Both the Captain’s proud words, and what Xu Qing had said earlier, were so lofty that they rose high into the heavens, and would have a hard time ever touching the earth.

Biting Crimson Mother? Stealing the red moon’s essence? Rescuing the children of the Imperial Sovereign? All of that… left the Moonrebel Congregation cultivators stunned. However, none of it had anything to do with them personally. Those accomplishments were things that almighty figures would carry out, and though they were exciting to hear about, they weren’t enough to truly move the hearts of the people.

That is just one facet of human nature. When it came to walking the line between safety and danger, most people worried about their own situation, and cared about things that related to themselves personally. A good example was how the people of Sea-Sealing County didn’t care very much who exactly served as the governor. They were mainly worried about having been poisoned. And Xu Qing took advantage of that to tap into the destiny aura of the citizens in the county capital. It was the same here in the Moonrebel Congregation.

And that was why Xu Qing’s final statement declaring himself to be Pill Nine had a heaven-shaking, earth-toppling effect on the Moonrebel cultivators. The commotion surpassed the intensity of everything from before. Virtually every single Moonrebel cultivator was visibly taken aback. And inside, their hearts were in chaos as they looked incredulously at Xu Qing.

The Pill Nine name was of deep significance to all Moonrebel cultivators. A year ago, he had been the one to give them hope. Acting on his own, he completely changed the painquelling lozenge paradigm. He was able to take the ridiculously expensive painquelling lozenge and turn it into a medicinal pill that anyone could afford, with a price dozens of times lower than before.

There seemed to be no end to his virtuous achievements, and it caused a major stir. There were a lot of cultivators who had been dealing with extreme mental and physical anguish because of the curse, and now felt deeply grateful to Pill Nine.

Vice-bishops and ordinary cultivators alike all felt deep reverence for Pill Nine.

Even Third Vice-Bishop, who had been so skeptical of Xu Qing, had gone searching for Grandmaster Pill Nine a few times. He had even personally gone to Pill Nine’s temple in the hopes of recruiting him into his own army.

And there was no need to go into detail about everyone else he had helped. Of the surviving Moonrebel Congregation cultivators, it was safe to say that about sixty percent of them had consumed some of Pill Nine’s medicines.

Most noteworthy of all was the cursequelling lozenge that Grandmaster Pill Nine had invented. It struck the congregation like a bolt of lightning when everyone realized that it could actually reduce the curse. When that pill was released, it pushed Pill Nine’s names to the heights of fame. Everyone said that he was the epitome of benevolence and morality, and was a benefactor to all. Such sentiment wasn’t limited to the Moonrebel Congregation. Cultivators on the outside had heard of him and felt similarly.

Even the Red Moon Cathedral took him very seriously.

Thus, Xu Qing’s words caused exclamations of shock and expressions of astonishment to fill heaven and earth.

“Grandmaster Pill Nine!”

“The Archbishop… is actually Grandmaster Pill Nine!”

“This is incredible! Is this real? If it’s real, then we really do have hope!”

“If the Archbishop is also Grandmaster Pill Nine, then I fully support him! I’m only alive now thanks to Grandmaster Pill Nine’s medicinal pills!”

“He has my support!”

Everyone was shaken to the core, and instinctively edged closer to Xu Qing. Fourth Vice-Bishop was equally excited and looked at Xu Qing with deep emotion on his face.

Third Vice-Bishop just stood there with a blank look on his face; to him, this new information was monumental. His subordinates had all stopped walking. Some people present seemed more excited than others, to the point where they trembled, and their eyes shone as they looked at Xu Qing.

The most excited of all was Xu Qing’s neighbor, the one who looked like a burly man in the Moonrebel Congregation, but was actually a young woman who was the leader of his followers. She was staring at him in disbelief. She well remembered that, not too long ago, he had asked her if she would even be able to recognize Pill Nine if she found him. She remembered how she had answered him. And now that she had laid eyes on Xu Qing, even though he hadn’t offered any proof to back his claim, her instincts were telling her… that he was definitely the Grandmaster Pill Nine she had been following. 1

My judgment was correct! The white wind is from this desert, so this is where the grandmaster had to be! The only reason I didn’t identify him, and the only reason his statue wasn’t summoned earlier, is that… the grandmaster has another identity!

Of course, though everyone was astonished, it was inevitable that some people would be hesitant or suspicious. After all, anyone could make claims like that. The important thing would be to back them up with facts.

Xu Qing was well aware of that. He waved his hand, and a chunk of flesh flew out, along with a host of medicinal plants. As everyone from the Moonrebel Congregation watched, Xu Qing started a concocting session.

His hands danced back and forth as some cursequelling lozenges took shape in front of him. He had concocted this type of pill many, many times, so he was very comfortable with the process. Before long, nine medicinal pills had formed. Using his taboo poison gaze, he changed their internal structure.

These pills were no longer the type that could reduce the curse by fifty percent. Given the boost to Xu Qing’s cultivation base, and the formation of his secret trove, he now had insights about the curse. And thus, this specific batch of pills could reduce the curse by seventy percent. When the nine pills came out of the furnace, wild colors flashed in heaven and earth.

Xu Qing took a step forward and changed the appearance of his statue. He became Pill Nine. Then he flicked his sleeve and sent the nine pills flying out. One went to Li Xiaoshan, while another flew toward Madam Godfinch. The third went to Third Vice-Bishop, and the fourth went to Fourth Vice-Bishop. Two dropped down toward the crowd in general. The rest… went to his followers. His neighbor, the ‘burly man,’ got one of them.

The mere presence of the pill affected the entire area; as soon as they were out in the open, all of the Moonrebel cultivators could sense the curse inside them becoming sluggish.

You didn’t need to consume the pill to understand what that evidence indicated. One by one, the Moonrebel cultivators gasped in shock. Those who had the pills in hand looked at them with serious expressions, and then, without the slightest hesitation, consumed them. Instantly, their personal auras improved, and the curse power within them declined!

Third Vice-Bishop stood there silently. Madam Godfinch’s eyes shone brightly.

Most shocked of all was Li Xiaoshan; as the curse dropped within him, his Smoldering God aura improved. He was visibly moved. The entire reason he had failed to become a Smoldering God in the first place was because of the curse. Right now, he could sense that… it was now possible for him to achieve that breakthrough.

“It reduces the curse by seventy percent….” His hoarse voice spread out, causing a tempest of astonishment in the hearts of everyone who heard.

Xu Qing’s neighbor was the first one to take action. Rushing out, she clasped hands and bowed to Xu Qing. “Greetings, Grandmaster!”

After her, other followers excitedly rushed over to bow in greeting. Then, all of the Moonrebel Congregation cultivators joined their voices, creating a massive wave of sound that swept over the mountain.

“Greetings, Grandmaster!”

Li Xiaoshan took a deep breath, looked at Xu Qing, then clasped hands and bowed.

Madam Godfinch nodded, her eyes gleaming with approval.

Among those in the crowd who bowed to Xu Qing were Third Vice-Bishop’s subordinates. As for Third Vice-Bishop himself, he was so overwhelmed with astonishment that he was just staring at Xu Qing. He felt the urge to say something, yet no words would come out of his mouth.

The standard had been met. The reputation was sky-high.

Third Vice-Bishop stood there for a few breaths of time, then took a few steps forward. “Archbishop, sir, you said that you stole some of the red moon’s essence…?”

Xu Qing nodded. He waved his hand, and his secret trove formed behind him. Within it glittered a violet moon. The authority of the red moon was also there in the form of fresh blood. As the aura spread out, it led to further thunderous shock.

Off to the side, the Captain laughed coldly.

“See that?” he said proudly. “That’s the real reason my little Junior Brother can concoct those cursequelling lozenges. He stole some godsource! He’s the only one who can deal with Crimson Mother’s curse!”

Third Vice-Bishop looked at the violet moon in the secret trove, and his eyes began to shine brightly. However, he suppressed his excitement. “The red moon is on the way. How do we deal with it? Forget Crimson Mother. Even just the Red Moon Cathedral is too much for us to deal with. And the godchild is nearly a god….”

Xu Qing didn’t answer the question. The Captain did. Smiling grimly, he said, “What if the Red Moon Cathedral wasn’t around?” With a flourish, the Captain produced a white strand of hair, which pulsed with the aura of a god. “Well, we also have a god. This is an authentication device that I can use at any time to open a pathway to get help from a god!”

The Moonrebel Congregation went absolutely silent. Both Li Xiaoshan and Madam Godfinch looked on with wide eyes.

Third Vice-Bishop struggled to control his breathing, and the excitement within him was building to the point where he was losing control of it.

“When Crimson Mother comes, how do we fight?”

The Captain’s eyebrows shot up, and he was about to answer.

However, Xu Qing’s sigh interrupted him. Then Xu Qing said, “Why did you join the Moonrebel Congregation to begin with? Wasn’t it to fight back? To give it your all? Now you have that chance. If I, a person not even from this region, can risk my life, then what are you sitting around hesitating for? If your hearts aren’t strong, then you can feel free to leave.”

Xu Qing’s words struck everyone directly in the heart and mind. Third Vice-Bishop’s hands clenched into fists, and his eyes shone with determination. Clasping hands, he bowed to Xu Qing and prepared to speak. However, before he could, another voice spoke from the sky, and it crashed like heavenly thunder.

“When Crimson Mother arrives, my father will live!”

Along with the words, a face appeared in the canopy of heaven. It was the face of a young man, handsome, with long hair that swayed like snakes. This was what the Heir Apparent actually looked like. Next to him was Princess Brightblossom, clad in a suit of armor, a river of time flowing beneath her feet. Fifth Sister was also there. She looked old, yet pulsed with extremely gruish fluctuations. And then there was Eighth Sib, whose violent power spread out and influenced all living beings in the area.

In addition to those three, there was another person present. He was a young man clad in a black robe. His facial features were similar to the Heir Apparent’s, and as he hovered in midair, his eyes seemed to contain suns and moons being constantly destroyed. At the same time, he emanated an incomparably baleful aura. In fact, his baleful aura was so strong that he could surpass any one of his brothers and sisters. With him present, even the redness in the sky began to go dim.

He was Ninth Sib!

The words that were spoken as these children of the Imperial Sovereign appeared caused everyone in the Moonrebel Congregation to tremble from head to toe. Everyone bowed their heads, including Li Xiaoshan and Madam Godfinch.

Xu Qing was the only one who stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Well met, Grandpa Heir Apparent, Grandma Third, Grandma Fifth, Grandpa Eighth, and Grandpa Ninth.”

Princess Brightblossom nodded. Fifth Sister smiled. Eighth Sib laughed heartily. And Ninth Sib looked closely at Xu Qing. The Heir Apparent’s eyes shone with praise. Then he looked at the assembled cultivators.

“Your ancestors were all citizens under my father. They fought by his side. Then calamity struck. Countless years passed. Many epochs went by. During that time… all of you suffered. But now Xu Qing has brought hope to us. We can end this loop of predestination. We can end the bitter cycle of reincarnation. We… are here to help.”

The Heir Apparent’s words caused the hearts of the Moonrebel cultivators to swell. After everything that had just played out, their eyes now shone with determination.

“Xu Qing,” the Heir Apparent said, looking at him, “please inform us of the plan you, your Elder Brother, and your Master have come up with!”

Xu Qing nodded and looked at the Captain. They exchanged a glance, and could see the determination and craziness in each other’s eyes.

“We will topple the cathedral!” Xu Qing said. “We’ll awaken the Imperial Sovereign, drive away all evildoers, and devour Crimson Mother! First on the list is to topple the cathedral!”

They were words that caused heaven to pulse with killing intent and earth to thrum with murderous thoughts. The sky trembled, mountains and rivers shook, dragons and snakes writhed. The Moonrebel cultivators also burst with madness and killing intent!

It was a case of the dome of heaven, the lands below, and all living beings combining their killing intent. And as it raged, it focused on… the Penitence Steppes! Specifically, on the headquarters of the Red Moon Cathedral!

1. Xu Qing’s question, and her answer, was in chapter 669. ☜

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