Chapter 1197: Original Upper Star Nails

Chapter 1202: The Prime Celestial Nail

The Black Earth resembled a black hole.

Yet, there were differences.

It contained no vortices and exerted no suction force. It was merely a hole in the starry sky, perfectly circular. Few knew where it led or how deep it truly was. Only its external boundaries were discernible within Xu Qing's divine sense. It was comparable in size to a starfield. Compared to the Moyang Universe, this area was not truly vast, yet standing at its edge, the sense of immensity remained profound. Especially the wisps of source essence emanating from it, like mist or fluff, which further enhanced the mysterious aura of this Black Earth void.

At this moment, within the mysterious Black Earth, Xu Qing's figure moved with difficulty, like a fish swimming through a black hole. The Mud Fox, following behind him, also radiated divine power, aiding Xu Qing while they mutually supported each other. Every ten *zhang*, they would alternate; Xu Qing would rush forward, then the Mud Fox would take the lead. The reason for the ten-zhang intervals was that within the Black Earth void, not only was there no suction, but a strong repulsive force also existed, intensifying with depth.

If Xu Qing were alone, he had attempted it before, and ten *zhang* was his limit. Now, relying on mutual cooperation with the Mud Fox, they had surpassed that limit. However, after only a few alternating movements, as the repulsive force grew denser, Xu Qing's progress became increasingly difficult, and the Mud Fox faced the same struggle. Ultimately, upon reaching a depth of two hundred *zhang*, they could go no further. It seemed this was the limit for a quasi-immortal.

Simultaneously, a peculiar scent faintly drifted up from the depths. It seemed like the smell of rust, mixed with something metallic or bloody, making it difficult to pinpoint precisely.

"Something is wrong here... This smell... I feel like I have some ancient memories of it..." the Mud Fox spoke quickly, its expression shifting at the edge of the Black Earth's two-hundred-*zhang* depth, sensing its surroundings and gazing into the endless abyss below.

Beside it, Xu Qing's entire body emitted creaking sounds—the noise of his flesh being compressed. Although his Constitution was formidable, his physical body had only reached the Illusory Reality stage. Therefore, he found the repulsive force within the black hole somewhat unbearable, able only to mitigate it by enveloping himself with his Constitution.

These two hundred *zhang* were merely a fraction of the Black Earth void's overall depth. However, the amount of source essence was slightly greater than above.

"Although we can't explore further, fishing here will be more effective. And at this depth, even if Kunwu is also a quasi-immortal, his Constitution should not be able to sustain him to this position." Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. After pondering, he gestured for the Mud Fox to guard him. As he floated cross-legged, he raised his hand, took out a fishing rod, and with a flick, the line dropped, descending into the deeper reaches.

"Kunwu's fishing rod is indeed extraordinary..." With these thoughts, Xu Qing settled his mind and calmly waited.

Meanwhile, the Mud Fox, while guarding Xu Qing, furrowed its delicate brows, constantly recalling memories. It was certain it had never been here before and that it had no memories of this place from its time as a human. Its sense of familiarity seemed to stem from the knowledge and vast amount of information about deities it had instinctively absorbed upon becoming a god.

Thus, time passed slowly. Half a month went by. As the Mud Fox's thoughts became clearer, Xu Qing's fishing, both inside and outside the Black Earth, finally yielded its first harvest due to their chosen location.

The fishing line was moving. Xu Qing's eyes snapped open. He saw a kaleidoscopic ball of light! This light orb appeared beneath the black hole; though only head-sized, its radiant glow illuminated the surroundings, making it particularly conspicuous in the darkness. It appeared to be light, but was actually a liquid clinging to the fishhook. As the line vibrated and Xu Qing flicked the rod, the luminous liquid was abruptly pulled up from below, drawing closer to him.

The moment it approached, a dense aura of source essence diffused outwards. Xu Qing merely sensed it, and the immortal embryo forming within his body stirred in response. His eyes brightened. The Mud Fox beside him also felt an instinctive craving arise within it.

Source essence is the fundamental power of the Thirty-Six Celestial Rings, the origin of deities, and the very substance of the star rings. Whether it's a deity's divine authority or a cultivator's dominion, fundamentally, both derive from it. Even divine cores and constitutional laws are similar. This is an indispensable force for forming the Celestial Rings. It is also the finest tonic for cultivators to shape their immortal embryo, and even to fully mature it into an immortal! But the Mud Fox understood that this item was incredibly precious to Xu Qing, so it chose to restrain itself.

The next instant, Xu Qing raised his hand and seized the iridescent liquid orb. He paused for a few breaths, then squeezed it tightly. Instantly, the orb changed shape in his hand, flowing down his arm and spreading throughout his entire body. Xu Qing's Illusory Reality body, formed by the outward projection of his divine soul, absorbed it like a sponge. It rapidly absorbed the substance.

As the liquid orb diminished and its glow faded, the moment it vanished completely, Xu Qing's aura surged dramatically. His Illusory Reality body, formed by his projected divine soul, continued to ripple, now just a hair's breadth away from reaching the Undying Realm.

Xu Qing opened his eyes. After sensing his own condition, he reached out, and the small white bottle that Xie Lingzi had given him appeared. With a flick, the bottle disintegrated into ash, as if broken down and dissipated. As the small bottle vanished, the liquid it contained was revealed before Xu Qing. It was also head-sized and iridescent. It was also source essence!

"Exactly the same..." Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, no longer hesitating, and seized it. The previous scene replayed. As his Illusory Reality body absorbed it, his aura grew stronger, and his physical strength steadily climbed, until finally... Xu Qing's entire body glowed with immense light. A rumbling sound, like heavenly thunder, emanated from him.

His true physical body, concealed within his Illusory Reality form, now became ethereal and transparent, as if melting or undergoing a profound qualitative change!

The process of Illusory Reality and Undying involves the soul first projecting outwards, forming an illusory reality externally, creating an illusory body that conceals the true body, and then gradually replacing the true body! When this realm is perfected, the practitioner melts their original true body, which was concealed by illusion, transforming it from solid to ethereal, becoming soul itself! This realm is called Undying. But it is clearly not true undying. Because at this level, both the physical body and the soul have been reshaped and are intertwined, as if the soul contains the body and the body contains the soul, possessing the preconditions for complete fusion. Therefore, in battles within the same realm, it is extremely difficult for opponents to completely destroy each other; only with higher-level power can one truly kill.

At this moment, Xu Qing's cultivation was on the verge of reaching this level. His true body, hidden by illusion, became increasingly transparent, until finally... it completely reversed, transforming from solid to ethereal, his true body becoming soul, and his illusory reality becoming true! Inner became true, outer also true!

The next instant, Xu Qing's aura soared. His Constitution shimmered, flowing throughout his entire being. His eyes snapped open. Within his calm gaze, a natural sharpness permeated, embodying an imposing presence without overt anger, often determined by the eyes. The Mud Fox beside him felt a tremor in its heart. At this moment, Xu Qing felt significantly more formidable to it than before.

"The next step is the ultimate fusion of Illusory Reality and Undying, the complete integration of inner true and outer true, transforming the body into... an immortal embryo!"

"The required source essence... will be much more." Xu Qing sensed his own condition. A rough estimation suggested that to reach that stage, he would need about one hundred more orbs of source essence, similar in size to the previous ones.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing looked down, preparing to use his strengthened physical body to attempt further descent. However, the Mud Fox beside him raised a hand and stopped him. Xu Qing turned and looked at the Mud Fox. The Mud Fox's expression was solemn, a rare sight on its face. Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

"During your cultivation, I continuously recalled the knowledge and divine information I gained the moment I became a god... Finally, within that vast legacy, I found the answer to why this place feels familiar."

"To be precise, what I recognize is the scent of this place," the Mud Fox's voice was low. "This is the smell of rust from Prime Celestial Iron."

"In the information I acquired, the Thirty-Six Celestial Rings are not fixed in size; they expand, increasing their scope, once every long epoch. This is an instinct of the Thirty-Six Celestial Rings. During these numerous expansions, cracks occasionally appear in certain locations while they are expanding. Each time a crack appears, the supreme deity of that star ring will spare no effort to forge a nail from an exceptionally unique material and drive it into the fractured area, thereby preventing the crack from spreading and allowing it to slowly heal. That special material is called Prime Celestial Iron!" The Mud Fox, having said this, looked around. "And the scent present here must be the aura of Prime Celestial Iron."

"So..." Xu Qing began slowly.

"Therefore, if my guess is correct, this black-hole-like Black Earth must be the location where a crack appeared in ancient times, and where the deity of the Fifth Celestial Ring drove a nail to prevent it from spreading! And now, that terrifying nail, capable of withstanding the power of a shattered star ring and preventing cracks from spreading, has been removed! But for such a substance to be nourished and endure, it needs to periodically return to this place. Therefore, the Moyang Universe's so-called strategic resource and its special nature... are most likely due to its function of nourishing that Prime Celestial Nail! As for what lies below..." The Mud Fox lowered its head, gazing into the dark abyss. "Perhaps only a Divine Venerable knows what truly lies behind the Celestial Rings, pierced by that nail... We are neither qualified nor capable of knowing."

"So I'm very curious, why would a universe that nourishes a Prime Celestial Nail—a place of extreme importance in any star ring—be given to us?"

"Therefore... I do not recommend continuing to explore further." The Mud Fox's expression became even more solemn. Though it didn't explicitly state it, its words conveyed its suspicions. It instinctively felt that there was some unknown force driving this matter.

"Additionally, when the Prime Celestial Nail is removed, no sacrifice is needed, but... the moment it returns, all living beings within this universe will become... offerings," the Mud Fox whispered.