Chapter 1249: Fame in the Starry Universe

A crisp cracking sound rang out as he squeezed. Under the force of Xu Qing's grip, the Star-Eyed Goddess's delicate neck turned purplish-red, its bones instantly shattering. Divine blood also spilled from her mouth. The light in her eyes dimmed, and her aura seemed to flicker out before she finally lost consciousness.

Yet, as a goddess, Star-Eyed, with her bloodline and peak cultivation, would not perish so easily. For Xu Qing, a living goddess held the most value. So, as he crushed her neck, the sealing power that had permeated Star-Eyed's body simultaneously erupted, surging into the fractured neck and becoming part of her bones and flesh.

Furthermore, the surrounding Underworld God Realm and the terrifying Netherworld, now lacking a point of support for their manifestation, blurred and dissipated. As they dissipated, Xu Qing's immortal embryo was no longer isolated; it surged within him and joined the seal. This made the seal incredibly secure.

Only after completing all of this did Xu Qing's mind finally ease.

At that moment, the Mud Fox's sweet voice echoed in Xu Qing's mind. "Oh my, this is a goddess! A goddess with a broken neck is truly a good goddess."

"Young Master, you've been ravaging and plucking me all this way without a single complaint. So, could you... give this goddess to me? Let me train her a bit."

The Mud Fox was visibly tempted, as disciplining a goddess clearly excited it intensely. Little Shadow, too, was stirred, eager to act. It wanted to eat...

Xu Qing ignored the two of them. After his gaze swept over the goddess in front of him, the hand clamped around her neck suddenly emitted a powerful suction. It was an active extraction of source essence!

Instantly, the unconscious goddess shuddered, her entire body trembling as waves of source essence were forcibly drawn from within her. It flowed into her neck, then up Xu Qing's arm, and into his own body. The purity of this source essence was unparalleled, especially since it contained a trace of God Emperor bloodline aura, making its concentration astonishing.

For Xu Qing, a goddess who was once a True God Realm entity was an incomparably precious source essence stone. He intended to absorb a good amount of it before handing her over. While absorbing, he flicked his sleeve, gathering up the unconscious Xing Huanzi. He also sent a portion of the absorbed source essence to Xing Huanzi. After Xing Huanzi's severe injuries stabilized, Xu Qing stepped forward, carrying Xing Huanzi as he departed. Their figures vanished in an instant.

Several days later, in the Left Wing War Zone of the Fifth Star Ring, several pieces of news, like a storm, swept through all legions, stirring the hearts of countless cultivators.

The Goddess had been captured! The captors were Xu Qing's squad from the Thought-Scale Army's Corpse Scavenging Team! This squad was currently being fully escorted by the Thought-Scale Army, transporting the goddess to the frontline commander's headquarters on Giant Red Star.

This news was utterly explosive. If the captor had been a Lesser Immortal or a legion commander, it might not have caused such a ripple among the cultivators of the Left Wing War Zone. But... it was actually the Corpse Scavenging Team that captured her! This caused an enormous stir. After all, the Corpse Scavenging Team had a poor reputation and a lower status than military cultivators on the front lines, yet they had now achieved such a significant feat.

Confusion and disbelief filled the minds of cultivators across the frontline legions, swiftly followed by intense inquiries into this particular Corpse Scavenging Team. The information subsequently gathered from the Thought-Scale Army caused another sensation.

"A squad composed of Ascenders?"

"The first—and only—group to transport source essence, traversing the central region of the Flesh-Grinding Mill to reach the front?"

"Along the way, they faced numerous life-or-death situations, dwindled from nearly a hundred members to just nineteen?"

"And they even captured a peak Divine Platform cultivator alive?"

"After arriving at the front, they became a Corpse Scavenging Team, yet they forcibly scavenged corpses right on the battlefield?"

"They participated in battles, proving even more adept at slaughter than our military cultivators?"

"They were even called the 'Funeral Team'?"

Each revelation made everyone who heard it grow solemn, recognizing the formidable and terrifying nature of this squad. Particularly after learning that almost the entire squad had been severely wounded and seven members had died in the pursuit of this mission, a profound sense of respect, tinged with shock and solemnity, arose among all the legions.

Amidst this surging respect, even more information was uncovered.

"According to Zhou Zhengli, a member of the squad, during the battle to capture the goddess, they endured a True God's self-detonation! Their captain, Xu Qing, witnessing his squad members severely wounded, was filled with overwhelming murderous intent. This was because every member of their squad shared a bond of comradeship, entrusting their lives to one another! Thus, Captain Xu Qing's eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was desolate. He declared that he would not seek the bounty, but rather vowed to avenge his teammates! This was a profound act of righteousness and responsibility! Therefore, despite being severely wounded, Xu Qing relentlessly pursued the goddess across countless stars, sparing no expense to capture her alive. He then shed tears, comforting the fallen and ensuring that his teammates' sacrifices held value and meaning!"

"Furthermore, it was this same Zhou Zhengli who revealed some astonishing details about his captain, Xu Qing, to the inquirers..."

"This Xu Qing possesses extraordinary talent and a transcendent demeanor. His heart is fully devoted to the immortal path, and he exhibits an awe-inspiring presence. He was the top Ascender from the previous Immortal Capital, and no one dares to challenge that claim!"

"He even gained the recognition of the Aurora Immortal Palace, which had been dormant for countless years!"

"Additionally, during a resource gathering mission, he, with his quasi-immortal cultivation, once quelled a rebellion in a divine prison and suppressed a reviving True God!"

"All his achievements are astounding: cold-blooded and ruthless towards enemies, yet gentle and kind towards his teammates!"

These subsequent revelations were even more sensational. They propelled an already momentous event to unprecedented heights. Consequently, during this time, everyone on the Left Wing War Zone front line knew about this squad, especially its captain, Xu Qing.

After verifying the authenticity of the information through their own means, almost all cultivators, regardless of their personal feelings, had to admit one thing: "This Xu Qing truly deserves the title of True Monarch!"

Thus, countless cultivators converged at a cosmic teleportation array, a mandatory transit point on the way to Giant Red Star. They wished to glimpse the goddess and, even more so, to witness the prowess of that remarkable squad. The teleportation array, surrounded and observed by cultivators from various legions, appeared from a distance like a magnificent immortal palace suspended amidst the stars, standing proudly in the boundless darkness, exuding an aura of awe. Pillars of crystal, shimmering with mysterious light like colossal pillars reaching the heavens, supported the very dome of the teleportation array.

At this moment, it was roaring. The eyes of the surrounding cultivators all gleamed with anticipation. They knew: the Thought-Scale Army was coming.

Soon, the roar intensified, and the space around the array rippled like a lake surface into which stones had been cast. Beams of light materialized from all corners of the starry sky, streaking like meteors with an aura that rent the darkness, aiming precisely for the teleportation array. Above the array, they intertwined and merged, instantly forming a colossal immortal spirit vortex! Inside the vortex, lightning flickered, and the deafening roar sounded like a stampede of ten thousand horses.

Then, in the next instant, as the sound reverberated throughout the universe and the light within the array reached its peak brilliance, figures distinctly emerged from its depths. Tens of thousands of them! All were from the Thought-Scale Army. Their expressions were solemn. The moment they appeared, they immediately flew out to guard all directions. Simultaneously, within the array, a group of cultivators dressed in corpse-scavenging robes, protected by layers of the Thought-Scale Army, finally came into view... to the eyes of the various onlookers gathered outside the array!

There were twelve of them in total! Although their faces were pale and they exuded weakness, each of them, in that moment, projected an aura of unwavering resolve. The bloodlust emanating from them seemed almost instinctive. They drew all eyes.

But the most captivating figure among them was their leader! It was a young man with a tall, upright posture and long, flowing hair. His appearance was exquisitely handsome, enough to overshadow most female cultivators. His demeanor was distinctly aloof, and his gaze held a terrifying intensity. In his hand, he was unmistakably carrying a dying deity.

By human aesthetic standards, this deity could be considered beautiful, and her eerie style was visually striking. However, her skin was somewhat withered, and her divine radiance was very dim. She looked as if she had been almost completely drained. It was the Star-Eyed Goddess! From her body, waves of source essence continuously emanated, steadily flowing out along the hand clamped around her neck. Throughout this process, even in her unconscious state, her body trembled, and her expression was twisted in agony.

This sight, witnessed by the gathered onlookers outside the teleportation array, caused an equally immense stir.

"Is that Xu Qing?"

"Is he... extracting source essence?"

"By the looks of it, he's been extracting it the whole way? How ruthless!"

"This... truly befits the Corpse Scavenging Team!"

Most of the onlookers wore peculiar expressions, yet they had to admit that Xu Qing's brutal silhouette—extracting essence as he advanced—was now deeply etched in their minds.

"This man is definitely not someone to provoke!"

"Their squad truly is extraordinary!"

At this moment, the thoughts and gazes of the crowd registered within the perception of Zhou Zhengli, who was following behind Xu Qing. Though he was blind, timely aid combined with the goddess's source essence allowed him to reassemble his own constitution. Moreover, he had benefited from the misfortune, as his constitution had advanced another level.

Sensing his surroundings, Zhou Zhengli smiled. "It seems the news I disseminated earlier had a very good effect. This way, no one will dare risk trying to steal the credit, and simultaneously, Young Master's prestige has surged! In that case, the rewards from above will definitely not be lacking, and might even be greater... After all, in war, all factions need to establish a prominent example. Young Master perfectly fits the bill!"

Zhou Zhengli felt satisfied as he watched Xu Qing ahead, particularly glancing at the goddess whose neck Xu Qing had continuously gripped throughout their journey. "I must say, Young Master's foresight is truly astounding... His public extraction of essence not only secured the source essence but also indirectly informed everyone that this was his captive! This way, my efforts to build his reputation perfectly complemented his actions. It's a shame, though. If I hadn't been concerned about exaggerating too much and causing a backlash, I would have even claimed that the Immortal Lord valued him and the Immortal Venerable held high expectations for him..."