Chapter 469: Ling'er is not afraid, I'll take you home

Under the dim sky, on the flesh-and-blood mountain permeated with divine power, Xu Qing stood at the summit, gazing at the sky.

The moment his gaze fell upon Ling'er's soul, the little white snake within his sea of consciousness also opened its eyes, sensing something and emitting a sound.

A gurgling sound echoed.

As the soul-sound from the same source summoned her, Ling'er's soul in mid-air trembled, wanting to raise her head to perceive. However, the eighteen azure mist dragon-serpents circling around her suddenly moved, emitting dense fortune energy that formed a restraining force, blocking Ling'er's perception.

The moment this fortune energy surged, the little white snake in Xu Qing's sea of consciousness instinctively exuded a hint of longing. These dragon-serpents were formed from the fortune of the ancient spirit race. They appeared distinct, their scales shimmering with an azure glow, lifelike. Even though they were cursed by the Heavenly Dao, the ancient spirit race was rumored to be the fated race of the Wanggu Continent, gathering fortune, and thus, even today, they still possessed their destiny.

Xu Qing's eyes sharpened. Since Ling'er's soul could not be summoned back, he simply shot up from the flesh-and-blood mountain, heading directly for her soul.

The dragon-serpents formed from azure fortune energy immediately let out menacing roars. It was as if, at the Ancient Emperor's command, they could instantly devour Xu Qing.

Xu Qing remained unmoved, his speed swift as he approached Ling'er's soul. As the power of the Purple Moon spread, the fortune dragon-serpents became agitated but were forced to retreat. As they fell back, the restraining force somewhat dissipated. Ling'er's soul body stopped trembling, and as her innate perception intensified, Xu Qing's figure appeared before her.

Without hesitation, he raised his left hand and immediately took Ling'er's soul. The moment he touched it, the black light surrounding Ling'er's soul dissipated, and the little white snake from Xu Qing's sea of consciousness, drawn by their common origin, instantly appeared outside Xu Qing's body and flew into the center of Ling'er's brow.

Ling'er's body trembled, her eyelashes quivered slightly, and she slowly raised her head. The first thing she saw was Xu Qing's figure. "Brother Xu Qing... is this a dream?" A bewildered expression on her face, Ling'er mumbled, and then her soul body showed signs of weakness. Clearly, having been separated from her physical body for too long, she was struggling to sustain herself.

"Don't be afraid, Ling'er. I'll take you home," Xu Qing said softly, looking at the weak Ling'er. With a wave, he enveloped her in his embrace, retreating rapidly, and then crushed the jade slip given to him by the old man from Banquan Road.

The moment the jade slip shattered, outside the Ancient Spirit Emperor's Grand World, within the Wood Spirit Race in Feng Hai County, the old man who had been anxiously waiting for several days by the altar at the edge of the Spirit Abyss suddenly trembled. His emaciated face, every wrinkle quivering, seemed to radiate a force called hope, rising from every part of his body. His bloodshot eyes suddenly shone with an unprecedented light.

Without any hesitation, he rapidly formed hand seals. His body trembled, his heart pounded, and his blood surged throughout his body, activating the sealed power within his bloodline. Moreover, streams of spiritual energy unique to the Wood Spirit Race emanated from the altar and the roots of the large trees in the basin, swiftly converging towards the old man.

The old man from Banquan Road shivered all over, his eyes bloodshot, and his blood vessels instantly bulged. His head split open with a bang, and countless tentacles writhed, detaching themselves. Large quantities of blood sprayed from the tentacles, pooling in front of the old man from Banquan Road, forming a three-zhang-wide, continuously writhing blood mass.

"Open!!" With a roar, the blood mass spun rapidly, locking onto the jade slip's guidance, tearing open a tiny, narrow fissure that connected to the jade slip's location!

An endless aura of death immediately spread from within the fissure, filling the surroundings. Through this opening, the old man from Banquan Road excitedly saw Ling'er, cradled in Xu Qing's arms! This fissure was extremely unstable, difficult to maintain for long after appearing; it was already closing the moment it formed. At that very moment, in Xu Qing's location within the fissure, the sky before him suddenly trembled, and the Ancient Spirit Emperor's eyes seemed about to open.

On the flesh-and-blood mountain in the Grand World, Xu Qing's expression changed. He felt a divine power even more terrifying than before, now suddenly erupting all around him. All the evil souls and corpses knelt in reverence. As for Xu Qing, an unprecedented surge of agonizing pain swept over him, which he barely resisted with the power of the Purple Moon.

All of this happened in a flash. Xu Qing's body trembled, yet he retreated rapidly without hesitation, approaching the fissure opened by the old man from Banquan Road behind him. The instability of this fissure became incredibly intense at that moment, quickly fading, and from within it came the old man's extremely anxious roar.

"Ling'er!!" Without a second thought, Xu Qing, with a wave, sent the unconscious Ling'er's soul directly into the fissure. He then positioned himself in front of the fissure, before Ling'er, using his own body to block the overwhelming divine power emanating from the Spirit Emperor's eye, which was gradually opening in the sky.

With a boom, the sensation of Xu Qing's body tearing intensified. His injuries erupted, blood spreading and dripping down his Daoist robe, but his obstruction played a crucial role. Through the fissure behind him, the old man from Banquan Road's hand grasped Ling'er's soul. He seemed to want to save Xu Qing too, but it was too late; he could only pull back. Almost the instant he retreated, the fissure could no longer be maintained and collapsed, dissipating.

Xu Qing smiled. For the first time since arriving in this death-filled Grand World, a smile appeared on his pale face. He knew very well that the fissure was too small for him to pass through, but it didn't matter; he had succeeded. He had successfully found Ling'er's soul and safely sent it out.

At this moment, the fissure in the sky fully opened! A colossal, dim yellow vertical pupil appeared in the sky, like the eye of heaven, gazing at Xu Qing.

At this instant, the boundless corpses and departed souls all around bowed their heads, letting out frenzied growls. "Emperor!" The sound was deafening, reverberating throughout the heavens.

Not only them, but also the dragon heads within the sky's mist, the undulating giant serpents of the earth, the terrifying figures within the Underworld River, and the countless battle chariots and formidable soldiers in the distance, all emitted low roars the moment this eye opened. "Emperor!"

The giant eye in the sky exuded indifference, its dim yellow pupil surrounded by burning black flames. A pressure comparable to that of a deity enveloped the Grand World.

Xu Qing's injuries flared uncontrollably. It seemed the Ancient Spirit Emperor's ability could amplify all injuries several times over in an instant, which was at the very core of tearing. Facing It, the heavier one's injuries, the greater the reaction. Under the effect of this strange power, even minor injuries would instantly become severe. Furthermore, due to the continuous tearing, it was akin to constantly expanding in layers.

One could imagine that, relying on this ability, opponents of the Ancient Spirit Emperor at its peak would have faced extreme difficulty, unable to sustain even the slightest injury, as even a minor wound would be instantly amplified to its extreme. And Xu Qing's body, at this moment, was continuously shattering under this tearing, flesh detaching piece by piece, only to be forcibly pieced back together by the power of the Purple Moon. The intense pain from this process was like crashing waves, especially the feeling of his own flesh pressing against his wounds, turning into a piercing shiver. Yet, his raised right hand did not loosen in the slightest; he grasped even tighter.

Struggling, he raised his head and met the gaze of the Ancient Spirit Emperor!

In an instant, endless information directly flooded into Xu Qing's mind, continuously filling, exploding, and churning. This information was chaotic, filled with cruelty and madness, intensifying the tearing of Xu Qing's head, causing it to swell as if about to explode. Furthermore, a terrifying will swept through Xu Qing's mind with a rumble, shaking his sea of consciousness as if to crush his soul. At this moment, the power of the Poison Ban also rose to resist. The Azure Dragon also roared, rising from the Sixth Heavenly Palace to similarly block it.

With the appearance of the Azure Dragon, this supremely powerful will paused slightly, clearly recognizing the Heavenly Dao presence on the Azure Dragon. A divine thought, like heavenly thunder, echoed indifferently in Xu Qing's mind.

"The Scarlet Mother Divine Source in your hand must have been plundered." The blood vessels in Xu Qing's eyes had now turned into fissures, and blood flowed from the corners of his eyes. He looked at the blurry colossal eye above, his voice hoarse. "So what?"

As he spoke, the Purple Moon light in Xu Qing's right hand erupted once more. His Fourth Heavenly Palace vibrated violently, and the Purple Moon in the sky also shone brightly, its edges now beginning to turn red. This redness was spreading. It was as if beyond the Purple Moon, an incredibly dense crimson hue was descending from outside the world, enveloping it.

"Either let me go, or we die together!" Xu Qing uttered, word by word, with difficulty. Although the countless pieces of information passively received from gazing into the colossal eye made his head feel as if it would explode, giving him a strong sense of madness, he had gained some understanding from these insights. Deities could devour each other. If the Red Moon descended, in the Ancient Spirit Emperor's current state, it would indeed become prey. This realization solidified Xu Qing's conviction that his threat would surely be effective.

At this moment, he was at his breaking point. The intense physical pain and the chaotic influx of information in his mind made him dizzy. Had it not been for the unprecedented surge of Purple Moon power, which acted as a signal and was mysteriously drawn, he would have long since perished both in body and soul. However, after his words were spoken, the colossal eye in the sky continued its intense gaze. Xu Qing hardened his heart and spoke in a low voice.

"Red Moon, Red Moon..." As Xu Qing called out, the sky's color changed, and large swathes of red blotches formed directly in the heavens, growing in number, even beginning to spread and connect with each other. This was Xu Qing actively summoning the Red Moon! Actively calling upon it with his own authority was on a completely different level from merely passively attracting it; the difference was immense.

The sky turned crimson. The colossal eye instantly constricted, and a sound like hurried breathing echoed between heaven and earth. Anger and alarm surged, finally transforming into a suppressed roar that reverberated. "Begone!"