Chapter 511: Strength Is Not Enough to Do Big Things, What to Do?

Xu Qing’s steps faltered, and a huge wave surged in his heart.

The god’s finger shrieked, its voice laced with fear of what it suspected. Since it often slept, it was unaware of external events and could only perceive the surface through its current investigation. However, Xu Qing clearly remembered that rumors about the immortal restriction opening had circulated over a year ago, when he first arrived in the prefecture capital, but they eventually died down. Therefore, he had many doubts about the immortal restriction being actively opened during this time of war.

Now, the words of the god’s finger were like a sudden enlightenment for Xu Qing. Threads of thought instantly connected in his mind, forming a clearer understanding. This realization made his breathing quicken. He hastily left the prefecture capital, returned to the Sword Pavilion, sat cross-legged, and began to organize his thoughts.

As for the god’s finger, it was still rambling on, clearly deeply shaken by the human race’s grand scheme. After its rambling, it retracted all its aura, concealed itself completely, and its sleeping fluctuations vanished, as if it had entered a state of death.

As Xu Qing continued to organize his thoughts, a complete outline emerged in his mind after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"The first thread involves Zhang Si… Back then, at the Primordial Departing Nether Pillar, both the Captain and I, at a height of three thousand zhang, sensed the Crimson Mother Red Moon to varying degrees within the mark of that deceased cultivator from the Divine Realm."

"The Captain obtained a trace of its aura, while I obtained... divine source!"

"From that moment on, I realized that the Red Moon was looking for me. But at the time, I wasn't sure what changes had occurred in Feng Hai County. Looking back now, Feng Hai County must have been parasitized by the Red Moon at that time!"

"I also followed up on this matter later. Xu Qing once told me that as long as Feng Hai County still had a Sword Wielder, he would not allow anyone to use me as bait!"

"And here in Feng Hai County, without Xu Qing's protection, someone wants to send me into the immortal restriction, awaken the Red Moon within me, make me a Red Moon clone, and then consume the deity inside the immortal restriction."

Xu Qing murmured. These were things he had later confirmed through repeated events.

"Therefore, if I can find a way to avoid the Red Moon's detection and enter the Immortal Restriction Land, it would be a huge opportunity."

Sounds emanating from outside spread throughout the entire prefecture capital, reaching thousands of households. Whether day or night, people could clearly hear them, their minds stirred, some feeling uneasy.

The time for the immortal restriction's opening was drawing near. The former Ministry of Punishment had been completely excavated, revealing a colossal, bottomless black hole, from which dense anomalous energy ascended. Although this anomalous energy was dispelled by the imperial capital's soldiers using ordinary formations, it could not conceal the intermittent wailing sounds emanating from deep within the pit, like ghosts crying and wolves howling. It was as if a hell existed at the bottom of that deep pit.

The Palace Lord suppressed the thoughts in his mind and chose to close his eyes and meditate. He needed to wait for the Captain to emerge from seclusion to discuss how best to proceed with the matter. No matter how the Palace Lord called out, there was no response whatsoever. The Captain was still in seclusion and did not respond.

The Palace Lord had also been observing the deep pit. When only three days remained until the opening, he finally received a telepathic message from the Captain. The Captain's gaunt, skeleton-like figure, with disheveled hair, appeared before the Palace Lord. His speed was nearly that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, rushing towards the Sword Pavilion with a whistling sound, stirring up a strong wind that spread outwards. In a blink of an eye, he arrived at the entrance of the Palace Lord's Sword Pavilion.

The Palace Lord's expression was normal. With a wave of his hand, he opened the door to his Sword Pavilion, and began to calculate numbers in his mind. Without the slightest hesitation, the Captain walked straight in, closed the door behind him, and stared intently at the Palace Lord, his eyes filled with wild joy.

The Captain's voice, filled with excitement and exhilaration, entered the Palace Lord's mind. The Palace Lord clearly sensed the Captain's elation, so he smiled and congratulated him, then quickly conveyed the information he had previously organized.

Originally in the Western War Zone, the Captain's demonstrated strength appeared to be merely that of four Heavenly Palaces. Yet now, in the Palace Lord's perception, the Captain was infinitely close to the Nascent Soul stage, seemingly just half a step away from breaking through to that realm. The Palace Lord's eyes narrowed. Although the Captain looked incredibly gaunt, like a starved ghost, the strength of his aura now far surpassed what it had been.

"Little A-Qing, hahahaha, I used the Seal of Rectification and dangerously broke a crucial seal! Now I can truly accompany you in this life!"

Clearly, the Dao Ancient Seal of Rectification, which the Captain had been longing for, had an immense effect on him.

"Where there are great winds and waves, there must be great fish!"

"I've got it!"

"One, two, three... ten."

The Captain burst into laughter, very satisfied with the Palace Lord's respectful attitude towards him in his words. This made him feel like the Senior Brother again, so he raised his hands, rubbed them together, and paced back and forth within the Palace Lord's Sword Pavilion. The Captain was still laughing, but his laughter was soon replaced by heavy breathing.

"Little A-Qing, you've been with everyone for so long, why have you lost your ambition? How can this measly immortal restriction rubbish be worthy of your status as the Heavenly Dao's Father!"

Upon hearing this, the Palace Lord also breathed rapidly, his eyes similarly red. He actually wanted to do the same, but it was unrealistic, so he suppressed the turmoil in his heart and spoke up promptly. The Captain showed dissatisfaction and glanced at the Palace Lord.

The Captain also frowned, lost in thought.

The Palace Lord thought, considering what the god's finger had said—that the Red Moon within Jiang Chun Chang was being accelerated towards awakening with human help—and had an epiphany.

"Junior Brother, this is a heaven-sent, unparalleled opportunity! When the Red Moon descends and devours the immortal restriction deity, and they fight like dogs... you two..."

"This time, we need to plan to seize a piece of the immortal restriction deity's flesh while the two gods are fighting! Even though he implies the immortal restriction deity is a bit weak, it's still a god! If we can secretly snatch a piece from the Red Moon's grasp, that would be amazing!"

"We can indeed scavenge more in the Immortal Restriction," the Palace Lord nodded.

Moreover, it seemed there was more to it, a deeper level of change. So, the Palace Lord quickly learned everything. The light in the Captain's eyes was equally dim. Their eyes met, and the light in their gazes grew brighter.

The Captain was somewhat frantic. He finally sat down in front of the Palace Lord, sighed deeply, and was about to speak. After all, the Palace Lord felt the Captain was more skilled at matters related to deities.

"You have a point. Ultimately, it's because you're too strong. Alas, such a juicy piece of meat right in front of us, yet we can't get it..."

After the Palace Lord finished speaking, the Captain abruptly cut off the telepathic message with a snap, not saying another word. Thus, time flowed by. However, the Palace Lord wasn't too surprised; the Captain was occasionally like this. So, at this moment, he looked into the Captain's eyes and nodded seriously.

The Palace Lord’s eyes flickered with a faint light as he recalled everything from back then, which led him to think of the Great Emperor’s questioning of the heart.

"At that time, they should have known."

"During the Great Emperor's questioning of the heart, was it possible to conceal oneself? If Jiang Chun Chang was truly parasitized by the Red Moon at that time, why was everything normal during the questioning, and why did he still come to the prefecture capital?"

"When the Great Emperor questioned my heart that day, I already knew about the divine parasitic entity, but I didn't know which god it was. Because the matter was of great importance, I immediately reported it to Xu Qing."

"Zhang Siyun also went to three thousand zhang, so he naturally could sense it. And on that day, after Zhang Siyun was heavily injured and fell at three thousand zhang, and was rescued from the brink of death, he felt intense palpitations during the night."

"Furthermore, the Great Emperor's statue's true body is not within the imperial capital, so the imperial capital is aware of the situation in Feng Hai County."

"The Red Moon is a deity of the Daytime Race. If the Imperial Prince dares to awaken it there, he must have a follow-up plan to protect himself. Furthermore, Jiang Chun Chang now has numerous subordinates under his command; unless he's completely insane, he wouldn't sacrifice the entire Grand Elder to the Red Moon."

Zhang Siyun, from the Sword-Wielding Court of Yinghuang Prefecture, spoke with a weathered voice that echoed in the Palace Lord's mind. After saying this, his tone became somewhat solemn and contained a hint of concern.

"Palace Lord, the Grand Elder is no longer the same. You've also heard about the impending opening of the immortal restriction. Many people disagreed with this matter initially; even the Prefecture Governor and the Deputy Governor expressed their disapproval. However, the imperial decree came from the imperial capital and could not be resisted, only slightly delayed. In reality, it couldn't be delayed for long. With the arrival of the war, no one brought it up again. I don't know why you're asking about these things... Be cautious in everything."

The Palace Lord found this a bit strange. After thinking carefully, he felt it was highly probable that You Jing was actively released by Zhang Siyun, or perhaps never went missing at all. The Palace Lord could feel Zhang Siyun's concern. After responding, he inquired about the impact on the Sword-Wielding Court of Yinghuang Prefecture after the You Jing Spirit Lord escaped.

"This matter is my responsibility. I failed to supervise properly, leading to You Jing's escape, making it impossible to deliver it to the Imperial Prince in time to curb the Ghost Emperor's awakening. As a result, You Jing is now gone, and its seven souls and one spirit have also been lost. The situation in Yinghuang Prefecture contains immense danger, which is why the Imperial Prince dares not come..."

"This matter is easy to confirm!" The Palace Lord took out his command sword, intending to send a telepathic message to Zhang Siyun to inquire. However, his expression darkened slightly before he could use the sword. But the next instant, his eyes suddenly widened, and he slapped his thigh vigorously.

"You forgot, after Xu Qing left, you no longer have the authority to send telepathic messages across states at will."

The Palace Lord sighed softly. This matter was no obstacle; although he lacked direct authority, such cross-state telepathic communication could be exchanged with military merits. As the Palace Lord possessed vast military merits, he quickly exchanged for the right to speak once and inquired with Zhang Siyun about matters concerning Feng Hai County.

If anyone else had asked, Zhang Siyun of the Sword-Wielding Court would not have bothered to respond. Even if Kong Xianglong had wanted to inquire, it would have been the same. However, the Palace Lord held a different weight in Zhang Siyun’s heart. Zhang Siyun coughed and sighed in self-reproach.

But why do this? And what benefits would it bring to the imperial capital? The Palace Lord lacked relevant clues and could not analyze an answer.

"The opening of the immortal restriction is a matter of great importance. Therefore, a year later, the Prefecture Governor, Deputy Governor, and the Palace Lord were not very supportive. But now, the Prefecture Governor has fallen, Xu Qing has died in battle, and others have also sacrificed themselves, leaving only the Deputy Governor."

With that thought, the Palace Lord felt a slight ease in his heart. After beginning their conversation, a sharp gleam appeared in his eyes.

"I haven't seen the old man for a while. The last time I saw Ancestor Bloodfiend, I asked him, and it seems the old man's cultivation has broken through again. This isn't logical!"

"Exactly!"

The Captain's eyes turned red.

"The old man's cultivation improved so quickly; he must have been secretly eating behind your backs!"

"Junior Brother, you should find Master!"

"Tell him that when the old man did those things in his youth, he was the pioneer! How did you become like that? Didn't I used to take you to do such things a few times? Although you are sometimes impulsive, I think it must all be because the old man led you astray!"

"Master!" The Palace Lord suddenly looked up, a strong light shining in his eyes.

"Junior Brother, I guessed that your breakthrough this time would be extraordinary, so I've been racking my brains to help you think of something big."