Chapter 818: First Mountain

From a distance, the restricted zone's sky rumbled. The spear that shot from Xu Qing's grasp, like a dragon, shimmered with a world-destroying black light. It was incredibly potent, capable of shattering all in its path.

It also stirred up vast swathes of fiery inferno from the earth, which surged towards the sky.

Its speed was like that of a meteor, tearing through the vast sky.

Soul threads from the mountain peak swiftly followed, empowering the spear like the sea of fire, causing it to emanate an unprecedented sharpness.

It was impossible to dodge or resist!

The Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator's expression shifted drastically.

The aura... it was a forbidden weapon!

Due to the might of his clan, his knowledge and historical understanding were extensive. Thus, the Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator instantly recognized the approaching spear.

This realization sent turmoil through his heart and thunder through his mind.

However, he had no time to ponder. A profound sense of life-or-death crisis caused every fiber of his being to tremble, as the sensation of death permeated him, both internally and externally.

He tried to evade, but couldn't. His primal instinct told him that facing this annihilating spear, even a single step back would result in his mind being crushed by its formidable presence.

Once its aura overwhelmed him, death was certain.

This spear was an ancient forbidden weapon, one of the oldest in the Wanggu Continent, something not tolerated by heaven and earth, nor permitted by the Heavenly Dao. It was meant to be sealed within imperial cultivation techniques.

When confronting such an ancient forbidden weapon, fear only hastened destruction.

Thus, the Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator's eyes instantly turned crimson. He roared, spitting out blood to form a Blood Forbidden technique.

This blood instantly transformed into a crimson mist, forming an arc before him. As it churned, countless faces from various races, numbering over a thousand, emerged within it. They collectively growled, each burning intensely, expending every ounce of their strength.

Evidently, this alone was insufficient.

At this critical juncture, the Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator's physical power surged completely. His hands instantly swelled to an enormous size as he raised them and pressed forward.

A golden light abruptly expanded from his body, forming a luminous shield—a second layer of defense.

Furthermore, a white light swiftly shot from his brow, manifesting a Divine Fate technique, which solidified into a divine statue standing behind him.

The statue was humanoid, yet its entire body was covered in white feathers, exuding a sacred aura. Its arms were now raised in an embracing gesture, enveloping the Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator.

He confronted it with all his might!

Though it takes time to describe, all of this unfolded in a flash. In the very next moment, the black spear, having already shattered the void, arrived.

It had arrived!

With an aura capable of devouring mountains and rivers, its whistling like thunder, it plunged into the crimson mist before the Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator.

The moment it made contact, the mist roared and churned violently, attempting to resist the spear's power. Yet, it was futile; even the burning faces within could not help.

In the blink of an eye, they each let out a mournful shriek, then were dispersed like ash by the incoming spear's force.

The crimson mist itself also dissipated, completely disintegrating, proving utterly defenseless.

The Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator immediately suffered internal backlash, his face turning pale and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. But for him, this was merely the beginning.

In the next instant, the black spear fiercely pierced the cultivator's second layer of defense—the golden luminous shield.

A colossal boom echoed.

The golden shield cracked, countless fissures spreading across it. It held for barely a breath before shattering into pieces and collapsing.

As the Yan Yue cultivator's face turned deathly pale and blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth, the black spear, delivering a fatal blow with unstoppable force and echoing might, plunged into the white statue formed by his Divine Fate technique.

Power and majesty erupted from the spear at that very moment.

The combined impact and destruction of black fire, red soul threads, and the indomitable forbidden weapon were indeed immense. While perhaps not entirely unstoppable, it was clear that the Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator was utterly incapable of resisting them!

Consequently, as a deafening sound resonated throughout the restricted zone, the Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator's Divine Fate statue shattered like porcelain.

First its arms, then its torso, then its head, all disintegrated into countless fragments that swirled backward, revealing the Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator who had been protected within.

His expression was still frozen in utter shock, with no time to register any change before the black spear appeared at his chest.

It surged forward.

Piercing through skin, flesh, and out his back.

Directly... impaling him!

However, it did not pass through and depart.

Instead, the residual force of the impact propelled the cultivator's body, carrying him along the spear's original trajectory, toward the sky.

The Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator's body, no matter how dignified it had appeared moments before, now resembled a tattered rag doll, torn and beyond his control.

Then, in the next breath, the sky rumbled. The black spear, still impaling the cultivator, astonishingly pinned him directly onto the firmament!

This was unfathomable. The sky, being insubstantial, could not be pinned like a mountain. Yet, it was precisely what had happened.

Before the spear, the firmament itself seemed to have taken on a tangible form.

Looking up, one could see the Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator pinned in mid-air, blood flowing from his wound, covering his body, and dripping onto the earth.

His complexion was withered, his expression bitter, and his eyes gradually lost the strength to remain open. Yet, he still struggled to keep them fixed on Xu Qing, who stood calmly on the ground.

This figure was one he could not forget.

Previously, he had believed the earliest attacker, the corpulent cultivator, to be the stronger and more mysterious of the two.

After all, mastering the Yan Yue Nine Breath Qi Absorption technique inherently implied profound secrets.

However, he no longer believed that.

The strongest... was the one who unleashed only a single spear.

"A forbidden weapon..." the Yan Yue Xuan Tian cultivator murmured, then fixed a profound gaze on Xu Qing before closing his eyes.

At that moment, countless cracks appeared on his body, radiating from his chest and rapidly spreading, before his form began to shatter.

Finally, with a resounding crash, his physical body disintegrated into hundreds of pieces, plummeting to the earth.

It appeared he was utterly annihilated, body and spirit.

Witnessing this, Xu Qing let out a soft sound of surprise, and in the next moment, the black spear was violently ripped from the firmament.

Just then, the scattered flesh and blood falling from the sky began to undergo a strange transformation!

In that very instant, they all emitted teleportation fluctuations.

They were attempting to teleport away.

"They can escape like that? Is this a new Yan Yue technique? I want to learn it," the Captain remarked.

Upon seeing this, the Captain's eyes lit up. He suddenly opened his mouth and forcefully inhaled, drawing in the rapidly blurring flesh and blood.

Meanwhile, a dark shadow on the ground, as if long-awaiting, suddenly surged forward.

It was Little Shadow, which had extended its reach to this very spot.

Together with the Captain, it simultaneously unleashed its own technique.

The black spear also shot forth simultaneously. Xu Qing's habit was to eliminate his target if possible, leaving no survivors.

The combined force of the three made the success of these teleporting remnants impossible.

In an instant, forty percent of the flesh was yanked out of its teleportation by the Captain's immense suction, drawn directly into his mouth.

Little Shadow's actions were even stranger, accompanied by a murmuring incantation.

"Three origins nurture nine qi, five defilements form organs, seven stars make orifices. The souls of living beings rise three feet above their heads, bathed in bright starlight, obscuring my void."

The tones of this chant shifted between soaring and whispering, rapid and slow, creating an eerie and mystical feeling.

Under this interference, another twenty percent of the flesh instantly ignited, turning into flames. Stripped of their teleportation, they were absorbed into Little Shadow's body.

As for the remainder, Xu Qing's black spear whistled through the air, black fire spreading, and amidst the entwining soul threads, it obliterated everything.

Ultimately, not a single piece of flesh escaped; all vanished from existence.

Once silence returned, the Captain chewed a few times, then looked at Xu Qing.

"That person was a clone," the Captain stated.

Little Shadow also conveyed an emotional resonance, informing Xu Qing that it could sense the opponent's aura within a specific range.

"No matter," Xu Qing said softly. "Next time we meet him, we'll just kill him."

Xu Qing spoke softly, then turned his head, raised his right hand, and gently pressed it once more onto the crimson forbidden mountain beside him, lifting it slightly.

The mountain rumbled. Little Shadow had now spread across the entire restricted zone, and in response to Xu Qing's action, it began its final surge, devouring frenetically.

The restricted zone trembled, the wailing grew fainter, and the sense of repulsion gradually diminished.

Looking out, the restricted zone's form grew progressively fainter and more blurred, its edges having completely vanished.

However, the process was not very fast. Impatient, Xu Qing released his soul threads to empower Little Shadow.

During this, the Captain merely glanced, a little surprised, but asked no questions. He was fully engaged in digesting the Yan Yue flesh and blood, seeking a method to disrupt teleportation.

Two hours later, Little Shadow completed its absorption.

Everything around Xu Qing and the Captain was now empty.

Only the mountain floated solitarily, a foot above the ground.

The entire restricted zone had vanished!

The ground was now uniformly gray.

Amidst this gray, a dark shadow undulated like a river, flowing towards Xu Qing. It eventually returned to his feet, let out a satisfied burp, and then expelled a fingernail-sized brown flame.

This flame floated before Xu Qing, flickering erratically, alternately expanding and contracting, appearing highly unstable.

The sky above reacted, rapidly darkening. Thunder instantly rumbled, and streaks of lightning snaked within, seemingly drawn to the flame, spreading outwards.

Concurrently, a vast, ocean-like spiritual power emanated from Xu Qing's shadow.

"Master... full..." Little Shadow conveyed.

Xu Qing nodded, carefully collecting the brown flame. He was well aware of its origins and its inherent dangers.

Once secured, Xu Qing waved his right hand, and the crimson forbidden mountain rumbled as it rose into the air, hovering above his head.

"Little Ah Qing," the Captain said, looking at Xu Qing's shadow, "are there any mosquitoes left? Let some out. I still feel a bit of pain; the effect needs to be enhanced."

Xu Qing turned to face the corpulent Captain.

"Senior Brother," Xu Qing began, "the Star Flame God told me that the first stage of the Great Hunt is about moving mountains..."