Chapter 684: Forbidden Art

At the moment of the deity's arrival, everyone outside visibly paled. Xu Qing's eyes glinted, and the Captain narrowed his eyes, looking solemn. Cultivators from both sides reacted similarly. The Anti-Moon faction was filled with shock and suspicion, while the Red Moon cultivators did not exhibit the excitement one might have expected.

As the blood spread within the shattered chrysalis, the cultivation and blood within the bodies of the Red Moon cultivators began to show uncontrollable signs, as if that place was a source drawing everything from them.

As everyone felt their hearts pounding, the Crown Prince and others who had retreated rapidly dispersed, each with a solemn expression. Their auras erupted, forming long, merging rainbows.

They arranged themselves into a five-pointed formation. The light from their bodies imprinted itself onto the void, forming five-star patterns. The five individuals then shifted positions, stepping onto the points of the pentagram to form a Four Phases configuration.

The Crown Prince was on the left, the Eighth Prince on the right, the Ninth Prince in front, and the Fifth Princess behind. Princess Mingmei, standing in the center, her eyes gleaming with killing intent, spoke in a deep voice:

"His ascension ritual was not yet fully complete when we forcibly interrupted it within the chrysalis; his divine flame has not yet fully ignited!"

"He appears to have achieved divinity, but this is also his most vulnerable moment. He is suppressing the backlash from the failed ritual. If he succeeds in suppressing it and ignites his divine flame again, we will be powerless against him."

"Therefore, this is our only chance. I will unleash a forbidden technique, using time as its source, to unlock the chains of the Heavenly Dao. Through methods of the past, I will sever him, causing his aura to become chaotic, forcing him to endure the backlash of the failed ritual, and ultimately leading to his self-destruction."

Almost the instant Princess Mingmei's words echoed, the figure within the Red Mother's chrysalis began to walk. Blood gushed like a sea from beneath its feet, unleashing waves that spread across the land and lakes, dyeing the entire world crimson once more.

The stench of blood was overwhelmingly thick, permeating heaven and earth. The towering figure walking through the crimson haze created heavy footfalls with every step.

The sound caused the sky to ripple and reverberate, and the earth to rumble, captivating the minds of all cultivators outside.

Both Red Moon and Anti-Moon cultivators turned pale at the sound of these footsteps.

The approaching footsteps seemed to replace heartbeats, each step like a heavy tread upon one's very heart.

Everyone present instinctively retreated. Simultaneously, a soul-shaking tremor spread throughout their bodies, causing almost everyone to feel an uncontrollable urge to prostrate themselves in worship.

This was the suppression of a higher life-form, the fear of the weak towards the strong.

Under the convergence of countless gazes, the figure emerging from the shattered chrysalis became increasingly clear, gradually revealing itself to the world.

The figure stood ten *zhang* tall, entirely crimson, appearing raw and skinless. Numerous distinct faces were visible across its body.

There were twelve faces in total. These were precisely the thirteen children of the Dominator, excluding the fourth.

This scene was utterly bizarre. The faces of the Crown Prince, Princess Mingmei, the Fifth Princess, the Eighth Prince, and the Ninth Prince were all visible on the figure. As for the figure's overall appearance, it was extremely ferocious, with dense, irregularly shaped golden spots scattered among its flesh and blood, making it exceptionally hideous.

All four of its eyes had double pupils, emitting a cold light as if everything in heaven and earth held no importance in its gaze. On its head grew sharp, thorn-like horns, not a single one, but a row that extended along the back of its head and down its back, connecting to its tail.

The entire tail was golden. As the figure walked, its tail dragged on the ground, leaving long water marks in the sea of blood.

Its hands, similar to human hands in their joints, had four fingers instead of five. In one hand, it held a beating heart, gripping it as it walked. The moment it fully emerged from the chrysalis and was clearly visible to everyone present, its right hand clenched violently.

With a bang, the heart burst. The Crown Prince spat out blood, his face pale, and spoke urgently:

"His ascension ritual is centered on time. The core of the ritual involves gathering his blood relatives from the past and, at the moment each of them broke through a major cultivation realm, absorbing the temporal energy generated by those breakthroughs. This energy then transforms into his own power, serving as fuel for igniting his divine flame!"

"Once successful, it's as if one person has gathered everything! There are fourteen of us siblings, so the ritual has fourteen past nodes. Each of these fourteen nodes contains a temporal shadow of him."

"Each temporal shadow corresponds to a different cultivation stage. Only by severing all these nodes can his ritual be considered a complete failure!"

"Previously, we already severed the five most difficult nodes; nine remain. Next, we will sever five more. We cannot spare attention for the remaining four. Li Xiaoshan, if you can fight, you are counted as one. And Shen Quezi, you are also counted as one."

"Only those who possess the 'Divine Womb' qualification or divine authority can participate in this ritual. For the remaining two: Xu Qing, you possess the authority; Er Niu, you are a Divine Abomination – you two can handle it."

The Crown Prince's voice echoed, reaching the ears of everyone present. Li Xiaoshan, his body a bloody mess, chuckled despite his disheveled state, his eyes showing resolve. Like Shen Quezi, he nodded while moving and fighting.

Xu Qing and the Captain exchanged glances, and as their fighting intent surged, the Crown Prince's formation also erupted at this moment.

Their auras spread, forming vortices.

From a distance, a five-pointed star formation was visible beneath the feet of the five individuals. Their bodies were arranged according to the Four Phases method, with anomalies rising in front, behind, to their left, and to their right.

The anomaly appearing on the Fifth Princess was a large flower basket, its petals swirling to form a soft light. For the Eighth Prince, it was a grotesque face formed by the convergence of the seven emotions and six desires, its expression constantly shifting, instantly alternating all emotions and desires.

From the Crown Prince's position, the blurred figure of the Dominator Li Zihua emerged, its aura majestic like a rainbow, as if it could suppress everything.

As for the Ninth Prince, he was now a sharp blade capable of severing heaven and earth. This blade was not a sword, but a series of guillotines, manifested from his comprehension of the God-Slaying Platform.

After these Four Phases formed, they merged and overlapped, giving rise to one grand world after another.

And at the center of these worlds was Princess Mingmei. As she stood there, surrounded by the long river of time, her figure was astonishingly reflected within each grand world. It was as if countless versions of her appeared, all gazing towards the Red Mother's chrysalis.

At this moment, the sea of blood within the Red Mother's chrysalis erupted once more. The Divine Son's figure emerged further, and the color of heaven and earth became even more crimson. The blood within the bodies of all cultivators present was also affected.

Whether Red Moon or Anti-Moon, the uncontrollable sensation within their blood and cultivation became even more intense, threatening to burst forth from their bodies.

Some, whose cultivation was weak and who struggled to instantly suppress their bodies, exploded with a roar at this moment, vast quantities of blood surging directly towards the Divine Son.

Among them were even Red Moon cultivators!

This scene immediately caused the surrounding Red Moon cultivators' expressions to change, and they dared not approach.

Clearly, for the Divine Son, affiliations no longer mattered at this moment. All he cared about was achieving godhood.

Therefore, even as the Red Moon cultivators retreated, the connection of their shared origin still caused many Red Moon cultivators' bodies to continuously collapse, and their blood to gush forth in large quantities. As this blood merged, a rich divine aura intensified around the Divine Son, affecting the sky and the earth.

In an instant, the sky became more twisted, the void more blurred, and the earth more tumultuous. Yet, his aura did not cease to rise!

The god-like Divine Son coldly swept his gaze across the surroundings, finally settling on the ritual of the Crown Prince and others.

"My father's path was wrong. Becoming a god in this world is the only way out!"

"And I was born after he achieved godhood, but before he extinguished his own divine flame. Therefore, I am different from you!"

"Your existence serves as a part of my ascension to godhood, and my purpose is to walk the path my father left unfinished."

"This is also why I chose the Red Mother; she is my future dao companion!" The Divine Son spoke calmly, then raised his left hand and grabbed at the chrysalis behind him.

The chrysalis trembled, then flew directly towards the Divine Son, instantly enveloping him and transforming into a blood-red battle armor that covered his entire body.

He then took a step towards the Crown Prince and the others. The moment his foot landed, a powerful light gleamed in the Captain's eyes. He rapidly waved his hand, and instantly the sky darkened. The Nine Suns Ring, which he had previously displayed, descended once more, forming a suppressive force that roared and enveloped the Divine Son.

"Junior brother."

Almost simultaneously with the Captain's words, Xu Qing, without any hesitation, subtly rotated the Anti-Moon Mirror.

He knew well that the Captain rarely acted without purpose. Since the Captain chose to use the Nine Suns' blessing and have him act at this moment, there had to be a reason.

As the mirror surface rotated, a brilliant light shone upon the Divine Son.

Instantly, the Anti-Moon Mirror trembled, and the Nine Suns Ring rotated rapidly. Yet, the Divine Son ignored all of it.

To a god, Xu Qing and the others were merely ants. On this battlefield, only the Crown Prince and his group truly held his attention.

His steps showed no intention of stopping. The moment his foot landed, the Anti-Moon Mirror rumbled, and cracks appeared on the Nine Suns Ring.

And at this moment, Princess Mingmei, who was at the very center of the five-person ritual formation, had all her reflected figures in the multiple grand worlds simultaneously close their eyes.

The moment her eyes closed, her voice echoed from the void, from the past, and from all directions:

"Zhi Ping Day belongs to Earth: bury thoughts, conceal the Dao, level the land of time!"

"Zhi Ding Day belongs to Wood: nurture the present, contain the ancient, fix the gate of years!"

"Zhi Zhi Day belongs to Water: flowing years ebb and flow, grasp the path of life and death!"

"Zhi Po Day belongs to Fire: memory ignites the soul and hears, break the chains of the Heavenly Dao!"

"And I am Metal: bury, nurture, flow, burn. Ping, Ding, Zhi, Po!"

The moment Princess Mingmei's voice resonated, heaven and earth inverted, the sky's light dimmed, and all things became blurred.

A surging, seven-colored grand river emerged from the void, flowing upstream and engulfing everything!

Even the future Divine Son found it difficult to break free, enveloped by the long river.

The power of time operated here with unprecedented intensity!

From a distance, the world where the island was located seemed to be erased and absorbed into ancient times, ultimately transforming into an ancient, grand gate on the long river of time, which slowly began to open!