The chants formed wisps of black mist, spewing from the mouths of those bald statues, intertwining in the air to outline a black rune.
The runic inscription, elongated in shape, was showered by rain, and ink dripped from it, emitting a sense of decay and gloom.
After that, it rushed toward Xu Qing, wanting to seal him.
At this critical moment, Xu Qing's eyes turned pitch-black as he manifested the Poison Restriction in his eyes. His gaze that could curse anything looked at the approaching rune.
After the gaze landed on it for a breath of time, the rune swayed and dimmed slightly. Poison spread within, causing it to have no choice but to erupt with an eerie light and try to resist.
After two breaths, the poison intensified greatly and emitted poison mist, transforming into blurry malevolent ghost faces that were wailing.
After three breaths of time, the rune rumbled and shattered, starting to corrode. However, it was already less than 30 feet away from Xu Qing.
The poison in Xu Qing's body erupted completely at this moment. Not only did his gaze spread the poison, but his body also spread it, enveloping the surroundings and forming a storm that swept toward the rune.
A sound rang out. The black rune seemed to have a life of its own and didn't forcefully suppress the poison. Instead, it dissolved and formed countless runes that spread out on the long street.
From afar, it looked like scattered joss papers, opening the path between yin and yang, sealing the souls of countless ages.
The sky darkened.
It sealed off the surroundings, covering the sky and enveloping the ground, causing this long street to be isolated from the Imperial City and become an independent space.
In this space, the rules were changed and the laws were affected. Everything was completely different from the outside world.
The puddles on the ground had long turned into a lake and were rapidly rising, drowning Xu Qing's legs and waist. It was as though it wanted to drown everything here.
The Dao curse augmented this place. At the same time, the 52 statues stood up from their cross-legged positions and stepped on the water, heading straight for Xu Qing.
There were a large number of water lifeforms that had appeared earlier. They weren't cultivators but were formed by divine arts. Their killing intent was intense and they were already nearing Xu Qing.
There was also a palm formed underwater that carried the intent of extermination, slaughter, and the aura of ghosts and fiends as it grabbed over.
Danger was approaching Xu Qing from all directions.
The rain became even heavier, drenching Xu Qing's clothes and long hair.
The killing intent grew increasingly intense, invading Xu Qing's body and soul.
The long street was chaotic, deceiving the heavens and drowning the earth. This was a trap set up by the water fiends and sinister spirits.
To be able to cast this spell, one had to at least have the cultivation of the perfected Spirit Repository. Moreover, there had to be many of them to set up the formation. There was a greater possibility that a Nihility had taken action.
Only then could such a killing intent be formed.
Moreover… there was a high chance that the other party didn't come personally but cast the spell from afar. They wanted to end the battle quickly and knew Xu Qing's route like the back of their hand, so they made arrangements in this long street in advance.
All these thoughts flashed through Xu Qing's mind. His expression was solemn and a chill rose in his eyes. Ever since he left the Moon Offering, he hadn't felt such a life-and-death crisis.
There was a very simple way to neutralize the danger, and that was to detonate the ancient sun. However, if he did so, he wouldn't be able to withstand the explosion either. Most importantly… if he exploded the ancient sun here, it would affect the entire Imperial City.
This… might be one of the other party's goals.
Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and the cultivation base in his body instantly erupted. The three divine repositories behind him towered into the sky and the furnace inside moved with rumbling sounds, forming divine might and flames that spread in all directions.
The high temperature instantly filled the entire space and the lake started to rapidly evaporate, forming fog. At this moment, Xu Qing's body borrowed the power of his divine repositories to soar into the sky. The moment he left the surface of the water, the water below him churned and a palm suddenly stretched out, wanting to grab him.
Xu Qing was expressionless. He pushed his right hand toward the sky.
Immediately, the shadows in the surroundings appeared and spread rapidly in all directions with him as the center. As the shadows spread out, anomalous substances rose.
That was Xu Qing's shadow. At this instant, it spread out and enveloped this place. The forbidden zone that it had swallowed was released in this space, covering the place. It transformed into a black vortex above Xu Qing and spun rapidly.
There was water on the ground and the shadow in the sky, with Xu Qing in between.
Since this place was isolated and became an independent existence, releasing the forbidden zone here was naturally the most suitable.
Using the god's power to suppress cultivators' spells was one of the ways to fight.
At that moment, as the shadow spread out, the entire space swayed. Xu Qing's shadow also rapidly distorted, forming a palm, similar to the water palm below.
The palm was pitch black, and within it, a large tree could be seen, hanging a coffin like a pendulum, swaying with a creaking sound, echoing like a whisper, influencing the surrounding curse. As the murderous intent exploded in Xu Qing's eyes, his right hand descended.
Immediately, the palm formed by the shadow descended from the sky. After it passed through Xu Qing's body, it collided with the water palm that rose from below.
The rumbling sound transformed into a deafening sound wave that spread in all directions. Wherever it passed, the rain collapsed and ripples appeared on the water lifeforms that were rushing over.
As for the 52 statues, their footsteps also stopped.
At the same time, Xu Qing bent down slightly and arched his back. His entire person shot out like an arrow that had left the bow, heading straight for those statues. The demon subduing staff dancing beside him erupted with speed and whistled toward the water lifeforms that were rippling..
In the blink of an eye, the fight began.
Under Old Master Seventh's special refinement, the might of the iron rod was astonishing. The three faces on it all opened at this moment. The eyes of Crimson Goddess and the Immortal Forbidden god opened, providing more power, causing the might of the demon subduing staff to increase greatly. It pierced through the water lifeforms.
After they were pierced through, the water lifeforms couldn't form again, as though they had lost their life and turned into ordinary water that splashed everywhere.
Xu Qing was even more powerful. His speed was so fast that it exploded the rain and his form rapidly changed. The first divine repository behind him emitted the sound of heavenly lightning and split into countless pieces that chased after Xu Qing, fusing into his body one by one as he moved forward.
This was the divine source.
As the divine source fused into his body, his body tore apart and he grew larger and taller!
His body was similar to the Ghost Emperor and he wore a crown.
A piercing golden light emitted from his body and transformed into rainbow colors in the surroundings.
His heart was the Heavenly Dao Furnace which pounded like thunder, erupting with raging flames that burned his entire body.
There was also a black spear that was surrounded by countless lightning bolts that appeared out of thin air. Xu Qing grabbed it and appeared in front of a statue. With a sweep of the spear, the statue shook and directly collapsed, transforming into countless pieces that scattered in all directions.
This was Xu Qing's first layer of god form. After he displayed it, his combat strength soared explosively. Moreover, the taboo spear contained terrifying power.
With Xu Qing's speed, his body instantly moved through the dozens of statues. None of the statues could withstand a single blow and collapsed one after another.
However, Xu Qing slowly frowned.
After the last statue shattered under his spear, an intense life-
and-death crisis suddenly rose in Xu Qing's heart. He didn't hesitate at all and abruptly lifted his right hand, throwing the spear in his hand to the end of the long street.
At the same time, he took out a piece of Crimson Goddess' flesh and held it in his palm.
The black spear whistled through the air while carrying countless bolts of lightning. As a loud bang echoed, the spear stabbed into the air at the end of the long street, unable to penetrate it.
That place was the barrier of the seal, and at the location of the spear tip, one could see the corner of a black shirt nailed there.
Previously, someone had been hiding here…
At the same time, a cold voice echoed on the long street.
"We underestimated you, and you also underestimated the Dao curse."
"The Dao Supremacy asked: What does it mean for the living to be punished while the dead are spared? We answer: Because the Dao image locks the heavens and the earth!"
As these words were spoken, the fifty-two shattered black bald statues exploded from the lake and formed fifty-two iron chains, heading straight for Xu Qing. Regardless of Xu Qing's attempts to dodge, they were of no avail as the chains directly bound and ensnared him.
The 52 iron chains bound Xu Qing while their ends were in the lake. From afar, this scene looked like they were chaining a demon.
"The Dao Supremacy closes his eyes and asks: What is the meaning of the wind descending with deadly blades, the water overflowing, and life hanging by a thread? We answer: Because the Dao water can seal all spirits!"
This wasn't the end. As the voice rang out again, the lake water turned into threads that shuttled through the iron chains, heading straight for Xu Qing, wrapping around him once again. This ethereal yet real binding sealed all divine senses and all senses, further covering Xu Qing's eyes.
"The Dao Supremacy rejoices and asks again: What does it mean to rectify grievances and to right wrongs, to overturn the universe, and to confuse right and wrong? We all understand: It's the Daoist curse that nails the soul!"
52 black nails rose from the lake. Upon closer inspection, one could see that on each nail sat a black bald statue that had shrunk many times.
They whistled over and directly stabbed Xu Qing's entire body at an astonishing speed. The places they stabbed were Xu Qing's soul-related veins. This was nailing the soul of reincarnation.
"The Dao Supremacy closes his eyes and sighs: 'Hundred ghosts are seated, serving the Lord of the Underworld, souls are refined, the Five Hells are filthy, the Hundred Elixirs are mysterious, the Seven Fluids are insufficient, constantly giving rise to boundless misery, the laws govern."
As the words were spoken, chaos erupted around, the figures of countless beings, the souls of myriad races, all transformed into wisps of black mist, converging to form the initial black rune, rushing swiftly towards the center of Xu Qing's brow.
What was even more astonishing was that the long street Xu Qing was on, which was isolated from the Imperial City, finally changed its appearance…
This wasn't a long street at all.
This was a rectangular talisman that had been magnified countless times!
There were two talismans, one yin and one yang, one bright and one dark!
At the end of the long street was the end of the dark talisman. At that moment, the talisman… was curling upward and moving toward Xu Qing, intending to coordinate with the black talisman in front of him, to truly seal him.
The feeling of life-and-death crisis continued to rise in Xu Qing's heart. However, he still didn't detonate the ancient sun. Instead, he crushed the piece of Crimson Goddess' flesh in his hand.
The second divine repository behind him rumbled and transformed into a dense black fog that instantly enveloped Xu Qing's figure and fused into his body.
At the next instant… a terrifying aura spread out earth-
shatteringly as the fog churned.
There were also Xu Qing's painful roars that sounded like they came from gods or demons. Wherever the sound passed, the void would explode and rune would tremble, causing intense ripples in the lake.
