Chapter 805: Summer Immortal Nine

Ethereal sounds echoed and lingered in the ancient temple. The speaker was right before him, yet to Xu Qing, it felt as though years had stretched between them. It was as if someone beyond the confines of time gently plucked a string, lending the voice a sense of timelessness.

The divine finger within Xu Qing was restless, trembling even more intensely. Xu Qing himself felt a surge of emotion. He could not discern the cultivation of the Xia Immortal Palace Master before him; it was utterly imperceptible, ethereal, appearing and disappearing like mist.

This scene had become rare as Xu Qing matured. With his vast experience, he had encountered everything from supreme rulers to strange entities. He had even faced deities multiple times. Therefore, Xu Qing had his own internal benchmarks for judging auras, but he could not detect the slightest trace on the Xia Immortal Palace Master, nor could he find any comparable reference.

The sensation of ancientness intertwined with perception, and the merging of reality and illusion, grew even stronger at that moment. All these feelings ultimately coalesced into a deepening sense of mystery that permeated Xu Qing's mind. As for the other's words, they were imbued with profound resonance by this mysterious aura, sounding like the voice of all beings, echoing within Xu Qing's heart.

"Xia Immortal..." Xu Qing suppressed the turmoil in his heart and pondered. Suddenly, he raised his right hand, and the Vajra Sect Patriarch, contained within the Demonic Pestle, instantly flew out and landed in his grasp.

"Is this what Senior means?" Xu Qing looked at the Xia Immortal Palace Master and spoke softly.

The temple fell silent, with the echoes still lingering. In the quiet, the Vajra Sect Patriarch in Xu Qing's hand visibly trembled violently. Its fear was uncontrollable, as if it faced a true deity. Even the shadow beneath Xu Qing's feet swayed slightly, restraining its emotional fluctuations and daring not to act rashly. All of this gave Xu Qing a clearer understanding of the Xia Immortal Palace Master's cultivation.

After a moment, the ethereal voice spoke again. "Yes and no."

The woman in plain clothes remained seated with her back to Xu Qing, her voice, as if from across the ages, lingered indefinitely. "Do you know what a Xia Immortal is?"

Xu Qing remained silent, not answering immediately. He carefully recalled everything he knew about the Xia Immortals. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice. "Xia Immortal, it is a realm."

The woman in plain clothes shook her head slightly. "That's both right and wrong. See for yourself!"

As her voice drifted, the woman raised her right hand and lightly pointed at the first of the nine scrolls enshrined behind the candles on the altar. Instantly, the hazy mist on that scroll began to dissipate, and the figure within gradually became clear. It was a tall old man with white hair and a white beard, possessing a rugged demeanor. He held a golden staff made of bone. That was no ordinary bone but a divine one; even in the painting, its aura was astonishing, making Xu Qing feel it surpassed the Scarlet Mother.

Although clearly static, the old man appeared to be striding forward, as if walking on clouds, exuding boundless dominance. His clothes seemed somewhat worn, yet this did not diminish his aura; instead, it added a sense of ancientness. His eyes were as deep as the starry sky, seemingly capable of perceiving all things in the world.

Looking at the painting, Xu Qing tried to commit it to memory, but he found he couldn't accomplish this simple task. It was as if the person in the scroll could not be remembered.

"Gods cannot be looked upon directly, and Xia Immortals cannot be remembered!" the plain-clothed woman's voice remained clear and cold, echoing in the temple. "What you see before you is one of the nine Xia Immortals of the Wanggu Continent. Their origin is not human, their exact appearance is unknown, and this scene was formed from the mortal transformation of another."

The woman spoke softly, and the sense of time became particularly strong at this moment. She waved her left hand again, and the second scroll became clear. The figure in the scroll was also an old man, but unlike the previous one, he was less dominant and more refined. Dressed in a scholar's robe, his long beard swayed in the wind. His complexion was rosy, and his deep eyes contained the essence of the Heavenly Dao. His hair was neatly combed and held in place by a wooden hairpin. His robe was embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns, every stitch revealing an extraordinary aura. That was a divine aura! It evidently sealed a deity.

"You said Xia Immortal is a realm! That is correct, but it is more a definition given by later generations to their predecessors. Later cultivators of Wanggu believed that after the Spirit-Nourishing realm comes the Dominator realm, then the Quasi-Immortal Emperor, and a breakthrough from Quasi-Immortal is the Xia Immortal."

As the Xia Immortal Palace Master spoke, she waved her hand again, and the third and fourth scrolls appeared before Xu Qing's eyes. They depicted a man and a woman. The woman's flowing skirt was clear, her face like a celestial being. Her hair, like a waterfall, swayed in the wind. Her eyes shimmered like spring water, and every gesture and smile captivated the heart. Countless luminous orbs surrounded her, emitting brilliant light. Upon closer inspection, those orbs were revealed to be actual stars.

The man in the fourth scroll appeared to be middle-aged, with an air of majesty between his brows. His hair was dark and thick, falling down his back. His eyes were as deep as the dark starry sky, sparkling with the light of wisdom. His nose bridge was high, and his lips were thin, giving him a calm and steady demeanor. Beneath his feet lay a mountain of divine corpses, with golden blood spreading into a vast, horrifying sea.

Xu Qing was deeply shocked by this sight. Even through the painting, he could distinctly feel the terror of those deities. Some of them felt as powerful as the Scarlet Mother, and there were even stronger ones. Yet, before that man, they were merely corpses. The voice of the Xia Immortal Palace Master still echoed.

"In reality, 'Xia Immortal' was originally just a title, an appellation given by the Blazing Heaven Divine Realm to the most outstanding individuals of the Hou Tu realm. It meant 'Lower Immortal.' Later, as history progressed, 'Lower Immortal' transformed into 'Xia Immortal'."

Xu Qing took a deep breath; he had never heard such information before. After the Xia Immortal Palace Master finished speaking, her finger landed on the fifth scroll. This painting clearly depicted a young man. The youth wore a flowing white robe, adorned with magnificent embroidered patterns that exuded an ethereal aura. His long fingers, indicative of nobility, held a horsetail whisk. The whisk's strands fluttered in the wind, and at the end of each strand, a starfield was bound. Within them, countless worlds containing sentient beings could be seen. Though the young man appeared youthful, his eyes held an ancient wisdom, as if he had witnessed all aspects of life and gained vast experience. Yet, his original innocence remained, and his gentle smile gave one the feeling of basking in a spring breeze, making him utterly captivating.

"There are nine of them in total, from different races. Among them, the human race was the most prominent, with five individuals. This is also the reason why the human race produced three ancient emperors in Wanggu."

The Xia Immortal Palace Master's voice was ethereal as her finger landed on the sixth scroll, revealing a radiant light. The painting showed a woman smiling gently, like an open white lotus. Dressed in a flowing Daoist robe, she resembled a celestial fairy descended to the mortal realm. Her hair danced, her eyebrows were like willow leaves, her eyes like apricots, and her complexion was as fair as snow. Her eyes were even clearer and brighter, like a sparkling spring, shining brilliantly. Behind her hovered a sword, as black as ink, imbued with destruction and death.

"The remaining three perished in the ancient war. Their immortal thoughts formed fifty-four of the ninety-nine ancient Heavenly Daos!" The Xia Immortal Palace Master sighed softly, raising her jade hand to reveal the remaining three scrolls, all appearing before Xu Qing's eyes.

These three paintings had a somewhat faded appearance. The first was a woman with black hair like a waterfall, skin fairer than snow, and a graceful figure. Her light veil floated elegantly, giving her an ethereal air. Her lips, like crimson dots, framed a stunningly beautiful face. Her smile was the most beautiful and captivating among all the scrolls. One could imagine that a single smile from her in life would have been like spring sunlight, making one feel like basking in a gentle breeze. Sadly, she was gone.

Another was a young man with an ordinary appearance, save for his deep eyes and a face etched with the marks of time. His simple Daoist robe fluttered in the wind, as if he yearned to drift away with it.

The final figure was suspended in mid-air. Even when displayed by the Xia Immortal Palace Master, the figure was hazy. Xu Qing could only vaguely make out what appeared to be an old man. Although his form was indistinct, the essence from this long scroll still imprinted itself on Xu Qing's perception. He felt as if he saw an old man raising his hand to support a collapsing sky, like an unshakeable mountain.

"The last one did not have time to leave a mortal transformation, so only their aura before falling could be collected."

The Xia Immortal Palace Master looked up at the scrolls on the altar. Xu Qing silently bowed deeply and reverently towards the scrolls, then turned his gaze to the Xia Immortal Palace Master and respectfully asked, "May I ask, Senior, why you have summoned this junior here?"

"The mission of the Xia Immortal Palace, as outsiders know, is to record the history of the Wanggu Continent. However, the Xia Immortal Palace has another mission: to record cultivation methods that cause changes in the Xia Immortal Palace's Immortal Source. Your soul seed has caused ripples in the Immortal Source. Therefore, are you willing to leave behind a single wish, to be eternally preserved within the Xia Immortal Palace's Immortal Source? As a contribution, you may also seek a cultivation method from within the Immortal Source and gain insights!"

The Xia Immortal Palace Master spoke softly. The eyes formed by the wing-totems of the little butterfly on her body now glowed, and the butterfly's voice also came forth at that moment.

"Ah, so it was for this! Master, only his broken cultivation method could cause ripples in the Immortal Source! That's the Immortal Source!" The voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction, mixed with admiration.

Xu Qing pondered. He hadn't expected the Xia Immortal Palace's objective to be his soul seed. This wasn't a major issue for him, but he was curious about the so-called Immortal Source. "Senior, what exactly is this Immortal Source you speak of?"

It was not the Xia Immortal Palace Master who answered Xu Qing, but the little butterfly, whose clear voice rang out. "It is a grand and unique existence created by the nine Xia Immortals after they ascended to Wanggu, transcending the Heavenly Dao! Its function in the myriad realms of Hou Tu is to be the source of all cultivation methods and divine abilities in Hou Tu! Most of Hou Tu's techniques originate from the Immortal Source, disseminated throughout the world by it in various ways. At the same time, the Immortal Source is also responsible for collecting and organizing rare and unique paths, and then spreading them again, thus ensuring that cultivation in our homeland is eternally continuous! What in the world? How did your soul seed cause a ripple in the Immortal Source?"