Chapter 317: Rapid Progress

Three fires illuminated the Sixth Palace, four fires shone on the Seventh Palace, and five fires brightened the Eighth Palace! At this moment, Xu Qing's six ethereal Heavenly Palaces, veiled by the mist of destiny, emanated a hazy glow, creating a power of status that elevated his cultivation from the Foundation Establishment level to the Golden Core stage, where it became stable.

Within the mist of destiny, the Seventh and Eighth ethereal Heavenly Palaces, though enveloped by the mist, still shone brightly. However, compared to these eight Heavenly Palaces, the Ninth Palace, situated at the very top, was truly peerless and incomparably radiant. That Ninth Palace was formed by the Seven-Colored Wind Chime Lamp, its dazzling light piercing through the mist of destiny and illuminating the surroundings. With the Seven-Colored Wind Chime Lamp presiding within, it generated terrifying fluctuations, transforming into astonishing pressure. This single palace alone possessed the power of six fires.

At this moment, as Xu Qing raised his second Lamp of Destiny, a thunderous roar echoed within his Sea of Consciousness, as if deities were shouting and all creation was roaring. The resulting fluctuations spread outwards from his body, stirring the surrounding winds and clouds, causing the sky to change color. Then, the large black umbrella traversed everything, appearing above the Ninth Palace within the mist of destiny. There, it suddenly flashed with dazzling light. The roaring continued, and light surged like an ocean, sweeping over everything. Around this large black umbrella Lamp of Destiny, a Heavenly Palace rapidly formed, visibly solidifying. It was not ethereal, but substantial! This was the Tenth Palace!

Unlike the swirling seven-colored light of the Ninth Palace, this Tenth Palace was pitch-black, with endless black flames burning within, making it resemble a netherworld palace from hell. While horrifying to behold, immense power also emanated from within, causing Xu Qing's combat strength at this moment to surge dramatically, far surpassing his previous capabilities! He not only advanced to Golden Core but also formed two Heavenly Palaces in a single step!

Golden Core cultivators with Heavenly Palaces marked a watershed for cultivators on the Wanggu Continent. Those below Golden Core were considered low-level cultivators, focusing on foundational aspects. Upon entering the Golden Core stage, their foundations were established, and subsequent cultivation would undergo a qualitative leap. Especially for someone like him, this single advancement already surpassed many Golden Core Guardians within various alliances, a rare feat in the current era! For instance, Sima Ru had not completed the construction of her second Heavenly Palace even after many years. From this, the importance of the Lamp of Destiny could also be seen.

Furthermore, Xu Qing's combat strength was not limited to this; he also possessed an Emperor-tier cultivation method that was undergoing transformation. Overall, Xu Qing's combat strength had already surpassed that of ordinary cultivators with two Heavenly Palaces. Not to mention his Poison Core!

Currently, Xu Qing's immediate goal was to quickly form his third Heavenly Palace, suppress his Poison Core within it, and once again unleash his cultivation and combat strength. Following this, he aimed to progressively transform all remaining Heavenly Palaces from ethereal to substantial. By that time, with ten Heavenly Palaces, his combat strength would reach a terrifying level that would astound cultivators of the same realm. This process would not take long, as his Golden Core cultivation method was different from others.

Xu Qing's eyes suddenly opened. The imprint of the Ghostly Dao Plunder technique, imparted by his master, spread within his mind at that moment. As it merged with his consciousness, his right hand slowly became transparent. It seemed to exist between reality and illusion. Xu Qing looked down at his right hand, feeling a terrifying aura contained within it, along with an endless strangeness. This hand could penetrate an enemy's Sea of Consciousness, breach their Heavenly Palace, seize their Golden Core, and forcibly plunder it. Moreover, in Xu Qing's perception, his right hand also held immense deterrence against strange entities.

“My master said that when this technique is cultivated to its peak, my entire body can transform between reality and illusion, thereby avoiding most dangers,” Xu Qing murmured to himself, a resolute look in his eyes. He eagerly desired to improve himself and become stronger. After a moment, Xu Qing took a deep breath. He knew he needed to work harder than before. With a thought, his right hand instantly returned to normal.

Xu Qing calmly stood up and bowed respectfully with clasped fists towards the Peak Lord of the Three Peaks, who had been guarding him from the sky. “Thank you, Third Master.” During his aperture activation and advancement, the Third Master had constantly observed from the sky. Although Xu Qing knew this was due to his master's influence, he was still very grateful.

In the sky, the Peak Lord of the Three Peaks looked at Xu Qing with a glint in his eyes. He openly showed his appreciation for Xu Qing, considering him one of the most astonishing disciples within the Seven Blood Eyes over the years. “Live on,” the Peak Lord of the Three Peaks slowly said, “In the future Yinghuang Province, you will have a place.” Xu Qing bowed once more. The Peak Lord of the Three Peaks waved his hand; the surrounding formations dissipated, and his figure also vanished into the sky.

Xu Qing gazed at the spot where the Peak Lord of the Three Peaks had vanished, then glanced at the vast ancient bronze mirror high in the sky. After a long moment, he retrieved his magic vessel. Stepping onto it, with a thought, the vessel's spirit let out a roar, instantly unleashing power comparable to that of a Golden Core, and sped off into the distance. Its speed was immense, instantly carrying Xu Qing to the port. Without pausing, he leaped from the vessel and plunged into the Forbidden Sea. He had arrived as a four-fire Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he departed as a two-palace Golden Core cultivator. The difference in his combat strength was like the vast chasm between heaven and earth.

As he sped along, Xu Qing gazed into the distance. After a while, he suddenly spoke. “You Lingzi.”

“Master!” The next instant, the black iron skewer appeared beside Xu Qing, and the figure of the Adamantine Sect Patriarch materialized within it. His face still showed lingering awe as he knelt on the ground, speaking nervously.

“Your combat strength is a bit weak. If you can’t keep up with me…” Xu Qing didn't finish his sentence, looking at the Adamantine Sect Patriarch with a profound gaze.

The Adamantine Sect Patriarch’s body trembled. He immediately looked up, vigorously patted his chest, and declared loudly. “Master, rest assured! I have long been preparing for this and was just about to report it to you. In at most six months—no, at most three months!—my Thunder Spirit body will advance again, transforming from a spirit into a soul!” The Adamantine Sect Patriarch's eyes were a bit red; he was clearly putting everything on the line. In reality, he was still far from a breakthrough, but he had no choice. He felt that if he didn't put in countless times the effort, given Xu Qing's current state, he would inevitably become cannon fodder. However, to break through in three months, he would need many resources. After a moment of hesitation, the Adamantine Sect Patriarch spoke softly. “Master, actually, I can also absorb souls. When I advanced to a Thunder Spirit, I needed to absorb magic artifacts. Now, to advance to a Thunder Soul, I require a large quantity of souls…”

Xu Qing glanced at the Adamantine Sect Patriarch. He had originally intended to say that if the other party couldn't keep up, he would release him, as the Adamantine Sect Patriarch had performed satisfactorily over the past few years. However, since the other party had already made such a declaration, Xu Qing thought about it and decided not to bring up the matter.

Meanwhile, witnessing this scene, the shadow also grew anxious and spontaneously emitted emotional fluctuations. “Fragments! I want three breakthroughs!” There was no need for the Adamantine Sect Patriarch to translate; Xu Qing understood immediately that the shadow was referring to the fragments of the forbidden magical artifact he had obtained from Sima Ling. Previously, Xu Qing had felt he shouldn't easily give them to the shadow, as its instinctive backlash could easily cause problems. However, now that he had entered the Heavenly Palace Golden Core stage, the situation was different. So, Xu Qing nodded, and with a wave of his hand, he retrieved the fragment and tossed it onto the shadow on the ground. The next instant, the shadow cheered, rapidly spreading to envelop the fragment, then greedily began to absorb it.

Days later, Xu Qing saw the Eight Sect Alliance's port in the distance. This entire journey had taken him over half a month, which wasn't particularly long. Yet, thanks to the combined efforts of the entire alliance, the sect's restoration had largely erased any traces of the calamity that had befallen it. The heteromorphic substances had been dispelled to their extreme. The remaining traces were almost imperceptible amidst the pervasive immortal spiritual energy of the Immortal Epoch River, and the sect had also constructed specialized formations specifically for dispelling these substances, which were kept active at all times. All buildings had been fully repaired. Apart from the lingering oppression and silence within the city, which would take time to dissipate, everything else was as normal.

Xu Qing's return was only communicated to his master; he informed no one else. Upon his return, Xu Qing continued his cultivation in lotus position at his berth, simultaneously familiarizing himself with his Heavenly Palace Golden Core state and studying the Ghostly Dao Plunder technique in his mind. At the same time, he was also adapting to the changes in the power of his spells due to his cultivation breakthrough. Whether it was the Mysterious Nether Finger, the Roaring Sea Ninefold, or the Nine Springs Below, Xu Qing was re-exploring all of them. Furthermore, his elemental Azure Dragon had also undergone changes after his breakthrough. This Azure Dragon, as the spirit within his elemental aperture, would have actually become the first Golden Core Xu Qing refined and suppressed within his first Heavenly Palace, had it not been for his Poison Core and the Palace of Destiny Lamp. Xu Qing would not abandon this; he intended to nurture both his Poison Core and this elemental Golden Core together.

“As for the Golden Crow Refining Ten Thousand Spirits technique, it requires one more absorption to advance to the second stage,” Xu Qing mused, closing his eyes and sensing his Emperor-tier cultivation method. Days passed as Xu Qing adapted to the Golden Core realm. With the internal recovery of the alliance, efforts to gather intelligence on Zhu Zhao intensified greatly. In particular, the Seven Blood Eyes, with Seventh Master personally overseeing intelligence, were diligently searching for traces of Zhu Zhao. Both the Eight Sect Alliance and the Seven Blood Eyes needed a slaughter to vent this oppressive atmosphere, and Xu Qing felt the same, so he was waiting. However, intelligence gathering and meticulous verification required time. No one at this point would underestimate Zhu Zhao, and they had to be wary of falling into traps.

Thus, while the intelligence was still unconfirmed, the Seven Blood Eyes received visitors. They came from Dongyou Island in the Forbidden Sea, a grand procession of hundreds of cultivators. Leading them were Elder Dongyou and his granddaughter, Yanyan. As close allies of the Seven Blood Eyes, the incident that had occurred there naturally drew the attention of Dongyou Island. Their arrival signified their intention to collaborate with the Seven Blood Eyes in planning a series of initiatives and a revenge operation against Zhu Zhao. Almost immediately upon their arrival, during the meeting between Xue Lianzi, Seventh Master, and Elder Dongyou, Yanyan secretly slipped away. She was clearly very interested in and knowledgeable about the Seven Blood Eyes, especially concerning Xu Qing. Therefore, without needing to ask where Xu Qing was, she went directly to his berth.

“Brother Xu Qing, Yanyan missed you so much!” Outside the magic vessel, Yanyan stood there, speaking softly.