Chapter 828: Misfortune and Forgetting

The "Gate of Life and Death" is a double entendre in this place. Within three breaths, those who choose to open the door choose life, while those cultivators who remain choose death.

This is the first meaning.

The second meaning refers to the special abilities contained within the complete Ding 132, which are revealed after the first meaning. These abilities are the Divine Authority of Misfortune and the Intent of Oblivion. The former divine authority can cause those within this place to fall into endless misfortune once the gate closes, leading ultimately to death. The latter, Oblivion, will cause them to forget they are dead, and though already deceased, they will be filled with misfortune until they transform into bizarre entities. Entities like the Head and the Stone Lions are examples of such oddities. They possess some degree of sentience and movement, products of an unexpected fusion between gods and immortals years ago. After all, divine authority originates from deities, while the intent comes from cultivators who research power to counter deities.

This is the true capability of the completed Ding 132. Furthermore, Ding 132 has reached its pinnacle in sealing. No one can leave this place unless they simultaneously possess the ability to counter both misfortune and oblivion, or possess overwhelming combat power to forcibly blast it open.

This was also Xu Qing's prior plan. Being reasonable, he first opened the door, allowing the cultivators within this place time to depart.

This scene, observed by the Flame Moon noble inside the golden palace hovering outside Ding Yisan Chuan, caused his twin eyes to narrow slightly, and his gaze flickered with interest. He naturally recognized the prison's extraordinary nature and sensed the human race's murderous intent emanating from within. Therefore, he was now faced with a choice: intervene or not.

"Why should I intervene?" he thought. "The purpose of the Great Hunt is to select the most promising individuals for the clan. In this world, where the weak are preyed upon by the strong and destiny dictates prosperity or decay, the emergence of such a formidable human will only further motivate the proud juniors within our clan. Furthermore, this human youth—whether self-taught or instructed—demonstrates remarkable methodicalness, even opening the door to offer others a chance to depart first!"

The Flame Moon noble pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly as he gazed at Xu Qing. His eyes now held a hint of appreciation, and he envisioned his forbidden zone soon becoming a bloody spectacle.

"Excellent, how intriguing." The Flame Moon noble outside Ding 132 chose not to intervene. Consequently, the Flame Moon cultivators inside Ding 132 were also presented with two choices: leave or stay. Had Xu Qing not secretly poisoned and killed the cultivators of the Ninth Mountain, virtually everyone would have chosen to remain, disregarding his words. However, after witnessing Xu Qing slaughter the Ninth Mountain cultivators and then extinguish the 'Heavenly Listening Son' through even more bizarre means, his words acquired a compelling, almost authoritative power. The bizarre actions of the Head and the divine hand, combined, were a source of profound unease for everyone.

Ultimately, thirty percent of the cultivators gritted their teeth, accelerated, and abandoning any thought of struggle, made directly for the exit of Ding 132. After all, not everyone was willing to embrace madness at this moment. Their departure was not hindered; they flew out of the prison in a flash.

However, among the remaining seventy percent, a portion still harbored cold intent in their eyes. Confident in their individual strength and numerical superiority as members of the Flame Moon clan, they believed they could engage in a fight. Their lifelong philosophy revolved around slaughter and contention; they were taught to fight fiercely as long as the potential reward was sufficient. Clearly, the forbidden mountain hovering above Xu Qing’s head made his value surpass that of the forbidden zone itself, thus making the potential reward more than adequate. Furthermore, another group was hesitant. Though they witnessed others successfully depart, they were still internally debating their choice. However, time ran out; three breaths had already passed.

The door slammed shut instantly with a tremendous roar. Inside Ding 132, the Stone Lions and the Head simultaneously let out cheers, welcoming their new inmates. A peculiar aura abruptly erupted within Ding 132. The Divine Finger thrashed and collided, making the entire prison tremble. At that very moment, an endless crimson essence emanated from its body, spreading in all directions. Wherever it paused, Ding 132 transformed into a blood-red netherworld. The essence of misfortune radiated from this prison area, staining the ground and pervading the entire space.

The seventeen forbidden zones, and all the inherent heterogeneous substances, were instantly absorbed and re-emitted by the Divine Finger, becoming integral parts of Ding 132. Although perhaps far inferior to other deities in combat power and living a somewhat constrained existence, it was still a divine entity. As such, it excelled at certain fundamental divine operations beyond Xu Qing's proficiency, instantly integrating everything within Ding 132 into a unified whole.

The next moment, the intent of misfortune erupted with full force. A significant number of cultivators who remained exhibited inexplicable behaviors. For instance, an old injury that someone had previously sustained was unexpectedly re-aggravated due to a deviation in their cultivation technique. The probability of this occurring was extremely low, yet it happened. As the injury flared, the cultivator was both surprised and alarmed. For example, another cultivator had just retrieved a magic artifact, but it unexpectedly self-detonated, affecting its wielder, due to an internal instability with a mere one in ten thousand chance of occurrence. Another instance involved someone taking out antidote pills to consume, but inexplicably picking up the wrong ones. Instead of providing protection, these pills made them more vulnerable to toxins. Furthermore, someone rising into the air was struck by fragments from a nearby exploding artifact. While they managed to dodge, similar occurrences happened repeatedly, with dozens, even hundreds, of artifacts collapsing and unleashing formidable power that affected many. Another example: someone roared and unleashed a divine ability, but it inexplicably malfunctioned, causing a subtle deviation that should not have occurred, likely resulting in a backlash. Moreover, some attempted to forcibly unleash powerful lethal techniques or artifacts. While these were potent and controllable under normal circumstances, now all sorts of unexpected failures occurred, causing them to detonate or malfunction.

Looking around, all the Flame Moon cultivators within Ding 132 were plunged into chaos, as the myriad accidents befalling them collectively amounted to sheer misfortune. They immediately sensed that something was amiss. Some of the more knowledgeable individuals instantly recognized the phenomenon, exclaiming in alarm. "Misfortune! This is divine authority!" As these words escaped someone's lips, the expressions of all the cultivators present drastically changed. Only Xu Qing, seated calmly atop the Ninth Mountain, and the Captain, smiling broadly beside him, remained unaffected.

As for Qiu Quezi, he was once again stunned. Meanwhile, the cultivators quickly devised a solution: "Kill that strange human, and this place will naturally be unsealed." Gaze after gaze, filled with murderous intent, converged from all directions. Immediately, all the figures present swiftly launched themselves, hurtling towards Xu Qing. Despite experiencing various mishaps en route, including inexplicable collateral damage from indirect spell collisions among themselves, resulting in casualties, their overall murderous intent remained potent, and they steadily converged on Xu Qing.

They were unaware that misfortune was merely one aspect of Ding 132. The Intent of Oblivion had already begun subtly pervading the area, growing steadily stronger. In the blink of an eye, its effects manifested. The Flame Moon cultivators closest to Xu Qing, now just over two hundred feet away and having endured multiple misfortunes, were poised to charge. But in the next instant, their expressions turned blank, and their bodies instinctively halted, leaving them suspended in mid-air. They had forgotten their objective. Subsequently, more cultivators, under the influence of the Intent of Oblivion, forgot their purpose, forgot they were even searching for Xu Qing. Some were even more severely affected, forgetting why they were there at all, and even the Great Hunt itself.

A pervasive sense of disorientation became the dominant theme. Even when their gazes met, they might momentarily recall something unexpected, but as the power of oblivion intensified, they forgot even more. And with a sneer, misfortune once again erupted upon them. Deaths continued unabated, with numerous bodies of cultivators, fallen due to various accidents, plummeting from the sky.

Nevertheless, a few cultivators, leveraging their innate talents, unique treasures, or bloodline abilities, managed to maintain a precarious lucidity despite the combined effects of misfortune and oblivion, and urgently called out. "This is Misfortune and Oblivion! Disperse, everyone! Don't get close to each other, and don't cast any unnecessary spells! Focus your minds on one thing, constantly repeating it: 'Kill the human!'” He shouted this loudly, using the lingering echo of his voice to remind those whose minds were constantly slipping into oblivion.

"Kill the human!""Kill the human!""Kill the human!"

One by one, all the Flame Moon cultivators in the sky gasped for breath. In this crisis, caught between life and death and under the bizarre circumstances, they unleashed a deafening roar that echoed throughout the area. Even if some had forgotten, hearing this collective cry instilled a primal instinct. Driven by this instinct, all the Flame Moon cultivators charged towards Xu Qing.

Simultaneously, the Divine Finger's thrashing and crashing echoed like thunder. The Stone Lion's movements grew increasingly frenzied, the Head's eerie cackle became even more grating, and the Millstone spun into a vortex. The straw effigies crafted by the Scarecrow continually writhed. Meanwhile, the old man Danqing, with a crazed expression, had already completed portraits of everyone present. He then turned, knelt towards Xu Qing in the distance, burned an offering, and cried out, "Great Guardian, the prisoners are rioting! Please suppress them!"

The Stone Lion, the Head, the Scarecrow, and the Millstone also ceased their respective activities at this instant. They all knelt and echoed the same plea: "Great Guardian, the prisoners are rioting! Please suppress them!"

"Please suppress them!" As their plea resounded, the heavens and earth shifted, winds rose, and clouds gathered. Xu Qing lifted his head, rising from his cross-legged position. With a raise of his right hand, the Golden Crow roared from the black long spear before him, unleashing black flames. The spear itself coiled back, landing firmly in Xu Qing's grasp. Cold intent surged in Xu Qing's eyes. He lifted his right foot, stepped forward, and ascended directly towards the sky.

Behind him, the Captain stretched languidly, then, holding Qiu Quezi's leg, he grinned and said, "Little Sparrow, if you don't move now, the forbidden mountain you desire will be gone!" The Captain, licking his lips, then charged forward.

And so, the slaughter began.