Chapter 516: The Madness of Poison Restriction

Xu Qing lowered his head, sighing deeply in his heart. He never imagined that his master would be right before his eyes. The warning snort just now made Xu Qing realize that Master was about to teach Senior Brother a lesson. He glanced at the Captain sympathetically, wanting to warn him, but Master's cold snort told him it was better not to.

Hearing Xu Qing's words, the Captain still eyed Ning Yan suspiciously. Ning Yan put on a sincere smile. "Captain, I did a lot of research before coming. Besides, you know my bloodline is special. I just vaguely sensed there might be something good there."

The Captain blinked and looked at Xu Qing again. Xu Qing coughed, about to give the Captain a hint, when he noticed Ning Yan looking at him with a half-smile. Xu Qing's expression stiffened. "Senior Brother, let's go quickly. I trust Ning Yan."

The Captain still felt something was off, so he raised his hand and patted Ning Yan's head again. "Little Ning Ning, you..."

Seeing Senior Brother still courting disaster, Xu Qing's heart trembled, and he quickly interrupted. "Senior Brother, Ning Yan is actually quite pitiful. You shouldn't keep hugging him and not wanting to let him go. I know you're doing this because Ning Yan once said many bad things about our Master, so you want to punish him."

"Huh?" The Captain was startled, but being as shrewd as a monkey, he immediately understood. His eyes widened sharply, and his hand, which was touching Ning Yan, froze. He also sensed Xu Qing's strangeness, so he cautiously looked at Ning Yan, slowly withdrawing his right hand. Yet, looking at Ning Yan's belly, he couldn't resist, wanting to confirm something, so he went up and patted it. "Slap!"

Xu Qing closed his eyes. Ning Yan remained expressionless, letting the Captain pat his belly. There was no rattan stick. The Captain gasped, sweat still forming on his forehead in this cold world, a forced smile on his face.

Ning Yan calmly looked at the Captain, his gaze profound, causing the Captain's body to tremble gradually. He instinctively retreated a few steps, reaching Xu Qing's side, and suddenly spoke. "Little A Qing, why did you tell me to pat Ning Yan's belly outside earlier? That's so rude! Have you forgotten how Master taught us? Let me tell you, Master's kindness to us is like that of parents, something we can never repay in this lifetime! Therefore, we must diligently heed Master's words and keep them firmly in our hearts, because every time we go astray, remembering Master's words will guide us in the right direction!" The Captain spoke with righteous indignation.

Xu Qing opened his eyes, glanced at the Captain, chuckled, and turned his head away. He had already done all he could; Senior Brother was courting death, truly beyond saving, and he no longer wished to save him.

"Do you want to pat it again?" Ning Yan said blandly.

The Captain shivered, feeling his head shake. His gaze fell on Ning Yan, but he quickly felt that was inappropriate, worried that the other party would think he was looking at his belly. So, suppressing his trembling, he looked at Ning Yan's face. Yet, he felt that was also improper, concerned he'd be thought to be looking at his head, especially since he had patted it so many times before. Sure enough, Ning Yan noticed the Captain's gaze and calmly spoke. "Do you want to pat my head a few more times?"

The Captain shook his head rapidly like a rattle-drum, wailing internally. Especially remembering the comfortable feel of his earlier pats, his whole body trembled even more violently, so he immediately turned to reprimand Xu Qing. "Junior Brother, I must criticize you! Last time, when Ning Yan spoke ill of Master, I wanted to beat him to death, and you shouldn't have stopped me! Alright, alright, this time, I won't make things difficult for Ning Yan. But you, be careful! If you dare to speak ill of my Master again in the future, don't blame me for being merciless! I, Chen Erniu, in this life, whenever I see anyone showing even a hint of disrespect towards my Master, no matter how far away, I will surely punish them! So, Junior Brother, don't stop me in the future, or I'll fall out with you! For Master, I, Chen Erniu, can risk my life!" The Captain declared loudly.

Ning Yan's expression softened slightly. Xu Qing remained expressionless and suddenly pointed to the distant mist. "Senior Brother, doesn't that mist over there look a bit like the Cloud Beast we encountered before?"

"Cloud Beast? This place is so dangerous!" The Captain blinked, looked in that direction, and immediately exclaimed. He then adopted an extremely vigilant stance, standing by Ning Yan's side, as if he would rush to protect him at the slightest sign of danger.

This remark seemed to provoke Ning Yan, who snorted coldly and glared fiercely at the Captain. The Captain looked aggrieved, then tried to appease Ning Yan. "Both of you, follow me." Ning Yan snorted, his body swayed, and he headed straight into the depths of the mist.

Xu Qing followed instantly, ignoring the Captain. The Captain gritted his teeth and quickly followed. Upon reaching Xu Qing's side, he made an innocent gesture, then pulled out a green stone and quickly handed it over. Xu Qing's expression softened slightly.

Thus, the three of them sped forward, led by Ning Yan, through the palace complex permeated with flesh and blood. Although they encountered some strange creatures and mutated beasts along the way, they were not difficult to deal with. Those at the Celestial Palace Golden Core level were quickly and cleanly killed by the Captain, who eagerly took action. As for the terrifying mutated beasts, almost as soon as they revealed their presence, they instantly trembled, their bodies began to age, and they turned to dust.

This sight caused a ripple in the hearts of both Xu Qing and the Captain. When a mutated beast, hundreds of zhang in size, radiating the aura of a first-tier Great Completion Return to Void, appeared in the distance and likewise trembled into dust, Xu Qing's mind was shaken. The Captain's eyes also blinked wildly, and the two couldn't help but exchange glances.

Although they knew their Master was good at concealing his true strength, and outsiders, apart from Master himself, had no idea what it truly was, the ability to instantly obliterate a first-tier Return to Void realm creature meant this combat power was at least second-tier Return to Void. "That's definitely not the limit!" the Captain whispered. Xu Qing nodded vigorously in agreement.

Ning Yan, who was ahead, turned back, glanced at them, and smiled proudly. The Captain immediately flattered him obsequiously, while Xu Qing blinked, his expression utterly docile.

As they delved deeper, and the strange matter here became denser, Xu Qing clearly felt his body trembling uncontrollably. An intense craving emanated from every inch of his flesh and blood, converging in his mind. Xu Qing understood that this was because his body had been transformed by a divine finger, making it originate from the same source as this place. Previously, with many eyes around, Xu Qing hadn't dared to absorb it, but now that it was relatively safe, after a moment of hesitation, Xu Qing finally released the restraints on his body and subtly absorbed a small amount of the strange matter here.

As the strange matter rapidly merged, Xu Qing's body trembled, and an unprecedented sense of comfort instantly permeated his entire being. All his pores instinctively opened, and as wisps of strange matter rapidly integrated, he could clearly feel his body being nourished and growing stronger! And with the integration of the strange matter, the golden threads within his body also rapidly stretched and circulated, becoming more active while also absorbing the strange matter merging into his flesh and blood. This, in turn, produced a wisp of golden substance resembling spiritual energy. It seemed like spiritual energy, yet it wasn't. As Xu Qing's divine sense swept over it, he vaguely detected a divine aura within. "This is..." Xu Qing's breathing quickened, and his mind was shaken.

Although this golden, spiritual-energy-like substance was just a wisp, the moment it appeared, the Poison Core, Purple Moon, and Ghost Emperor Mountain within his Celestial Palace all trembled simultaneously, vehemently radiating a pulling force, as if to divide this golden power among themselves. The Poison Restrictive Core, in particular, was like parched earth encountering sweet dew, or someone long hungry finding a feast. It went completely wild, emitting a terrifying aura. This aura actually made the Purple Moon and Ghost Emperor Mountain pause slightly. Consequently, the Poison Restrictive Core claimed the largest share, absorbing a full fifty percent. The Purple Moon swallowed over thirty percent, and the Ghost Emperor Mountain took just over ten percent. After absorption, the Poison Restrictive Core's signs of recovery became even more evident, and the Purple Moon also shone with increasingly brilliant purple light, as if nourished, seemingly receiving true replenishment for the first time in a long while. The Ghost Emperor Mountain was the same, its eyes gleaming.

All of this stirred great waves in Xu Qing's heart, while the craving from his body intensified. So he gritted his teeth and released another portion of his suppressive power. Immediately, a vortex appeared around Xu Qing, and strange matter from all directions surged towards him with a roar. As the surrounding mist rapidly flowed, the wailing and roaring sounds that permeated the vicinity abruptly ceased at that very moment. Xu Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly suppressed it. The Captain abruptly turned his head, looking at Xu Qing incredibly. Ning Yan also paused, his gaze fixed on Xu Qing with pleasant surprise. Xu Qing blinked, about to explain, but the next instant, the ground trembled, and the surrounding mists surged wildly. Groups of mutated beasts charged towards them from all directions. Their roars contained greed and madness, as if an indescribably delicious treat had appeared here, waiting to be devoured. An intense sense of danger erupted within Xu Qing.

Ning Yan's body flickered, instantly nearing Xu Qing and the Captain. He grabbed them and leaped forward, vanishing from the spot in an instant. Soon, the place where they vanished was swarmed by countless ferocious and agitated mutated beasts. Waves of even more piercing roars continuously spread, as if searching, but to no avail. It wasn't until a long while later that their agitation gradually subsided. As they dispersed, Ning Yan's figure reappeared a hundred miles away, bringing the Captain and Xu Qing with him.

The moment they appeared, the Captain immediately looked at Xu Qing and spoke rapidly. "Junior Brother, you, you, you..."

"Shut up!" Ning Yan glared. The Captain quickly shrank his head.

Ning Yan snorted coldly, then turned to look at Xu Qing, his expression completely changing. It became gentle and pleasant, filled with admiration, as he spoke softly. "Fourth Junior, was this caused by your physical body?"

Xu Qing was also greatly alarmed. He had just felt the mutated beasts were visibly agitated, and the feeling of being devoured was extremely strong. "Yes, Master. I told you before that my body was transformed by a divine finger," Xu Qing quickly said. At this point, there was no need to pretend he hadn't recognized his Master. And when Seventh Master arrived, Xu Qing had told him everything while describing his plans, as this was necessary to explain why he knew of the Red Moon's desire to devour the Immortal-Forbidden God. "Master, I will try my best to control it and strive not to provoke the mutated beasts' desire to devour." Xu Qing took a deep breath, his heart still pounding.

"Fourth Junior, you're mistaken. Those mutated beasts came here not to devour you, but because they are instinctively driven to want you to devour them. This is because they themselves were formed from the original essence of your body's source," Ning Yan explained. "But it's truly not suitable now, because... the source of that finger of yours, the deity sleeping here, isn't dead yet. Once he dies, you can absorb them without worry. Otherwise, there will ultimately be hidden dangers related to the deity's will. Also, has divine essence been born?" Seventh Master's eyes gleamed with a strange light.

"It's a golden existence, similar to spiritual energy." As Seventh Master spoke, he raised his right hand, and a wisp of pale golden power appeared from it. "This is it." Seventh Master looked at Xu Qing, his eyes filled with deep anticipation.

Xu Qing raised his hand and activated the Celestial Palace within him. A moment later, a trace of golden power appeared, much smaller than Seventh Master's but far more concentrated in color.

Seventh Master looked at Xu Qing. After a moment, Seventh Master was overjoyed and burst into laughter. "Good, good, good! Truly worthy of being my direct disciple! From now on, we two, master and disciple, will conquer the world together, hahaha."

The Captain, standing nearby, also heard this and raised his hand, struggling for a long while before silently retracting it, then coughed. "Master, and me! I'm your Senior Disciple..."