The dome of heaven over the imperial capital was like a mass of spilled ink, dark and monotonous. The afterglow of the setting sun was just as dim. What sunlight remained filtered onto the lands like a gray cloak. The entire world seemed to sink down under the pressure. Even the clouds melted into the darkness of the sky.

Pedestrians on the streets hurried on their way. Few people knew the details of the imperial edicts which had been issued, but they saw the blood-red dark swallows, and could thus guess that catastrophe loomed.

And when the armies started moving, those guesses turned into reality. Humans of this time period had to deal with a lot of grief and sorrow. Darkness and gloom became the primary color theme in human lands. Then lightning crashed through that darkness, and heavy rainfall began. Though the wind did not contain the icy cold of winter, it did indicate that seasons were changing. Spring was coming. And yet those who it touched… still felt like the freezing winter would continue.

Xu Qing felt it, but he had grown used to the cold. As he stood outside the Red Dust Emotional Suppression Pavilion, he wasn’t surprised at all by what the clay fox said. He was more familiar with the behavior of gods than most people. He had other reasons for coming here.

“Crimson Mother already perished,” Xu Qing said calmly.

“I’m obviously aware of that,” the clay fox said, sounding as seductive as usual. “What is it you want to say, naughty boy?”

“But,” Xu Qing continued, his expression placid, “the red moon is still around.” His voice provoked a ripple from the building in front of him. “As you can sense, it’s on its way back.

“I stole Crimson Mother’s authority, so my senses can’t be deceived in that regard. It won’t be long before the red moon once again appears in the sky over the Revered Ancient mainland. When that happens, the person standing atop it will be Li Zihua. Or perhaps it will be someone else.

“Regardless of who it is… thēy will want to be complete. And it’s likely that those of us who split up Crimson Mother’s flesh will be thēir target. We will be like seeds that have sprouted and grown, and are ready to be harvested.”

A moment later the clay fox laughed. “That’s very fascinating, naughty boy. Except that I can’t see the future.”

Xu Qing didn’t quibble about gods being able to see the future. Voice calm, he continued, “Crimson Mother was Li Zihua’s little sister. They were both postheaven gods, which are different from preheaven gods.

“For example, Fifth Prince, despite knowing I was justified in executing Seventh Prince, was an older brother, and thus, he had no choice but to fight me. I also have an older brother, and if someone else tried to kill me, he wouldn’t stop them. But if I did die, I’m fairly certain that he would take action to sever karma.”

The clay fox thought for a moment, then spoke in a voice that was less seductive and more businesslike. “That’s a very interesting deduction. Though it seems very unlikely, you do make some good points. In that case… why did you come here today?”

Xu Qing bowed at the waist. “High God Starfire, I hereby request that you grant me the right to participate in the Firemoon Darkheavens’ Great Hunt.”

The clay fox smiled. “It seems I was right to be interested in you. You’re very fun sometimes, naughty boy. You actually thought of a way to break the stalemate. If you can win the title of darkheaven general in the Great Hunt, then you’ll have a reputation among the Firemoon Darkheaven people. Darkheaven generals always get an opportunity to request a boon from the three major powers. I suppose you want to use that boon to stop the war between the Firemoon Darkheavens and the humans? Sadly, that isn’t going to work.”

The clay fox spoke in a teasing voice; to hēr, life was little more than a flower.

Xu Qing shook his head. “If I succeed, that won’t be what I ask for.”

“Then what will you ask for?” the clay fox asked curiously.

Looking calmly at the building, Xu Qing softly said, “Just wait until I succeed, then you’ll find out.”

Laughter drifted out from inside. “You rogue! Well, fine. For the sake of that primal yang of yours, I think I can agree to your request.” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

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A pink stream of light emerged from the building and shot toward Xu Qing. It stopped right in front of him, where it coalesced into the form of a pink identity medallion. On the front was etched the image of a fox, while the back was a scene of mountains and rivers.

Xu Qing took it and looked at it.

Meanwhile, a languid yawn could be heard from inside the Red Dust Emotional Suppression Pavilion. “I guess I might as well explain to you how the Great Hunt works. Just remember, I’m doing this because I happen to like you so much. I wouldn’t provide such details to anyone else.”

The clay fox suddenly seemed a lot more seductive than before.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and cupped hands respectfully. He knew that the information to come was going to be very important. As he had previously stated directly, this was the only reason he had come here. Xu Qing didn’t plan to go directly to the Moonrite Region. Given his relationship with the Heir Apparent and his siblings, it seemed a foregone conclusion that if he pleaded for help, they would agree to step in. Considering what he knew of the aspirations of the Heir Apparent and his siblings, Xu Qing felt it would be better to try to handle the situation on his own. If it didn’t work, he could always go to Moonrite afterward.

There was another reason why Xu Qing wanted to go to the Firemoon Darkheavens first. And that was Ningyan’s meritorious service. Only if Ningyan became the crown prince would Xu Qing have an opportunity to enter the ancestral planet to get the Plumdark Evergreen Lamp. And from what Xu Qing could tell, Ningyan’s assignment in the Nightshade war wasn’t going to be enough for him to earn that spot. But if Xu Qing could somehow arrange for Ningyan to resolve the situation with the Firemoon Darkheavens, that might be enough meritorious service.

As Xu Qing thought about those things, the clay fox spoke in a languid voice.

“The Great Hunt of the Firemoon Darkheaven people consists of three rounds. If you want to become a darkheaven general, you need to take first place in at least one of those rounds. If you can take first place in all three, then you won’t just be an ordinary darkheaven general. You’ll be the Grand Darkheaven!”

Somehow, there was anticipation in the clay fox’s voice. “That said, there hasn’t been a Grand Darkheaven for many, many years. The first round of the Great Hunt is actually already half over. In the first round, you have to move mountains. And not just any mountains. Forbidden mountains.”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed. “Forbidden mountains?”

“That’s right. Any mountain from a forbidden region qualifies.” The clay fox chuckled. “One forbidden mountain is the requirement. But that’s the minimum. If you want to take first place, then you’ll need to have more forbidden mountains than anyone else.

“The process involves taking the forbidden mountains to God Mountain in the heart of Firemoon lands. Do that, and you’ve succeeded, regardless of how many forbidden mountains you fuse into God Mountain. During that time… all participants are allowed to fight, rob, and kill each other.”

The clay fox stopped speaking for a moment, and hēr simple explanation seemed to cause the smell of gore to proliferate.

Xu Qing nodded.

The clay fox continued. “The second round is a lot more interesting. It’s the hunt of taming. The Firemoon Darkheavens have a lot of godly entities. Some are weak, and some are strong. Regardless, if you tame one and turn it into your darkheaven mount, then you meet the requirement for the second round.

“The stronger the godly beast you try to tame, the more difficult it is. But if you want to take first place, then you can imagine how difficult of a task you face. The slightest mistake and you can become food. Therefore, naughty boy, make sure you think this through clearly. Make sure you don’t die before giving me your primal yang. And remember, I can’t really interfere to help you during the Great Hunt.”

Xu Qing was finding these different rounds of the event to be very unique and interesting.

“The third round is actually very simple, but it’s the most important.” Inside the shrine hall, the clay fox licked hēr lips, and hēr eyes shone with a bewitching glow. “And that’s the hunt of the god domain! When the time comes, my two older sisters and I will act together to open the entrance of a god domain. As for which specific god domain, I can’t really tell you. But I’m fairly certain… you’ll like it.”

The clay fox laughed softly. “After the god domain is opened, all participants enter and kill the things inside to earn points. The more you kill, the better your chances of winning. At the same time, it’s still a god domain…. Therefore, every Great Hunt involves about eighty percent of participants dying.

“Some of them end up mutating and turning into god flesh. Such god flesh makes great treats for the little cutie pies inside. In fact, if something really delicious comes along, I might even take a bite. It’s a banquet, designed for the pleasure of gods. And if you’re there, I’ll definitely be paying much closer attention than usual. That said, I hope that if you do die, no one else gets your flesh. Therefore… I might use my god authority to lay claim to your flesh. What do you think about that, naughty boy?”

The clay fox’s words were spoken gently, but they were chilling enough to be spine-tingling.

Xu Qing wasn’t surprised. He nodded. “Sure.”

Inside the shrine hall, the clay fox laughed, and the shrine vibrated. In fact, the entire shrine hall shook. Then hēr eyes glittered, and shē licked hēr lips.

“This time, naughty boy, I’ve come to realize… that I really do just like you more and more.”

Xu Qing looked at the Red Dust Emotional Suppression Pavilion, and thought about how he had heard words like this, and felt something similar, when dealing with Yanyan in the past. In fact, in some ways, the clay fox worded things more conservatively than Yanyan. Forgetting about levels of power, he actually thought that Yanyan was a bit superior.1

Of course, he said nothing. After clasping hands, he turned and walked off, slowly merging into the darkness of night and disappearing.

After he was gone, the clay fox looked up from within the shrine hall of the Red Dust Emotional Suppression Pavilion.

“Years ago, Second Sister fell in love with someone. I wonder if it was like this.”

1. We last saw Yanyan in chapter 726. ☜