Chapter 626: Dragon's Nine Sons

A subtle, unspeakable sadness permeated, particularly concerning the irreversible nature of her power.

The Ruler's youngest daughter was born with inherent authority, but this power might not have been a blessing for her. She used her own life force to revive all things. While powerful, this ability was also incredibly cruel and evidently had its limits.

The Heir instinctively raised his hand and placed it before his fifth sister. He had always done this since childhood; not just him, but all his siblings did the same. Princess Mingmei was no exception.

"There's no need; I wasn't meant to live much longer anyway," the old woman in black robes said calmly.

"Even if you can't live long, you must live!" The Heir frowned, his expression turning authoritative, and his words were domineering for the first time. He raised his right hand and clapped; a wisp of life force emanated from him and went directly towards the old woman in black robes. It forcibly integrated into her.

The next moment, the old woman in black robes trembled, her aura noticeably intensifying. She looked at her brother before her with a complex expression, remaining silent. Princess Mingmei performed the same action, and after a thought, Xu Qing also offered a drop of Purple Moon blood.

"Yours isn't needed," the Heir raised his hand and flicked, returning the drop of blood to Xu Qing. Then, with a sweep of his sleeve, the figures of everyone, along with the black and white gate, vanished.

Three days later.

On the Green Sand Desert, a vortex had formed in the ground, and Xu Qing was inside, struggling to climb upwards. The sun's immense pressure made him feel the struggle once again in this desert. This time, Princess Mingmei did not pull him out. She, the Heir, and their fifth sister were in the sky, sitting cross-legged in front of the massive black and white gate.

The opening of this gate clearly could not be completed instantly; it required the continuous integration of authority from the three. So, after returning here, the three Manifestation Realm cultivators began their spellcasting. As for Xu Qing, left unaddressed, he chose to cultivate on his own.

"This desert is actually the best place for me to adapt to the sun," he muttered to himself. "If I can walk normally on the desert without sinking, then returning to the Bitter Life Mountain Range will be much easier. At the same time, if I truly achieve this, then I can try to fly! Once I can fly normally, my other Nascent Souls can advance."

The fruit transformed from that spiritual treasure would be a powerful tonic for his cultivation breakthrough. Although Princess Mingmei had given it to him, the Heir still reminded Xu Qing on the way not to consume it immediately. Consuming the fruit before his other Nascent Souls adapted to the sun's pressure, while indeed allowing them to grow, would also waste a valuable opportunity for tempering. This was because the process of enduring the sun's pressure could fully temper out more potential from the Nascent Souls, effectively raising the limit of their growth. Consuming the fruit at that point would be the most perfect. Princess Mingmei did not refute this point.

Thus, based on these thoughts, Xu Qing immersed himself in his own cultivation.

Time flowed by, and soon another three days passed. During these three days, Xu Qing controlled his Nascent Souls day and night, making them constantly unleash their power. Each time they were overdrawn, his body would sink into the desert. He would rest inside and then resume the same cultivation. Through this cycle, he could now walk on the desert, only sinking by a foot.

"This is the current limit," Xu Qing mused. "It's not impossible to avoid sinking at all, but that can only be maintained for one hour before the Nascent Souls reach their limit and require rest to continue."

As Xu Qing pondered, wondering if there were other methods to help him adapt, a violent knocking suddenly echoed from the sky. Although knocking sounds had occasionally occurred over the past few days, this one was clearly louder and more soul-shaking. Xu Qing looked up, gazing into the sky. In the sky, the Heir and his two sisters also opened their eyes.

"Eighth Brother's temper is still so explosive." The Heir frowned, then looked at Princess Mingmei. "It's almost time."

"His consciousness doesn't seem to have fully awakened," Princess Mingmei said calmly, her face devoid of expression.

"Just beat him up like we used to when he was little."

"Alright then!" The Heir nodded, formed hand seals, and pointed at the great gate. Princess Mingmei and their fifth sister did the same.

Seeing the three Manifestation Realm cultivators act this way, Xu Qing instinctively ran into the distance. He had heard their conversation and did not want to get too close. Events proved Xu Qing's decision correct. By the time he had run ten *li*, the knocking from the sky had become extremely violent, as if a terrifying entity had turned the celestial curtain into a war drum and was striking it with full force. The sound was deafening, causing countless grains of sand on the ground to crumble and shatter, and even the void showed signs of cracking.

The Green Sand Desert, however, clearly possessed a unique quality; unlike the outside world, the fluctuations generated here seemed to naturally possess a concealing effect. Xu Qing pondered, realizing that this might be why the Heir and the others chose this place to break the seal.

"Ten *li* is still a bit too close...." Xu Qing's Purple Moon power erupted within him, and as blood spread, his speed surged dramatically. Although the Heir did not want him to rely on the Purple Moon power, Xu Qing felt that it was alright to use it at this moment.

And so, after several breaths, Xu Qing had reached a hundred *li* away. Only then did his heart settle, and he looked up at the distant sky. As far as his eyes could see, the figures of the Heir and his two sisters were gone; only the gate in the sky could be vaguely seen. The next moment, dazzling light emanated from it, illuminating the sky and covering the earth.

The knocking sounds became unprecedentedly dense at this moment, and what was even more astonishing was that the sound actually affected heartbeats. Xu Qing clearly felt his own heart seemingly going out of control. Alarmed, Xu Qing's blood authority, transformed by the Purple Moon power, erupted, and a bloody vortex encircled his body. After resisting all this, he ran wildly once more.

Meanwhile, in front of the black and white gate, as the Heir and his two sisters made their move, the gate emitted a sharp grinding sound. It slowly pushed open from the outside in, revealing a gap. A green mist burst out from this gap at an astonishing speed, as if it had been sealed for too long. The moment it rushed out, a violent aura surged within it. The sky turned green, and so did the earth. Moreover, as this mist gathered, a tall, bare-chested figure vaguely appeared within it, and it roared skyward.

This figure possessed an astonishing pressure. Even from such a distance, Xu Qing only felt it briefly, yet a surge of anger spontaneously erupted within his heart. It was an immense and extreme rage. This emotion came suddenly, without any reason, erupting in Xu Qing's heart out of nowhere. Not only for him, but all the fierce beasts in the surrounding sand also became enraged at that instant. Even the usually docile sand worms became utterly ferocious in that moment. Everything was affected.

The blood vortex around Xu Qing spun more intensely, only then allowing his mind to recover. As he retreated at this moment, he gained an understanding of the authority possessed by the Ruler's eighth son. "Rampant Rage!"

As Xu Qing's expression grew solemn and he muttered to himself, a cold snort came from afar.

"What are you roaring about?!" As the sound echoed, the Heir raised his right hand as if to clench a fist, but seemingly worried the opponent couldn't withstand it, he changed it to a single finger, pointing it downwards. Instantly, the surroundings twisted, and the eight directions blurred. The roaring tall figure's roar ceased, as if suppressed by an invisible force, his entire body trembling.

But the next moment, the figure suddenly looked up, revealing a ferocious expression. His rage not only didn't diminish but intensified. "I want to...."

The tall figure's entire body surged with rampant power like waves, rising endlessly in continuous surges. It was about to unleash it, but just then, Princess Mingmei frowned. "Heir, your touch is too gentle."

As she spoke, Princess Mingmei took a step, appearing directly before the tall figure, and pressed her right hand downwards. Instantly, the tall figure trembled violently, his entire being twisted, and he transformed into a ball of flesh, which was then slammed hard into the ground. The ground trembled, and a deep crater appeared. Before the ball of flesh could struggle, its body was rapidly pulled out as Princess Mingmei tore at it with both hands from a distance. With a tearing sound, the ball of flesh was violently ripped into two halves, which rapidly pulled away from each other, then converged again at an even faster speed, finally colliding violently. A rumbling sound echoed in all directions.

It didn't end there; the two colliding balls of flesh, due to the immense force, merged together, only to be ripped apart again. This time, they split into four parts, which separated and then rapidly collided from four different directions. Then eight, sixteen, thirty-two parts... Princess Mingmei simply stood there, waving her hand expressionlessly. The Heir watched from the side, chuckling, and their fifth sister's face showed a rare smile, as if this scene reminded her of fond memories.

After Xu Qing remotely witnessed this scene with his divine sense, gaining more insight into Princess Mingmei's strength and fighting style, a wail finally emanated from the ball of flesh formed by the sixty-four colliding parts. "Sister, I'm awake! Stop hitting me! I'm really awake!"

Princess Mingmei said nothing, but waved her hand again, and one hundred twenty-eight pieces of flesh tore apart, howling as they flew in all directions. Just as they were about to accelerate and collide, wails echoed from within. "Big Brother, Fifth Sister, quickly persuade Third Sister! I was wrong, I just lost control!"

This wail, filled with terror, spread in all directions, and only then did Princess Mingmei snort coldly. Though she still waved her hand, this time the one hundred twenty-eight pieces of flesh did not collide but instead merged together, reforming into the tall figure from before. This figure appeared to be a young man, extremely robust, standing like a small mountain. The rampant rage that had originally been present on him had now completely disappeared, replaced by an eager-to-please demeanor.

"Big Brother, Third Sister, Fifth Sister, has Father Emperor revived? Has the Crimson Mother been dealt with? Haha, I'm finally free!"

"What's going on? Father hasn't revived, and the Crimson Mother still exists?"

"Hmm, and there's a Red Moon Divine Son?"

"How dare you!" The robust young man suddenly turned his head to look in Xu Qing's direction, with rampant rage in his eyes. His right hand instinctively rose and grabbed.

Xu Qing was horrified; his body was instantly bound. He even felt the space around him collapsing at that moment, his entire being forcibly dragged by an immense force, appearing before the robust young man.

"He's half a disciple of your Big Brother, and furthermore, he's the benefactor who helped me, Fifth Sister, and you escape," Princess Mingmei said calmly.

The next instant, the robust young man trembled, his actions instantly became gentle. He put Xu Qing down, even tidying his clothes for him, and laughed heartily. "Hello there, little fellow." This smile on the robust young man's face revealed a hint of ferocity and madness. Especially his bloodshot eyes and the terrifying fluctuations emanating from him, gave Xu Qing a feeling similar to the divine eye he had seen in the Ghost Cave. This put no small amount of pressure on him.

"When he was little, he was mischievous and got his brain damaged by a beating — it really was damaged. So Xu Qing, please don't mind it."

The gate transformed into a stream of light, landing in his hand. Under his manipulation, it became a tall gray hat, which he threw to Xu Qing.

"The wooden body of this gate was a morning glory plant given to my Father King by the Ancient Emperor back then. It's a good item; wear it, and it can temper your soul."

Xu Qing hesitated as he took it, but after a moment's thought, he resolutely placed it on his head. His soul rumbled, and the feeling of being bound to the sun, like before, descended upon him again. This time, it was upon his soul. Xu Qing's vision instantly blurred, his soul trembled, the world seeming to show double images, and his divine sense fluctuated violently. He took a deep breath, and as he gritted his teeth and tried to adapt, the Heir's words came from beside his ear.

"Third Sister, Eighth Brother, Youngest Sister, this kid has a pharmacy here. It's very cozy there; why don't you all come with me?"