Chapter 859: The Secret Hidden by the Gods

A bitter sound arose, causing ripples in Xu Qing's mind as a memory not his own emerged within him.

This memory was fragmented and disconnected, like a puzzle missing many pieces. Even as it surfaced in Xu Qing's consciousness, it was difficult to piece together much complete meaning.

However, one realization emerged clearly from these memory fragments:

Before the gods descended upon Wanggu, during the era of Emperor Xuanyou, the Flamemoon Mysterious Sky Clan was not known by that name.

This clan's former name was the Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan! They were one of Emperor Xuanyou's most important allies and the human race's strongest supporters.

Their relationship with the human race was extremely close, and they fully supported Emperor Xuanyou's ascension to unify Wanggu.

During Emperor Xuanyou's reign, the Emperor and the clan's Grand Shaman were lifelong friends. They were partners and close confidants before either reached their peak, saving each other from death on multiple occasions.

That Grand Shaman was incredibly powerful, effectively Emperor Xuanyou's right-hand man, and made great contributions to the Emperor's unification of Wanggu.

The Grand Shaman's only son's name was also bestowed by Emperor Xuanyou. This realization appeared in the memory fragments and entered Xu Qing's perception, causing a shock in his heart. His closed eyes suddenly opened, filled with surprise and doubt.

"Flamemoon Mysterious Sky Clan, Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan..." Xu Qing's breathing quickened slightly. He had never seen any historical account of this, neither in the human imperial capital nor within the Flamemoon Mysterious Sky Clan itself.

Yet, recalling the records of the Flamemoon Mysterious Sky Clan and the human race, their history only traced back to the great defeat during the period of the Eastern Victory Human Emperor. There was no earlier history.

It was as if both sides had unknowingly erased the history of Emperor Xuanyou's era.

But strangely, no one had considered it, no one had paid attention, and no one had tried to trace it back, as if the blank memory was reasonable.

This was incredibly bizarre.

"Perception is being influenced!" These five words immediately appeared in Xu Qing's mind.

"To influence two ethnic groups for such a long time, it must be the power of a god."

Xu Qing fell silent, the Flamemoon Mysterious Sky Clan appearing in his mind. Then, he carefully sorted through the memory fragments that had emerged in his heart after retrieving the first skull. Although the specifics remained elusive, he now had an additional guess about the Nine Li restriction.

"The 'father shaman' mentioned in that phrase was likely Emperor Xuanyou and his close friend, the Grand Shaman of this clan at that time."

"Zi Li likely refers to the Grand Shaman's son, whose name was Li..."

"This name was also bestowed by Emperor Xuanyou, and this place is the Land of Nine Li."

Xu Qing's heart churned.

"Could it be that Nine Li is not a fierce beast, but the son of the Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan's Grand Shaman?"

"Then his words, 'ashamed of the Mysterious Sky Grand Clan...'" Xu Qing lowered his head, gazing at the mud beneath him, his eyes seemingly penetrating a thousand feet to the seal below.

"Is that mountain path formed by bone ash the remains of Nine Li's corpse?" Xu Qing was silent. For the first time, he felt a rare sense of curiosity about the Land of Nine Li.

After a moment, he withdrew his thoughts and checked his purple crystal. Within the crystal, a skull clearly appeared, glowing eerily.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and looked up at the bronze censer above. Soon, he made a decision. He raised his right hand and swiftly waved it, dispersing the smoke ring emanating from the bronze censer.

The smoke ring's isolating power also vanished. The swirling gray mist from all around instantly rushed towards him, but a strange scene occurred.

Although the mist's suppression of divine power and cultivation remained terrifying upon approaching Xu Qing, its invasion of Xu Qing's physical body and soul actually decreased!

However, the sense of karmic pull became even stronger, linking Xu Qing intimately with this place, as if they were to become an inseparable whole.

Xu Qing sensed for a long while, a sharp gleam in his eyes. He raised his hand, and the bronze censer's smoke ring descended, re-forming the isolation. His divine power and cultivation within his body also became active again.

"This gray mist from Nine Li is incredibly domineering, repelling everything, making it impossible for any cultivator who enters to leave."

"But after I integrated a skull, I am no longer completely alien to this gray mist. So... am I considered half of the same origin?"

"Then, if I can retrieve all nine skulls and fully become of the same origin as this gray mist, it will no longer be a restriction to me."

"At that point, the karmic entanglement will reach its extreme, and the gray mist might not let me leave either..."

"But what if I take the gray mist with me?"

Xu Qing murmured, then closed his eyes again to rest and recover.

Time passed like this. A few days later, Xu Qing opened his eyes. He sensed that the cracks on his sundial had diminished, and his ability to perform "Reaching for the Moon in the Well" could be used again.

Without any hesitation, he got up and, following the locations in his memory, walked to the spot above the second deeply buried skull in the mud. There, he raised his hand and performed a hand seal. The brown flame reappeared, burning the crimson mother's flesh. Soon, drops of liquid fell, the mud dissolved, and a small hole appeared.

Having had one successful experience, it was much easier for Xu Qing to replicate the previous success. Although the consumption of the sundial and its impact on him still existed, once the thousand-foot passage formed and "Reaching for the Moon in the Well" was cast, the heavens and earth rumbled. In the water he scooped out with his right hand, the second skull indeed appeared.

He swallowed it again, and again activated the power of the purple crystal to contain and seal it.

The memory storm in his mind also reformed, with more memory fragments appearing.

Xu Qing suppressed the urge to delve into the memories, closed his eyes, and rested. Half a month passed in this manner. Although the process was inevitably met with some failures, overall, Xu Qing was successful more often. Within his purple crystal, the number of skulls reached a surprising four!

The four skulls connected Xu Qing to this Nine Li burial ground to an astonishing degree. He no longer needed the bronze censer.

The gray mist here had completely lost its ability to invade him. It swirled around him, even exuding a sense of intimacy.

Even its suppression of divine power and cultivators could be suppressed by him to a certain extent.

This was unprecedented within the Flamemoon Mysterious Sky Clan!

Even if Lone Winter Child were here and saw this scene, he would undoubtedly be utterly shocked and unable to believe it.

It was truly inconceivable!

Four—this was Xu Qing's limit.

Because his cluster of brown flames had extinguished after continuously burning for over half a month.

Without the flames, he couldn't burn the crimson mother's flesh to form the golden liquid, making it difficult to dissolve the mud. Unless Xu Qing could think of another method, he would have to personally descend into the mud to continue.

However, after contemplating this idea, he ultimately gave it up.

As he grew closer to the origin of this place, Xu Qing had a premonition that if he were to enter the mud a thousand feet deep, he would likely be instantly judged as "Nine Li" by the shrine there...

And thus be suppressed.

At that point, all hope would be lost. As for how to proceed, Xu Qing temporarily put that question aside.

Because the memory fragments contained within the four skulls were constantly piecing together in his mind, until a corner of a history hidden for countless years, a mystery shrouded by the gods, was unveiled in his heart, stirring an ancient wind.

This was the story after Emperor Xuanyou's departure. The Grand Shaman of the Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan refused his close friend Xuanyou's invitation to leave Wanggu, to leave her homeland.

The two had a rare disagreement in their lives when facing the advent of the gods.

And when the Emperor departed and the divine remnant arrived, the world turned dark and blurred. Accompanying the appearance of the remnant were terrifying gods, one after another.

That day, the Heavenly Dao wept, and all living beings wailed. These gods descended upon the Wanggu continent; some fell among the remaining clans, others in hidden places, each stirring up a catastrophe.

Among them was one god in the form of a spider, who emerged from the remnant. Its status was astonishing, surpassing most other gods; wherever it passed, other gods bowed their heads.

Its objective was clear: the Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan, whom it desired to enslave and make its believers.

The Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan refused to be enslaved. Led by their Grand Shaman, they fought this god and the other gods who followed it, sparing no cost, no life.

In this battle, blood rained across the world, and great domains collapsed. The Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman, being Emperor Xuanyou's lifelong friend, was naturally terrifying in strength, and their clansmen were equally astonishing. Their shamanic arts were different from those of cultivators; they transformed, some into giants, others into colossal beasts.

That battle shook the heavens and earth.

The Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan suffered countless deaths, and many gods were similarly slain, their divine corpses falling upon the land.

Ultimately, the Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman sacrificed her life, severely wounding the spider-shaped god worshipped by all other gods, and then perished herself, transforming into an anti-god shamanic array that isolated all divine power, enveloping and protecting her clan.

Before her death, she passed on the position of Grand Shaman to her only son, instructing him to uphold the beliefs of the Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan and to resist the gods for their people. Her son's name was Nine Li.

Nine Li was saddened, but in this era, in this world permeated by gods, he inherited not only the position of Grand Shaman and the clan's beliefs but also immense responsibility.

Thus, he led all the remaining Grand Shamans of the clan to continuously battle the gods outside the anti-god grand array, not retreating an inch, and never returning to the clan.

For the Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan, Nine Li was a worthy Grand Shaman because, under his and all the Grand Shamans' struggle against the gods, time passed.

Within the Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan's territory, shrouded by the anti-god grand array, the clan gained time to rest and recuperate. Gradually, a new generation of shamanic cultivators began to emerge. Among them was one individual of astonishing talent and natural leadership.

Because the Grand Shaman was constantly fighting outside, almost becoming a legend, and the clan also needed to adapt to the times, this individual was highly anticipated. After distinguishing herself within the clan, she became the first Great Divine Authority of the Mysterious Sky Grand Shaman Clan!

The Grand Shaman in heaven, overseeing divine destiny! The clan leader on earth, overseeing earthly power! Hence, the title Great Divine Authority.

The memory ended here.

Xu Qing opened his eyes, his expression infinitely complex, as he recalled what he had seen about Nine Li in the Holy City of the Divine Mountain.

"The number one fierce beast in the Mountains and Seas Great Domain, named Nine Li!"

"This beast held a very special status within the Flamemoon Mysterious Sky Clan because, in the Flamemoon's history, Nine Li was only ever subdued once."

"That was by the first Clan Leader of the Flamemoon Mysterious Sky Clan, who also led the clan to rise and unify—the Great Divine Authority. His mount was Nine Li."