Chapter 852: Hunting Xu Qing

Xu Qing had never seen Ji Dongzi in person, but he had some understanding of this cultivator through the First Prince's introduction.

"The second in sequence within the Blazing Moon Mystic Heavens Clan!" Xu Qing's expression was solemn. He felt that if he fought with his full strength against Fan Shishuang, the third in sequence, the outcome would be uncertain, a close call.

However, such a battle would undoubtedly consume a huge amount of his own resources, requiring a significant period of recovery afterward, which would be detrimental to hunting in this second stage.

Even with the purple crystal to heal injuries, replenishing the expended divine source and lost soul threads would take a long time.

Ji Dongzi, on the other hand, had effortlessly won all three of his encounters with Fan Shishuang.

Xu Qing recalled the jade slip he had read, knowing that in their last battle, if Ji Dongzi hadn't been interfered with by Yan Xuanzi, he might have even killed Fan Shishuang. With such combat power, Xu Qing knew very well that he was no match.

Ultimately, his own foundation was relatively insufficient. As for the reason behind Ji Dongzi spreading news and seeking his whereabouts, it was unimportant; the situation was already set, and too many reasons could be speculated.

Therefore, after some thought, Xu Qing continued his journey, making his presence even more discreet, while remaining extremely vigilant.

He did not want to encounter this person and engage in a life-or-death battle before acquiring the ferocious beast for the second stage.

"First, my plan would be interrupted. Second, my destination is still ten days away from here," Xu Qing murmured to himself in the rainforest as he moved through it.

Time passed, and five more days quickly went by.

During these five days, Xu Qing did his utmost to conceal his tracks. Whenever he encountered any Blazing Moon cultivator, he would avoid them from a distance, refraining from approaching, or he would hide and wait for them to leave before reappearing.

However, sometimes events did not unfold according to Xu Qing's will. Besides cultivators, there were also numerous terrifying ferocious beasts and strange entities within this mountain and sea domain.

Regarding the latter, Xu Qing's shadow could offer a degree of evasion and deterrence. But for the former, it depended on luck, and his luck couldn't always be on the rise. Thus, on the fifth day, at the boundary between the upper and lower rings of this mountain and sea domain, near the Nine Li Forbidden Zone, Xu Qing encountered a flock of mountain sparrows soaring across the sky.

Upon seeing them, Xu Qing immediately moved to evade without hesitation. So-called mountain sparrows were colossal birds that preferred to travel with mountains on their backs. Therefore, to cultivators, what they often first saw was a mountain soaring through the sky, similar to the cultivators carrying mountains in the first stage.

These ferocious creatures were gregarious. Whenever they hunted, they did so in vast flocks, their ferocity high and their combat power astonishing. Their hunting parties rarely included young beasts; all were adult fighters at the Return to Void level, ranging from the weaker Return to Void One to the most powerful at the Great Perfection of Return to Void. Combined with their large numbers, seeing them was a headache for participants in the second stage.

Because mountain sparrows had a wide diet, besides ordinary ferocious beasts, they especially liked to devour cultivators.

What Xu Qing encountered now was such a flock of hunting mountain sparrows. With their peculiar talent, they instantly detected Xu Qing's presence and abruptly turned in mid-air, rushing towards him.

Xu Qing frowned, but after sweeping his gaze over the flock of at least a hundred mountain sparrows, he paused, then activated his speed and fled at full throttle.

Immediately, the heavens and earth rumbled. The pursuing flock of mountain sparrows created astonishing vibrations that spread in all directions, and sharp cries emanated from their mouths, seemingly summoning their companions.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. His eyes instantly turned black, and a purple moon ascended, forming a deterrent that caused the pursuing flock of mountain sparrows to pause in unison.

Utilizing this moment, Xu Qing increased his speed. However, such a large flock of mountain sparrows in the sky and the vibrations they emitted ultimately attracted the attention of nearby passing cultivators.

These cultivators' expressions changed one by one, and they quickly moved to avoid them, not daring to approach. Among them were two Calamity Clan members.

From a distance, they saw the flock of mountain sparrows, and their hearts jumped. Then, their expressions changed drastically, and they simultaneously pulled out jade slips.

It was a special jade slip, purple in color, and currently flashing.

After checking, the two cultivators' expressions changed, and they rapidly retreated, gritting their teeth. But in the next instant, a whistling wind heralded the appearance of a black mist out of thin air, enveloping both of them, and a poison forbidden art erupted.

Piercing wails echoed, and soon the mist dissipated, leaving only a pool of black blood and storage bags scattered on the ground.

In the rainforest below, Xu Qing's figure flickered, snatching up the fallen storage bags and the two special jade slips, then accelerated forward without looking back.

However, his brow remained tightly furrowed. Although he had killed the two Calamity Clan cultivators before they could transmit any information due to his speed, those two purple jade slips... gave Xu Qing a very bad premonition.

Xu Qing understood the principle behind these two jade slips with just a glance: they were formed by an induction method using the blood of Purple Moon believers combined with a curse.

So, he crushed the jade slips with a squeeze. He had a faint premonition that his whereabouts might no longer need to be broadcast by others; he found it hard to believe that such jade slips, specifically designed to track him, wouldn't have a self-transmitting function.

"But it could also be me overthinking things. My destination is still five days away," Xu Qing murmured, narrowing his eyes and looking towards the direction of the Nine Li Forbidden Zone.

His current location was not far from the edge of the Nine Li Forbidden Zone.

Looking ahead, the entire Nine Li Forbidden Zone was shrouded in thick gray mist that sunlight could not penetrate, the mist slowly churning within.

It gave off a sense of aged decrepitude, at times transforming into faces contorted in pain.

Silent screams emanated from all around, forming patches of void. Vaguely, blurred scenes seemed to form within, yet they were indistinct and hard to remember. Only muffled roars, filled with despair and madness, echoed from deep within the mist.

These sounds entered his mind, shaking his soul, making him tremble uncontrollably and instinctively filled with unease and awe.

His divine source, in particular, felt suppressed, as if divine power was incompatible with this place.

As for what lay within, it was full of elusive mystery.

"The Nine Li Forbidden Zone..." Xu Qing murmured. Although he couldn't see the specific terrain and details from a distance, he could clearly perceive a sense of suppression from the decaying wind blowing from the direction of Nine Li, settling heavily in his heart.

More of the wind swept over Xu Qing, lifting his hair. In this forbidden wind, his hair showed signs of wilting, and some of his vitality was instantly plundered.

This sight made Xu Qing even more wary of the Nine Li region.

Throughout his life, he had seen many restricted areas and visited several forbidden lands, but this place was entirely different from any he had encountered before.

"This place is more like a tomb," Xu Qing said, his gaze deep as he surveyed his surroundings before retracting his gaze and stealthily moving towards the direction of the forbidden mountain land.

At the same time, he was sending a voice message to his Eldest Senior Brother. He had been trying this every day recently, but due to the vast distance, his messages were like stones sinking into the sea, receiving no reply.

Xu Qing shook his head, put away the communication jade slip, and silently glided through the jade forest.

A day later, near the edge of the lower ring's inner region, a roar echoed, and mist swirled. Figures of Calamity Clan cultivators tried to rush out from within the mist, but ultimately turned into pools of blood.

When the mist finally dispersed, Xu Qing's figure emerged from within. Behind him lay the melted bodies of dozens of Calamity Clan cultivators.

Standing there, Xu Qing looked back at the melting corpses behind him, his expression grim. He had been ambushed while passing through this area earlier.

The enemy seemed to have an accurate grasp of his whereabouts, and each one of them fought with utter disregard for their lives.

Upon seeing him, they would immediately unleash their techniques, some even self-destructing, like madmen.

From Xu Qing's perspective, their objective was clearly not to kill, but rather to stall for time. Most importantly, every one of them possessed that special purple jade slip.

"My judgment was correct..." Xu Qing remained silent, then looked up towards the location of his destination.

"It will still take four days to get there. These people are so obviously trying to buy time; that's right, it means Ji Dongzi is likely not far away."

"These next four days will likely be difficult, and my whereabouts are locked. Even if I successfully enter the Mountain Wing land, there will still be significant hidden dangers afterward. I cannot be careless."

"Therefore, I must find a way to deal with Ji Dongzi and completely evade detection, otherwise, this problem will persist," Xu Qing mused.

He knew very well that some things required preparation in advance. Only then could he seize an opportunity to reverse the situation at a critical moment.

After pondering, he shifted his gaze from the Mountain Wing land towards the Nine Li Forbidden Zone, which he had once passed by its edge.

That was a perilous zone within the mountain and sea domain, only a day's journey from his current location.

Targeting the Nine Li Forbidden Zone, Xu Qing was silent for a moment, then a resolute look appeared in his eyes.

"In terms of combat power, I'm likely inferior to Ji Dongzi, but if it comes to escaping..." Xu Qing felt the purple crystal, his heart settling. He flickered and sped towards the Nine Li Forbidden Zone.

Xu Qing's judgment was correct. Two hours after he departed, a long rainbow streaked across the distant sky with an arrogant aura, arriving instantly at Xu Qing's previous location.

The rainbow dissipated, revealing a figure: it was Ji Dongzi.

He stood atop the rainforest, looking at the place where the Calamity Clan cultivators had died, then closed his eyes to sense.

"The direction of Nine Li," Ji Dongzi stated indifferently. "Not foolish, but... the chances of escaping from my grasp are very slim."

Ji Dongzi's expression was cold. He took a step, and the sound of tearing air erupted. His figure seemed capable of locking onto Xu Qing's tracks, pursuing him along his path.

Thus, one fled and the other pursued. Three hours later, Xu Qing, who was in front, changed his expression and abruptly turned his head. In the direction he looked, the clouds and mist at the horizon exploded, and the void churned. A bloody light swept across all directions, connecting heaven and earth, roaring towards him like an overwhelming tide.

Within the sea of blood, a black figure gazed indifferently at Xu Qing.