Chapter 919: Strange Object Intimidates Heavenly Venerable

"Do you want it?"

These words seemed to be spoken by different people, with varying tones and inflections. They echoed in the sect's main hall, lingering for a long time. This made the already strange scene even more eerie.

Li Qing, however, showed no fear: "If the Heavenly Venerate dares to give, I dare to take."

Senior Sister Zhao's laughter abruptly stopped. Li Qing instantly felt thousands of gazes from different directions in the hall turn towards her.

"Remnants of the Profound Heaven Sect...""What if I give it to you? Can you truly leave my Grand Dao Sect?"Only a cold voice questioned.

Li Qing smiled slightly: "How will I know if I don't try?"

This statement was extremely provocative. Even though Li Qing's actions in the illusion were unusual, it seemed as if she had truly angered One-Heart Heavenly Venerate this time. Beside Li Qing, thousands of human faces suddenly appeared in the previously empty hall. The faces bore various expressions, but all stared intently at Li Qing. Furthermore, pale arms spontaneously reached out from the void and darkness beneath the faces, grabbing towards Li Qing.

Soon, Li Qing was overwhelmed by the surging tide of pale limbs. It seemed she would quickly vanish within the hall.

However...

A moment later, countless piercing shrieks erupted from these faces. The sounds conveyed terror, fear, and resentment... As if something utterly terrifying emanated from Li Qing, they scattered rapidly, many times faster than when they had rushed to engulf her, without exception.

In the center of the hall, the tranquil face of Senior Sister Zhao, who appeared to be in her teens, showed a flicker of emotion for the first time. Above Li Qing, several stone pillars appeared inexplicably and crashed down, forming a cage that trapped her.

"On your person...""What is that thing?"A hint of apprehension entered One-Heart Heavenly Venerate's cold tone.

Li Qing smiled and countered: "I was hoping to ask the Heavenly Venerate about it. Do you have any idea what it might be?"

Silence fell over the hall for a moment. Then One-Heart's voice resumed: "I had doubts about whether you were truly a member of the Profound Heaven Sect before, but now I'm starting to believe it."

"To dare to keep something like that within your divine soul...""It's a pity, we can no longer merge."

Li Qing merely smiled, offering no reply. She was simply sensing a shimmering, multi-colored orb within her divine soul. Since she gained consciousness, this object had been suppressed deep within her divine soul. It was clearly implanted by her original self when the clone was created. The multi-colored orb itself wasn't important; what mattered was what was sealed inside it. Even with the barrier of divine multi-colored light, Li Qing constantly felt a sense of impending danger, as if a sword hung over her head. It was clear that whatever was sealed within was extremely dangerous. Li Qing had no memory of this object in her mind, but she knew that her original self dared to let her, a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, venture alone into the Grand Dao Sect precisely because this object served as a deterrent. Despite harboring such a dangerous entity within her divine soul, Li Qing remained fearless.

Her thoughts flickered and passed. She looked at the young Senior Sister Zhao, who sat upright before her, and said earnestly: "The Heavenly Venerate has now attained the position of eternal life. Those various cultivation techniques are now useless to you. However, they are extremely important to our Profound Heaven Sect. If the Heavenly Venerate would be so kind, our Profound Heaven Sect will surely offer a generous reward in the future!"

Seeing that One-Heart Heavenly Venerate still remained silent, Li Qing hesitated for a moment before adding: "In fact, our Profound Heaven Sect is not unreasonable. If the Heavenly Venerate is willing to return the items to their rightful owners, we will also provide appropriate compensation. Furthermore, I believe the Heavenly Venerate will be very interested in this." Li Qing spoke with confidence.

Silently, the thousands of faces that had been frightened away suddenly crowded forward again.

"Compensation..."The faces collectively let out strange cackles.

"The Profound Heaven Sect was destroyed a millennium ago. All of you are just rats hiding in the shadows."

"What could you possibly offer me that is worth..."Before the voice finished, it abruptly stopped, along with all the others. They all stared at a golden light that suddenly appeared in Li Qing's palm. Their expressions froze completely!

This Grand Dao Sect was the foundation of her attainment of the Eternal Life realm. Although it was still within the Xuanhuang Realm, it could effectively be considered a separate realm within a realm, completely under her control. No rustle of grass, no change in energy within the Grand Dao Sect, could escape her control. Only this suddenly appearing golden light... One-Heart Heavenly Venerate was certain that the golden light did not originate from within Li Qing's body. Instead, it came from outside the Grand Dao Sect! It was able to ignore her restrictions, moving freely... As she felt the energy contained within the golden light, ancient memories from the former elders of the Grand Dao Sect resurfaced in her mind.

Seeing Senior Sister Zhao's reaction, Li Qing knew her original self's strategy had succeeded. So she declared loudly: "A momentary defeat does not signify an eternal one. Years of dormancy do not mean we will vanish into the river of history. Even a centipede, though dead, does not stiffen. How much more so a True Immortal's legacy?" Li Qing held her head high as she spoke.

Senior Sister Zhao, who had acquired several cultivation techniques from the Profound Heaven Sect, naturally understood the terrifying depth of its heritage. Just a few inherited cultivation methods had almost single-handedly brought about her status as an Eternal Life Heavenly Venerate. The Profound Heaven Sect's true legacy was undoubtedly unfathomable.

What was more crucial... Although the Profound Heaven Sect's destruction all those years ago was a joint effort by the Ten Immortal Sects, according to the Grand Dao Sect's secret records, that battle of annihilation was in fact extremely strange. Originally, they had no intention of completely destroying the Profound Heaven Sect in one go, but as the battle progressed, the opponent suddenly collapsed on its own. More importantly, on that day, the Profound Heaven King, rumored to be a Half-True Immortal, did not appear at all on the battlefield. That's why the battle was so effortless.

The Ten Immortal Sects had also suspected a conspiracy. Fearing that the Profound Heaven King might return at any time, they issued a kill order for the remnants of the Profound Heaven Sect. They simply wanted to force this hidden Half-Immortal out into the open. Unexpectedly, he seemed to have truly vanished from the world, never appearing in the Xuanhuang Realm again.

"The Profound Heaven Sect's ashes are rekindling; does this mean the Profound Heaven King will also reappear in the world?" This question involuntarily arose in One-Heart Heavenly Venerate's mind. After all, the gray mold and the golden light of aspirations displayed by the other party were clearly not something ordinary cultivators could possess.

One-Heart Heavenly Venerate did not ponder for too long. In her view, another disruptor in the Xuanhuang Realm wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Although the Half-Immortal realm was powerful, the Xuanhuang Realm was no longer what it once was. Perhaps the reappearance of this Half-Immortal would bring about change and vitality.

In the hall, the thousands of pallid faces that had been eerily staring at Li Qing vanished instantly. The dim hall also brightened.

"This humble one quite likes the gift you brought." A voice with a completely different tone than before resounded.