Yang Ji let out a sinister laugh, "So what if you've figured it out? I don't believe you dare to kill me!"
Qing Ling's expression remained calm, "Killing you would be troublesome, after all, you are a Great Luo of the Eighth Heaven. But I have plenty of ways to suppress you."
"Then why didn't you let me send a message to the Dragon Palace?"
"If the Dragon Palace knew, who knows if they would try to take a cut. If I capture you alone, won't all the benefits be mine?"
Qing Ling said with a half-smile, "I've stalled you for so long. Whatever you intended to do should be ready by now. Why not bring it out so I can have a look?"
Yang Ji's expression was unperturbed as he chuckled, "Since you've seen through it, then let's give it a try!"
Immediately, he was enveloped in crimson and blue light, and a massive water-fire Taiji appeared beneath his feet, drawing Qing Ling into it. Simultaneously, the Sanyao Divine Mirror in his hand emitted a radiant sun, causing strands of the True Sun Fire to descend upon Qing Ling, transforming into a sea of flames.
Qing Ling's eyes flickered, and with a wave of his sleeve, a gigantic white python coiled around him. Formed from the power of the Taiyin water and threads of time, it shielded him from the powerful True Sun Fire.
But at this moment, Yang Ji's face broke into a triumphant smile. He leaped up, transforming into a colossal red fish, swimming around the periphery of the water-fire Taiji. Meanwhile, his Taiyi Divine Incarnation stepped onto the water pole, while Qing Ling stood upon the yang pole. Amidst the raging torrents, the yin and yang water and fire churned. The giant fish swam around the Taiji form and gradually moved towards the center, into the eyes of the yin-yang fish. The Yin-Yang Great Dao pulsed, the yang pole growing grand but weakening, while the yin pole, though seemingly weak, expanded. The power of the yang pole flowed into the power of the yin pole.
Qing Ling exclaimed in surprise, "So you planned to use me as a source to achieve the power of a Heaven and Earth Great Being! A clever trick, but you underestimated the means of a Heaven and Earth Great Being."
Yang Ji sneered, "Then try it! I'll sacrifice my true body. Can't I trap you for a moment?"
Qing Ling laughed, "That's if you can hold on first. My Luosheng Flowers aren't vegetarian; they only eat flesh!"
With that, Qing Ling's brow pulsed with divine markings. The power of the Wood Dao activated the Luosheng, rapidly absorbing Yang Ji's flesh and essence. The giant fish's body stabilized the Taiji within its eyes. Within the yang pole, Qing Ling's spiritual energy began flowing to Yang Ji's avatar, and the hidden cultivation of that avatar rapidly increased.
Qing Ling remarked pointedly, "I'm usually the one who absorbs others, but today I'm being absorbed. However, I must tell you, if you try to drain me completely, you might just explode!"
As he spoke, Qing Ling waved his sleeve, and hundreds of strangely blood-red Luosheng Flowers appeared in the air, each one condensed from the flesh and essence of a Golden Immortal or Taiyi. Qing Ling then pointed a finger, and the giant white python that encircled him leaped up, forming a bridge. A bridge of time spanned the yin and yang poles. Qing Ling leisurely stepped onto the bridge, time itself halting as he walked upon the river of time, traversing its far bank.
From the pinnacle of the pristine white bridge of time, Qing Ling surveyed the sea. A thread of time flowed into the dormant, great fish. The Luosheng Flowers instantly matured, absorbing Yang Ji's flesh and essence in an instant, blooming with bloody petals. Qing Ling casually beckoned, "Come."
The blood-red flowers ascended, Yang Ji vanished, and the Taiji form collapsed. Without the balancing force, Yang Ji's avatar was immediately overwhelmed by the Luosheng Flowers' power, its body exploding as the divine incarnation fled for its life.
Qing Ling stood at the end of the bridge of time, smiling, "With your true body here, where do you think you can escape?" He then tossed a blood-red flower again. It bloomed vibrantly, the eerie red capturing the nascent spirit of the avatar. The two primordial spirits of Yang Ji merged, both imprisoned within the Luosheng Flowers.
In the sun-drenched sea, the towering water walls suddenly dispersed, leaving only the long bridge. A figure in red stood on the bridge, holding a flower and a parasol, shielding himself from the falling water.
Three divine mirrors were arranged in a celestial formation, unleashing a grand sunlight, akin to three great suns. The union of sun and sea, the golden rays of the great sun, reflected by the divine mirrors and refracted by the seawater, caused the sun-drenched sea to reveal a vision of misty valleys devoid of life.
Qing Ling murmured to himself, "Finally found it." With a single step, his figure entered the valley, the bridge beneath his feet dissolving into an illusion.
Qing Ling stepped inside, sensing spatial fluctuations all around. He kept his azure parasol raised, for a divine incarnation of Mu Gong was still present, and caution was necessary. Though he had dealt with Mu Gong's true body with ease back then, it was because the power of the Void Devouring Supreme and the Sea of Death had suppressed ninety percent of his strength. In a true confrontation, even the current Qing Ling would not be a match for Mu Gong at the eighteenth heaven of Great Luo.
Qing Ling entered Tanggu. The ground was barren, a scorched earth, utterly devoid of life. Upon entering, he felt waves of intense heat, at least ten thousand degrees, which explained the lack of vegetation. Qing Ling ventured deeper into Tanggu. No one saw him, and there was no sign of Mu Gong's divine incarnation, yet he remained vigilant.
However, as he looked up, he saw the colossal divine tree in the sky: the Fusang! There were not one, but two Fusang divine trees, growing in mutual support, reaching so high that they pierced the Ninth Heaven. The divine trees were earth-yellow, ancient and time-worn. Yet, beneath the Fusang divine trees, there was a rare coolness, as the heat and sun were absorbed by the Fusang. Qing Ling reached out and touched the Fusang, feeling a warmth. To him, it felt warm, but to all living beings, it was a terrifying heat, capable of incinerating everything.
It was no wonder that later the ten sons of Emperor Jun would cultivate here, able to absorb the heat and provide warmth. But Qing Ling couldn't understand why the Sun Star, the ideal place for Golden Crows to grow, was not where the ten Golden Crows were nurtured.
The Fusang divine tree suddenly emitted divine light, and an aged figure appeared. Qing Ling observed him. He didn't resemble Mu Gong, but he was likely a divine incarnation of Mu Gong. As the old man appeared, he bowed, "May I ask why this friend has come? I am the spirit of this Fusang divine tree, named Hao."
"Hao?" Qing Ling uttered in surprise, then scrutinized the old man, who was only at the fifth heaven of Great Luo Golden Immortal. "You are the manifestation of one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots, yet your cultivation is so low?"
"Friend, you may not know, I only manifested my form a few Yuan Hui ago, hence my weak cultivation," the old man said with a wry smile. "May I ask what brings you here?"
Qing Ling stared directly into the old man's eyes and said plainly, "Naturally, I am here for the Fusang. I wish to take two main branches of the Fusang."
Simultaneously, he sent his divine sense across realms, manipulating the Four Seasons Diagram above the vast expanse of Dugguang, traveling all the way to the East Sea.
"What? This... " the old man exclaimed in shock, "Absolutely not! Absolutely not! The Fusang divine tree serves as a beacon for the Sun Star to identify the Primordial World. If the Fusang divine tree is damaged, the Sun God may be angered, offending the lineage of the Sun Star. The Taiyin and Taiyang stars are the primary stars upon which all life depends. Both are home to supreme powerful beings. Though you are strong, friend, you are still far from being a supreme powerful being."
Qing Ling laughed, "Offending the Sun lineage? I've never heard the Sun God mention it. Are you trying to deceive me? The Sun Golden Crow lineage and I are close friends. Your words might frighten others, but they won't frighten me."
At this very moment, Taiyi, who was in the Sun Star Palace, involuntarily shivered and sneezed, finding it strange.
The old man's face turned pale, "But, the Fusang divine tree is my true form. How can I allow you to damage it?"
Qing Ling sneered, "What if I take it by force? What then?"
The old man's expression turned tense, "This is the root of the Fusang. On my home ground, the outcome of a battle between us is not yet decided."
Qing Ling finally confirmed that this old man was indeed not a manifestation of the Fusang. He smiled, "If you were truly the manifestation of the Fusang divine tree, you would have already attacked me. Mu Gong, dying but not yet dead, how can you claim to be vanquished? The Mu Gong of the past has completely vanished from heaven and earth. Naturally, you should not linger in this world for long!"
The old man coldly chuckled, "So you knew all along. Why then waste my time with pleasantries?"
Qing Ling instantly soared into the sky, unfurling his Azure Jade Parasol. Ten thousand azure lotuses appeared in the world, spinning in the air. The old man retreated, descending from the Fusang divine tree, transforming into a massive three-legged Golden Crow amidst infinite flames, charging towards Qing Ling. Along the way, countless azure lotuses were incinerated, igniting the sky in a conflagration. The fire fed on the wind, the wind amplified the fire's might, hinting at the destruction of the heavens.
Qing Ling's brow twitched. He beckoned and said, "Come!" Suddenly, a divine diagram descended from beyond the heavens, its four seasons distinct, its radiance flowing. The divine diagram spread across the universe. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter stood in the four cardinal directions of the sky, enveloping a region of heaven and earth.
"Collect!" Qing Ling's boundless spiritual energy surged, infusing the divine diagram. The diagram descended into Tanggu, the four seasons' space encompassing the sea of flames. The divine diagram absorbed the Golden Crow's true fire and transformed into a three-foot ancient diagram, falling into Qing Ling's palm. Qing Ling tossed the Azure Jade Parasol into the sky, taking the place of the Four Seasons Diagram, returning to Dugguang to guard the Jianmu.
Qing Ling laughed, "Since you have entered my diagram, stay within it." He walked towards the Fusang divine trees, gazing at the tall dual trees, bowed, and said, "Divine Tree Fusang, I have offended you." With that, he waved his hand, and the bridge of time, transformed into a python, devoured the two main branches, then returned to Qing Ling's body, leaving behind only two divine branches radiating intense heat.
Qing Ling produced a treasure, long dormant. It was a spiritual treasure he had forged, named Zhushen. Though potent in the past, it was of little use to the current Qing Ling. Therefore, he intended to reforge it, or rather, forge a new treasure. Qing Ling pointed his finger to the sky, and the bridge of time grafted onto his palm, its other end disappearing into the celestial expanse, reaching the Hongluan star. The Daoist priest Yue Lao snapped off two branches of moon laurel and sent them through the bridge of time, instantly arriving beside Qing Ling. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a piece of black stone fell to the ground.
This stone was a gift from Ancestral Dragon when Qing Ling met him. The stone was named Miehun Stone, imbued with the light of Hongmeng and having experienced the destructive aura of Great God Pangu's axe that split the heavens. Within it, a purple light could slay the souls of living beings. It was the only stone of its kind in existence. Qing Ling used the Fusang divine tree and the Taiyin moon laurel branches as the body, the Miehun Stone as the blade, and time as the auxiliary, forging a treasure to protect himself and defeat enemies, seeking to quell killing with killing in the impending calamity of heaven and earth. The Fusang was supreme yang, the moon laurel supreme yin. The powers of Taiyang and Taiyin, while creating wonders in harmony, possessed world-destroying might in conflict. Time was formless and intangible, the most difficult to guard against. The Miehun Stone, a rare treasure of heaven and earth, possessed strange divine light that could seize souls. Within Tanggu, the azure flames surged, fire within wood burning for millennia. The breath of time, the powers of Taiyin and Taiyang interweaved, Tanggu becoming a furnace, Fusang serving as fuel, time its catalyst.
After a hundred thousand years of arduous effort, as time flowed, Long Kui from the sun-drenched sea would investigate every ten thousand years. The Ancestor of the Yangyu clan was nowhere to be found. Despite the Dragon Palace's alarm and extensive searches, no trace was discovered. However, a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, the Fusang divine tree, had once been hidden here. Although the Dragon race could not find a way into the valley, they were unwilling to let it be taken by others.
One day, Long Kui investigated as usual, but suddenly, in the sky above, the light of the sun and moon appeared simultaneously. A vast purple light pierced the void, and a colossal blade carrying the might of the sun and moon descended from the nine heavens, disrupting a portion of the world.