Moonlight Mystique

Chapter Twenty-Five

The grand formation of Misty Island was located in the square outside the main hall. As dawn broke, Chong Zhao and his fellow disciples stood in formation across the square. Channeling their immortal power into their palms, they directed it toward the pentagram etched on the ground. The five points of the star flared to life under the surge of energy, sending five beams of light shooting into the sky.

The disciples' faces lit up with joy, only to pale in the next instant. The five beams in the sky flickered out abruptly, as if encountering an unseen obstacle, and the pentagram on the ground dimmed just as quickly. At that moment, Song Feng arrived at the square, supported by his disciples.

"Junior Martial Uncle, the star formation has failed!" Even the usually composed Chong Zhao couldn't hide his alarm.

"Sect Leader! Sect Leader!" Before Song Feng could respond, several junior disciples guarding the island gates rushed onto the square, their voices trembling. "Something terrible has happened!"

"What is it? Speak clearly!" Er Yun snapped. The young disciples pointed toward the sea beyond the island, their faces filled with dread. "The ocean… the ocean is in chaos…"

Following their gaze, the group saw the sky blotted out by an overwhelming mass of dark clouds. Towering waves surged around Misty Island, forming an impenetrable curtain of water that sealed off the entire East Sea.

The disciples outside the square turned deathly pale, too stunned to speak.

"Zhao'er, Yun'er, come with me." Song Feng's voice cut through the silence. Pushing away the supporting hands of his disciples, he slowly made his way into the hall. Chong Zhao and Er Yun exchanged a puzzled glance before hurrying after him.

Meanwhile, in a desolate grove, Bai Shuo turned around with a start, then heaved a sigh of relief and punched the young man on the shoulder.

"You scared me to death! A-Zhao, what are you doing here?"

Instead of answering, Chong Zhao pulled her into a tight embrace. "I finally found you. Thank goodness you're safe!"

Bai Shuo froze, then patted his shoulder. "A-Zhao?"

Chong Zhao exhaled deeply before releasing her, his expression stern. "How many times have I told you? The East Sea is full of dangers beyond Misty Island. With your meager immortal power, how could you dare to wander around like this?"

Staring at the lecturing Chong Zhao, Bai Shuo was momentarily speechless.

It had been years—since leaving the capital—since she had last seen him like this.

"What's wrong?" Chong Zhao paused.

Bai Shuo's eyes reddened as she took a deep breath. "It's nothing, I just…"

"I know why you came here—to refine a medicinal pill for me."

"How did you know?" Bai Shuo blurted out before realization struck. "That wretched old turtle! Can't keep a single secret!" Then she frowned. "Wait, that old turtle tricked me into going somewhere else. How did you know I'd be here?"

Chong Zhao summoned a bamboo flute from his palm, identical to the one he had given her. "Both flutes carry a trace of my immortal essence. As long as you have the one I gave you, I can always find you."

"No wonder." Bai Shuo nodded in understanding before glancing around. "A-Zhao, do you remember this place?"

"Of course. Three years ago, we saved Master right here. A-Shuo, why did you come back?"

Before Bai Shuo could answer, Chong Zhao suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth and pulled her behind a thick tree.

Bai Shuo's eyes widened as Chong Zhao whispered urgently in her ear, "Don't move. Something's coming!"Bai Shuo's breath hitched. Before Chong Zhao could finish speaking, a massive black shadow swept over their heads, carrying an overwhelming aura of malevolence and spiritual pressure as it swiftly disappeared into the forest.

Bai Shuo's eyes lit up as she pushed Chong Zhao's hand away. "Quick, let's go! Follow it!"

"A-Shuo!"

Unable to stop her in time, Chong Zhao was dragged deeper into the woods by Bai Shuo.

Following the direction where the shadow had vanished, the two ventured further into the forest. But the deeper they went, the more astonished they became.

The dense trees and barren rocks beneath their feet gradually gave way to a lush green valley. A babbling stream wound along the valley's edge, surrounded by a sea of blooming flowers. A rainbow arched over a rock by the stream, and resting atop that rock was the same black shadow that had flown over them earlier.

It was a pure white tiger, its body gleaming like jade, with a pair of wings sprouting from its back. At that moment, it lay with its eyes closed, clearly unaware of their approach.

How could such a paradise exist within this desolate island's forest?

Chong Zhao's eyes were filled with confusion, but Bai Shuo felt differently. Such a wondrous sight was the perfect hiding place for a top-tier spiritual treasure!

Suddenly, Bai Shuo's gaze fixed on something beside the white tiger, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Found it! The spring is right there!" In her excitement, Bai Shuo slipped, crushing the dry leaves underfoot. Chong Zhao grabbed her, and in a flash of spiritual light, they vanished from the spot. Not far away, the white tiger's eyes snapped open, scanning the area where they had been hiding.

Its large, copper-bell-like eyes swept the surroundings but found nothing. It settled back onto the rock, though this time, it kept its eyes open.

Hidden behind a boulder at the tiger's rear, Bai Shuo covered her mouth, not daring to breathe.

"A-Shuo, we need to leave now. That winged tiger is at least at the Peak of the Upper Realm. Even Junior Martial Uncle wouldn't stand a chance against it. If it discovers us, it'll be too late!"

"No, I came here specifically to find it!" Bai Shuo shook her head.

"Find it?" Chong Zhao was stunned.

"I mean—to find this!" Bai Shuo hastily pulled a book from her medicine pouch and flipped to the last page, pointing at it for Chong Zhao. "I knew the old turtle was lying when it led me to the coral sea, so I found this book in the library."

Her finger landed on a handwritten note:

"To the south, in the mists, heavenly fire descended, burning an island to ashes. All life perished, save for a single spring in the southeast. Over a decade has passed since."

Bai Shuo continued, "This was left by the former Sect Leader. I think the reason he came to this island back then was because it held something he sought. Maybe he wasn't injured in a battle with someone at all..."

"You mean...?" Chong Zhao glanced at the white tiger in the distance. "It was the one who hurt Master?"

"Yes! Don't forget, top-tier spiritual treasures are incredibly rare in this world, and they're always guarded by Spirit Beasts. Perhaps the Sect Leader tried to take the treasure from the spring back then, angering this white tiger, and that's how he got injured. That would also explain why such an important place remains unknown to anyone on Misty Island. The former Sect Leader knew how dangerous it was and didn't tell anyone, but he also didn't want this heavenly treasure, hidden on a remote island, to be lost forever. So he left clues, hoping that someone in the sect might one day discover it—when their cultivation reached Major Achievement—and claim it."Chong Zhao listened with rising anger, "You know there are powerful Spirit Beasts guarding these rare treasures, ones even Master couldn't defeat. With your meager Immortal Qi, going to the island alone is suicide! Even if there are heavenly treasures here, with our current Immortal Qi, we can't take them."

"Ah, but even without Immortal Qi, I have this." Bai Shuo pointed to her head. "Don't forget what I'm best at."

As she spoke, Bai Shuo pulled out a small porcelain vial from her medicine pouch and shook it. "I'm best at making medicine, especially for dealing with Spirit Beasts."

"This is...?"

"Ten Thousand Spirits' Drunk!" Bai Shuo grinned mischievously, blinking at Chong Zhao's slightly stunned expression. "It's normal you haven't heard of it—I just finished brewing it yesterday and came up with the name."

Chong Zhao was speechless, half-doubting. "Will this thing really work on it?"

"Absolutely. Although it doesn't contain any heavenly treasures, I added Beauty's Fragrance. Even that old turtle couldn't resist it."

"What's Beauty's Fragrance?"

Bai Shuo chuckled and made a motion to twist open the vial. "It's..."

Curious, Chong Zhao leaned in closer. "What?"

"Ah, you're just a kid—why do you need to know so much? It works, that's all that matters!" Bai Shuo, halfway through opening the lid, suddenly snapped it shut again, clutching it protectively in her palm.

"Later, cover your nose and mouth, protect yourself with Immortal Essence, and don't breathe." After instructing Chong Zhao, Bai Shuo was about to leave with the vial when Chong Zhao stopped her. "Let me go."

Bai Shuo shook her head. "Your Immortal Essence is too strong—you won't be able to get close. I have no Immortal Qi, so it won't easily detect me. If we're not within three meters of it, Beauty's Fragrance won't work!"

Chong Zhao still refused to let go of Bai Shuo's hand. Bai Shuo looked at him seriously, her expression unusually stern. "A-Zhao, I must refine a first-grade Immortal Pill for you. Let go."

Chong Zhao slowly released her hand. "Fine, but you must be careful."

Bai Shuo paused, nodded, and then crept stealthily toward the White Tiger with the vial in hand.

The valley was eerily silent. Under the cover of birdsong, Bai Shuo finally reached a cluster of flowers closest to the White Tiger. She lay in the grass, quietly uncorking the vial. A delicate fragrance wafted through the swaying petals, carried by the wind toward the White Tiger. Unaware, the beast inhaled the scent, its sharp gaze gradually growing dazed. Half an incense stick later, the White Tiger's head drooped, and it fell into a deep slumber on the boulder.

Bai Shuo kept her eyes fixed on the White Tiger. Once it showed no movement, she crept up to its side and tugged at its tail. From a distance, Chong Zhao watched in horror. "A-Shuo, be careful!"

But Bai Shuo merely played with the White Tiger's tail, then tossed it aside, hands on her hips as she clapped triumphantly. "Success! I told you—there's no Spirit Beast my Ten Thousand Spirits' Drunk can't handle!"

She waved at Chong Zhao and eagerly headed toward the spiritual spring behind the White Tiger.

Bai Shuo hurried to the spring's edge, where the water shimmered with radiant light. In its center floated a pure white snow lotus, its body translucent and brimming with Immortal Qi so dense it seemed ready to burst.

"A-Zhao, I found it! A first-grade heavenly treasure!"

Overjoyed, Bai Shuo reached out to pluck the snow lotus from the spring.

Suddenly, a flash of silver light cut through the air. A surge of thick demonic energy shot straight toward Bai Shuo's wrist. A chill ran down her spine, but before she could react, someone grabbed her and pulled her away from the spring.The demonic power landed on the spiritual spring and exploded instantly. If Bai Shuo had still been there, she would have been blown to bits.

Bai Shuo was so terrified she nearly lost her three ethereal souls. Patting her chest, she turned and slapped the air behind her. "Thanks, A-Zhao!"

It was Chong Zhao who had rescued her. He stared coldly at the distant red figure, his thin lips pressed tightly together, his eyes dark as ink.

Following his gaze, Bai Shuo spotted the figure under the tree and suddenly felt her breath catch—her remaining seven earthly souls vanished entirely!

Holy shit! This! Demon! Why is he here?!

Under the tree, Fan Yue stood in red robes, arms crossed lazily over his chest. He raised his head slightly, his gaze settling on Bai Shuo, seeming somewhat surprised himself.

Suddenly, he smiled, looking at Bai Shuo with faint amusement.

"Since when do immortals of the celestial clans use the charms of our Yao Race to refine elixirs?"