Xu Qing's voice, like it was separated by years, and as if it spread underwater, reverberated within this space.
Every word contained Dao intent. After it was combined, it seemed to have become a drop of water that had activated a mysterious Dao Art and landed on the surface of the water.
It turned into a clear sound.
Dong…
As this sound spread, ripples appeared in this space and spread in all directions.
Unknowingly, this place… became the surface of the water.
As for the Fifth Prince, all eight of his figures trembled. A hint of shock appeared on his face and his heart churned to the extreme.
He had never seen such divine art!
Hence, he had never had such a feeling. However, he could sense the aura that appeared in this space at this moment. It was so vast that it even gave him the feeling of a Dao source.
What made his heart rumble the most was that he had already sensed that he had lost all mobility at this instant. His body couldn't move at all, and his cultivation seemed to have frozen. His spells and everything he had were frozen.
The shock on his face seemed to have become eternal.
Only his thoughts could still move but it was useless. After that, as Xu Qing's voice rang out again, an even more shocking scene appeared.
"In the well lies all things, encompassing every divine skill, every magical treasure, every form imaginable… including the real you."
As his voice echoed, the number of ripples on the surface of the water increased. In the Fifth Prince's eyes, he saw his figure appearing in the water under his feet…
Not only was there his figure, but there were also all his magic treasures. There were even flames burning inside. Those were his spells.
Not only that, but there were also many spells, including the ones he had cultivated all his life.
There was even his Heavenly Dao and all the laws he comprehended. Even the altar and urn were revealed.
All his secrets, everything, regardless of whether it was illusory arts or real things, appeared on the surface of the water.
This scene completely shook the Fifth Prince. He instantly determined that… once his figure in the water was injured, it would affect his main body.
This premonition made him attempt to struggle. However, at this moment, all his actions were useless.
His reflection in the water became clearer and clearer.
This battle seemed to be in a separate space but in reality, it was happening in the palace. However, under the interference of the palace's array formation, it was isolated.
Hence, everyone in the palace could sense the battle.
They saw the Fifth Prince's strange corpse fire, the strangeness of the chains formed by the urn, and the scene of the Fifth Prince trying to extract Xu Qing's soul.
Similarly, they also saw Xu Qing's attack.
During the Dao discussion back then, although Xu Qing also made a move, he only displayed his god form. However, today, his god form used a spell, causing waves in the onlookers' hearts.
The descent of the three mountains was just one of the waves.
After all, many people had sensed Xu Qing and the little butterfly's battle that day.
What really caused them to be shocked was the appearance of this technique Xu Qing used now.
No one had seen this technique before!
The 13 Heavenly Kings were also moved. The Human Emperor leaned forward slightly and a strange glint appeared in his eyes.
Under everyone's attention, Xu Qing's voice calmly echoed in the space.
"He is you."
The moment these words rang out, the Fifth Prince's mind buzzed and the world in front of him instantly became blurry. It was as though there was water flowing, covering everything and turning blurry.
In this blurry state, the him he was looking at didn't move at all. There were no spells, laws, or magic treasures beside him like what he had seen earlier.
This discovery caused his heart to tremble again. He immediately realized that… what he was looking at wasn't his body in the water.
It was his main body outside the water.
Unknowingly, his consciousness was no longer in his body outside the water surface but… had fused into the figure in the water.
He couldn't resist or stop it!
This realization caused endless thoughts to rise in the Fifth Prince's heart. He was unwilling but he had no way to resolve it. He wanted to struggle but it was meaningless.
This lasted until he saw a hand.
Xu Qing lifted his hand and gently scooped it toward the surface of the water.
This simple action contained endless Dao Arts. Moreover, his technique that didn't emit any aura also gave off a relaxed feeling.
In reality, that was indeed the case.
It was extremely easy for Xu Qing to fish for other people's souls after he comprehended that he could fish out the moon in his mind.
In fact, during this period of time, he was also thinking about the other changes in the well.
To a certain extent, this Dao Art could fish out everything in the world. There was no need to limit it to the moon.
Moon was just a special pointer.
Hence, at that moment, he calmly lifted his hand and dipped it into the water, gently scooping up the Fifth Prince who was in the water. As water droplets scattered down, the Fifth Prince's soul appeared in Xu Qing's palm.
He retracted it slightly.
This space rumbled and instantly collapsed. Even the bone chains that sealed Xu Qing's soul threads lost control and shattered into pieces.
It was the same for the spinning chains around Xu Qing.
Including the figures of the other seven Fifth Princes in the air, they all dissipated with this space.
As everything shifted, the palace was reflected in Xu Qing's eyes.
The Fifth Prince stood rooted to the ground. His face was pale and his eyes were listless, not moving at all.
He had lost his spirit and only his body existed at this moment. He had become a soulless living corpse.
As for Xu Qing, he had been sitting on his seat the entire time. His expression didn't change much and he was looking at his palm with his head lowered.
He wasn't the only one watching. In the main hall, the gazes of everyone gathered here in unison.
In his palm was the Fifth Prince's soul.
"As a prince, you have contributed a lot to the human race by guarding the borders. So, I won't make it difficult for you."
Xu Qing calmly spoke.
"I'll only take one of your spells. You can come and take it whenever you think you can defeat me!"
As he spoke, Xu Qing waved his right hand. Immediately, the Fifth Prince's soul in his palm split into several wisps that headed straight for the Fifth Prince below. In the end, there was only the funerary urn left. After Xu Qing held it in his palm, he kept it.
As for the Fifth Prince, his entire body trembled and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes. He quickly recovered and looked at Xu Qing with a complicated expression. After a moment of silence, he bowed and took a few steps back, returning to his seat and closing his eyes.
The hall was silent. The thoughts in everyone's hearts formed waves that echoed in their sea of consciousness.
Today's events added a touch of mystery to the evaluation of Xu Qing by these human elites. The scene of turning the heavens and earth into a water surface and retrieving souls gave people an inexplicable feeling.
"Unless one's cultivation level surpasses Xu Qing by a lot or they have special treasures…"
"This divine ability has a profound Dao aura and an ancient feeling. This shouldn't be a modern technique."
"With the vastness of this divine power, if it has appeared in the past, it's impossible for there to be no traces left…"
Everyone in the hall fell into deep thought. Some thought of the Summer Immortal Palace.
"Does this Dao Art have a name?" Among the Heavenly Kings participating in the court meeting, a female Heavenly King who wore a Daoist robe and had a blurry appearance suddenly spoke.
As she spoke, everyone's gaze landed on Xu Qing.
"Fishing the Moon From the Well."
Xu Qing calmly replied.
"Good name."
The female Heavenly King nodded slightly and stopped asking.
As for this court meeting, it was already coming to an end.
Hence, the Grand Chancellor glanced at the sky outside and spoke to the ministers in the hall.
"Everyone, if you have something to report, please do so; if not, we shall end the meeting."
Everyone lowered their heads.
The Grand Chancellor swept his gaze across and looked at the Human Emperor, waiting for a while.
"Then…"
The Grand Chancellor nodded and was about to announce the end of today's court meeting. However, at this moment, in the sky outside the Imperial City, a bloody light shook the heavens and the earth.
First, people saw it. After that, there was a sharp whistling sound.
This sound was extremely loud and clear. When it landed in the ears of all living beings in the Imperial City, it formed an explosive momentum. Even the ground of the Imperial City trembled.
It rushed toward the palace from the horizon. Its speed was so fast that it was as though it had teleported. Its momentum was earth-shattering, as though all array formations and obstacles couldn't affect it at all.
In fact, not only did the imperial city's array allow it to pass, but it also enhanced it, causing its speed to be faster.
In fact, within this blood light, there was even the aura of the Sun of Dawn. It gave off a feeling that one couldn't resist or stop it. If one forcefully glimpsed it, they would definitely collapse and both sides would be reduced to ashes.
Its appearance was sensed by the officials in the palace immediately. The Human Emperor suddenly lifted his head and his expression changed drastically.
Because among the human race, there existed a supreme means of communication, which utilized the blood-red enigmatic bird as a carrier. It could transmit information in the utmost secrecy across any distance within the human territories, ensuring that the message reached its destination immediately.
At that moment, the blood light that appeared on the horizon was precisely this message.
All the Heavenly Kings' auras surged instantly, and the expressions of all the Heavenly Marquises changed drastically. Other officials adjusted themselves and turned their heads simultaneously, looking towards the palace gates. As the blood light pierced into the palace with a sharp and urgent sound, it transformed into a blood-red enigmatic bird, landing in the hands of the Human Emperor.
With a flash of blood radiance, it turned into a blood-colored jade slip.
The Human Emperor stared. After sensing it, his expression slowly darkened and an oppressive atmosphere disseminated through the entire palace. Everyone's hearts trembled.
At the same time, more blood-red enigmatic birds appeared in the sky and flew over one after another.
A total of nine of them rushed into the palace and transformed into the same jade slips around the Human Emperor. One of them landed in the Grand Chancellor's hand with a flick of the Human Emperor's finger.
The Grand Chancellor grabbed it. After sensing it, his eyes instantly shone with a sharp light. He held it tightly and a hoarse voice emanated from his mouth.
"The Si'e Race, one of the three affiliated races of the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven, has mobilized an army of ten million and invaded our northwest border, initiating warfare!"
"At the same time, another subsidiary race of the Flame Moon, Baize Race, has mobilized its entire race's strength and teleported to the battlefield in the Black Heaven Race to reinforce Black Heaven. The commander of the war in Black Heaven, King Dong Ding, has been severely injured."
"Our side is in danger on the Black Heaven Battlefield, and our northwest border is facing a crisis as well."
