Chapter 1219: An Unprecedented Quasi-Immortal

Chapter 1219 Unprecedented Near-Immortal

A thousand armies part, his heart stirred.

The two brothers exchanged glances, then simultaneously turned toward Star Ring Master.

Seeing Star Ring Master, though expressionless, choose to turn his back upon the meteorite where Xu Qing sat, shielding him with his very stance, the brothers instantly braced themselves.

Sword Qi soared into the void in an instant.

They transformed into two ancient, unadorned Immortal Swords, blazing amidst the starry expanse, blades pointed in all directions, embodying absolute loyalty.

This sight made Zhou Zhengli smile, his eyes filled with envy and warmth.

As for Evil Spirit Master, he inwardly scoffed, thinking these swords must have damaged their minds through cultivation; how such beings could be taken as disciples by a Lower Immortal, let alone rise to his own level, baffled him.

Though his heart sneered, seeing Zhou Zhengli glance his way, Evil Spirit Master narrowed his eyes, pondered, then simply closed them.

Observing this, Zhou Zhengli continued smiling, his gaze sweeping to Yuan Shan Su.

He held Yuan Shan Su in deep regard. She seemed less conspicuous than Evil Spirit Master or Star Ring Master, yet her combat prowess was extraordinary.

Whether from past knowledge or her performance within the Aurora Immortal Palace mirror,

all signs pointed to her being no ordinary cultivator.

Indeed, in reconstructing the Aurora Immortal Palace incident, excluding Xu Qing, she was the sole survivor.

Especially… she was a female cultivator…

A beautiful female cultivator.

To Zhou Zhengli, such a person might well become a true Phoenix.

Thus, his gaze held a trace of reverence.

Yuan Shan Su remained silent, choosing to shield Xu Qing.

Only then did Zhou Zhengli withdraw his gaze. The other Resource Commissioners, seeing the strongest among them had taken their stance, and having gained some measure of respect for Xu Qing through recent events,

quickly suppressed even those with hidden intentions.

All joined in shielding him.

Time flowed onward.

The Immortal Qi radiating from Xu Qing grew ever stronger, finally spreading across the starry void, resonating with the cosmic laws drawn toward him.

Simultaneously, his Immortal Embryo manifested externally like a divine dharma-body.

A full hundred feet tall, godlike in scale.

Seated cross-legged upon the meteorite, vast and imposing.

Terrifying energy erupted, shaking all present, forming a stellar storm that rumbled outward in all directions.

Nearby cultivators immediately retreated, avoiding the tempest while watching intently.

A Sovereign’s ascension to Near-Immortal had always been a grand spectacle.

After all, Near-Immortal… was still Immortal!

The mere word “Immortal” destined it to be extraordinary.

Though most here understood Sovereign ascension well, they now watched, transfixed.

For… the process of a cultivator’s ascension to Near-Immortal largely revealed how far their future path might stretch.

Not absolute, yet it offered a crucial range.

“The crux of Near-Immortal ascension lies in the Nine Releases, One Immortal Foundation!”

Star Ring Master, sensing Xu Qing’s progress, wore an appraising expression. He wished to see how this Xu Qing—who had first bested him within the Immortal Capital, even slaying his former self—would navigate this ascension.

“Nine Releases is the pinnacle. How many will he achieve?”

As Star Ring Master pondered, the same question arose in every mind present.

Especially Zhou Zhengli’s.

He cared most deeply of all.

Sensing their thoughts, Evil Spirit Master suddenly spoke.

“Why not wager, esteemed colleagues? How many Releases will Xu Qing complete? Zhou Zhengli, you seem so confident—care to bet?”

Others wore varied expressions. Evil Spirit Master blinked, then smiled.

“Though I’ve yet to ascend, I know that upon breaking through to Near-Immortal, a Sovereign must release their Immortal Embryo externally. Ordinary Near-Immortals manage only three Releases; five is rare; seven marks a prodigy.”

“Eight is near mythical. As for nine… only a Lower Immortal could achieve it.”

“Yuan Shan, how many Releases did you complete?” Evil Spirit Master turned to her.

“Eight,” Yuan Shan Su replied coolly.

Evil Spirit Master chuckled, then looked to Star Ring Master.

Star Ring Master ignored him.

Unfazed, Evil Spirit Master turned to Zhou Zhengli.

“Naturally nine,” Zhou Zhengli said with a smile.

“We shall see,” Evil Spirit Master murmured.

Li Mengtu, observing this, frowned. He opened his mouth to speak, then paused, studying Zhou Zhengli. Suddenly, he declared,

“More vital than the number of Releases is that Immortal Foundation!”

“Releases determine the Immortal Embryo’s depth, but the Foundation dictates the Immortal Path’s length!

Every ascendant requires this Foundation as the bedrock for becoming a full Immortal!”

“This basis must be real, substantial—not shaped from one’s own constitution. Some prepare it in advance; others scheme for something greater… What, I wonder, is Xu Qing’s Foundation?”

Li Mengtu’s words echoed through the starry void.

All fell into thought.

For them, this final Foundation concerned their very futures—it was paramount.

Even Star Ring Master, who had not joined the wagering or discussion, now gazed at Xu Qing within the distant storm, recalling his own ascension.

He had once been capable of Nine Releases, but conflict with Xu Qing prevented completion within the Fifth Layer World.

He’d stumbled, forced to ascend externally.

Achieving only Eight Releases.

Though death and rebirth later granted the final Release, perfecting his Immortality, the memory still stirred his heart.

“Yet my primary reason for choosing the Fifth Layer wasn’t solely to leverage its environment for Nine Releases. My true aim was that final Immortal Foundation.”

“I walked the path of the Fourth True Lord. Within the Fifth Layer World, I found his remains and made them my Immortal Foundation.”

“What will Xu Qing’s Foundation be?”

Star Ring Master recalled Xu Qing’s battle—his bell, that sharp iron skewer…

And as the thousand armies parted, the sword quivered, subtly retreating a step, then deeming it insufficient, withdrew further still.

A sudden fear gripped them.

The moment they fell back, at the storm’s heart encircled by the crowd, Xu Qing, seated in meditation upon the meteorite, his body erupted in thunderous resonance.

Deafening roars spread in all directions; the hundred-foot celestial form he had projected, identical to himself, blazed with sudden radiance.

“It begins!”

Li Mengtu’s heart swelled with anticipation; all eyes converged.

The next instant, the light turned blinding. Within Xu Qing’s hundred-foot celestial form surged a cataclysmic force, terrifying in its outward explosion.

Earth-shattering booms shook the heavens.

His hundred-foot celestial form swelled tenfold, now a thousand feet tall, its aura shaking the eight directions, its oppressive presence chilling the soul.

This was the First Expansion!

It did not end. Immediately, the thousand-foot form thundered anew, a more terrifying tremor rising, its size multiplying tenfold again—ten thousand feet!

Then, the Third Expansion: one hundred thousand feet!

Followed by the Fourth: one million feet!

Still it surged, its momentum not waning but intensifying; the next moment, a form ten million feet tall, enough to ignite dread of colossal things in many.

“Xu Qing’s expansion is tenfold!”

“Tenfold… usually it is but two or three times. How can he achieve this!”

“And now, already the Fifth Expansion!”

“Though Fifth… it likely surpasses the ultimate limits of countless quasi-immortals!”

Thoughts swirled among the crowd… yet the expansion continued!

In an instant, the Sixth Expansion erupted, forming a form one hundred million feet tall.

This alone revealed Xu Qing’s profound foundation.

All retreated, gazing upon Xu Qing’s celestial form now truly godlike, seated in the starry void, radiating sacredness, stirring involuntary tremors in their souls.

Until the Seventh Expansion rose with a roar.

The Eighth Expansion came swiftly.

A form one hundred billion feet tall!

Though still smaller than a galaxy, the stars circling it now seemed mere grains of sand.

As for the ascenders, they had long retreated beyond measure, watching Xu Qing’s celestial form from afar, their hearts violently stirred.

Xie Lingzi stood dumbstruck.

Zhou Zhengli, exhilarated, his eyes blazing with intense light.

Xing Huanzi, outwardly calm, yet his pupils had contracted.

Yuan Shansu fell silent.

Others, too, felt inner storms raging.

And as each stood awestruck in varying degrees, Xu Qing’s outward expansion paused.

But only for a breath. Then… a primordial explosion shattered the starry void; Xu Qing’s already terrifying celestial form expanded once more!

The Ninth Expansion!

The stars dimmed.

A form vast as a galaxy stood towering in the cosmos.

Stars around it were no longer grains, but motes of dust.

Many among the crowd lost themselves in stupor.

Until the next moment, this galaxy-sized celestial form shrank instantaneously, its speed so swift it left afterimages across the void.

Finally, the form returned to normal, merging seamlessly with Xu Qing’s true body, indistinguishable.

This was its true form; the expansion… merely the reach of the celestial form’s power.

Meaning Xu Qing’s divine consciousness now spanned a galaxy.

“Unprecedented…” Xing Huanzi murmured, scalp prickling.

Others stood equally frozen.

“No—this defies reason. Such tenfold expansion, reaching this extreme… no records mention it!”

“Even with Xu Qing’s profound foundation, this should be impossible!”

“This transcends natural limits!”

“There must be other causes!”

Xing Huanzi, once the foremost star, born of the Star Ring Tower, possessed uncommon insight. Shaken from his stupor, he instantly sensed the anomaly.

He accepted disparity, but not one so vast!

The next instant, his spirit jolted; a suspicion flashed in his mind, making him whirl to stare at Zhou Zhengli.

Xie Lingzi understood too; Yuan Shansu and others, hearts churning, turned as one toward Zhou Zhengli.

They recalled Zhou Zhengli’s earlier words!

Now, Zhou Zhengli trembled with excitement.

“Because this… is the Aurora Beyond-Heaven!”

“Because he shares a profound karmic bond with the Aurora Beyond-Heaven. Someone… once gifted him this realm!”

“So… the realm itself rejoices!”

…

At this very moment, within the Fourth Star Ring, in this land permeated by divine presence, a vessel drifted through the starry void.

The vessel, strange and wondrous, shielded against divine consciousness. Its two occupants, masters of transcendent cultivation, moved cautiously yet unharmed through the Fourth Star Ring.

“He has it.”

A gentle voice sounded within the vessel.

The speaker was the Aurora Young Master; beside him, his wife, the Spirit Phoenix Immortal.

Hearing her husband’s words, the Spirit Phoenix Immortal smiled.

“I sensed it then—you gave him far more than just an immortal palace.”

The Aurora Young Master gazed at his wife, love shining in his eyes.

“For such immense grace, a single palace suffices not. I gifted him that entire realm beyond heaven too.”