Chapter 1210: Custodian Turned Thief

Chapter 1210: The Guard Robbing His Own Vault

Stances differ; so too do mindsets and actions.

They cannot be simply divided into good and evil.

For such markers of morality often only arise among kin.

Thus, for outsiders, hatred, fury, and helplessness are permissible. After all, their ancestors were once deities. Had the Fifth Stellar Ring not undergone the Ascendant Transformation, they would now be the rightful heirs.

Humanity would merely be a servile race, theirs to take as they pleased.

Yet now, the gods are slaughtered, penned, imprisoned—these outsiders have become mere fish on the chopping block.

In a sense, it is a cycle.

Right and wrong cannot be spoken of; one can only say… for any tribe, whether Ascendant or divine, their stances have already decided all.

The weak are fated to be devoured by the strong.

The backward are fated to lose the right to stand face-to-face.

Thus, cultivators do not merely live as the gods of old did; rather, this very truth is the law of all life across the upper stellar rings and all sentient beings.

You cannot demand victims remain forever victimized, nor expect perpetrators to perpetrate eternally.

In the end, it is a cycle.

These truths Xu Qing had grasped upon the Wanggu Continent.

His experiences since arriving at the Fifth Stellar Ring, and the treatment of deities here, had deepened his understanding of this law.

Like the lingering obsessions of fragmented consciousness within the Perseus Tombs.

This was, in fact, the entire Fifth Stellar Ring’s attitude toward deities, toward outsiders.

And within Xu Qing’s heart-searching, he concurred.

Yet he held his own judgment: among those many indifferent gods, some existed who were more human than humanity itself.

But not the deity within this prison.

Xu Qing possessed no such universal compassion to seek deep contact and judgment with each, selecting only certain ones for collection.

Thus, for this draining of the pond, his heart stirred not a ripple. Now he stood upon that leaf, within the final speckled world.

The environment here was a vast, viscous black sea.

The sea surface lay calm, yet bore no peace. From the briny stench of the waters rose a thick alien essence, spreading in all directions while seeking to influence its surroundings.

And beneath the sea, a skull lay buried.

This skull resembled a bird, covered in long tendrils, perpetually secreting mucus.

Over eons, the mucus had become this black sea.

The moment Xu Qing descended, the alien essence between heaven and sea churned violently. Waves surged upon the surface. The skull buried in the seabed trembled, its eyes snapping open.

Golden light pierced the sea from its gaze, fixing upon the heavens.

An eerie, soul-shaking sound instantly entered Xu Qing’s ears, then transformed into thoughts not his own, sprouting within his mind.

In the next instant, these intangible thoughts became tangible—threads secreting black mucus, seeking to coil around Xu Qing’s brain.

The surrounding alien essence became a storm, rushing toward him from all sides.

The sea’s waves rose higher still. The world itself inverted in that moment: sea became sky above, sky became earth below.

Then… the black sea poured down.

Including the skull within it, harnessing this inversion’s force to burst forth from the sea!

In the next breath, the world blurred, heaven and earth roared, obscuring all.

Until after several heartbeats, a dense surge of Ascendant Qi erupted from the haze. A thunderous roar, mountain-shattering and withering, spread in layers, forcibly driving back all that surrounded it.

Restoring clarity to the cosmos, restoring purity to the world.

The alien essence dissolved within the Ascendant Qi. The viscous sea vaporized within it. Xu Qing’s form emerged.

His right hand was raised, clutching a divine skull vastly larger than his own body.

His fingers dug deep into its flesh.

Though the size disparity between them was immense, the one gripped by terror was the colossal skull!

It trembled!

Strands of golden source essence were being drawn from its body, flowing into the jade slip within Xu Qing’s palm.

After a moment, a piercing shriek echoed.

The divine skull shuddered, turned gray, crumbled to dust, and scattered into the void.

In midair, Xu Qing stood alone, his gaze cold and sharp as he surveyed the four directions.

“The seal here is nearly worn away… allowing this deity to act of its own volition.”

“But this seal was not broken by its own efforts. It seems another presence first eroded most of the seal, granting it the chance to finish the task—to wait for its escape.”

“Then… is this the doing of outsiders, or… is it the prison guard robbing his own vault?”

Xu Qing pondered. Having served as a jailer, he understood the petty scheming here all too well.

Lost in thought, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. His form flickered, leaving the speckled world to reappear amidst the starry void, gazing at the crimson seaweed.

He scrutinized the other leaves with meticulous care.

The seaweed swayed.

After a moment, Xu Qing suddenly spoke.

“The deities imprisoned upon the other leaves… most must already be dead, consumed by you!”

At his words, the seaweed’s swaying quickened. All its leaves unfurled, slowly drifting toward Xu Qing from all sides.

Unmoved, Xu Qing continued.

“The leaf you gave me earlier was deliberately reserved—a convenient scapegoat for collectors, to conceal your theft. Am I correct?”

A terrifying will sharpened in that instant, an astonishing pressure spreading outward.

The surrounding starry void groaned. Strange, eerie sigils emerged from all directions, sealing the area.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, speaking once more.

“Lord Aurora and I are well acquainted. You can sense my aura, verify my standing within the Aurora Ascendant Palace.”

“Lord Nine Shores holds me in high regard. You should recognize the aura upon this token.”

“As the first ascender of this realm, if I perish here, you cannot escape.”

Xu Qing raised his hand, producing a wooden slip—the beacon for the ferryboat upon the Divine Blood River.

The seaweed hesitated. Then the terrifying will within it surged forth, enveloping the wooden slip Xu Qing held. Instantly, that will visibly wavered.

Next, the will shifted from the slip, turning to engulf Xu Qing himself.

As if probing at a deeper level.

Xu Qing’s expression remained calm.

After the Aurora Immortal Palace mirror journey concluded, if others persisted in the mortal realm, there was no reason he should not.

Though within this Heaven Beyond Heaven, Xu Qing had sensed nothing before—he judged this stemmed from the true Aurora Immortal Palace’s concealment.

And his inability to sense it did not mean the seaweed growing here was equally blind.

Thus he attempted, through indirect means, to prove his identity!

Failure mattered little; the titles Lord of Nine Shores and First Ascendant of this realm would safeguard his life.

So Xu Qing allowed the other’s will to inspect him.

After a while, as he felt the seaweed’s will surge with greater turmoil, even its very form trembling, Xu Qing’s eyes flashed with sharp light.

He knew his suspicion was correct!

The seaweed now trembled, its aura growing chaotic, as if caught in a dilemma.

Indeed, beneath this profound scrutiny, it had sensed the hidden authority of the Aurora Immortal Palace within this human’s body—and immense karmic ties.

This authority made it wary.

For it belonged to the Aurora Immortal Palace!

Though the Aurora Heaven Beyond Heaven now lacked a master, its identity remained!

Yet its actions had already constituted grave treason, hence this agonizing choice…

Just then, Xu Qing’s voice echoed once more.

“Having suppressed this divine prison for eons, occasionally snacking when hungry is only natural.”

The seaweed paused.

“Even if nearly devoured, leaving a single leaf behind shows devoted duty!”

The seaweed’s will began to boil.

“After all, I arrived late; the fault lies not with you.”

All its fronds swayed rapidly, the surrounding pressure dissipating by half.

It could discern the one before it spoke truth—not mere words, but genuine belief.

“So past deeds are past. Now, tell me… do you wish to devour Him?”

Xu Qing pointed toward the sun enshrouded by the seaweed’s roots.

The seaweed’s fronds quivered instantly. Then a low divine thought resonated around Xu Qing.

“Yes!”

Xu Qing nodded.

“Let me in. Guard my cultivation. See if I can… extract some. We’ll share it!”

The seaweed hesitated, rechecking Xu Qing’s aura. Its roots suddenly swayed, swiftly parting to open a path.

But before the passage fully formed, the seaweed’s divine thought scattered outward, sweeping the surroundings.

“No need to tense. My people have come. Open a gap—let him enter.”

Xu Qing spoke calmly.

The seaweed pondered, then after a moment loosened the seal here just enough for a slit. In the next instant, Zhou Zhengli’s figure surged through.

Upon arrival, he swiftly scanned the area, then bowed deeply to Xu Qing as if seeing nothing.

“What is it?” Xu Qing asked.

“Master, the others’ collections have met with varying success recently, but all complications can be resolved.”

“However, an incident arose with the Hun Tian Imperial Clan. Hence I came to request your presence—to quell those who believe this Heaven Beyond Heaven truly lacks a master… using your authority here.”

“Of course, if you prefer not to wield that authority, I may dispatch Xing Huanzi to handle it.”

Zhou Zhengli conveyed his respectful report.

Xu Qing glanced at Zhou Zhengli.

Undeniably, Zhou Zhengli was shrewd. Setting aside any potential treachery, employing him felt effortless.

“Let Xing Huanzi handle it.”

Xu Qing spoke slowly.

“By Aurora’s command!”

Hearing this, Zhou Zhengli respectfully withdrew through the exit.

The moment his figure vanished, the passage sealed shut again. The seaweed’s will once more enveloped the surroundings.

Xu Qing ignored it, turning instead toward the roots.

“Done. Now open the way. I’m hungry. And you are too.”

Hearing this, the seaweed hesitated no longer. Instantly, its roots spread wide, revealing the entrance to the sun!

Xu Qing’s eyes flashed. He stepped forward!