Chapter 149: Want to Know?

Chen, wearing the guise of Jingliu, regarded the hand reaching for him. A flicker of defiant playfulness sparked in the depths of his borrowed crimson pupils.

“Oh? The power of the Lightning-Lord certainly lives up to its reputation.” His voice, an echo of the legendary swordmaster’s, was as cold and sharp as glacial ice. “However… a grip of this strength alone will not be enough to keep me here.”

As the last word fell, the aura radiating from his form surged violently. The terrifying pressure, already teetering on the very edge of becoming Mara-Struck, climbed to an even more fearsome peak.

“It seems… I must get serious.”

A chilling smile touched his lips.

“You want to know?”

He paused, letting the question hang in the suddenly heavy air.

“Then…”

“extraordinary Flash.”

In that instant, time itself seemed to hold its breath.

The next moment—an indescribable light erupted.

An illusory, yet impossibly real, bright moon materialized from nothing. Its scale was immeasurable, a celestial body born in a flash. It swelled in size, its cold, pure luminescence flooding the entire stone platform, bathing everything in its glow.

Wherever the moonlight touched, all things stagnated.

It was as if the very concepts of time and motion were being flash-frozen. The air ceased its flow. Droplets of water, splashed from the churning pools below, hung suspended in the air like scattered jewels. The roiling, malevolent black-and-red energy clinging to the blade of Blade’s Unreachable Side stiffened into a grotesque sculpture. Even the slight flutter of Kafka’s coat hem was frozen in a moment of captured grace.

The majestic, oppressive weight of the Lightning-Lord that coiled around Jing Yuan felt sluggish, heavy, and burdened under the frigid wash of moonlight.

“This is…!”

Jing Yuan’s eyes, perpetually half-lidded in a state of lazy calm, snapped wide open for the first time. They were filled with a deep, unbelievable shock, and a trace of a complex emotion that had, at long last, found its confirmation.

This technique, this sublime and terrible artistic conception… in the entire world, who else could possibly perform it besides that person?

Even if the appearance had changed, even if the gender was different, the sword style imprinted upon one’s very soul could never, ever be mistaken!

“JINGLIU—!!!”

A hoarse, guttural roar was torn from Blade’s throat.

This moonlight… this silence that froze the very marrow of one’s bones… it was her! It was truly her! Even if she had turned into a man, even if she wore a blindfold… this sword could not lie!

The sword intent and the nightmare that was Jingliu, a curse etched into Blade’s very immortality, resurrected itself like a venomous snake, sinking its fangs deep into her soul.

In stark contrast, the interest gleaming in Kafka’s violet eyes reached its zenith. He even brought his hands together for a light, silent clap, his lips soundlessly forming the word ‘impressive.’ This little variable was proving to be far more exciting than he could have ever anticipated.

Yanqing was utterly stupefied. Her small mouth hung slightly agape as she stared up at the brilliant moon that seemed both impossibly distant and close enough to touch. Gazing at the celestial orb emitting its endless, clear light and chilling aura, her mind went completely blank.

‘This… this is the power of the Sword Champion, Jingliu? The big brother who saved me was actually such a… a terrifying existence?’The clear depths of Dan Heng’s eyes reflected the moon-drenched sky, her expression a storm of complexity.’This technique… is it him? Is it really him? How could he… how could he imitate it to this degree?! Even this… no, now is not the time to be thinking about this.’

Dan Heng forcefully suppressed the tempest raging in her heart, her focus sharpening on the bright moon and the figure standing beneath it. She saw that after unleashing this world-shaking attack, the aura around “Jingliu” flickered like a guttering candle flame.

Those crimson pupils rapidly dimmed.

Simultaneously, his entire body began to turn transparent and illusory, as if he were about to dissolve and merge into the very moonlight he had summoned.

He was using the light as cover to escape!

Dan Heng’s heart clenched. An immediate, overwhelming urge to cry out, to move, to stop him and demand answers rose within her, but her reason slammed the impulse back down.

Now was not the time. General Jing Yuan was here. Blade and Kafka had not yet left. Exposing Chen now would only throw the situation into greater chaos and place him in even more danger.

She had to wait. Wait for the right opportunity.

She would find this audacious fellow who always managed to cause such a commotion and get a clear answer from him in private!

The moonlight began to recede.

The illusory moon vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. Its brilliance collapsed inward, shattering into countless firefly-like motes of light that scattered and faded into the air.

Frozen time and space resumed their flow.

The suspended water droplets splashed down. The malevolent energy on Blade’s sword churned once more. The hems of clothing fluttered in a nonexistent breeze.

But in the center of the stone platform, the cold, icy figure with white hair and crimson eyes had already vanished.

All that remained was the sharp, lingering chill in the air that had yet to dissipate, the peerless afterimage of the moon that seemed to be burned onto everyone’s retinas, and the churning, conflicting emotions in the hearts of those who had just witnessed the impossible.

Jing Yuan slowly withdrew her outstretched hand, her gaze fixed on the spot where Jingliu had disappeared. Her habitual, lazy smile was long gone, replaced by an expression that was difficult to put into words.

She whispered to herself, her voice so soft that only she could hear it.

“Master… have you finally gone completely mad after all?”

Blade stared intently at the empty stone platform, her chest heaving violently. The black flames wreathing the Unreachable Side in her hand flickered erratically before finally coalescing into a low growl, suppressed to its absolute limit.

Without a second glance, she turned and transformed into a streak of black-and-red light, shooting off into the distance as if she couldn’t bear to remain in that place for another second.

Kafka elegantly straightened his sleeves and gave Jing Yuan a polite nod. “It seems the General’s old friend has lost interest for the day. In that case, we, too, should take our leave.”

After speaking, his figure seemed to dissolve into the air, quietly fading from sight.

In the blink of an eye, only Jing Yuan, Dan Heng, and a still-reeling Yanqing were left on the platform.

“Gen… General…” Yanqing’s voice was dry. She looked from the empty space before them to Jing Yuan. “That… that big brother… no, that Jingliu… he…”

“He’s gone,” Jing Yuan said, her gentle, smiling demeanor returning as if the earth-shaking clash had never occurred. She walked to Yanqing’s side and patted the girl’s shoulder reassuringly.

“This matter is complex and far beyond your current scope of duty. Don’t think too much about it. For now, keep what you saw and heard today a secret. I will explain everything to you in detail when we return to the Seat of Divine Foresight.”

As she spoke, however, her gaze swept, seemingly unintentionally, over to Dan Heng, who stood silently to the side.

Dan Heng felt a slight chill as their eyes met. This General was likely going to start pestering her again. She maintained the calm, regal posture of the Imbibitor Lunae and said nothing, but the thought in her heart grew ever clearer:

‘Chen… when this is all over, you had better have an explanation for me.’

At that very moment, having already used the cover of the extraordinary Flash’s moonlight to deactivate the transformation, refresh his status, and slip far away—

The original Chen, currently hiding behind a massive coral reef and peeking out, let out a small sneeze.

“Achoo! Who’s talking about me?”

He rubbed his nose, feeling a pang of heartache as he recalled the energy cost of that extraordinary Flash just now.

“But damn, the effect was perfect! Cool enough, and intimidating as hell! Jing Yuan and Blade definitely recognized it, and Kafka probably got a great show out of it… I just wonder if I scared little Yanqing. And then there’s Teacher Dan Heng…”

He scratched his head, deciding not to dwell on such complicated matters for the time being.

“Anyway, the icon is in hand, the little cutie is safe, and I got to see Five-Star Dan Heng… er, the Imbibitor Lunae form, up close, even if I didn’t get to touch her. I even managed to show off in front of the General of the Luofu…”

Chen counted on his fingers, and the more he tallied, the more he felt this whole escapade was a definite win.

“So, next up…”

“Time to find the main group and get down to business. I wonder where Ms. Welt and the others have gotten to…”

He brushed the dust from his clothes, began humming an out-of-tune little song, and strolled off in the general direction Fu Xuan had pointed out earlier.

As for the monumental waves his impromptu performance had stirred up behind him… well, he’d cross that bridge when he got to it.

[Elysian’s Note: Having a good time with the story? Every single bit helps immensely: