Chapter 822: Like a Sheep, Like a Demon

The Baize clan holds no significant standing among the affiliated groups of the Flame Moon Profound Heaven, barely ranking in the lowest tier of subordinate clans and certainly not comparable to the Si'e clan. There are simply too many clans like Baize within the Flame Moon Profound Heaven.

Clans like the Baize share a common characteristic. Towards outsiders, they present a facade of extreme ferocity. However, when dealing with the native Flame Moon clan or higher-ranking subordinates, they become utterly subservient and lack any sense of integrity.

The Captain's voice echoed in all directions as the sharp light of heaven and earth shimmered. Therefore, they wouldn't dare to plunder from other clans. Participants in the Great Hunt, upon seeing you, naturally perceive you as an easy target, a 'fat sheep'.

As the Captain spoke with a smile, a burst of blue light erupted, emanating a chill that seemed capable of freezing even the void. In an instant, it enveloped an area stretching a thousand *li* in every direction! Within this thousand-*li* expanse, it was as if the dead of winter had suddenly arrived. Mountain peaks instantly transformed into icebergs, and all vegetation became ice sculptures. Even the clouds and mist in the sky seemed to gain weight, plummeting towards the earth! Not to mention the Baize cultivators caught within it. There's even a type of forbidden beast, sheep-like in appearance, but which locals refer to as demons!

The Captain raised his hand and pressed down towards the Baize cultivator! The expressions of both the Gui Xu first-stage cultivator and the Spirit Treasure Great Perfection cultivator beside him shifted. The former, thanks to his Gui Xu first-stage cultivation, possessed his own comprehension of rules and laws. Consequently, threads began to encircle his body, swiftly forming a crucible that erupted with sudden force.

However, the Spirit Treasure Great Perfection cultivator beside him was clearly outmatched. No matter how his five secret treasures surged, they could not break through the icy seal. Under this sudden cosmic shift, his body uncontrollably plummeted along with the clouds and mist. This scene sent a shock through both their hearts. As their spirits sank, the Baize vendor, who was the primary cultivator leading this venture, also saw his expression change instantly. His body abruptly recoiled. He sensed an immediate life-or-death crisis and witnessed the sudden, drastic turn of events. This was vastly different from what he had anticipated!

But at this moment, he had no time for further thought. His full Spirit Treasure Great Perfection cultivation was unleashed, and five secret treasures erupted with torrents of fire. In this dire crisis, he even instinctively burned some of his own life force, hoping to gain a momentary burst of enhanced power to escape, but it was still too late!

Almost at the precise moment the Baize vendor lunged forward, Xu Qing's figure appeared behind him. Regardless of how fast the Baize clan cultivator was, it proved futile; he couldn't shake Xu Qing off by even an inch. Behind him, Xu Qing's Daoist robe billowed, his long hair flowing freely. He raised his right hand, as pure and white as jade, devoid of any worldly aura. In his grip was a black dagger, wrapped in burial cloth, yet it exuded an exceptionally concentrated aura of death. This aura permeated the surroundings, causing the Baize cultivator's mind to reel. The very essence of death transformed into a surging tide, overwhelming him. He tried to dodge, but his body seemed to have lost all ability to move. He attempted to resist, but the human cultivator's oppressive might from behind turned into a crushing force. His five secret realms were collapsing! He tried to activate his five nascent Heavenly Dao Seeds, but they were trembling in fear even before the confrontation.

His cultivation, the Heavenly Dao, and the aura—everything was being utterly suppressed. Consequently, his heart was filled with nothing but terror until, in the very next breath, Xu Qing's hand swept past the Baize cultivator's neck, and the dagger he held landed squarely on the opponent's throat. Just like a child would!

With a brutal slice, blood gushed forth. There was no scream, only a final, ragged gasp. The vendor's head and body were severed! As the body fell to the ground, numerous soul threads shot out from Xu Qing. In an instant, they pursued and burrowed into the corpse, intent on devouring the Baize cultivator's soul. The soul within quickly withered and was frantically absorbed by Xu Qing's soul threads, transforming into even more soul threads before they flew back to him. As for the corpse, it swiftly disintegrated into dust.

Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield, amidst the Captain's sinister grin, his body exploded with a *bang*, transforming into countless blue lights. Each blue light contained a blue worm, which then enveloped the Gui Xu first-stage Baize cultivator from all directions. No matter how the cultivator struggled or attempted to retaliate, it was all futile. In the blink of an eye, the Baize Gui Xu cultivator was enveloped by countless blue worms, forming a gigantic, pulsating sphere. Upon closer inspection, this sphere was indeed composed of worms, a truly horrifying sight. Sounds of chewing and desperate wails emanated from within.

Xu Qing's gaze swept over, discerning that the Captain's combat prowess was notably stronger than when he had faced the Flame Moon cultivator. Clearly, the Captain's competitive spirit had led to significant hidden gains along their journey.

Xu Qing smiled, raising his right hand to receive the returning soul threads after devouring the Baize vendor. As the threads integrated, the wails from within the Captain's flesh sphere ceased. With a wriggling motion, the Captain's figure reformed. He licked his lips as he looked at Xu Qing.

"Little A'Qing, the Baize clan is still as delicious as ever. Also, I gleaned two interesting pieces of information from their memory!" The Captain raised his hand and made a grabbing motion. Instantly, the unconscious body of the last Baize cultivator, who had been sealed by water and fallen to the ground, appeared in his grasp!

Xu Qing nodded. He had already noticed that the number of returning soul threads was slightly off; a portion was missing. Coupled with the Captain's words, it was clear that the Baize vendor possessed other life-saving abilities. His apparent death was, in fact, a feigned death and an act of concealment.

The surroundings were empty, devoid of any fluctuations. While another person might not have been able to locate him instantly, for Xu Qing, it posed no difficulty. His eyes instantly turned pitch black as the poison prohibition rapidly spread in all directions. Wherever it passed, the very fabric of heaven and earth became toxic!

The Captain's eyes widened in surprise. "Poisoning again? I can't let this one in my hand go to waste; it's a good ingredient!" The Captain formed a hand seal and pointed. Amidst the shimmering blue light emanating from his body, the last Baize clan cultivator's body rapidly transformed, astonishingly turning into hundreds of green apples. With a sweep of his sleeve, he gathered them, and his own body transformed into a blue light, merging into the void.

As Xu Qing's poison prohibition spread and churned, the distant void twisted, forcing a fist-sized white eye to reveal itself. The eye revealed astonishment, horror, and a swift decisiveness. Previously, it had been too close to teleport for fear of interruption, intending to remain hidden until Xu Qing and his companions departed, while also subtly repositioning itself as a precaution. However, it hadn't anticipated being discovered so quickly, so it initiated teleportation without hesitation.

As fluctuations spread, the eyeball blurred once more, poised to teleport away instantly! Xu Qing's gaze remained calm. He raised his right hand and waved, causing the soul threads within the eyeball to rapidly scatter and reconfigure in front of him, forming a massive array in the blink of an eye. As he moved, universal laws descended upon heaven and earth. Where Xu Qing's gaze landed, time at the eyeball's teleportation point reversed, mist flowed backward, and the outward-spreading teleportation fluctuations became contained. The blurred eyeball within also sharpened into clear focus. Its expression of horror remained unchanged.

In the next instant, the power of the blazing sun dissipated. The eyeball, visibly shaken, contracted, attempting to teleport again or conceal itself, but it was too late. Xu Qing's figure had already appeared before it. He raised his right hand and casually struck. The eyeball turned crimson and emitted a soul-piercing cry, but it had no effect. Under such overwhelming power, its resistance was meaningless. With a *bang*, the eyeball shattered!

The blazing sun's energy transformed into soul threads, instantly burrowing in. Upon their return, they brought back even more soul threads, which integrated one by one into Xu Qing's body. From a distance, countless crimson soul threads could be seen wriggling around Xu Qing's form at that moment. Their penetration and subsequent swirling made Xu Qing appear like a demon. Beside him, the Captain's figure materialized, smiling broadly as he looked at Xu Qing, simultaneously picking up another green apple and taking a bite.

"Little A'Qing, you don't look very appealing like this."

Xu Qing glanced at the apple in the Captain's hand but remained silent. The Captain raised his hand and tossed one to him. Xu Qing caught it, bit into it, and found it very sweet and fragrant. For him, having grown up, he had essentially eaten everything except the flesh of his own kind.

Seeing Xu Qing react similarly, the Captain brightened. He slung an arm around Xu Qing's shoulder and whispered, "I have another piece of news! A dignitary of the Flame Moon Profound Heaven clan, to celebrate the Great Hunt, is willing to open up restricted zones within their territory for all participating cultivators!"

"Among the five restricted zones in this Flame Moon dignitary's territory, there's one with over twenty forbidden mountains! Based on the information I just acquired, if we depart quickly, we should still make it in time! Since you've qualified for the Great Hunt, let's go all out this time! This way, we can enter the Divine Realm with a more legitimate identity to achieve my grand objective! You might even become a Profound Heaven General! Little A'Qing, your Senior Brother will help you with all his might." The Captain thumped his chest, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Just remember, if we succeed in the end and you truly become a Profound Heaven General, you have to lend me your robes for a few years!"

Hearing this, Xu Qing nodded. He raised his right hand and waved, and instantly, the forbidden mountain belonging to the Baize vendor flew towards him, settling above his head. The two forbidden mountains now circled each other, streaks of red lightning intertwining between them like stretched filaments. Occasionally, lightning bolts would strike each other, generating sparks that illuminated the surroundings, visible even from a great distance.

"Senior Brother, how many forbidden mountains do you think one needs to be ranked first?" Xu Qing looked up at the two mountains hovering above him and suddenly spoke.

"At least a hundred, I suppose," the Captain casually replied.

"Then a hundred it is!" A cold glint surged in Xu Qing's eyes. His body swayed, and he whistled away into the distance.

The Captain blinked, then smiled and followed. Soon, their figures vanished into the sky, heading towards the restricted zone that the Flame Profound Heaven dignitary had opened to celebrate the Great Hunt.