Chapter 827: Life and Death Gate

Xu Qing’s indifferent voice echoed through the forbidden zone, passing like a wind of death. Like an underworld lantern, he attracted and gathered surging torrents of human souls.

Seated on the Ninth Mountain, countless crimson soul threads spread out from behind him, radiating a fresh red, blood-like, demonic essence. The seven ghostly lanterns on his body transformed into grotesque faces that extended from his form, circling and weaving around him, eerie and menacing. This, combined with his handsome face and flowing long hair, made Xu Qing at this moment peerless.

The might that could swallow mountains and rivers caused the sky to change color and the wind to howl. This sight, falling into Tianlingzi’s eyes, caused his heart to churn. Thunder rumbled in his mind, and his expression drastically shifted. A sense of extreme, unprecedented life-or-death crisis surged within him like a tide. It was like a mountain collapsing, directly shattering his spirit. It felt as if every piece of flesh and every bone in his body was screaming a sharp spiritual wail.

Danger, danger, danger! All perceptions, all consciousness, conveyed a sense of peril at this moment, finally converging into a larger wave. The smoke rings from the incense burner around his body also rippled and distorted. This sensation made Tianlingzi’s breathing quicken, and his advancing figure suddenly halted. He instinctively wanted to retreat, to distance himself from this strange human.

But it was too late!

Xu Qing gazed coldly at Tianlingzi, raising his hand and bringing it down. The poisonous mist permeating the Ninth Mountain instantly surged, forming a roaring vortex that enveloped everything. A black storm of toxic mist spread, raging and terrifying, obscuring the sky. It transformed into a massive demonic face that opened its gruesome mouth and slammed down hard on the incense burner above Tianlingzi’s head.

With a roar, the incense burner trembled, and the smoke rings, falling like a waterfall, became even more distorted. This suppression was not over; the corrosive assault of the poisonous mist became fiercer, descending again and swirling to block all of Tianlingzi’s escape routes.

At the same time, the seven flickering lanterns within Xu Qing’s body swayed, reflecting Tianlingzi’s figure, then one of them extinguished. The moment this lantern went out, Tianlingzi’s pupils constricted, and his mind was thrown into chaos. An intense pain suddenly erupted in his internal organs, as if an invisible, sharp blade had pierced his body, rampaging within him!

A pained shriek escaped his lips. After spitting out seven or eight mouthfuls of blood, he still couldn’t dispel the agony. In his horror, his body staggered, all composure gone. He no longer appeared in splendid robes; instead, his clothes were inexplicably covered in grime, and he was being pressed towards the earth like a cowering ant. At this instant, his body showed signs of rapid aging, and his life fire instantly dimmed as if shrouded in dust.

“You!” As Tianlingzi’s heart violently churned, Xu Qing extinguished the second lantern, and an even more miserable wail escaped Tianlingzi’s mouth. His body developed dense, crisscrossing cracks, as if he were being flayed alive. Large amounts of blood seeped out from these cracks, staining his scales and soaking his entire robe! His hair withered strand by strand, and his scales likewise fell off on their own, turning into ash. As for his cultivation, it seemed to be stripped away, his aura continuously diminishing.

A strong sense of impending death emerged in Tianlingzi’s heart. Fortunately, the power of the incense burner was still protecting him, barely isolating this fatal feeling. But he was still terrified, an endless fear and the shroud of death making him feel like a lone boat on a raging wave. At this moment, he violently retreated, giving his all, even burning himself to escape this terrifying Ninth Mountain!

Xu Qing did not raise a hand to stop him, because his opponent could not escape. He gazed coldly at the Bai Ze clan’s chosen one, watching the precarious incense burner above his head, as the third, fourth, and fifth lanterns within his body successively extinguished. Each time a lantern went out, the retreating Tianlingzi emitted another agonizing cry, his physical body and soul withering. In the blink of an eye, six of the seven lanterns were extinguished. Furthermore, a million soul threads whistled from behind Xu Qing, heading straight for the incense burner!

Finally, with a crack, a fissure appeared in the incense burner. Under the combined reinforcement of the toxic forbidden mist, Xu Qing’s Seven Lantern Ghost Fire Curse, and his soul threads, this treasure could no longer hold. It dimmed. The cascading smoke rings also paused, one less ring, and the toxic mist seized the opportunity to penetrate.

The next moment, Tianlingzi’s retreating figure violently trembled, falling directly from the sky and crashing onto the ground. This was the foot of the Ninth Mountain. Lying there, his body was drenched in sweat, and this corrosive sweat had melted away half of his body. Not only were his body and soul severely wounded by the extinguishing lanterns, but the power of the toxic forbidden mist also spread through his body, corroding his flesh and shattering his mind, causing black energy to spread throughout his body.

The indescribable pain made Tianlingzi lose the strength to scream! The intent of death surged through his entire being. Along with an extremely浓郁 stench, fear and various emotions submerged everything! It seemed as if the world in his eyes had lost its vitality; his life fire was reduced to a mere flicker. He had imagined his death someday, but in his imagination, it would be after he became a Spirit-Containment expert, dying in a foreign war waged by the Bai Ze clan. And at the moment of his death, he would surely leave a significant mark within his clan, letting future generations know that there was once an era when a strong individual named Tianlingzi appeared in their clan.

Therefore, everything that happened today was completely unexpected for him. Unwillingness and madness began to surge within his flickering life fire, attempting to reverse his fate. But Xu Qing extinguished this hope, putting out the last lantern within his body and closing his eyes. As the lamp’s light vanished, it was as if a wind blew, extinguishing Tianlingzi’s last remaining life fire. All unwillingness became a fading echo. All madness returned to calm; when the lamp dies, so does the person.

The remaining corpse at the foot of the mountain also turned to ash as the soul threads poured in, scattering in the wind and falling onto other peaks.

Silence once again descended, but unlike the previous silence, this was a breathless stillness. Countless gazes, filled with horror and stupefaction, seemed to lose the ability to move, fixed on the Ninth Mountain, on Xu Qing, who had been sitting cross-legged there from beginning to end.

Tianlingzi!!! Dead.

The Bai Ze clan’s chosen one!

“Who exactly is this person? When did such a chosen one appear in the human race?”

After a long pause, an uproar suddenly erupted, shaking all directions.

“I think I once saw the divine ability he used earlier in an ancient text!”

“That is the Law of the Sovereign, requiring a Sovereign’s bloodline to wield—the Seven Lantern Ghost Fire Curse.”

“It’s Li Zihua’s bloodline path, one of the Human Race’s Sovereigns during their peak.”

As one of the super clans of the Wanggu Continent, the Yan Yue Xuantian Clan’s overall knowledge surpassed that of many other clans. Even though what Xu Qing unleashed was an ancient technique, its origin was still traced. And as uncontrollable gasps and shock permeated the area, Qiu Quezi’s heart on the Ninth Mountain was also churning with immense turmoil. His gaze towards Xu Qing was now one of complete submission! He didn’t know how many more tricks this human had up his sleeve, or how truly strong he was. The events of this day even gave him the illusion that the other party’s mystery was like a black hole that could devour everything!

The Captain was also surprised, glancing at Xu Qing several times. This Seven Lantern Ghost Fire Curse was something he had never seen Xu Qing use before. “This kid, he’s learned to hide! No, I need to work harder too.” Even the Yan Yue noble in the golden palace in mid-air was moved, his gaze fixed on Xu Qing, lost in thought. A while ago, a major incident occurred in the Sacrificial Moon Region where Li Zihua’s statue was located—a few humans slaughtered a god!

Amidst everyone’s various shocks, a series of miniaturized forbidden mountains slowly descended from mid-air, finally all floating above Xu Qing’s head. Together with his 127 mountains, there were now 139 forbidden mountains in total. Linked by lightning, they formed a unified entity, while endless pressure emanated from them. Such a large number of forbidden mountains stirred up everyone’s hearts once again. They knew Xu Qing was strong, but the temptation of over a hundred mountains and seemingly no background was still enticing! Especially for the cultivators who had reserved mountain peaks within, their greed intensified, but they chose to hide it for later. It was precisely at this time that the ten-day limit for the forbidden mountains in this forbidden zone expired.

At this moment, it was as if a cage had been opened between heaven and earth. The aura from the outside world rushed in, and the great earth rumbled. The twenty-seven forbidden mountains also automatically disconnected from the forbidden zone. A voice from the golden palace echoed at this instant:

“Mountain relocation begins!”

As these words were uttered, it was like a horn had blown for slaughter and contention. No one paid attention to Xu Qing anymore. Even if they were still greedy, securing their own mountains was the current priority. But just as the cultivators present burst forth with their cultivation, their eyes flashing with killing intent, eager to compete, Xu Qing’s eyes slowly opened!

The time had come! He raised his right hand and swept it across the entire world. The next instant, the sky darkened, and clouds surged. An aura that made the entire forbidden zone tremble appeared in the sky. Suppressing the earth, everyone in the forbidden zone changed expression again!

A vast, dark prison slowly appeared in the sky, covering the heavens and engulfing the forbidden zone! Countless bolts of lightning roamed around, and wails from nothingness spread in all directions! Dignified, eerie, and brutally suppressive—this was the feeling the prison conveyed to everyone. The moment it appeared, it heavily pressed down towards the earth. With a roar, the ground churned as the prison penetrated the mountains and landed on the earth, confining the twenty-seven forbidden mountains and the surrounding area within.

At this moment, grotesque laughter came from within the prison. One could see rows of cells where stone lions danced, transforming into gigantic figures! Heads rolled, emitting crying and eerie laughter! Millstones spun and crushed, creating endless blood! Straw figures wove grass, forming countless small people, each wailing. Old painting masters wildly wielded ink, depicting the dying forms of all cultivators in the forbidden mountains! And there was a massive finger that pierced through many cells! The aura of a god erupted within it! It was indeed the complete Dingsan'er. And Xu Qing’s voice echoed at this moment.

“Within three breaths, all living beings here shall perish!”

As his words spread, Dingsan'er’s prison gate slowly opened! This was the gate of life and death!