Chapter 825: This Time it’s... Godherald of Starfire
The Great Hunt was a very important event for their species. Participants included, not just their own subsidiary species, but outside cultivators as well. Everyone had a chance to earn the qualifications. Xu Qing was a good example. Because of that there was no set number of participants.
However, there were a limited number of forbidden mountains. With so many cultivators participating, securing one of those forbidden mountains was no easy task. That wasn’t to mention that the requirement to pass the round was three mountains. At a certain point, the only way to collect enough forbidden mountains was to fight with other participants. That was the only way to meet the basic standard.
Of course, the Firemoon Darkheavens didn’t want people who merely met the basic standard. They valued strength, and as a result, there would always be very fierce fighting. As the Firemoon Darkheavens tried to raise venomous bugs in a jar, things would happen such as what Xu Qing and the Captain had just heard about.
Special forbidden regions were being opened.
In the first round of the Great Hunt, there would always be participants who were members of the nobility subservient to one of the Firemoon Darkheavens’ three grand stewards. Depending on the requirements from the temples of the gods, they would open their personal forbidden regions for use in the competition. And instead of discouraging fighting and robbing, they actually promoted it.
Vortexes of flesh and blood could be found throughout Firemoon Darkheaven regions, which would lead directly to those forbidden regions. As a result, the first round of the Great Hunt was widely promoted, and would attract chosen among chosen.
That said, due to terrain and travel limitations, it was almost impossible for all the participants to show up at one specific forbidden region at the same time. Normally speaking, local cultivators would get the news first, and would flock to be the first to enter.
Right now, a vortex of flesh and blood had appeared in the northwestern part of the eighth region, in the territory of a Firemoon noble. The area was normally kept sealed, with an outer layer that shone with golden light, and indicated that the area was private property.
The forbidden region inside was so large it took up about half of an entire prefecture. The mutagen was so dense it formed a mist. There were a large number of mutant beasts as well. Taking in the forbidden region as a whole, it was actually not very far from becoming a forbidden ground. It was filled with jungles, rivers of poison, villages of grues, as well as some astonishing forbidden mountains.
Hovering in the air above the tallest of the mountains was a magnificent palace. There were two rows of statues leading into it. And in the depths of the palace hall, seated on a throne, was a hulking figure with his forehead resting on his palm. He seemed to be dozing. He appeared to be middle-aged, and glowed with golden light. He was mighty, with Smoldering God fluctuations that could crush worlds.
He was the Firemoon noble who owned this forbidden region. He had opened the place to honor the orders given by the temples of the gods. He also happened to be somewhat interested in the chosen cultivators participating in the event. That was why he had come in person to see what promising individuals might rise to prominence in his forbidden region.
Of course, there were also some unwritten rules that everyone had to comply by, which included him.
As the appointed time neared, the Firemoon noble opened his eyes and sighed. That exhalation caused heaven and earth to dim, and kicked up intense winds. The golden barrier that covered the forbidden region then collapsed.
It turned into a golden mist that swept inward toward the palace hall. A moment later, it entered the hall, and the Firemoon noble inhaled it.
Then the Firemoon noble spoke in a cool voice that echoed out in all directions like heavenly thunder. “The forbidden region is now open. Put on a good show, ya little punks.”
Chosen Firemoon cultivators who had been waiting in the area immediately started moving into the forbidden region at top speed.
Almost instantly, fierce fighting broke out.
No one would interfere with them, no matter whether they were fighting, stealing, or killing. Even the Firemoon noble in the palace just watched.
Before long, there were deaths. Not everyone had chosen to instantly go after a forbidden mountain. After all, you could get the forbidden mountains by killing others. And hunting down others was a lot simpler than defending against mass onslaughts.
That said, all of the shockwaves of combat were kept within the forbidden region. No one on the outside could even see what was happening. The forbidden region was like a black hole that devoured everything and didn’t release even the tiniest fluctuation.
Everything was quiet.
Before long, seven days passed. More Great Hunt participants showed up on a daily basis and disappeared inside. There were also some people who chose to leave. Strangely enough, not much happened to any of the forbidden mountains.
The Firemoon noble in the palace yawned and shook his head. This is actually kind of boring.
That was around the time that Xu Qing and the Captain appeared in the canopy of heaven about 50 kilometers away from the forbidden region. They had been traveling nonstop for about seven days. Instead of having two forbidden mountains orbiting above his head, Xu Qing had three. He had acquired another one along the way.
That took a bit too long.
The journey took too long, and it also took too long acquiring that extra forbidden mountain. Xu Qing was getting the feeling that unless he managed to get a lot of forbidden mountains all at once, there was no way he would manage to collect a hundred in time. With such thoughts on his mind, he looked at the distant forbidden region, his eyes gleaming coldly. Then he started moving again, with the Captain in tow, his expression one of anticipation.
After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the two of them reached the border of the forbidden region. Within moments the dense mist of mutagen swallowed them up.
Once inside, Xu Qing concealed his aura. He would no longer move about so openly, and would instead favor stealth as he slipped through the jungle environment. He had spent so much time in forbidden regions in the past, and had interacted with so many of their denizens, that such behavior had long since become an instinct for him.
Once inside the forbidden region, his forbidden mountains shrank down again, just as they had in the darkmoon ward.
A strange light gleamed in the Captain’s eyes as he watched Xu Qing. It wasn’t his first time witnessing how Xu Qing moved in forbidden regions, but it was the first time he had paid close attention. Gradually, he changed his own movements in imitation of Xu Qing. And before long, he was speeding through the trees of the forbidden region like a predatory cat. Because of the way they kept to the shadows and moved stealthily, they didn’t run into anyone.
Xu Qing quickly came to realize that this place had a restrictive effect on divine will; its current maximum range was only about 300 meters. Most cultivators were used to using divine will to scan their surroundings, and thus felt out of sorts in such circumstances.
Little Shadow was still asleep and couldn’t help.
That said, Xu Qing wasn’t too worried. He was familiar with how forbidden regions worked. What was more, he could pick up a lot of information from the surrounding plants and vegetation. As they hurried on their way, Xu Qing paid close attention to everything around him, including the mutant beasts. And it wasn’t long before he noticed the mountains, and especially the golden palace floating in the air.
“That palace looks very out of place,” the Captain said in a low voice. “I’d say it probably belongs to a Firemoon noble. Someone important must be here to watch the show. There have already been a lot of deaths here in the past seven days, little Ah Qing. I can smell the blood.”
Xu Qing nodded. He had just spotted some bloodspirit weeds nearby that looked unusually healthy. It was a plant that thrived by absorbing death auras. When things died near them, their leaves would automatically turn in that direction.
In fact, as Xu Qing was looking around at the bloodspirit weeds, their leaves stirred and all pointed in one specific direction, whereupon they started wriggling as if absorbing something. Xu Qing didn’t do anything in response. However, the identity medallion the clay fox had given him pulsed, and then caused him to turn invisible. Meanwhile, the Captain squatted next to a tree and transformed into a worm.
After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, they detected sounds from not too far away.
Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed as he waited.
A figure appeared, racing in their direction. It was a young Firemoon Darkheaven with a cultivation base in Spirit Trove. That said, his cultivation base was unstable, and he was clearly injured, with a listless expression and a mouth stained with blood.
He looked anxious. As he got close to Xu Qing, he suddenly stopped and looked around. Seeing nothing seemed to make him even more nervous, and he opened his mouth to speak.
That was when a sound rang out that sounded like metal grating against stone. A figure neared in a bright red sea of flames.
“Since we happened to run into each other, Master Gravesparrow,” he said in a sinister voice, “why don’t we settle our old grudge once and for all. Where do you think you’re going to run to?”
The speaker stopped in midair, revealing himself to be another young Firemoon Darkheaven. Flames covered him, which was something Xu Qing hadn’t seen among other Firemoon Darkheaven cultivators. Astonishingly, he had two forbidden mountains orbiting above his head.
“Old grudge??” snapped Master Gravesparrow, his eyes burning with fury. “You know full well which of us started that grudge!”
Master Gravesparrow suddenly turned to the side and bowed, his expression one of piety as he loudly said, “I, Master Gravesparrow, chief legate of Steward Deepspirit of the Starfire Temple, offer respectful greetings to the godherald of Starfire!”
The pursuing cultivator looked around in surprise. However, there was nothing more than silence after that.
Master Gravesparrow’s complexion turned a bit more ashen. At the same time, the pursuing cultivator chuckled softly.
The Firemoon noble in the golden temple opened his eyes. “Well, isn’t this interesting?”
As the words left his mouth, he slowly pointed at the spot where Xu Qing stood invisibly in the forbidden region.