Chapter 410: Moonlight Walks Through the World with Pure Radiance

The Southern Wilderness, once considered a forbidden land, is now merely rugged mountainous terrain and woodland.

On a dark and windy night, Ning Changjiu listened to the wind howling through the forest, the swaying shadows of mountains, rivers, and lakes before his eyes.

Reaching a patch of green grass, Ning Changjiu stopped and turned into a small alley.

He sensed a familiar sword intent.

"Are we going to find those disciples from the Sword Pavilion?" Lu Jiajia asked.

"Yes, they should be here," Ning Changjiu nodded, following the intuition of the sword intent into the alleyway.

Although it was late, the alley was still somewhat lively, with many people gazing out at the night sky. Tied-up dogs barked incessantly, agitated by something unknown.

Shao Xiaoli looked up, curiously surveying her surroundings.

Ning Changjiu stopped in front of an ordinary house. Its window was slightly ajar, but there was no one inside.

"Are they all gone?" Ning Changjiu murmured to himself.

He entered the empty house, looked around, and found a small sword under a table. He pulled out the sword and extracted a letter from its sword intent. Ning Changjiu unfolded the paper and quickly read the simple message:

"A sword has descended from the sky. The Sword Sage's command has been issued. Disciples, who have been scattered for months, must return to the Pavilion."

"What's wrong?" Lu Jiajia came up behind him.

Ning Changjiu handed her the sword-letter and said, "The Sword Sage's command has been issued. All Sword Pavilion disciples who see this command must depart immediately and return to the Sword Pavilion."

"Command issued?" Lu Jiajia, holding the letter, was even more puzzled. Sword Pavilion disciples were scattered far and wide, and the Sword Sage was in Beiming. How could he issue orders?

After reading the letter, Lu Jiajia's questions were answered, but her delicate brows furrowed even tighter.

"A sword from the sky?"

What did that phrase mean?

Just then, Shao Xiaoli pushed the door open and said mysteriously, "Master, Mistress, I just asked an auntie, and she said there have been meteor showers every night for the past two nights. Let's go wait and see. I haven't seen a meteor shower since I left Duanjie City."

"Meteor shower..." Ning Changjiu immediately understood what "a sword from the sky" referred to.

It was the falling Yuanfu Star.

Earlier, when they were south of Nanzhou, they hadn't witnessed the Yuanfu Star streaking across the night sky. The residents here, however, had been fortunate enough to see the fiery light spanning the heavens.

A sword piercing the clouds, fourteen swords returning to the Pavilion...

Ning Changjiu's unease grew stronger.

Lu Jiajia also gradually pieced together the reason for the black moon: falling meteorites, many of which must have landed in Beiming. Xue Ci and others had fought the Sword Sage in Beiming...

Lu Jiajia momentarily cast aside these unhelpful worries. She looked at Ning Changjiu and gently comforted him, "Don't worry, we'll talk about everything once we're back."

"Yes, Master must be waiting for us too," Ning Changjiu said.

Shao Xiaoli didn't quite understand their conversation, but she didn't ask further, quietly following them out.

As they stepped out, Shao Xiaoli looked up at the starry sky. In the dim night, long streaks of fiery light suddenly streaked across.

On the street where willows gently swayed, Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia also looked up.

The meteor shower streaked across the night sky, like fish darting through water, disappearing in an instant.

"Make a wish," Ning Changjiu suddenly said.

"But these meteors aren't..." Lu Jiajia started to say, then trailed off.

Ning Changjiu chuckled softly, "Even if it's the enemy's, we should make full use of it. It's good to get a bit of luck."

"Hmm! Master really doesn't miss anything..." Shao Xiaoli also laughed.

Hearing this, Lu Jiajia's tension eased slightly. "Alright, then, let's make a wish."

She stood gracefully upright, her slender fingers intertwined, chin slightly raised, silently making a wish towards the fleeting sparks in the night sky.

Ning Changjiu also closed his eyes like her, thinking of his wish, when he suddenly felt something soft touch his cheek. He gently opened his eyes, turned his head, and saw Shao Xiaoli with her head bowed, pretending to make a wish, her tightly pursed red lips hinting at a smile.

Ning Changjiu ruffled her hair.

At that moment, countless people under the night sky made all sorts of wishes, but the meteors vanished in an instant, taking with them only who knew how much of their heartfelt desires.

The three opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

"Alright, I hope our wishes come true," Lu Jiajia said.

"What did Mistress wish for?" Shao Xiaoli asked.

Lu Jiajia countered, "What did Xiaoli wish for?"

Shao Xiaoli's pretty face flushed slightly, and she stammered, unable to speak.

Ning Changjiu helped smooth things over, "How can you say your wish? If you say it, it won't come true."

Shao Xiaoli immediately nodded, "Right! Secrets can't be told."

Lu Jiajia couldn't shake the feeling they were exchanging some kind of secret code.

The three left the alley.

This place was not far from Nanzhou's ferry crossing; crossing the Sea of Misfortune would lead to the Central Lands. The long night was coming to an end. If they started flying on their swords now, they could truly reach the Central Lands before noon tomorrow.

On the way back, Lu Jiajia occasionally looked up at the moonless sky, her clear eyes unable to hide her worry.

Ning Changjiu noticed.

He knew that in the past, Master had been their greatest spiritual pillar. No matter what happened, even if Baizang himself appeared, Master could outmaneuver him step by step.

But now, the eternally unchanging moon had vanished.

Ning Changjiu comforted her, "Although the Dark Lord has obscured the moon, it has only obscured the moon. The moon reflects sunlight; it cannot obscure the sun's light. The sun will still rise and set as usual every day. This is something even the powerful Dark Lord cannot change."

Lu Jiajia nodded gently.

Shao Xiaoli felt a warmth in her heart but was also puzzled. "But even if the Dark Lord can't block the sun hanging high in the sky, how can it help us?"

Ning Changjiu looked at Shao Xiaoli and gently said, "My point is, each of us must strive to become a sun."

At that moment, dawn broke across the horizon, and the sun began to peek above the skyline. The myriad twinkling stars were robbed of their light, and before them, the outline of the Sea of Misfortune became visible.

On the shore of Beiming.

Siming sat on a reef, watching the tides ebb and flow, a black sword resting across her lap.

She watched the sun rise, the sunlight falling on her cheeks. She resembled a goddess of the Beiming Sea, inadvertently resting on the shore, her cold eyes and brows softened and moistened by the sea breeze.

The Sword Sage had escaped again.

She knew that this time the Sword Sage had truly fled. She was too weary to pursue him, feeling utterly exhausted. She wanted to rest and recuperate, then return to the Ancient Spirit Sect to await Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia's return, and then make long-term plans.

Siming stood up. Just as she was about to leave, a "meow meow meow" sound suddenly reached her ears.

Siming paused slightly, glancing sideways. She saw a snow-white tabby cat that had appeared by the sea. The small cat's four paws seemed to step on snow, its pupils like jewels. Its fluffy long tail stood erect like a flagpole, but incongruously, a bone chain was tied around its slightly thick, furry neck.

"What demon are you?" Siming asked cautiously, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

"Meow meow meow!" Baizang cried out a few times. Because it had to bite the chain, its voice sounded like a whimper.

"Hmm? Has it not yet fully cultivated?" Siming was a little puzzled. If it hadn't, how could she not have sensed its arrival? Was she too distracted?

Baizang grew even angrier, thinking, "Just a few months ago, you were my prisoner!"

"Meow-roar!" Baizang whimpered softly, then realized something was wrong. It thought, "I'm clearly a tiger, how can I sound like a cat? It's all because these people demean my status; over time, I've started to think of myself as a cat."

Thinking this, Baizang let out another majestic roar.

Siming found it even more perplexing, but she didn't lower her guard. She walked up to the small white cat, watched it holding the chain in its mouth, and asked, "You must be someone's cat, aren't you? Are you... looking for me?"

"Meow-roar..." Baizang reluctantly nodded, thinking, "You're the one with a master."

Siming asked again, "Did your master send you to find me?"

Baizang unwillingly nodded again.

It lifted its head and nudged its mouth, still biting the chain, towards Siming, indicating for her to grab the chain.

Siming hesitantly took the chain offered by the white cat.

Just as Baizang was about to lead her to meet Ye Chan Palace, Baizang suddenly whimpered. It felt itself being picked up, its snow-white belly exposed, and a woman's thoughtful voice echoed in its ears: "So it's a little female cat..."

Baizang was furious. It clawed at the air, indicating its strong resistance.

Siming gently rubbed its belly, her red lips curving into a smile. After teasing the cat for a while, she suddenly grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and tossed it into the Beiming Sea, leisurely saying, "I'm too lazy to meet your master. My master is still waiting for me."

Baizang splashed into the Beiming Sea, its snow-white fur instantly soaked by the salty water.

Hearing Siming's shameless words, even with the slave mark on its body, Baizang could not suppress the towering rage in its heart.

With a bang, the seawater erupted.

Siming's heart tightened. She had already prepared for the white cat to be an enemy. After the earlier probing, the cat indeed revealed its true colors. Without hesitation, her unsheathed black sword instantly flew out, striking into the sea.

In Siming's perception, at this moment, no one in the entire human realm, not even the masters of the other two pavilions, could stop her.

But the scene before her defied her expectations.

The black sword, descending like a meteor falling into the sea, stopped just before touching the water's surface.

Siming's icy eyes narrowed slightly after focusing.

The white cat on the sea surface had vanished, replaced by a stunningly beautiful young woman in a flowing silver gown. Her slender hair, like snow, danced against the wind, and her ice-like cheeks bore the unique majesty of a female monarch. Though petite, her figure was exquisitely graceful. She stood barefoot on the Beiming Sea, and as if a fierce winter wind had swept through, Beiming became covered in ice, and the tides subsided.

"Baizang?!"

Siming recognized her instantly, greatly astonished. "How are you here?"

"Fool!" Baizang scoffed coldly, standing on Beiming, her silver gown rippling like water. "You idiot with nothing but a pretty face! I, the Divine Lord, stand before you, and you don't even recognize me? Hmph, with a divine official like you, no wonder the Yuanfu Divine Kingdom fell and its star plummeted! You dare to overstep your bounds with me today; you should know the consequences, shouldn't you?"

Her icy words were colder than the wind in the deepest winter.

Above the tide, the tumultuous waves all transformed into fragmented silver flakes.

Although she had lost most of her authority, her power remained. As it erupted, the black sword could not advance an inch. She finally felt power and dignity once more, and the surging murderous intent in her heart became unstoppable. She was never afraid of death, and she also wanted to test if the so-called slave mark was truly that miraculous.

"Foolish usurper, today Beiming shall be your tomb, and this sword your gravestone, your burial place!" Baizang let out a majestic roar.

*Smack! Smack! Smack!*

On the shore of the Beiming Sea, on a reef, Siming pressed Baizang onto her lap, spanking her hard on her silver gown. The sounds were sharp and clear, quickly reaching over a hundred smacks. Baizang kicked her legs wildly, biting her delicate lips, filled with immense resentment.

After she had previously displayed her might, the slave mark in her heart immediately recoiled, tightening the iron chain around her neck. She instantly lost her power, fell into the seawater, and was then retrieved by a somewhat startled Siming. After explaining Ye Chan Palace's purpose, Siming took the opportunity to give her a good beating.

"Oh, it's Lady Baizang, is it? What happened? It hasn't been that long, how did you end up like this? Hmm?" Siming narrowed her eyes, smirking coldly, her red lips curving slightly. Her hand was heavy.

Baizang said coldly, "You... don't get smug. This is a tiger fallen into the plains, bullied by dogs..."

"Hmm?" Siming said coolly, "How dare you call Master a dog? You're asking for a beating!"

"Ah! You..." The beautiful silver-clad maiden shrieked.

After many more blows, she finally relented, kneeling weakly before Siming, her fists pressed against her calves. The one who had previously stood like a monarch on the Beiming Sea now humbly knelt.

How strange were the ways of the world. The Divine Lord who once treated Siming as a prisoner and led her to the Yuanfu Kingdom was now a servant to be beaten and scolded by her.

"Don't feel wronged. If Master didn't find you useful, I would have killed you by now," Siming said, looking at the Divine Lord kneeling on the ground and grabbing the chain wrapped around her neck.

Baizang was forced to lift her head, her snow-white hair cascading to the ground. Her eyes were filled with defiance.

"If not for Ye Chan Palace, you would surely be dead right now!" Baizang remained unyielding.

Siming said coldly, "There are no 'ifs.' If you dare to be stubborn, I don't mind giving you another tail."

Baizang didn't understand the meaning of her words but vaguely sensed it wasn't a good thing.

Now a prisoner, she did not overly bare her fangs and claws. Her furious gaze at Siming lowered, and she let out a soft "hmm." The supreme Divine Lord, of unparalleled beauty and authority, thus humiliatingly knelt on the ground, her body transformed from a maiden into a tabby cat, with a crooked "王" (king) character still inscribed on its forehead.

Seeing Baizang submit, Siming subtly exhaled.

"Lady Baizang, take me to Master," she said.

Baizang's body trembled with anger. She shook her long fur, let out a low whimper, and then led Siming away from the seaside.

Along the way, Baizang was repeatedly picked up, kneaded, and rubbed by Siming. Having been beaten into submission, she didn't even dare to show her claws when struggling. She would pat Siming with her soft, fluffy paws, which looked more like a playful gesture.

In her heart, Baizang cursed the wicked woman, vowing that when the Dark Lord descended and she regained her freedom, she would surely make this woman her lowly servant and humiliate her daily.

But the gap between fantasy and reality was too vast.

While lost in thought, she was again picked up by Siming, swung by her tail. When Baizang was put down, she was dizzy, unable to walk straight, and even stumbled back into the sea in circles, only to be fished out again by Siming, a wet cat.

"Hmm... for me to fall to this state, it truly is a case of even the wisest making a mistake. As for this wicked woman in black, she truly has the luck of a fool..."

Baizang licked her paws, thinking these thoughts silently.

She shook the water from her fur, no longer daring to walk close to the sea. Instead, she walked obediently ahead of Siming, tail tucked, guiding her. She viewed herself as a princess of a fallen kingdom, believing that only through enduring hardship and toil could she reclaim her divine throne.

Siming held the iron chain in her hand, but there was no smile on her face.

Of course, Master being alright was excellent news, but on the other hand, it also meant that Master currently couldn't return to the Divine Kingdom or the Unobservable...

Master, remaining in the human realm, was practically a target for the Dark Lord or any Divine Lords who might descend at any moment.

Master's power was already greatly diminished compared to her peak. Without the blessing of the Yuanfu Divine Kingdom, could she safely endure until the moon reappeared?

"Am I the first person Master asked you to find?" Siming suddenly asked.

Baizang meowed, indicating a nod.

Siming lowered her head in thought.

At this moment, the sun had fully risen over the sea.

Only this sun could not illuminate the moon.

Baizang led Siming across the void, arriving half an hour later at a cliff edge. Siming saw a young woman sitting on the cliff top, dressed in an ill-fitting dark blue Daoist robe. The faint curves outlined by the robe, however, perfectly conveyed the essence of beauty through lines.

The moon in the sky was gone.

The moon had come to the human realm.

Siming felt the faint, serene chill and stopped.

She had never seen Master in this form. Back in the Yuanfu Kingdom, when the veil was lifted, Master had appeared in a tall, divine figure wearing a Daoist gown.

Siming, who had been arrogant and overbearing in front of Baizang, instantly became humble. She bowed respectfully, "Disciple Xue Ci greets Master."

Ye Chan Palace looked at her, smiling faintly. She extended a hand, inviting Siming to sit beside her.

Siming sat beside her, looking at the petite young woman, and asked worriedly, "Master, can you still go back?"

Ye Chan Palace looked at the sea and said, "I don't know."

"Then why did Master summon me here?" Siming asked quietly, her clear eyes fixed on her.

Siming had her own answer in mind. She was a goddess, aloof from the world, with both beauty and strength. Master, having just arrived in the human realm, must be feeling uneasy. She was perfectly suited to be Master's right-hand assistant...

Miss Xue Ci waited for Master's praise, but instead heard Ye Chan Palace say, "Because you were the closest."

Hearing this, Baizang, who was nearby, wagged its tail, quite pleased.

Siming's slender brows furrowed slightly as she grabbed Baizang's tail. Baizang let out a mournful "meow-whine" and became a bit more obedient.

Siming asked, "So, where do we go next?"

Ye Chan Palace looked at the Beiming Sea, remaining silent for a long time.

There were many things she hadn't yet figured out.

Her previous self had twisted back twelve years of time, almost completely exhausting her authority over time.

If she failed again in this life, there would be no second chances...

She had to be extremely cautious.

But even the most powerful deity, how could they possibly calculate the trajectory of all causality and destiny?

"What are you thinking about, Master?" Siming couldn't help but ask.

Ye Chan Palace softly replied, "I'm thinking, did I underestimate the Dark Lord's wisdom?"

Siming looked at the undulating black waves of Beiming, thinking of the meteorite from beyond the sky. After pondering, she strongly agreed with Ye Chan Palace's words.

Let alone Master, even Baizang, who was extremely close to the Heavenly Dao, had said before imprisoning her and entering the Yuanfu Divine Kingdom that the Dark Lord, due to its immense size, was simple and foolish... No one truly knew what the Dark Lord was.

"Perhaps this is also a good thing," Siming said.

"Why?" Ye Chan Palace looked at her.

Siming explained, "The larger a thing is, the slower its thought process. If the Dark Lord has wisdom, doesn't that precisely mean it's not as immense as we imagined? If it's not a truly sky-obscuring colossus, then don't we have a greater chance of defeating it?"

Ye Chan Palace looked at the elegant black-robed woman beside her, nodded slightly, and said, "Ning Changjiu used to say you were foolish, but I disagree."

Siming nodded proudly, "Master sees clearly. Xue Ci has always been exceptionally astute."

Baizang let out a "meow," its emotion unclear.

Ye Chan Palace smiled faintly, her smile always like dandelions in the sea breeze.

Siming's brows softened, and she said, "Oh, by the way, this disciple is incompetent. I failed to slay the Sword Sage in the Beiming Sea. Please punish me, Master."

Ye Chan Palace calmly said, "Let him go."

Siming couldn't help but ask, "Ke Wenzhou... where exactly is he going?"

Ye Chan Palace said, "If he keeps going straight, he should reach Nanming."

"What?" Siming was slightly surprised. "But he's been heading north, hasn't he?"

Ye Chan Palace's voice was gentle, consistently devoid of much emotion. She leisurely said, "One day, if you can ascend to the true moon and look down upon the human realm, you'll understand... In ancient times, there was a great deity named Kuafu. He chased the sun, running in a straight line, drinking several rivers dry, and eventually returned to his starting point. He then said that the mother star's true form was like a hen's egg. After proving that, he directly overthrew the mythical logic of Pangu creating a square heaven and round earth, and two ancient immortals even became enemies for a while over it."

Siming couldn't help but smile as she listened to these tales from millennia ago, but her smile quickly faded. She said, "Thousands of years have passed tirelessly, day and night, and now, it seems only Master truly remains."

Ye Chan Palace said, "As long as I am here, they live on in my sea of consciousness."

Siming gently nodded.

Baizang looked at the sea indifferently, finding them utterly boring.

Ye Chan Palace withdrew her gaze from Beiming. She lowered her head, lost in thought.

Siming watched her. As the wind blew, Master remained utterly still, as if forever existing in the state of a moon in a mirror, between nothingness and being.

Ye Chan Palace gently rose and said, "Let's go."

"Where to?" Siming asked.

Ye Chan Palace said, "I haven't been to the human realm in many years, and I've become somewhat detached. I want to see this world and understand my purpose."

Siming could understand her confusion.

When she herself had first left Duanjie City and arrived in the mortal world, she had been just as lost.

She conjured her black sword, and just as she was about to step onto it, Ye Chan Palace gently shook her head and said, "No need for immortal power. When I say 'walk'... I just mean walk. I want to stroll through the human realm like ordinary people, observe things, and resolve a few doubts in my heart. Can you... walk with me?"

Siming looked at Ye Chan Palace's youthful demeanor. In that moment, she suddenly felt Master's vulnerability, a luminous essence within the cool moonlight that could instantly illuminate one's heart.

At this moment, even Baizang was somewhat awestruck by her beauty, her spirit wavering.

Though Siming was also struck by Master's beauty, she didn't forget to vie for power and prestige. "If I accompany Master on her journey through the human realm, will Master remove Lu Jiajia from the position of Senior Disciple and promote me?"

"..." Ye Chan Palace said blandly, "We'll see."

On the cliff by the Beiming Sea, a woman held a young woman's hand, and the young woman held the cat's chain. The three of them thus departed from this constantly windswept black cliff.