Chapter 825: This Is the Real Xu Qing

Qiu Quezi noticed the coldness in Xu Qing's eyes, reminded of his deceased nemesis. He took a deep breath, nodded immediately, and flew out to lead the way.

Xu Qing followed behind, his expression grim. The Captain beside him also put away his earlier playful demeanor. Although his feelings for the human race were faint, hearing such things still stirred some emotion within him.

"The human race..." the Captain sighed softly in his heart.

Thus, the three figures moved deeper into the forbidden zone, getting closer and closer to its core.

Inside the golden palace suspended in mid-air, the Flame Moon noble's lips curved upward in a happy smile. "Now this is getting interesting. How can it be called a great hunt without bloodshed and death?"

Time slowly passed. Two days later...

Deep within the forbidden zone, atop a towering giant tree, Xu Qing, the Captain, and Qiu Quezi stood, gazing into the distance. In the distance, thin black mist permeated the land, shrouding the world in gloom. On the ground lay withered jungles, appearing like demons and monsters in the dim light.

Beyond these withered forests lay a series of undulating peaks, resembling a reclining dragon. Twenty-seven mountains together formed a vast and mighty mountain range that traversed nearly half of the forbidden zone. A few of these mountains contained black flames, occasionally erupting to spew out black mist that swirled around them, while black lava flowed out as well.

"Those are the forbidden mountains of this zone," Qiu Quezi murmured.

Xu Qing felt the heat carried by the wind and narrowed his eyes. He had seen several forbidden zones, usually dominated by an eerie coldness. This was the first time he encountered one with volcanoes.

"The last ten mountains can be contested by all participants of the Great Hunt, while the seventeen mountains in front are what I previously mentioned as 'pre-assigned'," Qiu Quezi explained. "As for the one designated for the Human Race's Grand Prince, that is... the Ninth Mountain."

Qiu Quezi raised his hand and pointed forward.

Xu Qing's gaze followed, and within these mountains, he sensed numerous auras belonging to all the Great Hunt participants gathered there. Every peak harbored presences, especially the latter ten, where the auras were more complex and numerous. The mountain Qiu Quezi pointed to was no different. Furthermore, these auras all exuded a sense of tension and readiness for battle, yet they seemed to be held in check, not immediately erupting.

"There's still one day left until these forbidden mountains can be lifted. At that time, a chaotic battle and struggle will erupt." A glint of battle intent appeared in Qiu Quezi's eyes. His own mountain peak had already been taken, now held by Xu Qing. He dared not snatch it from Xu Qing, so his target was one of these forbidden mountains. On the way, he had politely requested that if he managed to seize a mountain, Xu Qing would not make things difficult for him. Xu Qing agreed. Although he also needed a forbidden mountain, Qiu Quezi's information was equally valuable.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, we just need to wait patiently for another day." Qiu Quezi's cultivation base circulated, and his eyes gleamed. In his plan, there was no immediate action to seize a mountain, as he deemed it pointless. Even if he seized it, it would be useless, as holding it for a day would attract the attention and siege of other cultivators. Such an approach carried significant risk and higher difficulty. "Once the last day passes and all the peaks can be taken, we will rush out, seize our target mountain, and then immediately leave. This way, the success rate will be higher. After all, at that time, other peaks can also be taken, which will naturally disperse the attention of the crowd."

Xu Qing gazed at the Ninth Mountain, then shifted his eyes to other peaks. His eyes held a strong chill as he spoke calmly. "No need for such trouble."

With that, he leaped, flying towards the sky and directly towards the mountain range ahead.

Behind him, Qiu Quezi's expression changed. He knew Xu Qing was powerful and had witnessed it firsthand, but he didn't believe Xu Qing's combat strength could simultaneously face everyone. Moreover, by his method, with Xu Qing's power, there was almost a hundred percent certainty of obtaining one forbidden mountain, possibly even two. But if he rushed in so recklessly, becoming a target for everyone, everything would become uncertain.

"This..." Qiu Quezi's heart tightened, and just as he was about to speak, the Captain beside him chuckled softly. As he stepped out and flew past him, a sentence drifted back.

"Your goal is one or two. But my junior brother's goal is all of them."

"All of them?" Qiu Quezi's mind reeled with shock and horror. At that moment, Xu Qing's figure was already in mid-air. He raised his right hand, pressed it against his left shoulder, and pulled outward.

The totem on his body instantly shimmered. At the same instant, a sheet of black flames erupted from Xu Qing, forming a raging sea of fire that spread boundlessly. Concurrently, with the appearance of the totem, a Golden Crow burst forth from within, soaring and dancing in the sea of fire, emitting a fervent cry towards the heavens and earth. Its black body, phoenix-like appearance, and long fiery tail plumes spread across the sky, attracting the attention of the cultivators on all twenty-seven peaks.

The moment they looked at the Golden Crow in mid-air, Xu Qing extended his right hand and grabbed towards it. Instantly, the Golden Crow's cries grew more fervent. It surged towards Xu Qing's right hand, rapidly disintegrating during its approach. When it finally reached Xu Qing's right hand, the Golden Crow vanished, replaced by a black long spear that appeared between heaven and earth, clutched in Xu Qing's right hand.

The moment this long spear appeared, the world's colors shifted. Bolts of lightning streaked across all directions, as if tearing the sky apart, accompanied by low growls from the void, as if warning against its descent into the world. But it was useless. The coldness in Xu Qing's eyes intensified. Gripping the forbidden long spear, under the gaze of the golden palace, amidst Qiu Quezi's horror, and the stirring among the cultivators of the twenty-seven peaks, he hurled it fiercely towards the Ninth Mountain.

The black long spear, like a dragon, surged forward with an unstoppable momentum, carving a long black streak across the sky, like a spear of the heavens. The lightning bolts it dispersed swiftly converged from all directions, gathering around the spear, continuously circling it and empowering it. They whipped up a storm, emitting a sharp, whistling sound as it tore through the air, directly towards... the Ninth Mountain. Its momentum was overwhelming.

The next instant, the spear landed on the summit of the Ninth Mountain with overwhelming dominance. The moment it pierced the forbidden mountain, heaven and earth roared. The deafening roar shook the entire mountain violently, and the earth churned. Ring-shaped shockwaves and arcs of lightning swept outwards from the spear's impact point, instantly spreading across the entire Ninth Mountain. Wherever they passed, the hundreds of cultivators occupying the mountain changed greatly in expression. Some recoiled, some showed shock and anger, but others merely frowned, unmoved. Cultivators on other peaks also watched intently, many with hostile gazes.

At the same time, Xu Qing's voice descended from the sky. "Yield. In three breaths, all living beings on this mountain shall perish."

The domineering spear and the indifferent words might have deterred the weak, but as participants in the Great Hunt, these cultivators of the Flame Moon Profound Sky race were instead provoked to murderous intent, especially when they saw that the figure in mid-air was a human.

Instantly, half of the hundred or so cultivators on the Ninth Mountain rose into the sky, their voices echoing. "It's been a long time since I've seen such an arrogant human." "Overestimating yourself." "I'd like to see how you'll make all living beings on this mountain perish if we don't leave."

As these words echoed, a whistling sound abruptly arose. Just as the cultivators from the mountain charged out directly towards Xu Qing, Xu Qing, still in mid-air, his eyes filled with intense killing intent, raised his right hand and pressed it down upon the approaching cultivators.

The sky exploded like a giant thunderclap, and the sound was earth-shattering. Three vast, inverted mountains rapidly descended from the firmament. One mountain was crimson like blood, one was frosty like ice, and one was fiery like flames. Each mountain surpassed the forbidden mountains on the ground. Appearing now, their inverted forms, like sword edges, gave off an aura of sharpness and unparalleled power. A thick oppressive aura erupted from these three mountains; this was the "Path of the Withering Flame Demonic Incantation's True Form" that Xu Qing had learned.

Upon appearing, these three inverted mountains pressed down upon the cultivators who had flown out from the Ninth Mountain, centered around it. This pressure from heaven and earth created a sealing effect, causing some of the weaker cultivators caught in the middle to spurt blood. However, there were still strong cultivators, and quite a few of them. Over twenty of them actually withstood the pressure and unleashed their divine abilities and spells.

But... the "Path of the Withering Flame Demonic Incantation's True Form" was not Xu Qing's ultimate killing move this time. Its purpose was merely a certain degree of sealing. The next instant, Xu Qing's eyes turned completely black. The forbidden zone's alien essence suddenly surged, drawn by him.

On the Ninth Mountain, a poison restriction spontaneously arose. Some unfortunates, directly touching it, cried out in horror, then screamed. Their bodies, under Xu Qing's current poison restriction, turned into bloody water in the blink of an eye. Outside the forbidden zone, Xu Qing's poison restriction power would merely be normal, but within the forbidden zone, the alien essence here could empower it!

Thus, the swirling toxic mist became a dense fog, rapidly spreading in all directions. Due to the sealing effect created by the descent of the three mountains above, this toxic fog directly surged upwards, engulfing everything. All cultivators on the mountain who hadn't left were engulfed within it. From a distance, beneath the three mountains and above the earth, the mist formed a giant pillar-like storm, from which piercing wails continuously emanated.

Xu Qing's seal was not limited to this; he raised his right hand and waved, and instantly countless crimson soul threads burst forth, encircling the misty storm, rapidly rotating to prevent anyone from escaping. He intended to smother these cultivators to death within it.

The poison grew thicker, and the forbidden zone's alien essence was heavily drawn in, enhancing it further, making it increasingly terrifying. The wails grew more piercing, and the roars echoed along with them. One could imagine that the cultivators trapped within this mist were now utterly desperate, unleashing their full power as their bodies rapidly decayed. But Xu Qing's poison belonged to the power of a deity; if conditions were sufficient, even deities could be afflicted. Even if Xu Qing's current display was limited, with the forbidden zone's alien essence boosting it, unless one's cultivation reached the God-Incarnation level, his current power was still capable of killing.

Therefore, this process did not last too long. Although the three mountains of the "Path of the Withering Flame Demonic Incantation's True Form" eventually shattered and dispersed into fragments, three to five cultivators managed to break out. But as the toxic mist dispersed, the vast majority of cultivators had already become bloody water. From afar, on the Ninth Mountain, blood rained down, and the mountain itself gradually turned from black to purplish. It was a horrifying sight. As for the few who escaped, they were now wailing terribly, their bodies visibly decaying until they too turned into bloody water, falling in a foreign land.

Xu Qing paid them no mind. He stepped through the air, and amidst the enormous ripples of shock in the hearts of the cultivators on the surrounding mountains, he walked step by step to the deserted Ninth Mountain, where blood rained, and then to his long spear, where he sat down cross-legged.

The wind blew, carrying the scent of blood. Xu Qing looked up and took a deep breath. The familiar scent reminded him of his past slaughters. Then, he looked around.

Silence fell all around.