Chapter 1293: Leaving Punishment Revives

A scene unfolding on the Wanggu Continent in the Ninth Star Ring instantly triggered a palpitation in the old deity residing in the coffin at the Rift Altar in the Fourth Star Ring. Given his divine status, this palpitation allowed him to comprehend its cause and effect with but a single thought.

"Shanghuang is being drawn to these two!"

Inside the coffin, the old deity's expression turned exceptionally solemn. That instinctive sense of life and death, rising from his very soul, surged like towering waves, erupting with overwhelming force. The sensation was overwhelmingly intense.

At this critical juncture, the old deity showed no hesitation, instantly concealing all his auras. Even his spiritual thoughts vanished instantly; he completely erased himself from time, from space, from causality, and from every place he possibly could. It was as if he had never existed!

Yet, this alone wasn't enough to ease his worries. So, while erasing himself, he issued a residual divine decree to the returning God Lord Lizhu!

"Immediately drive these two out!"

This divine decree, imbued with incredible power, caused God Lord Lizhu's returning consciousness to ripple the moment it was transmitted. It was as if, out of thin air, he was endowed with status and a higher level of divinity, forcefully completing his return in an instant, a process that would have originally taken more time.

Furthermore, this divine sound acted as an anchor point, enabling God Lord Lizhu, who had lost his physical body as a return marker, to now return without one, solely through this divine sound!

So, in the next instant, the void where God Lord Lizhu's corpse once lay violently exploded! With divine consciousness as its bones and divine sound as its flesh, a dark golden skeleton was startlingly woven directly from the void. As it floated, beneath its decaying diadem, two points of crimson light suddenly ignited on its face.

A terrifying, overwhelming might descended. All the dust within the entire rift trembled. Moreover, the destiny of the Fourth Star Ring invisibly converged from outside the rift, resonating with it.

Yet, it had no sentience! Even with its cultivation at such a level, before a God Venerable, it could not escape interference, being controlled by his residual thoughts and compelled to act according to his decree!

After its descent, the skeleton's crimson eyes abruptly fixed on Xu Qing. An inexplicable pulsation emanated from within its chest, intensifying with its gaze. The void roared!

Xu Qing, facing this sudden change, felt his mind tense. His internal organs instantly vibrated from the rhythm emanating from the skeleton, and a bloody taste rose in his throat. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Beside him, Second Brother Niu's body exploded with a bang, directly collapsing into countless blue worms, which then continuously collapsed again and again. As they disintegrated, terror flickered in the eyes of the blue worms.

All this takes time to describe, but in reality, it unfolded in the blink of an eye. The unexpected turn of events came with incredible swiftness!

At this crucial moment, Xu Qing's full cultivation surged without reservation; his Immortal Embryo was released, his Constitution fully expanded, and even his true name manifested. Yet, his body still trembled violently, blood spurted out, and the flesh on his entire body seemed to be reversing. The might emanating from a God Lord was simply too astonishing.

But silver light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes, and with a wave of his hand, a Dao weapon gleamed. The crescent-shaped fingernail shot directly towards the skeleton. Moreover, the instant this Dao weapon surged forward, Xu Qing roared inwardly without hesitation.

"Explode!"

The moment this thought emerged, the crescent-shaped fingernail instantly emitted a dazzling glow, shining with extreme brilliance that enveloped everything within the rift. Then, an earth-shattering destructive power... violently erupted! This was clearly a tactic to gain obstructive power by self-destructing a Dao weapon!

In an instant, the Dao weapon self-destructed, causing the world within the rift to undergo a dramatic change, and a terrifying shockwave swept outwards like an overwhelming tide.

Xu Qing's body trembled, and he again spat out blood, but he seized this opportunity, raising a hand and pressing it onto the collapsing Second Brother Niu. Immediately, his Immortal Embryo power enveloped Second Brother Niu, causing his scattered body to briefly recover and reappear in human form.

He then grabbed Second Brother Niu's arm, circulating his cultivation at any cost to achieve extreme speed, and fiercely retreated. His retreat speed was astonishing; the void beneath his feet cracked inch by inch as he moved backward. Countless silver lights emanated from the rift, transforming into wisps of Immortal Embryo power, forming layers of light curtains imbued with the might of a Quasi-Immortal, which shone towards the suddenly appearing skeleton.

At this moment, the Lizhu skeleton floating in the void, apart from its crimson eyes, was entirely turning golden. On its body, a billion divine rings were appearing, each strikingly reflecting a shattered universe. These, combined together, formed its divinity!

It gazed expressionlessly at Xu Qing and Second Brother Niu, who were rapidly retreating in the distance, then raised its right foot and stepped forward. The moment its step landed, all the star rings on its body shattered violently, and wisps of golden mist emanated from within. These gathered together, forming a golden sea of mist that swept fiercely towards Xu Qing and Second Brother Niu, ignoring the light curtains.

Its purpose was not merely to dispel them, but also to use this mist to seal the rift entrance the moment the two departed.

In the distance, Xu Qing, nearing the rift entrance, perceived this scene, and his pupils constricted to needlepoint size. He clearly saw living beings wailing within the golden mist emanating from the shattered star rings. Those were the citizens of God Lord Lizhu's divine realm. Now, they were all being sacrificed.

As the golden sea of mist surged, it also raised a terrifying wind that swept from the sea and struck Xu Qing and Second Brother Niu, causing them to spray blood again. Their bodies were also pushed by this wind, moving them closer and closer to the rift entrance.

"It feels like he's sending us off," Second Brother Niu, held by Xu Qing, licked away the blood from his mouth and suddenly grinned. "But... that's a God Lord for you, definitely potent!"

As he spoke, madness gleamed in Second Brother Niu's eyes as he tore open the flesh on his chest, revealing his heart. The heart was covered with strange patterns and seeped a deep blue luminescence. Faintly visible within each pattern and each wisp of blue light were countless tiny entities similar to divine origins. It was as if each pattern and wisp of blue light was a world, and this heart, containing countless worlds, was akin to a grand universe.

"Little Ah Qing, help me pull it out and throw it over there!" Second Brother Niu's expression turned ferocious as he growled.

Xu Qing's gaze sharpened. He had cooperated with his senior brother for many years, knowing that any part of his body could be used; after all, even his skin had been utilized back then, with extraordinary results. So, without hesitation, Xu Qing instantly raised his left hand, plunged it deep into Second Brother Niu's chest, grasped his heart, and abruptly pulled it out.

Blood vessels tore, and blood gushed out as Second Brother Niu shrieked. His aura instantly plummeted, and he couldn't maintain his form, scattering apart. He transformed into a tiny blue worm, burrowing into Xu Qing's hair, where he gasped for breath, his eyes shining.

Meanwhile, his heart, now in Xu Qing's hand, was still actively beating. An astonishing aura emanated from within it. Xu Qing instantly flicked his wrist, forcefully throwing the continuously beating heart in his hand towards the towering golden sea of mist surging from behind!

Wherever it passed, the void was frozen into crystalline form. The moment it fell into the golden sea of mist, the mist instantly underwent a dramatic change, appearing to be frozen solid. A deep blue glow frantically enveloped it.

As for the skeleton that had advanced from the sea of mist, although it continued to break through the ice, its entire body remained permeated with blue light. At the same time, its body was visibly encased in blue ice.

Its empty eye sockets then gazed remotely at Second Brother Niu, who was nestled in Xu Qing's hair. The crimson in its eyes then flared intensely, and it was about to raise its hand, but in the next instant... a sudden, dramatic change occurred!