1233 It’s Star Flame Divine Envoy This Time
Flame Moon Mystic Heaven Race’s inner region, the eighth region.
Every Grand Hunt was a grand event for the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven Race. Not only were the various subsidiary races participating, but there would also be people from the other regions who had obtained the qualifications by chance. Xu Qing was one of them.
Hence, the overall number of participants wasn’t fixed.
However, the number of forbidden mountains was limited.
With so many cultivators participating, it would increase the difficulty for the vast majority of cultivators who wanted to obtain the forbidden mountain. After all, they needed at least three mountains to meet the basic requirements.
This way, all the participants could only keep competing with each other to stack the number of forbidden mountains they had to reach the basic standard of passing.
However, the basic standard wasn’t what the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven Race wanted.
What they wanted were experts. Hence, in order to make this competition even more intense, under the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven’s Gu raising strategy, something like what Xu Qing and the captain had heard happened.
They would open some specific forbidden zones.
In the first segment of the hunt, following the temples’ instructions, various affiliated races as well as influential figures under the three Great Priests would open the forbidden zones in their territories at specific times, allowing all participants to enter.
Moreover, they were not allowed to intervene in the hunting and looting actions of the participants, and had to promote them instead.
These opened forbidden zones were like flesh and blood vortices that kept appearing in many regions of the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven Race.
With this, they would continue to give momentum to the first segment of the Grand Hunt until the best of the best were born.
However, due to the differences in geography and the timing of the openings of the forbidden zones, it was difficult for all participants to rush in immediately after the forbidden zone was opened.
Usually, it was the participants passing nearby who became aware of the opening and gathered there, so the number of participants varied.
At that moment, in the northwest region of the eighth region, a flesh and blood vortex was forming with the announcement from the Flame Moon’s dignitary there.
This place was originally sealed, with a golden light barrier visible on the outside, covering everything and making it a private domain.
The forbidden zone inside occupied a vast territory, spanning half of the province, with a thick mist of anomalous substances enveloping it.
The level of the mutated beasts inside was also very high. Moreover, from the looks of it, the entire forbidden zone wasn’t far from advancing to a forbidden region on its own.
From afar, within this forbidden zone, there were patches of jungle, poisonous rivers, eerie villages, and towering forbidden mountains that pierced the sky.
A dazzling palace floated above the tallest mountain peak.
Outside the palace, there were two rows of statues. On the huge seat in the deepest part, a tall figure was resting with one hand on his forehead.
This person looked middle-aged. His entire body shone with golden light and his aura was majestic. The fluctuations of his Soul Accumulation cultivation were obvious, as though it could suppress the world.
He was the owner of this forbidden zone, one of the dignitaries of the Flame Moon.
This time, he followed the orders of the temple to open his forbidden zone. At the same time, he was also somewhat interested in this batch of heaven’s chosen.
Hence, he personally came to see if there were any good seedlings who would appear in his forbidden zone.
Additionally, there were some tacit rules accepted by all parties. Due to considerations of personal relationships, he also needed to make some arrangements.
Now that the time had arrived, the dignitary slightly opened and closed his eyes, taking a light breath.
This breath instantly caused the color of the sky to change and the wind to surge. The huge golden light barrier that enveloped the forbidden zone instantly collapsed and shattered into pieces.
It then transformed into roiling golden fog that headed toward the palace where the dignity was located.
It instantly swept over and entered the palace, rushing into his mouth.
“The forbidden zone has opened. Kids, perform well.”
The Flame Moon dignitary calmly spoke. His voice was like thunder that rumbled in all directions.
As it echoed, at the next moment, the figures of the heaven’s chosen of the Flame Moon’s races appeared one after another in the surroundings of the forbidden zone. All of them moved with their full speed.
They rushed into the forbidden zone from different directions.
In an instant, intense competition immediately erupted in the forbidden zone.
Here, regardless of whether it was fighting, robbing, death, or various other things, outsiders wouldn’t interfere. Even that Flame Moon dignitary was only watching the show from the palace.
Very soon, there were casualties.
After all, not everyone chose to head to the forbidden mountain immediately. This was because they could obtain the forbidden mountain by killing and robbing others, hunting others was naturally simpler than fighting a group of people for it.
However, the energy waves from the battles were hidden in the forbidden zone. From outside, this forbidden zone was like a black hole that devoured everything. No sound or energy fluctuations spread out.
There was complete silence.
Time flowed by and soon, seven days passed. Every day, participants would rush over from various directions and disappear in the forbidden zone. There were also people who chose to leave.
However, what was strange was that the number of forbidden mountains inside didn’t change much.
“It’s a little boring.”
In the palace in the forbidden zone, the Flame Moon dignitary yawned and shook his head.
Just as the Flame Moon dignitary felt that the show was boring, Xu Qing and the captain’s figures were rapidly approaching from the sky 50 kilometers away from the forbidden zone.
They hadn’t stopped on the way, so after seven days, they reached their destination.
As for the forbidden mountains above Xu Qing’s head, it had increased from two to three.
Clearly, he had other gains on the way here.
‘It’s a little slow.’
Xu Qing muttered inwardly. The time he participated in the hunt was slow, and the speed at which he obtained the forbidden mountains was slow. Xu Qing felt that unless he could obtain a large harvest, he probably wouldn’t have enough time to obtain a hundred mountains.
At the thought of this, Xu Qing lifted his head and stared at the silent forbidden zone in the distance. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he rushed forward. The captain followed behind with a look of anticipation.
Just like that, after about fifteen minutes, the two of them finally arrived at the edge of the forbidden zone. The moment they stepped into the forbidden zone, the fog of anomalous substances swept over, drowning the two of them.
In the fog, Xu Qing’s aura also changed, concealing him.
His movements were no longer bold and open. Instead, he crouched down and moved forward. Every time his figure was revealed, he would fuse into the surrounding jungle environment.
This method of moving forward was Xu Qing’s instinct.
He had lived in the forbidden zone for a very long time and had interacted with all kinds of people in it, so he had developed this habit.
As for his forbidden mountains, after he stepped into the forbidden zone, they shrunk under the influence of external forces. Just like in Mystic Moon Square, they circled his head.
Looking at Xu Qing’s figure in front of him, a hint of surprise appeared in the captain’s eyes. This wasn’t the first time he had seen Xu Qing moving forward like this in the forbidden zones but this time, he observed carefully.
Gradually, the movement of his body changed as well. Very soon, he learned some of Xu Qing’s style. Together with Xu Qing, he crouched down and jumped forward on the branches.
This method allowed them to conceal themselves in the dark to a certain extent.
As he sped, Xu Qing also sensed that this place had a great influence on his divine consciousness. Even if he spread his divine consciousness with his full strength, it only covered a range of a few thousand feet.
To cultivators, they were used to being able to sense their surroundings with a sweep of their divine sense. It was inevitable that they would feel restricted in such an environment.
As for Little Shadow, it was still in a deep sleep and couldn’t help at this moment.
However, Xu Qing felt that it was still alright. His familiarity with forbidden zones allowed him to obtain more information through the surrounding vegetation and achieve the effect of indirect vision.
Hence, as he hurried, Xu Qing observed his surroundings. He paid attention to the vegetation, the mutated beasts, and also noticed the distant mountains and the golden palace in the air.
“That palace feels incompatible with this place. There’s a high chance that it’s where that Flame Moon dignitary is. Looks like this important figure from the Flame Moon is a fan of watching shows.”
The captain transmitted his voice softly.
“Little Qing, many people must have died here in the past seven days. I smell a very strong smell of blood.”
Xu Qing nodded. His gaze swept across some flowers and plants on the ground in the surroundings. Among them was a grass called blood spirit, which appeared to be thriving particularly well.
This grass was born by absorbing the aura of death. Its branches and leaves would incline towards wherever death was present.
The instant Xu Qing looked over, the branches and leaves of the blood spirit grass on the ground instantly moved and pointed in one direction, swiftly undulating as if absorbing something.
There was no reaction from Xu Qing’s divine consciousness but he sensed some fluctuations from the token the clay fox had given him. This caused him to fall into deep thought. He paused for a moment before hiding at the side.
The captain too squatted down on a branch and transformed into a worm, disappearing without a trace.
After about eight minutes, a rushing sound could be faintly heard from afar.
Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and waited silently.
Not long later, a speeding figure appeared in Xu Qing’s vision.
This person was a youth from the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven Race. His cultivation was at the Spirit Repository realm but it was visibly unstable, clearly injured, with a downcast expression, and blood at the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, there was still anxiety in his eyes. When he arrived at the hiding place of Xu Qing, he paused for a moment, immediately checked the surroundings, found nothing, and became increasingly anxious. He was about to say something.
However, at this moment, the sound of metal crushing rang out from afar, sharp yet imbued with a sense of flames. In the next instant, a fiery figure enveloped in a sea of fire rushed toward the youth.
A cold voice echoed.
“Qiu Quezi, since we’ve met, it’s moment to settle our old grudges. Where do you think you can escape to?”
As his voice rang out, the figure of the cultivator who arrived paused in mid-air and revealed himself. He was also from the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven Race and was also a youth. However, Xu Qing had never seen the flames on his body on other cultivators of the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven Race.
There were two prohibited mountains circling above his head.
“Old grudges!” Qiu Quezi, who had been chased here, was furious.
“You know very well who should have a grudge against whom regarding the matter between us back then!”
With that, Qiu Quezi bowed in each directions with a pious expression and spoke loudly.
“Qiu Quezi, the captain of the Sunken Spirit Great Priest’s Tent of the Star Flame Temple, respectfully welcomes the Star Flame Divine Envoy!”
As soon since he finished speaking, the expression of the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven cultivator who was chasing after him changed and he looked around.
The surroundings were silent and there were no fluctuations.
A while later, Qiu Quezi’s face turned a little pale. As for the Flame Moon cultivator who was chasing after him, he chuckled.
At the same time, in the golden palace in the air, the Flame Moon dignitary, who was holding his forehead with one hand, opened his eyes and revealed a hint of interest.
“Interesting.”
As he spoke, he lifted his hand and pointed lightly at the location Xu Qing was hiding in the prohibited zone.
