Chapter 1252: Nightmare Comes Before the Storm

The Lizhu Divine Emperor and the Zhanlu Immortal Lord reached an agreement to exchange hostages. This was beyond Xu Qing's expectation, not to mention that the Immortal Lord had specifically assigned him to handle the escort. As the general's voice echoed, Xu Qing's eyes revealed a thoughtful expression.

According to his previous judgment, the Divine Maiden was important because she possessed royal blood and the divine power of her father, the Lizhu Divine Emperor. Capturing her was an opportunity for the Immortal Lord to deeply explore the Lizhu Divine Emperor's divinity, allowing him to gain greater understanding and thus an advantage in the war. But now, an exchange was happening! Xu Qing narrowed his eyes.

On the crimson giant star, a shimmering sea of light undulated, enveloping all directions and isolating the fire tower where Xu Qing stood into a separate space. Within this space, the fire tower was invisible, and the crimson sky converged upon the curved saber. Holding the saber and listening to the general, Xu Qing pondered for a moment before looking up and speaking in a low voice, "General, do you know why the Immortal Lord wishes to conduct this hostage exchange with the Divine Emperor?"

Hearing this, the general gazed at the starry sky. After a long moment, a weary voice emerged. "Because the Lizhu Divine Emperor offered several conditions, one of which was something cultivators of our Fifth Star Ring could not refuse!" Xu Qing focused, very curious about what kind of condition could be considered irresistible, making even the Immortal Lord agree to exchange the Divine Maiden. "First, the Lizhu Divine Emperor proposed five Lower Immortals who were captured by the Fourth Star Ring and had not yet been tortured to death, as the first exchange condition." "Among those five Lower Immortals, one is Zhanlu Immortal Lord's last disciple, who guarded the frontier with him for ten thousand years, achieved glorious military feats on the battlefield, and was primarily responsible for assassination missions. Years ago, the divine forces set a trap and captured him. Rescue attempts failed, and he has endured immense suffering over the years." "The other four, though not as prominent, also performed numerous meritorious services for the Fifth Star Ring. Each of them was originally destined to be tortured to death, but now, there is a possibility of their survival and return." "These were the first conditions proposed by the Lizhu Divine Emperor."

"As for the second condition," the general continued, "it's what I mentioned earlier—something the Fifth Star Ring cultivators cannot refuse, and even the Immortal Lord agrees to." His eyes gleamed as he looked at Xu Qing. "It's a Flying Universe! You ascended from the Immortal Capital, so while you know some history, I imagine it's not comprehensive. Many eons ago, the war between cultivators and the native deities in the Fifth Star Ring was extremely brutal. The mutual slaughter was cataclysmic, and ultimately, the battle between the Immortal Venerable and the Divine Venerable caused the Fifth Star Ring to collapse. Numerous parts of the starry sky were torn apart, forming several Flying Universes that separated from the Fifth Star Ring. For many years since, all Immortal Lords have shared a common mission: to find and reclaim all the Flying Universes to restore the Fifth Star Ring's territorial integrity. A complete Fifth Star Ring would mean its inherent rules, laws, and even its destiny would reach their peak. Over the years, most of these Flying Universes have been recovered. However, the largest one remains missing, preventing our Fifth Star Ring from ever being truly complete. And the second exchange condition offered by the Lizhu Divine Emperor is precisely that last missing Flying Universe of the Fifth Star Ring! Once we obtain it, the Fifth Star Ring's territory will be whole, its rules and laws in all aspects will be complete, its destiny will flourish, benefiting all living beings. Tell me, who could refuse such a condition?" The general looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing was also moved, and an incredible thought arose in his mind, which he voiced. "Could it be that the Immortal Lord already knew that Flying Universe was in the Lizhu Divine Emperor's hands, which is why he arranged to capture the Divine Maiden?" The general's gaze was profound. He did not answer Xu Qing's question but instead raised his hand and produced a silver jade stone. As soon as the jade stone appeared, thousands of auspicious rays and brilliant light shone forth, and an extremely rich immortal spiritual aura flowed within it. Faintly, a mysterious bubble seemed to exist within the jade stone. The moment Xu Qing saw this bubble, his mind trembled. His spiritual constitution vibrated intensely, as did his immortal embryo, as if the bubble contained the supreme will of the entire Fifth Star Ring. It resonated with the destiny he had acquired. "This is..." Xu Qing spoke softly.

"This is the Fifth Immortal Elixir!" the general stated. "Because it is connected to destiny, only those with the status of a True Monarch can use it. If an ordinary cultivator consumes it, it is a fatal poison." "Its purpose is to assist True Monarchs in breaking through to the Lower Immortal stage, increasing their chances of success!" "This elixir is given to you by the Immortal Lord as a reward for escorting the Divine Maiden for the exchange!"

Xu Qing gazed at the jade stone before him, his breathing slightly quickened. He could feel the resonance of destiny within his body and the trembling of his immortal embryo, even his spiritual constitution. All of this gave him a clear realization: this elixir would be of great use to him! The general's voice continued, this time laced with a hint of emotion. "Xu Qing, the Zhanlu Immortal Lord values you greatly." "Because a large army will be arrayed, and the Immortal Lord himself will be watching during the exchange, there isn't much danger. In fact, anyone could complete this hostage exchange. However, whoever completes this task will first gain the gratitude of the five Lower Immortals, owing a significant favor, and second, they will gain greater prestige, enough to be noticed by the entire army." "After this, your qualifications will be sufficient, and you should be able to command an army!" As he spoke, the general raised his hand, and the jade stone containing the mysterious bubble flew towards Xu Qing, finally floating motionless before him. Xu Qing remained silent, gazing at the object. After a long moment, he took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice, "I obey the Immortal Lord's decree!" The general nodded, said no more, turned, and stepped into the silver giant eye. With a flash of the giant eye's light, the surrounding sea of light instantly vanished, and everything returned to normal. It was still the fire tower, with Xu Qing inside, as if nothing had happened. The giant eye had disappeared. Only the reward items and the silver jade stone shimmered with light before Xu Qing, exuding source energy and a rich immortal spiritual aura.

Xu Qing remained silent for a long time, analyzing the pros and cons of the situation in his mind. "This matter... did not appear in the Pain God's illusory reality." He mused, "And this exchange, while seemingly reasonable, still..." He instinctively felt that things were not so simple. Whether it was the Immortal Lord's potential pre-arrangement, the intent behind exchanging the Flying Universe, or every previous action, it all seemed too smooth. "So smooth that it seemed as if the Lizhu Divine Lord was actively cooperating." Upon realizing this, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. "As a Divine Lord, being passive once could be explained, but repeated passivity is certainly not normal!" Xu Qing frowned, but he believed that at the Immortal Lord's level of cultivation, their foresight and knowledge far surpassed his own. Recalling the war's progression, it was more likely that an Immortal Lord capable of such elaborate planning already had a strategy in place. "So, what could be the ultimate goal of this potential two-sided scheme?" Xu Qing pondered for a long time but still couldn't find an answer.

So, he looked at the reward items before him, suppressed these thoughts, and released his divine sense to transmit a message to Xinghuanzi and others outside. Soon, within the other eleven fire towers, the various Dao Seeds, who had been meditating cross-legged, opened their eyes one by one, mostly with anticipation, and rose to head straight for Xu Qing's fire tower. The moment they entered, everyone's gaze fell upon the reward items. Even the knowledgeable Xinghuanzi and Zhou Zhengli showed a momentary trance in their eyes. "These are the source energy and military merits sent by the general," Xu Qing slowly said. As for the distribution method, they had already reached a consensus: Xu Qing, as the primary combat force for tracking and capturing the Divine Maiden, would receive 40% of the total rewards. Xinghuanzi, having participated in the capture, would receive 15%. The remaining 45% would be divided equally among the other ten people! This distribution method applied to both source energy and military merits. So, these source energy and military merits were quickly divided among them. After taking their shares, everyone felt a surge of excitement. No one had any issues with Xu Qing taking the largest share. After all, this was how they had operated throughout their journey, and Xu Qing's combat strength justified his portion. In his heart, Xu Qing also felt this distribution was reasonable, because without the help of others, he alone could not have completed the kill and capture against the Divine Maiden and the old god. After the distribution, Xu Qing also informed everyone about the general's statement regarding the Immortal Lord's decision to exchange, and shared his own doubts and speculations. After listening, everyone's expressions varied as they fell into deep thought. This was their team's habit: when encountering a problem, they would pool their collective wisdom to think and summarize from different angles. "What Xu Qing said makes a lot of sense. The risk of this exchange should not be small. As for the background of the exchange, what I can think of is that the Immortal Lord doesn't want to expand the war!" "After all, if the war expands or leans heavily to one side, then one side might bring in multiple entities at the Lord level. If so, our side would also have to do the same, and eventually, the Immortal Venerable might even descend—that would be a true decisive battle!" "This is a game between Divine Lords and Immortal Lords, and their game focuses more on momentum—" "However, this matter is a bit strange. What exactly is the Zhanlu Immortal Lord's ultimate goal?" "Who cares what it is, let's just do it! We brothers are invincible!" Everyone spoke one by one. Xu Qing listened to everyone's words, his emotions fluctuating as he combined them with his own judgment, then looked at Zhou Zhengli. Throughout their journey, Xu Qing had come to clearly understand Zhou Zhengli's wisdom. Zhou Zhengli frowned at this moment, also looking at Xu Qing. After a moment of hesitation, he rubbed his brow and spoke softly, "Young Master, and fellow Daoists, do you think there's a possibility that this exchange itself is actually part of the 'lamp'?"

Hearing this, Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with a strange light, and he slowly spoke. "If that's truly the case, then merely using the left wing battle zone as the 'lamp' isn't enough. This exchange, which involves both sides, must become an even brighter 'lamp.' Then, the hidden move is likely not on the battlefield, but within the Fourth Star Ring itself!" Xu Qing's voice, like a storm, instantly churned in everyone's hearts.

Time flowed on, and the day of the exchange, as stated by the general, drew closer with each passing day. During this period, Xu Qing and the others had reached a consensus: their hearts were filled with vigilance regarding the upcoming exchange. Xu Qing also made his preparations, constantly familiarizing himself with the Immortal Lord's Dao artifact over these few days, and simultaneously using the crimson giant star's source energy to stabilize his recently advanced Mid-Stage Quasi-Immortal realm, keeping himself at his peak. At the same time, he also sensed a different atmosphere outside. Almost daily, legions arrived outside this crimson giant star, crossing the starry sky and stationing themselves around the star. Their numbers grew steadily, and the solemn atmosphere grew denser. Not only here, but also at the very front line of the left wing battle zone, which Xu Qing and the others could not see, the situation was even more pronounced. Both the divine forces and the cultivator forces were rapidly gathering, amassing a colossal amount of combat power. Thus, black and white continued to intertwine in this left wing battle zone. It was indeed the calm before the storm!

With only one hour left until the exchange, a desolate horn sound echoed across the crimson giant star. The sound pierced the starry sky, reverberating in the ears of countless cultivators. Xu Qing opened his eyes from his cross-legged meditation. Before him, the sea of light shimmered with flares, and a bound, familiar figure emerged from it, being delivered right in front of Xu Qing. It was the Divine Maiden! She had apparently fared quite well since leaving Xu Qing's presence; her intrinsic source energy had regenerated considerably, and her skin had regained its luster. After all, given the Immortal Lord's stature, even for investigation, there would be no deliberate torture. Therefore, her fragrance became even more pronounced. Xu Qing's eyes gleamed intensely, and he instinctively licked his lips. As for the Divine Maiden, upon seeing Xu Qing, her legs tensed, and her entire body trembled uncontrollably, her mind fluctuating intensely, as if she had seen a nightmare.