Chapter 1325: Let Wang Gu Be a Little Cleaner

Chapter 1325: Make Wanggu Cleaner

At this moment—when the human cultivators were stirred with fervor and the myriad races of Wanggu brimmed with exhilaration—Xu Qing stood in the firmament above the imperial capital of humanity, gazing distantly toward the Swallowing Heaven Domain.

He lifted his right foot slightly—but did not let it fall.

Earlier, for the briefest instant, his divine consciousness had brushed against Prince Zi Qing within the Swallowing Heaven Domain, igniting a fierce impulse deep within him.

To stride into Swallowing Heaven. To march upon the Zi Qing Upper Kingdom. To confront his elder brother from memory—the Zi Qing Crown Prince—and settle all karmic debts once and for all.

Yet in the end, Xu Qing withdrew his step.

"Not yet time…"

His eyes lowered faintly. He knew well that his current state could not endure.

The fusion of immortal and divine essence had merely granted him this terrifying condition temporarily.

Soon enough, his divine body and immortal soul would begin to resist coexistence.

When that moment came, separation would be unavoidable—or else his soul would face assimilation.

Moreover, Xu Qing understood clearly: this fusion lacked certain essential, supreme rites, rendering it imperfect.

Most crucially… Shang Huang still existed.

His divine body was forged from Shang Huang’s flesh; even the origin of his divine core traced back to Shang Huang.

Thus, short-term fusion with his immortal soul was manageable—but prolonged union would inevitably lead to assimilation, another thread in the karmic web binding him to Shang Huang.

"Once such assimilation begins," he murmured, "it cannot be reversed."

"Therefore… though this fused form elevates my cultivation realm and combat prowess, I must not wield it deeply."

"Until this issue is resolved, confronting Zi Qing would be unwise."

Xu Qing turned his gaze away. Even now, at the height of his power, he held not an ounce of contempt for Zi Qing in his heart.

On the contrary—his growing strength and experience had only sharpened his perception, revealing deeper truths.

"Zi Qing is Shang Huang’s chosen one—the vessel through whom He walks Wanggu."

"But what entanglement truly binds us? And why has he waited for me to grow?"

Looking back now, Xu Qing discerned many clues and subtle signs.

Why had Crown Prince Zi Qing repeatedly provoked him?

Why, during the Empress’s ascension to godhood, had he so smoothly absorbed the returning fortune of the Zi Qing Upper Kingdom? Though his master had aided him, without proper foundation, such fortune would have slipped through his grasp.

So why was his very foundation tied to the Zi Qing Upper Kingdom?

And why did his capacity to bear Shang Huang’s flesh and karma seem… unusually high?

His doubts concerning the Zi Qing Upper Kingdom—and Zi Qing himself—had multiplied with every step of his growth, never diminishing.

Especially… one suspicion buried deep within his heart, which he deliberately avoided examining too closely.

"What is the true connection between Shang Huang, Zi Qing, and me?"

Xu Qing recalled the corridor within his soul—and the mysterious throne at its far end.

He remembered Zi Qing Crown Prince’s strange reaction upon sensing that scene years ago.

"Everything draws near…" he whispered. "Soon—very soon—when I step into Swallowing Heaven, all shall be revealed!"

Drawing a deep breath, Xu Qing steeled his resolve.

He suppressed thoughts of Zi Qing and redirected his gaze across the continent of Wanggu. Certain matters required resolution before their fated clash.

"Wanggu has just endured a great calamity. Stability is needed."

"But foreign powers abound… So while this fused state still holds—for a few more hours—I shall uproot them one by one, severing the schemes they’ve woven across Wanggu for centuries."

"To make Wanggu… cleaner."

A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing’s eyes as he fixed his sight on Fenghai Prefecture—and beyond it, the Wood Spirit Clan.

His first target for cleansing: the Ancient Spirit Sovereign!

An emperor of the Ancient Spirit Race who, in an era even older than Xuan You’s, once unified the entire Wanggu continent.

That such a being still clung to existence defied belief—Xu Qing refused to accept he lacked backing from otherworldly forces!

"If there is support—cut it off!"

"And if not… the Ancient Spirit Sovereign’s mere presence threatens Wanggu’s stability."

With this thought, Xu Qing bowed respectfully toward Seventh Elder in the heavens, then swept his gaze over the Empress, Er Niu, and the others.

"Wait a moment. I must attend to certain affairs first."

Raising his head, his eyes hardened with icy resolve as he spoke softly yet clearly:

"Zhou Zhengli!"

Nearby, Zhou Zhengli—who had been intently observing Xu Qing’s every move—immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"My Lord!"

"You will accompany me."

No sooner had Xu Qing spoken than he took a single step downward. Ripples spread through the sky as he vanished via spatial shift.

Zhou Zhengli, Xing Huanzi, Xie Lingzi, Li Mengtu, Yuan Shan Su, and the others swiftly followed, leaping after him.

To cultivators of their caliber, the vast expanse of Wanggu—seemingly infinite to lesser beings—was but a slightly larger star.

In an instant, thunder roared above the skies of the Wood Spirit Clan outside Fenghai Prefecture.

As explosive booms shattered the air in all directions, the heavens parted open.

The Wood Spirit Clan trembled. Every tree awakened, transforming into humanoid forms. Amidst their trembling prostrations led by their chieftain, Xu Qing emerged from the rift in the sky.

Behind him stood Zhou Zhengli and the others.

Without pause, Xu Qing took another step—and in a flash, appeared before the entrance to the Spirit Abyss, deep beneath the Wood Spirit Clan’s territory.

The entrance to the Spirit Abyss was a colossal pit, like a celestial sinkhole—pitch black within, exhaling waves of frigid energy that seemed capable of freezing all things solid.

This was not Xu Qing’s first visit. Now standing at the edge of the abyss, he gazed downward.

Beside him, Zhou Zhengli and the others advanced as well. Zhou Zhengli’s third eye on his forehead snapped open, peering intently before suddenly declaring:

"My Lord—below lies a rotting, writhing serpent!"

Xing Huanzi also scanned the depths, his voice calm as he added:

"The laws of order within have utterly collapsed."

"And poison lingers…" Li Mengtu smiled faintly.

"Not only that," Xie Lingzi licked his lips, eyes gleaming. "My sword tells me… there is malevolence below."

Zhou Zhengli turned to Xu Qing. "My Lord—where does this place truly lead?"

“In the ancient continent of Wanggu, before the Desolation descended upon the world, there once existed a race that unified heaven and earth—this race was known as the Gu-Ling.”

Xu Qing spoke slowly.

“Their Sovereign Spirit Emperor cultivated to the realm of Immortal. In the final years of his dynasty, he gathered the strength of his entire clan, amassed their collective fortune, and sought to perform an act tied to the Heavenly Dao itself.”

“He intended to seize the Heavenly Dao through his own being—to become the sole Heavenly Dao of Wanggu.”

“Looking back now, his aim was to merge all the laws of Wanggu into himself, thereby ascending the path of cultivation and becoming an Immortal Sovereign!”

As Xu Qing spoke, he lifted his foot and stepped directly into the Spirit Abyss.

Zhou Zhengli and the others immediately followed. Xu Qing’s voice echoed around them within the churning darkness of the abyss.

“In the end, the Spirit Emperor failed in his attempt at possession. He suffered backlash from every Heavenly Dao of Wanggu. Yet clearly, he chose to have his people share his burden—and overnight, the Gu-Ling clan withered away. Their nation transformed into a dead realm, and most of its people became tormented souls, wailing ceaselessly day and night.”

“They endure eternally the agony inflicted upon the Gu-Ling Emperor by the Heavenly Dao’s retribution.”

“This Spirit Abyss of the Wood-Spirit Clan is one of the entrances leading to the dead kingdom of the Gu-Ling.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengli and the others were deeply shaken.

Their cultivation had only reached the quasi-Immortal stage. From Xu Qing’s words, it was evident that this ancient Spirit Emperor had once truly attained Immortality. Moreover, such a method of seizing the Heavenly Dao to absorb its laws was indeed rumored within the Fifth Star Ring—

though it remained a rare path to Immortality compared to comprehending the Celestial Edicts.

It bore too many drawbacks.

Yet… to ascend as an Immortal Sovereign through this very method? Even within the Fifth Star Ring, such a notion bordered on the inconceivable.

“This Spirit Emperor…”

Xing Huanzi began to speak, but ultimately shook his head. Regardless of all else, the man had once reached the Immortal Realm—he deserved respect.

Xu Qing merely offered this brief explanation before falling silent again, striding forward through the Spirit Abyss.

Though the abyss naturally repelled intruders with relentless force—fierce and unyielding—it amounted to less than a breeze before Xu Qing.

In but an instant, he had already plunged deep into its heart.

Amidst the darkness, he stood before a colossal entity!

It was a rotting giant serpent, wreathed in thick waves of deathly aura.

Upon its head rested an entire world.

That world appeared blurred and indistinct, yet from within it emanated endless cries of anguish—heart-wrenching shrieks that pierced through the void and mist, reaching the ears of Xu Qing and his companions.

Once, this serpent had seemed boundless and overwhelming in Xu Qing’s eyes; even its mere pressure had caused his body and soul to tremble.

But now, everything had reversed.

Standing in the void, Xu Qing cast his gaze upon it.

At that single glance, the decaying serpent shuddered violently—its entire frame quaking, even beginning to retreat in terror, desperate to flee.

But Xing Huanzi’s eyes flashed with cold light. In a burst of motion, he shot forth straight toward the serpent.

Zhou Zhengli and the others likewise advanced without hesitation. In an instant, everyone except Xu Qing surged toward the monstrous beast.

Like meteors, they crashed down onto the rotting earth of that vast world!

Thunderous booms reverberated throughout the realm, unleashing storms that swept across all directions, instantly shattering countless wandering souls.

Even the sky—shrouded in mist, devoid of sun or moon, lit only by ghostly flames like stars—was torn asunder in that very moment.

The next instant, amidst the hazy, ghastly starlight that bathed heaven and earth, Xing Huanzi and the others reappeared in flashes of movement, revealing their full might like celestial generals charging across the battlefield.

Wherever they passed, rivers of the underworld reversed course, mountains of flesh crumbled into dust, and the entire world trembled beneath their onslaught.

And in that same instant, countless eyes belonging to the Gu-Ling Emperor snapped open all at once.

Having slumbered for eons, they were now startled awake—and roared in fury:

“You…!”

But the roar halted abruptly after only two syllables.

Those newly opened eyes suddenly contracted.

They had sensed the figure standing in the outer void—the one with long hair flowing freely in the wind!

A terror unlike any they had ever known surged within their minds like a tempestuous tide, mingled with disbelief so profound it defied comprehension. This storm of emotion flooded every awakened eye, intensifying to unbearable depths.

“You… you are…”

Outside the great serpent, Xu Qing stood unmoved. He did not immediately look toward those awakened eyes within the serpent’s world. Instead, his gaze fixed upon the farthest reaches of the pitch-black mist ahead.

Staring into that direction, the chill in his eyes deepened further.

Then, withdrawing his gaze, he turned toward the decaying world perched atop the serpent’s head.

Calmly, he spoke:

“It’s been a long time, Gu-Ling Emperor.”