Chapter 563

On the Green Silk Desert, howling winds swept across the heavens and earth, and green sand filled the air like a sea. This all seemed endless; the heavens and earth never ceased, and the sand and wind never dissipated.

Only on the mountains, for unknown reasons, would the wind and sand be much less, making the surroundings relatively clear.

Viewed from afar, the mountain peaks standing on the Green Silk Desert were like isolated worlds.

Especially the Kusheng Mountain Range, which was majestic and vast, so the wind and sand were even less there.

But the whimpering sounds from the wind continued to come from all around, as if countless demons and monsters were hidden in the sand, roaring at the world, unwilling to be buried, and these sounds also reached Xu Qing's ears.

The mountain hollow Xu Qing chose was located deep within the Kusheng Mountain Range, in a relatively hidden position, and the moment he activated the mirror, the shadow had already spread out to protect him.

This alertness made the Jin Gang Sect ancestor's inner vigilance grow even stronger, so it flew out as well, acting with a loyal, master-protecting demeanor to stand guard.

It seemed that as long as there was any anomaly, it would rush out without hesitation, even if it meant being smashed to pieces, just to prove its loyalty.

Linger also poked her head out, white light appearing in her eyes as she remained alert to all directions.

Under their protection, Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged in meditation, gradually grew solemn. He felt the status contained in the will emanating from the mirror, a feeling like looking up at the starry sky of the firmament.

Vast and endless.

Within his spiritual sense, Ding Yisaner also trembled, and the God's finger instantly opened its eyes, a look of shock and suspicion appearing in them before it quickly hid itself.

At this moment, the mirror itself gathered power, floating up before him on its own, shimmering with a faint light.

At the same time, a voice that seemed to come from the distant void, following the echo of this will, formed words that replaced the howling of the wind and echoed in Xu Qing's sea of consciousness.

"Supreme Platform Star, responding without pause, examining evil and binding demons, protecting life and body."

"Wisdom clear and pure, heart core at peace. Three souls eternal, spirits never lost."

This voice gave a sense of ethereal emptiness, indistinguishable in gender, as if the words of all living beings had gathered together, yet as Xu Qing's heart and mind surged, it actually brought him a sense of peace.

It was as if these thirty-two characters contained the power to purify the heart.

Xu Qing's heart was incomparably calm at this moment, his spiritual platform ethereal, his sea of consciousness stable.

It felt as if a long time had passed, yet also as if it were only an instant. The lingering echoes of that ethereal voice continued to reverberate, and while it was clearly still those thirty-two characters, in Xu Qing's cognition, they transformed into other meanings.

Because two of the characters within became particularly clear.

"... Examine... Audit..."

Xu Qing did not act rashly, feeling it out carefully.

Gradually, he had a clear premonition, understanding that as long as he sank his heart and mind completely into these two characters, an unknown assessment would begin.

Xu Qing pondered and did not continue.

On one hand, the environment here was not suitable for proceeding immediately; on the other hand, Xu Qing felt he had not yet fully grasped the specifics of this assessment.

So he raised his right hand, grabbed the mirror in front of him, and severed the connection between them.

The next instant, that feeling of peace in his heart and mind dissipated. Xu Qing raised his head, and the whimpering of the wind from outside the mountain range returned to his ears.

Linger hurriedly turned to look at Xu Qing.

"Brother Xu Qing, how is it? Did you succeed?"

Xu Qing raised his hand to gently stroke Linger's head, a thoughtful look in his eyes, and then he spoke calmly.

"The method should be correct, but it still needs some time to verify."

Linger felt relieved. Noticing Xu Qing was deep in thought, she didn't disturb him and obediently returned to Xu Qing's collar, finding a comfortable spot to curl up. Feeling the body temperature from Xu Qing, she felt incomparably peaceful in her heart.

It seemed that for her, Xu Qing's warmth was the source of all peace.

After a while, Xu Qing's eyes revealed determination. He planned to find a place within the Kusheng Mountain Range to settle down, exploring the mirror's assessment while researching the curse.

If he were alone, he would choose to open a cave and live in isolation from the world.

But with Linger here... Xu Qing thought for a moment and decided to find an earthen city nearby to live in; he didn't want Linger to have to endure the loneliness of being isolated from the world while accompanying him.

With this thought, Xu Qing left the mountain hollow and walked within the Kusheng Mountain Range. Finally, on a mountain on the outskirts, he chose a relatively small earthen city.

This earthen city built on the mountainside had no name, with only a thousand residents. Most of the buildings inside were of sand and earth structure, and overall, it lacked color, appearing very monotonous.

It was primarily inhabited by locals, with the rest being outsiders who had arrived for various reasons, from all kinds of ethnic groups.

Although there were some shops in the city, business was ordinary, and there were few customers.

Looking around, thirty percent of the houses were empty, with no one living in them.

Clearly, the people inside had either left or died.

Desolation and silence were the first impressions this earthen city gave Xu Qing.

But compared to other places, this small city was more inclusive. Although Xu Qing's arrival attracted many hostile gazes, no one came to intercept him.

Walking in the small city now, Xu Qing, who had wrapped his entire body in robes with only his eyes exposed, noticed that among the residents in twos and threes, there were some with deformed appearances.

These people's bodies were bloated, covered in rolls of fat, whether on their arms or thighs; there were also those with multiple arms, and even some who had faces growing out of the fat on their bodies.

Some even dragged along the ground, extending more than half a zhang, and their robes could not cover them completely.

It was as if many people had merged together, or they had mutated themselves, and their expressions were mostly numb.

At first, Xu Qing thought they were alien races he hadn't seen before, but after seeing more, he realized this was not the case.

"The deformities of these people must have been acquired."

Xu Qing was thoughtful, his sense of the bizarre in the Green Sand Desert growing stronger. Finally, he walked around the small city, found an uninhabited house, and walked in.

The house was full of dust, and there were many broken bottles and jars on the ground, along with some crooked shelves; it looked like it had once been a pharmacy.

Looking at these, Xu Qing waved his hand to tidy up, and Linger also appeared in her manifested form, looking around curiously. While helping to tidy up, she made excited sounds.

"Brother Xu Qing, are you going to open a pharmacy here?"

Xu Qing thought about it upon hearing this and nodded with a smile. He remembered the inn that Linger and her father had opened on Banquan Road when he first saw her.

For Xu Qing, whether living here or opening a pharmacy had no impact, so since Linger had this suggestion, he decided to open one.

"Great! Brother Xu Qing, let me tell you, I have experience with opening shops; I can handle it."

Linger was jubilant, bright light appearing in her eyes. After tidying up the dust and debris, she took out a rag and began to wipe things down.

Although she could have used techniques, Linger seemed to prefer doing it herself. Seeing this, Xu Qing felt Linger's joyful mood and felt moved in his heart.

Along this journey, Xu Qing had gained a deeper understanding of Linger's simplicity. She was very smart, but also very simple; often, very small things would make her happy for days.

Just like that, under Linger's direction, when the next morning arrived, this long-abandoned small pharmacy reopened in the small city.

The name of the pharmacy was chosen by Linger, called Qingling Hall.

As for elixirs, Xu Qing had many, especially White Pills.

After all, this was the first elixir formula he had mastered. Although he didn't need it, for the living beings of this world, this pill was a staple.

Especially when he was in Fenghai County, Xu Qing had studied Bai Xiaozhuo's elixirs and gained some insights.

Although Bai Xiaozhuo had added poison to the improved White Pills, purely in terms of the quality and effect of the new White Pills, it was indeed a beneficial act that could greatly improve the degree of purification.

Thus, the main elixir sold in this small pharmacy of Xu Qing and Linger was the Bai Dan.

After manifesting, Linger concealed her appearance, becoming an ugly girl, and excitedly took on the job of a shop assistant. However, there were few residents in the small city, and the shop was newly opened, so there were few customers.

But this did not affect Linger's happiness.

Seeing Linger so expectant, Xu Qing let her play. After planting the seed given by the Captain, he began his cultivation and research at the back of the pharmacy.

On one hand, he was attempting to activate the mirror, observing and exploring carefully; on the other hand, he was researching the curses within the fierce beasts he had captured along the way.

Just like that, time slowly passed.

Their pharmacy went from being ignored to occasionally having a few customers buying White Pills, mainly due to the low price and good efficacy.

The opening of the pharmacy gave Linger even more motivation. Like a little money-grubber, she calculated the spirit coins earned every day and even took out a small notebook to keep accounts in a serious manner.

Xu Qing would occasionally finish his cultivation and look at Linger keeping accounts, and peace would rise in his heart.

Since living in the Firefly City of the Heavenly Fire Sea, Xu Qing found that he was becoming more and more accustomed to this peaceful life, and the tranquility brought by such a life gave him a vague change in his state of mind.

Xu Qing couldn't quite articulate where the specific change was, but he enjoyed it and was very immersed in it.

Thus, he devoted more time to exploration and research.

The exploration of the mirror went smoothly, but the research on the curse progressed slowly.

During this period, Xu Qing repeatedly integrated his Purple Moon power into the bodies of those fierce beasts, attempting to suppress the curse, but the effect was very poor, and all attempts failed.

As he was now, Xu Qing gazed at a shivering scorpion in front of him.

His hand pressed on the scorpion's body. As the Purple Moon power integrated, the scorpion's color changed from brown, and as it gradually turned purple, Xu Qing also felt the curse within the scorpion.

The curse of the Festival Moon Domain affected all living beings and things. Its way of existence was to fuse with the bloodline, intertwined and difficult to separate. Once it erupted, it would turn all living beings and things into black water in a short time.

And after Xu Qing's Purple Moon power touched the curse, it would cause it to erupt instantly from a state of silence.

It was as if it had suddenly come alive and wanted to absorb Xu Qing's Purple Moon power.

It seemed that to the curse, Xu Qing's Purple Moon existence had an extremely strong attraction.

Under these repeated attempts, Xu Qing understood that if the amount of Purple Moon power he sent in was insufficient, it would soon be swallowed and assimilated by the curse, and then the fierce beast acting as the experimental subject would have its curse erupt in an instant, becoming blood water.

The entire process was irreversible.

But if Xu Qing increased his strength, sending in his own Purple Moon power continuously to forcibly suppress it, then after suppressing it to a certain extent, the curse would still erupt.

However, the ending was somewhat different. The experimental subjects that died in this situation would not become blood water, but would turn into a pile of black ash.

"It's as if it's a kind of combustion."

Xu Qing watched the scorpion in front of him turn into black ash and scatter on the ground in an instant. He frowned, his eyes revealing contemplation.

He had studied this kind of black ash and found it useless. It gave Xu Qing the feeling that after the curse was suppressed, it chose to perish together with the bloodline.

"More attempts are needed, as well as different species."

Xu Qing was thoughtful, taking out other fierce beasts captured by the shadow along the way to continue his research.

Days passed by like this.

Although there were disputes in the small city, Xu Qing, who had never gone out after arriving, was in another kind of isolation from the world, which helped him avoid some trivial matters!

And the seed he had planted also gradually sprouted in the passage of time, growing small green seedlings.

This seedling was very strange, appearing to possess a certain level of intelligence; when Xu Qing appeared, it would instinctively tremble.

And every time Linger approached, it would shake on its own, twisting its body, and after drawing Linger's pleasant laughter, it would work even harder.

As for the Jin Gang Sect ancestor, it shouldered the mission of protection, hanging from the rafters from beginning to end, always aimed at the entrance.

And the shadow...

It was very unconvinced by the seedling's act of pleasing Linger. Several times, when Linger and Xu Qing weren't paying attention, it would suddenly appear next to the seedling and give it a death stare.

Every time this happened, the seedling would shrink up, not daring to move.

But the shadow didn't appear often; it had other missions and occasionally needed to leave the small city to capture fierce beasts for Xu Qing in the Kusheng Mountain Range and the Green Silk Desert.

This allowed Xu Qing's research to continue uninterrupted.

And every time it returned, it would also bring back some observations and understanding of this area, transmitting emotional fluctuations to Xu Qing.

At this time, the role of the Jin Gang Sect ancestor became prominent.

It would act as a translator on the side to explain the shadow's words, though occasionally it would mix in some private work to set traps for the shadow.

Although the shadow had grown quite a bit, it was still a bit green after all, and in ten times, there were two or three times it didn't notice.

Xu Qing didn't pay much attention to this; he was already used to the conflict between these two.

And through the shadow and the Jin Gang Sect ancestor, his understanding of this Green Silk Desert grew deeper.

For example, Xu Qing learned the reason why the earthen cities here were built on mountains.

That was because many bizarre things existed on the desert, and any one of them could easily destroy a small city.

Only on the mountains would it be much safer.

For example, every once in a while in the desert, some illusions would appear—sometimes oases, sometimes cities in the sky, sometimes other worlds.

They would move, and wherever they passed, death would permeate.

As long as one entered these illusions, it was very difficult to come out alive. When the illusions disappeared, all that remained on the ground were bones with the flesh eaten clean.

In addition, regarding the giant mushrooms Xu Qing saw on the road, the news brought by the shadow also had descriptions; it had once seen giant mushrooms stand up from the desert.

Under the mushrooms were countless roots, which formed human outlines, moving on the desert, chasing illusions.

And these were actually not the most terrifying things on the Green Silk Desert. Through the shadow's description and eavesdropping, Xu Qing learned that in this desert, the color of the wind was not constant.

Once one day, the green wind turned white, then all living beings in the desert had to use the fastest speed to take refuge in the nearest mountain.

Otherwise, they would face a desperate situation; only the mountain peaks here could avoid being invaded by the wind and sand.

In the long years, the white wind had appeared many times, so occasionally there would still be survivors who escaped to nearby mountains in the white wind, avoiding death.

But these people who escaped would all undergo common changes.

Their bodies would become deformed, incomparably ugly, and their descendants would be the same, never changing.

This made Xu Qing think of those people in the small city.

In addition, besides the white wind, there was also black wind in the Green Silk Desert, but it hadn't appeared for hundreds of years, yet rumors about the black wind still existed.

Once the black wind appeared, all living beings in the Green Silk Desert would face a nine-out-of-ten death rate; even hiding on the mountains, there was still danger.

But in this Festival Moon Domain, places that weren't dangerous were rare, and compared to the life and death that could occur at any time in the outside world, this black wind that only appeared once every few hundred years didn't seem like much.

But the wind had one last color: gray.

The gray wind was just a legend, which Xu Qing learned from an old man who came to buy elixirs. This kind of wind had only appeared once in the history of the Green Silk Desert.

It had been too long ago, so no one knew exactly what would happen.

These messages gave Xu Qing a deeper understanding of this desert. At the same time, during this period, in addition to researching the curse, he also activated the mirror many times.

In his repeated explorations, he also had a clearer realization of the assessment of the Reverse Moon Hall.

"The one-eyed cultivator who luckily escaped didn't lie about this point; any mirror, within the range of the Kusheng Mountain Range, is an entrance to the Reverse Moon Hall."

"It is also the method to start the assessment."

"Only by passing the assessment can one enter the Reverse Moon Hall."

Xu Qing sat cross-legged in the house, his gaze falling on the mirror in front of him, his eyes revealing determination.

The understanding of these days let him know that there were three items in the assessment to join the Reverse Moon Hall.

The first item was sacrifice.

This was actually a certificate of allegiance; everyone who wanted to join the Reverse Moon Hall had to kill two Red Moon Temple cultivators of the same cultivation realm as themselves.

Only by sending the killed corpses into the mirror would the first item of the assessment be completed.

Xu Qing could understand this point. The purpose of the first item of this assessment was to check the strength of the joiner, and it also included precautions against the outside world.

With such a method, if someone from the Red Moon Temple wanted to mix in, they would also have to pay a price.

And the higher the cultivation, the greater the price paid.

And this was only the first item; if the subsequent assessment could not be passed after paying the price, then everything would be in vain.

Therefore, this assessment was placed at the very front.

As for the second item of the assessment to join the Reverse Moon Hall, it was faith.

Xu Qing didn't know the third item; he planned to complete the certificate of allegiance first.

With this thought, Xu Qing looked up at the dim firmament outside, his eyes revealing determination. He waved his hand to put away the mirror in front of him, and with a flicker, he left the pharmacy.

His target was not the Red Moon Temple of the Kusheng Mountain Range.

Xu Qing knew very well that the Red Moon Temple built here could not be underestimated.

After all, to join the Reverse Moon Hall, the certificate of allegiance had to be completed, which meant that everyone who wanted to join would first instinctively place their eyes on the temple.

As a result, as long as they weren't fools, they wouldn't take it lightly, and according to Xu Qing's understanding from several contacts with the temple, he felt that the temple was more likely to be fishing here.

Of course, everyone's thoughts were different. Xu Qing felt that those who wanted to join the Reverse Moon Hall were definitely not stupid, so they would likely choose to ambush temple cultivators in other areas outside the desert.

But Xu Qing didn't want to take the risk.

At this moment, he was wearing an immortal technique mask, his body was completely hidden by Ghostly Nether transformation, and he left the mountain range for the desert to find fierce beasts that met his cultivation requirements.

Just like that, days passed by.

The fierce beasts in the Green Sand Desert had varying cultivation levels, and during the time the shadow hunted for Xu Qing, it also marked some dangerous places, so Xu Qing's goal was very clear.

Two days later, in a quicksand area of the Green Sand Desert, a loud boom came, and as the fluctuations of techniques echoed all around, a giant red insect broke through the ground, its whole body emitting cultivation fluctuations comparable to a Nascent Soul, but it let out a wail from its mouth.

Below it, Xu Qing's figure in the sand moved extremely fast, suddenly catching up, his right hand raised and pressed down fiercely. Immediately, the red insect's body collapsed by half, and when it fell to the ground, it was already on the verge of death.

Xu Qing collected it and continued forward.

Five days later, a giant scorpion, fully several dozen zhang long, was fleeing rapidly on the ground. A figure behind it continued to pursue, until a moment later, as countless Heavenly Demon Bodies descended, the scorpion let out a shrill roar, wanting to rush out but unable to do so, and was caught by the figure behind it.

Amidst the echoes of loud booms, after an incense stick of time, as everything calmed down, Xu Qing's figure walked out in the green wind and returned toward the Kusheng Mountain Range.

It took him a day and a half to return to the earthen city pharmacy. Linger was as usual, just a little worried about Xu Qing's going out. After seeing Xu Qing return, she breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on her little face again.

Xu Qing touched Linger's head, went to the back room, sat cross-legged there, and after activating the isolation array, he took out the mirror and placed it in front of him, then took a deep breath, his eyes revealing sharp light.

He didn't want to take the risk of ambushing Red Moon Temple cultivators; once this matter was exposed, it would cause a lot of trouble.

So he planned to take a shortcut, using his own method to create temple cultivators, to deceive the Reverse Moon Hall's assessment. This was also the reason why he had been researching for so long.

"I have investigated many times; this assessment is a mechanism, not artificially controlled, so I should be able to succeed. However, my blessing will trigger the curse, so the action must be a bit faster."

Xu Qing blinked, and with a wave of his hand, he took out the scorpion and red insect he had captured alive, and quickly blessed them with his own Purple Moon power while they were on the verge of death.

Just like when he blessed Mu Ye, in an instant, these two fierce beasts trembled, each appearing with a purple mark, and the next instant their curses were triggered.

Before the curse erupted, Xu Qing was quick-handed and threw these two fierce beasts directly toward the mirror.

Although the mirror was small and they were large, at the moment of contact, a huge suction force emanated from the mirror, actually sucking in the two fierce beasts whose curses were about to erupt.

Xu Qing stepped back a few steps. Although he had some confidence in this method of his due to continuous exploration and research, this moment concerned success or failure, so his mood was inevitably a bit uneasy as he gazed at the mirror.

"I have investigated many times; this assessment is a mechanism, not artificially controlled, so I should be able to succeed. However, my blessing will trigger the curse, so the action must be a bit faster."

Xu Qing blinked, and with a wave of his hand, he took out the scorpion and red insect he had captured alive, and quickly blessed them with his own Purple Moon power while they were on the verge of death.

Just like when he blessed Mu Ye, in an instant, these two fierce beasts trembled, each appearing with a purple mark, and the next instant their curses were triggered.

Before the curse erupted, Xu Qing was quick-handed and threw these two fierce beasts directly toward the mirror.

Although the mirror was small and they were large, at the moment of contact, a huge suction force emanated from the mirror, actually sucking in the two fierce beasts whose curses were about to erupt.

Xu Qing stepped back a few steps. Although he had some confidence in this method of his due to continuous exploration and research, this moment concerned success or failure, so his mood was inevitably a bit uneasy as he gazed at the mirror.

The mirror suddenly trembled in mid-air, its light flashing rapidly, as if it were judging.

Until it lasted for dozens of breaths, and as Xu Qing's heart hung even higher, a vast will emanated from the mirror.

"Passed!"

Xu Qing let out a long breath.

He actually didn't want to use this shortcut method; it was just that ambushing the Red Moon Temple was highly dangerous, and the possibility of the other side fishing was very high.

If something went wrong, it would cause trouble, which was not conducive to his original intention of preparing to study in peace.

And if he left the Green Sand Desert to go elsewhere, the time spent going back and forth would be at least half a year, so by comparison, making his own dependents was naturally the best choice.

"I relied on my own ability to pass this first item of the assessment, so it doesn't count as cheating."

Xu Qing murmured in his heart. After recalling his master's education, he felt that what he did was correct.