Chapter 596: Yesterday

"Fell down again, did you?"

The Mingnan Mingnan Shizi squatted outside the pit and spoke indifferently.

Xu Qing was at the bottom of the pit, silent, lowering his head to glance at the place where he was.

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This was a hollowed-out cave dwelling.

It had long since been abandoned.

Cave dwellings like this were numerous within the Eastern Wanggu Mountain Range; most were places of refuge dug out by cultivators throughout the ages.

From the outside of the mountain range, they were invisible; only someone with Xu Qing's current weight could perceive these caves located just beneath the surface through personal experience.

"There are many such caves in this mountain range. You have a long climb ahead of you on this journey."

Outside the pit, the Mingnan Mingnan Shizi glanced at Xu Qing, a sense of comfort rising in his heart. It seemed that seeing Xu Qing in such a disheveled state brought him a strange sense of warmth.

It reminded him of his own childhood, the memories of his father, the Emperor, tying a sun to his waist, causing him to fall with every step he took. "You're missing a hat."

The Mingnan Mingnan Shizi murmured in his heart. In his childhood, he not only had a sun on his waist, but also a hat on his head that weighed down his soul.

Seeing that Xu Qing didn't have one, the Mingnan Mingnan Shizi felt a bit of regret.

Xu Qing looked up from the deep pit at the Mingnan Mingnan Shizi, silently circulating the other Nascent Souls within his body—excluding the Purple Moon—to share the pressure and weight coming from the sun.

He climbed out, inch by inch.

This feeling was as if he were trying his best to ascend into the sky, but the shroud of the sun's power made him bear an immense weight; even with all his might, he could barely maintain his balance.

Xu Qing was no stranger to such experiences.

Back when he was in the Feng Feng Haijun Prison Department, he had felt something similar, though at that time, it was the pressure of a small world squeezing him.

Judging by the names, it seemed the small world should be heavier than this iron sun-ball, but in reality, according to Xu Qing's intuitive sensing, the two were exactly the opposite.

This reminded him of the origin of the iron sun-ball that the Captain had once told him about.

This was the first man-made sun in the Jieyue Domain, originating from the era of the Sovereigns. A long, long time had passed since then, and as for who created it, there was no record left.

"Take your time to experience the suppression of this little toy. This was a toy the Ancient Emperor gave me back in the day."

The Mingnan Mingnan Shizi looked at Xu Qing, who had finally climbed out, and spoke indifferently.

Xu Qing heard this and lowered his head to glance at the iron ball on his waist.

"Senior, besides this pressure and weight, does this object possess any other power?"

The Mingnan Mingnan Shizi stood up, walked forward, and his voice drifted over.

"Back when it was still a star, it had other powers. It could borrow the Immortal Net shrouding the entire Eastern Wanggu Continent to unleash world-destroying force. As for now... with the departure of the Ancient Emperor and the collapse of the Immortal Net, its function has weakened."

The voice carried a touch of reminiscence, containing the vicissitudes of time.

Xu Qing was thoughtful, following behind, the journey... rumbling.

The wind howled, following the two as they traveled into the distance, blowing their voices in all directions, dissolving them into their bodies.

"A place where a group of cowards gathers, and it dares to call itself a Holy Land? The Ancient Emperor... is old. And once a person is old, they cherish their life even more."

"Oh, then where is this land of cowards?"

"Haha, according to the calendar of my human race, on the second day of the sixth month every year, if you look up at the northern part of the sky, there will be a star different from the usual ones. That is the land of cowards closest to Eastern Wanggu."

"How many lands of cowards are there?"

"There are as many as the number of Ancient Emperor Sovereigns who left back then. Let me count... adding all the ten thousand clans together, there are always over a hundred. The Ancient Emperor gave one to my father back then, but we refused it."

The night accompanied the rumbling, mixed with the conversation of the old and the young, gradually passing away.

Morning arrived.

The Red Moon spread across the horizon; although it brought a countdown to death for the world, it ultimately gave the sky of the Jieyue Domain a different kind of light.

Even if it was the light of blood.

Thus, in the morning, the Kusheng Mountain Range, after the light sources formed by spells rose in multiple areas, was also covered in a faint blood-red hue. With the help of this glimmer, one could see at the end of the Kusheng Mountain Range, there existed a special mountain body.

This mountain was as tall as Kusheng and connected to it, but as he approached, Xu Qing noticed that this mountain body didn't seem to be a mountain.

It looked more like a giant tree that had petrified into a mountain.

Everything below the crown was submerged in the desert, while the crown part was filled with sand and stone, turning into a mountain peak.

"A cold tree, named the Leyou Tree, considered one of the prehistoric exotic species." The Mingnan Mingnan Shizi looked at the mountain formed by the giant tree and spoke calmly.

"There are many such trees in the domain, and no one pays much attention to them. Even fewer know that this one was secretly planted by my third sister."

"I was the one who accompanied her to witness it here back then."

"But now... things are different, people are different, and this tree has been dead for many years."

Xu Qing looked up, gazing at the mountain body, noticing that around the mountain, there were some figures of cultivators in red robes, circling around like flies, seemingly conducting an investigation.

Most of them were Nascent Souls, there was one in the Yang Dao Realm, and one in the Ling Cang Realm.

They came from the Red Moon Temple of the Kusheng Mountain Range.

"Originally, there was a Gui Xu Divine Envoy, but he should have been eaten by Third Sister."

"I'll leave the rest to you to experience your own authority."

"When Third Sister and I come out, I hope you have handled them all cleanly."

As the Mingnan Mingnan Shizi spoke, his body blurred and disappeared from Xu Qing's side, entering the mountain body ahead.

Xu Qing glanced at the iron ball on his waist and closed his eyes. The next instant, following the circulation of the Purple Moon's power, drops of fresh blood dispersed from his body, shrouding the surroundings. Soon, Xu Qing's entire person transformed into a blood-colored vortex.

As this vortex rumbled and rotated, it submerged his figure within, forming a blood-colored lake that spread rapidly toward the front.

Wherever it passed, mountain rocks were submerged, and plants were dyed red. The blood-colored lake emitted a strange and ominous aura as it spread, gradually becoming shocking, attracting the attention of the Red Moon cultivators on the mountain.

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"What is this!"

Those Red Moon cultivators, each and every one of them, felt their bodies trembling to varying degrees the moment they looked over. This trembling came from the instinct of life, from the belonging of faith, and even more so from the flowing of the blood throughout their entire bodies.

Their blood was out of control!

Inside their bodies, it was as if the blood possessed a will and a life of its own, scrambling and fighting to rush out.

If the internal organs blocked it, it would tear through the organs; if the flesh and blood obstructed it, the soul would collapse the flesh and blood; if the soul intercepted it, it would shatter the soul.

It was as if Xu Qing, at this moment, could not be looked at directly!

Therefore, the moment they saw him, several Red Moon Nascent Soul cultivators immediately let out shrill screams, their bodies exploding into pieces with a bang, a large amount of fresh blood gushing out from within.

It seemed to be cheering, rushing straight toward the blood-colored lake on the ground.

This scene immediately caused the Red Moon cultivators responsible for surveying the area to be extremely horrified. They instinctively retreated, attempting to suppress their own blood, but they were unable to do so, and in the midst of their retreat, they collapsed one after another.

Looking from afar, blood-colored flowers bloomed across the sky.

The Dao-Nurturing elder among these cultivators was now also shocked; his body was trembling as well, and his blood was going wild.

And that middle-aged divine servant who possessed a complete secret storehouse had a look of unprecedented gravity on his face.

And just as they were retreating, the blood-colored lake in the mountain range suddenly rose into the air.

Amidst the echoing booms, the blood-colored lake surged and churned in mid-air.

Every drop of fresh blood within it revealed Xu Qing's face, and these countless faces combined to form a giant human face. While its expression was indifferent, a divine storehouse rose within it.

It suddenly suppressed the group of Red Moon cultivators.

Wherever it passed, wails were constant; those Nascent Soul cultivators could no longer suppress the blood in their bodies.

Boundless blood shot out from their seven orifices and every pore on their bodies, turning into blood blades outside their bodies, turning against them.

As blood flowers bloomed, the sea of blood, carrying countless blood blades, rushed straight toward the Dao-Nurturing elder and the middle-aged Spirit Storehouse cultivator, intending to form an encirclement.

Both of them felt their minds roar; the terror from their life instincts made them retreat rapidly.

But Dao-Nurturing and possessing a complete Spirit Storehouse were still different. The next instant, the middle-aged Spirit Storehouse cultivator's body roared, his secret storehouse manifested, and as it expanded violently outward, his own Heavenly Dao roared within, affecting the surrounding laws and charging fiercely.

Amidst the deafening sound, the middle-aged Spirit Storehouse cultivator rushed out before Xu Qing's encirclement could form.

But that Dao-Nurturing elder was much slower. In the blink of an eye, he was enveloped by Xu Qing's sea of blood. He struggled with all his might, his illusory secret storehouse manifesting as he tried to resist, but it was to no avail.

The sea of blood formed a vortex outside his body, and while rotating rapidly, it surged toward his entire body, wanting to drill inside.

The elder's expression was terrified; he kept forming seals to unleash divine abilities and even took out magic treasures, wanting to block it.

But it was useless!

The endless sea of blood submerged him, drilling in continuously along his entire body. The pain brought about by this process turned into shrill wails in his mouth.

Looking from afar, this scene was shocking!

Until the next instant, the sea of blood disappeared, all drilling into the Dao-Nurturing elder's body. The elder's body trembled, and amidst the despair in his eyes, his body seemed unable to contain it, and finally, with a bang, it shattered into pieces.

The sea of blood rolled out from within, turning into Xu Qing's indifferent face, looking toward the middle-aged Spirit Storehouse cultivator in the distance.

"This battle should be a tough fight. I wonder how I compare to a complete secret storehouse now, and who will win!"

Xu Qing's fighting spirit surged in his heart. The sea of blood surged to suppress all directions, the divine storehouse rose and fell to shatter everything, rushing straight toward that middle-aged Spirit Storehouse cultivator.

At this moment, inside the mountain body transformed by the Leiyou Tree, two gazes were staring at the outside world.

The place where the gazes originated was a huge cavern.

Countless tree roots spread from all directions, gathering in the mid-air of the cavern, weaving into a giant cocoon.

Bursts of brilliant light radiated from the countless gaps in this cocoon, illuminating the place in five colors.

The Mingnan Mingnan Shizi's figure was standing beside the light cocoon, looking up at the top.

"Third Sister, you have seen many heaven-proud figures in your time. What do you think of this half-disciple of mine?"

The Mingnan Mingnan Shizi said with a smile.

"Is this your disciple? Did they agree to you being their Master? At such an old age, why are you still snatching other people's disciples? Do you still have any shame?"

A cold voice came from inside the light cocoon.

As for Third Sister's words, the Mingnan Mingnan Shizi felt it was normal; this sister of his had exactly this kind of temper—cold on the outside, warm on the inside.

"The reality of imparting knowledge is always there, and I have helped them so much, even gifting these external presents to improve their cultivation."

The Mingnan Mingnan Shizi smiled, looking up to continue watching Xu Qing's moves, his eyes slowly revealing an appreciation that he wouldn't usually show outside.

"You call this gifting?"

Inside the light cocoon, a cold voice came out. The next instant, the light cocoon roared and exploded directly. A figure stepped out from within, leaving the mountain body in one step, arriving in mid-air in another, appearing before the middle-aged Spirit Storehouse cultivator whom Xu Qing's sea of blood was chasing.

This Spirit Storehouse cultivator didn't even react before a finger, like a green onion, landed on the center of their brow.

With a bang, the middle-aged Spirit Storehouse cultivator's body trembled, turning into a fruit tree, growing rapidly and bearing a fruit.

The sea of blood transformed by Xu Qing paused, gathering into a shape, hesitating toward the woman who had appeared before his eyes.

This woman had a face of outstanding grace and beauty, and her elegance revealed a heroic spirit, radiant and eye-catching.

Her cheeks were rosy, reflecting the clear pond, and she had a simple Flying Immortal bun on her head, with a few plump and round beads casually adorning her hair, sparkling and shining, yet they were not as brilliant as her beautiful eyes.

Those star-like eyes were as blue as the sea, mesmerizing the vanity of a thousand generations.

It could be said that her appearance was like spring plum blossoms blooming in snow, and her spirit was like autumn orchids covered in frost, enough to make men lose their souls.

At this moment, she raised her jade hand, took the fruit from the Spirit Storehouse tree beside her, glanced at the Mingnan Mingnan Shizi who had followed, and handed it to Xu Qing.

"This is what you call gifting a present."

"Little doll, we met in a hurry last time and I wasn't prepared. This time, I'll give you a greeting gift."

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My gastroenteritis is acting up a bit, my stomach has been hurting all day, writing is slow, there's more during the day!