Chapter 1210: Tiger's Mouth Snatching Food

The amount of this primordial essence was staggering. After all, this was a True God!

True Gods, in any upper stellar ring, were the darlings of that ring, the convergence of all favored rules and laws of the higher realms. Therefore, True Gods possessed the unique talent of imperishability, a trait distinctly different from lower immortals. As long as their true name persisted, as long as they were still remembered, a True God… would not truly die.

This was the essence of the upper stellar rings, unshakable. Even Immortal Venerables could not alter it. Even if they could suppress countless True Gods with a mere lift of their hand, they still couldn't prevent their return. This, after all, was the higher path of deities! Inherently, Immortals… were inferior to Gods. And there was only one Immortal Venerable. Moreover, beyond the God Venerables existed legendary deities, yet in the Immortal system… Immortal Venerable was already the pinnacle. Above an Immortal Venerable, there was no path. Or rather, it might exist, but it had not yet been found.

Therefore, to truly destroy a True God at their core, it was necessary for an Immortal Venerable in the Immortal system to find a path, successfully step onto it, and advance further, reaching that legendary Immortal realm equivalent to the Deity realm. Only then could it be accomplished!

It was precisely due to this talent, intrinsically linked to the essence of the upper realms, that the method of suppressing and imprisoning True Gods came into being. This placed True Gods between life and death, depriving them of freedom without causing true demise, and thus, preventing any revival. Only in this manner could the number of True Gods appearing in the world be reduced, to some extent.

And so, at this very moment, three low-level beings, whom He could have crushed with a mere lift of His hand in His prime, were frantically absorbing His primordial essence like lice!

The Mud Fox gasped. He found all of this incredibly thrilling! He had never truly faced a True God before this moment! Within His divine soul, in the inherited memories of deities, was imprinted a reverence and longing for True Gods, which instinctively made Him bow His head. He wouldn't even consider plundering them.

Just like when Xu Qing and Second Ox plundered the remnant face's flesh and blood, the Sun, Moon, and Star Gods were appalled but dared not snatch it, fearing the karma it would generate. Currently, it was the same. The difference was that this True God was imprisoned; even if karma was generated, it wouldn't be a major issue. Another difference was that the Mud Fox was no longer the flawless divine flame he once was; he had already stepped onto the Divine Platform. He only needed to advance one more major realm, and his Star Flame could one day become a True God! And then there was… Xu Qing, who was absorbing!

With someone demonstrating before him, the Mud Fox, after a gasp, gritted his teeth fiercely and chose to disregard the reverence for True Gods ingrained in his divine soul's inheritance. His eyes also grew wild. He abruptly began to devour. In an instant, dense primordial essence surged directly into the Mud Fox's body, replenishing his divine physique, nourishing his divine soul, perfecting his divine authority, continuously elevating his status, and advancing his divine authority… towards true divinity!

That sensation of comfort, of growing power, and of life progressing by leaps, made the Mud Fox let out a few groans. It was profoundly satisfying. Unfortunately, neither Xu Qing nor Seaweed reacted to this in the slightest.

Seaweed was excited. Its life was quite special; though an alien species, it was the sole member of its kind in the entire Fifth Stellar Ring. In other words, it was a race unto itself. Furthermore, for it, no cultivation was needed; from the moment of its birth, it instinctively grew by absorbing the free primordial essence in the starry sky. To what extent it could grow, it didn't know. It only knew that the primordial essence it required was immense, and for years, even when it secretly absorbed what it guarded, it had never truly reached maturity. And maturity, in its understanding, was comparable to a Lower Immortal or a True God. Thus, it had always strived, and until this moment, it saw hope, and was immersed in it. Therefore, it devoured with unreserved effort.

Compared to them, Xu Qing at this moment was giving his absolute all. He was very clear that time was short! Even with the combined strength of all three, they couldn't endure for long in this place. Therefore, how much they could absorb in this brief window depended on each individual's capability.

The next instant, outside Xu Qing's body, his Spacetime Constitution fully activated. Within the overlapping universes, all versions of him from various timelines manifested, joining the Xu Qing of this particular timeline… to absorb! Using this timeline as a node, he connected with other timelines, drawing upon all versions of himself from across spacetime. In this way… Xu Qing's absorption speed instantly reached an astonishing level. In just an instant, seventy percent of the primordial essence gushing from the sun's wound, pierced by the great sword, whizzed towards Xu Qing. He swallowed it. Although he couldn't instantly digest such a vast amount, Xu Qing was prepared. The excess that couldn't be immediately absorbed was sent to his other selves across various timelines. Cooperating with each other, they continuously devoured.

Such dense primordial essence brought unprecedented nourishment to Xu Qing's immortal embryo. His mind instantly roared; his soul ascended, his physical body ascended, and his immortal embryo surged dramatically! His immortal embryo, already at the imperishable stage, visibly solidified under this extreme surge. It filled with dense primordial essence, shining with brilliant light. As this light flowed, the imperishable aura on the immortal embryo grew even stronger. It directly reached Great Perfection in imperishability!

Xu Qing's body trembled, and his eyes glinted with excitement. He knew very well that the next step for the immortal embryo's imperishable realm was the true fusion of illusory reality and imperishability after both reached perfection. This fusion required a massive replenishment of primordial essence. And once the fusion successfully unified, it would allow the immortal embryo to be truly formed. That meant… Xu Qing's true cultivation would break through the Master realm and step into the Quasi-Immortal realm! This opportunity, this fortune, drove Xu Qing to an even greater frenzy.

Furthermore, the immortal embryo's Great Perfection in the imperishable realm made Xu Qing's Spacetime Constitution even more complete, allowing him to control more of the parallel timelines that were formed. In an instant, it reached one hundred realms! One hundred realms, one hundred versions of himself. This made the power of the devouring even greater. Everything became a positive feedback loop.

The Mud Fox and Seaweed also grew more frantic at this moment, putting in their all to plunder even more.

Just like this, under the individual efforts of the three parties, the first wave of gushing primordial essence gradually thinned. Seeing this, a glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes, and he pushed the collecting wooden slip in his right hand deeper downwards. He drew out more primordial essence, causing it to be pulled forth once more, on the verge of gushing. The Mud Fox and Seaweed, excited like ravenous infants, prepared to devour once more.

But just as this second wave of primordial essence was drawn out and surged upwards… suddenly, a silver light flashed intensely from the wound pierced by the great sword. The light was instantly dazzling, surging forth to form a circular halo centered around the great sword. Like a seal, it abruptly covered the wound below. With this cover, the primordial essence gushing from within was immediately blocked. Rumbling sounds reverberated; the primordial essence… could not burst out!

At the same time, a low voice, filled with anger, erupted like a tidal wave from within the silver light. “Who dares to be so audacious as to covet my immortal divine nourishment?!”

As soon as this voice emerged, a murderous intent abruptly surged, forming a devastating force that swept explosively in all directions. This scene made Xu Qing's eyes narrow. He recognized that the silver light had formed a seal, and after sensing it, he realized that this seal and the great sword were not of the same origin, but rather seemed to have been added later.

But this was not the time to ponder. The instant the murderous intent erupted, he immediately retreated. His Spacetime Constitution was in front, providing protection with parallel selves. The mark transformed by the Fox Beauty exerted its full power, blessing Xu Qing and increasing his speed so that he almost grazed the edge of the murderous intent as he rolled back and away. Although he only grazed the edge, the terror of this murderous intent still instantly destroyed several of Xu Qing's spacetime bodies. He himself coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood.

Not wasting the blood he coughed up, Xu Qing activated his Blood Escape method with each mouthful, continuously shifting. Amidst a series of roars, he finally retreated to a relatively safe distance. There, Xu Qing, breathing heavily, continued his escape. Until he flashed out through the entrance he had used to enter.

The moment he stood in the starry sky, Xu Qing's mind finally eased. He first checked himself, then examined the primordial essence stored in his parallel timelines. “If I digest all of this, it should barely allow me to reach Great Perfection of the Immortal Embryo and step into the Quasi-Immortal realm!” he muttered. “But it would only be barely enough. If I could get more, it would ensure no issues…” “Once I enter the Quasi-Immortal realm, my combat power will also make a leap!”

Xu Qing licked his lips, looking at the sun with a deep gaze. The murderous intent just now was definitely not something a Quasi-Immortal could possess. “That was a Lower Immortal…” he thought. “A Lower Immortal once established this place as his own source of primordial essence, like a self-imposed territory… My arrival was like picking a fruit, which triggered the seal's power.”

Thoughts spun in Xu Qing's mind. He then turned his head, his gaze shifting from the sun to the giant Seaweed. After the recent absorption, the Seaweed now had one more leaf. Although it was just a newborn leaf, its aura was distinctly denser than before.

“You knew this all along, didn't you?” Xu Qing suddenly spoke.

Seaweed remained silent, then after a long moment, its divine sense echoed. “He was the last warden of this cosmic prison in the Aurora Heaven Beyond Heavens. Back then, he was a Quasi-Immortal who then advanced to a Lower Immortal and changed his allegiance. However, when he ascended to Immortal, some issues arose, preventing him from leaving his secluded cultivation site.”

Seaweed answered truthfully. Having tasted the primordial essence, it also wanted to continue, so it no longer concealed anything.

Xu Qing pondered. The fall of the Aurora Immortal Lord, though it dimmed the Aurora Immortal Palace and caused all high-ranking figures of the Aurora Heaven Beyond Heavens to face calamity, was limited to Immortals. Many who were not qualified to attend the wedding or witness the rotational duties still survived.

“So, without resolving this seal, it'll be difficult to continue absorbing. To give up now would be regrettable.” A cold glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. Though the opponent was an Immortal, this Fifth Stellar Ring was not without order. “Gather everyone, and with the identity of a procurement envoy… even an Immortal couldn't act unrestrainedly within this orderly Fifth Stellar Ring!” he mused. “And with more people, the seal's power could be dispersed. Also, Yuan Shansu and Star Ring Son are needed; their cultivation would be a great help.”

With this thought, Xu Qing had made up his mind and was about to gather them. Suddenly, Seaweed rippled, and a message came from the jade slip on Xu Qing's person. The sender was Star Ring Son!

“Within the Hun Heavenly Royal Clan, there's a secret, and I sensed something I urgently need inside. However, this clan also possesses an exemption token granted by the Spirit Light Heaven Beyond Heavens. This token exempts their clan from procurement, and furthermore, there are powerful cultivators within their clan! Now, they use this token to obstruct externally, and internally, they deter with powerful cultivators. Xu Qing, I’ll give you half of what I obtain. Do you dare to join me?”

This message was clearly a plea for help. Such a blunt plea for help actually suited Star Ring Son's proud nature.

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow. He mused that since Star Ring Son had chosen to ask for help, it meant there was indeed something he urgently needed. On the other hand, it also indicated that the powerful cultivators he mentioned must be truly formidable! So, after a moment of thought, Xu Qing sent a message. “I also have something here that requires your joint effort later.”

“Deal!” Star Ring Son replied decisively, without asking for details.

“Deal!” Xu Qing put away his jade slip and was about to depart. But after a moment's thought, he turned back to look at Seaweed, a strange glint in his eyes, and suddenly spoke. “Can you leave this place?”