Chapter 559: Sunrise and Moon Not Yet Set, The Emperor's Son Returns to the Galaxy

Under the sea of skyfire, silence prevailed around the massive bronze coffin.

The Red Moon restriction shimmered, and the red glow from the surrounding magma permeated the air, seemingly flowing with the fluctuations of the restriction.

However, Xu Qing was not outside the coffin. He sat cross-legged at the edge of a massive abyssal crevice, his back to the outside world, facing the abyss.

More than half of his body was within the coffin's crevice. Before him, a pair of blue eyes gazed intently at him, and an open mouth, like a chasm, gaped wide.

They were so close that it seemed if Xu Qing stood up and took one step, he would walk directly into that gaping mouth.

At this moment, Xu Qing looked up at the giant blue eyes before him and spoke softly.

“Senior, I really don't taste good.”

Xu Qing was enveloped in a poisonous restriction, which continued to spread. His eyes held sincerity, and his expression was serious.

Though in his perception, he was still outside the coffin, far from the abyssal crevice, and perfectly safe, able to leave at any moment.

“Interesting. When did you realize?”

After a long pause, an ancient voice echoed from within the gaping mouth. The wind it stirred carried a foul, fishy odor, enveloping Xu Qing. Yet, in Xu Qing's perception, everything remained normal.

Xu Qing sighed.

“The moment you altered my perception, making me believe I was leaving when in reality I was walking right here, I sensed something was wrong.”

“So, where you sat cross-legged is precisely one step away from me?” The ancient voice spoke, carrying an unidentifiable meaning.

“One more step, Senior, and you would be poisoned,” Xu Qing stated candidly.

The entity within the coffin said nothing.

Xu Qing also remained silent.

After a while, a voice suddenly emerged from within the coffin.

“Boy, with the Scarlet Mother's authority you plundered, can you absorb this restriction, or merely control it to a certain extent?”

Xu Qing lowered his head, his mind rapidly analyzing. He wasn't sure of the true meaning behind the entity's words. It felt like both a demand for him to demonstrate his worth and an enticement for him to help lessen the restriction's suppression.

It was difficult to judge the exact intent.

A single misstep could lead to irreversible ruin.

Given this, Xu Qing decided not to make a premature judgment. He spoke respectfully, voicing the doubt in his heart.

Often, speaking frankly doesn't mean one is incapable; rather, it means one needs a reassuring reason to act.

The entity within the coffin fell silent, then a laugh emerged moments later.

“You little brat, you’re more interesting than I imagined, and more cautious than the first person I encountered all those years ago.”

“Very well, show me what you can do once you’re outside.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing stood up. After a moment of silent thought, he bowed towards the front, then, without hesitation, took a step to what he perceived as his left.

As that step landed, he, still within the crevice, moved not to the left, but backward.

This sight, seen through the eyes within the coffin, caused a slight ripple in the gaze of the mysterious entity.

Step by step, Xu Qing walked out of the abyssal crevice. The moment he emerged, his eyes blurred for an instant before his perception returned, and he clearly saw where he was.

A feeling of trepidation arose but was quickly suppressed. He knew well that everything just moments ago had been a razor's edge, and any misstep would have left no path for return.

The entity within the coffin had spoken with a mix of truth and falsehood. Although it had seemingly agreed to let him leave, Xu Qing understood this was a test to see if he truly had the ability to break through the fog of altered perception and find the real path out.

Even now, the danger had not entirely dissipated.

So Xu Qing raised his hand and grabbed upward. Instantly, the surrounding Red Moon restriction whistled towards him, converging in his hand, gradually forming a dazzling, blinding red light, as if Xu Qing had grasped it firmly.

It wasn't long before Xu Qing ceased his control. As his Purple Moon Nascent Soul inhaled, the red light in his hand immediately dimmed, transforming into threads that flowed into Xu Qing's body, merging with the Purple Moon itself.

The Purple Moon Nascent Soul instantly shone brightly, clearly growing stronger.

Xu Qing could absorb the power of the restriction.

However, he seemed unable to absorb much. After a while, Xu Qing spoke in a low voice.

“Senior, this junior has reached his limit.”

Laughter emanated from within the coffin.

“Can't, or dare not?”

“Can't,” Xu Qing replied earnestly.

The eyes within the coffin looked at Xu Qing meaningfully, then exhaled a breath.

This breath, imbued with destiny and originating from the red-robed woman it had devoured, spread towards Xu Qing, transforming into a white fruit.

“Little brat, I need you to do something for me. This destiny is your advance payment.”

Xu Qing was silent for a few breaths, then took it.

“Please instruct this junior, Senior.”

“Not now. I’ll tell you later.”

The voice from within the crevice was profound, and the blue eyes slowly closed.

Everything returned to its original state.

Xu Qing endured the discomfort and retreated further, until he had completely left the area. His entire body was soaked, and he let out a long breath.

Inside him, from Ding 132, a sigh also emerged, echoing in his mind.

It was the Divine Finger.

“You scared me to death!”

“You… can you just calm down a little?” The Divine Finger's helpless, resentful voice came from within Ding 132.

“Can you please stop waking me up every time by exposing me to such terrifying entities?”

Xu Qing recalled the preceding events, and a lingering fear resurfaced in his heart.

The reason he was able to detect his altered perception was that the Divine Finger had been startled awake just moments before, screaming in his mind and stopping Xu Qing's steps.

His subsequent departure was also due to the Divine Finger's guidance, allowing Xu Qing to successfully exit the crevice.

“Your soul is too weak. If you continue like this without a way to improve it, then judging by your suicidal tendencies, you'll eventually die without even knowing how!”

The Divine Finger complained indignantly.

Xu Qing nodded, responding inwardly.

“Thank you for your help, Senior. Do you happen to know of any ways to enhance one's soul?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be a mere clone!”

The Divine Finger retorted indignantly, roaring loudly. The fright it had just experienced stirred up more grievances, so it continued to growl.

“I’m hungry, I’m hungry!”

“I understand. I’ll find you something to eat,” Xu Qing replied, not minding the Divine Finger’s attitude, gently reassuring it.

After all, as a prisoner he held captive, who had also helped him, it was normal for it to have some emotions.

“I want to eat living things!”

“Alright.”

“I want to eat a lot!”

“Understood.”

“I want to eat…”

“Alright, alright, anything you want,” Xu Qing said softly.

Seeing Xu Qing so cooperative, the Divine Finger suspected a trick, muttering to itself that this kid wasn’t good news and it would ignore him in the future!

Thus, Xu Qing completely departed from the area of the bronze coffin. As he sped through the magma, he also replayed the experience in his mind.

“He said I was the second person to appear before him, besides the Red Moon Temple. So, who was the first?”

For some reason, the first thought that came to Xu Qing’s mind was his Eldest Brother's previous life.

This suspicion had no basis; it was pure instinct.

“And that entity, its last words…” Xu Qing pondered. The entity’s words contained many meanings, but Xu Qing couldn't quite grasp the specifics.

After a while, he took out the destiny given by the entity, examined it carefully in his hand, and confirmed it was harmless. Still uneasy, he then consulted the Divine Finger.

The Divine Finger couldn't be bothered to respond.

Xu Qing's expression remained normal as he spoke calmly.

“Senior, could you please check if there’s anything wrong with this? I’m worried that the entity in the coffin has set its sights on your body.”

The Divine Finger immediately extended its divine consciousness. When it came to matters concerning its own body, it was exceptionally serious.

After a moment, it confirmed there was no issue.

Only then did Xu Qing relax. He squeezed it firmly, integrating the destiny into his body.

The next instant, his body shuddered. The density of this destiny was sufficient, and in the blink of an eye, it was absorbed by all of Xu Qing's Nascent Souls, nourishing them individually, bringing them steadily closer to the completion of their first tribulation.

Previously, only his Golden Crow Refining Myriad Souls Nascent Soul had completed its first tribulation. His Purple Moon Nascent Soul was nearing completion, while the others were still in the early stages of their first tribulation.

Now, with this enhancement, they all showed significant progress.

After observing for a moment, Xu Qing took a deep breath. As he moved forward, he activated the purple crystal to heal his soul.

Time passed in this manner.

While Xu Qing healed and cultivated, in the eastern part of the Sacrificial Moon Grand Domain, far from the two-race alliance territory, the heart of the Red Moon Temple soared through the sky.

The figures on the surrounding meteorites remained still, as usual. However, on the temple within the heart, a figure emerged from the main hall and stood before the Scarlet Mother statue.

The figure was a woman, clad in a long red robe.

She gazed at the sky, her expression filled with emotion and melancholy, as if she hadn't seen the sky in a very long time.

After a moment, she lowered her gaze to the statue. Her expression seemed fervent and pious, yet a flicker of malevolence flashed deep within her eyes.

If Xu Qing had been there, the moment he saw this woman, his mind would have reeled in shock, and he would have recognized her identity.

This woman was astonishingly the same divine servant he had pushed into the abyssal crevice, the one devoured by the terrifying entity within the bronze coffin!

She had clearly died, yet she appeared here as if nothing had happened.

“Scarlet Mother, your perception is faulty. You didn't even notice my escape, even if it's just a clone of me. In the past, you surely would have noticed…” The red-robed woman stared at the statue.

“And that boy… interesting, very interesting. Thanks to him, I was able to devour a divine servant and thus recover some of my abilities.”

The red-robed woman smiled faintly, a blue light flashing in her eyes.

This light was identical to the blue eyes within the bronze coffin!

She was, astonishingly, the very entity within the bronze coffin!

It wasn't just Xu Qing whose perception she had altered, but also the divine envoy who had come to investigate.

In the divine envoy's perception, the reason the divine servant hadn't arrived at the appointed time was because it was slowly feeding and enjoying its rampage, and he had seen it after descending.

Everything was fine, so after reprimanding it, he brought it back.

All the inconsistencies in this situation, he had, through the alteration of his perception, deemed reasonable himself.