Chapter 427.1: The True Orthodoxy of the Moluo Lies With Me

Violet Qi overflowed within the Red Moon Abyss. The authority of the Creation Treasure activated, concealing the Violet Qi. Even so, Yang Spirits within hundreds of thousands of li and even farther away caught a faint trace of its aura.

Within the Divine Moon Palace, a Major Heavenly Position Yang Spirit revealed a solemn expression. "Violet Qi billows like clouds. A treasure has appeared in the territory guarded by the Moluo Clan!"

Even as a Yang Spirit, Yuelian found it difficult to remain calm. Judging from that brief glimpse alone, there was enough Violet Qi to raise her cultivation by a considerable amount.

She seemed bitter. "Why did it have to appear in Moluo territory?"

Not long ago, news of Lord Moon God suffering grievous injuries had spread throughout the outside world. Every Yang Spirit grew tense, struggling to maintain their composure. Although the Divine Moon Palace still retained its lofty status, anyone paying attention to the details could see that it had changed tremendously compared to before.

During battles, the number of traitors had increased by half. When trading with other sacred lands, many parties had begun taking advantage of them by raising prices. One could say that the Divine Moon Palace was weathering a violent storm. They had to hold their ground in the demon abyss, lest its loss become the spark that triggered a total collapse.

Now, a supreme treasure had manifested in the Moluo Clan’s territory. Yuelian could discern nothing further due to the Creation Treasure’s concealment effect. But if the Moluo Clan were to grow stronger because of this opportunity, the pressure upon Divine Moon Palace would become enormous.

Having guarded the demon abyss for so many years, Yuelian had never truly felt pressure before. Battles had never escalated to the point where Yang Spirits personally entered the field, nor had there been truly fierce confrontations. However, ever since the news of Lord Moon God's severe injuries leaked out, she had begun to feel tremendous pressure. It also didn’t take long before the conflict in the demon abyss intensified.

As anxiety filled her heart, a man’s voice reached her ears.

—Heavenly Venerable Yuelian, have you reached a decision?

Yuelian's gaze became profound. As Heavenly Venerables, their communications naturally weren't suppressed by the Creation Treasure. The one contacting her was a Heavenly Venerable from one of the Sixth Heaven's top powers, Divine Luo Heaven.

As the saying went: "One Association, Two Palaces, Three Heavens, Four Abysses, and over a dozen sacred lands." The Sixth Heaven had the fewest sacred lands, numbering fewer than thirty altogether. Among them, the strongest were collectively known as the One Association, Two Palaces, Three Heavens, and Four Abysses. The ranking wasn't in order of strength. One Association wasn't necessarily the strongest.

The One Association referred to the Principle Society. The Two Palaces were Taihuang Palace and Divine Moon Palace. Divine Luo Heaven was one of the Three Heavens. Its strongest expert was a Major Principle Yang Spirit who had comprehended a Major Principle, someone in no way inferior to Lord Moon God. Said Yang Spirit had been contacting Yuelian intermittently, trying to poach her away from Divine Moon Palace.

His question was merely revisiting the same old matter.

Yuelian replied calmly, her attitude unwavering, "I have received Divine Moon Palace's grace. If I were to leave at such a time, where would my Dao Heart remain? Should I one day be fortunate enough to step into the Principle realm, how would I ever overcome my Root Demon Tribulation?"

The Heavenly Venerable sighed.

—Lord Moon God has suffered grievous injuries. The Taihuang Palace is eyeing you like a tiger watching its prey. If you don't find yourself a better refuge soon, you'll perish together with Divine Moon Palace.

Yuelian's expression changed slightly. "Have you heard something?"

As a descendant of a Major Principle Yang Spirit, he naturally knew more than most. Although Lord Moon God's grievous injuries were almost certainly true, someone who had mastered a Supreme Principle would not fall so easily. How could the Divine Moon Palace possibly collapse?

Yet the man's words made her heart tighten.

—Some news has spread. Once the Principle Society begins, you'll understand. Oh, one more friendly reminder. One of the Divine Moon Palace's Heavenly Venerables has already defected and joined one of the Four Abysses.

Yuelian's expression changed drastically, her face filled with complexity. "A Heavenly Venerable has actually defected?!"

That was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue. A Heavenly Venerable was one of the pillars supporting an entire faction. If even such a figure dared to defect, then they had likely concluded that the Divine Moon Palace truly had no hope left. Had the Divine Moon Palace really fallen to such a desperate state?

She hesitated. "Should I report this information?"

If her superiors asked where she had learned it, how was she supposed to answer?

***

Meanwhile, Moheng descended like some ancient mythical bird. Within the Red Moon Abyss, a pitch-black fissure had opened across the dark earth. Its depths were unfathomable, leading to who knew where.

Moheng frowned. "Where are they?"

He swept his gaze around but found none of the five Heavenly Venerables. However, he could still sense the lingering aura they had left behind. Clearly, they had only departed moments earlier. His consciousness entered the communication jade slip. The message he had sent remained sitting there alone at the bottom, proving that no one had replied.

Moheng's eyes became profound, tinged with anger. "Did they run so quickly that they didn't even have time to answer?"

In other words, the treasure was just that extraordinary, so much that they had decided to keep it for themselves.

I'd like to see exactly what kind of treasure it is.

Thus, he plunged into the fissure. After only a dozen breaths, his expression changed. "So much Violet Qi! Also, aren’t those—"

He instantly spotted his five comrades. The five Heavenly Venerables were joining forces to attack a formation. They were clearly exerting themselves with all their might, and had evidently been attacking it for quite some time. Now, the formation was on the verge of collapse. Moheng felt somewhat displeased, but for the sake of his greater ambitions, he suppressed his temper.

He flew toward the formation. "Do you need my help?"

As his voice fell, the tottering formation shattered. The five appeared tense. What shocked Moheng most was that they charged straight ahead without hesitation. One of them even pretended to accidentally throw out another formation to block his path.

Moheng's greed only deepened. Isn’t this a little too obvious? You want to stop me with a mere formation? What kind of supreme treasure could drive you this mad?

These five, who had always been respectful and obedient toward him, had actually plotted against him over a treasure. Something was seriously wrong.

As a Principle Yang Spirit, Moheng's strength was extraordinary. "Break!"

Such a formation posed no obstacle whatsoever. Still, it delayed him by half a second. The moment the formation shattered, Moheng's pupils contracted violently. His entire mind shook. Before him stood an incomparably vast, boundlessly sacred gate.

He was both suspicious and awed. "Isn’t this the Myriad Principle Gate?"

With fervent excitement, the other five abruptly rushed into the gate. The final trace of hesitation within Moheng vanished completely. He no longer gave it another thought. If he missed this opportunity, there could never be another! Besides, hadn’t those five charged inside? As a Principle expert, how could he possibly shrink back?

He dove headlong into the Myriad Principle Gate. With this gate, his future would no longer be confined to becoming a mere Lord of Moluo.

However, the instant he stepped inside, his pupils contracted. Nearly twenty remnant souls stood inside. Every one of them stared at him with either full anticipation or openly amused.

Moheng’s heart shook violently. Motong, Motang, Mochi, Moran...

They were none other than every Yang Spirits the Moluo Clan had stationed within the demon abyss! It was as though a bolt of heavenly lightning had struck him! With a violently buzzing head, Moheng looked ahead.

Beyond those remnant souls, Qi Yuan sat leisurely, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Welcome to the Underworld."