Chapter 591: Pri Yin Ancient River Takes the Scorching Sun

The entire Moon Sacrificial Region, with the exception of a mountain range that borders the outer domain at its northwestern extremity, is encircled by the Yin Sacrificial River. This river acts like a seal, trapping all living beings within, forming a complete circle.

Xu Qing had arrived in the southwestern part of the Moon Sacrificial Region, a place characterized by numerous mountains and sparse vegetation. Because of its proximity to the river, the wind blowing from the Yin Sacrificial River carried the stench of death and decay, spreading in all directions. However, within this grim atmosphere, the crude language carried on the wind seemed to break the eerie silence, momentarily altering the mood.

Xu Qing's expression was peculiar. Ling'er, peeking out shyly, whispered, "Brother Xu Qing, what are they doing?" She then hid her face behind Xu Qing's collar.

Li Youfei, who had no idea where Xu Qing was taking him, stood by the Yin Sacrificial River. Listening to the distant sounds, his expression grew strange, and he instinctively took a few steps back, feeling uneasy. Although it seemed unlikely, he couldn't help but wonder about Xu Qing's true intentions for giving him so many difficulty-solving pills, and also recalled his firm refusal of the mud fox. "It can't be..." Li Youfei trembled internally, trying to reassure himself.

Xu Qing was oblivious to Li Youfei's apprehension. At that moment, he gazed into the distance, observing his surroundings. This area was protected by a restriction. Besides concealment, its purpose was also to isolate, blocking not only sound but also sight. Xu Qing had detected it upon approaching, realizing it was laid out with the Captain's blood and marked with his aura, allowing him unimpeded entry. With a thoughtful look, Xu Qing took a few steps forward before squatting down and touching the ground. According to his perception, this spot was one of the restriction's vital points.

The moment Xu Qing's hand made contact, an eye suddenly emerged from the sand, blinking at him. Soon after, similar eyes appeared all around. Blue worms also crawled out. The area covered was immense, spanning a full thousand li. This sight left Li Youfei's mind trembling, as if he were facing a formidable enemy; he felt that the strangeness of this place was as unsettling as the white wind of the desert. Likewise, Xu Qing was moved, a thought stirring in his mind: "Senior Brother said he was going to do a small task when he left... What kind of small task requires sealing a thousand li?"

As Xu Qing pondered, the eyes and blue worms began to sway, emitting joyful emotional fluctuations. The Captain's voice echoed from them: "Haha, Xiao A-Qing, you're here! Hurry over and help us pull!"

Xu Qing's expression was strange, but he didn't hesitate. He swayed and stepped forward. As he advanced, the eyes and worms on the bank quickly dispersed, clearing a path. Following the path, Xu Qing sped along. The crude language and panting sounds grew clearer until, after a short while, he sensed himself passing through a membrane-like barrier. A hidden scene then appeared before his eyes.

What first caught Xu Qing's attention was a colossal object standing on the distant bank. It was a massive, gate-frame-shaped structure, crafted from bronze-colored megaliths, measuring three thousand zhang tall and one thousand zhang wide. Erected on the riverbank, it resembled an ancient giant, exuding astonishing pressure and a magnificent aura. Upon closer inspection, countless ancient runes were visible, intricately carved into the bronze megaliths, conveying an immense sense of complexity. What truly startled Xu Qing was that inside this gate frame was not a door, but a peculiar object formed by circles of black metal, spiraling upwards. The top and bottom circles were the smallest, with the middle section being the largest, resembling a conical spring. It was heavily rusted, and in some places, red river water still dripped from it, suggesting it had been recently retrieved from the river.

Staring at the object, Xu Qing couldn't guess what it was. He shifted his gaze to the riverbank nearby, where the Captain, Wu Jianwu, and Ning Yan were. The three were arranged in a vertical line: the Captain was at the very front, grasping a vine, panting heavily, his body bent like a bow as he continuously pulled. Behind him was Wu Jianwu and his strange offspring, each pulling the vine with all their might. Ning Yan was at the very back, sitting on the ground with his legs spread wide, heels dug into the sand for leverage, while his hands gripped the vine attached to his abdomen. He wailed as he pulled with effort, "No, please, it's really going to break..." The vine, connected to his navel, extended far into the Yin Sacrificial River. As they pulled, the river water churned, and a massive, circular object vaguely appeared to be slowly rising from the riverbed.

"Xiao A-Qing, hurry and help!" the Captain shouted to Xu Qing, shaking his hair to wipe sweat from his forehead. Wu Jianwu also looked up, panting as he gazed at Xu Qing. Ning Yan, utterly dispirited, wailed, "Boss, save me..."

Almost as Ning Yan spoke, a flash of light flew from Xu Qing—it was the parrot. It had grown some patchy, fledgling feathers, making it look even uglier. It instantly flew to Wu Jianwu, crying like a child who had escaped from a demon and found its family. "Daddy, I thought I'd never see you again." But before it could lament its ordeal, its "father" shook his head, flung it off, and growled, "Grab the rope and pull!" The parrot froze, feeling a mix of grief and indignation, as if life wasn't worth living. However, since its "father" had spoken, it dared not disobey. Like Ning Yan, it could only pull with a look of utter despair.

Seeing this, Xu Qing, despite his many questions, stepped over to the Captain, grabbed the vine, and pulled with all his might. Li Youfei quickly arrived to help. He smiled at Wu Jianwu, glanced at Ning Yan, then looked at the Captain, immediately deducing who held the highest status among the three.

Their addition caused the pulling force to surge. The river water churned violently, and amid the echoing roar, a massive ring's curved edge appeared on the distant river surface. "Senior Brother, what is this object?" Xu Qing asked, his gaze fixed, as he continued to pull.

Hearing the question, the Captain, though panting, couldn't help but feel proud. "Xiao A-Qing, you're a bit late, but it's okay, at least you made it." He then laughed. "Did you see that gate frame behind us? Haha, guess what that is?" Xu Qing shook his head, his expression perplexed. Seeing Xu Qing display such a rare look, the Captain chuckled. "That's a sun! The Moon Sacrificial Region once had nine artificial suns, and three of them fell, you know that, right? That gate frame is one of the fallen suns! And what we're pulling out now is also one of the three fallen suns. This is the 'small task' I came here to do. In spring, I sowed the seeds; now in autumn, I shall harvest three suns!" The Captain stated proudly. In reality, he had already found those three suns that had fallen in ancient times in his previous life, even repairing them before ultimately concealing them in the Yin Sacrificial River.

Xu Qing's mind reeled as he looked back at the enormous gate. He had never imagined such a thing could be an artificial sun. "Thanks to Ning Yan, haha, I really wasn't wrong back then; this kid's bloodline is extraordinary. With it integrated into the vine and my blessing, the vine can withstand the corrosion of the Yin Sacrificial River." The Captain said, gently shaking the vine in his hand. Hearing this, Ning Yan, behind him, looked aggrieved and furious. His greatest regret was going to Feng Hai Commandery. If he hadn't gone to Feng Hai Commandery, he wouldn't have met Chen Erniu, and if he hadn't met Chen Erniu, he wouldn't have faced subsequent misfortunes. Especially now, his heart constantly trembled, fearing that Xu Qing and the others might lose their grip, in which case he would instantly be dragged into the river. Although, working with Chen Erniu had allowed him to enjoy many good things along the way, and his cultivation was now close to breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm...

"Put your back into it!" the Captain roared after telling Xu Qing about his "small task." Everyone pulled together. As the river water roared, the colossal object within became increasingly visible, steadily approaching the bank. It was too massive, over three thousand zhang high, creating an immense sense of oppression. As it drew closer, Xu Qing gradually discerned its details. It was a giant ring. Although covered in mud and red river water, its base color was discernible as white. The most peculiar thing was the human figures within this enormous ring. Numerous humanoid sculptures stood inverted inside, their feet resting on the inner ring, holding hands in a cruciform pose, forming an inner circle. From a distance, they looked like an intricate, hollowed-out pattern on the gigantic ring. However, it was incomplete; Xu Qing noticed a missing humanoid sculpture in the inner circle, leaving a gap.

"Xiao Yuanzi, come pull your dad!" With success imminent, the Captain excitedly roared, taking out the Lone Sun Clan's artificial sun and using its power to pull. Finally, as the river water swelled and surged towards the bank, the massive ring became clearer and closer in the water, until, half an hour later, it was completely pulled ashore. With a thud, it landed on the bank. Ning Yan collapsed, as did Wu Jianwu. Only the Captain, despite being exhausted, quickly jumped up and ran over, touching it here and there, his eyes filled with fervor. "Xiao A-Qing, do you know? It's called Da Yuanzi!" Xu Qing walked closer, looking up at the enormous ring, a feeling of respect rising in his heart for the civilization that could create such an object. "Xiao A-Qing, come help me push it over to Da Fangzi." The Captain, revitalized, pushed with all his might. Xu Qing helped alongside him. With their combined effort, and the ground rumbling, the giant ring rolled forward until it reached the side of the gate frame. They both sat down, panting. "Senior Brother, are you sure this is a 'small task'?" Xu Qing sighed, looking at the two colossal objects behind him. The Captain chuckled, putting an arm around Xu Qing's shoulder. "Of course it's a small task. Once this is done, we'll go to the Bitter Life Mountains together—that's where the 'big task' is! Oh, and Xiao A-Qing, how have you been doing in the Bitter Life Mountains?" "Not bad, I opened a small pharmacy," Xu Qing nodded. "A pharmacy? That's great! Do you need a boss there?" the Captain's eyes lit up. Xu Qing glanced at the Captain, and Ling'er popped out, quickly interjecting, "No!" The Captain chuckled, looking at Xu Qing, then at Ling'er, a knowing look on his face before he cleared his throat. "Let's not talk about that for now. There's another big guy at the bottom of the river. Let's rest a bit, then put in some more effort to pull it out." He lowered his voice. "And let me tell you, Xiao A-Qing, this last one is extremely unusual! It's the original, first artificial sun in the Moon Sacrificial Region, and there were even rumors that it's an ancient object from the Dominator Era."

As the Captain whispered his explanation, Li Youfei, sitting beside Wu Jianwu in the distance, was utterly shocked. As a native of the Moon Sacrificial Region, he naturally knew about artificial suns. Now, seeing one being retrieved with his own eyes, his mind was already violently shaken. "Are Master's friends really this terrifying!"

Before Li Youfei could fully process his shock, after a brief rest, the Captain stood up, his expression exhilarated, and announced loudly, "Time to get to work! Once we pull out the last big one, we'll be all set!" With that, the Captain walked over to Ning Yan. Ning Yan looked at the Captain pleadingly. The Captain patted his shoulder. "Da Ningning, this is the last time, I promise. And what I promised you, I will definitely get for you. It will surely make your bloodline surge, surpassing your father's!"

Ning Yan immediately looked surprised and doubtful. The Captain gave a half-smile and, without another word, took Ning Yan's vine and headed straight for the river. Seeing this, Xu Qing felt uneasy and followed, walking up to the Captain. Noticing Xu Qing's approach, the Captain chuckled, feeling a warmth in his heart. "It's still you, Junior Brother, who cares about your Senior Brother. Ningning and Jianjian just watched me jump into the river; not one of them followed. Alright, let's go, just the two of us brothers!" After saying this, the Captain surged forward, stepping into the river. Xu Qing followed, stepping in behind him. They instantly submerged, their respective cultivations spreading out to resist the river's force as they rapidly descended towards the riverbed.

The Captain resisted with a blue glow that enveloped his entire body. Xu Qing's method was simpler: a slight emanation of his Purple Moon power instantly dissolved all resistance. Thus, the two moved at full speed across the riverbed. The riverbed was dim, with the blood-colored water exceptionally dense. Countless skeletons drifted in the water. Xu Qing personally saw a decaying female skeleton float past him, its eyelids seeming to open slightly. Xu Qing paid it no mind and continued forward. Vaguely, there seemed to be terrifying presences lurking in the river, but both the blue glow from the Captain and Xu Qing's Purple Moon authority created a deterrence, preventing those entities from attacking them. In this manner, time slowly passed. Ning Yan's vine, infinitely extended by the Captain's blessing, allowed them to pull it, drawing ever closer to the river's depths.

After an unknown amount of time, a gigantic, spherical object, partially submerged in mud and thousands of zhang in visible size, vaguely appeared in their sight. This colossal object was dilapidated and riddled with holes, as if it had endured war. A sense of antiquity pervaded the iron sphere, and an ancient essence emanated from its mottled rust. The passage of time had left it with a feeling of decay, which anyone who saw it would involuntarily sense. This was the original, first artificial sun in the Moon Sacrificial Region, said to be from the Dominator Era.

"We're here!" The Captain's eyes gleamed with an unusual light. He gestured to Xu Qing, signaling him to keep an eye on their surroundings, then pulled the vine and approached the iron sphere. Xu Qing nodded, watching intently from the side.

However, at that moment, they couldn't notice that inside the rusty, riddled iron sphere, a figure sat cross-legged! The figure was gaunt, with a withered face, clad in tattered brown robes. Its exposed skin revealed veins that bulged like mountain ranges. Long, gray hair fanned out around him, transforming into wisps of lingering souls that drifted within the iron sphere. The moment the Captain and Xu Qing drew near, the figure's closed eyes slowly opened, revealing a blue light that emitted a soul-stirring power. It was the Son of the Dominator! He gazed out, his expression becoming somewhat peculiar.