Chapter 618: Blood-Red Dome of Heaven; Withered and Decaying Mortal World
When Xu Qing said he was going to do something, he would do it. Now that he had a direction, he immediately took out some poisonous plants and poison pills from his bag of holding. Some he consumed, some he rubbed on himself, and some he put directly into himself by slicing open his skin. He even crushed some poison pills into liquid, which he put into his eyes. He included some of his taboo poison in some of the medicinal pills as well. He was making sure that every part of him was infused with taboo poison, thus developing his fleshly body memories and tempering his fleshly body instincts.
Half a month passed. During that time, he was so immersed in his work that sometimes his vision swam. However, he never gave up.
Xu Qing knew that if he wanted to attain the fleshly body memories he hoped for, he didn’t just need to use a large quantity of poisons, he needed to use a huge variety. Although he had a lot of poisons in his bag of holding, he had nothing close to the variety that was required. But that wasn’t a big problem since he could go to the Moonrebel Congregation.
Whenever he needed something, he would just sell some cursequelling lozenges. His asking price included both poisonous plants and poison pills.
In that manner, more and more cultivators in the Moonrebel Congregation consumed cursequelling lozenges, and the reputation of Grandmaster Pill Nine grew. He also got more and more followers. In fact, the number of his followers increased on a daily basis.
Because of the heartfelt words spoken by Xu Qing on that fateful day, many grandmasters of the dao of alchemy also became followers. That was especially true of Saintlowe. He often praised Xu Qing publicly, and when he did, his facial expression was one of deep respect.
Before long, there was hardly any member of the Moonrebel Congregation who hadn’t heard the name Pill Nine. The other vice-bishops took note. And the name also spread through the armed forces of the Moonrebel Congregation that were scattered throughout the Moonrite Region.
Of course, his true identity was still a mystery. Some people claimed that he was a Void Returning expert who had spent a lifetime studying the dao of medicine. Others said that he was from another region, which was why no one had ever heard of him before. Yet others claimed that he was actually a spy from the Red Moon Cathedral, though few people actually believed that rumor.
Regardless, the mysterious true identity of Pill Nine was something all Moonrebel Congregation cultivators wondered about. Not even the vice-bishops knew any of the details, as they didn’t have the authority to investigate. Only the Archbishop of Moonrebel qualified to know the identities of all members.
Sadly, for many countless years, Paramount Temple in the Moonrebel Congregation had been unoccupied. Occasionally it would glitter with light for about a year, but then it would go dark. After that, a new vice-bishop would appear. Although some people knew what that meant, it wasn’t something people talked about.
Xu Qing was aware of the dramatic reputation he was building. But at the moment, he was so focused on the poison situation that he didn’t pay very much attention. And that was because he had reached a bit of a standstill with his poison cultivation. Resources in the Moonrite Region were scarce, which meant that he didn’t have access to the widest variety of poisons possible. As a result, he was having trouble developing the instincts he wanted.
I need a lot more poisonous plants, plus a lot of formulas. If I was in Sea-Sealing County, it would be easy. But here.... Even with the cultivators in the Moonrebel Congregation searching for what I need, I’m still not able to get everything. That was especially true of certain poisonous plants. There are some that I’ve only read about, but never actually seen.
A few days earlier, the Heir Apparent had come and explained the pros and cons of having someone else alter one’s perceptions.
“It would leave a mark on my soul...” he murmured. In the end, he forced himself not to even think about that option. He wanted to rely on himself alone. Although it might take longer, the results would be more suitable.
Of course, the Heir Apparent mentioned another method, something related to my violet moon.
He looked in the direction of the main floor of the shop, his heart bubbling with speculation.
He thought about all the tempering the Heir Apparent had put him through in the Bitter Life Mountains. Then he considered that second method. For some reason, he was getting the feeling that the Heir Apparent... was trying to get him to pick the second option. He thought back to what the Heir Apparent had said a few days ago.
“There’s another way, boy, to experience the vision of a god, and to be able to see the true and real world. When you do it, you’ll gain poison in your eyes. It’s related to your violet moon.
“That said, it would be very dangerous. In fact, it’s so dangerous that I’m hesitant to explain the details. However, I can tell you that if you succeed, then you’ll see the world for what it really is. What I can’t be certain of is whether... you’ll still be you.
“The moment you acquired Crimson Mother’s godsource, it became a certainty that you would have to walk this path. The only other option would be to abandon the violet moon power you have. Think about it. I’ll give you seven days. If you decide to do it, then come to me at dawn on the eighth day. It has to be at that exact time.
“I’ll tell you the details then, which relate to gods and karma. If you don’t come, though, I won’t tell you.”
Xu Qing had been thinking a lot about those words lately. After all, he got the feeling that once he was finished with the golden crow and the taboo poison, the next thing to upgrade would be his violet moon nascent soul.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t figure out why the Heir Apparent said that he had to find him at dawn on the eighth day. The entire thing left him feeling puzzled.
It was now deep in the night of the seventh day, only four hours before the dawn of which the Heir Apparent had spoken. Xu Qing cast his senses outside. He saw the Heir Apparent who, instead of sitting at the counter sipping tea like he usually did, was on the roof looking up into the sky.
Xu Qing vanished from the back roof and appeared on that very same rooftop.
“Wait a moment!” the Heir Apparent said coolly, glancing at Xu Qing briefly before looking back up into the sky.
Nodding, Xu Qing sat and also looked up into the sky. In the Moonrite Region, the sky wasn’t very bright during the daytime. During the night, it was pitch black, almost like it was covered by a black cloth. There were no stars. Just emptiness. The whimpering of the wind echoed about in heaven and earth. The Bitter Life Mountains seemed unusually quiet. It was as if all cultivators felt that this particular night was unsafe.
Xu Qing sent his divine sense out and noticed that although Li Youfei was seated in meditation in his room, his heart was racing, and he looked confused. Curious, Xu Qing sent his senses further out. That was when he realized that there were no animal sounds in the Bitter Life Mountains. It was as if something big were about to happen.
Two hours passed.
Now there were only two more hours left until dawn. At that point, the Captain walked out from the Green Spirit Pharmacy and came up to the roof. Clasping hands, he bowed to the Heir Apparent, then sat down next to Xu Qing.
Xu Qing looked at him. “Eldest Brother.”
“Shhh...” the Captain said, placing his index finger in front of his lips. Then he pointed up into the sky.
Xu Qing sat there quietly.
An hour passed.
At that point, the wind stopped. All sound ceased. The Bitter Life Mountains were incomparably silent. It was the same with the Greenhair Badlands, as well as all the other counties. As of this moment, the entire Moonrite Region... was as silent as death.
Then light appeared in the dome of heaven! It was red, and it was very faint. But considering it was the only color in the empty darkness, it was very eye-catching. Almost blinding. It started out as one tiny beam. But then it proliferated, becoming countless blades that sliced through the sky, almost edicts proclaimed by a dead god, foretelling of impending calamity.
Feeling shaken mentally, Xu Qing realized that the violet moon power within him was trembling, almost like it was about to shake free from his control.
As the red light grew more prominent on the horizon, the light spread almost like blood, slowly filling the sky over the Moonrite Region. It brought a sense of majesty, as well as heaven-shaking, earth-shattering momentum. And terror. Godly might accompanied the spreading red light, which then... weighed down on the Moonrite Region.
The sky was red like blood. The lands quaked. Living beings withered. The people wallowed in bitterness. The Bitter Life Mountains trembled. The Heavenfire Sea trembled. Mount Heavenly Ox trembled. All living beings in the Moonrite Region trembled. Looks of helpless despair appeared in their eyes. Waves crashed on the surface of the Yin Sacrifice River, and as the corpses rose and fell in the water, they wailed in endless grief.
However, in the various church temples of the Red Moon Cathedral, the cultivators were getting very excited. All of them stepped out into the open, and as the red light spread, they kowtowed, their expressions those of madness and piety.
“The red moon, lady to me; Revered Ancient’s true trustee; the living hosts suffer; they have a blissful guarantee.”
Countless voices joined together, chanting.
The red moon was coming. īt was still some distance away from the Moonrite Region. But it was closer than it had been for many years. And it was already sending its light out into the region. It wouldn’t be long before the entire sky was the color of fresh blood. The same thing would happen to the lands. And then the huge red moon would appear on the horizon. And that meant that Crimson Mother’s harvest was coming.
Shaken, Xu Qing finally realized why the Heir Apparent had said to come to him at this hour.
He also realized why the Captain was there.
“It won’t be long now before Crimson Mother... returns to the mortal world.” the Heir Apparent murmured. “When that time comes, all living beings will be food.” He looked away from the sky and fixed his gaze on Xu Qing. “What’s your decision, Xu Qing?”
Xu Qing hesitated briefly, then said, “What do I do?”
The Heir Apparent stood. “Xu Qing, I don’t truly understand Crimson Mother. What’s more, I don’t know exactly how you can use your violet moon power. Nor do I know exactly what Crimson Mother is capable of as a god. Gods all have their secrets.”
A gleam of reminiscence appeared in the Heir Apparent’s eyes, and as he looked up into the black and red sky, he seemed despondent.
“But I did watch as my father fought Crimson Mother. Back then, all I felt from Crimson Mother was... hunger. Boundless hunger!” Lingering fear now existed in the Heir Apparent’s eyes. “That type of hunger is completely terrifying. It affects not just the fleshly body, but the soul. And everything. It’s as if shē arrives with infinite, never-ending hunger.
“Perhaps you aren’t hungry enough to truly unleash the power of your violet moon. You need to experience the most intense hunger imaginable! All I can tell you is... it’s something that overlaps between human nature and godly nature. A blending and a connection.”