Chapter 1150: Who Else Could it Be But...?

Auspicious light in the sky created dazzling colors on the ground. Immortal clouds released immortal rain that nourished all living beings. Immortals strolled everywhere, chatting and laughing. Immortal beasts roamed peacefully, flowers blooming around them. The buildings in the immortal palace seemed to go on forever and ever. Immortal flowers and plants created an intoxicating aroma. Off in the distance, bells tolled from immortal towers and pagodas.

Xu Qing looked around at everything... and it seemed like a dream. All of a sudden, he felt like he wasn’t sure where he was, or

when

he was. As he walked through the immortal paradise, he absorbed immortal energy from everywhere. The sights, sounds, and smells made him feel like he was part of his surroundings.

In the end... his host’s memories rippled, filling him with a sensation of familiarity. He expanded his heart and his mind, and everything seemed normal.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and then proceeded slowly in the direction of the dueling stage. As he walked along, he adjusted his aura and familiarized himself with his fleshly body and cultivation base.

He had done this before during the past seven days. He was already seeing some results. His fleshly body was at the peak of Imperial Sovereign, as was his soul. He was only half a step from being in the Quasi-Immortal level.

The process of becoming familiar with this fleshly body had been an incredible experience for Xu Qing. In fact, it could be called a destined opportunity. He could now be a lot more confident about the process of climbing through the Imperial Sovereign level. After all, though he had extraordinary battle prowess, the truth was that his cultivation base was only at the eight-world Smoldering God level. And he still had no way to become an Imperial Sovereign.

That said, he had killed plenty of Imperial Sovereigns, so he had a good overview of the level. The biggest difference between Imperial Sovereigns and Smoldering Gods, besides battle prowess, was the immortal embryo. Imperial Sovereigns would combine nine worlds to form an immortal embryo, which was a process of turning the illusory into a reality.

Back at the God Blood River, the ferry pilot said that the immortal embryo is also called the undying illusory reality

.[1]

As he walked, he thought.

The illusory represents the soul. The reality represents the fleshly body. Because of that, the Imperial Sovereign level is divided into the three minor levels of early, mid, and late. The early level involves releasing your soul externally, and using it to form a fleshly body. That is the illusory reality.

Xu Qing examined the fleshly body he occupied and confirmed that information.

This body has already reached that point.

Xu Qing scanned his host’s memories to study the enlightenment his host had experienced in that level.

During that time, the Imperial Sovereign cultivator can be considered strong, but is also weak.

They’re strong because the external illusion is gradually made real. They come to understand authority, and can control all manner of things. Those abilities eventually reach an inconceivable level. The weakness comes from the fact that reality is concealed by illusion. Therefore, if something can harm reality, they can be killed easily.

Xu Qing thought about it for a moment. He understood why a strong Imperial Sovereign could kill a weak one. It was impossible to escape that which could harm reality.

Succeeding with the illusory reality leads to the second level. That second level involves taking the fleshly body, which was concealed in illusion, and turning it into a soul. That is what is called undying.

Imperial Sovereigns of that level can instantly shift between reality and illusion. To some extent, a person like that has no weaknesses, and can be called undying. That’s why the level is said to be about replacing and merging. However... this ‘undying’ quality really only refers to methods within the Imperial Sovereign level. When facing canon, it’s like a bubble that can be popped effortlessly!

Xu Qing thought back to the Imperial Sovereigns he had killed, and suddenly had a much deeper sense of understanding.

For ordinary Imperial Sovereigns, the third level requires a dao lineament of authority. The dao lineament is like a thread weaved through the body, taking the illusory, reality, and undying aspects and combining them. Pluck down a star, make it one, and then form the immortal embryo!

The ‘star’ referred to there is obviously canon. It relates to an opportunity to gain enlightenment of one’s own canon. Success or failure won’t affect the upgrade. But it will affect your battle prowess after the upgrade is complete!

The moment you succeed, you’re a Quasi-Immortal, also known as a Grand Emperor. As for chosen cultivators, they get canon early, which is equivalent to plucking that star. And thus, when they enter the Quasi-Immortal level, they are anything but weak.

He had benefited a lot from his study of this fleshly body over the past few days. This fleshly body had completely completed the second level and was halfway through the third level. It had nine major dao lineaments, and was in the process of weaving the undying illusory reality.

What’s more, it’s clear that Young Lord Aurora has his own canon. That said, his canon is a bit strange!

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed as the dueling stage became visible in the distance. Even still, he continued with his current train of thought. And that was because Young Lord Aurora’s canon had experienced a major withering!

At some point in the past, he gained enlightenment of his canon. That alone shows how talented the young lord is, and highlights his powers of understanding. What’s more, the canon he gained enlightenment of was completely extraordinary. It’s the canon of mirror! But later on, his canon bizarrely withered for some reason. And after that, it became a canon of sealing!

Xu Qing could tell that there was something very unusual about it all.

Unfortunately, Young Lord Aurora’s memories did not have any explanation for the withering or the transformation. All the memories told him was that the young lord had informed the Immortal Lord as soon as it happened.

When the Immortal Lord found out, he had looked profoundly grim. It was as if he had confirmed something he already knew, and he had stormed off angrily. But a month later, he returned and acted as if nothing had happened.

What was more, there was a section of memory from during that time that had been erased. Xu Qing had no idea what that memory was about. He just knew... that from that day forward, Young Lord Aurora had ceased to be hardworking and above-board in everything, and had instead built the Hundred Flowers Palace and immersed himself in a life of drinking and women.

When his canon withered and transformed, it was given a formal name... Three-Karmas Ten-Evils Seal! It was a type of canon that could seal evil! [2]

As his thoughts swirled, he found the emotions of grief that were buried in those memories from years ago. He could sense the bitterness and confusion the young lord had felt back then. Although he had no idea what had caused it, he definitely sensed deep, deep pain. And yet, there was no resentment to go along with it. Instead, there was relief.

Just what exactly happened? Why did his canon change? What could it have been that not even Immortal Lord Aurora was able to resolve the situation...?

Xu Qing mused about these things silently. He already had an idea of who could possibly have changed the young lord’s canon. That was because of a secret that, though known to some people, was only known to a few very important people. As a result, the vast majority of cultivators in the Fifth Star Ring didn’t even know there was a secret to begin with.... It was about the relationship between Aurora and the Immortal Paragon.

Or perhaps it’s better to say that some immense power hid the truth of their historical relationship. Aurora is the son of the Immortal Paragon. And that means that this young lord that I’ve possessed... is actually the grandson of the Immortal Paragon.

All of a sudden, a peal of laughter from up ahead interrupted Xu Qing’s thoughts. He looked up.

The dueling stage was right in front of him. It was an ancient arena surrounded by tall stone walls. The walls were carved with all sorts of animals. Some flew in the air, some roared in the mountains, and all were extremely lifelike, so much so that it almost seemed like they were about to leap off the wall. At the moment, the sunlight shone through the clouds, casting mottled light onto the dueling stage. That, coupled with the ancient and mysterious air of the place, made it seem even more somber and dignified.

In the middle of the dueling stage was a circular platform constructed from some unknown material, surrounded by a ring of cold, shimmering blades. The light of the sun glinted on the blades, casting awe into the hearts of any who looked at them.

The grandstands of the arena were already filled with plenty of spectators, most of whom were witnesses that Li the Chosen had invited to watch the duel. Many of them turned to look at Xu Qing.

A young man hovered in midair, clad in a crimson daoist robe. He had pronounced but handsome facial features, as well as a general air of heroism. The way he carried himself, plus the color of his robe, made him seem like he was a scorching flame that could look down on everything around him, and burn anything that got too close. Upon seeing Xu Qing approach, the young man smiled loftily.

“There’s no rush, Young Lord. The immortal palace’s university is on break today, so we have plenty of time. Please, take some time to rest. That way you won’t be able to make any excuses after I beat you. By the way, I brought the prize with me.”

He waved his hand, and a gentle stream of light shot out of his sleeve, which transformed in midair into a bewitchingly charming woman.

She wore a simple garment, and at first glance looked like a young lady. But at second glance, she looked like a more mature woman. Her facial features were pure and enchanting. Her gaze seemed both charming and crafty, and her long hair was tied into a ponytail, although a few strands of hair had slipped loose and hung down in front of her face. She was currently glancing shyly at Xu Qing.

He looked at her. That single glance was enough to cause him to sigh inwardly. There was something familiar about that gaze, as well as the way she held herself....

There could be no doubt about it. If the fox maiden wasn’t Starfire, who else could she possibly be...?

At the same moment that Xu Qing looked at the fox maiden, Li the Chosen strode forward to stand in front of her, blocking her from Xu Qing.

“If you beat me,” he said derisively, “you can take her and do as you please. I can guarantee that she’s undefiled. However, Young Lord, I happen to think that the prize for this duel isn’t very reasonable. This fox maiden was mine to begin with. Therefore, if I win the duel, I can enjoy myself for an entire month in the Hundred Flowers Palace!

“And if you win, not only do you get the fox maiden, but I will be your study partner for a hundred years! No matter what errands you assign me during that time, even if it’s to search the whole world for beauties, I’ll comply without so much as a frown! What do you think? Do you dare agree?”

Li the Chosen was making no attempt to hide his arrogance or the fact that he was trying to provoke his opponent.

Xu Qing’s pupils constricted.

Behind him, Li Mengtu was also stunned. This was not what happened historically speaking.

Something’s off here. Don’t tell me that Li the Chosen is an outsider! Maybe someone that used the pretext of this duel to somehow get close to the young lord?

Even as Li Mengtu’s heart raced, Xu Qing spoke.

“I agree!” he said. The moment the words left Xu Qing’s mouth, a very strange feeling rose up within him. It was caused by space-time fluctuations. It was only a small wave rolling out over the river of history.

But that wave instantly provoked a reaction from Xu Qing’s canon! All of a sudden, a sound like a deafening heartbeat rang out, as if the will of heaven and earth was erupting.

Li the Chosen laughed heartily. Battle spirit surging, he shot toward Xu Qing like a meteor.

All eyes in the dueling arena were suddenly sparkling.

1. The ferry pilot talked about cultivation stuff in

chapter 1110

. ☜

2. I give up! There are too many words and characters in Chinese that relate to destiny, karma, fate, etc! In this case, the ‘karma’ here is a completely different character than the one I normally translate as karma. However, it means pretty much the exact same thing. And the ‘three karmas’ is a thing from Buddhism. Those three karmas are that of body, word, and mouth. Funnily enough, I mentioned this exact same thing in the footnote of

chapter 898

, as this same character was used back then as well. ☜