Chapter 858: Xuantian Grand Witch

Forcing my physical body a thousand feet deep into the mud is too difficult, even with my current enhancements.

Crucially, my return by reversing time using the sundial has its limits. Frequent use will inevitably lead to its destruction.

The failure of 'Scooping the Moon from a Well' was partly due to the interference of the gray mist. However, a larger reason might be the excessive distance, preventing the technique from taking direct effect.

Considering the above, if there's a way to create a passage through this mud, spanning a thousand feet and connecting it to the space where the skull resides, then activating 'Scooping the Moon from a Well' again...

Xu Qing's eyes showed contemplation. If this method succeeded, it would not only reduce his personal risk but also increase his chances of success.

He thought, "This passage doesn't need to be large; a crack or even a small hole would suffice."

Xu Qing looked down, gazing at the mud beneath him, as method after method appeared in his mind.

However, the mud itself was peculiar and infused with gray mist. After analyzing each method, he discarded them one by one. Finally, with resolve, Xu Qing waved his hand and retrieved an item.

It was a brown flame!

This was a divine-like flame, formed after Little Shadow consumed forbidden zones and all things.

This terrifying flame was not tolerated by the world; its appearance outside would summon divine thunder to extinguish it.

However, within the Nine Li Restrictions, the Heavenly Dao was repelled, so its appearance didn't trigger lightning. Instead, the surrounding gray mist seemed provoked, suddenly churning violently.

Vaguely, countless whispers gathered again, forming a roar that spread in all directions.

As the mist churned, it surged towards Xu Qing like a tidal wave, engulfing the smoke ring around him, attempting to breach it and extinguish the flame.

It was as if they were irreconcilable opposites.

Xu Qing's gaze sharpened. He formed a hand seal and pointed at the bronze censer, making it consume faster and emit more smoke rings to block the now violent mist.

He murmured, "The gray mist here reacts like this..."

Xu Qing looked thoughtful, lowering his head again to examine the mud, then glanced at the flame.

He only possessed three such flames.

One had been used on Ji Dongzi, leaving him with two.

"Let's try it!"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. Without hesitation, he waved his hand, letting the brown flame fall onto the mud. The moment it touched, the mud visibly melted away as if snow had met hot water!

The flame descended smoothly, sinking steadily.

Wherever it passed, the mud continued to melt. Simultaneously, the gray mist surrounding Xu Qing's smoke ring, as well as the free-floating gray mist within the mud, were instantly drawn towards the flame, merging into the mud from all directions.

Upon contact, they enveloped the flame as if to extinguish it.

However, this flame was extraordinary. Even as signs of its dimming appeared, its descent speed remained unchanged, and any mud it touched rapidly dissolved.

One hundred feet, three hundred feet, five hundred feet, seven hundred feet...

More mist surged in.

This process repeated, and the repulsive force emanating from the mud was immense, even surpassing what Xu Qing and Little Shadow experienced during their previous descent.

Consequently, the brown flame grew increasingly dim, yet the power within it still sustained its penetration through a thousand feet!

However, as it pierced through, the mud behind it rapidly healed, making the passage smaller and smaller.

Finally, the flame passed through the mud layer and reached the cavern from which Little Shadow had previously transmitted images.

The moment it appeared, the gray mist within the cavern violently erupted and surged towards it.

Endless waves of gray mist surged forward, one after another, and the brown flame was instantly extinguished and dispersed.

As it dissipated, the mud it had melted during its descent immediately healed completely.

Xu Qing's expression grew solemn watching this scene.

During this process, he considered using his last flame or activating 'Scooping the Moon from a Well,' but decided against it, as it was too unstable and the chances of success were slim. So, he ultimately chose to observe.

He treated this attempt as a test.

Now, he had his answer.

He mused, "One flame isn't insufficient, but it lacks continuous power, so it couldn't last long and was extinguished by the gray mist."

"Additionally, the melted mud struggles to remain open."

"After my current recuperation, I can perform 'Scooping the Moon from a Well' once more in a short time. However, a second attempt would require more time for my soul to recover."

Xu Qing pondered, beginning to devise countermeasures for these two observations.

A moment later, he looked at the mud.

He now had an idea on how to slow down the healing of the mud after it melted.

He thought, "The power of the sundial can freeze it in place!"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. After experiencing time reversal beneath the mud, he had some confidence in achieving this. Now, only one question remained.

He wondered, "How can I make the flame burn stronger and stronger?"

Xu Qing looked up at the censer, then waved his hand to take out a piece of the Crimson Mother's flesh.

He reasoned, "Since the Crimson Mother's flesh can fuel the censer's burning, theoretically it should also be able to empower the brown flame..."

With this thought, Xu Qing took a deep breath, retrieved his third brown flame, and carefully maneuvered it closer to the Crimson Mother's flesh.

During this process, Xu Qing's expression was extremely grave.

This was his last hope. If it failed, Xu Qing would have no other recourse but to risk everything, unleashing all the Crimson Mother's flesh to see if he could break out of the Nine Li Restrictions.

Thus, under his full attention, the flame and the Crimson Mother's flesh made contact.

The moment they touched, Xu Qing was prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. But it seemed luck, after a series of reversals, finally favored him this time.

The instant the Crimson Mother's flesh touched the flame, a sizzling sound echoed, and the flesh showed signs of burning and melting.

The brown flame did not extinguish. Instead, under its continuous burning, the Crimson Mother's flesh slowly showed increasing signs of melting.

Finally, a drop of golden, oil-like liquid melted out from the Crimson Mother's flesh.

This crystal-clear oil, upon appearing, exuded a rich divine aura and emitted ripples, causing the surrounding gray mist to churn once more.

Xu Qing was about to retrieve this golden liquid, but after a moment's thought, he chose to continue manipulating the brown flame to burn. Soon, the melted golden liquid, after continuous accumulation, dropped onto the muddy ground.

The next instant, the mud rapidly dissolved, just as it had when touched by the previous flame, allowing the golden liquid to sink downwards.

Seeing this, Xu Qing's spirits lifted. Although there were slight deviations from his plan, the direction was consistent. Without hesitation, he fully controlled the flame to burn.

Soon, as the first drop of golden liquid sank several hundred feet, covered by the gray mist and about to dissipate, and the small hole it created began to heal, a second drop of golden liquid fell!

In the same spot, using the same small hole, this second drop of golden liquid broke through all the healing instantaneously. It merged with the first dissipating drop hundreds of feet below, providing additional momentum.

The ground trembled.

With this reinforcement, the golden liquid hundreds of feet below exuded an even richer divine aura. The melting resumed, reaching a depth of seven hundred feet directly.

Subsequently, the third, fourth, and fifth drops of golden liquid fell in the same manner.

Continuously pushing through and converging, they finally penetrated the thousand-foot mud layer, forming a small hole connecting the upper and lower sections.

The instant this hollow hole appeared, Xu Qing formed a hand seal with his left hand and pointed sharply. The sundial instantly materialized behind him, and its 'freeze' power erupted, spreading along the small hole, momentarily halting the healing of this passage.

Utilizing this precious time, a look of frenzy appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. His cultivation and divine source exploded simultaneously, instantly forming his Fourth Divine State. He formed hand seals and pressed towards the small hole.

This world could be seen as a well.

In an instant, a vast power spread before Xu Qing, ripples appeared all around, and everything transformed into the surface of a well.

Through this hollow hole, he connected to the cavern a thousand feet below, reflecting everything within it onto the water's surface.

This time, although it wasn't perfectly clear, it was vastly superior to before. At the very least, the skull closest to the small hole was truly reflected in Xu Qing's eyes.

However, Xu Qing's actions were essentially like a mayfly shaking a tree. Although he had used various methods to open the passage, and the golden oil continued to fall, with the sundial's freezing power also providing support...

Ultimately, it remained unstable. The sundial now groaned with cracks, and the gray mist within the cavern surged like a vast ocean, threatening to completely engulf the passage.

At this critical moment, Xu Qing raised his right hand and fiercely scooped at the skull reflected on the water's surface before him!

With that scoop, Xu Qing's entire body trembled. The resilient force emanating from within prevented him from pulling it out, and the backlash caused him to cough up blood.

The sundial developed more cracks.

The gray mist grew denser.

The passage was about to close.

Blood permeated Xu Qing's eyes. He gritted his teeth, paid any price, and scooped again!

This time, his entire body roared, instantly developing tearing wounds. Blood seeped from every pore, his entire physique seemed on the verge of collapse, and he let out a low growl.

Finally, his trembling right hand scooped a pool of water from the surface.

Reflected within the water was a skull!

The moment it was scooped out, Xu Qing's sundial could no longer sustain itself and had to dissipate. The passage was also flooded by countless waves of mist; despite the golden liquid falling, nothing could stop it from instantly healing.

Xu Qing coughed up blood again, his body severely wounded, even his vision blurred. Yet, his heart was exhilarated as he looked down at his damaged right hand.

However, with a glance, Xu Qing's expression changed.

The skull reflected in the water on his right hand was rapidly blurring, seemingly about to dissipate.

He couldn't truly preserve it, nor could he manifest it from illusion into reality!

At this critical juncture, Xu Qing grew anxious. Seeing the skull's reflection in the water about to completely vanish, a look of madness appeared in his eyes. He directly opened his mouth and, with a gasp, swallowed the water in his palm, along with the reflection within it, while simultaneously activating his purple crystal.

The moment it entered his mouth, Xu Qing's body rumbled. An uncontrolled self-destructive force surged within him, seemingly on the verge of erupting. At his chest, purple light shone, covering his entire body, and sealing power rose with it.

At the same time, an ancient voice, as if from across an endless expanse of time, echoed in Xu Qing's mind, filled with reluctance and bitterness.

"Father-Witch, Zi Li, I have failed our profound Sky Witch Clan!"