Chapter 524: New Lord of the Immortal Prison

Xu Qing had long yearned for the alien substance of the Immortal Forbidden Land. Previously, while by his master's side, he had attempted to absorb it. The momentary convergence of the alien substance had greatly benefited Xu Qing, and since then, he had suppressed his instincts, exercising extreme restraint. It was like a famished person faced with a feast, yearning for it intensely yet having to repeatedly suppress the urge.

He knew clearly that once he unleashed his absorption, it would first attract the attention of the Yi Shan in this place, and then draw concern from the human military. Furthermore, before the Immortal Forbidden Deity's demise, absorbing too much of the alien substance from this place would ultimately affect his body. With the Red Moon crisis ongoing, all of this would introduce variables, making many situations uncontrollable. Even with the purple crystal, which offered Xu Qing a degree of self-protection, nothing was absolute. Over-relying on it at moments that weren't life-or-death crises was not a good habit.

But now, all obstacles were gone. When the Immortal Forbidden Deity battled the Crimson Mother, it recalled all of its purplish-red flesh and blood, including the alien beasts born from them, to form its true body. At the same time, the Immortal Forbidden Land was on the verge of collapse, and the human army had no time to monitor all areas. This was an unprecedented opportunity.

Without hesitation, Xu Qing immediately began to absorb. He possessed a divine source; Xu Qing was formed when, under the influence of the Poison Forbidden power and purple crystal within him, he intercepted and plundered a wisp of divine source from the Red Moon, which had projected itself into his sea of consciousness. This made him, to a certain extent, the most suitable vessel for the Red Moon's descent. Thus, as the Captain had suggested, it was not dangerous in the short term, as long as he didn't absorb for too long.

At this moment, his body seemed to unfurl, every inch of his flesh and blood exuding a profound yearning as he absorbed with all his might. In an instant, the alien substance remaining in the area surged in from all directions like a tide, rapidly entering through every pore of his body. In the blink of an eye, a vortex formed within Xu Qing's body due to the absorption of the alien substance. In an instant, the vortex within his body rapidly expanded to one hundred zhang, then four hundred zhang, finally reaching one thousand zhang. The entire thousand-zhang area transformed into a colossal vortex. The aura was astonishing.

Moreover, the alien substance here was slightly different from before; in addition to the remnants left by the Immortal Forbidden Deity, it was now mixed with the Crimson Mother's aura. For Xu Qing, he still needed to be careful when absorbing the alien substance of other deities, but with the Crimson Mother's, there was no such need.

Thus, under this absorption, both the alien substance of the Immortal Forbidden Deity and that of the Red Moon were entirely drawn into Xu Qing's body. The very next instant, strands of golden divine essence began to emerge within him. The integration of the alien substance was the first step. The birth of divine essence from golden threads was the seventh step, and the immediate division of each wisp of divine essence upon its appearance was the eighth step. This then created a self-sustaining cycle within Xu Qing's body. Every part of this cycle would determine the speed of alien substance absorption.

Xu Qing couldn't respond verbally. At that moment, the golden threads within his body were in an expansive phase, continuously spreading through his flesh and blood, like a long-parched land frantically absorbing all nutrients. Golden light flowed over his entire body, and countless intricate runes flickered on his skin, exuding a sense of profound sacredness. He seemed no longer mortal, but permeated with a divine aura. Under the expansion of the golden threads, his body grew noticeably larger, approaching one zhang in height.

But Xu Qing knew time was short, so he immersed himself completely. As he absorbed, even more divine essence was born. Brilliant white light erupted, reflecting in his sea of consciousness and spreading throughout Xu Qing's body.

Soon, as Ghost Emperor Mountain absorbed divine essence, at the moment a stick of incense's time was about to pass, Ghost Emperor Heavenly Palace rumbled, and the Ghost Emperor's body within it violently shook. Later, the Crimson Mother's true form passing by further concentrated the alien substance within the relatively sealed Immortal Forbidden Land. Xu Qing's Heavenly Palace and Ghost Emperor Mountain nearby, though a bit slower, also began to exhibit similar transformations. The Poison Forbidden Purple Moon, Fei Zhi Heavenly Palace, and Ghost Emperor Mountain—these three entities most in need of divine essence nourishment—trembled successively, their longing intensely strong as each transformed into a white hole, rapidly absorbing.

The Captain gritted his teeth, raised his hands, and pressed them firmly on his forehead. Instantly, blue light surged from his entire body, and an icy aura spread in all directions, enveloping the vortex expanding from Xu Qing, providing him with a powerful boost. If this empowerment and concealment were in other places, their effect might not have been very good. However, the changes occurring here were as conspicuous as a torch in a white night. Yet, if a torch were placed within a sea of fire, it wouldn't be so conspicuous. At this moment, the chaotic Immortal Forbidden Land was indeed a sea of fire.

Meanwhile, as the Captain was inwardly conflicted, the Poison Forbidden Purple Moon within Xu Qing was the first to change after absorbing enough divine essence. The white Golden Core within the Heavenly Palace developed cracks, accompanied by creaking sounds. After half an incense stick's time, as Xu Qing's absorption reached its peak, the cracks in the Poison Forbidden Purple Moon had spread to cover the entire Golden Core, and with a final crack, it directly broke through its shell. A small white figure surged out from within, its appearance identical to Xu Qing's; it was precisely the Dao Infant formed by the Poison Forbidden Purple Moon. After flying out, the small white figure opened its mouth wide and fiercely swallowed the fragmented shell of the Poison Forbidden Purple Moon. Once it had devoured everything, its body swayed, and terrifying Poison Forbidden power emanated from it, clearly indicating it had ascended to a higher level than before. It was as if a phoenix had undergone nirvana, reborn from death. At this moment, with the Immortal Forbidden Deity gone, Xu Qing seemed to have become the new Lord of the Immortal Forbidden Land.

This time, the source of the eruption was Xu Qing's Heavenly Palace! Within Xu Qing's Heavenly Palace, the divine source power originally belonging to the Red Moon was rapidly transforming. Faintly, a figure began to form and step out from within Xu Qing. This was Xu Qing's Fei Zhi Dao Infant! It wore a purple robe and had purple hair, looking somewhat similar to the Red Moon, yet its visage was that of Fei Zhi. As it had become Xu Qing's possession, it was imbued with a purple hue.

After both the Poison Forbidden Purple Moon and the Fei Zhi Heavenly Palace had formed Dao Infants, yet another Dao Infant was achieved within him! Among them, seven came from the seven fate lamps. And one more was formed by the Imperial-level cultivation technique, Golden Crow Refining All Spirits. The Fourth Dao Infant formed! Xu Qing's divine sense swept over them, and he experienced this sensation of observing himself from each Dao Infant.

Such growth could be sustained; if everything developed normally, then after the passage of time, when that Fei Zhi Xu Qing Dao Infant grew to its peak, he might be able to take over the Red Moon, replace it, and become Supreme God Xu Qing. He could even, at this point, change the cognition of all living beings, making all things and races forget the former Red Moon, and believe instead that Xu Qing had been the sole eternal existence since ancient times.

The power of four Dao Infants erupted with a roar, causing Xu Qing's body to tremble. As his aura soared skyward, he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was his Captain, standing before him, looking incredibly conflicted and regretful.

When the Red Moon first detected a wisp of its divine source had disappeared, its immediate reaction upon awakening was vigilance, because the omnipotent and omniscient entity could not find any trace. Thus, its initial reaction was to suspect malevolent intent from other deities. Such a thing rarely occurred throughout history; specifically, only deities of a higher or equivalent level could plunder each other.

Noticing the Captain's expression, Xu Qing was momentarily stunned. The Captain sighed. "I really want a bite, just one bite..." "Little Ah Qing," the Captain said, "you smell even more fragrant, but also more toxic. You don't taste good anymore…" The Captain swallowed, only to find himself salivating even more. The more he smelled, the more he salivated, and his eyes gleamed. "Even more fragrant than Ning Yan." "The taste has changed; though it's even better, it feels like if I were to eat you, this life of mine would come to an end. What... what kind of poison is that?"

Xu Qing, expressionless, ignored him directly. He stood up from his cross-legged position and spoke sternly. "Senior Brother, stop fooling around. We should go."

"Master was right," Xu Qing murmured. "Deities... are merely higher-level existences than us. So, it is indeed possible to replace them."

"Little Junior Brother," the Captain said, "you detected through the Heavenly Curtain's crack that the human army inside is repairing the Heavenly Curtain. Judging by our speed, you have at most an incense stick's time. During that period, I will protect you and conceal the fluctuations. Hurry!" Xu Qing muttered, and his absorption continued. The cracks in the Heavenly Curtain were becoming more numerous, and a wave of recovery continued to spread within them.