1065 Ritual to Become a God
Within the world enclosed by the Crimson Goddess’ mortal skin, Xu Qing looked up.
At the end of his vision were the tribulation clouds formed within the mortal skin. The range of this cloud wasn’t large. Although there was lightning, it wasn’t astonishing. However, through his subconscious perception, Xu Qing could sense that an even larger tribulation cloud was currently forming in the outside world.
What appeared within the mortal skin was more of an illusory projection of the tribulation clouds in the outside world that Xu Qing had attracted with his cultivation.
The captain had a strange expression.
“Junior Brother, I’ve lived for so many lives but this is the first time I’ve seen such a situation.”
“You’re within the space enclosed by the mortal skin. In that case, in the judgment of the tribulation, is the one transcending the tribulation you or the Crimson Goddess’ mortal skin?”
“If it is the mortal skin, the calamity that descends will definitely be terrifying. However, the Crimson Goddess’ mortal skin itself is equally terrifying.”
“If it’s you, then with the mortal skin obstructing the path, you’ll be unscathed. The mortal skin will passively take on the calamity for you!”
“Interesting. I’ve never seen such a thing before. It’s also extremely rare to see gods with mortal shedding, especially since these mortal skins don’t have consciousness and only have instincts.”
Xu Qing’s eyes also gleamed as he fell into deep thought.
At that moment, clouds churned in the sky in the outside world. Even the red sky couldn’t completely stop the Heavenly Dao laws. Soon, dark clouds pressed down and spread above the sea of blood.
The clouds collided and rumbled with heavenly lightning. Every sound was deafening and shook the surroundings. However, the lightning tribulation didn’t descend immediately, as though it was judging.
A long time later, the life tribulation seemed to have decided the judgment.
In an instant, the tribulation clouds in the sky erupted. Amidst the rumbling sounds, a bolt of heavenly lightning flashed out, transforming into a lightning dragon that headed straight for the Crimson Goddess’s mortal skin below.
As the sound echoed, the lightning landed on the mortal skin, transforming into countless arcs of lightning that scattered in all directions. The mortal skin was completely unscathed.
Even though the first bolt of lightning hadn’t dissipated, the heavenly tribulations continued to blast down.
However, the outcome still didn’t change.
This was Xu Qing’s fifth life tribulation, not the mortal skin’s!
Due to a series of reasons, Xu Qing’s tribulations were different from others. The first time, the fortune of the Fenghai County sent the tribulation away; the second time, the laws intertwined and descended from the sky; and the third time was when the heir used the desert as a substitute to attract endless tribulations.
The fourth time was even more terrifying. It erupted on the God Slaying Platform.
Each time was more astonishing than the last.
However, compared to before, this fifth time… was a little ordinary.
This time around, the heir wasn’t here to help Xu Qing fuse with the desert, so there was no endless tribulation.
Xu Qing wasn’t comprehending the God Slaying Platform which had made his tribulation even more terrifying.
In terms of judgment this time, he was hiding within the Crimson Goddess’ mortal skin and wasn’t one with it.
It was completely impossible for this bit of lightning tribulation to shake the Crimson Goddess’ mortal skin.
Even though 99 lightning tribulations had appeared and all of them blasted onto the mortal skin, it was the same.
The mortal skin shone with a resplendent light. Under that light, there wasn’t even a hint of damage on the skin.
The tribulation ended soon after. The clouds and fog in the sky dissipated, revealing the illumination of multicolored light. This was the light of heavenly mandates, representing that Xu Qing had crossed his tribulation.
Everything had gone extremely smoothly.
However, Xu Qing frowned and his expression turned solemn.
The captain at the side also had a dark glint in his eyes as he stared fixedly at the mortal skin.
“Something’s not right!”
Something was indeed amiss. The heavenly tribulation in the outside world had clearly ended and the heavenly mandates had descended with the multicolored light, but the thin tribulation clouds that had appeared earlier within the mortal skin didn’t dissipate.
Xu Qing also didn’t feel a surging cultivation base on his body like before.
It was as though he hadn’t transcended the tribulation yet.
However, the heavenly tribulation had indeed descended earlier…
“It was eaten by the Crimson Goddess’ mortal skin!” The captain suddenly spoke, his tone filled with surprise.
“Junior Brother, something’s seriously wrong. Let’s retreat into the gate first!”
“Too late…” Xu Qing spoke hoarsely, his expression extremely solemn. He felt that he had been locked on, and no matter where he went, he couldn’t stop it.
That lock made Xu Qing feel as though he was being stared at by a god. His body was trembling, the Poison Restriction rampaged, the Purple Moon divine source erupted, and D132’s god finger trembled.
“All the god-related powers in my body are being locked onto!”
Almost at the instant he finished speaking, the mortal skin of the Crimson Goddess that enveloped the Bitter Life Mountain Range suddenly wriggled. The sky formed by the skin churned, and the tribulation clouds erupted along with it.
There was also divine might that descended from the sky and fused into the tribulation clouds. Under this divine might, the tribulation clouds directly exploded. A huge golden blank stele unexpectedly emerged from the shattered tribulation clouds.
This stele was 1,000 feet long and started descending toward Xu Qing.
As it descended, a divine aura surged from it. All the living beings on the ground were shocked and their minds rumbled.
Xu Qing’s expression changed. The captain’s eyes widened and he was extremely moved.
“This is a divine stele. On it, one leaves their name with divine blood, undergoes the death of the five elements, then ignites divine fire. By placing the divine stele into the ancient divine body, one can plunder the divine nature, forming their own godly position!”
“This is a type of divine tribulation ritual called ‘soul transcendence[1].’!”
The captain’s breathing was hurried as he directly spoke of the essence.
“No, the might is different. It’s much, much weaker.”
“I understand. This is the Crimson Goddess’ mortal skin’s instinct!”
“When Crimson Goddess was a mortal, her obsession was to become a god. To ensure success, she must have rehearsed the ritual multiple times through a simulated method.
“Hence, this obsession was deeply fused into this mortal skin. Although the Crimson Goddess ignited her divine fire in the Brilliant Heaven and became a god, this obsession of her mortal skin still exists.”
“If it was anyone else transcending the tribulation here, it wouldn’t be like this. However, you are different!”
“You have the power of the Purple Moon, which comes from the same source as the Crimson Goddess and is also in the mortal molt… So, your summoning of the life tribulation allowed this mortal molt to instinctively practice the divine tribulation ritual!”
“This is an opportunity. Although it’s not a true divine tribulation and there will be no steps to ignite the divine fire, to you, this is an unknown fortune!”
“Junior Brother, this is your fifth tribulation!”
As the captain spoke, the golden stele rumbled over and landed in front of Xu Qing. Golden light erupted, transforming into a sea of light that illuminated everything.
“No matter what kind of fortune it is, I have to transcend this tribulation.”
Xu Qing looked at the stele and determination appeared in his eyes.
Crimson Goddess had swallowed his tribulation. Due to this, his cultivation hadn’t progressed and wasn’t complete, so no matter what the fortune was, he had to transcend this tribulation!
“This tribulation is special. Junior Brother, listen to my instructions. The first step is to use your divine blood to write your name on the stele!”
The captain’s expression was solemn as he quickly spoke.
Xu Qing nodded. Under the shocked gazes of all living beings here, his body swayed as he headed straight for the stele. When he got close, he lifted his right hand and a large amount of blood flowed out.
Using his palm as a brush and his blood as ink, he drew the first stroke of his name on the thousand-foot-long stele.
As soon as this stroke landed, the stele rumbled. Blood gushed out uncontrollably from Xu Qing’s body, but he circulated his cultivation base and continued to inscribe.
After the third stroke, Xu Qing trembled all over. He felt his life withering away, a sense of weakness spreading throughout his body. Moreover, a large number of water droplets appeared out of thin air, covering his entire body and flowing continuously.
The water droplets carried a stench like corpse liquid. As for Xu Qing… he was melting.
“This is the Five Elements Tribulation. Junior Brother, remember not to lose yourself, find a way out!” The captain said anxiously.
Just as Xu Qing was about to respond, his body directly collapsed at the next instant, becoming a corpse drenched from head to toe, severely decomposed to the point where even his appearance couldn’t be discerned.
Only the continuously falling corpse water floated in mid-air, preserving the reflection of what used to be the appearance of Xu Qing on the surface of the water.
This was the drowned corpse of the five elements.
“Junior Brother, walk out from death to life!” The captain stated in a deep voice.
The expressions of everyone on the ground changed. Ling’er was extremely anxious, but none of them could help. All of this depended on Xu Qing himself.
Fortunately, not long later, Xu Qing, who was reflected in the water, opened his eyes. He was at a loss at first, but gained clarity quickly after.
In his perception, time seemed to pass through endless ages, experiencing countless drownings over countless lifetimes. The process of death was incredibly real, and he struggled time and again to keep his consciousness intact until he finally awakened.
After a while, Xu Qing stood up, walking out of the water step by step, until he left the water’s surface, and beside him lay his lifeless corpse.
Standing under the stele, Xu Qing gazed at the mortal skin of the Crimson Goddess in the sky and then at his corpse. He suddenly had a realization.
“This is my shedding? This ritual can allow one to form a molt?”
After a moment of silence, Xu Qing retracted his gaze. He then lifted his hand and continued to inscribe his name on the stele.
The fourth stroke, the fifth stroke, the sixth stroke.
The instant the sixth stroke landed, Xu Qing spat out a mouthful of blood. A wound appeared out of thin air on his stomach, as though an invisible pair of hands had forcefully pulled it open.
His abdominal cavity was exposed.
The internal organs inside were disappearing as though they had been hollowed out. Very soon, they were all gone. The immense pain that followed caused Xu Qing’s body to tremble. He had no choice but to sit down. He curled up in pain, as though he was worshiping.
This was the dissected corpse of the five elements.
But soon, an illusory shadow emerged from this dissected corpse, walked out, and morphed back into Xu Qing. He had experienced countless deaths in this way. At this moment, his consciousness was somewhat blurry, but he still raised his trembling hand and persisted to write.
Seventh stroke, eighth stroke, ninth stroke…
A red vine manifested out of thin air and coiled around Xu Qing’s neck, then his entire body. Those vines were filled with sharp thorns that pierced deeply into his body.
They gradually exerted strength and slowly tightened until Xu Qing fell down, motionless.
This was the hanged corpse of the five elements.
As the hanged corpse lowered its head, a long time later, overlapping shadows manifested on it. Xu Qing walked out like a soul and abandoned the dead body to stand in front of the stele.
Xu Qing’s expression was blank. After a long time, he turned his head and gazed at the drowned, dissected, and hanged corpses at the side.
He remembered that in the depths of the ghost cave under the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar back then, there was a hanging hut.
There was a woman singing in the hut, and at the five corners of the hut, there were five corpses sitting cross-legged.
“So, while she was suppressing the god, she was also trying to become a god…”
[1] It’s a Taoist or Buddhist belief related to afterlife or spiritual transcendence.
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