The difference between cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm was shocking. Different foundations would cause the small differences to be magnified countless times.
Because it involved the number of Nascent Souls and the number of Karmic Tribulations, as well as the experiences of different races and individuals, the difference in strength could not be seen with a single glance like in the Heavenly Palace.
Unless the difference in strength was too great, the aura could be sensed.
Otherwise, one would have to carefully weigh the pros and cons.
But fundamentally speaking, all races had the most basic understanding.
The first Karmic Tribulations gave the false Nascent Soul the meaning of truth, allowing it to truly become a Dao Nascent Soul and possess the battle prowess of a Nascent Soul.
The second Karmic Tribulations doubled the power of the Nascent Soul. Two Nascent Souls, three Karmic Tribulations!
For example, the Heavenly Face Race cultivator Xu Qing had met before was a Heaven's Chosen of his race. Although he did not have a Life Lamp, he had seven Dao Nascent Souls and had experienced two Karmic Tribulations.
Therefore, his basic battle prowess could be seen as the battle prowess of fourteen Nascent Souls.
This was also the reason why he had attacked Xu Qing even though he had thirteen Nascent Souls.
His past could be seen clearly from this point. When he was in the Golden Core Realm, he had seven Heavenly Palaces, and when he was in the Foundation Establishment Realm, he had four Heavenly Palaces.
The number of Dharma Apertures must be 120.
He had not reached the limit of 121 to 21.
After all, Xu Qing had never met anyone else who had reached 121 Dharma Apertures, other than Master Sheng Yun and Kong Xianglong.
Perhaps there were others, but they had not shown themselves, so Xu Qing could not judge.
But these were only the basics. When it came to the Heavenly Palace, it could be used as an important measure. But when it came to battles between Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, the changes were huge.
When it came to similar cultivators, the standard to measure their strength was not only the realm, but also the factors of treasures and cultivation methods. It also included the different talents of each race and the ability to adapt to actual combat.
Every one of these factors was crucial and could determine victory or defeat.
Therefore, the power of the Nascent Soul could not be used as a basis. It could only be used as a simple reference.
Many times, it was necessary to fight to know who was stronger and who was weaker.
It was the same for Xu Qing.
His thirteen Nascent Souls had all experienced one Karmic Tribulations, so in theory, he had the battle prowess of thirteen Nascent Souls.
However, his Dao Nascent Soul was too special. Whether it was the Emperor level cultivation technique, the God level cultivation technique, or the blessing of the Heavenly Dao, or a supreme treasure like the Bottle of Time, there was also the morning glow and the Sundial Life Lamp.
All of these factors caused Xu Qing's battle prowess to exceed normal limits in the Nascent Soul stage. This was equivalent to making his Dao Nascent Soul as powerful as a cultivator who had gone through two Fate Tribulations.
In other words, the most basic combat power that Xu Qing possessed now was 24 Nascent Souls!
The reason why it was not 26 was because he still had two life lamps that had not been refined. Once the remaining two became sundials, he would have the combat power of 26 Nascent Souls.
However, Xu Qing was still cautious, because if he could make his Nascent Soul special, it did not mean that others could not. Furthermore, treasures and cultivation techniques were the same.
This was also the reason why it was so difficult to deal with Nascent Soul cultivators.
At this moment, after these thoughts flashed through Xu Qing's mind, his body shot up into the sky from the magma. His 13 Nascent Souls exploded with power, forming a terrifying battle prowess comparable to 24 Nascent Souls. He shot straight up into the sky.
He was so fast that in the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of a First Tribulation Mirror Shadow Nascent Soul cultivator.
The Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator's expression changed. Although half of his attention was focused on strengthening the spell formation, his rich battle experience and ability to adapt allowed him to instantly pull back most of his attention. Six Nascent Souls exploded out from within him.
He opened his mouth and spat out a flying sword. The mirror shone brightly on his forehead, reflecting Xu Qing's figure. His face blurred as he looked exactly like Xu Qing.
This was one of the innate talents of his clan. By using it to strengthen himself, his battle prowess would instantly soar to the level of eight Nascent Souls.
This innate talent combined with his reaction speed was already extraordinary. If any other First Tribulation Cultivator were to launch a sneak attack, it would be very difficult to kill him.
However, if the difference in strength was too great, then many uncontrollable variables would appear.
They would have no choice but to become controllable.
Therefore, in the next instant, as Xu Qing whistled past, a cold light flashed and the Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator's head was separated from his body.
Blood spurted out and a miserable scream rang out. Xu Qing had already shot off into the distance toward another Nascent Soul Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator.
At the same time, Xu Qing's Poison Restriction also rose up in the surroundings. His target wasn't the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, but the Gold Core Heavenly Palace cultivators.
As Xu Qing's strength increased, his Poison Restriction Pill also displayed an even more vicious and terrifying power. As it spread out, at least seven Heavenly Palace cultivators cried out in alarm.
They didn't even have time to react before their bodies turned purplish black and began to rot.
Miserable and terrified cries rang out in all directions.
A few Heavenly Palace cultivators trembled. Their eyes instantly turned black, and a demonic smile appeared on their lips. They suddenly turned around and charged toward the giant mirror spell formation. When they got close, they suddenly self-detonated.
As the rumbling echoed, a red bolt of lightning circled around the fish bone. Wherever it passed, it killed a shocking number of people.
This scene caused the expressions of the Mirror Shadow Clan cultivators to change.
In the blink of an eye, chaos erupted in the area.
Blood spurted out and a miserable scream rang out. Xu Qing had already shot off into the distance toward another Nascent Soul Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator.
At the same time, Xu Qing's Poison Restriction Pill also rose up in the surroundings. Its target wasn't the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, but the Gold Core Heavenly Palace cultivators.
As Xu Qing's strength increased, his Poison Restriction Pill also displayed an even more vicious and terrifying power. As it spread out, at least seven Heavenly Palace cultivators cried out in alarm.
They didn't even have time to react before their bodies turned purplish black and began to rot.
Miserable and terrified cries rang out in all directions.
A few Heavenly Palace cultivators trembled. Their eyes instantly turned black, and a demonic smile appeared on their lips. They suddenly turned around and charged toward the giant mirror spell formation. When they got close, they suddenly self-detonated.
As the rumbling echoed, a red bolt of lightning circled around the fish bone. Wherever it passed, it killed a shocking number of people.
This scene caused the expressions of the Mirror Shadow Clan cultivators to change one after another.
In the blink of an eye, chaos erupted in the area.
Duanmu Zang, who was resisting the pressure of the giant mirror, was also stunned. When he noticed the poisoned Mirror Shadow Clan cultivators, his pupils shrank. He immediately recognized the source.
"It's that swindling brat!
"
So he shouted loudly.
"Don't waste time. End the battle quickly. Kill the Nascent Soul cultivators outside so that the spell formation won't be strengthened. Then I can escape!"
"Hurry!
The Mirror Shadow Clan's Imperial Preceptor is on his way here!
"
As soon as Duanmu Zang's words came out, the face in the giant mirror turned to look at Xu Qing. However, Duanmu Zang laughed loudly. He didn't hesitate to let his injuries flare up and his cultivation base erupt.
Eight Nascent Souls rose from his body, each containing the power of five Karmic Tribulations. What was even more shocking was that behind the eight Nascent Souls, there was a faint shadow of a Secret Treasure.
However, the secret treasure was collapsed and filled with a sense of decay. Clearly, it had failed to break through.
Even so, his battle strength had increased dramatically with the appearance of the secret treasure. The face in the giant mirror had no choice but to withdraw its gaze from Xu Qing and focus on suppressing him.
Rumbling sounds echoed in the sky. Xu Qing attacked even faster.
He didn't need Duanmu Zang's reminder. The moment he decided to attack, Xu Qing knew that this battle had to end as soon as possible.
That was why Xu Qing quickly closed in on one of the Mirror Shadow Clan's Nascent Soul cultivators.
However, the other Mirror Shadow Clan members also reacted. Two Second Tribulation Nascent Soul cultivators and one Third Tribulation Nascent Soul cultivator charged toward him.
Just as they were about to close in, Xu Qing's body suddenly shined brightly and swept outward.
The four colors were replaced by seven colors. The people who had arrived all stopped and retreated. Xu Qing's body turned ghostly and pierced through the Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator in front of him.
He caught two Nascent Soul cultivators.
In his hand, he crushed them.
Dozens of Heavenly Devil Bodies charged into the Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator's body.
The next moment, a miserable scream came from the Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator's mouth. His body trembled and rapidly withered away. Xu Qing swiftly retreated.
Almost as soon as he retreated, a huge vortex was blasted into the ground where he had been standing by the Cultivator of the Three Tribulations Realm.
"Lowly human, you are courting death!
"
The Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator let out a roar and seven Nascent Souls appeared in his body. Five of them were Third Tribulation Nascent Souls and two were Second Tribulation Nascent Souls.
A black mirror appeared behind him to strengthen him. There was a giant bat trapped inside the mirror. The bat was facing Xu Qing and sending out a sound wave that exploded in all directions.
At the same time, there was a long spear in his hand. Countless wailing resentful souls surrounded the spear and spread out like smoke. It was a shocking sight.
It wasn't over yet. There were two Shadow Clan cultivators here, and the other one was closing in.
This person was wearing black armor and seven ghostly flames floated above his head.
Each one was formed by a Nascent Soul. The cloak behind the armor fluttered and countless eyes appeared on it. They all opened and glared at Xu Qing.
Not only that, but there were also four Second Tribulation Shadow Clan cultivators that surrounded Xu Qing.
This scene caused Duanmu Zang to become serious. Although killing these Mirror Shadow Clan cultivators would be as easy as flipping his hand, he still couldn't figure out Xu Qing's strength.
"This brat's Nascent Soul is a bit strange!
"
At this moment, the poisonous fog filled the area and the miserable screams became even more miserable. The six Mirror Shadow Nascent Souls closed in on Xu Qing.
But at this moment, Xu Qing's eyes turned icy cold. He pulled out the needle of a sundial from his body and his gaze fell on the closest Three Tribulation Realm Shadow Clan cultivator.
In an instant, time stopped on the first sundial in Xu Qing's body.
The power of stillness followed his gaze and affected the cultivators of the Mirror Shadow Race that he was staring at.
The Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator's body trembled. His expression was ferocious and his body seemed to be frozen. It was as if time had stopped for him.
Although it only lasted for a moment before returning to normal, for a Nascent Soul cultivator, that moment was the difference between life and death.
Xu Qing's dagger slashed across the man's neck the moment time returned to normal. Blood spurted out and the man's head flew up.
Xu Qing didn't have time to absorb too much. After grabbing two Nascent Souls and crushing them, the needle of his first sundial had to fall. The withering of the sundial was much more serious than when he used Ling JL to test it.
But it wasn't irreversible and was recovering.
Xu Qing didn't care. While the other Mirror Shadow Clan cultivators were shocked, he looked at the other Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator and pulled out the needle of the second sundial.
The Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator's mind was in a storm. His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. The scene he saw was his companion suddenly stopping for some reason.
He didn't resist or struggle. It was as if he had become a puppet and was killed by the human cultivator.
"This is …" Before he could continue thinking, Xu Qing's gaze fell.
In an instant, the Mirror Shadow Clan cultivator's body shook and he lost his senses. He lost everything. When he recovered, he saw Xu Qing's face.
His head flew up and his Nascent Soul withered.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
The Mirror Shadow Clan cultivators all cried out in shock. Their scalps were numb and they were extremely shocked. They immediately retreated and wanted to escape.
Xu Qing ignored them and went straight for the giant mirror array.
"This is the most precious treasure of the Mirror Shadow Clan's Grand Master. It's hard to destroy. But now that there's no one to reinforce it, it's easy. Step back. I'm going to detonate a Nascent Soul to blast open a gap!
"
Duanmu Cang suppressed his shock at Xu Qing's attack. He growled and was about to detonate himself.
But Xu Qing raised his right hand and pointed. The Vajra Sect's Patriarch turned into a red lightning bolt and whizzed over from afar.
He was so fast that he closed in in an instant and drove the fish bone to stab at the giant mirror.
The face on the giant mirror looked at Xu Qing and was about to speak. But in the next instant, his expression changed drastically.
Amidst the rumbling, the fish bone ignored all of the mirror's defenses and pierced through them like a hot knife through butter, stabbing into the mirror's surface.
With a crack, the mirror shattered.
Xu Qing didn't look at Duanmu Cang. He turned around and waved his hand.
The surrounding poison went straight for him, and so did the shadow. The fish bone turned into a red light and fell into Xu Qing's hand.
Xu Qing sped up and rushed into the distance to escape.
From the beginning to the end, he didn't say a word.
He came like a thunderbolt and left silently.
The giant mirror trembled violently at this moment, and the cracks on it kept spreading. The face was distorted and its expression changed rapidly. It looked up and stared at Xu Qing, who was in the distance.
As for Duanmu Zang, who was trapped by it, he sucked in a breath of cold air. Then, he quickly stopped his Nascent Soul from exploding and rushed out through the gap. Then, he flung the collapsed treasure trove toward the giant mirror.
Boom!
More cracks appeared on the mirror. It fell from the sky and smashed into the magma.
The face inside opened as if it wanted to say something, but it was so damaged that it couldn't send out its Divine Will.
Duanmu Cang snorted and spat a mouthful of thick phlegm at it.
The phlegm was so heavy that it hit the face of the mirror and caused it to sink into the magma.
After doing that, Duanmu Cang turned around and left quickly.
Six hours after they left, a firestorm rose in the distance. There was a huge figure in a golden robe. It had no face, and its entire face was a golden mirror.
He rushed over and stopped here. He lowered his head and looked at the magma.
His face reflected the surroundings.
After a long time, he raised his right hand and grabbed. Immediately, he took out the mirror that had sunk into the magma. He held it in his hand for a while, and a cold voice came from the face of the mirror.
"Humans …"
Three days later, thousands of miles away on the Heavenly Fire Sea, Xu Qing was rushing. He didn't stop at all during these three days. While concealing himself, he kept approaching the shore.
The sky here became brighter and brighter during these three days. The flames seemed to be more intense than before, and the magma flowers bloomed more frequently.
This caused the temperature of the place to continue to rise. There was a feeling of burning one's soul.
"I have to get back to the shore as soon as possible. If this continues, even if my body can hold on, my soul will be melted.
"
Xu Qing felt a burning sensation from his hair, and his spirit also showed signs of withering. Hence, he was about to speed up, but in the next instant, he spoke softly.
"Senior, you've followed me for so long. There's no need.
"
After a while, Xu Qing continued forward.
For the past three days, he would come here every two hours.
Although he could sense the aura of poison, Xu Qing understood that once he made a habit of it, it would become an oversight. And in this chaotic world, a single oversight could lead to a tragic end.
Hence, even if he didn't sense the aura of poison, he still spoke like this.
Just like this, another day passed. Xu Qing's footsteps paused, and he spoke calmly.
"Senior, do you like to hide so much?"
"
This time, there was a reply …
"Hmm?"
"
More than a hundred feet to the right of Xu Qing, there was a strange sound. That place quickly distorted, and Duanmu Cang's body was revealed.
There was a bubble around his body that isolated some of the aura. There was also a cloth wrapped around his right hand. It was this thing that completely isolated the aura of poison.
Xu Qing's eyes focused. He glanced at it and vaguely felt that it was somewhat familiar.
"How did this kid detect me?"
"
Duanmu Cang was suspicious. Thinking of Xu Qing's previous actions, he felt that there was a high chance that the other party was still hiding some strange tricks.
"Of course, it's also possible that this kid will shout like this every once in a while!"
""
"Female cheat!"
""
Duanmu Cang Xin
He snorted coldly. Noticing Xu Qing's gaze on the cloth on his right hand, he didn't explain. Instead, he glared at Xu Qing.
"Kid, you have no conscience!"
"This old man has no intention of harming you. I even gave you a box to hide, and the antidote you gave me was fake!"
""
Xu Qing frowned.
"But seeing that you helped me out before, I won't pursue the matter."
Seeing Xu Qing frown, the old man hurriedly eased his tone, then raised his hand and coughed.
"We're all humans, so … give me the antidote."
""
Xu Qing's expression was as usual.
"Ten thousand spirit stones!"
"" "
The old man took a deep breath and glared at Xu Qing. After a while, he shook his head with a bitter smile and threw out a storage bag that Xu Qing had given him before.
Xu Qing took it and counted it, making sure that it was fine.
Seeing that Xu Qing still wanted to count it, the old man's temper rose again, but he suppressed it.
"That's enough!"
""
Xu Qing nodded and raised his right hand to grab the old man. Suddenly, the old man's body trembled, and the poison in his body surged instantly. While he was in pain, it drilled out of his body.
In the end, it turned into a black mist that went straight to Xu Qing, merged into Xu Qing's body, and disappeared.
With the disappearance of the poison, the old man clearly felt his body relax, and his cultivation power surged. His body also began to recover and became blurry.
This made him let out a long sigh of relief and look at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing took a few steps back and was extremely vigilant.
The old man's eyes widened.
"Kid, you were so powerful before. Why didn't you help the first two times? Why did you ask me to help you?"
""
"I didn't have time."
Xu Qing said calmly. He was telling the truth.
The old man was silent. He felt that this kid really didn't know how to talk, so he turned to leave, but after a few steps, he looked back at Xu Qing.
"The heavenly fire is coming, you should find a place to hide."
""
The old man waved his hand and threw an umbrella to Xu Qing.
"This umbrella can resist for some time, but not for long. Take care."
""
With that, his body flickered, and he was about to merge into nothingness.
Xu Qing took the umbrella, and after examining it, he felt the old man's kindness, so he thought for a moment and shouted at the old man who was about to disappear.
"Wait."
""
The old man paused and looked at Xu Qing in surprise.
Xu Qing raised his hand and extracted the last wisp of poisonous mist from the old man's body …
Xu Qing had left it behind to prevent the old man from suddenly attacking.
At this moment, with the appearance of the poisonous mist, the old man's expression changed again. He glared at Xu Qing, panted a few times, and finally laughed out of anger.
"You don't talk about martial ethics!"
""
Xu Qing was expressionless. His experience since young made him understand the need to be cautious, especially in this unfamiliar territory.
And from beginning to end, he had no intention of harming anyone.
The old man glanced at Xu Qing and finally nodded.
"Forget it, your vigilance is normal."
""
With that, he thought for a moment, took out a jade slip, and threw it to Xu Qing.
"If you really can't find a place to hide, come here."
The old man turned around and vanished into thin air.
Xu Qing took the jade slip, glanced at it, and put it away. He knew what heavenly fire was. It was a unique climate in the Jiyue Great Region. Every time it happened, the sky of the Jiyue Great Region would become bright.
"It should be related to the sea of heavenly fire."
"
Xu Qing didn't know the details before, but now he had a guess. Thinking of the heat on the sea these days, he pondered and sped up.
A few days later, Xu Qing returned to the shore. He didn't want to go to the same place twice.
At this moment, on the shore, he looked at the sky.
Compared to two months ago, the fire in the sky now was more intense, and the magma in the sea of heavenly fire was surging more violently.
Standing here, come.
The roar from the sea of heavenly fire was like thunder.
And the figures of the cultivators were much fewer than before.
Even the ground was shaking, as if something huge was about to rise from the sea of heavenly fire.
This reminded Xu Qing of the first time he saw the Mirror Shadow Clan's border guard hiding underground.
"Is this a way to avoid the heavenly fire?"
"
Xu Qing was deep in thought. He found a place far away from this place and dug a big hole in the ground. After entering, he cast a spell to cover it. After hiding underground, he sat down cross-legged and began to recover his body.
Although he had the body of a god, the sea of heavenly fire was mysterious and unpredictable. The high temperature under the magma made Xu Qing feel that it was terrifying. He sank about ten feet at most.
Xu Qing didn't dare to go down any further. This fire burned the soul, and with the purple crystal, it was difficult to ensure that he wouldn't be injured.
Time passed day by day. Xu Qing was deep underground, recovering his body, studying his life lamp, and occasionally chatting with Ling 'Er.
He wasn't lonely.
Seven days later, when his body returned to its peak, Xu Qing felt the changes in the outside world.
In these seven days, the temperature became higher and higher.
It was the same even underground. The surrounding soil began to turn red.
Until a roar came from the sky, spreading out like thunder. Xu Qing used his divine sense to perceive the scene that set off huge waves in his mind.
The sea of heavenly fire, like a tsunami, erupted.
The magma violently tumbled, setting off huge waves. As it spread to the shore, a pair of huge broken hands a hundred thousand feet long rose from the vast sea of heavenly fire.
This pair of broken hands had huge sarcomas at the ends of the arms. Countless tentacles spread out, and the palm lines on the sky-like palms were clearly visible.
They rose into the air and slowly formed hand seals.
Magma surged, and mysterious phenomena like dragons sucking in water appeared on the magma sea. Large amounts of magma were sucked into the sky and spread out, covering the sky in all directions at high speed.
The sky was bright.
Boundless fire rained down from the sky, burning the earth.
This was the reason why this area was full of barren and irregular short mountains, and also the main reason why there were no plants.
The area was so large that it covered the alliance of the two clans. It spread from east to west until it covered the entire Jiyue Region.
"The heavenly fire passed …"
Xu Qing looked at this scene and muttered.