Chapter 1187: Losing to Him Is Not Shameful

Chapter 1187 Defeat by Him Brings No Shame

The Divine Blood River churned, its foaming crests flinging crimson mist skyward, carried by the wind to the southern stellar realm’s shore.

Mingling with the aurora’s ghostly glow, it bled into the scarlet horizon.

Within that blood-hued light, a soulless ferry drifted deeper into the endless river, vanishing beyond sight.

Xu Qing stood upon the riverbank’s pier, watching the departing vessel. This gift from the Spirit Phoenix Immortal could not be taken away.

It belonged only to the Divine Blood River, awaiting Xu Qing’s summons here.

After a long silence, Xu Qing turned his gaze downward, studying the drifting mote beside him.

“The Law of Heaven…” he murmured softly.

This was the essence he had extracted from Xing Huanzi after slaying him!

“Like law yet not law, as decree yet no decree—more imagined than real, both present and absent.”

Staring at the mote, Xu Qing pondered deeply.

He had not absorbed it within himself, intending instead to wield it as an external treasure. During his time upon the blood river, he had studied it closely.

As for Xing Huanzi…

Within the Divine Blood River’s peculiar realm, each resurrection could only occur upon the ferry, growing weaker with every return.

Thus Xu Qing merely waited. On the seventh death, form and spirit dissolved utterly.

“Though I claimed Xing Huanzi’s Quasi-Immortal Command Token, his demise remains unverified.”

“After all, his arrival itself held certain ambiguities.”

At this thought, a shadow flickered in Xu Qing’s eyes. He swept his hand, gathering the Law of Heaven’s mote, then strode from the pier.

Leaving the blood river behind, he cut through the southern stellar realm’s winds. 1

As he surged forward, Xu Qing released the concealment upon his Quasi-Immortal Command Token. Instantly, a terrifying aura erupted from him, coalescing into a pillar of crimson light that pierced the heavens.

It plunged into the aurora, forming a visible vortex.

Roaring as it spun, Xu Qing’s presence warped the void, blurring all directions with overwhelming might.

This power stemmed partly from himself, partly from the Command Token.

Its eruption even stirred the star charts behind the southern firmament, revealing them for a fleeting moment.

In that instant, the stellar map corresponding to the southern realm blazed with brilliance—three stars outshone the rest.

One was Xu Qing’s. The other two… belonged to the southern realm’s twin luminaries!

Jiang Fan. And Yuan Shan Su!

“Xing Huanzi’s Quasi-Immortal Command Token bore few marks. Slaying him merely elevated me to the top hundred.”

“Seventy-third now within the Fifth Stellar Ring.”

Xu Qing had initially been surprised by his ranking after absorbing Xing Huanzi’s token, but soon guessed the reason. Xing Huanzi’s focus had lain in cultivation, not gathering others’ tokens prematurely.

He likely planned to hunt them after stepping into Quasi-Immortality within the Aurora Immortal Palace.

Xu Qing lifted his eyes toward the firmament.

“Unlike these two. Their choices diverged from Xing Huanzi’s. They gathered ample marks even before the third trial, and now, during it, stand even stronger.”

“Within the Fifth Stellar Ring, two paths lead to the Immortal Capital.”

“One: secure a top hundred rank in this trial. Such a position almost guarantees ascension.”

“The second path is for those who bypassed the trial. Their task is harder—they must become Quasi-Immortals, then within five centuries, ascend to True Immortals!”

“The second path holds no relevance for me.”

“For me, only the first path matters…” Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, a sharp gleam within them.

“Though top hundred ranks likely ascend, the ranking itself determines the resources granted within the Immortal Capital!”

Xu Qing knew his next focus: no longer refining the Law, but plundering Stellar Source Essence!

“Sufficient essence will swiftly mature my Immortal Embryo. And to perfect it, more essence is needed!”

“Therefore, my goal… is first place!” “To enter the Immortal Capital as the supreme!”

As this resolve settled, Xu Qing’s aura surged across the land. After a moment, he gazed toward the direction of the Great Immortal Mountain.

Among the southern realm’s twin stars, Jiang Fan

dwelled there!

“Eliminate every star one by one, seize their tokens—then naturally, I shall stand first. The simplest path.”

“Then, Li Tianjiao…”

A blade-sharp gleam flashed in Xu Qing’s eyes as he screamed toward the Great Immortal Mountain.

Ten days later, Xu Qing stood at the heart of the southern stellar realm.

Before him stretched a mountain range vast beyond sight.

Peaks rose in endless succession, countless summits piercing the sky—tens of thousands, surely.

White mists perpetually swirled, revealing glimpses of immortals. When gales thinned the fog, glimpses of exquisitely carved palaces emerged, vanishing like mirages.

An aura of paradise hung thick in the air.

The spiritual essence here surpassed all southern regions, unmatched within the Fifth Stellar Ring.

This was the southern realm’s true heart—the Great Immortal Mountain! And Jiang Fan’s sect!

Gazing at the peaks, Xu Qing did not enter. Though his strength rivaled Quasi-Immortals among his peers, the Great Immortal Mountain teemed with such presences.

And one thread of energy chilled him—a True Immortal’s dread aura.

“Yet by the Immortal Capital Trial’s rules, non-participating Quasi-Immortal Emperors cannot interfere. True Immortals likewise. So this battle… shall be fought openly.”

Xu Qing whispered inwardly. Then, standing beneath the sky, his own might erupted skyward. The Quasi-Immortal Command Token’s power flared fully, merging with his essence into a battle intent that shook heaven and earth.

It swept toward the Great Immortal Mountain like a declaration of war. His voice rang out, cold and clear:

“Jiang Fan! Dare you fight!”

The words echoed, riding the battle intent, thundering across the land.

Instantly, countless divine senses rose from within the Great Immortal Mountain, locking onto Xu Qing with both scrutiny and assessment.

Among them were Quasi-Immortals. Yet none intervened.

Xu Qing’s challenge was issued openly. Before countless witnesses, the Immortal Capital Trial’s rules stood unshakable.

This was a trial battle. A contest for the Immortal Capital!

Xu Qing remained calm, enduring the sweep of divine senses as he stood beneath the heavens, awaiting Jiang Fan’s reply.

Within the Great Immortal Mountain, in a palace chamber, Jiang Fan sat cross-legged in silence.

He felt the external aura, heard Xu Qing’s voice, and perceived the challenge.

Within the sect, no one urged him to battle; he could choose to hide, to avoid the fight.

For he knew himself no match for Xu Qing.

Yet he rose, eyes sharp with resolve, his aura swelling into a vast, imposing force.

Step by step, as he emerged from the hall, he saw a figure standing outside.

Jiang Fan lowered his head and bowed deeply.

"Master."

The man, middle-aged and striking, wore cloud-patterned robes, standing like a celestial mountain.

He was none other than Lan Yun—second only to the Immortal Lord in status within the Great Immortal Mountain.

Jiang Fan’s master.

"You are no match for him," Lan Yun said calmly.

"With your current rank, you may remain in the sect. After the third trial, a place in the Immortal Capital awaits you."

Jiang Fan fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"Master, I may lose—but I cannot accept refusing to fight."

"Entering the Immortal Capital matters deeply to me, yet... to gain it by avoidance? Not my path."

With that, he bowed once more, then stepped forward, ascending the heavens, leaving the Great Immortal Mountain.

He materialized beneath the boundless sky, before Xu Qing.

Gazing at Xu Qing, Jiang Fan felt himself cast back to the Fourth Realm of the Immortal Palace.

Memories flooded his mind. He drew a deep breath, swept his right hand outward.

His quasi-Immortal Capital token, drawn by his constitution, tore free from his body and flew to rest beside him.

"Defeat me, and it is yours!"

The words unleashed a tempest of power. Thick mist surged around him, churning, swirling, engulfing all directions.

It swept forward like a storm swallowing heaven and earth, crushing the cosmos with its might.

Jiang Fan’s constitution had grown vastly since entering the Immortal Palace.

This mist devoured all, concealed all.

In an instant, it enveloped Xu Qing, seeping even into the fabric of his space-time.

The very realm where Xu Qing stood filled with mist.

Yet... as Jiang Fan prepared to strike, his steps faltered. Bitterness rose within him.

For all he saw—the sky, the earth, every horizon—was Xu Qing’s space-time.

As if the world had become a kaleidoscope.

Countless realms stretched before him; only one held his mist.

In all others, Xu Qing gazed back, calm and unbroken.

Then, from one realm, Xu Qing stepped forth, standing behind Jiang Fan.

His right hand rose, brushing Jiang Fan’s shoulder—a touch impossible to block, impossible to resist.

A single, gentle pat.

Jiang Fan’s body shuddered. A sound of shattering rose from beneath his feet—not earth, not void, but the fracture of space-time itself.

No need for more. No room for more.

Xu Qing passed the frozen Jiang Fan, retrieved the token, and with a wave, dissolved all realms. He walked away.

Not a word spoken. Until he vanished.

Within the Great Immortal Mountain, atop the highest peak, the silver-gleaming hall—sacred as an altar—still echoed with song and dance.

Incense smoke from the altar coiled in the air; the eight-sided palace lanterns glowed as ever.

The silver-robed elder seated at the head smiled faintly.

"He grasped space-time first, then parallel realms. With a Sovereign’s realm, he forged an Emperor’s constitution.

This youth... no ordinary fish. No wonder the Immortal Venerable favors him."

Outside, Jiang Fan stood silent.

He knew he was no match for Xu Qing—but the chasm was so vast,

so absolute he could not even resist. This truth filled him with unbearable bitterness.

At last, ripples stirred the void beside him. Lan Yun emerged, standing at his side.

He glanced toward Xu Qing’s vanished path and spoke, calm as stone.

"Losing to him brings you no shame."