Chapter 1186: Useless Thing

The Immortal Capital Trial is divided into three stages.

In the first stage, the Immortal Capital releases ten thousand tokens for countless cultivators from the four star domains to compete for. This stage is brutal, with tokens changing hands most frequently. However, at least cultivators have a choice: they can choose not to contend or not to participate.

The second stage begins when the Four Immortal Sovereigns bestow their inheritances. All beings can comprehend these, which serves as a clarion call to accelerate the trial. In this stage, cultivators with advantages will find their strengths amplified, while those without will naturally be diminished. Simultaneously, killing opponents in this stage not only grants their tokens but also their inheritances, allowing one to grow increasingly powerful. This incentive makes the trial even more intense.

Finally, there is the current third stage. This stage is about final elimination and choice. It primarily involves hunting and plundering.

Having reached this third stage, the number of cultivators in the Fifth Star Ring who possess proto-Immortal Capital tokens, originally ten thousand, is now dwindling due to continuous mutual slaughter. Unless one possesses a complete method, the token, once integrated into the body, cannot be removed. Losing the token means losing one's life. This is an inevitability. Every time the Immortal Capital Trial begins, the moment one decides to embark on this path, there is no turning back. Either one successfully enters the Immortal Capital, or one is utterly destroyed, becoming a resource for others. Of course, with extreme luck, one might still survive, but such a precarious existence deviates far from the original purpose of the trial. Therefore, currently, in the Southern Star Domain, the number of proto-Immortal Capital tokens is decreasing almost daily, with fewer than five hundred remaining.

At this moment, more than half of the fewer than five hundred cultivators in the Southern Star Domain holding proto-Immortal Capital tokens felt a stir in their minds, sensing something. They each immersed their consciousness into their tokens to view the star map.

On the Southern proto-Immortal Capital token star map, it was clearly visible that the star representing Jiang Fan, once brilliantly dazzling and located at Mount Daxian, instantly dimmed. It was absorbed by another star. Consequently, a colossal star, brighter than all others, appeared in the entire Southern Star Domain. The only one that could barely compare was the star located at the Yuanshan family. Beyond that, no other star could contend with its brilliance.

Immediately, this scene caused a massive uproar in the hearts of those cultivators possessing proto-Immortal Capital tokens. "Jiang Fan was defeated?""As the Southern Domain's top star, who could possibly defeat him?""It wasn't Yuanshan Su. Did a star from one of the other three domains arrive?"

Amidst the uproar rising in the hearts of these cultivators, the dazzling star they were watching raced at an astonishing speed directly towards... the Yuanshan family! This sight immediately sent tremors through the entire Yuanshan family.

As the foremost family in the Southern Domain, the Yuanshan family did not lack powerful experts. However, according to the rules of the Immortal Capital Trial, they were not yet qualified to challenge. Amidst this anxiety, Yuanshan Su emerged from her home. Dressed in a white gown, she stood on Tianling Mountain outside the family grounds, gazing into the distance. All around her, family cultivators stood with solemn expressions.

While she initially wasn't sure who the third star appearing in the Southern Domain was, after she noticed that it had merely gone to Mount Daxian and absorbed the star representing Jiang Fan... she had already guessed the identity of the other party."Only two individuals could achieve this... one is Star Ring Child, and the other is that person.""As for Star Ring Child, news from the eastern domain indicates his star has fallen. Then this one must be that person."

Yuanshan Su's expression was complex. After leaving the Fourth Layer World, she was among the first to exit the Immortal Palace. In the time since her return, whenever she recalled her journey to the Immortal Palace, one person's figure appeared most frequently in her mind. Although her goal was achieved and she gained considerable benefits, with her own cultivation growing, that person's figure remained like a towering mountain, placing immense pressure on her. At the same time, her feelings were equally complex. After all, she and that person had once performed a marriage ceremony. Though it was merely a reciprocal arrangement within a historical illusion, the ripples of it still persisted in the present world.

As Yuanshan Su's thoughts fluctuated within her heart, thunder suddenly erupted in the distant sky. A strong wind howled across the land, emitting mournful sounds, and amidst the surging clouds, a figure walked from the horizon. Dressed in black, with black hair, he strode across the sky as if walking through the currents of time, stirring up waves of temporal energy. It was Xu Qing.

The moment he appeared, the expressions of the surrounding Yuanshan family cultivators changed. Several proto-Immortal ancestors from the Yuanshan family unleashed their aura, distorting the surroundings, as if facing a formidable enemy. However, Xu Qing paid no heed to their oppressive aura. He ignored them, his expression unchanged, as he advanced through the sky. Step by step, he walked past the Yuanshan family cultivators, disregarded the gazes of the several Yuanshan ancestors, arrived at Tianling Mountain, stood before Yuanshan Su, and raised his hand.

"Hand it over." Xu Qing spoke calmly. Just two simple words, yet they contained an undeniable command.

Yuanshan Su remained silent. The several ancestors of her family around her emitted palpable fluctuations, their eyes turning cold, when a soft sigh escaped Yuanshan Su's lips. With this sigh, she raised her right hand and, to the astonishment of the surrounding family cultivators, struck her palm against her own glabella. With a bang, her proto-Immortal Capital token was forcibly stripped from her body. Then, with a wave, her proto-Immortal Capital token, emitting a blinding light, flew straight towards Xu Qing. It finally landed in Xu Qing's palm.

Xu Qing did not look at the token in his hand. Instead, he gazed deeply at Yuanshan Su and calmly asked, "Is there a third way to enter the Immortal Capital?" Yuanshan Su's decisive surrender of the token made Xu Qing suspect there might be a third method for entering the Immortal Capital, hence his question.

"Promoting to proto-Immortal during the trial is a special method reserved for the eight stars of the Fifth Star Ring," Yuanshan Su took a deep breath and spoke slowly. Upon hearing this, Xu Qing nodded. He naturally saw that Yuanshan Su's aura was only a sliver away from entering the proto-Immortal stage. It seemed she had gained a lot from her time in the Immortal Palace. But this was irrelevant to him.

At this moment, as he clenched his hand and the token in his palm vanished, the sky churned, and a brilliant light erupted from him, shooting into the heavens. The next instant, the sky rumbled, and the Southern Star Domain's star map reappeared on the firmament. On the map, the star representing Xu Qing shone with an unparalleled intensity! It was the undisputed first in the Southern Domain! A profound, ethereal sensation emanating from the proto-Immortal Capital token allowed Xu Qing to perceive his ranking in the entire Fifth Star Ring.

Fifth!

Xu Qing didn't care who the top four were. Because if he continued according to his plan, no one could contend with him for the top spot. "Then, we'll meet in the Immortal Capital." Xu Qing glanced at Yuanshan Su, turned, and walked towards the horizon, gradually fading into the distance under the helpless gazes of the Yuanshan family cultivators.

It wasn't until a while later that several Yuanshan family ancestors descended and stood beside Yuanshan Su. "Su'er has disappointed the ancestors. Faced with this person, I didn't even attempt to make a move," Yuanshan Su said softly, head bowed. The ancestors remained silent. After a few breaths, one of them sighed.

"This person... let alone you, even if we were to fight him, we wouldn't have a sure grip on victory.""How does he compare to that Star Ring Child?"Yuanshan Su shook her head. "Star Ring Child has fallen. Although it's uncertain if he's truly dead, I believe his demise was this person's doing."The several Yuanshan family ancestors each sighed. "Living in the same era as such a person is difficult..."Yuanshan Su smiled at these words. "That's what makes it interesting."

Fifth Star Ring, Northern Star Domain, Sword Immortal Gate!

Unlike the continuous expanse of Mount Daxian in the Southern Star Domain, and different from the vastness of the Star Ring Tower in the Eastern Star Domain, this orthodox sect in the North was built upon a colossal meteorite. All around it, sword qi formed storms, and the sound of swords persisted, echoing throughout the Nine Heavens. The meteorite within the storm was astonishingly vast, like a colossal mountain. Even from its base, it towered into the clouds, with no end in sight.

There are many legends about this stone. Some say it wasn't originally from the Fifth Star Ring but flew in from an outer ring and was acquired by the Sword Immortal Gate's Azure Drake Sword Immortal, who used it for enlightenment, thus founding the sect upon it. Others say it was a leftover star-filling stone when the Fifth Star Ring's starry sky was flattened long ago. Many theories exist, but the origin remains unknown. And indeed, the Sword Immortal Gate was built on this massive meteorite.

At this moment, on the surface of this massive meteorite, in the central plaza of the Sword Immortal Gate, Qian Jun and Piyi were carefully setting up various restrictions. As they set up the restrictions, the two also communicated telepathically.

"Star Ring Child was killed by him!""Jiang Fan's token was taken!""That little girl from Yuanshan was the most spineless; she didn't even make a move!""Now that guy is on his way to the Northern Domain...""I don't think he's just here for our proto-Immortal Capital tokens...""Exactly, I think that guy is here to subdue us!""Pledging allegiance in the Fourth Layer World was the greatest humiliation of our lives!""We will never give up!""Never!""According to our plan, as soon as he arrives, we'll give him a good show!"

Qian Jun and Piyi gnashed their teeth, swiftly embedding various restrictions into the central plaza. Only after spending several days setting up here did they finally breathe a sigh of relief in their hearts and sit cross-legged.

"Now we just wait for him!"

Meanwhile, above the two of them, in the sky of the Sword Immortal Gate, within the endless sword qi storm, a person lay. This person wore a blue robe, had gray hair, and a blue ancient sword hovered beside him. The sword was named Azure Drake, hence the world referred to him as the Azure Drake Sword Immortal. He lay upon the sword qi, drinking wine and watching his two disciples tinkering below. After a long while, he sighed.

"I must have been blind back then to take on these two good-for-nothing fellows.""They couldn't even win a two-on-one fight, and now they're setting up restrictions here? Is this an ambush?"