As he spoke, Ghost Hand flicked his sleeve, and bolts of lightning instantly formed and fell.
After continuously bombarding this place, he let out a cold snort and left.
Xu Qing glanced at the Wood Spirit Race member whose body was mostly shattered on the ground. He then retracted his gaze and followed him.
On the ground, the huge withered tree face revealed a bitter expression. As its body trembled and swayed, its gaze landed on Xu Qing's departing back.
"There's actually a thread of spiritual luck on his right wrist…"
Several hours later, at the end of this small world, Ghost Hand and Xu Qing ended their trip.
Before he left, Xu Qing requested Ghost Hand to let him experience the feeling of enduring the rules alone.
After all, this was something he had to complete in the future. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to patrol alone and would have to follow others every time. If so, it would be meaningless for him to become an Area C Pawn.
"Are you sure?" Ghost Hand glanced at Xu Qing.
"Only Nascent Soul cultivators can withstand the descent of a world's laws and walk with them. Although Golden Cores can do it as well, only a few among them can achieve it. Moreover, most of them will collapse in three to five breaths of time."
Xu Qing fell silent. After that, his expression turned solemn as he nodded and bowed.
"Alright." Ghost Hand didn't say anything else and directly released the pressure that he was resisting for Xu Qing.
At the next instant, Xu Qing's entire body rumbled, as though countless mountains were pressing down on him. His body emitted cracking sounds and even his soul was trembling. An intense feeling of tearing also appeared on his body.
It was as though he would tear into pieces at any moment.
Ghost Hand shook his head and was about to retract this power when Xu Qing's Golden Crow rose at this moment. His physical strength erupted completely and he actually withstood the pressure.
However, it was still difficult. His body trembled violently but as time passed, Ghost Hand's expression gradually changed.
After a hundred breaths, Xu Qing barely lifted his head and looked at Ghost Hand.
"Senior, I should be able to withstand the descent of the laws."
Ghost Hand's expression changed and his eyes slowly revealed a bright light.
"Kid, you are quite good. Not only is your body powerful, but your soul is also astonishing. Most cultivators can't do this with your cultivation base."
After Ghost Hand finished speaking, he flicked his sleeve and the pressure on Xu Qing instantly lightened. The rules were then shared by Ghost Hand again.
From extreme pressure to instant relaxation, Xu Qing's body trembled. He clearly felt that his physical strength had increased a little in the short span of a hundred breaths.
It was as though it had been refined again.
This caused Xu Qing's spirits to be lifted.
"However, don't be complacent. Although there are very few Golden Cores who can do this, it's not like there aren't any." Ghost Hand smiled and didn't say anything else. He performed a series of hand seals and left this small world with Xu Qing.
When they reappeared, they were already outside the prison world and in the void.
Xu Qing wasn't complacent because he had persisted for a hundred breaths. He thought of the Ancient Spirit Race the other party had mentioned earlier and asked.
"Ancient Spirit Race?" Ghost Hand recalled.
"It is a strange race. From the perspective of history, I think there's a certain reason why this race is known as the Heavenly Fate Race."
"It's said that this race's innate talent is extremely astonishing and is related to luck. It can enhance one's luck and also outsiders'. I'm not too sure about the details."
"It's rumored that its Spirit Emperor borrowed the luck of the Wanggu Continent to break through the Ancient Sovereign Realm and step into a higher level but failed, causing the luck of the Wanggu Continent to be exhausted. 90% of the entire race's bloodline was wiped out overnight, ending the era that belonged to their Ancient Spirit Race."
The two of them walked out of the murals and returned to the 90th floor of the Prison Department.
"That's all for today. Since you can barely withstand the descent of the rules, continue to adapt to it. Let's see how long it will take for you to truly withstand the descent of the rules and complete your patrol."
Ghost Hand gave a few words of encouragement, drank some wine, and turned to leave.
Xu Qing cupped his fists and bowed to Ghost Hand's departing figure. After that, he left the Prison Department with mental fatigue and returned to the Sword Pavilion.
On the way, he recalled the scenes in the prison world. He was still a little shocked by the abilities of the Sword Holding Palace. At the same time, he thought of the 40-odd Quasi-Immortal Race members in the small world.
"The Quasi-Immortal Race…"
"If I want to investigate the immortal puppet, unless I can head to the Quasi-Immortal Race or the Holy Wave Race, it will be too difficult to investigate."
Xu Qing suppressed the fatigue in his mind and fell silent.
If he wanted to find out more about this matter, the obstruction would be great and it would be difficult to avoid. However, Xu Qing was very thirsty for 500,000 military contributions, especially for that second-class merit.
After all, not only did he need military contributions to go to Mount Morning Glow, but he also needed battle merits.
A deep look appeared in his eyes. After doing some mental analysis, he suddenly had a thought.
"Actually, there's another direction, and that is to start with the immortal puppet itself. This requires me to understand how the immortal puppet was made."
As he muttered inwardly, Xu Qing thought of what Ghost Hand had said about the Deputy Governor having some research into immortal puppets. Hence, he took out the Sword Holder command sword and used his military contributions to apply for an opportunity to meet the Deputy Governor to learn.
The entire county acknowledged that the Deputy Governor was knowledgeable, so when they had questions and needed help, they would usually ask him for guidance.
However, the Deputy Governor usually assisted the County Governor in managing the county and was busy with official businesses. Hence, when the application would be approved depended on the Deputy Governor's own time.
Xu Qing's luck wasn't bad. After returning to the Sword Pavilion and meditating for an hour, he received a reply from the Deputy Governor.
"Xu Qing?"
"Deputy Governor." Xu Qing took out a jade slip and respectfully greeted.
"What's the matter?" The Deputy Governor's voice carried a hint of fatigue. Clearly, he had just finished his work.
Xu Qing knew that it wasn't good to take too much time, so he simply stated his request to understand the immortal puppet.
"Immortal puppet, if you have time now, come over. I'll bring you to take a look."
Upon hearing the Deputy Governor's reply, Xu Qing's spirits were lifted. He left the Sword Pavilion and headed straight for the city.
The night was still young, and the county capital was ablaze with light. Many shops were open for business and the streets were filled with mortals. Occasionally, one could see the Sword Holders and the patrols patrolling the streets.
Xu Qing headed straight for the Deputy Governor's residence in the east of the city. When he arrived before the residence, he explained his intentions to the guards, and was led to the study room of the Deputy Governor.
"Sword Holder Xu Qing requests to see the Deputy Governor." Xu Qing's expression was solemn as he cupped his fists and bowed.
"Come in." The Deputy Governor's tired voice rang out from the study.
Xu Qing gently pushed open the door of the study. He then saw the Deputy Governor and a few of his assistants concocting medicinal liquids.
Among them was a new Sword Holder who was in the same batch as Xu Qing.
When the Sword Holder saw Xu Qing, he nodded. After that, he followed the Deputy Governor's instructions and prepared the medicinal liquid.
Xu Qing didn't disturb them. He stood at the side and swept his gaze across the study. He saw many flowers and potted plants. Some of them were medicinal herbs, and some were ordinary flowers.
The Deputy Governor's expression was filled with fatigue, but his eyes were filled with vigor. Moreover, it was obvious that they had reached a critical moment.
Under his full concentration, bottles of medicinal liquid were mixed together. When it was finally completed, he quickly walked to a basin of camphor laurel and gently poured the medicinal liquid into the soil.
However, it was obvious that there was a deviation in the medicinal liquid. The plant withered at a rapid speed.
"Sigh."
The Deputy Governor rubbed his forehead. He looked at Xu Qing and was about to speak, when his voice transmission jade slip vibrated. After he took it out to take a look, his expression became a little solemn.
"Xu Qing, the County Governor has called for me. I can't explain the immortal puppet to you today. This is some information I recorded about the immortal puppet previously. You can comprehend it yourself and ask me if there's anything you don't understand."
As though the matter was a little serious, the Deputy Governor didn't say anything. After handing Xu Qing a recording jade slip, he tidied his robe.
Before he left, he nodded apologetically at Xu Qing and instructed the assistants in the study to continue concocting the potions. After that, he hurriedly stepped into the air and left.
Xu Qing took the jade slip and cupped his fists.
Seeing that the assistants had begun to concoct the medicinal liquid again, Xu Qing knew that it wasn't convenient for him to look at it anymore. Hence, he bade farewell and left the Deputy Governor's residence.
On the way back to the Sword Pavilion, the bustle in the county gradually dissipated. Although many shops were still open, some snack stalls were closing.
Xu Qing's gaze swept over and he saw a small stall selling candied fruits packing up. Looking at the red candied fruits, he thought about it and bought a stick.
Xu Qing took a bite before glancing at the candied fruits in his hand.
The taste was quite good, and was much better than the ones found in the Seven Blood Eyes.
The sweetness and sourness mixed with the coldness made Xu Qing recall his memories of being in Peerless City when he was young.
He glanced at the stall selling candied fruits. The vendor there had already left.
"I should have bought a few more." Xu Qing mumbled and took another bite.
The taste was still there.
Just like that, under the moonlight, he ate the candied fruits while checking the information about the immortal puppet in the jade slip given by the Deputy Governor.
The records in the jade slip were very detailed and were even equipped with many pictures. Clearly, the Deputy Governor had studied this topic deeply.
Xu Qing roughly looked at the information and felt rising admiration toward the Deputy Governor's profound knowledge. Just as he was about to leave the city, his expression suddenly changed. He lifted his head and looked into the distance.
In the distance, a middle-aged cultivator in a black robe was sprinting, his speed astonishing. As he ran, he continuously waved his hand, scattering poison powder that drifted with the wind.
The poison was very powerful. When they landed on some plants, they instantly withered and emitted a stench.
There was another person chasing after him.
The pursuer was a woman in a Sword Holder Daoist robe and a mask on her face. She carried a huge evil ghost scythe. She was Qing Qiu.
The killing intent in her eyes was extremely intense and her entire body emitted a baleful aura as she chased after the middle-aged cultivator.
However, the other party had the same five palaces' combat strength as Qing Qiu. Coupled with the poison that spread out with the wind, Qing Qiu couldn't close the distance easily.
Xu Qing took a look. He had been doing missions frequently during this period of time and immediately recognized that this black-clothed man was a wanted criminal. In his memory, the other party had a nickname, Kid.
Hence, Xu Qing had some impression of it.
However, since Qing Qiu was chasing after him, he didn't plan to participate and was about to leave.
However, at the next instant, as the wind blew over, some poison floated in front of Xu Qing.
This bit of poison wasn't much to Xu Qing but after the wind blew past, the remaining half of the candied fruit in his hand turned black rapidly and emitted a foul smell.
Xu Qing's expression instantly darkened. He lifted his head and coldly glanced at the black-clothed man who had fled into the distance. He suddenly lifted his right hand and waved it; the candied fruit bamboo stick in his hand flew out.
Its speed was so fast that it created a sharp sound of air being torn apart as it headed straight for the black-clothed man.
In that instant, the bamboo stick of the candied fruit pierced through the black-clothed man's head.
As the smelly black candied fruits fell one after another, the black-clothed man's eyes widened and he fell on the ground, dead.
