As the blood disappeared, Xu Qing finally sensed the existence of the little black bugs.
After these little black bugs absorbed the immortal jelly, their concealment had reached such a level that even Xu Qing was unable to sense them earlier.
However, they were all fed by Xu Qing in batches after all. Their bodies contained Xu Qing's poison. Although they hadn't drunk blood for a long time, their instincts still existed.
After devouring Xu Qing's blood, the connection between them became clear again.
"A total of 371." Xu Qing swept his gaze across the surroundings, feeling satisfied.
However, he understood that this was only the beginning. He still needed to continue feeding them. Moreover, because these small bugs hadn't eaten poison for a long time, they were all showing signs of hunger.
Hence, the next day, Xu Qing left his berth and bought poisonous grasses from various medical shops in the main city of the Eight Sects Alliance. He had the treatment of a Dao Child and had a share of eight million spirit stones every year. Hence, his heart didn't ache at all when he bought all these poisonous grasses.
Many of them were precious and rarely seen poisons. There were also some completed poison pills. After buying all of them, Xu Qing began to feed the little black bugs.
Xu Qing originally planned to take this feeding step by step.
However, the little black bugs were clearly extremely hungry. At first, Xu Qing was worried that they wouldn't be able to withstand it and fed them slowly.
However, in the end, he simply placed the poisonous grasses and poison pills on the ground and the little black bugs pounced on them, devouring crazily.
Just like that, seven days passed. The little black bugs ate more and more poisonous grasses, and the spirit stones spent on their food every day were like flowing water. However, at the same time, the poison contained in the bodies of these little black bugs became increasingly ferocious perhaps because they had completely absorbed the immortal jelly.
In fact, if an ordinary Heavenly Palace Golden Core was bitten by them and invaded, they would die immediately.
Xu Qing could not help but gasp. He then took out the Poison Restriction Pill and began to complete the plan he had formulated back in the Nanhuang Continent. He wanted to nurture little black bugs that could live in this poison pill.
However, this process still wasn't smooth. Although the little black bugs had mutated and were more ferocious than before, the poison of the Poison Restriction Pill was too terrifying. They could only last a bit longer but they still couldn't completely live inside.
However, Xu Qing was already very satisfied. This was because he discovered that this batch of little black bugs could actually devour some of the poison from the Poison Restriction Pill and store it in their bodies.
Although it was difficult for them to store it for too long and had to vomit it out every few days, or else their bodies would rot and melt, being able to do this was already enough to increase Xu Qing's combat strength greatly.
He could finally use the Poison Restriction Pill to a limited extent and use it as his trump card instead of having to use it as a mutual destruction method.
This made Xu Qing very excited. Hence, he began a new round of purchases. This time, he no longer bought poisonous grasses and poison but living ferocious beasts.
In the Nanhuang Continent, there were death row prisoners from the Homicide Department as a hotbed for him to reproduce the little black bugs. However, the department he was in charge of didn't have a prison, but the Eight Sects Alliance didn't lack ferocious beasts.
After Xu Qing tried, he discovered that although the effect wasn't as good as when reproduced in humans and nonhumans, it was still acceptable. In the following period of time, all kinds of cries and roars of wild beasts were isolated by the barrier of his magic ship.
A month passed.
Xu Qing's number of little black bugs increased from more than 300 to over 3,000. When he put them away in three small bottles, he received Old Master Seventh's voice transmission.
"Seeing that you've been buying poisonous grasses and ferocious beasts recently, I reckon you're refining poison again. How's the refining going now? If there's no hurry, I'll bring you out for a trip and get a Golden Core cultivation art for you. At the same time, let's see if we can fish."
"Many people know about your two life lanterns. Regardless of whether it's the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect or some malice from the outside world, this trip will attract a wave of them. We will destroy them. This way, you'll be able to have a more comfortable time when you go out in the future."
Old Master Seventh had told Xu Qing about this before. Xu Qing simply nodded.
At the same time, in the northern part of the Yinghuang Province, at the end of the Grand Affairs Misfortune Passing Mountain, it was a stretch of white. Snow permeated the air, and the chill was bone-piercing. Not only was the mountain covered in snow all year round, but the ground was even more so.
The living environment here was extremely harsh and unsuitable for mortals to survive. Only at the periphery would there be some small mortal countries, and almost none in the depths of the icy plains.
However, there was a huge pillar that seemed to support the world standing in the extreme north.
This pillar was pitch-black and the blizzard couldn't do anything to it.
This pillar was ten thousand feet thick but its height remained unknown.
Countless runes and patterns were carved on it, emitting an indescribably vast might.
It could make everyone who saw it feel a sense of reverence.
It also emitted a monstrous battle intent that contained incomparable cruelty, as though it could destroy everything.
This was the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar!
There were countless domed tents around the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar. There were hundreds of thousands of them, forming a special city structure.
There were no mortals among them, only cultivators from all directions. They gathered here and cultivated around the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar.
The pillar was mystical. If the fluctuations it emitted were sensed by others for a long time, they would form a divine talisman that contained battle intent in their minds. Through this talisman, one could temper their will and increase their cultivation.
Also… this Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar contained countless inheritances. Anyone could climb it at any time. The higher they went, the greater the inheritance they would benefit from.
Hence, it formed the sixth major faction in the Yinghuang Province.
Of course, there was another more important reason. That was… this place was the location of the Sword Holding Court in the Yinghuang Province.
The Sword Holding Court was built at the highest point of the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar. Beyond the countless clouds, in the sky and at the end of the pillar, there was a palace.
This palace was different from the others. It wasn't made of bricks or beautiful jade but swords. Countless swords intertwined to form this sword palace.
Between the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar and the palace, it was as though the former supported the latter, but also as though… the latter was suppressing the former.
This feeling wasn't clear from the ground level, but in here, one could faintly see the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar shaking slightly. It was as though someone was summoning it, causing it to want to rise from the ground.
However, it was suppressed by the Sword Palace and could only tremble, unable to move at all.
At that moment, in the Sword Palace, there was a discussion between the mighty figures of the Sword Holding Court.
There were a total of nine cultivators participating in this meeting. They were all wearing white robes and their appearances couldn't be seen clearly. However, every one of them emitted terrifying energy. Occasionally, their eyes that were revealed would reveal supreme might.
It was as though the nine of them could completely decide the life and death of a sect.
The nine of them were the highest-level Sword Holders of the Yinghuang Province's Sword Holding Court. Even the powerful Grand Affairs Immortal Sect had no choice but to listen and cooperate with their edicts in name.
This was because they represented the human race. They were one of the human race's Upper Mystic Five Ministries, the Sword Holding Ministry.
Behind them was the ancient country left behind by Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether in the Grand Imperial Capital Region. Even though the human race, which once ruled Wanggu, was in decline and only a region and seven counties remained as its territories, it was still one of the large races.
There was still… the human emperor.
At that moment, a voice echoed in the Sword Holding Court.
"This meeting is for two things. Firstly, the new round of the Sword Holder Assessment is about to begin. An edict came from the Sword Holding Palace in Fenghai County. With the arrival of the great era, the heaven's chosens are appearing frequently in all races. It's a crisis but also an opportunity. Let the various provinces' Sword Holding Courts raise the threshold of this entrance assessment. The Sword Holders only want outstanding heaven's chosens."
"The second thing is that in recent years, the tremors of the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar have become increasingly intense. There's a reply to our report. The deductions made by the county's Sword Holding Palace are the same as our judgment. That Ghost Lord from the Yinghuang Province shows signs of recovery. The palace asked us to deal with this matter as soon as possible."
"No wonder in recent years, the cultivation of the Three Spirits Suppression Mountain and the Nanyue's Seven Fiends, formed by the three souls and seven spirits of the Ghost Lord, has advanced by leaps and bounds."
"This matter will be carried out according to our previous discussion. The revival of this Ghost Lord requires the return of three souls and seven spirits. Suppressing one spirit isn't of much use, so we need to suppress one soul and bring it here."
"This way, the Ghost Lord will have a flaw and it will be difficult for him to wake up."