Chapter 297: Primordial Separation of the Mystic Pillar

As the twilight afterglow faded, Xu Qing's magic boat returned to its berth. Almost immediately upon his return, he received a voice transmission from the Captain.

"Little Ah Qing, how was your date this time? Come on, I'm at the Immortal Pool where you got me a discount. Do you want to come soak for a bit and tell your senior brother what happened? I can give you some pointers with my extensive experience."

"Maybe another day," Xu Qing replied. Just as he was about to end the transmission, the Captain coughed.

"Master is here too..."

Xu Qing fell silent.

A moment later, inside the Immortal Pool run by Xu Xiaohui, in a hidden small pool overlooking the main pool below, Xu Qing, the Captain, and Seventh Master—the three of them, master and disciples—were soaking.

Xu Qing looked at the two of them with a strange expression.

Seventh Master coughed and glared at the Captain.

"I was meditating just now! You pleaded with me to come, so what exactly is it?!"

The Captain blinked.

Seventh Master snorted, so the Captain sighed and looked at Xu Qing with a wronged expression.

"Little Ah Qing, your trip out with Immortal Zixuan, *cough*, how far did things go?"

Seventh Master's expression was normal, as if he wasn't very interested.

Xu Qing silently glanced at his master, then, after thinking for a moment, he replied.

"Senior Zixuan taught me to play the flute."

Seventh Master's ears twitched.

The Captain quickly asked.

"And then?"

"Then we went to pay respects to one of her old acquaintances—the master of that old man from Xuan You Sect on Mount Tai Si Duo'e." Xu Qing didn't hide anything, recounting what happened on the way.

There was actually nothing to hide.

"That's it?" The Captain looked incredulous.

"Yes, and on the way back, Senior Zixuan gave me a flute," Xu Qing nodded.

"What kind of flute?" the Captain asked, curious.

"It's called something like a Willow Flute," Xu Qing replied.

Before the Captain could speak, Seventh Master gasped.

"Willow Moon Spirit Melody Flute?"

Xu Qing was a little unfamiliar with the name, so he simply took out the flute.

The moment he saw the flute, Seventh Master's expression became somewhat dazed. After a while, he stood up expressionlessly and glared at the Captain again.

"If you interrupt me again when I'm meditating in the future, I'll break your legs!"

The Captain's eyes widened, showing intense grievance, as if to say, "You old man are too unreasonable! You clearly called me here and then made me call Xu Qing!"

Seventh Master coughed.

"Alright, what you mentioned last time is approved."

After speaking, Seventh Master put on his clothes while speaking to Xu Qing.

"Fourth One, you've now reached Four Flames, and the timing is about right. After I finish what I'm busy with, I'll take you out for a trip."

"Many people now know that you possess two life lamps. Whether it's the Lingyun Sword Sect or other malicious elements, this trip out will draw them in, and we'll wipe out a wave. That way, you'll be able to travel more peacefully on your own later."

Seventh Master walked away with his hands behind his back.

Not until Seventh Master had left did the Captain's expression instantly return to normal, without a trace of grievance. Instead, he smiled triumphantly at Xu Qing.

"Learn from this, Junior Brother. This is how you deal with the old man. He acts tough and speaks harshly, but he's soft-hearted, so if I act a bit wronged now and then, he'll compromise. However, this time the old man was clearly embarrassed. From what I can tell, he knows the name of this flute so well; it's highly likely he gave it to her back then."

Xu Qing blinked, remembering Immortal Zixuan saying that too many people gave her gifts back then, and she had forgotten who gave her the flute. Recalling his master's demeanor just now, he felt that this was very likely.

After soaking for a while longer, Xu Qing also got up, ready to leave. Before he left, the Captain leaned back lazily, a contented voice emerging from him.

"Little Ah Qing, can you get me another jade slip later? I asked around here, and there's no 20% discount. That's a rare VIP privilege; you're quite something, kid."

"What about yours?" Xu Qing asked.

"I gave it to Wu Jianwu," the Captain said in a mysterious whisper. "I need Wu Jianwu's help with something. You'll know soon enough. Once I succeed, it'll be amazing, and I might have to go into hiding for a while then. Also, I'll need you to put in a good word for me."

Xu Qing wasn't surprised; he already knew from his informants that the Captain and Wu Jianwu had been here many times before. Hearing this, he nodded. As for the Captain's talk of going into hiding, Xu Qing thought it was normal, as he could probably guess what the Captain's target was this time.

"Nine times out of ten, it's that tooth," Xu Qing thought, glancing at the Captain. He left the Immortal Pool, and it was already late at night when he returned to his berth. After sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

During his time away, with Immortal Zixuan present, he couldn't fully immerse his mind in meditation, which consumed some time. So, Xu Qing planned that in the coming days, he would catch up on the cultivation he had fallen behind on.

And so, three days passed.

In the dead of night on the third day, Xu Qing, who was meditating, suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of anticipation in his gaze. He sensed a disturbance within his storage bag.

It came from the bottle containing the small black worms that had consumed the Immortal Freeze.

Xu Qing took out the bottle. He first sensed it, and after confirming there were no issues, he opened it.

There was nothing inside the bottle. Xu Qing looked around but couldn't sense anything either.

But a strong sense of danger subtly permeated the area around him.

Xu Qing's expression remained normal. He raised his left hand and cut his right palm. Blood instantly welled up, and though the wound healed in an instant, the blood that flowed out was enough.

The next moment, the air stirred, and a group of invisible presences, difficult to detect even by perception, rushed from all directions towards the blood on Xu Qing's palm. Under Xu Qing's observation, the blood on his palm visibly shrank and finally disappeared.

As the blood disappeared, Xu Qing finally sensed the presence of the small black worms.

After these small black worms absorbed the Immortal Freeze, they had reached such a considerable level of concealment that Xu Qing couldn't detect them before.

But after all, each batch of them was nurtured by Xu Qing's own blood, containing his poison within their bodies. Although they hadn't drunk blood for a long time, their instincts still remained.

And now, after consuming Xu Qing's blood, the connection between them became clear again.

"Three hundred seventy-one in total." Xu Qing's gaze swept over the surroundings, and he felt satisfied.

But he understood this was just the beginning; he would need to continue feeding them. And because these small worms hadn't eaten poison for a long time, they all radiated a sense of hunger at this moment.

So the next day, Xu Qing left his berth and went to purchase poisonous herbs and toxins from pharmacies across the main city of the Eight Sects Alliance. He had the status of a Dao Child, with an annual allowance of eight million spirit stones, so he didn't feel any pinch when buying poisonous herbs.

In a single day, he purchased a large quantity of poisonous herbs, many of which were rare and uncommon, along with some ready-made poison pills. After buying all of these, Xu Qing began feeding the small black worms.

Xu Qing had originally intended to proceed gradually with this feeding process.

But his small black worms were clearly extremely hungry. At first, Xu Qing was worried they couldn't handle it and controlled the feeding pace somewhat.

But later, he simply placed the purchased poisonous herbs and pills there, and his small black worms swarmed onto them, devouring them frantically.

Seven days passed like this. The small black worms ate more and more poisonous herbs, and the spirit stones spent each day flowed like water. Similarly, the poison contained within these small black worms, perhaps because the Immortal Freeze had been completely absorbed by them, became increasingly ferocious.

Even a typical Heavenly Palace Golden Core cultivator, if bitten by them and the worms burrowed into their body, would surely die violently.

This made Xu Qing gasp. He then took out his Forbidden Poison Pill and began to carry out the plan he had formulated back in South Phoenix Continent: he wanted to cultivate small black worms that could live inside the poison pill.

However, this process was still not particularly smooth. Although the small black worms had mutated and become more ferocious than before, the poison of the pill was too terrifying. They could only last longer but still couldn't fully live inside it.

However, Xu Qing was already very satisfied, because he discovered that this batch of small black worms could subtly absorb some of the Forbidden Poison Pill's venom and retain it within their bodies.

Although they couldn't retain it for too long and had to expel it every few days—otherwise, they would rot into ashes—being able to do this was enough to greatly increase Xu Qing's combat power.

He could also finally make limited use of the Forbidden Poison Pill, using it as his trump card instead of a mutual destruction method.

This greatly excited Xu Qing, so he began a new round of procurement. This time, he was no longer purchasing poisonous herbs or medicines, but living ferocious beasts.

In South Phoenix Continent, condemned prisoners from the Demon Capture Department served as breeding grounds for his small black worms. But in the Eight Sects Alliance, the department he was responsible for had no large prison; however, the Eight Sects Alliance did not lack ferocious beasts.

After Xu Qing experimented, he found that although the effect was not as good as with condemned prisoners, it was acceptable. So for the next period, various harrowing roars of wild beasts were continuously muffled within the protective barrier of his magic boat.

And so, a month passed.

The number of Xu Qing's small black worms finally increased from over three hundred to over three thousand. As he put them away in three small bottles, he received a voice transmission from Seventh Master.

"Seeing you've been buying poisonous herbs and fierce beasts lately, I assume you're refining poison again. How's the refining coming along? If you're not in a hurry, I'll take you out for a trip to get you a Golden Core cultivation technique, and also see if we can lure some targets. Many people now know that you possess two life lamps. Whether it's the Lingyun Sword Sect or other malicious elements, this trip out will draw them in, and we'll wipe out a wave. That way, you'll be able to travel more peacefully on your own later."

Seventh Master had mentioned this matter to Xu Qing before, and Xu Qing didn't hesitate, obeying his master's command.

Meanwhile, in the northern part of Yinghuang Province, at the end of Mount Tai Si Duo'e, the area was entirely white, covered in swirling snow and biting cold. Not only were the mountains perpetually covered in snow, but the ground was too.

The living environment here was extremely harsh, unsuitable for mortal survival. Only in the peripheral areas were there some small mortal nations, while in the depths of the ice plain, human traces were rarely seen for thousands of miles.

Yet a gigantic pillar, seemingly supporting the heavens and earth, stood erect in that extreme northern land.

This pillar was entirely black; even blizzards and fierce winds couldn't shake it in the slightest. Looking up, one couldn't see its end.

Only when one got closer could one clearly see that the pillar was a full thousand zhang thick, but its height remained unknown.

Innumerous runes and totems were carved upon it, emitting an indescribably vast power.

Making all who saw it feel their own insignificance and a desire to worship.

Furthermore, a towering battle intent emanated from this pillar, containing immense ferocity, as if it could shatter everything.

This was the Grand Beginning Severed Nether Pillar!

Looking around, countless dome-shaped tents, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, existed around the Grand Beginning Severed Nether Pillar, forming a unique city.

Inside, there were no mortals, only cultivators from all directions who gathered here to cultivate using the Grand Beginning Severed Nether Pillar.

This pillar was extraordinary; the fluctuations it emitted, if sensed for a long time, would form divine talismans infused with battle intent within one's mind. Through these talismans, one could hone their will and improve their cultivation.

Furthermore, the Grand Beginning Severed Nether Pillar contained countless inheritances. Anyone could climb it at any time, and the higher one climbed, the greater the inheritance gained.

Thus, the sixth major force of Yinghuang Province was formed.

Of course, there was an even more important reason: this place was where the Sword Court of the Sword Holders was located in Yinghuang Province.

The Sword Court was built at the highest point of the Grand Beginning Severed Nether Pillar. Beyond the countless clouds and mist, above the sky, at the very end of the pillar, a palace stood.

This palace was unique; it wasn't built from bricks, tiles, or beautiful jade, but was constructed from countless swords. Innumerable swords interlaced with one another, forming this Sword Palace.

Between the Grand Beginning Severed Nether Pillar and the palace, it seemed as if the former supported the latter, and also as if the latter was suppressing the former.

It wasn't very clear from the ground, but from here, one could vaguely see the Grand Beginning Severed Nether Pillar trembling slightly, as if someone was calling to it, making it want to rise from the ground.

But it was suppressed by the Sword Palace, and could only tremble, unable to move even an inch.

At this moment, inside this Sword Palace, a grand deliberation of the Sword Court's powerful figures was underway!

Nine cultivators participated in this deliberation. All wore white robes, their appearances obscured, yet each emanated terrifying fluctuations. Their eyes, occasionally visible from within their white robes, also contained supreme majesty.

It seemed that the life and death of any sect or cult could be entirely decided by these nine.

Because these nine were the highest-level Sword Envoys of the Yinghuang Province Sword Court, even powerful entities like the Tai Si Immortal Sect nominally had to obey and cooperate with their edicts.

Because they represented the orthodox human race, specifically the Sword Department—one of the five Great Departments of the Upper Xuan of the Human Race—which had its branch office in Yinghuang Province.

Because behind them was the inherited ancient kingdom left behind in the Imperial Capital Great Domain after the departure of Emperor Xuanyou. Even though the human race was now in decline, and the once unified Wanggu Continent had shrunk to only one domain and seven counties, it was still one of the great races.

There was still... a Human Emperor on the throne.

At this moment, within the Sword Court, a voice echoed.

"Two matters. First, the new round of Sword Holder entrance examinations is about to begin. An edict has come from the Sword Palace in Feng Hai County, stating that a great era has arrived, with geniuses appearing frequently among all races, which is both a crisis and an opportunity. Therefore, all provincial Sword Courts are to raise the threshold for this entrance examination. Our Sword Holders only recruit the most exceptional prodigies."

"Second matter: In recent years, the Grand Beginning Severed Nether Pillar's tremors have become increasingly strong, and our memorials have also received a response. According to deductions from the County Palace, consistent with our judgment, the Ghost Venerable of Yinghuang Province shows signs of resurgence. The County Palace has instructed us to deal with this matter as soon as possible. Indeed, if it is to revive, that is why in recent years, the Three Spirits of the Dao-Suppressing Mountains and the Seven Fiends of the Southern Peaks, formed from the Ghost Venerable's three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls, have seen their cultivation advance by leaps and bounds."

"This matter will proceed according to our previous discussion. For the Ghost Venerable to revive, its three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls must return. Suppressing one corporeal soul would not be very effective, so we must plan to suppress one ethereal soul and bring it here. In this way, the Ghost Venerable cannot become complete and will struggle to awaken."