Chapter 668: Divine Arrival in the Great Desert

Finally, Xu Qing departed.

He didn't reveal his identity as Dan Nine, but deep down, he couldn't help but feel a sense of care for these followers. After all, they had traveled vast distances to reach this place and greatly admired Master Dan Nine. The growing renown of Dan Nine in the Reverse Moon Palace was largely due to their word-of-mouth promotion. Therefore, before leaving, Xu Qing left a Shadow Eye in the woman's shadow. This way, if they encountered any crisis, Xu Qing would immediately detect it and be able to help.

Xu Qing's earlier warning was not unfounded. In fact, in recent days, with the frequent defeats of the external resistance forces, the overall situation had largely been suppressed by the Red Moon Temple. The scattered resistance forces were not much of a concern for the Red Moon cultivators, as most cultivators in the Red Moon Temple preferred to have a larger number of beings for live sacrifice.

However, with the collapse of the external resistance, the Great Desert naturally became more prominent. The arrival of the Fourth Palace Master with his people drew even more attention to the area. Xu Qing even received a report from Wu Jianwu: his offspring, whom he had stationed outside as scouts, had detected frequent attempts by Red Moon cultivators to infiltrate the Great Desert during this period. Although they were all blocked by the storms, limiting their entry, investigations by the parrot revealed that a large number of Red Moon cultivators were gathering outside the Great Desert.

However, these Red Moon cultivators did not act rashly; they were waiting. This situation put everyone on alert. After about ten days of waiting, the Red Moon cultivators finally awaited the arrival of a specific individual.

This person was an elder, dressed in a crimson imperial robe and wearing an emperor's crown—it was the Palace Emperor of the Containing God Palace from the Red Moon Temple. He held a scepter. The moment he arrived, the world changed color, winds and clouds swirled, and a second red moon even formed in the sky. It was a phantom of the Red Moon. After its appearance in the sky, it caused a tide in the entire Great Desert. For a time, the storms within the desert were disrupted, mountain bodies collapsed, and countless grains of sand were swept away.

Furthermore, an earth-shattering roar echoed, spreading throughout the Bitter Life Mountain Range, making everyone's hearts tremble. At this moment, the mysterious Red Moon in the sky cast countless red lightning bolts from its moonlight, striking the Great Desert. The entire desert trembled, the storms showed signs of tearing apart, and the power of the Red Moon began its invasion of the Great Desert. This invasion was incredibly overbearing. Wherever it passed, sand collapsed and disintegrated into crimson soil. Simultaneously, every Red Moon cultivator, amplified by its influence, glowed with blood-red light, their blessings from the Crimson Mother visibly expanding. They ultimately braved the storms, entered the Great Desert, and advanced towards the Bitter Life Mountain Range in an encircling formation, drawing closer with each step.

Wherever they passed, the sky turned crimson and the earth was stained with blood. Under this divine might, the storms were slowly compressed and shaken, their range progressively shrinking. However, these storms were manifestations of a deity, making them not simple to ignore completely. Thus, the Red Moon cultivators could not instantly traverse them. It would still take some time to fully approach the Bitter Life Mountain Range, but the sense of urgency was already overwhelming, like invisible mountains pressing down on the cultivators within the Bitter Life Mountain Range, making everyone feel suffocated.

Suddenly, everyone felt endangered, and apprehension and anxiety continuously mounted. Silence, therefore, spread through the Bitter Life Mountain Range and affected the pharmacy as well. Whether it was Ning Yan, Wu Jianwu, or Li Youfei, all were agitated. Even Youjing and Bingzai in the backyard were affected.

Only Xu Qing showed no change in his expression; he clearly understood that the situation had reached a critical juncture and was mentally sorting things out. "The key to breaking this deadlock," he mused, "is, on one hand, the return of the Crown Prince and his companions. And on the other... opening the door to the highest hall of the Reverse Moon Palace and becoming the Lord of Reverse." Xu Qing's eyes gleamed. He always remembered the dozens of frozen statues beneath Mirror Lake, maintained by the Reverse Moon Palace's spirit. These were all cultivators who had participated in the Palace Master trials from the last arrival of the Red Moon until now, and none of them were simple individuals. As for those at the fourth stage of the Return to Void realm, like the Fourth Palace Master, there were several of them. This force, wherever it was deployed, would be incredibly formidable. If they could appear in the inner hall of the Great Desert, it would greatly aid in resolving the crisis. However, to release them, one needed to become the Lord of Reverse Moon.

The abilities of the Lord of Reverse were not limited to these. Based on Xu Qing's diligent efforts and communication with the Captain during this period, they had already deduced that once one became the Lord of Reverse Moon, they could manifest the Reverse Moon Palace from its illusory state into reality. At that point, the Reverse Moon Palace would no longer be merely the Reverse Moon Palace; it would be a true overlord, its power vast enough to shake an entire domain. "That is a supreme treasure!"

"Furthermore, once one becomes the Lord of Reverse Moon, they gain supreme authority," he continued, "allowing them to instantly dispel the Palace Master's seals on them, enabling Reverse Moon cultivators to enter the Reverse Moon Palace with their true bodies as they once did, thus regaining mobility and evading pursuit. Whether the Crown Prince returns is uncontrollable, but once the Lord of Reverse Moon is attained, everything can be resolved!"

Xu Qing's gaze was profound as he sat on the chair previously occupied by the Crown Prince, analyzing the situation in his mind. After experiencing this series of events with the Captain, he now had a very clear understanding of the Captain's plan. "Becoming the Lord of Reverse Moon, combined with its previous form and the Crown Prince's siblings, will gather the power of all beings in the entire great domain. All cultivators will then suppress the Red Moon Temple before the Red Moon star fully arrives, completing the first major step of the plan against the Crimson Mother."

Xu Qing looked up, his calmness infecting everyone in the pharmacy. Gradually, Ning Yan and the others also felt their hearts settle.

Afterward, Xu Qing retrieved the re-gathered God Child's blood from the fragments and entered the highest hall of the Reverse Moon Palace with the Captain to accelerate the deciphering of the Crimson Mother totem on the grand door. Inside the Reverse Moon Palace, the usual hustle and bustle had vanished. Under the seals placed by the Palace Masters, no cultivator could now enter. On the deserted mountain peak of the Reverse Moon Palace, all temples had their doors tightly shut, their lights dim, and there was no trace of incense. Only the highest hall above resonated with increasingly powerful rumbling, like heavenly thunder, spreading in all directions. The grand door constantly vibrated as if it could be pushed open at any moment, and streams of light emanated from its cracks, creating a sacred aura. Occasionally, the entire mountain body of the Reverse Moon Palace would similarly be affected, shaking and generating waves that continuously spread outwards, causing the void outside the mountain to churn perpetually. Though the grand door's vibrations had occurred in this epoch before, they had never been as intense as they were now. Unfortunately, no one could witness this scene, otherwise, they would undoubtedly be utterly shocked.

Inside the highest hall, the Crimson Mother totem on the grand door was already largely blurred. This was connected to the God Child's blood, which was key to erasing the totem, and also greatly related to the Captain's efforts. "Xiao Qing, in five days at most, we can completely erase this totem," the Captain's excited voice came from within the door the moment Xu Qing entered. Both he and Xu Qing had been giving their all during this period, racing against time. "By then, we will be the Lords of Reverse Moon."

Xu Qing nodded, ready to fully concentrate on deciphering the grand door with the Captain there. From a time perspective, even with the extreme urgency outside, it seemed sufficient—unless an unforeseen accident occurred. And an accident, indeed, did eventually occur.

On the second day of Xu Qing and the Captain's deciphering of the grand door, the Red Moon cultivators' encirclement began to take shape. The entire Great Desert's area was compressed by half, and wherever the Red Moon cultivators passed, the earth and sky turned crimson. At this moment, the Palace Emperor of the Temple, who was overseeing the destruction of the Great Desert, ascended into the sky holding his scepter, emanating a monstrous aura between heaven and earth.

All Red Moon Temple cultivators on the ground prostrated themselves, chanting prayers. Crimson light ascended, thickening into liquid, forming a booming vortex that began to rotate. After ninety-nine rotations, the red-robed Palace Emperor raised his scepter high. Immediately, an earth-shattering roar echoed in the sky above the Great Desert. Then, the firmament churned as if a pair of invisible hands had violently torn it apart. A massive fissure, spanning ten thousand miles, appeared. This fissure was shocking to behold; the moment it emerged, endless blood flowed from it, turning into a blood rain that showered the entire Great Desert.

The storms protecting the Bitter Life Mountain Range visibly dissipated in this blood rain. Most astonishing, however, was the aura emanating from this fissure in the sky. That aura was terrifyingly potent, shaking all directions, affecting not just the Great Desert but the entire Moon Sacrifice Domain. For a time, all beings in the great domain felt heart palpitations, their bodies and souls trembling. The reason for this was that the source of this aura was a skin, slowly revealing itself from within the ten-thousand-mile fissure. Growing larger and larger, it resembled the celestial curtain. On it, one could see mountain ranges undulating, moons and stars dotted, countless forbidden arrays sparkling like a starry sky, and the souls of myriad races wailing within, suffering immensely. This skin was entirely crimson, like a red hell, brimming with evil. Yet, it paradoxically gave off a sense of sanctity, as if good and evil, virtue and wickedness, life and death were all intertwined, transforming into something eerie.

Faintly, the entire sky blurred, seeming to contain only this single fissure, while the earth was warped. Divine power surged monstrously. The Red Moon cultivators prostrated themselves in fervent worship, one by one. This skin slowly curled up, eventually taking on a humanoid form, with arms and a torso appearing... Finally, a headless body shell slowly descended. With every inch it descended, the earth boomed, collapsing significantly, the storms visibly disintegrated, sand continuously shattered, and crimson dust was swept up by the blood rain. The blood rain swept across the surroundings, forming rivers that flowed against gravity, while the dust and sand circling in all directions made it seem as if purgatory had descended upon the mortal realm.

Furthermore, wailing sounds echoed within this body shell, causing one's soul to tremble. This object was precisely the Red Moon Temple's greatest reliance, its core foundation capable of suppressing divine containment and shaking all beings across the entire great domain.

The Crimson Mother's Mortal Exuviae!