Chapter 542: Gazing at the Flying Geese, the Path to the Ends of the Earth is Long

The moment he saw the eyeball, Xu Qing's gaze sharpened. Beside him, Linger blinked, said nothing, and moved a few steps closer to Xu Qing.

The eye in the palm of Senior Watching Duanmu Cang's hand instantly looked toward Linger, but quickly refocused on Xu Qing.

The brown bloodshot veins flashing in the eye exuded a sense of decay, and a fishy stench spread out, enveloping the entire house while faint, shrill screams echoed in the surroundings.

"What is this?" Xu Qing looked at Senior Watching Duanmu Cang.

"This eye is a strange object I obtained when I first arrived here years ago. It has astonishing fire-repelling capabilities, but it must be subdued first. This shouldn't be difficult for you, and it is quite timid; if you intimidate it a few times, it won't dare to cause trouble."

"I once borrowed its power to explore beneath the magma."

"That sea of heavenly fire is full of mysteries, so if you cultivate within it, it is best not to approach the thousand-zhang mark."

"Below a thousand zhang, there are restrictions from the Red Moon Temple. It is difficult for anyone to break in at all; I have even seen exotic beasts from within the sea of heavenly fire collapse upon hitting the restriction at the edge of that thousand-zhang mark."

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang's expression was grave as he finished speaking and tossed the eyeball in his hand to Xu Qing.

After Xu Qing caught it, the eye continued to stare at him fixedly, radiating an eerie, malicious intent.

Xu Qing's expression remained unchanged as he toyed with it in his hand and spoke softly.

"Senior, in the Jiyue Great Domain, are there many places with restrictions like the one under the sea of heavenly fire?"

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang took out a flask of wine Xu Qing had given him, sat to the side, and took a sip. His expression was complex as he nodded.

"Quite a few."

"To the Jiyue Great Domain, the Red Moon Temple is supreme. Their will determines the life and death of all living beings. Any tribe that shows the slightest disrespect meets a miserable end."

Xu Qing was lost in thought; he sat opposite Senior Watching Duanmu Cang and continued to inquire.

"Senior, this junior wishes to know more about the Red Moon Temple. Would it be convenient for you to tell me a bit more?"

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang looked up and sized Xu Qing up for a few moments.

"Kid, in the Jiyue Great Domain, the Red Moon Temple is like a god; it cannot be profaned in the slightest."

"So, do not go provoking them. Otherwise, not only can they kill you with ease, but they also have ways to sacrifice you, cursing you so that you can never leave this place."

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Especially through their contact over this period, his life experience allowed him to see many things, and his impression of Xu Qing was constantly changing.

Thus, although his expression was stern, his words carried a warning.

Xu Qing nodded. He knew his limits and understood that although he possessed the Purple Moon, he could not underestimate any dependents related to the Red Moon. However, he was very clear that since he had come here, there were times when even if he wanted to avoid them, things might not go smoothly.

Learning more about the Red Moon Temple could increase his chances of avoiding them, so he asked about some details.

Upon hearing this, Senior Watching Duanmu Cang thought for a moment and spoke slowly.

"It is good for you to know more; it will help you better understand the terrifying extent of the Red Moon Temple here."

"The Red Moon Temple acts on behalf of the Red Mother to herd the Jiyue Great Domain. Every so often, each tribe must voluntarily offer up sacrifices."

"As for the Red Moon Temple, they do not care about the death of tribes, because every time the Red Mother arrives, most of the living beings in the entire Jiyue Great Domain are devoured."

"Therefore, the mission of the Red Moon Temple is to constantly collect food and store it before the Red Mother arrives. Furthermore, after the Red Mother leaves, they repeatedly cultivate the various tribes, making them grow in batches like crops."

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang's tone was calm, as if he were telling someone else's story rather than his own fate.

Xu Qing listened silently.

Linger watched the two of them drinking from the side. After thinking for a moment, she ran to the kitchen, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared to cook a meal for them.

This was something taught to her by the sisters and aunties she knew: when men are drinking, as a virtuous helper, one needs to cook a few dishes to appear more virtuous.

Linger's actions made Xu Qing look up, wanting to say something but stopping himself. However, seeing Linger's enthusiasm, he remained silent.

Although Senior Watching Duanmu Cang saw it too, he naturally wouldn't take such a small matter to heart. He continued drinking and detailed everything he knew about the Red Moon Temple.

For the locals, their understanding of the Red Moon Temple far exceeded intelligence from the outer domains.

Xu Qing listened very carefully until, a moment later, Senior Watching Duanmu Cang's hoarse voice echoed.

"Calculating the time, the Red Moon Temple should be arriving soon. When you leave later, if you see them from afar, remember to lower your head. They are very easy to recognize—they are entirely crimson."

"Generally speaking, as long as you don't actively provoke them, the Red Moon Temple will ignore the various tribes and rogue cultivators, just as an elephant does not care about ants."

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang mocked himself.

"What they value is only whether the tribes have finished preparing the sacrifices. Those who cannot finish will have their tribes used as fillers."

"For example, over forty years ago, the Baidian tribe living in the north failed to meet the temple's requirements. A divine envoy descended with some divine servants and harvested seventy percent of the tribe members to make up the numbers."

"What is the cultivation base of a divine envoy?" Xu Qing asked.

"The exact number of divine envoys in the Red Moon Temple is unknown to outsiders. They belong to various tribes, and their cultivation is all at the Void Returning realm, while divine servants are at the Xiang Linger Repository realm. As for those below the Xiang Linger Repository realm, they are divine slaves."

Xu Qing was lost in thought, and after a moment, he spoke.

"Are there divine children?"

"There are!" A look of dread appeared in Senior Watching Duanmu Cang's eyes.

"The Red Moon Temple has a divine child. It is said that he is a true dependent of the Red Moon. His cultivation is unknown, but for him, cultivation is no longer important; what matters is the divine power he wields."

"And... he can exempt designated individuals from the fate of becoming food, ensuring they are not devoured when the Red Mother arrives."

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang sighed softly.

"This alone is enough to drive countless powerhouses mad, willing to pay anything to obtain this exemption."

Upon hearing this, a faint, imperceptible glimmer flashed in the depths of Xu Qing's eyes. He did not continue asking about the Red Moon, but instead inquired about the strength of the two-tribe alliance in the sea of heavenly fire.

After all, here, what he was currently facing most directly was the search by these two tribes.

"These two tribes have six Xiang Linger Repository experts, including their respective ancestors. As for Void Returning..."

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang shook his head.

"None."

"Because Void Returning powerhouses taste the best, as soon as one appears, they are marked by the Red Moon Temple. You can imagine it as fruit ripening; although they aren't processed immediately, they are effectively on the menu."

"Therefore, those at the Great Perfection of the Xiang Linger Repository realm in the Jiyue Great Domain are all restraining themselves; they avoid breaking through if they can."

"Being on the menu means certain death, while not being on the menu might offer a slim chance of survival. Although the probability is extremely low, they have no choice but to do so to stay alive."

Xu Qing understood. He had previously wondered why the two tribes had no Void Returning experts, and now he had the answer.

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang continued.

"As for the Mirror Shadow tribe and the Sky Face tribe, they are just two small, insignificant tribes. Among their six Xiang Linger Repository experts, only two ancestors have truly converged a complete secret repository."

"The others, like that state preceptor, are only in the process of nourishing the secret repository's heavenly Dao; they are still in the 'nourishing the Dao and igniting the light' phase."

Xu Qing did not know much about the Xiang Linger Repository realm; it was too far away from him, so he had never asked his master. This was the first time he had heard a description of the Xiang Linger Repository realm.

"'Nourishing the Dao and igniting the light'?" Xu Qing noted these four words.

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang nodded.

"Only by giving birth to one's own heavenly Dao and raising an 'igniting star' within one's own secret repository can one manifest the power of one's own laws. That counts as a secret repository being completely finished, truly becoming a Xiang Linger Repository powerhouse."

"And this stage is incredibly difficult. Cultivation and more resources are only a part of it; comprehending the power of laws to give birth to the heavenly Dao is the key."

"Therefore, the vast majority of Xiang Linger Repository experts are actually stuck at this stage, known as 'nourishing the Dao and igniting the light'."

"To a Nascent Soul cultivator, a Xiang Linger Repository expert in the nourishing stage is indeed very strong, but to someone who has truly completed their first secret repository, a cultivator in the nourishing stage—with their Dao unformed—is not worth looking at."

"It is like the difference before and after the Foundation Establishment life fire."

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

"I don't know how it is in the outer domains, but in the Jiyue Great Domain, out of a thousand Xiang Linger Repository experts, only one or two can successfully give birth to the heavenly Dao and complete their first secret repository."

"As for the others, they all remain in the nourishing stage. If they are severely injured while nourishing the Dao, because the secret repository is not fully formed, once it collapses, their cultivation will also plummet."

Xu Qing glanced at Senior Watching Duanmu Cang, thinking of the collapsing secret repository he had seen rising behind him on the sea of heavenly fire earlier.

"I am one such case, so I know better than anyone the thin line between strength and weakness for a Xiang Linger Repository expert in the 'nourishing the Dao and igniting the light' stage."

Noticing Xu Qing's gaze, Senior Watching Duanmu Cang said calmly.

Xu Qing nodded. Just as he was about to speak, Linger ran over carrying two plates of blackened side dishes. After placing them on the table, she looked at Xu Qing and Senior Watching Duanmu Cang expectantly.

A smile appeared on Xu Qing's face. He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, chewed it slowly, then showed an expression of appreciation and took a sip of wine.

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang was stunned. He looked at the blackened dishes, then at Xu Qing's appreciative expression, and finally, when he looked at Linger, he found that she was also looking at him.

Thus, Senior Watching Duanmu Cang also took a bite.

His expression remained as usual. After slowly swallowing, he took a sip of wine and glanced at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing also glanced at Senior Watching Duanmu Cang.

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang's expression showed admiration, and he then looked at Linger with appreciation.

"Very good."

Linger was instantly happy.

Xu Qing smiled and continued eating. Seeing this, Senior Watching Duanmu Cang coughed.

"I still have a furnace of elixirs to check on, so I will be going first." After speaking, he stood up and flickered; his figure blurred and vanished from the house.

"Is it that delicious? I'll try some too." Linger was excited. Just as she was about to eat, Xu Qing had already put the last bite into his mouth.

Linger was satisfied. Seeing Xu Qing about to meditate, she ran to the side, took out the half-finished clothing, and continued working on it. This was knowledge she had learned from the sisters and aunties.

"I must let Brother Xu Qing wear the clothes I made."

Thinking of the future scene, Linger felt wonderful inside and became even more diligent.

Just like that, the final ten days passed in a flash.

Perhaps because the parting was near, the Jin Gang Sect ancestor stopped leaving cliffhangers and sped up his storytelling, finally bringing a complete story to a close before the heavenly fire dissipated.

Even though Linger was thick-skinned, she slowly felt the impending separation, and a sense of reluctance rose in her heart.

After more than two months of contact, she had developed some feelings for this place, so she left behind many of the elixirs she possessed.

The little girl was similarly reluctant to part with Xu Qing, and her visits became more frequent. Until the third day before leaving, Xu Qing called out to the little girl who was saying her goodbyes and preparing to leave.

"Shi Panyan, sit opposite me."

Xu Qing spoke gently. Shi Shi Panyan was the little girl's name.

"Yes, Teacher!"

The little girl trusted Xu Qing deeply and sat down directly in front of him.

Xu Qing raised his hand and pressed it against the center of the little girl's brow.

"Do not resist."

Upon hearing this, the little girl simply closed her eyes.

A long while later, Xu Qing shook his head to himself, feeling somewhat regretful.

He had wanted to try and see if he had any way to resolve the Red Moon curse within her body, and also to study the principles of this curse.

But unfortunately, with his current abilities, he could not undo a curse that originated from the bloodline; he would need more research and experimentation to do so.

Yet such experiments would inevitably involve bloodshed, requiring dissection and the examination of every inch of flesh; Xu Qing did not want to do this using a member of the human race.

"Shi Panyan," Xu Qing said softly.

The little girl hurriedly opened her eyes.

"I am leaving in a few days."

The little girl fell silent, her eyes turning slightly red; she lowered her head and did not speak.

She had known this day would come for a long time and had prepared herself in her heart, but the moment Xu Qing's words reached her, she still felt a tremor in her heart.

Looking at her, Xu Qing's mind recalled her efforts and diligence over the past two months; that thirst for knowledge was something Xu Qing found very familiar, and after a long while, Xu Qing made a decision.

He took a pharmacopoeia out from his storage bag.

After stroking it gently a few times, Xu Qing thought of Master Bai, and then handed it to the little girl.

"This was left to me by my teacher; today, I give it to you."

The little girl tremblingly raised her small hands to take it, hugging it tightly to her chest; when she looked at Xu Qing, her eyes were filled with deep reluctance, and she seemed to have more to say but held back.

But she knew that her teacher and she were people from two different worlds, so all her thousands of words eventually turned into a kowtow.

She performed nine kowtows toward Xu Qing.

Xu Qing accepted them calmly and gave her some final instructions.

"You must study this pharmacopoeia well from now on. Go back; you don't need to come here again."

The little girl stood up silently, her thin, small figure walking to the doorway in a lonely manner. Standing there, she turned her head to look at Xu Qing once more, and the tears in her eyes could not help but fall.

"Teacher, will I be able to see you again?"

Xu Qing looked up at the eleven or twelve-year-old girl before him; he understood her thoughts, because a similar scene had once happened to him.

So, a gentle smile appeared on his face, and he nodded.

"Heaven and earth are the guesthouses of all living things, and time is the traveler of the past and present. As long as one does not die, we will eventually meet again. I hope that by the day we meet again, you will have become a person of talent."

The little girl remembered these words, firmly engraving them in her heart. She took a deep breath, bowed to Xu Qing, and slowly left the dwelling.

Walking under the night sky, she felt low-spirited, clutching the pharmacopoeia in her arms as if clutching hope, murmuring to herself.

"As long as I don't die, we will eventually meet again!"

Xu Qing gazed at the little girl's retreating back; he thought of Master Bai and thought of his former self.

"Teacher, I have taken on a disciple of herbs and plants; her name is Shi Shi Panyan, and this little one studies very hard."

Xu Qing murmured in his heart and closed his eyes.

But there is no banquet in this world that does not come to an end. With the return of the heavenly fire from the outside, Xu Qing took Linger and left this city of fireflies in the world of darkness three days later.

When they were about to leave, Linger hugged those older sisters and aunties and began to cry.

Beside the Jin Gang Sect ancestor, there were also many people who had been listening to his stories; they were all silent, revealing a deep sense of reluctance.

Senior Watching Duanmu Cang stood by Xu Qing's side, looking at all of this, and sighed inwardly.

Xu Qing looked up at the crowd.

He saw Shi Shi Pangui standing in the distance with his wife and younger sister, bowing to bid him farewell.

The little girl kept her head down, as if she did not want Xu Qing to see

her tears, her body trembling.

Gazing at all this, Xu Qing was silent for a moment, then spoke softly.

"Senior, please send me out."

After speaking, Xu Qing turned and walked toward the distance.

He left the city and left the graveyard.

Linger ended her transformation and returned to Xu Qing's collar, and the Jin Gang Sect ancestor also returned to the fish bone, feeling somewhat melancholy.

Outside this abandoned mine pit, Xu Qing not only left the wine behind, he also gave most of the spirit stones, elixirs, and some magic tools from his storage bag to Senior Watching Duanmu Cang.

The two looked at each other, nodded, and offered their respective blessings.

Afterward, one turned back into the mine pit, and the other rose up and headed straight for the firmament.

In the sky, the flames were no longer visible, and it had returned to its former dimness, with only the direction of the distant Heavenly Fire Sea showing a sky-filling glow.

The earth was scorched, the mountain peaks had become more irregular, piled together in a wrinkled mess, and no vegetation could survive.

While the entire world was withered and decayed, there was also a lingering warmth permeating it.

Xu Qing whistled through the sky, slowly suppressing the thoughts of parting in his heart; he was already accustomed to separation, having been so from a young age.

But there are some things that, no matter how accustomed one is, will still cause ripples.

It is just that as one grows up, one can hide them deeper.

Several days later, Xu Qing saw the Heavenly Fire Sea; that vast ocean was the same as usual, without any changes, with magma flowers blooming from time to time, emitting rumbling sounds of explosion.

Flying over the Heavenly Fire Sea, Xu Qing did not see a single figure along the way.

For the cultivators of the tribes in this vicinity, the heavenly fire had just ended, and the first thing they had to do was participate in the reconstruction, so very few people came to the Heavenly Fire Sea immediately like Xu Qing.

On the empty Heavenly Fire Sea, Xu Qing sped along, as if he were the only person left in the entire world.

But he remained cautious, intending to go to a more distant and remote place before starting to refine his Life Lamp.

Just like that, another seven days passed.

When Xu Qing had thoroughly penetrated deep into this Heavenly Fire Sea, he saw a crimson light at dusk on the seventh day.

The source of the light was a gargantuan heart; it was beating, emitting a thumping sound that echoed through heaven and earth, forming an astonishing pressure that caused the heavens to change color and the wind and clouds to churn.

On this massive heart, a red palace was built; its style was ancient, and while it was permeated with a sense of blood, there was also a thick power of the Red Mother God rising within it.

And the most conspicuous thing was the statue erected in front of the palace.

A statue kneeling there, covering its eyes with both hands, with blood flowing from its seven orifices.

As for the surroundings of the heart, dozens of meteorites of varying sizes were floating; their color was originally black, but because they were covered in fresh blood, they had become purple-red.

On each meteorite sat a cultivator cross-legged; there were members of various tribes, and they remained motionless, raising their hands to cover their eyes, with blood flowing from their bodies and spreading onto the meteorites.

No one spoke; only the sound of the heart, along with the spreading blood-red light, replaced all language.

Red Moon Divine Palace.

Xu Qing saw it from afar and immediately sank his body, entering the magma; he narrowed his eyes and watched silently.

That massive heart gradually arrived in the sky, carrying the surrounding meteorites, ignoring everything, and roared past over the Heavenly Fire Sea, its destination unknown.

In the Moon Sacrifice Region, they were gods.

Any tribe that saw them would either worship or avoid them; no one dared to block their path.

After a long while, as they moved away, Xu Qing poked his head out from the magma and gazed into the distance.

After a long time, he continued on his way.

Another three days passed, and Xu Qing finally selected an area. Deciding to refine here, he took out the eyeball Senior Watching Duanmu Cang had lent him and looked at it.

That eye also stared at him, not giving an inch.

Xu Qing did not speak; he remembered Senior Watching Duanmu Cang saying that he needed to subdue it, so to be safe, he called out to the Shadow.

Immediately, the Shadow manifested around Xu Qing, forming a black curtain that finally floated in mid-air; the stars flickering within it opened simultaneously, turning into countless eyes that stared fixedly at the eyeball in Xu Qing's hand.

The eyeball looked at so many eyes and clearly trembled.

Xu Qing's expression was cold as he threw it toward the black curtain.

"You communicate with it."

All the eyes within the black curtain blinked instantly, and after emitting evil fluctuations of divine sense, they enveloped the eyeball within.

When it was spat out after a while, the eyeball was clearly withered, trembling, and exuding a sense of fear.

Xu Qing glanced at it, then called out the Jin Gang Sect ancestor, using his fish bone to rub against the eyeball.

Every time he rubbed it, the Jin Gang Sect ancestor would give a ferocious laugh, while the eyeball would tremble continuously.

Finally, when Xu Qing picked it up and entered the magma, the brown blood vessels on the eyeball immediately spread out obediently, rapidly enveloping the surroundings to insulate Xu Qing from the scorching heat.

Although it appeared fearful and very weak in front of the Shadow and the Jin Gang Sect ancestor, it was able to neutralize the scorching heat that even Xu Qing could not withstand under this sea of fire; this point was very strange.

All things have their mutual generation and restraint; this was clearly reflected in this eyeball.

Xu Qing was thoughtful, and with the help of the eyeball's power, he continued to sink deeper.

As for the Shadow, to prevent the eyeball from suddenly having any malicious intentions, Xu Qing never recalled it.

Just like that, when he had sunk to a depth of about a hundred feet, Xu Qing stopped. After sitting cross-legged in meditation, he slightly inhaled a wisp of the fire from the outside that had not been isolated.

Just a single wisp gave Xu Qing a crisis of his life being incinerated, but fortunately, the amount was very small, and the purple crystal flashed, rapidly devouring it.

Afterward, a light far more intense than before shone into Xu Qing's sea of consciousness, instantly illuminating the Fallen Immortal Slaying God Lamp clearly.

The next moment, this lamp began to melt.

The speed of dissolution far exceeded what it had been before. Seeing this, Xu Qing felt excited; while he was fully focused, the Shadow was also working extremely hard, staring fixedly at the eyeball and continuously emitting a sense of hunger.

The eyeball was terrified and worked hard to neutralize the heat under the magma.

Time passed slowly, and seven days later, Xu Qing's Fallen Immortal Slaying God Lamp completely melted. With the churning of his sea of consciousness and the thousand-foot vortex spreading under the magma, the fourth Sundial Life Lamp appeared!

The gnomon needle on it moved, and different times surged into Xu Qing's body, affecting the outside world.

However, being a hundred feet beneath the magma, although the fluctuations here were not small, they only stirred up ripples on the surface of the magma; coupled with the remote location and the emptiness of the Skyfire Sea at present, it did not attract any attention.

Until another seven days passed, Xu Qing opened his eyes, and a thousand-foot vortex formed around him once again; within his sea of consciousness, five sundials had completely taken shape.

A terrifying fluctuation rose from Xu Qing's body along with the appearance of the fifth sundial.

The shadow needles of the five sundials were all rotating, each separated by an interval of seven hours, all different!

Gazing at them, Xu Qing fell into deep thought, until several hours later, when the shadow needle of the first sundial—the one that appeared earliest—landed on the hour of noon, its flame stopped rotating and the needle stopped moving.

A sense of enlightenment emerged in Xu Qing's heart.

"Next, the other four should also stop at noon one after another, and when their times are synchronized, a special ability should manifest..."

What this ability was, Xu Qing was not very clear, but relying on a vague intuition, he knew this would be a great eruption of the power of the sundials.