Chapter 848: Purple Master Descends

The setting sun has vanished. At least for today, it has departed.

Along with it, the crimson glow of the sky also disappeared. However, the sanguine hue emanating from Xu Qing created a different kind of red in the encroaching darkness.

Bloodlight illuminated the sky. It was the swirling vortex of blood, the radiant glow of the soul threads around Xu Qing, and the outward manifestation of his inner killing intent.

Standing there, he resembled a demon god of blood and slaughter, awaiting the arrival of his sacrifices. After a brief silence, the sacrifices did not disappoint the slaughter; they arrived as expected.

The first to appear was a middle-aged cultivator, not from the Fiery Moon Profound Heavens’ native clan, but from... the Baize Clan! He walked step by step from within the Holy City, each footfall creating ripples that transformed into black lotuses, radiating a dark luminescence. The cultivation fluctuations of a Void Return Fourth Stage cultivator emanated from him, indicating a power stronger than Prince Mingnan’s. At the same time, an aura of malevolence permeated his entire being. This malevolence didn't seem to be merely accumulated from slaughter; it felt more like the residue of countless battles. It bore some resemblance to the battle-hardened soldiers Xu Qing had encountered in Feng Hai County. Especially the third eye on his forehead, now half-open, revealing a cold and confident gleam. He was not a prodigy. Instead, he had been conscripted by his clan, returning from the Black Spirit battlefield specifically for Xu Qing! Furthermore, through the efforts of the Baize Clan, he had obtained temporary participation qualifications for the Great Hunt. The Baize Clan was indeed one of the behind-the-scenes instigators within the Holy City during these past few days.

But clearly, a mere Baize Clan would be limited in its ability to stir up such a commotion. However, the answer quickly emerged: as the Baize cultivator approached, another figure also emerged from the Holy City. A tall, slender body, six arms distinctly different from a human’s, a natural fissure on the forehead, crimson skin, and bizarre totems appearing all over his body. It was none other than... the Si'e Clan, who were at war with humanity on the frontiers! This clan, being one of the three major affiliated clans of the Fiery Moon Profound Heavens, possessed profound heritage and maintained close ties with the native Fiery Moon clan, even holding positions under the three Grand Authorities. They specialized in curse rituals. They were the true masterminds behind the events in the Holy City.

Xu Qing’s gaze swept over both cultivators; there was no surprise. In fact, in Xu Qing’s judgment, the Baize and Si'e were merely the visible front. Behind them were the families of the cultivators he had killed, and even Prince Mingnan himself was undoubtedly involved. This was also why Xu Qing had not engaged in battle earlier.

"Senior Brother once said that to the high-ranking officials of the Fiery Moon Profound Heavens, this Great Hunt is a 'gu-raising' ritual, meant to select the strongest young talents through such brutal means. My role is to stimulate these prodigies. Therefore, they allow all this to happen. But if someone disrupts this need, it's tantamount to interfering with the Fiery Moon high-ranking officials’ plans. So... if I were a high-ranking official of the Fiery Moon, such an effective stimulus certainly couldn't be allowed to disappear in the first stage. It would be best for it to continue, burning brightest in the final stage." Xu Qing’s gaze was calm, and his heart was equally serene as he watched the two approaching cultivators.

The Si'e Clan cultivator stopped one zhang outside the city, raised his right hand, and began to form hand seals. The malevolent middle-aged Baize cultivator, meanwhile, surged with killing intent, approaching Xu Qing step by step, ever faster.

Almost the instant the Baize cultivator charged, Xu Qing’s third divine form erupted outwards, millions of soul threads circling in all directions, dancing with the crimson vortex. The next moment, they swiftly returned, reassembling around Xu Qing’s body. In the blink of an eye, purple feathers appeared, rapidly gathering. More and more feathers formed a body distinctly different from the third divine form! It was a hundred zhang tall, covered from head to toe in purple flesh-feathers, with two massive wings on its back. Whispers emanated from within its body, echoing in all directions. They were the sounds of a deity. An indescribable sense of taboo also emerged, appearing in various forms in the eyes of the Holy City cultivators. At the same time, a purple moon slowly rose behind Xu Qing’s strange divine form. Countless figures on it were worshipping, their voices spreading out from all the believers. "Our Lord of the New Moon, born from Wang Gu, all beings honor the Purple Lord." "Souls offered to our Lord, the other shore remembers, the melodies of joy, reborn in the next life." As the incantations spread, the purple moonlight intensified, and wherever it shone, it contained a potent, forbidden poison. At this moment, even the moon in the sky dimmed, replaced by Xu Qing’s moon. The world... became a sea of purple. In front of it was a colossal sundial, its pointer rotating, generating the power of time, distorting the void, blurring everything. Beneath it, a gigantic lotus platform appeared. Each lotus petal represented one of Xu Qing’s abilities: the Golden Crow, Ghost Emperor Mountain, Morning Glow Light, and so on, all contained within. The purple tentacles formed by them spread out. From afar, Xu Qing resembled a shocking and world-shattering purple Higanbana (spider lily). This was precisely Xu Qing’s fourth divine form! Its name was the Purple Lord! Even with the confirmation of this form, there was a possibility that in the future, due to the unity of the divine source, it would be difficult to distinguish friend from foe with Li Zihua. However, it was just like Xu Qing’s first cultivation encounter where he had to face absorbing alien substances. Rather than contemplating future life and death, it was better to consider how to live better today. Therefore, in recent days, he had stopped pondering and instead chose the Purple Lord form as his solidified fourth divine form. The moment this form appeared, it was as if a deity had descended, causing the heavens and earth to change color, with winds rising and clouds surging. This was Xu Qing’s strongest manifestation currently. The intense fluctuations of a Void Return Fourth Stage cultivator pushed Xu Qing’s combat power to its absolute limit. At this moment, all cultivators within the three Holy Cities were shaken to their core. Even the elder generation of Fiery Moon powerhouses displayed strange gleams in their eyes. To these elder powerhouses, what mattered was not Xu Qing’s combat strength, but the potential of this divine form. The ability to emulate a divine body was like a concave mirror, capable of vastly amplifying a cultivator’s base combat strength. This was what drew their attention. Yet, Xu Qing still felt a pang of regret deep down. Feeling his current state, he knew clearly that he was still half a step away from the power of a Void Return Grand Perfection. This was because his foundation was still insufficient. After all, he was still missing one Secret Treasure. This required time to nurture before the Purple Lord form could transform into a Divine Treasure, making him a true Five Treasures Grand Perfection cultivator, thereby displaying even greater combat power. Normally, Divine Treasures would manifest first, and only then could one display a divine form. The reason Xu Qing could reverse this was due to the Heterodox Immortal Arts. Furthermore, the lack of a Heavenly Dao meant Xu Qing had a significant gap in laws and rules compared to Void Return cultivators. However, his status as the Son of Heavenly Dao allowed him to disregard the enemy’s rule-based abilities.

"But with divine techniques, battling these two is sufficient." Xu Qing raised his right hand and pointed a finger at the distant Si'e Clan cultivator who was forming hand seals. Instantly, above the Si'e Clan cultivator's head, the sky transformed. The illusory image of Ding 132 flashed forth, descending upon the cultivator.

A cold glint flashed in the Si'e cultivator’s eyes, and he let out a sneer. He had long since uncovered Xu Qing’s methods through various channels, and Ding 132 was a particular focus of his attention. Thus, he showed no panic, looking up as he formed hand seals. The totems permeating his entire body rapidly glowed, flowing like living entities into the Si'e cultivator’s mouth. After swallowing them, he uttered six words. "This place, sealed sky, shattered annihilation!" Sealing the sky, forbidding appearances, shattering the void, destroying restrictions! These six words acted like a command. Ding 132 in mid-air abruptly halted, unable to form in the void here, which did not permit the appearance of seals. And it vibrated, then collapsed, splitting into pieces.

Within the Holy City, the First Prince had been closely watching this battle. Seeing this, a sense of urgency rose in his heart. However, another cultivator in the Holy City was currently sitting on a rooftop, drinking wine and gazing at the battlefield. Nine illusory figures surrounded him, observing alongside him. Watching the appearance of Ding 132 and the Si'e cultivator’s restriction, he let out a sneer. "Even I stumbled in that, and you still want to seal the sky? Do you really think Xu Qing wouldn't improve it? Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. I even suspect that Xu Qing’s sealing technique wasn't originally meant to descend from the sky. That scoundrel is truly devious; perhaps this was a flaw he intentionally exposed." Almost the instant his words spread, around the Si'e Clan cultivator, the void twisted, and cages actually rose from the ground. Ding 132, which had collapsed in the sky, instantly re-formed within the moonlight surrounding the Si'e Clan cultivator! Where the moonlight reached, something appeared from nothing. The sealed sky, rendered ineffective. "Damn, it really happened!" Tuoshishan spat out the wine from his mouth.

At the same time, Xu Qing, standing between heaven and earth, brought down a second finger upon the middle-aged Baize cultivator, who was rapidly approaching and was already within ten zhang. In an instant, endless purple light radiated from Xu Qing’s body, forming a sea of light from his whole being and the purple moon, directly enveloping the Baize cultivator. The Baize cultivator’s entire body trembled, his blood and qi surging as he tried to resist. But the next instant, he spat out blood, his blood flow uncontrollably reversing, his body aging as if subjected to the passage of time. Corrosion also appeared; it was the poisonous restriction erupting within the moonlight. What was most terrifying was that Xu Qing now closed his eyes, his raised finger transforming into a palm, which he lightly waved. Instantly, overlapping shadows appeared on the Baize cultivator’s body. His past, his future, his everything, all manifested within. This included his past and his future death. And among those countless death scenes, one particular scene of his demise was being powerfully drawn, rapidly becoming clear, intending to replace the present. An intense life-or-death crisis caused the Baize cultivator to roar. His cultivation burned, his divine abilities erupted, and his Dao, his rules, and his illusory world all descended simultaneously. While resisting Xu Qing, a killing intent appeared in his eyes, and malevolence spread. From his illusory Great World, thousands of soldiers and horses charged out, heading straight for Xu Qing.

Xu Qing remained motionless. Within the purple moon, the figures worshipping him became even more devout, and their prayers grew more fervent. Even at this instant, in the Black Spirit Great Domain, Feng Hai County, and the Sacred Ripple Great Domain, all extremely far from here, the temples that had been built during this period... all began to tremble. The High Priests of the Black Heaven Clan and all the Purple Moon believers they had cultivated felt this. In their excitement, they all knelt and began to pray. "Our Lord of the Purple Moon, guide us from Wang Gu, suffering beings, find solace in your blessed land. Body sacrificed to our Lord, this life knows no suffering, dawn and dusk as shroud, flesh and bone incorruptible." These countless voices, empowered within the purple moon, enveloped the Baize cultivator charging towards Xu Qing, transforming into a greater force. The moment he approached Xu Qing, that specific scene on his body was completely pulled out, replacing his present! The Baize cultivator’s body paused in front of Xu Qing. His eyes were wide open, filled with bitterness and bewilderment. The next instant... Xu Qing’s fourth divine form’s feathered wings suddenly spread open, extending left and right, instantly enveloping the Baize cultivator and constricting him tightly. Blood flowed down the feathers of the wings. Two breaths later, as the wings slowly opened, pieces of flesh and blood scattered onto the ground. This scene was precisely the one from the image: his demise.

All around, there was silence. Xu Qing, however, frowned, feeling a trace of regret in his heart as he looked towards the Holy City. There, a blurry shadow appeared, rapidly gaining clarity, eventually transforming into the deceased Baize cultivator. The moment he appeared, he spat out blood, his body covered in wounds, and his eyes revealed horror. His aura also sharply diminished beyond his control. As he retreated, blood continuously gushed from him. And his illusory Great World had vanished. What had died was his Great World; his Dao had been severed. For the rest of his life, he would make no further progress, and his cultivation would continue to decline. In fact, if not for the rules of the Holy City, he would still be dead at this moment.

"Considering this, Prince Mingnan might... still be alive," Xu Qing mused.