Chapter 654: The Lord of Demons

In the firmament, a grey wind howled, whipping up grit and obscuring the sky and sun. The entire world was cast in a cold, dim hue.

On the ground, tens of thousands of grotesque god-children, like demons, ceased all their chaotic movements, suppressed their madness, and prostrated themselves in worship. From a distance, the sight was profoundly impactful.

Before them stood Xu Qing, calm in his black robe, his black hair falling about him. The wind whipped his hair, revealing his dark eyes, and his fluttering robes accentuated his tall, upright figure. The streams of blood swirling around his body like ribbons were a shocking sight, making him appear as if the Lord of Demons had descended into the human world.

At that moment, the demonic lord gazed at the god-child before him and placed his hand on its skull. The moment of contact, the god-child stiffened but dared not struggle, remaining perfectly still. Xu Qing's face was devoid of expression as his divine consciousness merged with the god-child, silently observing.

He first perceived the god-child's submission and awe, an instinctive reaction that suppressed its inherent chaos and madness. Next, he sensed its hunger, which reminded him of his own encounter with a deity.

After a prolonged silence, Xu Qing continued to press down with his right hand. As the poison restriction dispersed and the power of the Purple Moon surged in, the god-child's physical body—which would have been nearly impossible to break with ordinary methods—rapidly melted in Xu Qing's grasp. Blood dripped from the god-child's face, splashing onto the ground with sizzling sounds as the earth corroded beneath it. Xu Qing's right hand was now deep within the god-child's flesh.

This excruciating pain caused the god-child to tremble even more violently, yet it still dared not flinch. The authority of the Red Moon emanating from Xu Qing appeared to exert an extreme suppressive effect on these god-children.

“The flesh contains a more concentrated essence of chaos, possesses a certain degree of corrosiveness, and is imbued with alien invasion,” Xu Qing mused. He realized he could not devour these god-children. They were manifestations of impurities; consuming them would yield no benefit to him.

A moment later, Xu Qing shook his head and withdrew his hand. His gaze swept across his surroundings, settling on the prostrate god-children. Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and retrieved a fragmented object. The moment it appeared, a vast power emanated from within, causing the sky and earth to change color, winds to rise, and clouds to surge, while the oppressive aura intensified considerably.

This was a gift the Crown Prince had once given Xu Qing: a fragment of a Great World that contained a deity. The Captain had once borrowed it to suppress the Wraith Essence and had only returned it when the Wraith Essence was released at the medicine shop. Now, with the fragment released, a powerful suction erupted from within. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of god-children present were drawn into it, leaving none behind.

After completing this, Xu Qing put away the fragment and turned his gaze towards the deep pit. No more god-children were emerging from it, and the low growls had long since vanished. As he was observing, a divine sense fluctuation suddenly emanated from within.

“Xu Qing, come down,” a voice echoed. It was the Crown Prince’s voice.

Xu Qing did not immediately comply. He carefully discerned the source before walking to the edge of the deep pit, glancing down, and stepping inside. He descended rapidly, his eyes filled with poison restrictions, and blood swirling around him as he sped deeper into the pit.

The deeper he ventured, the more concentrated the alien substance became. Mucus streamed down the surrounding walls, exuding a putrid odor that was truly nauseating. Even further down, a faint red glow shimmered.

Finally, as Xu Qing drew closer, a barrier composed entirely of flesh and blood came into view. This mass of flesh, like a wall, blocked the path ahead. It continuously undulated, emitting a red light, and the aura of the Crimson Mother was intensely concentrated within it. It appeared to be struggling, attempting to expand outwards, but an invisible force held it in check, preventing it from resisting. It could only continuously recede while writhing.

The Crown Prince and Princess Ming Mei stood before this flesh-and-blood barrier. “This is the final protective barrier leading to the core of this place,” the Crown Prince explained. “We need to enter and retrieve an item crucial for saving Old Nine. If we were to forcibly blast it open, the Crimson Mother, even in slumber, would sense it and instinctively conceal the crystal within. Therefore, Xu Qing, we need you to wield your authority and quietly open a breach.”

The Crown Prince turned to face Xu Qing. Xu Qing nodded, having already suspected this on his way here, given the Crown Prince and Princess Ming Mei’s previous expeditions. He stepped forward to the mass of flesh, the blood flowing around his body accelerating. As he raised his right hand, the blood rapidly converged at his fingertips, emitting a dazzling, piercing red glow. A single drop of blood then flew from his fingertip.

It flew towards the mass of flesh. This drop of blood contained Xu Qing’s Red Moon authority, radiating a potent alien essence, and a miniature Red Moon could faintly be seen manifesting within it.

“Open!” Xu Qing commanded mentally.

The flesh-and-blood barrier violently shuddered. Where Xu Qing’s blood landed, the flesh instantly churned and pressed outwards, gradually separating to form a fissure. Without a moment’s hesitation, the Crown Prince and Princess Ming Mei transformed into two streaks of light and vanished into the fissure.

Xu Qing did not follow. He rapidly retreated a hundred zhang, and just as he was about to retreat further, a sharp shriek erupted from within the mass of flesh, followed by echoing roars. The flesh then trembled and began to wither.

The entire process lasted only three to five breaths. Once the mass of flesh had withered completely, it turned to dust and dissipated, revealing a massive grotto beneath the deep pit. The grotto itself was a shocking sight. The ground was a viscous pool of blood, emitting a strong putrid odor. In the very center, a massive red crystal protruded, half submerged in the blood. It glowed with a vibrant red light.

Within this blood pool, countless eggs were also present. These eggs varied in size, from several to dozens of zhang, but all were red. Some were intact, while others were shattered, their shells merely floating on the surface of the pool. Through the translucent shells of the intact eggs, one could discern god-children struggling within, attempting to break free.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince and Princess Ming Mei headed directly for the blood-colored crystal. Upon reaching it, they simultaneously acted, extracting and collecting the crystal. As the crystal vanished, the blood pool rapidly began to dry up. The struggles of the eggs intensified, and muffled growls continuously echoed throughout the grotto.

“That’s enough. Let’s leave,” the Crown Prince stated, satisfied. Having secured the desired item, the Crown Prince raised his hand, intending to destroy all the eggs present. Xu Qing’s heart stirred, and he quickly spoke up.

“Senior, I have other uses for these god-children.”

The Crown Prince’s gaze settled on Xu Qing upon hearing this, while Princess Ming Mei, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. Xu Qing immediately retrieved the Great World fragment, formed a hand seal, and pointed. A suction force instantly spread out, drawing all the eggs into the fragment in a flash.

Having completed this, Xu Qing felt content. He believed this quantity would be sufficient for the amount of 'oil' the Captain required.

“Very well, let us depart,” the Crown Prince said calmly. With a flick of his wide sleeve, he swept Xu Qing away from the deep pit. Once outside, Princess Ming Mei raised her hand and pressed down. Immediately, the earth rumbled, and the deep pit began to shake and collapse. Countless rocks appeared seemingly from nowhere, swiftly engulfing it and transforming the area into flat ground.

Thus, the upheaval in the Bitter Life Mountains was resolved with surprising ease. Xu Qing found this entirely normal; after all, with a deity present, a mere god-child lair could hardly cause significant trouble.

For the cultivators of the Bitter Life Mountains, however, the impact was profound. They had been prepared to fight to the death, but the subsequent events left their minds reeling. To witness a being capable of covering an entire mountain range with a single palm, annihilating countless god-children, and compelling even Patriarch Mogui to humble himself and refer to himself as a junior – such power was beyond their comprehension. The realm of such an existence’s cultivation was, self-evidently, far beyond their imagination.

“Deity…” These two words appeared in the minds of all cultivators, resounding like thunder and causing an instinctive shiver. It was only after the remaining god-children had been purged that they witnessed Patriarch Mogui personally visit the medicine shop in the earthen city, where he, completely disregarding his status, acted as a greeter. This sight once more ignited a storm in the hearts of the Bitter Life Mountain cultivators.

Prior to this, the earthen city’s medicine shop held a certain mystique within the Bitter Life Mountains, primarily due to the numerous inexplicable events that had occurred there. Nevertheless, they could never have imagined that a deity would reside within its walls. But today, they understood and knew: that medicine shop… was the true core of the Bitter Life Mountains, and indeed, of this entire vast desert. This realization filled everyone with profound awe. Consequently, this otherwise unremarkable earthen city became a sacred land within the desert.

Among the cultivators present were also members of the Anti-Moon Palace. Therefore, everything that transpired here was swiftly reported to the Anti-Moon Palace and subsequently became known to the entire resistance army of the Moon Offering Grand Domain.

For a time, all external resistance forces were in an uproar. Previously, they had heard of the Bitter Life Mountains, but due to the emergence of the desert's grey winds, the region was somewhat isolated from the outside world, appearing almost like a pure land. Moreover, it was rumored to be the source of the God-Slaying Platform visions, drawing much attention and speculation.

However, the emergence of a deity there sent shockwaves through the outside world. They immediately connected it to the God-Slaying Platform visions, and speculation about the deity’s identity rapidly ensued.

“It’s the Crown Prince!”

On a plain some distance from the Green Sand Desert, thousands of flying boats whistled and streaked across the sky. In the foremost vessel, a middle-aged cultivator sat cross-legged, gazing towards the Green Sand Desert and muttering under his breath. This man was travel-worn, his face pale and clearly showing signs of injury. Yet, his demeanor remained imposing even without anger, and a rigid seriousness was unmistakably evident about him.

“Fourth Hall Master, are we… heading to the great desert?”

Beside the middle-aged cultivator stood over a dozen subordinates, each a Return to Void realm cultivator, and all gravely injured. At this moment, one of them asked hoarsely. This middle-aged cultivator was indeed the Fourth Hall Master of the Anti-Moon Palace. Hearing the question, he turned to gaze at each flying boat behind him. All were packed with cultivators from various races, each bearing signs of exhaustion, injuries, and dim eyes.

As a resistance army, they had suffered a devastating defeat, enduring heavy losses under the Red Moon Divine Temple’s suppression and the outbreak of the god-child calamity. Their surviving forces had finally managed to escape, but only after paying an enormous price. Yet, the world was vast, offering no safe haven, and the Red Moon Divine Temple was relentlessly pursuing them.

“We will go to the great desert,” the Fourth Hall Master said in a low voice, taking a deep breath.