Chapter 817: Nine Breath Submission

Xu Qing looked on with a cold gaze. This was his first time seeing a cultivator from the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan. He understood what the captain meant: this was not a subordinate clan of Blazing Moon, but a true member of the main clan.

Considering the captain's earlier remark – that the person who had just entered the forbidden zone and sensed a mark, wanting to draw it, was this very individual – it all made sense.

Although Xu Qing had never met a cultivator from the main Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan, he had gained some understanding of them from the anomalous immortal flow classics at the Imperial Academy during his time in the capital. He knew that the main clan members were far fewer in number compared to their subordinate clans. Therefore, any true member of the main clan held a distinguished status within Blazing Moon territory. This was evident from the treatment received by the First Prince, who possessed only half Blazing Moon bloodline.

Cultivators from the main Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan commanded the same deference even outside Blazing Moon territory, within the spheres of influence of other clans. No one dared to easily offend a true member of the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan. This ensured that wherever they went, these cultivators exuded confidence and could act with absolute tyranny. Their clan's formidable power was their foundation, especially now, within this Blazing Moon territory.

Amidst the rumbling of heaven and earth, the arriving face appeared in the sky above Xu Qing and the captain. The meteors accompanying him all plummeted to the ground, causing the forbidden zone to tremble and the surroundings to surge. A powerful pressure descended from the sky, transforming into a single question: "Humans?"

As these words were uttered, the world changed color, as if laws were being spontaneously formed. This pressure fell upon Xu Qing and the captain, attempting to control their actions. Faintly, a sensation of tearing even appeared on their bodies.

The captain's eyes glowed blue, a hint of excitement flickering within him. Xu Qing's expression remained calm. Meanwhile, Little Shadow, who was devouring the forbidden zone, paused briefly before continuing to consume.

Seeing that these two individuals showed no reaction whatsoever to his arrival, the cultivator from the main Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan displayed a hint of impatience in his eyes. He hadn't been here before; he had just arrived, and his purpose was the forbidden mountain within this forbidden zone. As a participant in the Great Hunt, he needed forbidden mountains, the more the better. The competition was fierce, so he had come early. His subordinate clan servants had already gone to multiple forbidden zones to place his mark. This mark signified that he had claimed the area, and anyone else who dared to enter would face his wrath and be killed afterwards.

His journey to these forbidden zones had seen both successes and failures, leaving him in a foul mood. Upon arriving at this particular forbidden zone and seeing humans dare to intrude, his impatience grew further. With growing impatience in his eyes, he raised his right hand and launched a punch through the air towards Xu Qing and the captain.

This seemingly casual punch, when unleashed by a Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan member, possessed overwhelming power. The sky churned, and the earth rumbled. A colossal golden fist-shadow, tens of thousands of feet wide, appeared between heaven and earth. It was like a world-splitting punch, radiating an astonishing aura that stirred the soul, raising a storm that made the forbidden zone tremble.

As it descended, the captain laughed loudly, his bulky body instantly surging forward. "Perfect, I'll use you to test the effects of this body's enhancements," he declared. As he spoke, the captain's mountain-like physique, emitting a fierce whistling sound, collided directly with the incoming golden fist-shadow. A deafening roar, like thunder exploding, reverberated through the air. The captain's body plummeted, bouncing several times upon impact with the ground. The fist-shadow in the sky, now showing cracks, shattered into countless fragments the next moment.

"Is that all?" The captain lifted his head and roared. Even Xu Qing glanced at the captain, sensing that not only had the captain's physical body become significantly stronger, but his cultivation had also, at some unknown point, reached the power of the Void Return realm. "He's unsealed himself again," Xu Qing thought. "Also, Senior Brother seems to be deliberately provoking this Blazing Moon cultivator." At that moment, the captain bellowed to the sky, "Again!"

Anger emanated from the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan cultivator in the sky. His gaze instantly fixed on the captain, his eyes showing a flicker of intensity, as if he was now serious. Raising his right hand, he took a deep breath. With that inhale, a sudden storm arose as anomalous matter, spiritual energy, and the rules and laws present in the area surged towards his mouth. A terrifying vortex formed amidst deafening rumbling sounds.

After this intake of air, the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan cultivator's body doubled in size. He clenched his right fist and punched through the air once more. With a boom, the void shattered, and a golden stone mountain, even larger than the previous fist-shadow, appeared mid-air, pressing down upon the captain. Disdain flashed in the captain's eyes. His body shot forward again, still using himself to ram into the mountain-shadow. A colossal crash resounded. The captain's body plummeted, and the mountain-shadow collapsed.

In mid-air, the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky cultivator's expression clearly became serious. He was just about to speak when the captain interjected, "Too weak, far too weak!" The captain burst into wild laughter on the ground.

As the laughter reached the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky cultivator's ears, his eyes gleamed with killing intent. He opened his mouth wide and inhaled again. This time, the range was even wider; anomalous matter and spiritual energy from a thousand-mile radius roared towards him, forming a terrifying vortex before him.

Just as he was about to inhale, the captain suddenly slammed himself into the ground, using the recoil to spring up. With a burst of speed, he instantly reached his maximum velocity, appearing within the thousand-mile vortex of spiritual energy and anomalous matter in the blink of an eye. The moment he appeared, a hint of satisfaction flashed in the captain's eyes. He opened his mouth wide and, before the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky cultivator could, took a ferocious inhale.

In an instant, this thousand-mile converging vortex, like a balloon that had lost its seal, deflated and shrank dramatically. The captain had swallowed the vast majority of it. The moment he gulped it down, his body surged dramatically. His hair turned golden, as did his eyes, making him look remarkably similar to a member of the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan.

This scene caused the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky cultivator's expression to change. His body recoiled rapidly, his demeanor extremely grave. "You're not human!"

"You're not human! Your whole family isn't human! Why are you suddenly calling me human in the middle of a fight?" the captain retorted, his eyes wide. "Isn't this just your Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan's unique 'Nine Breaths Inhalation' technique? Each inhalation lets your power surge. So, just because I can inhale in reverse, I'm not human?" He licked his lips, speaking excitedly. "And I'm not saying anything, but why can you only breathe three times? Not enough, not enough, do it again!"

Xu Qing's expression remained unchanged. He had previously sensed the peculiarity of the captain's behavior. Even now, seeing the captain use a Blazing Moon technique, which should have been surprising, Xu Qing simply found everything to be normal. Evidently, Xu Qing had become accustomed to everything about the captain. Even if one day the captain told him he was a deity, Xu Qing wouldn't be greatly surprised. So, Xu Qing ignored them and continued moving the mountain.

In mid-air, the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky cultivator, with a grim expression, stared at the captain and suddenly spoke. "This is my first time encountering such an interesting human. Very well, since you can master the Nine Breaths Inhalation, I wonder if you can handle my Blazing Moon Lifebound Talent?" With that, the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky cultivator raised his right hand and pressed it to his brow. Immediately, his qi and blood surged, erupting into a blood-red mist that shot towards the sky. The entire sky began to tremble, forming a swirling vortex that expanded outwards in layers. Streaks of blood-red lightning snaked within it, creating an astonishing spectacle.

At the center of this sky vortex, a scene appeared that was enough to utterly shock anyone who witnessed it. Within that scene was an unknown void, and inside it, a colossal Roc! A series of heavenly dao auras emanated from it. This was no ordinary heavenly dao; it was one of the ancient heavenly daos of the Wanggu Continent! Countless iron chains encircled its body, each deeply piercing its flesh, binding it. Furthermore, a gigantic whip lashed continuously at its body within the void. There were countless wounds, its flesh was mangled, and it was utterly wretched! Each strike of the whip was accompanied by the sound of heavenly thunder, and a mournful wail from the ancient heavenly dao echoed throughout the world.

This sound contained boundless suffering and an indescribable desire for death. It reverberated through the world, forming a sound that transcended rules and laws, and rushed towards the captain and Xu Qing. Anyone affected by it would experience empathy, and once empathy occurred, they would suffer and wish for death. This was the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Clan's lifebound talent.

Originally, this clan possessed no lifebound talent, at most manifesting as physical strength. However, as times changed and the clan grew stronger, they created a lifebound talent for themselves. They locked an ancient heavenly dao, enslaved it, and through whipping, forced it to wail, creating luck that blessed their clan. Exactly how many heavenly daos they had imprisoned in this manner was unknown to anyone except their clan's ruling authorities and deities.

At this moment, the sound transformed from the heavenly dao's wail, ignoring cultivation levels and all obstructions, directly impacted Xu Qing and the captain. That feeling of pain and the desire for death rapidly spread through their minds. Xu Qing's expression remained normal. The captain, still mocking, laughed, "Son!"

As the cold glint in his eyes intensified, a clear, childish babbling sound came from mid-air. The Blazing Moon Mystic Sky cultivator, clearly misunderstanding, heard it from the void within the vortex. The moment this sound emerged, its astonishing status instantly neutralized the Roc's wail, causing the sky vortex to abruptly collapse. The Blazing Moon Mystic Sky cultivator's body violently trembled. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face aghast and filled with disbelief.

"What is this?" His breathing became ragged. As he spoke, his body rapidly retreated. He no longer wanted to fight. In his eyes, the handsome human was nothing special, but that bulky, fat individual was far too terrifying. Therefore, he retreated without hesitation.

"Don't leave, let's fight a bit longer!"

Xu Qing frowned and calmly said, "Senior Brother, stop playing!" As he spoke, Xu Qing raised his right hand and grabbed at the void. Immediately, black flames materialized, forming a sea of fire. Simultaneously, a cry emerged from the Golden Crow totem on Xu Qing's body, and it surged out, transforming into a lustrous black long spear. The moment it appeared, thunder roared and echoes resounded. The spear's shadow resembled a world-destroying black dragon, and its emanating aura caused the earth to quake and mountains to crumble. The next instant, the black long spear shot skyward. Appearing like a long spear yet also a Golden Crow, with flames rising from the ground to follow it, it hurtled directly towards the fleeing Blazing Moon Mystic Sky cultivator.