Chapter 521: Destiny in the Dao Infant Realm

Team *chang* was conflicted. Xu Qing frowned.

They had tried earlier when they retreated; the nine phoenix bird palaces within that flesh-and-blood city wall area were filled with an ominous power. They would reappear upon approach and decay upon retreat. The changes there were determined by the arrival of visitors. However, if one got too close, unpredictable events would occur, causing a person to fall into a distorted state where time would pass unnoticed.

"Little A'Qing, do you remember saying just now that your sense of familiarity with that place was very strong?" Team *chang* suddenly spoke."Very strong," Xu Qing nodded."In that case, do you think it's possible that we've explored this place too many times over these three days?""And while I also have a faint sense of familiarity, is it possible that every time we explored, it was you who went in, which is why your familiarity is stronger than mine?" Team *chang* looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and spoke softly. "If that's the case, and we didn't receive any command sword messages earlier or notice the passage of time, then based on how things would unfold, I would have asked you, Senior Brother, for help. I might have used the severed hand's protection to merge myself in, and then had you throw the severed hand inside. This way, it's highly probable that I could pass through the restrictions. Once inside the flesh-and-blood city wall, emerging from the severed hand, I could then explore the phoenix bird palaces."

After speaking, Xu Qing looked at the severed hand, trying to find evidence on it. However, the severed hand had regenerative abilities, and at a glance, it didn't seem to have changed much. Yet, in the subtle details, some traces of newly appeared flesh and blood could still be seen. This discovery made both of their gazes sharpen. A faint, eerie glow appeared in Team *chang*'s eyes."So, you have indeed explored it many times, but you clearly can't remember what you saw inside... Junior Brother, think harder and see if you can recall anything."

Xu Qing pondered, recalling carefully, but the memories in his mind were flawless, everything seamlessly connected, without any gaps or errors. Xu Qing frowned. This was indeed similar to what he had experienced with Ding Yi San Er, yet there were also differences. Ding Yi San Er had two layers of phenomena, one outer and one inner. Due to the influence of karmic luck, that place was in a state of relative balance, causing what normal people saw to be merely the superficial appearance. However, the inner truth always existed, right before them; most people simply couldn't see it. Yet, its influence remained, which was why previous guardians had met with unfortunate and violent deaths outside. And once someone awakened by accident and saw the truth beneath the outer facade, their perception would be altered upon leaving, and they would forget everything.

Team *chang*'s eyes narrowed. Xu Qing raised his right hand. As Ding Yi San Er vibrated within him, the stone lion and the head were simultaneously drawn out. After landing on the ground, the head, having learned its lesson this time, quickly adopted a fawning posture and spoke loudly. "Greetings, my esteemed, great, supreme, and peerless Guardian Lord!" The stone lion had no head and thus couldn't speak, but its tail wagged rapidly as it prostrated itself on the ground.

Team *chang* had seen the head before but not the stone lion. Upon seeing it now, he showed interest and observed it for a few moments. "Junior Brother, these are your friends, right? I saw that head before and found it quite interesting. And this lion looks very good; I smell the scent of a cloud beast on it. Furthermore... these two friends of yours are quite peculiar. Not only do they possess karmic luck, but they've also been cursed, and these two powers seem to have achieved a balance with each other.""Achieving balance with karmic luck suggests that this curse most likely comes from a deity... Junior Brother, have you heard the phrase 'to act as a *chang* for a tiger'? That '*chang*' refers to a *chang* ghost. Legend has it that people killed by a tiger transform into a special type of ghost that lingers around it. Your two friends are *chang*s!"

Team *chang* smiled faintly, an enigmatic expression. The stone lion suddenly trembled upon hearing this, and the head's eyes widened. It quickly glanced at Team *chang*, filled with surprise and doubt. This was the second time they had encountered someone who could perceive their anomaly at a glance. The first was Xu Qing, and the second was the person before them."He calls Demon Xu 'Junior Brother'; they're fellow disciples. As expected, those who are close to a demon are all monstrous!" The head felt a chill in its heart. It had been instantly crushed the last time Xu Qing summoned it, then recovered and immediately recalled. At that time, its attention had been entirely focused on that terrifying entity, so it hadn't carefully looked at this second person. Now, it couldn't help but activate its ability to take a closer look.After that glance, the head suddenly shrieked, and its eyes instantly burst open. "Mouths, countless mouths, chains, chains from the Nine Netherworlds... seals, endless seals! Heavens, what is this I'm seeing? Divine remains, countless divine remains!" With a *bang*, the head exploded.

Xu Qing looked at Team *chang*, who had an innocent expression. The stone lion trembled even more violently.After a moment, the head revived, trembling and quickly lowering itself, incredibly docile and fawning, not daring to look up. Extreme wailing echoed in its heart. It recalled the third person it had seen when Xu Qing had summoned it before. Although Xu Qing had quickly put it away then, it had trembled for a long time within Ding Yi San Er. It truly felt that the third person was too terrifying, so terrifying that it didn't dare to activate its ability."These are three great terrors!"

Xu Qing was also curious; even though he knew Team *chang* had many secrets, the head's reaction was a bit too extreme. However, he knew this wasn't the time for questions, so he coldly looked at the head and spoke indifferently."You two, go and retrieve that small purple bottle for me. If you perform well, I will consider reducing your sentences.""Great Guardian Lord, actually, whether my sentence is reduced or not isn't important, as long as I can..." The head quickly began to speak, but its words were cut short. The stone lion beside it had already lifted its two front paws, stomped forcefully on the ground, and turned to rush forward...Seeing this, the head immediately grew anxious, quickly rolled, then flew and landed on the stone lion's neck, heading straight for the decaying area covered by the flesh-and-blood city wall.

Seeing Xu Qing observe closely, Team *chang* also narrowed his eyes."Can they do it?""They are both prisoners of Ding Yi San Er. Since *chang* has been immersed in Ding Yi San Er for so long, they should be able to."After Xu Qing explained the principles of Ding Yi San Er, Team *chang*'s eyes gleamed with interest."The Prison Department has such a miraculous place!"

After saying this, Team *chang* saw a hint of gloom in Xu Qing's expression, realizing he was thinking of his life in the Prison Department, of the Palace Master, and of the peace he once knew. So he sighed inwardly, patted Xu Qing's shoulder, and then pointed into the distance."They really can!"Xu Qing looked up. At that moment, the stone lion, with the head on its back, was rapidly approaching the flesh-and-blood city wall. It leaped over the wall. It seemed that due to their unique existence, the restrictive power of this place had no effect on them. Xu Qing personally witnessed the stone lion swiftly leaping into the flesh-and-blood city wall, constantly circling inside as if searching, yet the small purple bottle, though not far from them, simply couldn't be found. Xu Qing frowned.However, things quickly improved. It seemed to be the head's idea: they separated, then crashed into each other fiercely, shattering and falling to the ground. Soon, they revived, then sprinted forward with renewed vigor for a distance before crashing and dying again. Repeating this cycle, they gradually approached the small purple bottle."These two things are quite clever. They're using the moment of death and revival, blending the karmic luck and curses within them, to probe their surroundings." Team *chang* chuckled. Xu Qing nodded.Under their observation, after the stone lion and the head died more than ten times, they finally reached the small purple bottle. Without any hesitation, the head opened its mouth, bit onto the small bottle, and swiftly returned with the stone lion.And as they left, the half-statue in the decaying area began to blur, eventually turning into dust and dissipating. Following this, the surrounding flesh-and-blood city walls surged forward, completely covering the area. During this process, the stone lion and the head also galloped back, until they returned to Xu Qing's side. The head released the small purple bottle it held in its mouth, about to continue fawning, but Xu Qing waved his right hand, and they were already put away.

Team *chang* squatted down and picked up the small purple bottle. The instant he touched it, his body visibly trembled. As Xu Qing focused, Team *chang* recovered, his expression filled with disbelief, and he gasped."This is... the Bottle of Time!"After saying this, Team *chang* instinctively glanced around, then grabbed Xu Qing and rapidly departed.

Xu Qing's mind was full of questions, but seeing Team *chang*'s solemnity, he held back from speaking. Only after they had completely left the area and were in a relatively safe place, squatting inside the severed hand, did Team *chang* breathe heavily, his eyes gleaming intensely."Senior Brother, what is the Bottle of Time?" Xu Qing asked.Team *chang* shushed him, then checked their surroundings again to ensure it was safe. He then formed hand seals to set up some seals, enveloping the area. After this, he was overcome with excitement and immediately began to speak."Little A'Qing, we've hit the jackpot this time! The Bottle of Time! I once saw descriptions of it in ancient texts. During the era of the Ancient Emperor Xuanyou, it was an item exclusively for royal use, incredibly rare. The emergence of any single one would attract serious attention from the royal family. For non-royals to possess one privately was a great crime, punishable by extermination of their clan.""But it's said that when Ancient Emperor Xuanyou took the royal family and a portion of humanity away from this world, he took all the Bottles of Time with him! How could there still be one here?"Seeing Xu Qing's confusion, Team *chang* spoke in a low voice. "The Bottle of Time has an unknown origin; few throughout history know its true source. However, successive Ancient Emperors who unified the Ancient World of Wanggu would always collect them.""Legend, though merely legend, says that the Bottle of Time contains a great secret regarding the formation of the Wanggu World. Some also claim that it holds the method for Ancient Emperor Rulers to break through their own limitations. Others even say that the Bottle of Time contains a supreme inheritance. There are all sorts of theories, but as for their number, one Bottle of Time is said to spontaneously appear per epoch. In short, it's mysterious and unfathomable, considered an exclusive royal item. However, over countless years, no one seems to have truly unraveled its secrets. Yet, this bottle can independently intercept time and also serves as a container, preventing items from decaying.""Junior Brother, I now understand why that area was so mysterious earlier. It was because a segment of time was intercepted by the Bottle of Time, constantly spilling outwards in a perpetual cycle."

Xu Qing heard of this item for the first time and was inwardly surprised. He instinctively thought of the Wishing Box and the Sound-Capturing Bottle, so he asked about them."The Wishing Box and the Sound-Capturing Bottle are actually imitations created based on the Bottle of Time. One emulates its immortal effect, and the other emulates its ability to intercept the power of time!"Team *chang* finished his explanation, then shook the small purple bottle in his hand."There's something inside! From the sound, it's liquid!" Team *chang*'s eyes brightened even more. He sniffed it, a look of intoxication on his face. "It smells wonderful. I don't know what it is, but it feels edible. Junior Brother, how about we eat it?"Team *chang* looked at Xu Qing, licked his lips, and handed the bottle to Xu Qing. "Take a sniff."

Xu Qing took it and held it to his nose. A peculiar aroma entered his nostrils, transforming into a flowing essence that coursed through his entire body. It didn't trigger a reaction from his divine body, but the four Fateful Lamps in his Sea of Consciousness trembled violently. They exuded an endless craving, as if this substance was extraordinary for the Fateful Lamps. And that twelfth Celestial Palace, which hadn't yet fully materialized, also began to tremble. Clearly, the contents of the Bottle of Time would be of great help in materializing the Celestial Palace. Xu Qing was moved.Yet, he still had some hesitation in his heart, as the liquid inside was unknown and had existed for too many years. However, regarding whether it was edible, Xu Qing ultimately chose to trust Team *chang*."We eat it!" Xu Qing nodded emphatically.

Team *chang* chuckled, took the bottle, shook it, and then tilted it towards his mouth. Immediately, a single drop of transparent yet incredibly viscous liquid slid from the mouth of the bottle into his mouth. There was another drop behind it; before it could fall, Team *chang* placed the small bottle before Xu Qing. Xu Qing opened his mouth, and in the next instant, the second drop of viscous liquid fell into his mouth. The next moment, they both closed their eyes and began to digest.For Xu Qing, he felt as if his body was about to explode at that instant. A world-shaking aura erupted from his mouth, surged down his throat into his body, then spread throughout his entire being, converging in his Sea of Consciousness. The four Celestial Palaces, formed by the Fateful Lamps in his Sea of Consciousness, trembled violently, just as the Poison Ban Pills had reacted upon sensing divine essence, emitting an extreme craving. Clearly, over their long existence, they had all become incredibly parched and rarely encountered such nourishment. After all, though they were within Xu Qing and blessed him, they were not formed by his bloodline.Now, after absorbing it, the Fateful Flame burning on them became brighter than ever before. The flames surged, illuminating all directions, and even the mist in his Sea of Consciousness became clearer under this light. As the flames greatly intensified, the aura of the four Fateful Lamps also climbed significantly. Vaguely, their forms changed; it seemed that each lamp wick was forming a meditating miniature figure.

This scene caused immense waves in Xu Qing's mind. He knew what those miniature figures were. They were Nascent Souls! Although they were still ethereal and not fully formed, judging by the speed of their manifestation, their completion seemed not far off. This was indeed the case.As the ancient liquid from the Bottle of Time continued to erupt, the Fateful Flames of Xu Qing's four Fateful Lamps grew even stronger, as if oil had been dripped into them. The miniature figures within the wicks became clearer, exactly resembling Xu Qing's face.More than ten breaths later, the black umbrella Fateful Lamp, the first to follow Xu Qing, suddenly erupted with light outwards. After a powerful force surged within it, the miniature figure inside transformed directly from illusory to real. Within the flames, it became incredibly clear, and its eyes snapped open, touching Xu Qing's divine consciousness through the Fateful Flame, as if they were looking at each other. Xu Qing's mind shook, and the aura of his cultivation fluctuated, exuding a power stronger than before.At the same time, a canopy materialized above Xu Qing's head. Unlike before, this canopy's color was more distinct, appearing more real. Under its illumination, Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged, truly resembled a young Ancient Emperor, filled with majesty.But this was not yet over. Soon, his Seven-Colored Wind Chant Lamp, amidst echoes of pleasant whistling sounds, saw the miniature figure within its wick open its eyes. A second canopy appeared! Then, a Nascent Soul formed within the Nether Spirit Blood Wing Lamp, followed by another Nascent Soul forming within the Remnant Immortal Devouring God Lamp!Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged beneath four canopies, had colorful light flowing over his entire body: a black umbrella above, seven colors surrounding him, blood wings behind him, and an aura of lethal malice. Combined with his handsome appearance, this scene, if witnessed by outsiders, would undoubtedly shock countless minds to their core. In fact, if his identity were unknown, they might even believe he was the true Human Race Imperial Prince descended.Four Nascent Souls appeared successively, causing Xu Qing's cultivation to surge again and again. At this moment, his fluctuations were world-shaking, and terrifying power circulated within his body, erupting from his five Nascent Souls, including the Golden Crow Nascent Soul. At the same time, a vague sense of a heavenly tribulation about to descend also emerged in Xu Qing's heart. However, it was still a little short; he would need this feeling to intensify before he could summon it.And a trace of the liquid's power from the Bottle of Time still remained. Under Xu Qing's guidance, it went directly to the long-desired twelfth Celestial Palace. This Celestial Palace had now materialized more than halfway. As it absorbed the power, its materialization accelerated, quickly reaching eighty percent, then ninety percent, and finally ninety-nine percent! The twelfth Celestial Palace shimmered with brilliant light, constantly trembling. It only needed one suppressing item to be completely whole! Xu Qing opened his eyes and saw Team *chang* before him, who was looking at his canopy with a slightly regretful expression.

Team *chang*'s aura had also surged significantly compared to before. Like Xu Qing, he emitted the fluctuations of a Nascent Soul, though it was difficult to discern the exact power of how many souls."Little A'Qing, the Nascent Souls born from the Fateful Lamps within you are already close to the level of attracting the power of the first tribulation!"Noticing Xu Qing had awakened, Team *chang* took a deep breath, a hint of regret on his face."Fateful Lamps are indeed treasures, but unfortunately, we don't possess the bloodline of an Ancient Emperor Ruler, so we cannot naturally manifest a Fateful Lamp ourselves. And external Fateful Lamps ultimately cannot completely merge with one's own bloodline, preventing us from transforming them into a furnace for the Spirit Repository realm, like the legendary descendants of Ancient Emperor Rulers, placing them within the five secret repositories to constantly burn and refine everything into the foundation of our own secret repositories. This is also why great cultivators who reach the Spirit Repository realm don't particularly desire Fateful Lamps. It's not that Fateful Lamps are bad, but that we can't utilize them in subsequent stages, sigh."Xu Qing remained silent. Although he didn't know that Fateful Lamps could transform into furnaces in the Spirit Repository realm, he had also noticed that as his cultivation improved, the blessings from the Fateful Lamps were nearing their limit."Is there no way to make them completely merge with one's own bloodline?" Xu Qing asked."This is a method everyone throughout history has tried to find, but unfortunately, it's impossible. Only when one's cultivation reaches the realm of an Ancient Emperor Ruler can everything be reversed, allowing the bloodline to form Fateful Lamps and bestowing this blessing upon future generations." Team *chang* shook his head.Xu Qing nodded, feeling no great regret. After all, at the Nascent Soul realm, Fateful Lamps could still provide blessings, and Xu Qing felt that Fateful Lamps represented their strongest manifestation within the Nascent Soul stage.

Team *chang* patted Xu Qing's shoulder. "It's nothing, I'll think of a way. Perhaps we can achieve it through external means. But putting that aside for now, Master probably didn't anticipate us having this fortune with the Bottle of Time, so he left in a hurry without elaborating. So, let me tell you about the Nascent Soul matter first.""The Nascent Soul realm is called differently by various races. Some call it the Heaven's Mandate Realm, others the Dao Infant Realm, and some the Heaven's Mandate Nascent Soul Realm. Each name is actually determined and changed according to the previous Ancient Emperor who unified the world. After Ancient Emperor Xuanyou unified the world, he set a fixed name for it: Heaven's Mandate Dao Infant. It's essentially the same meaning; the 'Dao' character was added then to unify the understanding of different races. As for Heaven's Mandate, it refers to a heavenly tribulation."

As Team *chang* spoke, Xu Qing, combining this with his previous understanding of the Heaven's Mandate Dao Infant realm, gradually formed a comprehensive perception that emerged in his mind. In the human race's understanding, the Heaven's Mandate Dao Infant realm actually required at least one Dao Infant to have undergone the baptism of a heavenly tribulation to be truly called a Heaven's Mandate Dao Infant. This was considered truly entering the realm. Without undergoing a heavenly tribulation, no matter how many Dao Infants one possessed, they were theoretically considered 'false infants'. It was like this during the era of Ancient Emperor Xuanyou, but with the disappearance of humanity's unification, the understanding also changed.Based on the perceptions of different races, there were multiple interpretations. Many races believed that even without experiencing a heavenly tribulation, as long as a Dao Infant appeared, it constituted the Nascent Soul realm. As for the heavenly tribulation, that necessary hurdle, it was a limitation of the Nascent Soul realm itself. Each time a new Nascent Soul appeared, accumulating power to face the heavenly tribulation, and then being baptized by it, would break one limitation. The Ancient World of Wanggu was simply too vast, with numerous races and differing physiques. There were many, like the Near-Immortal race, whose understanding was completely different from other races, making it difficult to establish a unified understanding at this stage.As for methods of advancement, there were many branches depending on the race, leading to varying strengths and weaknesses. But ultimately, they generally fell into two categories. One category involved choosing to attract a heavenly tribulation baptism after the second Nascent Soul was born, thereby advancing to Heaven's Mandate. The second category, chosen by fewer cultivators, involved allowing all their Celestial Palaces to transform into Dao Infants first, and then undergoing a heavenly tribulation to experience a revolutionary transformation in one go. The latter was difficult, but once successful, the resulting Heaven's Mandate power would be stronger, significantly aiding subsequent Spirit Repository cultivation.After entering the Heaven's Mandate Dao Infant realm, the method of advancement also differed from the Celestial Palace Golden Core. It required enduring Heaven's Mandate tribulations; each time all Nascent Souls experienced one, it marked a significant improvement. There were a total of five tribulations; completing all of them signified Grand Perfection. This path contained great danger, so the Nascent Soul's inherent strength needed to increase, continuously evolving into *chang*s, to possess the capital for transcending tribulations. Otherwise, if a tribulation failed, the Nascent Soul would irreversibly collapse and vanish permanently. Fateful Lamps, at this stage, were indeed the most powerful manifestation, because even if a Fateful Lamp's tribulation failed, it wouldn't disappear, allowing for multiple attempts after failure.

Xu Qing understood all this. As he inwardly observed his twelfth Celestial Palace, Team *chang* suddenly raised his hand and handed the Bottle of Time to Xu Qing."Place this item inside your twelfth Celestial Palace as its suppressing artifact!"Xu Qing looked up at Team *chang*. "Although this thing is a treasure, I can't use it. My cultivation involves unsealing."Team *chang* chuckled and winked at Xu Qing."Thank you, Senior Brother." Warmth rose in Xu Qing's heart. Over the years, he had long regarded Team *chang* and Seventh Elder as indispensable family members. Xu Qing's childhood experiences had made his personality cold, but deep down, he always yearned for family. As for Team *chang*, the two had journeyed together, experiencing so much and facing death multiple times. In Xu Qing's heart, Team *chang* had unconsciously filled the role of an older brother.At this moment, Xu Qing took the Bottle of Time without hesitation and placed it into his twelfth Celestial Palace. The Celestial Palace rumbled, completely finalized. Unlike other Celestial Palaces, this twelfth palace emitted ripples of temporal power. Vaguely, Xu Qing even seemed to hear a familiar, soft sigh echoing from the depths of time. This sigh made him momentarily stunned. That was... Zixuan's voice.

Just as Xu Qing was about to investigate further, a deafening roar came from the sky, accompanied by crackling sounds. Cracks appeared from the distant horizon and rapidly spread across the entire sky. The sky seemed to have transformed into a spiderweb. A vast expanse of crimson erupted across the firmament! Xu Qing and Team *chang*'s expressions changed simultaneously.