Chapter 420: Mysterious Taixu Realm

"Mostly, it's because I spend a lot on intelligence, but don't worry, little A Qing, the money is spent wisely!"

The captain's embarrassed chuckle came through the jade slip.

"Let me tell you, if I pull this off, we'll strike it rich! Ten years of grueling, life-risking missions on your part wouldn't compare to this one endeavor of mine!"

"So... I need your sponsorship, little junior brother."

The captain's voice was filled with pride and anticipation for the future.

Xu Qing was a little curious hearing this. Knowing the captain, it was certainly possible, but the level of madness involved would also be immense. After some thought, Xu Qing agreed to sponsor him with spirit stones.

He had a decent amount of spirit stones currently, but what he primarily lacked was military merits. He spoke a few more words with the captain, initially intending to send the stones to him or have the captain pick them up, but the captain was busy with something and had no time that night. So, they agreed to meet the next day at the Tai Xu Sect.

Xu Qing also informed the captain that the Sword Holding Palace allowed cultivation techniques from the three major sects to be learned using military merits. The captain showed considerable interest upon hearing this.

"There's such a thing? I haven't heard much about it."

"I get it. It's a subtle move by the three major sects to consolidate power. From the Sword Holding Palace's perspective, they don't particularly want all Sword Holders under their command to originate solely from the three major sects. It's not an issue now, but long-term, it could pose hidden dangers. That's why they haven't publicized learning techniques with military merits, but out of broad-mindedness, they haven't forbidden it either."

"However, from the perspective of the three major sects, they naturally hope that all Sword Holders have a connection to them, which led to the dissemination of these techniques."

"But overall, the Sword Holding Palace is dominant, and the three sects are bound together, sharing prosperity and adversity with it. This must also be the way for the three major sects to survive."

The captain's analysis was coherent, and Xu Qing nodded, finding his explanation reasonable. After confirming their meeting time for the next day, they ended their communication amidst the captain's eager anticipation.

Putting down the communication jade slip, Xu Qing continued to ponder the enhancements for his hands offered by the Ghostly Dao Seizing Art.

"As for integrating anomalous substances... I don't necessarily have to limit myself to just anomalous substances or poison." Xu Qing mused. As his third Heavenly Palace vibrated, the poison-sealing power spread and integrated into his hands.

Instantly, his hands emitted a thick toxic aura, which then transformed, forming his unique anomalous substance. Following the vibration of his fourth Heavenly Palace, Xu Qing's hands turned purple, and the power of the Purple Moon permeated them.

"Such transformations will make it impossible for enemies to defend against external attacks in a life-or-death battle, allowing for a fatal blow at crucial moments."

Xu Qing's way of thinking about problems always started with concealment and surprise. This was related to his upbringing as a child and the style of the Seventh Peak of Seven Blood Eyes.

The night passed with Xu Qing adjusting his Ghostly Dao Seizing Art. The next day, Xu Qing did not go to the Ministry of Justice but instead took three days leave and went to the Tai Xu Sect.

As one of Feng Hai Prefecture's three major sects, the Tai Xu Sect was located southwest of the prefecture capital, occupying a significant area. Numerous teleportation arrays operated year-round within it, connecting the sect's true mountain gate, which was some distance away, closely with the capital. The sole mission of this branch was to serve Sword Holders.

Upon his arrival, Xu Qing saw many Sword Holders entering and exiting. The captain had already arrived, squatting not far away, eating an apple, and waving at Xu Qing.

"Little A Qing, over here."

Xu Qing walked over.

The captain tossed him an apple.

Xu Qing caught it, took a bite, and handed the captain the spirit notes.

Seeing the spirit notes, the captain was incredibly excited. After taking a hearty bite of his apple, he spoke mysteriously. "Don't worry, little junior brother, according to my plan, the time for our big venture is not far off."

"How great is the risk?" Xu Qing asked.

"No risk at all!" the captain declared confidently.

Xu Qing nodded. He knew this meant the risk was absolutely immense.

"I won't say more. I need to find Wu Jianwu. That guy spent a lot of spirit stones to arrange a Sword Holder candidate assessment through my connections, and today he's undergoing the 'Emperor's Heart Questioning.' Last night, I crammed him with some of my old materials to make him feel like he got his money's worth." The captain stood up.

"I'm going to check the results and see if he also falls flat on his face!"

With anticipation in his eyes, the captain left excitedly.

Xu Qing silently watched the captain's retreating figure. He suspected that the captain and Wu Jianwu must have a grudge, otherwise, why would he scam the same person twice in a row?

After seeing the captain disappear into the distance, Xu Qing entered the Tai Xu Sect.

The Tai Xu Sect branch in the capital was circular in shape, with rings of buildings forming its unique Tai Xu Array. Each building was carved with strange and wondrous beasts, some ferocious and brutal, others peaceful and auspicious. Most originated from forbidden zones, with some being alien races. However, in the Tai Xu Sect's understanding, all of these could serve as "demon seeds."

The place for learning the Demon Transformation Art was inside the Transmission Hall. This hall was not a conventional grand hall, but rather a series of stone compartments, each independent and undisturbed. There were nearly a hundred of them.

After expending a certain amount of military merits, Xu Qing was politely led to the area by a Tai Xu Sect disciple and chose a compartment to enter.

Inside the compartment, Xu Qing saw a formation carved into the ground and a stone tablet. The tablet was not very old, showing little sign of ancientness or the passage of time, yet the runes on it exuded an ancient charm. Clearly, this tablet was a replica, not the original. However, its placement here implied that whether it was an original or a copy did not affect the comprehension of the technique. So, after examining it, Xu Qing sat cross-legged, took a deep breath, and gazed at the tablet with determination.

"The military merits required for comprehension are considerable, and I only have three days of comprehension time. It would be best to succeed in one go!"

"I hope this Demon Transformation Art aligns with my judgment and allows my Ghost Emperor Mountain... to manifest."

Xu Qing did not hesitate. The moment he closed his eyes, his perception suddenly spread, integrating into the stone tablet before him. The instant he touched the tablet, he heard roars echoing in his mind, as if from ancient times. These roars grew stronger, like a storm engulfing him. Xu Qing's body violently trembled, and he felt a burst of teleportation power.

This was completely different from any comprehension experience he had before. Xu Qing abruptly opened his eyes, and what appeared before him was emptiness. He was no longer in the Tai Xu Sect's comprehension compartment; he had been teleported inside a semi-transparent fish.

The fish was ten zhang in size, with black runes and crying faces affixed to some parts of its body. Faint cries echoed as it drifted forward in the void. A green lantern floated before the fish, emitting an eerie light, like a cluster of ghostly fire in the void, guiding the way.

Xu Qing's mind reeled. This scene was beyond his expectation. As his expression changed and he stood up inside the fish, his guard fully raised, an ancient voice echoed within the fish.

"Trial taker of the Demon Transformation Art."

"The place you are going now is the true comprehension ground of the Demon Transformation Art."

"That place... is called the Tai Xu Realm."

"The Tai Xu Realm is an extremely mysterious and unfathomable world fragment our sect's ancestor accidentally discovered. There, you will form a contract with the Tai Xu Realm. Once successful, you will从此 possess the ability to transform into a demon."

"The Demon Transformation Art requires no comprehension, only a contract."

"What you truly need to comprehend is the demon shadow form brought from your Sea of Consciousness after successful contracting. The principle of demon transformation is actually using the power of the Tai Xu Realm to help you manifest the demon in your Sea of Consciousness, hence... this talk of a contract."

"Signing this contract is not guaranteed to succeed; there's a high chance of failure. And the Tai Xu Realm is cunning; whether you can successfully contract depends on your fortune."

"But remember, this is a top secret of our sect. Do not reveal it. Violators will be punished!"

"Regardless of success or failure, once you enter the Tai Xu Realm, silently chant 'return fish,' and you can return here. Good luck."

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed. He could tell the ancient voice was not spoken directly to him but was a recording.

As Xu Qing's mind raced, his eyes suddenly narrowed. He saw a colossal, one-eyed stone statue appear in the distant void. The statue had a perfectly regular hole piercing through its chest. Its face was blurry, but its wide-open mouth was still clear, resembling the entrance to a world from afar.

At the same time, the fish Xu Qing was in leaped directly before the statue. There, the semi-transparent fish twitched once, then spat out a bubble containing Xu Qing's body, which entered the statue's mouth.

The next moment, a world beyond Xu Qing's imagination unfolded before him. This world was filled with thin mist, from which faint whispers emanated. Even more eerie was a giant white object that slowly drifted past Xu Qing. What first caught Xu Qing's eye on the white object was a wave-like convolution, then it grew larger, finally revealing its full form.

It was a massive brain!

It not only had convolutions but also a clear central sulcus, and two slightly smaller brownish cerebellums beside a dark brainstem. It looked horrifying. It floated in the mist, and below it, one could see vein-like or nerve-like tendrils branching out like tangled tree roots.

There wasn't just one such brain in this foggy world. Xu Qing's pupils contracted. As he looked around, he saw countless "brain trees" in the mist, bobbing up and down. Hundreds surrounded him now, with even more in the deeper mist. The total number was incalculable. Each of these brain trees writhed, and the whispering voices emanated from them.

"Another one has arrived."

"Shhh, lower your voice, don't scare him away."

"There's another one in the distance. I wonder if they know each other."

"I don't know, but this one looks delicious. I hear the Void Race is going to war; we need to be careful."

"Come, choose me! Let's sign a contract."

"Do you want to transform into a demon? I can help you achieve it, as long as you... give me a piece of your memory."

"Any piece of memory can be offered as a sacrifice to me. As long as I'm satisfied, I'll sign a contract with you."

All the voices sounded as if they were speaking in suppressed whispers right next to his ear, utterly bizarre.

Xu Qing's expression darkened. He had never encountered such a cultivation experience before. As he coldly surveyed his surroundings, a brain tree floated towards him, its telepathic voice filling his mind: "They're all lying to you; they all want to devour you completely. Sign a contract with me; you just need to raise your hand and let me touch it. I only need a small piece of your memory. Give it to me, I'm so hungry, give it to me quickly, quickly..."

The brain's voice conveyed desire and greed, and it writhed rapidly as it spoke, looking incredibly nauseating.

"Don't believe it! It has deceived so many people. It once completely devoured a companion's memories until they even forgot about signing a contract!"

"Yes, it's very cunning. Choose me; I'll only eat a little. Give it to me, give it to me."

"Choose me... I'm so hungry, I want to eat. If you don't give it to me, I won't let you leave!"

The surrounding voices suddenly multiplied. Dozens of brains rushed towards Xu Qing, encircling him, revealing unconcealed malice and greed alongside their hunger.

Xu Qing remained silent. He recalled the content of the ancient voice's message from earlier. This was a strange fragmented world called Tai Xu. Signing a contract here would allow one to perform the Demon Transformation Art. And now, he understood that the method to sign the contract was to allow one of these brain trees to consume a piece of his memory, and it needed to be satisfied. This was the cunning part, because whether they were satisfied or not was entirely up to them.

"Memories, huh..." Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, then quietly spoke, looking at the brain that radiated the strongest malice. "I choose you."

With that, Xu Qing raised his hand. The continuously writhing brain instantly arrived and touched Xu Qing's palm.

"So, which piece of memory will you give me..." As it spoke, a wicked and greedy consciousness rushed into Xu Qing's mind, but it seemingly could not choose actively; it required Xu Qing to release the memory.

"I'll give you the memories of myself after waking up in Ding 132. Things I can't remember myself. Let's see if you can remember them. Enjoy." Xu Qing said softly, his eyes cold.

The next moment, the brain touching his palm suddenly trembled in response to the sensation.