The captain blinked.
"That's not important. We'll talk about it later. Let's talk about the Red Moon first."
"Junior Brother, you have to think about it the other way around. If we don't devour Her this time, once She wakes up, She'll be able to find us with just a thought!"
"You have Her divine source and I have Her aura. We are basically thieves to Her, and will definitely be killed."
"So, we have to kill Her before She wakes up!"
"She's just a woman, no need to be afraid!" The captain took out a peach and took a fierce bite.
Xu Qing's breathing hastened slightly as thoughts churned in his mind. His eyes were a little bloodshot. He knew that the captain was up to something big. He had suspected that it wasn't a minor matter before, but he hadn't anticipated it being this significant.
"Senior Brother, tell me in detail."
Xu Qing gritted his teeth.
When the captain heard this, excitement appeared on his face and he quickly spoke.
"Little Qing, the Moon Worship Region is an extremely special region. To the Black Heaven Race, that place can be said to be an existence similar to a holy land. Or rather, that place is a holy land."
"Because… the Moon Worship Region is a place the Red Moon has to pass through!"
"Red Moon is Red Moon, and Crimson Goddess is Crimson Goddess!"
The captain looked at Xu Qing with a serious expression.
Xu Qing nodded and listened attentively.
"You first need to understand a concept clearly, and that is… the Crimson Goddess resides and slumbers on the Red Moon, which is a celestial body—a star, a moon, a unique heavenly body!"
"Therefore, if we want to devour the Crimson Goddess, we have to first enter Her resting place, the Red Moon!"
"But the Red Moon is in the sky, and although it follows a certain trajectory, its whereabouts are hard to trace. Even if we see it, getting close is difficult."
"However, it's different in the Moon Worship Region. There's a shocking statue on the Repentance Plain in the center of this region!"
Speaking of this statue, the captain's expression was somewhat peculiar, filled with a mixture of emotions and a touch of nostalgia.
Upon seeing this, XvQing pondered for a moment.
"This statue is incredibly tall, despite being in a kneeling posture of repentance. It seems to support the heavens and the earth, its height defying description, as if it reaches infinitely close to the top of the sky."
"Every time the Red Moon passes by that spot along Its trajectory, It will whiz past the top of the statue's head. So standing at the top of the statue, the Red Moon seems almost within reach. That location is also where the Red Moon is at Its lowest point. The information I've gathered allows me to be certain of this."
"Therefore, from there, the moment the Red Moon moves past, we can leap with all our might and step onto the Red Moon."
With that, the captain took out a peach. After taking a bite, he looked at Xu Qing.
"As for what we'll do after we step into the Red Moon, I have prepared and made plans for it. Crimson Goddess… I'm definitely going to devour Her this time!"
The captain's eyes were red with madness.
A hint of contemplation appeared in Xu Qing's eyes as he asked.
"Senior Brother, the identity of this statue?"
When the captain heard this, he fell silent for a few breaths. He casually threw a peach to Xu Qing and spoke hoarsely.
"That statue was a human ruler who refused to leave with the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether. The original Moon Worship Region was his territory!"
"He and the Crimson Goddess originally had an unprecedented battle there back then. In the end, the ruler died in battle. However, there should be other grudges between him and the Crimson Goddess, so the Crimson Goddess cursed his physical form to eternal prostration and transformed his territory into a pasture."
"After that, every once in a while, when the lives in the Moon Worship Region mature, the Red Moon will come and devour all living beings. Be it mortals or cultivators, they are all food."
"Especially cultivators, it consumes them according to their cultivation levels, starting from the highest. The first to be devoured are those in the Nihility. The curse's existence also means that all life born within the Moon Worship Region can never leave it for even a step during their entire lives. Any transgression against this rule will result in instant death."
"Therefore, the cultivators in the Moon Worship Region are all in pain and conflict. The end of their cultivation is death. However, living in that harsh environment, if they don't cultivate, it will be very difficult for them to live for long. It's become an inescapable dilemma."
The captain's tone was deep as he fiercely took a bite of the peach.
"After all, the Moon Worship Region lacks a genuine sun; only artificial light sources and sporadic bursts of heavenly fire illuminate the entire realm, but they carry immense harm."
"Especially considering that there are also the dependents of the Crimson Goddess present there, herding for Her. Thus, in the minds of many high-ranking members of various races, this Moon Worship Region is referred to as Red Moon's Spirit Enclosure."
Xu Qing remained silent, combining the information he had previously found. He could imagine the misery within the realm of the Moon Worship Region, and how the various races living there must have suffered. In such an environment, their characters were undoubtedly pushed to their limits, bringing out the worst aspects of their natures to the extreme.
"Purgatory," Xu Qing mumbled. Just as he was about to take a bite of the peach in his hand, the captain suddenly lifted his head and looked at Xu Qing in surprise.
"Why do you have a peach?"
"You gave it to me."
Xu Qing was surprised.
The captain hurriedly took it away and placed an apple in Xu Qing's hand.
Xu Qing glanced at the captain and took a bite of the apple. He then thought of the heavenly fire and asked.
"Heavenly fire? I haven't paid much attention to that place, but I've gathered some scattered information," the captain said, taking a moment to organize his thoughts in his mind.
"It is said that the core of the sea of fire, that rift in the sky, has existed since ancient times. It was originally small, but over time, it has grown larger and larger."
"Very few people know what's inside the rift. Many races have tried to explore it over countless years, but it seems they have all been unsuccessful. All we know is that it's like an endless realm of fire, and entering it means certain death."
"Junior Brother, are you planning to go to the Heavenly Fire Sea?" The captain asked curiously.
Xu Qing nodded.
"That's convenient then. According to my deductions, although the arrival of the Red Moon is imminent, it won't be happening too soon. And for this major event, I still have some arrangements to complete within the Moon Worship Region."
"This way, we can ensure greater certainty when the Red Moon arrives. So, you have ample time. We'll quietly leave in these few days. You focus on your tasks, and I'll take our weapon to complete the other arrangements."
"Then, we'll meet at the Unending Heavenly Bull Mountain. This place here."
As the captain spoke, he took out a map of the Moon Worship Region and pointed to one of the areas.
"How is it, Little Qing? Are you going to do this or not?"
Xu Qing's breathing hastened slightly. After a long time, he nodded.
"Let's go first. As for whether we'll act or not, let's decide after looking at the situation."
"Also, Eldest Senior Brother, you still haven't told me. Have you done such a thing in the past?" Xu Qing looked at the captain.
The captain coughed and lifted his finger that was on the map, tapping it again.
"Think carefully about the name of this mountain."
"Unending Heavenly Bull Mountain?" Xu Qing's expression was strange.
Unending meant that there was no end to it. Heavenly Bull[1]…
The captain looked smug.
"That's a mountain I named, didn't expect it to be passed down to later generations. Little Qing, within that mountain lies my corpse from a certain era."
"At that time, luck wasn't on my side. I failed in devouring a god, all because my teammates back then were so unreliable. Though I managed to escape, I didn't survive for much longer."
"The reason why I said to meet there is because I'm going to bring you to rob the tomb first."
Xu Qing was caught between laughter and tears.
"Rob your own tomb?"
The captain was beaming with joy.
"Just the thought of such a thing is exciting. Besides, this is also one of the preparations for devouring the Crimson Goddess."
Just like that, the captain discussed some details with Xu Qing. The two of them confirmed everything and decided to set off in three days. As for how to leave, they had a common understanding.
Xu Qing's identity was a little special. If he left Fenghai County, there might be some hidden dangers. Hence, the best way was for no one to know that he had left.
Hence, Xu Qing only told his master and Zi Xuan. The two of them didn't agree at first but in the end, they still tacitly agreed. However, they gave Xu Qing some protective items.
After that, Xu Qing announced to the public that he was going into seclusion.
Before he went into seclusion, he made a trip to Zhang San's place. The other party had also migrated to the county capital with the Seven Blood Eyes. During this period of time, he had been creating a spirit liner for Xu Qing, and it was already completed.
After Xu Qing took it, he disappeared from everyone's sight.
Time flowed by and a month passed.
Everything was normal in the county and there were no changes. The construction of the Qing Xuan Sect was also completed. Under Zi Xuan's guidance, everything was orderly and it was starting to develop properly.
As for Fenghai County, after all the major events stopped, it was able to rest and enter a stable period.
With Old Master Seventh and Marquis Yao holding down the fort, especially with the display of Marquis Yao's stage four Nihility, the various races in Fenghai County restrained their thoughts.
At that moment, at the western edge of the Holy Wave Large Region, a convoy of mortal carriages was making its way along the official road.
This was a caravan from an escort agency of the Holy Wave Race. Alongside their official duties, they also took on some private tasks, escorting traveling merchants to a few small countries near the Sacrificial Yin River.
In the long convoy at this moment, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth with freckles all over his face was sitting helplessly on a carriage. He held the reins of the horse like a coachman, occasionally giving weak tugs and shouting hoarsely.
It was Ning Yan.
Beside him stood a young man, hands behind his back and head held high, gazing into the distance with a proud expression.
The sunlight seemed to add a halo to his body, revealing a hint of holiness.
"The Lord of the Mortal Realm has arrived, with the sounds of drums and gongs welcoming him from the heavens and earth!"
Upon hearing this, Ning Yan felt a surge of annoyance. How did his shouts turn into drums and gongs? He was growing tired of the person beside him, who had been reciting nonsensical poems throughout the journey.
So he cast a sidelong glance and muttered.
"What madness is this?!"
When Wu Jianwu heard this, he glared and revealed disdain as he calmly spoke.
"The wind rustles, chickens and ducks caw, and upon closer look, it's just a child!"
Ning Yan glared angrily.
Wu Jianwu stared proudly.
At that moment, the captain's very enthusiastic divine sense voice rang out from the carriage.
"This poem isn't bad and has the lingering charm of the ancient sovereign. As expected of the great heaven's chosen of the First Peak of the Seven Blood Eyes that I invited. He's known as the strongest successor of the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether. Come, let us hear another poem!"
Upon hearing these words, Wu Jianwu became excited and extremely pleased. Meanwhile, Ning Yan rolled his eyes, lowered his head in silence, and vented his frustration by vigorously flicking the reins in his hand.
In the carriage, Xu Qing glanced outside. Xu Qing had expected the captain to bring Ning Yan out, but Wu Jianwu was also here, making him a little puzzled.
At this moment, Ling'er emerged and hung on Xu Qing's ear, looking at the captain.
The captain winked at Ling'er and whispered to Xu Qing.
"Let's coax that fool first. He's very useful in my plan!"
With that, the captain announced.
"From now on, the few of us are the Moon Robbers team. Brothers, let's do our best!"
[1] The captain's name is Chen Erniu. Niu means bull/ox/cow.
