Chapter 1206: Aurora Beyond the Sky

This is a poisonous immortal fruit!

Xu Qing looked up at the Poison Sovereign, then bowed deeply after a moment. “Your subordinate obeys!” He wanted this poisonous fruit!

The Poison Sovereign showed no surprise at his words. In his judgment, Xu Qing was a man just like himself. To become stronger, to break through, to ascend higher, one could even scheme with a tiger! To Xu Qing, he was the tiger. And to himself, Xu Qing also possessed a tiger's hide, for he was the person the Immortal Venerable had warned not to become entangled with. “But this way, it’s more interesting.”

The Poison Sovereign smiled, waved his large sleeve, and walked forward. His figure gradually blurred, seemingly merging with the heavens and earth, until it finally vanished. Only his voice echoed in the world. “Xu Qing, take care of yourself.”

As he departed, the heavens and earth returned to normal. A wisp of golden starlight drifted down from the sky, landing on Xu Qing and forming a pull that lifted his body into the air. He ascended towards the firmament, about to be sent out of the star where the Procurement Department was located.

Xu Qing did not resist, allowing the starlight to guide him. As he ascended, the star grew smaller and smaller in his sight, while his thoughts expanded.

Although the immortal fruit was poisonous, its flesh was exceedingly delicious. The pros and cons were crystal clear. Moreover, Xu Qing didn't believe that if he didn't eat the immortal fruit, the other party would truly abandon all their malicious intentions. These malicious intentions concerned the Poison Sovereign's advancement, so future confrontations would inevitably occur. Therefore, instead of placing hope on the slim possibility that the other party would give up, Xu Qing preferred to take the initiative.

Especially since he clearly knew that what he currently lacked was time and the resources needed for cultivation. He desperately needed this pretext to bolster his cultivation. Given this, rather than pondering future poisoning, it was better to eat it first and accelerate his growth. It was just like when he hadn't yet started cultivating in the city where the scarred face opened its eyes; even knowing that cultivation would accelerate the increase of foreign matter, he still chose to cultivate. His mindset was exactly the same. So, to some extent, the Poison Sovereign's judgment was indeed correct. Xu Qing and he were, in this regard, truly the same kind of person.

“As for the matter of the poison acting up, it’s not without a solution…” Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. The star in his view grew smaller and smaller, and the entire Guiding Cosmos gradually reappeared in his sight. Finally, as the full panorama of the Guiding Cosmos emerged before him, he had, under the starlight's guidance, already left it. When he reappeared, he was in the starry sky, outside the Guiding Cosmos, seeing Xing Huanzi and the other cultivators.

They were waiting. The moment they caught sight of Xu Qing, their gazes converged, and Xu Qing's body paused in the starry sky. Then, he raised his hand and waved. Instantly, the ring given to him by the Poison Sovereign opened before him, and the items signifying his qualification as a Procurement Envoy flew out. They were gray jade slips.

Everyone took one, infused it with their divine sense, and their bodies shone with light, transforming into gray Hundred-Pouch Robes. Xu Qing's body also blurred before his own Hundred-Pouch Robe materialized around him. Thus, from a distance, the eighty-nine cultivators, uniformly dressed and perfectly aligned, inexplicably exuded a certain external pressure. Zhou Zhengli, with a solemn expression, stepped forward, bowed to Xu Qing, and transmitted a divine thought. “Greetings, Captain!” Regardless of their inner thoughts, the other Ascenders also bowed in unison at that moment. Yuan Shansu did the same, and Qianjun Biyi hesitated, about to bow, but seeing that Xing Huanzi next to him remained still, the two brothers became arrogant.

Xu Qing's gaze swept over them, unconcerned. Instead, he took out a mission jade slip, displayed it, and let it enter everyone's perception. As their first assignment as Procurement Envoys, they were dispatched to a place called the Primordial Universe. They were to go there to collect resources! However, this Primordial Universe had some peculiarities. It was not in the Nine Shores Heaven! Its location was in what was once another Outer Heaven. And it was not among the Eleven Immortal Lords! To be precise, that Outer Heaven had become ownerless due to the demise of its Immortal Lord, and its name had also been erased.

Upon seeing this information within the mission jade slip, Xu Qing's mind was stirred. It wasn't just him; among the Ascenders present, those who were once stars, like Xing Huanzi, also had strange expressions. Because, within the entire Fifth Star Ring, there was only one place that met these conditions: the former Aurora Outer Heaven! Instinctively, Li Mengtu and Zhou Zhengli looked at Xu Qing. Even Qianjun Biyi, even Yuan Shansu, even Xing Huanzi—all involuntarily looked towards Xu Qing. This was because everything they had experienced within the historical Aurora Immortal Palace, and Xu Qing's identity as the Young Lord of Aurora, had left an extremely profound impression on them.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and continued to examine the mission jade slip. The jade slip also stated that to travel to the Primordial Universe, one must hold the mission jade slip and proceed to a designated teleportation location for the specified transfer. Furthermore, because that Outer Heaven was ownerless, it had, on one hand, become a public domain, and on the other hand, its foreign races, due to these historical legacies, had developed a rebellious spirit in their attitudes and behaviors. After all, there was no longer a direct Heaven above them. And with the intrusion of other Outer Heavens, they had naturally become divided, with various factions behind them. Overall, compared to other Outer Heavens, it was more like a lawless, chaotic land, and very complex. Within its myriad universes, there were numerous foreign races and complex forces. At the same time, the number of Divine Spirit Prisons there was among the highest in all Outer Heavens. After all, the Aurora Immortal Lord of yesteryear was arguably the pinnacle of combat power among all Immortal Lords.

As for this journey to the Primordial Universe, the jade slip also introduced that this universe was located at the edge of this Outer Heaven, administered by the Primordial Imperial Clan, and contained thirty-one Divine Spirit Prisons. Among these thirty-one, the largest was Prison Alpha-29, which primarily held cultivators at the Divine Platform Realm.

After everyone had fully perceived the information on the jade slip, Xu Qing put it away. He swept his gaze over the crowd before him, said nothing, and with a flicker of his body, moved towards the nearest teleportation point as indicated by the jade slip. Zhou Zhengli and Li Mengtu exchanged glances and immediately followed behind. The others also showed strange gleams in their eyes and advanced together.

Just like that, this group of people, in a grand procession, transformed into eighty-nine streaks of light, streaking through the starry sky. Their speed was extremely fast, causing most passing cultivators, upon noticing them, to frown, give way, and detour around them. Evidently, the Procurement Envoys were infamous, like ferocious wolves or scavenging dogs; most cultivators preferred not to interact with them if possible. Half a month passed like this.

Within the Nine Shores Heaven, on a teleportation platform constructed from an ancient star, Xu Qing and the others successively landed. As Xu Qing produced the mission jade slip, the teleportation platform began to hum and roar. In the next instant, the power of teleportation erupted, its vast might forming concentric circular ripples that spread in all directions. The figures of everyone, including Xu Qing, abruptly vanished from the teleportation platform.

This teleportation lasted for a full five days before it concluded. When they reappeared, they were in an unfamiliar starry sky, on a reddish-brown stone platform riddled with cracks and imbued with an ancient, weathered aura. The platform radiated high temperatures, which were rapidly cooling. Clearly, inter-Outer Heaven teleportation was extremely draining for the teleportation array. Moreover, this unprecedented form of teleportation also placed extremely high demands on the cultivators themselves. If one's cultivation was insufficient, they might even disintegrate during the transfer. Furthermore, their minds could not have any flaws, or they would become lost in the unique state of teleportation and be utterly annihilated.

Thus, the moment they materialized, dozens of people immediately spat out fresh blood and quickly sat cross-legged to recuperate. Others appeared dazed, their souls seemingly in turmoil. Even Xu Qing and Xing Huanzi felt uncomfortable. Fortunately, those who could become Ascenders had all undergone trials along the way; their cultivation and mental fortitude, when compared to their peers outside, were those of true prodigies. Therefore, even though inter-Outer Heaven teleportation affected them, they gradually recovered and successively spread out their divine senses to observe their surroundings.

The starry sky here had little light. The starlight was noticeably dim here. And the spiritual energy was much thinner. This was a desolate place.

“This place is the Primordial Universe.” Xu Qing stood on the stone platform, gazed into the distance, then glanced at Zhou Zhengli. Zhou Zhengli immediately understood, stepped forward, bowed to Xu Qing, and then spoke. “Young Lord, everyone is now aware of this mission and the standard for origin matter. I suggest we go our separate ways. Regardless of the process, just bring back your share upon return. If you encounter obstacles during this time, seek help nearby at the cost of origin matter. Of course, if ultimately you cannot resolve it, the Young Lord will need to intervene. However, for the Young Lord to act, the origin matter must naturally be sufficient. Young Lord, what do you think?” Zhou Zhengli looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded. He was too lazy to coordinate arrangements and also understood that everyone needed origin matter, so selfish motives were inevitable. Given this, it was better to let everyone plunder for themselves. “I will be responsible for Prison Alpha-29. For other locations, you can negotiate amongst yourselves.” After Xu Qing finished speaking, his body flickered, and he instantly shot towards the distant starry sky. The Alpha-29 Prison he headed for was the largest Divine Spirit Prison in this Primordial Universe. After he left, the others exchanged glances and transmitted messages to each other. Some went alone, while others chose to form groups of three to five, quickly scattering like locusts and rushing into different areas.

Meanwhile, deep within the Primordial Universe, in a star system, floated an extremely luxurious and massive imperial palace. Inside the palace, songs and dances flourished in peace. A giant, entirely crimson and with two faces—one at the front and one at the back—sat on a throne, propping his head with one hand, engrossed in the scene.

Soon, a jade slip flew rapidly from outside the palace, landed before the giant, shattered with a 'bang,' and from within it materialized a figure who prostrated himself before the two-faced giant. “Your Majesty, a Procurement Team from the Nine Shores Outer Heaven has trespassed into our Primordial Universe!”

The two-faced giant's expression remained calm. He continued to watch the songs and dances below, then spoke faintly after a long moment. “The usual rules apply. Arrange for some origin matter for them to find. If these stray dogs are sensible, they’ll eat the bones and naturally leave. If they are not sensible, then we can let them know who truly rules the Primordial Universe.”