Chapter 784: He Is an Alien Immortal

For many, this night was peaceful.

But for some, a storm brewed in their hearts, stirring immense ripples.

For instance, the Seventh Prince, back at his manor, seemed to be meditating, but his mind was in turmoil. The contents of the jade slip kept replaying in his mind like a persistent demon.

Another example was Li Daoze, the Ancestor of the Heretic Immortal sect. His Earth Son body was undergoing tremendous changes in its soul threads as the azure snowflakes drifted out and the purple soul seed integrated.

After years of accumulation, their numbers surged dramatically.

His soul's density surpassed that of everyone in the Heretic Immortal sect, reaching an inconceivable level. This was why a mere azure snowflake could instantly boost his soul threads to 300,000.

Now, with the integration of the purple soul seed, his soul threads continued to rise, reaching 400,000, then 500,000, until they neared 600,000.

The resulting fluctuations were concealed by the Heretic Immortal Sect Master, who activated a formation. Otherwise, it would have caused a huge sensation.

The concealment was the Sect Master's helpless choice, after all, the cultivation was progressing too rapidly.

While appropriate speed can attract attention and aspiration, a heaven-defying pace would only incite panic.

However, while his concealment made it difficult for outsiders to detect, it did not affect Xu Qing's perception in the slightest.

Throughout the night, Xu Qing repeatedly opened his eyes, looking in the direction of the Grand Academy.

His expression shifted several times, and his heart occasionally stirred.

Li Daoze's soul had actually reached such a level...

Xu Qing took a deep breath. Through the soul seed, he clearly felt the surge in the other party's soul threads, and this level of improvement also brought an astonishing increase in his divine source.

In a single night, Xu Qing's divine source soul threads increased by tens of thousands.

Similarly, that night, the Heretic Immortal Sect Master's heart was also in turmoil.

He had personally witnessed the Ancestor's advancement, which not only deepened his understanding of the soul seed but also instilled a sense of apprehension in his heart.

Outwardly, he appeared logical and dominant, but inwardly, how could he not harbor suspicions about this soul seed?

However, for the resurgence of the Heretic Immortal sect, he had to seize this opportunity. Even if it was poison, he had to choose to swallow it.

Even if this choice might not be beneficial for the future of the Heretic Immortal sect, and everything remained unknown, he would rather fight passionately than let the sect quietly perish.

Ultimately, the soul seed's immense outburst still made his heart waver, and his apprehension grew stronger.

But as Li Daoze's Earth Son body slowly opened its eyes, this feeling was suppressed.

“This is a divine source.”

A weathered voice, imbued with an inexplicable sense of ancientness, echoed in the Heretic Immortal Sect Master's ears.

“Greetings, Ancestor!” The Heretic Immortal Sect Master knelt down, his mind filled with excitement.

“Someone… has walked ahead of us. This indirectly proves that our Heretic Immortal sect's cultivation method is theoretically feasible.”

“We simulate a divine source with soul threads, while the other party works backward, determining the method by the outcome, using our Heretic Immortal sect's cultivation method for their enhancement.”

“Whether it is divine or immortal, it depends on a single thought. Perhaps… this is the true Heretic Immortal.”

Li Daoze's massive Earth Son body slowly blurred, eventually transforming into countless soul threads with a rumble. They continuously converged until, as they completely vanished, they revealed his true form, which had not appeared for two millennia.

His eyes were deeply sunken, and the corners were lined with wrinkles, bearing witness to the years and hardships he had endured.

With long, graying hair, a gaunt body, and a face full of wrinkles, his eyes held a scorching light, containing an unspeakable wisdom that seemed capable of burning away all souls and seeing through the essence of human nature.

It was incredibly sharp.

As he spoke in a hoarse voice, he first felt his own body, his eyes showing emotion. He truly hadn't expected that he would ever have a day of recovery.

Originally, he had been prepared to slowly perish.

“No need to overthink it. In your heart, simply acknowledge it as a Heretic Immortal, and all this complexity will become simple.”

“Heretic Immortal…” The Heretic Immortal Sect Master’s breathing quickened slightly. He nodded silently, gritted his teeth fiercely, and dispelled the last trace of apprehension and hesitation from his heart.

As the obsession in his heart vanished, that complete openness of his mind actually caused the purple snowflakes within his body to change, integrating more tightly.

Following this, his soul threads climbed again, breaking through their original limit and reaching 100,000.

“They cannot increase further. This has already exceeded your soul's limit. Originally, with your soul, you wouldn't have been able to form 100,000 soul threads. This is the blessing brought by the azure snowflakes you separated.”

Li Daoze gazed at the Heretic Immortal Sect Master, his gaze profound, seemingly able to see through everything about this junior before him.

“If you wish to break through, you can try helping disciples who have integrated the azure snowflakes. See if their soul threads, once they reach a certain number, can… form the next layer of Dao seeds!”

The Heretic Immortal Sect Master's eyes gleamed as he heard this, and he nodded.

Thus, time flowed, and seven days passed.

During these seven days, Xu Qing, as usual, came to the Heretic Immortal sect's White Pagoda every day. Amidst the cultivation of numerous core disciples, he discerned the intricacies of the Heretic Immortal sect's cultivation method.

He had long discovered that as more and more people cultivated the Heretic Immortal method, the fluctuations permeating the White Pagoda were an excellent nourishment for his own breathing techniques.

This made the vortex in his sea of consciousness spin even more smoothly. Therefore, Xu Qing quite liked this environment.

At the same time, Xu Qing also noticed the Heretic Immortal Sect Master's actions. The Sect Master no longer cultivated on the upper floors all day but returned to the main hall, repeatedly guiding disciples in their cultivation, seemingly making a selection.

Xu Qing had also been considered, but because his later stage of cultivation was somewhat slow, and he wasn't as adept at currying favor as some other core disciples, he was passed over.

Consequently, through the efforts of others, Xu Qing was surpassed.

This wasn't just true for Xu Qing; even the earliest core disciples, whether they had integrated Dao seeds or had been hesitant, gradually fell behind.

The truth was, the current number of Heretic Immortal sect's core disciples already reached several hundred. Among them, there was no lack of those with excellent souls, so it was inevitable that they would catch up to the older disciples.

With more people, all sorts of personalities emerged. Furthermore, since no one knew each other's outside identities, some true natures that wouldn't normally be revealed outwardly occasionally surfaced.

For example, contempt and provocation.

Xu Qing experienced this several times, especially after the Sect Master gave up on him. The core disciple chosen by the Sect Master would always look at Xu Qing and the other older disciples with a hint of condescension.

Xu Qing paid no mind to this. He had guessed the Sect Master's intentions and was also curious if the azure soul seed could split again to form a new layer of soul seed.

And this person indeed had their merits. With the Sect Master's help, their soul continuously improved.

The number of soul threads within their body also steadily increased until, on this day, this disciple became the first among everyone to reach 50,000 soul threads.

At that moment, a storm of soul thread fluctuations swirled within the White Pagoda, drawing everyone's attention. The Sect Master immediately brought this person to the upper floors.

No one knew what they discussed, only that an hour later, when the person descended, the Sect Master announced them as the Heretic Immortal Chief Disciple. At this declaration, most of the Heretic Immortal sect disciples bowed their heads.

The Chief Disciple is a very important position for any sect, as their words and actions represent the sect's prestige. Naturally, anyone who becomes Chief Disciple is to be respected by the sect's followers.

The Heretic Immortal sect was no exception.

The outside world paid even closer attention.

From a distance, Xu Qing's gaze swept over, carefully observing the Heretic Immortal Chief Disciple, who exuded an air of arrogance. He eventually appeared thoughtful.

“It truly split; a lower layer of soul seed has appeared.”

Within the Heretic Immortal Chief Disciple's body, besides the azure soul seed, a white snowflake was also forming.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and left the White Pagoda amidst the other disciples gathering around and congratulating the Chief Disciple.

Some older disciples left with him.

As their backs disappeared, some of the Chief Disciple's surrounding followers ignored them, while others deliberately showed disdain.

Regardless, the emergence of a Chief Disciple in the Heretic Immortal sect that night captured the attention of many and solidified one person's resolve.

That person was the Seventh Prince.

Upon learning that a disciple of the Heretic Immortal sect had formed 50,000 soul threads in a short time, he returned to his manor, and the Melting God Sect Master's assessment of the Heretic Immortal Dao seed resurfaced in his mind.

“Heretical.”

The Seventh Prince's eyelids drooped slightly, concealing the fleeting dark glint in his eyes. He had made a decision in his heart.

That same night, in a residence in the northwest of the Imperial Capital, near the First Prince's manor, a faint lamplight flickered. A figure cloaked entirely in black robes, with their head also covered, sat at a wooden table inside the house. They raised a withered finger and flicked the flame of the oil lamp.

The person's body seemed like a black hole; the flickering lamplight that fell upon them could not penetrate in the slightest and was completely absorbed.

They sat there silently, waiting quietly for a long time until a faint rustling of wind came from outside. Soon, three figures appeared outside the residence, pushed open the door, entered, and stood with their heads bowed in silence.

After a while, a hoarse voice calmly emerged from the black-robed figure.

“First, do not inquire about the client's identity. Even I do not know it.”

“Second, once this task is completed, you will be free.”

“Third, if anything goes wrong during the process and you are detected, you must self-detonate your physical bodies, exposing the Heretic Immortal Dao seeds within, and direct all clues towards the Heretic Immortal sect. As for how to make it more convincing, you are to decide for yourselves.”

“Fourth, this time, the client requests 30 million human souls, be they mortals or cultivators, as long as they are human. Place them in this flask and bring them to me.”

Having spoken, the oil lamp's flame flickered, and the black-robed figure vanished without a trace. Only three black flasks remained, falling before the three individuals. They stood in silence, their expressions numb, then stepped forward to pick up the soul flasks. Without any words or eye contact, they each departed, disappearing into the night.

They used the shortest possible time, employing different methods, to distance themselves from the Imperial Capital. Some went to other rings, others to different domains.

The moment the three of them left the Imperial Capital, Xu Qing, who was meditating cross-legged in a secret chamber, sensing the white snowflake, suddenly opened his eyes. A sharp glint appeared in them as he looked into the distance. He sensed that three azure soul seeds were moving away from the Imperial Capital.