Chapter 969: Clean and Tidy

Omniscience is a concept uniquely belonging to deities. It is mysterious and unfathomable. In the hearts of many cultivators, the very word itself evokes fear, for once one is subjected to omniscience, their past, future, and even their destiny become controlled, making it impossible to break free or alter anything. To some extent, it's also a term related to scope.

Before comprehending the Sound Divinity, Xu Qing's understanding of omniscience, though surpassing that of ordinary cultivators, was comparable to a scholar versus a newly enlightened child when compared to deities. Only at this moment, as he genuinely grasped this divinity through his own insights, did things truly change. The Sound Divinity is a crucial component of omniscience; it controls all sounds. Furthermore, it is one of the keys to unlocking the gate of omniscience. Compared to merely controlling this divinity, the process itself was a more valuable experience for Xu Qing. It granted him unprecedented profound insights.

"So this is what divinity is!"

Divinity possesses life, yet simultaneously does not; it resembles a detached, transcendent entity. When you try to perceive it, it has life and can retaliate, invading your entire being. But when you perceive without consciously trying to perceive, its life ceases to exist. This statement seems contradictory.

"Understood means understood!""If you don't understand, you never will!" Xu Qing murmured.

Along with the divinity came countless pieces of information floating at the divine sense level. These ancient-laden pieces of information were sometimes useful, sometimes completely chaotic and contradictory, but regardless, their fundamental purpose was to inform the recipient on how to use this divinity, confirming their qualification. This information was not naturally occurring; instead, it was a chaotic will stemming from the collective consciousnesses of all qualified individuals who had ever possessed this divinity since the primordial era. It emanated instinctively. Understanding and mastering this information is a lengthy process.

Possessing the qualification to use it, until one masters its essence, thus becoming the sole wielder of this divinity, thereby stripping other deities of their qualification over it – this is how deities advance in relation to divinity, and in some sense, it is the most crucial backbone of the divine system.

"Divine beings can be seen as entities accumulating divine essence. Once this essence reaches a certain density, it ignites the divine flame, and they become deities.""At this stage, based on their prior accumulation and insights, and through their divine sense, they can subtly comprehend a divinity, thus becoming qualified to use it.""However, mastering and understanding the essence of a divinity is the goal of the Divine Flame realm. This process is arduous and perilous, but once achieved... one becomes a Divine Pedestal!""The Three Flame Moon Gods, by elevating their divine domains, achieved flawlessness. Looking at it now, the focus of that elevating power was to help them master and understand the essence of divinity.""Now that the path to Divine Pedestal is open, it signifies that they have virtually completed this step, having almost fully understood and mastered their own divinities.""As for the Empress... by combining her half-step Sovereign peak cultivation with the destiny of her clan, she achieved Divine Pedestal in a single step. This means that in that instant, she bypassed the 'usage' stage and directly reached 'mastery'.""Achieving Divine Pedestal in one step is extremely difficult. Even extraordinary talent and Sovereign cultivation are merely the foundation for completing this step. Looking at it now, the Empress must have begun studying divinities long ago... perhaps the Dawn Sun appeared precisely because of this! That's why she could achieve Divine Pedestal in one step!""And True Gods, who are at the same level as the Immortal of Xia after the Divine Pedestal, become the sole wielder of the divinity they control, hence the 'True' in their title!"

Xu Qing understood clearly. These insights he gained from the information within his divine sense might be correct, but there's also a possibility of errors. He would need to verify them in the future. But one thing, which was once clear to him, was now even clearer. Divine beings are like cultivators in the Soul Nurturing stage. The different levels of Divine Flame are like the various realms of cultivator Sovereigns.

"As for Divine Pedestals, only Quasi-Immortal Emperors can contend with them!""And True Gods are the opponents of the Immortal of Xia!""Beyond True Gods and the Immortal of Xia, lies a direction sought by both the divine and immortal systems. Unfortunately... above True Gods, there is a path called Divine Lord! However, above the Immortal of Xia, there seems to be no precedent; everything must be explored independently, and the direction varies depending on one's origin. The reason the Immortal of Xia disappeared back then was precisely to pursue their own paths of advancement! And because of this, this star system belongs to the deities!"

Xu Qing took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and gazed at the black jade before him. The black jade, now with more cracks, silently turned into dust and dispersed.

"Unfortunately, there are too many deities possessing the Sound Divinity that I perceive... this is an extremely widespread divinity! And the more individuals qualified to use the same divinity, the more its power is dispersed! However, conversely, if a sole wielder emerges for such a widespread divinity, its divine power would be terrifying!"

Xu Qing pondered, his open eyes slowly closing as his entire mind immersed itself in the fifth divinity on the Ruined Soil. His divine essence surged within him, transforming into a hammer, striking the fifth divinity. A bell-like sound echoed in Xu Qing's mind, but this sound did not emanate from his body. What emanated was only a transparent and imperceptible wave. Centered around Xu Qing's body, it spread outwards. In an instant, it extended past the ruined tower, past the sea trench, and into the boundless Forbidden Sea! In a flash, it reached a hundred miles!

At that moment, countless sounds within this hundred-mile radius all surfaced within Xu Qing's divine sense. There was the sound of flowing water, the roars of fierce beasts, the swish of fish tails, the rustle of sand moving with the undercurrent... and even the Forbidden Sea itself seemed to emit an eerie and prolonged breathing sound. Everything appeared within Xu Qing's divine sense. He had a feeling that if he merely willed it, all these sounds could be utilized by him. So, in the next instant, the hundred-mile radius suddenly fell silent! All sounds were stripped away by Xu Qing with a single thought and sent beyond the hundred-mile range! Using their sounds, he caused the wave to continue spreading... Five hundred miles, a thousand miles... And so it continued, cycle after cycle! Xu Qing was like a child who had just received a new toy, constantly trying out its various functions and testing his own limits!

Just like that, time passed! He didn't know how much time had passed, but the wave emanating from Xu Qing's body, propelled by these continuous pushes, spread endlessly! It had long surpassed Xu Qing's previous soul consciousness range! During this time, countless sea beasts, numerous divine beings hidden at the bottom of the sea, and even some boats on the surface were reflected in Xu Qing's mind, yet without exception, none of them noticed anything! Xu Qing didn't linger on them for a moment. It continued to spread!

Until a scene appeared within Xu Qing's divine sense! Far from Xu Qing's location, in a remote part of the seabed near the Corpse Taboo, the terrain resembled a plain. At this moment, a massive formation had been clearly set up on this seabed plain. At the core of the formation sat two figures. Both figures wore long silver robes, and their exposed skin was dark, resembling the surface of an octopus. They were hairless, with humanoid facial features, and even sitting cross-legged, each was over ten zhang tall! The cultivation fluctuations emanating from them were at the peak of the Soul Nurturing Second Realm. Their peculiar attire and the structure of the formation indicated that these two originated from the Sacred Land! Indeed, they were among the group of arrivers, like Feng Lintao and others. The numerous arrival teams from the Sacred Land had dispersed across different regions of Wanggu. These two had landed in the Forbidden Sea! During this time, they had gathered sufficient information and resources within the Forbidden Sea, and thus, at the bottom of the sea, they had set up a guiding formation to transmit signals outwards to the heavens! Now, with their respective cultivations unleashed, they intended to amplify the formation's power, guiding their Sacred Land towards their location!

It must be said that their luck was good; the process from their arrival until now had been very smooth! They had encountered almost no obstacles; even when they occasionally came across powerful divine beings, they managed to avoid them by detecting them beforehand! Until this moment, seeing that everything was about to conclude, both felt a slight sense of relief!

But just then, suddenly, a "crack" sound emanated from one of them! The sound came from a jade slip placed before him! This jade slip was dark-colored and etched with complex runes, made from special black jade. Over this period, its flashes had repeatedly helped them detect dangers in advance! Now, the jade slip seemed to shatter abruptly on its own, without even having time to flash. In an instant, both Sacred Land cultivators immediately opened their eyes, revealing their astonishment and doubt. At the same time, the cracking sound of the jade slip did not dissipate; instead, it instantly transformed into a storm, sweeping towards them!

The surroundings vibrated, and the expressions of the two Sacred Land cultivators instantly changed. They retreated, their perceptions immediately expanding to survey their surroundings. One of them even made a hand seal with his right hand and pointed forward! Immediately, a torrent surged from the surrounding seawater, which he controlled to spread outwards with a rumbling sound, stirring up the seabed sand and shaking the surrounding dark rocks! Searching for hidden dangers! But they found nothing!

Just as their hearts grew even more astonished and doubtful, a horrifying scene unfolded before them: all the sounds caused by their previous actions had not dissipated at all! Like the cracking sound of the jade slip, they transformed into an eerie force, possessing astonishing lethality, suddenly sweeping over both of them! A booming sound echoed all around! The two were shaken, and one immediately transmitted a message: "A deity is watching us." Even as a mental transmission, the moment it was sent and heard by himself and his companion, it again transformed into an eerie destructive force, causing both their heads to jolt, their faces to turn pale, and their internal organs to churn! Terror surged in their minds!

"This place has been robbed of its sound." This realization simultaneously dawned on them! So they dared not speak further, exchanging quick glances. Upon seeing the terror in each other's eyes, they immediately fled upwards at high speed! But the faster they fled, the greater the sounds they stirred up, and the same applied to the currents! Thus, the eerie destructive power formed by sounds arrived once more! It generated a booming sound, further enhancing this destructive power, continuously.

Simultaneously, all the fish, sea beasts, even sand, plankton, and all the seawater in this area now emitted their own sounds to varying degrees! Some could be heard, others were inaudible to the ear, but that did not mean they didn't exist! Now, it was as if an orchestra of the Forbidden Sea had begun playing world-shaking music, erupting all at once! The destructive force created, constantly escalating, surged like mountains and overturned seas, crushing everything in its path, pressing down on the two from all directions! The booming sounds grew increasingly intense! The two Sacred Land cultivators trembled in their minds, their faces having completely changed... They spat out blood and each unleashed their Grand World, both illusory and real, to resist the eerie power! They also took out multiple magical artifacts, constantly trying to erase the surrounding sounds, finally, after enduring endless dangers, suffering one bombardment after another, their clothes torn and their skin lacerated!

They finally burst out of the water and reached the surface of the sea! But before they could even catch their breath, more and louder sounds from outside suddenly descended upon them! Seabirds cried, circling in the sky! Waves roared across the sea! The sound of wind was everywhere! All sounds from every direction erupted simultaneously at this moment, sweeping over everything with unprecedented grandeur! Like a flash of lightning, at the very moment the two burst out, they were directly enveloped! From a distance, these sounds formed a massive sphere, continuously rippling within, emanating terrifying power!

A voice, at this moment, echoed between heaven and earth: "What are you doing at the bottom of the sea?" With the appearance of the voice, a flowing purple figure, like a deity, actually walked into the world from within the sounds! It appeared outside the terrifying sound sphere, calmly gazing at the two cultivators inside, whose hearts were already overwhelmed with terror! As for the question in that sentence, no answer was needed! Because the moment it was uttered, this sound merged with the sound sphere, roaring, and reaching the ears of the two Sacred Land cultivators. They couldn't hear what Xu Qing said at all; all they heard was an indistinct murmur! This murmur grew increasingly intense, repeating constantly, and an ancient power arrived with it, wildly and greedily spreading throughout their bodies, permeating their minds, and replacing their cognition! It even robbed them of the concept of sound! Their bodies, their souls, even their very selves were stripped away! The answer, naturally, was contained within.

Xu Qing took a step and descended into the seabed! On the surface of the sea, the sound sphere burst with a "bang", turning blood-red, and the two Sacred Land cultivators within it were utterly annihilated, body and soul! The sound sphere also dissipated, its sounds, carrying the lingering thoughts of the dead cultivators, returned to heaven and earth, clean and clear! As for the seabed plain, Xu Qing's figure walked step by step towards the formation, gazing at it... and then waved his hand! Instantly, the area churned, and the formation collapsed! Xu Qing shook his head. "Although destroyed, the signal had already been transmitted!"

Xu Qing thought for a moment, took out a jade slip, and sent a message to Fenghai County and Huang Yan, informing them of the situation and telling them to prepare in advance! Afterwards, Xu Qing's figure disappeared, continuing to comprehend his Sound Divinity within the Forbidden Sea while also searching for the bronze chariot!

Seven months later... In the sky of Wanggu, seven streaks of meteors appeared, shining with brilliant light as they descended towards Wanggu! One of them landed precisely in the Forbidden Sea, located between Yinghuang State and Nanhuang State!