Xu Qing had long yearned for the anomalous substances of the Immortal Forbidden.
Previously, when he attempted to absorb it in the presence of his master, the convergence of those anomalous substances had greatly benefited Xu Qing. Since then, he had been suppressing his instincts and exerting great restraint.
He was like a hungry person who had a feast before him, but he had no choice but to suppress the urge and endure the extreme desire.
This was because he knew that if he had started feasting at that time, he would first attract the attention of the mutated beasts here and then the human army.
Also, before the Immortal Forbidden god was dead, if he absorbed too much of the anomalous substances here, his body would eventually be affected by the will present in those anomalous substances.
With the Red Moon also present, everything became an uncontrollable variable.
Even though Xu Qing had the purple crystal and methods to protect himself, nothing was absolute. Relying too much on the purple crystal at a critical moment wasn't a good habit.
But now, all obstacles were gone.
When the Immortal Forbidden god fought with the Crimson Goddess, it took away all the purple-red flesh and blood to form its main body, including those mutated beasts infected by its flesh and blood.
Moreover, the Immortal Forbidden was on the verge of collapse now and the human army didn't have the time to pay attention to all the areas.
This was an unprecedented opportunity.
Xu Qing didn't hesitate at all and immediately started absorbing.
In an instant, the anomalous substances left behind here surged over like a tide from all directions and rapidly entered through the pores on his body.
His body felt extremely relaxed. Every inch of flesh in his body revealed desire as he absorbed with all his might.
In the blink of an eye, a vortex formed outside Xu Qing's body due to the speed of the anomalous substances being absorbed.
As the vortex churned, Xu Qing, who was sitting cross-legged, heard the captain's voice.
"Junior Brother, I sensed through the cracks in the sky that the human army outside is repairing the sky. Based on their progress, you have at most about fifteen minutes. During this period, I will protect you and conceal any fluctuations. You need to hurry up!"
Xu Qing could not respond verbally. At this moment, the golden threads within his body were in the process of expanding, spreading relentlessly within his flesh. It was as if a parched land was crazily absorbing all the nutrients available.
Hence, he only nodded to indicate that he understood.
The anomalous substances here were actually a little different from before. Other than the remnants of the Immortal Forbidden god, they were also mixed with the aura of the Crimson Goddess.
Previously, when the Crimson Goddess' main body passed by, it caused the anomalous substances in this relatively sealed Immortal Forbidden to be even denser.
To others, these anomalous substances were like a potent poison that needed to be immediately neutralized by taking pills or using various methods. Delaying the treatment could lead to drastic mutations.
Xu Qing still had to be careful when devouring the anomalous substances of other gods. However, he didn't need to exercise such caution when it came to the anomalous substances of the Crimson Goddess.
This was because he had the Purple Moon divine source. To some extent, he was actually the most suitable vessel for the descent of the Red Moon.
So at this moment, as he absorbed, regardless of whether it was the anomalous substances of the Immortal Forbidden god or the Red Moon, they were all drawn into him. In the next instant, strands of golden divine essence were born within Xu Qing's body.
The Poison Restriction Pill, the Purple Moon Heavenly Palace, and the Ghost Emperor Mountain, these three existences that most needed the nourishment of divine essence, trembled successively, their longing becoming overwhelmingly strong. They each transformed into black holes, rapidly absorbing the divine essence.
This created a cycle within Xu Qing's body.
The integration of anomalous substances was the first step, the birth of divine essence by the golden threads was the second step, and the immediate division of each thread of divine essence was the third step.
Each stage in this cycle would determine the speed of absorbing the anomalous substances.
At that moment, the Poison Restriction, Purple Moon, and Ghost Emperor Mountain resembled three colossal furnaces, spinning at an extreme speed and burning ferociously. The suction force generated from their intense activity was transmitted to the golden threads, and from there, it was transmitted to the outside world.
In an instant, the surrounding anomalous substances gathered at an accelerated pace towards Xu Qing.
Within moments, the vortex outside his body expanded to a thousand feet and continued until it reached 5,000 feet, 8,000 feet, and finally reached 10,000 feet.
In an unending stream, wave after wave of infinite anomalous substances continued to surge into Xu Qing, intensifying the momentum that was building up.
At that moment, with the absence of the Immortal Forbidden god, Xu Qing seemed to have become the new master of the Immortal Forbidden.
The captain, who was helping to conceal the energy fluctuations, widened his eyes and gasped.
"Such a large range!"
The captain gritted his teeth, raised his hands, and pressed them firmly against his forehead. Suddenly, his entire body radiated a blue light, and a chilling aura spread in all directions, enveloping the swirling vortex that had spread from Xu Qing, further enhancing the concealment.
If it were anywhere else, the effect of this enhancement might not be very good. The changes happening here was like a torch in the darkness, quite conspicuous.
However, if that torch were placed within a sea of flames, it would not stand out as much.
And right now, the chaotic Immortal Forbidden was a sea of fire.
As the captain had said, it was safe as long as the absorption was not prolonged.
However, Xu Qing knew that time was tight. Hence, he fully immersed himself in the process, and more divine essence continued to be born.
His body had expanded by another size under the stretching of the golden threads, reaching nearly a height of ten feet.
Radiating with golden light, his entire body was adorned with numerous intricate runes that shimmered on his skin, exuding a sense of divinity.
It was as though he was no longer mundane, but filled with the aura of a god.
Upon noticing the changes in Xu Qing, the captain instinctively salivated and his nose twitched rapidly as he took several sniffs.
"It smells even better than Ning Yan."
The more the captain smelled, the more he drooled and his eyes lit up.
"I really want to take a bite, just a bite…"
The captain swallowed his saliva but discovered that he was drooling even more…
At the same time, as the captain struggled with his inner conflict, the Poison Restriction Pill within Xu Qing's body also underwent a transformation. After absorbing enough divine essence, the black golden core in the Heavenly Palace cracked with a series of popping sounds.
The cracks multiplied, and a wave of revitalization spread from within.
Although the Purple Moon Heavenly Palace and Ghost Emperor Mountain were a little slower, they began to undergo similar changes.
After about eight minutes, when Xu Qing's absorption reached its peak, the cracks in the Poison Restriction Pill had spread throughout the entire surface of the golden core. With a final cracking sound, it shattered completely.
A tiny black figure rushed out, appearing identical to Xu Qing. It was none other than the Dao Nascent formed by the Poison Restriction Pill.
After flying out, the black figure opened its mouth wide and swiftly swallowed the shattered shell of the Poison Restriction Pill. As it consumed the remains, its body trembled, emanating a terrifying power of poison restriction that was noticeably more formidable than before.
The black radiance intensified to an extreme level, erupting and illuminating the sea of consciousness, spreading throughout every inch of Xu Qing's body.
The captain, who had been paying attention to Xu Qing, sensed something and his expression changed.
"The smell has changed. Although he smells better, I feel that after taking a bite, it will be the end of my life. Wha… what poison is this?"
While a surge of astonishment filled the captain's heart, Xu Qing's aura surged once again.
This time, the source of the eruption was the Purple Moon Heavenly Palace!
The power of the Poison Restriction and the purple crystal had intercepted and plundered a trace of divine source from the Red Moon projected in Xu Qing's sea of consciousness, forming the Purple Moon
Because it had become Xu Qing's item, it was dyed purple.
Since ancient times, such a thing rarely happened. Generally speaking, only gods of a higher level or the same level could plunder each other.
So, when the Red Moon realized that a trace of Her divine source had disappeared, the first thing She did when She woke up was to be vigilant. Even as an all-powerful and all-knowing being, She could not find any trace of Her divine source.
That trace of divine source vanished into thin air.
Hence, She immediately thought that another god had harbored ill intentions toward Her.
At that moment, within the Purple Moon Heavenly Palace, the power of the divine source that originally belonged to the Red Moon was rapidly transforming. Within the Purple Moon, a faint figure began to take shape and stepped out from within it.
Dressed in a purple robe with purple hair, the figure bore a striking resemblance to the Red Moon, yet it had the appearance of Xu Qing.
That was Xu Qing's Purple Moon Dao Nascent!
At the moment of its appearance, the purple figure's lips curled into a smile. It elegantly raised its right hand and beckoned towards the purple moon behind, transforming it into a mark on its forehead.
Then, it walked to the end of the Heavenly Palace and sat upon the throne, looking past the sea of consciousness at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing swept his divine consciousness over. He could sense the feeling of looking at himself from every Dao Nascent.
The feeling of them becoming one made Xu Qing understand that from this moment on, this former Red Moon's divine source truly belonged to him and had begun to grow within him.
If the growth continued and everything unfolded as expected, then as time passed, when Xu Qing's Purple Moon Dao Nascent reached its peak, it may have the potential to take control of the Red Moon and replace it, becoming the High God Purple Moon.
In fact, at that time, he could change the perception of all living beings, making them forget about the former Red Moon and believe that the Purple Moon had always been the eternal existence throughout the ages.
"Master is right. Gods… are simply beings of a higher level than us. So, it's not impossible to replace them."
Xu Qing mumbled and continued absorbing.
After the Poison Restriction Pill and the Purple Moon Heavenly Palace formed Dao Nascents, there were already seven Dao Nascents within him!
Four of them came from the four life lanterns.
The other one was formed from the emperor-level cultivation art, Golden Crow Refines All Life.
With the addition of the Poison Restriction and the Purple Moon, at this moment, the power of the seven Dao Nascents surged from every inch of Xu Qing's body, greatly increasing his combat strength. Compared to before entering the Immortal Forbidden, the difference was like night and day.
However, this wasn't the end.
As the Ghost Emperor Mountain absorbed the power of divine essence for close to fifteen minutes, the Ghost Emperor Heavenly Palace rumbled, and the Ghost Emperor's body inside shook violently.
The original body shattered completely, and in the midst of this collapse, a Dao Nascent emerged.
As if undergoing a phoenix's rebirth, it emerged anew from the midst of death.
The eighth Dao Nascent was formed!
The power of the eight Dao Nascents erupted with a resounding force. As Xu Qing's body trembled, his aura soared to the heavens, and at that moment, he opened his eyes.
He saw the vast collapse of the Immortal Forbidden first.
The second thing he saw was the captain looking at him with profound regret and tangled emotions.
"Eldest Senior Brother?"
Noticing the captain's expression, Xu Qing flinched.
"Little Qing, you're even more fragrant but the toxicity is also greater. You're not delicious…"
The captain sighed.
Xu Qing ignored him. He stood up and calmly spoke.
"Eldest Senior Brother, stop fooling around. We should leave."
