Late at night, the world was pitch-black. Only in the various earthen cities of the Bitter Life Mountain Range, there would be scattered lights dimly illuminated by the wind.
The moaning wind blew continuously. Occasionally, some sand would be lifted up and swept into the earthen cities.
Although there was not much wind and sand that could reach the mountain range, it would still make a rustling sound when it landed on the doors. Occasionally, it would make one feel uneasy, but after a long time, one would get used to it.
At least, it was so for Xu Qing. The howling wind outside had already become part of his life in this half a year.
A strange light shone in his eyes.
It had been three days since he returned from the Defiant Moon Palace. In these three days, Xu Qing had been analyzing the information about the curse. Now, he had finally finished studying it.
The people of the Defiant Moon Palace had studied the curse to such a detailed extent.
Xu Qing murmured. He felt that the information about the curse that he had exchanged with the poison pills and spirit stones was worth it.
The information was rather comprehensive. It was obvious that it was not the work of a single generation. It should have been passed down for many years. It included all sorts of tests and a large number of conjectures about the curse.
After many experiments, some people confirmed that the curse was alive. There were also people who, after investigating hundreds of races, found that there were slight differences in the curse of each race. It seemed that some races had very few curses from the moment they were born. However, as time passed, the number of curses would slowly increase.
There were also people from the Defiant Moon Palace who specialized in studying the variations of the curse. They had sorted out 137 different reactions. It seemed that the moment the curse broke out, the details would be different for different races.
This curse could form a form of torture for different races. For example, the Fixed Sun Race was born with a lack of physical pain. Then, when the curse broke out in their race, it would be the soul.
There was another theory that the Defiant Moon Palace had discovered. That was … the curses of different races could be mixed.
The curses of the living beings of the Sacrificial Moon Domain were not static. The curses of different races could be combined and affected through oral ingestion and bloodline.
Xu Qing's eyes shone with a strange light. This method had opened up a lot of ideas for him. Before this, he had never thought that the curse could be used like this.
For example, someone would mix the curse that mainly targeted the soul into a race that did not fear soul damage. Then, the curse of this race would be mixed, and the moment it broke out, the torture would be reduced.
Different races had different curses, and because of that, there was an alternation called fusion … This was the principle behind the Disaster Relieving Pill.
Xu Qing lowered his head and took out one of the many jade slips that contained information about curses. This was the method described in the jade slips. Xu Qing finally understood why the price of the Disaster Relief Pill was so high and why there were so few of them.
Any single Disaster Relieving Pill needed to combine the characteristics of multiple races to achieve a comprehensive counterbalance, allowing the person who swallowed it to be relieved of the curse.
In addition, for higher levels, alchemists would need to tailor the pills according to the characteristics of the user's tribe.
In other words, the Disaster Relief Pill was actually a Curse Pill that contained the power of curses from many different races. However, the finer details required a lot of adjustment and refinement so that the power of these curses would not increase after being mixed, but would instead cancel each other out.
Using curses to fight curses, using each other to counter each other.
Xu Qing sighed emotionally. He understood that the information he had obtained was only the tip of the iceberg of what the Defiant Moon Palace had learned about the Curse Research Institute. However, even if he had only obtained the tip of the iceberg, he could still deeply sense the wisdom of the cultivators of the Defiant Moon Palace.
If they continued to research like this, perhaps one day in the future, they would really be able to create a pill that could perfectly cancel out the eruption of the curse. Then, they would have the possibility of escaping this region.
The premise was that … the Crimson Mother did not change the method of the curse, and the inheritance of knowledge was not lost because of the destruction caused by the Crimson Mother's arrival.
Xu Qing took a deep breath. After studying this information, he had already realized that the Disaster Relief Pill would be his breakthrough to break through the curse.
'I have the power of the same origin as the crimson moon. To a certain extent, I can also use it to release the curse. In theory, my blessing would deepen the curse, but it would also be a kind of consumption.
'Previously, I went in the wrong direction. I wanted to get rid of the curse in one go, but my Purple Moon's level is not high enough, so it's too difficult.
'Then, if I weaken the curse …' Xu Qing pondered for a moment, and his eyes shone with determination.
'I need a Disaster Relief Pill to verify my guess.'
With this thought in mind, Xu Qing took out the mirror and entered the Defiant Moon Palace again.
In the next instant, at the foot of the mountain range where the Defiant Moon Palace was located, the eyes of the statue on the altar of a small temple opened.
Xu Qing did not act rashly. He stood on the altar and sensed his surroundings. After confirming that there were no obstacles, he controlled the statue's body and stepped down.
After landing, he moved his body again and checked if there were any changes to the statue.
It was still filled with cracks, and the statue looked the same as before. It was an old man in a long robe with a gourd on his back.
Everything was as usual.
Xu Qing pushed open the temple's door and walked out.
Looking at the blue sky and bright light, as well as the statues coming and going, he did not hesitate and joined them.
This time, his goal was clear. He was looking for a Disaster Relief Pill that he could exchange for. On the way, he passed by the temple where he had traded poison pills three days ago and instinctively took a look.
Although the temple was shining, it seemed that the owner was not there.
Xu Qing did not pay much attention to it and quickly left to search. However, there were too many temples here, and it was difficult to check all of them in a short time. Even if he encountered a temple that sold Disaster Relief Pills, Xu Qing would not be able to fulfill the requirements.
As for the temple that he had exchanged for 20 red Heavenly Fire Crystals, Xu Qing went there and found that for some reason, the temple had closed the exchange and did not allow outsiders to enter.
Xu Qing was a little regretful. After searching for a long time, he could only exchange for information on curses in other temples before leaving.
Time passed, and soon, ten days had passed.
In the past ten days, Xu Qing had been digesting the information and studying the curse of the berserk beasts. Almost every day, he would spend half of his time studying the curse of berserk beasts.
He spent most of his time in the Nyue Temple, searching for Disaster Relief Pills that he could trade for.
During this period, he paid attention to the temple that required Heavenly Fire Crystals, but it remained closed.
Similarly, the master who had traded poison pills with Xu Qing to cultivate Poison Immunity did not appear. However, the master's temple was not closed, and he could enter, but the statue was still spiritless.
Xu Qing entered a few times and found that the floating light orbs in the temple had not changed for a long time. Some of the light orbs were even empty of herbs.
It was as if the master had not come to the Nyue Temple after completing the trade with Xu Qing …
Could something have happened to him after eating the poison pills?
Xu Qing was a little surprised and also a little nervous. The master had no grudge with him …
However, Xu Qing had clearly warned him.
'I must be overthinking. After all, those who can cultivate Poison Immunity are all experts.'
Xu Qing muttered to himself, thinking that he might have been overthinking things. Perhaps the master had not appeared because of other matters.
On this day, Xu Qing continued to search for Disaster Relief Pills. As he entered and exited the shining temples, the entire Nyue Temple suddenly began to shake.
A blinding light exploded in the sky, and a terrifying ripple spread out, enveloping the entire Nyue Temple.
Xu Qing sensed something and walked out of the temple.
He was not the only one. Many of the statues in the temples walked out and looked up at the sky.
Up in the sky, one of the nine ancient temples under the sun suddenly opened its door. Endless light spread out from within, and a huge figure appeared within the temple.
Its appearance caused the entire Nyue Temple to shake. Auspicious signs appeared in the sky, and brilliant light spread out.
"Greetings, Deputy Palace Lord!"
Voices filled with respect came out from the mouths of the statues. When they gathered together, they turned into a huge sound wave that spread out in all directions.
Xu Qing was among them, and his heart was in turmoil. This was his first time seeing the upper echelon of the Nyue Temple. Although he couldn't sense their Cultivation bases because of the statues, to be able to cause such a reaction in the Nyue Temple, he could imagine that the Deputy Palace Lord's Cultivation base was definitely extraordinary.
At the same time, the doors of the temples opened, and the statues walked out. Under the boundless light, a deep voice echoed out like thunder.
"Inform the cultivators of the Nyue Temple of three things.
Cultivators who are willing to accept fate appear frequently. A single spark is about to start a prairie fire!
"In the past half year, we have successfully destroyed five Red Moon Subsidiary Palaces, killed eleven Divine Emissaries, dozens of Divine Servants, and hundreds of Divine Slaves!
"According to reliable information, the Crown Prince of the Sovereign Prince and Princess Bright Mei have recovered from their injuries. Everything is fine. We are working hard to contact them. Once we succeed, the Nyue Temple will usher in glory!
"Everyone, the Red Moon is not eternal!
The statues' voices echoed out, and surging emotions rose up in the hearts of many of the statues. Many of the closed temples opened, and their owners returned.
In the end, all of the statues bowed toward the sky, and responded with the same words.
"Hope exists forever!"
Their voices were so loud that they were deafening, and echoed through the clouds.
The seeds of hope were sown once again.
Xu Qing was among them. He looked at the huge statues in the temple in the sky, and his feelings were incredibly strong. After the statue made the announcement, he did not say anything else and returned to the temple. The doors to the temple closed.
Even though he had left, the news spread through the entire Nyue Temple Region at the fastest speed possible. Xu Qing was deep in thought as he looked at the excited statues around him. He was about to leave, but when he looked around, he noticed that the temple that required Heavenly Flame Crystals that he had been paying attention to for a long time had also opened.
He immediately flew over. After he stepped into the temple, he sensed the ball of light inside, and found the exchange for Disaster Relief Pills. Without any hesitation, Xu Qing took out twenty red Heavenly Flame Crystals and completed the exchange.
At the moment he received the Disaster Relief Pills, Xu Qing felt at ease, and he turned around to leave.
At that moment, all the statues that could come to the Nyue Temple chose to return after the Vice Palace Master made the announcement. The place became extremely lively.
From a distance, it was as if all the gods and devils in the heavens were flying in all directions.
However, the temple that Xu Qing had traded the poison pill with remained as usual …
Xu Qing wasn't sure what to say. He looked around silently for a moment, then flew back to his own temple and chose to return.
At the same time, a multicolored beam of light was speeding through the Green Sand Desert. Behind it, the green sand was beginning to turn white.
It was as if the green wind was transforming into white wind!
The parrot's expression was one of terror, and it cursed as it flew.
"What the hell is this? All I did was laze around, fly a bit slower, and poop in a quicksand pit. How come the wind is turning white?!"
As the parrot fled in terror, it performed multiple minor teleportations in an attempt to escape the whitening wind. Back in the Bitter Life Mountain Range's Earthen City, Xu Qing appeared in the back room.
He sat down cross-legged, his eyes shining with anticipation. He pulled out the Disaster Relief Pill he had traded with the Disaster Relief Pill and began to examine it.
The Disaster Relief Pill was multicolored, a mixture of many different colors. It looked bizarre, but the aura of a curse emanating from it was very obvious.
Xu Qing did not act rashly. This Disaster Relief Pill was too precious, and he did not have the energy to trade for a second one. He could only use this one pill to study it thoroughly.
Hence, he first looked at it and carefully examined the outer layer of the pill. Then, he placed it in front of him and sniffed it. His eyes were deep in thought as he quickly analyzed the situation.
There was no feeling of medicinal herbs being refined into pills.
However, it did contain curses, and not just one type, but many.
The most important thing was the material within.
It was something that could absorb the power of curses.
Xu Qing continued his analysis.
Every wisp of curse energy had a different amount. There should be a formula that used the curse energy of different races as the plants and trees to create it.
Interesting. These curses were clearly of the same origin, but they had different explosive changes.
However, this was still a curse. Although swallowing it could ease the pain, the curse did not decrease. Instead, it increased.
Especially as the amount of the curse increased, it would cause many chain reactions, such as the depletion of one's vitality and the fall of one's cultivation base … These were the side effects of the Disaster Relief Pill.
Xu Qing sighed inwardly. He raised his left hand, and the power of the Purple Moon in his body gathered, forming purple threads.
Hundreds of them danced in front of him. Following Xu Qing's thought, these purple threads went straight for the Disaster Relief Pill.
They quickly broke apart and merged into the pill. Every thread came into contact with different curses in the pill and began to imitate them.
This was impossible for others, but Xu Qing's Purple Moon and Scarlet Moon were of the same origin. Thus, he could do whatever the Scarlet Moon could do.
It was just that he did not have a reference before, and he lacked sufficient experiments. However, all the answers were contained in the Disaster Relief Pill. To Xu Qing, this was an unlocked door.
Time passed slowly, and Xu Qing's expression became more and more serious. The purple threads he sent out were constantly being adjusted according to the different curses.
He was extremely careful throughout the process. He controlled the fluctuations of the hundreds of threads and tried his best not to trigger the curses in the pill.
Six hours later, under such concentrated control, there were still some mistakes in the end.
In an instant, the precious Disaster Relief Pill began to tremble. The next moment, all of the curses collapsed and turned into black ash that fell to the ground through the gaps between Xu Qing's fingers.
Xu Qing didn't regret it. His eyes lit up. In six hours, he had completely simulated the power of the 300 different curses in the Disaster Relief Pill.
Looking down at the black ash on the ground, Xu Qing was surprised. He picked up a handful and looked at it. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.
"This is …" Xu Qing's eyes lit up. He took out a bag and poured out the black ash. After comparing it, he found that it was exactly the same.
Xu Qing's black ash was something he had obtained from studying the curses in the bodies of the fierce beasts. At that time, he didn't feel that the black ash had any use, but he still put it away.
Now that he looked at it, it was a material used to absorb curses.
Xu Qing muttered to himself. After a while, he grabbed a clump of black ash. The power of the purple moon in his body spread out and turned into hundreds of threads that quickly fused into it. According to his previous research, he quickly simulated different curses and attached them to the black ash.
During this process, the black ash began to shrink. Its color gradually changed until it became a multicolored color. Its size also changed.
Xu Qing squeezed his hand, and an irregularly shaped pill appeared in his palm.
It looked similar to the Disaster Relief Pill, and its aura was also the same. But its essence was different.
That was because all of the curses were formed from Xu Qing's purple moon energy.
"If the Scarlet Moon curse is an enemy army, then the current state of my purple moon energy is like changing the enemy's clothes and appearance. That way, it will be difficult for the enemy to find any clues and I will be able to successfully blend in with them.
"With this method, I can instantly erupt within the enemy army. They won't have time to devour the curses and will be able to cancel them out.
Xu Qing's thoughts were clear. He took out a fierce beast used for his experiments. It was a scorpion. When it appeared, its body trembled and it didn't dare to raise its tail.
Xu Qing looked at it and placed the pill in his hand next to its mouth.
"Eat."
Xu Qing said calmly.
The scorpion didn't dare to refuse and could only swallow it obediently. Then, its body trembled even more. In just ten breaths of time, it collapsed with a bang and turned into black ash.
The disguise didn't work.
Xu Qing frowned. After recalling his previous refining process, he took out the black ash again and made some minor adjustments before continuing to refine.
Time passed day by day. Xu Qing's attempts continued. Every time he failed, he would make some minor adjustments. Finally, on the evening of the tenth day, his pill succeeded in disguising itself.
The fierce beast that ate the pill didn't collapse. Even the curse in its body calmed down.
Xu Qing's heart was stirred. He looked at the Disaster Relief Pill in his hand. This was the result of his half a year of research.
Although there was still some difference between it and the Disaster Relief Pill due to its direction, the effect was similar.
The Disaster Relief Pill's direction was to alleviate the pain of the curse. My direction is to completely dissolve the curse. Alleviating the pain is just a side effect.
Even if I can't do it now, this method should be correct.
Also, my Purple Moon power needs to be improved … There's also more information about the curse that needs to be gathered. Only then can I gradually perfect it.
Xu Qing looked expectant. He was about to refine more Disaster Relief Pills with a wave of his hand. However, in the next instant, he suddenly raised his head. His eyes shone with a sharp light as he looked outside.
His body shook and disappeared from the back room. When he reappeared, he was already beside the medicine shop's counter.
Ling 'er was happily recording the transactions. When she noticed Xu Qing's appearance, her body immediately turned white and burrowed into Xu Qing's sleeve.
The Vajra Sect's patriarch also shone with a sharp light. When he locked onto a direction, Xu Qing's expression relaxed slightly as he looked outside the window.
A five-colored light appeared out of thin air, then flashed into the medicine shop and appeared next to the small seedling that was already over a foot tall.
The seedling stopped swaying. It didn't dare to move. The colorful light turned into a parrot. Its arrogant voice came from its mouth.
"A parrot is born. Daddy is nothing. Hurry up and call daddy here!" When it finished, the parrot looked at Xu Qing arrogantly.
'Hey, you there. This Chen cow told me to call you over to light some fire.'
"Light some fire?" Xu Qing recognized the parrot. When he heard its words, he frowned. He didn't quite understand.
'How the hell would I know what to light some fire? This cow told me to call you over to light some fire. Light some fire, light some fire! Hurry up and light some fire!'
The parrot said proudly. Then, it turned around and took a bite of the seedling. It started munching away.
The seedling trembled. It didn't dare to dodge.
Ling 'er quickly crawled out from Xu Qing's collar and glared at the parrot.
"Shut up!"
The parrot glanced at Ling 'er from the corner of its eye, then at Xu Qing. Then, it raised its head. Its body was like a recruiting staff. It pointed its nose at Xu Qing and continued to act arrogantly.
"I won't!"
The Vajra Sect's patriarch rushed over. However, the moment he got close, the parrot vanished and teleported to the other side of the seedling. It took another bite.
"I won't!"
The Vajra Sect's patriarch was shocked by its speed. He was about to give chase when the parrot flickered and teleported around the seedling. It took bite after bite.
"No, no, no, no, no!"
Just as the parrot was feeling smug, its body suddenly shuddered. Its beady eyes widened as it coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"I … Gah …"
"You're poisonous!"
It glared at the seedling. The seedling trembled. The parrot coughed up another mouthful of blood. Its body was starting to rot. It realized that it wasn't the seedling that was poisonous, but the poison around it. Hence, just as it was about to speak, it plummeted to the ground and looked at Xu Qing in horror.
At the same time, the seedling quickly uprooted itself and jumped down. It stomped on the parrot's body in a frenzy.
The parrot wailed. It wanted to escape, but it couldn't. It could only roll on the ground. When the Vajra Sect's patriarch appeared, the parrot didn't dare to move. Its eyes were filled with fear.
The seedling didn't dare to continue either. It slowly crawled back and continued to plant itself.
Xu Qing was expressionless. He sat at the side and looked down at the parrot struggling on the ground.
"Now, can we talk properly?"
The parrot nodded rapidly. It finally understood why its father was so afraid of this man. This man was unreasonable, and even poisoned his own people.
"Uncle Xu, um, can you help me detoxify the poison first …?" With that, the parrot coughed up more blood. It was on the verge of death, and its body was about to rot.
Xu Qing waved his hand, and the poison in the parrot's body dissipated by more than half. It immediately began to tremble. However, when Xu Qing's gaze swept over it, it trembled and quickly became obedient.
"Uncle Xu, I was wrong. Uncle Erniu really did ask me to call you to light a fire. I don't know what it is, but it seems to have something to do with the sun."
Xu Qing looked thoughtfully at the parrot. Its speed just now had left him a bit surprised, so he asked, "What do you think?"
"What abilities do you have?"
"I can teleport. I'm the fastest among my father's children. Besides, my teleportation power doesn't matter how bad the environment is, or if it's in a sealed place. When my father was in danger, I was the one who teleported him away. Anyway, I can.
Uh, I can even teleport. "
After the parrot finished speaking, it looked cautiously at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing nodded. He was about to speak, but in the next instant, he sensed something and walked to the window.
The wind blew from the horizon into the earthen city. The house shook, and the wooden door swayed. It blew against Xu Qing's face and lifted his hair.
In the distance, a storm connected to the heavens. The sandstorm was like a sea of fog, tumbling and spreading. Bolts of lightning flashed within it, and rumbling sounds echoed in all directions.
It was as if there was a god inside, driving the sandstorm forward. Everywhere it passed, the sky changed color, and the wind and clouds churned.
It was a sandstorm.
Its color was rapidly changing from green to white.
A whimpering sound reverberated in the air. It was as if the heavens were mourning, and the earth was wailing, as if it wanted to bury all living things with it.
A terrifying pressure descended upon the desert along with the appearance of the white sandstorm.
The white sandstorm had arrived.
It swept across the land, covered the sky, and affected the Bitter Life Mountain Range. At that moment, everything in the outside world was covered in a hazy white color. It was filled with a thick sense of inauspiciousness.
Xu Qing's gaze was solemn. He lowered his head and looked at his feet. His shadow was hunting outside and had not returned …