Chapter 1320: Xu Qing's Strongest State So Far!

Chapter 1320: Xu Qing’s Strongest State Yet!

At this moment, Wanggu churned.

Heaven and earth changed color.

That divine river flowed across the firmament of Wanggu. The instant it manifested, boundless divine might erupted from within, crashing outward in all directions—shaking the minds of every living being across the entire continent of Wanggu into stunned silence.

Uncontrollably, all thoughts vanished from their consciousness, leaving only blankness—and an instinctive trembling of body and soul.

Even the gods were no exception. One by one, they bowed their heads at that very instant.

This was absolute domination on the level of life itself!

Moreover, infinite alien essences seeped forth from the vast divine river now revealed between heaven and earth, surging outward to flood all of Wanggu.

But all of this lasted only a fleeting moment.

For high above in the sky, the shattered visage of Shanghuang turned its head—ever so slightly.

And in the next heartbeat, the golden colossal eye within the river-formed illusion—terrifying all sentient beings—closed without hesitation.

It swiftly retracted ninety-nine percent of its aura.

Even as a Sovereign God, It dared not reveal more!

Nor did It dare send Its true form!

Not even Its divine consciousness dared descend too deeply—

only a single thread was permitted.

And through that sliver of divine will, at the precise moment the eye shut, a figure was delivered via that droplet of river water.

A hazy silhouette, entirely blue, appeared—and the instant it materialized, terrifying pressure exploded from its form.

Though this pressure paled beside that of the river’s eye, it was still astonishing. Yet… compared to the Sovereign God moments before, it held no interest whatsoever for the shattered visage.

Not even if the figure sent by the Mother River was a Lord God!

The moment It manifested, It coalesced into a colossal fist—without hesitation, almost urgently—and struck straight toward the Sword of Mortal Realm.

Upon impact, heaven and earth roared.

The Sword of Mortal Realm trembled violently, forced to recoil under the overwhelming, mountain-crushing force surging from that fist.

And that fist, after shuddering once, erupted outward with explosive might.

It formed a vast blue ocean, sweeping in all directions with inexhaustible power—tearing apart the void, cleaving space and time—all for one purpose: to block Xu Qing.

Moreover, once the sea born of Its divine might enveloped Xu Qing, this Lord God dispatched by the Mother River paid no further heed to the Sword of Mortal Realm, nor launched another strike against Xu Qing.

Instead, It retreated abruptly, seized the weakened Ancient Immortal, and shot straight toward the heavens.

Its speed was blinding, racing toward the edge of the firmament.

Its mission was clear: retrieve this pawn of the Mother River and return it home.

Beyond that, It desired nothing else.

It dared not fight excessively here, nor linger any longer than necessary.

Though It did not understand why the Mother River had assigned It this task.

After all, the pawn had already failed, severed its connection to Wanggu, and lost all value—yet the Mother River had taken immense risk, projecting even a sliver of Its divine will just to teleport It here,

commanding It to bring back that cultivator at all costs.

It knew not the reason, but could only obey.

For the will of the Mother River was beyond resistance—even though deep within Its being, primal fear stirred at this assignment.

“At least… the Mother River allowed me to come with only thirty percent of my essence.”

As these thoughts flickered through Its mind, It had already reached the edge of the firmament, carrying the Ancient Immortal.

During this flight, It cast a glance toward the shattered visage of Shanghuang.

Just one glance—and Its divine soul trembled uncontrollably.

So It accelerated further, harnessing the power of the Mother River to instantly break free from Wanggu’s seals and vanish into the starry void,

racing away at full speed!

It wished not to remain in this dreadful Wanggu—not even for a single breath.

Not even to draw near.

“As long as I leave Wanggu’s domain, the Mother River can directly summon me back…”

Though this account seems lengthy, in truth everything unfolded in the blink of an eye.

The very instant the Lord God sent by the Mother River fled into the stars, Xu Qing unleashed his Constitutional Law upon the firmament of Wanggu.

The surrounding divine sea disintegrated instantly—shattering into fragments, then droplets, finally dissolving into mist that scattered in all directions.

Amidst the thinning haze, Xu Qing stood suspended in midair, gazing upward toward the heavens.

All the thoughts swirling within him now coalesced into perfect clarity.

On his journey back, he had encountered unknown enemies. Had he not been thoroughly prepared, his safe return would have been nearly impossible.

And this encounter had filled Xu Qing with endless questions.

Though those adversaries along the way had concealed their traces well, Xu Qing’s intuition still caught glimpses of the truth.

Thus, upon descending into Wanggu, he did not engage the Ancient Immortal in prolonged magical combat—but waged instead a battle of Constitutional Dao.

His aims were twofold: first, to push his opponent to utter extremity, forcing him to sever his karmic ties with Wanggu, thereby cutting off all future connection between them;

second, to test whether some higher power lurked behind his foe.

This probing stemmed directly from the ambush during his return.

The unknown enemy’s intent had clearly been to kill him—and when that proved impossible, they switched tactics to delay.

Piecing this together, Xu Qing harbored grave suspicion: the calamity befalling Wanggu was almost certainly not merely the doing of an Ancient Immortal’s descent.

If there truly was a hidden hand behind it all, failing to pinpoint its source would invite far greater dangers in the uncertain future.

Hence arose the series of Dao-clashes that preceded.

Until that pivotal instant—when the Ancient Immortal severed his merit, lost his immortal seat, and faced death—Xu Qing finally sensed the faint ripple emanating from behind his enemy.

Thus, without hesitation, the Sword of Mortal Realm struck.

And at last, that droplet of river water was revealed!

These thoughts flashed through Xu Qing’s mind, crystallizing into an even sharper glacial light in his eyes.

“So… it was you!”

Previously, his suspicions had narrowed the culprit to one of the Sovereign Gods of the Ninth Star Ring—but he hadn’t known which.

Now, the origin was unmistakable.

“And though you sent a Lord God… it was merely a fragment of your essence…”

Xu Qing lifted his gaze toward the starry expanse. His body blurred—and in the next breath, transformed into a silver comet, roaring toward the heavens.

His speed was such that he reached the edge of the firmament in an instant—and his calm voice now echoed throughout all of Wanggu.

“Divine Body, return!”

His words shook the world, thundering across the eight directions, echoing like countless celestial bolts of lightning—resounding, shattering, exploding without cease…

Within Fenghai Commandery, beneath the earth in the subterranean palace, just outside the Phoenix Hall—

A figure sat cross-legged, eyes unopened until this very instant. In that sliver of time, his eyes snapped wide!

Golden radiance—the very essence of divinity—burst forth from those opened eyes, flooding outward in all directions.

It was none other than Xu Qing’s Divine Body!

An overwhelming divine might erupted heavenward. Expressionless, the Divine Body rose abruptly, transforming into a brilliant golden arc of light that shot forth like a comet!

It tore through the underground palace, burst from the earth, and streaked toward the heavens—amidst the stunned gazes of countless cultivators within Fenghai Commandery!

From two distant places, golden and silver lights ascended simultaneously—until, before the awestruck eyes of every mighty being in Wanggu, they converged at the farthest edge of the sky.

Without hesitation, the two streams merged… as one!

Gold and silver intertwined in an instant!

Light surged like an ocean, flooding the firmament.

And within that fusion, a divine core emerged—

The Core of Fate!

With the Core of Fate as its power source, amplifying the Divine Body, mortal immortality and divine essence fused into one—completely, irrevocably!

They shattered the heavens themselves and appeared beyond Wanggu, amidst the starry void!

Becoming… a singular, extraordinary, and transcendent form!

A divine frame inscribed with myriad authorities of godhood—woven together, centered upon the Core of Fate!

From his soul emanated the aura of Xia the Immortal, swirling around his form, manifesting as threads of Celestial Law. Within each thread lay space and time, parallel realms, and ultimate unity!

Reflected in his eyes: the left shimmered with flowing silver brilliance, the right blazed with golden glory!

Complemented by long hair like a river of violet stars…

The majesty of a Sovereign of Gods shook the eight directions.

The pressure of a Lord of Immortals saturated all space and time.

Thus was born this earth-shattering, heaven-rending Immortal-God—drawing the gaze of every supreme existence within the Ninth Stellar Ring!

This… was Xu Qing’s true peak state!

“You cannot escape!”

In the starry void, Xu Qing—now fused as Immortal and God—slowly turned his head. His golden-silver eyes gazed across the cosmos, fixing upon the direction in which the Sovereign of Gods had fled.

He took one step—and pursued!