As soon as this sound rang out, the world turned dark in this mountain range.
Compared to the surrounding sky, this place seemed to have instantly turned into a forbidden region, hostile to the living, causing all beings to prostrate. All vegetation withered and all birds and beasts mutated.
This dim boundary was still spreading and invading in all directions.
Wherever it passed, the appearance of the world changed. It was as though an illusory veil had been lifted, revealing the true essence of the world.
The world in Xu Qing's eyes was covered in numerous burial mounds and skeletons that had rotted for countless years.
At this moment, he was standing in a colossal skull exuding a terrifying aura. His purple hair fluttered behind him, while blood threads danced around. The unconscious figure he grabbed was starting to contort.
Waves of murmurs from the void echoed in the world, causing the area here to rumble.
The heavily injured and unconscious person was also stimulated by this scene and opened his eyes with much difficulty. The moment he saw Xu Qing, his eyes were first filled with confusion, then fear, and finally extreme horror.
He seemed to want to say something but he couldn't open his mouth. There was only an indescribable blood-curdling scream. As the anomalous substances invaded him and he witnessed the god, the scream echoed through the sky.
Compared to the heart-rending cries of his companion a few days ago, his scream clearly had more melody.
This was because this blood-curdling screech wasn't one but countless...
This was because countless overlapping shadows appeared on his body at this moment, as though he had become a book.
Every page was a figure of him, representing his past and the endless possibilities of his future.
They looked different but they also let out blood-curdling screams.
These screams that gathered from the past, present, and future were naturally more beautiful than his companion's.
As for Xu Qing, his gaze was calm. At that moment, the divinity in his body was surging. However, human nature didn't dissipate because it was formed from the soul threads and was in a relatively stable state.
This state could make it easier for him to make many choices according to the will of human nature.
For example, at this moment, the countless blood threads that extended from Xu Qing's body instantly drifted forward and landed on the person who was screaming. They were like tentacles that gently flipped through the other party's past.
One scene after another was clearly reflected in Xu Qing's eyes. He also saw the person's dead companion.
This wasn't soul-searching but it was even more direct than soul-searching because this was a god's ability.
Through this person's past, Xu Qing saw the other party's entire life. Just like his companion, the other party was born with a deficient soul.
It seemed that the mysterious organization was very enthusiastic about recruiting such people.
However, this person's talent was clearly higher than his companion's. Regardless of cultivation or spells, he was outstanding.
Xu Qing's gaze swept over and he continued to check until he saw the scene he wanted to know.
The location of the residence and the black-robed man's hand that was fiddling with the oil lantern.
Xu Qing was expressionless as he stared at the scene. He then tugged the blood-colored threads in front of him and forcefully pulled the image of the past out of that person's body, making it float in the air.
His gaze swept past the black-robed man on the image but he didn't act rashly. Instead, he placed it to the side.
After that, he turned his head and looked at the cultivator who was screaming. He opened his mouth and exhaled.
What emerged was purple fog. After it churned and enveloped the other party's body, threads manifested from the top of his head and spread in all directions.
That was the person who existed in all his memories.
One of the threads was located in the center. It was his life thread.
Its direction... was to the north, and wasn't far away.
"As expected, this is a clone."
Xu Qing spoke hoarsely and tugged slightly. Immediately, this life thread swayed intensely. The main body that was connected to it was directly affected.
The shadow immediately adjusted its direction according to this clue. It gathered its spreading body and moved in a straight line. This method allowed its speed and length to increase greatly.
At the same time, 500 kilometers away from Xu Qing, a middle-aged cultivator in a gray robe was moving forward. This person's appearance was ordinary and there was nothing special about him. If he was placed in a crowd, it would be very easy for him to be neglected.
His eyes were quite small which hid the dark glint that occasionally appeared in them.
At that moment, as he sped, he was also analyzing his arrangements. Although to a certain extent, his arrangements were almost perfect, he knew that he couldn't underestimate others. Hence, there was still a chance that his plan would be seen through.
"However, that's a matter for the future."
The gray-robed man muttered inwardly. He sped up and wanted to head to another county in this region, preparing to leave through the nonhuman races' teleportation array so that he could better hide himself and wait for further orders from the organization.
However, at this moment, his mind suddenly shook. The world in front of him became slightly hazy, as though the world was spinning. His soul trembled in fear.
Immediately after, a voice echoed in his soul.
"As expected, this is a clone."
These words caused the gray-robed man's expression to change drastically. Just as he was about to take action, a restraint from his soul enveloped his entire body, causing his body to stiffen and he fell from the air to the ground.
The horror in his heart had reached its limit. He wanted to attack but there were no signs of enemies in the surroundings.
However, the voice in his mind was extremely clear, and the constraints emanating from that voice were erupting.
"What's going on!"
The gray-robed man's breathing became hurried. As he fell to the ground, he struggled with all his might. After his body landed on the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood and regained a trace of mobility.
He suddenly leaped up and was about to escape. However, at the next instant, his body stiffened.
The shadow under his feet grew a blood-colored eye that emitted evilness.
"Found… you…"
In the cave, Xu Qing retracted his gaze from the life thread of the person in front of him and ignored him. Since he had captured the main body, there were some things he planned to try.
Even if he failed, it wouldn't affect the capture. If he could obtain some clues from this, this matter would become clearer.
Hence, Xu Qing looked at the image of the past that he had placed to the side.
The focus of the image was the black-robed man who was fiddling with the oil lantern.
Staring at this person, the purple moon behind Xu Qing shone brightly.
At the next instant, all the blood-colored threads outside his body headed straight for the black-robed man in the scene. They instantly penetrated and fused into him.
Using the past to see the future.
The god's power seemed to be omnipotent. As long as something existed in one's memory, it could be affected by this indirect method.
In that instant, the black-robed man actually trembled. His originally illusory state actually showed signs of turning into reality. During this process, Xu Qing also saw a portion of the black-robed man's life through his influence.
This lasted until he saw the other party worshiping the sky on an altar… However, Xu Qing couldn't see what he was looking at.
Hence, he increased the intensity of the divine source and wanted to take a deeper look. However, at this moment, a hidden will in the black-robed man's body seemed to have sensed that its host was being affected and it woke up from its slumber.
Immediately after, an extremely abrupt cold snort rang out from the image where the black-robed man was. It directly blasted into Xu Qing's mind and transformed into anomalous substances that erupted in Xu Qing's body.
This power of anomalous substances appeared out of thin air and formed an illusory scene.
In the scene, blood flowed and endless wails rang out. Anomalous substances rose and the world darkened.
It was using this scene to suppress Xu Qing.
If it was any other cultivator, they would definitely be affected at this moment. However, Xu Qing was in his god form now. As the divine source spread, it directly formed the image of the Purple Moon in his mind and suppressed everything.
Amidst the rumbling, Xu Qing's divine body swayed slightly and he took three steps back.
The anomalous substances and scenes in his mind also dissipated at this moment. However, the other party's might was extraordinary. Although they couldn't do anything to Xu Qing, it affected this place.
In an instant, the image of the past that was the source collapsed and shattered. As for the screaming clone, its body trembled and it turned into blood. The burial mounds also collapsed.
Amidst the rubble and bones, Xu Qing stood there and slowly lifted his head, looking at the night sky. A cold glint appeared in his eyes.
"I'm familiar with those anomalous substances that appeared with the cold snort…"
"I'm also familiar with the scene formed by the anomalous substances…"
"This black-robed man worshiped the sky. What he was looking at… I know what it is now."
"The anomalous substances came from the fragmented-face. The scene is the scene when the fragmented-face opens Its eyes. What the black-robed man was worshiping was that son of a b*tch fragmented-face in the sky!"
Xu Qing's heart turned cold.
When he was in the Nanhuang Continent, he knew that there was an organization. They worshiped the fragmented-face and even called themselves believers.
After coming to the human race's Grand Imperial Capital Region, he heard of this organization again and understood that other than believing in the fragmented-face, the other party's doctrine was to constantly search for the so-called divine son.
After they found the divine son, they would devour him. In this way, they would be closer to the god they believed in.
At the same time, through Princess Anhai's introduction, he realized that this organization wasn't just one of the ten super forces of the human race. It was one of the super forces of the other races as well.
It was spread all over the Wanggu Continent, seemingly present in all the races.
"True Words!"
Xu Qing mumbled. His body slowly transformed and the god form gradually dissipated. The darkness in the surroundings and the changes to the world also rapidly blurred. In the end, when Xu Qing's main body appeared, everything returned to normal.
Only the rubble under his feet proved that the scene earlier had indeed happened.
Moreover, his hair had turned somewhat purple. It was as though the display of the god form on the third level still affected him in the end.
It was also at this moment that a whistling sound resounded from afar. The gray-robed man's figure sped over and arrived behind Xu Qing. His expression was fanatical and filled with piety. However, his eyes were filled with unprecedented horror as he knelt down and spoke loudly.
"Greetings to the Master! There is something I have long wanted to tell you. Today, I use this form to express my true feelings. Master, you are an admirable figure, full of wisdom. Your wisdom and talent inspire trust and reliance in me. Under your leadership, I persist to develop and progress, feeling safe, comfortable, and at ease."
The shadow spoke loudly with a sincere expression. However, its gaze that didn't belong to it became increasingly horrified.
In the dark night, Xu Qing stood in front. His light purple long hair fluttered in the wind.
The gray-robed figure behind him kowtowed fanatically.
"Let's return to the Imperial City."
Xu Qing serenely spoke and stepped forward, walking into the night.
