Chapter 688: My Past, Yours

In Xu Qing’s memory, the statue of the Red Mother had hands covering her eyes, blood flowing like a river. Even her true form, revealed in the Immortal Forbidden Land, had no eyes. Now, within the Fourth Son of the Dominator’s secret treasury, Xu Qing gazed at the enormous eye, sensing the powerful Red Mother aura emanating from it, and his heart was deeply stirred.

He recalled the nursery rhyme about the lost fourth child, the Crown Prince's words about his fourth brother becoming the Red Mother's divine son, and even Li Zihua's first words upon seeing the Red Mother in the ancient vision from the God-Slaying Platform: "Your singing is terrible; it disturbed my fourth son's dream!" At this moment, everything seemed to find historical validation.

Perhaps, long ago, the Red Mother's song not only disturbed Li Zihua's fourth son's dream but also planted an eye within it. Perhaps it was this very eye that allowed the Red Mother, before she became a deity, to potentially resurrect after being slain. Perhaps Li Zihua knew this as well, but for some unknown reason, he neither informed anyone nor tried to stop it. Perhaps this is why Li Zihua's fourth son, born after Li Zihua became a deity and before his divine flame extinguished, ultimately became the divine son.

The Grand Domain of Moon Sacrifice, nurturing the Red Mother's sustenance, was her spiritual garden. The Fourth Son of the Dominator was also the Red Mother's spiritual garden, cultivating one of her eyes. Although Xu Qing didn't know if these speculative answers were ultimately true, from a logical perspective, everything made sense, and this coherence deeply shook him.

Eventually, the world within this secret treasury blurred, crumbled, and dissipated in his perception. His own secret treasury had completely suppressed the Fourth Son of the Dominator's heaven, eradicating everything within that distortion. The roaring river of time from the outside swept through, shattering everything. Ultimately, the Red Mother's eye did not unleash her power, which didn't surprise Xu Qing because, at this point in time, the Red Mother's eye had not yet achieved divinity. It was more like a projection, an immature karma.

"Presumably, the eye inside the divine son in the outside world has matured, and others should have noticed it too," Xu Qing murmured within the long river of time. His body was engulfed by the surging waves, disappearing into the river, and gradually drifting away, carried by its current. He continued until he left that segment of time, reappearing on the island belonging to his own era in the outside world.

The moment his figure appeared, thunder rumbled across the sky, and a familiar teasing voice came from behind him. "Little A-Qing, you're a bit slow!" Xu Qing turned to see the Captain, sitting on the waves of time, playfully handling nine artificial suns, shrunk to the size of beads, with a faint smile on his face.

"These old grandpas and grandmas looked down on me a bit. The era they arranged for me was precisely when the Fourth Son of the Dominator broke through the Golden Core stage and entered the Nascent Soul stage! I just lifted a finger and annihilated that arrogant little brat, and incidentally, I also broke a seal!" The Captain spoke proudly, his aura erupting as a dark secret treasury flickered into existence behind him. Xu Qing wasn't surprised by his senior brother's breakthrough in cultivation. In fact, earlier, when both of them received the Moon Reversal Palace's nourishment and feedback, Xu Qing had already realized that the Captain intentionally refrained from elevating his cultivation.

"Senior Brother, you intentionally sought out the Fourth Son of the Dominator's Nascent Soul era, didn't you?" Xu Qing suddenly asked.

The Captain smiled at the question, about to speak. But just then, waves churned around them, and the figure of Divine Sparrow Child emerged from a wave. Once she reached the outside world, her body began to wither, visibly dissipating. "In the era I visited, the Fourth Son of the Dominator had already been slain by me, and my mission is complete. This clone can no longer exist. From now on, I leave it to you." This clone of Divine Sparrow Child had shown no emotion from beginning to end, even now as she dissipated. This was the price she paid for leaving this clone, and it embodied her obsession and mission. She was the previous master of the Moon Reversal Palace, but she ultimately failed to lead the people of her era to successful liberation. This unwillingness and regret shaped this clone. And today, though her regret remained, she had done her best. So she spoke calmly, then gazed at the world, sighed softly, and closed her eyes. A gust of wind blew, and her body gradually blurred until it turned to dust and vanished into the world, leaving only her sigh echoing.

Xu Qing bowed his head in silent reverence. The Captain watched this scene, and without saying much, he also bowed.

Soon, the waves churned again, and Fifth Grandmother emerged from within. Her steps faltered, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood as she walked, looking even older. Upon noticing Xu Qing and the Captain, a look of relief appeared in her eyes, and she nodded slightly. Without time for further words, she sat cross-legged, and waves of white light points emanated from her body, merging into the long river. She was sacrificing her own vitality to bless her older siblings. As the white light points merged, the river churned more violently. Amidst the rising and falling waves, Old Eight appeared. Half of his body was gone, and numerous light points gathered there as if to repair him. Now only his upper body remained. Climbing out of the river, he spat a mouthful of thick phlegm and grinned. "I never liked Old Fourth; I've wanted to give him a good beating for a long time. This time was satisfying." As he spoke, he waved his large hand, scattering the light points that were gathering to repair his lower body, directing them towards Fifth Princess instead. "You have so little lifespan left; don't waste it on me. I can manage myself." Fifth Princess glanced at Old Eight and didn't refuse.

"Er Niu, seeing your Eighth Grandfather like this, aren't you going to help me up!" Old Eight's gaze swept over to the Captain, and he laughed heartily. The Captain chuckled and quickly ran over, helping Eighth Grandfather up with an arm, and spoke words of admiration. "Eighth Grandfather is extraordinarily brave. I thought I was the only one in this world with such decisiveness and spirit, but I never imagined there would be a hero like Eighth Grandfather in this world."

Old Eight puffed out his chest, about to say something, when the long river of time rumbled. The Crown Prince and Princess Mingmei emerged one after another, followed by Old Ninth. His appearance was astonishing, as a sharp blade flew out from the river, its edge still stained with golden blood. The era he visited was when the divine son was at his strongest among the nine. "Slain!" Old Ninth spoke in a low, expressionless voice. Hearing this, the Crown Prince and Princess Mingmei breathed sighs of relief; they too had succeeded.

Now almost everyone had appeared, but ultimately, one person was still missing: Li Xiaoshan! "He has fallen, but he succeeded!" Princess Mingmei gazed at the long river, spoke softly, then raised her right hand and waved. Instantly, the long river of time, stretching across the heavens and earth, rapidly dissipated. The Dominator's statue, which had been submerged within it, gradually became visible. A figure was kneeling on its head. As the river water continued to dissipate, the Red Moon cultivators and Moon Reversal cultivators, who had been submerged in the earth, gradually opened their eyes. First, they were bewildered, then shocked, as they abruptly looked up at Xu Qing and the others in the sky, and at the figure atop the Dominator's statue. That was the divine son's true form. His hideous appearance and terrifying physique were no different from before, except for his unstable aura. At this moment, his body moved slightly, and he opened his eyes. Golden flames burned in his eyes as he gazed at the sky.

In the sky, the Crown Prince and others met his gaze. Xu Qing and the Captain took a few steps back. This battle was now in its final stages. If the success of this ritual still couldn't prevent the divine son from becoming a deity, then everything else would be meaningless. After a long pause, the divine son slowly stood up, his hoarse voice, tinged with a smoky quality, echoing across the heavens and earth. "Our father, in the eyes of others, is the Dominator, the heaven that protects a region, loyal to the Ancient Emperor, and compassionate towards all beings!"

"But in reality, he is a contradictory and cold person!" In the sky, the Crown Prince shook his head. "That's because you don't understand our father!"

The divine son fell silent. After a moment, he looked at the Crown Prince and spoke softly. "Crown Prince Brother, the father you see is different from the father I see. The first time your eyes beheld him, he was the Dominator. The first time my eyes beheld him, he was a god!" The Crown Prince started to speak, but ultimately had no words. Princess Mingmei's eyes flashed with a cold light as she spoke faintly. "That is no reason for you to choose betrayal and poison your own kin!"

The divine son turned his head, his gaze falling on Princess Mingmei, then on Fifth Princess and Old Eight, and finally on Old Ninth. "Third Sister, Fifth Sister, Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother. I want to ask you all a question! Which is more sorrowful: to be the only one awake when everyone else is drunk, or to be the only one drunk when everyone else is awake?" There was no answer to this question.

The moment he finished speaking, the divine son gave a self-mocking smile. Golden flames spread from his eyes, burning on his face, flowing over his body, blazing fiercely and gradually becoming earth-shattering. The flames scorched the earth, and their light illuminated the sky. A sense of divinity, at this moment, was incredibly intense. That was divine fire! However, the ignition of this fire did not complete the divine son's ritual; instead, it was a backlash.

Amidst this self-immolation, his gaze shifted from the Crown Prince and the others to the Captain, a profound meaning in his eyes. The Captain met his gaze, a hint of madness appearing in his expression. He suddenly raised his right hand, and the nine artificial suns he was playing with instantly flew towards the divine son, circling him. Wisps of golden divine fire actually flew from the divine son's body into these nine suns. This sight caused the Crown Prince and the others to stiffen. The nine artificial suns, infused with the divine fire, underwent a dramatic transformation, turning golden.

"Little A-Qing, this is why I, your senior brother, immediately collected artificial suns after coming to the Grand Domain of Moon Sacrifice. After absorbing the divine fire, don't these nine suns look a bit like the Sun of Dawn? Nine miniature Suns of Dawn are a grand gift for the Red Mother. Let's blow up that old hag." The Captain's voice, brimming with madness, echoed in all directions.

Xu Qing was not surprised. His attention at this moment was not on the nine suns, but on the divine son. This was because the divine son, now rapidly burning and dissipating, cast his final gaze upon Xu Qing. "Everything started with your appearance! There are too many similarities between you and me. Is this truly a coincidence? Could it be that my past is your future?" The divine son murmured softly, his body enveloped by golden flames, gradually dissipating atop his father's statue.

The heavens and earth convulsed, fierce winds howled, and clouds churned. In the distance, the Red Moon Star grew larger and larger on the horizon. The reddish glow emanating from its surroundings formed a bloody light, shaping the closed eyes of the Red Mother's face. Enveloping the sky!

The God has arrived!