Deep in the old Corrections Division, cultivators were gathering around the stone obelisks.

Xu Qing was among the first to arrive, but he didn’t get close to the hole in the middle of the formation. He kept his distance, and took time to warily assess his surroundings.

Within that hole was Forbidden by the Immortal, and it was dark and full of mist. Obviously that was a result of the mutagen. Within the swirling mists, it was just barely possible to see palaces and other buildings. There were howls and shrieks that floated about as well, making it seem as if they were standing in front of the gates to the Yellow Springs.

As Xu Qing looked around, the Captain looked in surprise at Ning Yan.

His response from moments ago left the Captain with the distinct impression that Ning Yan could use a good biting. Smiling mysteriously, he tousled Ning Yan’s hair and licked his lips.

“How very naughty of you, little Ningning!”

Ning Yan smiled back just as mysteriously. Then he lifted his right hand, and it was hard to tell if he intended to strike a blow or struggle free from the Captain’s arm. Then he looked around and seemed to get himself under control. Turning his head, he ignored the Captain.

The Captain seemed pleased with his behavior. Naturally, he didn’t think Ning Yan would ever dare to hit him, which in turn meant that he’d been thinking of struggling free. But then he’d come to the conclusion that it was in his best interests to abandon such thoughts.

“That’s much better, little Ningning. You see, I really, really missed you. Really!”

Chuckling darkly, the Captain dragged Ning Yan in front of Xu Qing. There, the Captain winked. Though few people would understand what he meant by such a facial expression, Xu Qing understood instantly. He was telling Xu Qing that their tool was ready to use.

Xu Qing glanced at Ning Yan and was about to speak when a group of cultivators arrived wearing black robes with deep hoods, and who pulsed with strange fluctuations. Most of them seemed cold and sinister in a way that was very different from ordinary cultivators. It was as if they all cultivated unique techniques that, though different from each other, merged together perfectly. Anyone who looked at them would feel a strange sensation that would prompt them to keep as much distance as possible.

It was very telling that most of the imperial cultivators in the area backed away to give them space. What was most noteworthy was that there was one cultivator in this group whose aura was different from the others. The others clustered around him, almost as if they were guarding him, but at the same time, were keeping him prisoner.

This figure stumbled a bit as he walked. His cultivation base was in the Gold Core level, and as he neared the huge hole in the spell formation, the wind created by the mutagen lifted the corner of his hood to reveal part of his face.

It was none other than Zhang Siyun. He looked a lot different than he had half a month ago. Before, he had been wan, sallow, and dispirited. Now, though, his face was covered with a shocking display of red veins, almost like a spider web. He seemed very gruish, but at the same time, appeared to be in a lot of pain.

Xu Qing quickly looked away. At the same time, he thought back to what the god’s finger had told him.

The red moon is about to awaken.

He quietly took a few steps backward.

When the Captain saw all that, his smile vanished, and he also backed up, dragging Ning Yan with him. It was hard to tell if Ning Yan did it on purpose, but when he backed up, he made sure to stand in a way that blocked the line of sight between the black-robed group and Xu Qing and the Captain.

After arriving, the black-robed cultivators scanned the area, then took up a position off to the side.

Eventually, Generalissimo Bloodhorror flew out to hover above the giant hole. As his baleful, bloody aura spread to fill the area, he glanced at the hole and then said, “Void Returning will go in first. Then Spirit Trove.”

The honor guards from the three palaces as well as the generals from the imperial capital unhesitatingly stepped forward and entered the hole. The mists within seethed, and howling sounds echoed out briefly. Then everything went quiet, and a glittering white light could be seen inside the hole.

“Now, all other forces will enter!” he barked. Stepping forward, he entered the hole. The other cultivators followed.

Xu Qing and the Captain were among them, as were Qing Qiu and Kong Xianglong.

After dropping into the hole, a new world opened up in front of Xu Qing. Everything was so hazy it wasn’t possible to see how far the world stretched out. Structures were visible in the mists, but because they were high in the sky, it wasn’t possible to make out many details. That said, they seemed old. Mutagen levels were high, and faint shrieks and howls could be heard in the distance. There was no natural sky. Rather, the dome of heaven was the work of human hands.

It looked almost like a huge mirror. However, it wasn’t flat. Instead, it was distorted in an odd way. And those distortions were even more pronounced in the spot where they had just entered. There, the canopy of heaven looked almost like a funnel leading into a passage. In fact, it resembled the inside of a bottle.

As Xu Qing noted all these things, he realized he suddenly felt an intense discomfort, like a longing to absorb his surroundings. Now wasn’t the time to do something rash, so he suppressed the sensation.

Keeping his arm locked tight around Ning Yan, the Captain looked around and projected a message to Xu Qing.

“Little Junior Brother, do you think we’re actually inside of a bottle?”

As Xu Qing considered that, he looked to the side as the black-robed cultivators whisked Zhang Siyun off into the distance. They obviously had a specific destination in mind, as they quickly disappeared into the mists.

Seeing that, Xu Qing and the Captain exchanged an anxious glance.

“What gives, little Junior Brother. Where’s Master?”

Xu Qing considered the question, then replied, “Maybe he’s using a special technique to come here. Or perhaps he’s in such a good disguise that we have no way of identifying him.”

The Captain nodded. “That would make sense. The old man has always been a shady character. He probably used some unknown method to sneak in. Based on what I know of him, the moment he heard the word ‘god’ he probably started drooling like a waterfall. In other words, the two of us should head inside and help ourselves to some initial refreshments.”

The Captain’s eyes glittered as he looked down at the swirling mists.

Xu Qing thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

During their conversation, the Captain kept a tight grip on Ning Yan, as if he were worried about him fleeing. When the nearby mist seemed to flow past Ning Yan’s face as if to avoid it, Ning Yan looked at the Captain out of the corner of his eye. Neither Xu Qing nor the Captain noticed that. After finishing their conversation, they dropped down with the rest of the cultivators.

The Captain kept a firm grip on Ning Yan, leading the way, with Xu Qing following. Before long, they were down within the mists, along with the rest of the cultivators. Almost immediately, the rumble of combat started echoing out.

It was possible to see huge mutant beasts in the mists, which were already attacking the Void Returning and Spirit Trove cultivators.

This far down, they were able to see the surrounding buildings more clearly. It was a very large location that resembled a palace complex. Palace halls, temples, and other structures created a huge city. Everything seemed very ancient and gruish.

The reason for that was that the structures were all covered with wriggling, purplish-black flesh. In fact, it wasn’t just the buildings that were covered with that horrendous flesh. It was the ground too. .

Then a cold voice echoed out through the mists. “Everyone, purge this area and create a safe landing zone!”

It was an order from Generalissimo Bloodhorror. Instantly, the hundreds of thousands of cultivators who had come on the mission got to work. There were many tasks at hand. Some piloted war puppets to kill the enemies in the mists. Others started setting up spell formations. Still others focused on purging the mutagen and the flesh from the area. Most operated in small teams.

Xu Qing and the Captain were among them. Qing Qiu, Kong Xianglong, and the others had been pulled into other teams, and were nowhere to be seen.

Things went according to plan. Before long, a small area had been completely cleared. Then they started expanding that area outward. Whenever a team ran into a situation they couldn’t handle, they would report the matter. It would go up the chain of command, and then a powerful expert would arrive to help. Under Generalissimo Bloodhorror’s leadership, everything went smoothly.

Xu Qing and the Captain finally got a good look at the mutant beasts. They had blackish-violet skin, and weren’t intelligent at all. However, they pulsed with mutagen, and had extraordinary battle prowess. Furthermore, they were huge.

Sometime after arriving, when they had established a rather large area of safety, they stopped to rest. For one thing, the strong mutagen meant that everyone had to take time to purge themselves, lest they risk mutation.

During the rest period, Xu Qing and the Captain accepted a reconnaissance mission so they could leave. They took Ning Yan with them.

“There’s no point in sticking around here,” the Captain said. “We don’t have to worry about mutagen, so we need to go find some refreshments. Otherwise this whole trip will be a waste. With Ning Yan here, things should go very smoothly.”

Xu Qing glanced at Ning Yan and felt a bit sorry for him. For this entire time, the Captain hadn’t relaxed his grip on Ning Yan one bit. He was obviously worried about their ‘tool’ escaping. Ning Yan seemed to have simply accepted his fate, and mostly maintained silence.

Seeing how Ning Yan was acting, Xu Qing eventually said, “Eldest Brother, isn’t your arm getting tired? Maybe you should let Ning Yan go for a bit.”

“Tired?” the Captain said solemnly. “Are you kidding? I’m just trying to keep Little Ningning safe!” He looked at Ning Yan with a very sincere expression. “Don’t worry, Little Ningning. Since you’re coming along, I’ll make sure you get some nice meat to eat!”

The Captain suddenly reached out and tousled Ning Yan’s hair again. He wasn’t sure why, but after tousling Ning Yan’s hair that first time, he’d fallen in love with the action. It felt strangely good.

Ning Yan struggled to control his breathing as he stared fixedly at the Captain. “You’re here to get some good loot, right? Before coming in, I got my hands on some intelligence reports, so I know the exact direction to go. There should be some nice stuff there. Why don’t you let me lead the way?”

The Captain blinked a few times, then smiled happily. At the same time, he secretly projected a message to Xu Qing. “Little Junior Brother, there’s something suspicious about Ning Yan, isn’t there?”

Xu Qing’s facial expression remained the same, but he was indeed starting to feel a bit suspicious. The truth was that Ning Yan’s reaction right now seemed very unusual. After all, upon returning from Daybreak Prefecture, he had seen to it that Ning Yan was assigned to his Secretariat Division. He was quite familiar with Ning Yan’s manner of speaking. And there was indeed something very unusual about the way Ning Yan was talking. It didn’t seem like Ning Yan.

He was just about to project a message back to the Captain when he heard a very cold snort in his mind.

It was a cold snort that contained a warning. Hearing it, Xu Qing shivered, then somberly projected a different message to the Captain.

“Eldest Brother, I spent some time with Ning Yan when I brought him back from Daybreak Prefecture. I know him pretty well. He was sort of traumatized by what happened in Daybreak Prefecture, and thus, his personality changed a bit. Right now… he’s acting completely normal!”

After saying that, Xu Qing heard a very familiar, and very pleased, sound of approval in his mind.

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