Chapter 1340: Starlight Blooms, Two Suns Rise in the Sky!

Chapter 1340: The Starlight Blooms, Two Suns In The Sky!

The dying rays of the setting sun spilled over the Mountain of Morning Glow.

On this peak, which decades ago had lost its dawn-light only to have it gleam anew through these past decades, the colors of the spectrum now rippled and mixed in the evening luster.

They also slowly drew a line of separation between two distinct silhouettes.

Beyond the iridescent glow, Xu Qing walked further and further away.

Within the iridescent glow, Zi Xuan gazed into the distant horizon.

"He was right, that mysterious brother of his has indeed waited for him for a very long time."

Upon the Mountain of Morning Glow, amid a ripple in the void beside Zi Xuan, Seventh Master slowly stepped forth, joining his gaze with hers toward the distance.

"That is the battle of destiny between them, and according to my previous observations outside the Devouring Heaven Great Domain, his brother has already reached the absolute limit of his waiting."

"Therefore, all we need to do is to guard this place well."

Seventh Master's voice reverberated, and Zi Xuan gave a gentle nod.

Meanwhile, outside the Mountain of Morning Glow, Zhou Zhengli, Xing Huanzi, Xie Lingzi, and the others sat cross-legged in a ring around the mountain body, each meditating to bring their condition and cultivation base to their absolute pinnacle.

They waited in silence!

...

Time flowed by, and three days passed.

To travel to the Devouring Heaven Great Domain, Xu Qing could actually have done so in a single step, yet on this journey he walked very slowly.

As he walked, he gazed at the heavens and earth of Wanggu, watched everything within Wanggu, and also recalled his own childhood.

Along this path, he thought of many things; whether it was the trials of his youth or the already blurred figures of his parents, all of it rose within the sea of his mind as he journeyed forward.

Naturally, these recollections included his brother.

It was not until the third day, at the same twilight hour as when he left the Mountain of Morning Glow, that Xu Qing arrived at the northern border of the Devouring Heaven Great Domain amid the residual glow of the setting sun.

Before him lay a black mountain range that stretched across an endless expanse.

Standing upon the range, the celestial winds blew past; Xu Qing faced the wind and looked out into the distance.

Visible on this side of the mountain range, black mists surged and churned, enshrouding the heavens and earth and severing everything from the world.

This fog permeated the entirety of the Devouring Heaven Great Domain, and from within it, shrill and agonizing cries occasionally echoed, as though countless demons and monsters existed there, striking a chilling terror into the heart while radiating a deep cowardice from the soul.

Furthermore, a peerlessly rich and dense anomaly permeated this side of the mountain range, filling the entire Devouring Heaven Great Domain.

Its intensity had already surpassed that of the Huangtian World which Xu Qing had previously visited.

Moreover, the anomaly here was filled with a vibrant activity, as if it possessed life itself, ready at any moment to choose and devour a person.

The feeling it gave Xu Qing was remarkably similar to Wushuang City and the Primordial City when they were gazed upon by the opening eye of the Fragmented Face.

"There, mortals exist who have been invaded by divine breath, and it has also given birth to countless eerie phenomena."

A low, deep voice drifted from behind Xu Qing.

The figure of Yu Liuchen stepped out from the void, arriving beside Xu Qing and offering a deep bow.

"Greetings, Immortal Master."

Xu Qing turned his head to look at Yu Liuchen; he felt no surprise at this god's appearance here. On this journey, he had not hidden his tracks but had instead manifested himself before the world, and he had long known that the other's ascension was inextricably linked to himself.

"I am no Immortal Master."

Xu Qing shook his head.

Yu Liuchen likewise shook his head.

"You are not the Immortal Master, yet you surpass the Immortal Master; there is no great difference."

Xu Qing said no more and withdrew his gaze, continuing to look toward the Devouring Heaven Great Domain.

And Yu Liuchen's voice continued to echo.

"Wherever gods exist, eerie phenomena must also dwell."

"Mortals and even many cultivators do not understand, believing that the eerie phenomena are the companion existences of the gods, and even many gods themselves think this way, but in truth... the Immortal Master should have perceived..."

"Eerie phenomena are not the companion existences of gods."

"To a certain extent, they can even be said to be a curse upon the gods!"

Listening to Yu Liuchen's words, Xu Qing spoke flatly.

"Are you referring to the Eerie Realm."

Hearing this, a golden light flared within Yu Liuchen's eyes.

"The eerie existed before the gods, was destroyed because of the gods, and thus transformed into a curse, following them like a shadow, coexisting with the gods."

"Therefore... those gods above the Divine Platform, They do not possess..."

Just as Yu Liuchen spoke up to this point, his body suddenly shuddered violently as if struck by a backlash, and he directly coughed up a large mouthful of golden blood.

"The ascending rules do not permit me to speak this answer; this is an answer that has influenced the cognition of all living beings in the upper realms, and I am only able to glimpse a part of it due to the unique nature of my divine authority..."

Yu Liuchen wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked toward Xu Qing.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, and with a wave of his raised right hand, the intent of his constitutional law instantly spread out, enveloping this locality, before he looked back at Yu Liuchen.

"You can try to continue speaking."

Yu Liuchen sensed the external environment, then took a deep breath, letting out a low voice.

"Think carefully about the gods you have encountered in this life; so long as They are at the level of the Divine Platform and above, is it true that... none of Them possess a shadow."

The moment Yu Liuchen's words left his mouth, a strange light flared within Xu Qing's eyes.

"Because the shadow is the vessel of the Eerie Realm, and at the same time, it is the curse upon the gods."

"This cognition has been influenced by the ascending rules, causing all living beings to pay it no heed."

After finishing these few sentences, Yu Liuchen was drenched in sweat from head to toe, his body trembling unceasingly.

Xu Qing fell into deep thought as he recalled the gods at the Divine Platform and above whom he had seen in this life; indeed, without exception, none of them possessed a shadow, yet prior to this, he had strangely never paid any attention to the matter.

"Interesting..."

Xu Qing spoke calmly.

"Then what is your reason for coming here to tell me this?"

Yu Liuchen looked at Xu Qing and bowed deeply once more.

"Immortal Master, I guessed that you would come to this Devouring Heaven Great Domain, so during these past decades, I have told three hundred and seventy thousand stories targeted at this place..."

"But without exception, the concept of every single story was mysteriously substituted in the process of being told, rendering me unable to complete the ending of the stories."

"This place has a high probability of being connected to the Eerie Realm. Immortal Master, your brother... his identity might not be limited to just a single hidden layer..."

Xu Qing gazed intently at Yu Liuchen, and after a long silence, he gave a nod.

Yu Liuchen let out a sigh of relief; His purpose in coming here was precisely to inform Xu Qing of these things.

Having spoken his piece, He tarried no longer, stepping backward as His body gradually dissipated into the heavens and earth.

Only a single blessing echoed in Xu Qing’s ears.

“May your journey be smooth; may your heart’s desire guide your steps wherever they lead.”

Atop the mountain, the wind grew stronger at that very moment. Amidst its mournful howl, Xu Qing murmured softly,

“Heart’s desire guiding steps wherever they lead…”

After a few breaths, he lifted his foot and stepped forward—into the black mist-shrouded Devouring Heaven Domain.

The instant he appeared, he was already within the borders of that domain.

Within… the Purple-Blue Supreme Kingdom!

The moment he materialized, the earth thundered!

The endless black miasma blanketing the Devouring Heaven Domain churned violently, as if transformed into a raging sea.

Each crashing wave reverberated with ghastly cries—shrill, piercing, unbearable.

An intense repulsion surged toward Xu Qing, as though desperate to expel him!

Countless frigid currents seeped from within the fog, brimming with malice and madness, swiftly converging upon him.

Yet Xu Qing stood expressionless amid the mist. He raised his right foot and stamped down upon the ground.

It was as if ten thousand heavenly thunders detonated across the realm.

Amid the deafening roar, a unique aura of destiny erupted from Xu Qing—towering, overwhelming—and coalesced above his head into half an imperial crown.

Invisible waves of authority radiated outward, pressing down upon all directions.

That peculiar fortune… shared the same origin as the Purple-Blue Supreme Kingdom!

Wherever it passed, the fog recoiled, revealing beneath it a decayed land and a desolate world.

Even the countless malicious, icy presences within the mist froze abruptly—then melted away in an instant. The chill vanished entirely, and even the kingdom’s hostility reversed, transforming into jubilant welcome!

For the very essence forming the half-crown above Xu Qing’s head was none other than the fate-energy of the Purple-Blue Supreme Kingdom itself!

Long ago, during the incomplete phase of Crown Prince Zi Qing’s grand scheme, Seventh Master had resurrected Xu Qing—and taken half of that fate-energy for him!

Now, that half had returned.

Like a half-emperor returning home.

Thus, the Purple-Blue Supreme Kingdom—having replaced the Devouring Heaven Domain and reemerged from ancient times—erupted into boundless turbulence. The black mist roiled as fiercely as on the day the kingdom first descended.

Amid this nationwide clamor, Xu Qing took his second step deeper into the Purple-Blue Supreme Kingdom.

With that stride, he crossed vast distances—and appeared directly within the capital city of the kingdom!

Before him lay the capital, utterly submerged in fog and alien corruption, along with its people—the subjects of the Purple-Blue Supreme Kingdom.

The city resembled layered ink-wash paintings: indistinct, yet faintly betraying an archaic style. And so too were its people.

Their forms appeared as if brushed onto paper—each figure rendered in flowing strokes of ink, regardless of age, gender, or station.

Xu Qing’s arrival was like a drop of vivid color falling into monochrome ink—rendering everything startlingly clear, drawing the gaze of countless citizens.

Those gazes held hatred, madness—but also confusion.

They seemed eager to pounce, yet the very fate-energy of the Purple-Blue Supreme Kingdom compelled these spirit-born denizens to bow their heads.

All of this met Xu Qing’s eyes.

He remained silent, then turned his gaze away, fixing it upon the distant imperial palace—and took his third step.

When his foot landed, he stood already at the heart of the capital… within the Purple-Blue Imperial Palace!

Before him stretched a pitch-black plaza, leading to the great hall.

Directly ahead loomed a colossal, sacred statue—

The only statue in this world of Shang Huang’s Fragmented Visage!

Though clearly lifeless, the statue emanated crushing authority, rendering the entire palace utterly silent.

Behind the statue stood the open doors of the main hall.

Inside sat a man upon the Dragon Throne—

Crowned in imperial regalia, draped in dragon robes, his violet hair cascading over shoulders, his features breathtakingly handsome yet steeped in eerie malevolence.

It was none other than… Crown Prince Zi Qing!

At that moment, he rested his chin upon one hand, gazing at Xu Qing standing in the outer plaza.

Slowly, a gentle smile spread across his sinisterly charming face.

His voice, soft and tender, drifted through the uncanny air, echoing gently in the charged atmosphere:

“No wonder you’re my little brother—you’re just as clever as when we were children.”

“You didn’t appear before me in your strongest Celestial-God Fusion Form, nor did you bring your divine body into our capital.”

“But none of that matters. What matters is… little brother, you’ve finally come.”