Chapter 1216: Really?

Chapter 1216: Is It Truly So?

The starfield fissure gaped immense; the moment it tore open, a tempest erupted from within, sweeping across the void.

Like an invisible titan’s palm, it stirred the cosmic tides.

Even the desolate expanse where the Huntian Imperial Palace stood shuddered violently.

Each descending cultivator radiated a suffocating aura of slaughter, their primordial essences seeping outward in varying degrees.

Clearly, this period had nourished not only Xu Qing but all who ventured forth.

Their cultivation had deepened since first arriving here,

their collective might ascended accordingly.

Especially Xie Lingzi and Zhou Zhengli—both already at the pinnacle of Sovereigns—now stood but a breath away from breakthrough.

Li Mengtu lagged slightly yet had grown formidable beyond recognition.

As for Qianjun Biyi, the brothers stood revitalized.

Yet the greatest leap belonged to Yuan Shan Su.

None knew where she had journeyed, but the thickness of her immortal embryo now pulsed visibly about her.

Thus, these arrivals possessed the power to upend heavens and rend earth.

As ascenders of this realm, each had carved their path through countless rivals, emerging as lone wolves armed with ruthless arts.

Now, their auras surged, eyes sharp with lethal intent—

daring none to underestimate them.

All gazes fixed upon the Huntian clansmen—and— that quasi-immortal at the pinnacle!

This sight thundered through every Huntian heart, stirring profound dread.

Even the Huntian Emperor’s face darkened; this was the crisis he had dreaded most.

Ordinarily, such a scenario was nigh impossible.

Indeed, for the imperial Huntian clan bearing exemption edicts, arriving tribute collectors posed little threat—they plundered only the outer realms, sparing the clan itself.

This certainty had emboldened the Emperor.

Yet he had miscalculated one thing: Xu Qing’s possession of a Celestial Lord’s mandate!

That was the crux.

And— their combat prowess was staggering; even the arrival of a High Envoy failed to unsettle them!

Moments ago, they had nearly turned the tables!

“Moreover, each descent radiates the aura of a prodigy—” These tribute collectors were no ordinary lot!”

The thought burned fiercely within the Emperor’s mind.

The quasi-immortal cultivator sighed inwardly.

The instant he recognized Xu Qing, he knew their origin.

His elevated status granted him clearer insight into the outer world’s currents.

He understood: not all ascenders were tribute collectors.

Beyond the Celestial Heavens dwelled native human cultivators—far more numerous, forming the bedrock of most bureaus.

Thus, such squads rarely comprised more than a tenth ascenders, replenished only after successive cullings.

For ascenders were different.

Hence, across eras, they were dispersed—assigned to distinct bureaus with varied duties.

Rarely did an entire cohort gather in one place.

Xu Qing’s squad was, in truth, the sole unit within the Tribute Bureau composed entirely of fellow ascenders from the same cohort.

Watching them descend, the middle-aged cultivator sighed again.

This was why he had struck immediately, demanding Huntian aid.

He knew delay was fatal; swift resolution was paramount.

Though backed by power, what ascender lacked connections? Even the rootless gained fortunes within the Celestial Heavens.

Thus, though a quasi-immortal with a Celestial Master for mentor, he knew: he might provoke a few, eliminate a few for the Dao’s sake—but all?

Even his master could not shield him.

Now, he recoiled abruptly, vanishing beyond the palace gates in a single step, seeking the teleportation array to flee.

This matter was beyond his grasp.

As for Dao contention—he sighed inwardly, knowing such struggles must wait.

Another reason for his retreat: he faced dire odds. Victory was uncertain; a misstep meant annihilation.

Thus, he withdrew without hesitation.

Xu Qing expected no less.

Only a fool would stand firm against their arrival—especially after near-death combat.

“Yet to simply depart?”

A glacial gleam flashed in Xu Qing’s eyes; his right hand lifted, one finger pointing.

“Escort him forth!”

Zhou Zhengli’s aura exploded, a sharp cry tearing from his throat.

“Honoring the Imperial Edict!”

Li Mengtu followed instantly, without pause.

Xie Lingzi blinked—he knew Xu Qing’s methods, and this posed no mortal peril; he joined the fray.

Yuan Shan Su hesitated not, her might surging.

Xinghuanzi, the very catalyst of this conflict, unleashed his full strength.

Qianjun Biyi, moved by gratitude toward Xinghuanzi and awe of Xu Qing, erupted with them.

Thus, the other ascenders, whatever their private thoughts, now emboldened by numbers, unleashed their cultivation in unison—deadly strikes coalescing.

Ninety ascenders’ assassinations blazed like meteors; together, they became a cosmic torrent, shattering heavens.

It surged toward the Huntian Imperial Palace, unstoppable.

All crumbled before it—the palace, however peerless its materials, shattered instantly,

reduced to swirling ash and ruin.

Revealed within it the entrance to the Huntian Clan’s domain, and before that entrance, the middle-aged cultivator whose transmission had already begun, his form dissolving into blurred fragments mid-transport.

His indistinct face contorted violently, blood spewing forth as his body, wrenched from its orderly disintegration, twisted unnaturally.

He could only risk injury, relying on his master’s sigil to force the transmission through.

In an instant, he vanished without trace.

Xu Qing watched all this coldly, his heart devoid of regret.

Gone was gone.

After all, this was a being at the zenith of quasi-immortality.

"Next time we meet, I’ll kill him."

Xu Qing’s gaze swept toward the Huntian Sovereign.

The other Envoys of Provision followed suit.

Under their collective stare, the Huntian Sovereign’s heart lurched. Without hesitation, he shed all pretense and kowtowed directly before Xu Qing.

Hands raised high, he presented the Fourth True Lord’s relic, his voice booming.

"Our clan is guilty, and offers this to quell the wrath of your august clan."

Anxiety clawed at the Huntian Sovereign’s core, yet he was powerless. As he prepared to speak further, Xu Qing raised a hand.

Instantly, the celestial yellow soil he held soared into Xu Qing’s palm.

After toying with it, Xu Qing divided it in half, sending one portion toward Xinghuanzi, then spoke calmly.

"Thank you all for your aid. I bear a task from the Immortal Sovereign: to find the nine-colored ice capable of extinguishing the Divine Lord’s fire. Arriving here, I suspected this clan might possess it."

"Thus, I trouble you all to investigate on my behalf."

The moment Xu Qing spoke, their eyes lit up.

They instantly grasped his meaning. One by one, they rallied, accepting the charge, and surged toward the Huntian Imperial Clan’s entrance.

Xu Qing remained outside, not entering, continuing to toy with the half portion of heavenly soil in his hand.

Beside him, the Huntian Sovereign’s face cycled through shades of green and red, his agitation deepening.

Yet, in this situation, he was utterly helpless.

Soon, a sight that paled his face emerged.

Xinghuanzi stepped from the Huntian Imperial Clan’s entrance, his expression peculiar as he looked at Xu Qing.

"There are certain unusual things inside… they seem to be the nine-colored—"

"So, would you care to take a look?"

Xu Qing, hearing this, was momentarily stunned.

"Truly?"

Xinghuanzi hesitated, his voice low.

"Not certain, but it relates to the Aurora Immortal Palace."