Chapter 465: Spiritual Emperor's Corpse and the Great World

Within the basin, the ancient trees, into which the Wood Spirit tribesmen had merged, now opened their eyes, gazing at the arriving Xu Qing. A profound sadness permeated the leaves, enveloping the entire basin in a mournful atmosphere. The young tribesmen did not hinder Xu Qing; they allowed him to rush forward with the old man, heading directly for the colossal tree at the center.

The gates of the divine temple were already open for him. Upon entering, Xu Qing saw the statues enshrined within, but he had no time to observe them closely. Guided by the old man, they hurried directly to a secret passage and ascended the stairs. The old man's hurried breaths echoed through the dark tunnel as he ran at full speed. Feeling the pace too slow, Xu Qing grabbed the old man and surged forward, their speed so immense it was as if they were traversing the void, instantly reaching the end of the stairs and arriving at the altar, which seemed to hang suspended over an abyss.

The moment he appeared on the altar, Xu Qing looked around and immediately saw, several thousand feet away, a white figure seated cross-legged within one of the countless cave entrances. It was a beautiful young woman with an immaculate face, radiating tranquility and innocence. However, at this moment, her eyes were closed, her complexion incredibly pale, and she was motionless. The dried blood at the corners of her mouth and on her clothes sent an unprecedented ripple through Xu Qing's mind, and his expression showed extreme complexity.

He recognized her; she was indeed the innocent and lively young woman from Mermaid Island. He remembered her skipping joyfully towards him, asking a question: "Senior Brother, do you like snakes, or do you prefer to eat snake gallbladders?"

Xu Qing fell silent. He recalled what the old man had said on the way—that this young woman was also the white snake he had once seen. Xu Qing remembered seeing her last in Seven Blood Eyes, beneath a restaurant. The little white snake had flown out and coiled around his right wrist. "Right wrist… golden thread… life-bound thread…" Xu Qing murmured, looking at the lifeless young woman in white. His heart was first touched by her sacrifice, then filled with intense guilt. This debt was too great.

He couldn't understand why she would do so much for him, despite having met only a few times and having minimal contact. In his life, all the kindness he had encountered, though real, had a discernible reason. Captain Lei's kindness stemmed from seeing a glimmer of warmth in the flames of the cremation pyre, and then, after saving his life, treating him like a son. Master Bai's kindness was due to Xu Qing's dedication to the Way of Plants and his earnest desire for knowledge, which inspired the master to impart his teachings. As for Seventh Master, his appreciation and the opportunities he provided arose from Xu Qing's actions, leading to eventual recognition.

But with Ling'er, Xu Qing was perplexed. He had never encountered such a person in his life. "Why?" Xu Qing whispered, gazing at the young woman in the white dress.

The old man stood beside Xu Qing, looking sorrowfully at Ling'er. He spoke: "Because she loves you."

Xu Qing remained silent.

The old man sighed, his face etched with a bitter expression. "Xu Qing, many things in life don't have just one answer or one standard. I understand your confusion, but if you always believe that every good thing you encounter in life must have a reason, then Xu Qing, your mind will be stuck in a dead end."

"There are many kinds of love, without fixed standards or methods. Some love is devotion, some is protection, some is adoration, some is painful obsession, some is attraction, and some is remembrance."

"This world contains all sorts of people and all sorts of events. If a person can only accept paths they themselves acknowledge, then they are narrow-minded. Only when you accept paths from different directions can you truly grow." The old man spoke softly. No matter how urgent the situation, he had to make this clear. He needed Xu Qing to understand that many things in this world had no 'why' and didn't necessarily require a reason. This understanding was crucial for ultimately succeeding in saving Ling'er within the unique Spirit Abyss.

Listening to these words, a deep chord within Xu Qing's heart began to vibrate, sending ripples throughout his entire being. "Tell me, how do I save her?" Xu Qing took a deep breath, gazing at Ling'er in the distance, and spoke softly.

"You only have seven days!" The old man suppressed his anxiety, his gaze fixed on Xu Qing. "After Ling'er's inheritance failed, her soul fell into the Spirit Abyss. Her physical body would have withered and become a skeleton. I used my sealing art to preserve her flesh, but I can only maintain it for seven days."

"Within seven days, you must find Ling'er's soul within the Spirit Abyss!" The old man's eyes fell upon the abyss beneath the altar. "No outsider can enter this Spirit Abyss without a Spirit Abyss Talisman. However, the last talisman was taken down years ago, and its bearer never returned."

"And I am not Ling'er's true father, nor am I an Ancient Spirit tribesman, so I cannot enter. Only Ancient Spirit tribesmen and those intertwined with their life-bound threads can step inside." The old man's voice was hoarse. "This is why I sought you out."

"Ancient Spirit Abyss?" A ripple stirred in Xu Qing's heart. He had heard of the Ancient Spirit Tribe, but he didn't inquire further now. With only seven days, and nearly one already passed, he looked up at the old man. "Do you have any information jade slips about what's below? Give them to me; I'll read them myself later."

The old man immediately produced several jade slips, handing them to Xu Qing with a pleading expression. "Please, for Ling'er's sake, as she sacrificed herself for you, you absolutely must... bring her back."

Xu Qing looked up at Ling'er, recalling his three brushes with death. He nodded silently, then, standing at the edge of the altar, he stepped into the abyss without hesitation. In the next instant, his figure plummeted rapidly into the depths. Icy currents howled around him, assailing his entire body as if his flesh and soul were about to be frozen.

Xu Qing looked down into the abyss, his cultivation spreading out, his shadow expanding in all directions, and his poison-banishing power permeating the air. Simultaneously, his perception immersed itself in the jade slips given by the old man. As information poured into his mind during his continuous descent, Xu Qing gained a clear understanding of Ling'er and everything related to this Spirit Abyss.

Eons ago, even before the era of the Ancient Emperor Xuan You, a tribe known as the Ancient Spirit Tribe once unified the entire Continent of Wanggu. In his twilight years, their Spirit Emperor, gathering the full power of his tribe and amassing their fortune, undertook an endeavor that shocked the entire continent. This act was deeply connected to the Heavenly Dao.

However, unlike the Calamity Immortal Tribe that came after him, or the three thousand-plus tribes before him, the Spirit Emperor did not seek to create; he sought to replace, to possess the Heavenly Dao itself. Creation yields merit, but possession is a grave transgression. Ultimately, the Spirit Emperor failed, suffering the backlash of all the Heavenly Daos of Wanggu. His tribe's bloodline was cursed. In a moment of crisis, the Spirit Emperor, leveraging his terrifying cultivation, brought most of his tribesmen into his grand world, attempting to avoid a tribal catastrophe. Yet, even this failed to escape the curse, and the Spirit Emperor perished.

His grand world withered, transforming into a realm of death. All the Ancient Spirit tribesmen within it instantly perished. But the terrifying nature of the curse was not merely simple annihilation. Under the curse, all deceased Ancient Spirit tribesmen transformed into wailing, suffering specters, agonizing day and night. Thus, this withered world of death became the Land of the Ancient Spirit Undead, eternally enduring the torment of the curse, forever buried deep beneath the Continent of Wanggu.

The Spirit Abyss of the Wood Spirit Tribe is one of the entrances to the Ancient Spirit Emperor's grand world. There are several such entrances across the Continent of Wanggu. Although the Ancient Spirit Tribe was cursed, some of their bloodline still survived, scattered across the Continent of Wanggu, continuing intermittently through the long ages. They would occasionally appear.

The skeletons Xu Qing had seen on the abyss's stone wall, for example, were descendants of the Ancient Spirit Tribe who had once come here seeking inheritance but had failed and died. The reason they came here was that after the Ancient Spirit tribesmen transformed from snakes to humans, their bloodline, due to the curse, was difficult to maintain and was constantly on the verge of collapse. Therefore, they had to go to an entrance near the world of the Ancient Spirit Undead to suppress their cursed bloodline with the power of the Ancient Spirit Undead's grand world. Only then could they truly maintain human form.

The Ancient Spirit tribesmen lived a tragic existence; every so often throughout their lives, they had to use the power of the Ancient Spirit Grand World to suppress the curse. This suppression process itself carried immense risk, akin to a great calamity. If they failed, their souls would be swallowed by the Ancient Spirit Undead's realm, becoming part of its specters.

Xu Qing silently put away the jade slips. As his body continued to sink, he glanced at his right wrist, sighed softly, and then his expression turned resolute. His body's speed burst forth again. Like a meteor, he whistled faster and faster, approaching the icy source below. Waves of repellent force also emanated from the depths of the Spirit Abyss, but as the bearer of the Ancient Spirit Tribe's thread of destiny, this repulsion quickly dissipated around Xu Qing. And with this extreme speed, Xu Qing plunged deeper into the darkness.

After a prolonged descent, a colossal entity appeared within the mist. It was a rotting giant snake, its entire being permeated with an overwhelming aura of death. Buried within the mist, its decaying body supported a blurry grand world upon its head. Wails of anguish, tearing at the heart, emanated from within this world, reaching Xu Qing's ears amidst the void and mist. His body was seized by a powerful suction, drawing him directly towards the grand world.

As he drew closer, the giant snake's body appeared increasingly vast, until Xu Qing could no longer discern its full form. Only the blurry, wailing grand world became clearer and clearer. Finally, a booming sound resonated, and Xu Qing's body crashed heavily into this grand world. A tremendous impact echoed throughout the surroundings, creating a crater in the ground, which resembled decaying flesh.

Xu Qing's figure emerged from the crater, and he immediately surveyed his surroundings. The sky was shrouded in mist, devoid of sun or moon; only spectral fires flickered like stars, casting a pale, dim light that rendered the world indistinct. The very ground was composed of rotting flesh, with no mountains or trees, utterly desolate, radiating an endless aura of death. This aura was intensely cold, constantly assailing Xu Qing's body, seemingly attempting to corrode his flesh and blood. Clearly, this place harbored profound malice towards all living beings.

In a blink of an eye, numerous black spots appeared on Xu Qing's body, enveloped by the deathly aura. "The Ancient Spirit Emperor's grand world," Xu Qing thought, observing his surroundings as his poison-banishing power instantly erupted. His body hissed; countless small, maggot-like entities with grotesque, elongated heads were forced out of the black spots on his skin. They fell to the ground, writhing before transforming into black mist and dissipating. Once they vanished, the black spots ceased to form and gradually healed.

"But how do I search here?" Xu Qing pondered, sensing the grand world's malevolence, and looked down at his right wrist. "The Ancient Spirit Tribe is connected to fortune…" With a thought, his Sixth Heavenly Palace instantly vibrated, and the Azure Dragon Heavenly Dao within it released a wisp of aura that surged into his wrist. His wrist showed no immediate change. Xu Qing did not give up, continuously infusing his Heavenly Dao aura. After a moment, his right wrist suddenly warmed slightly, and the golden thread, which had been embedded deep within his bone, slowly began to emerge onto his flesh.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. Gazing at the golden thread, now crisscrossed with countless cracks, he sighed internally, his sense of guilt deepening. Raising his hand, he sensed the surroundings. Soon, Xu Qing turned abruptly, looking towards his front right. When his wrist moved in that direction, the warmth intensified noticeably. "It's in this direction!" Xu Qing's eyes showed resolve. Even if this grand world was dangerous, he couldn't afford to hesitate. His body swayed and he shot forward. His cultivation erupted completely, his speed reached its maximum, and his poison-banishing power spread out, causing the heavens and earth to rumble as he created a series of sonic booms.

A short while later, as Xu Qing was rushing forward, he suddenly raised his left hand and pressed it downwards. The Golden Crow appeared behind him, roaring, its flames illuminating the surroundings as it plunged towards the ground below. The instant the Golden Crow charged, a massive ghostly hand suddenly formed beneath Xu Qing, intending to grab him, but instead collided with the Golden Crow. This ghostly hand was greenish-black, covered in pustules, each one teeming with countless wailing souls. They stared fixedly at Xu Qing, radiating madness and avarice.

As a roar echoed, the ghostly hand disintegrated under the Golden Crow's impact. Its dispersed souls coalesced, swarming densely towards Xu Qing. But before they could get close, the Golden Crow swept across, spreading flames, and the souls vanished with agonized shrieks, like moths drawn to a flame. Xu Qing paid them no mind, continuing his rush, guided by the golden thread on his wrist.

However, not long after, a gigantic, grotesque ghostly face suddenly materialized before him, its mouth agape, poised to swallow him. Anxious to find Ling'er, Xu Qing swayed to dodge it. His shadow behind him twisted, appearing beside the ghostly face, and with a greedy gulp, swallowed it. But almost immediately, the shadow shuddered and gagged, spitting it back out. Xu Qing frowned; he could sense that this was due to the souls here being imbued with curses. But now was not the time for contemplation. Xu Qing's speed remained undiminished as he burst forward.

Half an hour later, as the heat from the golden thread on his wrist intensified, something that shocked Xu Qing occurred: a cracking sound emanated from his wrist! Xu Qing's expression changed, and he abruptly looked down. The golden thread, at that moment, shattered and detached from his wrist. A sense of profound loss instantly arose in his heart, transforming into intense unease and a piercing agony.

Xu Qing's breathing grew ragged. He raised his hand, trying to grasp the scattering golden threads, but they were rapidly dissipating after shattering. He couldn't hold onto them. Vaguely, it was as if a blurred figure was receding from his memory…

In this critical moment, a sharp light gleamed in Xu Qing's eyes. The Azure Dragon of his Sixth Heavenly Palace boomed forth above his head, spewing a vast amount of Heavenly Dao power that surged towards the golden threads. The Azure Dragon, sensing Xu Qing's urgency, exerted its full strength, furiously releasing its Heavenly Dao power. This method was indeed effective, but reversing certain things was not so simple. Even with the infusion of the Azure Dragon's Heavenly Dao power, the dissipation of the golden threads only slowed down; it still couldn't be stopped. Clearly, the Azure Dragon's power alone was insufficient to prevent the golden threads from vanishing.

As he watched the golden threads continue to dissipate, Xu Qing's heart ache intensified. He closed his eyes. Three breaths later, when he opened them, his left eye had turned purple, with an intensely bright purple moon in its pupil. His right eye also changed, becoming black, imbued with endless poison, while behind him, a purple moon materialized, and beyond the purple moon, a pair of black, indifferent eyes vaguely emerged.

The surroundings blurred instantly, and the world twisted. Divine authority erupted from Xu Qing, elevating his status. Xu Qing gazed at the dissipating golden threads and spoke: "Remain!"

As this voice rang out, the sky thundered, and the ground trembled. This was a method Xu Qing had learned for using divine power, derived from the simulated murmurs during his battle with Chu Tianqun. By utilizing two divine authorities, he became like a new god, and his words became divine pronouncements. Xu Qing felt that if the power of the sky was not enough, then adding a divine pronouncement might work.

The moment the divine pronouncement emerged, the dissipating golden threads vibrated violently. Under the combined power of the divine pronouncement and the Azure Dragon, their dissipation slowly halted! Although more than half had already vanished, a portion was ultimately preserved.

Xu Qing tensely grasped them, feeling the burning heat emanating from within. His heart filled with extreme urgency, and he rushed at full speed in the direction indicated by the heat. He had to find Ling'er's soul here. As for how to leave once found, the old man had also provided instructions: among the several jade slips he was given, one was particularly special. This jade slip, once crushed, would allow the old man, with the full power of the Wood Spirit Tribe outside, to perform a spell that could assist their return.

"Only six days left…"

Xu Qing's speed increased further, and as he rushed forward, the heavens and earth rumbled in his wake. His presence in this world of death was like a blazing torch to the specters. Soon, countless specters began to emerge from all directions, filled with boundless malice, roaring and lunging towards him. The ground burst open, skeletal hands reached out, and decaying corpses, consumed by greed and madness, surged towards Xu Qing.

"Get lost!"

Xu Qing's status was exceedingly high. As his divine pronouncement rang out, the surroundings twisted, and vast numbers of specters shrieked and dissipated. These deceased souls, being cursed, could only be shattered by the invasion of heterogeneity; they could not be compelled to worship. Yet, more and more souls continuously formed, and soon, a sea of souls formed in front of Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's expression darkened. He couldn't maintain the elevated status formed by the superposition of two divine authorities for long. He temporarily dispersed the purple moon, focusing all his power on unleashing the diffusion of his poison-banishing core. At this moment, the release of his poison core was even more potent than when he faced Chu Tianqun. Moreover, this place, as a closed grand world, was ideal for the eruption of Xu Qing's poison-banishing power.

Thus, in the next instant, as his poison-banishing power spread, a storm formed around Xu Qing, rumbling outwards: ten feet, a hundred feet, five hundred feet, and finally a thousand feet! Within this thousand-foot radius, only Xu Qing's poison-banishing power reigned. Wherever it spread, the specters and malevolent ghosts that appeared let out even more agonizing wails, their ethereal bodies twisting and corroding instantly. The corpses bursting from the ground suffered the same fate; even though they were not alive, Xu Qing's poison could turn them to ash. After all, this was power from the divine realm—a divine curse!

Killing intent permeated Xu Qing's eyes. His speed did not diminish in the slightest as his poison-banishing power spread unprecedentedly, rushing forward. Behind him, besides countless wails, streams of his own heterogeneity were continuously generated, rapidly returning to him and swirling around, further strengthening the power of his poison-banishing aura. The expanded range, which was previously a thousand feet, now extended to thirteen hundred feet.

However, there were too many specters, constantly appearing, as if this world of death had come alive in that instant. Although individual souls were generally not very damaging, their sheer numbers created terrifying pressure. Seeing himself blocked, Xu Qing gritted his teeth fiercely. The purple moon power he had suppressed within him erupted once more. An endless purple mist diffused from his body, and with a press of his hand, this purple mist descended upon the ground, rumbling outwards and transforming the earth into a vibrant purple!

Corpses that had just crawled out of the ground trembled violently, assailed by the purple mist, and turned to ash. Their numbers were so immense that eventually, the ground was enveloped in an astonishing cloud of dust. Then, Xu Qing's body swayed, and the Golden Crow materialized again. He stepped onto its back. The Golden Crow roared skyward, its tail-flames forming a vast sea of fire as it carried Xu Qing forward at high speed.

Viewed from afar, the scene was horrifying. The ground was covered in purple mist, which continuously dissipated corpses as Xu Qing moved. Yet beyond the mist, in endless directions, there were limitless numbers of grotesque corpses. And the sky was filled with frenzied, malevolent spirits. Even as Xu Qing's poison storm spread, causing countless spirits to dissipate, more and more madly replaced them, boundless in number.

In the dim world, only the fire emanating from the Golden Crow shone brilliantly in the sky. Amidst the churning sea of flames, it continuously pushed forward like a beacon of light. Surrounding this light were hordes of malevolent spirits and corpses, covering the sky and earth. Their roars were agonizing and piercing, laced with madness, greed, and a hatred for life, all attempting to extinguish the flames and obscure the light.

Time flowed on. This light, in the dim world, continuously rushed forward across the sky. After one day, Xu Qing's mouth bled, and his daoist robe was soaked with blood. He dragged his battered body, finally breaking out of the sea of souls. With bloodshot, weary eyes, he saw a black river ahead. The river water was vast and turbulent, like the River Styx itself. Countless skeletons floated within it, and faces rose and fell in the water, weeping.

At the end of the river, Xu Qing saw a red eight-bearer sedan chair. On the front and rear poles of the sedan chair, there were two jars each, of different colors. As the sedan chair swayed, they remained motionless, as if rooted to it. Around the sedan chair was a long procession, most of its figures having snake heads and human bodies. They wore large red robes and were moving forward. Piercing, shrieking cries came from the front of the procession.

At that moment, a chilling wind blew across the River Styx, stirring ripples and lifting a corner of the sedan chair's curtain, revealing a young woman seated blankly inside, her face deathly pale, dressed in a wedding gown.

Xu Qing's expression hardened. His gaze was not on the young woman in the sedan chair, but on the white jar among the four on the front carrying pole of the sedan chair! The shattered golden threads in his palm now emitted an unprecedented heat!