Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 655: Xu Qing’s Forbidden Region, Howling Godchildren

They had magenta carapaces, were as stooped as a crescent moon, had triangular heads, and emanated a terrifying aura. They had six limbs with razor-sharp claws at the end, and long tails that made up about half their body and could smash through just about any obstacle. Running down each back, from head to the tips of the tail, was a row of crimson spikes that glowed with crimson light that matched the redness of the sky.

These were the godchildren. At the moment, they were pouring out of the chasms in the Bitter Life Mountains and were spreading through the mountain range. They were embodiments of chaos, insanity, and hunger. They ate anything in their path, and whenever they smelled flesh or blood, their eyes lit up with greed, and they would follow that scent wherever it led them, usually into the sects or cities that filled the Bitter Life Mountains.

From high in the air, they created red rivers snaking through the mountains. Horrifying howls filled heaven and earth.

When cultivators heard them, they shivered in dread. When mortals heard them, they wallowed in terror. And in the end, mortals and cultivators alike knew that there was no escape.

A huge battle was about to start in the Bitter Life Mountains. One organization after another activated their spell formations. Cultivators shouted rallying cries as they prepared to defend against the monsters.

The entire Wind Guardian species were ready to fight. The red tide swept toward them. Clearly, some of the godchildren had been thrown into a frenzy by the smell of flesh, and were rushing forward with claws and fangs bared.

However, even as the trembling cultivators in the Bitter Life Mountains prepared to put everything on the line, and just as the fighting was about to break out, a cold harrumph rang down from the dome of heaven. It was a sound filled with astonishing mightiness, and sounded almost like thunder to the people in the mountains. In fact, they were so dazed they couldn’t do anything except stand there. And before they could recover their senses, the monstrous godchildren shivered, looked up into the sky, and howled shrilly.

Their howls didn’t do them any good. It was as if an invisible hand had fallen from the sky, covering the Bitter Life Mountains and exerting immense pressure on the godchildren. A boom rang out as countless godchildren exploded. Agonized shrieks could be heard as they were crushed into bloody pastes. None survived.

As the Bitter Life Mountains shook violently, the cultivators from the local sects and organizations looked up with wide eyes and pounding hearts. High in the sky, they saw three figures. The one who had just taken action was in the middle, and he looked like an old grandpa.

“Inkrule,” the Heir Apparent said.

The air rippled as Patriarch Inkrule teleported into place. The moment he appeared, he clasped hands and bowed. “Your humble servant is here!”

The cultivators below noticed him. Most of them had seen Patriarch Inkrule before, and even those who had never seen him knew his name. In the Bitter Life Mountains, he was considered the best of the best.

“You lead people to take care of the rest of the beasts,” the Heir Apparent said.

“Your orders shall be followed!” Inkrule said loudly. He was feeling very excited and also very safe. He quickly dropped to the ground. Given his reputation, he experienced no resistance as he took charge of the local sects and led them to eliminate the godchildren.

The Heir Apparent and Princess Brightblossom didn’t stick around. They continued on their way with Xu Qing. Before long, they arrived at the spot where the godchildren were coming from. It was a huge chasm that glowed with red light. Howling emerged from inside, as well as a sound like a thumping heartbeat.

The Heir Apparent and Princess Brightblossom looked down into the chasm. Xu Qing did the same. They had seen a lot of godchildren along the way. Though the Heir Apparent had killed many, there were still plenty that he didn’t kill, and more were coming out.

“Xu Qing, you handle the ones on the periphery. Given your battle prowess, you should be able to hold your own for a while. Consider it another round of tempering.”

With that, the Heir Apparent looked at Princess Brightblossom. She nodded, and the two of them dropped into the chasm, quickly disappearing into its depths.

As soon as they were gone, Xu Qing turned his gaze onto the seething red tide below. The godchildren had already noticed him. To them, hunger was an instinct, and fear was rare. More than anything else, they were beings of chaos and madness.

Apparently, Xu Qing’s aura was delectable to them, driving them into deeper madness as they raced toward him, howling. Given their bloodline, they could slough off most magical techniques. And they were capable of shocking speed. What was more, the fluctuations of godliness on them could smash through just about any obstacle. They also had a very vigorous life force.

They were already closing in on Xu Qing from all directions. He faced the red tide expressionlessly. As it closed in, his eyes didn’t turn red, but rather, pitch black.

This is the perfect place to see how I’ve grown lately.

At the spot where he looked, the ground rippled and blurred. Mutagen flourished and the power of taboo poison erupted.

Within the affected area, dozens of godchildren howled in agony as their flesh rotted. The mutagen from the taboo poison had once enabled Xu Qing to plunder Crimson Mother’s essence, and from that it could be deduced that its personhood surpassed hēr. [1]

This was even better proof of that. These were Crimson Mother’s children, and in addition to their chaos and madness, they possessed Crimson Mother’s mutagen. But right now… they couldn’t stand up to Xu Qing’s taboo poison. Rumbling sounds mixed with screaming as the godchildren dissolved into pools of blood. The sight of it provoked the other surrounding godchildren, who flew up into the air toward Xu Qing.

His expression remained the same as before as he waved his hand. His golden crow tattoo sprang to life, forming in midair and releasing a roar along with black flames. Within the flames was a spear that pulsed with a taboo aura as well as terrifying fluctuations. Wherever it passed, the air shattered, and rumbling sounds filled heaven and earth. Any godchildren who got close were ripped to pieces and sucked into the spear.

The ground shook as godchildren for 3,000 meters in all directions screamed bitterly. They had extremely tough bodies, but right now, were very weak, and their amazing fluctuations of godliness were being crushed. None of their assets were useful, and were instead being crushed like dried weeds. When dealing with ordinary cultivators, they had incredible advantages. After all, ordinary cultivators would have to deal with mutagen invasions just from their presence. And their blood was poisonous.

But… with Xu Qing present, none of that mattered. They couldn’t measure up to the poison. Nor could they match the personhood of the mutagen. The result was a foregone conclusion: this was going to be a massacre.

Xu Qing strode forward into the crowd of monsters, his gaze erupting with taboo poison, and the golden crow laying waste to everything around him. Daybreak light shone, wiping away any outside invasion and driving off any magical techniques. Occasionally, a projection of the Ghost Emperor mountain would send crushing pressure down from above. The heavenly dao bluegreen dragon swished through the air, madly devouring the godchildren.

Xu Qing was like the ambassador of death as he moved about, leaving behind nothing but mangled corpses. The only downside was that no one was present to witness it. Had there been, they would have been astonished to the ultimate degree.

Right now, Xu Qing hardly even resembled a cultivator. His pitch black eyes and completely expressionless face seemed more like that of a god.

After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, the entire area was so blurry that it was impossible to see things clearly. It seemed… that the place was transforming into a forbidden region. Of course, most forbidden regions were places of bitterness and suffering for intelligent species. In contrast, this forbidden region was full of screaming godchildren.

Gradually, the trembling godchildren shrank away, their fear so extreme that it suppressed their other instincts.

Xu Qing observed all of it calmly.

These godchildren can only be dealt with using god magic. Without the power of a god, a cultivator would have a very difficult time dealing with them. Each one is a source of mutagen. In that case, I wonder what my violet moon power will do.

Xu Qing closed his eyes, whereupon blood drops floated out from him. In the blink of an eye, Xu Qing himself disappeared, replaced by a giant blood-colored vortex. Red moon authority erupted from within, along with a god trove. It became like a blood-colored canopy that spread out to cover all of the godchildren.

However, before anything else could happen… the godchildren started trembling. Ceasing their howling, they bowed their heads toward Xu Qing in the form of the blood canopy. They even whimpered. It sounded very strange when compared to their previous howling. The sound of it contained traces of intimacy and surrender.

Xu Qing’s face appeared in the blood canopy as he looked down at the groveling godchildren. A moment later, Xu Qing’s form appeared again. As he walked amongst the godchildren, they seemed incredibly meek, almost like pets. Some even offered their heads for him to walk along as a path.

The Heir Apparent said that these godchildren came to exist during Crimson Mother’s godly ascension. That sounds like a bit of a generalization. In fact, I wonder if they actually aren’t Crimson Mother’s children, but rather, children of the red moon. What if they’re actually random impurities that resulted when Crimson Mother seized the red moon?

Reaching out, he put his hand onto one of the godchildren’s heads.

1. Xu Qing plundered Crimson Mother’s essence in chapter 361. ☜

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