1573 Darkness as Before

“My ranking in the Southern Starfield is 1,145th…”

In the sky, under the aurora, Xu Qing flew forward.

However, his expression was solemn and he didn’t relax because he had killed the middle-aged cultivator. Instead, he became even more vigilant.

This was because after activating the qualifying token and fusing it into his body, he could be considered to have truly entered this hunt of the Immortal Capital.

Moreover, he deeply sensed that danger could descend at any moment.

Everything was because the sensing range between the tokens could increase.

The qualifying token was very special. If one didn’t fuse with it, they wouldn’t have any perception of other tokens. Even if there were other qualifying tokens beside them, their divine sense wouldn’t be able to sense them at all.

There was only one way to detect other qualifying tokens, and that was to fuse with a token.

They could use the power of their token to sense the other qualifying tokens.

To a certain extent, this qualifying token was both a qualification and a tool for specific perception.

When Xu Qing had just fused with his qualifying token, he sensed that the perception range of the token was 50,000 kilometers.

Within 50,000 kilometers, if any other qualifying tokens appeared, he would sense them immediately.

He originally thought that the others were the same.

However… after he killed the middle-aged cultivator who also held a qualifying token, Xu Qing could sense that not only did his ranking increase, but even his qualifying token seemed to have changed.

It was as though it had advanced to the next level.

The most direct manifestation was that its sensing range had increased by ten times.

It reached a range of 500,000 kilometers.

This was the reason for Xu Qing’s solemnity.

“I only obtained one more, but the perception range of the qualifying token has increased by so much.”

“I can conclude that after absorbing more qualifying tokens, the perception range will increase explosively again.”

“Then the others…”

Xu Qing’s pupils constricted slightly. This outcome wasn’t good for him.

This meant that the more someone killed and the more tokens they obtained, the greater their perception range.

Hence, the advantages and disadvantages due to the perception range would naturally appear.

The strong were stronger, and the weak were weaker.

There would definitely be situations where the enemies with more tokens sensed Xu Qing from afar, while Xu Qing had no awareness of them.

This would be fatal during the hunt.

08:05

This was because having more tokens meant that the other party’s ranking in the Southern Starfield was higher, and his cultivation was naturally powerful as well.

Moreover, as time passed, the stronger participants would have a terrifying perception range.

It made it impossible for their prey to escape.

“No wonder my ranking increased so much just by killing one.”

“With the onset of the second stage, massacres like what I just carried out should be erupting throughout the entire Southern Starfield.”

“This is the second stage of the hunt…”

“It truly deserves the name ‘hunt’.”

Xu Qing mumbled.

Through the increase in the sensing range of the qualifying token, Xu Qing could clearly and deeply sense the cruelty and intensity of the hunt.

He also had a basis for his judgment that the Immortal Capital’s competition was akin to raising Gu.

Clearly, the Immortal Capital didn’t want a flower. They wanted the wolf king, a true heaven’s chosen who had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Hence, although the difference in perception range was a little unfair, it was also fair from another perspective.

It was fair for everyone initially.

As for how to move forward, it depended on the individual’s ability.

Life and death were unpredictable.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and licked his lips as a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

He suddenly felt that this was very interesting.

At the very least, it made him feel immense pressure.

This place wasn’t Wanggu. Here, he didn’t have his master to save him, the Empress to assist him, or his eldest senior brother to help him.

Even the clay fox was weakened and had fallen into a slumber in this Fifth Star Ring that rejected gods.

“I have to rely on myself for everything.”

“The consequences of any decision I make will have to be faced alone.”

Xu Qing’s vigilance was raised to the extreme. After that, he put away all his thoughts before moving forward rapidly.

At the same time, he began to organize his gains from the previous battle.

The authority transformation of the extreme five elements was one of them.

“My authorities aren’t only limited to the five elements but also space and time. However, I still need some more realizations to transform these two into authorities.”

“Next is the erase authority and the immortal art, Six Thieves Delusions.”

“So, to be precise, if I transform all of them into authorities, then I will have nine.”

“And in my next phase of cultivation, I must focus on elevating the power of my Five Elements Authorities, while also exploring the Dao of time and space. From there, I will strive to deduce my Eighth Extremity.”

Xu Qing pondered.

The enhancement of the token’s perception range was another benefit.

The third gain… was a storage ring.

The imprint on it had already dissipated with the death of its original owner. Hence, after Xu Qing took it out, he swept it with his divine sense and checked all of its content.

It had to be said that in the Fifth Star Ring, those who could reach the Ruler realm had abundant resources.

Xu Qing could roughly guess the reason.

The guardian of the spirit mine guarded it all year round, so he basically had all the items by his side.

As for the second person Xu Qing killed…

Those who dared to fuse with the qualifying tokens were naturally prepared for a bloody storm. Such people were either extremely confident or prepared to risk their lives.

It was hard to say about the former, but the latter would definitely bring their precious items with them.

This storage ring was just like this.

Whether it was spirit stones or immortal jade, there was a vast amount of them.

But there was only one treasure—a compass, and it was severely damaged, clearly showing signs of heavy destruction. Even now, it was still in the process of being repaired.

Even so, Xu Qing still gained something.

Those were medicinal pills.

That middle-aged cultivator had focused on gathering medicinal pills.

Hence, there were a lot of medicinal pills.

However, it was obvious that… Xu Qing’s attack was extremely fast and domineering. He used his authorities to suppress and even sealed the other party with space.

Therefore, even if the middle-aged cultivator took out the medicinal pills, he wouldn’t be able to reverse the situation.

Xu Qing identified these medicinal pills and kept the ring. He then rushed through the sky at full speed.

Just like that, time flowed by.

Five vortex days passed.

Perhaps it was because this place was a remote place in the Southern Starfield, or perhaps it was because although Xu Qing was speeding, he was vigilant and avoided all the dangers he sensed. Over the course of five days, he didn’t encounter anyone else.

This caused the sense of danger he had been feeling to ease a little.

Finally, before the aurora in the sky formed a new vortex, Xu Qing found a deserted mountain and opened a cave abode. He then sat cross-legged inside.

It was night.

The cave abode was also pitch-black.

The surroundings were silent.

Xu Qing also gradually fused into the darkness. He concealed his aura and silently cultivated.

He wanted to comprehend his Dao and explore his path.

Time flowed in the dark night and the aurora vortexes in the outside world appeared one after another.

Another seven vortex days passed.

In the dark cave abode, Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes.

“It feels… like I’m back to my childhood.”

Looking at his surroundings, Xu Qing mumbled to himself.

This feeling of being all alone in a vast and perilous world, as if walking through a treacherous forest, was something Xu Qing was not unfamiliar with.

He had lived like this every day when he was young.

The experiences Xu Qing had after leaving Peerless City, up until he truly became a disciple of Old Master Seventh, were essentially like walking on the edge of a knife, akin to an assassin, avoiding the spotlight and staying out of view.

In fact, even when walking, he would choose to move in the dark.

Because darkness provided protection, it allowed him to feel as if he merged with it, becoming part of the darkness itself, and thus able to remain hidden.

Just like now.

It was Captain Lei’s appearance back then that gave him a feeling of kinship that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

It was Eldest Senior Brother’s appearance that brought a ray of sunlight to his life.

It was Old Master Seventh’s protection that made him feel the care of an elder.

It was Ling’er who made his heart relax.

It was Zi Xuan who made him experience a nervous excitement, though he wasn’t sure if it was love.

It was the old Palace Master of the Sword Holding Palace in Fenghai County who made him understand the meaning of Sword Holder.

It was the Empress who made him see that gods also had humanity.

It was the Sword Holding Great Emperor that allowed him to understand that a person could be remembered by others for a lifetime.

These experiences were all part of his growth, enriching his life and becoming an inseparable part of who he was today.

Now, after gathering all these experiences, he found himself in the unfamiliar Fifth Star Ring, once again alone and facing dangers from all directions.

“This is also my experience.”

Xu Qing instinctively touched the place where he used to place the iron stick.

It was empty.

As though it could sense the fluctuations of his emotions, Little Shadow slightly emitted its presence. Even the heavenly vine crawled out of Xu Qing’s body and gently swept past his face.

During the journey to the Primordial Sea, the heavenly vine and the pagoda were severely damaged and had yet to recover.

Xu Qing smiled as he sensed their existence. After that, he was about to close his eyes and continue cultivating.

However, his eyes opened immediately after and he turned his head to look at the south.

He instantly became vigilant.

Within the perception range of his qualifying token, a star that represented a token appeared in the direction he was looking at.

This person seemed to be passing by but the instant they entered the perception range of Xu Qing’s token, they actually changed their direction and were rapidly approaching Xu Qing.

“This person has the same perception range as me!”

A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing’s eyes.

Countless thoughts immediately rose in his mind.

“I can’t escape now. Once I move, the other party will immediately determine that I have the same perception range as them.”

“That would be like a gamble.”

“Gambling on whether the other party will continue to pursue. It’s fine if they don’t, but if they do, it’s inevitable that we’ll fight.”

“That… would be too passive!”

“So, I will pretend not to know and make arrangements, turning this place into a battlefield suitable for me.”

“That’s the best choice!”

Xu Qing made up his mind. He waved his hand and the Four-Nine Formation Restriction from the guardian of the spirit mine, Lingdu, was taken out.

He was still exploring this item and had already come up with some ideas. At that moment, it was just the right time to set it up.

Little Shadow spread out in the surroundings under Xu Qing’s divine sense.

After that, Xu Qing set up many more arrangements.

He made the earth’s power dense in the area while also relocating the vegetation.

He also took out an incense stick and placed it in front of him. He could light it at any time.

Finally, after making all the preparations, Xu Qing waved his hand and took out the crystalline treasure tree. He made it face himself and activated it while emitting his aura.

Soon, the crystalline treasure tree swayed and materialized a figure that was exactly the same as Xu Qing. Even the aura was the same.

“Sit cross-legged here.”

Xu Qing calmly spoke.

The figure nodded and immediately sat cross-legged.

Xu Qing sank into the ground, staying close to the materialized figure. If he were to distance himself too much, it would reveal that the token was not there.

As their distance wasn’t far, their auras naturally overlapped.

After doing all this, killing intent rose in Xu Qing’s eyes as he waited silently.

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