Chapter 803: Withered Flame Demonic Magic True Form Dao

The night was as dark as ink, stars twinkled, and the bright moon hung high in the sky. Its pure light spilled onto the earth, but as it reached a long street in the imperial capital, the moonlight turned purple, as if draping the area in a thin veil of violet.

Outside this purple veil, a cold wind swept through, making dry branches and fallen leaves rustle. In the distance, tree shadows swayed as if whispering secrets to the night. Inside the purple veil, a fierce, whistling wind pursued a rapidly retreating figure. This figure seemed to carry the momentum of the dominant force, challenging the darkness itself.

The muddy ground of the long street cracked open as the retreating figure landed, leaving two long gouges on the surface.

Pressing one hand to the ground dozens of feet away, the figure finally stabilized.

Under the purple moonlight, the figure was revealed to be the mysterious woman. No longer as composed as before, her mask now bore cracks, and a ghostly light gleamed in her eyes as she stared at Xu Qing, who was stepping towards her from within the moonlight.

"Rumor has it you once seized the Scarlet Mother's divine source," she said. "When you acted in the Grand Academy, your moves were limited, so my perception wasn't clear. But now, with the moonlight colored by your presence, it seems the rumors are true!"

Xu Qing's expression remained calm. In the moonlight, he appeared as if walking in his own domain. As he approached the woman, the surrounding purple intensified, dyeing the sky and earth and encroaching in all directions, forming a terrifying figure.

It devoured everything, leaving only the moonlight, like water, spilling across the land.

"However, the more this happens, the more interested I become."

"Last time, I didn't want to expose myself at the Star Emperor Sect and attract unnecessary trouble, so I didn't unleash my secret art. But this time..."

Within the ghostly glow of the woman's eyes, an eerie shadow appeared. A curled-up infant was visible in her left eye, and a hunched old woman in her right. Each emanated an aura that converged to form a strange power, brimming with life and death, rising from her body.

Behind her, black and white forms manifested, spreading to her left and right. They spun, manipulating the laws of heaven and earth, shaking the rules of the world, and exuding an astonishing aura.

For the first time, a flicker of emotion appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.

Earlier, outside the Star Emperor Branch Sect, he had sensed the peculiar nature of her aura – neither divine nor cultivated. This had piqued his interest then, but now, in battle again, the feeling was even more pronounced.

"Enough chatter," Xu Qing calmly stated. With a casual wave of his right hand, the surrounding purple moonlight instantly blazed, solidifying into beams of light resembling long spears, hurtling towards the mysterious woman.

From a distance, tens of thousands of moonlight beams approached from all directions, moving faster than lightning and covering every angle, making it impossible for the mysterious woman to evade.

In this critical moment, the mysterious woman's pupils constricted. She instantly raised her hands, performed a hand seal, and violently thrust them outwards. Immediately, the black and white fan-like shapes behind her enveloped her like wings. A roar echoed as all the moonlight spears, carrying a lethal momentum and destructive power, descended upon her.

The black and white fans vibrated continuously, alternating. Though they blocked everything, the impact from the thread-like moonlight still caused the woman within to spit blood.

Nevertheless, she had, in the end, blocked this attack.

Xu Qing's eyes sharpened as he charged forward. Behind him, his third divine spirit state instantly formed a ferocious body, standing tall in the sky.

As Xu Qing neared, the woman's voice emanated from within the black and white fan shapes.

"One lineage splits into three souls, souls temper nine gods, nine gods refine the true form… this is the True Form of the Withered Flame Demonic Art."

The moment the woman's voice rang out, a dull thunder rumbled in the void above her, and three illusory mountain peaks materialized out of thin air.

These three mountains were unusual; they hung upside down in the sky, their peaks pointing towards the ground.

One mountain was entirely covered in frost, blue and white, containing endless cold.

Another mountain was blood-red, with countless skeletons and overwhelming cadaveric aura visible.

The third mountain was like fiery rock, dyeing the sky with supreme majesty. The moment they appeared, the three mountains plummeted, whistling towards Xu Qing, their aura filled with an ancient power.

"What kind of divine ability is this? It feels so ancient..."

Xu Qing's expression darkened. With a thought, more soul threads surged from his body, and his third divine spirit state swiftly wove itself into his first and second divine spirit states.

Looking out into the purple moonlight, Xu Qing's three divine spirit states appeared simultaneously, an unprecedented sight.

All three forms were fully manifested.

The moment they appeared, like three deities, they formed a triangle, encompassing Xu Qing in the center. Each, following Xu Qing's hand seals, moved towards the three descending mountains in the sky.

Immediately, alien matter spread, blurring the surroundings, and the purple moon became incredibly dense.

The next moment, Xu Qing's first form landed a punch on the frosty mountain. As this mountain rumbled, his second divine spirit state arrived. Nearing the second mountain, black poisonous mist instantly invaded, transforming into a massive demonic figure that fiercely devoured it.

Then, the third divine spirit state raised the purple moon, transforming it into a star. It descended as the heavens and earth changed color and winds surged. The three mountains in mid-air shook violently, and cracks instantly appeared, spreading across them until they shattered into pieces with a loud bang.

They were originally illusory; now, as they fragmented, they vanished back into nothingness. However, if one looked closely, a multicolored aura could be seen flashing across all the fragments as they dissipated.

The backlash from the destruction of her divine ability caused the mysterious woman to spit blood again. Her aura weakened, and her body stumbled backward.

"The commotion from her and my exchange couldn't possibly go unnoticed," Xu Qing thought. "Neither the imperial capital's formations nor the various powers could fail to perceive it!"

A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes.

"But it's still quiet here now. Unless it's like the assassination I encountered in the darkness, there's only one other possibility!"

"This woman's identity is extraordinary."

As Xu Qing considered this, his body swayed. In mid-air, his three divine spirit states instantly unleashed their divine might, rushing towards the woman alongside him.

Although blood stained the mysterious woman's lips, she was clearly still defiant. The ghostly light in her eyes still held a hint of challenge. Staring at Xu Qing, her right eye suddenly closed, leaving only her left eye open.

The curled-up infant in her left eye stirred slightly.

With this movement, the white fan among the black and white pair behind the woman rapidly expanded, unfolding across the sky, revealing a painting within.

The painting was simple: an endless expanse of watery marshland.

The moment it appeared, the masked woman uttered a low incantation.

"Land of Marshes."

As the words left her lips, the world shifted. The imperial capital seemed to vanish, and the very ground where Xu Qing and the woman stood ceased to exist, transforming into a vast marshland.

A strong sense of crisis suddenly surged in Xu Qing's heart. The next moment, from beneath the marshland, the earth-shattering roar of a colossal beast erupted, shaking this entire marshy space.

Immediately after, a gigantic horn, like a mountain peak, shot up from beneath the water, followed by another, each tilting towards Xu Qing.

The surging water stirred up thousands of marsh flowers, its momentum vast and imposing, like ten thousand thundering horses.

In this critical moment, Xu Qing didn't hesitate. He shot upwards, and in mid-air, raised his hands, forming a hand seal and pressing his palms together.

In an instant, his three divine spirit states around him converged towards Xu Qing, merging with his body.

In the blink of an eye, a figure combining all three layers of divine spirit states directly manifested between heaven and earth.

With crystal for bones, soul threads for flesh, poisonous mist forming armor, and the mark of the Heavenly Dao Devourer, three furnaces blazed fiercely in its chest, creating a terrifying aura.

Behind it, a purple moon rose, and beyond the purple moon, an even larger shadow of a sundial appeared.

At this moment, the shadow spread, forming a Forbidden City. In its depths, withered trees with hanging coffins swayed rapidly, and murmurs echoed in all directions.

This was Xu Qing's most powerful manifestation to date.

He raised his right hand and pressed it towards the marsh, a sacred voice reverberating from his lips.

"True Form of the Withered Flame Demonic Art!" As Xu Qing uttered these words, a multicolored aura instantly burst forth from his body, spreading in all directions, causing the void to rumble.

Astonishingly, the three inverted mountains that had appeared earlier manifested once more!

Seeing this, the mysterious woman's expression instantly changed drastically, revealing disbelief.

"You..."

Before she could finish speaking, a multicolored light shone in Xu Qing's eyes. He raised his right hand and pointed at the ground. Immediately, the first icy mountain descended with immense force, crashing into the marsh, creating a deafening roar.

The marshy ground rumbled. Then came the second mountain, followed by the third. The three mountains suppressed the marsh, causing it to sway precariously.

A punch suddenly descended from the sky, landing on the marshy ground.

From the depths of the marsh, an unwilling roar echoed. It seemed the hidden entity wanted to completely break free, but for some reason, it couldn't do so quickly.

Thus, this space collapsed first, and the demonic realm reverted.

The white fan painting behind the mysterious woman shattered. Her expression was one of disbelief as she looked at Xu Qing, who stood there like a god or demon. She intended to unleash the secret art of her right eye.

"Palm's Edge..."

However, continuous backlash caused the old woman in her right eye to stir just as the black fan behind her unfolded, only to instantly dissipate.

The woman spat blood once more, and a life-or-death crisis emerged. Just as she was about to speak, Xu Qing's figure vanished from her sight in the blink of an eye.

The next moment, the woman felt a powerful force crash into her. Although she fought with all her might to barely avoid a fatal strike, she couldn't evade Xu Qing's transformed punch-to-palm slap.

The slap landed on her face, shattering her mask and revealing a beautiful countenance. However, gushing blood and the blackened half of her face marred its beauty. Her body was also sent reeling backward uncontrollably.

Before her body could fall, a roaring figure pursued, appearing behind Xu Qing. As he raised his right hand, a dagger materialized and sliced fiercely across the mysterious woman's fair neck.

Regardless of who she was, since she had come seeking him out and attacked first, Xu Qing had no habit of sparing such an opponent.

Blood surged, and her head flew off.

Simultaneously, countless soul threads spread out, rushing towards the woman's body to swiftly devour it.

The woman's physical body turned to dust.

But Xu Qing's brow furrowed. The soul threads hadn't devoured any soul; this body... had no soul!

The next instant, Xu Qing sensed something and looked at the spot where the woman had turned to dust. Countless particles there coalesced, forming a brilliant butterfly.

This butterfly was entirely illusory, radiant with flowing colors and exquisitely beautiful. As its two wings fluttered, countless starlight particles scattered, and a clear, cool voice emanated from within it.

"You..."

In a blink, the soul threads rushed towards it, and the butterfly disintegrated! But it quickly reformed.

Xu Qing's gaze turned cold.

And the woman's voice continued to echo.

"You've killed me, so your anger should have subsided by now, right?"

With a bang, hundreds of thousands of soul threads attacked again, and the butterfly perished once more.

But as expected, it reformed yet again.

"That's enough!"

Boom!!

An incense stick's time later, Xu Qing walked expressionlessly into the distance. The butterfly followed him, its voice continuing to echo.

"You're so petty, still not over it! I was just teasing you before. If you still want to fight, you can destroy me a hundred or eighty more times!"

"Oh, don't be angry! I know you're curious about my cultivation technique, and you must also be curious about my origins, right?"

"I am from the Xia Immortal Palace. I'm here on the Palace Lord's orders to invite you for a meeting at the Xia Immortal Palace!"

Xu Qing's footsteps halted.