Xu Qing and the Captain were paying very close attention to Master Seventh’s every word.

That was especially true of Xu Qing. He really wanted to know the truth behind the opening of Forbidden by the Immortal. He didn’t understand why it was being opened now, and why the sleeping god was being given to the red moon to eat. What did it all mean? The red moon was the god of the Nightshades, who were currently at war with humankind. As far as Xu Qing could guess, the only reason to give a sacrifice to the red moon right now would be to curry favor.

But what was the ultimate reason? Given his limitations, he felt like he wasn’t able to get to the bottom of the matter, as if his vision were obscured by fog.

“What do you think is going on, Master?” Xu Qing asked.

Master Seventh stared off toward the central part of the temple complex. “I don’t think Seventh Prince is doing this on his own. True, he’s an imperial prince with countless powerful experts working for him and an entire army under his command. He seems impressive, but the reality is that the emperor still sits on the throne, and is hale and healthy. According to the rumors, he’s extremely decisive and has great ambitions. Granted, those are just rumors, but rumors don’t spring up out of nowhere. Regardless, the point is that we’re not in a time period in which imperial heirs could even think about trying to usurp the throne.”

Master Seventh’s gaze grew more intense. “That said, this Seventh Prince is obviously ruthless and decisive. However he did it, he managed to break through the blockade set up by the Nightshades and the crony species helping them. That alone eased some of the tension weighing down on the imperial capital.

“In other words, his actions have benefited both the emperor and humankind in general. Forget what sacrifices were made or whatever other clues are at play. The important thing to consider is the big picture.

“The bottom line is that what’s going on right now in Forbidden by the Immortal is a matter related to gods. And that’s not something Seventh Prince has the authority to deal with on his own. Long story short, the opening of Forbidden by the Immortal had to be ordered by the emperor. Seventh Prince is simply carrying out the orders! With that knowledge, the fog begins to lift a bit.”

Both the Captain and Xu Qing were now starting to understand things a bit better.

“If you look at things from the perspective of the emperor,” Master Seventh continued, “you’ll realize that he’s obviously trying to accomplish something that relates to the war. Maybe it’s to just end the war, or maybe it’s to win it. It doesn’t matter. What could you do that would either end the war or win it?” Master Seventh’s eyes glittered with profound light. “It would be to use the most dangerous and majestic weapon of war humankind could ever have. A domain treasure!”

Master Seventh’s voice rang with decisiveness that could sever nails and chop iron.

“Of course, things aren’t as simply stated as that. The Nightshades have the red moon god on their side. All their high priests have to do is make the right sacrifices and employ the right god magics, and they can summon a projection of that red moon. Therefore, thinking of a way to get a domain treasure is only one element. The second is thinking of a way to prevent that red moon from being summoned.

“And how could that be accomplished? Well, humans can’t control the red moon. Nor could we trust the fate of our species to some sort of business transaction with the red moon. Therefore, since a deal is out of the question, how could we prevent hēr from coming, or at least, ensure shē comes too late to matter?”

Master Seventh looked at Xu Qing and the Captain.

“Create a situation the Nightshades couldn’t predict,” Xu Qing said. “For instance, put the red moon to sleep.”

“Whenever I’m stuffed,” the Captain said, “I instinctively want to slumber….”

Both Xu Qing and the Captain inhaled sharply as the implications hit them.

Master Seventh chuckled in a way that made him seem especially wise. “This is only one line of reasoning that leads us to this conclusion. We can also analyze things from a different angle.

“For example, consider why the emperor would open Forbidden by the Immortal just as the situation with the war seemed to be easing up? Why would he intentionally rouse the red moon in Zhang Siyun? Before, that didn’t seem to make much sense. But everything became clear thanks to that god’s finger outright stating that īts true form was going to be devoured. Xu Qing, you’re still young, so no matter how carefully you think about a matter, it’s normal for you to overlook certain things.”

Master Seventh looked at Xu Qing and clearly hoped that he would come to the correct conclusion.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing’s mind was in high gear as he thought back to what the god’s finger told him.

“Master,” he said, “do you mean that it’s important that the god’s finger immediately realized that the red moon wanted to devour īts true form?”

Master Seventh’s eyes glittered with praise as he nodded. “Exactly. That level of certainty provides the explanation. Clearly, īt was absolutely confident that the red moon would devour īts true self. That bit of knowledge itself contains deeper elements to consider. Obviously, it’s not uncommon for powerful gods to devour weaker gods.

“Couple that with the fact that the god in Forbidden by the Immortal is in a state of sleep, then the chances our conclusion is correct rise to over eighty percent. As I mentioned to you before, my research has led me to the conclusion that gods are nothing more than higher versions of people like you and me.

“When mortals stuff themselves with food, they get tired and lazy. They don’t want to do anything. It’s the same with cultivators. When Big Sib gets stuffed, he instinctively wants to sleep. That goes for both me and you as well. Of course, it doesn’t necessarily require sleep; going into secluded meditation might also work. And the length of time spent in seclusion or sleep depends on the type of food.”

Xu Qing was mentally reeling, while the Captain was licking his lips. One thing was clear, both lines of reasoning led to the same conclusion.

“So, does everything make sense now?” Master Seventh asked quietly. “The emperor is taking the initiative to awaken the red moon, place it in Forbidden by the Immortal, and devour the god here. Then, the moon will be forced to enter a digestion period!

“During that time period, the red moon won’t pay any attention to the Nightshades, even if something goes wrong for them. To the moon, the Nightshades are nothing but servants. And there’s no way shē’ll forgo food or sleep for servants!

“What’s more, the digestion period will last for a while. During that time… the Nightshades won’t have any protection from their god!”

“The emperor must have been waiting for an opportunity just like this!” Xu Qing said. He felt like he had experienced a sudden revelation, as if the clouds had parted, making everything incredibly bright. In fact, as his thoughts coalesced, his twelfth heavenly palace began to materialize even faster, and got very close to the great circle!

With Master Seventh’s guidance, Xu Qing suddenly came to a much deeper understanding of the big picture. No longer were his thoughts limited to what was right in front of him.

Master Seventh could have refrained from helping out in this way. But thanks to his help, Xu Qing’s powers of cognition improved. Having Xu Qing logically think through the situation had been an instance of immense good fortune. Moral and practical instruction could really be given at any time.

Xu Qing’s eyes glittered with reverence as he clasped hands and bowed deeply to Master Seventh.

Master Seventh smiled faintly. The truth was that he was very proud of Xu Qing.

The Captain was also shaken. Looking reverently toward his Master, he said, “Okay, well what about the domain treasure? What do you think about that, Master? Should we steal it?”

Master Seventh’s smile wavered. The Captain had actually asked about something Master Seventh hadn’t considered. Then he realized that Xu Qing was looking at him with keen expectation, and he suddenly felt a headache coming on. Considering how hard he had worked to build up his image just now, he obviously couldn’t say that he hadn’t thought of stealing the domain treasure….

“How could you be so short-sighted, Big Sib?” Master Seventh said, doing nothing to show his displeasure. “I already made a decision about that. That said, I can’t just go around explaining every little thing to you all the time. Therefore… let’s consider that the homework assignment for this class. Take some time to think about it on your own, and see which of you can figure it out first. Whoever does will be rewarded.”

Xu Qing nodded, feeling more admiration for his Master than ever.

The Captain, however, looked suspiciously at Master Seventh.

Seeing that Chen Erniu was about to say something, Master Seventh gave a cold harrumph and decided that he wasn’t going to forget this. Quickly taking out a special semitransparent skin mask, he handed it to Xu Qing.

“This item is the immortal skill that I got years ago. It has one use: concealment. Extreme concealment.

“Fourth Sib, when the red moon awakens, you need to put that mask on. That’s your first layer of concealment, but not the only one. You also need to find a place with a lot of flesh built up, and dig your way inside. That will hide the god’s aura that you carry with you. That’s your second layer of concealment.

“Whatever other assets you have will be the third layer. And finally, I’ll bolster you with a god magic of concealment. That’s the fourth layer. That way, unless the red moon specifically starts looking for you, you should be fine. The awakened moon is definitely going to be attracted to the sleeping god, so be cautious and you’ll be okay.

“Remember, after you put that mask on, you can’t move. Your cultivation base isn’t high enough, so if you move, it will break the concealment effect.” 𝑖𝘦.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Xu Qing was touched by his Master’s concern, and quickly clasped hands and bowed his head. “Master, make sure to take care of yourself as well.”

Master Seventh smiled warmly. He really did like this fourth apprentice of his. Clasping Xu Qing’s shoulder, he bolstered him with the god magic, then turned to leave.

“What about me, Master?” the Captain said. “What about me?”

Master Seventh didn’t bother looking at the Captain. “Compared to the aura of that sleeping god, yours is like nothing. Who would even notice you?”

Despite his words, Master Seventh waved his hand and sent a god magic of concealment to the Captain. Then he turned and vanished.

With Master Seventh gone, the Captain shivered and looked at Xu Qing, his eyes shining brightly. 𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ

“Little Ah Qing, I saw something really amazing on the way here. The old man was moving too quickly, so I didn’t say anything. Come on, let’s go check it out!”

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