Chapter 314: Forbidden Land

The sound of a flute drifted through the air.

Days later, the Eight Sect Alliance gradually came into Xu Qing's view.

The lingering twilight spread over the scarred Eight Sect Alliance. Although the river water was no longer black and once again exuded an ethereal aura, the land's wounds could not heal in just a few days.

From a distance, the ongoing repairs to buildings resembled slowly mending wounds on a human body.

Wisps of abnormal smoke drifted upwards, like tears from the sky.

All of this coalesced into a pervasive sorrow that enveloped the entire city, recounting the catastrophe of that day.

Although the abnormal substance was far less potent than when the divine gaze emanated from the wooden box, it still spread. Fortunately, the rapid encroachment had been halted, but the emotional pain lingered, unable to dissipate quickly.

This calamity affected not just the Seven Blood Eyes but the entire Eight Sect Alliance. While the specific death toll wasn't high, the impact was immense.

Xu Qing's Dharma Battleship descended from the sky.

Beholding everything before him, and the blank-eyed crowd, he withdrew his gaze.

Upon returning to the Seven Blood Eyes' mountain gate, he saw the sorrowful Sixth Peak's Scion, the silent cultivators from various peaks, and the scarred, ravaged mountain.

Observing this, Xu Qing also fell silent.

He quietly walked over and joined the relief efforts.

Time slowly passed, and in a blink of an eye, over ten days had gone by.

During this period, Xu Qing did not see Blood Refiner or Seventh Master. He saw Captain, Second Senior Sister, and Third Senior Brother; their expressions all held a complex mix of emotions.

Captain, in particular, knowing Xu Qing's relationship with Sixth Master, silently patted his shoulder and sighed softly.

Xu Qing remained silent.

After more than half a month of repairs, 80 to 90 percent of the abnormal substance within the Eight Sect Alliance had dissipated. The remaining traces would require much longer to completely resolve.

Having endured the grief, the various sects had no choice but to regain their spirits. The Eight Sect Alliance had also reached a unified conclusion regarding the handling of this incident.

The Eight Sect Alliance submitted a memorial to the Sword Holders' Tribunal, requesting that the danger posed by the Candlelight organization be elevated to the highest tier, and urged the Tribunal to intervene and intensify the hunt for Candlelight members.

Additionally, the Eight Sect Alliance issued a public declaration: from that point forward, they would be locked in an 'undying, endless' vendetta with Candlelight.

Even after witnessing the terror of the gaze from the wooden box, if they dared not express their hatred, the Eight Sect Alliance would crumble from within, without Candlelight needing to act.

While outwardly assertive, internally, Ancestor Lingyun was stripped of his Senate qualifications. Although the Lingyun Sword Sect remained part of the Eight Sect Alliance, all their resources would be reduced to the lowest level for the next hundred years.

This was a severe punishment for the Lingyun Sword Sect; its Sect Master and all others involved were equally penalized. Their status would only be restored once they had killed Sheng Yunzi and his father.

Furthermore, the power of the Lingyun Sword Sect's Forbidden Artifact was halved. This was because the forbidden tree that had fallen onto the Seven Blood Eyes was successfully suppressed by Seventh Master and Blood Refiner, becoming half of the Seven Blood Eyes' own Forbidden Artifact.

Following this, the 137 sects within the Eight Sect Alliance fully mobilized their intelligence networks to search for Candlelight members. The wooden box, in particular, drew immense attention across Yinghuang Province.

Post-incident analysis suggested that the gaze from the wooden box might not have been from a fragment of a deity's face, but merely similar.

However, the specifics remained unclear due to insufficient time and clues.

What was certain, though, was that while its power was great, it wasn't insurmountable. The true source of dread lay in the mystery hidden behind the incident.

Candlelight had, indeed, gained control over a portion of divine power.

At this point, Xu Qing chose to leave the Seven Blood Eyes. He intended to visit the Sea Corpse Clan's ancestral land, which was also the location of the Seven Blood Eyes' Forbidden Artifact.

He would go there to open his 121st Dharma Aperture.

Before this, Xu Qing hadn't been particularly fixated on whether he could open the 121st Dharma Aperture, but now it was different.

To fulfill the aspirations he had upon his return, he had to make himself stronger, to achieve the absolute peak.

Before leaving, Xu Qing saw Seventh Master at Sixth Master's grave.

Seventh Master sat there, holding a pot of wine.

In Xu Qing's memory, Seventh Master had always been composed, with wisdom in his eyes, seemingly in control of everything. But this time, the Seventh Master Xu Qing saw was different.

His hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and his face filled with self-reproach. Waves of chaotic fluctuations emanated from him, as if... he was attempting a breakthrough.

However, breakthroughs were clearly not easy. When he heard Xu Qing was going out, Seventh Master turned to him. With a wave of his hand, another Violet Sky Boundless Crown appeared in his grasp. After handing it to Xu Qing, he took out a piece of dark jade.

This dark jade, resembling a dried blood clot, exuded a strange aura. Its function was similar to a substitute doll, and he also gave it to Xu Qing.

"Fourth Brother," Seventh Master said, "Your master doesn't ask for much, only that you, your senior brothers, and senior sisters remain safe and sound. Your Sixth Master is gone, and I can't bear it. I don't want any of you to leave before me one day."

"Life is impermanent, so impermanent. Your master foresaw everything, yet failed to foresee this matter. How could this be..."

With a sigh, Seventh Master then handed Xu Qing a jade slip. This was a token to enter the Seven Blood Eyes' Forbidden Land and also contained some common knowledge about the Forbidden Artifact.

Xu Qing's eyes reddened slightly. He silently accepted it, bowed deeply, then turned to look at Sixth Master's grave. As the image of the head in Night Dove's hand flashed in his mind, his heart ached once more.

After a moment, Xu Qing bowed deeply towards the grave. Then, looking at his master, seeing the self-reproach on his face, he spoke softly.

"Master, we will avenge Sixth Master."

Seventh Master's gaze deepened. He looked up into the distance, a flicker of extreme sharpness gradually appearing in his eyes.

"Indeed!"

As they spoke, Ding Xue's aunt approached from a distance, her expression filled with concern. Xu Qing bowed his fists in greeting, not wishing to disturb them. He then turned, transforming into a streak of rainbow light, and swiftly departed, heading directly towards the Forbidden Sea and the Sea Corpse Clan's ancestral land.

Due to the abnormal substance, the Alliance's formations had been unstable during this period, so Xu Qing chose to travel by Dharma Battleship.

In the sky by the sea, he saw a person.

Wearing a long purple dress, a beautiful, flawless figure—it was Senior Immortal Zixuan.

She stood there, gazing at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing bowed his head.

"Greetings, Senior."

Senior Immortal Zixuan said nothing. Xu Qing waited for a moment, then bowed again, and departed from the side. After he had moved a hundred zhang away, Senior Immortal Zixuan's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"The incident happened too suddenly; I didn't have time to intervene."

Xu Qing paused, turned to Senior Immortal Zixuan, and spoke softly.

"Thank you."

In this sentence, Xu Qing did not use the honorific 'Senior.'

After speaking, he turned and vanished into a long rainbow, speeding away. Watching Xu Qing's retreating figure, a trace of heartache appeared in Senior Immortal Zixuan's expression. After a long moment, she sighed softly, and then a chilling light filled her eyes.

"Candlelight!"

A few days passed in a flash.

Xu Qing's speed was extraordinary. His Dharma Battleship cut through the waves on the Forbidden Sea, and he gradually saw the Sea Corpse Clan's ancestral island, along with the towering statues erected upon it.

Above those statues, a massive ancient bronze mirror floated between heaven and earth.

As the mirror slowly rotated, terrifying divine senses spread in all directions, detecting anyone who approached.

Ever since the Seven Blood Eyes established its Forbidden Artifact here, the entire island had been enveloped by its power. As an affiliated clan, the Sea Corpse Clan's slightest movement would be detected, leaving no opportunity for disloyalty.

At the same time, the Seven Blood Eyes had assigned disciples from various peaks to rotate shifts here. Peak Lords also rotated, maintaining the Forbidden Artifact while stationed on the island. Currently, the Third Peak Lord was present.

As Xu Qing approached, the spirit within the mirror suddenly focused its divine sense on him. As a chilling aura enveloped his body, Xu Qing calmly took out his token.

The Forbidden Land was not a place one could enter freely. Even as a Scion of the Seven Blood Eyes, he did not possess the authority to come here independently; only with the acknowledgment of Seventh Master or Blood Refiner could he do so.

Now, as the divine sense landed on the token Xu Qing held, it resonated and then slowly dissipated. Instantly, the sea surface before him churned violently, parting fiercely to both sides, rising high to form a sea path.

Xu Qing's Dharma Battleship sped along this sea path, flanked by sea walls tens of zhang high.

He experienced all of this, realizing the terrifying power of the Seven Blood Eyes' Forbidden Artifact, though it was clearly not as formidable as the light described by the sect disciples.

Xu Qing nodded, approached the shore, retracted his Dharma Battleship, and stepped onto what was once the Sea Corpse Clan's territory.

The purple ground was overgrown with strange vegetation. Mushroom-like fungi were still abundant, and many glowing dandelions drifted from the sky in clusters, looking very beautiful from a distance.

Giant jellyfish also floated between heaven and earth. One of them swiftly approached, extending a tentacle to greet Xu Qing.

On the jellyfish were dozens of Seven Blood Eyes disciples, all at the Foundation Establishment stage. Seeing Xu Qing, they all bowed their fists.

"The Third Peak Lord has received the sect's decree and has arranged for several guardians to wait at the Forbidden Artifact's location. However, there's no rush for that. We are here by order to escort Your Highness."

Since Seventh Master was the Sect Master, Xu Qing's status was both the Scion of the Seventh Peak and the Scion of the Seven Blood Eyes. Coupled with his reputation within the Alliance, the deference from these fellow disciples was naturally to be expected.

Xu Qing's expression was solemn. He returned their bow with clasped fists, then stepped onto the jellyfish via its tentacle, and proceeded towards the location of the Seven Blood Eyes' Forbidden Artifact.

This was Xu Qing's third visit to what was once the Sea Corpse Clan's territory. The first time, he and Captain had accomplished something significant here; the second time, he had merely passed by; and this time, he had come specifically for a purpose.

Observing the strange surroundings, Xu Qing suddenly thought of the Sea Corpse Clan's princess. He had forgotten about this matter previously and hadn't asked Captain about it. As his thoughts drifted, Xu Qing gazed in the direction where the Sea Corpse Clan resided.

"What is the current state of the Sea Corpse Clan?"

"Your Highness, the Sea Corpse Clan has fully pledged allegiance. Their clan ancestor and all clan members have been branded with soul marks by our Seven Blood Eyes. Concurrently, our sect controls the activation of their transformation technique, allowing us to replenish the clan with new blood while strictly imprinting them with soul marks."

"As for other matters, our sect has not interfered. They still have their own royal family and order, maintaining their autonomy."

"However, the succession of the throne requires our sect's approval. The previous emperor and their clan ancestor were taken away by Ancestor Blood Refiner. Currently, the entire clan is led by the new emperor we supported."

Xu Qing said no more. Soon, their group arrived at the location of the Seven Blood Eyes' Forbidden Artifact.

Ahead, fourteen towering Corpse Ancestor statues, reaching into the clouds, emanated earth-shattering auras, imbued with a sense of ancientness and the passage of time.

Compared to them, cultivators appeared like ants in stature. In particular, five of the statues were so tall that one could barely see their tops, resembling colossal peaks.

Beneath these fourteen statues were clusters of Seven Blood Eyes buildings. Large numbers of disciples were stationed here, constantly maintaining the Seven Blood Eyes' Forbidden Artifact.

Xu Qing's arrival drew the attention of many, who bowed their heads in greeting.

"Your Highness, would you prefer to rest first, or proceed immediately?"

Xu Qing gazed at the enormous ancient mirror floating in the sky above the statues, took a deep breath, and slowly spoke.

"Thank you all, but I wish to proceed immediately!"