Chapter 358: Moonlight Holds a Deity

At the 3,000-zhang mark of the Primordial Severed Abyss Pillar, there is a special totem depicting a figure sitting on the moon, covering its face.

While not many people know about this, it isn't a secret. The totem represents a taboo, however, so those aware of it avoid discussing it and are reluctant to elaborate.

After gaining control of the Primordial Severed Abyss Pillar, the Sword Holders specifically studied this totem, which depicts one of the moons of the Wanggu Continent.

The Wanggu Continent is vast, possessing more than just one moon or one sun.

Throughout history, the number of moons and suns was not fixed; it steadily increased. Before the arrival of the Divine Remnants, there were a total of thirty-seven suns and thirty-seven moons.

Scattered across different regions of the Wanggu Continent, they illuminated their respective areas. Every few millennia, they would shift slightly, allowing their light to cover a wider range.

Even so, many areas of the Wanggu Continent consistently lacked sunlight. Some ethnic groups often lived their entire lives in darkness, while others, conversely, never saw night for countless years.

With the arrival of the Divine Remnants, the suns and moons were the first to fall.

Currently, the Wanggu Continent has only seventeen suns remaining, and even fewer moons—just twelve.

Research suggests that the totem at the 3,000-zhang mark of the Primordial Severed Abyss Pillar depicts these twelve remaining moons. It was formed after the death of a Divine Domain cultivator, and it's confirmed that this cultivator had intricate connections with the moons carved on the imperial capital's totems, as recorded by the Sword Holders.

Information from the Great Domain indicates that all races have actually been suspicious of one thing for years.

Namely, that perhaps deities are slumbering within the seventeen suns and twelve moons currently on the Wanggu Continent.

However, this is a matter of such magnitude that all races lack genuine evidence, possessing only circumstantial clues, so it remains merely a conjecture.

However, all races have confirmed one thing through special methods: deities definitively exist within the Divine Domain.

To the myriad races of the Wanggu Continent, the Divine Domain is filled with mystery, the unknown, and terror.

The high-ranking members of all races know where the Divine Domain is located, as its position is fixed and unchangeable, but it is extremely difficult for them to enter.

Proximity causes trembling, and forced entry guarantees death.

Throughout countless years, strange beings have occasionally emerged from the Divine Domain, though their numbers are extremely small. To this day, the records of all races are fragmented, with the most frequently used term being 'Divine Son'.

Therefore, the Sword Holders attach great importance to that rune. Although it is merely a manifestation of resentment, it offers immense gains to the Sword Holders. The only drawback is that the rune cannot be activated every time.

However, it has now been activated twice: once in the captain's Sea of Consciousness, and once in Xu Qing's. Xu Qing is unaware of the captain's situation, but at this moment, within his own Sea of Consciousness, he saw the soul image of a young boy.

The boy's soul was very blurry, appearing as if it could dissipate at any moment, yet his handsomeness and a seemingly innate nobility were faintly discernible.

This flawless handsomeness and nobility gave an unreal, almost demonic sensation. His body was also covered with countless red marks, and a moon totem was emblazoned on his brow.

After appearing in Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness, he was expressionless, with hollow eyes. He slowly bowed towards the outside of the Heavenly Palace, uttering a language Xu Qing had never heard before, yet could comprehend its meaning.

"My Lord of Luminous Moon, guide Wanggu, suffering beings, enjoy the paradise."

As his words echoed, the moon totem on his brow instantly shone with red light, which momentarily covered all directions. The next moment, Xu Qing saw a red moon rise behind the boy.

This moon appeared within his Sea of Consciousness, casting a red glow over the entire space. Simultaneously, infinite alien substances rapidly spread from the moon, surging forth, permeating all directions, and invading Xu Qing's entire body. Xu Qing's mind trembled.

Furthermore, he saw a figure on this moon.

This figure appeared to be a woman with long hair, sitting on the moon, motionless, with her hands covering her face.

Almost the instant Xu Qing looked, an astonishing pressure emanated from the moon, causing his Sea of Consciousness to tremble and his soul to violently shake.

Suddenly, everything blurred. Indiscernible whispers echoed in all directions, as if countless beings were speaking in unison, forming an indescribable shock that made Xu Qing's soul feel as if it would tear apart.

With the appearance of this pressure, the surrounding alien substances grew denser, rapidly proliferating from Xu Qing's Heavenly Palace, from within his soul, from his physical body, his spiritual sea, and even his Dharma Orifices.

It was as if his body had become a world, with the moon as a Divine Remnant within it. As the deity opened its eyes, all things, like creatures awakening from hibernation, were forcibly altered, taking it as their origin.

At the same time, a powerful divine thought erupted from the moon, pressing down on Xu Qing's soul, seeking to make him worship and submit.

"Honor the Lord, and you shall have eternal life. Come to the Lord's Divine Domain, and I shall bestow upon you paradise."

Under this divine thought, Xu Qing's materialized soul figure trembled and tore. Endless pain spread throughout his body as the divine thought, aiming to make him kneel and submit, erupted completely.

But Xu Qing laughed, and killing intent erupted from his mind.

"I do not want eternal life given by others!"

"As for the Divine Domain, if a place seen three times by a Divine Remnant becomes a Divine Domain, then what about a person seen three times who doesn't die? I'm very curious. Therefore, you are not worthy of being honored as my Lord!"

A faint light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes as he resisted with all his might. The image of the Golden Crow instantly formed in his Sea of Consciousness, roaring and emitting a brilliant light. Furthermore, Ghost Emperor Mountain shook, creating a suppressive force.

In an instant, the moon and the figure upon it also erupted with stronger divine thoughts, generating even more alien substances, about to severely invade Xu Qing.

After perceiving these, Xu Qing softly spoke again.

"Furthermore, I have alien substances too!" As Xu Qing's words fell, the Poison Restriction Pill within his Third Heavenly Palace erupted with a boom. Endless blackness rapidly spread, and all its poisons instantly surged out, permeating Xu Qing's entire Sea of Consciousness, counter-invading towards the moon!

Moreover, during this process, tendrils of Xu Qing's own alien substances proliferated within his Sea of Consciousness, growing in number and continuously invading the moon.

This caused the moon's edges to change color, mixing red with black and subtly revealing purple.

This was unprecedented!

The Sword Holders had studied this totem for years. The scene they encountered was identical to Xu Qing's previous experience: the boy was a soul image formed from resentment after being killed by the Ghost Emperor, lacking consciousness or many memories, seemingly possessing only a trace of instinct.

He would instinctively manifest a red moon, forming a power akin to that of a deity, to suppress everything.

However, this divine power was illusory. The Sword Holders' analysis suggested it was likely the materialized memory scenes of that Divine Domain boy.

Like a reflection in a mirror or the moon in water, it naturally couldn't compare to true divine power.

Therefore, powerful Sword Holders could suppress it. If cultivators encountered it during trials, failure wouldn't cause major harm; at most, their minds would be weakened, but there would be no risk of possession.

While alien substances were present, they weren't life-threatening if quickly expelled, nor were they very concentrated; most were illusory. But today, all of that changed.

Xu Qing's alien substances were actually counter-invading! Invasion is how alien substances manifest, similar to how the aura of a Divine Remnant invades all things upon its arrival; whether illusory or real, everything can be invaded by it.

The invasion between alien substances is not a concept that current cultivators can grasp.

At this moment, the red moonlight within Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness trembled for the first time. Amidst this trembling, a sound like breathing, seemingly from an endless distance, boundless void, or the long river of time, suddenly emanated from within the red moon.

There were no specific words, just the sound of breathing.

But the instant it appeared, a monstrous roar exploded within Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness and his body, shaking heaven and earth. Xu Qing's whole body trembled, and his soul experienced excruciating pain at that moment, as if it were about to collapse and shatter.

His Heavenly Palace also roared, and cracks instantly appeared, seeming on the verge of collapse. His Sea of Consciousness likewise shook violently, and his body also reacted similarly: his internal organs began to shatter, Ghost Emperor Mountain roared, and the Golden Crow shrieked.

Ultimately, all of this caused Xu Qing, currently at the 3,000-zhang mark of the Primordial Severed Abyss Pillar, to spit out large mouthfuls of blood. His entire body was likewise affected, with blood mist spewing from his pores.

Extreme, intense pain spread throughout Xu Qing's body, and his Sea of Consciousness showed signs of collapsing. At this moment, his vision went black, and he couldn't stand steadily on the Primordial Severed Abyss Pillar.

He then plummeted directly, observed by the anxious gazes of the crowd below.

As countless exclamations erupted from the ground, a blood-colored figure whistled up from below, rapidly approaching and catching Xu Qing.

This figure was none other than Blood Refiner.

After catching Xu Qing, he looked solemn, quickly took out a golden pill, and immediately placed it into Xu Qing's mouth.

Just as he was about to observe, the next instant, a shrill scream echoed from the 3,000-zhang mark of the Primordial Severed Abyss Pillar.

The captain's figure also plummeted, blood gushing from his mouth, his entire body enveloped in a mist of blood.

More exaggeratedly, his lower body had exploded directly from his abdomen, as if he had consumed something inedible.

Blood Refiner's eyes narrowed. After catching him, he looked at the two individuals he held in his left and right arms, utterly speechless.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing, having swallowed the golden pill, also regained consciousness. Although his body was weak and his Sea of Consciousness was riddled with countless wounds, his breathing quickened, and a fierce light shone in his eyes as he looked at a new object within his Sea of Consciousness.

It was a tiny, tiny purple moon.

Though small, it nurtured a terrifying power within! After perceiving it, Xu Qing's mind was shaken, and his eyes revealed a strange glow. Beside him, the captain also opened his eyes, a fervent gaze within them.

At the same time, in a remote corner of the far western region of the Wanggu Continent, a place rarely trodden by humans, a red glow shimmered in the night sky.

Because the nearest sun couldn't illuminate this area, it was perpetually night.

In the sky, apart from the Divine Remnants, there was only a red moon.

The moon's eerie red glow suddenly flared, faintly illuminating the ground and revealing countless scattered skeletons.

Countless desiccated corpses covered this vast area; there were so many, tribe after tribe, batch after batch. If one were to dig deeper, perhaps even more would be found beneath the ground.

It was unknown how long these alien races had been dead, perhaps thousands of years or even longer. Furthermore, every skeleton had its hands covering its face in death.

And within the red moon in the sky, a faint murmur now emerged.

"Two wisps of divine breath have dissipated, but dissipation can be replenished; it has always been so for years. I shouldn't have been stirred by this! Awakened?"

"No, someone... plundered a wisp of my divine origin?"

"Who is it?"

As soon as this voice emerged, the alien substances on the ground erupted with a thunderous roar!