Moonlight Mystique

Chapter Thirty-One

"The Mountain Guardian Jade Slip?!" Bai Shuo exclaimed involuntarily. As an Outer Sect Disciple of Piaomiao, she shouldn’t have known about this jade slip. However, she had an ancient, almost mythical tortoise by her side—the oldest and most knowledgeable being on Piaomiao Island. Their favorite pastime was sharing drinks under the medicinal garden trees while gossiping about the island’s secrets. As a result, Bai Shuo was well-versed in Piaomiao’s hidden affairs.

But Piaomiao was never a major immortal sect to begin with. The Mountain Guardian Jade Slip, having just been struck by Fan Yue’s silver chain, now retained only a sliver of its power, barely enough to protect the dissipating Bodhi Tree Heart.

"Senior Sister!" Chong Zhao’s expression darkened as he moved to intervene, but the Evil Bodhi tightened his grip on Er Yun’s throat, exerting just enough force to threaten, "Don’t come any closer, or I’ll drag her down with me to the grave. All of you, get out of Fire-Ice Island now, or I’ll kill her!"

Chong Zhao hesitated, torn. If not for Fan Yue’s demon blood having seeped into the Evil Bodhi’s body, the entire Piaomiao Sect combined wouldn’t stand a chance against him. If they let this opportunity slip, once the Evil Bodhi regained his strength, killing him would be near impossible.

Fan Yue, who held no regard for immortals, snorted coldly and swung his silver chain directly at the Evil Bodhi—only for Chong Zhao to raise his hand and block it.

"Whoever Your Excellency may be, my Senior Sister is in the hands of this evil creature. I implore you not to act recklessly."

Fan Yue let out another icy scoff, looking at Chong Zhao as if he were an insignificant ant. "Fool."

"Junior Brother! Don’t mind me!" Er Yun, initially dazed, suddenly found herself filled with a heroic resolve to perish alongside the Evil Bodhi when she saw Chong Zhao step forward for her. Her eyes reddened with fury as she glared at the Evil Bodhi. "You killed my father, slaughtered so many of our Piaomiao brothers and sisters, and drained the Spiritual Qi of the East Sea! Don’t think you’ll escape today!" She tilted her chin up defiantly. "Evil Bodhi, Piaomiao has no cowards who fear death. Go ahead, kill me!"

As Er Yun raised her head, the pale skin of her neck scraped against the Evil Bodhi’s sharp wooden thorns, drawing a thin line of blood. Strangely, the Evil Bodhi didn’t react with anger—his grip on her throat even loosened slightly, as if recoiling.

Fan Yue couldn’t care less about the life of a mere immortal disciple. His demonic power surged as he swung the silver chain again. With a metallic clang, Chong Zhao summoned his immortal Sword and blocked Fan Yue once more.

"Lord of the Moonlit Hall!"

Chong Zhao refused to yield an inch. Finally, a flicker of impatience crossed Fan Yue’s eyes as he directed his silver chain straight at Chong Zhao.

Seeing the two about to clash, Bai Shuo hurriedly stepped between them and pointed at the Evil Bodhi. "Stop, stop, stop! What are you two doing? This evil creature says one thing, and you’re ready to tear each other apart? Senior Sister is right—one life versus all the beings of the East Sea? Of course the East Sea matters more!"

"A-Shuo…" Chong Zhao sighed helplessly.

Bai Shuo’s declaration was so matter-of-fact that Er Yun’s face darkened. "Bai Shuo! Of course—I knew you had ulterior motives… Don’t delude yourself! Even if I die, you’re still unworthy of Junior Brother Chong Zhao!"

Having upheld the dignity of an immortal disciple for half her life, Er Yun now threw all restraint to the wind, engaging in a spirited verbal duel with Bai Shuo.

"Senior Sister Er Yun, don’t worry. You won’t die. The Evil Bodhi won’t harm you." Bai Shuo turned to face her, her voice softening. "Even if he destroys all of Piaomiao and drains the life of the East Sea, he won’t lay a hand on you."

Her words left everyone baffled. Er Yun stared blankly, her face practically screaming, "Bai Shuo, you black-hearted schemer, how dare you spin such nonsense?"

"Am I right?" Bai Shuo’s gaze settled on the Evil Bodhi as she sighed softly. "Sect Leader Songhe."The Evil Bodhi suddenly raised his head, his hand gripping Er Yun's neck stiffening.

The water cave was deathly silent. Chong Zhao and Er Yun were utterly shocked, while Fan Yue alone showed no surprise, hearing Bai Shuo's voice from the shore echo in his ears.

"He wants to devour me—that's his weakness... But his weakness doesn't end there."

"What else?"

"His identity... perhaps... he isn't the true Bodhi Wood."

This statement finally made Fan Yue raise an eyebrow.

"A-Shuo, what did you call him?" Chong Zhao's voice was uncharacteristically hoarse in the water cave.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Bai Shuo! How could this evil creature be my father?!" Er Yun trembled with rage, more furious at Bai Shuo's words than even when Chong Zhao had been taken. "My father died three years ago exhausting his immortal power to seal this evil! How dare you defile his name!"

"Senior Sister Er Yun, doesn't it strike you as odd? The Evil Bodhi is utterly inhuman—twelve Senior Brothers were drained of their immortal power and died the moment they set foot on the island. He showed no mercy to me or A-Zhao either. Had it not been for the Lord of Haoyue Palace, we would have become sacrifices for his ascension to godhood. Yet, from the moment we arrived on the island until now, aside from minor injuries, you've remained completely unharmed?"

Er Yun froze, suddenly recalling how the Evil Bodhi had flinched when she pressed her neck against the Bodhi Wood's thorns. Her expression changed, but she still shook her head, unable to bring herself to look at the silent figure beside her. "No... you're lying. I... I don't believe it..."

But Chong Zhao suddenly spoke, staring at the Evil Bodhi. "The Mountain-Sealing Jade Slip is a Spiritual Artifact of Piaomiao. Only after receiving the Junior Martial Uncle's Legacy today did Senior Sister and I learn how to use it. You..." His voice was strained as he voiced his doubt. "...how could you wield it?"

Immortal sect treasures follow strict inheritance laws, let alone a Magical Artifact containing the souls of all Piaomiao's ancestors. In their panic earlier, they had overlooked this crucial detail.

Faced with Chong Zhao's question, the Evil Bodhi remained silent. Er Yun stared blankly at the masked figure beside her, her entire body trembling. Suddenly, she turned to Chong Zhao, her eyes red. "Chong Zhao, don't forget how my father died. If he hadn't passed his golden core and all his immortal power to you before his death, how could you have ascended to immortality in just three years?! He's an evil creature! Not my father! My father died three years ago!"

Chong Zhao's grip on his immortal sword faltered, momentarily unable to press further. His entire immortal path had been granted by Piaomiao and Sect Leader Song He. Even though he never doubted Bai Shuo's words, he couldn't rashly tarnish Song He's lifelong reputation. And yet...

"Senior Sister, the Heaven-Shaking Formation has been destroyed."

Er Yun stiffened completely, Sect Leader Song Feng's parting words ringing in her ears.

"Yun'er, the Heaven-Shaking Formation is Piaomiao's mountain-protecting array. Only those who know its core can destroy it. That evil creature may have already infiltrated our inner sect. Trust no one but yourself."

What if the Junior Martial Uncle was wrong? What if the evil hadn't infiltrated the inner sect... but had always been part of Piaomiao...?

"This Sovereign has always found it strange. Though the Bodhi Wood fell to the lower Three Realms, it was after all a divine tree that had cultivated under divine law in the Divine Realm for tens of thousands of years. How could it have fallen to the Demonic Path and become an evil creature? Now I see—it was human greed that corrupted it." Fan Yue spoke calmly. "Three years ago, you devoured the Bodhi Wood and stole its Divine Soul, didn't you?"Fan Yue's decisive words settled the matter. The three of them turned to look at the silent Evil Bodhi, who finally spoke—not with that sinister, hoarse voice, but with a tone of weariness and a familiar deepness.

"Three years ago, I shouldn't have been soft-hearted and allowed you to stay on Misty Island." Evil Bodhi stared at Bai Shuo as the mask dissipated, revealing the face of Sect Leader Song He, who had supposedly passed away three years prior.

"Father..."

"Master..."

Chong Zhao and Er Yun gazed at the all-too-familiar face before them—one bewildered, the other shocked. Even though Bai Shuo had already exposed the truth, seeing Evil Bodhi remove the mask still left them utterly shaken.

The malevolent force that nearly destroyed Misty Island was actually Song He, who had protected the East Sea for millennia—the leader of the foremost immortal sect! How could this be possible?

"I severed my own Spiritual Vein long ago. Even Song Feng didn't notice. How did you figure out my identity?" Had Bai Shuo not struck a deal with Fan Yue and exposed him before everyone, his years of meticulous planning wouldn't have been ruined by a mere half-immortal. He truly wanted an answer.

"Because of one sentence and one secret."

"What sentence?"

"The first time you disguised yourself as A-Zhao to trick me into offering my spirit blood, you told me that back on the island, I once promised to live and die with you... No one but the real A-Zhao would know those words. So how did Evil Bodhi know? Within the Heavenly Dao, only those who have connected Spiritual Veins and laid the Foundation Establishment can glimpse another's life memories. The only person in this world who could have seen the secrets hidden in A-Zhao's heart was Sect Leader Song He, who performed A-Zhao's Foundation Establishment three years ago."

"And the secret?"

"The secret of my spirit blood. I know myself well—first, I fear death; second, I fear death; third, I still fear death. I'm just a half-immortal with no means of self-preservation. If the entire Three Realms knew my blood was like top-grade Spirit Medicine, not only the Yao Realm but even the mighty cultivators of the Immortal Realm might scheme to quietly refine me. So I've lived like a quail, terrified of this secret getting out. Since leaving the mortal world to pursue the Dao, the only time I've ever revealed my spirit blood was on Fire-Ice Island, when I used it to save someone—and that someone was you, Sect Leader Song He."

"From there, I pieced together everything that happened tonight. My trip to Fire-Ice Island for Spirit Medicine was impulsive, yet the White Tiger in the forest and the disguised A-Zhao were clearly prepared in advance. When the Moonlight Hall Master told me this place had long been a dead island, I realized even the treasure-hunting book in the library was planted for me. I love studying medicine and often sneak-read the library's collections. Sooner or later, I'd find it and set foot on this island—becoming your sacrificial offering for ascension."

Bai Shuo finally finished, exhaling wearily. "To go to such lengths for a mere half-immortal like me... you truly went to great trouble, Sect Leader Song He."

The cave fell into absolute silence. Even now, Er Yun couldn't believe what was happening.

"Father, is what she said true? Did you kill our fellow disciples? Did you become Evil Bodhi and do all this? Why would you do this?! Why!""For what?! It was for Piaomiao!" The evil Bodhi—no, Song He—suddenly spoke up. "Hundreds of years ago, Piaomiao was one of the six great sects of the Immortal Realm. But ever since the Divine Realm opened three centuries ago and the Phoenix Clan rose to power, all the spiritual veins of the Eastern Sea were claimed by the Wutong Phoenix Clan. Since then, apart from this main island, our Piaomiao Sect has had no blessed lands left for cultivation. How could a single island sustain an entire immortal sect? Pitifully, over the past century, Piaomiao has declined day by day, with not a single cultivator reaching the Peak of High Lord, reduced to the lowest ranks of the Immortal Realm. Ten years ago, I foresaw my Lightning Tribulation approaching. If I failed to overcome it, I would perish, body and Dao extinguished, with no chance to glimpse the Divine Dao. I had already lost all hope..."

"But then, by sheer chance, heavenly fire fell into the Eastern Sea, burning countless spirits. When I came to investigate, I discovered this heavenly fire was actually a piece of Bodhi wood brimming with Divine Power. If I could refine it, I could ascend to godhood in a single step, restoring Piaomiao’s glory and raising it to prominence across the Three Realms!"

"An ant shaking a tree—a mere Low Lord of the Immortal Realm dares to dream of refining divine wood." Fan Yue snorted coldly, visibly disgusted that his Clone had been tainted by Song He.

"True, I failed." Song He smiled bitterly but refused to yield. "Yet Heaven did not abandon Piaomiao. Just as I was on the verge of death from failing to refine the divine wood, I encountered two mortals."

Song He’s gaze settled on Bai Shuo. "And the blood of one of them not only healed me but also allowed me to suppress the unawakened Divine Soul within the Bodhi divine wood."

Bai Shuo froze, pointing at herself in disbelief. What?! So everything today was caused by her accidental actions three years ago. Good heavens, what a cursed twist of fate!