Chapter 1291: Azure Ox Encounter

Chapter 1291 Meeting of the Azure Oxen

Fate is indeed an exquisite and unfathomable thing.

That familiar silhouette, that wretched and bedraggled state, and the sheer madness gleaming within his expression.

Most crucial of all, though only his head remained, he was still swallowing down the scattered dust of heavenly principles he had spat out, a bizarre action that seemed to form its own self-contained cycle...

These scenes, unfolding one after another, stirred intense and tumultuous waves within Xu Qing's soul.

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would run into his Senior Brother here of all places...

The moment Erniu came into view, Xu Qing suddenly understood the threads of cause and effect a little better.

He recalled the teleportation formation that had appeared back within that hidden realm of heaven and earth.

"To operate that formation, two specific conditions had to be met: one had to possess Star-Ring Grass, and one had to harbor a Golden Rat. The only people who fulfilled both requirements simultaneously were myself and Senior Brother."

Similarly, Xu Qing thought of the Immortal Sovereign's grand design, which used the karma of the Upper Desolation to shroud the omniscience of the Fourth Star Ring's Divine Sovereign. Looking at it now... that shrouding force must have involved Senior Brother as well, in addition to himself.

He too had played a role.

At the same time, Xu Qing recalled the words spoken to him by the Young Master of the Aurora Palace when he had bestowed the Upper Desolation Divine Lattice of Destiny upon him.

The Young Master had said that someone else was originally supposed to appear to receive the gift of the divine lattice, but for some unknown reason, that person never arrived.

"The one who failed to show up... was Senior Brother?"

As these scenes flashed across Xu Qing's mind, the members of the funeral procession all turned their gazes toward him.

Among them, Li Mengtu was the closest to Xu Qing, and his status as a personal attendant within the mirror image of the Aurora Immortal Palace blazed like a brand within his mind. Thus, he stepped forward with an excited bow and explained the reason for their presence.

"Young Master, we received a plea for assistance from Xing Huanzi. The dust of heavenly principles he had painstakingly refined anew was stolen away by a mysterious little thief."

"That thief is cunning and adept at concealment, possessing a myriad of bizarre and uncanny methods. Zhou Zhengli even suspects that this thief might have accomplices!

Right now, the thief is sealed within that region of the cosmos ahead. We intend to refine this entire cosmos, leaving the scoundrel with nowhere to hide, while also waiting to see if any potential accomplices will come to his aid!"

Listening to Li Mengtu's words, the expression on Xu Qing's face grew increasingly peculiar.

If one were to speak of accomplices... Xu Qing felt that it was highly likely to be himself.

With that thought, he cast a glance at Zhou Zhengli.

Zhou Zhengli's expression flickered subtly.

Meanwhile, the others also stepped forward to greet Xu Qing following his arrival.

Among them, Xie Lingzi was exceedingly respectful, not daring to show the slightest negligence, though his mind was secretly trying to decipher the situation.

"Why does this venerable one bear such an expression when looking at that region of the cosmos?"

Qianjun and Biyi were trembling. The focus of the two brothers' thoughts was not on Xu Qing's current expression, but on their own safety.

At this moment, anxiety gripped their hearts, and they did everything in their power to dim their own radiance, deeply terrified that with a mere wave of Xu Qing's hand, they would transform into immortal swords and fly into his grasp.

Yet despite their frantic efforts to conceal themselves, an instinct belonging to the immortal swords, rooted deep within their very souls, uncontrollably transmitted a sense of jubilation at encountering their master.

As a result, the two grew even more uneasy.

As for Yuan Shansu, she remained as ever like autumn waters, offering a silent bow.

Xing Huanzi, after paying his respects to Xu Qing, did notice the peculiarity in Xu Qing's expression, but having spent this recent period hunting the thief, all his focus was consumed by the culprit.

Thus, his gaze quickly shifted back to the sealed cosmos ahead, the killing intent in his heart burning hotter for the one who had stolen his heavenly principles.

As for Zhou Zhengli, his expression suddenly turned solemn, and he spoke in a low voice.

"Young Master, I believe that fellow Daoist did not steal the items intentionally. There are anomalies in this matter, and it is even possible that what this fellow Daoist cultivates is related to order, causing the dust of heavenly principles to be drawn to him and approach of its own accord."

The moment these words were spoken, the others fell into contemplative silence, while a cold gleam flashed in Xing Huanzi's eyes. He snapped his head toward Zhou Zhengli, then looked back at Xu Qing, a sense of bitter understanding dawning within his heart.

Zhou Zhengli ignored Xing Huanzi's gaze; his eyes held only Xu Qing as he continued to speak.

"As for his companion..."

Xu Qing cleared his throat, raised his right hand, and pointed toward the cosmos ahead.

With this wave of his hand, it was as if a storm suddenly erupted from within that region of space, sweeping across all directions. The cosmos surged with violent ripples as countless stars scattered brilliant starlight, converging into a force that tore the space open.

In the next instant, the starry sky shuddered, and the seal dissolved.

Vaguely, deep within this cosmos, a meteorite was revealed, and upon it sat the figure of Erniu, his expression entirely dazed and his face filled with utter disbelief.

However, hampered by his cultivation level, while Xu Qing and the others could see Erniu clearly, the view looking back through Erniu's perception was nothing but a blur.

The moment Xing Huanzi saw Erniu clearly, the killing intent in his eyes surged violently.

Helpless, Xu Qing spoke softly.

"That is my Senior Brother..."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Li Mengtu's eyes widened, Zhou Zhengli's mind shuddered, and Xie Lingzi sucked in a sharp breath.

Qianjun and Biyi froze in astonishment, while Yuan Shansu's eyes flashed with a peculiar light.

As for Xing Huanzi, he fell into silence. He withdrew his gaze from Erniu and turned to stare intently at Xu Qing.

He was waiting for Xu Qing's decision.

The sense of helplessness in Xu Qing's heart grew even stronger. If Xing Huanzi were still in his past state, Xu Qing naturally wouldn't care.

But after journeying together this far, things were different; they were now comrades-in-arms.

Furthermore, to Xing Huanzi, that dust of heavenly principles was tied to his path toward becoming a Summer Immortal, making it of paramount importance.

Yet Xu Qing understood his Senior Brother's personality all too well. To Erniu, if he didn't pick up something when he went out, it was as good as losing it...

To expect him to disgorge something he had already swallowed was a task of near-infinite difficulty.

Thus, after a moment of deliberation, Xu Qing raised his hand and waved. Instantly, his Charter erupted, and layers of overlapping universes and iterating cosmos materialized. From within them, a massive amount of the dust of heavenly principles emerged.

With Xu Qing's current cultivation and enlightenment, paired with his prior study of the dust, achieving this was by no means difficult.

In a flash, clouds of heavenly principle dust manifested, turning from illusion into reality, floating before Xing Huanzi.

At the same time, Xu Qing retrieved the dust of heavenly principles he had kept for himself previously, sending it all to Xing Huanzi.

"A misunderstanding," Xu Qing said softly.

Looking at the lost-and-found dust floating before him, now even greater in quantity, a thousand chaotic thoughts swirled through Xing Huanzi's mind. Finally, he bowed deeply to Xu Qing.

"My thanks!"

With that, he turned and shifted, departing the area. Yet just before his silhouette vanished into the distant starry sky, his voice drifted back.

"On this journey, the grace of fulfilling my Dao and the bond of comradeship will not be forgotten.

I know you are not a cultivator of the Fifth Star Ring... When you return to your homeland, I shall go with you."

Xu Qing nodded. Once Xing Huanzi's figure disappeared completely, he looked toward Zhou Zhengli and the others.

"I am indeed about to leave soon. I came here merely to see you all one last time," Xu Qing said calmly.

A brilliant light shone in Li Mengtu's eyes as anticipation rose within him. Locking eyes with Xu Qing, he spoke immediately.

“I’m coming too!”

Zhou Zhengli smiled faintly. What Xing Huanzi had perceived, he himself had long since discerned.

“Wherever the young master goes, I go.”

“As for now, we shan’t disturb the young master and his senior brother’s reunion.”

With that, Zhou Zhengli clasped his fists, turned, and departed alongside Li Mengtu.

Yuan Shan Su remained silent; Xie Lingzi hesitated inwardly; Qian Jun Biyi, meanwhile, was overjoyed. Thus, each carrying their own thoughts, they left the place.

Xu Qing watched their retreating figures until they had all vanished. Then he turned toward the cosmos, toward Er Niu, who was leaping about in excitement, and a rare smile appeared on his face—gentle, warm, almost tender.

That was his eldest senior brother—one of the few people who truly mattered to him.

He took a step forward.

He crossed the starry void, strode through emptiness, and appeared before Er Niu.

“Little A-Qing!!”

Er Niu cried out, his heart swelling with an almost dreamlike euphoria.

“Senior Brother…”

Xu Qing cleared his throat softly. Inwardly, he already imagined the journey ahead: his senior brother, once the initial thrill wore off, would surely drown in endless sentimental sighs—though his mouth would stubbornly deny it all.

“How I’ve missed this,” Xu Qing murmured, smiling.