Chapter 867: Target - Master Stillwinter

Chapter 867: Target - Master Stillwinter

The mountain range trembled. Cracks appeared in the boulders, spreading out rapidly from the spot where Xu Qing was holed up. They proliferated like a spiderweb, growing increasingly dense.

After three breaths of time passed, the entire massive mountain collapsed as surely as if it had been made from clumps of dust that lost their ability to adhere to each other. The wind blew, causing something like a sandstorm to spread in all directions. What also spread was the terrifying aura from the depths of the ground.

There was something domineering about that aura, and also something as majestic as a god. It spread out like a shock wave. Wherever it passed, huge ravines opened up the ground. At the same time, the plants in the surrounding rainforest wilted and became part of the sandstorm.

The same thing happened to any beasts nearby. The effects spread for about 500 kilometers before they stopped. At the very center of the sandstorm, in what had once been the mountain range, were countless ravines snaking out from a central crater.

Floating up from the bottom of the crater was a person. He exuded a pressure that would shake anyone to the core, and caused the sandstorm to become even more violent. The wind affected the dome of heaven, which also transformed thanks to the emergence of this figure. Black fire radiated off him, filling the ravines and making the entire place seem like the Yellow Springs, full of death and slaughter. Countless soul threads whipped about, obscuring the sky and surrounding the figure.

In the gaps between the fire and the soul threads, it was possible to see a young man. His facial features weren’t clear, but he had a long head of hair that glittered with violet light within the fire. As he emerged from the crater and hovered in the sandstorm, his black robe whipped in the wind, making him seem unusually fierce.

He looked up. His features were spectacularly good-looking, like a god that no one would dare to profane. He had a cold, apathetic look in his eyes, and on his forehead glittered a nefarious, circular mark that was the sign of a mage!

He was none other than Xu Qing.

Spirit Trove... great circle.

He looked down at the ravines below, then at the soul threads around him. He took a deep breath. He had spent more time in Spirit Trove than any other level. It wasn’t because of the difficulty level, per se, but rather, because his secret troves were all different from the ordinary kind.

Other people had secret troves. He had god troves, an emperor trove, and a mage trove. Because his standard was set so high, he had to take his time. Now, he had finally reached the great circle. However, in order to break through to Void Returning, he needed to meet a certain requirement.

“Heavenly daos....”

His eyes glittered.

What he wanted now was to go to the place where his Eldest Brother said it was possible to acquire heavenly daos. And that was the third round of the Great Hunt, which was held in a god domain!

The grayish-black dragon armor was somber, desolate, and mysterious. The Ninedawns totems pulsed with an ancient, wild aura. He had wings behind him, and a violet moon hovering above. Beneath the dragon armor was a god body, thus combining the mage and the god. A thick gray fog spread out around him, filling heaven and earth, pulsing outward in a way that could shake the heart and mind.

Being in this state gave Xu Qing a very unique feeling. He could turn the canopy of heaven black with a thought. He could shatter the lands with a gaze. He could eradicate all living beings with no effort. He could ignore natural laws with the wave of a hand.

So, this is the battle prowess of the great circle of Void-Returning....

Thinking back to the major chosen of the Firemoon Darkheaven people that he had encountered, his eyes gleamed. He could tell that with the full set of Ninedawns skulls blessing him, his battle prowess surpassed fourth-stage Void-Returning and reached the level of the great circle. Just like Tuo Shishan, Fan Shishuang and Master Stillwinter, his battle prowess existed at a peak level. This was Xu Qing’s strongest state!

But it isn’t the strongest state for my mage trove! Based on the memory fragments from the Ninedawns skulls, the mage state wasn’t like this originally.

From what Xu Qing saw in the memory fragments, when Ninedawns sat outside the God-Rejecting Mage Formation, he had a boundless gray fog behind him. In the depths of that fog was a colossal creature with a terrifying aura. It was something that could extinguish heaven and pulverize the earth, but it was not dragon-shaped. Rather, it was humanoid!

That was the true mage state of Antemage Ninedawns of the Darkheaven Archmages!

Moved, Xu Qing tried to pull more out from his mage trove, but no matter what he did, it didn’t produce any sort of supernatural phenomena. It was as if certain imperceptible limitations had settled onto his heart and mind. It was an impenetrable barrier that he couldn’t bypass.

His eyes narrowed as he analyzed the situation.

I guess I’m not strong enough to do it now.... Either that or I need to have four heavenly daos and break into Void Returning first. Maybe then I can truly unleash Ninedawns’s mage state.

Having concluded that this was the best way to think of it, Xu Qing put such thoughts aside and looked off into the distance.

Thinking back to everything that he had experienced in the Mountain and Sea Region, from when he encountered Master Stillwinter to the chase into the Ninedawns Forbidden Lands, he had experienced a lot of deadly situations, but had also benefited greatly. Coupled with the true history he had witnessed, he felt indescribable emotions. After a time, his eyes shimmered with cold light.

Since I made it out of the Ninedawns Forbidden Lands, now... I need to find Master Stillwinter!

As killing intent appeared in his eyes and thunder crashed above, he shot off into the distance.