Chapter 822: Liu Changqing's Return, The Mastermind Behind the Trackers

Pinghu Little Green Flower officially recognized its master.

The spiritual artifact reciprocated, and a surge of immense spiritual energy gushed forth from his Qi Sea.

Xu Xiaoshou instinctively activated the "Breathing Technique," and the next second, he couldn't help but convulse and twitch all over.

"Hiss... hiss..."

A vast amount of spiritual energy was converted by the "Breathing Technique" and integrated into the core of his Qi Sea.

Xu Xiaoshou was so comfortable that he slumped to the ground.

He hadn't experienced such pleasure in a long time.

Previously, the "Breathing Technique" was at a lower level, and the quality of the spiritual essence he absorbed was also low. Coupled with prolonged cultivation, he had gradually become immune to such pleasure, and the concept of convulsion had slowly faded from his memory.

Ultimately, Pinghu Little Green Flower was, after all, an extraordinary treasure involving the power of tribulation. When pushed to its limits, it could even extract a trace of saintly intent.

With this wave of spiritual energy reciprocation, Xu Xiaoshou truly tasted its benefits, experiencing both pain and pleasure.

"This feels amazing," he gasped.

Inside the cultivation room, Xu Xiaoshou lay sprawled on the floor without an ounce of dignity, curled up in a ball like a completely spent fish, his knees clamped tightly together.

Each tremor, as his body touched the ground, and the profound comfort transmitted through his skin, almost made him ascend to immortality on the spot.

Earlier, when he absorbed the Cinderflame Seed and the Three-Day Frozen Tribulation, Xu Xiaoshou had experienced a similar wave of spiritual energy feedback.

Although Pinghu Little Green Flower's quality couldn't compare to the two treasures within him, it was incredibly gentle.

The spiritual energy conversion was utterly smooth, without any stagnation. It felt like highly concentrated mint blooming in every cell; aside from the overwhelming pleasure, Xu Xiaoshou felt no other pain.

It took a good quarter of an hour for this profound feeling of comfort to subside.

After the climax, Xu Xiaoshou's face was flushed, and still feeling unsatisfied, he examined his Qi Sea.

After breaking through to the Grandmaster Heavenly Phenomenon stage, his Qi Sea had expanded by more than tenfold. Previously, the same spiritual energy reciprocation could have elevated his cultivation realm by several minor stages at once.

But back then, he was at the Innate cultivation level.

Within the Heavenly Phenomenon stage, this wave of spiritual energy reciprocation only just managed to solidify his early stage; it didn't even break through the bottleneck to the middle stage.

"That's a bit terrifying..."

Xu Xiaoshou knew that his Qi Sea was already extraordinary compared to others from the start, due to the presence of several great spiritual treasures.

But for this wave of spiritual energy reciprocation to only bring about such a small breakthrough truly surprised him.

For an ordinary Grandmaster, this wave might have pushed them directly into the middle stage, late stage, or even the perfect completion of the Heavenly Phenomenon stage.

"However, I am, after all, different from ordinary people."

Xu Xiaoshou exhaled slowly, with no trace of disappointment in his eyes.

He had risen step by step from an Innate physique to the Sovereign stage; that was genuine tempering. A vast Qi Sea was perfectly normal.

Whether his cultivation broke through to the Heavenly Phenomenon middle stage or not didn't matter.

But by accepting this wave of spiritual energy reciprocation, the growth he received was no less than that of an ordinary Grandmaster.

A larger Qi Sea was no hindrance.

The crucial point was that the amount of spiritual energy reciprocation was fixed; he received as much as he could absorb.

Having a larger Qi Sea meant Xu Xiaoshou's foundation would be even more solid, and his breakthrough to the Sovereign stage in the future would be even more powerful. It didn't mean he absorbed less spiritual energy simply because he didn't break through to the middle stage.

"From Heavenly Phenomenon, to Yin-Yang, Star Worship, and then to the Sovereign Dao Realm..."

After Xu Xiaoshou recovered, he began to ponder.

"Honestly, Grandmaster-level Dao Realm comprehension held little meaning for me anymore. With the comprehension of the Sovereign Sword Dao, I essentially had no bottlenecks within the Grandmaster realm. Once my spiritual essence accumulated, breakthroughs would naturally follow."

"However, the Sovereign Dao Realm was a major hurdle."

Xu Xiaoshou thought of Yu Lingdi and Ye Xiaotian.

He had long experienced the terrifying combat power of a perfected Dao Realm.

Although he was currently a Grandmaster, since he no longer needed to suppress his cultivation, he believed breaking through to the Sovereign stage was only a matter of time and accumulated treasures.

However, during this period, he possessed an advantage unlike ordinary people: pre-comprehending the Great Dao.

With the Passive System, Xu Xiaoshou's Dao Realm comprehension always progressed more than one step ahead of his cultivation breakthrough.

He wondered if it was possible for him to achieve perfect comprehension of the Sword Dao, Fire Dao, or even some other paths among the Three Thousand Great Daos, before his cultivation broke through to the Sovereign stage.

If so, when he eventually broke through to the Sovereign stage, he might even be able to immediately "sever the Dao" and reach the pinnacle!

However...

"Perfected Sword Dao?"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly sighed, knowing how immense the difficulty was.

Within the Five Domains, it seemed that even the Seven Sword Immortals had only cultivated one or two of the Nine Great Sword Arts, right?

If one couldn't even master all Nine Great Sword Arts, how could one speak of perfecting the Sword Dao?

Then, did anyone in this world truly exist who could achieve perfected Sword Dao?

Xu Xiaoshou fell into deep thought.

He suddenly thought of Ba Zun'an.

He didn't know if Ba Zun'an had "severed the Dao" after perfecting his Dao Realm, but if there truly was someone who could achieve perfected Sword Dao while in the Sovereign Dao Realm, it could only be Ba Zun'an, without a doubt.

After all, he was a formidable being who had integrated all Nine Great Sword Arts and created his own "Sword Observing Technique."

"What a genius..."

Previously unaware of the difficulty involved, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't understood why Ba Zun'an was hailed as the Eighth Sword Immortal, possessing a status in the Eastern Domain's Sword God Heaven that transcended the Seven Sword Immortals.

But after learning everything, thinking of this person again filled him with awe.

It was truly hard to connect this legendary figure with the eight-fingered masked man from his memories.

Not just learning, not just mastering, but proficient in all Nine Great Sword Arts...

That's simply too brutal!

The absorption process of Pinghu Little Green Flower went without a hitch, and Xu Xiaoshou successfully concluded his cultivation.

He truly didn't want to cause trouble during this time, nor did he plan to go out. He merely hid inside the Pagoda Bead, observing the movements in the Royal City and secretly spying.

In the evening, under the cover of Void Island, the sky was completely dark.

Outside the First Floor in Heaven, a familiar fluctuation emanated.

Inside the Pagoda Bead, Xu Xiaoshou's heart stirred with an intuition, and he appeared in the ground floor hall.

"Young Master Xu." The person who arrived was none other than Liu Changqing, whom he hadn't seen for days. As soon as he appeared, he bowed with great solemnity.

"It's Little Qing..." Xu Xiaoshou was slightly surprised.

Since they parted ways after the last Spiritual Rift Trade Fair, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't seen him for several days and thought Liu Changqing might not return.

After all, that should have been the best time for him to escape the control of the major forces and regain his freedom.

But now that Liu Changqing had returned, it undoubtedly meant that the old man was truly afraid. As a ghost beast host, he didn't believe he could remain aloof as he once did.

"Has he come to pledge his loyalty?" Xu Xiaoshou smiled as he looked at the old man before him and asked, "You actually came back?"

Liu Changqing's expression was solemn. "Since I said I would pledge allegiance to Young Master Xu, it was no joke."

He paused. Without waiting for Young Master Xu to ask further, he explained, "Since we parted ways that night, I dared not return to the First Floor in Heaven immediately for fear of being tracked. So I fled the Eastern Heavenly Royal City with the other crowds, wandering for several days while also verifying the Heavenly Divination technique... and the abilities it granted me." He pointed to his head.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded. "How is it?"

"It's very powerful," Liu Changqing sighed deeply, "but it also made me realize just how high the danger coefficient that comes with power truly is."

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.

A ghost beast host—how could it not be powerful, how could it not be dangerous?

The one inside you is still an entity capable of challenging the Grey Fog people, not a rudimentary ghost beast like Xingugugu.

Thinking to himself, Xu Xiaoshou didn't say much and continued to wait for Liu Changqing to elaborate.

Then Liu Changqing took out a formation disk from his robes and handed it over first. "This is the first task Young Master Xu gave me."

Xu Xiaoshou took it and found that the formation disk contained spatial power. He immediately remembered something. "A spatial teleportation disk?"

"Yes." Liu Changqing nodded slightly. "These past few days, besides verifying what I learned, I also made some improvements. Basically, anyone below the Void General realm can use this disk to escape without any problems. Even if one encounters a Void General, there's still a chance to escape if they are caught off guard."

Xu Xiaoshou was moved. "To be able to do this in just a few days... it seems you've greatly benefited?"

"It's all thanks to it..." Liu Changqing dared not take credit, shaking his head wistfully. "The Heavenly Divination technique was a foreign concept to me, but the knowledge it imparted was too comprehensive. It was directly infused into me, like a divine enlightenment; it would be difficult not to learn it."

As he spoke, Liu Changqing's expression turned bitter.

These past few days, while the ghost beast host actively communicated the Heavenly Divination technique to him, it repeatedly urged him to return to Young Master Xu, claiming that only by staying by Young Master Xu's side could he ensure his safety.

If he could, Liu Changqing wouldn't have wanted to return.

But there was no other way. After coexisting with the ghost beast, if they were to clash and reach a stalemate in their opinions, the consequences...

Liu Changqing had already experienced that kind of pain during the initial months. He didn't want that anymore.

So he had no choice but to accept.

While making concessions, he gained mastery of the incredibly powerful Heavenly Divination technique. Upon reflection, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

After all, now, with the Heavenly Divination technique, even if he encountered a Void General, he might not be without the power to contend.

And by Young Master Xu's side, relying on the reputation of a half-saint's successor, Liu Changqing felt that, at the very least, he could protect himself.

Xu Xiaoshou held the formation disk, then put it into his ring, and instructed, "Refine a few more of these and give them to the others on the First Floor in Heaven. It's best if everyone has ten or even a hundred of them, just in case."

"Ten or a hundred?"

Liu Changqing's face twitched upon hearing this. "Young Master Xu, these things are quite expensive..."

"Money is not an issue!" Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand. "I'll give you the money; just focus on refining them. If something big happens next, these will come in handy. Even if they work just once, it will be worth it."

"Something big..." Liu Changqing took the black-gold card Young Master Xu handed him, feeling as if it was burning his hand.

From these words, it was clear that Young Master Xu's next moves would still be significant.

But since he had decided to follow, Old Liu felt he only needed to do his duty.

"Absolutely!" he promised.

Refining formation disks wasn't difficult, as long as there was money.

After accepting this new task, Liu Changqing still had something to say. "Young Master Xu, these past few days outside the Royal City, I haven't been idle either. At first, I wasn't proficient with the Heavenly Divination technique, so I could only vaguely sense someone tracking me. But after mastering the application of Heavenly Divination, I initiated a counter-tracking..."

Xu Xiaoshou immediately grew interested. "Oh?"

"Someone was following!" Liu Changqing stated emphatically. "All the major forces that fled the Eastern Heavenly Royal City that night essentially left a trail, and at the end of that trail were the Red Clothes. Unless something unexpected happened, Sword Immortal Rao should have grasped the whereabouts of most people; she just hasn't reeled them in yet."

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou had actually expected this, but he hadn't expected Liu Changqing to bring such a surprise. "Who did you manage to track?"

"I couldn't pinpoint exactly who it was. He was very vigilant and also a master; the moment he detected my movements, he immediately broke off the trace."

Liu Changqing frowned, seemingly finding the tracker quite troublesome. "I had a distant exchange with him... or rather, half an exchange! Water-element ability, his cultivation wasn't high, just at the Dao Severance realm. He didn't possess the power of tribulation. It shouldn't be a Void General hiding their power, otherwise, they could have directly attacked."

"Water-element?"

"Yes."

Xu Xiaoshou received confirmation and fell into deep thought.

Liu Changqing's words reminded him of a possibility he had discarded.

Yu Lingdi!

But Yu Lingdi's existence — even Mei Siren had denied it. How could he still be alive?

Moreover, his Dao Severance cultivation didn't match his perfected Dao Realm power...

Wait!

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly had a flash of inspiration, feeling his scalp tingle. "Could it be that Elder Sang didn't kill him, but instead helped him 'sever the Dao'?"

For a moment, his heart pounded wildly.

A Dao Severance realm cultivator with a perfected Dao Realm—how strong would that be?

No, I can't believe it...

Xu Xiaoshou found this a bit far-fetched. He asked with surprise and doubt, "Is there any other information?"

"No." Liu Changqing shook his head decisively. "This person's abilities are very strong; they must be Sword Immortal Rao's hidden subordinate. He is basically in charge of all tracking matters. I only managed to probe him out when I was refining my Heavenly Divination and noticed an anomaly in the water element within my body. Others, even those at the Dao Severance realm, probably wouldn't be able to detect this person's existence."

"Even Dao Severance realm cultivators couldn't detect him? Then you say he's not a Void General?" Xu Xiaoshou's heart sank.

Liu Changqing's face was solemn. "Because he's truly not strong. Perhaps only his tracking ability is particularly outstanding."

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent again.

Perhaps he wasn't weak, but merely didn't want to make a move, so as not to alert the enemy.

After all, for Rao Yaoyao, the upcoming Royal City Trial and Void Island were paramount.

Before that, exposing such a significant plan just for a suspected ghost beast host, and making a mistake or revealing the truth, would be a complete loss.

"I understand," Xu Xiaoshou affirmed. "This information is too valuable. It came at just the right time."

Liu Changqing finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had returned after isolating himself for several days outside, and his biggest worry was that Young Master Xu would think he was disloyal.

Fortunately, this period of isolation had yielded results.

At this moment, Liu Changqing suddenly saw Young Master Xu looking him up and down. He realized something and chuckled, "Rest assured, Young Master Xu, it's impossible for that fellow to leave a trace on me this time. The Heavenly Divination technique is not to be trifled with. Even if I don't detect it, it..."

Old Liu pointed to his head. "It values its life much more than I do; it wouldn't joke around with itself."

Xu Xiaoshou finally felt at ease.

Xuan Wuji was known as the foremost master of Heavenly Divination technique below Dao Qiongcang. Even if that person truly was Yu Lingdi, he surely couldn't continue tracking once discovered.

At this moment, Liu Changqing suddenly chuckled and turned to look outside the door. "But there's someone Young Master Xu might want to meet. He's another practitioner of the Heavenly Divination technique who has been persistently pursuing and trying to intercept my presence from afar while I was studying it these past few days."

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou's brows twitched, and he also looked in that direction.

Just then, Xiao Wanfeng scurried over from outside the door. Seeing Young Master Xu in the hall, his eyes lit up.

Just as he was about to speak, he first spotted Liu Changqing and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, what are you doing here? How did you get in?"

But realizing this was a Dao Severance realm senior who could bypass him to enter the building was no big deal, he turned back to Young Master Xu.

"Young Master Xu, there's someone outside who wants to see you. He's quite handsome and also a young man, and he calls himself... Situ Yongren?"