Chapter 1031: Am I Beautiful, Little Ah Qing?
Eyes glittering, Xu Qing reached out with his right index finger and touched Long Jiu’s forehead. Next, his godsource erupted, pouring into Long Jiu and turning into a spinning vortex.
The gravitational force exerted by the vortex then started devouring all of the godly authority within Long Jiu. The godly authority was very deep-rooted. It had parasitized him to a great degree, entwining itself into his flesh, blood, and soul.
Extracting it wasn’t going to be easy. That was especially true considering that Long Jiu’s body was rapidly weakening. At the very most, it would take an incense stick of time for him to be completely and utterly dead. In other words, Xu Qing’s first priority was to keep Long Jiu alive.
His left hand flashed in an incantation gesture all while he produced a host of medicinal pills. After scattering the pills, he destroyed them, turning them into dust that seeped into Long Jiu and nourished him. Xu Qing also unleashed the flame of his life force, which spread out and bolstered Long Jiu. As a result, his soul, which was teetering on the verge of being extinguished, ended up stabilizing. Even those seemingly simple measures were proving to be difficult to manage.
The godly authority of devouring was extremely domineering, and it seemed intent on completely devouring Long Jiu.
In the end, the one thing that actually kept Long Jiu alive in the most critical moment was the very same flesh-and-blood pill that Xu Qing had concocted in the Moonrite Region using the white wind. That pill had the most extraordinary effect on life force, to the point where it would cause flesh to rapidly grow on whoever consumed it.
Although the effects of the pill were chaotic, one thing was for certain: it could dramatically bolster life force. In other ordinary circumstances, the pill would provide little benefit and a lot of harm. But right now, it was the key to turning the situation around.
Time passed as Xu Qing worked hard. Five days went by in a flash.
During that time, Xu Qing struggled to keep Long Jiu alive. On numerous occasions, Long Jiu clung to life by the thinnest thread. But he somehow managed to stubbornly cling to life.
That gave Xu Qing the time he needed to slowly extract the godly authority of good luck using his godsource vortex. In the end, the Grand Emperor shears floated into being above Xu Qing.
The arrival of the shears caused wild colors to flash. And when they snapped closed, a loud cracking sound echoed out. The shears vibrated. They were so rusted that they couldn’t complete the job in one attempt. After all, this godly authority was from a True God. In terms of personhood, it existed at such a high level that, if the godly authority were complete, a pair of Grand Emperor shears wouldn’t be capable of doing anything to it. Thankfully, this was not the complete godly authority. It was only a scrap of it.
Xu Qing gritted his teeth, and despite the rust that was forming from the effort, snapped the shears shut again. The threads going out into the starry sky were being severed bit by bit.
After nine forceful uses of the shears, the threads of godly authority were completely severed! When it happened, Xu Qing used his godsource to envelop the godly authority and steadily drag it inside of himself. An instant later, he dropped into a cross-legged position, closed his eyes, and remained completely motionless as he exerted every scrap of strength to subjugate it.
Long Jiu lay next to him, shivering, with large volumes of blood pouring out of his mouth. However, he was no longer being devoured. Though his aura was weak, it was no longer declining. He was in a much more stable position.
A day later, Xu Qing opened his eyes. They were bloodshot. His soul was exhausted, but he was in very high spirits.
The godly authority of good luck eventually turned into a downy willow seed that he fused into his void soil, where it became a godly authority seed.[1]
That said, this is going to create some karma with this returning True God.... That said... I have karma with the broken face, so why should I be afraid of other types of karma? Besides, given how this god has set things up, thēy probably won’t come back for thousands of years. If I’m still alive when that happens, I won’t have any reason to fear a god like that.
Xu Qing’s eyes shone as he looked at Long Jiu. Long Jiu was still unconscious, but his aura had stabilized, and his face had some color again.
Previously, there hadn’t been anything connecting Xu Qing and Long Jiu. They were strangers who had hardly interacted. Thanks to the godly authority, Long Jiu had been struggling on death’s door. If Xu Qing hadn’t interfered, he would be dead now, sacrificed to become one of the threads drawing back that unknown True God.
Although Xu Qing’s primary motivation was to get a bit of godly authority, there was no doubt that his actions could be considered a stroke of luck for the dying Long Jiu. Because Xu Qing took away the godly authority, Long Jiu’s looming death was reversed, and he managed to survive.
This godly authority really is marvelous. To a certain degree, I bet me saving him has something to do with that godly authority coming into effect. Every time he experienced mortal danger, he also encountered a benefactor.
It gave Xu Qing a bit more information about the godly authority of gods.
It’s completely different from the essence that cultivators work with. Godly authority is a much more ancient power.
After checking the seed of godly authority within him, he took a deep breath and stood up. He was about to leave when he took a last look at the unconscious Long Jiu.
“I took some godly authority from you. But that also saved your life. Going forward, any karma between us is severed.”
Xu Qing waved his hand and sent some more life force into Long Jiu. Then he rose up into the sky and disappeared.
A moment later, as the frigid wind blew, Long Jiu shivered and slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was blank at first. But then his eyes widened and he jumped to his feet. First he checked his surroundings, then he looked down at himself. When he found that nothing was out of the ordinary, a suspicious look appeared in his eyes.
I definitely remember something devouring me before I fell unconscious. But now, I’m fine. In fact, I seem unprecedentedly pure. Like I was cleansed. But why?
It was a bit confusing to Long Jiu, but given his previous experiences, he got over that fairly quickly.
I’d say there’s an eighty to ninety percent chance that a benefactor came along after I passed out.
Having reached the conclusion that this was likely what happened, he started to get excited. He had already given out all of the command medallions, and based on his plan, the next thing that would happen would be that his benefactors would go to the Northfate Kings looking for him.
I’m definitely going to rise to prominence among the Northfate Kings!
Taking a deep breath, he started walking. However, he had only taken a few steps when he hurried back to the same spot, clasped hands, and bowed in various directions.
“Many thanks, benefactor! Your humble servant is disciple Long Jiu from the Northfate Kings. I’ll definitely repay you in the future for your grace. Benefactor, if you ever come to visit the Northfate Kings, I would be happy to handle any of your important errands as my means of repayment.”
With that, Long Jiu bowed yet again, then flew up into the wind and disappeared off into the distance.
The snowflakes that drifted through the evening sky seemed like a starry sky and the clouds seethed like nebulae.
***
Out in the starry sky beyond Revered Ancient, nebulae swirled. The void was dark and gloomy.
But then a white pinprick of light appeared. It rapidly grew larger until it was a huge ball of light. It grew larger, but at the same time collapsed. And from within it came a vague chanting.
“Star ring of myriad ancients; countless worlds and living things.
“My name beeth Starvast, with authority over the aeons.
“Call mine name, I shall bestow upon you luck.
“Worship my incarnation, exist for all eternity.”
The chanting came from within the light, and spread out into the star ring. The chants were like seeds, spreading out everywhere. Most of them went... toward Revered Ancient.
Threads connected to them, pulling the light, moving it forward. Then, one of the threads glittered brightly before suddenly fading. Then a twang rang out as it was severed. The ball of light shivered, and the light expanded. And yet, the ball of light had no consciousness, and just kept acting on instinct to continue chanting....
***
Xu Qing looked up and again used the Grand Emperor shears. The chanting was severed. On the way to meet Erniu, he had already used the shears seven times to cut away the sound of the chanting.
Xu Qing wasn’t surprised by what was happening. Whenever the chanting popped up, he used the shears. Gradually, the sound was growing weaker. In fact, after using the shears this most recent time, he ceased to hear it.
I guess it really was a god who perished and left behind only a true name.
Xu Qing looked up at the dome of heaven briefly, then looked away. He vanished into the wind and snow, using the sound of all living things to pierce through the void.
***
He was early in getting back to Erniu.
Erniu wasn’t finished working.
Xu Qing spent a few days seated cross-legged on the ice plains. Finally, he opened his eyes. The ice beneath him shattered, and Little Shadow flew toward him. At the same time, a lithe figure shot up into his presence.
It was a woman.
She was like a spring breeze in these frozen lands, someone who brought shining color to the darkness of heaven and earth. Her face was as exquisite as a living painting. She had eyebrows that were as picturesque as clear streams winding through the mountains. Her eyes were like deep lakes, glittering with such wisdom that she surely understood all the profundities of the world. The faint smile on her face revealed tranquil self-confidence, as if no manner of circumstances could make her lose her cool.
She wore a simple but elegant gown that flowed perfectly across all her curves. The skirt swayed as she walked, almost like the wings of a butterfly hovering above a flower. She was charming, feminine, gentle, yet at the same time independent and strong. As she neared, she smiled radiantly.
“What do you say, Lil’ Bro Qing. Am I beautiful?”
Xu Qing didn’t say anything.
The woman wasn’t ready to give up. She lifted a dainty hand to tuck some hair behind her ear. Looking at him gently, she gave a soft laugh. “Who’s prettier, me or Ling’er?”
A vein bulged on Xu Qing’s forehead.
“Who’s hotter, me or that slutty fox?”
The authority of erasure glittered in Xu Qing’s eye.
“Who’s more beautiful, me or Plumdark?” The woman stroked her hair coquettishly, all while flashing a sensuous but dirty smile.
Xu Qing’s godly authority erupted. At the same time, he inhaled deeply, took out a recording jade slip, and calmly said, “Eldest Brother, I didn’t hear you clearly. Could you repeat all of that again?”
The woman’s jaw dropped. Then she cleared her throat. “Stop messing around, little Ah Qing! It’s time to get down to business!”
1. Downy willow seeds, which are sometimes called willow catkins, look like wispy cotton balls that blow in the wind and often gather into larger conglomerations on the ground. They aren’t something I saw much where I grew up in Southern California. But where I lived in China, they were ubiquitous. During the time of year when they appeared, they were everywhere in the city. They look beautiful, at least until they start clogging up the gutters and getting everywhere. Honestly they get kind of annoying. Anyway, here is a littlegallery of pictures that show what they look like when they are in season in China. ☜