Reaching for the Moon

Bai Lan was, at heart, a kind person. In her previous life on Earth, she had witnessed too many good deeds go unrewarded, which made her instinctively refuse to get involved in matters that didn’t concern her.

Yet, this didn’t truly reflect her innate nature. To be frank, had there been no one like Xue Linglong in her past life, she would have simply turned away from such a situation, no matter how much it pained her, pretending not to see it.

Perhaps it was Xue Linglong’s inherent kindness that influenced her. And so, the trio turned back. Along the way, they encountered numerous fellow disciples being hunted by Sea Abyss Worms.

They rescued everyone they could, but for those beyond their reach, there was truly nothing to be done.

Though Li Yunxi didn’t directly engage in combat, she was battling the terror these monstrous creatures instilled in her. Despite her intense reluctance to look at them, she forced herself to fix her gaze upon the menacing, clawing worms, suppressing her fear.

Meanwhile, Bai Yiren and her companions were deep in their own battle. They had already sensed the drastic changes on the island.

With a sweep of her divine sense, Luo Yan witnessed hordes of outer sect disciples being chased frantically across the island by Sea Abyss Worms, many already slain. This sight ignited a furious blaze within her.

“Qingxuan, you scoundrel! To think you’d order your subordinates to sneak attack the island from other directions! This old woman will fight you to the death today!” Luo Yan roared, glaring at the constantly evading Azure Dragon.

No wonder Qingxuan had persistently avoided a direct confrontation, seemingly stalling for time. She understood now.

This fiend’s true objective was never them, but the outer sect disciples.

“Only just realized? Too late,” Qingxuan sneered. “This Venerable One merely needs to keep you occupied, preventing you high-ranking cultivators from rescuing those disciples. Luo Yan, the legacy of your Luoshen Sect is destined to vanish from the Eastern Sea Region.”

It wasn’t just Luo Yan; Bai Yiren and her group had also realized the situation. Bai Yiren’s gaze grew anxious as she continuously scanned the island’s plight, her heart no longer in the fight.

“Bai Su, is this your true objective? To tie us down while a powerful Sea Abyss Worm, nearly at the Nascent Soul realm, ambushes our disciples left on the island?”

Bai Yiren’s divine sense had been searching for Bai Lan’s whereabouts across the island since the attack began.

However, Bai Su had persistently interfered, preventing Bai Yiren from pinpointing Bai Lan’s location.

“I know nothing of this matter,” Bai Su stated calmly. “Presumably, it was a command my husband secretly gave to the Sea Abyss Worm King.”

“Nevertheless, I cannot allow you to return and rescue them. Keeping you engaged is my mission.”

Hearing this, Bai Yiren took a deep breath. Her gaze gradually sharpened, turning cold and severe.

Not only that, but a potent surge of killing intent began to emanate from her body.

This killing intent, like a freezing gale, swept towards Bai Su. Bai Su’s body instantly stiffened.

She felt an aura of death enshroud her, emanating from Bai Yiren.

What? What’s happening? Why has Bai Yiren’s aura suddenly changed? Bai Su muttered warily.

“Bai Su,” Bai Yiren spoke, her voice calm yet brimming with raw power. “I truly didn’t wish to harm you. But if you continue to obstruct me, you will die.”

“Though we are enemies, we have known each other for many years. Do not force my hand. Move aside.”

She appeared composed, yet her eyes betrayed her true intent. Bai Yiren was about to get serious; her gaze was utterly filled with murderous resolve.

“Impossible,” Bai Su immediately rejected Bai Yiren’s demand.

They were already adversaries; she could never allow Bai Yiren to return and provide aid. If even a single Nascent Soul cultivator made it back, their mission and objectives would be utterly foiled.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yiren refrained from further words. Slowly, she raised the sword she carried. Its blade was translucent, shimmering with a sapphire glow.

This was one of the Luoshen Sect’s five spirit treasures: the Luoshen Sword, once wielded by the sect’s founder. These five artifacts served as the guardian treasures for each of the Luoshen Sect’s five major factions.

Among these treasures, this particular sword possessed the greatest power.

Bai Yiren was clearly about to unleash a deadly technique. She began to chant an incantation, for some potent spells required such verbal accompaniment.

“A line across the clear sea, a torrent chasing night, stars and moon entwined, a single sword flying immortal…”

“Immortal’s Abode Sword Art: Nine Heavens Embracing Moon!”

Bai Yiren swung the Luoshen Sword in her hand, summoning colossal waves from the surrounding sea. Under her guidance, this surging water converged upon Bai Su.

Bai Su immediately sensed an utterly terrifying aura emanating from within the seawater.

“What kind of sword technique is this?” Bai Su instantly attempted to escape the encirclement of the seawater, but Bai Yiren offered her no opportunity.

The endless deluge of seawater surged towards Bai Su in a single, overwhelming rush. Like a cataclysm breaking through the heavens, it violently slammed into Bai Su’s colossal form.

Even with Bai Su’s extraordinarily high physical defense, this attack instantly inflicted countless tiny cuts across her body. This was a sword technique, not merely a manipulation of water; the so-called seawater was, in fact, composed entirely of minute sword qi.

As a sword cultivator, Bai Yiren was formidable. Once she struck, it was almost invariably a killing blow. She showed no further mercy, for she had already given Bai Su a chance.

The Immortal’s Abode Sword Art was the most potent technique of the Immortal’s Abode, one that only the Pavilion Master could cultivate. This was a divine ability, yet Bai Yiren could, at most, unleash merely a tenth of its true power.

“No, how is this possible? Bai Yiren, you possess such a formidable technique, yet I’ve never seen you use it before!” Bai Su cried out.

She felt the sword qi penetrate every crevice, completely enveloping her body, a force her physical form could not withstand.

“I simply chose not to use it,” Bai Yiren replied indifferently. “This move, ‘Nine Heavens Embracing Moon,’ is a guaranteed kill once unleashed. You forced my hand. Farewell.”

With that cold declaration, she turned and flew down towards Eternal Blossom Island.

Bai Su, however, was utterly powerless to escape. Her dragon scales were torn from her body in great numbers by the countless fine sword qi. The excruciating pain forced a scream from her.

The sound echoed through the heavens and earth, reaching Qingxuan’s ears.

“Wife?” Qingxuan immediately looked towards Bai Su’s distant location. Moments ago, he had only felt a powerful fluctuation of spiritual energy, clearly indicating a formidable technique had been used.

Then, hearing his wife’s scream, Qingxuan knew something had gone terribly wrong for Bai Su.

Qingxuan instantly broke free from Luo Yan, vanishing from his spot. This was the spatial power of a Purple Mansion realm cultivator; Luo Yan could not detain him.

That energy fluctuation just now, was it the Nine Heavens Embracing Moon? Did Yiren actually use such a powerful technique? Luo Yan did not pursue him, instead falling into contemplation.

Meanwhile, Bai Su was on her last legs. She knew she was doomed to die today. Her carelessness had cost her; she hadn’t anticipated Bai Yiren possessed such a potent, unused ability.

Bai Su’s expression flickered with struggle, then she took action.

“Forgive me, my child,” Bai Su whispered. “Mother won’t be able to wait for your birth. But even so, I must protect you.”

Her demonic body suddenly shrank rapidly, quickly transforming into the form of a beautiful woman in a white dress. Yet, she was now drenched in blood, and the surrounding sword qi continued to compress around her.

She had no more time. Bai Su raised her hand, directly slicing open her abdomen, then retrieved a dragon egg glowing with white light from within.

She gazed at the dragon egg with profound reluctance, then poured all her remaining power into it before flinging it out of the sword qi’s encirclement.

Because she had used all her strength to protect it, the dragon egg safely escaped the sword qi’s domain, landing somewhere on Eternal Blossom Island. Bai Su breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same instant, the power of Nine Heavens Embracing Moon utterly shredded her into a mist of blood, vanishing into the air.