On the Black Silk Desert, the whistling wind swept through the world. The green monks were like an ocean. All of this seemed to be never-ending. The world was never-ending, and the sandstorm was never-ending.
Only on the top of the mountain, for some unknown reason, there was less wind and sand, so the surroundings were relatively clear.
Looking from afar, the mountain peaks that towered in the Black Silk Desert were like various otherworldly lands.
This was especially true for the Bitter Life Mountain Range, which was majestic and crisscrossed, so there was even less wind and sand here.
However, the whimpering of the wind continued to come from all around. It was as if there were countless demons and monsters hidden in the wind and sand, howling at the world, unwilling to be buried. It also reached Xu Qing's ears.
The cave that Xu Qing chose was located deep within the Bitter Life Mountain Range and was relatively hidden. The moment he opened the mirror, his shadow had already spread out to protect him.
The Vajra Sect's Old Ancestor's vigilance grew even stronger at the sight of his cleverness. As such, he flew out and stood guard at the side like a loyal protector.
It seemed that as long as there were any abnormalities, it would rush out without hesitation. Even if it had to be smashed to pieces, it wanted to prove its loyalty.
Ling 'er also revealed her head. Her eyes shone with white light as she became alert.
Under their protection, Xu Qing, who was meditating cross-legged, gradually became serious. He could feel the level of power contained in the will emitted from the lens. It was a feeling like he was looking up at the sky.
It was vast and endless.
Ding One, Two, and Two also began to tremble. The God Spirit Finger instantly opened its eyes, revealing a look of bewilderment. Then, it quickly hid itself.
At this moment, the mirror shard gathered its power and floated in front of him, shining faintly.
At the same time, a voice that seemed to come from the distant nothingness echoed with this will, forming words that replaced the howling of the wind and echoed in Xu Qing's sea of consciousness.
"Tai Tai Tai Xing, ever-changing, probing evil, binding demons, protecting life and protecting the body."
"Wisdom is clear, and the core of the heart is peaceful.
The three souls are eternal, and the spirit will never fall. "
The voice gave off an illusory feeling, and it was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman. It was as if the words of all living beings were converging together. However, as Xu Qing's heart rose and fell, it gave him a sense of tranquility.
It was as if these thirty-two words contained the power of cleansing the heart.
At this moment, Xu Qing's heart was incomparably calm. His Divine Pedestal was empty and his Sea of Consciousness was stable.
It was as if a long time had passed, but also as if it had only been an instant. The lingering echoes of the ethereal voice continued echoing in the air. It was clearly still the same thirty-two words, but in Xu Qing's mind, they had turned into other meanings.
That was because there were two words that became especially clear.
"… Check …"
Xu Qing did not act rashly. He carefully sensed his surroundings.
Gradually, he had a clear premonition. He understood that as long as his mind was completely immersed in these two words, an unknown test would begin.
Xu Qing pondered and did not continue.
On one hand, the environment here was not suitable for immediately carrying out the test. On the other hand, Xu Qing felt that he had not fully understood the specifics of this test.
Therefore, he raised his right hand and grabbed the mirror in front of him, severing the connection between them.
In the next instant, the feeling of peace in his mind dissipated. Xu Qing raised his head, and the whimpering of the wind from outside the mountain range once again entered his ears.
Linger hurriedly turned to look at Xu Qing.
"Brother Xu Qing, how was it? Did you succeed?"
Xu Qing raised his hand and gently stroked Linger's head. There was a thoughtful look in his eyes, and then he spoke calmly.
"The method should be correct, but I still need some time to verify it."
Linger was relieved. She noticed that Xu Qing was deep in thought, so she did not disturb him. She obediently returned to Xu Qing's collar, found a comfortable position, and curled up. Feeling the warmth of Xu Qing's body, her heart was incomparably peaceful.
It was as if to her, Xu Qing's warmth was the source of all peace.
After a while, Xu Qing's eyes revealed a decisive look. He was prepared to find a place to stay in the Bitter Life Mountain Range. He would explore the test of the mirror while studying the curse.
If he was alone, he would choose to open a cave and live alone, isolated from the world.
But if Linger was here … Xu Qing thought about it and decided to find a nearby city to stay. He did not want Linger to accompany him while she had to bear the loneliness of being separated from him.
With this thought in mind, Xu Qing left the cave and walked into the Bitter Life Mountain Range. Finally, he chose a relatively small city on a mountain in the periphery.
This city was built halfway up the mountain and did not have a name. There were only about a thousand residents. Most of the buildings were made of sand, and there was not much color on the whole. It was very monotonous.
The majority of the people here were locals, and the rest were outsiders who came for various reasons. There were people from all races.
Although some shops appeared in the city, their business was ordinary, and there were few customers.
Looking around, thirty percent of the houses were empty. No one lived in them.
Clearly, the people inside had either left or died.
Bleakness and silence were the first feelings Xu Qing had in this city.
But compared to other places, this small city was more tolerant. Although Xu Qing's arrival had attracted a lot of hostile attention, no one came to stop him.
At that moment, Xu Qing was walking in the small city. His entire body was wrapped in a robe, and only his eyes were exposed. He noticed that among the residents in the city, there were some deformed people.
These people's bodies were fat, and they were covered in strips of fat. Whether it was their arms or thighs, it was the same. Some of them had multiple arms, and some even had faces growing out of their fat.
There were even some that dragged under their feet and extended for more than half a foot. It was difficult for robes to cover them all.
It was as if many people had fused together, or some of them had mutated, and most of them had numb expressions.
At first, Xu Qing thought that they were alien races he had never seen before, but after seeing more of them, he realized that was not the case.
"These people's deformities should have been formed after birth."
Xu Qing seemed to be deep in thought, and the strangeness of the Green Sand Desert grew even more. In the end, he walked around the small city, found an uninhabited house, and walked in.
The house was covered in dust, and there were many broken bottles and jars on the ground. There were also some crooked shelves around. It looked like it had once been a medicine shop.
Looking at this, Xu Qing waved his hand to tidy it up. Ling 'er also appeared and curiously looked around. As she helped tidy it up, she let out an excited cry.
"Big Brother Xu Qing, are you going to open a medicine shop here?"
Xu Qing thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded. He remembered the first time he saw Ling 'er. She and her father had opened an inn on Banquan Road.
To Xu Qing, it didn't matter if he lived here or opened a medicine shop. Since Ling 'er had suggested it, he might as well open one.
"That's great! Big Brother Xu Qing, let me tell you, I have experience in opening a shop. I know how to do it."
Ling 'er was overjoyed, and her eyes shined brightly. After tidying up the dust and debris, she took out a rag and began to wipe the place.
She clearly had a magical technique that she could use, but Ling 'er seemed to prefer to do it herself. When Xu Qing saw this, he could feel Ling' er's joy, and he sighed in his heart.
Along the way, Xu Qing had a deeper understanding of Ling 'er's naivety. She was very smart, but also very simple. Often, very small things would make her happy for a few days.
Just like this, under Ling 'er's management, the small medicine shop that had been abandoned for a long time was reopened in the small city on the morning of the second day.
The name of the medicine shop was given by Ling 'er. It was called Green Mourning Hall.
As for medicinal pellets, Xu Qing had a lot of them, especially white pellets.
After all, it was the first medicinal pellet formula he had grasped. Although he didn't need it, it was a common item for the people of this world.
Especially when Xu Qing was studying Bai Xiaozhuo's medicinal pellets in the Sea Sealing County, he had gained some insights.
Although Bai Xiaozhuo had added poison into the improved white pellets, purely from the quality and effects of the new white pellets, it was indeed a blessing. It could greatly increase the degree of purification.
Therefore, Xu Qing and Ling 'er's medicine shop mainly sold white pellets.
After Ling 'er transformed, she concealed her appearance and became an ugly girl. She excitedly worked as a waiter. However, there weren't many residents in the small city, and the shop was newly opened. Therefore, there weren't many customers.
However, this didn't affect Ling 'er's happiness.
When Xu Qing saw that Ling 'er was looking forward to it, he allowed her to play. After planting the seed given by the captain, he began to cultivate and research in the medicine shop.
On one hand, he tried to open the mirror to carefully observe and explore. On the other hand, he studied the curses in the ferocious beasts that he had captured along the way.
Just like this, time slowly passed.
In the beginning, no one was interested in their medicine shop. Occasionally, a few customers would come to buy white pellets. This was mainly because the price was low and the medicinal effects were good.
The opening of the medicine shop made Ling 'er even more motivated. She was like a little money-grubber as she calculated the spirit coins that she earned every day. She even took out a small booklet to record the transactions.
Xu Qing would occasionally end his cultivation and look at Ling 'er who was recording the transactions. His heart would feel peaceful.
Ever since he stayed in Firefly City in the Sea of Heavenly Flames, Xu Qing realized that he was getting more and more used to such a peaceful life. The tranquility brought about by such a life made his state of mind faintly change.
Xu Qing wasn't sure what exactly the change was, but he enjoyed it and was immersed in it.
Therefore, he spent more time on exploration and research.
His exploration of the mirror went smoothly, but his research on the curse progressed slowly.
During this period, Xu Qing had infused his purple moon energy into the bodies of the ferocious beasts many times in an attempt to suppress the curse. However, the results were poor and all of his attempts failed.
At this moment, Xu Qing was staring at a trembling scorpion in front of him.
He pressed his hand on the scorpion. As the purple moon energy entered it, the scorpion's color changed from brown to purple. At the same time, Xu Qing also felt the curse in the scorpion's body.
The curse of the Sacrificial Moon Region affected all living things. Its method of existence was to fuse with the bloodline. It was difficult to separate them from each other. Once it erupted, it would turn all living things into black water in a short period of time.
When Xu Qing's purple moon energy came into contact with the curse, it would instantly erupt from its silent state.
It seemed to come alive and wanted to absorb Xu Qing's purple moon energy.
It was as if Xu Qing's purple moon had a strong attraction to the curse.
After trying again and again, Xu Qing understood that if he didn't infuse enough purple moon energy, it would quickly be devoured and assimilated by the curse. Then, the ferocious beasts that were used as experimental subjects would instantly explode from the curse and turn into pools of blood.
The entire process was irreversible.
But if Xu Qing increased his strength and continuously infused his purple moon energy into the curse to forcefully suppress it, then after a certain amount of suppression, the curse would still erupt.
However, the outcome was slightly different. The experimental subjects that died under such circumstances would not turn into pools of blood, but into a pile of black ash.
"It's like a kind of combustion."
Xu Qing looked at the scorpion in front of him that instantly turned into black ash and scattered to the ground. He frowned and muttered to himself.
He had studied this black ash before. It was useless. It gave Xu Qing the feeling that after the curse was suppressed, it chose to perish together with the bloodline.
"I still need to try more and find different species."
Xu Qing was deep in thought. He took out the other ferocious beasts that Shadow had captured along the way and continued to study them.
Days passed like this.
Although there were disputes in the small city, Xu Qing, who had never left after arriving, was isolated from the rest of the world. He managed to avoid some trivial matters!
As time passed, the seed he planted gradually sprouted and grew into a green seedling.
This seedling was very strange and seemed to possess a certain level of intelligence. When Xu Qing appeared, it would instinctively tremble.
And every time Ling 'er approached, it would sway and twist its body, eliciting a pleasant laugh from Ling' er. Then it would work even harder.
As for the Vajra Sect's patriarch, he shouldered the mission of protecting Ling 'er. From beginning to end, he hung from the beam of the house, facing the door at all times.
And Shadow …
It was very dissatisfied with the way the seedling fawned over Ling 'er. Several times, when Ling' er and Xu Qing were not paying attention, it would suddenly appear beside the seedling and give it a death stare.
Every time, the seedling would shrink back and not dare to move.
But Shadow did not appear often. It had other missions. Occasionally, it would need to leave the small city and capture ferocious beasts for Xu Qing in the Bitter Life Mountain Range and the Black Silk Desert.
In this way, Xu Qing's research could be carried out continuously.
Every time it returned, it would send Xu Qing some of its knowledge of this area, as well as some of its emotions.
At this time, the role of the Vajra Sect's patriarch was highlighted.
He would act as a translator and interpret Shadow's words. But occasionally, he would also do some personal work and dig holes for Shadow.
Although Shadow had grown a lot, it was still a little inexperienced. Out of ten times, there were still two or three times that he would not notice.
Xu Qing did not pay much attention to this. He was already used to the conflict between these two fellows.
And through Shadow and the Vajra Sect's patriarch, his understanding of the Black Silk Desert deepened.
For example, Xu Qing learned why the earthen city was built on the mountain.
It was because there were many strange things in the desert, and any one of them could easily destroy a small city.
Only on the mountain would it be much safer.
For example, illusions would appear in the desert every once in a while. Sometimes it was an oasis, sometimes it was a city in the sky, and sometimes it was another world.
They would move, and wherever they passed, death would fill the air.
As long as one entered these illusions, it would be very difficult to come out alive. When the illusions disappeared, all that was left on the ground were bones that had been gnawed clean of flesh and blood.
In addition, Shadow also described the giant mushrooms that Xu Qing saw on the way. It had seen the giant mushrooms stand up in the desert.
There were countless roots under the mushrooms that formed the silhouette of a human moving in the desert, chasing after the illusions.
And these were not the most terrifying things in the Black Silk Desert. Through Shadow's description and investigation, Xu Qing learned that the color of the wind in this desert was not constant.
If one day, the green wind turned white, then all living beings in the desert would have to take refuge in the nearest mountain as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, they would be in dire straits. Only the mountains here would not be attacked by the wind and sand.
Over the long years, the white wind had appeared many times. So occasionally, there would be survivors who escaped to the nearby mountains in the white wind to avoid death.
But these people who escaped would all experience the same change.
Their bodies would become deformed and ugly, and their descendants would be the same, unable to change.
This made Xu Qing think of those people in the small city.
Also, other than the white wind, there was also the black wind in the Black Silk Desert. It had not appeared for hundreds of years, but the rumors about the black wind still existed.
Once the black wind appeared, all living beings in the Black Silk Desert would die. Even if they hid in the mountains, they would still be in danger.
But in the Sacrificial Moon Region, there were very few places that were not dangerous. Compared to the life and death that would appear at any time in the outside world, the black wind that only appeared once every few hundred years seemed to be nothing.
But there was one last color of the wind, gray.
The gray wind was only a legend. Xu Qing learned about it from an old man who came to buy medicinal pills. This kind of wind had only appeared once in the history of the Black Silk Desert.
It had been too long since then, so no one knew what it would be like.
This information allowed Xu Qing to have a deeper understanding of this desert. At the same time, during this period of time, when he was studying the curse, he had also opened the mirror many times.
Through his repeated explorations, he had gained a clearer understanding of the Inverse Moon Palace's test.
"That one-eyed cultivator who escaped by luck did not lie about this. Any mirror in the Bitter Life Mountain Range is the entrance to the Inverse Moon Palace."
"At the same time, it is also the way to open the test."
"Only by passing the test can one enter the Inverse Moon Palace."
Xu Qing sat cross-legged in the house. His gaze fell on the mirror in front of him, and his eyes were filled with determination.
During this period of time, he learned that there were a total of three tests to join the Inverse Moon Palace.
The first one was to offer a sacrifice.
This was actually a sign of allegiance. All those who wanted to join the Inverse Moon Palace had to kill two cultivators of the Red Moon Palace who were of the same realm as them.
Only by sending the bodies of the two cultivators into the mirror would they be considered to have completed the first test.
Xu Qing could understand this. The first test was to examine the strength of those who wanted to join, and at the same time, to guard against the outside world.
With this method, if anyone wanted to sneak into the Red Moon Palace, they would have to pay a price.
The higher the cultivation, the greater the price.
And this was only the first test. After paying the price, if one could not pass the subsequent tests, everything would be for naught.
Therefore, this test was placed at the very front.
As for the second test to join the Inverse Moon Palace, it was faith.
Xu Qing did not know about the third test. He planned to go and complete the sign of allegiance first.
With this thought, Xu Qing raised his head to look at the dusky sky outside. His eyes were filled with determination. He waved his hand and put away the mirror in front of him. In a flash, he left the medicine shop.
His goal was not the Red Moon Palace in the Bitter Life Mountain Range.
Xu Qing knew very well that the Red Moon Palace that was built here could not be underestimated.
After all, if one wanted to join the Inverse Moon Palace, they must complete the sign of allegiance. In other words, all those who wanted to join would first instinctively set their eyes on the Divine Palace.
As such, as long as one was not a fool, they would not let their guard down. According to Xu Qing's understanding of the Divine Palace, he felt that it was more likely that the Divine Palace was fishing here.
Of course, everyone had different thoughts. Xu Qing felt that those who wanted to join the Inverse Moon Palace would be very few fools, so they would most likely choose to go to other areas outside the desert to ambush the cultivators of the Divine Palace.
But Xu Qing did not want to take the risk.
At this moment, he was wearing an immortal mask, and his body was completely hidden by the Spectral Transformation. He left the mountain range and went to the desert to look for ferocious beasts that matched his cultivation.
Just like that, time passed day by day.
The ferocious beasts in the Green Sand Desert all had different cultivation bases. During the time that the shadow had hunted for Xu Qing, it had marked out some dangerous areas, so Xu Qing's goal was very clear.
Two days later, in a quicksand area in the Green Sand Desert, a loud rumble could be heard. The fluctuations of spells reverberated in the air, and a huge red insect broke out of the ground. Its entire body emitted fluctuations of cultivation base comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, and it let out a wail.
Below it, Xu Qing's figure was moving very quickly. He suddenly caught up with it, raised his right hand, and pressed down viciously. Instantly, a small part of the red insect's body collapsed, and when it fell to the ground, it was already on the verge of death.
Xu Qing put it away and continued forward.
Five days later, a huge scorpion that was dozens of feet long was fleeing rapidly on the ground. A figure continued to pursue it. After a while, countless heavenly demons descended, and the scorpion let out a shrill cry. It wanted to charge out, but it could not. The figure behind it had caught up.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, everything calmed down. Xu Qing's figure walked out from the green wind and returned to the Bitter Life Mountain Range.
After a day and a half, he returned to the Earth City Medicine Shop. Ling Er was normal, but she was a bit worried about Xu Qing going out. When she saw Xu Qing return, she let out a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on her face.
Xu Qing rubbed Ling Er's head and went to the back room. He sat down and activated the isolation formation. Then he took out a mirror and placed it before him. Then he took a deep breath and his eyes shined brightly.
He didn't want to take the risk of ambushing the cultivators of the temple. Once this matter was exposed, it would cause a lot of trouble.
That was why he planned to use his own method to create cultivators of the temple to trick the Reverse Body Hall's test. This was why he had been researching for so long.
"I've investigated many times. This test is a mechanism and not controlled by someone, so I should be able to succeed. However, my blessings will trigger the curse, so I have to be quick."
Xu Qing blinked. With a wave of his hand, he took out the scorpion and red worm he had captured alive. He quickly blessed the dying beasts with the power of the purple moon.
Just like when he had blessed Mu Ye, in an instant, the two ferocious beasts trembled and purple marks appeared on their bodies. In the next moment, their curses were triggered.
Without waiting for the curses to erupt, Xu Qing quickly threw the two ferocious beasts toward the mirror.
Although the mirror was small and the two ferocious beasts were huge, the moment they touched the mirror, a huge suction force came from it and sucked in the two ferocious beasts whose curses were about to erupt.
Xu Qing took a few steps back. Although he was confident in his method after continuous exploration and research, this was also the reason why he had been researching for so long.
"I've investigated many times. This test is a mechanism and not controlled by someone, so I should be able to succeed. However, my blessings will trigger the curse, so I have to be quick."
Xu Qing blinked. With a wave of his hand, he took out the scorpion and red worm he had captured alive. He quickly blessed the dying beasts with the power of the purple moon.
Just like when he had blessed Mu Ye, in an instant, the two ferocious beasts trembled and purple marks appeared on their bodies. In the next moment, their curses were triggered.
Without waiting for the curses to erupt, Xu Qing quickly threw the two ferocious beasts toward the mirror.
Although the mirror was small and the two ferocious beasts were huge, the moment they touched the mirror, a huge suction force came from it and sucked in the two ferocious beasts whose curses were about to erupt.
Xu Qing took a few steps back. Although he was confident in his method after continuous exploration and research, this was a matter of success or failure. He could not help but feel a little nervous as he stared at the mirror.
The mirror suddenly trembled in mid-air. The light on it flickered rapidly as if it was making a judgment.
After several dozen breaths, when Xu Qing's heart was in his mouth, a vast will spread out from the mirror.
"Pass!"
Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, he did not want to use such a cheap trick. It was too dangerous to ambush the Red Moon Temple. The possibility of the other party baiting him was very high.
One mistake and it would cause trouble, which was not conducive to his original intention of preparing to study in peace.
If he left the Black Silk Desert and went to other places, it would take at least half a year. Therefore, in comparison, it was naturally the best choice to make his own dependents.
"I relied on my own ability to pass this first test. It can't be considered cheating," Xu Qing muttered to himself.
Xu Qing muttered in his heart. After recalling the teachings his master had taught him, he felt that what he had done was correct.