Chapter 305: Guiyou Dao Seizure

Chapter 305: Mysterious Nether Dao Seizing

Looking at Xu Qing, whose face remained calm and heart unwavering as he naturally declared his intention to study at a Poison Dao sect, Seventh Elder grew even more appreciative, and with a laugh, he nodded.

"Of course there is. Come, your master will take you there." With that, Seventh Elder led Xu Qing away from this sect.

In the sky, without needing to be told, Xu Qing turned solemnly and bowed once toward the sect below.

Seventh Elder was even more satisfied; after returning the bow, he took Xu Qing aboard the Dharma vessel.

As for Ding Xue, she was still cultivating. Her talent seemed somewhat ordinary, so even with the aid of the Soul Pearl, opening the Dharma apertures proved no small challenge.

Time passed slowly amid Xu Qing's and Seventh Elder's studies. A month later, as the Dharma vessel delved deeper into the western region of Yinghuang Prefecture, and Seventh Elder's creation of the cultivation method tailored for Xu Qing reached completion, this period of learning came to an end.

Xu Qing had gained immensely in the art of plants and herbs, which also greatly aided his Poison Dao. Especially the several Poison Dao evil sects they visited along the way, whose poison tomes had left a significant impact on Xu Qing.

The technique of planting poison, for instance, was one such method. It turned flesh and blood into a cauldron, using bloodline as a curse to brew deadly toxins.

Yet none of this was the focus for Xu Qing at this moment. His eyes burned with intensity as he gazed at the black orb rising from Seventh Elder's palm.

This orb was composed of countless runes, brimming with terrifying fluctuations. Strangest of all, a single glance felt like an endless stream of information flooding into the mind through the eyes.

"Fourth disciple, give me the Mysterious Nether Heart of that girl Sima Ru." Seventh Elder spoke solemnly, his tone grave.

Xu Qing's eyes sharpened. He recalled that his master had once told him that heart would serve a great purpose. Immediately, he retrieved Sima Ru's Mysterious Nether Heart from his storage pouch and handed it to Seventh Elder.

Seventh Elder waved his sleeve, merging the heart into the black orb. The orb instantly seethed, as if alive, emitting a series of spine-chilling roars.

"Fourth disciple, the cultivation method your master has crafted for you is entirely based on your unique traits. It will form a brand within your mind."

"This method of inheritance is something I have uniquely devised, drawing from Imperial-level techniques!" As he spoke, the black orb in Seventh Elder's hand ceased its roaring, transforming into a mass of black liquid. With a gesture, Seventh Elder sent it drifting toward Xu Qing.

"Raise your head!" Seventh Elder's voice echoed. Xu Qing looked up at the approaching black liquid.

The next moment, the liquid touched his brow. A piercing pain erupted as the liquid seeped into his skin, merging with his bones, gradually dissipating as it penetrated deeper, ultimately gathering in his divine sense as strands of strange force. These strands intertwined, forming a black mark!

As the mark appeared, Xu Qing's mind roared with thunder, his body trembling as if engulfed by towering waves. He felt like a solitary boat tossed upon a raging sea.

Moreover, this mark was not lifeless—it pulsed!

Like a heart, its rhythm synchronized with the beating of his own heart.

As the thumping sounds echoed, a torrent of information burst forth from the runic mark, flooding Xu Qing's sea of consciousness. His eyes instinctively closed as he immersed himself in comprehension.

Meanwhile, within his sea of consciousness, Seventh Elder's voice resonated, carrying a tone of aged pride.

"Fourth disciple, every one of your master's disciples follows a unique cultivation method, each one personally researched and tailored by me!"

"For your Golden Core method, I studied hundreds of Golden Core techniques based on the Mysterious Nether Heart, especially those passed down from the Mysterious Nether Ancient Emperor, and ultimately created this."

"This method is supremely dominant, matching your offensive aura; it is insidiously venomous, matching your fighting style; it is utterly ruthless, matching your killing nature."

"Its name is… the Mysterious Nether Dao-Seizing Art!"

"This art can transform one of your hands from solid to void, turning it into a Mysterious Nether Hand. With this hand, you can directly reach into an opponent's soul, sea of consciousness, and celestial palace, seizing their Golden Core from that celestial palace."

"Then, refine it, keeping its essence, and nurture it within your own celestial palace. By accumulating such seizures, you can accelerate the formation of your own Golden Core!"

"This way, once you enter the Golden Core realm, you will grow stronger with each battle, stronger with each kill!"

"Your path forward is to cultivate through slaughter, to prove your way through blood!"

"And when you reach the pinnacle, your entire body can assume the Mysterious Nether state, gaining some traits of the Mysterious Nether race. Though the art of possession and immortality is their innate talent and hard to acquire, you will still be able to ignore certain magical techniques and shift between solid and void forms!"

Seventh Elder's words, each like a thunderclap, boomed in Xu Qing's mind. At the same time, the runic mark burst into brilliant radiance, unleashing a flood of information about the Mysterious Nether Dao-Seizing Art into his consciousness.

Just like when he had learned the Imperial-level art, the Golden Crow Devouring Ten Thousand Spirits, it was directly imprinted into his mind.

The mark, like a seed of inheritance, gave this cultivation method a certain immunity to theft—though not as strong as an Imperial-level technique, it was still enough to astonish.

Xu Qing's closed eyes snapped open. His breathing quickened as he looked at Seventh Elder, a fierce light in his gaze. After a long moment, he rose, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Master!"

After sensing this method, Xu Qing fully realized its terrifying power. Especially how perfectly it suited him, requiring no change in his combat style; instead, it represented a qualitative transformation along his existing path.

Once he stepped into the Golden Core realm, he would immediately master this art.

It was now late at night. The wind from the sky lifted Seventh Elder's white hair as he stood there, gazing at Xu Qing with a faint smile.

"Don't be too happy too soon. This method is too dominant; cultivation can easily lead to losing yourself. The divine thoughts contained in the many Golden Cores you seize will scatter your mind, turning you into a madman driven solely by slaughter."

"Thus, to practice this art, you need a fulcrum to support your soul, so that the various distracting thoughts from the Golden Cores you seize can never shake you."

"So, next, I will take you to a place I once mentioned to you—the Southern Peak Ghost Mountain!" Seventh Elder spoke calmly.

Xu Qing immediately recalled the map his master had drawn when he had sought to learn techniques, the human-shaped pattern representing Southern Peak Ghost Mountain.

At that time, his master had said that Southern Peak Ghost Mountain might be a place of fortune for him.

Now, he understood—what his master had spoken of then was this very matter.

Back then, Seventh Elder had already begun pondering Xu Qing's cultivation method. Realizing this, Xu Qing felt even deeper gratitude.

"Let's go. We're heading to Southern Peak Ghost Mountain, to plant a god in your heart!"

Seventh Elder's words were laden with meaning. Before Xu Qing could ask, he flicked his sleeve, and the Dharma vessel roared, speeding toward Southern Peak Ghost Mountain. Their current location, already in the western region, was not far from it.

Along the way, Ding Xue awoke.

She had finally opened thirty Dharma apertures and successfully ignited a mass of Life Fire. Excitedly, she activated her Radiant State on the vessel, repeatedly experiencing the speed and explosive power far beyond her previous limits.

Watching Ding Xue, Xu Qing felt a pang of emotion. He recalled the difficulty of igniting his own first Life Fire. Especially when he saw Seventh Elder looking at Ding Xue with deep affection, even handing her another Soul Pearl, Xu Qing fell silent.

He now understood the feeling the team leader had once experienced.

"Raise a girl with riches, a boy with hardships!" Seventh Elder glanced at Xu Qing.

Ding Xue, hearing this, covered her mouth and laughed, taking out some small boxes of pastries. She respectfully offered one to Seventh Elder, who was delighted. Then, she secretly handed a larger pastry to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing accepted it, looking at Seventh Elder.

Seventh Elder glared at him.

Xu Qing said nothing, took a bite, then closed his eyes to meditate, feeling the cultivation method while contemplating the matter of his one hundred and twenty-one Dharma apertures.

Perhaps because Seventh Elder was present, Ding Xue was noticeably more restrained. She didn't hand Xu Qing spirit notes or ask questions as she used to, but instead acted lively, filling the vessel with her clear, lark-like laughter and Seventh Elder's cheerful chuckles.

But as they neared Southern Peak Ghost Mountain, Ding Xue grew quieter, and Seventh Elder's laughter slowly faded. For here, the land was steeped in desolation.

The ground was littered with ruins and decay, skeletons and carrion-eating birds and beasts everywhere. The place was thick with eerie gloom, an ever-growing sense of cold menace.

The suffering of the mortal world, laden with oppression, permeated the heaven and earth, seeping into the Dharma vessel that flew into this region. Then, from afar, Xu Qing saw a mountain of earth-shattering proportions.

That mountain was supremely lofty, standing between heaven and earth. Looking closely, one could see that it was actually the shape of a person seated in meditation!

Dust and soil obscured its features, but it still exuded a fierce, menacing air. It wore black armor, held a giant blade, and bore two worlds upon its shoulders.

It was like the spirit of a demon god, seated in the distance.

Just one glance sent Xu Qing's mind reeling. He saw the mountain not as a mountain but as that seated ghostly form, its presence thundering, swallowing the ages.

The higher one's cultivation, the deeper the impression; ordinary mortals would see only a mountain, none of the heart-shaking tumult.

In Xu Qing's eyes, the figure radiated a terrifying pressure, so extreme that every inch of its armor seemed to contain the power to annihilate all directions.

And the two worlds on its shoulders were vivid and lifelike, filled with countless demons, monsters, and evil spirits. Their malevolent aura surged skyward, shocking to behold.

This was the Southern Peak Ghost Mountain of Yinghuang Prefecture.

The spirit of that evil god was also known as the Ghost Emperor of the Southern Peak. His two shoulders bore entire worlds, once glorious beyond measure, though now they housed countless malevolent beings—led by the Seven Demons of the Ghost Mountain—making it one of the six great powers dominating the Ming Huang State.

"Old Fourth, your task is to transplant this deity into your heart, becoming the pillar that suppresses the chaotic thoughts of future attempts to seize the golden core!"

"If you succeed, I shall grant you the techniques to cultivate."

"Should you fail, I can only teach you the secondary golden core technique."