Chapter 1808: The Suffering of the Spirit Emperor
Editor:
Atlas Studios
Almost the moment Xu Qingâs words echoed out, the colossal serpent before him trembled violently, letting out a soul-piercing hiss.
The sound rippled through the darkness of the Spirit Abyss, creating concentric waves that swept outward like tidal surges.
At the same time, within the massive world atop the serpentâs head, every single one of the Spirit Emperorâs eyes that had opened from the imperial palaces contracted sharply. An overwhelming sense of life-and-death crisis caused the newly awakened Ancient Spirit Emperorâs divine soul to quake uncontrollably.
Instinctively, It sought to flee. In an instant, spatial fluctuations appeared around each of the Spirit Emperorâs eyes.
These fluctuations erupted abruptly, submerging the eyes and causing Them to vanish.
Xu Qingâs expression remained unchanged. He gazed calmly and spoke softly, "Return."
All space had already been sealed the moment Xu Qing arrivedâincluding time itself.
Unless oneâs realm surpassed his, no living being could casually depart in his presence.
Thus, under his gaze and following his command, the vanished Spirit Emperorâs eyes reappeared.
But They did not return to Their original positions in the great world. Instead... They emerged directly on the serpentâs body.
Across the rotting serpentâs flesh, Spirit Emperorâs eyes materialized out of thin air, embedded in its flesh, unable to break free.
Now, every single eye was wide open, radiating intense terror.
Not a single thought of resistance arose as they allowed Zhou Zhengli, Star Ring, and the others to rampage unchecked through Their world.
"Xu Qing, I have never offended you!"
All the Spirit Emperorâs eyes transmitted divine thoughts, converging into a voice imbued with divine majesty.
Yet beneath that majesty lay unmistakable anxiety and tensionâa far cry from Its former glory.
Standing in the void outside the serpent, Xu Qing raised his right hand and made a grasping motion toward the massive creature.
The instant he did so, the serpentâs trembling reached its peak. Its body grew indistinct, its hisses turning into wails of agony.
Its enormous form even began to melt.
The Spirit Emperorâs eyes covering its body also shrieked as They were forcibly peeled away from the flesh one by one, uncontrollably converging before Xu Qing.
The aura of death exploded to its limit.
The Ancient Spirit Emperorâs wails turned into instinctive pleas.
"Xu Qing, I helped you before!"
"Even when you were weak and provoked me repeatedly, I never truly struck back at you!"
Xu Qing remained silent in the face of the Ancient Spirit Emperorâs cries.
He understood all too well the nature of his past relationship with the Ancient Spirit Emperorâa series of perilous transactions.
The reason It hadnât killed him in the past was due to a combination of wariness toward him and his usefulness.
Thus had followed the "feedings" and Its participation in the battle against Crimson Goddess.
So his grasping hand clenched ruthlessly.
A tearing sound accompanied the Ancient Spirit Emperorâs shrieks as all ninety-nine eyes embedded in the serpentâs body were forcibly stripped away.
They gathered before Xu Qing, compressed by an irresistible force into a sphere of eyeballs.
And the pressure continued to intensify.
"Xu Qing, I even aided your dao companion!"
"I can help her in the future too! My existence can shield her from all curses! I know you can protect her, but Iâ"
"I can take on her tribulations for her!"
"Our Ancient Spirit Race bears bloodline curses! I can use myself to bear her tribulations in her stead!!"
All of the Ancient Spirit Emperorâs eyes rippled as these frantic divine thoughts were transmitted under the unbearable external pressure.
The words seemed to have some effectâthe compressing force eased slightly.
But before the Ancient Spirit Emperor could sigh in relief, Xu Qingâs raised right hand abruptly clenched.
Amid the thunderous collapse of the Ancient Spirit Emperorâs psyche, Xu Qingâs hand landed above the sphere of eyes, gripping the empty space.
Every single one of the Spirit Emperorâs pupils contracted violently.
At the same time, a sharp glint flashed in Xu Qingâs eyes.
He stared at the emptiness his hand had grasped.
Thereâimperceptible to othersâwas a golden thread.
Calling it a thread wasnât entirely accurate. In truth, it was a strand of hair.
It existed and didnât exist, occupying an extremely peculiar state. One end connected to the Ancient Spirit Emperorâs eyes, while the other... extended into the distant darkness.
"Just as I suspected."
Xu Qing murmured inwardly. He had long theorized that the Ancient Spirit Emperorâs ability to cling to existence wasnât solely due to Its own tenacityâIt likely had external assistance.
After all, if one were to select a chess piece, few would rival the Ancient Spirit Emperorâs qualifications.
"As for who stands behind It... this strand of hair has already revealed the answer."
Xu Qing seized the peculiar hair, and his divine sense erupted along its length, sweeping toward the distant darkness.
The pitch-black Spirit Abyss became as clear as day under his divine sense, illuminated as if by heavenly fire.
With the hair as a guide, his search became a targeted pursuit.
In mere moments, Xu Qingâs divine sense locked onto a bestial entity slumbering within the misty depths of the abyss.
It resembled a lizard, its entire body golden.
And the moment Xu Qingâs divine sense swept over it, the sleeping lizardâs eyes snapped open.
Their gazes met.
Invisible shockwaves erupted throughout the Spirit Abyss.
An endless tide of curse power manifested as the golden lizard awoke, churning in all directions.
It was none other than the behemothâone of the four Venerable Gods beyond Wanggu!
However, what appeared here was merely a wisp of Its divine sense.
Yet even so, the mere act of locking eyes with Xu Qing caused the void to shudder, showing signs of collapse. Cracks spread rapidly, covering the entire Spirit Abyss.
Xu Qing paid this no mind. His expression icy, he stared at the lizard.
The golden lizard returned his gaze with equal coldness.
"Hand over the Ancient Spirit behind you, and I shall depart."
After a long pause, the golden lizardâs divine voice echoed forth, carrying the weight of divine decreeâaffecting will, soul, and all existence.
Even Xu Qingâs Ordinance trembled under Its words.
After all, this was the divine sense of a Venerable God!
Yet Xu Qing was no stranger to Venerable Gods. The instant his Ordinance was affected, a flicker of light ignited before him.
Then, a lantern materialized in his grasp.
He raised it high.
Within the lantern, the Venerable Godâs eye that had been refined into it suddenly opened wide.
A sea of golden light, tangible and vast, poured forth from that eye, directed at the golden lizard.
That single glance caused the void to collapse and the surroundings to crumble, heralding annihilation.
The golden lizardâs body quaked violently, showing signs of fracturing as It was forced backward. Its expression darkened as It swept Its gaze over the lantern, then gave Xu Qing one final look.
Retreating, It tore through the void.
In the end, It chose to abandon Its probing and prepared to leave the ancient lands, returning to Its main body.
But...
Had It departed when Xu Qing drew his boundary line, he wouldnât have intervened. Yet having made Its choice, allowing It to leave unscathed now...
Would undermine the credibility of his earlier proclamation.
For reasons spanning all considerations, Xu Qing had no choice but to actâto show all external forces the consequences of lingering here.
Thus, holding the lantern aloft, Xu Qing watched the retreating golden lizard and spoke calmly.
"Entropy."
The moment the word left his lips, the lantern in his hand trembled violently. A hoarse, ancient breathing sound seemed to echo through the collapsing void.
The residual breath of a Venerable God from the Fifth Star Ring.
As the breathing reverberated, the golden light radiating from the Venerable Godâs eye within the lantern intensified exponentially, dyeing the entire void gold in an instant!
Then, everything within this realm began to transform under the golden hue.
The void, the mist, and naturally... the golden lizard attempting to return to Its main body!
The lizard shuddered.
It had sensed... a Venerable Godâs divine authority!
Entropyâthe process of all things descending from order into chaos. This divine authority could alter the very nature of all existence through increase or decrease.
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