Chapter 622: Man Who Tethers the Sun

Outside the pharmacy in Earth City, within the Kusheng Mountain Range, Wu Jianwu gazed at the bustling street, watching the residents come and go. His desire to compose poetry had grown considerably in recent days.

He had even altered his poetic style.

"Pills, pills, pills, you float like willow floss, if you want a good night's sleep, hurry up and buy your meds!"

Wu Jianwu declaimed loudly, and Li Youfei, standing nearby, quickly cheered.

"Excellent poetry, young master!"

Wu Jianwu laughed heartily. As he was about to continue, Ling'er from inside the pharmacy zipped past him like the wind. The next instant, the figures of Xu Qing and two others appeared at the end of the street.

Ling'er immediately rushed into Xu Qing's arms. "Brother Xu Qing, you're finally back..."

Ling'er's eyes were red. She had been worried day and night these past few days, and her inner anxiety had made her lose all interest in her favorite pastime of accounting.

Now that she saw Xu Qing was unharmed, the constant worry in her heart finally eased.

Xu Qing smiled, patted Ling'er's head, and looked towards the pharmacy. A few days felt like years, and returning now, he felt a sense of emotion.

"Little Youyou, Big Butt, I'm back! Why aren't you coming over for a hug?"

The Captain, standing nearby, stepped into the pharmacy and spoke loudly.

You Jing, who was squatting and boiling water, felt nauseous upon hearing this. His inner turmoil, which had finally calmed down for a few days, immediately flared up at the sound of the 'Second Ox'.

"Sooner or later, I'm going to kill this wretched ox, bite him to pieces, and eat him!!"

The Scion watched all this with a smile. He enjoyed the warm atmosphere of the pharmacy, so he sat in his usual chair, picked up a teacup, and began to drink.

The parrot quickly arrived, landing on the Scion's shoulder. It felt comfortable, but as it looked down at its red body, now missing even more feathers, its indignation flared up again.

"Grandpa, I ran into bad guys again a few days ago. I couldn't see who they were, but they trapped me in a sack! It was outrageous! They didn't hit me, they just pulled out my feathers through the sack!"

Ning Yan lowered his head and continued to mop the floor, wiping hard stroke after stroke. But after only a few wipes, he noticed Xu Qing, paused, and looked surprised and puzzled.

"Boss, you... why do you feel different from before?"

As Ning Yan spoke, Wu Jianwu also looked over, and Li Youfei's gaze followed. Both of them, however, were a bit confused, unable to pinpoint any changes, only feeling that Xu Qing seemed more radiant than before.

Although he clearly wasn't made of crystal, the sensation of radiance still somehow emerged from their minds.

Ling'er also looked curious.

The Captain smiled, saying nothing, his expression smug.

"These all... ran over by themselves," Ling'er whispered.

Xu Qing nodded. After catching up with everyone, he returned to the back room.

There, he sat cross-legged, took a deep breath, recalled his recent experiences, slowly closed his eyes, and began to perceive the authority and the Violet Moon Divine Treasure he had acquired.

Now, merely my Violet Moon Divine Treasure can suppress the Dao of Nurturing... However, the poison restriction still cannot integrate into my gaze; this is only possible when my divine nature is dominant.

As for the authority, it seems there are even more abilities that can be exercised...

Furthermore, the formidable strength of my physical body and the Violet Moon power transforming into a Divine Treasure have created an imbalance compared to my other Nascent Souls.

This imbalance poses a significant disadvantage. If I cannot quickly elevate my other Nascent Souls, it may lead to a siphon effect, causing them to gradually wither.

Xu Qing pondered.

Time slowly flowed by.

Before leaving, in the courtyard, the Scion gave Xu Qing a dull, gray iron ball.

"Tie this iron ball to your waist using your Violet Moon power. Remember, do not take it off unless absolutely necessary."

Xu Qing glanced at the iron ball, finding it vaguely familiar. He raised his hand to take it.

The moment he grasped it, an unparalleled force emanated from the iron ball. Its weight was astonishing; Xu Qing's right hand instantly sank, and his body rumbled.

The next instant, in shock, Xu Qing instinctively activated his divine body. With a rumbling sound, a tall figure about twenty zhang appeared in the courtyard.

Only then could he barely hold onto the iron ball.

However, the weight from the iron ball not only affected Xu Qing's physical body but also his Nascent Souls; everything except his soul was currently bearing this immense burden.

This caused his body to uncontrollably sink into the rocky ground.

Cracks spread out from beneath him as Xu Qing's body sank halfway into the ground. The surrounding chicks scattered in terror, their feathers falling everywhere.

Xu Qing was moved.

He recognized the iron ball.

This was the sun that he and the Captain had fished out from the banks of the Siyin River.

The old grandfather had been inside this iron ball at the time.

"This..." Xu Qing took a deep breath and looked at the Scion.

"You can borrow this item. On your journey, you cannot use your divine body to distribute the weight, and your Violet Moon power can only be used to tie it. You must constantly circulate your other Nascent Souls, apart from the Violet Moon, to bear the burden."

"This way, after your Violet Moon power surges, it won't suppress your other Nascent Souls and slow down your cultivation."

"Alright, I'll wait for you at the pharmacy entrance. You need to walk out step by step, controlling your strength carefully. Otherwise, if the pharmacy collapses, it's your problem."

The Scion said indifferently, walked into the main hall with his hands behind his back, and then exited the main door.

Beside the entrance, apart from Wu Jianwu, there was another person.

It was an old man, tall and inherently dignified in appearance. Standing there, he resembled a guardian deity, exuding an impressive aura. Especially in his eyes, one could see thread-like Dao marks flowing.

This was clearly a manifestation of a Void Return realm cultivator in the first stage!

However, at this moment, this Void Return stage one elder was wearing coarse linen clothes, like a shop assistant, and stood beside Wu Jianwu.

Despite Wu Jianwu's disdain, his face filled with sorrow and indignation as he spoke.

"Pills, pills, pills, you float like willow floss..."

His voice, tinged with sorrow and a sense of having nothing left to live for, echoed all around. As it did, the elder saw the Scion emerge.

His body trembled. He quickly suppressed all his sorrow and indignation, his face showing extreme reverence, and his mind filled with fear. He bowed his head in greeting.

"Senior!"

The Scion simply hummed in acknowledgment, paying him no mind, and stood there looking at the sky, waiting for Xu Qing. Wu Jianwu blinked and chanted his poetry with even more effort, while the elder, terrified, hurriedly repeated Wu Jianwu's verse. Yet, deep in his heart, waves of fear continuously surged.

He thought back to three days ago...

Three days prior, he had been the strongest loose cultivator in the Kusheng Mountain Range, revered as Old Ancestor Mogui, and had established some connections with the Red Moon Temple.

The appearance of the red moon in the sky had made him fully commit to siding with the Red Moon Temple.

However, all of this changed with the disappearance of his disciple, who had been investigating the pharmacy.

Even after his disciple went missing, he did not come in person.

Instead, he performed a spell within the Red Moon Temple in the Kusheng Mountain Range, preparing to unleash a long-distance divine ability to ascertain what kind of entity was hidden here.

But he never imagined that he would lose consciousness halfway through the incantation.

When he awoke, he found himself in the pharmacy's backyard, transformed into a chick, and saw his disciple...

This filled him with immense fear because he knew clearly that he had been casting the spell inside the Red Moon Temple, yet such a bizarre incident had still occurred.

What horrified him even more was seeing the Scion. With just a glance, he knew the other party was a living Incipient God. This realization unleashed an infinite storm in his mind, like thunder rolling, and fear, vast as the ocean, engulfed everything.

Afterward, under his desperate pleas, and at the suggestion of the girl named Ling'er that the pharmacy needed a greeter, he became the pharmacy's second greeter.

Amidst Old Ancestor Mogui's bitterness, in the pharmacy's backyard, Xu Qing struggled to pull himself out of the ground.

He was incredibly careful throughout the entire process, striving to prevent his feet from sinking back into the ground. Yet, this simple action was incredibly difficult for him at that moment.

The weight from the iron ball was truly astonishing.

After a while, Xu Qing barely adapted. Enduring the discomfort in his Nascent Souls, he slowly retracted his divine body, shrinking it from twenty zhang to ten zhang.

As his body shrank, the distributed force also decreased. Thus, the next instant, Xu Qing's body thumped, collapsing the ground once more and sinking back down.

After a long time, he barely managed to crawl out, covered in dirt. All twelve of his Nascent Souls, except for the Violet Moon, were now conveying excruciating pain and erupting wildly.

Especially the Golden Crow.

This method was indeed effective. After feeling it, a sharp glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.

As long as it was effective, he wanted to continue.

So he continuously adapted and endured, until an hour later, Xu Qing felt ready. He then further reduced his body to five zhang.

But in the blink of an eye, a roar echoed.

His body vanished, and a large pit appeared in the ground.

And so, it continued until close to nightfall. After numerous collapses, Xu Qing barely managed to return his body to its normal size.

With the iron ball tied to his waist, he moved slowly, like a puppet. Every step was taken with maximum effort and precise control, sweat profusely dripping from his forehead.

Finally, with his arduous steps, as thumping sounds echoed from the ground, the pharmacy shook violently, dust flew, and Ling'er, Ning Yan, You Jing, and others stared dumbfounded, Xu Qing reached the main hall of the pharmacy.

Behind him, he left a series of one-foot-deep footprints and countless cracks.

The iron kettle for boiling water had fallen, and the counter in front of Ling'er was mostly shattered.

Ning Yan was indignant; he was responsible for cleaning the floor...

Xu Qing gave him an apologetic look, then struggled to take another step, and with a series of heavy thuds, he walked out of the pharmacy.

The moment he exited, the pharmacy behind him creaked, visibly leaning to one side.

"Senior," Xu Qing said expressionlessly, looking at the Scion.

The Scion glanced at the pharmacy, smiled, and walked off into the distance.

Xu Qing watched the Scion depart lightly, then silently followed behind. Thumping sounds echoed, the ground trembled, and the surrounding houses shook as a series of deep footprints continuously appeared.

"Senior, where are we going?"

"Not far, still within the Kusheng Mountain Range. We're going to see someone you've met before, my third sister."

"She chose to heal here back then."

The Scion, walking ahead, spoke with a leisurely tone.

"She told me a while ago that some flies were buzzing around outside. She asked me not to kill them but to keep them for you, as test subjects to verify your authority."

Hearing this, Xu Qing nodded. He had always been curious about the Scion's choice to come to the Kusheng Mountain Range, suspecting there were other reasons besides training him.

Now that he knew the reason, he wasn't surprised.

He merely found it strange why everyone seemed to choose the Kusheng Mountain Range.

Both the Captain and Princess Mingmei were like this.

As he pondered, thumping sounds echoed through the Kusheng Mountain Range during the night.

Xu Qing found it difficult to fly; he could only walk on the ground. Sometimes, when passing over fragile areas, he would uncontrollably sink into them.

Each time this happened, the Scion would squat beside the deep pit and look down.