In the world of the Moon Rebel Hall, the shock and commotion caused by the light emanating from the highest temple gradually subsided as time passed and the gate didn't open.
The anticipation was gradually replaced by disappointment.
Even the light in the highest temple dimmed. When only the faint light was still flickering, regret rose within everyone.
"Actually, there has always been a legend circulating in the Moon Rebel Hall."
"Legend has it that the Red Moon Crimson Goddess once placed a curse on the predecessor of the Moon Rebel Hall, cursing it… to never have a new master."
"Therefore, since ancient times, the light of the highest temple has flashed and shaken many times. However, from the start to the end, its gate has never opened once."
The two deputy hall masters in the air sighed softly.
"This fellow Daoist passed the first round but just like the first deputy hall master, fourth deputy hall master, and me back then, he didn't pass the second round and couldn't open the gate."
"Looks like we're going to have another companion. It's also a good thing for us to have another deputy hall master at this time!"
As the two deputy hall masters transmitted their voices to each other, the cultivators of the Moon Rebel Hall sighed.
Although the appearance of a new deputy hall master was a huge incentive for everyone, the commotion in the highest temple seemed to give everyone hope.
This was especially so in this wartime. This hope led many cultivators of the Moon Rebel Hall to yearn for a true master of the Moon Rebel Hall.
They needed someone with the hall master identity to lead them, to unleash their brilliance at the final moment of life, to burn and incinerate everything with the flames of their existence.
Such hope turned into disappointment and regret at this moment. After that, the Moon Rebel Hall fell silent.
At the same time, in the highest temple in the sky above the Moon Rebel Hall, Xu Qing opened his eyes.
This temple was much larger than ordinary temples, grand in every aspect. 99 huge pillars supported the dome of the temple.
Looking up, the circular dome transformed into the sun, moon, and stars, slowly rotating. In the center was a massive mirror shining with a dazzling array of colors.
It reflected the mountain of the Moon Rebel Hall.
In addition, on the walls of this temple, numerous mysterious pictures were carved. Some were runes, some took on the forms of beasts, while others depicted human silhouettes.
Each of them emitted waves of soul-stirring pressure.
As for the top seat of the hall, there was an altar there. A huge shrine was built on it and there was a statue of a god standing inside.
This statue was different from the statues in the temples outside; it lacked excessive embellishments and depicted a solitary figure.
Its appearance was none other than Ruler Li Zihua!
At that moment, the eyes of the statue had already opened. The divine radiance it emitted belonged to Xu Qing.
Xu Qing stared at his surroundings and recalled the scene earlier.
He remembered walking through the gap in the stone gate, and the next instant, after the radiance illuminated his world, he opened his eyes and found himself here.
"The highest temple?"
Xu Qing lifted his head and looked at the mirror on the dome, at the outside world reflected there. He could sense the regret and disappointment in the expressions of the Moon Rebel Hall cultivators outside.
He recalled what he had seen when he looked up when he came to the Moon Rebel Hall. It was the highest hall floating above the nine temples.
A long time later, Xu Qing retracted his gaze and looked at the distant… temple gate.
"Why did that artifact spirit old man say that there's a second stage, is it this gate?"
Xu Qing fell silent and walked out.
Amidst the rumbling, the statue of Li Zihua walked down the altar and arrived beside the gate.
Standing there, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. After observing for a while, he lifted his hand and pushed the gate.
However, the gate didn't even budge. It was as though it was completely locked and couldn't be shaken at all. There wasn't even the slightest sound.
Xu Qing frowned. He circulated the cultivation base in his body and used all his might to forcefully push it open. However, it was still useless.
The gate remained motionless.
Xu Qing lifted his hand. After some thought, his eyes turned pitch-black. The power of the Poison Restriction followed his gaze and landed on the gate. The Purple Moon in his body circulated violently. As his divine repository undulated, a large amount of blood spread out from Xu Qing's body and gathered outside his body, forming a blood-colored vortex.
Finally, it blasted toward the gate.
However, there was no movement on the gate. Xu Qing's expression suddenly changed and he quickly retreated.
The instant he retreated, a red light flashed above the gate, revealing a totemic painting that was the size of the gate.
This totem was a figure with both hands covering its eyes and blood flowing from all over its body.
It clearly looked evil but it gave off a holy feeling that permeated the surroundings.
This appearance was exactly what the Crimson Goddess looked like.
Xu Qing's heart trembled. The Purple Moon in his body fluctuated intensely and he sensed the aura of the Crimson Goddess. It was as though this totem… was painted by the Crimson Goddess.
"The gate of the highest temple in the Moon Rebel Hall actually has the mark of the Crimson Goddess!"
"Is this the second stage?"
Xu Qing felt that something was amiss. This didn't feel like the second round of assessment, but was more like the Crimson Goddess' seal on the Moon Rebel Hall.
"Therefore, in reality, there's no second round and the master of the Moon Rebel Hall should have appeared a long time ago. However, all those who passed the assessment before me stopped here."
"It is impossible to become the master of the Moon Rebel Hall without breaking the seal of the Crimson Goddess."
Xu Qing's thoughts spun. After coming to an understanding, he came to the front of the gate again and observed it carefully. During this time, he even carefully spread out his Purple Moon power.
Unfortunately, this gate was extremely sensitive to his Purple Moon power. The moment it appeared, it would cause intense fluctuations.
In the end, Xu Qing simply retracted the power of the Purple Moon. Instead, his eyes turned pitch-black as he used his Poison Restriction power to invade and sense it.
Time flowed by. A few days later, through the Poison Restriction, Xu Qing gradually gained a rough understanding of this gate and the totem on it.
As he understood, his expression first became strange before turning solemn.
What created him solemn was that through the Poison Restriction, Xu Qing could sense that all the temples on the mountain outside were emitting some invisible aura at all times.
No one sensed these auras. They were being absorbed by the totem. Xu Qing couldn't tell what they were for the time being.
What made his expression strange was that he could sense a small totem at the lower right corner of this huge totem. However, it was blurry and faint.
If it wasn't for the fact that Xu Qing's Poison Restriction had spread to all the areas and the Purple Moon's power had caused the Crimson Goddess' totem to fluctuate, it would have been almost impossible to sense it.
The appearance of this small totem was the source of Xu Qing's strange expression.
It actually had the exact same face as the captain.
When Xu Qing discovered it, it was secretly chewing on the totem. Although it could only take a small bite every time, its speed was very fast, like a rabid dog.
However, every time it bit, the totem would recover on its own…
"Eldest Senior Brother?"
Xu Qing thought about it and attempted to send his thoughts to the small totem.
The instant these thoughts entered, the small totem that was crazily chewing suddenly shook. It abruptly lifted its head and its eyes revealed ecstasy as it quickly responded.
"Little Qing!"
"You're finally here. I realized you would definitely appear!"
Sensing Xu Qing, the captain became excited. He struggled rapidly and his entire body shone with blue light. Finally, he reappeared at the bottom right corner of the gate and looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing also looked at him.
"Eldest Senior Brother, you… how are you here?"
The captain had a smug expression as he laughed.
"How is it? Are you surprised?"
"This is the plan I told you about earlier!"
"My plan this time is very good. After entering the trial ground, I provoked the artifact spirit and made him turn me into an ice sculpture, sinking me into the depths of the lake."
"This way, I can use the methods I left behind here back then to bypass the trial and directly appear in this gate."
"After that, by pushing the door open, I will obtain the authority of the Moon Rebel Hall and become the Lord of the Moon Rebel Hall."
"Once I succeed, I can borrow the power of the Moon Rebel Hall to find all the shattered body parts of my previous lives. This is the main condition of my plan to kill the Crimson Goddess."
When Xu Qing heard this, he gazed at the small totem transformed by the captain and then at the large totem of the Crimson Goddess before sighing.
"The result?"
The captain's expression was a little awkward before he became indignant.
"Little Qing, I was careless this time. I didn't expect the Crimson Goddess to be so sneaky. I realized that she had put a seal in the Moon Rebel Hall, but that old hag put a few more seals during the intervals when I died in my past lives and reincarnated in other regions."
"Seriously. There is even a seal that's actually resistant to bites!!"
"I can only take my time to bite it. Originally, I would have finished biting it very soon and become the Lord of Moon Rebel Hall. Now, I have to waste more time. Fortunately, I still have a backup plan."
"Now that you're here, our chances are even greater. With our combined efforts, we'll devour the Crimson Goddess' seal together! At that time, both of us will be the Masters of the Moon Rebel Hall!"
Xu Qing nodded when he listened this. He wasn't too interested in being the master of the Moon Rebel Hall, but since it was something his senior brother needed, he pondered for a moment, contemplating how to proceed.
"Eldest Senior Brother, I sense that this Crimson Goddess totem is absorbing energy from outside. This should be the source of its formation."
The captain smiled.
"This is my backup plan. That's the fire of faith produced by hope. Every cultivator who enters the Moon Rebel Hall contains hope in their hearts. According to the research in my previous life, this is also what the Crimson Goddess wants."
"In fact, I already suspected that the reason why the Moon Rebel Hall could continue to exist was somehow connected to the Crimson Goddess' laissez-faire attitude."
"However, the Crimson Goddess is currently in deep slumber. She can only keep this fire of hope after She awakens. And fire, you see, has a dual nature—it can provide warmth, but it can also consume and burn."
"This is also the reason why I arrived here after that show."
"Let this fire burn even more intensely, then we add some fuel to make it erupt, incinerating the Crimson Goddess' seal. Coupled with my gnawing, we'll surely succeed!"
"And now, what we lack is the oil. Little Qing, if my calculations aren't wrong, this oil will appear this month."
