Chapter 1293: Er Niu's Big Treasure

Chapter 1293: Er Niu’s Great Treasure

Er Niu licked his lips, his eyes flickering with frenzied, ghostly flames.

At this very moment, his body presented a sight so shocking it seared the eyes.

Beneath his head, the torso that had already partially regenerated now writhed with pulsing flesh, growing at a visibly rapid pace.

Within mere breaths—no more than a dozen—the fullness of Er Niu’s form reappeared in its entirety.

And from this new body erupted an aura surpassing even what he’d once possessed—

no longer at the early stage of Sovereign, but firmly ascended to mid-stage Sovereign.

It had been long since Xu Qing last witnessed such a transformation in his senior brother. Now, seeing it again stirred memories long buried.

“Senior brother’s cultivation has never relied on ordinary practice—it comes from breaking successive seals!”

“But each seal broken demands a price… and the deeper the seal, the steeper the cost…”

As Xu Qing pondered this, Er Niu’s fully restored body began radiating waves of icy chill, spreading outward in all directions. Blue light shimmered across his skin, and through the layers of muscle and sinew, Xu Qing could glimpse another form within—

A figure entirely blue, as if carved from ancient glacial ice, grotesque and primordial, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Source Abominations Xu Qing had encountered on the Primal Mother Star.

Staring at this inner form, Xu Qing’s old suspicions about his senior brother’s origins resurfaced.

“Yet Senior Brother differs from those Source Abominations—he has lived many lifetimes, dying in each only to resurrect anew in another form.”

“That trait… is akin to that of a deity.”

His heightened cultivation now allowed him to perceive far more clues than before.

Still, even so, the secrets shrouding Er Niu remained veiled—only slightly less obscured by mist.

“Everything… will likely be revealed once we return to Wanggu.”

Xu Qing was still lost in thought when Er Niu, whose aura and power had clearly surged, turned toward him with eyes burning even more wildly.

“Listen here, little A-Qing—I can feel it! In that direction… there’s a supreme treasure!!”

“This is destiny calling! A fated opportunity! I have a premonition—that treasure is waiting for me!”

“And this… is also my chance to break open several more seals!”

“When I’m done with this grand undertaking, little A-Qing—if you fancy absorbing goddesses, you won’t need outsiders to catch them for you. Your senior brother will personally go and snatch a few for you!”

“Forget goddesses—if you like godsons, I’ll grab those too!”

Er Niu spoke with arrogant pride.

What mattered most to him was the dignity of being the eldest disciple.

That dignity rested on two pillars: never being surpassed by a junior brother—and never allowing anyone, right before his eyes, to compete over who cared more for little A-Qing!

That, he simply could not tolerate.

“Let’s go!”

With those words, Er Niu blurred into motion, transforming into a long rainbow streak hurtling toward the distance.

Xu Qing smiled faintly and followed.

Though he knew well that within the Fourth Star Ring, the Immortal Sovereign now reigned supreme, and every Immortal Lord had descended—leaving no truly hidden or mysterious places anywhere except perhaps the site where the God Sovereign had originally departed. At most, there were only the so-called Forbidden Zones.

And the term “Forbidden Zone”—as Xu Qing’s cultivation deepened and his experience broadened—had taken on new meaning in his mind.

“Generally speaking, Forbidden Zones are shrouded in mystery, ancient in origin. Yet their clear separation from the outside world, coexisting for ages while remaining distinct—that very definition implies mutual danger.”

“To the present world, the Forbidden Zone is perilous; likewise, to the Forbidden Zone, the outside world is equally threatening.”

“Otherwise, its boundaries would not remain so rigidly confined.”

“Of course, exceptions exist… like Wanggu Continent. But within the Fourth Star Ring, such a place likely does not exist.”

“Still… since Senior Brother wishes to go, we might as well take a look.”

As he walked, Xu Qing’s gaze fixed ahead.

Thus, time flowed onward.

Months slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Though their destination wasn’t astronomically distant, the sheer scale of the star ring made the journey long indeed. Even utilizing hyper-range transmissions from multiple supply stars along the way, nearly four months passed before they finally glimpsed their target.

From afar, in the void of deep space, stretched an immense rift—a gash in the fabric of reality itself.

Like a wound across the cosmos, it extended endlessly, spanning multiple universes in length.

Thick mist swirled within the fissure, while crimson dust orbited its outer edges.

This was one of the Four Forbidden Lands of the Fourth Star Ring.

Since time immemorial, few who entered ever returned alive.

And not a single deity who perished here had ever come back.

Gazing upon the rift, Er Niu’s expression grew even more feverish.

During these months of travel, he had repeatedly witnessed Xu Qing’s towering status among local cultivators, seen countless powerful figures, and observed numerous clashes between cultivators and deities.

Moreover—on the road—two more goddesses had been delivered to Xu Qing.

All of this served as constant provocation, like whips lashing ceaselessly at Er Niu’s spirit, intensifying his madness.

The urge to accomplish something monumental swelled higher and higher within him.

Now, staring at the vast emptiness of the distant rift, Er Niu licked his lips and let out a low growl.

“That’s it!”

“Little A-Qing—I can feel it! There’s a treasure there… a GREAT treasure!!”

Xu Qing said nothing. His gaze pierced through the starry expanse, landing upon the colossal void rift, penetrating the crimson dust encircling it, delving deep into its heart.

Faintly, he seemed to glimpse an altar.

This sight stirred quiet contemplation within him, recalling information he’d gathered en route about the Four Forbidden Lands of the Fourth Star Ring.

“The place where the previous God Sovereign was sealed!”

“Imprisoned here eternally by the current God Sovereign of the Fourth Star Ring.”

“Bound further by the newly woven laws of the Fourth Star Ring—laws spun from the authority of Fate itself—cutting off any possibility of escape.”

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. The knowledge he’d acquired contained no details of cause or consequence.

Normally, a place sealing away a God Sovereign was precisely the sort of location Xu Qing would avoid.

But now…

He glanced at Er Niu.

“Besides… I came to the Fourth Star Ring seeking opportunity—to walk once more through the illusions of the God of Pain.”

“Though within the Illusion of the God of Suffering I had no memory of entering this place… yet all things are possible.”

At this thought, Xu Qing suddenly raised his hand and swept it forward.

With that single motion, an earth-shattering force erupted from his body, crashing downward like a divine hammer.

Instantly, the starry void beyond the abyssal rift shimmered as if turned to glass—and shattered in an instant.

Countless fragments scattered through the void.

The crimson haze enveloping the rift’s outer stars was likewise affected, peeling away as though forcibly stripped from reality itself.

Then Xu Qing lifted his outstretched right hand upward—and the shattered fragments of the cosmos began rearranging themselves anew.

In that process, the crimson mist was torn apart and wrenched aside, until before Xu Qing and Er Niu appeared a network of hollow passageways stretching in every direction.

“Senior Brother,” Xu Qing said, his voice low as he stared into the rift, “let’s go in—but it’s dangerous inside.”

Er Niu gazed at the mist-laced corridors, his mind flashing back to the moment Xu Qing had shattered and reassembled the very stars. He felt suddenly weary—yet also more fiercely determined than ever to grow stronger.

Without hesitation, he blurred forward—not charging ahead alone, but swiftly drawing close beside Xu Qing—and gave a firm nod.

“You go first.”

Er Niu wasn’t foolish. He knew well that any danger Xu Qing acknowledged must surely be fatal to him.

He might not fear death—but if he were to die, let it be from overeating, not from starving on the way to the feast.

Pride mattered, yes—but his junior brother wasn’t some stranger.

With that thought, Er Niu suddenly found his weariness lifting.

Xu Qing, hearing this, grew solemn. He stepped forward without another word, chose one of the passageways, and strode straight toward the rift.

Er Niu followed immediately.

Thus they moved together through the labyrinthine corridors. Though minor obstacles arose along the way, Xu Qing’s cultivation ensured their passage remained largely untroubled.

Several days later, they finally emerged beyond the last veil of crimson haze—and stood before the colossal rift itself!

There, Xu Qing’s pupils contracted sharply.

Through the mist within the fissure, his gaze pierced the gloom—and beheld another world.

In that world stood an unimaginably grand altar.

It was built from the piled bones of countless gods!

Among those divine remains, grotesque insectoid creatures crawled, their forms twisted and vile.

And atop that bone-wrought altar rested an enormous bronze coffin!

Innumerable divine chains, emerging from the void within the rift, bound the coffin tightly in place!

From both coffin and chains radiated an aura ancient beyond reckoning, primordial and majestic, steeped in unfathomable mystery—a presence that rippled across the cosmos, proclaiming to all living beings: This place… is forbidden!

Yet this forbidden realm held more than just altar, coffin, and chains. In another direction, a solitary figure stood.

It was no cultivator—but a god.

More precisely, a corpse.

The corpse of a god.

And only its upper half remained.

The moment Xu Qing recognized it, his eyes snapped wide, his mind reeling.

He had seen this being before!

“Li Zhu, Sovereign of Gods!”

Xu Qing’s heart trembled. From battle reports, he’d learned Li Zhu had fled gravely wounded—but never imagined finding him here… already dead!

Even as Xu Qing’s thoughts churned in turmoil, beside him Er Niu abruptly thrust his hand toward a spot deep within the rift’s mist. His expression wild with greed, he blurted out urgently:

“Little A-Qing! I can’t see clearly inside, but I can feel it—that direction holds something precious I need! Tell me, what’s there?”

Xu Qing opened his mouth, then closed it again. The direction Er Niu pointed to… was precisely where the corpse lay.

“What is it?” Er Niu pressed impatiently.

“That’s the corpse of a god,” Xu Qing said, turning to look at him.

“A god’s corpse? Not some great treasure, then? What realm was that god in?” Disappointment flickered in Er Niu’s eyes, though he still asked.

“Sovereign…” Xu Qing murmured softly.

The instant those two words left his lips, Er Niu’s body exploded into a blur—he shot straight into the mist, utterly frenzied.