Moonlight Mystique

After Feng Ran took Jing Jian to ascend to the Divine Realm eight hundred years ago, the Phoenix Emperor of the Wutong Phoenix Island became the legendary Feng Yin.

The Soul-Suppressing Tower was forged with the Divine Power of Hundun, requiring years of effort. Back then, he had gifted the tower obtained from Shang Gu to Donghua as Yuan Qi's apprenticeship gift. Yet Donghua, in order to atone for Yuan Qi's sins, later presented it to the Phoenix Clan. Now, apart from the one in the Ghost Realm used by Divine Lord Bi Xi to suppress countless ghosts, the only remaining Soul-Suppressing Tower in the lower Three Realms was in Feng Yin's possession.

Tian Qi had once caught a glimpse of this new Phoenix Emperor—unfortunately, it was merely a fleeting glance before her soul scattered and she fell into slumber in the ancestral Wutong Forest. Truth be told, he shared no substantial connection with this new Phoenix Emperor.

It was said that this new Phoenix Emperor's path to Nirvana had been fraught with hardship. She had once been entangled in a love affair with his nephew that nearly destroyed the Three Realms. Now that Yuan Qi had turned to ashes, it was unlikely she would wish to see anyone from the Divine Realm.

Tian Qi did not conceal his aura as a True God. The moment he arrived at Wutong Phoenix Island, Elder Feng Yun of the Phoenix Clan came forth to greet him. Upon hearing Tian Qi's request to borrow the Soul-Suppressing Tower, Feng Yun respectfully attempted to escort him into the ancestral Wutong Forest.

Given that he had not hidden his presence, it was unexpected that Feng Yin herself did not come to receive him—even the Ghost King Xiu Yan wouldn’t dare show such audacity. Tian Qi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Noticing Tian Qi's expression, Feng Yun hurriedly explained on Feng Yin's behalf.

"Divine Lord, please do not take offense. Our Majesty wandered away for many years eight hundred years ago. After returning to the island, she sealed her Divine Sense and likely remains unaware of your arrival. These years, she has resided in the ancestral forest and has not left the Phoenix Island for centuries. Her Majesty once decreed..." Feng Yun's voice wavered slightly as he glanced at Tian Qi, "Unless it concerns the annihilation of the Phoenix Clan, no matter the matter, none are to disturb her in the ancestral forest."

Such words implied that Tian Qi being granted an audience with Feng Yin was already the Phoenix Clan showing utmost respect to a True God of the Divine Realm.

Sealed Divine Sense? Recalling that Yuan Qi's soul had scattered around the same time eight hundred years ago, Tian Qi sighed. For once, he did not assert the authority of a True God and merely waved dismissively at Feng Yun.

The two landed at the southernmost edge of the island, amidst the lush Wutong trees. As Tian Qi took in the scenery within, he couldn’t help but pause in surprise.

He was well aware of the Phoenix Clan's customs—Wutong Phoenix Island had always been home only to Wutong trees, and the ancestral forest's landscape had remained unchanged for hundreds of millennia. Yet, at some unknown point, the deepest part of the ancestral forest had been transformed into a small immortal abode.

Verdant trees and grass, a babbling stream with a bamboo cottage, immortal beasts roaming freely, and flowers blooming in abundance.

The sight felt eerily familiar. After studying it for a moment, Tian Qi finally realized why.

This place was an exact replica of the forbidden valley Donghua had carved out in Daze Mountain.

The wooden door of the bamboo cottage creaked open, and the young woman who stepped out froze upon spotting the two figures by the stream. Her gaze lingered briefly on Tian Qi's face, a ripple of emotion passing through her otherwise tranquil eyes before she bowed slightly in greeting.

"Feng Yin of the lower gods pays her respects to the True God Tian Qi."

Clad in simple robes with phoenix-pupiled eyes and her hair tied back with a wooden hairpin, she was unmistakably the same Feng Yin who had once slumbered in the ancestral Wutong Forest.

"You sealed your Divine Sense, yet you recognize me?"

A trace of reminiscence flickered in the Phoenix Emperor's eyes. "Many years ago, this humble one once visited the Purple Moon Mountain. The portrait of the Divine Lord hung in the Purple Moon Hall, guarded by Senior Sanhuo." She paused, a faint smile touching her lips as if recalling something. "In my youth, I often heard him recount tales of the old days in the Clear Pool Palace. Hearing them so often, I suppose the one he so frequently remembered must have been someone like you."Tian Qi had come for the Soul Suppressing Tower, but now that he truly stood before Feng Yin, the reality of Yuan Qi's annihilation suddenly struck him. The ancient True God, who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, felt an unexpected sting in his eyes.

Noticing Tian Qi's expression, Feng Yin chose not to dwell on the past and instead asked, "Divine Lord, have you come to Phoenix Island for the Soul Suppressing Tower?"

Tian Qi raised a brow. "How did the Phoenix Emperor know?"

Feng Yin smiled faintly. "I imagine the only thing on Phoenix Island worth your visit is the Soul Suppressing Tower. I heard that a thousand years ago, you ventured into the River of Time to seek an old friend. Now that you’ve returned, have you found what you were looking for?"

Tian Qi nodded. "And the tower...?"

Before he could finish, Feng Yin summoned a small emerald-green tower in her palm. "Thanks to your generosity back then, I was able to cultivate my Primordial Spirit within this tower. Now that I’ve undergone Nirvana and been reborn, it’s long overdue for me to return it to you."

Tian Qi accepted the tower. "No need for thanks. Even without this tower, given your Heart-Nature, achieving godhood through Nirvana was only a matter of time." He studied the tower for a moment before lifting his gaze to Feng Yin. "You studied under Feng Ran, so you must know that the Soul Suppressing Tower can nurture all souls in this world—including Divine Souls. Why then..."

"Why is there no trace of his soul inside?" Feng Yin finished his sentence. "Is that what you wanted to ask, Divine Lord?"

Tian Qi paused, then nodded.

"I’ve searched. The Three Realms, the Six Paths, the Nine Provinces, the mortal world—everywhere you once sought your old friend, I’ve searched too." Feng Yin stood quietly before the bamboo cottage, an inexplicable loneliness about her.

She looked up at the parasol tree in front of the cottage. "I don’t know if he still exists, nor when he might return. But I think... if I stay here and wait, if he’s still out there, he’ll come back one day."

With that, Feng Yin turned and walked into the bamboo house, her plain robes and dark hair making her figure seem frail.

Feng Yun watched with reddened eyes, his heart aching, yet he didn’t know how to console her. In the end, he could only sigh deeply. He turned to Tian Qi. "Divine Lord..."

Tian Qi waved a hand, his expression unreadable.

Understanding that today’s meeting between the Divine Lord and the Phoenix Emperor must have stirred painful memories, Feng Yun said no more. He bowed silently and withdrew.

After Feng Yin’s figure disappeared behind the bamboo house, Tian Qi stood motionless for a long time, the tower clutched in his hand. He sighed softly and turned to leave, only to freeze mid-step.

Beneath the parasol tree, on a stone table, lay a green stone chessboard, a jug of Jade Dew wine, and scattered white jade pieces around the board.

Seated beside the table was a young man in white.

His features were gentle and refined—not a face Tian Qi particularly favored—but those phoenix eyes were the very image of his mother’s.

Tian Qi hadn’t seen him in many years, yet he knew this was how the boy should look, now grown.

"Purple-Haired Uncle."

The young man in white looked up and called out to him.

Tian Qi’s throat tightened.

"It’s been years since we last played a game." The youth gestured to the chessboard, his smile still as bright as when he was a child. "Do you have time to teach me one more round?"

"Alright."

Tian Qi finally spoke. He walked to the stone table, passing through the young man’s form, and sat across from him.

Not a flicker of surprise showed in Tian Qi’s eyes as he poured a cup of Jade Dew and placed it before the youth.

The game began, the pieces dancing across the board, yet the cup of wine remained untouched.

The figures in purple and white resembled the countless days they had spent growing up and playing together in the Clear Pool Palace.

By the time the game ended, the young man’s form had faded almost to nothing.Tian Qi looked at him, then turned his gaze toward the bamboo hut.

“She doesn’t know?”

The young man shook his head. “No.”

“You never left?”

“No.”

“For a living soul to undergo Rebirth, it takes ten thousand years to gather the scattered spirit. Do you understand this?”

“I do.”

“Why didn’t you enter the Primordial Spirit Pool? With the power of Hundun within you, it would take at most a thousand years for you to reincarnate with the divine essence of Hundun.”

“In another two hundred years, she’ll be able to see me. I couldn’t bear the thought of her enduring a thousand years alone in this world.”

The young man smiled faintly, his eyes fixed on the bamboo hut. His form gradually grew translucent, yet his voice remained unwavering in its resolve.

“One day, I’ll tell her—no matter how the years pass or the world changes, I’ve always been by her side. I never left.”

Only Tian Qi remained at the stone table, the chessboard now empty and the scent of wine faded. He surveyed the emptiness around him, then stood and walked away.

“If this is your wish… so be it.”

He didn’t look back. The warmth of the Soul-Suppressing Tower pulsed faintly in his palm, hidden within his sleeve.

No one in the valley could answer him now. Only the rustling of the phoenix tree leaves whispered in response, as if echoing his thoughts.

The Purple Moon Mountain had lain dormant for many years. After the great battle between the Divine and Demon Races, when three True Gods emerged to relocate the Nine Nether Purgatory from its slopes, the mountain’s gates had sealed shut—remaining closed for eight hundred years.

In those eight centuries, the power dynamics of the Yao Realm shifted dramatically. After the successive deaths of Sen Hong and Sen Yu in battle, the Tiger Clan declined. Their Elders led the younger generation into retreat at Tiger’s Roar Mountain to recuperate. Meanwhile, the Fox Clan flourished under the rule of the Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox, Hong Yi. Three hundred years ago, when Hong Yi ascended to the Divine Realm with the Eagle Clan’s Princess Yan Shuang, a new force emerged in the Yao Realm’s Third Heaven—the Cold Spring Palace, a power rivaling the Fox Clan.

The master of Cold Spring Palace, Zhen Yu, was much like the immortal lord Qing Mu of old—mysterious in origin and peerless in power. He appeared abruptly three centuries ago, defeating the ten greatest warriors of the Yao Race without a single loss, then established Cold Spring Palace. Warriors from across the Yao Realm flocked to his banner, and within just three hundred years, Cold Spring Palace became a formidable power.

When Hong Yi ascended, the Fox Clan had no Demigod Fox Lord, and the Yao Realm had not seen an Ascendant in ages. Before leaving, Hong Yi issued an edict in the Violet Palace: three hundred years hence, the next Yao Emperor would arise from among the clans. Whoever cultivated to the level of a Demigod and shattered the Heavenly Fox Seal outside the Violet Palace would become the Fox Clan’s new sovereign.

Time flew. Centuries passed, and now Chang Mei, the Fox Clan’s Chief, and Zhen Yu of Cold Spring Palace had both reached the Demigod realm. With only ten years remaining until Hong Yi’s three-century deadline, as the two great powers of the Yao Realm prepared for the decisive struggle over the throne—the Purple Moon rose once more over the Yao Realm, and the gates of Purple Moon Mountain swung open.

When the news reached Silent Shadow Mountain and Cold Spring Palace, both Chang Mei and Zhen Yu were stunned for a long moment.

During the Demon Race’s near-apocalyptic assault on Purple Moon Mountain, Tian Qi, the God of the Yao, hadn’t even shown his face. Why, in this era of uneventful peace, would the mountain’s gates open so abruptly?

Yet both understood one thing clearly: though Hong Yi’s edict had come first, no matter how fiercely they contended, the appointment of the next Yao Emperor ultimately rested on Tian Qi’s word. Recovering their wits, the two gathered their subordinate Yao Lords, bearing lavish treasures, and hastened in grand procession to Purple Moon Mountain to pay their respects.

In the Purple Moon Hall, Tian Qi stared at his grinning Divine Beast, his head throbbing.

“You opened the mountain?”Zi Han, appearing in the form of a young boy, nodded proudly. Back when Zi Han had followed Tian Qi into the temporal torrent to search for Yue Mi, he had grown weary of solitude five hundred years ago and returned to Purple Moon Mountain. Since then, he had been passing dull, uneventful days on this mountain with Sanhuo and Bibo, enduring long stretches of boredom.

"You raised the moon?"

Another proud nod.

Tian Qi took a deep breath. "What else have you done?"

"Nothing else, Divine Lord! After raising the Purple Moon and opening the mountain gates, wouldn’t they all come rushing to Purple Moon Mountain to pay homage to you?" Zi Han’s eyes narrowed into joyful slits, stars practically twinkling in his gaze.

"Ah, ever since Sanhuo, that little Dragon, and Bibo, that child, went off traveling, Purple Moon Mountain has been left with just me. Now that the Divine Lord has finally returned, we should celebrate properly!" Zi Han scampered over to Tian Qi. "Divine Lord, there have been quite a few powerful figures emerging in the Yao Realm lately. If you meet them, it’ll bring them great honor—"

"Oh? Will it bring me honor, or will it just give you another chance to hoard treasures from heaven and earth?"

Tian Qi shot a cold glance at his Divine Beast, exasperated by the Dragon clan’s innate greed for wealth and valuables.

Under that stern gaze, Zi Han shivered inwardly. Without another word, he transformed into his juvenile Dragon form and clung to Tian Qi’s leg.

"Divine Lord..." The little Dragon’s voice was drawn out and milky soft, his big purple eyes brimming with tears, his mouth puckered in a pout. "Don’t be angry with me... I just like shiny things..."

Tian Qi sucked in a sharp breath, staring down at this tens-of-thousands-years-old creature at his feet—and promptly turned to stone.