Chapter 1207: Yin and Yang

Chapter 1207 Yin and Yang

As the Poison Lord’s words echoed, his voice transformed into crimson-winged messengers, fluttering outward to alight before Xu Qing and the newly ascended.

Becoming peculiar jade slips.

Their wings stirred, imparting fragments of the Resource Procurement Bureau’s secrets into each soul.

The Bureau, one of three hundred twenty-four cosmic waystations.

Its sole duty: gathering rare substances for battlefields. At fixed intervals, it ventured into designated zones to procure standard materials.

Then returned them here, submitting through the Bureau to the Transfer Directorate, onward to the front lines.

Given the war’s exigencies, every act of the Bureau prioritized procurement above all.

And the substance procured… was singular!

That which all Sovereign-grade cultivators and beyond craved—the primordial essence!

For the battlefield, its demand was exponentially greater.

Thus, the method of gathering could not resemble Xu Qing’s angling in the Moyang Cosmos.

Hence the Bureau’s focus lay upon all alien universes within the Fifth Stellar Ring’s Outer Heavens.

Extracting and refining from their bloodlines, from their very lives.

Including… the myriad divine prisons scattered across the Outer Heavens.

These prisons varied; some belonged to native universes, others to the Outer Heavens, or even private clans.

And the deities imprisoned within served as sources for essence refinement.

As these truths surfaced in Xu Qing’s mind, his gaze sharpened; he finally grasped why the Procurement Squads he’d witnessed reeked of death.

From slaughter, from refinement.

Moreover, their domineering conduct, habitual in such work, inevitably stained their daily demeanor with malice.

Beyond this, the knowledge revealed the Poison Lord’s identity.

He, having earned immense merit long ago, held dual posts: Guardian of the Western Stellar Domain for the Dao Immortal Sect, and Chief of the Resource Procurement Bureau.

Now, having woven the information into butterflies to acquaint the newcomers with the Bureau, the Poison Lord addressed the squad that had clashed with Xu Qing’s group, his voice cool.

“You. Go submit the essence.”

The near-immortal elder bowed deeply with his team, then ascended, vanishing swiftly into the void.

Before departure, the middle-aged cultivator whose brow had nearly been pierced by Xu Qing’s iron stylus glanced back from the heavens, fixing Xu Qing with a lingering stare.

That gaze held lingering dread, and bitter resentment.

Xu Qing noted it, his own eyes glacial, memorizing the man.

With their departure, only Xu Qing’s cohort remained upon the gelid obsidian sea, each absorbing the Bureau’s grim realities, faces solemn.

Though Xu Qing remained wary, Li Mengtu anxious, the others saw no prior entanglement; to them, the Poison Lord was an Immortal—a future superior.

His cultivation and rank demanded reverence.

For in the Fifth Stellar Ring, disrespecting an Immortal was a grave crime.

“From this moment…”

The Poison Lord spoke slowly, these five words hanging before a deliberate pause.

His eyes swept the assembly below, radiating inscrutable authority.

He spared no extra glance for his disciple Li Mengtu, nor for Xu Qing.

As if past events meant nothing.

Even the earlier provocation had merely been routine assessment.

Beneath his gaze, instinct drove them to bow their heads.

After a long silence, his rasping voice resumed.

“You newly ascended shall procure war materials. As comrades, you shall form your own Procurement Squad.”

“As for captain…”

The Poison Lord surveyed Xu Qing, then Xinghuanzi, finally Far Mountain Su—and Zhou Zhengli.

Two near-immortals stood among them, one possessing near-immortal combat prowess; as for Zhou Zhengli…

The moment that gaze fell upon him, panic seized his features; he stepped back, signaling refusal.

Xinghuanzi remained impassive, having discerned the truth: the earlier strife was assessment, yet more crucially… division!

Xu Qing’s intervention, however, had thwarted it.

Had division succeeded, they likely would not now be grouped together—perhaps split into multiple squads.

Xu Qing’s aid had been unforeseen; after a pause, Xinghuanzi murmured, “I have no interest in the captaincy.”

Almost simultaneously, Far Mountain Su silently retreated a step.

Her former nature had shifted; after the Aurora Palace ordeal, she instinctively feared Xu Qing.

Partly from witnessing his methods, partly because, as one of the last lingering stars, she’d gleaned more knowledge than others.

She had guessed fragments.

The Aurora Sovereign’s identity, the truth that the Aurora Heir yet lived, even that her own former self still breathed!

These thoughts had haunted her since leaving the palace.

Now, she shunned the squad leadership.

Observing this, the Poison Lord’s expression remained blank as his eyes settled on Xu Qing.

“Xu Qing.”

Xu Qing stood rigid, lifting his head to bow respectfully toward the Poison Lord.

The greater the suspicion of malice, the more vital to conceal any flaw—like disrespect.

“You are appointed squad leader. Proceed immediately to the designated zone; procure materials within five months.”

With these words, the Poison Lord flicked his sleeve. A storage ring flew forth, hovering before Xu Qing.

“Within lie the Procurement Envoy’s uniform, credentials, and your mission details.”

“Now, the others await beyond the Reception Cosmos. Xu Qing, remain.”

As he spoke, the Poison Lord swept his sleeve; the heavens thundered, reality blurred as if remade. In an instant, all save Xu Qing vanished—hurled beyond the star by overwhelming force.

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly, yet his posture stayed dutiful, respectful.

Between them stretched the sea, one above the waves, one beneath the sky.

And the atmosphere, too, sank into deathly stillness.

Both sides remained silent.

Until after a long while, the Poison Sovereign stepped down, his figure distorting as he appeared before Xu Qing.

An immortal harboring malice stood before him, a pressure immense even for Xu Qing.

Especially since he could faintly sense this immortal before him was no ordinary being, likely among the very pinnacle of the lesser immortals.

Such an existence could reduce him to utter annihilation with but a single thought.

Yet fortunately… this was the Guidance Cosmos, beyond the Nine Shores, within the Fifth Star Ring.

So long as Xu Qing had committed no error, these very facts were his camouflage.

Thus, Xu Qing maintained a posture of deference.

"Though inwardly wary, deeply unsettled, yet revealing not a trace…"

"Xu Qing, though this is our first meeting, you have genuinely surprised me," the Poison Sovereign spoke slowly.

"Grateful for the immortal’s recognition, this humble servant is honored by your praise," Xu Qing replied, neither arrogant nor humble, his voice low.

Hearing this, the Poison Sovereign’s gaze held meaning, then he walked forward.

Xu Qing followed silently behind, traversing the black sea.

Wind stirred, the sea rippled.

After a time, the Poison Sovereign’s voice echoed.

"Xu Qing, your Dao, I once sought to borrow, to break through to Immortality and ascend to Sovereign."

Xu Qing remained silent.

"Since the Aurora Sovereign’s demise long ago, the Fifth Star Ring has seen far too many years without a new Sovereign."

"And the rhythm of war quickens, its scale swelling…"

The Poison Sovereign’s voice drifted on the wind, laced with resignation, tinged with melancholy.

"The core reason lies in the Fourth Star Ring, where a new Divine Sovereign has emerged in recent years!"

"The overall strength has reached the critical threshold for a cataclysmic war between Star Rings!"

"At such a moment, Xu Qing, do you understand? If the Fifth Star Ring could gain another Sovereign, it would be… a momentous event for all!"

"And I…"

The Poison Sovereign paused his steps.

"Am one of the lesser immortals within the entire Fifth Star Ring most likely to break through to Immortality and become a Sovereign!"

Xu Qing grew solemn, bowing deeply once more.

"This humble servant anticipates your swift ascension, immortal, to the glorious rank of Sovereign!"

The Poison Sovereign glanced back at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing’s expression was sincere.

After a long while, the Poison Sovereign shook his head, then smiled faintly again.

"Though the borrowing failed, you and I share a certain affinity…"

"I shall grant you a special assignment today."

"Years ago, the Nine Shores Sovereign issued a task to the Provision Bureau: to find a mysterious Nine-Colored Ice capable of extinguishing a Divine Sovereign’s flame. This task has always been my responsibility, one I’ve sought diligently, never entrusted to another."

"Today, I entrust it to you. Are you willing to attempt the search?"

The Poison Sovereign spoke calmly, his eyes fixed on Xu Qing’s as he spoke.

He wished to see if Xu Qing could grasp the meaning hidden within his words.

Hearing this, Xu Qing’s eyes gleamed with surprise, gazing at the Poison Sovereign before him, thoughts swirling within.

He understood. The implication was clear.

This was a boon bestowed upon him!

For the gathering of primordial essence operated under unspoken allowances; once the Provision Bureau’s standards were met, any surplus… if consumed discreetly and without excessive greed, would be overlooked.

And coupled with the Sovereign’s task… especially the decree of the rotating Nine Shores Sovereign, this was a mantle of near-legendary authority, a pretext for any action!

Under this pretext… aided by his status as Provision Envoy, theoretically, he could act with impunity, plundering at will.

For any endeavor, merely stating suspicion of the Nine-Colored Ice’s presence here would suffice.

It was enough.

Thus, his cultivation could accelerate!

Yet, it was equally a double-edged sword!

For the drawbacks were severe.

He would be held in check!

The Poison Sovereign could punish him at any moment for failing to find the object.

Acceptance meant submission to another’s control.

Therefore, this was both an open stratagem and a hidden plot.

Understood, it was an open stratagem.

Misunderstood, it became a hidden plot.

Xu Qing pondered.