Chapter 294 VS Ancient Moon God 2
The attack that killed the Ancient Moon God didn't utilize much of the techniques from the essential realm, because I lacked proficiency in that area, so naturally I couldn't talk about any clever techniques.
Compared to me, Gu Yue Shen was a master in this area, her movements incredibly skillful. Even so, she still suffered considerable damage.
In just this one encounter, I was able to determine that the current Ancient Moon Goddess is roughly equal in magical power to the Silver Moon Goddess I fought last time. And my attack just now was almost identical in power to the fire beam I unleashed at the end of that battle. Although I failed to defeat her in either instance, the current Ancient Moon Goddess allows me to gauge the extent of Silver Moon's depletion after that fight.
It's almost certain that Silvermoon wasn't just severely injured after that battle, but that her injuries were beyond her ability to heal on her own. This has nothing to do with any special abilities she possesses; it involves the vast difference in power between them. Even her ability to turn fantasies into reality wouldn't help.
What appears at the essential level is no longer a material flame, but a symbolic flame. Although I myself don't fully understand it, my flame has already acquired a nature akin to a curse. If her power is not sufficient to withstand my flame, then even if it's just a burn caused by my flame, she will be helpless.
Perhaps the reason why Mingzhuo cannot repair the burns Xuanming inflicted on him is based on the same principle. And the reason why Mazao has been unable to heal his soul wounds is also due to this. And none of this is because Xuanming and the Great Demon of Calamity possess any obscure or difficult-to-understand magic.
When power accumulates to a sufficient level, countless wonders will naturally manifest themselves.
With a single thought, a sea of fire spread across the sky, covering a vast expanse. If it weren't for the overwhelming fog obscuring the view, one might have been able to see with the naked eye the spectacular scene of a massive inferno, resembling a cumulonimbus cloud, hanging upside down above the mountain peaks.
While manipulating the sea of fire to pursue the Ancient Moon God, I also generously covered the mountains and forests with it, wanting to find out where the Silver Moon was hiding in Moon Hidden Mountain.
If Silver Moon were simply hiding in some obscure ravine or cave, my thorough search would quickly uncover it. However, finding it beneath this mist is extremely difficult. The mist may even contain many surreal, folded spaces.
I tried using flames to disperse and destroy the mist itself. In fact, the mist can indeed be destroyed; the feel is almost identical to destroying ordinary fog. However, the amount of mist seems endless; for every one I destroy, another appears out of thin air to fill the void. It truly lives up to its reputation as a means of self-preservation used by Silver Moon—it's extraordinary.
As fellow cultivators at the Great Completion stage, I never expected to defeat Silvermoon's trump card with brute force alone. She's determined to remain hidden, and there's nothing I can do about it. But is now truly the time for her to continue her hiding strategy?
The Ancient Moon God might not be Silver Moon's enemy; he could be Silver Moon's ally, or an embodiment playing a crucial role in Silver Moon's hidden plans. If I were to eliminate the Ancient Moon God now, Silver Moon might have a real headache.
"Silver Moon, can you hear me?"
Using the sea of fire as a medium, I made my voice boom and echo through the mountains: "If you don't come out now, I'll kill the other you. Are you just going to watch?"
Whether it was psychological or not, it seemed as if there were eyes peering over from the depths of the fog, carrying a strong sense of malice and a faint sense of apprehension.
"It's no use, Zhuang Cheng... Yin Yue won't come to save me!"
As Gu Yue Shen dodged the flames in a disheveled manner, he spoke to me in a weak voice: "Stop attacking me! I'm willing to join you, help you defeat Yin Yue, and also help you restore Zhu Chang'an's soul to its original state."
“I am Silvermoon’s enemy, and also your ally. If you destroy me, Silvermoon will only laugh in secret. What a foolish thing to do!”
I certainly couldn't stop my offensive, but I didn't kill Gu Yue Shen immediately either, because I wanted to try and lure out Yin Yue first. However, I quickly realized a fact. Although Gu Yue Shen had deceived me at a very crucial point, she had indeed told many truths. One of those truths was that she was truly trapped in the mist.
The evidence is that despite possessing incredibly powerful mobility, she never managed to leave the fog. It wasn't that she didn't want to. She repeatedly flew towards the outer edge of the fog, only to circle back as if lost. Even using spatial teleportation, she could only move to a point close to the fog's edge. And if she initiated another spatial teleportation outside the fog, she would automatically return to the fog's heart, as if unable to control her landing point.
Regardless of how Silver Moon views Ancient Moon Goddess, at least from Ancient Moon Goddess's own perspective, Silver Moon may very well be the murderer who imprisoned her. This suggests that while Ancient Moon Goddess is indeed the embodiment of malice, her request for cooperation from me may not necessarily be feigned.
However, I still will not cooperate with the Ancient Moon God.
From my first encounter with strange events until now, the reason I've remained unscathed is because I'm so clever? Is it because I can always see through the conspiracies of enemies or the malicious intentions of those around me with ulterior motives?
Lu Youxun, who joined forces with me to deal with the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau, made a move against Ma Zao at the end, but I caught him on the spot. Was it because I saw through his scheme from the beginning?
No, not at all. The reason I've gotten this far is simply because I'm incredibly strong. My ability to capture Lu Youxun was solely due to some special methods he hadn't considered. Even seeing through Gu Yueshen's acting wasn't based on observation or reasoning, but rather on unleashing my brand-new fire skill, almost like having a cheat code.
Therefore, I won't presume to think I can cleverly gain advantages in cooperating with the Ancient Moon Goddess, or naively believe that no matter how evil the Ancient Moon Goddess is, she is harmless as long as we have a common enemy. Playing along with her is destined to be walking a tightrope; perhaps the most intelligent person can strike a dangerous balance, but I don't consider myself that kind of person.
I am merely a human who has lived for about twenty years, and cannot be compared to an old monster who has experienced centuries and is proficient in the ways of deception and illusion.
Since I can nip danger in the bud using my own strength, I will not hesitate to unleash my power on the other side. Overwhelming power is my greatest advantage, and even if people say it's mindless, I will not stop doing it.
"Don't you want to save your friends?" Gu Yue Shen seemed to be trying to touch my weak spot.
"Your goal is to escape the mist, and at most defeat Silver Moon, but saving Chang'an is irrelevant to your personal interests. If you want to destroy the 'resurrected' Silver Moon, you must destroy Chang'an's soul. Will you genuinely save Chang'an, or will you pretend to agree first and then deliver a fatal blow to Chang'an at the crucial moment?"
I first countered with a question, then said, "Moreover, even if we can't find other ways to save Chang'an for the time being, I will not allow someone like you, who is like the embodiment of malice, to taint my friend's soul."
"Even so, you have no reason to kill me, do you?" She spoke in a pitiful tone. "I don't have the guts to lay a hand on you, and I'm an enemy of Silver Moon, so why don't you just leave me alone?"
"Furthermore, once I die, the portion of Silver Moon's power will automatically return to her, and she will immediately recover to her peak condition. In the end, Silver Moon will be the one who benefits. Aren't you aiding the enemy by doing this?"
“Those are just your side of the story. Who knows if you made up the plot? Even if killing you really does lead to Silvermoon returning to its peak... so what?” I said. “I’ve long wanted to see Silvermoon in its prime.”
Gu Yueshen showed an expression of disbelief.
However, I have another very important reason.
Whatever Gu Yue Shen decides to do next, escaping the mist is a prerequisite she must meet. And at this stage, the person who can take her away is not me, but Asahi.
In other words, she had to set her sights on Asahi no matter what in order to achieve her goal.
I didn't think that simply keeping Asaha outside the mist would protect her from the Moon God's schemes. Putting aside Asaha's unique constitution that inevitably draws her into the center of strange events, the Moon God herself is simply unable to leave the mist; it doesn't mean her power is necessarily incapable of reaching beyond it.
Strange phenomena caused by the historical alteration power of the Silver Moon and the Ancient Moon God have occurred in Moonshadow Mountain City at the foot of the mountain. Winter Cart was initially at a train station hundreds of kilometers away from Moonshadow Mountain, but encountered a sudden fog there and was transported to Moonshadow Mountain. All indications suggest that even outside the fog, once one becomes involved with it, there is no way to escape its interference.
I cannot bear the thought of Ma Zao being coveted by the Ancient Moon God.
While I wouldn't take action against someone simply because they harbor ill intentions, I would apply different standards of action if their mind was entirely composed of malice.
Now it's Gu Yue Shen, and after that it's Ming Zhuo. Sooner or later, I will kill everyone who covets Ma Zao except for myself.
The Ancient Moon Goddess seemed to finally realize that she couldn't stop me with words. She said in a deep voice, "Since words are useless, then don't blame me for killing you right here—"
As soon as she uttered those words, an immense surge of power suddenly appeared behind me.
(End of this chapter)
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