Chapter 1190: Stepping on the Rainbow, Overlooking the Mountains

Xu Qing was familiar with the name Chen Batian. After all, this individual had appeared on the trial star map at the very moment the Immortal Capital Trial’s one-month countdown began, drawing the attention of countless people. Very few cultivators in the entire Fifth Astral Ring were unaware of him.

Furthermore, rumors and speculations about him had been growing steadily.

However, among the myriad rumors, even the most imaginative conjectures failed to align with the truth.

Indeed… no one could have imagined that the supposed top spot in the Immortal Capital Trial was merely a gift.

And it was a gift personally crafted, brought into existence from nothing.

At this very moment, the person who had created this gift was bowing respectfully, his smile humble.

This was Zhou Zhengli’s terrifying aspect.

Previously, with the Astral Ring Son suppressing him, Zhou Zhengli had always been cautious, never showing his full capabilities. Xu Qing even suspected that the conflict between Zhou Zhengli and Xie Lingzi might not have been as profound or as life-threatening as it seemed.

Everything might have simply been because both Zhou Zhengli and Xie Lingzi understood they needed to act this way, needed to create conflict, needed to maintain such personas.

Only then would the powerful figures be pleased.

Even if these powerful figures knew they were merely acting, the willingness to play their roles and become actors in their eyes was, in itself, a form of submission.

Xu Qing didn’t consider himself a powerful figure, nor did he see himself as a second Astral Ring Son.

This was because he had no need to subjugate others.

Whether it was the Fifth Astral Ring or the Immortal Capital he was soon to enter, to him, they were just stops on his life’s journey.

At this stop, his inherent nature was cautious, and… he acted as he pleased. Whatever hidden motives Zhou Zhengli might have had, Xu Qing didn’t care.

For a venomous snake, before it reveals its fangs, it can look quite beautiful. But if it does show its fangs, as Xu Qing once told Zhou Zhengli… he enjoyed eating snakes, and the more venomous the snake, the fresher it tasted.

His childhood experiences, his time on the Ancient Continent, the heritage from his sect, and what he saw and heard while with Second Bull, all contributed to Xu Qing being… even more venomous.

Therefore, his gaze lingered on Zhou Zhengli for a moment before shifting to Chen Batian, who stood beside him.

"This Chen Batian was carefully chosen by me; he has no deep-seated karmic ties," Zhou Zhengli said softly.

"Furthermore, this individual is utterly depraved, primarily driven by lust."

Zhou Zhengli understood clearly that when conducting affairs and giving gifts, one must ensure the recipient's comfort. Thus, the person he chose had to be free of any background-related karma and, simultaneously, someone who deserved to die.

Only then could the recipient accept the gift without apprehension.

Moreover, to further reassure the recipient, after his bow, he stepped back a few paces, positioning himself further from Chen Batian than Xu Qing.

This was because Chen Batian’s life force was already waning, and his vital flame was extinguishing at that very moment.

On the way there, he had already used methods on Chen Batian to ensure a natural death, and the time for it was drawing near.

This way, no misunderstanding would arise.

No one would think he had hidden a trap within the gift. The person’s death was indirectly caused by him, unrelated to the recipient.

When a cultivator died in this manner, their Provisional Immortal Capital Token would dissipate at the moment of death and be absorbed by the nearest individual.

That was why he retreated. Xu Qing remained silent.

Just like that, after dozens of breaths, Chen Batian’s last breath dissipated.

At the moment of death, a Provisional Immortal Capital Token flew out from his body, radiating dazzling light.

The moment it ascended, it flew straight towards Xu Qing. The instant it merged with his body, the entire sky rumbled, and the star map appeared, its rankings shifting.

First place now belonged to Xu Qing!

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhengli bowed deeply towards Xu Qing.

He then slowly retreated, withdrawing from Mount Tai’a, flying into the sky, and disappearing from sight.

Xu Qing didn't stop him. He gazed at the horizon for a long time before withdrawing his sight. His body blurred,

and he stepped into the flow of time.

Using spatial-temporal methods, he departed silently, leaving no karmic traces.

After a while, ripples appeared in the sky, and Zhou Zhengli’s departing figure reappeared. He looked down at Mount Tai’a, lost in thought.

"He is indeed very different from the Astral Ring Son."

"If it were the Astral Ring Son, after gaining such an advantage and possessing such power, his caution would surely lessen significantly. He would even likely choose to remain here, waiting for the trial to end."

"But this Xu Qing… despite having such an advantage, suppressing all the stars, and even with Xie Lingzi and I successively presenting gifts and lowering our stances, he remains this cautious."

"This doesn't seem intentional; it's more like… his instinct!"

Zhou Zhengli sighed softly. "He's not someone to trifle with."

Then his body flickered, and he vanished again.

Time flowed on; only seven days remained until the end of the Immortal Capital Trial.

During this period, with the changes in the star map rankings and the various sect lists, the storm stirred by Xu Qing’s name within the Fifth Astral Ring had become earth-shattering.

Chen Batian vanished, and Xu Qing became number one!

Consequently, rumors about Xu Qing multiplied during this time.

His ascension to first place also significantly impacted those cultivators who had interacted with him.

In the Western Star Region, Li Mengshi was still striving.

Although he was currently ranked fifth, his entry into the Immortal Capital was already assured.

Yet, perceiving his ranking, after a period of silence, he still chose to continue collecting Provisional Immortal Capital Tokens.

"While it's impossible to surpass him, I mustn't fall too far behind." Similar sentiments were heard in the Southern Star Region.

From the Yuanshan family. From Grand Immortal Mountain.

Yuanshan Su was in seclusion, aiming to break through her cultivation and ascend to the Quasi-Immortal realm before the trial ended. This was her only method to enter the Immortal Capital now.

"I will definitely succeed!"

As for Jiang Fan, he had chosen the same path as Yuanshan Su and was also giving his all.

Meanwhile, the Thousand Army Barrier Breakers in the Northern Star Region had a much easier time than Jiang Fan and Yuanshan Su, thanks to their master.

They had obtained new tokens and started anew.

Relying on their cultivation and combat prowess, this process wasn't difficult, but it required repeated battles, and time was short. Thus, the two brothers were exceptionally busy during this period.

Every time their ranking rose, they would curse Xu Qing, using it to fuel their motivation.

The Eastern Star Region, however, was different from other areas.

Xie Lingzi's and Zhou Zhengli’s rankings were stable, second and third respectively. Both had already given up on further advancement and only needed to wait for the Immortal Capital Trial to conclude.

However, from their respective locations, the direction they gazed at most often was… the Astral Ring Tower!

If there was any final variable in this Immortal Capital Trial, they believed it would definitely be found within the Astral Ring Tower!

At this moment, within the boundless heights of the Astral Ring Tower, in its central region, the tallest spire was drawing in an endless stream of starlight.

Inside this tower, starlight poured down, merging into an incredibly complex formation on the ground.

A young man sat cross-legged within the formation.

As the starlight descended, after being channeled by the formation, it surged into the young man's body, causing luminous meridians of starlight to appear all over him.

His body and this star tower seemed to merge together during this process.

A rich aura of immortal energy also emanated from him. Upon closer inspection, this aura originated from the immortal embryo within the young man!

It was an immortal embryo that had fully matured after experiencing both illusory reality and imperishability, a hallmark of a Quasi-Immortal.

This was using starlight as veins, the star tower as bones, and the immortal embryo as flesh and blood!

It was the reconstructed… Astral Ring Son!

"Without reversal within the tribulation, how can prosperity emerge from adversity?" A hoarse voice echoed within the Astral Ring Tower.

"Disciple, you have faced the tribulation and fallen within it; this is your fate."

"Thus, by reconstructing your body, I can ensure that your destiny will manifest, and your path to immortality will be smooth!"

As the voice resonated, the Astral Ring Son, sitting cross-legged in the formation, abruptly opened his eyes. Endless starlight emanated from them, illuminating the star tower with dazzling brilliance.

"He is outside, waiting for you," the hoarse voice came again. The Astral Ring Son remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"I'm not going.""Why not?"

"I still can't defeat him now. And after our previous battle, having already lost the title of Star, there's no need to force it. My struggle with him… will be in the Immortal Capital!"

"Good!"

Outside the Astral Ring Tower, there was a mountain named Nine Heavens.

At the summit of Mount Nine Heavens, Xu Qing sat cross-legged. Before him lay the endless, towering Astral Ring structures.

Beneath the reddish aurora, the starlight drawn in by these tall towers was exceptionally clear, and the points where the starlight converged were where Xu Qing gazed.

He was waiting for the Astral Ring Son.

The moment he arrived in the Eastern Star Region, he quietly sensed the other's aura. He already knew that the Astral Ring Son had… returned.

So he came outside the Astral Ring Tower, sat here, and waited for the other to come for a battle.

But unfortunately, even now, the Astral Ring Son had not appeared. Xu Qing's expression remained as usual.

Since he wasn't coming, there was no need to insist. So he closed his eyes.

He allowed time to pass day by day.

Until the last day of the Immortal Capital Trial countdown, the last hour, the last quarter of an hour…

had elapsed!

Thunder rumbled across the sky of the Fifth Astral Ring.

The thunder initially wasn't loud, but it quickly spread across the eastern region, then everywhere, encompassing the entire Fifth Astral Ring.

The thunder shook the world. Billions of cultivators, whatever they were doing at that moment, all ceased their activities, instinctively fell silent, and looked up.

A majestic voice echoed through the thunder.

"The Immortal Capital Trial has concluded! The top hundred shall enter the Immortal Capital!"

As the voice resounded, amidst the excitement and anticipation of countless cultivators in the Fifth Astral Ring, and under innumerable envious gazes, multicolored rainbows descended from the celestial aurora.

There were ninety-nine in total, landing in different locations, dispersed across the four star regions, corresponding to those who had qualified for the Immortal Capital.

They landed before them! These were the Guiding Rainbows!

This was the path to the Immortal Capital, dreamt of by all cultivators in the Fifth Astral Ring throughout their lives!

At this moment, before those rainbows, the cultivators who had endured slaughter and catastrophe during the trial, successfully advancing through blood and battle, felt their hearts ripple with emotion, and their breathing quickened to varying degrees.

This was the moment they had strived for.

So, one by one, they raised their feet and stepped onto the rainbows before them.

Just as they were about to ascend, thunder erupted again in the sky, and the entire Fifth Astral Ring rumbled.

In the eyes of countless individuals, they saw a colossal, earth-shattering long rainbow, surpassing all others, like a mighty river.

Compared to it, the other rainbows were mere trickles.

This long river, with its vast momentum and awe-inspiring power, radiated dazzling light as it descended from the sky.

It landed in the eastern region, on Mount Nine Heavens. All beings were awestruck.

Xu Qing quietly opened his eyes, gazing at the brilliantly lit path before him. He stood up and took a step forward.

He stepped onto the long rainbow and began walking towards the firmament.

Like the other qualifiers in different locations, he ascended together with them, soaring towards the supreme Immortal Capital beyond the firmament.