Chapter 1211: The Way of the Ox

Heatwaves buffeted Xu Qing’s face. Burning fire was all that could be seen in all directions. Heaven and earth was bright red and dazzling! Everything was made of fire, with the occasional burst of liquid fire here and there. The liquid fire would fly into the air and then explode, leaving behind streams of mysterious magical symbols. From a distance, it looked like an eternal rain of magical symbols.

When the symbols landed, they became crimson kelp plants that tried to grow, but unfortunately... couldn’t survive in the heat. They would eventually crumble into ashes that then became part of the liquid fire. There were only a very small amount that, by random circumstances, would manage to take root and grow.

It was a difficult process, and even while growing, they would occasionally burst into flames. Xu Qing only spotted a few here and there that managed to survive long-term. Most were severely withered, and looked like they might be incinerated at any moment.

This is only one small area of this sun. But even if you estimate mathematically, you can conclude that... not much kelp can survive here.

As he acclimated to the heat, he looked off into the distance and said, “Where are the gods locked up?”

He was asking the huge kelp plant that existed outside. A moment later, a vague response came from the will of the kelp.

“In the middle... immortal oath, so I can’t go in very deep, the kelp here... my will can help....”

The voice of the will came and went. It was clear that even the mighty kelp plant was afraid of this sun. Perhaps it was because of the immortal oath, or maybe it was something else.

Checks and balances of some sort? Or is it more targeted?

Thinking back to what he had experienced here so far, Xu Qing decided the first possibility wasn’t likely. So he would need to be more careful in case it was the second possibility.

With that, he started moving. He wanted to get a more complete picture of this sun, as well as whatever god was sealed in the middle of it. Only then would he start thinking about taking the ringsource.

In that manner, time passed.

A few days later, Xu Qing slowed down. Thanks to his cultivation base, he was quickly acclimating to the place. But even still, he needed to stop every so often and use surrounding bits of kelp to help the process. Only then would he continue.

After traveling for about half a month, he reached his limit and had to stop in front of a piece of growing kelp.

He hadn’t actually entered the central region, but his divine will could detect exactly where that spot was. When he sent his senses forward to that spot, his eyes hardened. By means of his senses, he could ‘see’ an astonishing sword there! It was stabbed right into the sun. The part sticking out into the open was a hilt like a huge mountain peak. It seemed likely that, on the opposite side of the sun, there was a sword tip piercing out in astonishing fashion.

The moment Xu Qing’s senses reached the sword, he came to a sudden realization.

There is no god imprisoned in this sun. Rather... īt is the sun! This sun is a god! Īt’s the type of god equivalent to a Lower Immortal. Īt’s... a True God!

Xu Qing’s pupils constricted as he looked down at the ground and the withered kelp in the area. He felt shaken.

That sword is what’s keeping the True God here. It’s sealing the god’s body! It’s stabbed right through the god, leaving the god in a state of neither life nor death. Apparently... īt can’t rely on īts true name to return!

To other gods, the kelp leaves suffice to serve as a prison. But to True Gods, the kelp is the jailer!

The kelp wants to use the True God for its own cultivation, even more than I do. That’s why it’s continuously dropping seeds here in the hope of establishing a firm connection. It’s all in the hopes of absorbing the god! All of the scattered kelp plants here are being used to try to absorb the True God’s ringsource....

Unfortunately, because of the environment and personhood here, there’s simply not enough of the kelp to absorb any significant amount of ringsource.

After a moment of thought, Xu Qing lifted his right hand to reveal the Acquisitioners medallion designed to absorb ringsource. He pushed it down toward the ground. He unleashed all of his cultivation base.

This was different from when he had absorbed the other gods. This time, his actions didn’t cause the ground to tremble. The sun didn’t even seem to react at all. Several strands of golden ringsource quietly rose up. However, there weren’t many of them. It was as if there was some profound force blocking ringsource. Though the extraction effort wasn’t a complete failure, it wasn’t very successful either.

Shortly after, Xu Qing stopped and looked up. Focusing his senses on the sword hilt, his eyes began to shine.

“The surface beneath my feet is like a shell,” he said out loud. “That means collecting ringsource here is going to be very difficult. The best place is going to be where the sword is stabbed inside! That’s essentially an injury to the god!”

His eyes narrowed. “If I really want to eat my fill here, that’s where I need to go all out.... In that case, it’s time to tap into everything you’ve prepared. Don’t hold anything back. And I won’t either. Maybe we’ll get an opportunity to really stuff ourselves. The alternative is that we make do with the little bit I got just now.”

Xu Qing stopped speaking and waited.

Shortly after, a withered kelp plant in front of him suddenly swayed, almost decisively. And then it reverted from its withered state into being bright red. It wasn’t the only one. All of the other living kelp on the sun transformed from being withered into a state of vibrant red. It looked almost like a host of red pāramitā lilies swaying in all directions. And they were moving toward Xu Qing.

Along the way, many of the kelp plants collapsed into dust. But as a group, they continued onward. In short order, Xu Qing was surrounded by a host of undulating kelp. He didn’t avoid the plants. They gathered around him in layer after layer over the course of a few dozen breaths of time.

Soon, Xu Qing looked very different. He was now a figure in a crimson suit of plant armor, several hundred meters tall. He was like a giant. Majestic life force pulsed from the kelp, filling Xu Qing and giving him astonishing levels of protection. This kelp had been building up on the sun for countless years, and each little bit of force it provided was now being pooled together into an astonishing reserve power!

Xu Qing’s eyes glittered brightly. He could sense that the kelp was really going for broke.

Without any hesitation, he unleashed five extremes, using the mutual restraining factors of the five elements to create a peak level of resistance. Then he used his space-time canon to summon overlapping universes. In that manner, he dispelled the pressure weighing down on the path in front of him.

Next, his immortal embryo glittered, making him like a person surrounded by flowing lightning. He shot forward. He headed... directly toward the huge sword he had just sensed!

As he neared, the pressure grew more intense, and the fire more terrifying. Xu Qing’s external kelp armor was sizzling and crumbling into ashes. He was fully aware that, acting on his own, he would never make it this far. And the moment the kelp armor completely went away, he would be incinerated.

After all, this was a True God!

But none of that could reduce Xu Qing’s resolve. He accelerated! His eyes flashed with a crazy look!

If Erniu were here to see, he would let loose exclamations of admiration, and would confirm that little Ah Qing had truly mastered the Way of the Ox.[1]

In that manner, time passed.

As Xu Qing hurtled onward with that crazy look in his eyes, and as the kelp armor bolstered him, he crossed a vast distance toward the central part of the sun.

Soon he spotted the actual sword off in the distance. The sight of it caused him to breathe heavily, and he trembled from head to toe. His soul and fleshly body were very close to catching ablaze. But the fire couldn’t do anything to the crazy look in his eyes. If anything, it grew more intense the moment he spotted the huge sword!

Acting on instinct, Xu Qing bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood. He was using something akin to a blood escape art to get a burst of speed. About seventy percent of the kelp armor was gone, and the heat was incredibly intense. But he reached the sword!

Now he could see the area clearly. There was a massive ravine in the spot where the sword was stabbed into the surface. There was flesh trying to close up the wound and push the sword out. But the sword was incredibly tough, and couldn’t be moved. As a result, there was no way that the wound could close up. It was something of a deadlock.

The moment Xu Qing arrived, he felt a sensation of impending death. He knew that the kelp wasn’t going to last much longer, and that he had no way to stand up to the heat.

But... he also sensed an incredible reserve of ringsource within the wound!

Given what Xu Qing had seen, this ringsource was unprecedented. The only thing that could come close to comparing was the depths of the Inkland, which he couldn’t enter. This destined opportunity. This good fortune....

As the craziness in Xu Qing built, he sent an internal message with divine will.

“Cover me, Starfire!”

The mark on his arm immediately unleashed pure coldness. Shē was unleashing hēr god power to bolster Xu Qing. Not only was it buying time, it was also there to protect against any sudden malicious act by the kelp.

And thus, Xu Qing dropped into a cross-legged position, pulled out the Acquisitioners medallion, and pushed it down. Instantly, rumbling sounds echoed out as golden strands emerged from the sword wound.

It looked like a geyser!

Starfire was shaken to the core. The kelp plant was filled with excitement.

Xu Qing was going crazy!

1. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that the “niu” in Erniu’s name means cow/ox. ☜