Chapter 797: 1,000,000 Soul Threads Fill the Dome of Heaven
The God-Merging schoolmaster’s voice echoed through heaven and earth as he rose to his feet, took a step forward, and then floated off the dao altar and into the air. As he hovered there, he looked at Xu Qing briefly, then turned his attention to the image of the emperor. He bowed deeply at the waist, and a terrifying energy erupted from him. The energy streamed around him, spinning to create a visible vortex that spread out through the Imperial University. Fierce winds shook the dao altar, and everyone edged backward with serious looks in their eyes. There was no doubt that this energy was extraordinary.
Xu Qing’s gaze hardened. He was familiar with Torchlight, and he had personally seen the experimental god bodies of Master Shengyun and his father, Chu Tianqun. What was more, his god troves could be used to enter god states. Because of that, he could see that the God-Merging schoolmaster’s energy was a mixture of mutagen and godsource.
As the God-Merging schoolmaster hovered there, the sensation of godly entities grew even stronger. It almost seemed like the presence of a god.
“In this debate of the hereafter, I will show the true meaning of our school of thought. The God-Merging School might not be perfect in every respect, but no techniques are closer to the gods than ours.”
The schoolmaster extended his left hand and pushed it toward the dome of heaven. Suddenly, the flesh of his left hand burst into black flame. The skin collapsed into smoke, which rose up to reveal his true left hand. It was pitch black, and crystalline, as if it were completely formed from gemstones. And it pulsed with fluctuations of godliness streaked with godsource.
All onlookers were astonished. Numerous thoughts ran through the minds of the observers outside the university.
The emperor looked neither happy nor angry. In fact, it was impossible to gauge what he was thinking; his eyes were as dark as an abyss. The thirteen heavenly kings all sat there quietly.
The only sound to be heard was the voice of the God-Merging schoolmaster. “This, my left hand, is the left hand of a god. It’s an amalgamation of the crystallized cores of 1,798 godly entities.
“This merging technique is the result of 3,175 experiments by students of the God-Merging School, each of which involved different sequencing attempts. Ultimately, I tested out this version, and can confirm that the sequencing is correct. By using this technique, a low-level cultivator could produce a hand just like this in only a hundred years.
“For high-level cultivators, it’s much easier and faster.”
The schoolmaster then lifted his right and did the same thing. The skin fell off it, revealing another hand, also the hand of a god, but different from the other hand.
This one was pure magenta. And it seemed to be wriggling. If one looked closely, they would see that the hand was made of numerous magenta threadworms. Every threadworm pulsed with fluctuations of godliness. Those fluctuations were so intense that they shook the Imperial University, causing everything to blur. The dome of heaven dimmed, and streaks of lightning appeared, sending out thunderous rumblings like the cry of gods.
Whether it was the university students or the outside forces, all were visibly moved.
Xu Qing’s gaze hardened further. From that hand, he could instantly tell that Torchlight’s experimentation had already led them far past the point they had reached with Master Shengyun and Chu Tianqun.
“This, my right hand, is also the right hand of a god. It comes from an unknown god that perished in mutual destruction when fighting the emperor of the Flynill species.
“The techniques of the God-Merging School cannot be directly used to absorb anything from the corpse of a god. The body couldn’t sustain that. Therefore, an equilibrium needs to be created. The first step is the left hand, after which, work on the right hand can proceed. The specific details of the method are recorded in the writings of the God-Merging School.”
The God-Merging schoolmaster was speaking very precisely, almost as if his own body wasn’t his own, but rather, was a display item. He was like a shopkeeper explaining his wares.
“And then there’s the torso....”
The God-Merging schoolmaster floated high into the sky. Then he reached down with both hands, grabbed his robe, and ripped it off, revealing the ferocious torso underneath.
His entire torso was pieced together using different godly materials. In some places, skulls stuck out. In other places there were patches. It was possible to see reptilian scales, crystallized sections, parts that were earthworms, threadworms, and other types of bugs. Every single part of the torso pulsed with godly fluctuations.
From a distance, it looked like someone had just overturned a palette of paint onto a canvas, then violently struck the canvas. It was a chaos of colors, with some areas clearly demarcated, and some areas clearly integrated. Yet if you looked at it for long enough, the chaos would seem to become orderly, and impart a sense of perfect completeness. It was as if it were the master work of a genius creator.
The energy being released caused the onlookers to react with astonishment. Heaven and earth changed color, winds screamed, and mutagen erupted.
It almost looked like the Imperial University was about to be turned into a forbidden region. Everyone was shaken.
A tremor passed through the emperor as he looked more closely. The heavenly kings were all visibly surprised.
To Xu Qing, the situation only seemed to become graver as he realized Little Shadow was sending him emotional fluctuations of longing.
“Fragrant... eat... don’t dare.”
The strangest thing about the torso was in the chest... which was sunken in and clearly had no heart.
“This torso uses 9,785 types of godly materials. The sequence of use must be adhered to exactly, otherwise it will collapse. After years of experimentation, I discovered the correct sequencing method, as well as substitute materials for lower-level individuals. All of the information is recorded in our school’s writings.
“As for the heart, well as all of you can see... that part is missing.”
The God-Merging schoolmaster reached up to rub the spot with the missing heart.
“That’s the last step in our God-Merging School’s techniques. It’s also our biggest weakness. For a full merging, the heart of a powerful expert is required. With it in place—” The schoolmaster looked around calmly. “—I’ll have the foundation of a god.
“At that time, someone in Void Returning who uses this technique will break through the limits of their qualifications, altering their dao to become a god cultivator.”
Countless individuals in the imperial capital were shaken.
“Smoldering Gods can also use the technique to break the shackles of their bloodline, and switch to the dao of gods.”
Those words caused the eyes of many of the heavenly kings to glitter.
“As for Imperial Sovereigns... well, by working in cooperation with some other special ceremonies capable of igniting anything and everything, they can continue on the path toward their goal, and when the critical moment of godly ascension comes, they can have one-colored godfire!
“In reality, god cultivators don’t even have the Imperial Sovereign level, only different accumulations of godfire. Before godfire, you have godliness, which though it can be strong or weak, is ultimately insufficient. Only by igniting godfire can you be like the carp who jumped over the dragon gate . Only then can you change heaven from earth , and improve yourself in all aspects. Then, you can be what all the living species call a god. In past eras, cultivators on that level were called Imperial Sovereigns, or sometimes, Demi-Immortals.
“Therefore, though it might seem that an Imperial Sovereign who converts to cultivating godfire might not be changing to a different level, the reality is that the future path of all Imperial Sovereigns has been severed. Once you become an Imperial Sovereign, you’re stuck. And of course, you can never break through to become a Quasi-Immortal. However, after converting to godfire, then once you surpass the level of seven colors, you become a High God. That’s similar to the peak of Imperial Sovereign.
“And if you can push your godfire past the level of nine colors, then you can be an entity which surpasses High Gods, just like the Quasi-Immortals of humankind, who were called Grand Emperors.
“This is how the God-Merging School debates the hereafter. And this is the gift our school of thought has prepared for humankind.”
Having finished with his speech, he bowed to the emperor.
Silence gripped the Imperial University. The spectators said nothing. The emperor’s eyes were closed.
Everyone was pondering the words of the God-Merging schoolmaster. The Xeno-Immortal School had summoned the projection of a god, but fundamentally speaking, that wasn’t on the same level as the God-Merging School.
The Xeno-Immortal schoolmaster was starting to feel a bit anxious. He looked at his school’s patriarch, and noted his calm demeanor. The patriarch then reached up and made a gesture with his hand that dispersed the god projection. 600,000 soul threads returned to within him. Then, he turned to Xu Qing, ducked his head, and bowed at the waist.
That bow caused an instant stir in the crowd.
The schoolmaster’s heart skipped a beat, and the thoughts he had dismissed earlier suddenly rushed back. He looked at Xu Qing.
Don’t tell me....
The chancellor of the Imperial University, Third Prince, and all the students present were thinking roughly the same thing. It was an outrageous and seemingly preposterous premonition.
Could it be...?
All onlookers suppressed thoughts of the God-Merging School, and instead focused on Xu Qing.
Xu Qing slowly stood.
That motion struck fear into the hearts of many, especially the imperial princes. But then they noticed that neither his eyes nor his surroundings showed any of the golden light that indicated The Emperor’s Sword might come. That calmed them down a bit.
Xu Qing had no intention of using The Emperor’s Sword right now. That said, he also had no intention of hiding the truth about the Xeno-Immortal School soul seeds. If he was going to make a killing move, he would be thorough. If the Xeno-Immortal School was going to rise to prominence, it would rise all the way.
With that thought in mind, Xu Qing took a few steps forward. As he did, soul threads whipped out of him and rose into the sky.
100,000. 300,000. 500,000. 800,000. 1,000,000....
Things weren’t over yet. 1,100,000. 1,200,000. 1,300,000!
Fully 1,300,000 soul threads created a tempestuous storm in the dome of heaven, whipping about in all directions, causing dark pressure to weigh down from above. It was almost as if the end of days had come. It didn’t take long for the soul threads to form a huge vortex that filled the sky. In fact, it overtook the sky! It was the sky!
Everyone was deeply shaken. The students at the daoist rite center looked on with complete shock. At the same time, members of the Xeno-Immortal School started cheering.
“That’s... how many soul threads is that?”
“That’s at least double the amount of Patriarch Chen Daoze!”
Everyone outside of the university was battered by waves of shock.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing floated up into the air, his hair whipping around him. He stopped in front of the more than 1,000,000 soul threads. He looked down, then waved his hand. The soul threads swirled behind him and began to weave together. In the blink of an eye, his first-level god state formed right in front of everyone.
Xu Qing stood in front of the god, his eyes glittering like heavenly bodies.