Chapter 1263: True God Closes the Net

Chapter 1263: The True God Casts His Net

When Xu Qing returned, everything within the secret chamber had already reverted to normal—the lingering, intimate atmosphere had entirely dissipated.

What met Xu Qing’s eyes instead was another scene, strange and unsettling.

Shen Nü Xing Mou sat motionless with her eyes closed.

Behind her, Ni Hu Li was combing her hair. With each stroke of the wooden comb through her lustrous tresses, the goddess remained utterly still.

Xu Qing’s expression grew peculiar. After scrutinizing her closely, he realized that the Source Essence within the goddess—previously locked away due to overexertion—had not only become active again but had even multiplied significantly.

His gaze inevitably shifted toward Ni Hu Li.

Ni Hu Li let out a soft chuckle.

“Young Master, you really shouldn’t be so rough with Sister Xing Mou in the future. She’s already agreed to cooperate fully with your harvesting.”

“Isn’t that right, dear Sister Xing Mou?”

As she spoke, Ni Hu Li leaned down and blew gently into Xing Mou’s ear.

Xing Mou shuddered violently and opened her eyes, meeting Xu Qing’s gaze.

This time, the hatred she once harbored toward him had inexplicably diminished—so much so that, in her own perception, Xu Qing no longer resembled the nightmare he once was.

He was merely cultivating; drawing upon her Source Essence was simply a consequence of their opposing positions—nothing more.

The true nightmare… was the Ni Hu Li behind her.

He was a demon. He was the abyss. He was the eternal specter of sin coiled around her heart.

After all, as a descendant of the Divine Sovereign, her bloodline pure and noble, she had never in her life endured such defilement. In that moment when her mind shattered and her emotions erupted uncontrollably…

She knew—she was no longer pure.

Within her psyche now bloomed the seven emotions and six desires, along with countless unfamiliar feelings.

She had fallen—from divinity into humanity.

Thus, she raised her hand toward Xu Qing.

Streams of Source Essence flowed forth from her palm, willingly drifting toward him, seeping into his seven orifices, churning within his body and stirring ripples in his cultivation.

Xu Qing’s eyes grew even more intrigued at this sight.

Voluntary offering was fundamentally different from forced extraction—it bypassed the need to refine and subdue her will.

Her Source Essence would thus remain purer.

“How did you manage this?” Xu Qing asked Ni Hu Li.

He wasn’t referring to what Ni Hu Li had done after dripping wax—he meant the logic and reasoning behind the entire situation.

Ni Hu Li stroked the goddess’s silken hair and smiled.

“Under normal circumstances, it would’ve been nearly impossible for me to stir Sister Xing Mou’s heart—especially since she was once a True God. But the seals upon her severed all resistance, leaving her utterly helpless.”

“And besides,” Ni Hu Li added with a playful glint, “Young Master, you yourself paved the way. Your previous extractions had already pushed her to the brink—like a dam about to burst.”

“I merely applied a gentle nudge at the critical moment…”

“And thus, Sister Xing Mou descended into the mortal realm—and the lock naturally unraveled itself.”

Ni Hu Li blinked, gazing at Xu Qing.

“So, Young Master—how went your journey outside? Was it successful?”

Xu Qing’s eyes swept over both Ni Hu Li and Xing Mou. He chose not to probe deeper into the matter and replied coolly,

“We can leave this place now and head somewhere new—a location better suited for concealment.”

“As for this goddess… from this moment on, she’s under your care. Are you confident you won’t make any mistakes?”

At these words, Ni Hu Li’s eyes lit up.

“Young Master, rest assured—I’ve never once caused an accident in all my dealings.”

With that, Ni Hu Li flicked his wide sleeve, sweeping up the silent goddess Xing Mou. Together, they transformed into streaks of light and vanished into Xu Qing’s palm—becoming a single mark etched onto his skin.

Xu Qing glanced down at it briefly, then erased every trace of their presence from the cave dwelling before dissipating. High above the Zi Jing Mountains, he reappeared as a butterfly with iridescent wings.

With a single flap, it scattered prismatic light and vanished into the void.

The “new place” he’d mentioned to Ni Hu Li was, of course, the temple within the Lin Niu nation.

Not long after, beneath the reverent worship of countless Lin Niu, the butterfly—Xu Qing incarnate—returned, fluttering into the temple and reshaping itself into a butterfly statue.

Divine might radiated from the statue, spreading beyond the temple walls and blanketing the entire Lin Niu domain.

Sensing this aura, every Lin Niu folded its wings, eyes brimming with devotion, bowing in unison.

Especially the priests among them—they emitted excited, guttural cries, chanting in their native tongue of divine miracles.

Xu Qing perceived all this with tranquil composure.

In the days ahead, he intended to continue this usurpation—wearing the skin of this butterfly deity, becoming it himself—

All to deepen his concealment.

As for the timing of his departure from this star, Xu Qing had already reached a new decision.

Within the butterfly deity’s memories, he had discovered not only the layout of this star and its proximity to the battlefield—but also a divine teleportation array.

This array lay within the territory of the divine clan that governed this star—the very clan that had once produced a True God.

Though, according to the butterfly deity’s knowledge, this clan currently housed no True God—only a peak-stage Divine Platform cultivator—it had nonetheless birthed a True God in the past. Thus, it likely retained formidable means.

If Xu Qing were to force his way in, success would be ideal—but any misstep would surely expose him.

Exposure would draw True Gods themselves—and compromise the reliability of the teleportation array.

Thus, after careful deliberation, Xu Qing refrained from acting rashly.

Because… an opportunity was soon approaching.

According to the butterfly deity’s memories, several months prior, the ruling clan had issued a summons to every deity on the star, calling them to join the clan in entering a secret realm belonging to their lineage.

And the location of this secret realm? Deep beneath the planet’s surface!

Xu Qing’s spiritual sense confirmed it—the very place from which the pulse of the earth’s meridians emanated.

“The moment they enter that secret realm… will be my perfect chance to leave.”

“Just two more months…”

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. As for how the butterfly deity he’d possessed would excuse itself from participating in the secret realm expedition—he already had a plan.

“Rather than immediately fleeing this star and navigating the perilous, deity-filled expanse of the starry sea while searching for another opening… relying on this teleportation array is by far the safest path.”

“It can shorten the longest leg of the journey, bringing me infinitely close to the edge of the Fourth Star Ring.”

“As for breaking through the barrier…”

A glint of dark light flickered in Xu Qing’s eyes. He possessed Star Ring Grass and the Star Tower—tools that gave him a measure of confidence in piercing the barrier and returning.

With this thought, Xu Qing closed his eyes, using the butterfly idol as his vessel, silently absorbing the Source Essence willingly offered by the Divine Star Maiden’s gaze, and began his cultivation.

Thus, time trickled away.

Since deities existed independently and each held their own domain, Xu Qing’s act of possession went unnoticed.

Moreover, many deities had already responded to the summons from the divine clan governing this star, heading toward the Jade Star Ring in the firmament to make early preparations.

This also owed much to Xu Qing’s intimate familiarity with deities, the aid of Mud Fox, and the protective effect of that special hide.

All these factors allowed Xu Qing to weave everything together into a far more effective concealment.

Yet ultimately, he could not evade the divine awareness of True Gods.

Henceforth, whenever the probing consciousness of a True God swept across the starry void, Xu Qing relied primarily on the Immortal Sovereign’s seal within the Star Maiden’s body to hide himself.

But… as the day approached when the ruling clan of this star would commence their exploration of the secret realm—and perhaps because those True Gods stationed in the Fourth Star Ring, having received the Divine Edict of Execution, found nothing in their prior searches—

a new round of sweeping investigations began anew.

This time, it was clearly more meticulous and frequent than before. Most critically, the direction of their probes now covered the very loophole Xu Qing had previously exploited.

These True Gods, in addition to searching for traces of the Star Maiden and Immortal Spirits, had now begun inspecting ordinary deities as well!

It was as if they were drawing a net—one woven so finely it sought to dredge up every anomaly.

After enduring one such sweep, Xu Qing’s heart sank.

This was no longer merely about whether Mud Fox had been exposed. His own current form now carried a real risk of discovery.

Unless both he and Mud Fox concealed themselves entirely within the Star Maiden’s flesh.

Yet leaving the Star Maiden alone outside—even though she had behaved obediently lately—was something Xu Qing would never permit.

Thus, he found himself caught in a dilemma.

“Just now, the awareness of only two True Gods nearly saw through me…”

“Could they have learned more about me? Do they know I’m accompanied by a deity—or that I possess the means to assume a divine form?”

Xu Qing furrowed his brow.

As if misfortune loved company, not only had the True Gods intensified their scrutiny, but the Immortal Sovereign’s seal within the Star Maiden’s eyes was steadily dissipating under repeated divine probes.

Only half of it remained.

“Seven days left…”

Xu Qing calculated silently, flames flickering in his eyes as a tide of unease surged within him.

“I can’t gamble on the hope that future sweeps will involve no more than two True Gods!”

His eyes narrowed, sharp resolve flashing across his face. He rose to his feet, ready to make a decisive move—when suddenly, Mud Fox spoke.

“Young Master, I know a secret technique…”

Xu Qing paused.

“This method is actually the prerequisite for casting a specific divine art. It allows my divine aura to blend seamlessly with the surrounding environment, thereby triggering a wide-area divine spell.”

“If the surroundings were pure water, performing this technique would obviously stand out.”

“But if the environment is already saturated with chaotic divine energies, then when I activate this method and merge with them… I become just another part of the chaos.”

Mud Fox spoke urgently—it, too, was desperate. If Xu Qing were discovered, it knew full well that given all it had done to the Star Maiden, its fate would be infinitely worse than Xu Qing’s.

After all, according to the Divine Decree, Xu Qing was to be captured alive…

So it had wracked its brain, searching desperately for a solution.

Hearing this, Xu Qing’s eyes lit with sudden insight.

“You mean, since we can’t reduce our presence, we should instead seek a place already teeming with other presences.”

Mud Fox immediately nodded in agreement.

“Young Master, in that way, we can indirectly achieve concealment—at the very least, mask ourselves further and raise our margin of safety!”

“How confident are you?” Xu Qing asked at once.

“Fifty-fifty…” Mud Fox hesitated.

Xu Qing fell into deep thought, then nodded after a moment.

“Teach me this method. We’ll activate it together.”

Mud Fox swiftly transmitted the secret technique into Xu Qing’s mind via divine awareness.

The method wasn’t complex. After sensing it briefly, Xu Qing grasped its essence completely—and without further delay—

“There’s one place nearby where divine auras are thoroughly entangled.”

In an instant, Xu Qing’s body blurred and vanished from the temple, reappearing in the heavens, racing straight toward the three hundred and sixty jade-green halos suspended in the sky.