Chapter 421: Ghost Emperor Descends

In this eerie world, a scene even stranger than the place itself was unfolding.

Amidst the endless mist, the Brain Tree, which had originally harbored greed and malice, intending to devour Xu Qing's memories, now trembled the moment Xu Qing released memory D-132, allowing it to consume it.

The Brain couldn't help but shudder.

It had seen something it shouldn't have; perhaps the absence of the Prison Guard Department's suppressing power in this place was why it couldn't forget what it saw. Given its unique nature as a creature that subsisted solely on devouring memories, the agony the Brain Tree endured was incredibly intense, ultimately culminating in a shriek of pain.

The other Brain Trees nearby, seemingly unaccustomed to or long removed from such occurrences, began to emit curious emotional fluctuations.

"What happened, what happened?" they wondered. "Is it that delicious? I want to try too."

These remarks made Xu Qing immediately realize that the brains of the Grand Void Realm were, to some extent, quite naive.

Amidst the curiosity of the other Brain Trees, the screams of the Brain in front of Xu Qing grew even more piercing. Its entire body, from the cerebrum to the cerebellum, writhed violently, its brainstem convulsed, and it exhibited intense struggles, attempting to pull back.

But Xu Qing's right hand suddenly clamped down, gripping it tightly, his fingers sinking deep, preventing it from breaking free. Then, he spoke calmly.

"Is it good?"

"I..." The Brain Tree's screams grew even more alarming, echoing in all directions. The next instant, with a loud boom, it directly disintegrated and exploded, shattering into countless splattering viscous fluids.

It was utterly annihilated, body and soul.

Its death brought an instant silence to the surroundings. Even the most naive of the other Brains reacted, recoiling instantly, and cries of alarm erupted.

"Why did it explode?" "What memory did it eat?" "What did you give it to eat?"

Xu Qing expressionlessly flicked the viscous fluid from his hand, deep in thought.

This was a method he had come up with on the fly, also serving as a probing test for D-132. In reality, Xu Qing was not as ignorant or unaware of D-132 as he appeared. Although he didn't know the exact details, the dwindling number of bamboo slips, the words of the skull prisoner, and various other clues had allowed him to deduce part of the answer long ago. "D-132 contains a terror," Xu Qing murmured to himself, "and I must have awoken many times, but each time I can't remember."

"It must be related to a deity."

"Perhaps it's an entity that curses to death anyone who sees and remembers it?"

"The Prison Guard Department's suppression of it is likely to make everyone who sees it forget, severing causality through oblivion?"

"Is this why I can't recall that memory?"

Xu Qing pondered. He vaguely recalled the previous jailer telling him that when you think you've found the answer, there's actually more waiting for you.

"So, before each time I forgot, was this the answer I received? Or is there a deeper secret I don't know? And how much of my answer is actually correct?"

Xu Qing mused, his gaze falling upon the other Brain Trees. He found this eerie Grand Void Realm very interesting; not only could he acquire the Monster Transformation Art here, but it could also serve as a testing ground for D-132.

Xu Qing prepared to try again. He stepped forward, appearing directly before another Brain Tree. The Brain Tree trembled, about to dodge, when Xu Qing raised his right hand.

"It's very delicious, come and eat."

The Brain seemed to struggle, but its craving for memories cautiously drew it closer, touching Xu Qing's palm. The other Brain Trees also watched intently. The very next moment, the Brain Tree touching Xu Qing's body trembled violently, emitting a shrill scream. As its folds intensely contorted, on the verge of exploding, Xu Qing quickly spoke.

"What did you see!"

"I saw..." With a loud boom, before it could finish, the Brain Tree shattered and disintegrated.

Xu Qing's expression darkened as he turned to look at the next Brain Tree. All the surrounding Brains instantly recoiled, each emitting clear waves of terror as they frantically retreated into the distance.

Xu Qing felt a touch of reluctance. He flashed forward, quickly catching up to one, and as it shrieked, he touched it and spoke softly.

"Come, it's very delicious."

Time passed quickly. Three days later, when the trial period for the Grand Void Monster Transformation Sect ended, the giant fish waiting before the statue inhaled sharply, and Xu Qing's figure instantly appeared inside its body. As the giant fish shifted its body and turned back, Xu Qing, now inside it, looked back at the statue, his eyes filled with regret and a hint of lingering attachment.

"What a pity," he murmured to himself, "I didn't fully probe for the answer; I only uncovered a part of it. If only I had more time..." Xu Qing whispered inwardly, believing this place would become the key to unraveling the mystery of D-132.

"It just costs too many military merits to come here each time."

Xu Qing shook his head, then raised his hand. A rune, similar in appearance to a Brain Tree, floated in his palm. This was the contract with the Grand Void Realm. Every trial participant who successfully satisfied a Brain Tree with the memories it devoured would be granted such a rune as a contract, enabling them to perform monster transformation later. The cost of monster transformation would be partially borne by the Grand Void Realm, in addition to the cultivator's own burden. The exact proportion varied for each person, depending on the contract signed with the Brain Trees of the Grand Void Realm.

Xu Qing suppressed his regret. With another wave of his hand, a second, third, and fourth rune appeared in his palm... Eventually, a total of thirty-two runes floated before him. Each was a contract that allowed him to conjure the shadow from his Sea of Consciousness. The other party would bear the majority of the cost, while Xu Qing would only contribute a small fraction. Xu Qing understood why this was the case. It was a recognition of goodwill from the Brain Trees of the Grand Void Realm. The large number of runes indicated the significant weight of this recognition.

Xu Qing sighed inwardly, then with a flick of his sleeve, he put away the thirty-two runes and closed his eyes to meditate. Time flowed by. Unconsciously, his body trembled again. As the sensation of teleportation arose, his figure vanished from within the giant fish and reappeared in a meditation chamber at the Grand Void Monster Transformation Sect's branch in the commandery capital.

As the teleportation ended, Xu Qing opened his eyes, recalled the experiences of the past three days, then took a deep breath, stood up, and left the chamber. He planned to return to his cultivation chamber in the Sword Pavilion to test whether the Monster Transformation Art could, as he hoped, conjure the Ghost Emperor. With this thought in mind, Xu Qing flashed out of the Grand Void Monster Transformation Sect's branch and flew directly towards the ground. Upon reaching the Sword Pavilion, he immediately entered and activated the surrounding array protections.

Having done all this, Xu Qing surveyed his surroundings inside the cultivation chamber. The Sword Pavilion's cultivation chamber was its own self-contained space, quite vast. After confirming that it could barely accommodate the Ghost Emperor's shadow, anticipation gleamed in Xu Qing's eyes. He took out one of the Brain Tree contract runes and slowly integrated it into the Ghost Emperor Mountain in his Sea of Consciousness. As it drew closer, the rune shone with dazzling brilliance. The light grew larger and larger, eventually transforming into a sea of light that enveloped the Ghost Emperor Mountain.

Simultaneously, outside Xu Qing's body, a blurred mountain peak abruptly materialized, gradually replacing his figure. Although much smaller than the true Ghost Emperor Mountain, it was still astonishing. Upon closer inspection, one could discern that this mountain was a humanoid figure sitting cross-legged in meditation! Though still largely translucent and indistinct, it couldn't conceal its monstrous ferocity. One could vaguely make out the humanoid figure wearing dark armor, wielding a massive blade, and carrying two worlds on its shoulders. It was like a spirit of an evil god, sitting cross-legged. Every inch of its armor contained the power to destroy all directions, and its colossal blade seemed capable of cleaving worlds.

Astonishing fluctuations emanated from it, carrying brutality, madness, and even rage towards heaven and earth, creating a thunderous aura that swallowed the ages. Vaguely, a staff also materialized on the figure's knee, emitting a terrifying oppressive aura.

This figure was precisely the Ghost Emperor! As for its appearance, it was eighty percent similar to Xu Qing!

However, only ten percent of its full form had materialized, and it was not yet substantial. At this moment, the Sword Pavilion could barely withstand it, rumbling as if on the verge of shattering. The next instant, as a cracking sound echoed, the contract rune within Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness directly shattered into pieces. The sea of light dissipated, and the Ghost Emperor's phantom outside Xu Qing's body instantly vanished; everything ceased to exist.

Xu Qing's body trembled. He opened his eyes, spat out a mouthful of blood, but his gaze glowed with intense excitement.

"It's possible!"

Xu Qing breathed rapidly. He had longed to conjure the Ghost Emperor Mountain for a long time but had always failed. Only in that fleeting moment just now did he finally feel the hope of success. Although it ultimately failed, it was because the contract rune had reached its limit.

"Ten runes should be enough to complete one materialization!" Xu Qing's heart stirred. He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to try again immediately. He now had only thirty-one contract runes left, and wasting them on another attempt felt somewhat painful to Xu Qing.

"It can be my trump card," he mused. "Roughly calculating, I should be able to use the Ghost Emperor form three times." A sharp glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. At the same time, he pondered accumulating more military merits, aiming to have enough to visit the Grand Void Realm again after using up his current supply three times.

As he was contemplating this, his communication jade slip vibrated, and the Captain's listless and bewildered voice emerged from it.

"Little Junior Brother..."

Xu Qing was startled and took out the communication jade slip. "What happened now?"

"Little Junior Brother, tell me, why? Why?!" The Captain's voice in the jade slip was bitter, filled with deep confusion. "The answers for that fool Wu Jianwu's Heart-Questioning Trial were all from me! I even sold him the materials I bought at an exorbitant price. I watched him recite everything. I was even worried he'd forget, so I tested him multiple times. And then I watched him walk towards the trial, and ultimately, I watched him... emit a glorious light of five thousand zhang!"

"Five thousand zhang!"

"The same answers, the same materials, so why was mine only one zhang? I was hoping he'd also get one zhang, so I'd have some company..."

Xu Qing remained silent for a moment, then offered a comforting remark. "Even one zhang has its advantages; at least it's unique."

Silence fell within the jade slip, and after a moment, the Captain's dispirited voice came through. "Little Junior Brother, you really aren't good at comforting people."

"Do you think Wu Jianwu might have once again embodied the Ancient Emperor Xuan You during his Heart-Questioning Trial, and then recited poetry before the earth?"

"No, I have to go and ask him!"

Holding the jade slip, Xu Qing felt considerable sympathy for the Captain's experience. Considering their fraternal bond, Xu Qing observed a few moments of silence... Then he quickly put away the jade slip, stood up, and went out to start taking on missions to earn military merits.

Time passed. Xu Qing wasn't entirely sure if the Captain ever got his answer, as Xu Qing's primary focus during this period was on accumulating military merits. There were numerous tasks: patrols, searches, arrests, and assistance missions. Shanhezi, Wang Chen, and Ye Ling were a great help. They belonged to different departments, and whenever a mission, big or small, arose, they would call everyone to join. Occasionally, Kong Xianglong would also come along, and they would complete missions together. Although the military merits were split, the speed of completion was astonishing.

Especially after Zi Xuan heard of Xu Qing's desire for military merits, she directly issued orders as the Deputy Steward of the Eight Sect Alliance. Consequently, the Sword Holders who had emerged from the Eight Sect Alliance over the years also offered their help. After all, Xu Qing's position as the Palace Master's accompanying scribe, coupled with his ten-thousand-zhang glorious light, made many people eager to befriend him. It was simply a matter of coming from the same alliance. Previously, Xu Qing had been too low-key, rarely interacting with others, so people hadn't had this opportunity. Now, with Zi Xuan's order, everyone was willing at heart; few would reject an act of good karma that required little effort.

As a result, by the end, Xu Qing was completing six or seven missions almost every night. His military merits naturally began to increase. Even if the amounts weren't high, watching the numbers steadily climb still brought a sense of satisfaction. This fervent acceptance of missions also caused Xu Qing's reputation to spread even further throughout the commandery capital.

As for the Prison Guard Department, Xu Qing would visit during the day as usual, and the little boy had not experienced any further issues.

Then, half a month later, just as Xu Qing emerged from D-132, intending to continue taking on missions, before he could even leave the Prison Guard Department, an order from the Sword-Holding Palace arrived via his Sword Holder's token sword.

"Xu Qing, report to the Sword-Holding Palace immediately!"

The voice from the token sword was authoritative, imbued with a chilling and resolute intent, allowing no room for doubt.