Chapter 38: Fairy of the Bright Moon
“Aunt, is that beast dead?”
High above, riding the giant eagle, Lei Xuan’er called out loudly from afar when she saw Si Mingyue deliver that blade strike, sending the monstrous creature that had surged from the sea crashing into Blackstone Mountain.
The moment Si Mingyue unleashed the Sea and Moon God-Slaying Blade, Lei Xuan’er knew the battle was over—
The might of the Sea and Moon God-Slaying Blade was known to all in Haizhou; who there had not heard its name?
Hearing Lei Xuan’er’s question, Si Mingyue remained vigilant, listening to the surroundings as she replied:
“Struck by my Sea and Moon God-Slaying Blade, not even a peak fourth-rank Dragon Whale Beast—no, even if it reached the fifth rank, it would be doomed!”
“That beast is most certainly dead!”
The Sea and Moon God-Slaying Blade was the supreme technique of the Bright Moon Sect, one that only a Grandmaster was qualified to learn.
It was created by past Grandmasters of the sect, who observed the sea and moon through generations—
Reputed as the world’s foremost god-slaying art!
On land, perhaps it could not compare to the ultimate techniques left by the mightiest Grandmasters.
But upon the open sea, beneath the rising moon, its power was second to none!
Even though Si Mingyue had only recently reached the void realm and not long mastered the technique, she was confident that, bolstered by the time and place, she could sever the spirit of a fifth-rank beast!
Thus, when she discovered the Dragon Whale Beast, she had entangled it with sword energy—
All to wait for the moon to rise!
As expected, night fell, moonlight bathed the world, and Si Mingyue, empowered by lunar radiance, unleashed the Sea and Moon God-Slaying Blade and felled the peak fourth-rank Dragon Whale Beast in a single stroke—
A testament to her strength as a Grandmaster!
“Then what are you searching for?”
Urging the Wind and Thunder Eagle beneath her forward, Lei Xuan’er asked.
“Someone who was spying on us!”
As she spoke, Si Mingyue seemed to sense the source of the disturbance and reached out, grabbing a small blue snake covered in silken lines, translucent as coral, into her palm—
This was the Blue-Thread Coral Snake Lu Sheng had released earlier!
---
Within the Serpent’s Den, as the corpse of the heavy fourth-rank Dragon Whale Beast crashed down, the already unstable cavern collapsed at last.
Though hiding in the pool, the continuous rain of falling stones made Lu Sheng certain the area had caved in completely!
“The beast is dead; I can take the lower passage to leave.”
A moment ago, Lu Sheng had not left by the lower passage for fear the beast still lurked above the sea.
Now, having observed its death through the Blue-Thread Coral Snake, that worry was gone!
So, he quickly seized a descending stone and sank downward.
As he descended, recalling the intent he had just perceived, Lu Sheng pondered:
“Sea, moon, sever—this must be the Sea and Moon God-Slaying Blade of the Bright Moon Sect!”
“The sense of rising and setting moons was nearly the manifestation of the moon’s cycle—”
“No wonder even Ruyi wants to collect it!”
The vision he saw in his mind had actually been the artistic conception exuded by Ruyi as it recorded through him—
Otherwise, with his current strength, it would be nearly impossible to comprehend a Grandmaster’s blade intent.
“According to the Lu Clan’s legacy from Bing Prefecture, this blade art is the supreme skill of the North Sea’s Bright Moon Sect!”
“Only Grandmasters may practice it!”
“If so, then the woman who slew the beast—”
“She must be the Moon Fairy!”
The Moon Fairy’s ascension to Grandmaster had been the greatest event in Haizhou in recent years. Even if the original Lu Sheng had never left Blackstone Island, he had heard the tale.
So, recalling the Lu Clan’s legacy and what he knew of the Sea and Moon God-Slaying Blade, he quickly deduced the woman’s identity!
“The Moon Fairy—”
“Amazing! Such breathtaking beauty!”
Just as he thought of her, Lu Sheng suddenly felt the perspective from his Heart-Control Gu shift and a face of overwhelming beauty appeared in his mind’s eye!
Without hesitation, Lu Sheng immediately ordered the Heart-Control Gu to return and abandoned the Blue-Thread Coral Snake—
A second-rank demon serpent might be precious, but it was not irreplaceable to him.
With a Grandmaster’s skill, were she to discover that the Blue-Thread Coral Snake was under his control, his life would truly be in danger!
---
“Aunt, is this the Blue-Thread Coral Snake? How beautiful!”
Having just arrived at Si Mingyue’s side atop the Wind and Thunder Eagle, Lei Xuan’er’s eyes lit up at the sight of the little snake in her aunt’s hand.
As a martial artist, she recognized this infamous venomous species.
“The more poisonous the serpent, the more beautiful it is. The Blue-Thread Coral Snake is the most toxic of all—it’s bound to be gorgeous!”
Examining the snake, Si Mingyue identified its kind, but doubt clouded her heart:
“Impossible. How could a second-rank demon serpent sense my blade intent?”
“Could it be someone was controlling it?”
She had only begun searching after sensing that her blade intent was being perceived by another—
And had traced the source to this very Blue-Thread Coral Snake!
Her eyes flashed silver as she peered into the snake, shattering its natural defenses—
This was the legendary Silver Moon Eyes, capable of seeing through the lifeforce field and laying bare the body of any living being.
At that very moment, as Lu Sheng realized the snake had been captured and commanded the Heart-Control Gu to retreat, the Gu was already leaving the serpent’s body.
What Si Mingyue beheld was a small worm, adorned with golden markings, passing through the snake’s head, fading from reality into the void.
“A Natal Yuan Gu!”
Recognizing it instantly, Si Mingyue understood its origin.
As the legacy of the Gu King, the Yuan Gu Gate’s Natal Yuan Gu was fused with his insights into the void realm; as long as it entered the void, it could shift from form to formless—
Unless one could pierce the void, it was untraceable.
Thus, as she saw the Gu dissolve into the void, a trace of chill flickered in her silver eyes and quickly attached itself to it—
This was the countermeasure martial experts used against the Natal Yuan Gu.
“This Gu must be a Heart-Control Gu, able to link minds!”
“Though its color is altered and its control more subtle, the patterns are unmistakable!”
“The one spying must have been Wan Gu Xiao!”
Recalling what Lei Xuan’er had mentioned earlier, Si Mingyue was certain of the spy’s identity.
“This time, let’s teach you a lesson!”
Sensing her chill intent touch the entity, Si Mingyue activated it without hesitation—
Even if Wan Gu Xiao did not retrieve the Gu to himself, this chill was enough to destroy the Yuan Qi within the Natal Yuan Gu.
With this lesson, Wan Gu Xiao would surely think twice before acting rashly again!
The artistic conception of a Grandmaster was not something ordinary people could covet!
Then, Si Mingyue inscribed the beast-controlling patterns onto the Blue-Thread Coral Snake and gifted it to Lei Xuan’er.
She herself used her spatial treasure to store away the Dragon Whale Beast’s corpse.