Chapter 841: Desecration of the Fourth Statue of the Gods

Across the vast land, majestic and winding mountain ranges stretched, as if ink had been splashed onto rice paper, forming a grand and sweeping landscape painting.

Among these mountains, one peak stood preeminent, majestic and imposing, towering over all others.

That was the sacred Divine Mountain, the abode of the Blazing Moon Mystic Heavens.

It resembled an ink brush between heaven and earth, sharp and upright, pointing directly to the sky.

Countless white clouds drifted below its base, like mythical Penglai islands suspended in the air.

Under the sunlight, the rocks and trees on the peak glittered, further highlighting its magnificence and splendor.

Especially its silhouette, sharply defined against the sky, struck observers with powerful awe whether viewed from afar or up close.

Even before approaching, its overwhelming and destructive aura rushed forth.

Although merely a mountain, it stood there as if the very sky dimmed before it, as if, should the mountain wish, it could press the heavens beneath it.

This kind of imposing presence was something Xu Qing had never witnessed before, even though he had traveled through many regions.

It was truly the peak of all peaks, the pride standing tall against the heavens.

Moreover, golden light emanated from the Divine Mountain, whether inherent or merely sunlight, spreading across the sky and enveloping the earth.

Xu Qing subtly sensed it, his gaze profound, feeling that this golden light contained power originating from a deity.

To some extent, this power was also anomalous, yet it was controllable, as if tamed. Flowing in all directions, it could actually be absorbed normally.

Xu Qing took a breath, and it transformed into cultivation power within his body.

This scene moved him somewhat.

The Captain stood beside Xu Qing, gazing at everything. A hint of recollection appeared on his face as he sighed, "Here again!"

He whispered softly, in a voice only Xu Qing could hear, "Let's go, junior brother. Go see the pinnacle of the Blazing Moon Mystic Heavens clan." The Captain patted Xu Qing's shoulder.

Xu Qing suppressed the ripple in his heart and looked up at the over 1,800 forbidden mountains above his head.

As they approached the Divine Mountain, these forbidden mountains rapidly shrunk. Now, each one circled above his head like a black dot.

Although they became very small, their sheer number still made Xu Qing stand out considerably.

"With this many," he murmured, "I should be able to get first place, right?"

Xu Qing murmured in his heart. His speed undiminished, he transformed into a long rainbow and headed straight for the mountains.

As they drew closer, the Divine Mountain grew larger and larger in Xu Qing's sight, eventually becoming so vast that its upper end was invisible. An uncontrollable sense of his own insignificance arose within him.

Below the Divine Mountain, three floating cities had been built.

Each one was immense, connected by golden chains. Abundant vegetation grew within them, revealing an ancient, weathered appearance.

These three cities were primarily circular in design, a distinctive architectural style of various clans from the Xuan You Ancient Emperor era, now rare, with even humanity retaining little of it.

"This is the Holy City of our Blazing Moon Mystic Heavens clan," Qiu Quezi announced, "named Skyflame City!"

Qiu Quezi, who was following Xu Qing and the Captain, spoke with a hint of excitement in his voice. Clearly, even he normally had no right to come here.

"Only during the Grand Hunt and special grand ceremonies does Skyflame City open to outsiders, allowing all clans to enter," Qiu Quezi continued. "I've been fortunate enough to visit three times before; this is my fourth."

"Within Skyflame City, flight is forbidden," he added. "All who arrive must do so with a pilgrim's heart."

Qiu Quezi spoke softly, introducing the rules of Skyflame City to Xu Qing and the Captain. Meanwhile, the three of them gradually approached one of the cities.

From afar, the city was bustling with numerous cultivators. According to Qiu Quezi, most of these were outsiders, while the cultivators truly qualified to reside permanently in the Holy City were mostly those from the Divine Temple.

The arrival of Xu Qing and his two companions immediately attracted the attention of many cultivators within the city.

This was because humanity was extremely rare here.

Not to mention Xu Qing's current fame and his previous battle to seal Tuoshi Mountain; all of this naturally drew attention to his arrival.

Furthermore, the more than a thousand mountain peaks above his head were also a major focus of attention.

Xu Qing was already accustomed to this. As his figure landed before the city gate, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes. He took a deep breath and stepped towards the main gate.

The city gate, naturally not designed for humans, was a hundred zhang high, and everything else within the city was similar. Walking here felt like entering a city of giants.

As for the cultivators here, with just a glance, Xu Qing saw hundreds of different clans with various appearances; many strange, bizarre individuals were everywhere.

While the native Blazing Moon Mystic Heavens cultivators, relatively rare elsewhere, were the mainstream here.

Most of them were clad in white robes, and their presence anywhere commanded reverence from those around them.

That condescending attitude did not require them to intentionally display it; it simply existed naturally.

"I hated that attitude back then," the Captain mumbled.

Xu Qing remained silent and paid no mind to the scrutinizing and hostile gazes cast from all directions. He had more important matters to attend to: submitting the mountains.

He had to go to the Divine Mountain to merge his forbidden mountains there and determine his ranking.

So he glanced at Qiu Quezi. Qiu Quezi, who had been following him and observing him carefully along the way, immediately understood the meaning of Xu Qing's gaze and quickly stepped forward to lead the way.

Thus, under the concentrated gazes of passersby, Xu Qing and his two companions proceeded through the Holy City. Whispers and gossip were, naturally, unavoidable. Even halfway through, some Blazing Moon Mystic Heavens cultivators stepped out and directly issued challenges on the street.

Clearly, many from the Blazing Moon clan were displeased with humanity acquiring so many forbidden mountains in the first stage.

Xu Qing merely glanced at them, and after confirming they had no mountains above their heads, he chose to ignore them directly.

After several hours, as the distant sunset cast its light, the Divine Mountain appeared before Xu Qing and his two companions.

Nine massive iron chains connected the city they were in to the Divine Mountain.

Following the chains, one could see the other end at the Divine Mountain, a vast plaza built from green colossal stones. There were also three colossal divine statues, representing the sun, moon, and stars.

Behind the three divine statues was a staircase that extended to the unseen peak of the mountain.

"There are three paths to the Divine Mountain, accessible from all three cities," Qiu Quezi introduced softly. "So there are also three plazas like the one ahead."

Xu Qing nodded. Standing at the city's end, he withdrew his gaze from the Divine Mountain and looked down below the chains, where there was a bottomless chasm thousands of zhang deep.

At that moment, a wind blew, causing the chains to sway. Xu Qing stepped onto one, leading the way directly towards the Divine Mountain.

The Captain thought for a moment and chose the same chain as Xu Qing.

Qiu Quezi paused, stunned, then simply chose the same one. Soon, the three figures traversed the entire length of the chain amidst the howling mountain wind.

They encountered no obstacles on the way. When they stepped off the chain and stood on the Divine Mountain Plaza, the three divine statues standing there became increasingly clear in Xu Qing's sight.

The first statue was of the Blazing Sun God. Its form was difficult to discern as male or female; its body appeared feminine, yet its face had masculine features. A sun rose behind it, countless clans and wailing evil spirits writhed beneath its feet, and its eyes were closed.

The second statue was familiar to Xu Qing: the Blazing Moon God. However, in the sculpture, she gave off a stunning impression, yet her expression was cold, like an iceberg—quite different from the appearance of the Scarlet Mother in Xu Qing's memory. Behind her, a moon disc formed a cool moonlight, illuminating her divine body and emanating sacredness.

As for the third statue, Xu Qing was even more familiar; it was the Clay Fox. Stars shone behind it, and its entire body exuded an enchanting charm, making it hard to look away. However, what caught Xu Qing's attention the most was not these three divine statues, but a fourth one.

It was a statue without a face, kneeling directly in front of the Blazing Moon God's statue. Its body was covered in whip marks and riddled with holes, while countless sharp blades were stuck into it.

From its appearance, it seemed to be utterly detested by the Blazing God, punished to kneel here eternally, enduring endless humiliation.

Gazing at this statue, the Captain blinked. Meanwhile, Qiu Quezi, noticing Xu Qing's gaze fall upon this fourth statue, quickly spoke in a low voice.

"The origin of this statue is mysterious; it has existed for a very long time," Qiu Quezi began. "Our clan calls him the 'Blasphemer.' Legend says he profaned the Blazing Moon God, committing an unforgivable, heinous crime. He was personally slain by the Blazing Sun God, and his body was split into three parts, condemned to kneel eternally before the divine statues in all three plazas."

"As a warning to others!"

"Especially in the Blazing Moon Divine Temple," he continued, "I hear their scriptures contain descriptions of this event. The Blazing Moon Divine Temple even has a special festival to revile the Blasphemer."

Xu Qing remained silent and glanced at the Captain.

The Captain's expression was normal, without any change; he even put on an appearance of listening intently. Noticing Xu Qing's gaze, he even curiously looked at the fourth kneeling statue.

Qiu Quezi, naturally, could not comprehend Xu Qing and the Captain's inner thoughts at that moment. So, continuing his previous introduction, he added, "Oh, and there's another rule concerning the Divine Mountain and the three Holy Cities."

"That is, no 'ox' can appear; it's a taboo," he explained. "I don't know why this rule exists, but if an 'ox' appears, they will die horribly. Even some clans related to oxen have been nearly wiped out by the Blazing Moon Divine Temple over the years!"

Xu Qing looked at the Captain again. The Captain, thick-skinned, continued to act curious, and Qiu Quezi spoke again.

"Also," Qiu Quezi continued, "anyone whose name contains 'ox' is a taboo here and must not be known. By the way, two fellow daoists, your names don't contain the character 'ox', do they?"

All this way, he knew Xu Qing was Xu Qing, but he knew little about Chen Erniu, only that he was Xu Qing's senior brother.

Xu Qing shook his head and once again looked at the Captain. The Captain coughed and quickly shook his head. Qiu Quezi didn't think much of it and was about to continue speaking.

"And—"

Seeing this, the Captain could no longer maintain his facade. He glared at Qiu Quezi. "Alright, hurry up and lead the way! What's with all the nonsense!"