Chapter 460: Box in the Heart

This time, however, it was different from the Ghost Cave.

Back in the Ghost Cave, Xu Qing had seen a true deity. The invasion that occurred when it opened its eyes affected everything within the cave. That power was irresistible, unbearable, and unfathomable. It seemed to not only decompose the physical body but also dissolve internal spiritual power and even the thoughts emerging from one's mind, vitalizing them into separate entities. At that moment, Xu Qing felt as if everything was on the verge of collapsing and shattering into pieces. Had it not been for the appearance of the Centipede Woman, he would likely have faced an unimaginable crisis. Even if he had managed to endure until the five-cornered wooden hut emitted a song to appease the deity, the delay would have still caused Xu Qing immense harm. Even if he survived, he would have been mutated into a monstrous being like the aberrant spirits in the Ghost Cave.

Now, facing Chu Tianqun, although the method was similar, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth. Chu Tianqun's whispers, though using his divine body as a medium to simulate a deity's murmurs, were ultimately not a true divine descent; they were merely a simulation. Even if a divine phantom appeared behind him, it was fundamentally different from everything Xu Qing experienced in the Ghost Cave.

Moreover, the current Xu Qing was also different from when he was in the Ghost Cave. Xu Qing suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot and gleaming with an unusual light. He stared at Chu Tianqun, who was sitting cross-legged ahead, radiating golden light, ignoring the countless tendrils of flesh that were currently sprouting from his body as the world distorted around him, letting them continuously form and extend.

He knew very well that there were ways to counter Chu Tianqun's divine power. Whether it was the Heavenly Dao Azure Dragon, the Ghost Emperor Mountain, or the sound-capturing bottle he bought from the Ghost Market containing a woman's singing voice, all could be attempted. As for the power of the Poison Ban and the Purple Moon, they could also enable him to resist these whispers at this moment.

But a murderous glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes; what he wanted was not to resist, but to suppress! To suppress divine power with divine power! Xu Qing wanted to try. Because Chu Tianqun's use of divine power had given him an idea.

"Can I do the same?" Xu Qing murmured to himself. Being in this world fragment of the Yanmiao race, though seemingly a crisis, was also an opportunity; at least it was relatively hidden. Although the power of the Red Moon had previously tried to search, Xu Qing knew that if he were in the outside world, he would instantly be discovered the moment the Purple Moon was revealed.

"So, if I don't use too much, combine it with the concealment of the Poison Ban, and add this world fragment of the Yanmiao race..." Xu Qing's eyes showed resolve as he painstakingly looked up at the crack in the sky. As his thoughts stirred, the Heavenly Dao Azure Dragon, which was also affected by Chu Tianqun's whispers but could still move freely, suddenly flicked its tail and struck the crack in the sky. With a boom, the fissure that Xu Qing had previously torn open instantly blurred, reclosed, and returned to its original sealed state.

Immediately afterward, Xu Qing's gaze fixed on Chu Tianqun ahead. His third and fourth Heavenly Palaces erupted simultaneously. The mysterious Poison Ban from the Divine Realm instantly spread throughout Xu Qing's flesh and blood, simultaneously causing the tendrils of flesh on his body to rot and turn into black blood that splattered everywhere. The voices that had burrowed into his flesh were also poisoned and dissipated, unable to escape. All resistance was neutralized, and all separation was erased.

Subsequently, the Poison Ban spread from his body outwards, merging with the surrounding void, causing more chaotic distortions and blurriness around him. At the same time, his unique aberrant essence, formed by the power of the Poison Ban, also emerged, continuously circling around Xu Qing, as if in that instant, Xu Qing had become a being possessing divine characteristics.

It didn't end there. The next moment, the Purple Moon within Xu Qing suddenly spread, turning his flesh purple wherever it passed, until his entire body was similarly affected, transforming him into a purple being. The purple light emanating from his entire body influenced the surroundings, instantly causing his vicinity to glow with brilliant purple. Under the shroud of this purple light, another kind of aberrant essence belonging to Xu Qing emerged from within. This was formed by the Purple Moon; after invading all things, everything would originate from Xu Qing.

At this moment, they rapidly intertwined with the Poison Ban's aberrant essence, circling around Xu Qing, continuously rotating, and in the blink of an eye, formed a storm that connected with the sky, roaring as it swept across all directions. Within the storm, a faint, illusory purple moon could be seen in the sky. That was the embodiment of divine authority, true divine power. And behind the Purple Moon were a pair of black eyes that, even in this purple world, could not be invaded or stained. These eyes contained endless poison and infinite prohibitions. Two different divine authorities erupted from Xu Qing. They did not blend or overlap but coexisted while simultaneously opposing each other. Now, all of them emanated their divine might!

At this moment, amidst the pervasive divine might, Xu Qing's expression grew indifferent. He radiated supreme dignity, and his divine rank intensely soared as the heavens rumbled and the void trembled! Finally, augmented by the two divine authorities, he reached an astonishing level, as if he had become a nascent, yet incomplete, divine mind.

The Shadow trembled, and the Vajra Sect Ancestor shivered. Without hesitation, they instantly materialized and knelt before Xu Qing. Compared to the Vajra Sect Ancestor's reverence, the Shadow emitted unparalleled fanaticism and devotion.

Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes. Golden light spread from within them, eventually enveloping his entire body, making him appear utterly sacred. He spoke faintly. "Shadow Imprisonment, Ghost Son's Decree, Immortal Art of Spirit Bending, Heaven and Earth, My Fate."

This seemingly mystical chant was created by Xu Qing, who had asked the Vajra Sect Ancestor to devise it to conceal the Shadow Fusion Secret Art. As he recited it now, it held no particular meaning; he merely spoke it casually. Yet, it caused the Shadow to momentarily freeze, then become even more agitated.

Simultaneously, the words emanating from Xu Qing's mouth naturally carried a sense of indistinctness, as if each syllable was layered and empowered by countless pieces of information, containing additional meanings. As they echoed throughout the surroundings, the world changed color, and winds surged. Everything in the vicinity instantly warped endlessly. All the changes associated with a deity's whispers descending reappeared at Xu Qing's utterance. The ground trembled, and all the sand began to crumble. Countless anomalies materialized around Xu Qing, and roars, seemingly from the depths of time, spread shrilly at that very instant. The earth fractured, and blurry, fleshy tentacles ascended. The entire world transformed dramatically in that moment, becoming filled with eeriness and ill omen. All things were invaded, everything fell into chaos, and the world swayed and twisted eerily.

And the source of all this was Xu Qing. Under the augmentation of two divine authorities, though incomplete and merely nascent, he had indeed reached an astonishing level of divine rank at that moment. To a certain extent, all his sounds were divine sounds. Chu Tianqun merely simulated, but Xu Qing was different; fundamentally, his words were true whispers! Although not as powerful as other deities, suppressing Chu Tianqun was still possible.

Chu Tianqun's whispers instantly became "disordered." From previously incomprehensible, they now seemed understandable. "Divine head follows the dark path, deep beyond the ultimate spirit... Yang virtue conceals yin essence..." As his chest heaved, his eyes opened from their closed state, looking at Xu Qing in horror. Just as he was about to speak again, the golden light around his body abruptly collapsed. With the collapse, countless mutations immediately erupted on his body. His body began to decompose, his thoughts were becoming independent, and everything about him was severely aberrated by Xu Qing's utterance. The whispers from his mouth turned into shrill screams.

At the critical moment, Chu Tianqun raised his right hand and plunged it directly into one of his eyes. After fiercely poking it, his eyeball burst, and golden blood transformed into a mist that rapidly spread outwards, resisting Xu Qing's divine sound. Xu Qing, too, was not well at this moment. The power he unleashed was more than his physical body could bear, and as his voice emanated, his body also began to crumble.

However, this attempt made Xu Qing clearly realize that these two divine powers within him had more potential for development, but also, they posed extreme dangers. Unless he became stronger, even a slight carelessness during use could lead to his demise. Without hesitation, after using his power to suppress Chu Tianqun's whispers, Xu Qing immediately retracted the Poison Ban and the Purple Moon. The storm dissipated, and the world returned to normal.

As the golden blood dispersed, Chu Tianqun let out a shrill, piercing cry. He had, however, barely managed to suppress his own mutation. With a ferocious expression, he shot into the sky, roaring unwillingly.

"You are clearly a cultivator! Clearly a cultivator!""How can this be? How can you counter me like this?!""I don't believe it!"

Chu Tianqun's face was covered in golden blood, his expression twisted with madness. His remaining eye stared fixedly at Xu Qing on the ground. He raised his right hand and, shockingly, plunged it directly through his own chest, seizing his heart and violently pulling it out. Blood sprayed out as he crushed the pulsating golden heart in his hand. As flesh and blood scattered, a box appeared within the heart! If Lord Seven were here, he would immediately recognize that this object was very similar to the box held by Prince Ziqing on that day, but upon closer inspection, some differences would be apparent; it was not identical and seemed much cruder.

Now, held in Chu Tianqun's hand, after he crushed it, a beam of light emanated from within! It was a deity's gaze! The moment he felt this light, Xu Qing's mind jolted violently. The Poison Ban and the Purple Moon within him actually showed signs of being suppressed in that instant. This light did not scatter; it materialized and merged into Chu Tianqun's right hand, making his palm incredibly brilliant. He raised his hand and pressed it towards Xu Qing from a distance, letting out a low growl.

"Divine Art: Future, Retain the Negative!"

Xu Qing's breath hitched. During his battle with Chu Tianqun, he had known that divine trial bodies possessed mysterious and unfathomable techniques. For example, Sheng Yunzi had once unleashed an astonishing method, which, though ultimately unsuccessful, left a profound impression on Xu Qing. The instant Chu Tianqun spoke, Xu Qing immediately felt the changes around him. Scenes appeared around him, hundreds, even thousands of them, and his figure was in every single one. Some showed him meditating peacefully, others running in panic, some dying with their last breath, others wailing endlessly... The images were countless. Those... were Xu Qing's next moments in the future. These scenes overlapped, forming a picture album that flipped rapidly at Chu Tianqun's gesture. It seemed he wanted to find an image of Xu Qing's death, extract it from the changing future, and make it reality. This was the divine art: Future, Retain the Negative!

Xu Qing had experienced a similar scene when he faced Sheng Yunzi. The method to break it then was to interfere with the future and re-take control of one's destiny. However, Sheng Yunzi was merely a half-finished product at the time, and his divine art was not fully successful; moreover, that box had not appeared. But now, Chu Tianqun had clearly risked everything. The appearance of the box, and the merging of the gaze within it into his palm, caused Xu Qing's mind to surge with turbulent waves. Yet, everything has two sides. Personally experiencing such a terrifying and relatively complete divine art was, to some extent, a gain for Xu Qing. At least at this moment, his perception of this divine art was more comprehensive than ever before, and countless pieces of information surfaced in his mind.