Chapter 968: Fifth Divine Authority

Holy Lands, descend!

At this moment, the various races of Wanggu trembled; some were excited, others bewildered. But no matter what, in this period of Wanggu's history, the appearance of the Holy Lands overshadowed everything else.

Regarding the Holy Lands, legends about them have circulated among Wanggu's myriad races ever since Ancient Emperor Xuanyou departed. These Holy Lands, formed by the emperors of various races who left and the gifted clansmen they took with them, have been reviled and anticipated for tens of thousands of years! Some considered them cowards, abandoning Wanggu at a crucial moment and fleeing in disarray! Others viewed them as hope, believing their return would end Wanggu's tragedy and usher in a new dawn! Regardless of attitude, at this moment, they have descended!

Their purpose is unknown. Their nature, whether good or evil, is unknown. Wanggu is like a cage; it's easy to enter but difficult to leave.

On the Forbidden Sea, Xu Qing gazed at the sky, murmuring in his heart. Ever since he learned about the Holy Lands' impending descent from Feng Lintao and the other two, Xu Qing had been pondering a question: Why are the Holy Lands coming? Unless they have already mastered a way to leave...

As Xu Qing mused, Huang Yan's solemn voice reached his mind through a feather message. "Xu Qing, you see it now! It's not just cultivators from the Holy Lands arriving; the Holy Lands themselves are descending. This is a very bad sign. They must have found a way to leave! According to your human race's information, and what I know, there are over a hundred Holy Lands, divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow! The five that just descended, judging by their aura, should only be Yellow-tier Holy Lands. There are probably around fifty of these! As for the Profound, Earth, and Heaven-tier Holy Lands, their exact numbers and which factions control them are currently unknown! However, the Empress can confirm one thing: while the Xuanyou Holy Land was once Heaven-tier, it might not be anymore! Just wait and see; the descent of Holy Lands will become more frequent in the coming days. Wanggu is headed for great chaos! I'll be stationed in Southern Phoenix Continent during this time. You're cultivating in the Forbidden Sea, so be careful!"

Huang Yan's message was urgent. After responding, Xu Qing's gaze fell towards Sealord Commandery. Information from Sealord Commandery also reached Xu Qing through a special method, spanning a vast distance, requesting his stance on the Holy Lands. "Be on guard, and observe!" After a moment of thought, Xu Qing issued his order.

Having done this, Xu Qing sighed lightly, but his eyes soon gleamed. Facing the arrival of the Holy Lands and their unknown purpose, Xu Qing knew there was little he could do except to become stronger himself. Only then could he navigate the inevitably volatile situation ahead! So, he moved, sinking into the sea and heading straight for the trench where the ruined tower lay.

Soon, Xu Qing reappeared before the mysterious bubble. With the Divine Vine's help, he stepped inside. Once in the ruined tower, he didn't hesitate, releasing threads of his soul to merge with the black jade riddled with cracks.

A moment later, Xu Qing retracted his soul threads. "Indeed, my perception wasn't wrong. There are traces of Godhead within this object. This trace, it's among the thousand faint marks on my Ruined Earth!" Just before, when Xu Qing was about to leave, he felt a faint mark on his internal Ruined Earth subtly flickering. He then used his soul threads to investigate, and now, after verification, he finally confirmed this point. "I just don't know what aspect of divinity this trace's divine authority belongs to!" Xu Qing's eyes glowed with an arcane light, and anticipation rose in his heart.

He clearly understood the immense difficulty of making all thousand faint marks on his Ruined Earth glow one by one; it required him to devour more divine beings or divine-related existences! That's why he had previously hunted divine-natured creatures, absorbing the divinity within them to nourish himself. But this process was bound to be slow! To directly perceive a Godhead like this was an immense fortune! So, without any hesitation, he immediately sat cross-legged before the black jade, using his soul threads as a guide to try and comprehend it.

Time flowed on. Several days later, Xu Qing opened his eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face. "It seems to be related to sound..." Xu Qing was uncertain. Although he had been fully immersed in his comprehension for the past few days and had vague insights, they were very unclear. It was like looking at flowers through a fog, or the moon in water. Despite this, Xu Qing had ample patience. He reached out and retrieved a small bottle containing Liaoxuan Holy Liquid. He drank it in one gulp. Immediately, a profound sensation arose in his mind, and he continued his comprehension.

Time passed bit by bit. A month later! Xu Qing's mind and body were completely immersed, his entire being exuding an ethereal quality. In this profound state, he seemed to hear a sound! Like a murmur! From far to near, then from near to far! It seemed to be narrating something, but he couldn't quite make it out. However, this ethereal murmuring resonance caused the Divine Origin within him to slowly circulate on its own, and the corresponding faint mark on his Ruined Earth began to flicker more frequently.

And so, the second month passed! Xu Qing had been comprehending for a full two months and was still continuing. Meanwhile, in the outside world, during these two months, the descent of the Holy Lands had caused varying degrees of upheaval!

Firstly, regarding the Holy Lands' actions: apart from the statue in the central region that annihilated a small tribe, the Holy Lands in the other four regions showed no aggressive behavior! They did not interact with the outside world, merely sending out small teams to collect various resources in their respective areas! Especially heteromorphic substances; these were their primary focus! And also, objects invaded by heteromorphic substances were among their targets! These actions drew attention from all sides. Simultaneously, in the western region, a tribe migrated en masse. This was because the Holy Land that descended there comprised their own clansmen from ancient times!

Apart from these, the biggest upheaval came from the central region, from the statue-Holy Land that annihilated the small tribe! Because in its first month of descent, two divine beings from Wanggu's most mysterious and powerful first tribe, located in the central region, stepped onto that Holy Land! When they left, the statue-Holy Land was utterly silent; all life within it had perished, and the statue itself turned to ashes, vanishing from the world! Furthermore, a voice echoed throughout Wanggu! "Central Domain, Holy Lands shall not tread!" This event shook Wanggu at the time, and it also shook the other Holy Lands. For a while, those Holy Lands seemed to have been knocked off their pedestals, and their actions became more cautious!

But just as many of Wanggu's races felt either complex, relieved, or bewildered... The celestial anomaly, like the one when the five Holy Lands first descended, reappeared! Six Holy Lands, like meteors, once again descended upon Wanggu, landing in different locations! In the days that followed, such descents became common; almost every now and then, varying numbers of Holy Lands would land in Wanggu! Each descent of these ancient, weathered Holy Lands, diverse in their forms, caused the heavens and earth to roar! And so, a sense of oppression returned again. To this day, the number of Holy Lands that have descended has reached twenty-three. But strangely, all the fallen Holy Lands were collecting things related to heteromorphic substances! It was as if... their return was solely for collection!

At this moment, Xu Qing, inside the ruined tower deep beneath the sea, had reached a critical point in his comprehension! The indistinct murmuring sound he heard grew increasingly strong, yet he still couldn't make out what it was saying! But as the murmuring repeated, an ancient power accompanied it, assertively spreading throughout his body, penetrating his mind, seemingly wanting to replace his cognition! It even seemed to want to seize his very concept of sound! As if to enslave him, to strip away his self, making him a slave to this murmuring sound!

While this state was extremely dangerous, it also contained an immense, seductive illusion that transformed into a cognition, subtly influencing Xu Qing, telling him that if he continued, he would master this Godhead! Suddenly, Xu Qing's eyes snapped open, bloodshot. Simultaneously, his inherent Godheads within him erupted, especially Fei's Eye, which manifested on his glabella, shining with a peculiar light! All of this finally granted him a moment of clarity. Without hesitation, he immediately severed his comprehension! A sound like breaking threads echoed in Xu Qing's mind! Xu Qing's body trembled violently, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his breathing ragged, his expression extremely grim! "This feeling of being dominated and enslaved has reappeared."

Xu Qing's face was pale. Over these two months, each time his comprehension reached a certain level, the same danger would arise. If he didn't possess Fei's Eye and hadn't experienced multiple cognitive challenges, he likely wouldn't have survived this hurdle the first time it appeared! "Why is this happening...?" Xu Qing pondered. He wondered if this Godhead possessed some form of life, attempting to seize his body through a special method during his comprehension! But after several attempts, Xu Qing found that the murmuring sound seemed to lack any flexibility, merely proceeding along a fixed trajectory! This didn't seem like something with life. "Could it be... that my method of comprehension is wrong?"

Xu Qing mused. After all, this was truly his first time comprehending a Godhead; his understanding of Godheads was merely instinctive. As for the Purple Moon and Misfortune Godheads, they were acquired through devouring, not through such direct comprehension. The Divine Curse was also obtained through a similar method. So, Xu Qing did not continue his comprehension. Instead, he recalled his experiences over the past few months. Several days later, his body suddenly jolted! "My level of comprehension might be incorrect! The reason I'm being enslaved is because I'm being influenced by this divine authority, but what I want is to master it." "How to master it...?" Xu Qing fell silent. After a long time, a peculiar light shone in his eyes! "Perhaps, listening is wrong! If I hear it, it means I'm being influenced!"

Xu Qing's expression became resolute. He rose and instantly appeared outside the mysterious bubble. There, without relying on the Divine Vine, he forcefully pushed through, just as he had done before. After a few steps, a mountain-toppling wave of repellent force surged towards him. Xu Qing ignored it. At the limit of his endurance, he took another step! Immediately, a backlash erupted, enveloping his entire body and, guided by Xu Qing's deliberate intent, slammed into his ears! The next instant, his mind buzzed, intense pain surged, blood flowed from his ears, his eardrums ruptured, and his ear bones fractured! Xu Qing's body swayed, the world spun, and he lost his hearing! But his expression remained calm. He forcibly endured, summoned the somewhat bewildered Divine Vine, and was pulled back into the tower.

The moment he entered, Xu Qing immediately sat cross-legged. His soul threads merged into the black jade, and he resumed his comprehension! This time, he wasn't listening but perceiving with his heart! Gradually, he seemed to "hear" the murmur! This murmur came from both the black jade and the faint mark within him, and even from the surging waves of his own Divine Origin Sea! A sudden enlightenment dawned in Xu Qing's heart. At the same time, his perception seemed different from before; his Divine Origin surged, propelling his perception, as if breaking through some kind of barrier, reaching a level he had never touched before! He understood! Only by not listening, yet still "hearing" through perception, could his own perception sublimate, entering the realm of divinity, thereby capturing the unique power belonging to that realm! This power was ancient and boundless, primal and chaotic. Or rather, it was a profoundly ancient power that inherently existed in the world! Cultivators could not master it, because the most basic qualification required to obtain this power was Divine Origin! And the source of this power was too profound, too difficult to reach! Merely mastering it was equivalent to gaining the qualification to use it, forming an imprint—this... was the Godhead! But one could only use it; trying to explore its essence was beyond what ordinary gods could do!

At this moment, within Xu Qing's Ruined Earth, the faint mark that had corresponded with the black jade and flickered for several months suddenly blazed brightly. Amidst the brilliant light, a God-rune formed! That was Xu Qing's fifth God-rune! The God-rune of Sound. It controlled all sound in the world, and was also a crucial component of omniscience!