Chapter 681: As a Lord and a Master

As the Emperor’s voice echoed, the island serving as Red Moon’s headquarters immediately trembled. The many temples built upon it swayed, and among them, nine temples shimmered with red light, forming a pattern of nine stars.

Due to the light of the Nine Suns, this area had originally lost its crimson hue; only the color of the Crimson Mother’s mortal transformation and the Emperor himself retained their original shades. Now, nine more streams of red light appeared.

As the red light flickered, ancient auras emanated from each of these nine Red Moon temples on the ground. Along with blood surging like rivers and malevolent energy, the distinct sound of hoofbeats gradually began to resound.

Soon, nine figures emerged, one after another.

The first figure was a four-armed alien, indistinguishable as male or female. It wore a withered, long robe that seemed to curl, imbued with a sense of decay and the passage of time. Three of its four arms were partially rotted and bound by iron chains, but its fourth, with a gray-black hand, clutched a long spear from which blood still dripped.

The second figure was human, clad in similar blood-red armor. Red flames burned in its eyes beneath the helmet, and it also held a long spear. Looking further, as they continued to emerge, these nine figures fully revealed themselves to the world.

They comprised both human and alien races, each distinct, yet all wore identical battle armor that encased their heads and bodies. The armor was emblazoned with runes and totems resembling the Crimson Mother; despite being blood-red, it exuded a sense of holiness. Beneath each figure was a large, crimson blood-horse. These nine horses were also armored, and their exposed skin was raw flesh, completely devoid of hide, as if it had been flayed. Blood flowed from them as they walked. Their eyes were vivid red, and their teeth were sharp. Though they resembled horses, they were more like demonic beasts, and each had six legs instead of four.

The appearance of these nine figures and their horses stirred the entire battlefield. The Red Moon faction reacted with excitement, while the Anti-Moon faction felt their spirits seized with dread. Indeed, the cultivation fluctuations emanating from the Red Palace Blood Guards summoned by the Emperor were immensely powerful. As they advanced, waves of overwhelming and destructive aura shook the earth and sky, approaching the Incipient God realm. It could even be said that they were just a small step away from entering the Incipient God realm.

However, achieving the Incipient God realm evidently requires not only sufficient cultivation but also specific unique conditions. Thus far, throughout the entire Moon-Sacrificing Grand Domain, aside from the Young Masters, newly emerged Incipient Gods have been exceedingly rare for countless years. Even Divine Sparrow’s current avatar was only a half-step Incipient God; as for the fate of her original body, that matter was lost to history. Among those present, only the Emperor had attained the Incipient God realm, though his Incipient God cultivation was a product of amalgamation and empowerment, containing fatal flaws.

Therefore, the appearance of these nine ancient Red Palace Blood Guards had a tremendous impact on the war outside the Crimson Mother’s mortal transformation. Should they join the battlefield, the advantage held by the Anti-Moon battle spirits would crumble.

Yet, Li Xiaoshan’s footsteps did not falter; instead, his speed increased. His eyes filled with combat intent, and at this moment, his entire being began to burn without hesitation. This burning was not physical but internal, a combustion of his core essence. As he burned, his appearance reversed; he no longer looked aged but transformed into a middle-aged man, and his aura reached the pinnacle of his life.

As he sped forward, his voice echoed from his mouth. “In my life, I have fought over seven thousand life-and-death battles. The first thousand or so were against opponents of the same cultivation level. Later, I comprehended the essence of slaughter, and battled beyond my realm in every fight! Nine Blood Guards, each at a similar level to me—I alone can fight them all.”

Li Xiaoshan roared, his speed explosively increasing, transforming into nine afterimages as he charged towards the nine Blood Guards approaching from the ground. His speed was so swift that he instantly appeared before them, his great saber slashing at each. Their collisions reverberated with deafening sounds. Li Xiaoshan coughed up blood, his body forced back three steps before he halted. The nine Blood Guards, advancing forward, all paused simultaneously.

The next instant, one of the armored horses trembled, its body splitting directly down the middle into two halves. The alien Blood Guard atop it also heard a cracking sound from its armor, which then collapsed, revealing a withered body beneath. And this physical body, too, could not withstand the attack; a saber mark appeared. This mark grew larger and clearer until finally... the alien Blood Guard, like its warhorse, split into two halves. On the ground, one of the nine shimmering and rumbling temples now dimmed, its light fading as the temple collapsed.

Li Xiaoshan’s peak strike was truly terrifying. Licking away the blood from the corner of his mouth, Li Xiaoshan’s combat intent grew even stronger. At this moment, he disregarded his own life, knowing full well that the Anti-Moon Palace’s revival had no upper limit. His own limit, however, had been reached. But he did not care; his great saber danced as he charged forward once more.

Meanwhile, Divine Sparrow, her face devoid of expression or emotional fluctuation, strode through a sea of fire, heading directly for the Emperor. But the Red Moon Temple’s profound foundation still remained. The Emperor’s expression was calm; he raised his right hand and pressed it down onto the earth once more.

“Where are my Blood Generals?!” The earth rumbled, and three areas sank, from which three temples, emanating ancient auras, ascended. Unlike the other temples, these three felt as though they had existed for eons. Indeed, this was true; these three temples were stronger than those built in the first batch. At this moment, their grand doors opened, and as a sense of ancientness spread, three blood-colored coffins surged out from within. In mid-air, their lids exploded, and three withered corpses emerged from them. With a gust of wind, their bodies rapidly filled out, transforming into three old men in the blink of an eye. Upon closer inspection, one could see their demeanor was remarkably similar to the Emperor’s. As they emerged, their eyes opened, and they gazed at Divine Sparrow.

Divine Sparrow’s expression hardened. The next instant, these three old men phased through the void, appearing beside Divine Sparrow. As they raised their hands, illusory worlds materialized, and the cultivation they displayed was indeed Incipient God realm. However, their grand worlds were not real but illusory, which meant their combat power was not as formidable as true Incipient Gods, yet it was sufficient to suppress all Return to Ruin realm cultivators.

Nevertheless, Divine Sparrow was no ordinary individual. As the previous Anti-Moon Lord, her ability to keep an avatar sealed within the Anti-Moon Palace until now spoke volumes about her astonishing capabilities. At this moment, she fought the three old men with superhuman strength. Although she was at a disadvantage, she managed to tie down the three elders, preventing them from diverting their attention. However, as the three old men continued their attacks, their grand worlds slowly transitioned from illusory to real, seemingly recovering, and their combat power steadily increased. Divine Sparrow’s situation became increasingly perilous. Even more astonishingly, within the grand worlds of these three old men, various projections were also simultaneously recovering.

This scene truly startled both sides of the battlefield. The Red Moon faction was invigorated, while the Anti-Moon faction felt a chill in their hearts. The battle between the two sides was earth-shattering; the resulting fluctuations spread throughout the entire Grand Domain. The sky itself shifted, and the earth convulsed. The Red Moon faction, with arrogant expressions, unleashed divine arts to suppress all. Furthermore, the factions allied with Red Moon exerted themselves even more intensely. These included the Gate Clan, the Eerie Command Clan, the Sound Seeking Clan, and others. Notably, the Yin-Yang Flower Sect also unleashed their Dream Sacrificing Art at this moment.

Vast swathes of hazy mist assailed the Anti-Moon cultivators. Wherever it passed, any Anti-Moon cultivator who touched it would instantly appear bewildered. Even if they quickly recovered, that moment of bewilderment often spelled life or death. All at once, the Anti-Moon’s advantage rapidly diminished. They could only shrink their perimeter, buying time and awaiting the outcome within the Crimson Mother’s mortal transformation.

Seeing this, Xu Qing immediately summoned his Artifact Spirit to confront the Emperor. Having just experienced the Battle of Bitter Life Mountain Range, the Emperor was extremely cautious of the Anti-Moon Palace. Even now, he had not personally intervened. After glancing at the Artifact Spirit, he raised his right hand and pressed it onto the ground once more, a faint glow flashing in his eyes as he spoke in a low voice: “Blood Scions, awaken!”

The island’s ground violently shook. Aside from the three ancient temples and the eight temples emitting red light, all other temples instantly collapsed and sank, transforming into swirling vortices and forming caves. Looking around, there were thousands of caves across the entire island. Beams of blood-red light surged from these caves, and blood beasts, like those Xu Qing had encountered in the desert, leaped out from them. They were grotesque and incredibly ferocious. They were densely packed, their sheer numbers forming an endless sea of beasts. It was as if the island itself was entirely hollow, a massive cavern storing countless blood beasts.

The moment the blood beasts appeared, they simultaneously let out bloodthirsty roars, voices filled with madness, hunger, and greed. From all directions, they ascended into the sky, riding a blood-red tide as they charged towards the mid-air battlefield. Wherever they passed, the landscape turned crimson. Witnessing this, the Anti-Moon cultivators’ emotions fluctuated, and their expressions grew solemn.

The Captain narrowed his eyes, looked at the Emperor, and transmitted a message to Xu Qing. “Little A’Qing, this old ghost is too cautious. We need to find a way to make him come over, then you’ll see. I have a way to deal with this thief.”

Xu Qing nodded upon hearing this, glanced at the countless blood beasts below, and a bloody gleam appeared in his eyes. He understood these blood beasts intimately, as he had nurtured and hatched many of them over the past few months. Moreover, when he first encountered them, his cultivation was only at the Nascent Soul stage, yet he was able to make a large number of them kneel and submit using his authority. Now, his cultivation was vastly different and far superior to before. Therefore, Xu Qing did not hesitate; the Red Moon authority within him surged, and the Secret Repository behind him rumbled into manifestation. The Sky Moon within it instantly released moonlight, emanating from the Secret Repository and spreading across the island’s ground with him as the center.

As the moonlight bathed the land, the ground turned crimson, and all the blood beasts simultaneously paused, their hearts struck with awe. Instinctively, they looked towards the Anti-Moon Palace, letting out anxious roars as if struggling in fear, as if in their eyes, there was something supremely powerful wherever they looked. This scene truly startled both sides of the battlefield. The Emperor’s expression changed for the first time, as he looked towards the Anti-Moon Palace. Under their gaze, Xu Qing’s ethereal figure emerged step by step from within the Anti-Moon Mirror, like a monarch.