Chapter 639: Between Ink and Water, Severing the Divine Platform

History often has multiple records. For various reasons or purposes, some people always hide scenes they dislike, modifying and adjusting them before allowing them to circulate. As time passes, the true version of events gradually becomes unknown.

At this moment, the scene Xu Qing is witnessing is invisible to others. It was hidden in time, its remnants carried by the wind, remembered in this place, and then sent into Xu Qing's consciousness, transforming into an ink wash painting. Originally, it was difficult for this scene to emerge. Both the surge of murderous intent and the fragmentation of this memory over time made it impossible to piece together. It was the light of the morning glow that added color and filled in the missing parts, gradually outlining and revealing this hidden history to Xu Qing's perception.

He watched the Sovereign's four forms and the Red Mother's shadow, listening to the former's words and the latter's song. The song flowed freely. It exuded a profound and stirring emotion, imbued with a fierce determination—a willingness to abandon all other pursuits for an ideal. It seemed that before this ideal, everything else held no meaning. Even if all living beings perished completely, even if the heavens and earth cried out in sorrow, it would only serve as nourishment for her ascension to godhood. None of this mattered; neither the figure within the green sky nor any other thought could erase her yearning to become a god. She wanted to become a god, to stand above the Red Moon. For this, everything would be sacrificed without hesitation!

Gradually, as the song reverberated, the scene began to churn. Waves of emotion surged within, eventually submerging all figures, dimming all sounds, and blurring everything. Xu Qing's breathing quickened, his chest rising and falling as he sat cross-legged, immersed in his consciousness. Within the blurry scene, he could not discern what happened next, nor could he hear any sounds from within that moment in time.

In the scene within his consciousness, green turned into white, and red became black. They intertwined, transforming back into an ink wash painting. The colors supplemented by the morning glow were, after all, not perfect. Thus, everything that followed became indistinct, like an abstract painting, impossible to clearly see, only to be perceived through sensation. So Xu Qing chose not to awaken, continuing to immerse his mind in his consciousness to feel the collision of white and black within this hazy scroll. Water and ink swirled, and dimly, Xu Qing seemed to see the sky.

A sky, white, yet infused with green... Xu Qing murmured. Besides this, he also saw the earth, a land of black soil covered in white-red blood.

"Heaven and earth seem connected; that is an altar."

Xu Qing's expression became blank. He had completely forgotten what was happening in the outside world, disregarding everything. At this moment, his entire mind and all his senses were absorbed into this ink wash scene. Gradually, the altar of heaven and earth he saw seemed to sharpen from its blurriness. However, this was actually a perceptual illusion, because ever since the scene of the Sovereign and the Red Mother dissipated, the ink wash in Xu Qing's consciousness had only been swirling; no new images had formed. Yet, to Xu Qing, everything was rapidly becoming clear, though this rapidity was relative. Because it was always on the verge of clarity, no matter how much Xu Qing tried, it remained just so. And if he relaxed his perception even slightly, the altar would vanish. He had to constantly concentrate with his mind and soul, as if trying to dredge something up, but it remained elusive. Consequently, his mental energy consumption increased exponentially.

Slowly, Xu Qing felt his consciousness wither, and he could barely hold on. And that altar was still on the path to clarity.

"Am I going to fail?" Xu Qing's voice echoed in a murmur. "This altar, I cannot retrieve it from the ink wash..."

"I lack a container!"

"A container!"

At this moment, in the outside world.

As Xu Qing reached the limits of his comprehension, the rumbling of heaven and earth gradually weakened. The sensation of the ground shaking also diminished, and the sky's vortex was no longer affected as it had been. This allowed Ning Yan and the others to breathe a sigh of relief. The increasing pressure, combined with their highly demanding performance, had made it difficult for them to perfectly execute their roles. However, Captain felt a deep sense of regret. Although he believed Xu Qing's chances of successful comprehension were slim, the previous scene had ignited some hope within him.

"It's fine. Experiencing it is good in the end. At least he felt the murderous intent."

The Prince and others shared the same regret. Bound by karma, they could not see the state of Xu Qing's consciousness, but they could sense his immense mental exertion. They could also tell that Xu Qing, after experiencing the murderous intent and attempting to delve deeper, had ultimately failed.

"He was comprehending Father King's divine ability, the God-Slaying Platform."

"It's a pity; it wasn't really about him. The traces left here were too faint. Otherwise, he shouldn't have failed."

The Prince and others shook their heads, each sighing. Even without success, Xu Qing's comprehension left a profound impression on them.

Now, as the second act of the performance appeared in the minds of the people of the Sacrificial Moon Great Domain, a critical moment arrived. Wu Jianwu, having revealed himself, emerged from the void. This man wore a magnificent robe, his eyes piercing. His fair complexion carried a hint of effeminate softness, and terrifying fluctuations emanated from his body. He was the Ancient Emperor's trusted eunuch, and he had come to declare the Ancient Emperor's decree.

As he stepped, the heavens and earth glowed with myriad colors. The robed eunuch raised his right hand, and a serene light formed, spreading out like a scroll.

"By the Dao of Wanggu, the Ancient Emperor decrees: The people of Huanglai are criminals who have brought chaos to all living beings."

"Now, the Moon King is commanded to transform, to execute judgment on the people of this cursed land on Our behalf. We shall personally bear all karma from this."

The voice resonated like heavenly thunder, and with the Prince and others' embellishment, it imprinted itself upon the minds of all outside. The momentum was overwhelming. As the declaration concluded, Ning Yan, playing the Sovereign, gazed deeply at the Red Mother on the altar, then turned his eyes to the golden-armored man behind her and spoke calmly.

"Divine Official."

"Your subordinate is present!"

The golden-armored man, played by Captain, spoke loudly upon hearing this. With one hand, he pressed down on the Red Mother's head; with the other, he gripped a long saber, awaiting orders.

"Behead!"

"By your decree!"

A cold glint flashed in Captain's eyes, and he was about to swing his saber. At this moment, a fierce hatred appeared in the Red Mother's eyes, and she struggled, but under the suppression of countless markings on the altar, she could not break free in the slightest. In this scene, the wind and clouds surged. The Prince and others secretly intervened, fully enhancing this moment. After all, the scene of the Red Mother's execution held immense significance for all living beings in the outside world. Instantly, within the scene, heavenly thunder rolled. Countless bolts of lightning transformed into ferocious thunder-dragons, roaring across the sky, forming endless electric light that spread in all directions. Furthermore, Princess Ming Mei made her move, creating a long river of time that flowed through this place, turning the ancient aura emanating from the scene into a river that entered the perceptions of all beings. Old Eight was not to be outdone; his voice merged with the heavenly thunder, transforming into emotional fluctuations that intensely amplified the emotions of all characters at that moment, thereby influencing the outside world. Finally, the Prince made his move. Suns and moons rose within the lightning, countless stars shone as time flowed, and faintly, the blurry will of the Heavenly Dao descended upon the sky, seemingly witnessing this moment.

The momentum was magnificent, and the scene was fully rendered. All beings awaited this scene, their minds trembling, their hearts seemingly suspended. And Captain's long saber, amid all this grand embellishment, swung! The saber light flashed, its blade reflecting the lightning, imbued with the sun, moon, and stars, carrying an ancient aura, and pulsating with the emotions of all beings, it was about to descend.

Heaven and earth changed color, the ground shook, and a tremendous roar erupted, like dragons soaring and tigers roaring, overturning rivers and seas. The sky curtain directly ripped open with a thunderous sound, showing numerous cracks, and then collapsed. Countless stones fell, striking the earth, and at the same time, a cold gleam emerged from the collapsing sky. The earth churned, tearing apart, forming countless giant pits, and stirring up a devastating storm that swept away everything in its path. Not only that, but a heaven-shaking murderous intent erupted, overwhelming everything. All this directly surpassed the embellishment the Prince and others had previously provided.

The people of the Sacrificial Moon Great Domain outside, who had already been fully engrossed and mentally stirred by the Prince and others' rendering, were instantly struck silent with terror by this sudden surge of murderous intent, uttering continuous gasps of astonishment. The murderous intent was truly more intense than anything they had ever felt, erupting in their distracted minds and transforming into raging waves that churned furiously within their souls. It was utterly real.

Equally horrified were those at the recording site. You Jing's face instantly paled. The sensation of death was stronger than ever before. Although she possessed an immortal body, at that moment, she felt death intensely! He would truly die! Boom! Boom! She struggled with all her might. Captain, having raised his saber, paused as well, his mind churning. Ning Yan, Wu Jianwu, and Li Youfei felt as if thunder exploded in their minds. The Prince and others all looked towards Xu Qing, deeply moved.

At this moment, in Xu Qing's consciousness, a bottle appeared—Xu Qing, who had previously been thought to have failed his comprehension. He truly could not retrieve the altar from the ink wash scene, but he realized he needed a container. So, he projected his Bottle of Time into his consciousness. Using this bottle to contain the ink wash, he would take it all away.

"Since I cannot retrieve it, I will extract all the remaining parts of my comprehension!"

The ink wash flowed directly into the Bottle of Time. Amidst this rapid flow, the altar Xu Qing perceived truly became clear. This entire process was not lengthy. With Xu Qing's full concentration, most of the ink wash vanished in the blink of an eye. The remaining portion remarkably transformed into a unique altar. The appearance of the altar was the origin of the dramatic change in heaven and earth at the recording site.

At this moment, the recording site was shaken to its core. The sky collapsed, the earth shattered, the immense vortex in the firmament spun thunderously, and the central part of this world began to crumble. The deafening sound echoed in all directions. Simultaneously, the first obstacle Xu Qing and his group encountered when they arrived—the slanting mountain range that connected to the sky—now dramatically exploded while suspended in the air. As countless stones that formed the mountain range fell away, the cold gleam that had been faintly visible became increasingly clear, eventually revealing its complete form.

It was, remarkably, a colossal azure saber!