Chapter 647: Heart of the Storm Defines a Life Truly Lived

Life offers no second chances. So, no matter how much Ning Yan felt regret, a missed opportunity was simply that—missed. Xu Qing saw Ning Yan's regret but couldn't say anything. The Captain, on the other hand, felt secretly pleased. He had warned Ning Yan previously, considering him a potential future weapon for himself and Xu Qing. But since Ning Yan hadn't believed him and hadn't acted decisively, it was no longer the Captain's concern.

Silence filled the pharmacy.

After a moment, the Young Lord put down his teacup, a smile on his face, and nodded slightly at Xu Qing. "Not bad," he said.

Xu Qing hesitated. He noticed the Young Lord's smile seemed a bit forced and realized his actions had greatly surprised him. Just as he was about to speak, the Young Lord swiftly changed the subject.

"Regarding the Heavenly Dao, that's your personal matter to comprehend. Let's not discuss it. Instead, let's talk about your Ghost Emperor Mountain."

"This mountain..." The Young Lord's gaze fell on Xu Qing as he prepared to speak, but Princess Mingmei picked up her teacup. This action made the Young Lord pause. After a moment's thought, he spoke in a hoarse voice. "Given that you can transfer your Divine Embodiment into your Sea of Consciousness to form your nascent soul, I assume you have your own plans. So, for this mountain, just improve it according to your own ideas."

"What I called you here to discuss today is your Demonic Celestial Avatar!"

"Demonic Celestial Avatar?"

Xu Qing's eyes sharpened. With a wave of his hand, hundreds of illusory figures appeared around him, each emanating a chilling aura. They seemed like souls but were not. Their forms were blurry, giving them a hazy appearance, but their malevolent energy was immense. As they appeared, the entire pharmacy instantly grew cold.

Fifth Sister observed closely, while Old Eight beside her quickly scanned them, letting out a soft "Oh?" of surprise. "What kind of divine ability is this? Refining living souls, merging the thoughts of the Yellow Springs, imbued with the essence of the Nine Nethers—it's profound and eerie, not something ordinary people can wield!"

Princess Mingmei looked pensive.

The Young Lord secretly braced himself. He had decided not to attempt to guide Xu Qing on the bizarre nascent souls within him or his terrifying comprehension. However, regarding divine abilities and spells, he believed he still held authority, so he spoke nonchalantly. "The nascent soul cultivation method your master taught you, combined with your method of absorbing destiny, is quite well-tailored."

"But you haven't thoroughly studied this technique. In reality, there are even better ways to use these Demonic Celestial Avatars of yours."

Xu Qing was moved. He looked at his Demonic Celestial Avatars, pondering, and recalled his master's words when he first taught him the technique. He remembered his master explaining that the Demonic Celestial Avatars were meant to endure tribulations in his stead. However, events had taken an unexpected turn. The tribulations Xu Qing faced after encountering the Young Lord became increasingly terrifying, diminishing the avatars' role as substitutes.

"Please enlighten me, Senior," Xu Qing said, looking up at the Young Lord and bowing respectfully.

Seeing that the conversation was back under his control, the Young Lord finally felt a bit more at ease. However, considering potential unforeseen circumstances, he instinctively looked at his Third Sister.

Princess Mingmei suddenly spoke. "Xu Qing, I can see that your Demonic Celestial Avatars contain the essence of the 'Sunset Whisper Tea Command'. Your master is not simple; he must have referenced the Sunset Whisper Tea Command when creating this divine ability for you."

"The purpose of these avatars is to take your place in tribulations."

"But have you ever considered using your Morning Glow to cover them, disguising these demon souls to look exactly like you? If you did, when you suddenly unleashed them during a fight, your opponent would see countless versions of you before them, unable to distinguish the real from the fake. They would all appear as your clones. At that point, you could advance to attack or retreat to defend, possessing endless possibilities."

The Young Lord chuckled upon hearing this, nodding as he spoke. "That's what I meant as well. And if your true body can transform between real and illusory forms within them, your combat power will surely skyrocket and become extremely troublesome for opponents."

As the two finished speaking, the Captain's expression also shifted slightly. Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu were even more astonished, imagining facing an opponent who suddenly conjured hundreds of identical forms—it truly would be an extraordinary sight.

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed. He had never considered this approach before, and now, hearing it, a sense of admiration rose within him. However, more than changes to his techniques, he was more eager for insights into his nascent soul. So, he looked towards the Young Lord and Princess Mingmei, awaiting their next guidance.

"Seniors, there's another rather special aspect within my nascent soul: a divine finger, which acts as a cage named 'Ding Yi San'."

"Don't be too ambitious," the Young Lord said, his gaze stern. "Go back first and refine your Demonic Celestial Avatars. Don't rush; you need to think it through carefully."

Xu Qing nodded, realizing he had been too eager. He bowed, returned to the back room, sat cross-legged, and began to experiment.

Time passed. Six days had now elapsed since Xu Qing and his group left the Sovereign's God-Slaying Land.

During these six days, the gray storms of the great desert continued to rage, obscuring the sky and enveloping all directions. Beyond the desert, multiple regions within the Ritual Moon Great Domain also experienced intense storms, though these were not physical but rather brewed within the hearts of all living beings.

The image of the Sovereign beheading the Crimson Mother was the source of this storm. As it ceaselessly churned in the minds of the masses, the spirit of resistance was fully ignited. With less than a year left in their countdown to oblivion, if they didn't resist, they would become food. Even if resistance meant death, at least in this muddled existence, there would have been a brilliant burst of defiance. At least, they would have truly lived! Gods were not eternal, but hope endured through the ages. Since that was the case... they would struggle, they would go mad, they would resist, to leave a different mark on their final days. At least, this was hope!

The storm within the hearts of all beings surged. Cries of defiance echoed from every tribe, every sect, and every city, as they sprang into action. Simultaneously, the resistance forces formed by the cultivators of the Anti-Moon Palace in various locations experienced an astonishing surge. Countless formerly apathetic cultivators poured in. Large numbers of tribes and sects, their eyes filled with furious hatred, turned towards the Red Moon Divine Palace, raising the "knife" in their hearts!

At this moment, three of the Anti-Moon Palace's five Deputy Palace Masters stepped out from behind the scenes for the first time in their lives, revealing their identities and calling upon all beings to resist. These five included clan leaders of major tribes, supreme elders of sects, and cultivators who had once been renowned throughout the region before disappearing. Their cultivation levels were all at the peak of the Fourth Stage of Gui Xu. Their identities, cultivation, and courage transformed into five immense vortices, drawing cultivators from all directions to join them. Five great war zones were formed!

The Red Moon Divine Palace was enraged, and a suppression campaign immediately began. What was strange, however, was that the Red Moon Divine Palace's Emperor did not personally intervene. He seemed to have reservations, choosing to remain stationed at the headquarters. Even so, the Red Moon Divine Palace possessed vast power, and the suppression continued. War erupted across every part of the Ritual Moon Great Domain. Only the great desert remained a sanctuary.

Xu Qing continued to study his Demonic Celestial Avatars. Under the cover of the Morning Glow, he could make the avatars appear identical to himself. However, he found it difficult to truly transform them due to the fundamental differences in their inner nature, which hindered full conversion. Therefore, Xu Qing shifted his focus to concealment. He aimed to achieve an unexpected combat advantage indirectly through stealth.

As for the war outside, Xu Qing kept a constant watch through the Anti-Moon Palace. He had a strong feeling that the conflict was rapidly approaching his location. This was because he had noticed that Grandfather Eight and Grandmother Five had disappeared. Their whereabouts were unknown.

Xu Qing was thoughtful, many conjectures rising in his mind. In the following days, he observed an anomaly in his Senior Brother. Senior Brother's efforts to curry favor with the Young Lord and Princess Mingmei were noticeably more zealous than usual, particularly towards the Young Lord. He even personally boiled water to brew tea for the Young Lord, and then volunteered to massage the Young Lord's shoulders and legs, displaying an extremely filial demeanor. Xu Qing immediately concluded that Senior Brother must have something to ask of the Young Lord.

The answer came five days later.

That day, as Xu Qing was studying his Demonic Celestial Avatars, the Young Lord's voice came from the main hall. "Xu Qing, come here for a moment."

Xu Qing opened his eyes, glanced at the hall, and noticed the Captain diligently fanning the Young Lord, his expression clearly excited. After a moment's thought, Xu Qing stepped out. When his gaze met the Captain's, the Captain grinned and fanned even more energetically.

"Senior," Xu Qing said quietly as he approached.

"There's something I originally intended to give you later, but Er Niu seems a bit eager, so I'll give it to you now." The Young Lord, looking unperturbed, waved his hand and produced a mirror fragment. This was precisely the fragment of the Eye of Heaven from the Sovereign's New God Land that had communicated with the Anti-Moon Palace and projected everything into the minds of all beings.

Looking at the mirror fragment, the Captain's eyes gleamed with longing. His recent assiduous behavior had been entirely for this mirror. Xu Qing also swept his gaze over it, recognizing its extraordinary nature.

"The predecessor of the Anti-Moon Palace was my father's supreme treasure, the Eye of Heaven," the Young Lord said hoarsely, stroking the mirror's surface. "It shattered during the battle with the Crimson Mother, and this piece is one of the largest fragments of the Eye of Heaven Mirror."

"Entering the Anti-Moon Palace with this item is different from entering with other mirrors."

"This item can activate the Anti-Moon Palace's owner-recognition trial. If the trial is successful, you can become the Master of the Anti-Moon Palace. If you fail, there's still a possibility of becoming a Deputy Palace Master. The five Deputy Palace Masters of the Anti-Moon Palace all emerged through this method."

"However, the trial can only be activated once. After the two of you enter this time, this mirror will lose its trial qualification. Only when the Anti-Moon Palace becomes dormant and then revives will the qualification be restored."

With that, the Young Lord placed the mirror on the table. "You two can step in together and see who has this destiny."

The Young Lord rose and left the pharmacy. He had many arrangements to make in preparation for the upcoming great war.

Watching the Young Lord leave, the Captain's face lit up with excitement. He grabbed the mirror, his expression fervent. "Little A-Qing, I've finally gotten this opportunity! Haha, I guessed you were Dan Jiu, didn't I? It doesn't matter. Even if you're very likely Dan Jiu, this time... I will be the Master of the Anti-Moon Palace!"

"I've been preparing for this for a long time."

"Little A-Qing, once we go in, just do whatever you want. Don't feel any pressure, and don't mind me. No matter what I become, just pretend you didn't see it."

"I have my plan!" The Captain looked at Xu Qing, his eyes shining brightly.