Chapter 702: Li Zihua and the Red Mother

The peak powerhouses of this era also include the Dao Manifestation cultivators who have recently emerged on the lands of the Blacksky Clan.

A major upheaval is erupting within the Blacksky Clan, and war is commencing.

The Blacksky Clan suffered a crushing defeat with countless casualties after the Human Emperor released two complete Suns of Dawn. Consequently, they had no choice but to retreat their entire clan into their own vast domain, activating their domain treasure to form a protective barrier against further attacks.

Although the human race withdrew their troops, the light generated by the Suns of Dawn continued to shroud the Blacksky Clan's territory, inflicting constant damage. Over the years, the number of deceased clan members steadily increased, and fewer than one in ten of the newly born survived.

For the Blacksky Clan, the cost of this war was so immense that the very foundation of their people was shaken. Moreover, their deities seemed to have abandoned them, as countless appeals received no response whatsoever.

This made the Blacksky Clan even more desperate. Due to their inherent characteristics, they endured continuous hardship in recent years and lacked the strength to initiate war, wishing only to survive this clan's winter.

However, war does not avoid those who wish to avoid it.

This time, the attacking party came from the Sacred Ripple Domain. The human legions, along with the forces under the Sacred Ripple Grand Duke, tore a gap in the Blacksky Clan's defenses, through which the vast army poured in.

The human army was not commanded by the Seventh Prince, but by a powerful figure from his mother's family: Tiancang Wang, one of the current Thirty-Three Heavenly Kings of the human race, and also the Seventh Prince's maternal uncle. He personally led the army, commanding all military forces within the Sacred Ripple Domain, and launched the war against the Blacksky Clan. It was also he who, relying on a supreme treasure, broke through the Blacksky Clan's defenses.

Even the Sacred Ripple Grand Duke showed deference to Tiancang Wang.

This was because every one of the human race's Thirty-Three Heavenly Kings was a Dao Manifestation cultivator!

At this moment, as war erupted, the battlefield roared, and the slaughter reached astounding levels. Within the Blacksky Clan's vast domain, all peak cultivators, regardless of allegiance, felt their minds tremble instantly. Instinctively, they looked up at the sky, towards the remnants of the deities' faces.

The moment all races gazed, within the Sacrificial Moon Domain, on the Red Moon star, inside the Moon Palace... Red Mother's aura surged heavenward.

The ground of the Moon Palace transformed into a viscous sea of blood. As the blood sea churned, the Crown Prince and others successively awoke, each retreating. By the time they reached Xu Qing's vicinity, their weakness was extremely apparent.

Xu Qing was also severely injured, and the Captain was in the same state. All of them were on the brink of exhaustion.

"What happens next is beyond our control," the Captain said hoarsely, glancing at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded weakly, looking at the blood sea before them.

The blood sea churned even more violently, a roaring sound echoing as it spun rapidly into a vortex. Within that vortex, a figure was emerging.

This figure was not humanoid. It resembled countless flesh-and-blood wings growing together, intertwined and spreading out to form innumerable tentacles, swaying like an amorphous object.

Only in the very center, a face protruded. This face had no skin, only writhing flesh and blood, exuding a terrifying aura.

Around the face, rows of numerous eyes, varying in size from large to small, were arranged chaotically.

At this moment, Xu Qing and the others were eerily reflected in every single eye.

She had no arms or legs, slowly rising within the swirling sea of blood like a colossal sculpture of flesh and blood.

A terrifying oppressive force distorted the entire Moon Palace, the entire Red Moon, and the entirety of the Sacrificial Moon Domain.

This approaching figure was Red Mother's true form!

Xu Qing and the others felt their minds shake, accompanied by an intense pain in their heads. As if their perception could not bear the sight of the figure, they uncontrollably altered the deity's appearance in their minds.

In the next instant, in the eyes of Xu Qing and the others, Red Mother's appearance transformed into that of a woman with long blood-red hair and a long red robe.

Her face was devoid of those eyeballs; where her eyes should have been, there were only two bloody sockets.

A large amount of fresh blood flowed, spreading over her entire body. A thorny vine was also visible, wrapped around her body.

This vine coiled around her body, piercing into it. As she moved forward, the vine constricted, seemingly absorbing her blood.

Behind her were countless blood-red flowers.

Each time she took a step, such flowers bloomed. And within each flower, strikingly, there was a figure identical to her. They pulsed and overlapped, just like the scene that occurred when the Red Moon was formed earlier.

With her appearance, a vast divine might, far surpassing Zhang Siyun's, erupted from her, surging outwards like an overwhelming tide.

In comparison, it was like the difference between a bright moon and a firefly!

"Deities cannot be directly gazed upon," the Captain whispered nearby. "So our instincts, to protect ourselves, automatically alter our perception, reflecting them in a form each of us can accept." Xu Qing silently watched the approaching Red Mother. If one avoided looking at her eyes, Red Mother's face could be described as breathtakingly beautiful.

That kind of beauty was not something a living being could possess; it was perfect and flawless. Yet, her head also rapidly changed with each step.

Sometimes it was her original appearance, at other times, a man's tormented face would emerge. Divine might also erupted from this face, seemingly being integrated and digested.

This face was precisely that of the Nine Nether God, whom Red Mother had devoured. The Crown Prince and others were also silent at this moment. They closed their eyes, choosing not to act, but to wait.

The Captain took a deep breath and remained still, also waiting.

Xu Qing knew they were all waiting for Dominus Li Zihua.

It was at this very moment.

Standing on the Plains of Repentance, the colossal statue of Li Zihua, reaching to the sky and holding the Red Moon with uplifted hands, suddenly lost its aura of awakening.

His eyes slowly opened. The moment they did, his gaze, filled with ancient wisdom and profound meaning, turned towards the Sacrificial Moon Domain.

The entire Sacrificial Moon Domain brightened as his gaze fell upon it.

The blood-red sky was torn apart, transforming into streaks of crimson clouds, and the undulating earth was stilled, forming uneven mountain ranges.

The decay of all things became seeds of plants. Plants, large trees, and stretches of jungle all revived under his single gaze.

The despairing land, in this instant, radiated hope and vitality.

Only the Red Moon remained vividly crimson.

Li Zihua looked up at the Red Moon and released his hands from grasping the star.

The Red Moon did not depart; instead, it floated in mid-air.

After a few moments of silence, Li Zihua walked forward. Each step he took in the void sent out golden ripples, causing the Red Moon star's light to be suppressed and dim.

He continued until he walked onto the Red Moon and reached the Moon Palace. The moment he stepped inside, Red Mother's figure fully emerged from the blood-red vortex within the Moon Palace.

They faced each other.

"Long time no see!"