Chapter 942: Fire Within Flames

Inside the Ancient Sovereign Star, all eyes converged upon the mysterious altar where the Human Sovereign was becoming a god. At this moment, this altar became the core of this dramatic ancestral worship event.

From a distance, this five-pointed altar was entirely dark greenish-black, exuding an ancient, weathered aura and an immensely heavy feeling. Viewed as a whole, it seemed as if it had been retrieved from the river of time or risen from the depths of the netherworld. Besides countless complex totem markings, the most striking features were the five sarcophagi and divine shrines.

The ancient sarcophagi exuded an endless imperial aura, encasing the remains of successive Human Sovereigns. They represented the royal bloodline, traceable back to the Xuanyou Ancient Sovereign, and were acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao of the Wanggu Continent. The nobility of their bloodline had reached the pinnacle in Wanggu.

As for the divine shrines, they were crafted with extreme luxury, astonishingly made from the skulls of deities! This was naturally part of humanity's profound heritage, which the Human Sovereign used to forge these five shrines. Due to this extraordinary material, the divine aura within them was exceptionally potent. Currently, this aura converged on the mystic tablets within the shrines, manifesting an ethereal presence that caused heaven and earth to change color. All of this was truly opulent; it was almost impossible for any cultivator outside the imperial family to acquire such things.

Becoming a god requires igniting divine fire, a process that demands a ritual! But rituals are not fixed; each entity seeking to become a god follows a different one. For example, the Five Elements' remains Xu Qing once saw beneath the Grand Beginning Pillar of Departure and Seclusion in Yinghuang State. First, there were the arrangements made by the Divine Son of the Scarlet Mother Temple in the Moon Sacrificial Grand Domain throughout time. Second, there was also the Grand Official of the Flame Moon Profound Sky Race replacing the Spider Deity. Third, this extraordinary altar on humanity's Ancient Sovereign Star is the deification ritual the Human Sovereign chose for himself.

But neither the sarcophagi nor the shrines were the focus of this ritual; the ancient purple lamp at its very center was the true core. The aura it emitted was earth-shattering. That was the aura of an immortal!

This ritual used the fate of an entire race as wind, the bones of deities as void, the ancient lamp's immortal qi as fire, and successive Human Sovereigns as fuel to burn immortals and gods! Its sheer scale surpassed everything Xu Qing had ever witnessed. This was the complete ritual for the Human Sovereign's deification.

Therefore, within this spreading sea of fire, the figures forming within the nearly complete divine flames were themselves in a profound and mysterious state. They were neither immortal cultivators nor deities, but something in between. Even though they were merely illusory and lacked absolute combat power or specific cultivation levels, they possessed an astonishing divine rank capable of suppressing cultivators. Under the suppression of this divine rank and the burning of these divine flames, any cultivator who stepped inside would, in the process of battling these figures, experience an instantaneous tremor within their body, either perishing or becoming part of these figures.

But Xu Qing was different; he could no longer be considered a mere cultivator, nor a deity. The path he was currently walking had never been trodden by anyone before. As a pioneer of this path, he possessed the cultivation of a cultivator, the authority of a deity, and even threads of an High Immortal's soul, and his body was a divine body. Not to mention having consumed the blood of the incomplete face, and having hundreds of illusory divine authorities within his Ruin Soil. Thus, his divine rank was so high that it was comparable to that of a true deity. Moreover, these figures within the sea of fire were further suppressed by the Purple Mystic Azure Lamp, which resonated with them.

Therefore, Xu Qing, who now charged into the sea of fire amidst a deafening series of roars, swept through everything with devastating force, his momentum like a rainbow, like a storm sweeping across all. Whether it was the Imperial Sword in his hand, Little Shadow, or the Divine Vine, everything was part of this storm. Wherever it passed, everything was suppressed.

One could see the Divine Vine whistling, excitedly devouring flames while coiling around figure after figure, seemingly perceiving them all as food. "The flames are delicious, and the figures are like candies." Little Shadow was not to be outdone; as it swayed and leaped, it formed countless afterimages within the flames. If these afterimages were pieced together, one would discover it was a large tree with coffin planks hanging beneath it, covered in strange eyes.

Xu Qing himself was equally sharp, wielding the Imperial Sword and shaking all directions. Furthermore, amidst this swift sweep, the hunger he had experienced in the Divine Realm after consuming the blood of the incomplete face, which had been suppressed, seemed to be attracted by the divine fire's aura and re-emerged! The moment this feeling appeared, Xu Qing's eyes turned slightly red! He simply gripped the Imperial Sword in his hand and allowed a figure to approach. Like a killer, he suddenly opened his mouth. He fiercely inhaled. Instantly, that figure's body trembled and it was directly sucked into Xu Qing's mouth, causing the Ruin Soil within Xu Qing's body to instantly tremble! The figure transformed into a beautiful shower of fire, which, while providing nourishment, further intensified Xu Qing's hunger.

"The taste is acceptable." Xu Qing licked his lips, then his body descended in a single step, arriving directly in front of a divine fire figure shrouded by Little Shadow, and inhaled again. That figure vanished instantly! Little Shadow was stunned for a moment. Meanwhile, Xu Qing had already departed, continuing his devouring.

Seeing this, Little Shadow also became eager. In the blink of an eye, all the Little Shadows leaping across the sea of fire opened their mouths wide, frantically devouring all the divine fire figures. The Divine Vine also clearly grew anxious, and its devouring speed increased. Just like this, a striking scene that drew all gazes appeared in the sea of fire outside the altar. Not only were the figures within the sea of fire rapidly diminishing, but even the sea of fire itself had reduced somewhat.

The entire process took less than an incense stick's time. Within the sea of fire, all the figures that had formed vanished! The last one was even torn into pieces during a struggle between the Divine Vine and Little Shadow. And it seemed that due to the struggle, they developed some animosity towards each other! As Little Shadow's emotions fluctuated, all its afterimages converged, strikingly appearing within the sea of fire. All its eyes opened, gazing maliciously and coldly at the Divine Vine. As a rare Cosmic Seed, whose mature form could devour deities, the Divine Vine naturally wouldn't be timid! Although it was still a young entity, as its vines danced like dragons and serpents, they emitted a terrifying aura towards Little Shadow. And all its vines and mysterious patterns, while constantly flickering, also conjured an illusory starry sky above. The sense of ferocity was incredibly intense.

This scene caused those watching to feel varying degrees of internal turbulence. The truth was, both Little Shadow and the Divine Vine could be described as bizarre. But... this ferocious bizarreness instantly turned docile once Xu Qing walked into their midst. Little Shadow swayed, all its eyes wide open. When looked at individually, they seemed somewhat cute, presenting a docile appearance. The Divine Vine was even more amusing, coiling around Xu Qing, its attempt to curry favor exceptionally clear. The scene formed by this created a strong visual impact. In the image, there was Xu Qing with purple hair, his long hair swaying in the wind, his face exceptionally handsome, as if unparalleled in the world, with cute Little Shadow beside him and the docile Divine Vine.

Many human cultivators, upon seeing this scene, instinctively took a sharp breath. As cultivators of Wanggu, their lives naturally involved life-and-death struggles, so they clearly understood what it took to make something ferocious become docile and cute! This was somewhat different from Xu Qing's previous behavior among humans. It should be known that after Xu Qing arrived at the Imperial Capital, although he had been high-profile, such as killing the Fifth Prince, his truly ferocious intent had not been revealed! But now, everyone perceived this. Thus, their gazes towards Xu Qing held more awe, and their expressions became increasingly solemn.

As for Xu Qing at this moment, he wouldn't pay attention to the thoughts of outsiders. After walking between Little Shadow and the Divine Vine, he looked towards the altar ahead. Outside the altar, golden flames burned fiercely. Compared to the entire sea of fire, this was already the core flame. The temperature was astonishingly high. And what nourished its burning were precisely the remains within those five sarcophagi. Thus, these golden flames acted like a barrier, blocking the path forward. And through the flames, Xu Qing could see that the cracks on the Purple Mystic Azure Lamp were more numerous than before. It seemed it couldn't hold on for much longer.

A sharp glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes, his body swayed, and he shot straight towards the altar's golden flames! But the next instant, with the roaring of the golden flames, Xu Qing's approaching figure suddenly recoiled. His entire body was burning, his exposed skin visibly withered, and his flesh was mangled. Even with his abilities, coupled with his divine body, he still couldn't enter. But Xu Qing didn't give up; he suppressed the burning pain that erupted throughout his body. Streaks of divine abilities roared! Divine authority descended, suppressing the golden flames before him, but after more than ten breaths, everything remained as before. These flames... could not be shaken.

Xu Qing's expression was grim. The aura of the Imperial Sword in his hand spread out, and he struck with a single sword. Heaven and earth roared! A massive sword shadow materialized in the sky, striking the altar's golden sea of fire. The flames instantly formed a gap! But the next instant, the flames surged again, causing the sword qi to dissipate.

"Can't I break through?" Xu Qing muttered. Gazing at the lamp within the flames, which now had several more cracks, a surge of anxiety welled up in his heart! After witnessing several deification rituals, Xu Qing understood that, generally speaking, such rituals could only be directly shattered by an immense power far exceeding the ritual itself! Otherwise, to interrupt the operation of a deification ritual, one could only resort to some clever tricks.

Thus, a hint of madness appeared in Xu Qing's eyes, and he conveyed his thoughts to Little Shadow and the Divine Vine. Little Shadow hesitated slightly, but the Divine Vine showed no hesitation. It fiercely dashed out directly towards the golden flames, reaching their rear, and devoured with all its might. The immense devouring force created a pull, causing the flames to flow like water towards the Divine Vine's direction. Consequently, in the direction directly facing Xu Qing, the flames visibly thinned. However, the price was that the Divine Vine itself began to burn, showing signs of wilting, clearly unable to hold on for much longer.

Seeing this, Little Shadow also went all out! The next instant, it charged forward, and no matter how the golden flames burned, it transformed into a black curtain, fiercely sticking to the thinned flames directly in front of Xu Qing. The moment it landed, Little Shadow wailed, letting out agonizing screams! Amidst the burning flames, the intense pain caused the curtain formed by the shadow to twist. Yet it dared not leave, only able to forcibly endure. With a fierce resolve, it fiercely tore open in the middle, creating a gap that separated the flames!

Xu Qing's body burst out with a roar, his speed already at his limit, smashing through nothingness and transforming into an afterimage! Just as Little Shadow was about to give way, he fiercely approached the gap. His right hand, transformed into the translucent Crispy Nether, penetrated the shadow's gap, reaching into the flames! Towards the Purple Mystic Azure Lamp, he grabbed with all his might!