Chapter 1180: Stubborn Hoshikuzu

The Dominator realm is the process of forming an immortal embryo.

Once the immortal embryo is formed and combined with a constitution of the appropriate level, one can enter the Quasi-Immortal Emperor realm. Subsequently, the immortal embryo transforms into an immortal, the constitution becomes a tributary, and the Quasi-Immortal advances to the Lesser Immortal realm!

These three major realms are lifelong aspirations for countless cultivators, but only a rare few truly manage to traverse them all.

It can be said that each major realm is a brutal process of selection and elimination. Every step forward requires both luck and serendipity, as well as the accumulation of one's own foundation. It is precisely because the deities of the Fifth Star Ring were suppressed, and cultivators no longer faced cataclysms from natural enemies, that their numbers surged, leading to the apparent abundance of Dominator realm cultivators.

However, in terms of proportion, they are still a minority.

As for the Ancient Desolation Continent, with deities rampant and strange matter pervasive, survival itself is difficult. Even at its peak, in terms of cultivator numbers, it could not compare to the entire Fifth Star Ring.

Therefore, to this day, there are only a few Dominator realm cultivators.

The advancement through these three steps not only requires the continuous growth of the constitution, but also demands massive amounts of star-ring power as nourishment to form the immortal embryo and eventually transform into an immortal.

All are indispensable.

Xu Qing already knew all of this.

At the moment of his breakthrough, he understood his strengths and weaknesses even more clearly.

Just as in the Divinity Containment realm, where his constitution was strong but his physical body was a vulnerability, a similar situation exists now in the Dominator realm. "The reason I could enter the fifth layer of the Quasi-Immortal Emperor world is because of my constitution."

"The Ninth Extreme's Universal Convergence and Multiverse Overlap, in terms of level, is already comparable to a perfected constitution of a Quasi-Immortal Emperor. Calling it a tributary is not far off the mark."

"Therefore, for me, in the Dominator realm, and even the Quasi-Immortal Emperor realm, what I lack is only the birth and growth of the immortal embryo."

"So, for the path ahead, my focus will be on obtaining more star-ring power, specifically the elemental power from the upper star rings, to serve as nourishment and accelerate the birth and growth of my immortal embryo."

"As for my constitution... I cannot neglect it either, because to enter the Lesser Immortal realm, my current constitution still needs one more level." "That is... the Tenth Extreme!"

Xu Qing sat cross-legged, sensing the fluctuations of his current cultivation, while muttering to himself, summarizing the past and analyzing the future.

Xu Qing did not know what the Tenth Extreme was; he had no direction yet.

But as for his current strengths and weaknesses, he had a clear understanding.

"Currently, my destructive power can contend with a Quasi-Immortal, but because my physical body is in the process of immortal embryo formation, its strength is only at the Dominator level. Therefore, when facing Quasi-Immortal power, this is a vulnerability."

Xu Qing pondered, "Like an assassin?"

A deep light gleamed in his eyes. He ended his thoughts, raised his head, and looked towards the void.

Where he looked, the void rippled. A sharp fluctuation surged and erupted there, as if someone from outside was forcefully entering.

Xu Qing naturally knew the identity of the newcomer.

However... "He broke through outside?"

Xu Qing's expression was calm. As he watched, the rippling void had already become vast, and Star-Ring Child's figure suddenly appeared within it. The moment he appeared, his aura violently spread, and the might of a Quasi-Immortal erupted.

"Xu Qing!!"

The furious roar shook the heavens, echoing in all directions.

Star-Ring Child's eyes at this moment were bloodshot. The instant he appeared, he stared fixedly at Xu Qing. He had indeed broken through!

He had no choice but to break through. After being driven out multiple times, he had realized that advancing within the fifth layer world as planned was an impossible task. Therefore, he could only decisively choose to break through his cultivation outside, entering the Quasi-Immortal realm.

Such a breakthrough was naturally imperfect.

As a result, the killing intent in his heart far surpassed what it was before. His murderous resolve towards Xu Qing had reached an extreme intensity. Sensing this killing intent and seeing Star-Ring Child's bloodshot eyes, Xu Qing's expression remained calm. He spoke indifferently.

"I've been waiting for you."

These four words rippled through the fifth layer world, like a howling storm or a thunderclap, creating a series of space-time fluctuations. These fluctuations echoed around Star-Ring Child, reverberating through his past, present, and future, omnipresent!

Moreover, in Xu Qing's eyes, brilliant stars now emerged, glowing with the light of flowing space-time and years. Under this gaze, the Star-Ring Child in his eyes was no longer a singular existence.

He saw... countless timelines, and in each of these timelines, Star-Ring Child in different states! Some were frenzied, some sneered, some were silent, some ferocious, some bitter... In countless timelines, countless Star-Ring Children were all encompassed by Xu Qing's single glance.

"Seeing" was only the first step; the second step was influence.

At this moment, Xu Qing could clearly feel that he could influence not only the Star-Ring Child in the current reality, but also the other party in other timelines. Moreover, if his constitutional power was sufficient, then... he could achieve true obliteration. Erasing the other party from all timelines, regardless of karma, destiny, or reincarnation...

This feeling reminded Xu Qing of the True Gods that Yu Liuchen had mentioned before. The reason True Gods could return was because their true names were imperishable. So even if they died, as long as they were remembered, they could become a mark for their return. Back then, when Xu Qing heard this, he didn't fully understand it but found it profound, only feeling that True Gods were terrifying and full of unknowns.

But now... he understood.

The reason that what returned was both the same person and not the same person, was because what reappeared after death might be a deity from another timeline.

As these realizations arose in Xu Qing's mind, Star-Ring Child's heart also fluctuated intensely.

"But unfortunately, because my immortal embryo is currently only illusory, and my Ninth Extreme has not reached its ultimate stage, I am currently unable to influence all timelines."

Xu Qing murmured inwardly, then raised his right hand, faced Star-Ring Child, and slightly opened it.

At this moment, Star-Ring Child, gazing back at Xu Qing, felt a tremor in his heart from the divine aura emanating from Xu Qing's eyes, and his scalp tingled for a moment. While his breath hitched, a strong sense of crisis erupted within him.

It was a feeling of being seen through. Seen through karma, destiny, and reincarnation, hence... a crisis born from instinct.

So the next instant, chains of order instantly appeared around Star-Ring Child. As they encircled him, a terrifying power from his Quasi-Immortal cultivation also erupted with a roar.

Just as he was about to attack... Xu Qing raised his open palm towards Star-Ring Child, and gently squeezed.

A faint voice came from his lips.

"No Interval!"

The moment these two words echoed, and his hand clenched... the timelines appearing around Star-Ring Child in Xu Qing's eyes all roared, rippled, and erupted in chaotic bursts. This eruption instantly intensified to the extreme, transforming into a space-time storm that roared into existence around Star-Ring Child.

Before this, "No Interval" in Xu Qing's hands could not be controlled; it could only be allowed to emerge chaotically. But now... after mastering the Ninth Extreme, it was different.

As Xu Qing uncurled his fist and waved his hand, the chaotic space-time storm was instantly drawn, sweeping directly like raging waves, engulfing... nine timelines of Star-Ring Child, excluding the current reality! This caused the Star-Ring Child in those nine timelines to all be caught in this storm. His physical body instantly decayed, and all chains of order weathered away with time.

All of this seemed to announce... Any order, in the flow of time, will become a thing of the past.

Consequently, among the Star-Ring Child figures in those nine timelines, three let out mournful cries. Their bodies turned to ash in the flow of time, with only their immortal embryos remaining, like shed skin. However, they too seemed unable to last much longer, trembling. The other six temporal bodies also began to collapse in this tide of time.

Their experiences also affected the current reality. Consequently, the Star-Ring Child in the current reality spat out blood, and his body also began to decay!

This is the combat power of a Quasi-Immortal! It can influence the immortal embryo!

Conversely, no matter how magnificent the manifestation of one's constitution, if it cannot shake the immortal embryo, it cannot be called Quasi-Immortal combat power. And different constitutions manifest their influence in different ways.

Parallel timelines, and the Universal Convergence and Multiverse Overlap affecting them, ripple through the current reality by destroying multiple timelines. If it were Li Mengtu instead, once his poison reached such a level, then what he would act to corrode would be the body in the current reality.

And Star-Ring Child was also like this, especially since his cultivation had already broken through and he had become a Quasi-Immortal. Even if this breakthrough was imperfect in his eyes, his combat power was ultimately formidable. So even though he could not see his other timelines now, upon sensing damage to his immortal embryo, his counterattack... also unfolded!

Countless chains of order, each gleaming with golden light, converged together, seemingly forming a weighing scale! It was a balance. One end was himself, the other end was Xu Qing! And above order... was balance! The moment it appeared, they were invisibly connected!

The instant they connected, the "No Interval" storm unleashed by Xu Qing at this moment pressed down one end of the balance, causing it to lose equilibrium... After the imbalance, a vast power came from the void, forcefully descending onto Star-Ring Child, continuously gathering and growing immense, ultimately bringing the imbalance... back into equilibrium!

Like borrowing power!

This was the law that manifested after Star-Ring Child entered the Quasi-Immortal realm, a change in his constitutional level. The stronger the enemy, the greater the external force he could leverage. Ultimately, this could form a vastness to suppress everything!

This kind of constitution made Xu Qing's eyes gleam with a strange light. "Interesting. Let's see whose limit breaks first, yours or mine." Xu Qing said indifferently.

He plucked his Ninth Extreme within his body, as if strumming a zither string. Instantly, the space-time storm caused by "No Interval" surged dramatically, sweeping towards Star-Ring Child's other timelines. In the blink of an eye, it engulfed the eleventh timeline, then the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth...

Imbalance formed again, and balance continuously arrived. Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. The storm raged, and the timelines it engulfed instantly increased to eighteen. He intended to use this battle to hone his constitution.

And Star-Ring Child's limit finally began to appear. The moment Xu Qing's sweeping reached twenty timelines, it arrived with a bang. The balance... crumbled and collapsed.

Xu Qing stood up.

Twenty timelines were not his limit. In his understanding, if he fully unleashed his Ninth Extreme now, the number of timelines he could affect could reach around fifty.

As for Star-Ring Child, he was currently spitting out blood, his immortal embryo showed numerous cracks, and his body reeled backward. Yet, he had few distracting thoughts. He knew clearly that the reason he was at a disadvantage was partly because the opponent's constitution was extremely strong, and partly because his own breakthrough was not perfect.

"Xu Qing, you are indeed very strong, but your weakness is just as obvious. Your immortal embryo... is only illusory!"