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nIn Heavenfire City at the base of God Mountain, the god’s voice faded away, and the vortex disappeared.

nThe Firemoon cultivators who had returned via teleportation seemed deeply thoughtful as they looked at Xu Qing. It was the same with the onlookers in the three sub-cities below. They were looking at Xu Qing with surprise and other complex emotions. This was different from Xu Qing becoming the champion of round one. This time, it wasn’t as much of a provocation.

nHe had recovered Ninedawns and been given boons by the three stewards, which clearly demonstrated Xu Qing’s qualifications. The bloodline fluctuations that everyone felt ensured that the Firemoons were able to overlook the fact that he was human.

nAs everyone looked on with mixed emotions, Xu Qing descended toward the city.

nSeven days to rest and recover. Next, the Great Hunt will resume in a god domain. That’s the main point of this event.

nXu Qing could sense the Captain, but given the situation, he didn’t acknowledge him. Then, just as he was about to disappear into the city, a cold voice rang out behind him.

n“Hold on a moment!”

nThe words were spoken like a command that couldn’t be ignored. In fact, they stirred ripples as the natural and magical laws in the area were affected, and made the air suddenly seem to solidify. It was as if trying to move would provoke calamity from all directions.

nXu Qing’s eyes narrowed as he looked coldly over his shoulder.

nThe person who had spoken was Sir Firedark. Although the bloodline reaction made Sir Firedark feel slightly out of sorts, he couldn’t suppress his frustration and rage, and thus, they became a powerful force that pushed away everything else.

nAs Xu Qing turned, their gazes locked.

nIt was only one look, but it caused the air between them to vibrate as if it might shatter. Natural and magical laws crumbled, turning into threads that conformed to Sir Firedark’s will to surround Xu Qing.

nThe gray mist around Xu Qing seethed, pulsing with pressure as the Ninedawns skulls’ eyes glowed with underworld light. Xu Qing looked at Sir Firedark with eyes narrowed; the sensation he was getting here surpassed that of Master Stillwinter by a lot.

nSir Firedark’s eyes also narrowed as he realized that this definitely wasn’t the person he was looking for. The person he sought could be described as ‘crafty’ and ‘frigid,’ while this Xu Qing was clearly an expert in the dao of slaughter. He looked away from Xu Qing and sent his icy divine will out over the other returnees.

n“Nobody move!”

nThe returnees reacted with visible surprise. Sir Firedark had a very noble identity, and was considered the most important person among Firemoon Darkheavens of the current generation. Therefore, though his divine will didn’t provoke bloodline fluctuations like Xu Qing, it was still powerful and threatening.

nThe only person to ignore him was Xu Qing, he turned back around and headed toward the city.

nSir Firedark ignored Xu Qing. His focus was currently on all the other returnees, as he was now certain that the god-damned, good-for-nothing cultivator he was seeking was hiding among them. Therefore, he started inspecting everyone one by one.

nIn the end, he didn’t find anything. Short of slaughtering everyone, there didn’t seem to be any way to find his quarry…. He was so irritated that he was almost inclined to do that, except it wasn’t realistic.

nSuppressing his killing intent, Sir Firedark spun and left.

nThe other returnees went their separate ways wondering exactly what was going on. Some reunited with family. Some returned to the encampments of their various species. Regardless, all of the cultivators who had returned from the Mountain and Sea Region started spreading the news about what happened there as it related to Xu Qing.

n“Master Stillwinter… was killed by Xu Qing!”

nThe news spread like a tempest among the Firemoon Darkheaven people. And it provided a lot of food for thought for many of the old-timers.

nXu Qing wasn’t paying attention to any of that. As he made his way toward his residence, he started reviewing everything he knew about the next round of the Great Hunt.

nThe three gods will tear open a god domain and allow the participants to enter. There, we will hunt godly entities…. On the surface, it seems like it’s meant to be training for the Firemoon cultivators. But after what happened in the Mountain and Sea Region, and learning the truth about their history…. I wonder what the real reason is that the three gods will tear open a god domain?

nAll of a sudden, he stopped walking and looked over his shoulder.

nSomeone was racing after him at top speed. It was none other than Sir Heavenink, who stopped a few meters away from him.

n“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Xu! You’ll almost certainly become the Grand Darkheaven soon!” Sir Heavenink looked both pious and fervent, and after he was finished speaking, he bowed formally to Xu Qing.

n“What do you want?” Xu Qing said, ignoring what Sir Heavenink had just said.

nSir Heavenink blinked a few times but wasn’t put off by Xu Qing’s coldness. That was especially true when he thought about everything he witnessed Xu Qing do back in the Mountain and Sea Region. Given all that, Sir Heavenink was determined to make friends with him.

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nTherefore, he quickly continued, “Brother Xu, the third round of our Firemoon Darkheavens’ Great Hunt involves hunting in a god domain. I know you have a lot of connections as well as plenty of resources, so you probably know some of the details. But I noticed how that blowhard Sir Firedark was being so rude, and I’m worried he might try to harm you in the god domain, Brother Xu….

n“Therefore, I was thinking that you might benefit from some of the information I got about the god domain. Maybe it will help you deal with whatever despicable plans Sir Firedark is hatching.”

nAn odd expression could be seen on Xu Qing’s face. What stuck out to him most about Sir Heavenink was that he always had new ways to describe other people. Bastard. Sissy. Brutal beast. Joker. And now he used the words ‘despicable’ and ‘blowhard.’

n“Go on,” Xu Qing said, continuing to walk.

nSeeing that Xu Qing was willing to listen, Sir Heavenink lit up and hurried after him. Lowering his voice he continued, “Brother Xu, forget what you hear other people say. The truth is that from ancient times until now, us Firemoon Darkheavens have only opened up god domains three times.

n“Every single time, it was the same god domain. The difference is that the opening was ripped in different spots. Because god domains are so huge, outsiders have no idea of the truth, and they think that each one was a different god domain.”

nXu Qing’s pupils constricted. “It’s the same god domain each time?”

nSir Heavenink nodded. “Exactly. Now, this god domain isn’t listed in any of the histories of the Revered Ancient mainland. In other words, it’s not a postheaven god domain! No, it’s… a preheaven god domain!”

nXu Qing was definitely surprised. This was an important piece of information, and it wasn’t anything he could have predicted.

n“And that means that the god domain this time around will almost certainly be the same one,” Sir Heavenink continued in a hushed tone. “There’s no way of telling where the opening will be. But regardless, based on records of past events, the living beings inside can be categorized into different levels.” Sir Heavenink took out a jade slip. “This contains details about what they look like and their levels. It’s very comprehensive.

n“By the way, the reason things went so smoothly in the past is that there’s one very important feature about this place. And that is… there’s no god in charge!”

nXu Qing stopped in place.

n“Normally speaking, god domains have a god in charge. But not this one! My clan analyzed the situation thoroughly and came to the conclusion that this particular feature is why the Great Hunt is always held there. Furthermore… there are probably other reasons for everything. Secret reasons.”

nSir Heavenink glanced at God Mountain, then looked back at Xu Qing.

nXu Qing nodded. He understood what Sir Heavenink was getting at.

n“It’s not possible for us to dig up any details beyond that. But I can tell you that the next round is going to be very dangerous, but at the same time, will bring astonishing benefits. All of the living beings inside the god domain are treasures. Their souls can be refined into heavenly daos, or be used to nourish either flesh or cultivation base.

n“There’s also a big downside. Killing living beings in a god domain will cause you to be marked by a curse. The more you kill, and the higher the level of what you kill, the deeper the curse mark will go. But… because there’s no god in charge, even a deep curse won’t matter much. What’s more, the way they determine who takes first place is how deep the curse marks go.”

nXu Qing nodded. Although he hadn’t specifically experienced what it was like to be cursed because of killing living beings in a god domain, he had dealt with things like that. For instance, years ago in the event at the Supreme Beginning Netherflight Pillar in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, when he encountered the essence of Crimson Mother for the first time, he had acquired a mark like that. And that mark came because the Ghost Emperor killed a living being from a god domain.

n“Anything else?” Xu Qing asked.

nSir Heavenink excitedly went on to explain everything else he knew.

nAnd thus, by the time the two of them arrived at his residence, Xu Qing had quite a thorough understanding of what was to come.

nSir Heavenink took a few steps back, clasped hands, and bowed. “Brother Xu Qing, I hope that you achieve a decisive victory in the god domain. Once you become the champion, you’ll be named Grand Darkheaven!

n“Also, Big Bro Xu, please stay on guard against the other degenerate participants. There are a lot of villains with malicious goals, for instance, that stupid cunt Sir Firedark. And if you have anything you need me to do, just say the word. Sir Heavenink will do what needs to be done!”

nSir Heavenink cupped hands again and then hurried off.

nXu Qing watched him go, all while thinking about the wealth of information he had just obtained. Then he stepped inside.

nThe first thing he noticed was a familiar figure silhouetted against the window.

nXu Qing blinked a few times as he realized that the Captain was about to launch into a performance. Sitting down, Xu Qing took out an apple, started eating, and waited for the show to begin. He didn’t have to wait long before an ancient, desolate, and emotional sigh drifted out into the room.

n“Little Junior Brother, you know… your Eldest Brother had it really rough this time around…. I—”

nBefore the Captain could finish speaking, Xu Qing took out the bone medallion he had received from the Moonfire steward. He tossed it over.

n“I get it. Take that, Eldest Brother.”

nThe Captain spun and caught it. He seemed a bit embarrassed as he looked at Xu Qing, and ultimately decided not to launch into the tragic tale he had been about to tell. But then he remembered his status as the Eldest Brother. Putting a mysterious look onto his face, he lowered his voice and said, “Little Ah Qing, your Eldest Brother won’t take things from you willy-nilly. Allow me to tell you a very, very interesting secret regarding Sir Firedark.”

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