Chapter 1262: 漏网

The family governing this star was named Zhenyi.

According to the rules of the divine lineage in the Fourth Star Ring, the character 'Zhen' (True) could only be added as an honor to the name of a clan that had produced a True God.

In the memory and understanding of the Butterfly God, the Zhenyi clan's jurisdiction extended beyond just this star to include vast nebulae and several surrounding universes.

All of it was owned by this family.

Originally, all of this should have been eternal. After all, even if a True God fell, they would eventually return. Therefore, until a new True God appeared, their dominion would remain unchanged forever.

However, something unexpected happened to this family.

Their True God seemingly fell many years ago and has not returned since.

As time passed, the consequences of this became apparent: the Zhenyi clan could no longer powerfully suppress the various groups within their jurisdiction.

This forced them to gradually shrink their territory. Now, only this star and dozens of nearby stars still heed their summons.

A True God not returning is uncommon in the divine system, but not unheard of.

Generally, it happens when they are ambushed and obstructed during their return, leading to an accident in their reemergence.

Xu Qing himself had participated in similar events, and he had even served as bait in the past.

That year, Yu Liuchen had sought to lure a True God who was about to return.

"So the secret of return is not flawless after all. As eras evolve and more and more gods and cultivators explore it... some glories are merely relics of the past."

Xu Qing, in his butterfly form, flew through the sky, drawing closer to the 360 emerald halos.

He could already sense a large number of deities gathering within the thirty-sixth halo.

That was the summoning ground for the Zhenyi family, whose jurisdiction had now severely diminished.

It was also the place Xu Qing had chosen, where the mixed aura would allow him to blend in using the Mud Fox's secret technique!

"I hope the Mud Fox's secret art works!"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, mentally preparing to force his way in if the technique failed. Then, with a surge, he traversed the void and appeared before the thirty-sixth emerald halo.

The moment he arrived, he was enveloped by emerald light and divine power descended. Xu Qing didn't hesitate, flapping his wings and instantly flying in.

In the next instant, he entered the halo.

Inside, it was an endless expanse of emerald, like dyed nothingness. Only in the very center, a huge scroll had unfurled, spreading out to both sides.

The depiction on the canvas consisted of countless densely drawn lines, making it impossible to discern what was being portrayed. It was quite abstract, and at first glance, it was hard to make out anything definitive.

One could only vaguely perceive multiple forms.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. The painting gave him a peculiar feeling, so he examined it closely.

Soon, he realized something was amiss. A sense of bewilderment arose in his heart, accompanied by a profound realization.

"This painting..."

This painting, in fact, could not be described as abstract, because that word is only used when something is incomprehensible.

In reality, with Xu Qing's mental state and cultivation, in his eyes, this was clearly a map of heaven and earth, a depiction of a world.

However... it depicted all three-dimensional aspects of every being and object within that world, all rendered onto this canvas.

As a result, at first glance, it naturally appeared dense and bizarre, distorted and abstract.

"This object is definitely not something a Divine Platform could possess; it must be of True God level. Its manifestation... Is this the inherent quality that causes distortions in the surroundings due to divine pressure?"

A strange feeling arose in Xu Qing's heart. With a flicker, he was about to approach the painting.

But in an instant, waves of divine sense abruptly swept out from within the world depicted in the painting.

Appearing along with the divine senses were numerous deities, manifesting from the fragmented scenes within the painting.

There were easily over a hundred, including those of True Fire and Flawless stages, and some Divine Platforms.

And a few of them particularly caught Xu Qing's attention.

One was an eerie bronze-rusted eye.

The pupil of this eye was surprisingly a bronze chime bell, while outside the pupil, star-sand flowed, and tentacles grew and drifted around it, splitting into Buddha-hand-shaped suckers at their ends.

With each breath, the pupil contracted, striking the chime bell within and emitting a maddening divine sound.

Another was even more bizarre: a shriveled old woman, completely naked, whose skin was covered with bumps. These were thirty-six thousand human-faced stars circulating beneath her skin.

Her withered hair floated, and in the void behind her, she drew millions of suspended ancient corpses, each intoning funeral scriptures from different epochs.

Yet another embodied decay and prosperity; its left half blossomed with begonia flowers that could glimpse past lives, while its right half peeled away like charred wood, shedding ash. Within its chest, nine bronze soul lamps hovered, their flames flickering with drowned divine souls.

Time and space were chaotic where its feet were rooted: its left foot trod on an ice age, while its right foot was submerged in a scorching stellar core.

This deity drew Xu Qing's gaze the most.

On this deity, he sensed a divine authority similar to his own inherent nature.

This made Xu Qing's mind tighten, and he also realized that most of these deities were not from this star, so what they were displaying at this moment was their divine appearance.

And this was how deities, similar to cultivators contending with their dao insights, established their respective standings.

"This opportunity..."

Xu Qing's heart stirred slightly. The Mud Fox understood his intention, and both simultaneously seized this chance to unfurl their divine appearances, using the secret art to blend with the external environment.

In the next instant, Xu Qing's body flickered, and his butterfly form instantly warped, its wings suddenly spreading wide.

Those unfurled butterfly wings seemed to spread out like a millstone of reincarnation. Each scaly wing was woven from the membrane of unknown creatures, and crimson light flowed within its body, drawing in the surrounding void.

Especially its forewings, which were each strikingly embedded with ninety-six thousand weeping blood compound eyes. Every pupil reflected lightning, and as it flapped its wings, it emitted a resonant sound like the wailing of phantoms.

Responding to all the deities whose divine senses swept over him.

What was even more bizarre was that the butterfly Xu Qing had transformed into had two antennae, each wrapped around a scarlet long river, splitting at the ends to dangle rusty, flickering phantom lamps.

It flew directly towards the scroll.

The flapping of its butterfly wings seemed to subtly align with the rhythm of cosmic calamities. Its left wing visibly stirred tides of annihilation, while its right wing showered primordial dew. As for the scales that fell along its flight path, countless shadows of scaled oxen could be seen prostrating.

This was precisely the divine appearance of the butterfly that Xu Qing had possessed!

Immediately, most of those whose divine senses had swept over him showed reverence. As for the few deities Xu Qing had gazed at, they subtly retracted their aura.

They allowed the butterfly, which Xu Qing had transformed into, to enter the scroll and hover in an empty spot.

At the same time, a divine sound echoed.

"Eternal Calamity Underworld Butterfly!"

"Haven't seen you in a hundred years. You are not far from breaking through your current realm."

This divine sound emanated from within the fragmented scenes of the scroll. Accompanying it, a colossal black lotus slowly ascended.

Within the black lotus sat a dwarfish figure, whose body was pitch black, surrounded by three hundred and sixty ancient husks, each exuding considerable divine pressure.

On its brow, there was a speck of golden sand, which was solidified True God blood.

Its eyes reflected the emerald halos, and it toyed with a scale in its hand. The sound it now emitted vibrated through the entire scroll, causing all the deities within to lower their heads.

This being was precisely the deity of the Zhenyi family, who governed this star.

Xu Qing had also seen this deity in the Butterfly God's memories, knowing that it was the current generation's Zhenyi and the initiator of this summoning.

So Xu Qing slightly bowed his head, showing reverence.

The dwarf nodded slightly, then closed its eyes and meditated on the black lotus, no longer speaking.

The surroundings fell silent, and all the deities waited.

Xu Qing also retracted his divine appearance, but his aura had now merged with the surroundings, thanks to the simultaneous application of the secret art by himself and the Mud Fox.

Maintaining this state, Xu Qing also waited for time to pass.

Soon, three days passed.

The appointed day was drawing closer. During these three days, dozens more deities arrived. Most of them were summoned from other stars, while a few, like the butterfly deity Xu Qing had transformed into, belonged to this very star.

Examples include the lightning worshipped by humanoid groups, and the deity formed from burning fungal mats.

Meanwhile, during these three days, divine senses from True Gods outside appeared several times.

The most intense instance involved the combined investigation of three True Gods.

Under Xu Qing's vigilance, the Mud Fox's method proved effective. The divine senses probing the area did not detect Xu Qing's hidden presence.

As for the other deities present, they seemed accustomed to the frequent searches by True Gods during this period, showing little reaction.

"As long as there aren't more than five True Gods probing, this secret art can conceal me. Two more days... Once these deities leave, that's when I'll depart!"

Xu Qing murmured to himself.

These last two days, in Xu Qing's anticipation, seemed to stretch longer than usual. Fortunately, everything went relatively smoothly; although True Gods still probed, none exceeded the limit of Xu Qing's concealment.

And so, the appointed day arrived.

The moment the time arrived, all the deities present simultaneously released their auras, and the dwarf meditating on the black lotus opened its eyes and waved a hand.

Immediately, black stone blocks scattered, falling before each deity, who collected them using their respective methods.

Xu Qing also reached out and took one. The moment he touched it, he knew it contained the imprint of a True God's divinity. While it was of little use to him, for deities, it served as an aid when breaking through their realms.

"Everyone, these are the agreed-upon True God Stones."

"And after this secret realm exploration, the remaining True God Stones are also ready."

"Now... depart!"

The golden blood on the dwarf's brow suddenly shone, transforming into a golden light that colored the emerald halos in its eyes, causing them to manifest externally and emit waves of teleportation.

Then, deities began to fly out first, heading directly towards the halo and vanishing instantly.

As the deities departed one after another, Xu Qing was about to execute his pre-arranged escape plan. But just then, a scene that filled Xu Qing with intense alarm appeared.

In the starry sky, vast divine senses from True Gods swept through the nebula where the star was located, roaring like a sea. The number of True Gods within them exceeded ten!

The moment he sensed it, Xu Qing's pupils contracted, and his heart gave a lurch.

He knew well that if he was swept over this time, his concealment would definitely be exposed.

So, at this crucial moment, he didn't hesitate at all, decisively abandoning the thought of leaving. His body flickered, and he rushed straight into the halo ahead, disappearing within.

He vanished in an instant.