Chapter 651: The Voice of the God Remnant Face

Those who passed the first trial had significant freedom. They could choose to leave at any time or re-enter to attempt to open the doors of the highest palace.

This period was set at six months.

After making an agreement with the captain, Xu Qing decided to return and wait for the oil the captain mentioned, while also adapting to his Poison Ban Eyes.

As for the captain, his true body was sealed deep within the lake. The form that appeared inside the gate was a body made of his condensed consciousness, so he couldn't leave and had to remain there.

The captain didn't mind this in the slightest. He continued to gnaw at the Red Mother's totem like a mad dog, clearly enjoying himself.

Days passed by.

The war in the Moon Sacrifice Domain intensified, raging in various locations. The Red Moon Temple's suppression was equally swift and violent, with the flames of war constantly burning, yet resistance remained strong.

Fifth Grandma and Eighth Grandpa had not returned since their disappearance. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince and Princess Ming Mei had also left the premises multiple times, their activities unknown.

Consequently, the small pharmacy was less lively than before. However, Wu Jianwu remained keen on reciting poetry, Ning Yan still mopped the floor daily, and Li Youfei took on the role of a part-time guard.

You Jing and Mo Gui Lao Li, though they noticed the Crown Prince and others frequently going out, didn't dare to harbor any thoughts of escape, maintaining the status quo.

As for Xu Qing, during these days, he also frequently left the pharmacy, searching for a place in the Bitter Life Mountain Range to test his Poison Ban Eyes.

At this moment, he moved through the mountains with astonishing speed. Even with a sun tied to his body and a horn-like hat on his head, he had long grown accustomed to it all.

He could now move as usual despite this astonishing burden.

In fact, his speed was even faster than before, turning him into a blur amidst the mountains. A moment later, he appeared in a valley.

The valley's rock walls resembled a honeycomb, bearing traces of corrosion.

The lingering aura of the Poison Ban filled the surroundings, causing all living beings to instinctively sense a life-or-death crisis upon approaching, and thus steer far clear.

This was where Xu Qing tested his Poison Ban Eyes.

Upon arrival, Xu Qing surveyed his surroundings, confirmed it was safe, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

After a short while, as he opened his eyes, Xu Qing's eyes had turned pitch black. Neither pupils nor whites were visible; everything was black.

If anyone had been there to observe, they would have felt as if they were facing an abyss.

Wherever his gaze fell, corrosion instantly appeared, and the power of the Poison Ban erupted, causing even the surroundings in all directions to twist, and a hazy obscuration blurred everything.

This scene was strikingly similar to when the Sky God's remnant face opened its eyes.

However, Xu Qing's power was far, far weaker. Yet, even so, it was still astonishing.

It could be said that Xu Qing had been growing every moment since arriving in the Moon Sacrifice Domain. If he were to return to Fenghai County now, he would undoubtedly shock all his old acquaintances.

However, such growth was not without its cost.

At this moment, Xu Qing's expression gradually grew complex. This wasn't the first time he had looked at this place with his Poison Ban Eyes, but every time he activated this divine ability over the past few days, a ripple would rise in his heart.

Xu Qing murmured to himself. In his eyes, although the valley appeared as a valley, it was not composed of rock but countless skeletons, including those of human and exotic races.

The entire world, including the ground, was formed from bones.

Death was the sole prevailing theme here. And the distant gray wind, in Xu Qing's eyes, was also different.

It was an immense serpent, opening its massive mouth at the edge of the sky. Its breath was the source of this gray wind. Every time its body moved, scales would fall, turning into ashes and scattering to the ground.

Further beyond, the world outside the great desert was vaguely visible, and it was snowing.

Red blood, like goose feathers, floated down. Unfortunately, 99% of cultivators couldn't see this scene.

"And the remnant face in the sky," he thought.

Xu Qing silently raised his head, gazing at the remnant face that faintly appeared above the gray wind and red snow. It had its eyes open.

The place it was looking at was not here.

Different visions perceived different worlds. Which one was real?

Xu Qing fell silent. After a long moment, he nodded and took out a sand scorpion for experimentation.

This scorpion, over a zhang in size, trembled after Xu Qing took it out, not daring to resist or struggle, as if the Xu Qing before it was a deity.

In Xu Qing's eyes, the scorpion's form was also different from what one would normally see. It wasn't a scorpion, but a dim source of light, its form constantly changing, like something wriggling.

Finally, this source of light completely dimmed, turned pitch black, and vanished from Xu Qing's sight.

If an outsider had been there, they would have seen the scorpion turn into a pool of blood.

After a long moment, Xu Qing raised his hand, his gaze falling on his palm. It was still a palm. The only difference was the dense, dandelion-like fuzz covering it, attempting to absorb his flesh and blood.

Some of it had even drilled into his flesh, spreading inward.

It should have been agonizing, yet Xu Qing felt no sensation of pain.

He knew what it was.

Xu Qing murmured softly. He had known about the anomalous matter of this world since birth, and his understanding had deepened further after he began cultivating.

However, as his cultivation improved and he gradually moved beyond the mundane, the pain brought by the anomalous matter seemed to have unknowingly become less noticeable.

The abnormalities caused by cultivation also seemed to lessen. But Xu Qing understood that this was due to differences in cultivation levels. In reality, the torment that anomalous matter inflicted on mortals still existed; the curse of the Moon Sacrifice Domain was one such example.

He knew clearly that just because his shadow could devour anomalous matter, he shouldn't assume it was nothing to be afraid of.

For instance, he now sensed anomalous matter once again.

"Anomalous matter... it's alive..."

Ripples spread through Xu Qing's mind as he once again perceived this world.

The colossal serpent in the sky, including this wind, was formed from the anomalous matter of the High God who traded with the captain.

The red snow in the sky was the Red Mother's anomalous matter.

The fuzz on his palm was anomalous matter floating freely here, its origin unknown.

Presumably, in other places, there would be even more anomalous matter and of various types. Anomalous matter would form wherever a deity had walked or looked.

Anomalous matter was not a single type.

My Poison Ban, in essence, was also a type of anomalous matter.

That's why the Poison Ban had previously harmed all things and all races. And now, what he saw with his eyes was even clearer... It was invading everything.

A black gleam flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. Instantly, the fuzz on his hand trembled, turned completely black, then fell off, revealing Xu Qing's skin.

On his skin, a black ghostly face could be seen, covering the area where the fuzz had been.

Evil, coldness, death, and ill omens all emanated from this ghostly face.

This was the Poison Ban as seen through the eyes of a deity.

It could be a single ghostly face or countless ghostly faces, each one anomalous matter, able to reproduce spontaneously under Xu Qing's gaze.

For any existence of a lower rank than it, this was a curse.

Xu Qing closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, he looked at his shadow.

The shadow trembled, emitting fluctuations that seemed to flatter.

Xu Qing's expression was peculiar. This wasn't the first time he had looked at his shadow with his Poison Ban Eyes, but each time it appeared different.

Now, looking again, it had changed once more, transforming into a back view. This figure was incredibly tall and majestic, exuding a sense of explosive power, while also carrying a certain ferocity and dominance, its aura like a rainbow.

But the next instant, it changed again, becoming a blob of ink flowing around Xu Qing. After a while, Xu Qing withdrew his gaze.

So, what did the remnant face's anomalous matter look like?

Xu Qing suddenly had an impulse: he wanted to experience what the remnant face's anomalous matter was like.

But he also had a premonition that it would be very dangerous.

Xu Qing pondered for a moment but still suppressed his curiosity. This world contained too many bizarre phenomena, and intense curiosity often led to great horror.

"You wish to know what the anomalous matter of the deity's remnant face looks like?" Just as Xu Qing gave up, the Crown Prince's voice suddenly appeared. His figure, silent and ethereal, floated in mid-air, looking at Xu Qing.

Princess Ming Mei was also there.

"Greetings, honored elders," Xu Qing said.

Xu Qing immediately clasped his fists and bowed.

Princess Ming Mei nodded, gazed at Xu Qing, and spoke calmly.

"If you want to see it, then take a look. This way, you'll also know what you'll face in the future."

As she spoke, Princess Ming Mei's eyes were profound.

A sharp glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes at her words. After a moment's thought, he no longer hesitated. His body swayed, and he ascended directly from the valley, soaring into the sky.

He sped along, continuously rising higher and higher, until he flew out of the serpent's domain and beyond the aftereffects of the red snow. The moment he reached the highest point, he finally sensed the remnant face's anomalous matter.

"Om Ah Biran, Do Ta Jia Duo Ye, Ga Zha Re, Do Di Ye..." A murmuring sound appeared in Xu Qing's sea of consciousness. But it wasn't heard; it was seen, which defied common sense.

Yet, at that instant, that's exactly how it was for Xu Qing. He didn't understand why, but he was absolutely certain the sound wasn't coming from his ears. It was indeed seen by his eyes, thus appearing in his mind.

Initially, this complex, curse-like sound was faint, but it gradually grew louder and louder, eventually roaring, raging violently in Xu Qing's sea of consciousness, repeating and echoing endlessly.

Xu Qing's body trembled, appearing to overlap. His soul also began to separate, seemingly tearing apart. His body and the surrounding void merged, blurring together.

A life-or-death crisis surged into Xu Qing's perception. He abruptly plummeted. At that instant, his entire body underwent numerous bizarre transformations. He clearly perceived all his organs beginning to activate, and his past appearing around him.

Those past memories seemed to be emerging from their illusory forms, intent on becoming real.