Chapter 172: Golden Crow Refines Ten Thousand Spirits

Each beat of its wings unleashed a torrent of inherited power!

Time seemed to lose all meaning. Amidst the profound turmoil within Xu Qing, the Golden Crow before him unfurled its wings across the sky for a second time. This time, its speed was even greater, and the ripples it generated were far more terrifying, causing the world to dim and the winds and clouds to reverse. An endless roar echoed in Xu Qing's mind.

Unaware, blood began to trickle from Xu Qing's nose. In the distance, the Sound-Capturing Bottle's resonance began to fade, and the giant pulling the dragon carriage, previously lost in a trance, stirred slightly, as if on the verge of waking.

Then, in the very next instant, Xu Qing perceived the divine Golden Crow, ascending higher and higher in the golden sky, stretch its wings for a third time! On this occasion, every feather on its black wings gleamed with blinding golden light, manifesting its power to the absolute limit.

With each powerful beat, the sky seemed poised to rip apart. As an intensely terrifying wave violently spread in all directions, the sky actually fractured.

A massive fissure materialized in the firmament. Within the shattered sky, as if clouds were parted, another world came into view. In it, Xu Qing witnessed countless races, each distinct in form, all roaring up at the heavens.

As they roared, the divine Golden Crow swooped down, opened its beak towards that world, and let out a piercing cry that reverberated through space and time.

Beneath this shriek, to Xu Qing's wide-eyed disbelief and profound shock, that entire world became engulfed in black flames, as if instantly refined. Innumerable streams of blood ascended, coalescing into a golden current that swiftly surged towards the Golden Crow's maw.

From a distance, it resembled a colossal force drawing water, sucking it into its mouth! In the very next moment, to Xu Qing's utter astonishment, the Golden Crow abruptly turned its head. Its brilliant eyes transcended time, causing the very river of time to flow in reverse. They tore through space, shattering the grand Dao of spatial existence.

Ultimately, from countless eons past and beyond the reaches of infinite space, its gaze pierced through, settling upon Xu Qing. Amidst the deafening roar in Xu Qing's mind, he heard a gentle voice.

"This is this Emperor's innate method, the Golden Crow Refines All Spirits."

In the very next instant, an overwhelmingly terrifying torrent of information surged into him, making Xu Qing feel like a tiny skiff tossed on a raging ocean. Blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, and then from his eyes, nose, and ears. As blood flowed from all seven orifices, every image before Xu Qing shattered and disintegrated instantly, jolting him back to his original state. Simultaneously, he heard the trembling wails of the Adamantine Sect Ancestor: "Master, wake up quickly! That giant is about to awaken! It's over, it's over, Master, please wake up!"

In front of the dragon carriage, the Sound-Capturing Bottle had ceased emitting its resonance. Unable to endure the giant's unwavering gaze, it cracked and shattered with a creaking sound.

At this moment, the giant's emotions began to fluctuate. Its chest heaved, and exhalations seemed to escape it. Countless tendrils on its body writhed and twisted. Its breath carried an indescribable power, causing the seawater to dissipate. The sight of its tendrils was astonishing; as they twisted, they seemed to tear open unknown fissures.

It seemed the Sound-Capturing Bottle's resonance had awakened some of its residual memories. From its mouth came a mournful, weeping sound, its emotions clearly in violent upheaval. It thrashed its hands, conjuring colossal tsunamis.

Waves hundreds, even thousands, of feet high erupted directly across the sea surface. From a distance, they appeared as towering, curving walls of water rising from a flat expanse, immense in power and radiating immense dread. Simultaneously, the giant's body slowly began to turn, its head rotating to gaze back at the dragon carriage.

As it turned, its exhalation, following its movement, caused the seawater to continuously boil and vanish. For a moment, despite the astonishing tsunamis raging around, the immediate vicinity of the giant was hollowed out. The instant Xu Qing opened his eyes, he not only heard the Adamantine Sect Ancestor's agonized cries but also saw the impossibly tall giant outside the dragon carriage, with its dark, vacant eye sockets. The moment their gazes met head-on, the giant's breath enveloped him.

The dragon carriage itself was crafted from a special material, rendering it impervious to the giant's breath. However, Xu Qing's mortal body within was utterly incapable of enduring it. In the very next instant, an indescribable agony erupted throughout his entire being.

His face, chest, abdomen, and the entire front of his torso were instantly rendered a bloody, mangled mess. The fronts of his hands and feet suffered the same fate; under the giant's breath, his flesh was rapidly and devastatingly stripped away.

In that critical moment, a large black umbrella materialized abruptly, interposing itself before Xu Qing and intercepting the giant's breath.

The black umbrella vibrated violently, straining to block the attack. Simultaneously, Xu Qing, with a trembling effort, raised his right hand—now just bone barely held together by remnants of flesh—and pulled out a Disordered Teleportation Talisman, crushing it instantly! The next moment, a brilliant flash of teleportation light erupted from the shattered talisman, engulfing Xu Qing and the large black umbrella. With a booming sound, they vanished in an instant!

With Xu Qing and the black umbrella gone, the giant's breath, now unhindered, surged into the dragon carriage. After swirling and dissipating within, the giant stared blankly at the empty palanquin, emitting sorrowful cries from its mouth.

It seemed indifferent to Xu Qing's arrival or departure. Its gaze was fixed on the dragon carriage, its thoughts clearly stirred by the Sound-Capturing Bottle, bringing to mind the master it once accompanied. Its wailing echoed through the heavens and earth.

Finally, the giant lowered itself, kneeling before the dragon carriage.

The wailing from its mouth intensified, as if it desperately, yet unwillingly, tried to summon something. But even at the very end, there was no response.

Its emotions gradually faded into a deathly stillness, as if it slowly forgot everything once more, leaving only pure instinct. It then began to slowly walk, pulling the dragon carriage towards the seabed. The inheritance complete, it would now fall into an unawakable slumber, not to stir again for another century.

Yet the sea remained far from calm. The tsunamis unleashed earlier had stirred up a storm, which continuously expanded its turbulent reach outwards from this central point in all directions.

Meanwhile, on the sea surface several thousand miles away, where the storm had not yet encroached, Xu Qing's figure suddenly materialized amidst a flash of teleportation light, falling onto the water with a splash.

The sea, filled with strange substances, made contact with Xu Qing's open wounds. The intense pain and severe injuries blurred his vision, but the violent stimulation caused him to snap his eyes open. Instinctively, he waved his hand, summoned his Dharma Boat, and after a difficult struggle to climb aboard, activated its protective barrier.

He then collapsed onto the deck, his entire body trembling as blood gushed from him and his chest heaved violently.

His front torso, arms, hands, and even his face were severely mangled, much of the flesh stripped away. Exposed bones showed numerous fractures, and in some areas, they were entirely penetrated. The sight was horrifying.

Any outsider present would have found him unrecognizable.

Xu Qing's vision was blurred with double images. Fighting off unconsciousness, he tremblingly pulled out elixirs and swallowed them greedily. He also activated his purple crystal, causing its healing power to rapidly spread. As the violet light suffused him, Xu Qing endured his wounds, a sharp glint in his eyes as he coldly swept a glance at his shadow. In the sunlight, the shadow quivered violently under his gaze, clearly trying to curry favor.

It was genuinely terrified.

Previously, when Xu Qing acquired the Life Lantern, it was due to the shadow's intervention, so even though Xu Qing was severely injured, the shadow hadn't been particularly concerned. But this time, it was not only terrified by Xu Qing's earlier subjugation but had also personally witnessed Xu Qing's entirely self-achieved feat and an indescribable, horrifying madness.

It realized that if this person could be so ruthless to himself, his ruthlessness towards others would be unimaginable.

Thus, it hadn't dared to cause any trouble earlier; now, it diligently conveyed subservient emotions, even extending small patches to shade Xu Qing from the sun. The black iron stick beside it also trembled uncontrollably. Inside, the Adamantine Sect Ancestor's face was ashen, his eyes wide with terror and shock. "I've lived so many years," he muttered, "and I've never seen anyone so utterly reckless!"

"In that bizarre world of the Merfolk before, I already felt profound terror; just now it was even more visceral!"

"This demon Xu is utterly insane. If this continues, he might just get himself killed one day, and if he dies, I'll certainly die with him. But if he somehow survives his repeated acts of madness, he's bound to accumulate more and more treasures, and then I might become expendable and be killed anyway."

"There's no solution," the Adamantine Sect Ancestor thought, his fear intensifying with each reflection. The overwhelming nature of this dread made him uncharacteristically oblivious to the shadow's fawning behavior towards Xu Qing.

He believed the only way out was to strive even harder himself and surpass the demon Xu's achievements.

This realization caused the Adamantine Sect Ancestor's eyes to redden. He was not one to relish risk, but now, he had no alternative. He felt that if he didn't fight for his life, he would certainly lose it.

Furthermore, another matter significantly contributed to his heightened sense of crisis.

He believed, based on the ancient texts and tales he had read, that characters who learned too many of others' secrets rarely came to a good end.

This thought made the Adamantine Sect Ancestor shiver even more. Noticing the shadow's actions, he swiftly propelled himself out, manipulating the black iron stick to encircle Xu Qing. He adopted a posture of unwavering loyalty, prepared to fight to the death to protect his master at the slightest sign of danger.

"Master, please rest and recover; I will handle everything!" the Adamantine Sect Ancestor declared loudly, his eyes bloodshot. He then fixed a death glare on the shadow, clearly convinced that the greatest threat came from it.

Noting the shadow's fawning and the Adamantine Sect Ancestor's pledges, Xu Qing deliberated before casting a faint glance at the shadow, then offering a nod of appreciation towards the Adamantine Sect Ancestor. Upon seeing the approval in Xu Qing's expression, the Adamantine Sect Ancestor was so overcome with emotion that he nearly burst into tears. All his existential dread seemed to melt away with Xu Qing's calm demeanor, replaced by an unprecedented sense of profound gratitude.

This sensation caused the Adamantine Sect Ancestor's body to tremble, and his mind felt a resonant hum. Uncharacteristically, words escaped him without a moment's thought. "Master!! From this moment on, unless I am utterly destroyed, I shall guarantee your safety! I am fully prepared to self-detonate!"

Xu Qing nodded and averted his gaze. While seemingly dedicating himself entirely to healing, he was in fact keeping a portion of his attention on the two, ready to instantly suppress the shadow and shatter the Adamantine Sect Ancestor's life soul should they attempt any treachery.

Regarding his own injuries, Xu Qing felt that even though he had essentially lost half his life, he still had the other half remaining.

After the incident with the Life Lantern and witnessing his captain's madness, Xu Qing felt his own ordeal was insignificant. Thus, despite his body being wracked with intense pain and his aura extremely weak, a lingering trace of madness and exhilaration flickered in his eyes.

It was worth it.

Xu Qing struggled to sit up and leaned against the side, paying no mind to the severity of his current injuries. What filled his mind was the immense reward he had gained from risking everything! He didn't know how many breaths he had remained within that dragon carriage.

But he knew that the Golden Crow's silhouette, now formed beside his Life Lantern, was no longer a mere outline but a vivid, lifelike image. This was the Golden Crow Refines All Spirits, the incredibly precious Emperor-grade cultivation technique inheritance seed for the entire Ancient Continent!