Chapter 796: Peak of the Different Immortal

Above the Grand Academy's sky, 1.3 million soul threads, resembling countless colossal serpents, slowly intertwined and converged, forming a magnificent figure thousands of zhang tall.

This figure exuded the intimidating presence of a Ghost Emperor, capable of shaking the world. On its head, pre-formed elements coalesced into an imperial crown, granting the figure an emperor-like majesty. Imperial aura permeated its form, manifesting as roaring thunder dragons that bellowed in all directions.

Even the morning glow was simulated by the soul threads, shimmering around its body to form a halo, imbuing it with a divine presence.

Within its form, a visible core materialized, reverberating with the roars of a Canglong. Each roar was like heavenly thunder, shaking the minds of all who watched. The essence of the Heavenly Dao was especially potent, burning fiercely like a furnace within its body.

The furnace's flames spread outwards, forming a vast, turbulent sea of fire that billowed and expanded for miles around. Its terrifying aura rose ominously as far as the eye could see.

Standing amidst the fiery sea, the figure raised its right hand and seized the void. Instantly, a Golden Crow spear materialized, firmly grasped by the figure. With a sweep of its hand, the spear slanted downwards, its tip pointing directly at the Fusing God Sect Master.

The Golden Crow's form was clearly visible on the spear tip, its eyes sharp, its mouth spewing flames. Amplified by the surrounding sea of fire, the figure's awe-inspiring presence was akin to that of a true deity.

This was Xu Qing's first divine form, in its most complete manifestation.

Unlike previous manifestations, however, this time it did not merge with Xu Qing but stood behind him.

Divine power surged. Xu Qing stood in front of this first divine form, treading upon the flames. Despite the vast size difference between his figure and the divine form, he inexplicably gave the impression of commanding a deity.

It was as if the divine being had become a mere accompaniment.

This sight sent ripples through the minds of everyone at the Grand Academy. All factions were deeply shaken, and even the Human Emperor gazed on intently.

The Sect Master of the Heretic Immortal lineage was especially agitated at this moment. Beside him, Chen Daoze took a deep breath, his eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions.

The disciples of the Heretic Immortal lineage among the Grand Academy students no longer bothered to conceal their origins. Their eyes gleamed with unconcealed excitement, and they all yearned to emulate Xu Qing's actions.

Indeed, this debate between the two great lineages had, without anyone realizing, become Xu Qing's personal stage!

Slaying a Prince, revealing the Heretic Immortal path – each act was astounding!

Now, with Xu Qing's emergence, his other identity became self-evident.

The mysterious perfected one of the Heretic Immortal lineage!

It was well-known that this mysterious perfected one, in the narratives of the Heretic Immortal lineage and public discourse, was regarded as the lineage's strongest ancestor and the very source of the Heretic Immortals' resurgence.

Thus, Xu Qing's current revelation sent a powerful shockwave through the Heretic Immortal disciples.

The former core members of the Heretic Immortal lineage had already been stunned when Xu Qing revealed his identity as a Domain Lord. Now, realizing that Xu Qing was actually the source of the Heretic Immortals, their hearts were rocked by an even fiercer storm.

The core disciple who had previously glared angrily at Xu Qing now turned pale, and the one who had competed with Xu Qing for the chief position also felt a profound unease.

The three core disciples who had joined even earlier than Xu Qing now stared with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“The Ancestor was printing tabloids with us!” exclaimed one student in the crowd, utterly shocked. This student was precisely the mysterious woman seen outside the Star Emperor Branch Sect that day.

She now looked up at Xu Qing in mid-air, her normally confident heart now in constant turmoil.

“It was you all along!” the woman gritted her teeth.

Under the myriad gazes, Xu Qing, standing in the center of the sky before his first divine form, calmly addressed the Fusing God Sect Master.

“The Heretic Immortal lineage refines soul threads, weaves divinity, and creates divine phantoms.

“Yet, all of this is merely superficial. The greatest capability of the Heretic Immortal lineage lies in its ability to transform the source of divinity into power for breaking through cultivation realms.

“At critical junjunctures, burning the divine phantom provides immense impetus to forcibly breach cultivation barriers, forging a new path forward. By leveraging divinity to attain immortality, one truly becomes a Heretic Immortal!

“Previously, the Heretic Immortal lineage's decline was outwardly attributed to slow cultivation, but in truth, it was because millions of soul threads never manifested.

“Millions of soul threads can birth Dao seeds, and disciples who integrate these Dao seeds can accelerate their cultivation.

“The divine phantom behind me, with its 300,000 soul threads, represents the first stage of Guixu. Burning it can advance one's cultivation to break through obstacles and barriers!” Xu Qing said, looking at Chen Daoze.

Chen Daoze, naturally understanding Xu Qing's intent, took a deep breath, bowed respectfully, and then looked up, meticulously observing the divine phantom behind Xu Qing.

He scrutinized every inch. Having dedicated over two millennia to mastering the Heretic Immortal lineage's observation techniques, he was highly proficient. Despite the complexity of Xu Qing's divine phantom, he grasped its essence after a moment, then raised his left hand and gestured.

Immediately, 600,000 soul threads dispersed from his body, swirling outwards. They swiftly wove behind him, forming a preliminary outline that was then meticulously refined.

Finally, a divine form, slightly smaller than Xu Qing's, abruptly appeared. Its appearance was identical, and its aura was the same; only Xu Qing's divine phantom appeared more lifelike.

Though their fundamental essences were originally distinct, by unfolding through the Dao seeds within their bodies, their essences became identical in that instant, and their paths converged.

This sight brought an even greater shock to the observers.

After all, merely witnessing something and actually accomplishing it are entirely different experiences!

The disciples of the Heretic Immortal lineage were particularly stirred. The fact that Ancestor Chen Daoze had formed Xu Qing's divine phantom meant that, in the future, anyone who met the requirements could do the same – this offered immense hope!

The most excited, however, was the Heretic Immortal Sect Master. His perception was far more profound than that of ordinary students, and thus, he deeply grasped the immense significance of this moment.

This represented an unprecedented development for the Heretic Immortal lineage's cultivation methods, elevating the entire path to a higher plane.

Previously, the Heretic Immortal lineage's meditative totems had a limit of 300,000 threads; now, it had been advanced a step further!

This was of extraordinary significance. While ordinary students had not yet fully grasped it, most external factions understood, their hearts filled with complex emotions. They also foresaw that the Heretic Immortal lineage would, from this point forward, belong to Xu Qing.

Whether considering Xu Qing's identity as its source or his contributions to the lineage's expansion, it was clear that this path would henceforth belong entirely to him.

This would be his lineage. All parties fell into deep thought, but Xu Qing's discourse was not yet finished.

“100,000 soul threads can weave an Earth Child, 200,000 can form a Heavenly Chief, and this 300,000-thread form is called the Imperial God. Next, there is the 500,000-thread form.”

As he spoke, Xu Qing closed his eyes. The first divine form behind him dispersed with a thunderous roar, and the 1.3 million soul threads expanded, once again shrouding the sky.

The world grew dim. The soul threads rapidly contracted, reconverged, and rewove themselves, transforming into a black, poisonous mist that sculpted a demonic figure.

Armor enveloped its entire body, and mist behind it billowed into a cloak, obscuring the sky. Decay and potent venom erupted from this form, while darkness and dread permeated the surroundings.

Xu Qing opened his eyes. Within the helmet of the figure behind him, eerie flames also flickered, staring coldly at the world, like a demon.

“This is the Demonic God!” Xu Qing's voice was slightly hoarse, infused with an air of cold indifference.

Cultivators from all sides who witnessed the Demonic God and felt its poison instantly changed their expressions.

While the first divine phantom had seemed acceptable, they now sensed a dense aura of death emanating from this second one.

Before anyone could perceive further, Xu Qing raised both hands. The second layer of divine form behind him expanded with a roar, undergoing eerie transformations.

Purple hair materialized in the darkness, growing long and continuously extending until it touched the ground.

From a distance, it resembled a startling purple waterfall.

The armor vanished, revealing Xu Qing's face. The body became even more sinister, with countless blood threads coiling around crystal-like bones, forming flesh while also spreading outwards in all directions like tentacles.

Behind it, massive wings of purple feathers and flesh unfurled. At this moment, a slight tremor of these wings caused the world to lose its color and winds to churn.

Finally, behind the figure, a purple moon slowly ascended.

As this form appeared, a surge of peculiar energy erupted across the Grand Academy, creating a hazy distortion. However, the invasive power of this energy was suppressed; it was merely an aura, the aura of a deity!

“This deity is named Purple Moon, formable with one million soul threads! And all of this is the Heretic Immortal!”

Xu Qing, now in his third divine form, slowly opened his eyes.

As cultivators from all sides were thoroughly stirred and awestruck by Xu Qing's Purple Moon form, his voice continued to reverberate.

“This is the method of the Heretic Immortal lineage: no need to replace the body with divine materials, nor does one become neither human nor ghost. A single thought from a Heretic Immortal can reverse heaven and earth, and an immortal body forms naturally!

“Weaving divinity to break through one's own restraints – this is ‘Heretic’! Commanding divinity to fight for oneself – that is ‘Immortal’! This is the Heretic Immortal lineage!

“I agree with one concept of the Fusing God lineage: deities are merely tools. We don't need to become deities; it is entirely possible to use them as tools through the path of immortality!”

Xu Qing spoke calmly, his voice reverberating deeply within everyone's hearts.

From afar, Xu Qing's status and identity continuously ascended in the eyes and hearts of the onlookers.

He was more than a mere Domain Lord; he bore the Emperor Sword, he was the source of the Heretic Immortals. He had slain a prince, and now he displayed three terrifying divine forms. All of this, coupled with his words, brought his presence to its absolute peak.

This peak was precisely the result Xu Qing desired, as it would lend his words greater authority and weight, enabling him to 'slay' those whom the Emperor Sword could not. For the Emperor Sword was not omnipotent.

Like the Fusing God Sect Master before him, Xu Qing had mentally called upon the Emperor Sword, but it had not flown out.

Xu Qing harbored no particular misgivings about this.

He trusted the Emperor Sword, but he also knew that its function was to slay those who harmed humanity, not to intervene in personal vendettas.

But Xu Qing was not the Emperor Sword; he did not possess such noble impartiality. His primary concerns were always his family and friends.

He felt no sense of belonging to the Imperial Capital, or even Fenghai Commandery.

Therefore, if the Fusing God Sect Master's actions did not provoke the Emperor Sword's killing intent, then Xu Qing would carry out the execution himself!

Thus, his gaze first fell upon the Human Emperor in the distant sky.

He then withdrew his gaze and turned to the Fusing God Sect Master, whose eyes held complex emotions. Killing intent surged in Xu Qing's gaze as he spoke in a low, sharp tone: “Then, Bai Xiaozhuo, the former Prefect of Fenghai Commandery in the Purple Azure Imperial Nation, what are your thoughts on this?”