Chapter 845: Path of the Spirit Repository

The First Prince’s voice was filled with disbelief. He stared at the bamboo slip in the Captain’s hand, and after a second glance, he was absolutely sure he hadn’t mistaken it.

Although he hadn’t visited his maternal clan many times, he naturally held a vivid memory of any item enshrined in their divine pavilion. His maternal clan’s chieftain and elders, in particular, treated it with utmost reverence. They referred to it as a divine decree, bestowed by the Moonflame God upon the family’s first chieftain ten thousand years ago as a reward for a great service. It was now considered a divine object, to some extent representing the deity, and embodied the very foundation of their family.

It was never shown to outsiders.

Even after confirming its identity, the First Prince still found it hard to believe. It was utterly shocking that such a supreme artifact was not only in Chen Erniu’s hands but also being carved by him, stroke by stroke, with an engraving knife. Yet, its aura, appearance, and the profound ancient sensation it emanated, along with the unique fluctuations it released, all confirmed to him that it was indeed the divine decree.

The First Prince’s breathing quickened. He even forgot to introduce the contents of the third jade slip to Xu Qing, overwhelmed by a feeling that a precious treasure was being defiled. He quickly interjected, “Stop! Fellow Daoist Erniu, this… this cannot be carved!”

The Captain, however, remained perfectly calm, appearing unperturbed. He subtly raised his chin, lowered his eyelids slightly, and gave the First Prince a fleeting glance. “You have some insight,” he said blandly, “to recognize this item.”

As he spoke, the engraving knife in his hand scraped again. The resultant scratching sound sent a jolt through the First Prince. What followed utterly shocked him: he discovered that the divine decree was not only undamaged by this stroke, but its aura and fluctuations had actually intensified. The First Prince was dumbfounded.

The Captain’s expression became even more nonchalant as he said, “Your recognition implies you’ve seen it before. Such sacred artifacts are exceedingly rare these days.”

The First Prince’s mind was in disarray, but he forced himself to calm down. Cupping his hands to the Captain, he said, “I saw it in my maternal clan. It was acquired by my clan’s first chieftain for a meritorious deed back then.”

The Captain raised an eyebrow.

“What’s your maternal clan’s surname?”

“Qingfeng of Cishan — Moonflame Temple Administrator,” the First Prince replied softly after a brief pause.

“Qingfeng, one of the three great Moonflame families. Your first chieftain was named Qingfeng Lingkong, correct?” The Captain recalled, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The First Prince was somewhat surprised that the Captain knew this immediately. However, he mused that since Chen Erniu had been with Xu Qing and Qiu Quezi in Moonflame all along, it was reasonable for him to be aware of such details, which weren’t exactly secrets.

The Captain continued carving without further comment. Only Xu Qing’s expression was a bit odd. He suddenly recalled what the Captain had mentioned before the First Prince’s arrival — that he had once counterfeited hundreds of these slips and secretly sold them. Xu Qing then glanced at the First Prince, and a strong suspicion about how his maternal clan’s first chieftain had originally acquired this bamboo slip inevitably formed in his mind.

After this interlude with the Captain, the First Prince’s mind was clearly unsettled, especially with the loud scratching sounds emanating from the carving, which seemed almost deliberate. As the *slish-slish* sounds echoed, the First Prince hastily introduced the contents of the third jade slip to Xu Qing, then restlessly rose to take his leave.

Before departing, he handed Xu Qing a token, explaining that it was for his maternal clan’s shop in the Holy City. With it, Xu Qing could freely acquire necessary supplies for the second stage.

Evidently, despite being abandoned by his maternal clan for refusing to return to Moonflame, a connection still lingered between the First Prince and his family. Otherwise, a personal forbidden mountain would not have been maintained for him in the Moonflame noble forbidden zone that Xu Qing visited that day, even after his abandonment.

Seeing how considerate the First Prince was, the Captain nodded slightly and casually tossed the newly carved bamboo slip in his hand towards him. The First Prince instinctively raised his hands to catch it, his expression shifting. He was keenly aware of the extraordinary significance of this divine decree and wondered what Chen Erniu intended.

“It’s for you,” the Captain said proudly. “Just make sure no one knows about it. You’ll have no trouble passing the second stage with this.”

The First Prince’s mind continued to reel. The Captain’s image in his mind had once again transformed, now shrouded in an aura of profound mystery.

“This item is far too valuable,” the First Prince hesitated, “it should go to Lord Xu.”

“Exactly, because you are worthy!” The Captain interrupted the First Prince, stood up, walked over to him, and earnestly patted his shoulder. “Always remember, you are human,” he declared. “Even if this item’s value is immeasurable, as long as you are human, you are worthy of it! As for Xu Qing, he doesn’t need it. His life is meant to be a campaign across the world; this is his tempering. For the future of humanity, I place more hope in you.” The Captain offered words of encouragement.

Under normal circumstances, such words might not have deeply affected the First Prince, unless they were profound philosophical statements. But now, it was different. The First Prince’s body trembled. He took a deep breath, nodded heavily, took three steps back from the Captain, and bowed respectfully.

With his hands behind his back, the Captain nodded slightly, a smile gracing his face as he watched the First Prince depart.

Once the First Prince’s figure disappeared from the house, the Captain, beaming with pride, winked at Xu Qing. “Back then, his ancestor Lingkong was similarly fooled,” he chuckled. Xu Qing remained silent, his gaze resting on the three jade slips before him. He picked up the second one, and the four great prodigies the First Prince had spoken of earlier immediately came to mind.

His divine sense probed the jade slip, revealing more detailed records. Besides introductions to the four prodigies, there were also some archived images.

As he reviewed the information, Xu Qing’s heart gradually settled. The path he had walked, though exceptionally smooth, hadn’t bred any complacency in him. While he knew he had far outstripped his peers, especially when reflecting on his experiences over the years—with no one around him, save the Captain, able to keep pace—he remained unsatisfied. His original dreams in the slums had merely been to find his parents and survive, perhaps even live a slightly better life, which would have brought him immense contentment.

However, Crown Prince Ziqing’s appearance had been a profound catalyst, altering Xu Qing’s inner resolve: he yearned to become stronger! Only by confronting the great clans whose power surpassed humanity could he truly grasp his own deficiencies. And only by battling against the prodigies among these foreign races could he truly advance.

Xu Qing took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and meditated, focusing on his secret vaults. He currently possessed four and a half secret vaults: three heavenly divine spirits, one Emperor Sword, and the incomplete half was the Sunstorm form he had previously attempted to manifest.

Xu Qing contemplated his cultivation path, recognizing the need to fully form his fifth secret vault to boost his combat power. He had several options for this: one was to use soul threads to simulate the Red Mother’s form and integrate it with himself, becoming the Master of the Purple Moon and thus achieving a complete fourth divine spirit state. However, this approach had its drawbacks: the connection with the Red Moon would become too profound, reaching an inseparable degree. Xu Qing found it difficult to discern Li Zihua’s true intentions, making a future life-or-death tribulation a real possibility. The alternative was to establish an entirely new fifth secret vault, but this would require an object of equal standing to his existing divine vaults.

Xu Qing deliberated, his thoughts leaning towards one path.

“There’s also another issue: the Heavenly Dao!” he thought. “Currently, I only possess the Canglong. While its divine spirit state means it doesn’t hinder my combat power, an insufficient number of Heavenly Daos would severely impede my advancement to the Void Return realm.”

Xu Qing understood that for his cultivation to be complete and for him to attempt the Void Return breakthrough, each of his secret vaults needed its own Heavenly Dao. For most Spirit Vault cultivators, naturally forming a Heavenly Dao was incredibly difficult. Therefore, the vast majority would journey to minor worlds to capture, bind, and tame them into their personal Heavenly Daos.

“However, my divine vaults are too demanding for ordinary Heavenly Daos to sustain,” he mused. “The Canglong, born from me, possessed a natural advantage that allowed it to integrate. So, what kind of Heavenly Dao could truly support my divine vaults?” Xu Qing rubbed his forehead in thought. He considered the concept of a Heavenly Dao Son, but quickly dismissed it as unfeasible. He then opened his eyes and looked at the Captain, who had just pulled out another bamboo slip and was happily carving away. Xu Qing then posed his question.

The Captain looked up upon hearing the question, thought for a moment, and then a smile suddenly broke across his face. “A Heavenly Dao capable of merging with divine vaults would naturally be related to a deity!” he declared. “After this second stage, aren’t we heading to the third? Regardless of which divine domain, once a rift is torn open, it’s still a divine domain.” He continued, “Everything within a divine domain possesses divine essence. So, when the time comes, we can capture a few divine beings, suppress them within your divine vaults, and their divine souls — wouldn’t those serve as Heavenly Daos?”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed as he pondered the feasibility of the idea.

In this manner, time passed, and several days went by. With only half a month left until the second stage commenced, the Captain’s counterfeiting efforts were well underway. Xu Qing’s own ideas became perfectly clear; after integrating his thoughts with the Captain’s suggestions and making some subtle adjustments, he finally had a definitive direction.

Thus, at noon that day, Xu Qing left the house. He intended to visit the First Prince’s maternal clan’s shop to acquire some supplies, specifically elixirs and toxic vines. The token proved highly effective, ensuring Xu Qing’s purchases went smoothly. He acquired a large quantity of elixirs, as well as numerous toxins rarely found among humans.

On his way out of the shop, he encountered some Moonflame cultivators seeking fame through challenges, and others who eyed him with disdain. Xu Qing simply ignored them.

However, repeated disregard can sometimes be perceived as weakness, thereby emboldening one’s adversaries. Such was the case now: on his way back to his residence, Xu Qing’s footsteps paused.

A ripple of energy emanated from him. His gaze was fixed on an open-air market to his right—a slave trading ground operated by the Moonflame Profound Sky Clan. Inside, a motley collection of races could be seen, each with distinct appearances. They were all cultivators, yet their auras were weak, their bodies covered in wounds, and iron chains pierced through them, strung together like livestock.

Due to the ongoing war, a considerable number of human prisoners of war had been brought here through unknown channels, now reduced to commodities. They were all human soldiers, standing there in a state of disheveled numbness.

The First Prince was also present, grimly negotiating with the slave master, attempting to buy back the human captives. Evidently, his efforts were not going well.