CHAPTER 515

As the cold, sinister voice fell silent, a massive black-qi palm suddenly appeared in the starry sky, reaching for the Void Flying Boat.

“A Nascent Soul cultivator!”

Lu Qing’s expression changed drastically.

This black-qi palm that had suddenly appeared carried immense power—far beyond what a Golden Core Realm cultivator could wield.

Only a Nascent Soul cultivator, one who had surpassed the Golden Core Realm, might possess such formidable Divine Abilities.

Watching as the black-qi palm descended like an inescapable net upon the Void Flying Boat, the surrounding space was instantly sealed and condensed, rendering the flying vessel nearly immobile.

Lu Qing knew he couldn’t afford to hesitate.

His eyes narrowed, and a fierce Sword Qi surged from his body. The Golden Core within him exploded layer by layer, reaching its peak state in an instant.

In the next moment, an incomparably sharp Sword Qi was unleashed from his hand.

Passing through multiple transformations by the formations within the Void Flying Boat, the attack finally manifested as a massive Sword Qi that soared upward and slashed toward the black-qi palm.

Boom!

The Sword Qi collided with the black-qi palm, unleashing a tremendous shockwave, distorting the space around them with ripples.

Though it didn’t manage to sever the palm, the sheer force of impact caused it to tremble slightly, weakening its suppression of the space within.

Seizing this brief opportunity, Lu Qing immediately activated the Void Flying Boat’s spatial traversal capability.

With the spirit stones in the formation shattering, a spatial vortex appeared—and the Void Flying Boat vanished from the heart of the black-qi palm.

“What?!”

The cold voice exclaimed in shock as the palm grasped nothing but air.

A pitch-black figure suddenly emerged.

Yet no matter how hard he tried to sense it, the flying boat’s whereabouts remained completely undetectable.

“They actually escaped?” the black figure muttered in disbelief.

His Great Luo Infernal Palm was a signature Divine Ability.

Once it was unleashed, even a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator would struggle to escape.

Yet it had failed to capture a group of mere Golden Core juniors?

What exactly was that ragged flying boat? How could it still tear through space under his suppression?

Ordinary spatial artifacts didn’t possess such power.

“Ancestor, what happened?”

Several other figures appeared just then, kneeling before the black-robed figure.

Each of them emanated powerful auras—they were all late-stage Golden Core cultivators.

“It’s nothing,” the black-robed figure said with a wave of his hand, pretending to be unfazed. “I was wandering through the stars when I came across a few juniors. I tried to capture them, but they slipped away in the end.” ṝ𝘼Ｎộ𝐛Е𝘚

“To escape from Ancestor’s hand...”

Those behind him were visibly stunned.

They knew all too well just how terrifying the Ancestor’s Divine Abilities were.

For someone to escape him—could they also be Nascent Soul cultivators?

Ignoring the astonishment of his subordinates, the black-robed figure gazed out at the distant starry sky, turbulent emotions roiling within.

“That Sword Qi just now... it held a hint of an intent that could sever the heavens. Could it be... that junior is from that sect?”

A trace of unease stirred in the heart of the black-robed figure—far from the calm he portrayed.

If that boy truly hailed from that sect, then he had just stirred up a hornet’s nest.

Had he known, he would’ve used his full strength from the very beginning to ensure the target was captured.

Now that they’d gotten away, the consequences might be dire.

...

At that moment, a million miles away in another corner of the starry sky, a spatial vortex emerged, and the Void Flying Boat slipped out from within.

The moment they reappeared, Lu Qing’s Spiritual Sense surged, sweeping across the surroundings.

Only after confirming that all was calm and no pursuers had arrived did he let out a long breath of relief.

In the urgency of the moment, he hadn’t even had time to swap out the spirit stones, relying only on the residual spiritual essence in the formation to power the teleportation. The distance they could travel was quite limited.

If the Nascent Soul cultivator had possessed a Divine Ability or artifact capable of tracking them across space, they’d be in serious trouble.

Fortunately, luck was on their side—they’d managed to escape.

Lu Qing now noticed that his palm was drenched in sweat.

Though the clash had lasted only an instant, it was undoubtedly the most dangerous crisis he had faced since beginning his cultivation journey.

That black-qi palm was so overwhelming that even the Void Flying Boat had nearly been suppressed.

Whoever had attacked them was certainly no ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.

If he hadn’t reacted quickly, he would’ve been subdued on the spot, with no hope of escape.

Thankfully, although powerful, that Nascent Soul cultivator had not yet grasped the Dao of Space.

He was unable to track the spatial traces left by the Void Flying Boat and follow them through.

Had he been able to, even wings wouldn’t have saved them.

“Good thing I’ve spent these years studying and uncovering more of the Void Flying Boat’s secrets. Otherwise, this time might have been our end.”

A wave of gratitude stirred in Lu Qing’s heart.

It was thanks to the Void Flying Boat that he’d been able to shake the black-qi palm.

Though the boat itself lacked offensive capabilities, Lu Qing had discovered through deep study that its internal formations could amplify and transform his attacks.

Without that feature, even with his Perfect Golden Core, he wouldn’t have been able to resist the Dao technique of a seasoned Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Ah Qing... what was that just now?” Xiao Li asked, still shaken.

Beside him, Wuxing’s tail trembled uneasily.

“It was most likely a Nascent Soul cultivator attacking us,” Lu Qing replied with a wry smile. “Fortunately, we escaped unscathed.”

“So it really was a Nascent Soul cultivator...”

Both Xiao Li and Wuxing were shaken to their cores.

They had already guessed as much when they saw that terrifying, sky-covering black-qi hand.

Now that Lu Qing confirmed it, they were filled with dread.

The Nascent Soul cultivator who had suddenly struck at them was clearly malevolent and exuded a sinister aura.

Had they not managed to flee, they couldn’t even imagine what would’ve happened.

“Nascent Soul cultivators truly are terrifying. It seems we’ll need to be far more cautious from now on.”

This sudden encounter left Lu Qing significantly more vigilant.

The outside world was indeed filled with dangers.

They hadn’t even entered the prosperous regions of the Great Yuan Immortal Domain yet and already encountered a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Who knew what other perils awaited on the long journey ahead?

“Mm-hmm!” Xiao Li and Wuxing both nodded fervently, offering no objections.

Having experienced the terrifying power of a Nascent Soul cultivator firsthand, whatever pride they’d had was now completely crushed.

They had once felt proud of the superior-quality demon cores they had refined.

But in that battle, they hadn’t been able to contribute at all.

It was solely thanks to Lu Qing’s explosive reaction that they’d escaped.

Before a Nascent Soul cultivator, their strength was truly insignificant.

Lu Qing replaced the spent spirit stone in the Void Flying Boat with a new low-grade one and continued onward.

But deep down, he had already etched the coordinates of that region of starry space into his memory.

Taking a hit without striking back—was not in Lu Qing’s nature.

Though his cultivation was still low now, and he could only flee in disgrace...

Once he reached the Nascent Soul Realm in the future, he would certainly return and settle the score with that mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator.

In the days that followed, Lu Qing became far more cautious.

When passing by smaller worlds, he would rather take a longer route than approach them directly.

Even so, he still encountered several crises on the road.

In some worlds, Nascent Soul cultivators discovered them and attempted to intercept the group.

Fortunately, thanks to the profound mysteries of the Void Flying Boat and Lu Qing’s constant vigilance, they were able to avoid danger each time—often slipping away with spatial traversal before the Nascent Soul cultivators could even act.

In this manner, they narrowly avoided one deadly encounter after another.

Five more years passed.

One day, Lu Qing stopped the Void Flying Boat and hovered in the starry sky, no longer pressing forward.

“Ah Qing, what’s wrong?”

Xiao Yan and Wuxing, who had been meditating with their eyes closed, awoke as they sensed the disturbance.

“We’ve arrived,” Lu Qing replied.

“We’ve finally arrived?!”

Xiao Li and Wuxing were stunned for a moment before joy lit up their faces.

For over five years, they had stayed within the Void Flying Boat every day—with little to do besides cultivate.

Even while cultivating, they didn’t dare enter too deep a trance, for fear they wouldn’t awaken in time if danger struck.

Now, hearing that they’d reached their destination, both little ones practically glowed with excitement.

They rushed to the bow of the flying boat to look ahead.

And the next moment, they were completely dumbfounded.

Before them, a vast and boundless world floated in the void.

Around it revolved five smaller worlds, like guardians circling the great realm.

The majesty emanating from this world deeply shook Xiao Li and Wuxing to their cores.

The two little ones could only gape at the sight, stunned into silence.

Lu Qing was also stirred to the depths of his soul.

After more than five years of arduous travel and countless trials, they had finally arrived.

“A world of such immensity...”

At that moment, a spiritual projection appeared beside Lu Qing, also gazing ahead in awe.

It was Yan, who had long been cultivating in seclusion within the Li Huo Cauldron.

Even Yan felt immense shock within.

The world before them was truly vast.

Its radiant brilliance stretched on endlessly—compared to it, their homeworld was as insignificant as a speck of starlight.

“Ah Qing, that enormous world ahead—is that our destination?” Xiao Li finally came back to his senses and asked, full of excitement.

“Yes, that’s the world we’ve been heading for—the Tianyuan Great World,” Lu Qing nodded. “But before we enter, we still need to make some preparations.”

Indeed, Lu Qing’s destination had always been the Tianyuan Great World.

According to the Celestial Map, it was one of the five most powerful great worlds within the Great Yuan Immortal Domain.

It was also the closest great world to their homeland.

They found a fallen meteor in the outer void and brought the Void Flying Boat down upon it, then activated the concealment formations to fully hide the vessel.

For over five years, Lu Qing had focused entirely on steering the flying boat.

Especially after that first ambush by a mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator, he hadn’t dared let his guard down for even a moment—let alone attempt cultivation.

He feared any unexpected incident might leave him too slow to respond.

After so many years, even with various wondrous artifacts and the support of the Soul Talisman, his Spiritual Sense had grown weary.

So now, he intended to rest for a few days—restore himself to peak condition—before setting off again.

With the flying boat fully concealed, Lu Qing took a spirit stone in hand and entered a deep meditative state for restoration.

Xiao Li and Wuxing, understanding the need, sat dutifully on either side of him, ready to guard him from any disturbance.

Several days later, the spiritual essence in the spirit stone was fully depleted. Lu Qing opened his eyes, divine light flickering within them.

After several days of recovery, his state had returned to its absolute peak.

In fact, he could feel that after these five years of spiritual tempering, his Soul Power had grown more refined and resilient.

Within the brow acupoint, the Soul Talisman glowed faintly—hinting at a potential breakthrough.

Realizing this, Lu Qing was filled with joy.

Ever since his Soul Talisman had advanced to the Yang Talisman stage, its power had steadily grown under the nourishment of the Earth Spirit Pearl—yet no qualitative leap had occurred.

Not even the Heavenly Tribulation that had elevated him to the Golden Core Realm had triggered another transformation.

According to the inheritance records of the Divine Rune Sect, a Soul Talisman must usually undergo the tempering of tribulation lightning to cleanse its yin nature and evolve into the Yang Talisman stage.

This realm typically only became accessible at the Golden Core stage.

Yet Lu Qing had been a rare anomaly—triggering Heavenly Tribulation even before the Innate Realm breakthrough, thus refining his Soul Power in advance.

Back then, his realm had reached the threshold, but his Soul Power was lacking, preventing the talisman from unleashing its full might.

After he reached Foundation Establishment and formed his Golden Core, he gradually made up for the deficiency in Soul Power.

But still, the talisman hadn’t undergone a true transformation.

Now, after five years of grueling mental discipline, he was finally sensing that breakthrough again.

“Once I advance this time, I should reach the middle stage of the Yang Talisman Realm. Whether I use talismans or lay formations, their power will greatly increase,” Lu Qing thought joyfully.

The cultivation of Soul Power was far more arduous than that of spiritual energy.

It couldn’t be improved merely by absorbing spiritual energy.

Lu Qing had reached the Yang Talisman stage far earlier than he had achieved the Golden Core.

But afterward, his cultivation in spiritual energy had progressed much faster.

Had it not been for the limited spiritual energy of his homeland, he might have already reached the fourth or even fifth transformation of the Golden Core.

Still, this round of mental tempering had given him new insight into cultivating Soul Power.

Perhaps in the future, he could develop this into a new path for growth.

“Just in time,” he thought, “the inheritance I gained from the Divine Rune Sect is no longer sufficient for my current level. Once inside the Tianyuan Great World, I’ll need to find a new inheritance focusing on Soul Power cultivation.”

The inheritance he had obtained from the Jade Transformation Chamber had always been incomplete.

At most, it could only support cultivation up to the Golden Core Realm—i.e., the Yang Talisman stage.

There was no content beyond that.

This had also been a reason why his Soul Talisman had progressed so slowly after reaching the Yang Talisman stage.

Thus, once he entered the Tianyuan Great World, Lu Qing fully intended to seek out a more complete inheritance related to Soul Power cultivation.

However, before entering, he still had some final preparations to make.

With that thought, Lu Qing’s consciousness shifted, and he entered the Li Huo Cauldron.