Moonlight Mystique

Before Bai Xi could utter another word, Bai Shuo suddenly pushed her several steps away, then turned and ran to stand at the feet of the black-robed figure.

"Eat me! Eating me can also prolong your life—just let my sister go!"

"Oh?" The black-robed figure glanced down at the little girl at his feet. "What's stopping me from devouring both of you? What gives you the right to bargain with me?"

"Because my father is Bai Xun!"

"Hmph, a mere Mortal..." The black-robed figure scoffed disdainfully.

"They kidnapped us from the southern part of the city. Someone must have seen me and Bai Shuo there." Bai Shuo calmly pointed at the Qian Brothers. "Our guards lost track of us at the border between the northern and southern districts. At most, within half a shichen, my father will realize we were taken from the southern city. It will take him two shichen to search the entire southern district. Once he finds no trace of us in the city, he will definitely search beyond the walls."

"So what!" Fearing the black-robed figure might blame them for incompetence, Qian Da loudly interrupted Bai Shuo. "We brothers frequently pass through the southern gate. Who would suspect you're hidden in our ox cart!"

"Normally, no one would. But today, Bai Shuo and I are missing." Bai Shuo's voice was eerily calm as she looked at the Qian Brothers with a hint of mockery. "An ox cart carrying slop leaves different tracks than one carrying two people. Even if no one noticed at the time, they might now. You came from the southern city, circled the outer walls heading north, and took rugged mountain paths all the way. With no rain tonight, the cart tracks won't fade."

Bai Shuo paused, glancing up at the full moon before turning her gaze back to the black-robed figure. "It's already noon now. By the latest, by the hour of the Goat, my father will surely arrive here with imperial troops. You're hiding here, injured—you don’t want to be discovered. Even if you devour both of us and slaughter the troops my father brings, you’ll still be exposed to the world. You’ll never be able to hide beneath the imperial mausoleum again!"

Bai Shuo clenched her fists hidden beneath her sleeves and said firmly, "If you let Bai Shuo go and have these two return my sister to the capital before my father reaches the mausoleum, she will never reveal your existence to anyone."

Silence fell over the clearing. Bai Xi stared blankly at Bai Shuo standing defiantly before the black-robed figure, as if seeing her for the first time.

It was said that the Bai family had two daughters—one virtuous and refined, the other unruly and troublesome. Everyone praised the Crown Prince for choosing wisely, selecting the cleverest of the Bai sisters. But now... Bai Xi's heart ached with bitterness, unsure whether to feel sorrow or heartache.

Had it not been for this life-or-death moment, would A-Shuo have willingly played the role of a foolish, mischievous child her whole life, just to preserve her elder sister's flawless reputation as the Crown Princess in the eyes of the world?

The Qian Brothers stood dumbfounded, rendered speechless by Bai Shuo's words. They never imagined that two girls casually snatched from the streets would prove so remarkably clever and bold. Any ordinary child would have been scared to death at the sight of the black-robed Divine Lord, yet she dared to negotiate with him.

Clap! Clap! Clap! The black-robed figure slowly applauded.

"Well spoken, truly worthy of the Grand General's daughter. Little girl, your courage is as vast as the heavens!"

As he spoke, he studied the girl at his feet with keen interest, then suddenly leaned down to examine Bai Shuo closely.

Bai Shuo shuddered under the gaze of those blood-red eyes, goosebumps rising all over her skin.

After scrutinizing her, the black-robed figure's eyes flickered with something resembling disappointment."This lord finds it truly strange that the emperor didn't choose you as the crown princess. But fate is fate—no matter how clever you are, you're not Bai Xi."

"I clearly am..." Bai Shuo's heart tightened as she hastily retorted.

"Little girl." The black-robed man sneered. "Those chosen by heaven's mandate all bear destined fates with Spiritual Qi surrounding them. Your body contains neither fate nor even a trace of Spiritual Qi. Did you think you could deceive this venerable one?"

When the black-robed man stood again, he couldn't even spare half a glance for Bai Shuo, his bloodthirsty gaze fixed on Bai Xi in the distance.

"This venerable one loves spiritual treasures, not clever people. I didn't want my presence discovered, but once I devour this girl, the four seas will be mine to roam! Why should I continue hiding in this mortal emperor's mausoleum, buried from the light of day?"

As he finished speaking, he raised his hand toward Bai Xi's direction. Bai Shuo, summoning courage from nowhere, suddenly leaped up and clung to the black-robed man's leg, shouting toward Bai Xi, "A-Xi, run!"

Bai Xi stood frozen, her eyes reddening.

"Run! A-Xi, go find Father, hurry!" Bai Shuo roared, putting all her strength into the plea.

The black-robed man snorted coldly. "Run? None of you will escape!"

With a single kick, he effortlessly flung Bai Shuo away. At her young age, how could she withstand his demonic power? Her ribs shattered, and she spat blood as she crashed to the ground.

Seeing this, the Qian Brothers immediately pinned Bai Shuo down, fearing she might disrupt the Divine Lord's dining pleasure.

"A-Shuo!" Bai Xi, witnessing this, refused to flee and instead ran toward her sister.

"You may lack any spiritual power, but your flesh is tender enough. This venerable one will reluctantly devour you too, sparing you sisters the pain of separation! Hahaha!"

The black-robed man laughed wildly, raising his hand from afar. A black light shot from his palm, lifting Bai Xi into the air. The dark energy bound her tightly, inch by inch pulling her toward him.

His eyes gleamed with bloodlust and greed as he inhaled Bai Xi's scent, baring his terrifying fangs.

"A-Xi!" Bai Shuo's voice was hoarse, but the Qian Brothers held her firmly to the ground.

"Monster! You want spiritual treasures? I'd rather die than let you succeed!"

Seeing Bai Shuo covered in blood, just as the black light delivered Bai Xi into the black-robed man's grasp, she suddenly yanked a jade hairpin from her head and plunged it into her own neck without hesitation.

"A-Xi!" A beast-like scream tore from Bai Shuo's throat, heart-wrenching and raw.

A torrent of blood gushed from Bai Xi's pale neck, splashing into Bai Shuo's eyes.

Her vision turned crimson, staining the entire world in blood.

The black-robed man and the Qian Brothers were stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Not far away, Bai Xun, who had been following the cart tracks, paled at his daughter's agonized cry. He led his guards charging toward the mausoleum's rear mountains.

Bai Xi's warm body hung limply in midair as the green hairpin slipped from her hand, shattering into two pieces upon the ground.

Tears welled in Bai Shuo's blood-streaked eyes, falling in heavy drops. She owned an identical hairpin—a gift from their mother on their seventh birthday. She had always preferred tying her hair with cloth, never wearing the pin. Now, she couldn't even die alongside A-Xi.

The sound of jade breaking snapped the black-robed man from his daze. Staring at Bai Xi's lifeless form, uncontrollable fury rose in his eyes.When a person dies, it's like a lamp being extinguished—everything enters the cycle of reincarnation, even fate dissipates, let alone spiritual Qi.

A dignified demon lord like him, thwarted by a mere mortal child! The fury of being deceived burned away the rationality of the black-robed man. With a roar, he lashed out, tendrils of dark Qi coiling around Bai Xi's body as he hurled her toward Bai Shuo on the ground.

"Wretched fools! How dare you mock this lord? I shall annihilate your divine souls, reduce you to ashes, and cast you into eternal damnation!"

Bai Shuo lay sprawled on the ground, her vision blurred by blood as she saw Bai Xi flung toward her by the dark Qi. Summoning the last of her strength, she broke free from the Qian Brothers and knelt, closing her eyes as she reached out to catch Bai Xi's body.

Even in death, she wouldn’t let A-Xi walk the lonely path alone.

In that moment of utter despair and boundless darkness, a beam of light descended upon the earth, and the world seemed to freeze.

The eerie, swirling ghostly Qi vanished. The furious roars ceased. Even the broken ribs within her body began to mend, piece by piece, within her flesh.

It was nothing short of a miracle!

Bai Shuo opened her eyes. A gentle radiance swept across her vision, and the blood obscuring her sight gradually cleared.

She saw Bai Xi's body cradled by a violet glow, gently lowered before her.

Crawling forward, she grasped Bai Xi's icy hand and looked up—only to witness a sight she would never forget for the rest of her life.

Beneath the vast purple moon stood a tall, slender figure.

His hair was dark as ink, his ancient robes billowing in the moonlight. A single glance from him could overturn the world.

A violet throne materialized in the void. He sat upon it with effortless grace before lazily turning his gaze toward the black-robed man in the imperial tomb below.

The once-arrogant black-robed man had already collapsed to the ground the moment he saw the violet moon. Now, under that gaze, he was utterly dumbstruck.

How could this be? How could he appear in this world? Not even when the great Yuan Qi perished into ashes had he shown himself—so why would he emerge now, in this insignificant mortal tomb?

"Annihilate divine souls? Eternal damnation? Such words—aside from this lord, who else in the Three Realms dares speak them?"

The corners of his lips curled slightly as his black boot tapped against the throne, producing a crisp, icy sound. Though the gesture was light, it sent the black-robed man trembling uncontrollably.

Hearing those words and witnessing his demeanor, Bai Shuo finally understood what true, unrestrained arrogance looked like.

A violet whip descended from the sky. Whether intentional or not, the black-robed man was seized just as Bai Xi had been, forced to kneel mid-air.

"T-Tian…" The black-robed man stuttered in terror, but before he could utter the name, the man’s eyes turned cold, fixing upon him.

"This lord’s name—do you dare speak it?"

The black-robed man immediately kowtowed. "Divine Lord, spare me! Divine Lord, spare me! This lowly demon, Cangmu of the South Sea, pays homage to the Divine Lord!"

Divine Lord? Bai Shuo froze, staring blankly at the figure beneath the violet moon. Was this… a true deity?

The newcomer was none other than Tian Qi. He had shattered the void from the Divine Realm, descending directly into the ghost realm, intending to search for Yue Mi’s soul within Ao Ge’s River of Life and Death. Yet at the entrance to the ghost realm, he had witnessed this scene.

By nature, he cared little for the life and death of all beings across the Three Realms. Had it not been for that heart-wrenching cry of despair, he might not have spared even a glance at the tragedy unfolding in the imperial tomb.

The Qian Brothers cowered in a corner, not daring to breathe. They had been forced by the black-robed man to hunt down children for sacrifice—who would have thought that this usually domineering "Divine Lord" was nothing but a coward!This was indeed their misunderstanding. The black-robed monster was actually a Vicious Beast from the South Sea's Nine-Headed Serpent clan, named Cang Mu. In the Immortal Realm, even ordinary high-ranking immortals were no match for it. Had it not encountered the reclusive True God of the ancient Shang Gu Realm, it would never have been reduced to such a pitiful state.

A decade ago, Cang Mu wreaked havoc in the South Sea and was besieged by immortals from Daze Mountain. In its desperate escape, it fled to the mortal world. Beneath the imperial mausoleum lay the entrance to the ghost realm, where only the ghostly Qi could conceal its Yao Beast scent, shielding it from the immortals of Daze Mountain. It hid beneath the mausoleum for ten years, draining the flesh and blood of the Qian Brothers to heal its wounds, infusing them with demonic power and coercing them with promises of immortality to deliver spiritual beings for it to devour each month.

For ten long years, it cowered here, on the verge of fully recovering from its injuries and returning to the South Sea to reign supreme. Yet, because of two mortal girls, it had unwittingly drawn the attention of the True God Tian Qi.

"Spare me? A mere nine-headed serpent dares to wreak havoc in the mortal realm and slaughter mortals. If I spare your life, to whom shall the countless wronged souls in the Book of Life and Death demand justice?"

Tian Qi's eyes were icy as he casually flicked his wrist. The violet whip sent Cang Mu soaring into the air, its Divine Power vast and overwhelming. With a single lash, Cang Mu howled in agony, blood spewing from its mouth as its serpent horns, now scarred and battered, emerged on its forehead.

Seeing Tian Qi show no mercy, Cang Mu roared and reverted to its true form. A towering nine-headed serpent soared above the imperial mausoleum, its deafening cries shaking the heavens as a foul stench blotted out the sky.

Yet no matter how it dodged or fled, the violet whip remained tightly coiled around its tail, lashing it relentlessly.

Black blood gushed from the serpent's mouths, its body drenched in crimson, clearly at the end of its strength.

"Tian Qi! I am of the Yao Race! If you won't spare me, you disgrace your title as the God of Demons!" The serpent spat human words, its long tail bound tightly by the violet whip, leaving only its nine heads to wail and curse helplessly in the air.

Tian Qi couldn't even be bothered to look at it. "If you're a Yao, then die like one. All this whining is embarrassing to listen to."

The nine-headed serpent was finally silenced by this utter disdain. With a furious roar to the heavens, its eighteen blood-red eyes glowed ominously. Suddenly, one of its heads transformed into a human hand, conjuring a Sword to slash at its own tail.

"Rooooar!" A cry of agony echoed across the land as black blood rained from the sky. The violet whip instantly lost its grip on the serpent. In that fleeting moment, the now halved serpent condensed into a single massive head, its maw gaping wide as it lunged toward Bai Shuo.

It couldn't harm Tian Qi in the slightest, but it would drag someone down with it in death. If Tian Qi wanted to save this mortal, then it would devour her and die together!

Bai Shuo had no time to escape. She could only watch as the serpent's head loomed closer, the stench nearly suffocating her. Clutching Bai Xi tightly, she suddenly lifted her gaze to Tian Qi upon his throne.

Her eyes were filled with hope, longing, and a trust so absolute she didn't even realize it herself.

That single glance made Tian Qi see her.

A violet light split the heavens as the power of a True God surged forth. The massive serpent's head turned to ashes before it could even utter a plea for mercy.

Silence fell over the land, the violet moon casting its glow upon the earth.

By the time Tian Qi regained his senses, he had already left his throne and stood before Bai Shuo.