Chapter 8
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This chapter is edited by Cthulhu. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 8: The Teardrop of the Moon Sea
Actually, Bai Lian doesn’t believe that Jiang Jing’s strength significantly surpasses the sea monster she slayed in Qingxu.
There exists a gap between them, but it’s far from insurmountable.
Bai Lian never anticipated she could defeat Jiang Jing with a single sword strike.
Her instant victory over the Sea Monster previously was achieved by forcibly consuming two low-grade Immortal Spirit Stones.
Two Immortal Spirit Stones that ultimately released quadruple the impact force.
This time, seeking stability, she only consumed one Immortal Spirit Stone temporarily.
Although her cultivation base had improved considerably recently, that slight enhancement meant little compared to an intact Immortal Spirit Stone.
Her strengthening merely made her “container” more stable, allowing her to endure longer without leaking.
The outcome completely defied Bai Lian’s expectations.
She executed the Moon Sword Formula, cleaving through Jiang Jing’s talisman shield with a single stroke.
In the next moment, the pristine Dirt Free Sword plunged deeply into Jiang Jing’s chest.
Then, Jiang Jing was thrown backward.
The bloody shroud enveloping him suddenly shattered.
His robust “unicorn arm” diminished to match his left hand’s circumference, now covered in coarse hair.
The three tails behind him vanished, leaving only the thickest one.
Yet ultimately, it was merely a surface wound.
Jiang Jing swiftly regained his composure while still airborne.
His blood and flesh writhed, healing all wounds in a single breath as if they’d never existed.
“…”
How is this possible?
Bai Lian unconsciously examined the Dirt Free Sword in her grasp.
Could this be a mere toy sword?
Eventually, she composed herself.
She maintained a calm demeanor, appearing to have everything under control.
In reality, tumultuous waves had begun churning within her.
Jiang Jing remained completely unharmed!
That sword strike had unleashed nearly her full strength; even with the talismans’ weakening effect, the output shouldn’t have been so insignificant.
Could this relate to Jiang Jing’s identity from the Immortal World?
Bai Lian silently gritted her teeth.
If her soul could burn like everyone else’s, she wouldn’t face such a predicament.
“Am I truly a normal person?”
She sank into profound self-doubt.
Bai Lian had contemplated this question extensively.
Her body remains cold.
Her soul maintains that same chill.
She bore indecipherable and mysterious death words that even the master couldn’t comprehend.
Furthermore, as a Heavenly Lord, even An Lan couldn’t detect her system. Doesn’t this suggest the system rivals the Great Tao?
These mysteries resembled a tangled skein of yarn constantly plaguing Bai Lian.
She lacks time to address it during the week, let alone now.
She simply continued amplifying her Special Effects to maintain her appearance as an icy princess returned from a starry sea.
Then her left palm again produced a low-grade Immortal Spirit Stone.
Since one proves insufficient, let’s use two!
Today, regardless of circumstances, she will capture the Lord of the Hades Hall.
“People await my return home; I absolutely won’t die here!”
Click.
The Instant Spirit Stone cracked.
Fierce energy flooded Bai Lian’s body, radiating from her palms.
As if responding to her heroic act, the Soul Locking Flower’s white light at her waist suddenly blazed.
Jiang Jing sensed the danger.
He turned hurriedly.
He witnessed Bai Lian’s body slowly ascending.
Centered around her, snowfall rose and fell, reflecting the brilliant starry universe of the sea.
The ground turned white and the wind grew cold, with hand-sized snowflakes!
Cold.
Jiang Jing tensed involuntarily.
He felt it – raw killing intent!
Next, he observed Bai Lian’s snow-white hair cascading naturally, her icy white eyebrows and eyelashes appearing frost-covered.
Her left eye became deep blue, like a starry night sky.
Her right eye turned silver-white, resembling a frozen abyss.
Click——
At that moment, Jiang Jing heard a glacier breaking.
He looked up hastily.
Before him stretched a thousand miles of ice and ten thousand miles of snow.
The boundless sea suddenly froze from Bai Lian’s emanating coldness during his trance-like moment.
The nearby Black Spirit Lord, possessing at least Transmigration Stage cultivation, became an ice sculpture within moments of the chilly erosion.
Jiang Jing reached out to touch it.
The soul-penetrating chill made him quickly withdraw his hand.
“Black Spirit Lord has perished…”
Damn it!
He involuntarily retreated.
Is this the Witch Queen’s true power?
He unknowingly entered Bai Lian’s field, [Past Master].
“No problem.”
After seeing the Lord of the Hades Hall gradually consumed by the gloomy underworld path, Jiang Jing finally exhaled.
He turned to face Bai Lian, his misshapen face bearing a terrifying grin.
“Witch Queen, I’m not your true opponent. Even killing me won’t let you claim the Lord of the Hades Hall!”
That’s true.
But this represents an unavoidable first hurdle!
Under intense light, the Dirt Free Sword grew tenfold.
Bai Lian approached Jiang Jing slowly, wielding the massive sword.
Her pace wasn’t quick.
Not from any desire to intimidate.
Simply because it caused incredible pain.
Childbirth probably couldn’t compare, right?
She hadn’t experienced it, so she couldn’t be certain.
She only knew each step forward felt like her body might shatter into millions of pieces.
This situation barely improved from the previous one.
Fortunately, she moved swiftly, while Jiang Jing remained temporarily trapped within [Past Master].
If she could reach him and pierce his chest with her sword, all crises would end.
Afterward, she’d only need to drag her broken body and activate the Heavenly Surveillance Talisman for success.
Watching Bai Lian’s approach, Jiang Jing suddenly panicked.
Move.
Move quickly.
Why couldn’t he suddenly move?
Continuing like this meant certain death by Bai Lian’s hand.
He hadn’t become an Immortal Emperor yet.
He hadn’t achieved his revenge.
He hadn’t punished those contemptuous Beast Masters.
He hadn’t…
Wait.
The underworld path.
Why hadn’t it opened after so long?
If the sealed Night Saber Demon emerged, he might survive.
Jiang Jing waited until Bai Lian raised her sword against him, but no turning point came.
Furiously, he was forced to burn his soul.
Only those achieving the Way of the Great Tao could enter the Immortal Emperor realm.
A Perfect Way of the Great Tao + a Perfect Person = an Immortal Emperor.
Burning this soul meant losing any chance of advancing to Immortal Emperor soon, even with the Night Saber Demon.
“You forced this choice; I must kill you, I absolutely must!”
Roaring with rage, Jiang Jing suddenly broke free from [Past Master]’s constraints.
Red and scarlet light blazed skyward.
The bloody atmosphere radiated dread.
In that brief moment, he returned to the altar.
Bai Lian felt the pressure.
The frontal shock tore her sleeves inch by inch, splitting her tender skin.
But she laughed brilliantly.
“Too late!”
Indeed.
It’s too late.
Had Jiang Jing found courage sooner, she might have died upon entering the palace.
This sensation feels wonderful.
“Did I actually surpass others in courage?”
Three years ago, she’d likely have vanished without a trace.
So they say.
Everyone needs something to hold in their heart.
That becomes their power source!
“Moon Sword Technique!”
Bai Lian’s voice emerged like ice.
Thus, the moon appeared and the sword fell.
Spiritual power surged.
Raging wind suddenly engulfed them both.
This battle pitched red against white.
Initially, Jiang Jing and Bai Lian remained evenly matched.
But Bai Lian showed no concern.
For this sword strike, she’d gathered nearly a hundred breaths of power. Though Jiang Jing burned his soul, he couldn’t transform it into power quickly enough.
Just as Bai Lian anticipated.
After two breaths’ stalemate, Frost Snow dispersed the Red Cloud, sending endless sword aura toward Jiang Jing’s chest.
“It’s finished.”
Bai Lian spoke slowly.
The Dirt Free Sword pierced Jiang Jing’s chest.
She gradually lowered her hands to her sides.
A relieved smile graced her face.
Suddenly, Jiang Jing’s legs gave way and as he fell, an ugly green face flashed before Bai Lian.
“…”
“!!!”
Bai Lian froze, her eyes widening gradually.
What is this?
The change came too abruptly for analysis.
Hum——
Instantly, that ugly face opened its mouth in a silent roar.
Through invisible shock waves, Past Master Field collapsed immediately.
The ice sea vanished without trace, Fu Zhu retreated, and even the Milky Way dispersed.
At that moment, all Special Effects disappeared, and Bai Lian stumbled, landing unceremoniously.
Her face paled, losing its previous liveliness and ice-white hue, becoming deathly white without any blood trace.
But this marked only the beginning.
Along with Past Master Field, the altar shattered, followed by the palace’s support pillars, dome, rock layers, dark rivers, Bronze Valley, and Sea Grape Spring Garden…
“What’s happening here?”
The female cultivator who’d just crossed the palace gate halted.
The previously immovable palace gate now showed a thin crack.
The ground trembled as debris rained from above.
One piece threatened to strike Yougui, walking ahead, any moment.
“Move aside!”
The female cultivator shouted urgently.
Fortunately, Yougui, transformed into flame, showed more agility than expected.
Like a drifting firefly, he swayed side to side, avoiding all fragments.
The female cultivator’s mouth opened slightly.
“How did he manage that?”
Yougui’s eyes had vanished, his soul-sensing abilities lost after burning – could he possess other “eyes”?
The female cultivator rushed forward.
This time she didn’t venture too far.
She and Yougui both halted about five hundred meters from the altar.
“That’s…”
The female cultivator gazed upward.
She observed Bai Lian perched on a massive floating rock.
But her attention quickly shifted to the eerie sight of the underworld’s entrance.
Strange green lights formed of cryptic symbols, and in the center of the pattern lay the unconscious Lord of the Hades Hall.
Before him, Jiang Jing, once unstoppable, was now constrained by countless dark chains and rendered immobile.
Concealed within the murky green radiance, a shadowy figure, its true form hidden, slowly raised its massive claws and pierced into Jiang Jing’s occipital bone.
“Ah ↑ ↑ ↑”
The piercing screams echoed through the palace.
Immediately after, a primordial terror filled the air.
The female cultivator was overwhelmed, forcing her to her knees.
“What could this be?”
The female cultivator’s form trembled ceaselessly, her strength completely drained.
She watched as black mist emerged from the underworld’s path, while Jiang Jing’s body began expanding in distortion, doubling, then multiplying hundreds of times without cease.
In her dazed state, the female cultivator seemed to witness three thousand realms materializing, circling Jiang Jing alongside countless deities and demons, some kneeling in prayer, others crawling on the ground, making Jiang Jing appear as an omnipotent deity controlling the fate of life and death!
“Could this be a Heavenly Lord?”
The female cultivator clenched her teeth.
Heavenly Lords could reverse time with a mere gesture, obliterating all worlds instantly.
They are forbidden ones.
They are mythical beings.
They are the supreme rulers of the cosmos, second only to the Faramita Immortals.
Commanding heaven’s respect, their influence spans all directions!
Should a Heavenly Lord truly manifest, nothing could oppose their might!
The question remained: why did the East Divine Land harbor so many powerful reincarnated masters?
As the female cultivator pondered, a wild voice emanated from Jiang Jing’s warped form.
The sound seemed to transcend time itself.
“Upon my return from the netherworld, I shall traverse the river of time and eliminate all heretics!”
The female cultivator nearly fainted from fear.
This was an overwhelmingly powerful adversary beyond opposition!
She regretted returning to the palace, knowing she was now doomed.
Her gaze then fell upon Yougui.
“What are you doing?”
Under the terrifying pressure, Yougui remained standing straight, showing no signs of being affected.
After the female cultivator’s outburst, he advanced rather than retreated, flying toward the airborne Bai Lian.
“…”
The female cultivator’s voice caught in her throat.
Why?
Her strength was completely suppressed, so how could Yougui, like a flickering flame in the wind, move freely unaffected?
Indeed, he had burned his soul.
But how could a Transmigration Stage cultivator’s soul possess such frightening power?
The female cultivator couldn’t comprehend it.
She only noticed Yougui’s form growing increasingly radiant.
Under the light rays, Bai Lian, who had been sitting, rose to her feet.
Facing the enormous monster that dwarfed her tenfold, she couldn’t help but feel afraid.
Most of the power from two low-grade Immortal Spirit Stones had been channeled into Jiang Jing’s body, yet not only had it failed to kill him, but a new monster had emerged.
She had never encountered such a being in the game, but she was certain its power far exceeded Jiang Jing’s.
“This must be despair.”
Bai Lian examined her hands, covered in fine cuts, blood replacing the snow.
Fresh blood dripped from her left eye socket, leaving a finger-wide trail on her cheek.
This time, she truly had nothing left.
The pain clouded her consciousness, and her body was too damaged to withstand another Immortal Spirit Stone’s power.
She attempted to heal herself with Thousands of Flowers.
But unable to control the spirit Qi within, the flowers that briefly bloomed on her body quickly withered away.
“Alas.”
Bai Lian sighed.
She raised her gaze to meet the menacing “monster’s” eyes.
This time.
She had no trump cards remaining.
“For a battle spanning several levels, reaching this point wasn’t too bad…”
Still, regret lingered.
Bai Lian’s lips curved in a bitter smile.
Blood trickled onto her lips, tasting bitter and sour.
She had promised to return when she first drew her sword, vowed to find a way to bring happiness to Martial Sister Tong Yao, and agreed to live peacefully with her master and Martial Sisters.
Now she would break those promises.
Her journey remained incomplete.
Bai Lian lowered her head and gritted her teeth.
Tears welled in her eye sockets but never fell, instead dispersing into countless ice crystals between heaven and earth.
The wind howled fiercely.
Bai Lian quietly awaited death’s approach.
In truth, she still held one final card——
The Teardrop of the Moon Sea!
However, the newly appeared system tasks reinforced her decision not to use it.
[Task 1: Use the Teardrop of the Moon Sea (Reward: Incomplete Fu Zhu Immortal Body)]
[Task 2: Do Nothing (Reward: Incomplete Fu Zhu Immortal Body)]
The incomplete Fu Zhu Immortal Body rivaled a top-tier Spirit Tool.
Since both tasks offered identical rewards, Bai Lian’s choice was clear.
Choose Task 2.
Bai Lian gently touched the storage pendant nestled between her breasts.
The usually cold object now felt warm.
She slowly closed her eyes.
In that moment, An Lan’s crossed arms and displeased expression flashed through her mind.
“Master…I’m sorry…”
Come on.
Come and end me!
Bai Lian quietly awaited death’s arrival.
Though she would die today, she had done nothing to shame her master.
Only…
Regrets remained.
These regrets soared with her heart, beyond the valley, across the Snow Sea, over the Blackwood Straits, past countless waters and mountains, finally reaching Qiongming Peak.
In the damp, cold cave.
An Lan sat beside the stone table.
She had remained there, motionless as a statue, for five full hours.
The blue flame cast light upon her face.
She felt no boredom.
For this candle was her creation before Bai Lian’s departure, its flame containing a fragment of Bai Lian’s soul.
When she gazed at the flame, it was as if she saw Bai Lian herself.
As long as she could see Bai Lian.
Even doing nothing but sitting there made everything meaningful.
Suddenly.
The steady candlelight began to flicker as if caught in a breeze.
An Lan’s eyes finally regained their focus.
She pulled the candlestick close to her face and murmured.
“Why must you be so foolish?”
Bai Lian faced danger.
Her soul flame could extinguish at any moment.
Not only was she in peril, but she refused to use the Teardrop of the Moon Sea for some reason.
An Lan rubbed her eyes, then forced an ugly smile.
Then.
She released a long sigh.
“I knew this would happen.”
This was why An Lan had enchanted the Teardrop of the Moon Sea.
If the soul flame wavered, the Teardrop would activate automatically, even if Bai Lian took no action.
It wasn’t a weapon of destruction.
It was simply one tear she had shed when Yan Xiyi passed.
This was no ordinary tear, but one from a Heavenly Lord!
The supreme and peerless Immortal Heavenly Lord rarely shed tears.
This tear held incredibly complex properties.
Beyond mere water, it contained gratitude, regret, sorrow, uncertainty…
These elements combined created something pure, embodying absolute “protection.”
Its power, though gentle, was matchless!
“Go bring Bai Lian back.”
An Lan gripped the candlestick.
The wavering flame finally steadied.
And her voice, her palm’s warmth, and all her hopes bloomed with the Teardrop’s release.
That was hope’s flame.
That was the vessel of tomorrow.
That was the white radiance bursting from Bai Lian’s pendant!
The light suddenly enveloped Bai Lian like flowing water, then pierced through all barriers and shot skyward.
The possessed Jiang Jing, the female cultivator, and Yougui all froze.
In this silence, Bai Lian, who had closed her eyes awaiting death, slowly opened them.
She found herself in an empty space.
The void surrounded her.
Yet she felt no isolation.
The sensation resembled her master’s embrace.
“Is this a final dream?”
Bai Lian stood bewildered.
Suddenly, she noticed two objects floating before her.
To the left was the Heavenly Surveillance Talisman.
To the right floated the Soul Locking Flower, shimmering in various hues.
She detected Yan Yue’s essence on the Heavenly Surveillance Talisman and felt Qianxue and Martial Sister Tong Yao’s presence in the Soul Locking Flower.
“…”
Retreat.
Or advance.
Was this a choice only she could make from within?
Bai Lian stepped forward.
Instead of reaching for the Heavenly Surveillance Talisman, she turned toward the Soul Locking Flower.
Then she heard Qianxue’s voice.
Qianxue claimed to know how to force the “monster” back to Hell’s depths.
Bai Lian asked in surprise, “Can you truly restore the Lord of the Hades Hall?”
Unexpectedly, the Soul Locking Flower paused before reaffirming it could certainly suppress the monster.
Bai Lian understood.
“You mean to slay the Lord of the Hades Hall to reseal the path?”
The Soul Locking Flower remained silent.
The situation grew tense.
But this couldn’t last forever; the Teardrop’s effect had limits.
After some time.
The Soul Locking Flower pulsed again.
“I wish to join him, even in death.”
Bai Lian spoke, “Then Martial Sister Tong Yao….”
Had her journey been meaningless?
But the Soul Locking Flower’s resolve was absolute.
Bai Lian found no words to dissuade it.
She finally nodded.
“I trust you, just as Martial Sister Tong Yao trusts me.”
Warmth flowed from the Soul Locking Flower’s core into her body.
The next instant.
Bai Lian gripped the Soul Locking Flower in her right hand and assumed a throwing stance.
The moment had come!
Indeed.
The Soul Locking Flower ignited, growing increasingly brilliant.
“Now!”
Bai Lian hurled the Soul Locking Flower toward the Lord of the Hades Hall.
Then she watched intently as the gentle white light traced its path.
Very slowly.
Perfectly straight.
But unwavering.
That poem echoed in her mind.
It is not love, but only memory and obsessions.
Show your strength, Qianxue!
