Xu Qing wasn't sure how to join the Inverse Moon Hall. Duanmu Zang hadn't explicitly said, only telling him to go to this place. Now, more than half a year later, Xu Qing stood amidst the azure wind and sand, gazing at the distant Bitter Mountain Range. Information he had gathered about the area surfaced in his mind.
Unlike the Weiyang Mountain Range, the Bitter Mountain Range was devoid of vegetation, with only endless wind and sand howling in one's ears. The constant moaning sound instinctively evoked feelings of depression and desolation.
Xu Qing tightened his collar, feeling Ling'er slide around his neck, a warmth rising in his heart. With a flash, he rose with the wind and sand, gradually stepped onto the Bitter Mountain Range, and began his search for traces of the Inverse Moon Hall.
Time, like the wind between heaven and earth, constantly blew and continuously passed.
Ten days later, on a higher peak in the Bitter Mountain Range, Xu Qing surveyed his surroundings, a frown on his face. During these ten days, he had searched the Bitter Mountain Range extensively but found no clues about joining the Inverse Moon Hall. However, he noticed that the mountain range contained many creatures, with mixed races residing in earthen cities built into the mountains. Ordinary mortals were rare; most inhabitants possessed cultivation but were somewhat exclusive.
Several times, Xu Qing observed from a distance and sensed hostility from the gazes of cultivators in those earthen cities.
"Duanmu Zang said the way to join the Inverse Moon Hall is within this Bitter Mountain Range…" Xu Qing looked up at a distant peak, the highest point in the range, where he detected fluctuations from a Red Moon Restriction. "The Red Moon Divine Temple generally doesn't casually build branch temples outside, yet there's one here…"
"This indicates that this place is special, and there's a high probability that a method to enter the Inverse Moon Hall genuinely exists here. But one thing is very strange: if most people know the Bitter Mountain Range is an entrance to the Inverse Moon Hall, why doesn't the Divine Temple seal this place or forbid entry?"
Xu Qing's eyes showed contemplation as he withdrew his gaze and looked down the mountain. From his vantage point, the desert below was a swath of azure, and the continuous wind and stirred-up sand rendered the entire world into a sea of azure mist.
"Unless for some special reason, seals and prohibitions are ineffective."
Xu Qing was lost in thought, about to continue his search, when suddenly, distant roars were carried by the wind, and faint magical fluctuations echoed.
Xu Qing initially paid no attention. He had encountered similar occurrences several times in the Bitter Mountain Range over the past few days, mostly skirmishes between cultivators of various races for different reasons. The cultivation levels weren't high, primarily Foundation Establishment, with few Golden Core cultivators.
After a few steps, Xu Qing paused, looking in the direction of the magical fluctuations.
"The Nascent Soul fluctuations aren't very strong, somewhere between the second and third tribulations." Since arriving here, this was Xu Qing's first encounter with a battle between Nascent Soul cultivators. Since he couldn't find a way to enter the Inverse Moon Hall directly here, he needed to search indirectly through other means.
So, Xu Qing concealed his presence, blending into the wind, and drifted towards that location.
Before long, the scene of the battle came into Xu Qing's view. It was a canyon, with the azure winds of the desert below. Two cultivators were battling each other mid-air, their techniques varied, and sharp artifacts darted through the air, their combined fluctuations rumbling all around.
Both were middle-aged, their clothing similar to Xu Qing's, wrapped around their entire bodies, with only their eyes visible. They attacked ferociously, completely exchanging injuries for injuries. One of them was severely wounded, with a massive gash on his abdomen, and one arm had been severed at some point. The attacker had one eye blinded, blood flowing from it, but his other eye gleamed with savagery.
Clearly, this battle hadn't just begun; it had already been underway elsewhere and had extended into a pursuit to this location.
The moment Xu Qing arrived, the one-eyed cultivator suddenly opened his mouth and exhaled a black mist. As the mist churned, his severely wounded and increasingly weakened opponent couldn't dodge in time and was directly enveloped by the black mist on his face. A shrill scream erupted. The injured cultivator retreated rapidly, but it was too late. The one-eyed cultivator sneered, swiftly caught up, plunged his hands violently into the opponent's chest, shattering his internal organs. He then unleashed an unknown technique that transformed his opponent into a mummified corpse.
Xu Qing observed closely: the Nascent Soul of the mummified cultivator had not escaped either, sealed within the dry corpse.
After finishing, the one-eyed cultivator put away the mummified corpse, sharply turned his head, his eyes revealing an eerie glow, with symbols flashing in his pupils, giving him a bizarre appearance. He then grinned. "Another one?" "Are you here to rob your grandpa too?" As he spoke, his gaze fell upon Xu Qing's hiding spot.
Although Xu Qing wasn't wearing a mask, his concealment was extraordinary. For the opponent to detect him, there must have been something special about him, and the opponent's gaze was precise, not feigned.
Xu Qing thought for a moment, then simply stepped out of concealment, taking a few steps back to show he had no hostile intent. His gaze was open and honest as he calmly spoke: "Fellow Daoist, I have no relation to the person you killed. I followed the magical fluctuations here because a friend of mine went missing in this mountain range a month ago, and I came looking for him. I wonder if you might have seen…"
Before Xu Qing could finish, the one-eyed cultivator took a few steps back and sneered. "Many people go missing here; I haven't seen them." The one-eyed cultivator flickered and sped off into the distance.
Xu Qing's expression remained calm. He had intended to use this excuse to probe for information he needed, but the opponent's vigilance was too high. However, Xu Qing didn't dwell on it. Since he couldn't get answers, he turned to leave.
Yet, after only a few steps, a cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. He sensed that the surrounding wind now carried traces of poison.
The poison was deeply hidden, colorless and odorless, carried by the wind, allowing one to be unknowingly affected.
"The concoction is a bit crude: bewitching grass, withered hundred-leaves, nine-merit rock… also mixed with some corpse flowers. It's a mixed poison, requiring another type of poison to activate its effects." Xu Qing took a breath, showing no change in expression, and continued forward.
Just as an incense stick's time was nearly up, a whistling sound came from behind him. Xu Qing, expressionless, turned to look. The one-eyed cultivator had returned, approaching within dozens of meters of Xu Qing, his eyes showing a strange look as he scrutinized Xu Qing up and down, even sniffing. "Something's off about you; you smell very fragrant." As he spoke, the one-eyed cultivator's gaze locked onto Xu Qing's neck, an eerie light flashing in his eye, and he pointed a finger. "There's something on you that looks very delicious. Give it to me, and I'll tell you the answer you seek."
Ling'er trembled. The exact spot the one-eyed cultivator was looking at was precisely where she was. Feeling Ling'er's tremor, Xu Qing's gaze turned cold. He noticed that with the opponent's raised finger, the surrounding poison instantly enveloped him, seemingly about to erupt. He calmly looked at the one-eyed cultivator.
The one-eyed cultivator's heart sank. The surrounding poison had been laid by him, and he had noticed the object on the other's neck earlier, deeming it a treasure. However, the combat prowess of the person before him made him wary, which was why he had secretly deployed the poison. His return now was because he sensed the poison was nearly ready, intending to unleash it in one go. Yet, despite having released the trigger for the poison, the other party remained completely unaffected.
This scene made the one-eyed cultivator feel something was wrong. So, his eyes darted, he took a few steps back, and spoke indifferently. "By your reaction, this item must be very important to you. Very well, I never seize what others cherish in my life. However, the answer you seek will require some compensation as a transaction."
Xu Qing nodded and stepped forward. His cultivation instantly erupted. Thirteen Nascent Souls at the Second Tribulation stage unleashed the combat power of thirty-nine Nascent Souls in that moment. The strength of this combat power surpassed even those who had ascended to Nascent Soul through six Heavenly Palaces, even if their six Nascent Souls had undergone five life tribulations and reached grand perfection.
Its immense power directly whipped up a terrifying storm around them, crushing everything in its path and shaking the eight directions.
The one-eyed cultivator's mind boomed. His breathing quickened, his expression turned horrified, and he cried out in alarm. "You, you, you!" "What kind of combat power is this?!" He could sense Xu Qing was at the Second Tribulation stage and had more Nascent Souls than himself. However, he himself was at the Third Tribulation, so while wary of Xu Qing, he wasn't initially terrified.
It was only the failure of his poison that unsettled him. But the moment Xu Qing erupted, that terrifying aura was like a direct blow to him, making his entire body tremble, his eyes filled with disbelief and incredulity. He even felt a sense of dizziness and unreality. Indeed, as a rogue cultivator, he had never encountered such a terrifying Second Tribulation cultivator in his entire life.
"This is an old monster! He's definitely not at the Second Tribulation; he's fishing!" The one-eyed cultivator's heart trembled. He retreated frantically, his mind now consumed with how to survive. As he rapidly retreated, he waved his hand, conjuring numerous magical techniques, manifesting countless brown worms. These worms, numbering in the tens of thousands, with wings on their bodies, swarmed out, each spitting silk to form layers of large nets that enveloped Xu Qing. Moreover, various artifacts whistled forth. Some formed a protective shield around the one-eyed cultivator, others were flying swords, some were vases, and there were also long spears. They were diverse and numerous, yet unmatching sets, clearly originating from multiple individuals. Though their individual power was ordinary, their combined deployment still possessed considerable might.
At the same time, numerous pill bottles were thrown, each exploding to release dense toxic powder that corroded everything and sought to obstruct Xu Qing. The ground and rocks also formed swirling pools of mud with his every step, and brown vines rose, attempting to entangle Xu Qing. All these methods were employed in an instant, creating a formidable aura. But it was still not enough.
In an instant, Xu Qing was like a terrifying beast, carrying an endless storm, tearing through the void, sweeping away everything in his path, and charging forward.
The vines under his feet trembled and shattered on their own before even reaching Xu Qing. Under the terrifying fluctuations from Xu Qing's entire body, they simply couldn't exist.
The large nets spat out by the worms met the same fate. As Xu Qing's aura formed a Golden Crow's shadow, they all ignited with a single charge. The flames coiled back, engulfing all the worms. Those brown worms shrieked, collapsed completely, and rained down as fiery embers upon the earth. Even the one-eyed cultivator spurted blood, his expression showing extreme terror.
"Senior, I was wrong, I was wrong!" As he rapidly retreated, he wailed, the turmoil in his heart already a tumultuous storm, overwhelming his mind.
He had never dreamed that a simple outing would lead him to encounter such a terrifying old monster. And despite the opponent's obvious strength, he had been so courteous earlier, creating a false impression. The most outrageous part was the concealment of his cultivation, which filled the one-eyed cultivator with despair.
As he wailed, the seven or eight artifacts he had taken out also shattered with a roar. As for the poison powder… To Xu Qing, the opponent's level of poison concoction was simply too low. The difference in their application and understanding of poison was like that between a novice disciple and a seasoned master.
Xu Qing ignored everything, creating a storm as he thundered forward. His right hand rose, disregarding the opponent's dodges and defenses, and amidst shattered techniques and collapsing artifacts, he seized the one-eyed cultivator's neck.
The one-eyed cultivator roared, his seven Nascent Souls at the Third Tribulation stage erupting within him. His body instantly flickered backward, attempting to teleport away from Xu Qing.
But at that moment, a massive number of Heavenly Demon bodies suddenly appeared from the surrounding void, forming a vortex that distorted the space, interfering with the one-eyed cultivator's teleportation and causing a slight delay. This delay was the difference between life and death.
In the blink of an eye, with Xu Qing's extreme speed, his right hand grasped the one-eyed cultivator's neck and, without hesitation, slammed him fiercely into the ground. A roar echoed, rocks shattered, forming a large crater. The one-eyed cultivator's body was like a rag doll, pinned by Xu Qing, devoid of all resistance. His eyes showed intense fear, and he quickly spoke: "Senior, please calm your anger! I was wrong! I know what Senior wants to ask, I know, I know everything!!"
Xu Qing gave the one-eyed cultivator a cold glance. The one-eyed cultivator trembled internally. In fact, the moment he first saw Xu Qing, he recognized him as an outsider, and most outsiders here came to join the Inverse Moon Hall. Of course, there were exceptions, but under the current life-or-death crisis, he didn't care about anything. He treated a dead horse as if it were alive, uttering the secret signal. He then swiftly observed Xu Qing's eyes, but unfortunately, he couldn't discern much from them.
But he noticed one thing: the other party hadn't immediately killed him. So, he quickly spoke: "Senior, I am a member of the Inverse Moon Hall! We're all on the same side! Are you also looking to join the Inverse Moon Hall? I can help!"
Xu Qing's gaze remained indifferent. If the Inverse Moon Hall was comprised of such individuals, he wouldn't be as keen to join the organization.
"Senior, you just need to be within the Bitter Mountain Range and take out a mirror—any mirror will do. If you speak our Inverse Moon Hall's secret signal to the mirror, you can initiate the Hall's assessment." "Once the assessment is passed, Senior, you can instantly enter the Inverse Moon Hall from anywhere, as long as you have a mirror!"
The one-eyed cultivator spoke with a trembling voice, but after he finished, his heart jolted as he noticed a loophole in his words. Still, he could only brace himself and hope Xu Qing hadn't noticed.
"If that's truly the case, why did you flee just now and not take out a mirror?" Xu Qing calmly asked.
The one-eyed man smiled bitterly. He grew even more wary of the person before him; this was indeed a flaw in his desperate words just now. "Senior, I… I'm still in the assessment period, I haven't passed yet…"
After speaking, he knew that the killing intent of the person before him hadn't diminished, so to save his life, he quickly blurted out: "Senior, everything I said about the method is absolutely true! It was my blind eye that led me astray before, Senior!"
This one-eyed cultivator was also a ruthless individual. As he apologized, his body convulsed, and he directly shattered one of his Nascent Souls from his crown, right in front of Xu Qing. "Senior, I shatter one Nascent Soul to express my apologies!" The one-eyed cultivator trembled, blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth, his aura significantly weakened.
Xu Qing frowned, finding it a bit wasteful, and spoke coldly: "Since such a simple method can establish a connection with the Inverse Moon Hall, why doesn't the Red Moon Divine Temple seal this place?"
The one-eyed cultivator was startled. These matters were common knowledge, yet the other party was apparently unaware. He didn't dare to ponder much and quickly replied: "Senior, there are nine entrances to the Inverse Moon Hall across the entire Sacrificial Moon Grand Domain, and this is just one of them. The Red Moon Divine Temple has sealed entrances in other places before, but as soon as one is sealed, it disappears and reappears elsewhere." "The entrances to the Inverse Moon Hall are random, so they cannot be completely prevented. It's better to let them remain fixed, which allows for better monitoring."
As he spoke, the one-eyed cultivator cautiously looked at Xu Qing, his expression fawning. His mind was entirely focused on how to survive. Noticing that Xu Qing's killing intent persisted, he gritted his teeth and shattered another Nascent Soul. It shattered with a bang right in front of Xu Qing. "Senior… I'll shatter another one, to apologize to you… I truly know I was wrong." The one-eyed cultivator wailed inwardly, his face pale. Shattering two Nascent Souls consecutively was like suffering a severe injury; his aura became extremely weak, making him appear on the verge of death, yet he still struggled to show his sincerity.
Seeing this scene, Ling'er softened slightly and secretly transmitted a message to Xu Qing in a low voice: "Brother Xu Qing, this person is quite pitiful. How about you take a few more of his Nascent Souls to see if he's faking it? If not, just give him a quick end."
Xu Qing assented upon hearing this. For those who initiated an attack on him, unless he was unable to, he had no habit of letting them go.
So, without waiting for the one-eyed cultivator to speak further, Xu Qing's right hand suddenly transformed into a ghostly form, pierced through the man's body, directly extracted his remaining five Nascent Souls, and crushed them instantly. Amidst a roar, these five Nascent Souls dissipated, their Heavenly Mandates integrating into Xu Qing's body. The amount was small, but the Heavenly Demon bodies they transformed into were actually more malevolent than usual.
The one-eyed cultivator let out a shrill scream. Having lost all his Nascent Souls, he was barely breathing. Seeing this, Xu Qing confirmed his sincerity and granted him a quick end. With one slice, he severed the man's neck. A wave of his hand caused the body to disintegrate into ash.
The opponent appeared to be human, but Xu Qing had detected when he attacked that this person was of an alien race. In reality, what race he was didn't matter when it came to life and death. If Xu Qing's cultivation had been weaker, he would be the one in a miserable state now, Ling'er would have been taken, and their fate would have been even more tragic.
Having dealt with the matter, Xu Qing picked up the storage bag, stood up, and left the area with a flicker.
Meanwhile, several hundred miles away from the battleground, in a cave dwelling, an old man sat cross-legged. This old man's clothing also covered his entire body, but his face, full of wrinkles, was exposed.
At that moment, he suddenly opened his eyes, let out a "wah" sound, and spewed a large mouthful of blood. His body swayed as he clutched a nearby rock, and despite trying to suppress it, his chest heaved, and he vomited blood again. After seven or eight consecutive mouthfuls, his body trembled, and his eyes showed extreme terror as he rapidly turned his head to look into the distance.
"I finally escaped a tribulation, but the cost was too great… my puppet body…" The old man was bitter. As a member of the Puppet Clan, he possessed a unique innate ability: he could refine killed enemies into mummified corpses, then infuse them with his own flesh and blood, refining them into a special puppet body unique to his clan. This puppet body was similar to a clone, but more flexible and extremely difficult to discern its true nature. In the past, he had gained considerable benefits using this method. This was also his trump card; he had always used this method to escape from powerful foes. However, the puppet body sacrificed this time was one he had primarily refined and was deeply connected to his mind, so its destruction caused him immense trauma. Now, his internal organs were shattering, and his injuries were severe. Furthermore, he felt that the strong cultivator he encountered today was different from those he had faced before; the feeling of intense trepidation was overwhelming.
"No, with that person's shrewdness, there's still a chance he might notice something." The old man's heart pounded. Gritting his teeth, he flickered, enduring his severe injuries as he rushed out. He dared not stay and fled rapidly into the distance, using various methods to conceal himself.
One hour after his escape, Xu Qing's figure instantly arrived outside the cave. His shadow entered first to scout, and after a brief check, Xu Qing walked in, staring at the blood on the ground with a cold snort. After he had killed the opponent and left earlier, he had a nagging feeling that something was off. The Nascent Souls contained too little Heavenly Mandate, and the Heavenly Demon bodies they transformed into were unusually malevolent. This reminded him of the opponent's messy collection of artifacts and how he had previously turned people into mummified corpses, sealing their Nascent Souls within. Thus, Xu Qing suspected that the person he killed might not have been the true body.
After all, with different races possessing strange talents, anything was possible. So, Xu Qing had expanded his perception along the way, using the Heavenly Demon bodies formed from the opponent's Nascent Souls to subtly track him to this location.
"He escaped quite fast." Xu Qing stepped out of the cave, coldly surveying his surroundings. The opponent's traces were clearly concealed multiple times, especially with the azure wind howling and obscuring everything, making it impossible for the Heavenly Demon bodies to sense him again. "Consider him lucky this time. I'll kill him next time." Xu Qing turned and headed into the distance. After leaving the area, he found a secluded mountain hollow, checked that the surroundings were clear, and fell into thought.
He pondered the veracity of the opponent's words. From a logical standpoint, the opponent's primary concern at the time was to save his life and keep the secret of his true body's existence hidden. Generally, in such situations, people choose to tell the truth to conceal deeper secrets. If they lie, and their lies are suspected, then everything they say becomes suspect.
"Therefore, it's highly likely to be true; it's worth a try!" Xu Qing's eyes showed resolve as he took out a mirror. After slaughtering the Mirror Shade Clan, he had kept some of the mirrors from the cultivators he killed, originally intending to study them. Now, he took one out and began to experiment, following the method the one-eyed cultivator had described. "The Red Moon is not eternal; may hope last forever!" Almost the instant Xu Qing's words were uttered, the mirror in his hand suddenly trembled, and a vast, heaven-like will echoed in Xu Qing's mind.
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