All magical treasures in the world, even Taboo treasures, no matter how powerful they were, could not compare to the power of the gaze of the fragmented face of the god.
Because that was the sight of the god.
No matter what level of cultivation a mighty cultivator had, even if their divine abilities and Dao techniques could change the world, they still could not compare to… the fragmented face of the god in the sky.
It was a suppression of life. It was a life-and-death mark that hung above the heads of all the races in the entire Wanggu Continent.
At this moment, as the wooden box was opened and the formless and colorless light was released, the sky changed drastically. The clouds and fog rolled violently, as if they had turned into a raging sea.
There seemed to be a faint murmur that shook one's soul and body. It reverberated in the world and let out a ferocious roar of malevolence and pain.
Whether it was because this sound made the world blurry or the world distorted due to the light, the entire area of the Eight Sects Alliance became extremely blurry and distorted.
In this blur and distortion, everything seemed to be swaying.
Waves of dense anomalous substances that were found in the forbidden zones appeared out of thin air.
From the ground, from the river, from the gravel.
From the bricks and tiles, from all the produce, from all the items, from all the existences, they rose up into the air, forming wisps of fog that shook the heavens and the earth.
The clouds in the sky changed color rapidly as the fog merged into them. In the blink of an eye, they became oppressive black clouds.
Crimson lightning rumbled as blood-colored rain fell from the sky.
It was as if the god had opened His eyes at this moment and was looking at the Eight Sects Alliance!
An unimaginable and irresistible terror descended.
The city of the Eight Sects Alliance was like the small city in the Nanhuang Continent back then, silent in the rain of blood.
The power from the god was like a calamity that affected the life trajectory of all living beings and changed them.
The entire Eight Sects Alliance was rapidly turning into a forbidden zone!
The entire Yinghuang Province was horrified. Everyone from the various powers and sects who could sense the energy fluctuations here were completely shaken.
Both the mortals and the ancestors found it difficult to escape the borders of the Alliance. Everything turned into despair!
The buildings in the Alliance corroded and collapsed.
All life was invaded, and their mutation points grew crazily.
Even if their cultivation bases had reached a certain level, and the mutation point in their bodies had been hidden and faded away, they could not do anything when there was a large number of them.
Mortals were even more hopeless.
Cultivators could not escape their fate.
Heaven and earth were also included.
Everything, everything, was arranged by fate at this moment.
The entire city turned pitch-black, and wails filled the air.
Everyone who heard it instinctively felt their hair stand on end. The light in their eyes and the souls in their bodies dimmed.
They were all dissipating.
There were some disciples whose bodies already had a slightly denser amount of anomalous substances, but were temporarily suppressing them. Their bodies instantly rotted and turned into purple-black corpses.
Mutation was also occurring.
Cultivators were transforming into ferocious beasts. Amidst the inhuman screams, they rose from the ground. Their skin tore, and their flesh was mangled. At the same time, bizarre entities were born from the void.
The opening of the box caused the Eight Sects Alliance to descend into complete chaos, as if it had turned into hell on earth.
Up in the sky, the faces of Xue Lianzi, Old Master Seventh, and the ancestors of the Eight Sects Alliance all flickered.
Disbelief and astonishment could be seen on their faces. This scene had completely exceeded their imagination.
The ancestors were normally incredibly powerful, but as of this moment, they were all emanating a boundless amount of anomalous substances, and blood was oozing out of their mouths.
They wanted to attack, but under the gaze of the god, their bodies were completely restricted, and the anomalous substances inside them erupted with madness. They had to go all out to suppress it, and couldn't be distracted at all.
Only the Alliance Leader was able to barely struggle. However, his face was shaking and he was forced to reveal his true form. He was surrounded by black mist, and was panting as he stared down at the ground.
There was a hint of fear in the depths of his eyes that had not appeared on him for many years. He let out a low shout.
"God's Sight, who… are you!?!?"
Terror filled the eight sects. Colors flashed in the sky, and blood rained down. Red raindrops fell onto the young man's god mask, then dripped down onto the ground.
There was nostalgia in his eyes, as well as a bit of emotion. He let the blood rain down as he continued walking forward.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that even though the surrounding blood rain had a shocking amount of anomalous substances, the candied hawthorn in his hand was not contaminated or stained at all.
He protected it very well.
Night Dove's eyes shone with fanaticism and reverence as he looked at the young man like he were looking at the god. He followed him with the box in one hand and the head in the other.
The two of them walked along the streets of this chaotic world. When they had walked far away, the young man looked away from the sky and looked at the ancestors of the Eight Sects Alliance.
After looking at them one by one, he finally looked at the struggling Xue Lianzi and Old Master Seventh.
"Your people killed Bai Li. It's reasonable."
"I came to take the head of the murderer and watch the performance. It's also reasonable."
This was the first thing he said to the people from the Eight Sects Alliance.
After saying that, he led Night Dove and walked into the distance.
He waved his hand, causing both Saintly Star father and son to tremble. Fear and respect appeared in their eyes as they approached the young man.
The people from the Eight Sects Alliance could only watch helplessly as they watched him leave. They could not stop him at all. From the beginning to the end, the young man was very calm. If he wanted to come, no one could obstruct him; If he wanted to leave, no one could stop him.
When he reached the horizon, the young man's voice rang out in the Eight Sects Alliance, echoing in the ears of the Alliance Leader who was staring at him.
"You call Him a god, I call Him a deity."
The young man left, taking Saintly Star and his father along with him.
Since they were no longer looked at by the god's gaze, the mutation of the Eight Sects Alliance no longer had a source, and its transformation into a forbidden zone was interrupted.
This was already the best outcome for the Eight Sects Alliance. Once the Alliance became a forbidden zone, they would be doomed eternally.
As long as it wasn't completely transformed, it could be reversed.
As the blood clouds in the sky dissipated, all the ancestors fell silent for a moment before they dispersed with complicated expressions.
Now was not the time to discuss this matter. They knew very well that the most important thing now was to recover their losses.
Therefore, without any hesitation, they quickly returned to their respective sects and began to deal with the anomalous substances in their cities.
This time, the Eight Sects Alliance suffered a great loss, and the greatest loss was suffered by the Seven Blood Eyes.
At the same time, Illuminate's name had risen to prominence in the entire Yinghuang Province because of this incident. It was firmly engraved into memories and records by all the major factions, and their fear toward it was extremely intense.
All of this was because of that box!
It was easy to imagine that the news of what had happened in the Yinghuang Province would soon spread to other provinces and even the entire county. The light in that box was that horrifying!
Everyone, all clans, and all forces would have a new understanding of Illuminate!
They would analyze the rumors about Illuminate, such as how they could let the members master the power of the gods…
The word 'Illuminate' was also analyzed by various parties. The concept of Illuminate ran deeper than what meets the eye. In fact, the term itself had several layers of significance.
A torch, depending on its state, could go by different names - unlit, mounted.
The very word implied light, of course, but it held a much more profound connotation - one that spoke of bringing clarity to the mysteries that surround us. As a result, the symbolism of light gave it the name of - Illuminate!
As the young man representing Illuminate left with Night Dove and Saintly Star father and son, the Eight Sects Alliance was busy recovering their losses. Xu Qing was currently speeding through the wasteland some distance away from the Eight Sects Alliance.
He didn't know what had happened in the Alliance. The last thing he remembered about the Alliance was the moment the Infinite Crown collapsed and the Life Substituting Ghost Baby's three lives were all destroyed before he was teleported away.
After being teleported to the wasteland outside, the instant he appeared, Xu Qing's countenance turned pale and intense waves stirred in his heart. He recalled that moment and was aware that he had been infinitely close to death.
He could not see the enemy, but he knew that someone with a terrifying cultivation must have attacked him.
As his heart palpitated, he was anxious about the current situation of the Seven Blood Eyes. However, he knew that if they really encountered an irresistible force, it would be meaningless for him to participate with his cultivation.
That was why he didn't rush back. Instead, he hid his cultivation base and changed his appearance before running towards the Alliance.
As he moved, he thought about the reason for this. For some reason, the voice transmission jade slip had lost its effect.
This caused Xu Qing to feel even more uneasy. Several days later, when he was about seven days away from the alliance, in the darkness of the night, Xu Qing was moving in a forest when he suddenly came to a stop.
Under the moonlight, he saw a group of people.
Walking in front was a black-robed man wearing a mask that resembled the fragmented-face of the god. His footsteps were relaxed, and his body exuded elegance. As he walked forward, he was holding a candied hawthorn that was not stained with any dust.
The red candied hawthorn was very conspicuous in the dark night.
Behind him were three people. Two of them were Saintly Star and his father.
However, Xu Qing's gaze involuntarily landed on the black-robed man.
It landed in his right hand that was holding a head by its hair.
As the head swayed and slowly turned around, Xu Qing's body shuddered.
Xu Qing saw the face of the head, as well as the eyes that were still open.
Xu Qing's footsteps halted as he stood there in a daze.
All the sounds in the surroundings seemed to disappear at that moment. Everything became blurry, and the only thing left in the world was that familiar face.
Xu Qing suddenly felt very cold.
It was just like the winter in the slums when he was young. After watching his companions freeze to death, the cold he felt chilled his heart and soul.
Gradually, it turned into trembling.
Amidst the cold and trembling, he remembered something Captain Lei had once said.
No matter how long the night was, day would always come.
But today, the night and the cold seemed exceptionally long…
