Chapter 1182: First Star Xu Qing

It was indeed not far.

The moment Star-Ring Child was killed in the fifth level of the Immortal Palace, a blurry figure appeared directly in front of the Welcoming Immortal Platform at the entrance of the Immortal Palace.

This location was one of the three paths into the Immortal Palace, where Xu Qing had previously seen a bridge shrouded in mist from afar. As the mist churned, the figure, after appearing, suddenly retreated, materializing on the Welcoming Immortal Platform in an instant.

The moment he stepped onto the bluestone, the figure stumbled, spitting out a large mouthful of blood. His chest heaved, breathing rapidly, and his expression showed the relief of having narrowly escaped death.

It was Star-Ring Child.

However, he was now breathing intermittently, his body permeated with weakness, and half of it seemed to flicker between illusion and reality. "Xu Qing..." he muttered.

Star-Ring Child's expression was grim. He swayed and then sped towards the Immortal Palace exit. In the next instant, he had already left the Immortal Palace.

As he flew out, he saw several people meditating outside the Immortal Fallen Land. A quick glance revealed Li Mengtu and Zhou Zhengli among them.

Almost at the same moment his gaze fell upon them, the meditating cultivators sensed his presence. Li Mengtu and Zhou Zhengli, in particular, instantly looked up, their eyes fixed on Star-Ring Child.

Li Mengtu's eyes narrowed.

Zhou Zhengli, meanwhile, appeared thoughtful.

As for Star-Ring Child, he didn't stop. He stepped into the void, soared towards the horizon, and sped away, his speed reaching its maximum.

It wasn't until he reached the edge of the Immortal Fallen Land that he turned back, gazing towards the Immortal Palace.

His half-illusory, half-real body slowly shed its illusory quality with each breath, becoming completely solid. This was his life-saving technique, a secret art of the Star-Ring Pagoda.

Through the art of sacrifice, he shaped his own star pagoda, then used the pagoda to replace his life. This allowed him to resolve life-or-death crises.

He had created seven such star pagodas over the years.

"I didn't expect to expend one here..." he thought.

Recalling the scene in the fifth level, Star-Ring Child felt a deep sense of dread. He had to admit that the opponent's understanding of "Constitution" far surpassed his own. "Whether in combat or stealth, their Constitution is truly terrifying!"

"Therefore, to suppress them, my Constitution must be elevated to a level where it can obliterate all the spatial-temporal dimensions they control. Otherwise... killing them will be extremely difficult."

"Unless..."

A subtle gleam flickered in Star-Ring Child's eyes.

"I have a way, under the ebb and flow of my Heavenly Principle, to locate their hidden true body! This person's greatest weakness... is their true body!"

"Their cultivation is that of a Dominator, and their immortal embryo is still forming. So, as long as there's a way to find their true body hidden in other spatial-temporal dimensions... then there's a chance to kill them!"

Star-Ring Child fell silent, then shook his head. Theory, after all, was just theory.

Star-Ring Child knew that he was currently unable to achieve it.

He took a deep breath and vanished in a flash.

He wasn't sure if the other party would continue to pursue him, but the sense of crisis in his heart persisted. He knew he had to leave the Western Star Domain as quickly as possible and return to the East. Only in the East would the crisis be lifted.

Meanwhile, in the fifth level of the Immortal Palace, Xu Qing gazed at the wisp of aura in his palm, crushed it, and stored it within a spatial-temporal dimension. He then looked up, his gaze sweeping over the Quasi-Immortal Emperors around him. Without a word, he swayed and took a step forward.

His body instantly blurred.

But in the next instant, his figure sharpened from its blur. "The sixth level is indeed inaccessible," he thought.

He had taken that step to test if he could enter the sixth level.

Although he knew that the sixth level of the Immortal Palace was only accessible to those with Lesser Immortal combat power, since he had reached the fifth level, he naturally wanted to try. After verifying it, Xu Qing took another step. This time, he wasn't attempting to reach the sixth level, but to return.

In an instant, his figure vanished.

When he reappeared, he was on the Welcoming Immortal Platform at the Immortal Palace entrance.

"This Immortal Palace opportunity has ended for me," he mused.

Standing on the Welcoming Immortal Platform, Xu Qing looked up towards the Immortal Palace.

His mind replayed the recent experiences, scene after scene, like the churning of the river of time, stirring up the sand from its bottom, flowing through his eyes. In a trance, Xu Qing seemed to see a youth in white.

The youth stood at the far end of the river of time, holding a marriage contract, with a girl in a wedding gown beside him. Both looked at him, smiled faintly, and then bowed together, hand in hand. That smile contained an unspeakable past.

Perhaps it was youth, perhaps hardship, perhaps beauty, perhaps a stinging pain. The ripples of the flowing water blurred the image.

Xu Qing turned his head and saw himself standing at this end of the river of time. Then, he smiled softly and returned the bow to the other end of the river of time.

Yesterday's trials, today's echoes.

The flowing water dissipated, and the stirred-up sand became starlight, which also gradually faded.

Xu Qing straightened up, stepped off the Welcoming Immortal Platform, and walked out of the Immortal Palace's exit.

The moment he stood in the Immortal Fallen Land, the long-absent crimson aurora from the sky fell upon him. All the scenery before him, bathed in that aurora, remained as dim red as ever. However, it was no longer the same as before.

For him, this light had become gentle, imbued with a father's love.

Xu Qing closed his eyes, silently feeling it. When he opened them a moment later, he saw the crowd outside the Immortal Palace: Grand Ancestor Earth Spirit, Li Mengtu, Zhou Zhengli, and some cultivators he didn't recognize.

These were all cultivators who had returned from the Immortal Palace. Most of them hadn't left, choosing to wait here for the moment the Immortal Palace completely dissolved and the tide receded, using it as an opportunity for cultivation and enlightenment. After all, for them, this journey had only been to the third level, offering limited gains.

However, it was clear that Li Mengtu and Zhou Zhengli did not share this intention.

The former, Li Mengtu, looked at Xu Qing with a somewhat complex expression, opening his mouth as if to say something.

It seemed that everything in the fourth level had profoundly affected him, making him vaguely feel like Zhong Chi whenever he looked at Xu Qing...

As for Zhou Zhengli beside him, he was clearly much more composed than Li Mengtu and didn't dwell on the mirrored history between the current world and the fourth level. For him, the priority was to seize this opportunity to continue their previous connection, ensuring it wasn't confined to the mirror image but persisted into the future.

This conviction was further strengthened after he witnessed Star-Ring Child, clearly not lightly injured, swiftly departing earlier.

So, at this moment, as his eyes met Xu Qing's, Zhou Zhengli quickly took a few steps forward.

Upon reaching Xu Qing, he adopted the same incredibly respectful posture as in the fourth level, bowing deeply. "Young Master," he greeted.

"Congratulations, Young Master, on your cultivation breakthrough, your realm ascent, and your leap to become the First Star of the Fifth Star Ring!"

Xu Qing looked at Zhou Zhengli. "This is no longer the mirrored history," he said.

Zhou Zhengli shook his head. "What has truly convinced me is not merely Young Master Aurora."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's gaze towards Zhou Zhengli held a deeper meaning. Meanwhile, Grand Ancestor Earth Spirit, who had swiftly arrived, bowed deeply to Xu Qing, speaking with excitement.

"Senior, your return allows this junior to finally put my worried heart at ease. I have been deeply concerned about your safety in the fourth level, having received your life-saving grace before."

"These past days, I've been filled with worry and anxiety, regretting only my insufficient cultivation that prevented me from going to the fourth level to assist you and serve you."

"It wasn't until yesterday, when I suddenly had an epiphany, that my heart finally found some peace."

"My epiphany was this: Senior, with your extraordinary talent, foresight, meticulous planning, and flawless strategies, even with the immense turmoil in the fourth level, everything must have been within your expectations."

"This junior merely needed to wait outside, for the final outcome was bound to be exceedingly fortunate, with everything going smoothly!"

"Finally, thank you, Senior, for saving my life in the Immortal Palace. I congratulate you on the great success of your journey to the Immortal Palace, and I wish you a future where your stellar path shines throughout the heavens and earth!"

Grand Ancestor Earth Spirit declared loudly.

This made Zhou Zhengli, standing nearby, cast a sideways glance for the first time.

It even caused the shadow beneath Xu Qing's feet to waver.

Even the sky itself seemed to ripple due to Grand Ancestor Earth Spirit's pronouncements.

Suddenly, the crimson aurora intensified, and bursts of thunder, seemingly from beyond the heavens, rumbled continuously. This affected not only the sky above them but also the entire Western Sky Domain, which began to roar.

The East, North, and South were no different.

The sky of the Fifth Star Ring seemed to be lifted by an invisible hand, revealing the starry expanse and its constellations.

The stars varied in brightness, some dazzling, some dim. Each corresponded to a specific cultivator in the Fifth Star Ring!

That was... the reflection of the Quasi-Immortal Capital Token!

This scene instantly changed the expressions of everyone outside the Immortal Fallen Land, causing them to look up. It wasn't just them; at this moment, the vast majority of cultivators throughout the Fifth Star Ring reacted similarly. This was because...

"The Immortal Capital Trial, its third and final phase, has begun!" Zhou Zhengli declared in a low voice, his eyes gleaming.

This phase was one of slaughter and elimination! Its arrival signified the final selection!

Subsequently, the tokens on all cultivators possessing a Quasi-Immortal Capital Token began to glow brightly.

Xu Qing's token was no exception; it shone brilliantly, reflecting the stars, while the drums of battle resounded throughout the heavens and earth. *Boom, boom* went the echoes, like heavenly thunder exploding.

The cultivators who had been practicing outside the Immortal Fallen Land also changed their expressions, immediately rising and departing in various directions.

Zhou Zhengli took a deep breath and bowed to Xu Qing once more.

"Young Master, entering the Immortal Capital is already a certainty for you. I still need to work hard so that after the trial, I can join you... in the Immortal Capital! From now on, all those with an Immortal Capital Token will focus solely on this trial."

With that, Zhou Zhengli's body flickered, and he headed straight for the starry sky.

Seeing Zhou Zhengli depart and most of the others also leaving, Li Mengtu slowly stepped forward.

"Um... the 'Thousand Armies Yield' swords, after they came out earlier, they ran faster than anyone... but I can sense that their aura isn't significantly different from how it was in the fourth level. I predict that the recognition ceremony can influence the current world."

"My own Constitution has also changed."

"As for Evil Spirit Child, I didn't see him. I suppose he was among the first to come out and left early."

"And Yuanshan Su, I saw her depart swiftly, her expression complex."

"I... I also need to go on a trial to improve my Quasi-Immortal Capital Token ranking, Young... would you like to come with me?"

Li Mengtu spoke with some hesitation.

Xu Qing smiled at his words, then shook his head. He raised his right hand, and the aura of Star-Ring Child flowed within his palm. Li Mengtu's gaze narrowed.

"Are you going to..."

"Star-Ring Child has something of mine. I'm going to retrieve it," Xu Qing stated calmly, stepping towards the horizon.