Chapter 712: Xu Qing's Divine State

The Hidden Treasure is the standard for the Spirit Treasure realm, and its function is somewhat similar to the concept of igniting the Lifeflame.

Foundation Establishment cultivators who haven't ignited their Lifeflame are merely larger versions of Qi Condensation cultivators; only by igniting their life as a flame can a qualitative change occur.

The Spirit Treasure realm operates similarly. The emergence of the Hidden Treasure provides a significant, all-encompassing boost to a cultivator. As the Heavenly Dao Furnace within it burns, it supplies astonishing power to the cultivator. Not only does it allow Spirit Treasure cultivators to wield rules, but it also provides terrifying combat strength.

This was Xu Qing's understanding of the Hidden Treasure until today, when the appearance of the Divine Treasure altered his perception. He could clearly feel the difference between the two; it wasn't just the gap before and after igniting the Lifeflame, but the distance between a cultivator and a mortal. However, Xu Qing still needed to ponder and research its specific applications to truly master it. For now, based on his simple assessment, he could only use it like a Hidden Treasure, bringing it forth to suppress everything.

"This method must be incorrect!" Xu Qing mused, looking around. The seals here had collapsed, and the surroundings were scorched earth.

"It will take some time to fully comprehend the true manifestation of the Divine Treasure," Xu Qing murmured to himself, then stood up. He knew this wasn't the time for research, as he had something far more important to do.

Xu Qing then put away the leather bag. There was still a lot of Scarlet Mother flesh inside, but he had temporarily reached a bottleneck and couldn't absorb any more. He would have to wait until he formed his fourth Divine Treasure to continue. This item's value was immeasurable; once he had the concept and preparation for his fourth Divine Treasure, he could instantly form it using this.

Xu Qing took a deep breath, carefully put away the leather bag, adjusted his clothes, and began walking towards the distant horizon. With each step, the earth beneath his feet and the sky above seemed to shrink; this was an effect of his rules. Within his power, all things could change at his will.

In this manner, Xu Qing took a hundred steps, a feat beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators, moving from his location to the edge of the Plain of Repentance. This place was once a sea of blood and islands, but now, after the divine war and Li Zihua's collection of sacrifices, it had transformed into a forbidden zone. Looking out, the sea of blood was filled with countless plants; darkness and chill permeated the entire area. Aberrant energy was even more concentrated, affecting everything and giving birth to countless strange life forms within this forbidden zone. The ruins of the Divine Son's Temple also lay deep within it.

At this moment, Xu Qing stood outside the forbidden zone, gazing ahead for a long while before stepping inside, proceeding step by step towards its center. All around, phantom-like plants could easily kill any mortal intruder, and even against cultivators, their aberrant energy became a deadly weapon. But for Xu Qing, everything here was no different from the outside world. All the strange plants voluntarily avoided Xu Qing before he even got close, daring not to touch him in the slightest. Even the bizarre life forms born here behaved similarly. A black and red serpent swiftly fled, but as Xu Qing passed, it instantly turned into a skeleton. Its life, its aberrant energy, and its aura were silently drawn away, vanishing behind Xu Qing.

At first glance, there was nothing behind him, but someone with sufficient cultivation could perceive what appeared to be three massive black holes, devouring everything. Perhaps for this forbidden zone, Xu Qing's very presence was the true forbidden zone. Xu Qing continued his journey, passing through the former sea of blood and reaching the original islands, until he paused before a colossal mountain of flesh and blood, cupping his fists and bowing.

"Greetings, Grandpa Nine!"

This mountain of flesh and blood was black and red, a part of this place, its core, and the master of the forbidden zone. It was formed from Li Zihua's flesh and blood, giving birth to new life under the gaze of the divine remnant. It slowly writhed but wasn't truly awake, instead remaining in a deep slumber. Even so, an astonishing pressure enveloped the surroundings, distorting the void.

And upon it, a person sat cross-legged. He was clad entirely in black, with a stern, icy face, and a light longsword rested across his knees. It was Old Ninth. He opened his eyes and calmly looked at Xu Qing, specifically glancing several times behind him, a peculiar glint in his eyes.

After a moment, he spoke indifferently. "What is it?"

Xu Qing knew that this Grandpa Nine was cold-natured and spoke little, often remaining silent, but his heart was far from as indifferent as he appeared. So, he softly began to speak. "Grandpa Nine, when I first arrived in the Great Moon City, I took in a disciple. She died unexpectedly, but at the time, I was told that the souls of those who die in the Great Moon Domain do not enter reincarnation but gather within the Divine Son's Temple. I have come here to retrieve my disciple's soul."

"What is her name?" Old Ninth asked calmly upon hearing this.

"Shi Panyan, her name is Shi Panyan," Xu Qing whispered.

Old Ninth closed his eyes as if sensing something. A moment later, he opened them, raised his right hand, and grabbed at the void. Immediately, the entire forbidden zone trembled, and a colossal vortex materialized out of thin air. As it rumbled and spun, a white light slowly flew out from within, drifting towards Xu Qing. Within the white light was a small girl, sleeping with her arms wrapped around her knees, her brows tightly furrowed, and a lingering look of terror on her face. It was indeed Shi Panyan.

Xu Qing's eyes softened as he looked at her. He raised his hand, gently cupped the light, and called out to her. "Panyan!" His voice merged into the white light, echoing in the void and settling into the little girl's soul. Her body seemed to stir, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes. The girl looked at Xu Qing, and after a moment of confusion, her small face lit up with surprise.

"Master!" She tried to get up and pay respects, but the weakness of her soul body made it difficult for her to support herself.

"Panyan, Master is here to take you home," Xu Qing said softly, his right hand gently stroking the little girl within the light cluster. Gradually, she closed her eyes again and fell asleep. Compared to before, her brows were no longer furrowed, and the terror on her face had been replaced by a peaceful expression.

After gently putting Panyan away, Xu Qing bowed once more to Old Ninth. Just as he turned to leave, Old Ninth suddenly spoke, "Do you have three deities behind you?" Xu Qing paused, turning to look at Old Ninth. Old Ninth's expression remained cold, but the surprise in his eyes intensified. He gazed at Xu Qing, his deep voice echoing, "One is yourself, one is formed from the authority of the Red Moon, and one is created by a divine curse."

"But you seem unable to merge with them, making it difficult to fully manifest them. I'll help you!" As he spoke, the sword resting on Old Ninth's knees suddenly rose into the air, its tip pointing towards Xu Qing. A world-shaking aura erupted from within the sword, stirring winds and clouds, and amid the roar from all directions, this sword energy, carrying extinction and destruction, shot directly towards Xu Qing.

A sharp glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. A life-or-death crisis surged overwhelmingly at that moment. His entire body's blood seemed to congeal, his cultivation was suppressed, and all his flesh and blood became rigid. It was as if everything was sealed, yet only the Divine Treasures behind him appeared increasingly clear in Xu Qing's mind. Immediately afterward, his first Divine Treasure burst forth from behind him with a roar.

The moment the Divine Treasure appeared, the world changed color, and the forbidden zone trembled. The sacred figure within it roared outwards, seemingly ready to confront the incoming sword energy. The sword energy paused.

"Not enough!" Old Ninth's cold voice rang out, and the sword energy erupted once more, rushing straight for Xu Qing.

In this critical moment, Xu Qing's body trembled repeatedly. His cultivation was suppressed, with only his Divine Treasures connected. Under this intense life-or-death pressure, veins bulged on his forehead, and his entire consciousness poured into his Divine Treasures. The instant the sword energy arrived, the Divine Treasure exploded like a volcanic eruption, forming a terrifying divine source that rushed towards Xu Qing, forcibly integrating into his body.

The next moment, a low roar that shook the heavens erupted from Xu Qing's mouth. Under this roar and the integration of the divine source, his body began to tear, new flesh growing rapidly, and his form underwent a drastic transformation, becoming increasingly tall, large, and astonishing. Moments later, a golden figure abruptly appeared before the mountain of flesh and blood.

This figure's physique was immensely majestic, appearing similar to the Ghost Emperor but with Xu Qing's face. It wore an emperor's crown, which was transformed from Ding 132. Dazzling golden light emanated from this body, yet it created a rainbow of colors around it. At its heart was the Heavenly Dao Furnace, beating rhythmically. Each beat was like heavenly thunder, and it erupted with blazing fire, burning throughout the body, making the figure resemble a field of flames. A black long spear coiled around it, and countless bolts of lightning appeared on the figure's right hand. As it gripped the long spear, the figure's eyes suddenly opened wide. It was Xu Qing himself!

Xu Qing's mind reeled intensely. He had never imagined that the method for utilizing his Divine Treasures would be like this. At this moment, he clearly felt his state, as if he had undergone a transformation into a deified form. His combat power surged, and he felt he could suppress any Spirit Treasure cultivator he had encountered before.

Xu Qing looked up at Old Ninth, his heart stirring with emotion, and bowed deeply. Old Ninth, with a strange glint in his eyes, nodded slightly.

"Now this is more like it!" he said. "But this is only your first layer of deified state! You possess three Divine Treasures, so theoretically, you should also have three layers of deified states! However, your foundation isn't strong enough to support them!" Old Ninth finished, then after a moment of contemplation, he said with a decisive, low voice, "I can help you experience it ahead of time. Although this experience is a bit wasteful, it will show you the right direction!"

With that, Old Ninth raised his right hand, and a piece of iridescent flesh, clearly Scarlet Mother flesh, shot towards Xu Qing. Before it could get close, and before Xu Qing could speak, Old Ninth's sword energy swept across, causing the flesh to instantly explode into a blood mist that enveloped Xu Qing. "Integrate this blood mist into your Divine Treasure and manifest your second layer of deified state. Remember, do not do it separately, but rather superimpose it upon the first deified state."

Xu Qing's mind shuddered. The blood mist outside his body uncontrollably rushed into his Poison Prohibition Divine Treasure. The moment it entered, the Divine Treasure exploded with a roar, and large clouds of black mist surged towards Xu Qing. In an instant, it merged into Xu Qing's first layer of deified state. The next moment, an even more terrifying aura, accompanied by Xu Qing's painful roar, erupted from his body with immense force.