Chapter 824: Mingnan Heir Apparent

Xu Qing didn't want to show himself. Even though the token Mud Fox gave him kept vibrating and heating up, Xu Qing chose to ignore it and conceal himself thoroughly. He had no obligation or need to get involved with irrelevant people.

As for the "Divine Envoy" mentioned by the other party, Xu Qing was used to it. Ever since he first impersonated a Divine Envoy in the Saint Ocean Domain, he seemed to have developed an inexplicable connection with this identity. It was the same in the Sacrificial Moon Domain. Now that a similar situation had arisen with the Flame Moon Celestial Clan, Xu Qing wasn't surprised.

He was indeed holding the token given by Mud Fox. However, he was still somewhat tempted by the two Forbidden Mountains on the head of the Flame Moon Profound Celestial Clan cultivator in front of him, who exuded the essence of the scorching sun. So his original plan was to wait until this person's decision was over before making a move to take the Forbidden Mountains.

However, all these thoughts were forcibly changed at this moment by a single command from the Flame Moon noble inside the palace. With the fall of that command, Xu Qing and the Captain's concealment were silently erased. The Captain's body reverted from a worm-like state to a human-shaped demon, squatting on a tree branch and muttering a few words under his breath. Xu Qing's body, too, solidified from its transparent state, and he stood beneath the tree, his expression seemingly calm and composed.

In reality, however, waves churned within Xu Qing's heart. The feeling of being forcibly exposed made him even more vigilant. Their appearance also caused a jolt in the hearts of the two Flame Moon Profound Celestial cultivators who were on the verge of fighting.

As the disadvantaged party, Qiu Quezi naturally reacted faster. Upon seeing Xu Qing and the Captain, his breathing quickened, and he immediately bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Divine Envoy." At this moment, it didn't matter whether the figures before him were human or from his own clan; what mattered was their identity. He had already confirmed this through his senses; this identity could save his life. This was the crucial point!

As he bowed respectfully, the expression of the cultivator who had been chasing him also changed. However, their allegiance to different divine temples prevented him from detecting as precisely as Qiu Quezi, especially since Xu Qing had deliberately intensified his concealment. Furthermore, Xu Qing and the Captain's human identities caused intense confusion in the heart of this Flame Moon Profound Celestial cultivator. He had never seen or heard of a human Divine Envoy existing within the Star Flame Divine Temple. For the Flame Moon Profound Celestial Clan, and indeed most clans on the Ancient Continent, humans were considered a lower race. This included humans. If a lower race truly became a Divine Envoy, it would certainly attract attention. Moreover, the three Forbidden Mountains on Xu Qing's head indirectly proved that if he were truly a Divine Envoy, why would he participate in the Great Hunt? But he wasn't willing to gamble. Regardless, the words "Divine Envoy" still instilled caution in him, so he stepped back slightly, his gaze flickering as he stared at Xu Qing. He wanted to abandon killing Qiu Quezi but was unwilling, yet he was uncertain about continuing to attack.

This scene struck the Captain as very interesting: one Flame Moon Profound Celestial Clan member was kneeling, the other was hesitating, and there was someone else watching from the sky! The Captain looked up, glancing at the palace in mid-air. Xu Qing, however, didn't bother with Qiu Quezi's greeting. Instead, he looked at the hesitant cultivator and coldly stated, "Leave your Forbidden Mountain and then depart!"

As soon as he spoke, a cold glint flashed in the eyes of the flickering-gazed Flame Moon Profound Celestial cultivator. He perceived that Xu Qing's cultivation was only at the Spirit Repository level, and the same was true for the person beside him. Although their cultivation was comparable to his, as a Flame Moon cultivator, few outsiders of the same cultivation level could contend with him, especially humans. During his past training in outer domains, he had visited human territories, where he had killed many so-called "heavenly talents" and refined them for a long time. This experience made it clear to him that human cultivators were generally weak. Therefore, he felt contempt from the bottom of his heart. The only thing that caused him to hesitate was the identity of the "divine person" who had appeared. So, suppressing his killing intent, he suddenly looked up at the golden palace suspended high in the sky and bowed respectfully.

"My Lord, the appearance of a Divine Envoy demanding a Forbidden Mountain during our clan's Great Hunt violates the rules. I request your judgment!" As these words were uttered, Qiu Quezi's heart sank. He had naturally seen what the other party had seen, and this move to inquire with the Flame Moon noble was a precise and effective strategy, like pulling the rug out from under someone. According to the rules of the Great Hunt, unqualified individuals were not permitted to interfere. Of course, there were still some limited ways around the rules.

Inside the golden palace in the sky, the Flame Moon noble revealed a smile on his lips, and his voice, carrying a trace of majesty, echoed in the ears of Xu Qing and the others. "This person is not a Divine Envoy!!"

As these words were spoken, a thunderous killing intent erupted in the eyes of the Flame Moon cultivator, whose body exuded scorching power. He instantly approached Xu Qing like an erupting volcano. Since the identity that had made him wary was proven to be non-existent, he would now take the Forbidden Mountain from the person before him.

However, often things don't unfold as people expect. As the Flame Moon cultivator confidently charged forward with formidable momentum, at the instant he was about to reach his target, Xu Qing's figure had already vanished from his sight. He only saw a flash of cold light. The next moment, his head flew off, and his body, having lost its head too quickly, still charged forward for a certain distance. Horrified, he felt countless crimson threads emerge from the void, enveloping his body, covering his head, and dyeing his world blood-red. What followed was indescribable: the pain of soul-devouring and the rapid blackening of his world's colors. Everything happened and ended in an instant. Utter annihilation!

"But you cannot defeat him!" The majestic voice from the golden palace in mid-air slowly resonated, completing the sentence that had been left unfinished.

At this moment, Xu Qing's figure reappeared. With an expressionless lift of his hand, the now ownerless Forbidden Mountain of the Flame Moon cultivator whose soul he had devoured floated towards him, circling above his head. His original three Forbidden Mountains, now resembling a mountain crown, made Qiu Quezi's heart pound and his breathing quicken. Everything before his eyes overturned his understanding. He knew that his long-time rival, who had been chasing him, was considered an elite among those of the same cultivation level, and was ruthless and resourceful. Yet now, in the hands of this human, he had perished in an instant!

This shocking impact left him in a daze, until Xu Qing turned his head and looked in his direction. Only then did Qiu Quezi's heart tremble. He immediately lowered his head, showing respect, but his internal trembling intensified because he felt an intrusive quality in Xu Qing's gaze. Xu Qing carefully examined Qiu Quezi, confirming that he indeed had no Forbidden Mountain, then withdrew his gaze and walked into the distance.

The Captain leaped down. As he passed Qiu Quezi, he smiled. "You're lucky!" he said, before catching up with Xu Qing and departing.

Watching the backs of Xu Qing and the Captain, Qiu Quezi felt a sense of unreality. Just as their figures were about to disappear, his breathing quickened slightly, as if he suddenly remembered something, and he loudly exclaimed, "Thank you, fellow Daoists, for the rescue! I have two pieces of information regarding humanity to tell you!"

Xu Qing paused, turning his head to look at Qiu Quezi in the distance. Noticing Xu Qing had stopped, Qiu Quezi quickly approached, halting about ten zhang away, and respectfully began, "Fellow Daoist, there are a total of twenty-seven Forbidden Mountains in this restricted area, but only ten can truly be contested. The remaining seventeen have already been pre-assigned." At this point, Qiu Quezi looked up at the palace high in the sky. "These seventeen pre-assigned Forbidden Mountains have been distributed to certain clans and the heavenly talents from my own clan. They can simply take them upon arrival, and no one would dare to contend with them!"

Xu Qing didn't wait for the rest of the Flame Moon cultivator's explanation, because these words had nothing to do with humans, and what the other party was about to say clearly wasn't about the hidden rules of the Forbidden Mountains.

"And then?" the Captain asked instead.

"Then, I know that among these seventeen Forbidden Mountains, one of them was pre-assigned to the Great Imperial Prince of the human race," Qiu Quezi said in a low voice.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. The Captain also showed interest.

"The four Great Imperial Princes of the human race came to our Flame Moon Profound Celestial Clan, pleading everywhere for help to resolve humanity's crisis. But they met with rejection at every turn. Finally, he chose to join the Great Hunt! Many clans have heard about this. I personally admire this Great Imperial Prince of your human race very much. He likely intended to become a Profound Celestial General and then propose terms to Si Quan to resolve the human crisis. His Flame Moon maternal clan also provided some conveniences for this matter, which is why the pre-assigned Forbidden Mountain was discussed!" As a member of the Flame Moon Clan, Qiu Quezi naturally had access to information that Xu Qing could not match. At this moment, he recounted everything he had heard.

"What then?" the Captain continued to ask.

"But your human Great Imperial Prince won't be coming!" Qiu Quezi hesitated for a moment and whispered. "I also learned a few days ago that your human Great Imperial Prince encountered the Prince of Mingnan while on his way to this Forbidden Mountain! King Mingnan is a king under the command of the Sun Flame God and Si Quan of the Sky Cloud. His son, the Prince, possesses astonishing talent and battle prowess that suppresses his peers. He is one of our Flame Moon's heavenly talents and is extremely famous. Someone saw the human Great Imperial Prince captured, pulling a carriage for the Prince of Mingnan along with a group of other humans!" Qiu Quezi glanced at Xu Qing, then lowered his head and spoke.

"Therefore, the Forbidden Mountain here that was pre-assigned to the Great Imperial Prince is now ownerless!" Xu Qing fell silent, looking up at the distant horizon, and the Captain's expression also darkened.

After a long pause, Xu Qing slowly asked, "What about that Forbidden Mountain now?"

Qiu Quezi took a deep breath and respectfully replied that the rule for acquiring Forbidden Mountains here was to occupy them for ten days before they could be lifted. As the restricted area had only been open for seven days, it still existed. However, due to the news of it being ownerless, it had been occupied by other participants.

"Lead the way!" A cold gleam appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.