Chapter 513: Broken Sword, Life Lamp

Xu Qing eventually gave the captain many antidote pills, allowing him to successfully neutralize the poison within himself.

Then, the captain, clearly pleased, pulled out a peach. As he nibbled on it, he patted Xu Qing’s shoulder.

"We don't need to worry about this matter," he said. "With Master around, he's much more knowledgeable than us and knows how to handle things better. We just need to wait for the benefits to come. Oh, right, little Ah Qing, could you please tell old Kong for me and ask him for a favor? I'm bringing a good friend to his place today."

"You're going to see Brother Kong, and you still need me to put in a word? Who are you taking?" Xu Qing glanced at the peach in the captain's mouth, deep in thought.

The captain coughed, looked around, and then lowered his voice. "Yesterday, I went... That old Kong, he's too stingy. I helped him carry the Mountain River Seed back then, hmph. He must be jealous that I'm your Senior Disciple Brother, that's why he doesn't like me. Oh, I feel wronged too. If he's so capable, he should go find our Master, and try to become a disciple himself."

He put on a nonchalant air, but his face was full of smugness. "As for who I'm taking, who else could it be? Of course, it's my beloved, big, big, big Peach!"

"You two know each other now?" Xu Qing looked at the captain.

"Of course! A few days ago, I accidentally saw Big Peach, and she was outside the Yao residence. Her figure was so large... *cough*, her expression was so melancholic, her little face was filled with unhappiness. Little Ah Qing, my heart ached so much then, so I went up to comfort her and told her I could help her meet the Yao family."

After speaking, the captain looked at Xu Qing expectantly, taking a big bite of the peach. "Junior Disciple Brother, I've already made such a big boast... this concerns your Senior Disciple Brother's lifelong happiness!"

Xu Qing remained silent. He took out his command sword, sent a message to Kong Xianglong, and then nodded impassively at the captain.

The captain, invigorated, burst into laughter and quickly departed, unable to wait any longer.

Watching the captain's figure gradually disappear in the distance, Xu Qing felt the emotions accumulated from his various battlefield experiences lighten considerably, much more than usual.

"As Senior Disciple Brother said, becoming stronger is the fundamental truth," Xu Qing murmured, closing his eyes. When he opened them a moment later, the light in them was as calm as ever. He then exited the Sword Pavilion and headed to the Palace of Swordsmen.

He intended to exchange for a Life Lamp. At this moment, for him, the quickest way to improve his cultivation and combat power was through a Life Lamp.

"Currently, I have ten Heavenly Palaces. Seven of them were formed through cultivation, and three were formed by Life Lamps. For Heavenly Palace cultivators, the Life Lamp is based on the number of life flames. I once had five life flames, so I can integrate a maximum of five Life Lamps."

Lost in thought, Xu Qing arrived at the Treasure Hall of the Palace of Swordsmen.

This hall was specifically responsible for exchanging items using military merits. Due to the recent distribution of war merits, most surviving Swordsmen came here to exchange for what they needed. Upon his arrival, Xu Qing saw several familiar faces from the battlefield. There were also some soldiers from the Imperial Capital Domain. Although they were not Swordsmen, they were also eligible to make exchanges within the three main palaces, though at a slightly reduced rate. This specific arrangement was part of the plan that the Deputy Palace Master and others had proposed to the Seventh Prince, which was eventually approved.

The Treasure Hall of the Palace of Swordsmen was not only responsible for exchanges but also for collecting items. All Swordsmen could bring their spoils of war to exchange for military merits. This created a circulation system, offering not only mysterious ancient scrolls but also high-level cultivation techniques and powerful magical artifacts. And as for Life Lamps... there used to be two! These two Life Lamps had no distinction of superior or inferior quality; they simply possessed different powers. One had already been exchanged, leaving only one remaining at present. The exchange required not only military merits but also second-tier battle merits. With the merits Xu Qing currently possessed, he could only exchange for one.

Xu Qing pondered for a long time before making the exchange. He proceeded cautiously all the way back to the Sword Pavilion, encountering no difficulties or unexpected events. This reminded him of what Kong Xianglong had told him a few days prior about the Seventh Prince rectifying military discipline. Indeed, whether it was exchanging Dao Fruits for military merits after their return, or any other matter related to personal interests, neither Xu Qing nor Kong Xianglong, nor any former Swordsmen from Feng Hai County, had faced deliberate obstruction or malicious exploitation.

Whatever was exchanged or sold was considered a personal matter. The Palace of Swordsmen had never coveted such things before, and would not do so in the future. Especially since every one of these exchangers possessed battle merits, earned through their desperate sacrifices and bloodshed on the battlefield. To exchange these hard-won merits for necessary cultivation items, only to be targeted or exploited later, resulting in both bleeding and tears—such a thing was absolutely forbidden. These were the Seventh Prince's exact words.

"He uses both grace and authority. This Seventh Prince is very formidable; he doesn't care for such petty gains at all. His ambitions lie elsewhere." When Kong Xianglong uttered these words at the time, his expression was complex.

Xu Qing recalled the various events since the Seventh Prince's arrival and felt a sense of emotion. From a personal standpoint, he didn't like the prince, but viewed from the perspective of the clan, the ultimate outcome of the prince's actions was always beneficial to the clan. Right and wrong, merits and demerits, were subjective and open to individual interpretation.

Xu Qing shook his head, pushing these thoughts aside. Inside his Sword Pavilion, he took out the Life Lamp he had exchanged for. It was a black broken sword.

It emanated a sharp aura and contained astonishing malevolence, clearly indicating that the bloodline forming this Life Lamp belonged to an ultimate killer. This was why the Life Lamp, formed from such a bloodline, possessed such murderous intent and differed in appearance from other Life Lamps. The difference between exchanging at the Palace of Swordsmen and acquiring one by force elsewhere was that the former provided a record of the lamp's origin. When Xu Qing made the exchange, a jade slip containing information about the lamp was handed to him along with it.

"This lamp is named 'Immortal Remnant Devouring God.' Its bloodline originates from the Ninth Heavenly Marshal of the Human Race's Xuan You Era. However, it is not the Marshal's personal lamp, but rather separated from one of his bloodline descendants, a great general, after his death during the Eastern Victory Human Emperor Era. It governs slaughter, shatters all laws, and returns upon drinking blood. It is suspected to harbor malicious thoughts. Previously, many who integrated with it gradually became crazed and bloodthirsty, so those who are not inclined to slaughter should be extremely cautious."

Xu Qing sensed the content within the jade slip, then looked at the black broken sword before him. After a moment's thought, regardless of its effectiveness, he activated the purple crystal within his body to suppress it, just as he had suppressed the Shadow before. After suppressing it hundreds of times in a row, Xu Qing felt a bit more at ease. Beside him, the Shadow watched this scene, trembling with fear.

Xu Qing didn't pay attention to it. He picked up the black broken sword again, and after thinking, his right hand transformed into a spectral form, becoming semi-transparent as it enveloped the sword. He then extended his hand directly into his chest, entering his Sea of Consciousness, and approached Ding One Three Two. He paused there, then abruptly inserted the sword into Ding One Three Two. Although the divine finger had retracted its aura and was dormant, Xu Qing still brought the sword before it and rubbed it against the finger a few times, which reassured him even further. The initial suppression was for purification. If the purification wasn't complete, then for the divine finger, this served as a warning to any potential malicious thoughts within the broken sword to behave themselves.

After doing all this, Xu Qing considered for a moment, then activated the Heavenly Dao Azure Dragon. After it materialized within his body, it swallowed the broken sword in one gulp, refining it once more within the Azure Dragon's body using the authority of the Heavenly Dao. Then, he simply placed it next to the purple crystal, as if feeding it, bringing it close to its 'mouth'.

After this series of actions, Xu Qing wasn't sure if it was a hallucination, but he vaguely seemed to hear a sharp, agonizing scream. Xu Qing blinked, not paying it much mind. At this point, he felt completely at ease and truly integrated the black broken sword into his body.

The next instant, above the Sea of Fate mist in his Sea of Consciousness, the misty sea roared, lightning flashed, and an ancient, sword-shaped Heavenly Palace suddenly formed within it. It materialized rapidly, the entire process taking only about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and the Heavenly Palace was fully formed. This was Xu Qing's eleventh Heavenly Palace.

The moment it appeared, a powerful fluctuation erupted from Xu Qing's body, filling the entire Sword Pavilion. Simultaneously, his aura became significantly more formidable than before, as if he had transformed into a drawn sharp sword, emanating a stronger malevolence, seemingly capable of severing heaven and destroying earth.

If a Nascent Soul cultivator had been present and sensed Xu Qing's fluctuations, they would undoubtedly have been startled and dumbfounded. Xu Qing's ten Heavenly Palaces were already astonishing, and now he was even stronger. After all, the suppressed items within each person's Heavenly Palace differed, and these varying combinations created another significant gap among Heavenly Palace Golden Cores, beyond mere cultivation realm. Cultivators like Xu Qing, who possessed such a high number and quality of Heavenly Palaces, were not unheard of across the entire Wanggu Continent. However, every single one of them was a person of great destiny, an outstanding figure within their clan, and most were renowned throughout their entire race.

"Whether I can obtain the last Life Lamp or not, I won't consider for now. At this moment, I am not far from my own grand completion!" Xu Qing murmured after sensing his own aura. Within his Sea of Consciousness, there were now not only eleven complete Heavenly Palaces but also one that was in the process of materialization, having completed most of its structure. "I hope this trip to the Immortal Restriction can help me complete this last palace, excluding the Life Lamp!" A bright gleam appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. After a while, he closed them, nurturing the Heavenly Palace formed by the Life Lamp.

Thus, time slowly passed.

The day for the Immortal Restriction to open arrived.

As his command sword vibrated, Xu Qing opened his eyes from meditation. A sharp glint flashed in them, then slowly receded, until they became as calm as an ancient well. He stood up expressionlessly, left the Sword Pavilion, and saw Kong Xianglong waiting for him outside.

Their gazes met, and together they walked towards the former site of the Criminal Court. A colossal deep pit had been excavated there. As a thick strange aura emanated, wails and howls also echoed from within the pit. It sounded as if all beings were weeping and all spirits were roaring, assailing the ears and shaking the mind. Anyone with an ounce of cowardice in their nature would undoubtedly feel their timidity double upon hearing these roars from the deep pit, instinctively daring not to approach.

However, among the cultivators arranged for the first batch to enter the Immortal Restriction zone, half were Swordsmen from Feng Hai County who had survived a hundred battles. Even though some still had incomplete limbs that hadn't fully recovered, and some carried lingering injuries that hadn't completely healed, their inherent extraordinary talent, combined with the baptism of war, meant they were individuals who had emerged from such hellish tempering... Every single one of them exuded overwhelming malevolence, having committed countless slaughters. Every single one of them had witnessed death countless times and feared nothing. Their dispositions had been tempered to the extreme.

Therefore, in the eyes of the cultivators from the surrounding commanderies and various clans who were observing, these individuals, now gradually gathering at the edge of the deep pit, were exceptionally unique; their demeanor was entirely different. Although their numbers were not great, they were immediately noticeable even within a crowd. Especially now that they were gathered together, forming the momentum of an army, it became even more apparent. Even the soldiers who had arrived from the Imperial Capital Domain, having experienced far less brutal warfare than them, became mere foils beside them.

Not just the Imperial Capital soldiers, but all cultivators around them seemed to become mere green leaves at this moment. And they, standing silently there, formed an independent army. Anyone arriving found it difficult to draw their attention.

Until Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong appeared. Their tall, lean figures approached from a distance, their white Swordsman robes billowing in the wind, exuding a chilly demeanor. One had a rugged face with a full beard, while the other had an extraordinary jade-like countenance and calm eyes.

The moment they appeared, all the silent Swordsmen turned their heads to look at them, a faint light appearing in their eyes. They saluted and parted, clearing a path. This was the first time they had acted with such unity here.

Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong did not stop their steps. They walked into the crowd, moving to the very front, and stood alongside the dozens of Spirit Treasury Swordsmen present. Although their cultivation was not the highest, their merits and status were sufficient for them to stand there. Upon their arrival, their auras seamlessly integrated with their comrades present, as if they were inherently part of the group.

This scene caused ripples in the hearts of countless onlookers around them, including Imperial Capital soldiers and cultivators from various clans. And in the sky, the Seventh Prince, who was currently approaching, also cast his gaze upon the two figures standing at the front of this group of battle-hardened cultivators for the first time.

"Is that Xu Qing?" the Seventh Prince softly inquired from mid-air.

Beside him, the Prefect responded upon hearing the question. "Indeed, Your Highness. That is Xu Qing. He once served as the accompanying scribe to the former Palace Master of the Palace of Swordsmen. He was also the one who, through the Emperor's Heart Inquiry, caused its light to reach ten thousand zhang, setting a precedent for our Feng Hai County. When the front line was in urgent need of supplies, he orchestrated their procurement; when two states required military reinforcements, he coordinated them. He rendered great services to Feng Hai County and is one of the few individuals who earned second-tier battle merits in this recent war."

"Reached ten thousand zhang in Heart Inquiry?" The Seventh Prince didn't dwell on the other merits; only upon hearing these four words did his gaze sharpen.

"Yes," the Prefect replied with a smile.