Chapter 925: Drolzi

Yuetong looked up in the direction Xu Qing and the others had departed. After some internal deliberation, despite a touch of unwillingness, she ultimately decided to abandon pursuing Xu Qing and Er Niu.

Clearly, her top priority was no longer the flesh puppets or the Liaoxuan Sacred Liquid. Instead, it was the Liaoxuan Sacred Ancestor's legacy, now residing within Feng Lintao's soul.

After all, it was the legacy of a Quasi-Immortal Great Emperor!

She couldn't afford to give Feng Lintao time to recover. Moreover, he carried her emotional seed, which made his location as conspicuous as a torch in the night.

A faint glimmer flashed in Yuetong's eyes. Having made her decision, she no longer hesitated and, with a swift movement, vanished towards the horizon.

Beside her, Lanyao, still gritting her teeth, also set off, pursuing Yuetong. The Great Emperor Talisman silently vanished, having been retrieved as the two women departed.

The entire cavern fell silent. Moments later, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, an angry roar erupted from deep within the cavern. The next instant, a golden light shot out!

It was the golden rat. Just as it was about to burst out of the cavern, a piercing shriek emanated from its mouth!

Its entire body trembled as if an invisible pressure was pressing down, preventing it from leaving the area.

Soon, this pressure transformed into countless marks, rising like veins from its bloodline and starkly appearing all over its body, dense and horrifying.

Its head, in particular, was covered in even more rune marks.

These rune marks emitted an ancient aura and contained divine fluctuations. They had clearly been on its body for many years, which was precisely why the golden rat could not leave the cavern.

It was suppressed here!

The intense agony and the tearing of its soul made the golden rat's piercing screams even more harrowing. As it struggled, the marks seemed to come alive, swiftly moving across its entire body before finally converging on its head and piercing deeply into it.

They encircled its spirit and inverted its soul, further eroding its already diminishing intelligence, making it behave more like a beast.

Most bizarrely, its glabella now showed signs of papyrification. It seemed that if it continued to struggle, its flesh would soon transform into paper, turning it into a paper rat.

Its blood-red eyes fixated on the sky, and an unwilling, earth-shattering roar erupted from its mouth. The heavens and earth changed color, winds surged, and a colossal vortex formed in the sky. As it rumbled and spun, a vague, indifferent eye seemed to look down from within the vortex, observing the earth and the golden rat below.

This eye was peculiar, as if it had been painted. Even more peculiar was the sky vortex itself; while it appeared vast at first glance, a closer look suggested it too was made of paper.

Soon, a deep voice echoed through the area.

"Night Grinder, you have been refined for over thirty thousand years, and your divine flame has been extinguished multiple times. Are you still unwilling to become a Night God under my command?"

The blood-red hue in the golden rat's eyes intensified. As its body trembled, a flicker of intelligence, appearing as if it could vanish at any moment, slowly gathered in its pupils. It sounded as if it hadn't spoken for a long time, as a hoarse, indistinct sound emerged from its mouth, yet what it conveyed was an irreconcilable hatred.

"Roar…"

After the roar, the golden rat's body swayed. It turned and rushed directly back into the cavern, disappearing into the passage leading to the Liaoxuan Pond.

In the sky, the eye within the vortex grew colder.

"No matter, I have plenty of time."

As the voice echoed, the vortex blurred and gradually dissipated.

Everything in the heavens and on earth returned to normal.

The scene that unfolded was confined to this specific area. Consequently, Xu Qing and Er Niu, who were long gone, the fleeing young man named Feng, and even Yuetong and Lanyao, were all shielded from perceiving it due to various unseen reasons.

Nevertheless, none of them were ordinary individuals, and each possessed unique advantages in their spiritual senses.

Therefore, to varying degrees, they all experienced a subtle sensation at that moment.

Amidst two whistling streaks of light piercing the sky, Xu Qing suddenly turned his head, looking back into the distance with a slightly puzzled expression.

Beside him, the Captain immediately looked back at the sky, his eyes revealing surprise and doubt.

The two exchanged glances, then quickly averted their eyes. Without a word, they simultaneously increased their speed.

In this manner, three days passed swiftly.

Xu Qing and the Captain used various methods to conceal themselves along the way. They ultimately arrived safely, successfully flying out of Liaoxuan Prefecture and entering the Human Imperial Capital Grand Domain.

They sighted human cities situated on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital Grand Domain.

The familiar architectural style and atmosphere offered a slight reprieve to Xu Qing and the Captain's strained nerves. However, their vigilance remained largely intact, as the scene they had sensed days earlier still churned within their minds. Consequently, they continued to travel at full speed in a straight line through the Human Imperial Capital Grand Domain, naturally passing commoner cities and the mountain peaks where various sects were located.

The former posed no issue; mortal cities naturally wouldn't impede Xu Qing and the Captain.

As for the latter, the powerful cultivators residing there, upon sensing Xu Qing and Er Niu's speed, felt a chill in their hearts. They dared not interfere, pretending not to notice them, and allowed them to pass.

Nevertheless, a few individuals, confident in their own prowess, harbored a sense of displeasure.

This was precisely the case. As Xu Qing and the Captain sped past, a cold snort echoed from a crimson mountain range below them.

"Who dares treat my Blazing Crimson Blood Sect with such disregard, passing over our territory like this? Stop at once!"

A cloud of blood mist surged abruptly from the mountain range, swirling towards the sky, intending to block Xu Qing and the Captain.

Xu Qing frowned, about to speak, when the Captain beside him suddenly widened his eyes and roared at the approaching blood mist.

"How dare you! This is the Revered Yan Yue Grand Profound Heaven, Master of the Human Race's Sacred Ripple Grand Domain and Senior Brother to the current Heavenly Marquis Xu Qing, along with Heavenly Marquis Xu Qing himself! Retreat at once!"

The last two words exploded like thunder, reverberating in all directions with immense arrogance. The words were delivered without hesitation and with remarkable fluency, clearly indicating that the Captain had meticulously rehearsed this speech in his mind. It seemed he had been waiting for the opportune moment for a fellow cultivator to appear. In an instant, the approaching blood mist abruptly halted.

The Captain snorted coldly and continued flying. Xu Qing remained silent, maintaining his speed. In an instant, the two had soared past the mountain range and were swiftly disappearing into the distance.

It wasn't until they were gone that the blood mist contracted, transforming into a red-haired old man whose face was filled with surprise and doubt. He then hesitantly gazed towards the horizon.

Ultimately, he dared not continue his attempt to stop them.

The identities revealed in Er Niu's words were simply too illustrious!

Old Ancestor Chiyun, in particular, was not one to remain in perpetual seclusion and was naturally aware of external affairs. He had heard years ago that the Sacred Ripple Grand Domain gained a City Lord and that this individual had been conferred the title of Heavenly Marquis.

Furthermore, after the Yan Yue Profound Heaven Clan's announcement to Wanggu, he had naturally learned of the astonishing fact that a Human had become a Grand Profound Heaven. The bearer of all these honors was none other than Xu Qing.

Xu Qing!

Old Ancestor Chiyun fell silent. Regardless of whether their claims were true or false, he had no desire to cause trouble.

After all, if the claim was false, it offered him no advantage, and if true, he would certainly face dire consequences. He deemed it unworthy to suffer such discomfort merely for a trivial matter of face. Moreover, they had simply flown past without so much as a greeting!

It was merely a flight across their territory; hardly a significant event.

Chiyun coughed, transformed into a blood mist, and swiftly returned to the mountain range.

Thus, Xu Qing and the Captain spent several more days flying along the outer perimeter of the Human Imperial Capital Grand Domain, and finally, their minds eased. Firstly, reaching this location offered a sense of security. Secondly, based on their earlier suspicions, if anyone truly meant to cause trouble, they wouldn't have remained absent for so many days.

Therefore, it was largely certain that the crisis had passed.

Simultaneously, after their extensive journey, they now glimpsed their destination.

It was a massive and ancient teleportation array.

This array served as the gateway to the inner ring of the Imperial Capital Grand Domain. Such a strategic location was naturally guarded year-round by a large force. Currently, a million soldiers protected this teleportation array, and a Heavenly Marquis of the Returning Ruins cultivation level was stationed there as overseer.

Thus, almost the instant Xu Qing and the Captain appeared, waves of martial aura surged from all directions. The Heavenly Marquis stationed there also flew out with a solemn expression, hovering in mid-air. His gaze was sharp, but the moment he clearly identified the approaching figures, his expression instantly shifted, and his mind churned with profound emotion.

Xu Qing!

This Heavenly Marquis had once sat in the same hall as Xu Qing within the Human Emperor's Palace. Knowing Xu Qing, he had also heard about the Grand Profound Heaven affair. The shock in his heart, even after all these days, remained intense, given the extreme prominence of the title.

Indeed, the prestige of a Grand Profound Heaven was far beyond ordinary comprehension.

That was Yan Yue's supreme honor; countless races would prostrate themselves upon witnessing it.

Most crucially, the war between the Human Race and Yan Yue's affiliated tribes had ended with a single command from him. Such presence, such status, such identity—he was truly unparalleled in the entire Human Race, a dazzling and conspicuous star!

Furthermore, he was already the esteemed ruler of a domain!

As for his cultivation, though only at the Returning Ruins level, the Marquis had heard about his battle against Yan Xuanzi, the top genius of Yan Yue's Soul Incubation, a complete and crushing victory!

All of these factors caused the Heavenly Marquis's mind to tremble. His expression instantly became solemn, he adjusted his posture, and bowed with cupped fists.

"Greetings, Heavenly Marquis Xu!"

In the sky, Xu Qing and the Captain swiftly approached, standing in mid-air. Their arrival, along with the Heavenly Marquis's address, immediately drew the attention of the million human cultivators surrounding them.

While not everyone recognized Xu Qing, the mention of "Heavenly Marquis Xu" immediately sparked recognition in some human cultivators. Their expressions swiftly shifted, revealing excitement and reverence.

They had heard countless stories about Xu Qing in recent days. Indeed, for a significant period, Xu Qing had been the most talked-about person across the entire Wanggu Continent!

"Ah, Heavenly Marquis Wang."

Xu Qing's gaze swept across, settling on the Heavenly Marquis, and he offered a slight smile.

"I intend to travel to the Imperial Capital and wish to use this teleportation array."

Heavenly Marquis Wang nodded immediately.

"Heavenly Marquis Xu's return is the Human Race's utmost priority! All teleportation arrays shall be fully activated for you!"

With these words, he immediately issued orders and personally accompanied them, acting as if he were in the presence of a Celestial King. He was even exceptionally courteous to Er Niu, who stood beside Xu Qing.

Er Niu felt quite pleased.

In a short while, as countless human cultivators around them watched with excitement and instinctive glances, Heavenly Marquis Wang accompanied them.

The teleportation array activated. Xu Qing bid farewell to Heavenly Marquis Wang, and he and the Captain stepped into the array. As the teleportation light flashed, their figures instantly vanished.

Although he had departed, outside the teleportation array, discussions about Xu Qing immediately erupted.

"He is our Human Race's top genius!"

"Not only is he so young, but he also possesses peerless talent! Haha, from now on, I can boast that I've activated a teleportation array for Heavenly Marquis Xu. That alone will make me famous!"

Heavenly Marquis Wang's gaze lingered on the teleportation array, observing its emptiness. Listening to the excited chatter of the surrounding soldiers, he too felt a wave of emotion.

"I'm afraid the next time we meet, he will be at least a Celestial King!"