Chapter 788: Unexpected Clue

As this sound emerged, the heavens and earth in this mountain range turned dark. Compared to the surrounding sky, this place instantly transformed into a forbidden zone, hostile to living beings, forcing all creatures to prostrate themselves. All vegetation withered, and all birds and beasts melted away.

This dark boundary continued to spread, encroaching in all directions. Wherever it passed, the world's appearance changed, as if a veil of illusion was lifted, revealing its true essence.

A world of undulating tombs and countless skeletons, decayed for unknown years, formed the landscape in Xu Qing's eyes.

At this moment, he stood within a colossal skull, emanating a terrifying aura. His purple hair drifted behind him, and tendrils of blood flew around. With a grab of his raised right hand, the person's body twisted.

Whispers of void echoed through the heavens and earth. The sky rumbled, and the earth trembled. The severely wounded and unconscious person seemed to be stimulated by the scene, forcing their eyes open. The moment they saw Xu Qing, their gaze shifted from bewilderment to horror, and finally, extreme terror.

They seemed to want to speak but couldn't open their mouth. Only an indescribable shriek escaped them. Compared to the desperate cries of their companion from days ago, amplified by the invading anomaly and the sight of the surging divine power, their current state was clearly "more wonderful."

This was because the scream wasn't a single sound but countless cries, as their body, at this moment, displayed myriad overlapping shadows, as if it had become a book, each page representing a facet of their being – their past, present, and infinite future possibilities. Each seemingly distinct form cried out in unison. This collection of screams from past, present, and future was naturally more "moving" than their companion's.

In his divine state, Xu Qing's gaze was calm. His divinity surged, yet his humanity, due to the soul threads, had not dissipated, remaining in a relatively stable condition. This state allowed him to more easily make various choices, aligning his divine nature with his human will.

For instance, countless blood threads extended from Xu Qing, instantly drifting forward and settling on the screaming person. Like tentacles, they gently flipped through the subject's past.

Scene after scene clearly entered Xu Qing's vision, and he also saw their deceased companion. This was not soul-searching but something more direct. Through the person's past, Xu Qing, utilizing his divine abilities, witnessed their entire life.

Like their companion, this individual had a naturally incomplete soul. It seemed that the mysterious organization was very keen on recruiting such individuals. However, this person's talent was clearly superior to their companion's, excelling in both cultivation and magical arts.

Xu Qing's gaze swept through the scenes, continuing to search, until he found the image he sought. It was the location of a certain residence and the hand of a black-robed figure adjusting an oil lamp.

Gazing at this image, Xu Qing, expressionless, tugged at the blood-red threads in front of him, forcibly extracting this past scene from the person's body. It then floated independently before Xu Qing.

He observed the scene, noting the black-robed figure's actions. Then, he turned to the screaming cultivator and exhaled. This breath was a purple mist that swirled around the person. Afterward, countless threads materialized from the person's head, extending into the void in all directions. These were all the individuals present in their memories.

One thread, centrally located, was their life-bound thread. Its extension pointed north, not far from their current location.

"As expected, a clone!" Xu Qing said hoarsely. With a slight tug, this life-bound thread violently swayed, and the main body, connected in the ethereal realm, was directly affected.

The Shadow, guided by this clue, adjusted its direction, contracting its sprawling form into a straight line to maximize its speed and reach, instantly moving away.

At the same time, a thousand miles from Xu Qing's location, a middle-aged cultivator in a long gray robe was rushing forward. This person had an ordinary appearance, nothing particularly striking. If placed in a crowd, they would easily be overlooked. Their eyes were also very small, their occasional hidden gleam well concealed.

As he sped along, he was analyzing his plans. While his arrangements were almost perfect to a certain extent, he knew very well not to underestimate anyone, so there was still a possibility of his deception being discovered. But that would be later. The gray-robed man muttered to himself, planning to head to another county in this region to leave via an alien teleportation array, so as to better conceal himself and await the organization's decree.

But at this moment, his mind suddenly trembled. The world before him became somewhat blurred, as if heaven and earth were spinning, and a terrifying shudder spread through his soul. Immediately after, a voice echoed directly within his soul: "As expected, a clone!"

This statement made the gray-robed man's expression change drastically. Just as he was about to make a move, a soul-binding force enveloped his entire body, stiffening him and sending him plummeting from mid-air toward the ground. He was utterly terrified. He wanted to retaliate, but there was no enemy in sight around him. Yet, the voice in his mind was incredibly clear, and the restraint emanating from it intensified within his mind.

"What's happening?" The gray-robed man's breathing became ragged. He struggled with all his might as he fell towards the ground. When his body finally hit the earth with a crash, he spat out a mouthful of blood, regaining a sliver of movement. His body abruptly sprang up, about to flee, but in the next instant, he stiffened. From beneath his feet, a blood-red eye sprouted, radiating malevolence.

"Main body, I've found you." Inside the cave, Xu Qing withdrew his gaze from the life-bound thread of the person before him. He no longer paid attention to the clone. Since he had captured the main body, he decided to try something. Even if it failed, it wouldn't affect his capture. If he could gain more significant clues, it would make the matter clearer.

So, Xu Qing looked at the "picture of the past" placed beside him. His focus was on the black-robed figure adjusting the oil lamp within it.

As he gazed at this person, the purple moon behind Xu Qing glowed intensely. In the next instant, all the blood-red threads outside his body shot towards the black-robed figure in the image, instantly piercing and merging into them. Confirming the future through the past, the power of a god seemed omnipotent at this moment. Anything existing within memory could be indirectly influenced in this manner.

In an instant, the black-robed figure began to tremble. Its originally illusory state now showed signs of becoming real. During this process, through his influence, Xu Qing also witnessed parts of this black-robed person's life, until he saw them at an altar, bowing towards the sky.

However, Xu Qing could not see where they were looking. So he increased his divine energy, intending to probe deeper. But just then, a deeply hidden will within the black-robed figure seemed to sense the host being influenced and awakened from its slumber. Immediately afterward, a cold snort, extremely abrupt, emanated from within the image of the black-robed figure, directly blasting into Xu Qing's mind, transforming into an anomalous force that erupted within his body! This anomalous force manifested out of nowhere, forming a phantom scene.

In the scene, blood rain poured, endless wails echoed, anomalous energy surged, and the heavens and earth were dark. If it were any other cultivator, they would undoubtedly be affected at this moment. But Xu Qing was currently in his divine state. As his divine energy spread, it directly formed a purple moon shadow in his mind, suppressing the anomaly.

Amidst the rumble, Xu Qing's divine body swayed slightly, taking three steps back. The anomalous energy and the phantom scene, born from the cold snort, dissipated within his mind at this moment. However, the opponent's power was extraordinary; though it couldn't harm Xu Qing, it affected the surroundings.

In an instant, the "picture of the past," as the source, shattered and disintegrated. As for the screaming clone, its entire body trembled, turning into blood, and the surrounding tombs collapsed.

Amidst the scattered rocks and bones, Xu Qing stood, slowly raising his head, gazing at the night sky. A cold, sharp light gleamed in his eyes. "The anomaly from that cold snort, I'm very familiar with it! The scene formed by that anomaly, I'm equally familiar with it. What the black-robed figure saw when bowing to the sky at the altar—now I finally know what it was!"

"That anomaly originates from the 'Remnant Face,' and the scene is also one seen when the Remnant Face opens its eyes. The black-robed figure was worshipping that bastardly Remnant Face in the sky."

A chill settled in Xu Qing's heart. While in South Phoenix Continent, he already knew of an organization that worshipped the Remnant Face, revering it and even calling themselves its believers. After arriving in the human race's Imperial Capital Domain, he heard of this organization again and understood that, besides believing in the Remnant Face, their doctrine also involved constantly searching for so-called "Divine Sons." Once found, they would devour these Divine Sons, bringing them closer to the god they believed in. Furthermore, through Princess An Hai's introduction, he also learned that this organization was not merely one of the human race's ten super-powers, but also operated similarly within other races. It was spread throughout the Wanggu Continent, with followers seemingly in every race.

"The Word of Truth!" Xu Qing murmured. His body slowly transformed, and his third-layer divine state gradually dissipated. The surrounding darkness and the altered world rapidly blurred and faded, until finally, when Xu Qing's true form reappeared, everything returned to normal. Only the scattered rocks beneath his feet proved that the preceding scene had indeed occurred. Also, his hair had turned purple, seemingly an enduring effect from manifesting his third-layer divine state.

It was at this very moment that a whistling sound came from the distance. The gray-robed figure sped forward, arriving behind Xu Qing. Its expression was fervent, its demeanor pious, yet its eyes held an unprecedented astonishment. At the same time, it knelt before Xu Qing and spoke loudly:

"Greetings, Master! There's something I've long wished to tell you, and today, through this body, I want to express my true feelings. Master, you are a revered master, a master full of wisdom. Your wisdom and talent make me feel utterly reliant and trusting. Under your leadership, I constantly grow and improve, feeling secure, comfortable, and at peace!" The Shadow spoke loudly, its expression not truly its own, while its eyes and core essence grew increasingly terrified.

In the dark night, Xu Qing stood forward, his light purple long hair fluttering in the wind, while the gray-robed figure behind him prostrated in fervent worship.

"Let's go. Back to the Imperial Capital!" Xu Qing spoke calmly, stepping forward, and departed into the night.