First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2794 – The Radiant Moon Takes to the Skies, Illuminating the Southern Heavens

Moonlight rippled beneath the dome of heaven, coating heaven and earth in a sacred, ethereal aura.

A radiant full moon hung overhead, shrouding that ethereal figure in a dreamlike, illusory glow.

She wore a blue-green skirt and a pure white shirt. Her black hair was tied into a loose bun and held in place with a golden hairpin. Dim moonlight flowed over her skin, lending her an ethereal quality.

She looked young, elegant, and graceful. Her skin was as fair as snow, and a short knife hung from her waist.

She was the one who’d summoned that radiant full moon, cleaving open that majestic star corpse as if cutting through tofu.

Her extraordinary elegance and bearing completely won over Yun Qiaojun, Liu Tianchen, and the other unparalleled figures. Their eyes shone with a strange light.

They recognize the beautiful woman standing before the radiant full moon as a heaven-defying figure from the Court of the Southern Heavens.

Her title was Lian Yue, or “she who refines the moon!”

She was ranked eleventh on the Unfettered Ranking and was famous even in the Five Great Continents for her strength and unparalleled beauty.

They said that when she proved her Dao and entered Eternity, she accompanied a patriarch of the Court of the Southern Heavens to a hidden realm known as the Heavenly Lunar Dragon Cave.

A place known as the Eternal Lunar Palace hung in the Heavenly Lunar Dragon Cave, giving rise to a “moon” formed of natural Supreme Yin Soul Essence.

Throughout the ages, countless people had tried to attain it, but most failed to even enter the Eternal Lunar Palace, never mind pluck the moon therein.

But when Lian Yue went, something unbelievable happened. The tightly shut doors of the Eternal Lunar Palace opened of their own accord, and the radiant moon shot forth, transforming into a jade-like knife and landing in the palm of her hand.

It was then that Lian Yue refined the radiant moon of the Eternal Lunar Palace, smoothly proving her Dao and stepping into Eternity. The Will of the Heavens resonated with her, and pure moonlight blanketed heaven and earth like a layer of frost.

The moon was particularly resplendent that night throughout the thirty-three continents of the Eternal Heavens Domain.

Lian Yue had refined the bright moon of the Eternal Lunar Palace, and every moon beneath the heavens shone with her!

The name “Lian Yue of the Court of the Southern Heavens” resounded throughout the nine heavens and the ten earths, making her one of the most dazzling, unparalleled young Eternals in the entire Eternal heavens Domain overnight.

Divine Reverence Pavilion sang her praises without end, saying that when “the radiant moon hangs overhead, it illuminates the Southern Heavens!”

In other words, Lian Yue’s arrival was like a moon shining above the Court of the Southern Heavens, illuminating the entire sect.

Those cultivators beneath the Eternal Dao all referred to Lian Yue in the same way: the Princess of the Moon Palace!

Who could possibly have failed to recognize her?

Of course, they called her “princess,” not because of her cultivation base, but because of her extraordinary origins.

Before the group entered the Nine Luminaries Battlefield, her presence had drawn the attention of everyone present.

That was Su Yi’s first time seeing the famed Princess of the Moon Palace. Still, there was no need for him to ask about her; he already knew all about her.

Her demeanor was just too extraordinary, and the short knife hanging from her waist instantly caught his eye. It was manifested from the Supreme Yin Soul Essence. It was called Candlelit Darkness, and it was Lian Yue’s natal weapon.

Off in the distance, Lian Yue flicked her fingers, and the fiery bundle she’d pulled out of the Star Grave flew toward her, revealing its true nature.

It might have looked like a bundle of flame, but it was actually a spirit vein of the Grand Dao!

A treasure like that was utterly priceless. Anywhere you placed it, even the most ordinary of hills, would instantly become a blessed ground for cultivation. If an Eternal refined it, it could boost the power of their Eternal Dao Root!

Spirit veins of the Grand Dao came in varying strengths. The higher their level, the rarer and more precious they were.

Eternal orthodoxies were almost always built over first-rate spirit veins; otherwise, a mountain couldn’t sustain the sect’s cultivation.

To the best of Su Yi’s knowledge, the Heavenly Sovereigns’ Eternal Thrones were born of naturally blessed chaos grounds, but they were, in truth, another type of spirit vein.

It was just that Eternal Thrones were like ancestors among spirit veins, their source, as well as a manifestation of the Laws of Heaven’s Will.

For example, Heavenly Sovereign Wen’s Eternal Throne, Huangting Grotto, formed the blessed land for cultivation that was now the ancestral ground of Limitless Palace, as well as the place its disciples cultivated in.

The source energies of Huangting Grotto had long since fused with Heavenly Sovereign Wen’s powers of the Grand Dao.

Thus, no matter where he went, he was loftier than the heavens, and he could control the Laws freely. That was why he and others like him were known as Heavenly Sovereigns.

The spirit vein Lian Yue had just acquired was no Eternal Throne, but it was obviously of extraordinarily high quality, like searing red, burbling lava. From a distance, it looked as if she were holding a miniature sun aloft. Even Heavenly Monarchs would have drooled over such good fortune!

Lian Yue put away the spirit vein, then vanished into thin air.

A moment later, she appeared directly in front of Yun Qiaojun and the others.

“Disciple Yun Qiaojun of the Southern Darkness Sword Court greets you, Miss Lian Yue.” Yun Qiaojun clasped his fist.

Xiao Chi, Liu Tianchen, and Wen Xiuran looked uncharacteristically reserved. They might have been the top Unfettered Realm experts of the Literati Continent, but they paled in comparison to Lian Yue, the “Princess of the Moon Palace” famed even in the Five Great Continents.

The disparity in status was even more enormous.

Outside the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone, even the leader of Yun Qiaojun’s Southern Darkness Sword Court had treated Lian Yue, a junior, with the utmost respect and deference.

Yun Qiaojun, Xiao Chi, and the others’ Dao Protectors were all Heavenly Monarchs, but even they took the initiative to greet Lian Yue respectfully.

All of this served to emphasize how extraordinary Lian Yue’s status was.

Only Su Yi and Fu Lingyun didn’t react.

Mo Lanhe planned to bow too, but when he noticed that his charges hadn’t, he remained upright.

Lian Yue didn’t object. She just subtly inclined her head toward Yun Qiaojun and the others before looking at Su Yi.

“What do you call yourself?” she asked in a voice like the natural music of the heavens.

The crowd was stunned. Has the Princess of the Moon Palace come here for Li Muchen?

“Li Muchen,” said Su Yi, holding his jug of wine aloft. “What can I do for you?”

There was no denying that she was a feast for the senses, especially at such close quarters, but she was too cold and aloof. She seemed unapproachable.

And of course, he liked Xi Ning best. She was a snowy, ethereal beauty, equally charming in joy and in anger. No matter how much he looked at her, he never got tired of it.

“You’re carrying a treasure I have great need for. If possible, I’d like to buy it from you,” said Lian Yue.

Su Yi paused, then quickly understood. He smiled and shook his head. “It isn’t for sale.”

Lian Yue’s brow furrowed. She said solemnly, “In your hands, it’s at most useful as a garden plot. If you agree to sell it to me, I’ll agree to any request that’s in my power to grant. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.”

Su Yi nonetheless refused.

The way outsiders saw it, Lian Yue’s status was illustrious and transcendent, and her background was utterly monstrous. Anyone else present would have seriously considered her request.

But Su Yi naturally didn’t care about any of that. If he really thought about it, the Princess of the Moon Palace was technically among his enemies. She was, after all, from the Court of the Southern Heavens, making her one of Heavenly Sovereign Changhen’s disciples or grand-disciples.

Su Yi had refused her twice. Lian Yue’s frown deepened, and the atmosphere grew stifled and tense.

Yun Qiaojun and Xiao Chi were stunned. They hadn’t anticipated that Li Muchen would be so unyielding even in the face of Lian Yue; he wasn’t giving her any face at all.

Liu Tianchen was the only one who didn’t find the situation strange. This was someone who dared to kill Xue Sheng, a disciple of Limitless Palace. How could he possibly compromise out of consideration for Lian Yue’s background?

“My young friend, it’s rare for Miss Lian Yue to make such requests. Why not take the time to negotiate with her?” Xiao Chi’s Dao Protector suddenly interjected.

He was a white-haired elder with a feather coat and an amiable smile, and he spoke to Su Yi like a senior instructing a junior. “Treasures are, ultimately, external. This is an opportunity to establish a positive karmic connection with Miss Lian Yue. What is a mere treasure compared to that?”

He said wistfully, “When cultivating the Grand Dao, it’s often such very karmic connections that can change a man’s fate, letting him rise to prominence like a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate. This old man predicts that if you seize this opportunity, your future prospects will be unlimited!”

He spoke without malice. You could even say he had nothing but the best of intentions; he was a senior teaching a junior when to hold on and when to let go.

But anyone with half a brain would have realized that he was really speaking on Lian Yuei’s behalf.

Liu Tianchen inwardly cursed the old man out. Mind your old business!

Wen Xiuran blinked thoughtfully. Xiao Chi’s Dao Protector is just trying to seize this opportunity to earn Lian Yue’s favor, isn’t he?

Yun Qiaojun glanced at Xiao Chi, who pursed his lips and said nothing. However, his expression was dark.

When the other Dao Protectors saw this, they inwardly exclaimed over the old man’s initiative and thick skin.

Li Muchen is already an Eternal Dao Lord. How could he possibly need someone to explain how a deal with Lian Yue could benefit him?

Yet the old man just had to go and say all of that. His intentions are easy to guess; he wants to make a good impression on Lian Yue and the Court of the Southern Heavens.

Not just anyone could go to such lengths.

Su Yi disregarded all this. He saw through the old man, but since the old man had no malicious intentions, Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to hold him accountable.

But Fu Lingyun couldn’t help but object, “Senior, if you don’t care about external treasures, why not just take everything you have and divide it among us?”

The old man in the feather coat froze, stunned.

Fu Lingyun continued, “Do so, and you’ll have established positive karmic connections with each of us. It might not help you escape being trapped in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone, but when we leave, we’ll remember your kindness and extol your virtue.”

She looked totally serious, as if every word came straight from the heart.

Mo Lanhe added, “Seems reasonable to me.”

The other Dao Protectors barely resisted the urge to laugh.

The old man in the feather coat flushed red. What a sharp tongue that girl has! Bad enough that she contorted my original meaning. Why’d she have to remind me that I’m destined never to leave the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone? She might as well have promised to burn joss paper on my behalf later!

But before the old man could respond, Xiao Chi couldn’t help but say, “Keep quiet!”

The old man fell silent, instantly solemn.