Chapter 563: The Goose Cannot Fly Out of the Moonlight (part 1)
The glow of the Heavenfire Sea lit the sky, making it nearly as red as blood. It definitely felt inauspicious. However, the sky was so far away from the sea that the light which reached it was faint. The darkness swallowed up everything else, making everything gloomy. The ground beneath the cages was so dark that the blood which dripped onto it didn’t register.
The caravan left a trail of blood behind it. Surrounding the cages were members of the Twofold Alliance, who had greedy expressions on their faces as they licked their lips and eyed the cages. As far as they were concerned, the humans locked in the cages were delicious morsels of food. At the same time, they were sacrificial offerings, live food that could be offered to the cathedral for safety going forward. Arrangements such as this had existed in ancient times, and they still did now.
It wasn’t just humans who found themselves in such a plight. Throughout this part of the Moonrite Region, lesser species were all suffering the same fate. They either became food to other species, or they became sacrificial offerings. The weak are the prey of the strong . That maxim was more true here than anywhere else on the outside.
However, there are some instances in which ‘the strong’ end up running into someone even stronger than they are. And in that case, they turn into ‘the weak.’ It was simply impossible for all species to be considered paramount among all species.
That rule even applied to the Red Moon Cathedral. Perhaps that was just the rhythm that the music of fate played to.
Right now, the wind whimpered as it carried heat through the lands, causing imperceptible ripples to roll through the sky. And the ash on the ground after the Heavenfire Skycrossing turned into fine dust that blew everywhere. Within that ashy dust was a killing intent that seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. It became an ambassador of death, hefting a blood-soaked scythe as it neared with explosive speed!
The source of that killing intent was Xu Qing! He didn’t speak at all. His eyes pulsed with something profoundly somber and desolate, and not even the surrounding heat could soften the frigid coldness of his expression. With Ling’er as his guide, he went south at top speed, tapping fully into his life lamps, as well as all of the blessings built into his cultivation base. He was obviously moving much faster than the caravan. What was more, he soon saw the blood on the ground, providing a clear trail to follow.
This is the way, he thought, speeding up.
Now he didn’t need Ling’er’s help. Following the blood, he sped along, kicking up a stiff wind as he got closer and closer to his target.
2,500 kilometers. 1,500 kilometers. 500 kilometers. 250 kilometers....
During four days’ time, he traveled nearly 5,000 kilometers. On the evening of the fourth day, the wind caused by his passage was a rumbling tempest that reached the ears of the caravan guards. There were over a hundred members of the Twofold Alliance in charge of the caravan, and when they heard the sound, they looked off into the distance toward what seemed like thunder on the horizon.
“What’s going on?”
The caravan’s beasts of burden stirred restlessly. The cultivators atop them stood, then looked off into the distance, frowning.
Suddenly, Xu Qing appeared. He had finally caught up! When he saw the caravan, and the ten huge cages, his heart filled with pain. He saw the people stuffed into the cages like livestock. They were clearly numb and suffering. The aura of rot and death spread out from the cages, causing Xu Qing’s eyes to turn bloodshot, and sending icy killing intent raging uncontrollably through him.
He became a prismatic streak of light filled with endless lightning bolts as he closed in on the caravan at top speed. A deafening boom rang out when Xu Qing slammed right into the caravan! The ground shook violently, and dust shot out in all directions.
The caravan stopped moving. The beasts of burden could sense the icy killing intent, and they shivered visibly. Meanwhile, the cultivators from the Twofold Alliance rushed out to defend the caravan.
“Who’s there?”
“What gall! I can’t believe you would actually attack the Twofold Alliance!”
“What species is this guy?”
As the cultivators from the Twofold Alliance angrily cursed Xu Qing, the killing intent in his eyes grew more intense. Without hesitation, he shot toward the Skyface cultivator right in front of him. The terrifying fluctuations coming off Xu Qing caused the Skyface to blanch. Before it could even think of dodging, Xu Qing was there, using the intense power of his fleshly body in full force. A thump rang out as the huge Skyface cultivator’s chest caved in, then exploded as Xu Qing shot through his entire torso. After that, the Skyface’s entire body collapsed.
Xu Qing didn’t pause for a second. Waving his hand, he sent daybreak light out in ten streams that swept out and covered the cages. Next, he explosively unleashed his taboo poison. The air pulsated as boundless mutagen provoked miserable shrieks and screams among the enemy.
Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior was there, madly smashing into the enemy in the form of a red bolt of lightning.
Ling’er bared her teeth, and her eyes gleamed with vicious light as she also launched attacks here and there.
The shadow could sense Xu Qing’s rage and Ling’er’s grief. That caused the shadow to get angry as well, and it stretched out protectively around Ling’er, where it would help her launch attacks.
Of course, none of them could match Xu Qing’s brutality. As he accelerated even more dramatically, a dagger appeared in his right hand. He closed in on a Mirrorling cultivator, and punched it with his left hand. A crash could be heard as the Mirrorling’s body shattered. Then Xu Qing sent poison roiling out of his fist, and another agonized scream could be heard. Xu Qing spun, then body-slammed a Skyface cultivator who was behind him. Then his dagger seemed to come alive, slashing and stabbing, sending blood everywhere. Finally, it viciously swept through the Skyface’s throat. A head flew through the air.
The golden crow rose up, then exhaled, causing heavenfire to fall onto the shocked and fleeing cultivators of the Twofold Alliance. All they could do was scream as they were incinerated.
Xu Qing’s face was expressionless, but his eyes were bloodshot and he was soaked with blood from head to toe. He pressed the attack, closing in on a Mirrorling cultivator.
This cultivator was in the Nascent Soul level, and he had a furious expression on his face. He was actually shaken by Xu Qing’s killing intent, and tried to fall back. He was too slow. Xu Qing attacked with astonishing speed. When they clashed, the Nascent Soul Mirrorling quickly used an incantation gesture to summon a sharp blade. He also sent ghostfire swirling out to make demonic ghost flowers that surrounded Xu Qing and tried to devour his life force.
Xu Qing couldn’t have cared less about that. His fleshly body was so powerful, and his violet crystal could heal him so well, that unless he was attacked by some force that he truly couldn’t deal with, then he would always default to his normal fighting style, which was to sustain damage to inflict fatalities.
As he closed in, rumbling sounds echoed out. Xu Qing allowed the enemy’s magical techniques to hit him. Eyes shining brutally, he simply chomped up the ghost flowers. Poison raged out, destroying everything it touched. The dagger stabbed and slashed. The Nascent Soul cultivator wanted to struggle free, but such efforts were to no avail. Screams escaped his lips, along with sprays of blood. It only took a few breaths of time to devastate his enemy’s body, and ultimately slash open his throat.
Then Xu Qing launched himself backward, right into the two other enemy cultivators who had been charging from that direction. He quickly performed a left-handed incantation gesture and shoved his hand out in front of him. A massive group of heavenfiend clones appeared behind him, which then rushed forward, snapping their jaws ravenously.
The nearby members of the Twofold Alliance were already terrified and scrambling backward to flee. None of them got more than a few paces before their bodies crumbled, and they fell to the ground screaming. The other cultivators present trembled as they madly fled. To them, Xu Qing seemed like a harvester of souls that couldn’t be stopped. Wherever he looked, the shadow of death descended. It was especially frightening considering his garment was now blood-red. Combined with the glow of the golden crow’s fire, he looked astounding.
Although there were over a hundred cultivators in the caravan, the majority were in Gold Core and Foundation Establishment. There were only six in Nascent Soul.
After all, this was their territory. Transporting a shipment of mortal humans wouldn’t require a bunch of top experts to stand guard. Besides, Duanmu Zang had already been taken away by the royal preceptor and his people. Therefore, the cultivators assigned to this territory didn’t have any reason to believe that someone would come and try to save the captives. There were no other top experts among humans who would do so.
Not one of the more than 100,000 residents of the human city had mentioned Xu Qing. The kindness and love of one human for another would become especially prominent during times of adversity.
As for Xu Qing, he had been very careful during his entire time in this region, and thus, no one in the Twofold Alliance had any idea about his true identity or level of strength.
The end result was that when Xu Qing attacked the caravan, they fell like dry weeds in front of him. That was especially true considering how terrifying his poisons were. The Foundation Establishment cultivators were the first to succumb, and screamed shrilly as they rotted away.
Not even the Mirrorlings’ special bodies were immune to this poison.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing’s slaughter continued. Next, he closed in on a Skyface cultivator in the Nascent Soul level. They clashed for about four or five breaths of time. Then blood sprayed out of the Skyface’s mouth before his head tumbled off his shoulders. His nascent souls then exploded before being devoured by Xu Qing. He didn’t have time right now to fully assimilate them.
Ignoring any injuries he had sustained, Xu Qing turned to survey the area. Thanks to his taboo poison, the entire area was a region of death. And Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior and the shadow had inflicted even more casualties.
Seeing Ling’er launching attacks made Xu Qing think back to years ago in the Merfolk Isles. He knew now more than ever that though Ling’er seemed soft and weak, she was actually very experienced at fighting. Ling’er had taken human form, and was wearing a suit of armor. Illusory dragons and snakes curled around her, and she had a long spear in her hand. Despite looking so petite, she erupted with stupefying battle prowess.
The slaughter didn’t last for very long. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the last of the enemy cultivators was put to death, and silence reigned. Even the beasts of burden pulling the cages had been decapitated by the enraged Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior.
After everything was over, tears flowed down Ling’er’s cheeks. The patriarch looked furious. And everyone was looking at the cages, which were still wrapped protectively in daybreak light.
The people in the cages still looked numb. After the days of torment they had endured, their minds were on the verge of collapse. They didn’t even react when seeing Xu Qing and the others.
Ling’er approached the nearest cage, looked inside, and then tremulously said, “Big Sis Li... Auntie Chen....”
Xu Qing walked over. With a wave of his hand, he dispersed the daybreak light, then opened the cage. People tumbled out like cargo. However, Xu Qing was careful to facilitate their exit from the cage so that no one was hurt.
Seeing the conditions in the cages caused Xu Qing’s mood to sink further. At the bottom of the cages, dead bodies had been crushed so badly their facial features weren’t even identifiable.
Panyan. Where’s Panyan...?