However, as her voice echoed, Xu Qing's pupils contracted because he couldn't hear it anymore.
All the sounds in the surroundings were normal, but he couldn't hear the words of the red-clothed woman at all.
The woman in red also sensed this and didn't continue.
Xu Qing only recovered after an hour with lingering fears.
Just like that, days passed. The Red Moon Shrine headed north at an astonishing speed.
During this period, Xu Qing tried to ask many times. Although he would stop hearing at the critical moments, he more or less learned some of the secrets under this probing.
This included the realm above the Soul Accumulation realm.
"Divine fire…" Xu Qing mumbled to himself, but he only knew the name. As for the specifics, he couldn't hear them.
A month later, as they continued to move forward, the ground turned white and the wind that blew over became increasingly cold.
The glacier in the north was reflected in Xu Qing's eyes.
The entire northern land was formed by glaciers. There was no soil here, only a thick layer of ice that drowned everything.
The towering peaks were also made of ice, making this place filled with a sense of desolation, with life being a rare sight.
"We're here. Little kid, follow me."
In the sky above the northern glaciers, the woman in red's eyes filled with reminiscence, her voice slightly hoarse as she took a step forward.
Xu Qing followed behind.
The Red Moon Shrine didn't remain here. It changed directions and soared away into the distance.
Xu Qing turned his head and took a look.
"There is a gift inside for an old friend of the Red Moon Shrine. It will be taken over there."
The woman in red calmly spoke as she walked on the glacier. As she moved forward, she spread her perception, searching for something.
Xu Qing followed silently.
The two of them walked in the cold wind for a few days. In the end, Xu Qing saw a sect living on a glacier. The scale wasn't small and he could see many disciples entering and exiting.
"That's the Nether Race. They are dependent on the Red Moon Shrine. Their race once made contributions to the Crimson Goddess, so they are allowed to send their clansmen to the temple for generations as guards."
The red-clothed woman's expression revealed a hint of mockery. She didn't say anything more and brought Xu Qing straight to the sect.
The sect didn't notice their arrival at all. Their perception was affected. In their eyes, Xu Qing and the woman in red didn't exist.
As he walked through the Nether Race, Xu Qing also had doubts in his heart. He didn't understand why the red-clothed woman said that this sect was a race.
From what he could see, there were disciples from various races in this sect. They didn't seem to be from the same race.
However, the woman in red didn't explain it and Xu Qing stopped asking. The two of them walked all the way to the depths of the sect where there was a huge crack on the glacier.
The woman in red closed her eyes and sensed the crack.
"This is the place."
Her expression was a little sad as she walked into the crack.
Xu Qing lowered his head and took a look. After pondering for a moment, he also stepped in.
The cold wind blew from under the crack, freezing not only his body but also his soul. The further he went, the more intense the cold air here became.
The two of them sank for an unknown distance. When Xu Qing's hair and brows turned white, they reached the bottom.
This was a huge ice cave that was like a small world. The sky was replaced by ice and the land was endless.
From afar, Xu Qing saw an underground lake.
The water of this lake was clearly peculiar. It wasn't frozen here and it emitted waves of mist, making the surroundings blurry.
In this blur, Xu Qing saw many Nether Race disciples.
Those disciples came down from above with crystal coffins and placed them on the shore.
At a rough glance, there were hundreds of coffins surrounding the lake.
After placing those coffins here, those disciples immediately left.
As for inside the coffin, Xu Qing's gaze swept over from afar and he could vaguely see figures lying inside. From their clothes, they were also disciples of this sect.
This scene caused Xu Qing to be a little surprised. Just as he was about to observe carefully, the lake suddenly churned. Illusory ribbons of light that emitted rainbow light rose from within like tentacles and swept toward the surrounding coffins.
Every colorful tentacle wrapped around a coffin and pulled it down to the lake.
Not long later, all the coffins here sank into the lake and slowly disappeared. The lake also gradually resumed its calm.
"On the surface, the Nether Race looks like a sect. There are all kinds of races in it, but in reality, only by becoming a member of their race can one become a guard of the temple.
"Those who haven't become their clansmen are all food."
"If you want to become a member of their race, you have to perform a ritual. What you saw just now was this ritual. Those disciples will be sent to a special place, and once they walk out of there alive, the ritual will be considered completed."
"Because the ones who walked out aren't them anymore."
The woman in red calmly spoke.
"Possession?" Xu Qing fell into deep thought.
"The ancestor of the Nether Race was once a subordinate of my father. Back then, when the Crimson Goddess descended, he chose to betray us and was killed by my father. The great worlds he nurtured collapsed and shattered into pieces. They were mostly destroyed and all lives inside perished."
"One fragment landed here."
"The Crimson Goddess thought of his contribution and blessed the dead clansmen in this world fragment, allowing them to retain their remnant souls. Hence, the appearance of the Nether Race."
When Xu Qing heard this, he turned his head and glanced at the lake again. He was very clear that to be personally killed by the ancient ruler and the collapse of the great worlds meant that the cultivation of the ancestor of the Nether Race back then was at the Soul Accumulation realm.
