Chapter 1322: Ancient Immortal Tribulation, Passed

Outside Wanggu, on the boundary, Xu Qing stood in the starry sky, holding a seven-colored lamp. Before him stretched the boundless, endless universe, and behind him lay the Wanggu Continent, entwined by Shang Huang. He stood on the demarcation line, his gaze sharp and piercing. He raised the lamp in his hand high.

"And from this moment forth, if you are a pawn in Wanggu's schemes, depart at once!""If you refuse to leave, I, Xu, will tear you out one by one!"

Xu Qing's words echoed, stirring up ripples in the void. Within them, the Fate Divinity, fused with his divine body, manifested as the Authority of Fate, imprinting itself upon the rules of the Ninth Star Ring. Furthermore, his constitutional power, like a dimension itself, permeated all time and space—past, present, and future—all parallel realities, and the very consciousness of all living beings. The lamp in his hand seemed to resonate with his words, its light growing even more dazzling. Consequently, countless divine thoughts emanated from various dimensions of time and space, converging on Xu Qing and the lamp he held.

Upon closer inspection, the lamp's frame was crafted from specially fired clay, adorned with naturally formed patterns that shimmered with a mysterious halo. Its outer shade, woven from seven-colored spiritual threads, radiated light that shifted and flowed, creating a dreamlike, ethereal display. It seemed as though all the dazzling colors of the myriad heavens and realms had converged within it. This very lamp was the supreme treasure of an Immortal Venerable, bestowed upon Xu Qing by Master Bai before he departed the Fifth Star Ring! The true terror of this artifact, however, lay within its core: the wick inside the lampshade! It was the eye of a God Venerable!

Its power was immense, bordering on terrifying. Upon sensing the divine thoughts from beyond, the God Venerable's eye abruptly flickered. With that single flash, the invisible power of the God Venerable's divinity began to spread. It was entropy! Entropy, in essence, represents the process of all things moving from order to chaos. This divine authority could alter all matter by increasing or decreasing its state. In that instant, under the sweep of this God Venerable's power, ninety-nine percent of the divine thoughts disintegrated, as if countless mournful wails faintly echoed through the void.

Xu Qing, expressionless, held the lamp and turned to walk towards the Wanggu Continent. In the starry expanse, Xu Qing, moving forward with the lamp's glow, was surrounded by the black void of the universe. Yet, to the many powerful beings of the Ninth Star Ring, his figure traversing the stars was like a celestial fire in the night—dazzling and astonishing.

Consequently, the golden mother river, a turbulent cosmic stream flowing north of the Star Ring, began to churn violently, and within its depths, colossal golden divine eyes slowly opened. All of them fixed their gaze on the Wanggu Continent, on Xu Qing. Each of those eyes held an expression of cold indifference. Amidst the waves, multi-colored lotus flowers undulated, and countless figures stood in solemn stillness, seemingly awaiting the Mother River's divine oracle. Most of these lotus flowers were five-colored, with six-colored ones being fewer, and seven-colored even scarcer. As for the eight-colored lotus flowers, there were only four. From within one of the eight-colored lotus flowers, the God of Wishes raised its head, golden light flickering in its eyes. Yet, ultimately, despite the anticipation of all these deities, the Mother River chose to close its colossal, open eyes one by one. The river's turbulence gradually subsided, but... its intricate arrangements left within Wanggu remained unbroken.

A similar scene unfolded deep within the universe to the east of the Star Ring. To the east of the Star Ring, there was no starlight, no stars at all, but rather a vast expanse of utter blackness. All sound, all color, seemed to vanish in this place. Only an endless miasma of curses pervaded this void, accumulated from ancient times until the present day. And in the deepest reaches of this void, the very source of all curses, dwelled an unspeakable colossal beast. At this moment, it did not open its eyes, yet all the curses encircling it pulsed with energy.

Simultaneously, from the black tower standing in the southern expanse of the Ninth Star Ring, divine whispers began to emanate. This sound was indescribable, devoid of specific meaning, more akin to the resonance of countless deities vibrating through the void. Amidst this sound, countless threads appeared in the starry sky, each connected to the Wanggu Continent. Every single thread represented a strategic arrangement of the Black Tower. Throughout history, its schemes within Wanggu had been countless. Yet now, these threads began to tremble violently, and in the very next instant, they all snapped. At the points of rupture, ethereal figures could be seen—human, alien, and even artifacts—but now, all their karmic ties to the Black Tower had been severed. The Black Tower's decision differed from that of the Mother River and the colossal beast; it chose to relinquish its hold. And startlingly, among those numerous figures, one was none other than Xu Qing's third senior brother!

Apart from Shang Huang, there were four other God Venerables in Wanggu. At this moment, the Mother River, the colossal beast, and the Black Tower had all made their decisions. Only the paper figure, seated cross-legged to the west of the Star Ring, remained utterly motionless. Yet within this paper figure, in the infinite universes it contained, countless paper figures were ascending from each paper-ball star, converging towards the central point of their respective universes.

"Between him and me, it is different from others... there is no retreat!" A raspy sound, like paper rubbing together, echoed through the numerous paper universes amidst this continuous convergence.

Meanwhile, within the Wanggu Continent, neither cultivators nor mortals possessed the ability to project their divine senses beyond the celestial seal, thus remaining oblivious to the battle in the starry sky. Only the deities, owing to their distinct systems, could perceive the external world. Consequently, after witnessing this scene unfold in the starry sky, the minds of all Wanggu's deities were in turmoil. Their auras immediately receded, and even those venerated by powerful races did the same. Truly, the power displayed by Xu Qing was enough to strike fear into their hearts.

"Wanggu... is about to usher in a new era."

Amidst the murmurs of the many deities, the apprehension of Wanggu's myriad races, and the anticipation of humanity's cultivators, ripples appeared in the sky above the Human Imperial Capital. Hazy light descended from the heavens, illuminating all beings. Within the light, Xu Qing's figure steadily advanced, crossing the starry sky, passing through the seal, and appearing upon the celestial curtain. Standing there, Xu Qing's gaze swept over the familiar figures below before he spoke softly.

"The Ancient Immortal Tribulation has passed."

At the sound of his words, Wanggu's myriad races fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an unprecedented roar of excitement. The excitement after tension, the exhilaration after suppression, the glimmer of dawn after despair—all erupted continuously at this moment. Zhou Zhengli and the others were the first to bow to Xu Qing. Next came the Empress and the entire human race, followed by Wanggu's myriad races, who, from every direction, all bowed in worship to the heavens.

Meanwhile, Seventh Master looked at Xu Qing with deep satisfaction, his heart filled with boundless emotion. He knew that the path his disciple was about to embark upon would be unprecedented and undeniably arduous. This realization brought both profound sentiment and a pang of heartache. He then raised his hand and slapped the head of the proudly defiant Er Niu beside him. "All you do is eat, day in and day out! How much have you consumed, yet you're still so useless!" Er Niu looked aggrieved.

All of this registered in Xu Qing's eyes. However, at this moment, his divine senses had expanded to envelop all of Wanggu. He first looked towards Fenghai County, at his old acquaintances there, and at Zi Xuan, who had opened her eyes in the Phoenix Hall within the underground palace. He then turned his gaze towards Yinghuang Province and the Sacrificial Moon Grand Domain. Outside the former pharmacy, beside the Crown Prince and the others, Xu Qing looked at Ling'er.

After observing each in turn, Xu Qing cast his gaze overseas. There, a lone boat drifted. Within that isolated vessel, the aura of a True God was steadily brewing, seemingly poised to fully transform and emerge in the near future. Yu Liuchen's tale had found partial success. Already at the peak of the Divine Platform, it had completed most of the rituals required to achieve True Godhood. Now... True Godhood was within reach.

After his observation, Xu Qing withdrew his gaze, finally looking towards... the Devouring Heaven Grand Domain, shrouded in a dense mist! Within this domain lay a mysterious kingdom. It was a kingdom that had returned from ancient times, along with its people, who had likewise been drawn back from the cycle of reincarnation. Its name was... the Upper Kingdom of Violet and Azure! Within the imperial palace of this kingdom, a magnificent statue stood prominently. It was a statue of Shang Huang. Behind the statue was the grand hall of the imperial palace. Inside the hall, on the dragon throne, a figure in an imperial robe rested their head on one hand, seemingly dozing. This person bore an uncanny resemblance to Xu Qing, the sole distinction being a subtle hint of malevolence about them. As Xu Qing gazed upon this scene, a smile slowly curved at the corners of the figure's mouth.

Slowly, the figure lowered their hand, stretched languidly, then raised their head to look at the sky. They chuckled softly. "Brother, you have finally grown to this point... I have waited a long time for this day. I await your arrival."