CHAPTER 75.1: THE PLACE OF DEATH, KEEP AT LEAST A HUNDRED METERS AWAY FROM ME

In Seventh Moon Town...

Turning around, Jin Li found herself face-to-face with a young girl clad in green, seemingly no older than fifteen. Her long black hair was coiled atop her head, styled into two high buns adorned with golden ornaments—reminiscent of a celestial maiden’s hair.

In spite of that, the girl was short, barely reaching 160 centimeters. She regarded Jin Li, saying softly, "I am Seventh Moon, Priestess of the Moonlight Clan."

Jin Li was taken aback. Though her trip had been meant to be secret, she was discovered in the end.

Jin Li uttered, "Greetings to you, Seventh Moon Priestess."

However, the girl’s very next words made Jin Li’s heart jolt. "Green Dream is my elder sister."

Jin Li couldn't believe her ears. Green Dream was her mother's name!

Could Green Dream be the same person I’m thinking of?

"She is your mother, and also the Saintess of our Moonlight Kingdom," affirmed the girl.

Instinctively, Jin Li turned to look at Aunt Qin. The older woman said nothing, as if silently confirming it.

Jin Li replied, showing little reaction, "I see."

Seventh Moon extended an invitation. "Your Majesty, would you like to come with me to Moonlight Clan's ancestral land?"

"I'm sorry, I don't have the time," Jin Li outright refused.

She gazed at the waters of the lake, an inexplicable sense of unease rising in her heart. She couldn’t reach him, and no matter how long she waited, he hadn’t shown up.

"Your Majesty, are you waiting for someone?" Seventh Moon asked calmly.

Jin Li remained silent, tacitly admitting it.

"Ah, so the one you’ve been waiting for has yet to arrive."

A spark of emotion flashed across Jin Li’s eyes, vanishing as quickly as it came. She coldly asked, "Do you know something?"

Seventh Moon shook her head. "I do not."

Then, the priestess lifted her gaze toward the towering Ancient Qichun Tree, quietly uttering, "There are too many mysteries in this world. Some are buried beneath history, washed away by time. Others are left unseen, a solitary bloom admired by no one. When the branches of the Ancient Qichun Tree reach the moon, all riddles will be solved."

She turned to face Jin Li. "They say the first Wedding Garment Empress once waited in vain at this lake for the Celestial God. The Faceless Sword God also stood here waiting for his beloved, who never arrived. There was another visitor from the heavens who stayed here for a long while, only to vanish in the end. All things in the world have cause and effect, destiny is fixed, no one can break it. Why must Your Majesty be so obsessed with it?"

Jin Li’s cool face hardened with defiance. "I do not believe in karma and destiny. If ten years are not enough, then a hundred. If a hundred is not enough, then a thousand—or even ten thousand!"

Her gaze was determined. We have merely lost contact temporarily. One day, we will meet again.

Seventh Moon sighed, "If Your Majesty insists on waiting in vain, perhaps you should visit the temple of the Faceless Sword God."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Jin Li’s heart skipped a beat. Recalling the second message Qi Yuan had left through Little Bride, she whispered under her breath, "I don't see you anywhere..."

Then, she turned to Aunt Qin. "Aunt Qin, do you know of a second end zone besides Heaven's End?"

Lady Qin shook her head. "I don't know."

Jin Li murmured, "Is that so?"

She recalled the return of the guards she’d sent to the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone. As usual, they hadn’t found any stronger creatures, just a few wandering Wedding Garment Demons. There was no sign of battle either.

Standing by the shimmering waters, Jin Li’s expression was cold and aloof, like the moon itself.

***

Under the Ancient Qichun Tree...

With a complex expression, Qi Yuan stood facing a girl in a plain dress. "Have you found Jin Li?"

The girl shook her head. "Not yet."

Hesitating, he moved his dry lips, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Do you know of the Southern Qian Empire?"

Seventh Moon shook her head again. "Never heard of it."

After pausing for a while, Qi Yuan asked, "What about the Southern Feng Empire? Perhaps... the Heaven-Fate Holy Sect?"

He hadn’t wanted to mention the Heaven-Fate Holy Sect, the mightiest among the human race’s sects.

Still, the priestess shook her head. "No clue."

Qi Yuan fell silent. He appeared remarkably calm—too calm—as if his irritation had dissipated.

Seventh Moon seemed apologetic. "We, the Moonlight Clan, will do our best to find your friend."

Dropping the matter, Qi Yuan gazed at the eerie corpses hanging from the Ancient Qichun Tree. "What’s going on with that?"

Seventh Moon said coldly, with anger burning in her eyes. "According to the Hundred-Cities Alliance, everyone hanged on this tree were either unfilial or have opposed the Law of Filial Piety. They even seek to include our Moonlight Clan. They’d have us hanged at the slightest mistake!”

Qi Yuan fell silent. "Such acts defy heaven’s order. It’s like drawing fire from under the cauldron. Strike at the roots, and the whole race withers."

In truth, a nation’s hope lay in its next generation. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the human race on the Moonwatch Continent withered, one after another.

"The Law of Filial Piety sparked outrage across the realms, even within the Hundred-Cities Alliance itself. Countless warriors resisted until the rivers ran red with their blood. By right, such chaos should have shaken the Alliance and left it on the brink of collapse," Seventh Moon replied grimly, her face darkening as her voice faltered. "... If not for the Black Army!"

Seventh Moon trembled slightly. She seemed so frightened.

Qi Yuan had heard that name once before, outside Kunwu City. "Are they strong?"

Terror flashed on her face as though she remembered some dreadful memory. Her voice cracked. "They are monsters—ghosts! Each is clad in a black robe, hiding their face. They never eat, drink, or speak. Emotionless, all they do is slaughter. Yet, their power is overwhelming, so no one can resist them. They appear and vanish like ghosts, leaving rivers of blood in their wake! Once, the Great Jin Empire boldly declared it would march against the Hundred-Cities Alliance. The very next day, its capital stood empty. Seven hundred thousand souls were hung upon the trees. They do not care about righteousness, nor the future. As long as the Black Army exists, the Hundred-Cities Alliance will continue to do as they please!"

Qi Yuan fell silent, recalling the alien demons. Could these Black Army be their doing? How strong are they? Why would they create such havoc in the mortal realm?

He didn't know.

Seventh Moon’s eyes blazed with confidence once again. "Still, no matter how strong the Black Army may be, my Moonlight Clan will never bow to them! We can’t let these evil demons wreak havoc in our world! This is the Moonwatch Continent, the place of our origin, our ancestral soil! This land was called the White Sun Continent once, now it is the Moonwatch Continent!"

Qi Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. "White Sun?"

This was the first time he ever heard of such a thing. Even the memories of the Divine realm experts from the Four Great Forbidden Zones bore no such knowledge. Yet, the name White Sun stirred certain thoughts in him. He recalled the words of the Ascension Platform’s Divine General.

Sun and moon are reversed...

Seventh Moon gazed at him, full of hope. "Senior, you are a Peak Emperor realm cultivator, aren't you?"

At first, she only intended to meet him after hearing from her disciple that a Peak Emperor realm stranger had arrived. But upon learning of his deeds and seeing the Hundred-Cities Alliance corpses, she changed her mind and came to seek him herself. She knew then he wasn’t an ordinary Peak Emperor realm cultivator, and could only hope her suspicions were wrong.

Qi Yuan didn’t respond.

He couldn’t unleash power beyond the Heaven realm in the mortal zone, lest it alerted the alien demons. Going to the Earth’s End was postponed as there were still many mysteries he had yet to unravel. For now, he could display only the strength of a Peak Emperor realm. Moreover, he had wrought endless slaughter on the Ascension Platform with nothing but the power of a Peak Emperor realm.

Seventh Moon finally disclosed the purpose of her visit. "May I request you to help our Moonlight Clan?"

Qi Yuan stood unmoved, eyes closed. He didn’t answer immediately, and instead replayed the memories after he left Heaven's end. He had witnessed the mortal zone turning into hell. His thoughts reeled, for in the end, he was still just an ordinary man.

After killing for centuries, his mind was thrown into chaos from so much information. In fact, he became a bit neurotic. When he opened his eyes again, clarity had returned. His confusion was greatly eliminated. He adjusted fast and returned to his normal self.

He muttered to himself, emotions fading from his face, "I’m playing the game, not the other way around."

Even the corpses above seemed far less terrifying now.

He turned back to the Priestess, "Go on!"

Is this story's NPC about to hand me a quest?

Seventh Moon reiterated her purpose once more, "The Hundred-Cities Alliance is coming in full force. They may very well be here to annihilate us. I beg you, please keep our Saintess safe!"

Qi Yuan raised his brows, then laughed.

So I am to become the strongest bodyguard and protect the cold and aloof school belle in white silk stockings from danger?

He asked casually, "How old is your Saintess? Fair and beautiful? Long legs? Perhaps an art student?"

Seventh Moon froze, staring blankly. She wondered if the man behind the mask had been switched.

What happened to the aura from before? The peerless swordsman, with the air of a lone wolf bathing in moonlight...