Chapter 691: Red Mother Arrives, Sovereign Awakens

In the continent of Wanggu, there exists a hidden void. It is not the Nine Netherworlds, yet it is equally dark. No one knows its exact location; not even the Heavenly Dao can find it. This is because it was the hiding place of the Ancient Spirit Emperor, who once unified Wanggu. After being cursed and retaliated against by all the ancient Heavenly Daos of Wanggu, he took his people and concealed them there.

Its name is Spirit Abyss.

It was created on the head of a decaying giant serpent, carried by this terrifying creature, constantly moving through the void. The world within was permeated with death, burying countless skeletons, like the Yellow Springs Underworld. Lost souls and decaying corpses were ubiquitous. Thus, the sky was dim, and the earth was black.

Sound seemed to hold no meaning here; the entire world appeared to be nothing but a visual spectacle. Within this scene, there were numerous palaces, and inside these palaces were mountains of flesh and blood. Above the peak of each mountain, a gigantic eye floated in the sky. It was closed, as if nothing in this world could disturb its tranquility. Only golden dragons coiled around it, forming intricate runes, seemingly weaving a dream for it. If undisturbed, it might have continued to slumber forever.

Then, suddenly, a vortex appeared, and the gigantic eye floating in mid-air above the mountains of flesh and blood trembled violently. As if sensing something that caused it both helplessness and disgust, the eye abruptly opened. A colossal divine thought, powerful enough to engulf heaven and earth and shake the entire Ancient Spirit Realm, burst forth from within the massive eye, sweeping across infinite lands and finally settling on the appearing vortex.

Within the vortex, Xu Qing's figure slowly materialized. After fully emerging, he looked at this familiar world, then at the eye glaring at him, maintaining a composed expression as he cupped his fists in a respectful bow.

“Your Majesty, long time no see.”

“Not long at all, just enough time for a nap!” A cold snort emanated from the eye. Its bloodshot gaze fixed on Xu Qing, while the sound of flowing water filled the surroundings as Yellow Springs water arrived from all directions, flowing ceaselessly. That was the Ancient Spirit Emperor's saliva.

“I told you before, the next time you come, the interest you owe will be a crippled deity!”

“If you don't bring one, I'll devour you!”

Inside Xu Qing, the God's Finger trembled, continuing to feign sleep. Xu Qing paid no mind to the finger's cowardice. He looked at the eye, a friendly expression appearing on his face. “Your Majesty, of course, I remember that. My purpose in coming this time is to inform you about it.”

“There's a lavish feast; I wonder if Your Majesty would be interested?” Xu Qing spoke respectfully.

The eyeball on the mountain of flesh and blood narrowed. “What feast?”

“The slumbering Red Mother!” As soon as Xu Qing uttered those words, the entire Ancient Spirit Realm boomed, all the palaces trembled, and all the eyeballs on the mountains of flesh and blood opened simultaneously, turning their gaze towards Xu Qing.

“What are you saying?!” Faced with such divine power, had it been in the past, Xu Qing would have been unable to bear it. But now, his cultivation was vastly different from before. While he still felt some discomfort from these divine powers, he was no longer as fragile as he once was. So, he maintained a calm expression and spoke softly.

“I was teleported here from the Moon-Sacrificing Domain. There, you'll find the awakening Sovereign Li Zihua, two Celestial Gods of the Blazing Moon Profound Heaven Clan, and numerous Embodied Gods…”

“Before coming here, I proposed that Your Majesty should have a share in this feast. So, they sent me here to ask… will Your Majesty partake in this feast?”

“As for the truthfulness of my words, with Your Majesty's power, you can verify the aura on my body.”

As Xu Qing's voice echoed, all the flesh-and-blood eyeballs here blinked rapidly, and the earth rumbled even louder, as if a heartbeat was accelerating and resonating. Indeed, Xu Qing's words were simply too shocking, even for the Ancient Spirit Emperor. It clearly never expected that the 'interest' Xu Qing had prepared this time would be so immense. It had only asked for a crippled deity. Yet Xu Qing was offering the Red Mother.

It knew of the Red Mother, and also of the Celestial Gods of the Blazing Moon Profound Heaven Clan. It had already investigated the aura clinging to Xu Qing, and indeed… it was real. But it fell silent. Xu Qing was not in a hurry; he waited quietly.

Time passed, and a day went by.

“Your Majesty, if you do not want this interest this time, then I shall take my leave. The time for the feast is approaching.” Xu Qing spoke calmly, slowly stepping back, about to re-enter the vortex. Just then, the vortex paused, solidifying.

Xu Qing showed no panic. He calmly looked at the Ancient Spirit Emperor's eye. “I am the chef, Your Majesty. If I don't return, they will come looking for me.”

The eyeball on the mountain of flesh and blood stared at Xu Qing, seemingly weighing its options. After a while, the vortex behind Xu Qing unfroze and continued to spin.

Just as Xu Qing's figure was about to disappear, a drop of black blood flew out from the Ancient Spirit Emperor's eye, heading straight for Xu Qing. Upon landing on him, it transformed into a black cloak. The cloak had an eye on it, terribly fierce. Then, the Ancient Spirit Emperor's voice echoed in Xu Qing's mind.

“At the moment of the feast, if everything is true, I will attend.”

Xu Qing nodded upon hearing this. “Your Majesty, after this banquet, I will also need a Dragon of Ancient Spirit Fortune.”

“Agreed!”

Heaven and earth inverted, and the eight directions roared. The figure in the void vanished into the vortex, reappearing in the Moon-Sacrificing Domain, before the statue of Sovereign Li Zihua.

The moment he appeared, the Captain immediately looked over, and the Prince and others in mid-air also opened their eyes, gazing at Xu Qing, especially at his black cloak. The Ancient Spirit Emperor's eye on the cloak also rapidly constricted. The first thing it saw was the statue of Sovereign Li Zihua. It profoundly sensed the terrifying power contained within the statue and the aura of imminent awakening. Then, it looked at the sky, observing the colossal Red Moon celestial body, which was rapidly approaching. Waves of emotion stirred within its heart. Finally, it looked at the Prince and the others, its gaze sweeping over each of them before settling on Old Nine, its eyes narrowing.

“Senior, this is the esteemed guest I invited.” Xu Qing looked at the Prince, speaking respectfully.

The Prince said nothing, merely nodding. Clearly, during Xu Qing's day-long absence, the Captain had informed them to some extent. Only Old Nine, as he looked at Xu Qing's black cloak, exuded a chill.

“This young man has shown us kindness.”

The Ancient Spirit Emperor's eye narrowed. It felt an unparalleled ominous aura emanating from the person before it. The intensity of this ominous aura was enough to rank among the top three it had ever witnessed in its lifetime. “Such a genius… he wields a sword that can awe deities!” The Ancient Spirit Emperor murmured inwardly. It naturally understood the meaning of these words: a threat and a warning. Had it been in its prime, it would naturally have ignored it. But things were different now, and furthermore, everything it had seen since arriving here was largely consistent with Xu Qing's description. As for Celestial Gods, it also sensed a potent aura from the person nearby. “That sly-looking individual carries a divine positioning gate.”

All of this caused a ripple in the Ancient Spirit Emperor's heart, and it transmitted a divine thought. “He is my follower; naturally, I would not harm him.”

Hearing this, Old Nine withdrew his gaze, but the ominous aura continued to seethe. The Ancient Spirit Emperor's eye narrowed, then glanced at the awakening Sovereign, and its aura subsided somewhat.

Throughout all of this, Xu Qing maintained a composed expression. Since he dared to invite the Ancient Spirit Emperor, he naturally had something to rely on, and he was confident that the Ancient Spirit Emperor could not cause significant trouble in this situation. Thus, time slowly passed.

The cries of the living beings in the Moon-Sacrificing Domain continued, growing stronger as the Red Moon celestial body gradually approached in the sky. At this moment, in Xu Qing's sight, the Red Moon celestial body was already colossal, no longer occupying just half the sky, but well over half. The firmament was enveloped by this approaching celestial body; its craters were even visible to the naked eye due to its proximity. Its shadow covered the land, causing the ground to churn, rivers to erupt, and mountains to collapse wherever it passed. The aura emanating from the Red Moon celestial body swept across like a storm, its divine essence enveloping everything. Aberrant energy was dense, and the world distorted. It roared towards the Sovereign's statue.

The surrounding blood lakes were refilled, and everything visible was crimson, as if the world itself was being submerged by a sea of blood at this moment. All living beings trembled, and an uncontrollable sense of despair arose, transforming into even stronger cries. The aura of awakening on the Sovereign's body also burst forth at this moment, causing heaven and earth to twist and the void to rumble, as if countless heavenly thunders were exploding. Yet, no matter how widely the sounds spread, they could not prevent the Red Moon celestial body's arrival. In the firmament, the Red Moon drew closer and closer. On the ground, its shadow, carrying aberrant energy, had already appeared at the edge of vision.

The Prince and others wore extremely solemn expressions, their eyes filled with hatred. The Captain also looked tense. All their preparations, years of effort, hinged on this moment! The Ancient Spirit Emperor's eye on Xu Qing's cloak instantly narrowed as well. Xu Qing, too, felt an uncontrollable unease rise within him. The Red Moon authority within his body became unprecedentedly active, pulled by the Red Moon. The varying emotions in everyone's hearts reached their peak in an instant.

The next instant, heaven and earth darkened. The immense Red Moon celestial body, carrying endless tidal power, terrifying divine might, and a dreadful aura, appeared… directly above the Sovereign's statue in the firmament! Right in the center!

The Red Mother had arrived!

An extremely potent divine aura, like ink, descended from the sky. In the blink of an eye, the Prince and others coughed up blood, their bodies began to wither and decay, emitting black mist as curses erupted. The Captain also found it unbearable, activating the Dawn Sun around him to barely hold on. As for Xu Qing, the cloak formed by the Ancient Spirit Emperor on his body passively resisted the burst of this aura for him at this moment.

But at this rate, they wouldn't be able to last much longer. The Moon-Sacrificing Domain churned, this world began to collapse, all living beings wailed, and the apocalypse descended. If all of this were depicted as a scene, the Moon-Sacrificing Domain in that scene would be utterly miserable. The kneeling posture of the Sovereign's statue, just like the name of this place, Repentance Plain, signified that he was being punished and was repenting here.

In the past, every epoch in the Moon-Sacrificing Domain was like this. But this time, it was different! The instant everyone struggled to endure, white flames roared to life from the Sovereign's statue! This was the burning of its will to awaken, stimulated by the spreading divine might of the Red Moon, the aura of the Red Mother. The flames grew fiercer and fiercer, reaching their peak in an instant, erupting towards the firmament. Its hands, which had never been lifted since its death countless ages ago, now slowly rose amidst these flames and a deafening roar!

Colossal hands, like two vast firmaments, reached up from two directions and directly slammed into… the Red Moon celestial body above its head!

Sovereign Li Zihua, awakened!