An image from antiquity existed in the minds of the people of the Moonrite Region, and it quickly became like a clap of thunder, ripping out with explosive force.

The hearts and minds of all living beings were hit by massive waves of shock. The things they had seen today surpassed their understanding, toppled their thinking, and shook them down to their souls. Previously, they had been devolving from madness and despair into pure numbness. Previously, they had existed in an iciness as cold as death. But now… cracks appeared in that ice, and it was now poised on the brink of collapse.

The blade that severed Crimson Mothers head had also severed the fetters in their hearts! Or perhaps, if the fetters had not been completely severed, a chink had at least been cut in them.

And underneath that gap was countless years of resentment and insanity. That breach… was extremely important!

Although the image was a depiction of Crimson Mother in the past, before godly ascension… that didnt matter. What mattered was that a myth had been shattered. What mattered was that Crimson Mother had once been mortal! Crimson Mother had been beheaded!

There was no person in existence who wanted to live as a slave. Nor did anyone want to be stuck in an endless loop of reincarnation in which they were nothing but food. Unfortunately, the people of Moonrite had become too numb to resist. The mindset of slavery had become part of their blood, and the idiom submit meekly to adversity had, over the generations, become baked into their bones.

But….

Who would actually want to live like that? Who would be willing to exist in darkness and gloom? And thus, when that gap opened, it was like a tsunami slamming into the soul, or a complete collapse of the heart and mind.

As the oppressive blood-colored light of the red moon shone in the dome of heaven, the living people of Moonrite felt everything turn around, and suddenly erupted with the desire to resist! It erupted in the ruins of Moonrite, the cities, the species, and the countless cultivators. As of that moment, a few sparks were about to cause entire grasslands to burst into flame.

And yet, something was missing. The sparks were there. The fuel was ready. But they were waiting!

The Red Moon Cathedral was furious. Countless cathedral cultivators were already combing through the Greenhair Badlands looking for the source of the broadcast. The broadcast went on, like oil being added to a fire, causing the sparks to gather into a sea of flames.

At the same time, the situation at the scene of the broadcast was one of mind-toppling shock.

The image of the God Decapitation Altar was astonishing, especially the aspect of heaven forming the blade, earth forming the altar, and a sun forming the axis. It was an image imbued with a spirit that could conquer mountains and rivers, and everyone was completely focused on it. Ning Yan and the others had long since stopped acting, and were instead backing up, trembling. Thankfully, the images from antiquity had taken over, so no one in the audience realized what was happening.

It didnt take long for everyone to gather by the Heir Apparent. Nethersprite was actually one of the quickest, as she feared something going wrong on the God Decapitation Altar. The Captain was right behind her.

Even being close to the Heir Apparent, all of them felt like their minds were being overturned. The images of the God Decapitation Altar were beyond astonishing, and contained massive amounts of information that seemed capable of ripping them to shreds.

The implications were monumental.

Li Zihua and Crimson Mother came from the same place! He had once been a god also!

Most terrifying of all was that it was years after Crimson Mother was beheaded that the broken face of the god arrived…. Was that the Great Terror spoken of by Li Zihua? Was Crimson Mothers godly ascension what brought the broken face?

Everyone stood there silently. All they had was speculations, no concrete answers. Very few people knew the secret of why the broken face had come. Perhaps there were some such people in the audience. However… the vast majority of people had no idea.

The Captain looked down to hide the gleam in his eyes.

The most astonishing thing of all was the last thing that Li Zihua murmured. The members of the audience actually didnt hear that part. But the people at the scene of the recording could hear it very clearly! It seemed to surpass heavenly lightning. It was like something that could sunder the heavens and crush the earth, a deafening sound that could exterminate the past and eradicate the present.

That was especially true of the Heir Apparent and his siblings…. All of them were reacting with visible shock. Eighth Sibs eyes were wide. Fifth Sisters expression was vacant. And the Heir Apparent seemed to be looking far off into the distance, in the direction of the Penitence Steppes. That was the location of the Red Moon Cathedrals headquarters, and also the enormous statue that had formed from the fleshly body of the dead Imperial Sovereign Li Zihua.

Father, if you knew all of this from the beginning, then… what exactly were you trying to accomplish?

Princess Brightblossom slowly looked up at the images coming from the God Decapitation Altar, including her father, who was slowly vanishing from sight.

The memories from the God Decapitation Altar were slowly drifting away in the ancient wind, turning into grit and dust and fading from existence. But as they vanished, something was left behind. The heavenly saber from the first challenge was still there in the sky. The trough that was the valley of the second challenge also still existed. And upon the altar where heaven and earth met, as Imperial Sovereign Li Zihua faded away… a person appeared!

He was a young man in a black daoist robe, with long black hair bound by a crown of jade. As the wind blew, strands of his hair stirred, shifting aside to reveal his face. He was unusually handsome, to the point where he could topple the minds of countless living beings. As he sat there cross-legged, his eyes were closed, however, it was easy to imagine that, if they were opened, they would surely glimmer as if with starlight.

He was none other than Xu Qing.

The God Decapitation Altar that had appeared formed around him as the center. And the images which had been projected also came because of him. He was the reason for it all! Now, as the God Decapitation Altar faded from view, Xu Qing was revealed. As he sat there cross-legged on the altar connecting heaven and earth, it almost looked… like he was the God Decapitation Altar!

All living beings in the Moonrite Region were reeling. After all, the broadcast was still live, and as a result, all of them could see Xu Qing.

This was the first time Xu Qings facial features were revealed in the Moonrite Region, and it was for everyone to see!

Hes….

The Imperial Sovereign left, and this guy showed up. Is there some deeper implication to that?

Is this a memory from antiquity, or is something actually happening right now?

If it was a memory, then who is he? And if its actually happening… then could it be that this guy is the one who pulled up all of those precious memories from the past?

Who is he?

Speculations went wild. The cultivators in the Moonrite Region were all shaken to the core, especially the powerful experts, who were able to glean deeper information thanks to the higher level of their cultivation base.

Hes seeking enlightenment?!

Dont tell me that the images we saw were actually the subject of his enlightenment?

Is it possible this guy figured out where Crimson Mother was actually beheaded, and went there to seek enlightenment? Then, during the process, he activated the natural and magical laws there, which resulted in the images we just saw?

If thats the case… then this enlightenment… well, I dont believe anybody can actually get enlightenment like that!

Gasps could be heard in all corners of the Moonrite Region, especially in the Moonrebel Congregation. People there were shaken, and some were already starting to seek information about Xu Qings identity. It seemed logical to them that someone who borrowed the power of the Moonrebel Congregation was highly likely to already be a member of the congregation.

As everyone looked on with varying levels of bewilderment, the Imperial Sovereign disappeared completely, and Xu Qing became fully visible.

Then his eyes slowly opened. They glittered with starlight, and pulsed like deep waters. Everyone saw the image. There seemed to be a flicker of enlightenment in them, and when the audience saw that, whether they were mortals or cultivators, they were nearly struck senseless.

As the ripples of shock spread, exclamations rang out.

He really got enlightenment!

Th-this… this shouldnt be possible. All of this happened because of his enlightenment! He brought memories of antiquity back to the present!!

This type of enlightenment… is absolutely heaven-defying!!

Who exactly is he?

Astonishment and incredulity reigned supreme.

Xu Qings terrifying powers of understanding were now rocking all living beings in the Moonrite Region.

The forces of the Red Moon Cathedral picked up the pace in the Greenhair Badlands. Now that they knew what his face looked like, the pontiff issued orders declaring Xu Qing as most wanted!

In the Red Moon Cathedrals headquarters, an astounding red glow rose up, becoming a huge net in the canopy of heaven, which connected to the red moon itself and exerted pressure on the entire region. Within that huge red net, it was just barely possible to see a headless corpse that radiated immense majesty. That corpse… was the mortal husk of Crimson Mother that had been beheaded!

Wild colors flashed in heaven and earth, affecting even the Eye of Heaven that was currently still recording and broadcasting. In fact, at that moment, the images of the broadcast blurred, then vanished.

The Heir Apparent and his siblings couldnt do anything further… and the broadcast ended. However, just before it did, a voice rang out into the hearts and minds of the people of the Moonrite Region.

Gods are by no means eternal….

Each word echoed like thunder, shaking everyone to the core. Those were the words that the hearts of the people had been missing.

They were like an explosion of sparks that caused everyone to immediately open their mouths and release a cry of defiance that came from their very souls.

Hope exists from time immemorial and into forever!!

Their cries became a howl filled with all of their pent-up fury. As it raged out through the gap in the fetters in their heart, the sparks finally lit the grasslands ablaze! And the fire spread through the mountains, across the plains, and out over all of the region. Countless despairing cultivators looked up with bloodshot eyes. They were now ready to fight back. Countless numb mortals howled. They were ready to resist.

The power of hope finally appeared within the people of the Moonrite Region, spreading, growing, and finally… gathering at the God Decapitation Altar!

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