The Mute’s eyes shone with terror, and he was trembling from head to toe. He wanted to fight back, but Xu Qing’s hand was clamped onto his neck like an iron vice. Struggling wouldn’t do any good. Due to the vast difference in their cultivation bases, he wasn’t remotely capable of fighting back against Xu Qing. After all… he was only close to being in Foundation Establishment.

There was something strange about the Mute’s cultivation base. He was somewhere between Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment, almost as if he had started the breakthrough process but not completed it.

There were a lot of pedestrians on the street, including disciples from both Seven Blood Eyes and other sects. Those who saw what was happening with Xu Qing and the Mute were visibly surprised. The mortals present all hurried away, while the cultivators clasped hands and bowed.

Given Xu Qing’s status in the Eight Sect Coalition, no one would bat an eye if he grabbed a disciple by the neck. He could slaughter people on the street and nobody would react. At most, he might get reprimanded for doing something like that. In fact, if he had a good explanation, then he wouldn’t even get reprimanded. In some respects, he represented all the disciples in his generation in the coalition.

Xu Qing looked coldly at the Mute and thought back to when they had both been on the river inspection tour. The Mute had been in the great circle of Qi Condensation, just on the verge of reaching Foundation Establishment. Given Xu Qing’s current state, and with the added asset of what he could see with his Ghost Emperor mountain eyes, the explanation suddenly occurred to him. The person in front of him was nothing more than a shell. The dominant soul inside was not that of the Mute.

Without a word, Xu Qing flew back to his berth, bringing the Mute with him.

Taking out his dharmaskiff, he stepped aboard. Once in the cabin, he activated his Stygian Flame, and sent fire into the Mute through his neck. A mournful scream erupted from the Mute’s mouth. As his body twitched and shivered, Xu Qing extracted a soul from inside of him.

This soul did not resemble the Mute. It was a conglomeration of pulsating black mist that emanated an evil aura and strong mutagen. Thanks to the Stygian Flame, the soul could do nothing more than spasm. A moment later, Xu Qing’s shadow stretched out, its open eyes filled with hunger. The soul started spasming even more violently.

In the end, Xu Qing inhaled, sucking the soul into him and imprisoning it in his 61st dharma aperture. His dharma force surged as he began the assimilation process. Meanwhile, the Mute shivered, and his eyes finally flickered with a familiar look.

Face completely expressionless, Xu Qing released the Mute.

The Mute dropped to the deck of the dharmaskiff, breathing heavily, his eyes vacant. However, as memories flooded back into him, his expression turned grim, and his eyes filled with a baleful aura. Then he dropped to his knees in front of Xu Qing and kowtowed, hitting his head three times. His eyes shone with gratitude.

Xu Qing examined him, then coolly said, “What happened?”

The Mute took out a jade slip, quickly inscribed some information on it, and respectfully offered it to Xu Qing. Xu Qing took it and looked at the details. Looking back at the Mute and seeing how uncomfortable he was without his dog skin jerkin, he said, “Go ahead and change.”

The Mute immediately produced a dog skin jerkin from his bag of holding. After putting it on, he looked a lot more comfortable. Squatting on the deck, he silently waited for orders from Xu Qing.

The jade slip made everything clear.

It all had to do with the Mute’s attempt to reach Foundation Establishment. When cultivators tried to reach Foundation Establishment, they would face terrifying grues. That was why many used places of refuge in the sect. The lamps there would offer a measure of protection.

The Mute had done that. But there was something unique about him. During the process of searching for his dharma apertures, things had gone normally. At first. Then things went terribly wrong. The Mute had extremely acute senses, which were normally an asset. For instance, those senses were how he was able to detect Xu Qing’s shadow.

However… during his Foundation Establishment breakthrough, they became his greatest weakness. His acute senses were like a blazing torch that attracted the attention of unknown entities, and also made it easier for them to possess him. When the terrifying grues came for him, a shadowy figure from another world pounced on him, took control of his body, and suppressed his soul.

If Xu Qing hadn’t noticed, then it wouldn’t have been long before the Mute’s soul was completely devoured. And at that point… it would have been difficult for anyone to see what had happened.

Xu Qing looked down quietly at the incredibly weak but also very calm Mute. He thought back to everything that the Mute had been through, and how he himself had been involved with it all, and somehow felt like the Mute was now related to him. After all, from the very beginning, the Mute had repeatedly displayed his desire to follow Xu Qing. And he had worked very hard in Violent Crimes.

Looking away from him, Xu Qing said, “You can break through to Foundation Establishment right here.”

The Mute’s eyes lit up, and without the slightest hesitation, he settled down cross-legged. He knew how terrifying the Foundation Establishment breakthrough could be, but with Xu Qing here, he wasn’t afraid. He began regulating his breathing, and then tapped into his cultivation base. Gradually, evening came.

Xu Qing also meditated. Late in the night, he opened his eyes and looked at the Mute.

Something like a tideflow rolled off of the Mute as he searched for his dharma apertures. A sinister wind kicked up.

Xu Qing’s expression was the same as ever as a black umbrella flickered into being overhead. Xu Qing sent the umbrella over the Mute, where it spread its protection over him. As soon as that protective power spread out, inaudible screams echoed out in all directions. Beneath the fire of that black umbrella, countless shadows fled.

Before they could escape, Xu Qing’s shadow snapped out, forming a huge mouth that devoured them rapidly. Crunching sounds rang out as the shadow consumed most of them.

Seeing that, Xu Qing waved his hand, and the other shadowy forms were helpless to fight against him as he gathered them and imprisoned them in his 61st dharma aperture.

Almost instantly, the 61st aperture reached the point of being full.

That works too? As Xu Qing’s eyes brightened, the shadow wilted a bit. It was obviously frustrated at the Fiendish Xu taking away its food, but at the same time, didn’t dare to complain.

.

Eyes glittering, Xu Qing removed the umbrella and its protection.

Without the life lamp to harm the shadowy grues, they swarmed again. As sinister winds pulsed, they tried to rush toward the Mute to possess him.

The only thing that awaited them was Xu Qing’s Stygian Flame. Fire swept out in all directions, gathering up the shadowy figures. In the blink of an eye, they were brought into Xu Qing, filling his 62nd dharma aperture.

Xu Qing was delighted. He never could have guessed that this method would work, much less be so effective. It was definitely a lot more efficient than going around fighting and killing people. And it was only possible thanks to the endless shadowy figures that the Mute’s breakthrough attempt attracted. 𝒃𝒆𝒐𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝙘𝙤𝒎

In that manner, time passed.

The night passed, and to Xu Qing’s great pleasure, during that time he filled everything from his 62nd to his 73rd dharma aperture. Given that speed, Xu Qing was very pleased as he looked at the Mute.

The Mute wasn’t finished, and seemed like he would keep going for a few more days. Given Xu Qing’s analysis, it seemed likely that he would be able to imprison souls in all 120 of his dharma apertures. When the truly terrifying grues came, Xu Qing would direct his Ghost Emperor mountain eyes at them and be able to see them clearly. The truly terrifying grues were vastly larger than any of the ordinary ones he was capturing. They weren’t just balls of mist, they were fully-formed grues.

For example, right now Xu Qing was looking at one that resembled a huge black fish. It was several hundred meters long, and it circled the area in terrifying fashion before preparing to close in. Before it could, Xu Qing stepped to the Mute’s side, lifted his hand, and pushed out. The black fish shivered and made to flee. Before it could, Stygian Flame whipped out, creating something like a huge net that wrapped up the giant fish, then shrank down, destroying the fish and causing soul power to surge into Xu Qing.

After imprisoning it in his 74th dharma aperture, that aperture was complete. Feeling very pleased, Xu Qing sat down to meditate and wait.

Because the Mute had previously gone through some of the Foundation Establishment breakthrough process, the rest didn’t take long. His search for dharma apertures only took seven days.

Even still, the Mute was like a bright torch on a dark night, which gave Xu Qing plenty of opportunities to go fishing. It didn’t take long for him to blow past 80 dharma apertures. Then 90. And by the sixth day, he had filled all of his 120 dharma apertures with imprisoned souls! However, he wasn’t finished yet, as it was possible to replace the existing souls with better ones. Therefore, on the seventh day, Xu Qing waited patiently, and thus managed to snare three of the extremely powerful grues.

At that point, the Mute was done searching for dharma apertures, and was able to start the true breakthrough. The encroaching shadowy figures vanished and didn’t return.

Xu Qing was a bit disappointed at that, but overall, was very pleased.

On the ninth day, as a light rain fell, the Mute opened his eyes. He had just opened his 1st dharma aperture, and from the dharma force fluctuations, it was obvious he had succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment! After sensing his cultivation base, he excitedly kowtowed to Xu Qing, knocking his head against the deck of the dharmaskiff.

Xu Qing eyed him and calmly said, “You should study the Balefire Soulswallowing Scripture. Ignite your first life flame as quickly as possible. After all… without the profound radiance state, you’re like a wild chicken. Only with the profound radiance state can you truly be considered a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

The Mute continued to kowtow loudly, his eyes shining with determination.

***

Outside of the Eight Sect Coalition in the not-too-distant Supreme Arbiter Salvation Mountains, there was a lonely grave. Two figures walked through the rain toward that grave.

It was a silent night with no sound whatsoever, as if the arrival of these two figures ensured that the living beings in the area remained quiet. Only the fall of the rain could be heard, bleak and cold.

Both figures wore voluminous black cloaks with hoods that hid their heads. The only thing visible… were masks resembling the broken face of the god. The masks emanated a terrifying and unsettling aura that filled the area and made the air around the two figures ripple and distort.

From a distance, it almost seemed like these two figures were gods walking through the rain. However, no beings they encountered, regardless of their cultivation base, would notice them. That was because their life level was completely different.

These two were Night Dove and his master.

“We’ll be at the Eight Sect Coalition soon,” said the person in the lead position. He sounded like a young man. “Is the person who invited us to see his performance ready?”

“Yes, he’s ready, Lord.”