Chapter 656: A Chicken Soars, Impenetrable by Ten Thousand Men

www.qqxsw.so, Beyond Time!

The moment the words "atone for your crimes through service" were uttered, dozens of these chicks rapidly flapped their wings, jumping up and clucking, their eyes revealing boundless longing.

They went wild. To seize this opportunity, they even started wrestling with each other after jumping up, scattering feathers everywhere.

Xu Qing frowned. Immediately, the chicks quieted down. Regardless of their previous cultivation levels, once they understood their predicament, realized there were four Embodied God cultivators present, and surmised Xu Qing's status, they dared not show the slightest disrespect.

Though grief and indignation were strong, to survive, they had to yield. Seeing them quiet down, Xu Qing raised his finger and pointed, selecting over thirty chicks from the more than a hundred.

"Who among you is the fastest?" Xu Qing asked. Immediately, one chick vigorously jumped up, its clucking full of eagerness.

Xu Qing nodded, then took out the jade slip the Young Lord had given him to control the chicks. He formed a hand seal and pointed, and a white light shot out from the jade slip, flying directly towards the chick.

The next moment, the chick's body shook, its form changing. Instead of transforming into a human, its chicken body swelled and grew, reaching a size of ten zhang, becoming a giant chicken.

Its cultivation also recovered, and a surge of Void Return Stage, second rank, immediately erupted within its body, accompanied by the pervasive power of the Crimson Mother. This one... was precisely an Emissary of the Red Moon Divine Temple.

Xu Qing's eyes showed a hint of surprise, but then he remembered it was bred by the Fifth Grandmother, so he was no longer surprised. He then moved his body, standing directly on the back of the giant chicken.

"You, follow behind," he instructed the other chicks. After unsealing some restrictions on each of them, Xu Qing calmly issued his command.

"Depart!"

The Void Return Stage, second rank, giant chicken dared not resist. The Fifth Grandmother's restriction ensured that even a hint of rebellion would make its life worse than death. So, it quickly nodded and leaped into the air.

It soared straight into the sky. As for the other chicks, they also swiftly rushed out, following behind. Thus, a flock of chicks sped along, emitting whistling sounds within the grey storm, flying towards the edge of the great desert.

Their speed was immense, allowing them to traverse the void. In just a few hours, they flew from the Bitter Life Mountain Range to the edge of the great desert.

From afar, countless makeshift sand dwellings could be seen at the edge of the great desert. Nearly ten thousand desert cultivators were stationed there, led by Old Ancestor Mo Gui.

Upon noticing a flock of chicks flying in the sky, the cultivators there were astonished. Old Ancestor Mo Gui was the first to rush out.

He recognized these chicks. After flying halfway up and clearly seeing Xu Qing's figure, Old Ancestor Mo Gui's heart trembled.

"It's the Young Master!"

As an assistant at the apothecary, he naturally knew Xu Qing's standing there and had witnessed the Young Lord's guidance many times. He thus understood that Xu Qing was considered the apothecary owner's protege, sharing a master-disciple-like relationship with the Young Lord.

So, he immediately spoke loudly. "Greetings, Young Lord!" Saying this, Old Ancestor Mo Gui cupped his fists and bowed in mid-air.

Xu Qing nodded and returned the bow, cupping his fists. "Greetings, Senior."

Although the other party was merely an apothecary assistant, Xu Qing knew that his own status was due to the Young Lord, not himself. Furthermore, compared to the chicks, Old Ancestor Mo Gui being spared by the Young Lord suggested he had some connection.

Faced with Xu Qing's returned greeting, Old Ancestor Mo Gui felt a surge of emotion. He could put aside his dignity at the apothecary, but with so many of his subordinates present, he still desired respect.

Xu Qing's gesture made him feel very pleased, and a sense of closeness naturally arose.

"Young Lord, what brings you here this time?"

"The Young Lord ordered me to assist the arriving cultivators from the Inverse Moon Palace."

Xu Qing looked up into the distance. Beyond the grey wind, the world was a bloody red, as if stained with blood. In this crimson world, numerous black dots were now appearing on the horizon.

They were rapidly approaching.

On the horizon beyond the great desert, those small black dots were flying boats.

They were the Fourth Hall Master and his subordinates, who had been fleeing from the pursuit of the Red Moon Divine Temple.

A thousand flying boats, mostly damaged, carried cultivators who were weaker and more exhausted than half a month prior. The onset of their injuries and their inner anxiety left everyone utterly spent.

Behind them, a red glow filled the sky. The Fourth Hall Master, at the forefront of the fleet, was pale-faced and severely wounded. His subordinates behind him were all at the brink of death.

"Fourth Hall Master, this is the last Curse-Dispelling Pill. Master Dan Jiu's pills, though provided freely, are in limited supply due to high demand. Ultimately, I am not as skilled as Master Dan Jiu; even with his formula, I cannot refine them."

Hearing this, the Fourth Hall Master looked at the pill and spoke in a low voice. "Sheng Luo, you've done your best. Distribute this among yourselves; I can still hold on."

The Void Return Stage, first rank, middle-aged man was precisely Master Sheng Luo.

Hearing the Fourth Hall Master's words, Sheng Luo lowered his head. Due to the obstructing storm, he couldn't see Xu Qing and the others; all he saw was a vast expanse. So, he spoke softly.

"Master Dan Jiu hasn't replied to any of my messages. I think he must be uncomfortable revealing his identity. I hope he is well..." Sheng Luo nodded, his expression a mix of complex emotions.

"There are rumors that Master Dan Jiu is in the great desert ahead... Fourth Hall Master, the Great Desert Sacred Land has also sent word through the Inverse Moon Palace, permitting us entry. The designated entry point is right here."

"However, behind us..." Sheng Luo turned and looked back.

Behind them, the crimson sky churned like viscous blood, continuously surging forward. Vaguely, multiple gigantic organs of the Divine Temple could be seen within it.

Along the way, they had encountered several interceptions from the Red Moon Divine Temple. Each time was a bitter fight, leading to increasing casualties, which was also why everyone's injuries grew more severe.

And each time they managed to shake them off, the Red Moon Divine Temple would soon catch up again.

Now, the Red Moon Divine Temple's pursuers reappeared.

"It's fine. For the Red Moon Divine Temple, this suppression isn't truly that important. After all, the Crimson Mother will descend in less than ten months. If too many of us die, more Red Moon affiliated forces will fill the void."

The Fourth Hall Master spoke slowly, his voice weary. "Thus, the Red Moon Divine Temple itself is quite apprehensive, and their will isn't unified. Some prefer games, some prefer leniency, and some prefer suppression."

"If you recall our journey carefully, we have actually been constantly herded."

The Fourth Hall Master sneered. "Some factions within the Red Moon Divine Temple want us to come here and survive until the Crimson Mother descends."

"And some other factions adhere to the concepts from previous eras of this great domain, believing that delicious food needs to be exercised and kept active to be more exquisite, and that the more it struggles, the tastier it often becomes."

"For us, it's a resistance of life and death, but for the higher echelons of the Red Moon Divine Temple, it might just be a game."

"However, due to the Young Lord's appearance, some factions within the Divine Temple have become wary. They are the main force behind this suppression."

Sheng Luo fell silent. He had also noticed this phenomenon throughout their journey, as had the Void Return cultivators of various races on the flying boats. But now, the Fourth Hall Master had stated it plainly.

"Don't think too much about it. Regardless of what happens in ten months, at least... we are living for freedom now."

The Fourth Hall Master took a deep breath, then waved his hand. Immediately, all the flying boats surged in speed, heading straight for the great desert storm ahead, drawing closer and closer.

But just then, the crimson light behind them flared intensely. As it surged outward, it transformed into a gigantic, blood-colored hand, overwhelming everything as it reached out to seize them.

A cold glint flashed in the Fourth Hall Master's eyes, and his cultivation erupted. The world immediately changed dramatically as numerous illusory small worlds appeared in the sky. After merging, they formed an illusory great world.

This was a manifestation of the Void Return Stage, fourth rank! Though illusory, this great world was astonishingly vast. It moved to block the approaching blood-colored hand.

Simultaneously, all the cultivators on the flying boats unleashed their powers, forming tens of thousands of spells that converged, adding color to the great world and making it appear more real.

In addition, the more than a dozen Void Return cultivators, including those of the first, second, and third ranks, fully unleashed their cultivation, forming pillars for the great world, going all out.

A deafening roar erupted instantly, winds rose and clouds surged, stirring up astonishing waves that spread in all directions as the blood-colored hand shattered into pieces.

However, the Fourth Hall Master's illusory great world also collapsed, and everyone spewed blood. Yet, their flying boats, using the momentum of the impact, accelerated even faster, scattering like heavenly maidens as they each rushed towards the great desert storm.

Meanwhile, the great desert storm, which connected heaven and earth, suddenly revealed a fissure amidst its endless howling. It was as if two colossal curtains were moving apart, the gap widening like an opening door.

Inside the opening, Old Ancestor Mo Gui, Xu Qing, and tens of thousands of cultivators from the great desert could be seen.

Their gazes met. Just as the Fourth Hall Master's party was about to rush inside, the crimson light in the distant sky erupted once more. Dozens of flesh-laden divine temples within it did not approach, but halted, each radiating dense crimson light that transformed into a gigantic face in the sky.

The face was monstrous and covered in scales. It gazed indifferently at the great desert, then surged forward, seemingly intending to enter the great desert along with the Fourth Hall Master's flying boats.

But at that moment, Xu Qing patted the giant chicken beneath him.

The giant chicken trembled and carefully rushed out, carrying Xu Qing into mid-air. Xu Qing ignored the flying boats of the Fourth Hall Master's party whistling past him. He raised his right hand, his palm facing the colossal face outside the storm.

In his hand was a jade slip.

At this moment, he crushed it fiercely.

The jade slip instantly shattered, and an Embodied God aura surged forth overwhelmingly from within, forming a colossal vortex before Xu Qing.

As it rumbled and spun, bolts of lightning coursed within. Then, an earth-shattering gigantic finger directly extended from the vortex.

From afar, it resembled shattered stones piercing the sky and surging waves crashing upon the shore. The finger, immense and powerful, with an intent to engulf mountains and rivers, descended upon the approaching face.