Chapter 1183: The Gift on the Divine Blood River

The spiritual tide in the Land of the Fallen Immortals was still ebbing and flowing, not yet completely dissipated. This was because the opportunities created by the appearance of the Immortal Palace had not truly ended; only those below the fifth level had concluded. For the Quasi-Immortal Grand Emperors, the sixth level of the world was the place they longed for and wished to enter.

So, when Xu Qing walked to the edge of the sky, standing in the firmament and looking down at the earth, the Immortal Palace he saw in the hazy distance seemed to echo with the faint sound of waves. At that moment, his inner spirit stirred. The authority he held over the Immortal Palace gave him a mystical realization: "Someone has entered the sixth level world!"

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with surprise. The sixth level world was a place that could only be entered by those with the combat power of a Lower Immortal. Due to the Immortal Palace's hierarchy, it was an opportunity even for Lower Immortals. "Either an unknown Lower Immortal has entered the Immortal Palace, or… someone among the Quasi-Immortals has achieved a breakthrough."

"Unfortunately, although I possess the authority over the Immortal Palace, my cultivation limitations and insufficient constitutional level prevent me from entering the sixth level." Xu Qing shook his head, not feeling rushed. After gaining control of the Immortal Palace's authority, he no longer needed to wait for a specific time to enter; he could step inside whenever he arrived. "I can come again once my Immortal Embryo forms and I gain enlightenment regarding the tenth extreme."

"I wonder what the sixth level world looks like…" Xu Qing took a deep breath, shimmered in the firmament, and vanished in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already outside the Land of the Fallen Immortals.

At this moment, the star charts corresponding to the Quasi-Immortal Commander's Orders that had just appeared in the sky were gradually dissipating, re-obscured by the crimson aurora. However, the activation of the third phase made the perception among cultivators holding a Quasi-Immortal Commander's Order much sharper than before. Furthermore, when their divine sense merged with the token, the hidden star charts would appear in their minds, facilitating killing and plunder!

This was precisely the cruelty of the third phase. However, it wasn't impossible to hide one's Quasi-Immortal Commander's Order; few could achieve it, but it was clear that Star-Ring Child could. Therefore, even when Xu Qing integrated his divine sense into his Quasi-Immortal Commander's Order, he couldn't find the star corresponding to Star-Ring Child on the star chart. This was within his expectations. Star-Ring Child would not make such a fundamental mistake.

Thus, the purple crystal within Xu Qing stirred, emitting an aura that enveloped his Quasi-Immortal Commander's Order, also opting for concealment. This would make the pursuit smoother.

"As for his tracks…" A dark light flickered in Xu Qing's eyes as he raised his right hand. Instantly, the wisp of Star-Ring Child's aura that Xu Qing had drawn from time and space surged in his palm, constantly changing and merging with Xu Qing's divine sense. Soon, he perceived a direction and sped off.

Time passed. Xu Qing was incredibly fast, but Star-Ring Child, whom he was pursuing, was equally astonishingly swift. Although Star-Ring Child's cultivation realm surpassed Xu Qing's, he had been slain once, and the body reformed by a secret substitution technique was ultimately somewhat weakened. Therefore, he couldn't create much distance in terms of speed, nor could he truly escape Xu Qing's lock-on based on the aura.

Just like that, three days passed. From afar, a vast desert appeared within Xu Qing's perception amidst his rapid pursuit. It was… the Desert of Time.

This was the third time Xu Qing had seen this desert. The first time was in the past, with Yunmen Qianfan beside him. The second time was in the mirrored history, with the Aurora Immortal Lord beside him. This was the third time.

Gazing at the desert, Xu Qing's heart stirred. After a moment of silence, he walked into the desert. The sandstorm howled ahead, seemingly narrating an ancient story. Grains of sand churned between heaven and earth, ready to set the stage for this story.

Walking through the desert, Xu Qing perceived the spatial-temporal changes within it, listened to the stories carried by the sandstorm, and silently pressed forward. With his current constitutional level, he could see the spacetime within the desert more clearly than ever before.

Eventually, the area where the Aurora Immortal Lord had taken him in the mirrored history came into Xu Qing's sight. Xu Qing stopped. Looking around… in the mirrored history, this place had been a sea of flowers of various beautiful shapes and colors. The flowers in the sea of flowers should have resembled dancing butterflies, some like cranes ready to take flight, and each should have exuded a unique fragrance. They… were personally planted by the Aurora Immortal Lord because his wife… loved orchids.

Furthermore, it was here that the Aurora Immortal Lord told his son that in the future… he should plant a flower here every year, until the entire Desert of Time became a sea of flowers within time.

But now… Xu Qing looked, and all was withered. The sea of flowers had long ceased to exist with the passage of time. Yet, Xu Qing smiled. Because the focus of his gaze was not the general withered state, but two small flowers, seemingly recently planted, at the very center of the withered flower sea. Those two orchids grew within the withered flower sea, swaying gently in the breeze, lightly touching each other, and emitting their unique fragrance. Faintly, the figures of the Young Aurora Lord and Immortal Linghuang seemed to appear before Xu Qing's eyes. They had planted two flowers here.

And the voice of the Aurora Immortal Lord from the mirrored history seemed to echo in Xu Qing's ears with the wind at that moment: "In the future, you must remember to come here every year and plant orchids, so that this place will always have a sea of flowers."

After a long while, Xu Qing withdrew his gaze, crouched down, and retrieved the flower seeds that once belonged to this place from time and space, planting them. Then he bowed. He believed that from now on, every year, there would be more flowers here, until many years later, the sea of flowers within time would reappear, and this spatial-temporal desert would finally become a sea of flowers within time. The crimson aurora falling from the firmament also became gentler at this moment, sprinkling upon the orchids. Though not golden like in those bygone years, it still added a dreamlike romance to the place. It also left a lingering fragrance on Xu Qing's person.

Perhaps it was the blessing of the lingering fragrance, for on the third day after leaving the desert, Xu Qing found Star-Ring Child in the wilderness, hidden underground in that area, recuperating from his injuries. It seemed Star-Ring Child's injuries could no longer sustain his continuous escape, so, left with no choice, after setting up numerous formations and restrictions, he intended to suppress his injuries. Unfortunately, Xu Qing's appearance interrupted this process. Thus, a battle that reverberated in all directions began once more in the wilderness.

Even at his peak, Star-Ring Child had been slain by Xu Qing, let alone now, with his injuries unhealed. Therefore, this battle started swiftly and wasn't prolonged. Star-Ring Child died for the second time!

But this time, after the kill, Xu Qing's brow furrowed deeply. He gazed at the spot where Star-Ring Child had turned to dust, and after a long moment, he murmured, "He deliberately came here to die… to eliminate my lock-on." As Star-Ring Child died, the wisp of aura in Xu Qing's hand dissipated. There was no longer any trace of Star-Ring Child in time and space either. He could no longer pursue or lock onto him.

"As expected of the First Star, even in such a predicament, he can still sever my pursuit in this manner." Xu Qing raised his head and looked into the distance. "However… you will eventually return to the Eastern region."

"And while there are multiple paths to leave the Western Star Region and return to the East, there is one… which appears to be the safest." A dark glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes as he looked toward the Divine Blood River. The uniqueness of the Divine Blood River lay with its Ferryman. Once on the ferry boat, under the Ferryman's rules, absolute safety was guaranteed. The Ferryman was responsible for this safety. Even if there were pursuers, they would be prevented by the Ferryman under the protection of these rules. Additionally, the ferry boat's fare was only a lifetime's worth on the third crossing, so the first and second times were affordable for cultivators. Moreover, the safe environment on the ferry boat during the crossing was also very suitable for healing injuries.

"What I can think of, he can certainly think of too." Xu Qing mused.

Ultimately, he still chose to go to the Divine Blood River. On one hand, the Divine Blood River was indeed one of Star-Ring Child's options, and since he had lost the opponent's tracks, rather than searching other paths, it was better to wait in one place. If he came, that would be best; if not… then the killing could be left for later. They would meet eventually.

On the other hand, Xu Qing remembered that Immortal Linghuang had once said she left him a gift at the Divine Blood River. Xu Qing had a guess about this gift in his heart, but he wasn't certain. "If it truly is the gift I suspect… then if Star-Ring Child chooses to cross the Blood River, it will be interesting." Thinking this, Xu Qing made a decision, his body flickered, and he teleported away.

Half a month later, Xu Qing appeared on the bank of the Divine Blood River. The Divine Blood River was vast, but the ferry crossing point was fixed, with only one such location. The riverbank, perpetually eroded by the water, had turned crimson. The wooden pier built there, and its timber, were similarly affected, appearing decayed from the constant washing of the river. The wind blew, sounding like the roars of ghosts, chilling to the soul.

Stepping onto the crimson riverbank, walking on the rotting pier, Xu Qing listened to the wind, smelled the bloodiness carried by it, and gazed at the sea-like blood river. There, he could see no end. He could only see endless waves churning, the river's color and the sky's aurora constantly reflecting each other.

And in this crimson expanse where water met sky, on this eerie and sinister Blood River, amidst the wailing howls of ghosts… an ancient, dilapidated, jet-black boat was slowly approaching from the distance. The churning river waters became calm before it. The fierce wind became docile before it. It approached silently, like a vengeful spirit.

Until it docked beside the pier, stopping before Xu Qing. This was a ferry boat. But on it… there was no Ferryman. Only a straw rain cape, a bamboo hat, and a jade slip. The jade slip shattered the moment Xu Qing's gaze fell upon it, and Immortal Linghuang's voice echoed between heaven and earth: "This is my gift to you."

"There is no karma, no restraint, for I have severed all karma and taken away all restraints, even replacing the Ferryman's mission." "This is a ferry boat that completely belongs to you and does not require you to fulfill its mission…"

"Built personally by my father."