Chapter 608: Tracing the Origin of the Beginning

In the back room of the pharmacy, Xu Qing sat cross-legged, his consciousness now merged with his Golden Crow Nascent Soul. From this moment on, he was the Golden Crow.

As he plunged into the bead, a peculiar space appeared within Xu Qing's perception.

The surroundings were blurry, filled with churning mist. Bursts of thunder echoed, roaring in all directions, and suddenly, the mist ahead parted, revealing a colossal face rapidly approaching him.

In the blink of an eye, the face appeared before Xu Qing; it was none other than Venerable Black Eyes. His face was crimson, and his eyes gleamed with madness. Ever since he was sealed here, he had endured daily torture, wishing for death. He had believed this life would be his end, but then that terrifying entity told him he could escape if he consumed the Golden Crow for the tenth time.

He had no choice but to believe. Upon seeing Xu Qing, he didn't hesitate. His cultivation erupted, and a complete Secret Domain instantly materialized and descended from all directions.

“Die quickly! Let's get this to the tenth time!” Venerable Black Eyes roared, opening his mouth wide and lunging to devour Xu Qing.

Xu Qing retreated rapidly, his Golden Crow body shimmering and emitting endless heavenly flames. However, before a Spirit Repository cultivator with a complete Secret Domain, these heavenly flames were utterly powerless. In a flash, as Venerable Black Eyes exhaled, the flames emitted by the Golden Crow actually recoiled, and Venerable Black Eyes' face swelled infinitely, eventually filling and replacing the entire space.

His forehead touched the sky, his chin rested on the ground, and his gaping mouth opened endlessly, like a black hole, devouring Xu Qing in one gulp.

From afar, the Golden Crow that Xu Qing had transformed into seemed like a mere mortal bird, utterly incapable of resistance. As darkness enveloped his vision, waves of excruciating pain emanated from his soul. The Golden Crow disintegrated, Xu Qing's consciousness blurred, and he vaguely heard an echo reverberating in his ears.

“Nine more times....”

Back in the pharmacy, the cross-legged Xu Qing suddenly opened his eyes, breathing rapidly.

“It was just an instant!”

Xu Qing's expression was grim. His Golden Crow was still intact, not truly devoured, but the soul injury he had just recovered from now felt intensely torn. Xu Qing raised his hand, took out a healing pill, and swallowed it. He closed his eyes and meditated. An hour later, his injuries recovered, and he looked down at the bead in his hand, gaining a more intuitive understanding of Spirit Repository cultivators.

“This won't do!”

“So how should my Golden Crow transform to avoid being devoured by that gaping maw?”

Xu Qing fell silent, his mind racing with thoughts. A moment later, he closed his eyes and immersed his consciousness into his Golden Crow Nascent Soul, continuing to contemplate his Golden Crow.

“The Golden Crow can refine myriad spirits, can transform into the sun...”

“The former is not enough for now, but the latter...” Xu Qing's mind replayed the suns he had seen.

“It was in Feng Hai County, Chaoxia Province, that I first saw a sun up close, though it was a mere remnant...”

“Later, within this Moon-Worshipping Grand Domain, I saw four artificial suns: the Small Orb was the first, the Power of Eternity was the second, the Ring Gazer was the third, and the Ancient Sphere was the fourth.”

Xu Qing pondered deeply, and after a while, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

“There's also one more: the youth I saw in the dragon totem when I was comprehending the Golden Crow.”

“If I change the form of the Golden Crow, making it transform into a sun, closer to its true essence....”

Xu Qing looked thoughtful. Under this immense pressure, he had no choice but to meticulously ponder how to use the Golden Crow.

A night passed.

The next morning, though the sky outside was still dim, it was slightly better than night. With the opening of the pharmacy, Xu Qing began his second attempt.

His Golden Crow body shot towards the bead. The next instant, it was still that peculiar space, and the moment Xu Qing appeared, his body rapidly retreated. The mist in front of him violently churned, and the face of Venerable Black Eyes instantly surged out.

Just like last time, it rapidly grew until it filled the entire space, its aura overwhelming, carrying destructive power, its gaping mouth opening wide, lunging to devour Xu Qing. But this time, just as it lunged to swallow Xu Qing, the Golden Crow that Xu Qing had transformed into let out a piercing cry, its body exploding first, splitting into four parts.

One part twisted into the shape of a doorway, within which springs materialized, rumbling up and down, forming direct burning flames that transformed into a sun. The second part coiled into a circle, with rapidly spinning gears gathered within. The third part converged into a fleshly mass, which also burned.

These three solar forms were precisely the Three Suns Xu Qing had seen on the banks of the Siyin River. Upon appearing, they charged directly towards Venerable Black Eyes' gaping mouth, releasing their fiery heat and erupting with their own roars. As the entire space vibrated, these three suns all self-destructed.

A rumbling sound reverberated in all directions, and Venerable Black Eyes' face finally paused for a moment. One could see areas on his face showing signs of burning, but the next instant, they returned to normal. Regardless, at this moment, Xu Qing had finally avoided being instantly devoured. As for the last portion of flesh and blood, it squirmed as it rapidly retreated, forming the figure of a youth.

The youth had a jade-like countenance, was clad in an imperial robe, and wore an emperor's crown. Heavenly flames emanated from his body, forming a Dragon's Restraint beneath him. His aura was extraordinary, and he was about to make a move, but in a flash, the space suddenly collapsed, rapidly squeezing from above and below, as if the sky became the upper jaw and the earth the lower jaw. At this moment, it closed with a booming sound, and everything went black.

In the pharmacy, Xu Qing suddenly opened his eyes, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, as an echo reverberated in his ears.

“Eight more times!”

Xu Qing's expression was gloomy. He swallowed a pill while recalling his previous failure.

“A Nascent Soul of the Three Tribulations simply cannot defeat a Spirit Repository cultivator, even if the opponent is sealed and restricted within the bead. The vast gap between them is insurmountable.”

Xu Qing took a deep breath, sensing that his direction was likely correct.

“So, how can I delve deeper?”

“And what exactly is the Golden Crow composed of?”

“Also, what is the essence of Imperial-grade cultivation techniques?”

Xu Qing pondered, his consciousness immersed in the Golden Crow, just about to continue his observation, when Ling'er excitedly ran in from outside and spoke softly.

“Brother Xu Qing, today is the day to release the pills!”

Hearing this, Xu Qing opened his eyes. He had forgotten about it; the presence of the Young Lord had indeed shifted him from a state of tranquility, accelerating his pace considerably. However, he had already finished refining the pills several days ago. Their effect was even better than he had imagined, reducing the curses significantly more. So Xu Qing nodded to Ling'er, took out his mirror, and, taking Ling'er with him, entered the Reverse Moon Palace.

At this moment, the Reverse Moon Palace was bustling with people. After ten days of anticipation, the news that Master Dan Jiu would be releasing the Curse-Breaking Pills had spread throughout the Reverse Moon Palace. Especially since Master Sheng Luo also decided to release his pills on the same day, which thoroughly ignited the emotions of everyone in the Reverse Moon Palace.

Currently, tens of thousands of divine statues stood suspended in the air of the Reverse Moon Palace, all awaiting the arrival of Xu Qing and Master Sheng Luo. They varied in appearance, but their bodies emitted a rich divine radiance. From afar, they resembled gods and demons, their aura magnificent. Discussions rose and fell, creating a fervent buzz.

“I didn't expect it to be so lively today; I wonder how things will turn out for both sides.”

Amidst the countless discussions, there were also angry accusations and mutual targeting between supporters of both sides.

“Master Sheng Luo is highly respected and has benefited countless people. His alchemy is unmatched. How could a sudden appearance like Master Dan Jiu shake his position?!”

“Highly respected? Please stop! Every one of Sheng Luo's pills is extremely expensive. Back then, I spent all my sect's resources just for one!”

“Presumptuous! If you didn't have that pill, you'd be a pile of bones by now. How could you still be here spouting nonsense?!”

However, among them were also two followers of Master Dan Jiu, whose voices were loud and full of vigor. One of them was Xu Qing's neighbor, a large man, who glared at the crowd, his voice booming.

“Although Master Sheng Luo can save a life, he leaves people bankrupt! We are all unfortunate souls; it's already hard enough to struggle to survive, and yet we are exploited by our own people like this!”

“Look at Master Dan Jiu, on the other hand. He is compassionate and benevolent. His Difficulty-Alleviating Pills only cost one hundred drops of servant divine blood. Does he not know the value of the Difficulty-Alleviating Pills?!”

“He knows!”

“But he, the venerable one, cannot bear to see us suffer like this, which is why he offers them at such a practically free price to alleviate our pain!”

The neighbor's voice was filled with deep gratitude, reverberating in all directions. Not far away, another divine statue let out a sharp cry.

“You big fools, you were swindled by that brat Sheng Luo until you're bankrupt, and you're still praising him! That brat Sheng Luo is filthy rich, and you lot are all filial sons!”

The speaking divine statue was a gaunt sculpture holding a treasure vase, with a dark complexion and six eyes. All six of its eyes now gleamed with mockery. Especially the phrase 'filial sons' made everyone who heard it glare angrily, as his words were truly malicious and their mockery reached an extreme. Seeing everyone glaring and roaring, the six-eyed divine statue seemed even more pleased and continued to speak. His words provoked even stronger glares from the surrounding crowd. Although they didn't know what 'Xiao Youyou' meant, it was clear from the sound of it that it wasn't anything good. This led to even greater condemnation.

Some followers and believers of Master Dan Jiu, feeling as if they had found their backbone, gathered around the six-eyed statue, forming a small faction. Even the large man, the neighbor, looked at him with admiration in his eyes. He knew the other party, aware that this person had only recently been frequently appearing in the master's temple. He just hadn't expected that someone who usually remained silent would now speak so sharply and maliciously. Thus, the large man mused that since this person was so like-minded, he should definitely cultivate a good relationship with him in the future.

Just then, suddenly, the entire Reverse Moon Palace violently vibrated, the mountain shook, and all the temples roared. Moreover, an astonishing pressure descended from the sky.

The arguing crowd, who had been roaring in dispute, all paused and looked up.