Chapter 278: Black Moon

The wind cut like knives against her face. Lu Jiajia pressed herself against Siming, unconsciously reaching out to embrace her.

She couldn't clearly see what had happened, only the deafening roar of the collapsing mountain peak exploding in her ears. Shrapnel burst forth, scattering an unknown distance, like meteors trailing fiery tails.

The turbulent wind crashed down like a monstrous wave; if Siming hadn't shielded her, in that instant, her body might have been pierced and her soul scattered.

Siming's Dao realm was not yet complete; amidst the surging white light, the impact force pushing against her still drove her back rapidly for a hundred yards.

"What happened?"

As the airflow swept past her, Lu Jiajia finally regained her senses. She gently released her hold, pulled away from Siming's embrace, and her gaze swept towards the mountain peak where they had been moments ago.

It was a soul-shaking sight.

An unnamed, mighty force descending from the sky instantly obliterated an entire massive peak, along with large sections of the steel city that had previously landed and surrounded it.

Under such immense power, everyone else would almost certainly die, except for cultivators of the Five Paths realm, who could truly be called immortals.

Siming looked at the spot and said with lingering fear, "I don't know what it was."

Lu Jiajia opened her Sword Eyes and looked.

Besides the rising dust and smoke spreading towards the sky, she saw nothing else.

It was as if what had just destroyed the mountain peak was merely an invisible entity.

An invisible entity is the most terrifying thing.

No matter how powerful the demons or how fierce the ancient gods, as long as they had bodies that could bleed when struck, they were destined to be killed, even if it cost millions of lives.

But you could never strike down an invisible enemy…

It was like a rule, like the Heavenly Dao. You could ascend and escape it, but you could not truly kill it with a sword.

What they were facing at that moment was precisely such an invisible monster... Fortunately, that monster's target was not them.

After the collapse of the mountain, there was no further movement.

The surroundings, however, had already fallen into chaos.

Siming had no time for further thought. She whispered, "Hold on to me tightly."

Lu Jiajia didn't hesitate and embraced her.

Siming unleashed her full power and rapidly traversed this vast and boundless ancient land with Lu Jiajia.

Here there were deep valleys, great mountains, barren plains, and snowy rivers. There were also untouched great cities, remote, sparsely populated areas, and surviving cities.

Humans in cities without cultivation realms were truly like sacrificial dogs, resigned to fate; any disaster could lead to the destruction of an entire city.

After traveling for a long time, Siming finally stopped.

Her chest rose and fell. Her silver hair was slightly disheveled, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.

She let Lu Jiajia down.

Their bodies, which had been pressed together, separated, and both felt much lighter.

"Are you alright?" Lu Jiajia asked, looking at the blood on Siming's pale lips with concern.

Siming gently shook her head and said, "I'm fine. Just a little spiritual energy over-exertion. A short rest will do."

Lu Jiajia quickly used her sword-fire to burn away the nearby weeds, then leveled a rock with her sword-qi, and helped Siming sit down.

The surroundings were silent.

The vast wilderness stretched out, with high mountains forming continuous ranges. Snow piled on their peaks, lava flowed through the white snow, and rolling thick smoke resembled one beacon tower after another.

They looked into the distance together.

"Thank you, Senior, for earlier. You saved my life again," Lu Jiajia said earnestly.

Siming nodded faintly, accepting the gratitude. She looked around and said, "It's rare to have some quiet."

Lu Jiajia hummed in agreement, thinking that she seemed to be even further from Ning Changjiu.

How would she find him then?

Siming was also worried. After she had killed the Eighth Tower Lord, she had flown her sword to Luoshu Tower. Of course, it wasn't out of impulsive anger to kill the Ninth Tower Lord.

For the past few months, she had indeed been secretly investigating matters concerning Luoshu Tower.

The reason was as she had told Ning Changjiu when they parted—she felt that this world seemed different from what she had first seen.

This feeling grew stronger after she traveled alone in the Central Lands for a month.

Ordinary people couldn't perceive it, but having lived through a thousand years of history, she was very sensitive to these subtle differences in the laws.

She didn't understand what changes this world had undergone in the past millennium, so she wanted to find an opportunity to read books in Luoshu Tower.

As she approached Luoshu Tower, she discovered that a more terrifying plot seemed to be brewing there: they were attempting to resurrect an ancient god, and that ancient god was very likely Tianzang, one of the Six Gods of Primordial Chaos!

As a former Divine Realm official, she naturally knew what terrifying power Tianzang wielded in the Primordial Era.

It was the legendary greatest earth dragon, controlling all "metal" elements, with the authority of "Collapse." It was capable of sinking an entire province in an instant, and it ruled the earth, while Zhuyin, the Sky Dragon of that era, ruled the heavens.

Such a terrifying deity...

So she rushed to Luoshu Tower.

Her official reason was "to prevent the resurrection of the ancient god and maintain stability." Of course, she didn't even believe these words herself, but having a legitimate reason was enough. What she really wanted to do was to "accidentally" acquire Tianzang's power after disrupting their plan.

She knew very well that even if Dragon Mother's physique was perfect, it was still far less suitable for containing this power than her own.

She was once a Divine Official who maintained the Heavenly Dao, the controller of the solar corona, and thus closer to the Heavenly Dao.

However, Siming had not expected that Luoshu's power would be so immense, and that she would be unable to find a way to leave quickly.

She didn't know what was happening outside... If the Ninth Tower Lord truly gained authority, it would be extremely troublesome.

Siming regulated her breath for a moment and said, "I might not be able to protect you for too long. Sooner or later, I will leave and go to a very distant place."

She was speaking of the world outside Luoshu, a world that this white-robed woman could not comprehend. If she told her the truth, upon learning that her existence was merely a dream, she would probably go mad, wouldn't she?

Lu Jiajia nodded gently. "It's already a great fortune to have met Senior Xueci by chance," she said. "And... when I find my husband later, I also want to go to a very distant place."

As she spoke, Lu Jiajia looked up at the sky.

In the world of Luoshu, night fell again, and the myriad stars shone like shimmering dust.

The place she wanted to go was also outside the world of Luoshu. That was beyond the heavens... No matter how distant the place Xueci spoke of, how could it be further than where she herself was going?

This beautiful senior was already a figure from history. It was already rare for them to gaze at the starry sky together, bridging five hundred years of time. But being separated by life and death from Ning Changjiu, this unease always dimmed the beauty in her eyes.

If only he were here too. She could introduce this senior to him.

Siming had recovered from her injuries, and her Dao realm was also more complete.

"Let's go. I'll take you to a safe place first," Siming said. "Then you can tell me what your husband looks like, and I'll help you look for him. Of course, I won't spend too much effort, because I have my own matters to attend to."

Lu Jiajia nodded her head gently, expressing her gratitude. In her own era, her cultivation realm was enough to win the Dragon Mother Banquet's top prize, but at this moment, she was very likely to become a burden to Senior Xueci.

She didn't want to drag her down because of her stubbornness.

"So obedient..." Siming looked at her features and smiled slightly. The green and silver strands of their hair gently fluttered in the quiet moonlight.

This quietness did not last long.

The snowy mountain they were on suddenly erupted with a violent earthquake.

Snow fractured and peeled away. Siming and Lu Jiajia leapt up and withdrew.

In the center of the snowy mountain, a strange man with disheveled hair ran out. He seemed insane, clutching his head and shouting, "How can it be wrong? How can it be? Is there something wrong with the Heavenly Dao... The thing that created the world must be beautiful. How can I believe such an ugly numeral symbol..."

The strange man collapsed in the snow. He looked at the stone tablet he held, his face filled with disbelief.

Lu Jiajia glanced at Siming.

Siming decided immediately and said, "Stay away. That person is also a master of the Five Paths pinnacle."

A Five Paths pinnacle master was already terrifying, let alone a lunatic.

Lu Jiajia watched him pound the ground with his fists; with each punch, vast avalanches cascaded and rocks cracked.

As he smashed the mountain, he painfully questioned himself: "Why doesn't it match? How can something so beautiful be wrong? It shouldn't be like this... This numeral symbol is so bloated and complex, it's not beautiful at all, how could it be correct..."

Siming listened to his strange cries and sighed helplessly. She looked into the distance and could see large expanses of void appearing in the cracked valley.

Causing a void to crack open and not close... Siming didn't know how he did it; she simply assumed he was a fanatic studying some substance related to the void.

Siming didn't leave immediately. She paused and watched for a while, watching him tear apart a mountain, and then, in extreme despair, choose a suicidal ascension.

The outcome was self-evident.

Siming didn't continue watching. She turned and left with Lu Jiajia.

In this era of catastrophe and turmoil, tragedy filled everything, everywhere.

Siming wanted to find a relatively secluded place to settle Lu Jiajia. The two traveled for thousands of miles, killing several ancient gods, but never found a truly peaceful place.

Sword qi crisscrossed.

Siming, holding her black sword, leapt onto a rock. Behind her, a gigantic flower demon formed of frost and snow slowly toppled.

Siming used her sword to cut open the flower demon's stem, extracted snow-white sap from it, and, wrapped in sword qi, handed it to Lu Jiajia.

Along the way, Siming left most of the demon cores and heavenly treasures for Lu Jiajia.

This time, Lu Jiajia did not take it.

Siming knew what she was thinking and said, "There's no need to feel ashamed. You contributed to killing these ancient gods too."

Lu Jiajia sighed, "I just delivered two finishing blows after you almost killed them."

Siming said coolly, "Then you should eat it even more. If you know you're weak and don't improve yourself, are you seeking death?"

Lu Jiajia felt ashamed to accept it, but also thought that what she said was indeed correct.

Every bit her realm improved, the greater her hope of survival.

Lu Jiajia looked at her beautiful back, standing at the edge of the cliff, and said again, "You truly are a good person."

Siming turned around, looked at the graceful woman, and smiled faintly.

She was more than just a good person.

When she was still a Divine Official, she was the deity who controlled the sundial; with an unsullied body and the heart of a god, she could be called a saint.

However, her saint's heart had long been gradually destroyed by centuries of torment in Broken Realm City, replaced by the darkness of human nature. Later, after sharing life and death with Ning Changjiu and walking the streets of history for countless eons, she once again saw the vast stars and faint moonlight, only then gradually regaining some of her lost saint's heart.

And in her heart, this white-robed woman possessed an even more sincere heart.

This was what she considered beautiful.

Siming watched her finish drinking the essence of the flower demon ancient god, then smiled and said, "Next, you don't need to draw your sword; just observe me. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me, and I will explain it patiently."

Lu Jiajia was slightly startled and said, "Senior, do you wish to take me as your disciple?"

Siming hummed in affirmation.

Lu Jiajia politely declined, "I already have a master."

"Throughout history, it's not uncommon for great cultivators to have been guided by several renowned masters. Cultivators have open minds, so there's no need for such reservations," Siming said calmly, a hint of curiosity surfacing in her heart. "By the way, who is your master?"

Lu Jiajia lightly bit her lower lip and said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's my husband."

Siming was silent for a moment, then said, "Beast!"

How could such a beautiful woman encounter a master who violated human morals?

And she was even deceived by him.

Siming even felt a murderous intent towards the husband she spoke of.

Lu Jiajia didn't know how to explain, so she simply said, "If Senior is willing to teach, I am willing to learn."

Siming's mood improved, thinking that master and disciple should at least know each other's names. "By the way," she said, "I forgot to ask your name. What is it?"

Lu Jiajia honestly replied, "My name is Lu..."

Before she finished speaking.

The surroundings suddenly darkened.

Both women looked up simultaneously.

In the sky, the moon and all the stars turned black simultaneously.

Ning Changjiu traveled the world with Li He. Li He's swordsmanship was exceptionally high; in the entire human realm, he was probably second only to Qiu Ziguan.

After this sword duel, his swordsmanship reached an even higher level.

Li He said, "In swordsmanship, your talent is higher and stronger than I imagined. If you can survive, your future achievements should not be inferior to mine."

But in the current era, where would a gifted youth find a hundred years to refine himself?

After traveling together for a day, Ning Changjiu's Sword Dao had indeed improved significantly. His realm was subtly about to break through to the next level of the Purple Court.

It was just unknown whether breaking through in Luoshu Tower would affect reality.

Ning Changjiu accompanied him and asked the doubts in his heart, "May I ask, Senior, who exactly is the Saint? What exactly does he want to do?"

Li He did not hide anything and explained, "The Saint is the Saint of the demon race. Humans don't truly believe in these things. It's just that the general trend is overwhelming; human cultivators who join the battlefield must choose a side unless they wish to remain aloof. Ancient gods have oppressed humans and demons for a thousand years. Now that disaster has arrived, we naturally stand united against a common enemy."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Is the Saint a demon who cultivated to achieve that status?"

Li He said, "I don't know what kind of existence he truly is. I only know that he is very strong, strong enough to rival the Lord of the Divine Realm."

Riving the Lord of the Divine Realm...

As soon as this statement was made, Ning Changjiu's mind involuntarily brought forth the image of his Master.

According to the history he learned from Broken Realm City, his Master should have killed the Headless God over seven hundred years ago. If this catastrophe was also initiated by her, then her realm would be far more than just rivaling the Lord...

Ning Changjiu asked, "You haven't seen him either?"

Li He said, "No, when the Saint emerged into the human realm, I was still in the Purple Court realm. It is said that he met many great demons in the human world, and those great demons were all convinced and willing to obey his commands."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Then what exactly is everything they are doing for?"

Li He said, "To smash the pillars of heaven, shatter the Immortal Court, break stubborn ignorance, and gain freedom."

Ning Changjiu gently shook his head. "This sounds more like a beautiful, ethereal wish. How could so many demons respond to the Saint and initiate this war based solely on this?"

Li He said, "Because heaven and earth are unkind."

"The Saint told us that the current heaven and earth are a great prison, and the Lord of the Divine Realm is the warden of the prison gates. They exploit this world and block the path of ascension for all cultivators..." Li He sighed slowly, "Back then, the Lord of the Divine Realm decreed that as long as one cultivated to the three legendary realms, one could ascend to the Immortal Court. And the Immortal Court was the hub connecting this world to the vast universe outside; entering it was equivalent to gaining true freedom, allowing one to use the Immortal Court as a springboard to go anywhere in the boundless universe..."

By the time cultivators reached the three legendary realms, human affairs had long since passed for centuries or even millennia. Loved ones would be long dead, close friends departed, and the Dao heart would be cold. Only a wider world was the last shining point the Dao heart pursued. This should have been a wonderful thing for cultivators, because existing forever was merely loneliness; to behold the splendid heavens and earth was the true aspiration.

"But the Saint told us that all of this... was a lie."

As he spoke these words, there was no anger or sadness, his voice was not forceful. What his eyes revealed was merely a faint sense of regret and unwillingness.

"Do you know? Actually, in this world, humans are the easiest to reach that path of freedom," Li He continued. "A hundred years ago, I was only in the Purple Court, but now I'm at the pinnacle of the Five Paths; ordinary ancient gods are no longer my match... This is a terrifying speed. Qiu Ziguan is even more terrifying than me; from the time he drove away mountain spirits with his sword as a child until now, barely a hundred years have passed. Yet to reach the same realm, it takes ancient gods and demons much longer."

"Aside from authority, humanity is indeed uniquely gifted in cultivation," Ning Changjiu nodded. He was still pondering Li He's earlier words and asked, "But... why is ascension a lie?"

Li He smiled and said, "I don't know either; these are all things the Saint told us. He said that a huge, invisible entity wants to kill us. He called for us to resist, to draw our swords to the heavens, to kill the Lord of the Divine Realm, break the established rules, and gain a truly free human world."

As he spoke, Li He looked up at the sky and said, "Sounds fake, right? I didn't believe it at first, but... at this moment, the Saint has already entered the Divine Realm and is fighting the Lord. Alas, if not for this, we might have been killed by the Lord long ago."

"Entered the Divine Realm to fight the Lord?" Ning Changjiu was shocked. "Isn't that certain death?"

He originally thought that the Saint dared to do this because with his realm, even the Lord would be helpless against him outside the Divine Realm. But to actively enter the Divine Realm...

That was the Lord's domain. Even if lords fought among themselves, they would never be so overconfident, would they?

What they believed in, was it a Saint, or a madman?

Li He said, "This is also why we are willing to believe the Saint. Because he stood at the forefront, holding back the most powerful opponent."

Ning Changjiu asked, "What year is it now?"

Li He said, "The Year of the Thunder Prison."

"Thunder Prison?" Ning Changjiu knew that this was the most powerful dragon in the world after Zhulong and Tianzang died. It later successfully became a god and established a Divine Realm. From the perspective of authority alone, it even surpassed the Six Gods of Primordial Chaos.

The Saint was actually engaged in a bloody battle with the Thunder Prison Lord within his Divine Realm?

Li He said, "If what the Saint said is true, then this battle will decide the victory or defeat between humanity and heaven and earth. If we lose, I doubt that in another five hundred years, such powerful beings will rise again to lead all living beings against destiny..."

Li He's sigh echoed in the night.

"This is the second Hunt the Realm War, and also the last."

Ning Changjiu looked up at the moon, a touch of bleakness rising in his heart.

The invisible heaven and earth lay before them, spanning across the heads of all mortals.

"Heaven and earth are unkind..." Ning Changjiu looked at the sky. He knew that it could destroy all things, yet, for all beings in the world, even if everyone raised their swords and struck at it, it would not shed a single drop of blood.

"Indeed, this 'unkindness' is the 'unkindness' of injustice," Li He smiled. "The Saint who first spoke these words didn't mean it this way; people often misinterpreted it. Now, this misinterpretation seems like a prophecy... it has come true."

"But this is a disaster for cultivators," Ning Changjiu sighed deeply.

Most people in the world were still ordinary.

Li He chuckled, his gaze towards Ning Changjiu holding much more approval. "Indeed, this is also the selfishness of Dao seekers," he said. "Cultivators use the name of righteousness to lead the weak to their deaths... But what do the rise and fall of immortals have to do with common folk? If cultivators are not free, they still farm fields and grow mulberries in the wilderness; if cultivators gain freedom, they remain unchanged."

"But this is the rule of this world," Li He said. He had written countless poems in his life, but in the end, he only sought his own reputation, powerless to bring any true change for the common people under heaven.

Ning Changjiu could understand their thoughts.

Standing among the clouds, even looking down, one only saw scenery, never people.

"I hope the war ends soon."

There was endless helplessness in Li He's words.

Ning Changjiu nodded gently.

In his world, the war had long ended, and the outcome was already predetermined.

Luoshu Tower might control life and death, but it could not change true history.

The two were silent for a moment. Li He left with his sword and said, "Humanity's