Chapter 610: A New Approach in the Land of Grand Vows

Seeing the Captain so excited, a smile appeared on Xu Qing's face.

Regarding the identity of the Master of the Counter-Moon Palace, he felt it was a matter of course; after all, the Eldest Senior Brother had prepared for this for a long time, so if he truly became the Master of the Counter-Moon Palace, Xu Qing would not be too surprised.

"Then I congratulate the Eldest Senior Brother in advance."

Xu Qing said with a smile.

The Captain laughed heartily.

"What's mine is yours, Junior Brother, let's go!"

As he spoke, the light from the lens flashed violently, turning into a bright glow that enveloped the two of them. With a resounding boom, the figures of Xu Qing and the Captain vanished.

At the same time, inside the Counter-Moon Palace, it was full of desolation.

The mountain remained as it was, still magnificent, but most of the temples upon it were dim.

The vast scenes of thousands of divine statues moving between heaven and earth in the past were now hard to see following the outbreak of war.

Therefore, at this moment, the Counter-Moon Palace appeared to have only a small number of Counter-Moon Palace cultivators who had come temporarily to exchange information and trade.

Fewer than a few hundred.

They were in a hurry, often leaving immediately after finishing their business, with no time to waste, but just then, in the firmament,

... a sudden change occurred.

In the firmament, above the nine massive temples, the astonishing divine palace standing at the highest point of the Counter-Moon Palace suddenly shone with brilliant light.

Furthermore, a deafening, massive roar echoed out.

The appearance of this light and sound spread throughout the entire mountain of the Counter-Moon Palace; for a moment, the mountain shook with a rumble, and temple after temple swayed.

The cultivators here could not help but be shaken. After instinctively looking up and seeing the source of everything, a sense of shock suddenly erupted.

"The Supreme Palace!"

"What is going on? The Supreme Palace, which represents the Master of the Counter-Moon Palace, is no longer dim and is actually shining with light."

An uproar arose immediately; in truth, this scene was too shocking for the Counter-Moon Palace cultivators.

That was the Supreme Palace!

The supreme temple representing the Master of the Counter-Moon Palace!

For years, the Counter-Moon Palace had never had a true Supreme Master; everything had been managed by the Vice Palace Masters who issued orders, so the significance of this was naturally immense.

However, among them, some of the old-timers, though their hearts were also stirred, had not reached the level of being earth-shattering, because they had witnessed similar scenes before, though they hadn't occurred many times over the years, and they had some understanding that another big shot had initiated the Palace Master trial. "I have seen this situation twice before, but unfortunately, the doors of the Supreme Temple never opened, and after a period of time, it would dim again."

"I have also seen it once, and in the end, the Fifth Palace Master walked out from within the temple."

These old-timers sighed with emotion, and after they spoke, the newer Counter-Moon Palace cultivators here also understood.

However, the sense of anticipation was still strong; although they didn't believe a Supreme Master would truly appear, it was highly probable that a Vice Palace Master would emerge, which was also a major event for the current Counter-Moon Palace.

After all, the Counter-Moon Palace was currently in a real war with the Red Moon Temple, and the appearance of a new Vice Palace Master at this time would greatly boost morale.

News spread quickly, and one figure after another flew back from the outside to the Counter-Moon Palace, emerging from numerous divine statues and temples, looking at the sky, with discussions and uproar rising one after another.

Even the temples of the several Vice Palace Masters in the firmament were shining.

Two of the five Vice Palace Masters appeared, looking up at the highest temple.

Amidst the anticipation of these Counter-Moon Palace cultivators, behind the firmament of the Counter-Moon Palace, in a place others could not actively reach, there was a void.

This void was like mist, permeating the entire area, churning densely, and at the end of the void, there existed a lake.

To be precise, this was a massive mirror surface covered by a layer of lake water.

The lake water was crystal clear, and the mirror surface was incomparably limpid.

It was a scene of holiness.

Floating above this mirror-like lake was a tall figure.

It was an old man wearing a white robe, his hands crossed within his left and right sleeves, his head lowered, gazing at the lake surface, motionless.

Only his sleeves and white hair fluttered from time to time.

And the water surface his gaze rested upon now had ripples echoing, and gradually, a blurred shadow was forming beneath the water.

As if separated from the old man by the mirror surface, this forming body seemed to be the other side of a mirror.

I do not know how much time passed, but the figure under the water became increasingly clear; it was Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's expression was solemn, and his heart was even more stirred as he looked down at his feet.

In his memory, after he and the Eldest Senior Brother were enveloped by the lens light, everything had turned blank.

And the next moment, when everything recovered, he appeared in this mirror-lake place; there was nothing around except the void, only the mirror surface beneath his feet...

It seemed to contain another world, reflecting the figure of the old man in the white robe.

The two of them, separated by the mirror lake, gazed at each other.

What entered Xu Qing's eyes was a pair of indifferent eyes, containing coldness.

Xu Qing was vigilant; he had already probed the surroundings and did not see the Eldest Senior Brother.

"The one who arrived with you is at another mirror surface, considering how to undergo the trial."

A calm voice emanated from the lake mirror beneath Xu Qing's feet, echoing within the void, stirring up several echoes and giving one a sense of vastness.

Every cultivator who enters this place, regardless of cultivation base, possesses the qualifications for the trial.

"If the trial is successful, you will be the Master of the Heavenly Eye, and also my master. Failure results in a secondary contract, possessing limited authority."

"So, will you undergo the trial?"

The voice contained no emotion, coldly entering Xu Qing's ears.

Xu Qing pondered; he did not immediately confirm, but asked a question.

"What kind of trial is required?"

"Make a grand vow." The white-robed old man beneath the water surface spoke indifferently.

"Use the power of the grand vow to reach a contract, thereby demonstrating the qualification to complete it, and you will pass; afterwards, within a stipulated time, you must fulfill the grand vow."

The authority of the Heavenly Eye obtained after passing depends on the magnitude of the grand vow.

If the grand vow is ordinary, even if one passes, one cannot ascend to be the Master of the Heavenly Eye and will remain a secondary contract.

"Only a Great Grand Vow possesses great karma."

But one must not act recklessly.

As the white-robed old man spoke, he waved his hand, and immediately a loud noise came; the water surface surged with waves, and dozens of ice sculptures manifested within.

These ice sculptures were male and female, each exuding an extraordinary aura, but their life fluctuations were all sealed.

These were the failures of this epoch; either their grand vows were too large and exaggerated, judged as false, and punished here, or they were unable to fulfill their vows and had been bound until now.

Xu Qing's gaze swept past rapidly; not seeing the Captain among them, he felt a sense of relief in his heart.

"So, what is your grand vow?" Beneath the mirror lake, the white-robed old man gazed indifferently at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing thought for a moment; he felt that since the Captain had prepared for so long, there was a high probability there would be no problem. After all, although the Eldest Senior Brother was sometimes unreliable, he was crazy enough when it came to major matters.

Therefore, he himself did not actually need to take too much of a risk by saying something like destroying the Red Mother.

He just needed to follow his own heart.

Xu Qing thought for a moment, gazing at the white-robed old man across the lake.

"I don't have any grand vows that are too large. In this Jiyue Great Domain, what I once wanted to do most was to refine an elixir that could resolve the curses of all living beings here, especially the human race."

Xu Qing spoke slowly; this matter was the reason he had come to the Kusheng Mountain Range in the first place, and joining the Counter-Moon Palace was also to better obtain research information on the curse.

As these words were spoken, ripples appeared on the water surface, and the expression of the white-robed old man changed. If it had been any other trial-taker speaking like this... he would have judged the other party as false.

But as the artifact spirit of the Counter-Moon Palace, he had seen everything the other party had done in the Counter-Moon Palace, including the Curse-Descending Elixir.

The other party's every action seemed indeed to be on this path of the grand vow.

Thus, a moment later, the white-robed old man waved his hand, and immediately the water surface in front of Xu Qing churned; a massive alchemy furnace manifested from within and rose up.

"Everything here can be created from nothing and transform into all things; although they are all false, as long as you propose it, I can manifest it."

"You can refine here to begin your trial."

"You must refine an elixir that reduces the curse by at least twenty percent; in this way, you will pass the assessment."

After speaking, the white-robed old man's figure dissipated, leaving no trace.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and looked at the alchemy furnace in front of him, approaching to observe it for a while, and ripples rose in his heart.

This alchemy furnace was incomparably real; it did not seem illusory.

"Can it manifest all things?" Xu Qing suddenly asked.

"I need ten stalks of Heavenly Fate Flower!" As soon as he spoke, ripples appeared on the surrounding water surface, and ten drops of lake water rose; after floating in front of Xu Qing, these ten drops of water rotated, and in the end, they actually formed ten stalks of Heavenly Fate Flower.

Whether it was the aura of the vegetation or the medicinal power contained within, both were more real than real.

Xu Qing was moved; he took one stalk to observe carefully, and after a long while, he had a look of determination and ate it, savoring the taste.

"Everything is very real, and the medicinal effect is too, but these are all feelings; in reality, they do not exist, it is just that I feel I have eaten them."

"This place contains a power that is close to changing one's own cognition, but it is different from the Heir's old grandfather."

"The former is something one possesses oneself, actively released to influence the outside world."

"And here, it is more like this authority has been stripped away, permeating this place, like a tool that can be used by people here!"

"And, it seems even more overbearing."

Xu Qing was moved; looking at his surroundings, he suddenly felt that this place was very good, so the difficulties he had encountered in his previous research on the Curse-Descending Elixir surfaced in his mind.

"The environment of the Jiyue Great Domain makes many herbs unavailable here..."

Xu Qing's eyes flashed with a strange light, and he spoke again.

"Hundred-year Earth-Single Spirit-Benefit Bamboo, one thousand roots."

"Heavenly Mist Immortal Cage Grass, three thousand portions!"

"Dragon Soar Wood lightning-struck tender leaves, ten thousand pieces!"

"There is also Cloud Mist Semi-Illusion Flower, Nine-Wither Seven-Droop Grass, and thousand-year Mulberry Wood root..."

These treasures of heaven and earth were rare even in Fenghai County; Xu Qing listed dozens of them in one breath, and soon... a massive amount of medicinal herbs actually all appeared.

This pleasantly surprised Xu Qing, so he spoke up again to list over a hundred more, which also formed one by one; even if there were errors in the middle, as long as Xu Qing described their appearance and medicinal properties, they would re-converge.

Through his constant adjustments, the herbs that emerged perfectly met his requirements.

Xu Qing's heart surged with waves; he had already deeply realized that for an alchemist, this place was a dream come true.

Failure didn't matter; he could just start over.

Medicinal herbs, unlimited.

And this kind of squandering without worrying about consumption made Xu Qing feel more than just happy; immersed within it, he tried every refining method he could think of, one by one.

"I already have a train of thought for the Curse-Reducing Pill; refining it to reduce curses by twenty percent is not difficult, and even more is possible..."

"Not just that, this place has another extremely important use for me, and that is to form poisonous herbs!"

Xu Qing's gaze was burning.

"Every poisonous herb I desire can be formed here."

"Although they are false, the cognition is real, and the instincts of this body will also be formed because of it!"

"In this way, the technique of integrating the poison prohibition into my gaze, which I had to stop back then due to a lack of poisonous herbs, can be completely finished here."