Chapter 558: Senior, I Really Don't Taste Good

Above the Sea of Heavenly Fire, the Red Moon Temple floated, emanating an endless red glow that spread in all directions like blood. The rhythmic thumping sound, as if from a heart, echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

All the cultivators present who witnessed this scene trembled in their hearts, daring not to look directly. They knelt down from a distance and quickly departed.

The temple remained indifferent. To the temple, they were merely lambs, free-ranging, and the more they moved, the better their vital energy would become.

At this moment, the temple cultivators on the meteorite still had their eyes closed. Inside the temple, above the heart, seven figures in red robes were also meditating cross-legged.

These seven represented various races, with six positioned below and one at the head. The one at the head was a Winged Race member, his feathered face devoid of expression, his cultivation's fluctuation of the Return to Void stage faintly discernible. The six below, like the woman in red, were at the Spiritual Core cultivation stage.

They were waiting for their companion who had gone out to return. Tasks like feeding and reinforcing restrictions would cause some marking issues, so they were usually carried out by those less valued within the temple. Although their divine sense couldn't penetrate due to the magma's isolation, and the waiting time was slightly prolonged, it wasn't excessively delayed. Given their long-standing status and mindset, they didn't anticipate any accidents. Thus, everyone remained in meditation at this moment.

However, unbeknownst to them, a thousand zhang beneath the magma, their companion, the woman in red, had a drastically changed expression, her mind in turmoil.

Driven by intense killing intent, Xu Qing instantly manipulated the Red Moon formation laid out there using his Violet Moon Nascent Soul. He conjured seven or eight massive red hands that swiftly lunged towards the woman in red.

In this critical moment, the woman in red trembled violently. She knew clearly that her authority was incomparable to his; without the Ancestor's token, she likely wouldn't even have the right to resist. Her only advantage now was her cultivation. Being in the Dao Cultivation and Enlightenment stage, she was close to forming her Heavenly Dao, and her combat power was strong enough to completely overwhelm any Nascent Soul cultivator. "Damn it, if only we weren't here, I could easily crush this person!"

The woman in red formed hand seals, her eyes bloodshot. She pushed outward vehemently, and instantly, a phantom secret treasure formed behind her, spewing forth wind, fire, thunder, and lightning, blasting towards Xu Qing. In an instant, it collided with the seven or eight blood-red hands. A muffled roar echoed beneath the magma. The woman in red spat blood, while the seven or eight massive hands dissipated under the interference of her token and the resistance of her own power. "No matter your origin, no matter why you possess such divine authority, your cultivation is ultimately too weak!"

The woman in red spat out blood, and as she spoke sharply, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. She decided to abandon escape and prepared to capture him alive. She thought that once she captured him, this matter would surely shake the entire Red Moon Temple, and her merit would be immeasurable. With this thought, a decisive look appeared in the woman in red's eyes. With a wave of her hand, the phantom image of her secret treasure manifested outside her body. A roar emanated from within, as if a massive beast was swiftly emerging from it, its terrifying power spreading in all directions, enveloping Xu Qing.

Xu Qing frowned, a hint of regret in his heart. The Red Moon restrictions here were indeed incredibly powerful. Even though Xu Qing's divine authority surpassed the opponent's token in level, it was ultimately insufficient in quantity. He couldn't mobilize more of the restriction's power. Now, seeing the opponent's secret treasure approaching, an astonishing pressure assaulted him. His body was fine, but his soul trembled, conveying a strong sense of life-or-death crisis.

Xu Qing's eyes showed resolve. He violently waved his hands, and his entire body instantly shone with purple light. His Violet Moon Nascent Soul materialized above his head, forming a purple moon! The moment this moon appeared, the magma in all directions instantly turned purple. It drew more of the Red Moon restrictions from the area, rapidly gathering them in front of Xu Qing to form a defense, blocking the suppression from the woman in red's secret treasure.

A thunderous roar instantly erupted. The surrounding magma rolled back, creating an empty space, while the woman in red's steps were abruptly halted, forcing her to retreat. All the veins on her body bulged, looking like countless earthworms crawling beneath her skin. The shock in her mind was infinitely more intense than before. "Who exactly are you?!"

The woman in red gasped again. The moment the Violet Moon appeared, it felt as though she had seen a deity. Her body even produced involuntary reactions, a strong urge to worship. If not for her cultivation serving as an anchor, solidifying her will, she might truly have knelt down. This sensation made her scalp tingle, as if ten thousand heavenly thunders exploded in her mind.

Xu Qing was also struggling. Although he used the Red Moon restrictions to defend, the gap in cultivation levels still made it difficult for him to bear. His body was fine, but it was primarily his soul that was affected. The sensation of his soul being torn apart made Xu Qing's mind buzz, his vision blacken, and he experienced excruciating pain. It was as if a knife had been directly plunged into his brain, constantly stirring. Xu Qing's eyes became bloodshot, but he knew this moment was crucial and he couldn't relax even slightly. So, enduring the tearing pain in his mind, he formed hand seals. His Violet Moon Nascent Soul above his head also formed hand seals. The power of the Violet Moon erupted again, forming a large purple net that pushed the local red net, roaring towards the woman in red.

The woman in red suppressed the shock and anger in her heart, gritting her teeth fiercely. Her own bloodline began to burn, and the token in her hand also ignited. "Divine Descent!" A mournful, low roar erupted from the woman in red's mouth after everything began to burn. Her eyes bled, her expression was pained and twisted, and multiple cracks appeared on her body, constantly bleeding red, covering her entire form. She looked little different from a statue, except her hands weren't raised to cover her eyes. Especially in the next instant, her eyes directly burst open. Xu Qing had seen this before; Zhang Siyun had done the same back then. As the sound echoed, a vast power instantly surged from the woman in red. Although the Crimson Mother was dormant and couldn't descend, at this moment, with the token and her own burning, the divine ability unleashed by the woman in red caused the surrounding Red Moon restrictions to pause. Xu Qing's control was also instantly affected, experiencing a stagnation.

Seizing this opportunity, the woman in red suddenly rushed out, heading directly above the magma. She ultimately chose to leave this place; Xu Qing's Violet Moon filled her with intense apprehension. If she managed to break out, her companions would notice and certainly intervene. Although her merit would be divided, she had no other choice at this moment. She feared that if she delayed further, the eerie Violet Moon would drive her mad. Seeing her figure about to break free, Xu Qing's eyes also showed madness. He would absolutely not let this person leave, so his body swayed, and he rushed towards her. The golden threads within his body stretched, instantly reaching three zhang in height, suppressing her.

The woman's bleeding eyes emitted an eerie roar. She raised her hands and waved them forward, and instantly, black flames erupted from her secret treasure, transforming into a ferocious ghost face that violently swallowed towards Xu Qing. Xu Qing's body trembled violently, collapsing from three zhang back to normal human size. All his Nascent Souls quivered, expelling soul essence, and his soul was on the verge of shattering. Fortunately, the protection of the Life Lanterns sustained him, preventing him from truly falling apart. However, Xu Qing knew very well that if he touched it again, his soul would likely be unable to bear it. Nevertheless, his desperate interception had played a crucial role. The woman in red, whose secret treasure was on the verge of forming a Heavenly Dao, had her speed intercepted, albeit briefly. At this moment, the Divine Descent's influence on the local restrictions began to wane, and Xu Qing's control started to recover.

Under his control, the restrictions reformed into a blood-red hand that grabbed upwards at the woman in red from below. Though swift, it was still too late to stop the woman in red's figure. Her speed erupted again, and she was on the verge of truly escaping. At this crucial moment, a faint glimmer flashed in Xu Qing's eyes as he looked at the woman.

The pointers of his five sundial life lanterns, flashing within his body, were pulled off simultaneously at this instant! Time Lag! Silently, the woman in red's time was forcibly halted at this moment. Her body paused, with no reaction or awareness. And this pause was the difference between life and death!

In an instant, the moment the woman's body recovered, the massive restriction hand roared up from below, seizing her body and violently pulling her downwards. More large hands rushed out, layer upon layer, enveloping her and dragging her down. Forcibly stopping the time of a Spiritual Core expert came at an equally immense cost to Xu Qing. His sundial life lanterns instantly decayed, and even developed massive cracks. But as long as they hadn't completely collapsed, Xu Qing believed they could recover. At the moment, he had no time to worry about these details. Enduring the agonizing tearing pain in his soul, he formed hand seals, continuously manipulating the surrounding restrictions. The power of the restrictions continuously erupted, dragging the woman in red towards the abyssal crack of the coffin!

The sound from within the abyssal crack had been completely silent since Xu Qing's appearance, but now, upon sensing this scene, sounds of swallowing saliva immediately echoed from within. The sounds conveyed craving and madness. The woman in red, held by countless large hands, had her expression change drastically once more. The turmoil in her mind intensified, and the sensation of a life-or-death crisis made her tremble all over, madness appearing in her eyes. She knew what would happen if she was dragged into the abyss, so she struggled with all her might. However, she could only delay for a brief moment, her body slowly approaching the abyss nonetheless. Seeing this, despair filled her eyes, and she let out a mournful cry. Flames surged from her entire body; not only was her cultivation burning, but her life force was also burning. She poured all her potential into her voice, transforming it into sound waves that shattered gold and stone, causing the surrounding magma to widely collapse, attempting to transmit a plea for help to the outside world.

Under these sound waves, Xu Qing spat blood, his eyes bloodshot. Seeing the woman still resisting, and having calculated the time, he suddenly rushed out. Two breaths later, he approached the ferocious woman emitting the mournful cries. Xu Qing raised his hands, using his own body as a weapon, and smashed directly into her. He further pushed her body, accelerating her descent into the abyss. At such close contact, Xu Qing's soul began to crumble, but he endured with powerful will. At the sixth breath, he, along with the desperate woman in red, who was bound by the restriction hands, finally entered the abyss!

The instant he entered, Xu Qing saw a pair of enormous blue eyes and an infinitely vast mouth. The next moment, just before Xu Qing's entire soul shattered, he unleashed the power of his sundials. Reversal! Xu Qing's figure blurred within the abyss as if non-existent, as if this segment of time had been shattered and reassembled from countless fragments seven breaths ago.

Outside the abyss, Xu Qing's figure appeared abruptly. His soul had not shattered, only the excruciating pain remained, and all his injuries had reverted to how they were seven breaths ago. The woman, however, had permanently fallen into the abyss. Sounds of chewing, full of satisfaction, spread in all directions, biting down with great force.

But the crisis was not over; it wasn't from the abyss below, but from above the magma. Xu Qing wasn't sure if her death and her actions before dying would attract external attention, but he couldn't gamble. So, even with his soul severely wounded, he gritted his teeth and headed directly towards the restrictions below. In an instant, Xu Qing merged into the Red Moon restrictions, using his Violet Moon power to conceal his presence, hiding beneath a protruding rune on the massive coffin's outer shell.

Once there, Xu Qing's injuries were almost uncontrollable, and his vision grew darker. He bit his tongue hard, stimulating himself to maintain consciousness. Then, with Violet Moon power spreading throughout his body, he took out the concealment mask given by his master and quickly put it on. Xu Qing didn't want to use this mask unless absolutely necessary, because if used too much, it would become impossible to remove. But at this moment, he had to use it.

At the same time, the coffin suddenly shook, and surprisingly, a gentle force emanated from it, enveloping Xu Qing and providing him with a blessing. As Xu Qing's heart stirred, an astonishing fluctuation surged from above the magma.

Xu Qing immediately lowered his head, remaining motionless. Soon, the magma above roared, bursting and spreading outwards. A Winged Race figure, clad in red robes and possessing red wings, slowly emerged from the magma. His expression was grim, his steps seemingly not fast, yet in just a few strides, he reached above the coffin. The fluctuation of his Return to Void cultivation filled the area with a sense of immense power.

Standing there, the Winged Race divine envoy's gaze swept across all directions. Simultaneously, chewing sounds, full of satisfaction, echoed from within the coffin. "The Crimson Mother's servant, tastes quite good."

Hearing this, the Winged Race divine envoy looked towards the abyss, red light flashing in his eyes, seemingly able to penetrate a certain distance and see inside the abyss. After a moment, he frowned, sensing the aura of his divine servant and realizing that she had been swallowed. As for why this happened, he wasn't entirely clear, but considering the identity of the being within the coffin, it seemed understandable. "This matter must be reported to the temple." "It seems the sealing process needs to be more frequent."

The Winged Race divine envoy's gaze swept over the surrounding restrictions. Then he raised his right hand, took out an identical blood crystal, and crushed it, allowing it to merge into the restrictions. Immediately, the fluctuations of the restrictions here became even denser. After doing all this, he coldly glanced at the crack, then turned and vanished, leaving the place. The death of a divine servant was a major event to the outside world, but to him, it was nothing significant, as long as he knew the cause of death.

Xu Qing did not emerge immediately. He waited for half a day, and only after confirming that the divine envoy had indeed left did his entire body relax. The dizziness and exhaustion from his soul injuries left Xu Qing feeling very weak. Fortunately, he inwardly observed his sundials and found that although they were decayed, they were recovering as the pointers moved. Xu Qing let out a breath of relief and managed to fly out. After ascending into mid-air, he suddenly paused, fell silent for a few breaths, then bowed towards the coffin, which was the size of a city. "Thank you, senior."

Blue eyes appeared within the abyssal crack of the opened coffin lid, staring at Xu Qing. These eyes were enormous, feeling somewhat similar to a deity's eyes to Xu Qing, but different in power. "You possess the power of the Crimson Mother!" A buzzing sound, carrying an inexplicable meaning, echoed in all directions.

Xu Qing lowered his head and spoke respectfully. "My master seized it for me. It no longer belongs to the Red Moon; it belongs to me."

The eyes within the coffin visibly narrowed, saying nothing. Xu Qing waved his hand, and the power of his poison restrictions spread out. "This too." After saying that, he also revealed the aura of Ghost Emperor Mountain. "And this." "Furthermore, this body of mine was also seized by my master for me," Xu Qing said, then took out the fish bone. "They are a set."

"Who is your master?" After a moment, a muffled voice came from within the coffin.

Xu Qing shook his head, his expression serious. "Senior, my master does not permit me to reveal his name until the task he assigned me is completed."

"Task?" The eyes within the coffin narrowed.

"My task is to gather information about the Crimson Mother of the Red Moon for my master. Senior, you may not know, but under my master's arrangements, the Crimson Mother has already fallen into slumber." "I came here to go to the Plain of Repentance, to calculate the time of the Red Moon's arrival there." "Senior, who might you be?" Xu Qing asked respectfully.

The coffin fell silent. After a long while, an ancient voice emanated from within. "Little one, I don't believe what you're saying, but it doesn't matter. I can sense that the Crimson Mother's power on you was plundered, unlike those divine envoys, and you are also human." "As for my identity... this grand domain once belonged to my father, the king."

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, and a great wave of turmoil rose in his mind. "The plain you intend to go to is where my father is buried."

From within the coffin, the voice carried a hint of bitterness. "Too much time has passed, too long; I no longer remember the years…" "In countless ages, you are the second person to appear before me, besides those from the Red Moon Temple. There was another many years ago who promised to help me leave, but he hasn't appeared in a very long time." "Tell me, how are the humans outside now?"

Xu Qing fell silent, harboring doubts about the veracity of these words. However, his soul injuries were now too severe, and Xu Qing already felt his own weakness. Furthermore, a particular reason prevented him from acting rashly, so he sat cross-legged in place, recovering from his injuries while spreading out his poison restrictions. Then, he softly began to recount the history of the outside world as he knew it. From time to time, when his injuries flared up, Xu Qing would pause to adjust, then resume speaking once stable. Throughout this entire process, his inner tension and vigilance remained at their peak.

And so, time passed. A day later, Xu Qing finished speaking.

The blue eyes within the coffin showed a trace of reminiscence, and after a long time, murmurs echoed. "Humans... have fallen so far…"

Xu Qing remained silent.

After a long moment, a soft sigh emanated from within the coffin, and the blue eyes looked at Xu Qing again. "Little one, your injuries are severe."

Xu Qing nodded. While the purple crystal quickly healed physical injuries, soul injuries indeed recovered slowly. Especially when facing this unknown entity, Xu Qing needed to be fully focused, daring not to relax even slightly.

"Given that you allowed me to eat some good food and recounted the history of my human race, come closer to me, and I will help you." An ancient voice came from within the coffin.

Xu Qing shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, senior. These are things junior should do."

The coffin fell silent, its eyes fixed on Xu Qing. Dozens of breaths later, a white mist drifted out from within the abyss, containing rich fluctuations of destiny. "You don't need to be so wary of me. These are from the Crimson Mother's servant, and I'm giving them to you."

Upon sensing this, Xu Qing's expression remained normal, without any change, and he spoke softly. "Senior, junior's words may be impudent, please don't mind. I just wanted to tell you that I don't taste good." As he spoke, Xu Qing's pervasive poison restrictions spread out again. After controlling them within a certain range, he looked at the eyes. "Senior, junior might have misunderstood you, but I just want to inform you that we both actually harbor hostility towards the Red Moon. And although my soul is injured, I can still control the restrictions here." Xu Qing spoke respectfully, waving his hand, and the surrounding red net revealed itself, shimmering within the magma. "So, please allow me to leave."

"I haven't restricted you. You can leave at any time as long as you're outside the coffin," the voice inside the coffin said calmly.

"Senior," Xu Qing said, his expression serious, enunciating each word. "I am not outside the coffin; I am inside this coffin. One step, and I walk into your mouth. You have altered my perception, and I know it." "But I truly do not taste good."

Meanwhile, outside the Sea of Heavenly Fire, the holy land of the Mirror Shadow and Skyface allied races—a massive city that barely held up under the Heavenly Fire's transit—resembled a bird's nest. Its elliptical shape spanned a hundred miles, truly vast. Now, in the mid-air of this holy land, a colossal heart floated, upon which the Red Moon Temple emanated an eerie red glow. Around it were dozens of purplish-red meteorites, exuding intense pressure.

Below them were all the high-ranking officials of the two allied races, from Imperial Preceptors to Rulers, all present and respectfully kneeling. Not only them, but all members of both races throughout the entire city were also kneeling.

After a long while, a low voice emanated from within the temple. "Your day of sacrifice is in forty-nine days. This time, in addition to Heavenly Fire Crystals, you will need 500,000 live sacrifices." As the voice echoed, the heart bearing the temple slowly moved, departing from the area. They were to fly all the way to the exact center of the eastern part of the entire Moon Sacrifice Grand Domain, there to await the sacrifices delivered by the various eastern races on the designated day, with different standards for each race.

The Old Ancestors and Imperial Preceptors of both races knelt and respectfully sent them off. Only when the Red Moon Temple vanished into the horizon did the Rulers of the two races dare to stand up and look at each other. "The number of live sacrifices has increased by fifty percent…" "If we cannot fulfill it, our own people will surely make up the numbers." The two fell silent. After a moment, a cold glint flashed in the Skyface Race Ruler's eyes. "That human refuge, under our feigned ignorance these past few years, should have accumulated quite a lot of live sacrifices…" "Having raised them for so long, it's time to harvest."