Chapter 1252: Nineteen Dao Seeds Hold the Goddess

Chapter 1252: Nineteen Dao Seeds Imprisoning the Goddess

Outside the teleportation array, countless gazes converged.

At this moment, all eyes were upon them, and the tides of discussion rose and fell.

Yet... compared to Zhou Zhengli's lamentation over making a display of grand momentum for Xu Qing, the Goddess currently held in Xu Qing’s grasp harbored a boundless, sky-toppling torrent of hatred and fury within Her heart.

Though She was at death's door, stripped of Her former divine splendor, Her skin shriveled and devoid of luster, She had not truly fallen unconscious.

Because Xu Qing would not allow it.

According to Xu Qing's extensive experience with living harvesting, the more volatile and active the subject's soul, the higher the quality of the harvested materials.

Thus, throughout this journey, the Star-Eyed Goddess remained conscious.

Harvested alive, bit by bit.

And every time She was on the verge of fainting, She would be forcibly jolted awake.

An endless cycle...

Consequently, the degree of agony She endured during this journey defied verbal description.

For someone as high and mighty as Her, possessing such noble lineage, this was a horror never before encountered in Her life, carved into the very marrow of Her bones.

And this was precisely the source of Her absolute hatred and fury toward Xu Qing.

So much so that now, amidst this gathering of ten thousand eyes, weak as She was, She still forced Her divine eyes open to glare deathly at Xu Qing.

Yet Xu Qing had long grown accustomed to such glares along the way; his face remained expressionless, save for his hand grasping Star-Eye's neck, which tightened once more.

Absorbing again!

Instantly, Star-Eye’s entire body shuddered as though electric arcs were rippling through Her, seeping into Her mind and manifesting as a sensation akin to Her very soul being wrenched away, leaving Her even weaker.

She wished to groan, but with Her throat constricted, She could utter no sound whatsoever.

Thus, within this madness, all of Her hatred converged within Her eyes, hardening into the most venomous curse in the depths of Her heart.

"If this great catastrophe can be survived, then even if it takes a lifetime, I will ensure this man before me, and all his kin and friends, suffer a fate worse than death!!!"

Xu Qing continued to ignore Her.

To him, elevating his cultivation as quickly as possible, ascending to the Lower Immortal realm, and returning to the Wanggu Continent were the matters of greatest import.

"And then there is the reward for capturing the Goddess this time..."

"Furthermore, this Goddess's constitution is highly unique... If I could keep Her long-term, breaking through to the Mid Quasi-Immortal realm would be well within reach!"

Carrying Star-Eye while escorted by the Nianlin Army, Xu Qing pondered inwardly while instinctively absorbing energy, stepping away from the teleportation array and walking toward the distance.

They were heading toward the massive red star where the Commander-in-Chief of the Left Wing Frontline resided.

As the surrounding cultivators who had gathered to watch witnessed the departing figures of Xu Qing and his group until they vanished, their minds stirred with waves of profound emotion.

"That group of theirs were originally Dao Seeds to begin with, and they lack no tempering; now that they have achieved such a monumental merit, they will surely soar to the heavens from now on!"

"Especially that Xu Qing—it will not be long before his name spreads across the entire Fifth Star Ring!"

Amidst the sighs of admiration, every manner of emotion was present, but whether it was envy or jealousy, the departing Xu Qing left it all far behind him.

In this manner, time flowed onward.

Half a month later, under the continuous escort of the Nianlin Army, Xu Qing’s group traversed the sea of stars and finally arrived at the Frontline Headquarters located at the core of the Left Wing War Zone!

That was a massive and slightly irregular star!

Like a crimson demon star, it hung suspended in the starry sky.

Viewed from afar, it resembled a solitary eye formed from the weeping blood of gods, looking down upon the cosmos.

Despite having been here once before, witnessing this star again with his own eyes still caused waves to ripple through Xu Qing’s heart.

It was truly because this star was incomparably colossal, like a giant, burning fireball in the universe, radiating an exceptionally dazzling and scorching light.

That light seemed capable of piercing through endless darkness, making it a remarkably prominent existence in the vast starry sky.

Having escorted them to this point, the Nianlin Army advanced no further; they paused in unison, and the leading cultivator bowed solemnly toward Xu Qing.

After returning the gesture, Xu Qing knew their mission was complete, and what came next was the debriefing for himself and the others.

Thus, he turned to gaze at the massive red star, his figure flickering as he dashed straight toward it alongside Xing Huanzi and the rest.

As they drew closer, one could see the surface of this red star was permeated by a violently churning "sea of fire," its scorching flames constantly surging and rolling, subsequently steaming into a crimson mist.

Simultaneously, rushing toward them was a sense of mystery that Xu Qing had previously failed to perceive due to the differences in his prior cultivation and perception compared to now.

It was the sound of a heartbeat at the level of Heavenly Laws!

Like the sound of ancient war drums, it resonated within the churning of this sea of fire.

Thump, thump! Thump, thump!

It was as if this star were a living creature!

Capable at any moment of erupting into a sky-toppling tide of blood, carrying roars to sweep through the star field and turn everything within it to dust.

This sight caused Xu Qing’s figure to pause.

Behind him, the minds of the others also trembled one by one.

And at the exact moment the crowd halted, a hoary voice drifted from the void, containing endless antiquity, as if bearing the wind of eras.

"Very good..."

Arriving alongside the voice was a massive solar flare that suddenly erupted ahead of Xu Qing’s group, forming an extremely intense brightness that illuminated the surrounding void.

Like giant fireworks blooming within the universe.

And within this sea of light, one hundred thousand silver, vertically-slit eyes suddenly appeared, abruptly snapping open.

Every single pupil distinctly reflected the past shadows of slaughter between Xu Qing’s group and the Goddess.

Seemingly scrutinizing the entire process.

Several breaths later, those shadows of slaughter vanished, and the one hundred thousand eyes locked onto Xu Qing’s group.

Gazing with particular intensity upon the Star-Eyed Goddess held in Xu Qing’s hand.

Immediately following this, a pulling force materialized out of thin air.

Sensing the vastness of this force, Xu Qing could only release his grip, allowing the pulling force to envelop the Goddess, drawing Her into the sea of light where She gradually vanished from sight.

Watching this scene, Xu Qing felt rather regretful in the depths of his heart.

He had not harvested enough yet.

Though he seemed fast along the journey, in reality, he had delayed as much as possible precisely to absorb a bit more.

It was truly because the source substance within this Goddess's body was distinctly different from that of other gods; while it could not be called inexhaustible, it would often regenerate just as it was about to be sucked dry.

Even if the amount of newly regenerated substance grew less and less, its quality remained incomparably pure.

"If only I could have absorbed it for a while longer, my cultivation would certainly have broken through."

Xu Qing sighed inwardly, yet he also knew that Immortal Master Zhanlu had far greater need for this Goddess, and it was impossible to allow him to hold Her indefinitely.

Thus, he could only suppress the thought.

Then, recalling the reward for capturing the Divine Maiden, Xu Qing bowed deeply toward the front.

Those behind him did the same.

After a long while, that voice—laden with the weight of ages—echoed once more.

“Whoever discovers the Divine Maiden’s whereabouts shall receive one million military merits and ten measures of Primordial Essence. Whoever captures her alive shall be granted ten million military merits and one hundred measures of Primordial Essence!”

“You have not only found her trail but also captured the Divine Maiden—great merit indeed!”

At these words, the group stirred with excitement.

“Xu Qing!”

Hearing his name, Xu Qing’s expression turned solemn as he stepped forward.

A sea of light shimmered around him, upon which a hundred thousand eyes fixed their gaze.

The ancient voice resonated again.

“This Divine Maiden shall be delivered by this old man to Lord Zhanlu himself. I shall also petition on your behalf for the title of True Sovereign—and… an Immortal Lord’s Dao Artifact!”

“Do you have any preference regarding this artifact?”

A strange glint flickered in Xu Qing’s eyes. After a moment’s thought, he clasped his fists and spoke in a low, firm tone:

“This humble servant desires a Dao Artifact of slaughter and warfare!”

“Very well. This old man shall convey your request.”

“All rewards shall arrive within seven days. You may await them here at the Star Tower. This star naturally generates Primordial Essence—make good use of it.”

The voice gradually faded.

The hundred thousand silver eyes slowly closed, and after several breaths, even the luminous sea vanished. Yet from the trembling earth rose twelve towers forged of molten lava, towering before Xu Qing and his eleven companions.

These twelve fiery spires radiated dense streams of Primordial Essence—even Xu Qing felt his own constitution ripple in response.

Behind him, Xing Huanzi, Zhou Zhengli, and the others were visibly moved.

“Some time ago,” Zhou Zhengli murmured softly, “I heard this crimson giant star was forged long ago by Lord Zhanlu himself—he slew numerous peak True Gods, then used their skulls and divine blood to refine this very star!”

“He even infused a fragment of his younger self’s constitution into its core.”

“Thus, even cultivators of lesser celestial rank gain immense benefit training here—though the star remains unstable. Unless specially granted permission, none are allowed to remain.”

Xu Qing gave a slight nod, then turned to face his comrades. Their eyes met, each seeing in the other the trials endured along their shared path.

Then, with grave solemnity, Xu Qing bowed once more.

“Of these rewards, only the True Sovereign title cannot be shared. All else—the Primordial Essence, the military merits—we shall divide equally!”

“As for the Immortal Lord’s Dao Artifact, though I shall wield it, it belongs to us all!”

Zhou Zhengli’s expression grew stern; Xing Huanzi remained silent; Li Mengtu grinned broadly; Xie Lingzi cleared his throat; Yuan Shan Su merely lowered her gaze slightly.

The others mirrored their gestures, each returning the bow in kind.

Among them stood Qian Jun Biyi, who seemed even more elated—as if being honored by Xu Qing’s bow brought him greater joy than any reward ever could.

Soon after, Xu Qing turned and entered one of the fiery towers.

The others followed suit, each choosing a tower and beginning their cultivation.

Days passed thusly.

Meanwhile, as the Divine Maiden was conveyed to Lord Zhanlu, subtle ripples stirred silently across the vast battlefield suspended between the Fourth and Fifth Star Rings—a shifting tide of black and white.

Clearly, the white, symbolizing the Celestial Host, surged forward, relentlessly driving back the black of alien corruption.

This reversal of momentum immediately rippled through all frontline sectors—left, center, and right—intensifying the conflict, now decisively favoring the cultivators.

The stalemate between Emperor Li Zhu and Lord Zhanlu appeared broken at last.

Faintly visible within the interplay of black and white were two colossal figures gazing at each other across the void.

Then, a thread of divine intent—inaudible to any but those of equal attainment—resonated through the shifting tides:

“Zhanlu, you know well—if the front collapses and this Emperor retreats, the war will escalate into a decisive clash among multiple beings of our caliber, even drawing in Divine Sovereigns and Immortal Sovereigns alike. Are you… truly prepared?”

...

At the same time, far from the heart of battle in the Fourth Star Ring, where alien corruption ran thickest,

at the edge of the starry void drifted an ancient, massive god-form—resembling a dying asteroid, exuding primordial aura.

It drifted lifelessly, devoid of consciousness, guided only by instinct…

Its course seemed preordained, drawn by unseen threads toward some unknown destination.

Within the hollow cavity where its heart once beat sat two figures—one male, one female—cross-legged in meditation.

After a long silence, one opened her eyes, sensed the outside world, and whispered gently:

“Husband… we’re almost there…”

Her words stirred the other, who opened his eyes and gave a faint nod.

“The lights of the frontlines have indeed drawn nearly every eye—but from here on, we must tread even more secretly.”

Had Xu Qing been present at that moment, he would have recognized them instantly:

none other than Young Lord Jiguang and his consort, Immortal Lady Linghuang!