing, not just himself, but also his thoughts, and even more importantly, his true intentions!

"You are not of the orderly faction," Xu Qing slowly stated. "I imagine you also contributed to Xinghuanzi's fate today." Xu Qing's words were very certain. If Zhou Zhengli had been of the orderly faction, the space-time turbulence after Xinghuanzi's departure wouldn't have been so immense, nor would the sensation of the orderly faction's complete failure have been established. Thus, there was only one answer.

"Young Master is sagacious." Zhou Zhengli adopted a humble posture and spoke softly. "I have no intention of being your enemy, neither here nor outside. Being able to obtain an identity that was thought impossible to possess already speaks volumes. You… are not a simple individual. Naturally, I wish to befriend such a being. Xinghuanzi was arrogant and stubborn. My role was actually minor; I merely gave him a slight push at the opportune moment." Zhou Zhengli said gently. "This is my objective. The moment I realized your identity was unusual, my only goal became this: to befriend you. As for this fourth layer of the world, I can actually either uphold order, or remain neutral and observe any degree of historical upheaval and development, or I can also cause ripples. This is my fundamental law, my Dao."

Having said this, Zhou Zhengli lowered his head, maintaining his humble posture.

A faint light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes, and he slowly spoke. "Why tell me all this in such detail?"

"I want to be your friend, and I also wish to remain here. If you don't fully understand me, it's highly unlikely you would befriend me or allow me to stay."