Chapter 977: One Sword Falls, Soul Collapses and Body Shatters

Xu Qing stood there, his figure poised as if on the precipice between life and death, deeply ingrained within the very life of the Son of Floating Evil. He had usurped the Son’s world and blocked his hopes.

This caused an involuntary jolt in the Son of Floating Evil’s heart.

It was like a celestial stone plummeting into his mental sea, stirring up monstrous waves.

Especially the head Xu Qing held in his right hand, which now swayed with the seawater. Its unblinking eyes, radiating the chill of death, seemed to promise an encounter with oblivion itself.

Even more terrifying was the divine vine coiling around Xu Qing’s purple form, spreading outwards in all directions. The starlight emanating from the vines made Xu Qing, enveloped within them, appear even more divine.

And the shadow, merging with the seawater, also converged behind Xu Qing at that moment, eventually rising from the water to form a blurred, colossal tree.

Coffins hung from the tree, swaying like pendulums, their many eyes, wide open, stared greedily and bloodthirstily at the Son of Floating Evil.

This scene, deep beneath the sea, was utterly bizarre.

Simultaneously, divine authorities from all eight directions flared.

Sound was controlled.

The moon now had a master.

Poison originated here.

As for misfortune, it was ubiquitous, except for Xu Qing himself, making him appear as a god descended to the mortal realm.

Then, moonlight, like sharp blades from all directions, shot straight towards the Son of Floating Evil.

A poison restriction accompanied it, like marrow seeping into bone, invading relentlessly.

The sound did the same.

And the divine vine behind Xu Qing twisted its body with a whoosh, rapidly approaching the Son of Floating Evil.

The shadow, eager to prove itself and unwilling to be left behind, also enveloped him with full force.

At this moment, everything in the seabed seemed to possess a will, sweeping in from all eight directions, charging towards their common enemy.

In front of Xu Qing, the seven ghost-flames also flickered, on the verge of extinguishing.

The Son of Floating Evil felt a bitter taste, but ultimately said nothing, for sound was his opponent’s weapon, and at this point, any words would hold little strategic meaning.

Threats would be ineffective.

Pleading for mercy would be useless.

Everything, from the moment his opponent changed his mind, was already predetermined.

Or, to be precise, all karma became unavoidable from the moment he misjudged his opponent’s combat power.

So, the instant his heart sank, his eyes revealed intense fighting intent, and a fierce flame of survival ignited within him.

Only by fighting was there a chance for survival!

Only by struggling was there hope!

Therefore, his body roared, his soul, his cultivation, his flesh and blood, all burned without hesitation in that instant.

The root of this burning was his bloodline.

As a noble bloodline holder of the Evil Life Sacred Land, his bloodline purity far surpassed that of ordinary clan members. Furthermore, this physical body of his was extraordinary, acquired by his father at great cost.

Now, all of it became fuel.

Silver flames abruptly erupted from his body, burning the seawater and his own madness simultaneously.

His combat power dramatically surged.

Originally, he was at the second stage of Profound Spirit, capable of displaying fourth-stage combat power. But now, amidst this burning, his combat power leaped, directly breaking through his own critical point.

A terrifying aura burst forth from him, intertwining with the silver flames, forming a soul-shaking pressure.

That was the Profound Spirit Fifth Stage.

And while the fourth and fifth stages seem to differ by only one minor realm, the fundamental gap is immense. The fifth stage is the first significant leap within the Profound Spirit level.

Before the fifth stage, “Profound” signified conception.

After the fifth stage, “Profound” signified nurturing.

The "Spirit" conceived and nurtured was not a deity, but a primordial spirit formed by the sublimation of one’s own soul.

Once the primordial spirit appeared, one could be considered a master of rules and laws.

At this moment, the seabed trembled abruptly for a thousand miles. As a terrifying aura rose from the Son of Floating Evil, his physical body completely withered. Yet, atop his physical body, a semi-transparent primordial spirit body appeared.

His primordial spirit’s eyes were piercing, and its body was vast. To some extent, its presence even surpassed Xu Qing’s.

The divine vine, which was about to entangle him, had to retreat.

The shadow also quickly fell back.

His needle also gleamed, moving rapidly around, obstructing divine authority. At the same time, the Son of Floating Evil’s primordial spirit already raised its hand, pointing at Xu Qing.

With this gesture, rules arrived, laws arrived, forming countless threads, rushing straight towards Xu Qing, intending to entangle, to seal, to punish.

It was as if what his hand pointed at was an enemy of the Dao, a rebel against Immortals, an inversion of cultivation.

In an instant, the combat power from the Profound Spirit Fifth Stage demonstrated earth-shattering might and destructive force, blasting towards Xu Qing.

The first to bear the brunt were the seven ghost-flames.

In the blink of an eye, the ghost-flames extinguished, but they did not bring death; instead, they collapsed.

Unable to stop the rules and laws drawn by that finger, this storm of laws instantly engulfed Xu Qing.

The booming sound was no longer silent; it echoed in all directions.

Until a clear, cold voice emerged from the roar, like a celestial melody transcending all other sounds.

“Rewind!”

As these two words echoed, within the storm formed by the threads of laws, a gigantic sundial appeared. This sundial floated in mid-air, allowing the threads of laws to sweep across it, unable to shake it in the slightest.

The gnomon on it now rotated in reverse. Initially slow, within a few breaths, its speed rapidly increased. In a blink of an eye, time in this place astonishingly reversed.

Seawater flowed backward, the storm receded.

As for the Son of Floating Evil, his entire body violently trembled. The rules and laws that had been controlled by the appearance of his primordial spirit instantly dissipated, and his primordial spirit body disintegrated.

In an instant, it vanished, and his withered physical body and flesh also restored.

Everything returned to before he burned himself.

He was still at Profound Spirit Four, not Profound Spirit Five!

This scene caused the Son of Floating Evil’s heart to thunder completely. His expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to burn himself again, at that very moment… Xu Qing’s figure appeared on the sundial. Endless light radiated from his body, as if he had become a sun, illuminating all directions. Simultaneously, these lights converged into a single beam.

It rushed straight towards the Son of Floating Evil.

Wherever it passed, it tore through darkness, shattered nothingness, and destroyed everything.

That was Xu Qing’s Xuan-Yang Immortal Light!

Its dominance was like that of the great sun, its immortal might akin to a coming tribulation.

As it now shone, it already enveloped the Son of Floating Evil. Horrifying wails and screams of unbearable pain uncontrollably burst from the Son of Floating Evil’s mouth, tearing through his heart and lungs.

His physical body instantly became a bloody mess. His entire being was disfigured and dissipating, as if about to be erased by this immortal light.

At the critical juncture, the madness in the Son of Floating Evil’s heart transformed into an inhuman roar.

“Immortal Art: Homogenization.”

Immortal Arts were created during the era of Emperor Xuanyou and classified as forbidden techniques, almost lost in Wanggu, with only remnants surviving.

But clearly, within the Sacred Land, more Immortal Arts existed.

At this moment, as the Son of Floating Evil growled, the Emperor’s Needle suddenly gleamed brilliantly. As it rapidly moved around him, the red threads behind it astonishingly outlined figures.

Those figures, like souls, were precisely the nine Dao Protectors Xu Qing had previously slain.

But to be precise, these appearing figures were not souls, but karma.

This needle stitched together the karma of those nine deceased individuals. After stringing them together, the needle shot straight towards the Son of Floating Evil, piercing directly into his glabella.

In an instant, the Son of Floating Evil’s injuries stopped worsening, and silver flames again formed all over his body.

He continued to burn, resisting Xu Qing’s immortal light.

For a time, with the reappearance of his primordial spirit, even the immortal light dimmed somewhat.

Having escaped death by this means, the Son of Floating Evil’s momentum rose again. His expression ferocious, he fiercely looked towards Xu Qing.

“I sacrifice forever falling in Profound Spirit cultivation to unleash this technique. I don’t believe… I can’t do anything to you.”

The Son of Floating Evil roared. His primordial spirit’s light gleamed, towering about a thousand zhang, stirring the Forbidden Sea, even more majestic than before.

Towards Xu Qing, his large hand controlled rules and laws, pressing down directly.

His momentum was like a rainbow, surpassing anything before.

Just its descent caused the seabed to roar.

This time, his burning not only consumed his bloodline but, with the karmic blessing of the nine Dao Protectors, also imbued this burning with destiny.

To some extent, he burned his future.

Thus, he gained the peak power of Profound Spirit Fifth Stage for a short time.

Especially with the Emperor’s Needle stabilizing his spirit, making time reversal more difficult.

This was his last resort.

At this moment, with a low roar, his large hand, with a thunderous crash, went straight for Xu Qing.

And the void around Xu Qing seemed to be sealed by him, making evasion impossible.

“This needle, interesting!”

Xu Qing’s expression remained calm. He looked at the Son of Floating Evil’s glabella, where the needle was embedded, and spoke faintly.

Subsequently, he made no other move, allowing the primordial spirit’s hand to land on his head.

After a colossal roar echoed in all directions, Xu Qing still stood there, unharmed.

As for the Son of Floating Evil, he froze in place, his mind roaring with a massive wave. He couldn’t believe it, his heart swept by a storm of incredulity.

“This… this…”

He roared and once again activated his primordial spirit, unleashing twelve parts of his power. He once more swept rules and laws, carrying his own madness and surging murderous intent, raising his hand and suddenly striking down at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing still stood there!

The Son of Floating Evil fell silent. The next instant, his body suddenly swayed, bypassing Xu Qing, and heading a thousand zhang away.

He knew he couldn’t maintain his current combat power for long, and Xu Qing’s strangeness surpassed his imagination. He had never heard of such an existence in his life.

At this moment, he no longer wished to ponder the reason. His terror, his despair, his shock, had already occupied all his thoughts.

Now, he only wanted to escape!

And Xu Qing, at this moment, turned, looking at the Son of Floating Evil’s back. He raised his right hand and gently waved it.

With this wave, a thousand miles of seawater gained a boundary.

That boundary was a wellhead.

The seawater within became well water.

It was “Fishing the Moon from a Well”!

The Son of Floating Evil’s body suddenly paused. His spells, his treasures, everything he possessed, was now reflected in the seawater, including that Emperor’s Needle!

And the cultivation he gained by burning himself also reached its limit at this moment, dissipating on its own while he stood motionless.

Then, Xu Qing lowered his right hand and reached out to grab.

That needle was taken out by him.

Having done all this, a world-shaking sword cry erupted from Xu Qing’s body!

The next instant, sword light flashed out, astonishing sword qi rippled the Forbidden Sea, shattered destiny, and suddenly slashed towards the Son of Floating Evil’s soul and physical body.

With one sword strike, soul collapsed and body disintegrated. The sword’s roar became the authority of sound once more, pulverizing the battlefield.

Both form and spirit were annihilated.

Having completed these tasks, Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and walked towards the deep sea. After dealing with these disturbances, he was ready to await the arrival of the Dragon Carriage Giant.

But just as Xu Qing walked a thousand zhang further, his steps suddenly halted. He abruptly turned his head, his expression, for the first time, becoming grave. His heart rate also instantly quickened, as if a great danger was about to descend.

He sensed that he was locked onto by a terrifying gaze.

This gaze was not from the Dragon Carriage Giant, but from within the Evil Life Sacred Land, from where Floating Evil had been in secluded cultivation for a century.

The terrifying figure, sitting cross-legged inside, opened its eyes.

The moment they opened, outside the Sacred Land, the sky darkened. Endless dark clouds rolled in, and the seawater violently surged, until colossal waves rose to the heavens.

Infinite aura swept through the cosmos, forcing rules to bow and laws to worship.

Islands in all directions trembled, and countless races of the Forbidden Sea felt an inexplicable disturbance in their hearts, automatically struck with terror.

The clan members within the Evil Life Sacred Land also felt their minds churning.

The might of a Dominator, at this moment, shook the world, and a sound, replacing thunder, carrying world-shattering murderous intent, descended upon the Forbidden Sea.

“He who killed my son, I see you.”