Chapter 888: God’s Five Defilements

Time passed.

Xu Qing wasn't in a hurry. After the first swift kill of the Netherfly, his subsequent ten-plus encounters were primarily focused on dissection and research. The reasons for those numerous deaths varied. Sometimes, the Netherfly would perish during the research process, as if sacrificing itself for the sake of academia. More often, however, it was because the poison exhaled by the Netherfly was too potent, polluting the surroundings and affecting Xu Qing's divinity, thereby hindering his research.

But it didn't matter. Each time the Netherfly died, it took dozens of breaths to revive. This interval was enough for Xu Qing to extract its poison using soul threads. This was his devised method for temporarily neutralizing the Netherfly's poison. After all, a poison that targets divinity also inherently targets divinity. Since Xu Qing's soul threads were formed from his divine origin, they naturally contained his divinity. Meanwhile, Xu Qing's Poison Ban power continued its struggle against the Netherfly's poison. Consequently, within the ruins, an alarming number of contaminated soul threads proliferated, winding in all directions.

Despite this, Xu Qing's research continued. Even after dying dozens of times, each resurrected Netherfly exhibited increased combat strength. After its latest revival, it unleashed power comparable to that of a Void Return Second Stage cultivator. Its aura was like a rainbow, its roar akin to a deity's, and its poison became even more virulent, even spreading pestilence. Yet, the outcome remained unchanged. Regardless of how much the Netherfly's combat strength increased, the next moment, Xu Qing would raise his hand, grab it as before, bring it close, and meticulously dissect and study it with complete concentration.

Xu Qing had always been persistent and diligent in his studies and research. This trait was evident during his time in the Seven Blood Eyes sect; the prisoners in the Bureau of Catching Evils' great prison were all witnesses while they were alive. These experiences were also a significant reason why Xu Qing had achieved such mastery in the Dao of Poison throughout his journey.

Ultimately, Xu Qing respected knowledge. At this moment, with a wave of his hand, a black spear pierced the Netherfly's body, slaying it as it, unable to endure the torment, prepared to self-destruct. The Netherfly's bodily structure was somewhat peculiar.

"However, I now understand how its poison is formed," Xu Qing murmured. His eyes narrowed in thought, and he didn't forget to release soul threads to draw away the Netherfly's poison from both inside and outside his body. Then, he gazed at the spot where the Netherfly died, preparing to begin the next round of research. This time, he wanted to study the Netherfly's soul.

But just then, the mist in this world suddenly churned, raging like a stormy sea across the land. The next moment, it converged directly towards the Netherfly's place of death, and in the blink of an eye, the Netherfly reappeared. The instant it materialized, an aura of the Void Return Third Stage erupted, swirling with mist, madness, and hatred, rushing straight towards Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed slightly. A black spear instantly shot above his head. As it approached, the Netherfly, which had been slain multiple times by this spear, suddenly blurred, surprisingly evading the black spear. It reappeared directly in front of Xu Qing, about to unleash a poisonous mist, but the next moment, the Heavenly Blade descended. With a sudden slash, the Netherfly's body trembled, split in two, and collapsed on the spot.

The moment it died, a Golden Crow soared from behind Xu Qing, emitting a piercing cry that could shatter gold and stone, and fiercely sucked towards the collapsed Netherfly. The Netherfly shattered, and the Golden Crow appeared bewildered. Xu Qing frowned. He could feel that no soul was drawn into the Golden Crow by its suction. His action seemed to have violated some taboo, for suddenly, the mist in this world became even more violent, and the vortex in the sky began to rumble deafeningly in the blink of an eye. Even bolts of lightning coursed across the land, the sky twisted, the earth trembled, and roars of the Netherfly, originating from the void, turned from illusory to real.

Then, the sky vortex violently exploded, and a Netherfly, a thousand zhang in size, emerged. The Netherfly that appeared this time far surpassed its previous manifestations in both aura and physical size. Its roar was deafening, like the sound of creation. Before Xu Qing could act, it opened its massive maw and inhaled fiercely. All the mist in the world churned at that moment, rushing from all directions towards the Netherfly's mouth. In the blink of an eye, the world was cleansed, and all the mist was drawn in by the Netherfly. Its aura was immense, and what it absorbed was not just the external mist, but also its own body. Visibly, its thousand-zhang body withered, as if being absorbed, until its body shriveled, and only the single eye on its face became increasingly brilliant, casting a dark glow over the world, becoming a focal point. It stared at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing looked up, a peculiar glint in his eyes. He wasn't allowed to study the soul. Simultaneously, at this moment when the world changed color and was overturned, the ancient voice of the Starry Sky Azurewood Tree, tinged with urgency, echoed rapidly in Xu Qing's mind.

"Young friend, your help has been remarkably effective, but you must be careful. That evil entity is in despair and has no choice but to send more power into its source body to unleash its most potent innate divine ability to suppress you. This is... the Five Defilements of the Divine! Please, young friend, delay it further and exhaust its power. My battle with it in the starry sky has reached a critical juncture."

As the voice of the ancient Starry Sky Azurewood Tree resonated, the sky rumbled, and beyond the firmament, in the starry sky, even more violent fluctuations seemed to be erupting. Instantly, the world began to shake and collapse. The earth cracked, irregular fragments of stone rose into the air, and the sky, like a mirror, developed more and more fissures, about to shatter. This world seemed to be facing its true apocalypse at this very moment.

Xu Qing's body, which had been cross-legged for the first time in the leaning tower, now stood up. The moment he stood, the single vertical pupil of the Celestial Netherfly dilated! An incredibly evil and ancient power suddenly descended. Accompanied by a mystical Daoist chant, it exploded in Xu Qing's mind.

"First Defilement: Divine fire gives rise to smoke. Divine fire is inherently smokeless; smoke implies impurities, thus uncleanliness.Second Defilement: Divine soul gives rise to desires. Divine soul is inherently desireless; desires imply mortality, leading to loss of omniscience.Third Defilement: Divine body undergoes decay. Divine body is inherently undecaying; decay implies corruption, losing eternity.Fourth Defilement: Divine shrine gathers dust. Divine shrine is inherently dustless; dust implies loss of radiance, severing offerings.Fifth Defilement: Divinity is defiled. Divinity is inherently undefiled; defilement implies loss of wisdom, leading to a fall from grace.These are the Five Defilements of the Divine."

As these five Daoist chants resounded, Xu Qing's body trembled. Although he had no divine fire within him, symptoms of the First Defilement still appeared: black smoke emanated, as if impurities materialized out of thin air, giving a sense of uncleanliness. Subsequently, his soul became turbulent, and his seven emotions and six desires uncontrollably erupted, threatening to engulf him like a tide. His five senses and six perceptions were completely lost. Furthermore, his body began to show signs of aging and decay, his vitality dimmed, and rot spontaneously appeared. Next, all the soul threads within him—threads formed from his divine origin—seemed to replace the divine shrine in the Fourth Defilement, gathering dust and losing their radiance. Finally, his divinity erupted fiercely, his human and beastly natures became uncontrollable, as if his very status was plummeting.

Even Xu Qing was moved by this scene. He realized: this was indeed a poison specifically designed for deities! After personally experiencing it, Xu Qing finally understood why the Netherfly was suitable to become his Poison Ban Heavenly Dao. Because these Five Defilements of the Divine could perfectly combine with his Divine Curse to form a Sixth Defilement.

"Divine fate gives rise to curses. Divine fate is inherently uncursed; curses sever fate, destroying the divine origin."

These thoughts flashed through Xu Qing's mind in an instant, and the ferocity of the Five Defilements of the Divine escalated to its peak within those few short breaths. A glint of dark light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. The next moment, a roar erupted behind him, and a massive sundial phantom suddenly appeared. Its gnomon rotated, as if opening a path through time, stirring the long river of years, causing the ripples from five breaths ago to dissipate into the river of time. Reversing along with the gnomon!

The black smoke and impurities that had arisen within him due to the First Defilement vanished instantly. The turmoil of his soul and the emerging seven emotions and six desires instantly subsided, and his lost five senses and six perceptions became perfectly clear. The aging of his body recovered in an instant, with no more decay. The soul threads within him were no longer dusty, their radiance renewed. His divinity, humanity, and bestiality were rebalanced.

Everything seemed to rewind in time to before he was afflicted by these Five Defilements. However, once the sundial dissipated, Xu Qing frowned. He discovered that although the sundial reversed time and restored his state, it could not reverse the Five Defilements of the Divine themselves. The source of the Five Defilements' poison still existed. It was merely no longer erupting, but had gathered into a cluster, seemingly accumulating power. It was conceivable that it would soon spread throughout his body again.

As for poison, Xu Qing had extensive experience in dealing with it. He could try forcing his shadow to devour it, or guiding it into the divine finger's body, or even opening the Ancient Spirit Emperor's Gate to release the poison. He could even use the method he once applied to the Divine Curse, combining it with the sundial to gradually allow his body to develop appropriate antibodies through repeated exposure, slowly enduring this poison.

However, Xu Qing chose none of these methods. Instead, he raised his right hand, and in an instant, his entire arm and palm became eerily translucent. Then, with incredible decisiveness, he pressed it directly against his chest, piercing through his flesh and body. Using his ethereal method, he extended his right hand into his sea of consciousness, and in front of the second hidden gate where his Poison Ban resided, he punched the closed door. Although this second hidden gate had no Heavenly Dao, under Xu Qing's full power, it briefly opened a crack. The moment this crack appeared, under Xu Qing's control, a powerful suction force suddenly erupted, enveloping the source of the poison and drawing it completely into the second hidden gate. The crack in the gate instantly vanished, closing once more. The source of the poison was now sealed within his Poison Ban Divine Repository.

Having done all this, Xu Qing looked up at the Netherfly in mid-air, whose expression had turned blank as it realized its defiling poison had vanished. He raised his left hand, and a black spear shimmered as the Heavenly Blade materialized. With both blade and spear, he unleashed a strike that cleaved heaven and earth. Even the formidable Netherfly trembled, collapsing into fragments.

Along with its collapse, this world, which was already crumbling, shattered like a broken mirror, peeling away piece by piece to reveal the starry sky beyond its firmament. In the starry sky, the gigantic true form of the Netherfly let out an unwilling wail, becoming incredibly weak. Its single eye glared at Xu Qing with venom. It wanted to retaliate, but was powerless to do so. Its body was fiercely entwined by the Azurewood Ancient Tree, and no matter how it struggled, it was futile. Ultimately, its body was pierced by the branches in multiple places, flesh tearing open amidst a shower of blood, a truly horrific sight. Gradually, it fell silent.

The starry sky trembled, as if the source of resentment had dissipated, and clarity returned. The great tree, having exerted all its strength, was now utterly drained, exuding weakness and relief. "Thank you," it said. "I have no regrets."

As the ancient voice echoed, a branch lashed out at the Netherfly corpse's face. The Netherfly's head collapsed, with only its single eye remaining. That eye was then swept up by the branch and flew directly towards Xu Qing.

"Young friend, the promised item is yours."

Xu Qing, who had been largely silent throughout, remained so. The instant the single eye arrived, he raised his right hand, revealing the Heavenly Blade, and with a thunderous strike, he slashed at the eye. Earth-shattering! The single eye shattered!

"Have you put on enough of a show?" Xu Qing said indifferently.