Chapter 151: Crazy Enlightenment

The fluctuation was incredibly strong. The moment it spread, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, and he felt a faint sense of dread. The shadow also rapidly conveyed a warning of danger.

Meanwhile, the figure of the incoming individual rapidly materialized.

It was a tall, muscular man. Although his cultivation was still at the Foundation Establishment stage, the cluster of Life Fire within him clearly flared during the array's transmission.

Evidently, this Sea-Corpse Clan cultivator had activated his Profound Illumination state during transmission, anticipating potential dangers at the teleportation array's exit, as he was entering enemy territory.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Qing raised his right hand and made a grabbing motion. The instant the figure became clearer and even made eye contact with him, he directly crushed a component of the teleportation array. With a thunderous crash, the array disintegrated, and the incoming figure instantly blurred. Only a faint, unwilling roar could be heard from within.

Xu Qing remained expressionless. He stood up, gathered his setup, and moved on to search for the next location.

Four days later, he found another spot. After silently waiting, he finally encountered the second Sea-Corpse Clan cultivator to arrive.

This opponent was also at the Foundation Establishment stage. While Xu Qing himself confirmed they weren't in the Profound Illumination state, he also sent the shadow to investigate. The shadow's sensitivity to anomalous energy made it exceptionally adept at discerning the cultivation level of Sea-Corpse Clan cultivators.

For their shared benefit, the shadow was extremely diligent. Once it confirmed the newcomer was not in the Profound Illumination state, and as the opponent materialized, the slaughter immediately commenced.

This time, Xu Qing's poison was adjusted based on the previous experience, making it even more potent. Additionally, Xu Qing arranged for the shadow's ambush to be the first wave of attack.

The Patriarch of the Vajra Sect was the second wave, and Xu Qing himself was the final wave.

His Dharma Boat was held in reserve as his ultimate trump card. After about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, the roaring subsided, and the shrill screams faded. Xu Qing successfully eliminated the second Sea-Corpse Clan cultivator who had arrived.

He absorbed the soul, which continuously burned within him, transforming into a surge of power that opened his twenty-second Dharma Aperture!

This greatly excited Xu Qing, giving him a deeper appreciation for the notion that Sea-Corpse Clan souls had extraordinary effects.

"At this rate," he thought, "with about eight more, I can form my Life Fire!

"Once Life Fire is formed and placed on my Life Lamp, my combat power will instantly surge forward!" Xu Qing was filled with anticipation. He was about to destroy this teleportation array when, at that very moment, another aura emanated from within.

This aura felt ordinary, no longer indicating the Profound Illumination state. However, the shadow instantly emitted a fluctuation, and Xu Qing immediately recognized that this aura was identical to the Profound Illumination state of the Sea-Corpse Clan cultivator he had previously encountered.

It was clear this individual had learned from their previous mistake, suppressing their Profound Illumination state during this re-transmission. However, luck was not on their side, and they still encountered Xu Qing.

The moment its figure almost fully formed, Xu Qing raised his right hand and slammed it down fiercely. With a loud bang, the array collapsed. The figure within struggled violently, attempting to break free, but it was too late. It could only dissipate amidst even more unwilling roars.

"This likely won't last much longer. The Sea-Corpse Clan will surely notice," Xu Qing murmured, feeling a slight regret. This type of mission was simply too perfect for him.

If he couldn't continue this for much longer, then activating the Profound Illumination state would require him to go to the battlefield.

"I'll try searching again," Xu Qing decided after a moment of thought. He continued his search, and days passed. There weren't many Sea-Corpse Clan teleportation arrays under Mi'e Island, only about a dozen.

Of these, Xu Qing had destroyed eight. He later encountered two more Foundation Establishment cultivators. One was swiftly killed, but the other possessed numerous life-saving magical artifacts, and their Dharma Apertures seemed to be on the verge of forming Life Fire. This required considerable effort from Xu Qing, taking over an hour to finally kill them.

This made him profoundly aware of the formidable strength of Sea-Corpse Clan Foundation Establishment cultivators. These two encounters allowed him to open three more Dharma Apertures consecutively, bringing his total to twenty-five.

But that was the end of it. Xu Qing later found three more arrays but encountered no one teleporting in, so he regretfully destroyed them.

The Patriarch of the Vajra Sect was equally disappointed, and the shadow was utterly bored.

With Mi'e Island's teleportation arrays completely cleared, Xu Qing reluctantly returned to the island. Just after submitting his mission, and while contemplating whether to accept a war mission, a message arrived in his identity token.

"I am Ouyang Ling, Elder of the Third Peak. I've seen your identity information; you are Xu Qing, correct?"

Xu Qing became instantly wary upon seeing the message and did not respond.

"You don't need to overthink this," the voice continued. "This clearing mission was issued by me, but the completion rates on the other three islands are mediocre. I don't care why you were so fast; that's your private matter, and I'm not concerned. However, I want you to continue searching the other two islands, excluding Mi'e and Ju Ying Islands. Are you willing to accept?"

This time, what emanated from the jade slip was not a mere message, but a majestic voice that directly entered Xu Qing's mind, causing all twenty-five Dharma Apertures in his body to tremble.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke.

"I obey the Elder's decree."

The Elder of the Third Peak was very satisfied with Xu Qing's reply. The next instant, he adjusted Xu Qing's mission from searching Mi'e Island to searching all islands.

The corresponding spirit stone reward was also recorded on Xu Qing's identity token.

Xu Qing looked at the numbers, his expectations for this war reward growing.

One hundred and ten thousand spirit stones!

This was for destroying eleven arrays, with ten thousand spirit stones awarded for each. The four Foundation Establishment Sea-Corpse Clan members he had killed were recorded but did not yield additional spirit stones.

Looking at the numbers, Xu Qing felt a tinge of regret. Of the four Foundation Establishment cultivators he had killed, only the first and the last possessed magical artifacts.

"However, the current priority is to open Dharma Apertures!" Xu Qing looked up at the other three islands in the distance. His body suddenly ascended, heading directly for Yinmeiqi.

As for why he wasn't required to go to Ju Ying Island, Xu Qing surmised it was highly probable that the massive blood-red eye, similar to the Seven Blood Child Sect's Giant Eye, had been planted there. This eye would undoubtedly be able to locate the teleportation arrays beneath Ju Ying Island.

Whether this was precisely the case or not, Xu Qing didn't care. At that moment, he was moving incredibly fast, directly crossing the sea and approaching Yinmeiqi.

The Seven Blood Child Sect had excavated numerous sword pools across the entire land of Yinmeiqi.

It was unclear what power had been introduced into these sword pools, but it made the flying swords within them remarkably sharp. From a distance, the central pool was the most imposing, filled with thick mist, through which one could vaguely discern countless flying swords moving about.

Countless smaller sword pools were also constructed around it.

As Xu Qing approached, he distinctly felt strands of dangerous aura emanating from the sword pools, locking onto him.

It felt as if they were scrutinizing him, but the auras quickly dissipated, allowing Xu Qing to smoothly set foot on Yinmeiqi, the former imperial island of the Merfolk Race.

He did not linger there. Following the information provided by Huang Yan's jade slip, he located the entrance to the lower world.

Stepping swiftly inside, Xu Qing witnessed a breathtaking realm in the underwater world of Yinmeiqi Island, a sight more splendid than anything on Ju Ying or Mi'e.

The entire underwater world was filled with countless palaces. Though many were now ruined, their former glory was still evident.

This was once the imperial palace of the Merfolk royal family.

Xu Qing surveyed his surroundings and decided not to search for teleportation arrays in this area. Such a prominent architectural complex would undoubtedly be a primary target for others. At that moment, the shadow also emitted fluctuations, guiding Xu Qing away from the palace.

Half a day later, in an area overgrown with coral, Xu Qing detected a teleportation array. His eyes lit up. He quickly arrived, inspected the site, set up his arrangements, and began to wait.

This time, his luck held. A few days later, the teleportation array faintly glowed, an aura emanating from it. As the illusory figure within gradually materialized, Xu Qing assessed the opponent's cultivation and instantly launched his attack.

The entire process didn't last long. Xu Qing killed the incoming cultivator, destroyed the array, and continued his search.

Time flowed by, and soon a month passed. Xu Qing's figure traversed every area of Yinmeiqi's underground world. As he continuously searched and destroyed arrays, his Dharma Apertures slowly opened, reaching the twenty-eighth.

"Only two more to light my Life Fire!" Xu Qing's anticipation intensified as he headed to Youzang Island.

As he pursued this mission, the war between the Sea-Corpse Clan and the Seven Blood Child Sect grew increasingly fierce.

Over these past two months, the Sea-Corpse Clan launched five large-scale offensives, aiming to push the Seven Blood Child Sect off the Merfolk islands.

The scale of these five wars progressively increased. However, under the Seven Blood Child Sect's stringent defenses, they not only held their ground but also launched multiple proactive attacks, engaging in astonishing back-and-forth battles with the Sea-Corpse Clan on the forbidden sea.

Simultaneously, more Seven Blood Child disciples were continuously teleported to join the conflict.

Furthermore, many of the Seven Blood Child Sect's allied foreign races also progressively joined the war.

Consequently, various foreign races could frequently be seen on the Merfolk islands.

Similarly, on the Sea-Corpse Clan's side, other foreign races also joined, causing the scale of the conflict between the two factions to escalate even further.

These developments, however, had nothing to do with Xu Qing. At this moment, he was speeding through the underwater world of Youzang Island, approaching another teleportation array discovered by the shadow.

"The last two Dharma Apertures," he mused, "if I'm lucky, I should be able to open them in half a month!"

Xu Qing glanced at the spirit stones in his identity token; the amount had accumulated to over three hundred thousand. The imminent opening of Life Fire excited him even more.

"I wonder if, once my Life Fire is formed and I light my Life Lamp, I'll have the strength to take on a Captain," Xu Qing thought, filled with anticipation. Beside him, the black iron skewer that had accompanied him all along was also vibrating. The Patriarch of the Vajra Sect within was equally excited, feeling that his own breakthrough was not far off.

"Once I break through, I'll be even more useful," the Patriarch thought, "and I won't have to worry so much about being abandoned by Demon Xu for a while!"

The shadow was similar; its anomalous energy grew increasingly dense, often making Xu Qing consider whether he should suppress it a few more times.

As if guessing Xu Qing's thoughts, the shadow immediately trembled, instinctively showing submissive emotions. Xu Qing's eyes, however, showed determination. He found the shadow peculiar; after devouring Sea-Corpse Clan members, it could actually emit their aura, which made Xu Qing wary. Therefore, even though he had given it a deadline for its breakthrough, he felt it was still necessary to assert his authority.

Just as the purple crystal in his body was about to activate for suppression, Xu Qing's expression suddenly hardened. He looked up into the distance. Ten miles ahead, distinct teleportation fluctuations were spreading.

These fluctuations were substantial; clearly, not one, but multiple individuals were teleporting in!