Chapter 337: The Golden Light on the Wrist

Three days passed.

The fusion of his third Heavenly Palace with the Forbidden Poison Elixir was proceeding slowly, reaching ten percent, twenty percent, then thirty percent. Xu Qing's body was extensively decaying, yet he remained seated, resisting with all his might. In addition to the purple crystal, his Lifelamps, and the Ghost Emperor Mountain, Xu Qing also released all his small black insects during these three days. Under his control, these black insects burrowed into his body, absorbing the elixir's essence from his flesh. These were Xu Qing's first wave of preparations to aid the fusion with the Forbidden Poison Elixir. However, the elixir's ferocity was too overwhelming, and Xu Qing's initial preparations were not very effective. His body was visibly decaying. He could only rely on these methods, striving for the fusion to complete before death arrived.

Time slowly passed, and another four days went by. The fusion and transformation of his third Heavenly Palace with the Forbidden Poison Elixir finally reached seventy percent. Yet, throughout these four days, Xu Qing endured terrible torment and pain. By the end, he had little strength left, able to do nothing but silently endure. The ground where he sat was covered in black blood, the residue of his decaying flesh. His clothes hung loosely, his flesh was almost completely decayed, and his exposed hands had little remaining flesh, revealing startling black bones. The poison from the Forbidden Poison Elixir was thoroughly destroying everything in his body; even his Sea of Consciousness was riddled with holes, and his soul was exceedingly dim. It seemed his condition was swiftly leading to death.

In reality, his ability to persist this long was a miracle, a testament to Xu Qing's profound foundations. Integrating the Forbidden Poison Elixir was something even the mighty being who left it behind had failed to accomplish. After all, if they had truly succeeded, this incomplete elixir wouldn't have been left behind as a regret. That mighty being was undoubtedly extraordinary, and even with their protection, no one had succeeded, which highlights how difficult the task was. Therefore, everything was merely theoretically possible. Even with two Lifelamps guarding him, the Ghost Emperor Mountain suppressing the poison, his own inherent resistance, and the small black insects assisting, Xu Qing was ultimately reaching the end of his tether. Although the purple crystal was still operating at its peak, emanating life force to prolong Xu Qing's life, it too had its limits.

The shadow no longer emitted emotions, and the Adamantine Sect Ancestor was also extremely cautious. They felt the deathly aura emanating from Xu Qing, and their hearts were filled with complex emotions. Nevertheless, Xu Qing's past deterrence and iron-bloodedness prevented them from harboring rebellious thoughts, and even if they did, they wouldn't dare act on them.

After another half a day, only black bones remained of Xu Qing's legs, and his hair was gone. His once eerie face now resembled a skull, the decaying flesh turning into thick black blood that dripped onto the ground. His eyelids had also disappeared, revealing lifeless eyes as his life force rapidly dissipated. At this point, the purple crystal was also powerless; Xu Qing seemed on the verge of failure, but just then, a glimmer of light appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. The appearance of this glimmer startled both the Adamantine Sect Ancestor and the shadow.

Xu Qing ignored them. He silently lowered his head, a cracking sound accompanying the movement, as if with the slightest effort, his head would fall from his neck. After lowering his head, Xu Qing painstakingly lifted his right hand, which had only a trace of flesh left, and picked up a small bottle he had placed in front of him. Crushing it, the Dao Blood of Returning to the Void inside flew out, heading straight for his body. This was Xu Qing's second wave of assistance. In an instant, the Dao blood merged into Xu Qing's body. The life force from the Dao blood instantly surged through Xu Qing's entire body, nourishing his flesh and blood while also making the Ghost Emperor Mountain in his Sea of Consciousness shine brightly. However, compared to the life force within this drop of blood, the Dao rhyme it contained was the true key. So, while the help in terms of life force was present, it was limited. But its assistance to Xu Qing's Ghost Emperor Mountain was immense. At this moment, as it absorbed the Dao rhyme, the Ghost Emperor Mountain became increasingly tangible. It emitted a rich Dao rhyme, and its face grew more and more similar to Xu Qing's, seemingly taking a significant step towards full materialization. This change was more like a qualitative transformation; without that Dao blood, achieving such a transformation would have been almost impossible. The effect of the Dao blood was like bestowing a soul seed or granting a spiritual root!

Normally, Xu Qing would observe this thoroughly, but he lacked the mental energy now. Relying on the life force within this Dao blood, he survived for another day. The blackening of his third Heavenly Palace went from seventy to eighty percent. After eighty percent, Xu Qing's body decay intensified once more. Trembling, he took out a piece of wood and placed it before him. This was his third wave of assistance. The next moment, the black piece of wood glowed, transforming into a large black door that slowly opened, emitting a white light that sealed life-level. The appearance of this light instantly transformed into a sealing force, attempting to solidify Xu Qing's life state. Yet, this light, which had successfully sealed life states during the Sea Corpse Race transformation, at this moment... surprisingly couldn't fully take effect. It couldn't completely seal, only delay. The poison from the Forbidden Poison Elixir was too high-grade; it seemed only life force could counter it and achieve balance. Besides that, the effect of all external forces could not be perfectly displayed. Even so, it still had some effect. Under this delay, the purple crystal in Xu Qing's body and everything else resisting the poison elixir seemed to loosen up slightly, allowing him to persist for a little longer.

Another day passed. His third Heavenly Palace was now ninety percent blackened, and the fusion and transformation were also at this stage. However, at this point, the sealing effect of the black door's light also lost its effectiveness. "Ninety percent..." Xu Qing muttered inwardly, the light in his eyes dimming, and the world before him growing blurry. Yet, there was no panic in his heart. Despite this, everything was still within his control. However, the sheer consumption indeed exceeded his expectations. Struggling, Xu Qing glanced at the bottles and jars placed in front of him. These were obtained from the Serene Spirit Venerable. They contained various elixirs, though their effects were mixed. Xu Qing had previously inspected and sorted them; what was now before him were mostly elixirs containing some amount of life force. These were his fourth wave of assistance for fusing the poison elixir.

He didn't hesitate, crushing bottle after bottle. Soon, colorful pills flew into his body, rapidly melting and releasing life force within him, nourishing his entire being. Although the nourishing effect was average, the sheer quantity still had some impact. According to Xu Qing's plan, it should have been sufficient.

But at this very moment, Xu Qing's gaze suddenly fell upon his right wrist, where there was no flesh, only black bone. Staring at the wrist bone, a hint of confusion appeared in Xu Qing's dim eyes. There, a faint golden light was emanating at that very moment. This golden light was extremely faint; one wouldn't notice it without careful observation. Moreover, if it were covered by flesh, it wouldn't be visible at all. Even divine sense could barely detect it, and there was no sensory perception whatsoever. Its appearance was also extremely sudden; it flashed once and then vanished. After its disappearance, Xu Qing felt nothing different. Nor did he notice any change in himself.

While he was bewildered, the rate at which the elixirs he had consumed released life force subtly increased. While nourishing Xu Qing's entire body, the poison elixir within the third Heavenly Palace subtly weakened in its toxicity. Not only that, but the fusion of the third Heavenly Palace also imperceptibly accelerated. All of this caused Xu Qing's poison elixir fusion to immediately spread from ninety percent to one hundred percent! His third Heavenly Palace was completely blackened, and the Forbidden Poison Elixir within it was fully integrated. A sense of subtle connection with himself emerged in Xu Qing's mind at that moment.

Xu Qing's body trembled. The next instant, all the poison in his body rapidly contracted, returning simultaneously to the third Heavenly Palace. The moment there was no trace left, the purple crystal's recovery power suddenly erupted, subtly accelerating, causing Xu Qing's body to rapidly recover. This recovery was incredibly swift; his flesh regenerated, his Sea of Consciousness healed extensively, and his soul's bright flame of life reignited. Beneath his robes, his body slowly regained flesh. Though still gaunt and not as before, he was improving. It was at this moment that he felt the purple crystal's recovery power return to normal. Xu Qing didn't believe all of this was a coincidence. He thought of the fleeting, very faint golden light. He could even say that if Xu Qing hadn't noticed the faint golden light on his wrist bone earlier, he wouldn't have found anything unusual at this moment. He would have naturally overlooked this subtle detail, completely engrossed in the thrill of success. But now, looking back, all the improvements were subtle. One might be a coincidence, but too many coincidences surely indicate a problem. Xu Qing's heart trembled. He suddenly stood up, just about to lower his head to look at his right wrist. "No!"

But at this moment, as his third Heavenly Palace fused with the Forbidden Poison Elixir, the connection to his own life force caused this formerly inanimate elixir to show signs of revival, just as Xu Qing had anticipated. This sign was an intense feeling of hunger. Xu Qing's body trembled; the flesh he had just partially recovered instantly withered away again. But unlike before, there was no decay, only continuous withering accompanied by an extreme, intense hunger. This feeling made Xu Qing's eyes instantly turn bloodshot, like when he practiced the Golden Crow Refining Ten Thousand Spirits technique in the past. Xu Qing's breathing was ragged. With bloodshot eyes, he abruptly turned to look at the Adamantine Sect Ancestor and the shadow. He seemed to be losing control, his mouth salivating profusely.

***

Meanwhile, in the boundless Forbidden Sea, in a region very far from Yinghuang State, at the deepest part of the seabed, there was a colossal ruin. More precisely, it was an underwater wasteland, submerged in endless darkness. If one possessed eyes that could pierce through darkness, they would see countless ancient structures here, whose collapse and burial dated back to unknown eons. The entire ruin was desolate and eerily silent. Faintly, some broken statues could be seen within the city. Without exception, these statues were of women in black battle armor, each exquisitely beautiful and possessing an astonishing aura. White dragon-snakes were coiled around their bodies.

Beneath this ruin, even deeper beneath the seabed, there was a vast underground cavern. This cavern was not filled with unusual seawater, but instead held a teleportation array and an incredibly vast altar. Above the altar, suspended in mid-air, was a skeleton. Judging from the pelvis, the skeleton was female in life. Her body was very tall, with dragon-snake bones circling around her, allowing her to sit upon a dragon's head, while a snake's head rested nearby, as if both were guarding her, willing to live and die with her.

Below this skeleton, on the altar, sat a girl of flawless beauty, with snow-white skin and dressed in a white gown, sitting cross-legged. Her eyelashes were long and currently trembling slightly. Her face flushed a little, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from her lips, staining the ground and her white dress. The moment her blood spurted out, a furious roar came from afar.

"Oh, the misery, the misery! How many times has this happened? What exactly are you trying to do, do you not want to live? You, girl, actually went behind my back and entwined your life-thread with that little bastard Xu, ahhh!!" As the roar echoed, the Banquan Road Old Man, disheveled, sprinted from afar. Though cursing, his face was filled with heartache as he quickly took out an elixir and fed it to the tottering girl.

"Ling'er, this isn't how you use your talent! That little bastard is naturally a short-lived death-seeker; you can't possibly bless him with good fortune every single time!"

The girl's eyelashes trembled slightly. She opened her eyes, which were pure and unblemished, her expression a little timid. She spoke softly. "Brother Xu Qing isn't short-lived at all."

The Banquan Road Old Man nearly spat out old blood. Looking at the timid girl, he stomped his foot hard and sighed mournfully. "Oh, the misery! I shouldn't have gone to the Seven Blood Eyes to sell oddities, and I shouldn't have failed to act the first time I saw that little bastard! If I'd known, I would've killed him on sight back then. I just don't get it, you've barely met a few times, and nothing's even happened. What do you even like about him?!"

Hearing this, the girl's eyes showed confusion. "But liking is just liking. I don't know what I like. I just feel close to him, I feel very happy when I see him, my heart beats faster, and I'm very nervous that he might dislike me. And when Brother Xu Qing is happy, I'm also very happy."

"You, you're still too young. If you don't even know what you like, how can you call it liking? When you grow up and become an adult, when you know what you truly want, then you'll understand what liking is!" the Banquan Road Old Man said earnestly.

The girl's eyes grew even more bewildered. After a long pause, she looked up at the Banquan Road Old Man and spoke timidly. "Father, I don't quite understand adult liking. Do you like someone for a certain purpose? In that case, do you like yourself, or the other person?"

The Banquan Road Old Man froze, opening his mouth to say something, but as he looked at the girl's pure eyes, he was speechless for a long time.