Chapter 357: Sitting Figure on the Moon

The captain's sudden outburst caused the Red-Clothed Girl Qingqiu to change her expression, revealing her unwillingness.

At this moment, the blood-red light around her body intensified, spreading in all directions, as if transforming her surroundings into a hovering sea of blood. Under the augmentation of this blood sea, the Red-Clothed Girl Qingqiu's speed also surged, reaching a height of 2,200 zhang. However, she was still some distance behind the captain and couldn't catch up in a short time. Just as the red glow in her eyes grew more intense, a more astonishing aura suddenly emanated from behind her.

The Red-Clothed Girl abruptly turned her head, her eyes experiencing a sharp stinging pain, as if staring directly at the sun. The source of this sun-like presence was Xu Qing.

At this moment, the Golden Crow outside his body fully manifested, transforming into a hundred-zhang figure, spreading its wings in the sky. This created waves of immense power while also emitting dazzling light. Nineteen multicolored phoenix tails stirred up fiery seas, rolling thunderously in all directions with the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Isolation as their center, radiating an earth-shattering aura.

Within the fiery sea and enveloped by the Golden Crow, Xu Qing's speed instantly surged. In a single step, he reached 2,100 zhang. As for the冲击 of grievances emanating from the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Isolation and the vengeful spirits manifesting in his Sea of Consciousness, Xu Qing ignored them directly.

He raised his right hand and swiftly waved it. Immediately, two parasols appeared above his head. One formed a black umbrella with black flames flowing along its edge, adding an air of mystery to Xu Qing and isolating him from the grievances! The incoming grievances were significantly weakened. The other parasol, like a precious lotus, emitted multicolored light, and the sound of wind echoed around it, purifying Xu Qing's entire body, causing any previously integrated grievances to instantly disintegrate. His third Heavenly Palace vibrated even more, each tremor shattering a vengeful spirit that had previously formed.

Under their combined augmentation, Xu Qing's aura was peerless at that moment, shaking the firmament and causing the surrounding winds and clouds to change color. At this moment, his steps took him to the second level, reaching 2,200 zhang, the same height as the Red-Clothed Girl Qingqiu.

But this was not the end. A sharp glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. In his vision, there was no Red-Clothed Girl, only the captain's figure. They were not only brothers but also fellow cultivators, and rare peers who could accompany each other on their respective cultivation paths. Being first or not was no longer important. What mattered was that they each had their own pursuits and persistence, their own dreams and paths. They could walk together and even go to great lengths for each other, but they couldn't intentionally hold back. Since it was a competition, they would compete thoroughly. Xu Qing thought this. The captain thought the same.

At this moment, Xu Qing moved again. After a sky-piercing cry, his Golden Crow merged into his body, making Xu Qing's form seem draped in a yellow robe. His physical strength fully circulated in that instant. It was as if an endless power surged through him, making Xu Qing's vital energy immense. Although his physique wasn't particularly bulky, anyone who saw him at this moment would instinctively feel as if a burning world resided within him. Under this terrifying physical strength, Xu Qing took his third step forward.

As this step landed, the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Isolation rumbled. Xu Qing's figure soared into the sky, surpassing the Red-Clothed Girl Qingqiu, appearing at a height of 2,300 zhang, right beside the captain.

The captain looked at Xu Qing, a peculiar light in his eyes. However, there was a little sweat on his forehead; clearly, his previous burst was not so easy for him either. But he wouldn't admit it aloud, so he burst into laughter.

"Little Junior Brother, you're good, but this is just a warm-up."

After speaking, the captain suddenly shot forward, reaching 2,330 zhang, surpassing Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's entire body's strength circulated, and he also leaped, overtaking the captain to reach over 2,370 zhang. Here, although he wasn't sweating, he was slightly out of breath. He raised an eyebrow and spoke calmly.

"Senior Brother, me too."

As the two spoke, a low growl came from behind them, accompanied by an explosion of blood-red light filling the sky. From a distance, this blood light soared directly a hundred zhang. Within the blood light was the Red-Clothed Girl's unique laughter and the dangerous aura emanating from her entire body.

"Hehe, you two are so interesting."

As she spoke, her speed also surged, chasing after Xu Qing and the captain.

Xu Qing didn't look back; he continued forward with his steps. The captain did the same. The three of them moved at astonishing speeds, constantly surging upwards. 2,400 zhang, 2,500 zhang, 2,600 zhang!

After reaching this position, the Red-Clothed Girl Qingqiu, due to her limited cultivation, had pushed her multiple bursts to the extreme, and her speed involuntarily slowed down. But Xu Qing and the captain continued to surge forward. The two leaped over 2,600 zhang, and in their respective sprints, they occasionally met each other's gaze, one panting heavily, the other covered in sweat. They even exchanged words.

"You're not doing so well, Little A'Qing, your panting is a bit exaggerated. I reckon those people on the ground can hear it. Sigh, I'm not criticizing you, but at such a young age, your body is too weak."

"Senior Brother, the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Isolation is covered in your sweat wherever you've passed. Why don't you rest a bit? I'm worried you'll collapse from exhaustion."

As the two spoke, they were secretly unleashing their power, competing against each other, chasing and being chased. They continuously exchanged places on the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Isolation. As for the Red-Clothed Girl Qingqiu, she stared at the two figures ahead, gritting her teeth fiercely.

"Why do I always run into these two damn guys!"

Especially upon hearing their conversation, her mood became even more agitated. The impact of the grievances at this height was too terrifying, and dispelling or suppressing the vengeful spirits that manifested in her Sea of Consciousness was much harder than before. She no longer had the strength to speak, but the two ahead actually still had time to talk and mock each other.

"These two must have something seriously wrong with their brains!" The Red-Clothed Girl gritted her teeth, and the evil spirit within her mind urged her rapidly.

"Go all out, go all out! We'll take them down with us!"

As the evil spirit continuously incited her, Xu Qing and the captain successively surpassed 2,700 zhang, reaching 2,800 zhang. Looking down from this position, the ground had shrunk so much that the crowd was no longer visible. Even the vast Primordial City seemed to fit in one's palm. The surroundings were permeated with flowing mist and howling winds.

However, the end was still very far away. At this height, the impact of grievances was already incredibly powerful, no longer just congregating in the Sea of Consciousness but integrating into Xu Qing's and the captain's entire bodies. In every inch of their flesh and blood, a large amount of grievances condensed. Even though Xu Qing's Third Palace shook to disperse them, there were too many and too concentrated here; the speed of dispersal couldn't keep up with the integration. Even his Destiny Lantern became unstable under such consumption. It wasn't that the Destiny Lantern's ability was insufficient, but rather that Xu Qing's current cultivation made it difficult to fully utilize it. The Golden Crow Refines All Spirits was also showing signs of fatigue. After all, this height had already surpassed the record of all previous Sword Holders who participated in the Sword Holder Trial. Although there were many who had climbed higher than this position throughout history, those were all cultivators with deeper cultivation and often did not meet the conditions for the Sword Holder Trial.

At this point, Xu Qing and the captain spoke less to each other, but they still did.

"Little A'Qing, you can't do it!" The captain was covered in sweat and began to pant. He leaped five zhang past Xu Qing.

"Captain, I still have poison I haven't released." Xu Qing stomped his feet hard, surpassed the captain, raised his right hand to grasp the edge of a totem above, and leaped up with force, gaining another five or six zhang.

"I also have a trump card I haven't used!" The captain's expression changed upon hearing "poison." Seeing Xu Qing surpass him again, a frantic look appeared in his eyes. He directly opened his mouth wide and bit at a protruding rune beside him. With a crunch, although the rune wasn't bitten off, faint teeth marks appeared on it. Upon closer inspection, one could even see that the grievances on the rune had become immensely concentrated, as if the captain's bite wasn't a gnaw, but a吐. He had swallowed the accumulated resentment in his body onto this rune. After his body felt lighter, his speed instantly surged, directly reaching 2,800 zhang, then 2,900 zhang, rushing towards 3,000 zhang.

This scene made Xu Qing's eyes narrow, and left the Red-Clothed Girl behind stunned. The evil spirit on her body also exclaimed in her mind.

"He really is a mad dog!"

Seeing the captain about to rush to the height of 3,000 zhang, Xu Qing's eyes also revealed a hint of madness. The poison pill in his Third Heavenly Palace suddenly erupted. An endless stream of poison surged from within, instantly flowing throughout Xu Qing's entire body. It did not disperse outside his body but filled every inch of his flesh and blood. The Poison Banning Pill could poison all things, and grievances were one of them. Xu Qing had already tested this back when he encountered the giant monk's head in the strange marketplace in the Phoenix Forbidden area.

At this moment, as the poison emerged, the grievances accumulated in his body's flesh and blood and his Sea of Consciousness instantly transformed into shrill wails, thoroughly exterminated by Xu Qing. The captain expelled them, Xu Qing annihilated them. Both achieved the same result of purifying their bodies.

In the next instant, Xu Qing's speed erupted, reaching 2,900 zhang. As the captain's body stepped onto 3,000 zhang, Xu Qing also leaped up, stepping onto this 3,000-zhang mark! Here, there was a special totem. It was shaped like a human-like creature covering its face, sitting on the moon.

Almost at the instant the two stepped onto 3,000 zhang, this totem suddenly flashed, transforming into two distinct fluctuations unlike ordinary grievances, carrying a hint of divinity. They went straight towards Xu Qing and the captain, simultaneously pouring into their bodies. Xu Qing's body trembled. The captain's did too. Their bodies instantly paused at this 3,000-zhang height. In their Sea of Consciousness, an seemingly unseeable figure manifested in each of them.

At the same time, within the Sword Holder's Court above the clouds, the Elder Sword Holders observing all of this also showed peculiar lights in their eyes.

"Finally... a trial participant can reach 3,000 zhang."

"According to our research, the runes there describe one of the thirty-seven moons of the ancient Wanggu Continent, and it is still present."