Malicious erosion mark!

After learning about the current situation of Xuan Domain, Zhong Qing was very satisfied.

After all, he still held the title of Domain Lord of Xuan Domain in name.

Knowing that there were no major disturbances there, he no longer had any worries.

After staying for a few more days and leaving some treasures and resources he had gathered in the Second Heaven for Yin Hao and others,

Zhong Qing once again left Xuan Domain and flew towards the sky.

This time, if there were no urgent matters, he probably wouldn't return for a considerable period.

Just as he was about to enter the cloud space between the First Heaven and the Second Heaven,

At that moment, in the ethereal void, a gaze seemed to come from the void, sweeping over Zhong Qing.

That gaze seemed to contain infinite malice.

But Zhong Qing seemed oblivious, only shivering slightly.

At the same time, something formless and intangible, which had just landed on Zhong Qing, dissipated.

Only after Zhong Qing entered the cloud space did he hear the system's prompt.

"Detected malicious erosion mark, already removed for the host."

Zhong Qing was startled by the words and stopped in his tracks.

"Malicious erosion mark?"

"What is that?"

It didn't sound like anything good, and he couldn't recall when he had gotten entangled with such a thing.

He recalled the chill he felt when he first entered the cloud space; could that have been it?

However, after leaving the First Heaven, he could no longer sense it.

He suddenly remembered something.

"Could this be the curse of the First Heaven?"

Zhong Qing's eyes flickered.

If it was a curse, it would be understandable why it was formless and intangible, making it impossible to detect.

However, this thing had already been removed by the system, so it couldn't be verified.

But if it was a curse, why didn't it activate the last time he left the First Heaven, but it did this time?

After pondering for a moment and failing to come up with an answer, Zhong Qing shrugged and continued to fly upwards.

If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't dwell on it. No matter its source, he would deal with problems as they arose. As long as he kept improving himself, there would always be a solution.

Compared to the somewhat long journey last time, this time, in just a moment, Zhong Qing returned to the Second Heaven and headed straight for Liuguang Sect.

In the First and Second Heavens, he currently had no other attachments.

Upon returning to Liuguang Sect, Zhong Qing directly announced the news that he would soon ascend to the Upper Realm.

He also stated that all registered disciples, if interested, could enter his Small World and ascend with him; if not interested, they could remain there.

And they had one day to consider.

A day later, one-fifth of Liuguang Sect chose to follow Zhong Qing to the Upper Realm, while the rest chose to stay.

This was not surprising.

Don't look at how many people Zhong Qing brought when he came to the Second Heaven previously.

But many of them had followed Zhong Qing for a long time and received great favors, so naturally, they would follow him through life and death.

There were also some, like Red Dust Empress, Ancient Emperor, and the like, who were already top figures in the First Heaven of the Lower Realm.

They had little room for further advancement, and as long as they still wished to progress further on the path of cultivation, they would choose to follow Zhong Qing.

However, the disciples recruited in the Spiritual Land were different.

Previously, in order to break through to the Great Emperor realm, Zhong Qing was indiscriminate, accepting anyone and everyone. Not only did he have disciples, but also a large number of grand-disciples.

Their cultivation levels varied, and although they had received Zhong Qing's favor and were genuinely grateful, they hadn't reached the point where they would unhesitatingly abandon their homes and follow him to the Upper Realm.

It wasn't that they lacked vision or intelligence, or that they didn't know that following Zhong Qing would lead to boundless prospects.

Rather, their own cultivation levels were too low; even in the Second Heaven, they were originally at the bottom. If they ascended to the Upper Realm, they would truly be worse than ants.

It was better for them to remain in the Second Heaven, where they had sufficient room for advancement and the cultivation methods passed down by Zhong Qing, so they had no worries about cultivation.

Moreover, it is wise to know oneself. Many of them had no hope of becoming Pseudo-Immortals in this life.

Even if they became Zhong Qing's registered disciples and received cultivation techniques, their talent was ultimately limited.

Even with True Immortal-level cultivation methods, it was impossible for them to become Immortals. Their future was clear: they would be content with becoming a Three or Four Revolutions Pseudo-Immortal in this life and would not aspire for more, so there was no need to leave their homes and ascend to the Upper Realm.

As for those who followed Zhong Qing, they were either already Pseudo-Immortal powerhouses or were confident in their talent and had grand ambitions, wanting to see the scenery of higher realms.

Zhong Qing was not surprised by this. In fact, it wouldn't matter even if he didn't bring anyone, as they could still provide him with cultivation in the Lower Realm.

However, registered disciples were still disciples, and as their master, it was fine for him to give them an opportunity if they wanted to improve.

Early the next morning, Zhong Qing prepared to set off, taking all the disciples who wished to follow him into his Small World. Then, he once again boarded the Jian Lai Flying Ship and headed towards Yuhua Immortal Sect.

Not long after, Yuhua Cave Heaven was close at hand.

Xu Qianfeng and the others had already received the news and had been waiting outside the Cave Heaven to welcome him.

Seeing Zhong Qing's figure appear at the bow of the ship, led by the Sect Master, the members of the Immortal Sect all bowed in unison.

"Welcome, Senior Zhong!"

Zhong Qing smiled calmly, put away the flying ship, and, accompanied by his direct disciples such as Lin Feng and Du Hao, entered Yuhua Cave Heaven for the second time, surrounded by the members of Yuhua Immortal Sect.

And Yu Weichen was already waiting in the Cave Heaven's main hall.

Along the way, Xu Songnian approached him.

"Master, your disciple also wishes to follow you to the Upper Realm."

Zhong Qing raised an eyebrow and smiled, "What, isn't it good to stay here and be your Young Sect Master?"

With Xu Songnian's talent, it was almost a certainty that he would succeed as the Sect Master of Yuhua Immortal Sect in the future.

Moreover, with Shangqing Cave Heaven now destroyed and most of its accumulated power absorbed by Yuhua Cave Heaven, it was foreseeable that Yuhua Immortal Sect's influence would surge, making it the strongest among the remaining three great Immortal Sects.

At that time, this Second Heaven would be the domain of the Xu father and son.

Xu Songnian also smiled faintly and bowed his head, saying, "By Master's side, your disciple has already seen a higher realm."

"Compared to being a hegemon in the Second Heaven, your disciple is more willing to follow Master and ascend to greater heights."

Xu Songnian had more to say.

He also had a grand ambition.

That was the position of Zhong Qing's direct disciple!

Originally, becoming a registered disciple, although he was somewhat dissatisfied, he thought that a registered disciple was still a disciple, so it was acceptable.

But later he discovered that

His "registered senior and junior brothers" were too numerous to count.

At this, Xu Songnian's mentality immediately crumbled a little.

He believed that his talent and intellect, even if not comparable to his two direct senior brothers who could kick Nine Revolutions Pseudo Immortals around like balls, were still far superior to others, right?

So he was unwilling to be just a registered disciple. He had made up his mind days ago that one day, he would definitely become Zhong Qing's direct disciple!

Compared to that, what was the mere position of Sect Master of Yuhua Immortal Sect, or the opportunity to dominate the Second Heaven?

Therefore, Xu Songnian decisively chose to go to the Upper Realm.

It's just that he didn't know what his expression would be if he knew that the position of a direct disciple was not something he could decide, and not even something Zhong Qing could decide.