Chapter 130: Misfortunes Never Come Singly

After eighty-one days of cultivation, the Moral Golden Body reached the peak of the fourth layer. With a total of nine layers—where the first corresponds to the Golden Core stage, the second to the Spirit Severing stage, the third to the Earth Immortal stage, the fourth to the Heaven Immortal stage, the fifth to the Mysterious Immortal stage, the sixth to the Taiyi True Immortal stage, the seventh to the Daluo Golden Immortal stage, the eighth to the Quasi-Sage stage, and the ninth to the Primordial Saint stage—he was now merely a step away from the fifth layer.

His physical form was now as formidable as that of a peak Mysterious Immortal, capable of contending even with an early-stage Taiyi True Immortal. After all, the power unleashed by a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure combined with the Moral Golden Body was unimaginable.

The true benefit, however, lay in his cultivation level. Although eighty to ninety percent of the energy had been consumed by the Taiji Diagram evolved from the Yin-Yang Dao Robe, the remainder had cleansed Qingxu’s mind of thoughts of good and evil. This helped him leap from the peak of the Earth Immortal stage to the late Heaven Immortal stage, saving him hundreds, if not thousands, of years of grueling effort. Completely refining the Yin-Yang Dao Robe was merely an unexpected bonus.

Having spent these days focused entirely on his physical cultivation, he had no time to spare for replenishing his mana. Thus, aside from its purity, his mana remained at the peak Earth Immortal level, and his focus had even caused him to lose contact with his Xuanhuang clone.

With these matters settled, Qingxu did not even take a moment to catch his breath before reaching out to his clone. He could not be certain if the clone had encountered any danger over the past eighty-one days. If something had gone wrong, it would be a tragedy; not only was it a God King-level clone, but it also held several spiritual treasures, hidden caches from the Dragon clan (the brothers Ao Fei and Ao Yun), and a peak Quasi-Sage primordial spirit. Losing such a wealth of resources would be heart-wrenching.

Through their mysterious connection, Qingxu’s expression darkened as he felt the link flickering intermittently. However, he breathed a sigh of relief knowing the Xuanhuang clone was not in immediate peril. After much deliberation, he decided to seek out the clone. Protecting humanity was a task that, if failed, would only result in a loss of some merit, but losing the clone would be a devastating blow. The priority was clear.

Whoosh!

His figure flashed, transforming into a streak of cyan light as he headed straight for the East Sea. His golden moral form faded back to a natural skin tone, though those with profound cultivation could still see through the disguise at a glance.

With his late Heaven Immortal cultivation and peak Earth Immortal mana, his flight speed was incredibly swift. Within a few blinks, he had entered the East Sea. Looking around, he saw a scene of vast beauty: sea and sky merging into one, waves roaring, seagulls crying out in joy, and giant whales leaping from the water to spout auspicious mists—a true earthly paradise.

While flying, Qingxu’s heart tightened as an ominous premonition struck him. His pupils contracted as he realized something was wrong. He clearly remembered seeing a school of sharks playing earlier, yet after flying for half an hour, they appeared before his eyes once more. What did this mean?

"Am I trapped in a formation?" Realizing he was experiencing a "ghost wall" phenomenon, Qingxu felt uneasy. His cultivation had reached the late Heaven Immortal stage, and his ability to avoid misfortune should have increased tenfold; yet, he had fallen into this trap without any warning. Most unsettling was that he could not even determine what it was—a barrier, a restriction, or a formation?

It was something he had never seen or heard of before!

"I hope this isn't man-made, and not aimed at me," he reassured himself. Qingxu turned back, intending to break free and take a detour to find his clone. He was anxious, but after eighty-one days, what difference did a few more days make?

His thoughts were optimistic, but reality was cruel. His attempt to break free failed.

"I wonder which fellow Daoist is playing a prank on me?" Unable to escape, Qingxu stopped his flight and hung in the void, calling out loudly. He scanned his surroundings, but could sense nothing unusual; the sky was clear, and the sea was pristine.

"Are you the one who killed Big Brother Qiongqi?" A young girl’s voice, clear and childish, drifted from ten yards away. It gave Qingxu a start, and he scrutinized the area, still seeing nothing. His thoughts raced, and he largely guessed who it was. He had been so busy lately that he had almost forgotten this matter.

"The spirit of the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Kunlun Mirror?" Swallowing hard, his eyes darting around, Qingxu forced a smile that was mixed with a hint of craftiness: "I did not kill Qiongqi."

"You're lying!" With an angry voice, the Kunlun spirit revealed herself.

Seeing the spirit ten yards away, even Qingxu could not help but whisper to himself, "What an adorable little girl!" She looked about six or seven years old, with skin like powdered makeup, red lips, and white teeth. Her eyes were large and clear like autumn water, her eyebrows delicate, and her ears and nose exquisite. She wore a colorful robe decorated with thousands of cute creatures—birds in the sky, fish in the water, and beasts on land.

"Little sister, I don't know where you heard the false rumor that I killed Qiongqi, nor do I know your relationship with him. But a monk does not tell lies—and a Daoist is no different. I won't hide it from you: Qiongqi did once cause me trouble, but someone else killed him. If you don't believe me, I can swear upon the Heavenly Dao." Qingxu wore a smile, though he thought to himself, "An innocent little girl like this should be easy to fool with a few words. Besides, I'm not lying. If I play my cards right, I might even find out where the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Kunlun Mirror, is hidden. That would be a huge windfall!"

Hearing Qingxu’s words, the Kunlun spirit hesitated. After all, no one would joke about swearing upon the Heavenly Dao; it was a matter of life and death!

"Hmph! Even if you didn't kill him yourself, it must be your fault. And you admitted you had a conflict with Big Brother Qiongqi. Regardless, I can't let you go today. Big Brother Qiongqi is dead, and you must go down to keep him company!" the little girl cried out unreasonably.

Her words nearly made Qingxu choke, but he did not get angry; after all, she was just a child.

Qingxu took the opportunity to chat with her while they hadn't yet come to blows, weaving in a few classic jokes that made the little girl giggle. Just as he was about to press his advantage, she suddenly attacked. She waved her arms, and two space blades tore through the void, slicing toward him from above and below, infused with a hint of the aura of time within their deep, dark depths.

Facing her attack, Qingxu didn't have time to be frustrated by her unpredictable nature. He focused, not daring to be careless. After all, she was the spirit of an Innate Supreme Treasure, and her cultivation was at the peak of the Earth Immortal stage—matching his own. Even without a spiritual treasure to assist her, her ability to borrow the mysteries of the Kunlun Mirror was no small feat.

The Kunlun Mirror was one of the few Innate Supreme Treasures in the Primordial World, possessing infinite mysteries. It could traverse time and space, travel to the past and future, and roam the universe with ease, not to mention its formidable offensive, defensive, and trapping capabilities.

Qingxu sighed inwardly, lamenting that misfortune never came singly. He hadn't yet resolved the issue with his Xuanhuang clone, and now this Kunlun spirit had appeared. His luck was truly abysmal.

Fighting her now, he had a good chance of winning, but no overwhelming advantage. If he waited until he had replenished his mana to match his cultivation level, he would be able to seize complete control of the situation.

Under the current circumstances, there was almost no possibility of killing the Kunlun spirit, as her ability to traverse time and space was too overpowered. Even if he gained the upper hand and defeated her, she could simply flee into the infinite parallel dimensions, leaving him with no way to pursue. If she recovered and launched a sneak attack, his situation would be dire.

"Right, the Dragon-Binding Rope! It’s an excellent tool for capturing enemies, no less effective than the Immortal-Binding Rope. This spirit is only at the peak Earth Immortal stage; there’s a high chance I can capture her. Once she's in my hands, I can do whatever I want with her! Hehe!" Suddenly remembering the acquired spiritual treasure he had snatched from the North Sea Dragon King, Ao Bei, Qingxu felt a spark of hope. This treasure might be the solution to his current dilemma.

He wanted to try, but dared not act rashly. The little girl was very cautious; if she sensed something was wrong and fled into a parallel dimension, capturing her would be nearly impossible. A single, decisive strike was the only way!

With a plan in mind, Qingxu did not mind playing along.

The power of her space blades was immense, capable of tearing through the void. Given that the space barriers of the Primordial World were extremely solid—unshakable by anything less than a Daluo Golden Immortal—the fact that she could tear a long fissure meant her attack was certainly no weaker than that of a Daluo Golden Immortal. This showed the terrifying nature of an Innate Supreme Treasure's spirit. Using a treasure to unleash Daluo-level attacks while only at the peak Earth Immortal stage was heaven-defying. However, this was a privilege limited to the spirit; if she were to manifest as a physical being using the mirror as her foundation, she would be restricted by her own cultivation level.

Before Qingxu had manifested his own form, his defense under the control of an innate spiritual treasure spirit had been terrifying. Now, even with his fourth-layer Moral Golden Body, his defense was only at the peak Mysterious Immortal level. The difference between a spirit before and after manifestation was significant, though one couldn't strictly say which was better. After all, once manifested, there was a path toward true enlightenment, whereas a spirit would never reach the Mysterious Immortal stage, with the Heaven Immortal stage being its ultimate limit.

Facing the two space blades, Qingxu remained smiling, looking like a detached master of the Dao, while his Yin-Yang Dao Robe erupted with black and white divine light.

Shoo!

With a casual wave of his hand, a black and white Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram, ten yards in diameter, flew out. It spun incessantly, drawing the two space blades into its Yin and Yang fish.

No matter how hard the little girl tried to control them, she could not change the outcome. She could only watch as the two space blades vanished into the Yin and Yang fish, being disintegrated and assimilated as they spun in harmony.

Chaos was the initial state of everything, and after Pangu split the world, it transformed into the Yin-Yang duality. The harmony of Yin and Yang was nearly comparable to Chaos itself; few things in the world could resist its dissolving power, and the space blades were no exception. The space of the Primordial World was acquired space, incomparable to the innate space of Chaos. The acquired has its limits, while the innate does not.