Chapter 652: The Realm of the Gods

Perhaps, 'as if' is not the most appropriate word to use.

Because at this moment, past memories are truly emerging from illusion, gradually solidifying into reality.

And these real scenes, once they form, can replace the present.

At this moment, time seemed to become elusive. It no longer flowed forward or backward, but had transformed into a vortex.

In this vortex, there is Xu Qing's past, his present, and his future.

However, the scenes of the future were utterly blurred and indistinct, even more so now that they were intertwined.

The very word 'time' also became unfamiliar, as if it no longer held its inherent concept.

Perhaps the term 'time' was merely defined by intelligent life for their own convenience of understanding.

Its true nature, in fact, requires no definition; all definitions might not even be able to fully encompass it.

Xu Qing's mind churned as this strange realization flooded his thoughts.

It overturned everything.

And this world, before Xu Qing's eyes, also changed again.

Dimly, he saw indescribable deities walking in the void, toying with one vortex after another, each defined as time.

Their forms differed; Xu Qing could perceive them, but could not articulate them, as if describing such an act was forbidden.

He saw countless stars collapsing and disintegrating, while even more suns and moons were forming.

Yet, they were eventually removed and adorned on their bodies as patterns.

Others transformed into inexplicable tools, forming objects and colors beyond his comprehension.

The starry sky was no different; Xu Qing saw a deity painting with a brush fashioned from stars.

Wherever it was applied, the starry sky expanded.

This scene was unfathomable and utterly unreal. Yet, in the next instant, everything vanished, becoming hazy and changing forms, as if all he had witnessed was merely a product of his own mind, thus rendering it incomprehensible and incredible.

At this moment, Xu Qing's consciousness trembled and hummed with all these images, making them hard to believe. He even saw robed emperors wailing in agony, struggling in defiance, yet in the presence of these deities, everything seemed meaningless.

The muttering from the deity's remnant face, that spell, seemed to open a bizarre and fantastical realm.

In this place... what you perceive as time does not hold the same meaning to the deities.

The space you comprehend, in the deities' perception, carries a different meaning.

What you consider knowledge may not be accurate in the eyes of the deities.

Even what you perceive was unintentionally revealed to you by the deities.

It is unintentional because they would not deliberately act in such a way.

All of this brought Xu Qing's consciousness to the brink of collapse, until the next instant, a figure appeared before him like a massive mountain, shielding him from everything external, obscuring all chaos, and blocking all gazes.

Xu Qing's senses finally returned at that moment.

His body crashed to the ground, inner turmoil and cognitive upheaval churning within him, manifesting as crashing waves that relentlessly assailed his mind, making him unable to stand.

Stumbling backward, Xu Qing could not suppress the upheaval and spurted a mouthful of blood. His expression shifting, he suddenly looked up at Princess Mingmei, who stood before him.

“Did you perceive it?”

Princess Mingmei turned, her eyes holding a profound meaning, as she stared at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's breath hitched, a storm raged in his heart as countless thunders seemed to erupt, and his eyes were wide with intense horror. It was a long pause before he managed to regain some composure.

He nodded emphatically.

“What was he saying? I feel like I saw it, yet also didn't. I clearly remember, yet it feels as if I've forgotten.”

All the images, everything, seemed to have been overturned.

Xu Qing's body trembled. The chilling sensation from his childhood re-emerged within him as a result of this experience. He felt an intense cold, bone-chilling, freezing his very soul...

“He is counting down.”

Princess Mingmei spoke softly.

Cultivation, since the arrival of the deity's remnant face, has been a painful necessity and a path of no return.

In this world, anomalous matter is ubiquitous; some can be perceived, others remain hidden.

They infest all things, altering their form and essence. Some turn to ash, others become sources of malice.

And for all mortals, this is even more true; the very process of life has been altered, forcing them to adapt.

For cultivators, this phenomenon is even more severe. At lower cultivation levels, deviation occurs, and at a critical point, one either dies or transforms into an aberrant beast.

Only at the mid-level of cultivation do they experience true happiness, as most at this stage believe they can suppress or ignore the anomalous matter. In reality, this happiness stems from a barrier in their understanding, a lack of true comprehension.

“Until cultivation reaches higher levels, the expansion of one's understanding will change everything.”

“Like us, we constantly endure everything you just witnessed.”

Princess Mingmei's tone was calm, yet her voice carried a profound weariness. Beside her, the Prince sighed softly, looked at Xu Qing, and shook his head.

“But what can be done about it?”

“And what you saw might not even be entirely real; it was merely a glimpse.”

“My father, back in those days, even said something.”

“We consider them outsiders, but is that truly the case? Perhaps, in their understanding, we are the outsiders.”

“Is it possible that this place has always been the kingdom of the gods?”

“The answer, I do not know either.”

The Prince shook his head.

Xu Qing was silent.

“These are not questions you can ponder now, but experiencing them is beneficial; it will help you understand this world more clearly.”

The Prince patted Xu Qing's shoulder. “Remember, in the future, until you are fully prepared, do not gaze upon the remnant face with your Eyes of Poisonous Taboo. It is supreme and must not be directly beheld.”

“Come, let's go home.”

Xu Qing nodded silently, then followed the Prince and Princess Mingmei out of the valley and back to the apothecary.

The experience he had just undergone continued to linger in his mind even half a month later, ultimately affecting his thoughts.

He couldn't help but ponder, couldn't help but try to understand.

Until this day, the 'oil' the captain had spoken of finally appeared.

In the sky, the Red Moon Star drew closer to the Sacrificial Moon Grand Domain. Looking up, one could see the star growing larger and clearer.

The sky's redness became even more dazzling, casting a pervasive glow that transformed the entire Sacrificial Moon Grand Domain into a crimson realm.

The tidal reaction was equally intense, with constant landslides and ground fissures. A continuous roar echoed in all directions. The cultivation power of all cultivators who believed in the Scarlet Mother Temple was enhanced, experiencing varying degrees of surges, and the divine arts they manifested were even more awe-inspiring.

Consequently, the five resistance armies, led by the five vice-masters of the Inverse Moon Palace, found their stalemate broken under the Red Moon Temple's suppression.

They began to collapse, facing a dire emergency. To make matters worse, as the Red Moon Star drew so near and the tidal reaction caused cataclysmic changes, a bizarre phenomenon occurred across the entire Sacrificial Moon Grand Domain.

The Grand Domain itself had grown larger.

The original continent fragmented, with new landmasses rising from the earth's depths, revealing profound chasms.

Former mountain ranges likewise collapsed, giving rise to new peaks, and the aura of deities continually surged forth from all these newly formed areas.

From these deep chasms, these mountains, and all the newly formed lands, a peculiar group of beings awakened.

They were hideous, like demons, lacking sentience, and filled with madness. Like swarms of insects or beasts, they burst forth in countless numbers.

Each one emanated a divine presence. Even the smallest measured several zhangs in size, while others were dozens or even hundreds of zhangs tall.

Their ferocious intent was overwhelming, and a sense of madness permeated the surroundings.

Furthermore, an intense hunger manifested fiercely within them. Consequently, wherever they passed, all things—even soil and rocks—became their sustenance, to say nothing of the flesh and blood of living beings.

They devoured everything indiscriminately, bursting forth from multiple regions and spreading across the entire Sacrificial Moon Grand Domain.

It was as if this was their grand feast, and death manifested with every passing moment as these events unfolded.

The Inverse Moon Palace became utterly desolate, its temples fading into oblivion one by one as their masters fell.

At this moment, medicinal pills became even more crucial.

Though Xu Qing was within the sanctuary of the Bitter Life Mountain Range, he continued to supply medicinal pills there, and no longer requested any payment.

However, the demand remained unmet. Xu Qing had intended to mass-produce them, but an unforeseen event still occurred.

On this day, the Bitter Life Mountain Range began to shake, dislodging vast quantities of rock and causing peaks to collapse. As the mountain range crumbled, a deep chasm tore open from within, directly beneath the Red Moon Temple of the Bitter Life Mountain Range.

Across the Grand Domain, it could be observed that every such location had a Red Moon Temple nearby. While the desert winds could deter outsiders, they offered no impediment to those already present.

Consequently, countless hideous beings surged forth like a tide.

Suddenly, frantic roars became the dominant sound, equally soul-shaking as the wind itself.

As for the cultivators of the desert, confronted with this sight, resistance was their only option if they wished to survive. The Wind Guard Tribe, in particular, mobilized their entire clan, joining forces with other minor and major factions to combat these frenzied fiends.

The Prince and Princess Mingmei also emerged at the moment of the cataclysmic quaking, as if this very event was what they had been anticipating.

Xu Qing followed behind.

“Xu Qing, observe these demonic beings closely.”

“Their appearance is not accidental; they are the as-yet-unconscious progeny of the Scarlet Mother, representations of chaos formed from the unnecessary substances she released during her deification process.”

The Prince walked across the landscape, approaching the deep chasm where all this had erupted. He spoke calmly, “These are, in fact, the true divine offspring.”

Xu Qing lowered his head, looking at the mountain range below.

He was not learning this for the first time. The captain had told him about it when he left the Inverse Moon Palace's highest hall; this was the 'oil' the captain had mentioned.