OUTSIDE OF TIME

999 Crimson Blood in the Firmament, Withering of the Mortal Realm

Xu Qing did what he said.

After having a direction, he immediately took out poisonous herbs and poison pills from his storage bag. Some of them were directly swallowed, some were smeared all over his body, and some were directly placed inside his body.

The effect was much better.

He didn’t spare his eyes either. He turned poison pills into liquid and dripped it into his eyes.

The Poison Restriction mixed in with the poison and filled his entire body, nurturing his physical body’s memories and refining his physical body’s instincts.

Time flowed by and half a month passed.

During these more than ten days and nights, Xu Qing immersed himself in this process. Many times, he had double vision, but he did not give up.

Xu Qing understood that if he wanted to achieve the physical memory he wanted, not only did he need a lot of poison, but he also needed a variety of poisons.

Although there was quite a lot of poison in his storage bag, it was still not enough. However, this wasn’t an issue. There was the Moon Rebel Hall.

Every time Xu Qing had a new need, he would sell curse-breaking pills in the Moon Rebel Hall.

The price was poisonous herbs and poison pills.

Just like that, as more and more cultivators from the Moon Rebel Hall consumed the curse-breaking pills, the name of Master Pill Nine became growing resounding in the Moon Rebel Hall, attracting an increasing number of admirers.

His followers also increased greatly every day.

Some alchemy masters also joined in because of Xu Qing’s words back then. This was especially so for Shengluo. He had praised Xu Qing greatly many times in front of everyone and his expression was filled with respect.

Almost everyone in the Moon Rebel Hall knew the name of Pill Nine. It gradually attracted the attention of the other deputy hall masters and even extended of the Moon Rebel Hall, spreading among the rebellion army in the Moon Worship Region.

There were many guesses about his identity.

Some people said that this was a Nihility Almighty who had studied the Dao of Medicine his entire life.

There were also people who said that he should be from the foreign regions, which was why there was no sign of him before.

There were also people who said that perhaps this was a spy from the Red Moon Shrine, but this theory had few supporters.

Nevertheless, the mysterious identity of Pill Nine lingered in the minds of many Moon Rebel Hall cultivators.

Even the deputy hall masters had no way of knowing, nor did they have the authority to investigate.

Only the hall master had the authority to see through the identities of every Moon Rebel Hall cultivator.

However, ever since ancient times, the highest temple had never opened.

Even when it occasionally shimmered, it usually dimmed after just a year.

After that, there would be an additional deputy hall master.

The specific reasons, though known to some, were not topics easily discussed.

Xu Qing knew that his reputation was rising. However, he, who was immersed in poison, didn’t care too much. This was because his cultivation of the Poison Restriction had reached a bottleneck.

The scarcity of resources in the Moon Worship Region caused him to lack too many medicinal herbs. Hence, Xu Qing couldn’t develop his body’s instincts according to what he envisioned.

“I need a vast amount of poisonous herbs. I also need to combine them into numerous formulas, constantly experimenting and adjusting.”

“If it was in Fenghai County, it might be possible. However, here… even if the cultivators of the Moon Rebel Hall look for for me, it’s still somewhat incomplete.”

“Especially some poisonous herbs that I haven’t seen before, I’ve only read about them in the pharmacopeia.”

Xu Qing contemplated as the scene of the heir coming to him a few days ago, explaining the pros and cons of altering cognition, crossed his mind.

“Leave a mark in my soul…”

Xu Qing suppressed this choice and still decided to rely on himself. Although it would take longer, Xu Qing felt that this was the most suitable for him.

“However, the heir mentioned another method that is related to my Purple Moon.”

Xu Qing looked at the main hall as a guess rose in his mind.

He recalled the series of training the heir had put him through since arriving at the Bitter Life Mountain Range. When considering the alternative method mentioned by the heir, he couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps… the other party had been guiding him all along, leading him towards this second option.

Xu Qing fell silent and recalled the words of the heir.

“Kid, there’s actually another way. It can also allow you to sense the sight of the god and see the real world. From there, your gaze can contain poison.”

“This method is related to your Purple Moon.”

“However, this method is extremely dangerous, so I am doubting to tell you.”

“But I can assure you that once successful, the world you see will be the true appearance of things. However, I am not sure if, at that time, you will still be yourself.”

“However, from the moment you obtained the divine source of the Crimson Goddess, this might be the path you have to take unless you’re willing to give up your Purple Moon power.”

“So you can contemplate it yourself. I’ll give you seven days. If you have made a decision, find me on the morning of the eighth day, and it must be at that time.”

“At that time, I will inform you specifically. This involves gods and has karmic consequences. If you don’t come, I won’t provide the information.”

Xu Qing had been thinking about these words these few days. He guessed that after the Golden Crow and the Poison Restriction, this would be a transformation of his Purple Moon Nascent Soul.

But he didn’t understand why the heir said that after making a decision, he had to inform him on the morning of the eighth day.

Xu Qing was a little puzzled about this.

Today was the late night of the seventh day. There were still four hours before the morning the heir mentioned.

Feeling the surroundings, Xu Qing saw that the heir was different from usual. Instead of sitting in the main hall drinking tea, he was outside, on the roof, gazing at the sky.

Xu Qing’s body swayed and he disappeared from the back room. When he reappeared, he was also on the roof.

“Wait!”

The heir glanced at Xu Qing and calmly spoke, still looking at the sky.

Xu Qing nodded and sat at the side, looking at the sky.

In the sky of the Moon Worship Region, there was little light during the day and it was pitch-black at night. It was as though a black curtain had covered the sky. There were no stars and it was like the void.

The wind in the surroundings whistled over, carrying a whimper like a whistle that echoed between heaven and earth.

The entire Bitter Life Mountain Range became much quieter than before.

All the native cultivators seemed to be a little uneasy tonight.

Xu Qing extended his divine consciousness and sensed that although Li Youfei was sitting cross-legged and meditating in the house, his heartbeat was clearly racing and his expression was filled with confusion.

Feeling a bit strange, Xu Qing extended his perception in all directions. The entire Bitter Life Mountain Range, even the sounds of birds and beasts, seemed to have diminished significantly.

It was as though something was about to happen.

Time flowed by and two hours passed.

There were still two hours before dawn. The captain walked out of the apothecary and arrived at the roof. After kneeling to the heir, he sat beside Xu Qing and winked at him.

“Eldest Senior Brother.” Xu Qing looked at the captain.

“Hush…” The captain raised his index finger to his lips and then pointed to the sky.

Xu Qing fell into deep thought and waited silently.

Slowly, an hour passed.

At this moment, the wind disappeared.

All sound disappeared.

The entire Bitter Life Mountain Range fell into extreme silence.

It was the same for the green sand desert, the entire county, and the entire Moon Worship Region. At this moment… it was dead silent!

In the sky, light appeared!

It was a red light. Although it was very faint, it became the only color in the void. Hence, it was conspicuous and dazzling.

At the start, there was only one stream of light, but very soon, there were countless of them. They were like sharp blades cutting through the sky, like divine decrees of death, reading out the calamity.

Xu Qing’s mind trembled intensely. The Purple Moon power in his body fluctuated intensely, as though it was about to lose control.

In the distant horizon, as the red light gradually emerged, it became more and more abundant, even giving a sticky sensation, as if blood was spreading and infiltrating towards the entire sky of the Moon Worship Region.

A vast and mighty force, accompanied by a world-shaking momentum, terrifying fluctuations, and supreme majesty, descended upon the Moon Worship Region with the spread of the red light in the sky!

The sky turned crimson red, the ground churned, everything withered, and the human world suffered.

At this moment, the Bitter Life Mountain Range trembled, the Heavenly Fire Sea trembled, the Heavenly Bull Mountain Range trembled, and all the beings in the entire Moon Worship Region trembled. Helplessness appeared in their eyes and despair rose in their hearts.

The Sacrificial Yin River that surrounded the Moon Worship Region surged with monstrous waves. Countless skeletons rose and fell, accompanied by endless cries and howls of sorrow.

At this moment, only the temple cultivators in the temples in the Moon Worship Region were extremely excited.

They all walked out of their dwellings, kneeling on the ground, facing the horizon where the redness spread. They worshiped fervently, their expressions filled with fanaticism.

“Lord Red Moon, guide the Wanggu. Mourn for all living beings, and enjoy paradise.”

Countless voices rang out from all directions, echoing endlessly.

Red Moon was here.

Its true form was still somewhat far away from the Moon Worship Region, but It was closer than ever before in these years. Thus, Its radiance appeared first, enveloping the entire domain.

Before long, as the entire sky turned blood-red and the earth transformed into a crimson expanse, a colossal red moon would emerge on the horizon.

That would be the time when the Crimson Goddess was about to reap her harvest.

Xu Qing’s mind rumbled. He finally understood why the heir had set the date for this morning.

He also understood why the captain had appeared.

“It won’t be long before the Crimson Goddess… enters the human world.” The heir looked at the horizon and muttered softly.

“At that time, all living beings will be food.”

The heir retracted his gaze from the sky and stared at Xu Qing.

“Xu Qing, tell me about your decision?”

“How do I do it?” Xu Qing didn’t hesitate and slowly spoke.

The heir stood up and his voice echoed.

“Xu Qing, I actually don’t understand the Crimson Goddess, nor do I know how you should use your Purple Moon power. I also don’t know about the Crimson Goddess’ specific authority as a god. That is a god’s secret.”

Memories appeared in the heir’s eyes. Under the black-red sky, his figure revealed a hint of bleakness.

“However, I have seen the battle between my father and the Crimson Goddess.”

“At that time, the feeling the Crimson Goddess gave me… was hunger. Infinite hunger!”

A hint of fear appeared in the heir’s eyes.

“That hunger is extremely terrifying. It’s not just the hunger for the body but also for the soul and everything else. It seems that when She appears, hunger becomes boundless.”

“You aren’t hungry enough, so you can’t display the true power of the Purple Moon. You have to experience extreme hunger!”

“I can only tell you that… that’s the overlapping of humanity and divinity, a blending and choosing.”