Chapter 696: God Art, Commanding Life

The Crimson Moon and stars roared at this moment.

As Zhang Siyun’s voice echoed, it transformed into countless resounding tones, spreading in all directions like thunder. It was as if all living beings were murmuring, shaking Xu Qing’s spirit and deeply moving the Captain, the Eldest Prince, and the others.

The fact that he could call out Xu Qing’s name was enough to indicate that at this moment, Zhang Siyun, despite being a Red Mother’s avatar, still retained his memories. The two had merged.

"The Red Mother didn't devour his consciousness; instead, she preserved it, forming an independent personality!"

"So he is Zhang Siyun, and he is also the Red Mother!" the Captain spoke solemnly.

"And in this state, he is even more powerful!"

The eyes of the Eldest Prince and the others flashed with cold resolve. The moment they gazed at the Moon Palace's gate, Old Ninth was the first to move. His entire being transformed into a streak of sword light, rushing towards the Moon Gate with overwhelming momentum. Wherever he passed, the void shattered in his wake.

The Eldest Prince and Princess Mingmei also charged forward, followed by Fifth Sister and Old Eighth. Xu Qing and the Captain were at the back; they now stepped forward and charged as well.

Since the Moon Palace's gate had been actively opened, even though danger lurked within, they had come too far to stop now simply because Zhang Siyun had appeared.

In an instant, everyone's figures neared the great gate. Simultaneously, inside the gate, amidst the Moonlight Sea and the Other Shore Flowers, Zhang Siyun, clad in a red robe, gazed at the crowd outside, his expression serene.

Moonlight poured down. Amidst ripples of shimmering light, his exquisite face exuded nobility as he slowly raised his right hand. This hand was as white as jade, perfect and flawless, devoid of palm lines. Palm lines are part of one's destiny, but for deities at their level of existence, they transcend fate.

"Divine Art…" Zhang Siyun spoke softly, then gently tapped the first joint of his index finger with his raised right thumb. The instant of contact produced a crisp sound, like a water droplet falling, which then transformed into two words echoing in the hearts of Xu Qing and the others: "Grasp Fate."

A gentle breeze blew, stirring ripples in the Moonlight Sea. It fell upon the Eldest Prince and the others who had stepped into the Moon Palace's great gate, causing their clothes to flutter and their hair to stir, and simultaneously, causing their destinies to ripple.

Old Ninth, who was at the very front, suddenly trembled. His entire being halted, unable to move forward even half a step, and at that very moment, astonishing changes appeared in his body. Countless overlapping images appeared on his body. These images were astonishingly all of his past, containing the pain and torment he endured after being suppressed, as well as the beauty and cultivation from before his father's demise. His entire past, with nothing hidden, emerged on his body, becoming a series of scenes overlaid upon his physical form. That was his past destiny.

It wasn't just Old Ninth; images of the past also appeared on the bodies of the Eldest Prince, Princess Mingmei, Fifth Princess, and Old Eighth at that very moment. Countless past events instantly manifested on each of them, as if everyone had transformed into a book, with every past scene becoming a page.

Xu Qing and the Captain were no exception. The Captain's entire body trembled as images continuously appeared on him, from the moment of his birth until now, though these images only depicted his current life, not any past ones. Xu Qing was the same; everything he had experienced from childhood to adulthood uncontrollably revealed itself. Joys and sorrows, partings and reunions—everything was simultaneously displayed.

However, these images did not include the divine remnant face, nor the figure of his elder brother! But Xu Qing had no energy to ponder this at the moment; the sensation of these past images surfacing instantly overwhelmed his heart with countless emotions. This scene was no longer a mere cultivator's technique; it was a deity's ability.

Zhang Siyun's expression remained unchanged. As he looked at everyone, his thumb lifted and tapped the second joint of his index finger. The moment it landed, the sound, like a water droplet falling, echoed once more.

The wind grew stronger. Destiny fluctuated again. It was impossible to resist, difficult to evade. In the hands of a deity, destiny seemed like a toy that could be arbitrarily adjusted, just as it was now… as his thumb descended, and the sound of the water droplet echoed…

Everyone's minds roared as if millions of thunderbolts exploded in their hearts. The surging ripples tore through their past, causing each of their past images to instantly flip. It was as if they were being scrutinized. The aura of a deity, a supreme oppressive might, spread throughout the entire world at this moment.

The Eldest Prince's eyes were bloodshot, and his body trembled as he tried to struggle. His brothers and sisters were likewise affected, but it was all in vain; their past destinies continued to be scrutinized. Only Old Ninth's aura surged, and the flipping of his book pages slowed down, yet it still couldn't be stopped. Due to their cultivation levels, the Captain and Xu Qing were likewise unable to resist at this moment.

As everyone's memories were reviewed, images from their past soon flew out from their bodies, as if torn from a book, heading straight towards Zhang Siyun. Without exception, these torn-off past images were all the most painful and tormenting moments of their lives.

For the Eldest Prince and the others, what was torn from them were scenes of devouring the flesh and blood of their siblings, their tragic suppression, and the moments of their anguished cries when their emotions were in extreme states throughout their lives. The Captain was also trembling. The past torn from him largely consisted of scenes of his hunger while unsealing himself. Among these many images, there were some unknown to others. For instance, in one image, the Captain was crying, walking alone in the darkness, his cries echoing, utterly heartbroken.

As for Xu Qing, his expression was twisted, veins bulged on his forehead, and his breathing was ragged. The agony of having his memories violently ripped away at this moment still couldn't compare to a specific scene from his past. That scene showed him inside a jungle, rain falling from the sky. He knelt on the ground, emitting painful wails—it was despair, torment, and madness. In the image, there was also a blood-red candied hawthorn.

This memory was what Xu Qing least wanted to recall: the moment his elder brother appeared in Yinghuang Province and revealed everything to him. At that time, it was the most devastating period of Xu Qing's life to date. Compared to this, his childhood experiences and bitter life were insignificant. And this memory was now torn away, transforming into an image that flew towards Zhang Siyun.

Soon, all the most painful and tormenting moments from everyone's memories appeared around Zhang Siyun, forming a series of continuously rotating pictures.

"The suffering of living beings arises because there is beauty, creating a contrast…" Zhang Siyun spoke softly, then gently tapped the first joint of his middle finger with his raised right thumb. A crisp sound fell upon heaven and earth, echoing in everyone's hearts. It transformed into ripples, forming a storm that swept through their entire bodies. Ultimately, it became a roaring, bursting eruption. All the past memory images that had surfaced on them now began to shatter!

They shattered into countless fragments! All the beauty, all the joy, everything cherished, everyone beloved… these moments, these pasts, were collapsing. Rumbling sounds emanated from everyone's bodies as the images burst layer by layer, forming illusory blood that sprayed into the air, accompanied by their uncontrollable, shrill wails.

And resistance, too, intensely unfolded at this moment. The Eldest Prince's long hair fluttered, forming countless snake-like shadows that plunged into his own past memories, using methods of altering perception to confuse and empower all the images. Princess Mingmei, meanwhile, had rivers of time flowing over her entire body, continuously raising her past Dao shadows from within to fill and mend the gaps. Old Eighth, meanwhile, solidified the essence of joy through his own emotions, continuously spreading it. As for Old Ninth, his method was the simplest: one sharp sword after another flew out from his past images, continuously slashing in all directions. Each time a sword fell, it would break, but new ones would quickly form again. And with the Captain, his expression twisted, ferocious faces appeared in his eyes, and cold air emanated from his body, freezing his past.

As for Xu Qing, his sundial was moving, his forgetting intent was stirring, and his authority was erupting even more. Simultaneously, he finally understood why his past images contained neither the divine remnant face nor Prince Ziqing. This was because, for some unknown reason, after Zhang Siyun unleashed the divine art of Grasp Fate, the images of these two figures had appeared within his purple crystal! And as Xu Qing clearly saw a particular scene within the image at this moment, an even greater roar erupted in his mind than the shattering of pleasant memories.

The first image was in the ruins of a slum, where Xu Qing gazed at the sky, and the remnant face opened its eyes, looking at him intently… The second image was of Wushuang City… Blood rain was falling from the sky, and his young self sat on the ground, hugging his knees and weeping. Before this, Xu Qing's memory recalled that he had cried for a long time back then, and then left the vanished city. But in the image within this purple crystal, he saw a different ending!

In the image, a familiar person stood in the sky. This person walked step by step towards his weeping younger self, then raised a hand and gently patted his head. "Little brother, don't cry." The moment those four words were uttered, Xu Qing saw his younger self in the image. With a bang, his head collapsed, and his body turned into scattered flesh and blood. Death.

Xu Qing's entire body trembled, and as his mind was gripped by a colossal surge, all the book pages outside his body were now torn to shreds. What remained in the end was merely the empty shell of a book, devoid of pages. Even with resistance, the others ultimately couldn't escape this fate!

"Without beauty, there is no contrast. Thus… living beings will not comprehend the meaning of suffering."

Under the moonlight, Zhang Siyun's expression was utterly serene, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. His exquisite face was like a statue as he gazed at the wailing crowd, then tapped the second joint of his middle finger with his right thumb. The next instant, the most painful and tormenting past images surrounding everyone paused abruptly. They no longer rotated but trembled instead. With the trembling, they were shockingly being duplicated, and countless identical images appeared from each original.

A smile appeared on Zhang Siyun's face as he looked at them. He lifted his thumb and tapped the first joint of his ring finger. The next instant… these images suddenly flew out, heading straight towards Xu Qing and the others. They returned to their respective owners, rapidly filling the empty, collapsed book-shells of each person, making them whole again.

However… this "complete" past contained no beauty. It was entirely composed of their most painful and tormenting memories, which had replaced their entire past. It was constantly erupting, leading to utter collapse.

This was the power of a deity. This was divine art.