Chapter 695: Good to See You Again, Xu Qing

The captain grabbed the scroll, laughed heartily, and tossed it to Xu Qing.

"Little Junior Brother, seal it within a world fragment. This is our first spoils of war!"

Xu Qing caught it and immediately sealed it within a world fragment as instructed. He used a fingerprint imprint connected by causality, sealed it with the captain's skin, and then suppressed it with the great world fragment, which was inherently his own.

This entire process was focused on causality, making the suppression extremely stable. Especially since the Nether Clan Ancestor was severely wounded, losing sixty percent of his power, the remaining forty percent couldn't cause any significant trouble under such suppression.

It must be said that the captain was exceptionally well-prepared for this confrontation with the Crimson Mother. However, in the Ancient Spirit Emperor's eyes, this was like snatching food from a tiger's mouth. Her gaze, at that moment, turned hostile. She hadn't eaten her fill, but she understood that this was merely an appetizer. So, she snorted coldly and looked towards the muddy figures fighting the Prince and others. As the Nether Clan Ancestor was sealed, these figures, as if on cue, lost their divine will, turning into ordinary mud and were obliterated into dust.

Next, everyone's gaze simultaneously fell upon the Moon Palace's gate. The totem faces were no longer there, but everyone present knew that even without the gate gods, this gate would not be easy to open.

The captain laughed, puffed out his chest, and stepped forward. "Seniors, please spread out a bit and protect us. When it comes to opening doors, I'm the most experienced. Little Junior Brother, you won't need to act this time; I'll blast this gate open myself." As he spoke, the captain raised his right hand, and instantly, nine artificial suns flew out from it.

These nine suns emitted golden flames, exuding a divine aura. That fire was divine fire absorbed from a Divine Son. Empowered by this fire, these nine artificial suns were essentially nine miniature versions of the Sun of Dawn.

Although they didn't understand the Sun of Dawn, the Prince and others could naturally feel the terror of these nine artificial suns. They had also paid attention to them multiple times before, so they scattered. As for the Ancient Spirit Emperor, she glanced at them a few more times, then her body flickered, and she vanished from sight again.

Seeing this, the captain became even more pleased. He waved his hand and roared, "Little Orb! Blast open that old hag Crimson Mother's door for me!"

The next instant, one of the nine artificial suns suddenly shot out. Its flames reached their peak combustion in a flash, and a terrifying aura erupted from within, transforming it into a golden meteor streaking straight towards the Moon Palace's gate.

"Protect me!" the captain yelled, retreating frantically towards Xu Qing, like a child who had lit a firecracker. He knew very well that being near Xu Qing was the safest place at that moment. After all, the Prince and the others would likely not protect him, but they would certainly protect Xu Qing.

Indeed, just as he thought, Ninth Elder flickered, standing before Xu Qing once more, his sword raised and held ready. The Prince and others also arrived swiftly. The moment they appeared, the meteor struck the gate.

A deafening roar erupted at that moment, shaking the entire Red Moon Star violently. The sky and ground warped, and everything became blurred and indistinct. They could only vaguely see the artificial sun explode on the Moon Palace's gate. The golden flames within instantly engulfed the entire gate and then enveloped the Moon Palace itself, confronting the crimson light.

The aura emanating from it was shocking, even moving the Prince and others, who felt threatened by the artificial sun's explosion. Especially the divine fire power it unleashed, which exuded a terrifying intent. The Moon Palace trembled, and the reverberating fluctuations spread like a storm, instantly covering the Red Moon Star.

Although the storm was blocked in front of the Prince and the others, it fanned out, affecting the area behind them. The sound was so immense that it echoed throughout the outer Moon Sacrifice Grand Domain. It wasn't until a good while later that the storm weakened, and Xu Qing immediately looked up. The Moon Palace still stood between heaven and earth! The golden flames on it had extinguished, and the crimson light spread once more. And the gate... though a deep crater had appeared, it remained unopened.

The captain grew anxious, leaping up, his eyes showing madness as he roared, "Middle Orb!" In the blink of an eye, an artificial sun several times larger than the first one shot skyward with a hum. It burned with the same golden flames, but its might was far more majestic than the "Little Orb" before it.

It whistled through the air, heading straight for the Moon Palace's gate. An earth-shattering sound erupted with even greater intensity. The deafening roar seemed to replace all other sounds in the world, as did the fluctuations and the storm.

The Red Moon Star trembled, the Moon Sacrifice Grand Domain rumbled, and even the outer domains heard this world-opening clamor. Moreover, the divine fire that erupted this time momentarily dyed the Red Moon golden. And though the Moon Palace's gate possessed divine power, cracks finally appeared under such direct, close-range bombardment.

The captain was excited, his eyes full of anticipation, and Xu Qing also fixed his gaze. But just then, a familiar cold snort emanated from within the Moon Palace gate.

As the cold snort reverberated, the divine fire spreading across the gate instantly extinguished. The divine fire permeating the Moon Palace did likewise, and all the fire on the entire Red Moon Star vanished in an instant with that snort. The Prince's expression changed, and he recoiled. Princess Mingmei, the Fifth Princess, and Eighth Elder also instantly showed altered expressions. The Fifth Princess and Eighth Elder, in particular, spat out mouthfuls of blood, their pupils contracting.

Only Ninth Elder, whose entire body erupted with malevolent energy, fiercely slashed forward. A cracking sound spread as Ninth Elder's sword descended in mid-air, slicing through the void and dispelling the pressure. However, as the sword fell, its blade could not withstand the force and shattered into pieces.

Ninth Elder remained expressionless. He raised his hand, and a second sword appeared in his grasp. Then he looked up, gazing intently at the Moon Palace's gate. Over by the captain, blue light shimmered in his eyes, and the remaining nine artificial suns began to burn.

He had recognized that cold snort, and Xu Qing naturally recognized it too. In their silence, the Moon Palace's gate, which still hadn't opened, now slowly began to open inwards on its own, without a sound.

It didn't just crack open; it opened completely, as if waiting for everyone to enter. Through the open gate, the Moon Palace within was revealed not as a palace, but as a vast, blood-red sea.

This sea was boundless and endless, its waves churning, its blood-red light reflecting on the heavens. Everything was red. And within this redness, the most striking sight was the colossal figures standing upon the sea.

Some of these figures were humanoid but had three heads and six arms. Others were utterly grotesque; for instance, one was entirely composed of bones, incredibly tall. Another was covered head to toe in tentacles, like an amorphous mass of flesh. Still another was a convergence of mist, within which countless tiny fingers could be seen.

These figures varied greatly in appearance, entirely distinct from all other races. Each one carried the aura of a deity, terrifying to the extreme, filling the blood-red sea.

If any one of them were to emerge, they would surely unleash a bloodbath upon the Wanggu Continent. Because they were all deities, thirty-seven of them in total!

Furthermore, inside, Xu Qing saw a deity from the Immortal Forbidden Land. This deity, whose true form was a fish, looked exactly as Xu Qing remembered.

Judging by her aura, at least a dozen of these thirty-seven deities far surpassed her. And two of them gave Xu Qing the feeling that they were almost comparable to the Crimson Mother herself, their divine might so vast that merely seeing them threatened to shatter one's mind. However, they were not substantial; they were all projections.

This was a hell for deities. "This is different from when I first entered the Moon Palace. The Moonlit Sea should have been deeper inside, but now it has appeared early..."

"The beings within the Moonlit Sea are all projections of deities previously devoured by the Crimson Mother!" the captain said in a low voice. Simultaneously, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, his gaze falling upon the depths of the Moonlit Sea beyond the gate.

There, in the air, surrounded by the thirty-seven divine projections, a colossal flower slowly appeared. This flower was exquisitely beautiful, but its beauty carried the essence of death.

Its vibrant red color, scattered stamens, and curling petals swayed between heaven and earth. Faintly, a meandering melody softly echoed through the air. The flower gradually blossomed. Its petals slowly unfurled.

At that moment, the entire world filled with a fresh, sweet yet pungent scent of blood. From a distance, it appeared to grow within this boundless blood-red hell, like the claws of a malevolent spirit, slowly reaching out towards all life.

And within this blood-red flower, a figure sat cross-legged. This figure was a man, his eyes closed, motionless, as if in slumber.

Long red hair fanned out around him, covering his body, spreading over the flower disc, and dangling beneath the flower.

Each strand of hair intertwined with the flower's stamens, making it impossible to distinguish between them, while also adding to the flower's beauty.

A long red robe merged the man's presence with this "Flower of the Other Shore." It was as if they were inherently one.

His exquisitely beautiful face, combined with his ethereal aura, made it difficult to discern his gender at first glance, had Xu Qing not recognized him. For this beauty had reached the pinnacle of life, or rather, it was the beauty of death, something no living being could possess. Just like the flower.

Atop the figure's blood-red hair rested a crown of thorns. Its sharp points seemed to grow naturally and perfectly into the flesh.

The thorny crown shifted, weaving a tapestry of anguished faces that constantly changed, each one unique. Yet, they all emitted the same silent wail.

This wail was the melody reverberating throughout the place. "Zhang Siyun..."

This person was indeed Zhang Siyun! Xu Qing was not surprised to see him here.

Although he wasn't well acquainted with Zhang Siyun, they had crossed paths before. He had even witnessed Zhang Siyun being possessed by the Crimson Mother and entering the Red Moon after devouring the Immortal Forbidden deity.

The moment Xu Qing's gaze fell upon Zhang Siyun, Zhang Siyun's eyelashes twitched, and his eyes... slowly opened.

Blood-red eyes, exuding a cold ripple. They were the Crimson Mother's eyes, yet they also contained Zhang Siyun's essence.

"Long time no see, Xu Qing!"