At the center of the boundary between the Holy Wave Large Region and the Deep Blue Region was the Ten Guts Tree.
The army of Fenghai County County was roaring forward in the area now renamed as the Deep Blue Large Region, stretching from the Ten Guts Tree towards the location of Fenghai County.
Many huge warships sped through the sky.
The recent imperial edict from the Emperor didn't directly provide favorable terms for Fenghai County. However, with the checks on the Seventh Prince and the emergence of Princess Anhai, Fenghai County suddenly gained a sense of significance.
However, the act of both sides vying to win over Fenghai County was more of a scenario imagined in common perception. In reality, for the noble families who had reached such positions, while attempts to seek allegiance may occur, they wouldn't be excessive in their efforts.
As for the additional four provinces given by the Seventh Prince, it was likely that there was more to it than met the eye.
This was because they wouldn't allow Fenghai County to become a significant bargaining chip. Of course, as long as Fenghai County wasn't stupid, it would certainly obtain a highly favorable environment for recovery.
This was also what Fenghai County needed.
Xu Qing let out a long sigh of relief.
At that moment, he was sitting cross-legged in the secret chamber of the great wing and had ended his cultivation. The breath he exhaled slowly dissipated in front of him.
This fog he breathed out was of high temperature, causing the temperature in the secret chamber to rise a little and become hot.
Xu Qing looked at the fog in front of him and felt the temperature inside. His eyes shone brightly.
"I didn't expect to gain such a harvest from this trip!"
Xu Qing mumbled. His heartbeat sped up slightly and fluctuated.
The source of everything was the flames in the heaven and earth gourd.
After Xu Qing's research these few days, not only did he confirm that the fire in the heaven and earth gourd was harmless, but he also confirmed its melting effect on the life lantern!
This fire was strange. After absorbing it, it would cause the purple crystal to actively absorb it.
After that, some unbelievable changes would appear. The purple crystal flickered with purple light and reflected into Xu Qing's sea of consciousness. When it shone on the life lanterns in the life fog, the light could melt them!
This dissolution wasn't temporary and changed the shape of the life lantern.
Up until now, Xu Qing had never encountered such a thing. From what he knew, life lanterns were basically indestructible.
This point was also reflected in the information Xu Qing had read.
"Light from beyond the sky?"
Xu Qing mumbled but quickly rejected this guess.
This was because in the introduction of the ancient ruler who had obtained the light from beyond the sky, it only said that the other party had used the light from beyond the sky to fuse his bloodline into the life lantern and the life lantern became his own item.
This was fundamentally different from what Xu Qing was experiencing now.
The main focus of Xu Qing's research these few days was whether this dissolution would cause the life lantern to completely disappear and be unable to be used.
"It won't!"
Xu Qing lifted his hand and a red crystal the size of a fingernail appeared in his hand.
He had already verified that during the dissolution process of the life lanterns, they would transform into some elusive substances that scattered within his sea of consciousness and merged into his own bloodline. It seemed to alter his bloodline slightly, giving it a different quality.
At the same time, impurities were also diluted out, such as this red crystal, which was the unassimilable part of the dissolved life lantern.
Xu Qing didn't know what use this red crystal had. When he held it in his hand, he could sense that this item contained some essence of the life lantern. It could shine on its own and emit heat.
After observing, Xu Qing put the red crystal away with anticipation.
"If there's enough of this fire, I can stimulate more purple crystal light, causing all my life lanterns to dissolve and fuse into my bloodline."
"At that time… can I use this substance to mold my own life lantern?!"
Xu Qing felt that this method was feasible in theory. However, it was a different path from that ancient ruler. The other party had fused his bloodline into the life lantern and changed the ownership of the life lantern.
However, Xu Qing was the opposite. He was dissolving the life lantern and scattered it into his bloodline, using his bloodline to shape it.
"Although the theory is feasible, it still needs to be verified, so the key is to have enough of this fire!"
Xu Qing looked at the heaven and earth gourd.
The fire inside here was not endless; during this period of time, in Xu Qing's experiments, most of it had been consumed. Now, there was less than a layer left.
Xu Qing had asked around about its origins while he was in the Ten Guts Tree area, and obtained an answer from Palace Master Li Yunshan.
"This is the heavenly fire found at the border between the Moon Worship Region and the Lhokha Region!"
"The Lhokha Region is an enclave of the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven Race, located in the southernmost part of their territory, and it holds significant strategic importance. It borders the Moon Worship Region, and at the boundary between the two regions, there is an inland sea. However, this sea is not composed of water but of flames. The deeper you go into the sea, the more terrifying the power of the flames becomes. It has the ability to incinerate everything in its path."
"However, this sea of fire wasn't formed naturally but descended from the sky."
"At the center of the Heavenly Fire Sea, there is a rift in the sky. Boundless waves of flames pour down from within, forming a waterfall of fire that gradually transformed into a sea."
"Also, the heavenly fire is special. Once you leave that range, it will slowly turn into ordinary fire. Only some special materials can barely hold it. Your heaven and earth gourd is clearly forged from that kind of material, but even then, it won't be able to store it for long."
These were Li Yunshan's exact words.
Recalling it all, the southern regions of the Wanggu Continent became clearer in Xu Qing's mind, and a rudimentary map he had seen in the records before appeared in his mind.
The northwestern part of Fenghai County was now the Deep Blue Region. The northern part of this region was the Holy Wave Region, and the western part of the Holy Wave Region was a long river called Sacrificial Yin.
Beyond this river was the mysterious Moon Worship Region.
The northeastern border of its territory bordered the remote region of the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven Race.
"The Moon Worship Region…" A sharp glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. He stood up and pushed open the secret chamber's door. The cool wind from the outside blew over, dissipating the heat surrounding his body.
The army had already entered Fenghai County, and it wouldn't be long before they arrived at the county capital.
Walking into a pavilion, Kong Xianglong was gazing at the sky. He turned around and glanced at Xu Qing.
"Did you gain something?"
Xu Qing nodded with a smile. He stood beside Kong Xianglong and turned toward the direction of the Moon Worship Region. His eyes revealed anticipation and fascination. At the same time, he took out a voice transmission jade slip and transmitted his voice to the captain.
"Eldest Senior Brother, how's the collection of information on your side? I also have a piece of news here."
Very soon, the voice transmission jade slip vibrated. The captain's long-lost voice carried a hint of laziness and smugness as it echoed in Xu Qing's ears.
"I returned a few days ago. I was waiting for you to return from our child's place."
"Alright, I'll reach the county capital in about four hours."
They didn't discuss it in detail. After it ended, the anticipation in Xu Qing's heart grew even stronger. Kong Xianglong looked at Xu Qing suspiciously and suddenly spoke.
"Xu Qing, don't tell me you and your unreliable eldest senior brother are going to do something big again?"
Xu Qing patted Kong Xianglong's shoulder and whispered.
"Do you want to join us?"
Kong Xianglong took a deep breath and looked around. His expression was hesitant. He hesitated for a long time before shaking his head.
"I'm afraid I'll be sold by your senior brother. Can't you see that Ning Yan is scared to death when he sees your senior brother?"
Xu Qing deeply agreed. He felt that Ning Yan probably wouldn't be able to escape this time either. After all, he was still very useful as a weapon.
The army teleported several times in Fenghai County and returned to the county capital four hours later.
Just as he got off the great wing, Xu Qing received the captain's urging. Hence, after greeting his master, who came to welcome him, he left in a hurry. He didn't return to the Sword Holding Palace but found the captain in a tavern in the city.
This was the place the captain had called him to.
Upon entering, Xu Qing saw Li Shitao coming out of the captain's chamber. Seeing Xu Qing, Li Shitao smiled and didn't say much, then left the tavern.
Xu Qing blinked and walked into the chamber, where he saw a table full of food and drinks. The captain was sitting on the side, nibbling on a peach. He looked up and his gaze swept over Xu Qing before he spoke arrogantly.
"Sigh, Little Qing, I understand your worries in the past. If you're too outstanding, and girls are this proactive, it can be quite bothersome."
As the captain spoke, he lifted his sleeve and wiped his face, even though it was already clean. It seemed like he wanted to convey to Xu Qing that there was a lip print there before.
"Look, she insisted on calling me over to accompany her for lunch. It's really frustrating."
The captain sighed.
Xu Qing's expression became peculiar as he glanced at the table full of dishes, each made from precious spiritual ingredients that must have been quite expensive. While there were two sets of bowls and chopsticks, one of the sets was empty, while the other was piled up like a small mountain.
Clearly, someone was picking up food for the other.
As for who was feeding whom, Xu Qing didn't find it important; as long as the captain was happy, that was what mattered.
Hence, he showed an envious expression.
This expression made the captain feel extremely comfortable. After finishing the peach in a few bites, he brought Xu Qing to a corner and waved his hand to form a restriction. He spoke solemnly.
"Little Qing, are you mentally prepared to do something big?!"
When Xu Qing heard this, he knew that this was the captain's prelude. Generally speaking, what he was about to say next would probably be shocking.
Hence, Xu Qing cooperated with the other party's solemn expression and his expression turned solemn as well. He then nodded seriously.
Seeing that Xu Qing was so obedient, the captain was even happier. He coughed and his eyes gleamed as he spoke in a low voice.
"Junior Brother, actually, you should have been the county governor this time!"
"However, your cultivation level isn't high enough and you can't take on the role."
"However, why should we let Marquis Yao take charge of our things? Hence, I started to think about how to allow our cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds!"
"I've finally thought of a solution!"
Xu Qing raised his brows and looked at the captain.
"What method?"
The captain had a proud expression as he looked at the sky and calmly spoke.
"Let's go… and devour Red Moon!"
Xu Qing fell silent. After that, he stood up and prepared to leave.
He didn't want to court death so meaninglessly. The captain had lost his mind. He couldn't fix this situation on his own, so he was going to get the assistance of their master.
Realizing that Xu Qing was about to leave, the captain panicked and grabbed Xu Qing.
"Sigh, wait for me to finish."
Xu Qing was expressionless as he looked at the captain. He wanted to go to the Moon Worship Region but he didn't want to become food for the Crimson Goddess. That was a high god who could devour the Immortal Forbidden's god with just a clone.
Xu Qing felt that he would have to be completely crazy to take the initiative to deliver himself to Her door.
"Junior Brother, think about it. Red Moon is in a deep sleep. This is a heaven-sent opportunity. If we devour Her, once we succeed, even if we only devour a little, you'll instantly be able to reach the Spirit Repository. In fact, if we eat more, it's not impossible for us to reach Nihility!"
The captain's eyes were a little red, revealing the madness Xu Qing was familiar with.
"Junior Brother, when have I not succeeded in the major things I brought you to do before?"
Xu Qing hesitated and suddenly spoke.
"Eldest Senior Brother, did you do anything similar in your previous lives?"
