Chapter 910: The Flaw in Divine Powers

Cultivating both immortal and divine paths, Xu Qing was certainly not unique, either in ancient times or the present. Many, including Seventh Master, Li Zihua, and other unknown powerful individuals, had pursued this path. After all, this path, viewed from both present and future perspectives, could be considered an orthodox method and was the most straightforward one to conceive. Yet, precisely because of this, it had also become the most difficult path. Because too many people walked it, yet no one had reached its end. This path branched endlessly, and before reaching its end, no one knew which branch would lead further or which was the correct one.

Er Niu, on the other hand, had taken an unconventional path, not this one. Xu Qing's path, however, was different. While seemingly cultivating both immortal and divine paths, his approach was actually based entirely on the methods of a heterodox immortal: devouring deities, simulating them, and then controlling and enslaving them. On this path, deities were merely sustenance. Everything was for the ultimate goal of becoming a heterodox immortal who fed on deities.

At this moment, in his first battle after breaking through the Spirit Repository and entering the Reversion to Void stage, Xu Qing clarified his path. A deep glow shone in his eyes as the deities formed by his soul threads stepped one after another into Yan Xuanzi's grand world. Immediately, mountains collapsed within this grand world, which underwent constant drastic changes.

From a distance, Li Zihua's incredibly massive figure could be seen towering to the heavens. Wherever he passed, the sky crumbled and the earth split. The immense body of the Crimson Mother enveloped blood mist from all directions. As she flew swiftly, all living things wailed and withered. The eyeball, suppressed by the Ghost Emperor's artifact, floated in the sky of this realm, as countless paper money formed out of thin air around it, fluttering everywhere. Wherever it floated, the area transformed into a world of paper, and faintly, eerie singing could be heard. As for the fish bone deity, it entered the rivers and seas, causing them to flow backward and the seawater to turn pitch black. The Ancient Spirit Emperor's eyeball absorbed and defiled destiny, changing the very essence of this grand world.

All of this signified the deities' invasion, aiming to infiltrate and transform everything. How similar it was to what had occurred on the Wanggu Continent years ago, though the scale was vastly different, and the Remnant Face had been replaced by Xu Qing. Yet, it equally shocked everyone. The arrival of those deities caused an instant eruption of exotic matter in Yan Xuanzi's grand world, as a divine aura spread, invading the sky, the earth, and all existence within it. It was transforming into a restricted zone! Should it ultimately succeed, the beings within this world would, like the awakening of insects, have their destinies and life forms irrevocably changed, until it became a world suitable for deities.

What was even more terrifying was that during this transformation into a restricted zone, new soul threads appeared within Yan Xuanzi's vast and peerless grand world! These were new soul threads, beyond the forty million! Although there were only tens of thousands, their formation speed was astonishing, reaching hundreds of thousands in the blink of an eye. This realm was not only being invaded but also being devoured! This demonstrated how terrifying Xu Qing's combat power and divine abilities were after achieving the Divine Refinement Ruin.

However, as the foremost heavenly talent of Yan Yuexuan Heaven, Yan Xuanzi possessed the courage to forge such a peerless grand world and was naturally no weakling. Seeing his grand world being invaded, his pupils shone with endless stars. As the stars flashed, his grand world's heavens and earth churned. Rivers, mountains, and all things within it seemed to gain their own will, manifesting as spirits and beginning to resist. Furthermore, amidst this resistance, five blazing suns rose in his world, emitting his own rules and laws. That was his Heavenly Dao. Following the Heavenly Dao, the world awakened. The will of this peerless grand world, despite interference from the Ancient Spirit Emperor, still emerged. It was ready to battle the deities.

Simultaneously, Yan Xuanzi sharply looked at Xu Qing, his battle intent reaching a peak in an instant. With a single step, he shattered the void and charged directly at Xu Qing. His aura was overwhelming. Xu Qing instantly looked up, his own battle intent erupting. With each step, he stirred up world-destroying power and walked through the air. He moved like a brilliant, unstoppable comet. In an instant, amidst the roaring of their two worlds, their figures met in a narrow passage.

Yan Xuanzi's speed and momentum were as immense and peerless as his world. The moment he approached, his terrifying physical strength erupted. In the blink of an eye, amidst a series of thunderous roars, the two had exchanged blows hundreds of times. Each blow caused the thunderous sound of heaven and earth to explode, shattering the void in all directions.

The next instant, Yan Xuanzi took a deep breath as an endless aura rushed into and was swallowed by him. Without any fancy moves, he simply slammed his entire body, shoulder first, fiercely into Xu Qing. This simple collision, however, contained a profound Dao, making it impossible to evade; one could only face it. Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. Feeling a mountain-shaking force from the impact, he immediately threw a punch. A deafening, heaven-shaking roar erupted.

Xu Qing's figure flew backward. Yan Xuanzi's eyes were crimson. Disregarding the recoil force and his own injuries, his speed surged again, and his momentum soared, bringing him instantly close to Xu Qing. He raised his right hand and fiercely gripped Xu Qing's neck. It was as if he intended to crush his throat!

"What kind of divine ability is this?"

Xu Qing's expression darkened slightly. He, too, felt a certain Dao contained within this move. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes, and he opened his mouth to spit, instantly summoning three inverted mountains before him. One mountain was icy cold, one blood red, and one fiery. The next moment, the three mountains collapsed, and Xu Qing's figure retreated. But Yan Xuanzi's attack remained ferocious; the hand that had gripped Xu Qing's throat clenched into a fist and descended with a punch. It was the Indestructible Emperor's Fist, previously demonstrated in the Imperial Tomb, which had once shattered Er Niu's physical body with a single punch.

The moment it was unleashed, heaven and earth changed color as a ferocious aura and an ineffable sense of dominance surged, overwhelming the heavens. It was not over; it seemed as if everything before had been merely preparation. The instant the Indestructible Emperor's Fist descended, Yan Xuanzi's entire body suddenly shone with dazzling golden light. This light erupted from his skin, flesh, sinews, bones, and blood — all five elements. His skin provided outer defense, his flesh was like Vajra, his sinews extended power, his bones formed a firm foundation, and his blood constituted the origin. Combined, they formed: The Undying Five Elements.

Yan Xuanzi's entire body emitted boundless golden light, and his physique surged like a mountain, as if he had entered an invincible state. His momentum peaked as he directed his full physical divine abilities towards Xu Qing, transforming into a fist capable of shattering the universe. As the punch fell, rules cracked, laws collapsed, and all beings were astonished.

A strong light erupted in Xu Qing's eyes, and a dawn glow shimmered. Yan Xuanzi's series of combo divine abilities filled him with a sense of awe. "This divine ability," he thought, "I want it!"

Xu Qing's eyes flashed. Without any hesitation, the instant his opponent attacked, the Nine Li suddenly manifested around Xu Qing's body, enveloping him completely and forming ancient shamanic armor. Furthermore, the Ancestral Shaman's will fused with his body, causing his physique to surge instantly, transforming him into a living Ancestral Shaman. As tall as a massive peak, his head touched the sky. His aura scattered time, embodying ancient heritage, he became the ultimate peak of modern shamanism. The Nine Sons of the Dragon surrounded him, and the shamanic armor's dominance shocked the world, drawing roars from countless fierce beasts in the Mountain and Sea Great Domain and causing the bloodlines of clans in all directions to churn. A primeval sense, ancient intent, and the might of heaven and earth suddenly erupted from Xu Qing at this moment. Towards Yan Xuanzi's punch, he pressed down with a palm.

Fist and palm met across the void. Yan Xuanzi's entire body trembled. His physical body was unharmed, but his mind felt like it would explode as intense pain continuously erupted within it. He couldn't help but spurt blood. His face was pale, and strong unwillingness showed in his eyes, yet his body was still sent tumbling backward by the impact.

At the point of their collision, the void suddenly shattered and split layer by layer, forming a black hole that even pulled the two grand worlds, causing them to tilt. Furthermore, countless thunder dragons danced wildly, filling all directions as if forming a massive lightning net to cover everything. One side possessed peerless divine abilities, the other was at the peak of the Shamanic Dao; their supreme strike extinguished each other the instant they met. Only a storm, powerful enough to move even deities, erupted with a booming roar in all directions.

Within this storm, Xu Qing's figure, like an immortal demon, with his long hair flying, stepped out. His expression was stirred, and a strange gleam appeared in his eyes. He realized it wasn't that Yan Xuanzi's divine abilities were inferior to his Ancestral Shaman Dao, but that the opponent's cultivation technique was flawed, seemingly incomplete. Unlike his own complete inheritance. The opponent's cultivation technique was too extreme, focusing only on the physical body with no enhancement for the soul. It wasn't that Yan Xuanzi's soul power was insufficient; on the contrary, his soul power was much stronger than his peers. However, relative to the technique's immense enhancement of the physical body, his soul power became a weakness. And this was precisely where Yan Xuanzi was defeated. Yet, it was still terrifying. To Xu Qing, it felt as if this cultivation technique could be used at any cultivation level, and the higher the cultivation, the more terrifying this divine ability became when used, as if it had no upper limit! But at their level of cultivation, no flaws were permissible. A flaw was a weakness.

So, the next instant, with a cold resolve in his heart, Xu Qing took a step towards Yan Xuanzi. The shamanic armor on his body suddenly disengaged and fell off, turning into streams of light that vanished into the void. Even the Ancestral Shaman's will separated on its own, disappearing from Xu Qing and reappearing directly above the retreating Yan Xuanzi.

Yan Xuanzi's expression changed drastically as the Ancestral Shaman's will solidified and fiercely suppressed him. Furthermore, from around Yan Xuanzi, the Nine Li burst through the air and fiercely encircled him, converging in an instant. They emitted piercing sounds aimed at the soul, complementing the Ancestral Shaman's soul suppression. This combination formed a power that could immobilize him.

Yan Xuanzi's body trembled. He knew his flaw, but Xu Qing's rapid detection made his heart anxious. Just as he was about to struggle, Xu Qing's right hand was already raised, and immediately, ripples appeared in the void in all directions, transforming the area into a water surface. Reflecting everything. It was "Fishing for the Moon in the Well." This divine ability could originally stabilize the soul, and the moment it appeared, combined with the Ancestral Shaman's blessing, it formed a soul-fixing power.

Simultaneously, behind Xu Qing, seven lamps shone with eerie light. The Seven Lamp Netherfire Curse, whose core curse extinguished a person when its lamp extinguished, also targeted the soul. In terms of rich combat experience, Xu Qing, whether in his youth or after embarking on cultivation, had always contended with people, vied with heaven, and fought with deities. Countless life-and-death experiences had long made his combat readiness astonishing. As long as he caught a weakness, it meant life or death.

At this moment, all soul-targeting methods erupted. Furthermore, within Xu Qing's soul thread-shaped grand world, the three divine authorities of Misfortune, Purple Moon, and Divine Curse suddenly shone. They descended behind Xu Qing. Although it was highly probable that he wouldn't need to use divine authorities, Xu Qing's character dictated that once he seized a weakness, he would definitely go all out, giving the opponent no chance to turn the tables.