Chapter 594: Red Mother Fan's Transformation

The sky above the Great Moon Sacrifice Domain was filled with gloom, especially at night. No stars were visible, nor was the moon. It was as if someone had draped a black curtain over the firmament, enveloping everything and obscuring the eyes of all beings.

At this moment, a hidden ripple was spreading across the pitch-black night sky. Within this ripple was a colossal artificial sun, named Little Orb. The Master Son refused to use Wu Jianwu's bear as a mount, so the Captain brought out Little Orb.

The Master Son was quite satisfied with this artificial sun. With a wave of his hand, he concealed it, and their group traveled inside the sun, heading towards the Bitter Life Mountain Range. However, inside this artificial sun, the atmosphere was incredibly oppressive.

Ning Yan sat upright but couldn't stop trembling. He had been shaking for most of the day, and even though his whole body ached, he couldn't control it. The feeling of being a mortal facing a fierce tiger made it impossible for him to meditate peacefully. Wu Jianwu was also the same; he shivered under a roof eave, barely daring to breathe. Li Youfei was even worse off. His nervousness and fear, after vaguely guessing the old man's cultivation level, had transformed into a surging tide, submerging him entirely and suffocating him. This suffocating feeling also caused his reverence for Xu Qing to surpass its former level, reaching its peak.

He felt that the Master was indeed a Master. Not only was his origin mysterious, but his actions also exceeded his imagination. To think of a "Concealed Deity"... he had only heard the name of this cultivation level, but from childhood to adulthood, he hadn't even seen a dead one, let alone a living one. He hadn't even seen a single strand of hair. Thinking of this, Li Youfei instinctively looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing was seated next to the Master Son. Few dared to sit there, and Xu Qing originally didn't want to, but the Master Son waved him over after arriving. So Xu Qing could only grit his teeth and sit down. As for the Captain, he was one of the few who dared to remain there. He was constantly fanning the Master Son, his face never losing its fawning expression.

“Old man, how's the airflow? Should I increase it a bit more?”

The Master Son grunted in response. The Captain then gave his all.

Xu Qing sat beside the Master Son, his hair slightly stirring. He glanced at the hard-working Captain, feeling very understanding, and gave him an encouraging look. The Captain saw it and worked even harder. At this moment, the Master Son, in his disguise as an old man, looked down at the ground around them.

Previously, this had been the living space for the Captain, Ning Yan, and their companions. Three grown men living together inevitably made a mess, especially with Wu Jianwu's offspring around. The Captain noticed the old man's gaze and was about to speak, but the next instant, Ning Yan, who had been trembling all along, suddenly pounced forward and rapidly began cleaning the ground. The speed of his actions made a profound look appear in the Captain's eyes.

Ning Yan ignored the Captain's gaze. He had figured it out: this old man might be his future great patron, his savior from the sea of suffering. As long as he served this 'grandfather' well, Er Niu wouldn't dare provoke him. So he furiously wiped, and after everything was spotless, the Master Son's expression showed satisfaction. Ning Yan quickly recalled the faces of some people in his memory, mimicking their mannerisms by putting his hands into his sleeves in front of him, and plastering a smile on his face.

“Grandpa, if there's anything you're not satisfied with, just tell this humble one, and I'll clean it immediately.”

Looking at Ning Yan, the Master Son's eyes showed a hint of nostalgia. It seemed Ning Yan's behavior reminded him of some old acquaintances, so his gaze towards Ning Yan softened considerably.

“Your bloodline, its concentration is decent. If you continue to refine it, your future potential is limitless.”

Ning Yan was invigorated by these words and quickly bowed in gratitude for the Master Son's guidance.

Wu Jianwu noticed this scene and immediately grew anxious. But the next instant, the parrot beside him suddenly flew out, approaching the Master Son, and then cautiously landed on his knee. Wu Jianwu's heart pounded. He felt this parrot was seeking its own death. However, the Master Son didn't mind. Instead, he looked at the parrot a few more times and chuckled.

“Your bloodline is even more interesting.”

Seeing that the old man didn't drive it away, the parrot became somewhat excited. It raised its head, looked proudly at everyone, and spoke.

“When Grandpa Number One appears, you are nothing! Quick, call for Grandpa! Grandpa is here!”

As soon as this nonsensical "poem" came out, Wu Jianwu gasped, his mind trembling, fearing he would be implicated. It was then that the Master Son laughed for the first time.

“Your ancestor didn't have this ancient imperial habit back then.”

The parrot quickly responded. “Ancestor is nothing! Grandpa is the greatest, Grandpa is the best, long live Grandpa!”

The Master Son smiled, raised his hand, and stroked the parrot's bald head, evidently showing some fondness for it. The parrot was incredibly submissive, allowing the Master Son to touch it, feeling immensely proud. After a while, its small eyes swept towards Ning Yan.

“Little Ningzi, why aren't you wiping everything clean here? Why are you so clueless? You need to remember, wherever my Grandpa is, there cannot be a single speck of dirt!”

Ning Yan looked up at the parrot, which gave him a disdainful glance. Ning Yan remained silent and continued to wipe. The parrot quickly checked on the Master Son, and seeing that he didn't stop its words, its courage grew. It turned its head and looked disdainfully at the Captain.

“And you, 'So-and-so Niu,' what kind of fanning is that? Haven't you eaten? So little strength! And we're moving too slowly. Fan my Grandpa with one hand, and with the other, fan the sun to make it burn more completely!”

The Captain's movements paused, and he looked at the parrot. The parrot looked up, still disdainful. The Captain narrowed his eyes and was about to speak, but at that moment, the Master Son suddenly spoke.

“The one who came to the Sea of Heavenly Fire back then, that was you, wasn't it?”

The Captain's heart skipped a beat at these words, and he quickly shook his head. “Not me, not me.”

The Master Son's gaze was profound. He glanced at the Captain and did not press further. The Captain sighed in relief. With a wave of his left hand, he quickly pulled out another fan.

“Little Parrot is indeed sensible and right to remind me. Old man, I'll go fan the sun now.”

Saying this, the Captain began to work with both hands. Immediately, the sun's speed increased considerably.

Seeing that Chen Er Niu had obeyed it, and that the Master Son had even helped to reprimand him, the parrot felt incredibly excited, and its courage completely soared. It felt this was its shining moment, the peak of its avian life. So it summoned its father to massage Grandpa, then glared at Xu Qing, ready to take revenge.

“And you, Little Qingzi, it's a long journey ahead. Why don't you dance for my Grandpa and make him happy?”

Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu secretly glanced over upon hearing this. The Captain had a half-smile on his face. Xu Qing remained expressionless throughout. At this moment, he glanced at the parrot. The parrot looked up and let out an arrogant sound. “You look… Gak!” Before it could finish its words, it fell to the ground with a thud, spitting out blood and gasping in shock.

“How is there still poison?!”

Xu Qing's expression was calm. He ignored the parrot and instead looked at the Master Son, speaking respectfully. “Senior, you mentioned earlier that the Red Moon's foundation has some connection to me. May I know what it specifically is?”

The Master Son glanced at the parrot, smiled, and raised his hand to stroke it. Soon, a strange glint appeared in his eyes, and he turned to look at Xu Qing. “This is a trump card my Master prepared for me: a divine curse poison.” Xu Qing knew what the Master Son's gaze implied, so he offered an explanation.

Upon hearing this, the Master Son's expression was a half-smile. His current transformed appearance was benevolent, and coupled with that smile, it was as if an elder was looking at their own junior. Xu Qing's expression grew even more respectful.

A moment later, the Master Son's hoarse voice echoed within the sun. “You once told me that the Crimson Mother is our common enemy. I don't know what plans your Master has, but regardless, if you want to target the Crimson Mother, you must first deal with the Red Moon Temple.”

“The last time I went to the Red Moon Temple, besides some personal reasons and plans, I also intended to explore the foundation that the Crimson Mother left for the temple.” The Master Son looked at Xu Qing. Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu both pricked up their ears. The Captain, on the other hand, blinked.

“I once told you, though the influence of the Heavenly Dao prevented you from hearing too much back then, you should still remember me telling you that the Crimson Mother was slain by my father before she became a god.”

As soon as the Master Son's words fell, everyone present, except for the Captain and Xu Qing, was deeply shaken, their expressions greatly changed, instinctively filled with horror. Especially Li Youfei, as a local, his mind suddenly buzzed upon hearing this explosive information.

“And the foundation the Crimson Mother left for the temple is the shed skin from her transformation from mortal to god! It contains concentrated primordial power of the Red Moon; it is the core of the Red Moon Temple. As long as it exists, the temple will not be destroyed. Because outsiders who approach it will be assimilated, lose their self, and become Crimson Mother believers. Even the temple cultivators dare not touch it; they can only worship it. Even a Divine Son needs to seek permission from the Crimson Mother to use it, but the Crimson Mother is dormant and cannot respond.”

“Only you... perhaps can.” The Master Son's eyes held deep meaning as he spoke softly.

Xu Qing was deep in thought. The Captain beside him raised an eyebrow slightly, and the Master Son said no more.

Thus, days passed. Although they had grown accustomed to the Master Son's presence, Wu Jianwu, Ning Yan, and Li Youfei remained nervous, not daring to relax. Only the parrot, whose poison the Master Son had suppressed with a wave of his hand, rebounded, strutting and showing off. However, it was clearly utterly terrified of Xu Qing. But for others, it clearly had no memory, constantly giving orders. Ning Yan gritted his teeth multiple times, and the Captain occasionally sneered.

However, with the Master Son present, they couldn't act out. And the parrot wasn't foolish; when the Master Son sometimes rested, it stayed glued to his side. Seeing no opportunity, the Captain noted this matter in his heart and began to attend to his own affairs. He would often, when the Master Son rested, take out a mirror in front of Xu Qing, enter it, and then quickly reappear. Each time, he would smugly look at Xu Qing, wanting to see surprise on Xu Qing's face.

Xu Qing remained silent each time, but the Captain's gaze was persistent. So, he sighed inwardly and asked the words the Captain wanted to hear.

“Senior Brother, what have you been doing these past few days?”

The Captain chuckled upon hearing this. He had finally waited for this sentence.

“Little A Qing, you've been in the Bitter Life Mountain Range for a while now. I don't believe you don't know. You're just feeling down, that's why you only asked me now, right?”

“Haha, you guessed right. I entered the Inverse Moon Palace.” The Captain patted Xu Qing's shoulder, adopting an 'I understand you' expression. “I understand, Little A Qing, you must have tried it in the Bitter Life Mountain Range too, but you got stuck at the second stage, didn't you? With the Red Moon's authority on you, it's impossible to pass.”

“It's a pity you can't see the scenery of the Inverse Moon Palace. Let me tell you, something big happened in the Inverse Moon Palace recently! A Master of Alchemy appeared inside!” The Captain whispered mysteriously to Xu Qing. “No one knows the origin of that Master of Alchemy, but let me tell you, thanks to my efforts, the Master and I are now close friends.”

Xu Qing hesitated, unsure if the Captain was referring to him. Just as he was about to ask, the Captain spoke with an arrogant expression.

“Let's not talk about this for now. I'll tell you the story of the Master and me later. Let's get to the point: I recently took a mission in the Inverse Moon Palace. We can complete it along the way in the next few days; the reward is extremely generous. With the old man here, what do we have to fear? That's why I've been frequently looking for missions these past few days!”

Xu Qing understood the Captain's habit of utilizing all available resources, so he wasn't surprised. He simply asked, “What kind of mission?”

The Captain spoke in a hushed tone. “There's an unlucky cultivator from the Inverse Moon Palace who practiced some kind of 'hundred poisons immunity' body, but ended up getting severely poisoned. He's been in seclusion for a long time and hasn't been able to move. This cultivator clearly tried every method but couldn't neutralize the poison. He must be close to death from the poison, which is why he didn't hesitate to expose his whereabouts, issuing a rescue mission in the Inverse Moon Palace.”