Chapter 547: Little A Qing, Are You Ready to Do Big Things

The Ten Intestine Tree marks the central point of the border between the Sacred Wave Domain and the Deep Blue Domain.

From the Ten Intestine Tree towards Fenghai County, within this domain now renamed Deep Blue, Fenghai County’s army was surging forward.

Giant flying vessels sped across the sky.

Although the Human Emperor's imperial decree this time did not directly benefit Fenghai County, the counterbalance against the Seventh Prince and the appearance of Princess Anhai elevated Fenghai County from its previous insignificance, making it somewhat special.

However, the notion of both sides scrambling to win over Fenghai County was merely a common misconception. In reality, for imperial families of such standing, while overtures would be made, they would not be excessive.

As for the Seventh Prince granting an additional four prefectures, it was likely not as straightforward as it seemed.

They would not allow Fenghai County to become a significant bargaining chip. Of course, the reality was that as long as Fenghai County did not act foolishly, it would gain an extremely comfortable environment for recovery within a certain period.

This was precisely what Fenghai County needed.

Xu Qing let out a long breath.

At that moment, he was sitting cross-legged in the secret chamber of the Great Wing vessel, having finished his cultivation. The breath he exhaled slowly dissipated before him, visibly.

This misty breath contained high heat, and as it dissipated, it raised the temperature in the chamber, making it warm.

Xu Qing looked at the mist before him, felt its temperature, and his eyes brightened.

"I never expected such a discovery on this trip to the Ten Intestine Tree!" Xu Qing murmured, his heart beating a little faster, stirred with emotion.

The source of it all was the flame within the Qiankun Pot.

After days of research, Xu Qing not only confirmed that the fire in the Qiankun Pot was harmless but also ascertained its effect on melting the Life Lamp!

This fire was peculiar; upon being inhaled, it would trigger the active absorption by the purple crystal.

This would lead to incredible changes: a purple light would shine into Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness, illuminating the Life Lamp within the Life Mist, causing the Life Lamp to dissolve!

This dissolution was not a disappearance but a change in the Life Lamp's form.

In all his cultivation, Xu Qing had never encountered such a thing. In his understanding, Life Lamps were generally indestructible.

This point was also reflected in the information Xu Qing had reviewed.

"Light from beyond the heavens?" Xu Qing murmured, but quickly dismissed the conjecture. The description of the ancient ruler who had obtained light from beyond the heavens merely stated that they used it to fuse their bloodline into their Life Lamp, making the lamp their own.

This was fundamentally different from what Xu Qing was currently experiencing.

Xu Qing's main focus during these days of research was whether this dissolution would eventually lead to the complete disappearance of the Life Lamp, rendering it unusable.

"It won't!"

Xu Qing raised his hand, and a fingernail-sized red crystal appeared in his palm.

He had verified that during the dissolution process, the Life Lamp would transform into intangible substances, dispersing within the Sea of Consciousness and integrating into his bloodline, seemingly altering his bloodline slightly.

At the same time, impurities were diluted out, such as this red crystal, which was the part of the dissolved Life Lamp that could not integrate into the bloodline.

Xu Qing didn't know the purpose of this red crystal. Holding it, he could feel that it contained some of the Life Lamp's aura, and it could emit light and heat on its own.

After examining it, Xu Qing put away the red crystal, anticipation showing in his eyes.

"If I have enough of this fire, I can activate more purple crystal light, allowing all my Life Lamps to dissolve and merge into my bloodline."

"At that point... could I, with a single thought, use this substance to reshape my own Life Lamp!"

Xu Qing believed this method was theoretically feasible. However, unlike the ancient ruler who merged their bloodline into the Life Lamp to change its ownership, Xu Qing was doing the opposite: he dissolved the Life Lamp, dispersed it into his bloodline, and would then reshape it using his own bloodline.

"Although theoretically feasible, it still needs final verification. Therefore, the key is having enough of this fire!"

Xu Qing looked down at the Qiankun Pot. The fire within was not inexhaustible; a significant portion had been consumed during Xu Qing's recent experiments, with less than one-tenth remaining.

As for its origin, Xu Qing had inquired about it during his days at the Ten Intestine Tree, and he received an answer from Palace Master Li Yunshan.

"This is Skyfire from the border between the Sacrifice Moon Domain and the Southern Mountain Domain!"

"The Southern Mountain Domain is an exclave of the Blazing Moon Profound Heaven Clan, forming their southernmost territory with strategic importance. It borders the Sacrifice Moon Domain, and at the junction of the two domains lies an inland sea. This sea is not made of water but of flames; the fire within is astonishingly powerful, becoming more terrifying and capable of incinerating everything the deeper one goes into the sea."

"However, this sea of fire was not naturally formed; it descended from the heavens."

"At the center of the Skyfire Sea, there is a rift in the sky from which an endless sea of fire descends, forming a waterfall of flames that gradually transformed into this sea."

"Furthermore, Skyfire is special: once it leaves that area, it gradually turns into common fire. Only certain special materials can barely preserve it, and your Qiankun Pot was clearly crafted from such material, though even it would struggle to maintain the fire for too long."

These were Li Yunshan's exact words.

Xu Qing recalled this, gaining a better understanding of some southern regions of the Wanggu Continent, and the simple map he had seen in his records also appeared in his mind.

Northwest of Fenghai County was now the Deep Blue Domain. Directly north of this domain was the Sacred Wave Domain, and to the west of Sacred Wave was a long river named Siyin.

Beyond this river lay the mysterious Sacrifice Moon Domain.

The northeastern border within that domain adjoined the remote territory of the Blazing Moon Profound Heaven Clan.

"Sacrifice Moon Domain..." Xu Qing's eyes gleamed. He stood up and pushed open the secret chamber door. A cool breeze from outside blew in, dissipating the warmth that surrounded him.

The army was now within Fenghai County's borders and would soon return to the county capital. After walking into the Great Wing's deck, Kong Xianglong was there, gazing out at the world, and turned to glance at Xu Qing.

"Got something new?"

Xu Qing nodded, a smile on his face. Standing with Kong Xianglong, he turned his head to look in the direction of the Sacrifice Moon Domain, his eyes filled with anticipation and longing. At the same time, he took out a sound transmission jade slip and sent a message to the captain.

"Senior Brother, how's your intelligence gathering going? I have some news too."

Soon, the jade slip vibrated, and the captain's voice, tinged with a long-unheard laziness and pride, echoed in Xu Qing's ear.

"I returned a few days ago, just waiting for you to get back from your son's place."

"Alright, I'll be able to reach the county capital in two hours."

They didn't elaborate in the jade slip. After ending the call, Xu Qing's sense of anticipation grew stronger. Kong Xianglong looked at Xu Qing suspiciously and then spoke.

"Xu Qing, you and your unreliable Senior Brother aren't planning to do something big again, are you?"

Xu Qing patted Kong Xianglong's shoulder and whispered.

"Want to come along?"

Kong Xianglong took a breath, looked around, hesitated and wrestled with himself for a while, then shook his head.

"I'm afraid your Senior Brother will sell me out. Haven't you seen how terrified Ning Yan is of him now?"

Xu Qing deeply agreed, thinking that Ning Yan likely wouldn't escape this time either, as he was still quite useful as a "weapon."

After several teleportations within Fenghai County, the army returned to the county capital two hours later.

Immediately after disembarking from the Great Wing, Xu Qing received an urgent summons from the captain. So, after greeting his welcoming master, he quickly left, not returning to the Sword-Wielding Palace, but instead found the captain at a tavern in the county capital.

This was where the captain had arranged to meet.

As he entered, Xu Qing saw Li Shitao walking out of the captain's private room. Upon seeing Xu Qing, Li Shitao smiled, said nothing more, and left the tavern.

Xu Qing blinked, then entered the room to see a table laden with food and wine. The captain was sitting to one side, munching on a peach. He looked up, his gaze sweeping over Xu Qing, and spoke proudly.

"Ah, Little A-Qing, I now understand your past troubles. You see, when a person is too outstanding, and girls are so forward, it really is quite bothersome."

As the captain spoke, he raised his sleeve and wiped his face, which was clearly clean, but he seemed to be implying to Xu Qing that there had originally been a lipstick mark there.

"See? Even for lunch, they just have to call me to accompany them. So annoying."

The captain sighed.

Xu Qing's expression was strange. He glanced at the table of dishes; every single one was made from spiritual ingredients, undoubtedly expensive. While there were two sets of bowls and chopsticks, one set was empty, and the other had food piled up like a small mountain.

Clearly, someone had been serving food.

As for who served whom, Xu Qing felt it didn't matter, as long as the captain was happy.

So, he showed an expression of envy.

This expression made the captain feel incredibly pleased. After finishing the peach in a few bites, he led Xu Qing to a corner, waved his hand to set up a restriction, and spoke with a grave and solemn expression.

"Little A-Qing, are you mentally prepared to undertake something big?!"

Hearing this, Xu Qing knew it was the captain's prelude, and generally, such a prelude meant the following words would be shocking.

So, Xu Qing matched the captain's solemnity, his expression turning serious, and he nodded earnestly.

Seeing Xu Qing so compliant, the captain was even happier. He cleared his throat, his eyes gleaming strangely, and whispered.

"Junior Brother, actually, this time, you should have been the county governor!"

"But your cultivation isn't high enough to take the position."

"But why should that Marquis Yao manage *our* things? So, at that time, I started pondering how to make our cultivation advance by leaps and bounds!"

"Finally, I thought of a way!"

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, looking at the captain.

"What method?"

The captain's expression was arrogant. He looked up at the sky and said lightly.

"We're going to... devour the Red Moon!"

Xu Qing fell silent, then stood up, ready to leave.

He didn't want to seek death so senselessly. The captain had gone mad, and he couldn't fix this; only their master could intervene.

Realizing Xu Qing was about to leave, the captain panicked and grabbed him.

"Hey, wait, let me finish!"

Xu Qing looked at the captain expressionlessly. He did want to go to the Sacrifice Moon Domain, but he had no desire to become food for the Scarlet Mother—a supreme deity whose single avatar could devour Immortal-forbidden Spirits.

Xu Qing felt that unless he was completely insane, he wouldn't willingly deliver himself to her.

"Junior Brother, think about it! The Red Moon is dormant—this is a heaven-sent opportunity! If we go and devour Her, even if we only swallow a tiny bit, you could instantly reach Spirit Repository! And if we manage to consume a bit more, returning to Void is not impossible either!"

The captain's eyes were a little red, revealing the madness Xu Qing was familiar with.

"Junior Brother, of all the big things your Senior Brother has led you to do, which one hasn't succeeded?"

Xu Qing hesitated, then suddenly spoke.

"Senior Brother, in your previous lives, have you ever done anything similar?"

This chapter is not a double update; there will be more later today.