Chapter 463: A Box in a Heart
There was a big difference between this situation and the ghast hollow!
Back in the ghast hollow, when Xu Qing saw a real god, the invasion created by that eye affected the entire ghast hollow. That type of might was impossible to resist, impossible to sustain, and impossible to fathom. It didn’t just break apart the fleshly body, it also affected the internal dharma force as well as one’s thoughts. It was as if it broke apart the entire living being. During that event, Xu Qing had felt like his entire being was collapsing. If it weren’t for that centipede lady appearing and saving him, then he would have been in an unimaginable crisis. Even if he had somehow managed to get into that pentagonal log cabin to gain protection from the song that pacified the god, the time it would have taken would have involved severe injury to Xu Qing. And even if he survived, he would have experienced mutation and become like the ghasts that inhabited the ghast hollow. [1]
However, this situation with Chu Tianqun, though similar in some ways, was actually poles apart. Chu Tianqun’s chanting was being channeled through his god body, and thus it resembled the chanting of a god. But in the final analysis, he was not a true god, only an imitation. Even though the illusory projection of a god existed behind him, based on what Xu Qing had experienced in the ghast hollow, the situation was fundamentally different.
Beyond all that, Xu Qing was a very different person than he was back in the ghast hollow.
Xu Qing looked up, his eyes bloodshot but shining with a strange light. He looked at Chu Tianqun sitting cross-legged and emanating golden light. He ignored the way his body was distorting, with fleshy appendages sprouting out from him everywhere, swaying back and forth. His thoughts were clear. He had ways of fighting back against the god power of Chu Tianqun.
They included his heavenly dao bluegreen dragon and the Ghost Emperor mountain, as well as that bottle he had purchased in the ghost ward with the voice of the singing woman inside. All were tools he could use. And of course, he still had his taboo poison and violet moon. [2]
That said, killing intent flickered in Xu Qing's eyes; he wasn’t interested in fighting back against this opponent. He wanted to devastate him! He would use god power to crush god power! Or at the very least, he would try. And that was because seeing Chu Tianqun use the power of a god had given him some inspiration.
Can I do the same thing?
Although this fragmented world of the Smokewight seemed like a place full of danger, it was also a destined opportunity.
The power of the red moon had sought him earlier, making it clear to Xu Qing that if he used the power of the violet moon out in the open, he would be discovered.
What if I just use a little bit, and keep it concealed within my taboo poison? If you add in the fact that I’m in this Smokewight world fragment.... Xu Qing’s eyes lit up with determination as he struggled to look up at the rift in the sky.
He exercised a thought, and his bluegreen dragon, which was still able to move freely despite Chu Tianqun’s chanting, swished its tail and hit the rift. A boom rang out as the section that Xu Qing had ripped open subsequently closed, returning the barrier to its original state.
Next, Xu Qing’s gaze shifted back to Chu Tianqun, and he activated his third and fourth heavenly palaces at the same time.
The mysterious and unfathomable taboo poison, which had originally come from a god domain, swept through Xu Qing, reaching every bit of his blood and flesh. All of the appendages which had started growing out of him rotted, turning into black gore that splattered on the ground. The sounds which had been boring into his flesh were also poisoned out of existence. They had no way to flee. They vanished, any resistance on their part absolutely pointless.
Then the poison seeped out of him, flowing through the air and making the area surrounding him even more turbid and distorted. What was more, because the taboo poison power also contained his own mutagen, that mutagen flourished around him, spiraling out and making him seem like he had the very same type of unique life force as a god.
Things weren’t over yet, though. Next, Xu Qing sent the power of the violet moon spreading through his body. Where it passed, his flesh turned violet, until he was that exact color from head to toe.
As a result, he began to glitter with scintillating violet light. With that violet light radiating out, another type of mutagen unique to Xu Qing was born. It was formed by the violet moon, and after invading living things, they became linked to Xu Qing.
As all of these things swirled endlessly around Xu Qing, they became like a tempest that connected to the dome of heaven and devastated everything around him.
Within that tempest, it was just possible to see the projection of a violet moon hanging in the sky. That was the embodiment of godly authority; it was the true power of a god. Behind the violet moon, within the violet world that now existed, there was a pair of black eyes that could not be invaded by any mutagen. The pupils of those eyes contained boundless taboo poison.
There were two types of godly authority erupting from within Xu Qing. Though they weren’t fused together, neither were they separated. Though they resisted each other, they also coexisted. And right now, both were emanating godly might that was uniquely thēir own.
As Xu Qing emanated godly might, his expression was indifferent, and he exuded a supreme level of majesty, every aspect of which caused heaven and earth to shake violently.
Eventually, thanks to the blessing of those two types of godly authority, he rose to an astonishing level. It was as if... he had become the embryonic form of some new god.
His shadow trembled, and Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior shivered. Without any hesitation, both of them appeared in the open and prostrated in front of Xu Qing. The patriarch seemed profoundly reverent, while the shadow was filled with incomparable piety and fanaticism.
Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes, which now glittered with golden light that spread around him and made him seem truly holy.
“The shadow bans, the ghost commands; the immortal declines, the world is mine.”
This was the fake mnemonic created by Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior to disguise Xu Qing’s use of the Shadow Fusion Secret Magic. Right now, it didn’t have any specific meaning or function; Xu Qing just said it because he felt like it.
The shadow was briefly stunned, and then extremely excited.
At the same time, Xu Qing’s voice imparted the vague and indistinct sensation that the words spoken contained vast amounts of profound information and blessings. They had another, deeper meaning, and as they echoed out, winds swirled and strange colors flickered everywhere.
The surroundings began to ripple and distort as the transformations caused by the chanting of a god appeared thanks to Xu Qing.
The ground shook, causing even the sand to vibrate and collapse. All sorts of supernatural phenomena sprang up around Xu Qing, and howling echoed out that seemed to originate from countless years in the past. Cracks spread out on the ground, and gory tentacles rose up. The entire world was changing, transforming, turning into something gruish and inauspicious. All living things were invaded, thrown into chaos, causing everything to shake and distort.
The source of it all was none other than Xu Qing.
The blessing of the two types of godly authority was not complete, only embryonic. But at that moment, Xu Qing had truly reached an astonishing level down to every fiber of his being. That was why, to some extent, his voice was actually a godly voice.
Chu Tianqun’s chanting was an imitation. But on a substructural level, what Xu Qing was saying was the real chanting of a god.
Although it was not on the level of other gods, it was more than enough to crush Chu Tianqun.
Chu Tianqun’s chanting suddenly faltered, and what had previously been incomprehensible suddenly became easy to understand.
“The god first follows the dark path; the underworld surpasses the supreme spirit... yang virtue conceals yin essence....” [3]
As he inhaled, his eyes opened and he looked in shock at Xu Qing. Although he had continued speaking, the golden light around him had already collapsed.
Because of that, a boundless mutagen suddenly erupted within him. His body started to collapse and his thoughts became isolated. Thanks to the words coming from Xu Qing, and the mutagen, his chanting suddenly turned into a bloodcurdling scream. In that moment of crisis, Chu Tianqun reached up and stabbed his fingers into one of his eyes, then wrenched it out of the socket. Golden blood sprayed out in a mist, spreading out around him to stave off Xu Qing’s godly voice.
Unfortunately, Xu Qing was also in bad condition. The sudden influx of shocking power was more than his fleshly body could sustain, and even as his voice rang out, his body started to collapse.
That said, the experiment he had just carried out had given Xu Qing a clear understanding that the two types of godly power within him had much more to unveil. At the same time, thēy were extremely dangerous. Unless he became a lot stronger, then when he used them, the slightest misunderstanding on his part could lead to him perishing.
Therefore, after crushing Chu Tianqun’s chanting, Xu Qing unhesitatingly retracted the violet moon and the taboo poison. The violent tempest vanished, and heaven and earth returned to normal.
Chu Tianqun’s golden blood faded away along with his scream. As he struggled to get the mutagen within him under control, his expression turned vicious. Floating up into the air, he shouted, “You’re obviously just a cultivator. A cultivator! How did you do that? How did you overcome me?? I refuse to believe this!”
Chu Tianqun’s face was splattered with golden blood. His expression was one of insanity as he glared at Xu Qing. Then he suddenly jabbed his right hand into his chest, grabbed his own heart, and ripped it out.
Blood sprayed everywhere as he held the golden heart aloft and then crushed it. As the blood and flesh spurted out, a box was revealed in the middle of the heart!
If Master Seventh were here, he would recognize it immediately. It was very similar to the box that the Crown Prince of Violet and Cyan had revealed, although close examination would reveal that it was much cruder. [4]
As soon as Chu Tianqun had it in his hands, he crushed it, causing a beam of light to appear!
It was the gaze of a god! [5]
When Xu Qing felt that gaze, a tremor passed through him, and he immediately felt his taboo poison and violet moon being suppressed.
The beam of light didn’t spread out in all directions. Instead, it materialized in Chu Tianqun’s right hand, causing that hand to glitter with dazzling light. Then he shoved that hand in Xu Qing’s direction and bellowed, “God Magic: Leave Emptiness in the Future!”
During this fight, Xu Qing had always been acutely aware that he was dealing with an experimental god body that surely had mysterious abilities. For example, Master Shengyun’s experimental god body had released an astonishing magic that, though it was ultimately defeated, had left a lasting impression on Xu Qing.
The moment words left Chu Tianqun’s mouth, Xu Qing felt his surroundings transforming. Images sprang up around him, hundreds if not thousands of them. And every single one depicted him. In some, he sat quietly in meditation. In others, he was fleeing for his life. He saw himself taking his last breath or wailing in anguish… The images seemed never-ending.
They were...Xu Qing’s current future.
As the images gathered, they formed something like a picture book. Chu Tianqun waved his hand, and the pages of the book blurred by. He seemed to be looking for an image of Xu Qing’s future death, which he would then pluck out into the open and make a reality.
This was ‘God Magic: Leave Emptiness in the Future.’
It was a very similar scene to what Xu Qing had experienced with Master Shengyun. [6]
The way he had dealt with that situation was to interfere with the future by taking his fate into his own hands.
That said, Master Shengyun’s experimental god body had been incomplete, and therefore, that god magic hadn’t been successfully employed. Furthermore, no box appeared at that time.
Chu Tianqun was obviously holding nothing back. He had taken out the box and fused his hand with the gaze within, to Xu Qing’s utter shock.
However, there were two sides to every coin. Although this complete god magic was fully terrifying, to Xu Qing, it was also something of a benefit. At the very least, he was now able to sense what a god magic could do. And right now, boundless information was flowing into his mind.
1. The situation with the ghast hallow, the god, and the centipede woman were in chapter 369. ☜
2. The scene where he got the bottle in the ghost ward started in chapter 388. ☜
3. Compare Chu Tianqun’s words now to his words in the last chapter and you will see the connections/differences/similarities. ☜
4. The box was actually mentioned a few times, but it was revealed publicly in chapter 313, and was used in chapter 314. ☜
5. The word I’m translating “gaze” is a fairly common word that also means things like “sight, vision, look, expression (in one’s eyes)” etc. It also contains the word for “light.” If you literally translated each character, it would be “eye light.” So when the gaze of a god is described as a “beam of light” it makes even more sense in Chinese than it does in English. ☜
6. The final fight with Master Shengyun’s experimental god body was in chapter 326. ☜