Above the East Sea, the waves swirled.
The cold moon hung like a plate, half-pressed against the coastline.
In front of the cold moon, a Golden Toad, several meters tall, stood on the waves, its green eyes fixed intently on Ji Yutang and Li Jingyu, exuding a dense aura of yin energy and a hint of chaos.
After months of cultivation on a secluded island in the East Sea, the Primordial Qi and divine intent they had expended were fully restored.
Neither wanted to waste time, so upon discovering the whereabouts of the Golden Toad, they immediately set out to subdue it.
Like the Thief Sun Crow, this Golden Nether Cold Toad was also a unique creature born from chaos.
It carried extreme yin energy and would devour the cold moon after absorbing enough lunar essence.
If the sun and moon of this world fell, the yet-to-be-formed laws would have to start anew.
Li Jingyu gazed at the Golden Nether Cold Toad—its extremely yin aura had little effect on her, instead stirring wave after wave of tides.
This creature born from chaos, if she could absorb its Taiyin Fiend, her cultivation would surely ascend to a higher level.
So she turned to Ji Yutang and said, “I’ll handle it.”
Ji Yutang stood on a reef with his hands behind his back, nodding at Li Jingyu.
The Jewel of the Rising Tides split into nine, manifesting an ever-revolving lunar wheel in mid-air.
The moon shadow, outlined by the secret techniques of the Nine Lunar Phases Heavenly Chapter, overlapped with the bright moon above the sea, gradually stealing its light and evolving into a silver moon domain.
Although the Golden Nether Cold Toad was a unique creature, its intelligence had not developed to that extent, instinctively drawn to the Taiyin essence.
Upon sensing the outlined nine lunar phases, it was immediately attracted and leaped into them.
The croaking sound was like thunder, as transparent wings sprouted from the Golden Toad’s back, enveloped in a semi-transparent light sphere, and it spat out a pearl.
As the pearl spun, the rolling tides instantly froze into ice, yet the Golden Toad itself was unaffected by the sudden increase in cold, leaping towards the lunar phase in mid-air.
Li Jingyu’s eyelids twitched, her mana surged like a tide, and as the Golden Toad approached, the positions of the nine lunar wheels shifted in an instant, falling upon it like a meteor shower.
However, when they touched the slippery, transparent light sphere, the power of the Jewel of the Rising Tides was dissipated by a force.
Ji Yutang raised an eyebrow at Li Jingyu and said, “This Golden Toad has a protective divine ability.”
Li Jingyu nodded.
Her mana drove the Primordial Abyssal Divine Water, and the water flow broke through the ice in an instant.
The shattered ice shards scattered upwards, falling swiftly like hail, pattering on the sea surface, stirring up waves.
Yet the Golden Nether Cold Toad remained indifferent, letting the ice shards and tides hit its body.
Its body merely trembled, and the protective light dissipated the attack.
After several exchanges, Li Jingyu had a grasp of the situation.
The nine lunar phases were arranged in the air, emitting a faint Taiyin aura.
As the Golden Toad opened its mouth to swallow, they fell into its mouth one after another like a string of beads.
Inside the Golden Toad, the yin energy was even more intense, forming a thin layer of frost on Li Jingyu’s body.
Ji Yutang frowned, intending to intervene, but was stopped by a gesture from Li Jingyu.
She watched the leaping Golden Toad in mid-air with a calm expression, suddenly hearing a series of popping sounds.
The next moment, ten emerald green beads shot out from within, splattering a large amount of viscous blood.
At the moment the protective light shattered, Li Jingyu cast several Heavenly Heart Thunder spells.
The thunderbolts, accompanied by the rushing tides, surged into the wounds on the Golden Toad, instantly expanding the holes to a foot in size.
The thunderbolts and divine water eroded the flesh of the Golden Nether Cold Toad, and the spinning Jewel of the Rising Tides fell rapidly like a storm, completely disrupting the Golden Nether Cold Toad’s body amidst a series of miserable cries, causing it to fall into the sea, splashing a large wave.
It was actually easier than dealing with the Thief Sun Crow.
With a curious gaze on Li Jingyu, Ji Yutang didn’t ask much.
At this moment, the Sea Moon barely rose, casting a large swath of clear light after the entangling shadow was gone.
After dealing with the Golden Nether Cold Toad, Li Jingyu reached out and held the cold, invasive pearl extracted from the Golden Toad’s body.
The Thief Sun Crow absorbed the sun essence, producing an endless fire upon its fall, while this Golden Toad condensed the lunar essence into a soul pearl.
She gazed at the Sea Moon for a moment, flicked her fingers forward, and saw a cloud obscuring the sky, followed by a Taiyin aura forming a silver disc, waxing and waning, symbolizing the cycle of the moon’s phases and the rotation of life and death.
For cultivators, this was merely an illusion that could be seen through at a glance, but for the people, it was undoubtedly a miracle.
At this moment, Ji Yutang suddenly understood Li Jingyu’s intention.
This celestial moon was the original moon of the Chaos Shadow Realm, but after merging with her aura, the people’s worship of the moon was equivalent to worshiping her, a feat of seizing the creation of heaven and earth.
“Aren’t you leaving?” Li Jingyu glanced at Ji Yutang and spoke slowly.
The cold aura on her body hadn’t dissipated, and her brows and eyes were filled with a coldness like that of a snowy mountain.
“Back to the base?” Ji Yutang raised an eyebrow, muttering to herself, “The Chaos Shadow Monster hasn’t been dealt with yet.”
Li Jingyu sighed, “You really don’t pity me.
I’ve expended quite a bit of mana.”
While dealing with the Golden Nether Cold Toad, she had followed Li Jingyu’s instructions and watched from the sidelines.
She was relaxed, naturally not thinking about Li Jingyu.
Moreover, her divine energy was as vigorous as ever, making it hard to tell if her mana was overexerted unless she spoke.
It was likely a trick.
Ji Yutang’s mind stirred, she gazed at Li Jingyu for a moment, reflecting on her own suspicion, and said, “Let’s go back and rest first.” There was a deserted island on the sea, the wandering chaos monsters had been cleared out, and they had previously been cultivating in a simple cave on that island.
Li Jingyu nodded, unusually not teasing Ji Yutang further.
Back in the cave, the two occupied separate corners, focusing on their cultivation.
The soul pearl floated in mid-air, emitting a faint yin aura.
Li Jingyu sat cross-legged, pouring half of her consciousness into the Jewel of the Rising Tides, using it to draw the Taiyin essence from the soul pearl.
This item was greatly beneficial to her, and she naturally wouldn’t let it go easily.
As her divine intent stirred the soul pearl, the Taiyin aura grew denser, cold air scattered, and a layer of white frost covered the stone walls.
Ji Yutang sat opposite, her eyes suddenly opened upon sensing the overflowing Taiyin essence.
A flash of golden light passed, and her dragon eyes turned into deep black pupils after a few breaths.
She quietly observed Li Jingyu—her true self was restless.
After cultivating dragon skills, her yang energy rose, relying on the yin energy from the Daode Heavenly Book to achieve the balance of yin and yang.
For her true self, Li Jingyu, who practiced the supreme Taiyin method, was immensely attractive, especially after having tasted that kind of experience.
Her eyes remained fixed on Li Jingyu, and Li Jingyu, who was cultivating, also sensed it.
The Taiyin essence caused the yin energy within her to rise, and she too needed some yang energy to balance it.
Usually, she relied on mana to transform yin into yang, but at this moment—she relaxed her mind, letting the Jewel of the Rising Tides entwine around Ji Yutang.
The Mind Palace was struck by a familiar Taiyin aura, Ji Yutang’s body stiffened, even feeling the stiffness of the Divine Dragon Dharma Form’s tail.
Her breathing became rapid and heavy, and after several resistances and pulls, the divine dragon broke free from her to chase the Jewel of the Rising Tides.
Whether perched on the dragon horns, held in its mouth, or gently flicked with the tip of its tail, this pursuit continued until the Jewel of the Rising Tides manifested the lunar wheel.
Dragon shadows floated around the lunar phase, and after the divine dragon coiled around the lunar wheel, it displayed its might, devouring the remaining dragon shadows that didn’t belong to it, slowly manifesting on the moon, becoming more solid.
Absorbing the Taiyin essence from the soul pearl was an extremely lengthy process.
If relying solely on self-cultivation, it might take a year or two.
However, with the aid of “dual cultivation,” this process was shortened.
Two months passed quickly in the dragon’s play with the pearl, and after the last trace of Taiyin essence from the soul pearl was absorbed into her body, the Jewel of the Rising Tides gradually retreated.
But the divine dragon was not satisfied with its withdrawal, reaching out a claw to press down on the Jewel of the Rising Tides, lowering its dragon head to hold it in its mouth.
The dragon eyes flickered with brilliant golden light, gazing at Li Jingyu for a moment before flying towards her.
“People say dragons are inherently lustful, and now it seems true.” Li Jingyu reached out to stroke the head of the Divine Dragon Dharma Form, casting a teasing glance at the blushing Ji Yutang.
Ji Yutang’s eyes were filled with water, and upon hearing this, she was greatly embarrassed.
She retracted the dharma form that was coveting the Jewel of the Rising Tides, stood up, and walked towards Li Jingyu.
She had to admit, in this kind of dual cultivation, clashing with Li Jingyu’s dao techniques, she had gained a lot herself.
She lowered her eyes, avoiding Li Jingyu’s slightly teasing gaze, and said softly, “I wonder how things are outside.”
“It shouldn’t be too bad.” Li Jingyu spoke casually, extending a hand to Ji Yutang, indicating for her to help her up.
Ji Yutang lowered her eyelids, gazing at those fair hands for a moment before slowly reaching out.
However, as her fingertips touched Li Jingyu’s fingers, her wrist was suddenly grasped, and a force pulled her down, causing her to stumble and fall onto Li Jingyu.
Staring at that face, seemingly filled with spring water and affection, she was momentarily stunned, biting her lip in embarrassment and anger, she said, “What are you doing?” Li Jingyu leaned closer to Ji Yutang, chuckling softly, “I’m just curious.”
Ji Yutang remained silent.
Li Jingyu continued, “Does your true self contradict you? If so, it’s not your true self, but a heart demon.”
Ji Yutang gritted her teeth, squeezing out four words, “What do you mean?” Li Jingyu reached out a finger to gently tap Ji Yutang’s forehead, saying softly, “Aren’t you coveting my body?” These words fell into her ears like a bucket of oil poured on a spark, igniting an uncontrollable flame.
Ji Yutang suddenly broke free from Li Jingyu, retreating several steps until her back hit the cold wall, she shouted, “What nonsense are you talking about?” Li Jingyu blinked, “There’s no one else here, why are you shouting so loudly? Are you afraid I can’t hear you?” Ji Yutang retorted, “I didn’t!” Her heart pounded like a drum, and after a moment, she calmed down.
She pursed her lips, covering up her embarrassment, “Since it’s beneficial to my dao path, why can’t I accept it?” Li Jingyu crossed her arms, snorted lightly, “You change your tune quickly, why didn’t you say that in Ji Yue’s cave?” Seeing Ji Yutang’s face flush with even more embarrassment, she smiled sweetly, “Since we’re compatible, let’s work together, so we can deal with the Three Supreme Palaces.” After a pause, she added, “For the sake of our past relationship, if you want to do something, I’ll allow it.”
Ji Yutang was in a state of chaos, countless images of Li Jingyu’s figure flashed before her eyes, ever-changing, but the flirtatious demeanor in her brows and eyes remained the same.
Ji Yutang inexplicably felt parched, she took a deep breath, discarding the chaotic thoughts, and then pretended to be calm, raising her head to say loudly to Li Jingyu, “What else can I do to you?” Li Jingyu tilted her head, asking in return, “What do you think?” Ji Yutang met those eyes filled with a hint of allure, trying hard to calm her overly rapid breathing, not wanting to be swayed by Li Jingyu’s words.
Li Jingyu’s eyes were filled with even more amusement, Ji Yutang’s silence didn’t dampen her interest.
She slowly walked towards Ji Yutang, like a willow branch swaying gracefully in the wind.
“For example, turning into a little dragon and slipping into my clothes? Or wrapping me around a pillar, using dragon scales to rub against my skin inch by inch? Or perhaps—” Ji Yutang couldn’t listen any longer, her whole body was hot, her face flushed.
She reached out to cover Li Jingyu’s lips, not wanting to hear another word! What she said were undeniable past events, but they always sounded strange.
Li Jingyu slightly tilted her head, her eyebrows fluttering, her eyes shining.
She extended her tongue to lightly sweep across Ji Yutang’s palm, seeing her hastily withdraw her hand, she smiled again, “What? Want to hear more?”
“You, you—” Ji Yutang was both embarrassed and angry, trembling all over, unable to say a complete sentence.
She tried to suppress that emotion, but it was always difficult.
She bit her lip, and with a glance at Li Jingyu’s smiling eyes, she was even more furious, blurting out, “If you really let me do as I please, why don’t you take off your dress first?!” Li Jingyu’s laughter suddenly stopped, teasing seemed to have gone a bit too far.
She frowned, looking at Ji Yutang with a troubled expression, as if pondering what to do next.
Ji Yutang’s anger didn’t subside because of Li Jingyu’s restraint, seeing her hesitant look made her even angrier.
The long-suppressed frustration, grievance, and anger from being suppressed and teased by Li Jingyu surged up, she spoke in a string of words, venting her emotions, and finally let out a mocking laugh, asking, “Why are you unwilling now?” Li Jingyu tilted her head, smiling, “Really?” Ji Yutang sneered, “Could it be fake?” Li Jingyu gazed deeply at Ji Yutang, first removing her cloak, then her fingers fell on the tie, gently pulling to untie the knot.
Li Jingyu slightly tilted her head, undressing while speaking, “Then watch carefully.”
Ji Yutang stared at Li Jingyu in shock.
Like a pure lotus, stripped of its pink petals by slender, delicate fingers, revealing the lotus heart.
Her gaze locked onto that fragrant, tender skin, the words of dissuasion stuck in her throat.
After a long time, she came to her senses, reaching out to pick up the fallen clothes and draping them over Li Jingyu.
“Are you crazy?!” She scolded, her eyes filled with lingering anger.
Li Jingyu was indifferent, “You just realized?” She cast a charming glance at Ji Yutang, asking, “Are you satisfied with what you see?” Ji Yutang’s forehead vein twitched, the hand holding the clothes suddenly exerted a bit more force, only to hear a tearing sound, the fine material of the clothes split in her hand.
Her eyes glowed, ultimately letting her emotions take the lead, a pair of eyes emitting a few golden lights.
Even a true dragon, those vertical pupils would reveal a bit of the coldness and chill belonging to a demon.
She leaned down, sharp teeth emerging, as if to pierce that tender neck, only raising her head after tasting a bit of blood, regaining some sense.
Li Jingyu’s eyes were deep, flickering with a bit of excitement.
She suddenly reached out to embrace Ji Yutang’s neck, kissing those blood-stained lips.
The sea tides surged in the strong wind, the isolated island standing in the vast sea was unvisited.
The clear light of the bright moon fell, only to see a powerful dragon tail suddenly slap down, stirring up a wave, shattering the tranquility.
A few days later.
Ji Yutang sat coldly on a rock, her ink-black hair scattered messily behind her.
The cave was stirred by the surging mana, the entire cliff collapsed, no longer resembling its original form—during this time, it had been restored several times with mana and divine abilities, but ultimately ended up in this terrible state.
“Who are you giving that face to?” Li Jingyu crossed her arms, her sleeves fluttered by the wind, revealing a wrist marked with mottled traces.
She chuckled lightly, raising an eyebrow, “Weren’t you enjoying it before? Didn’t see you restrain your actions?” Ji Yutang turned to look at her, the coldness and frustration dissipating somewhat when meeting those smiling eyes, she calmly said, “I’m angry at myself.”
Li Jingyu clicked her tongue, speaking slowly, “Then you might as well be angry at me.” She glanced at Ji Yutang, not lingering on the events of the past few days, but bringing up the “chaos monster,”
“The sun and moon move as usual, these days the chaos monsters probably don’t distinguish between day and night.”
Her emotions detached too quickly, as if everything that happened before was just a trivial matter to her.
Ji Yutang relaxed but also felt a bit annoyed, she glared at Li Jingyu, suppressing that inexplicable mood, pursing her lips to respond, “These chaos monsters are endless, clearly a sign that the laws of the Chaos Shadow Realm are still in chaos, we need to find the root to mend its deficiencies.”
Li Jingyu slowly said, “The ends of heaven and earth.”
After Thief Sun Crow fell, the nine layers of sun shadows no longer existed within the sun.
The scorching heat that had plagued the people for hundreds of years was resolved, but it also brought about a backlash from the Chaos Monsters.
These creatures were extremely afraid of the blazing sunfire, but now that the flames that hindered their advance had disappeared, they roamed in groups even during the day, unlike the sporadic appearances of the past.
“We used to only deal with them at night, but now our camps are being attacked by Chaos Monsters even during the day,” a disciple at the Confucian Sect’s camp complained.
With the changes in the Chaos Monsters, they also needed to adjust themselves to adapt to the changes in the world.
“But the Chaos Monsters we encounter at night aren’t as strong as they used to be,” Tu Danzhu replied crisply.
She had been closely observing the changes in the Chaos Monsters.
After the disciple’s voice faded, she continued, “Are we supposed to hunt them for nine years here, waiting for the next cycle? Should the disciples who come after us repeat our actions?”
“What do you think we should do?” Wang Shanyuan stepped into the hall just in time to hear Tu Danzhu’s words.
“Find their source and completely eradicate the existence of the Chaos Monsters!” Tu Danzhu declared firmly.
Before Wang Shanyuan could speak, a disciple laughed and said, “Is it that easy? If it were truly possible, why hasn’t anyone done it?”
Tu Danzhu raised her eyebrows and asked, “Is it because they thought it was impossible and didn’t try, or because they tried and found it impossible?”
The disciple was stumped by Tu Danzhu’s question and only managed to say after a while, “The methods of the sages cannot be changed.”
Wang Shanyuan nodded and said, “Makes sense.”
Tu Danzhu disagreed and retorted, “If the methods cannot be changed, why did the Confucian sages spread their teachings, resulting in the three great Dao lineages? And within those lineages, countless branches?”
Wang Shanyuan looked at Tu Danzhu with displeasure and raised his voice, “How is that the same?”
Tu Danzhu stubbornly replied, “Why isn’t it the same? The sun and moon are changing, the laws of the Chaos Shadow Realm are changing, and if we don’t do something, we might not be able to spread our Dao in this world anymore.”
Wang Shanyuan frowned and said, “Aren’t we protecting those people?”
Tu Danzhu didn’t respond, her gaze passed over Wang Shanyuan and landed on Yan Shouxia.
Yan Shouxia sighed softly and bowed to Wang Shanyuan, “Master, Sister Tu is right.”
“I think you’ve been influenced by Shen Zao,” Wang Shanyuan sneered.
When he mentioned “Shen Zao,” he suddenly remembered something important and asked, “Hasn’t Shen Zao returned to the camp yet?”
A dark glint flashed in Yan Shouxia’s eyes, and she said, “Why are you looking for her, Master?”
Wang Shanyuan said in a deep voice, “Friends of the Tai Shang lineage, Shen Daoist and Wang Daoist, have fallen.
The Tai Shang camp found traces indicating they had met with Shen Zao.”
“Are you suspecting her?” Yan Shouxia suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze sharp.
Wang Shanyuan replied irritably, “Of course not.
I just want to understand the situation from her side.”
Yan Shouxia’s brows relaxed, and she said slowly, “I see.” After a pause, she added, “I don’t know where she is.”
“Could she have defected from the Spring and Autumn Heaven Palace?” Wang Shanyuan muttered, a chill running up from his feet, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
The former Confucian Sect traitor Yun Chixin was on good terms with Shen Zao, and Shen Zao had never severed ties with Yun Chixin! Could it be that she had also fallen into darkness? Given her past reckless and wild nature, if she abandoned self-restraint, it was highly likely she would take that path.
After all, she was someone who had been thrown into the great prison by the Grand Master.
“Do you really not know?” Wang Shanyuan’s gaze was cold and sharp.
Yan Shouxia said, “I don’t know.”
Wang Shanyuan stared at her and said, “You were the one who vouched for her release from the great prison.”
Yan Shouxia remained calm and said, “Yes.”
Wang Shanyuan asked, “Do you know the consequences?” He stared at Yan Shouxia and added, “If Shen Zao is not seen in half a month, she will be considered to have violated the rules and defected from our Spring and Autumn Heaven Palace!”
