Chapter 417: Qi Yuan's Plot, Jin Li's Choice

Chapter 417: Qi Yuan’s Scheme, Jin Li’s Choice

“It seems that one day, I shall have to abduct her and take her as my Dao companion.”

Qi Yuan smiled faintly.

The cultivators of the Demon Luo clan below all wore ambiguous grins.

The Moon Maiden could not marry.

The Heavenly Lord abducting the Moon Maiden as his Dao companion—this was a slap in the face to the Moon God Palace.

“We congratulate the Heavenly Lord on his imminent success!”

“In another month, it seems, there will be the Moon Chen Banquet. If the Heavenly Lord abducts the Moon Maiden then, it will be a double blessing!”

These cultivators of the Demon Luo clan flattered and laughed.

The Moon Chen Banquet was a birthday banquet unique to the Moon God Palace.

Every time a cultivator of the Moon God Palace reached a ten-thousand-year birthday, they would hold a Moon Chen Banquet.

“Oh, whose Moon Chen Banquet is it?” Qi Yuan’s heart stirred slightly.

Could it be Jin Li’s?

“It is for a Myth who illuminates the heavens, a female cultivator among the top three on the battle record list of the Absolute Moon Abyss!” said a cultivator of the Demon Luo clan, who seemed well-informed about the situation in the Absolute Moon Abyss.

Precisely because a birthday banquet was only held upon reaching a full ten thousand years—that is, the Moon Chen Banquet—such a feast would be grandly hosted by the Moon God Palace, with many guests invited.

This Myth of the Demon Luo clan had been here for several hundred years and had only heard of a few Moon Chen Banquets.

“Oh,” Qi Yuan replied indifferently.

Since it wasn’t Jin Li’s, it mattered little to him.

As he spoke, his form flickered, and he headed to the garrisoned territory.

For now, since he was disguised as Demon Chi Heavenly Lord, he had to continue the pretense.

After all, he did not have a residence permit for the Sixth Heaven.

Moreover, if he were discovered, not only would the Demon Luo clan’s Yang Gods besiege him, but the one from the Tai Huang Palace who knew his identity might also make a move against him.

As for the Moon God Palace…

To him, aside from his wife Jin Li and his master-wife, all others were strangers.

The Moon Maiden held status in the Moon God Palace, but not real power. If he recklessly ventured into the Moon God Palace’s domain, he might even be obliterated by its creation-level treasures.

Thus, to see Jin Li, he had to do so safely—indeed, he even had to win over his “mother-in-law.”

Qi Yuan considered himself a man of “high emotional intelligence”!

When dealing with his junior sister Jiang Lingsu, he had warmed her heart for a hundred days.

He would not let Jin Li be caught in a difficult position between the Moon God Palace and him.

“Though the Moon God Palace forbids the Moon Maiden from marrying… but does the Moon God Palace’s law stand above the marriage law?”

Qi Yuan pondered whether to raise the banner of marriage law to counter the Moon God Palace.

But then he thought—after all, the Moon God Palace was Jin Li’s natal home.

Such an approach would ultimately be unseemly.

He must move people with emotion!

“As a newcomer, I ought to visit the leadership at the Absolute Moon Abyss. Ah, high emotional intelligence is exhausting!”

Qi Yuan felt that sometimes high emotional intelligence was indeed troublesome.

At the Absolute Moon Abyss near the Severed Moon Abyss, a Zhili Yang God was stationed.

This Zhili Yang God was the “superior” of Demon Chi Heavenly Lord.

If Qi Yuan had low emotional intelligence, well, he wouldn’t care about any superior.

But since he was a cultivator of “high emotional intelligence,” he had to go pay respects to the leadership.

Otherwise, he might be given a hard time.

“Social anxiety and high emotional intelligence coexist within me. As the famous saying goes, ‘Holding the sun and moon, plucking the stars…’”

Qi Yuan looked at himself in the mirror and felt he was about to admire himself.

Now, he was an “excellent and trustworthy man.”

Qi Yuan stopped dwelling on these thoughts and instead considered how to handle the current situation.

After an unknown time, a transmission arrived.

Qi Yuan’s expression remained calm.

The garrison envoy of the Tai Huang Palace at the Severed Moon Abyss had come.

“Enter!”

At Qi Yuan’s voice, a Myth-level powerhouse pushed open the door and stepped into the empty hall.

The other Yin Gods of the Demon Luo clan followed closely, filing in.

This Myth-level powerhouse hailed from the Tai Huang Palace and was known as Venerable Bai Deng. At this moment, his face was brimming with delight.

In the Tai Huang Palace, he was a Myth, exalted above all.

But that exaltation was only relative to ordinary Yin Gods.

As for Yang God Heavenly Lords, he had to look up to them with caution, and even the chance to meet them required exhausting effort to obtain.

Yet here in the Demon Abyss, he was a true second-generation aristocrat.

The Yang Gods of the Demon Luo clan treated him with courtesy and respect.

And now… the newly arrived Yang God Heavenly Lord stationed at the Severed Moon Abyss had summoned him as soon as he came.

What’s more, he was even going to give him a small gift.

At this moment, he was riding high on success, striding briskly, his heart brimming with anticipation for what gift this Heavenly Lord would bestow upon him.

“Greetings… Heavenly Lord!” Venerable Bai Deng still held great reverence for Yang God Heavenly Lords and observed all proper formalities.

After completing the salutation, he raised his head to steal a glance at the Heavenly Lord’s figure.

In the Tai Huang Palace, he dared not look upon the faces of those Yang Gods, but here he did.

Yet when he looked, he could not make out the Heavenly Lord’s features at all.

Such was the taboo of the venerable.

At that moment, the Heavenly Lord seated upon the throne spoke, his voice vast and sacred beyond measure: “Which foot did you step through the door with first?”

The surrounding Demon Luo clan cultivators were somewhat bewildered, not knowing why the Heavenly Lord would ask such a question.

Venerable Bai Deng was taken aback, never expecting the Heavenly Lord to suddenly inquire about this.

But as a cultivator, his memory was extraordinary.

"I entered with both legs together," replied the Lamp-Lighting Elder.

Qi Yuan, seated upon the throne, was taken aback.

Why aren't you following the script?

He flew into a rage!

"To step with both legs at once—I despise such people the most!"

Qi Yuan thundered, his voice like rolling thunder, and the spiritual energy of the four quarters trembled at that moment.

The wrath of a Celestial Venerable could sway the seasons and the heavens, even shatter the world and overturn the sun and moon.

The Lamp-Lighting Elder's qi and blood churned; his face turned pale in an instant, unsure how he had offended this Yang Spirit Celestial Venerable.

The other Yin Spirits of the Mara clan exchanged bewildered glances, not knowing why the Blazing Mara Celestial Venerable was enraged. They trembled, fearing they might be implicated.

The Celestial Venerable held the Taihuang Palace in awe and would not harm its guardian, but dragging them into this was all too likely.

"May I ask how this junior has offended the Celestial Venerable?" the Lamp-Lighting Elder asked, his face flushing as he could not help but speak.

"You entered with both feet together, violating my greatest taboo—you deserve death!"

At these words, the Yin Spirits present were dumbfounded.

Entering with both legs together?

What of it?

Alas, they were not from Blue Star and could not grasp Qi Yuan's high emotional intelligence or his humor.

"Die!"

Qi Yuan pointed a finger.

The gap between a Yang Spirit and a Yin Spirit was vast beyond measure.

Even in the Mortal Heart Realm, the No-Food Mother, with her divine body and Qi Yuan's aid, had only held off that being—not even its true form—for twenty breaths.

The Lamp-Lighting Elder had no power to resist; he was obliterated by that finger with ruthless force.

In an instant, the Yin Spirits present caught a faint scent of blood.

That smug Lamp-Lighting Elder was slain in a heartbeat.

All the Yin Spirits dared not breathe heavily.

They only felt that this matter had grown grave.

This was the guardian of the Taihuang Palace, representing its very face.

And now... the Celestial Venerable had killed him?

If the Taihuang Palace learned of this and grew furious, the Celestial Venerable...

Well, the Celestial Venerable would likely be fine.

But they would suffer terribly.

The Mara clan would surely offer up some scapegoats to appease the Taihuang Palace's wrath.

"What, do any of you object to my slaying of the Lamp-Lighting Elder?"

Qi Yuan swept his gaze over these Yin Spirits, his eyes calm.

The Yin Spirits of the Mara clan present trembled, all feeling as if disaster loomed.

Just then, a Yin Spirit Venerable suddenly spoke, a joyful look on his face: "The Celestial Venerable killed well, killed excellently! This lowly one has long found that fellow insufferable—how dare he violate the Celestial Venerable's taboo? He deserves death!"

Hearing this, Qi Yuan nodded approvingly: "What is your name?"

There were always plenty of bootlickers.

"This lowly one... Chuan Pu!" the Yin Spirit Venerable replied, his face flushed with excitement, his body hunched.

Qi Yuan heard this and was amused: "Your name suits your words well."

He had not expected such a coincidence.

Life was indeed full of amusements.

Chuan Pu had no idea what Qi Yuan meant, but seeing the Celestial Venerable seemed pleased, he too grew delighted.

"This Venerable has long found the Lamp-Lighting Elder insufferable.

Hmph, we pay to fight, and yet he comes swaggering about—what a nuisance!"

The other Yin Spirits, hearing this, felt a shared sentiment or a common grievance.

Clearly, that guardian of the Taihuang Palace had bullied and exploited them greatly.

"That man deserved death!"

"This Lamp-Lighting Elder deceived the Celestial Venerable of Taihuang Palace and bullied us—truly deserving of death!"

Yet even with their resentment toward the Taihuang Palace, they dared not resent the Yang Spirit lords.

After all, the lords were kind-hearted, merely deceived.

Above the sky, a bright, gleaming light flashed.

The moon boat resembled a crescent moon, radiant and translucent, laden with various celestial treasures, fine wines, and delicacies.

Moonlight poured down, falling upon the woman's white robe; the plum blossoms on her plain white skirt grew even more vivid, possessing the cold beauty of plum blossoms in snow, yet compared to the owner of the white skirt, the plum blossoms were far inferior.

"Yue Shuang, why have you come?" Jin Li, clad in a white robe, looked at the cold-faced woman, a hint of joy in her eyes.

"In less than a month, it will be your birthday, so I came to see you," Yue Shuang said with a smile. "I feared you might be lonely here alone."

"It's just an ordinary birthday, not... a Moon Festival," Jin Li said calmly, a warmth flowing through her chest.

"Yu Tiao shares the same birthday as you. She is holding a Moon Festival banquet, and all her friends have come. I couldn't bear to see you all alone," Yue Shuang said, a trace of shame in her eyes.

Back then, on the Moon-Viewing Continent,

she and Jin Li had been trapped.

Of the two Moon Maidens, one was abandoned.

The abandoned one was Jin Li.

Had it not been for the Faceless Sword God, Jin Li might have perished then.

Thus, toward this sister, she always carried a hint of guilt.

"It's just a birthday, no different from any other day. These days, I plan to venture deeper into the Abyssal Moon Chasm and slay more Mara!" Jin Li said, a thick aura of bloodshed clinging to her.

That once fragile girl, after so many years, had changed greatly.

"Have you earned enough merits?" Yue Shuang asked.

"Yes, just a little more!" Jin Li nodded earnestly, a look of anticipation flashing in her beautiful eyes.

In another ten-odd years, her merits would suffice, and she could request the Moon Goddess Yuanjun to grant her a wish.

"One day won't make a difference. Don't go on the day of the Moon Festival banquet. Let us sisters share a feast, and after we eat, I'll accompany you!" Yue Shuang said.

Jin Li was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright."

At that moment, Yue Shuang thought of something and suddenly spoke: "What do you intend to ask the Moon Goddess to do?

Is it... to find him, save him, resurrect him, or...

The Moon Maidens of the Moon Goddess Palace cannot marry. Even if the Moon Goddess helps you find him, you cannot leave with him...

Or do you ask the Moon Goddess to release you from your status as a Moon Maiden, and then... go find him yourself, to live together as a pair?"

Every Moon Maiden has only one chance in her lifetime to make a request to the Moon Goddess.

Jin Li was silent, then a smile bloomed on her exquisite face, like plum blossoms in a vast snowy field: "As long as he is alive, that is enough. If I could see him once more... that would be the greatest fortune of my life."

"Why bother..." Yue Shuang sighed.

It is fated to have no outcome; better to cut it off early.

"As long as he lives, I believe he... will find me." Jin Li's gaze was firm.

She recalled the second message Qi Yuan had conveyed to her through the Bridal Armor Knight.

At that time, she did not fully understand the meaning of those words.

Later, upon seeing the statue of the Faceless Sword God, memories of the past returned, and she understood everything.

Those words were spoken by the Faceless Sword God, who had waited in vain by the July Lake for so long, to Empress Jin Li of a future time.

Even across the distance of time, he said he would see her.

"Oh, you..." Yue Shuang could not help but sigh, "Endless years can bury everything. After so many years, how do you know he is still the same person in your heart?"

The greatest power of a white moonlight is that even the person themselves cannot defeat it.

Jin Li clutched Linglong Yuxi, and a radiant smile once again welled up in her eyes. She remembered the sword-bearing watcher by July Lake, snow covering his shoulders; she remembered the peerless sword god who held her small hand, traversed a hundred cities, and slew the Black Robe Guards; she remembered the fearless swordsman who alone blocked Earth's End, fought alone for three hundred years, and slew three thousand demons.

Though she had never seen his face, she understood: "He is even better than I remember... a thousand times, ten thousand times!"

...

"Everything is ready. Time to go... pay a visit to Demon Eye Heavenly Lord."

In the great hall, Qi Yuan's figure slowly dissipated.

Demon Eye Heavenly Lord was the ruler of Absolute Moon Abyss, a Yang God of the Ultimate Truth Realm, and could be considered Demon Blaze Heavenly Lord's superior.

The Mara clan had five Yang Gods of the Ultimate Truth Realm, three of whom were in the Demon Abyss, showing the importance the Mara clan placed on the Moon Goddess Palace.

"This meeting with Demon Eye Heavenly Lord really tests my acting skills!

I have a feeling that after this, with my acting, I can aspire to the title of Best Actor back on Blue Star!"

"I'm truly... a Youxin Man."

Demon Blaze Heavenly Lord and Demon Eye Heavenly Lord had little interaction, but both were Yang Gods of the Mara clan.

Therefore, if Qi Yuan was the slightest bit careless, he would be exposed.

Moreover, his visit to Demon Eye Heavenly Lord was not just to pay respects to a superior; he also wanted to fish, using good things to tempt the "cadre."

To this end, he not only frantically brainwashed Demon Blaze Heavenly Lord to obtain more details, but had also long laid bait within Severed Moon Abyss, waiting for his own performance.

"A strong one of the Ultimate Truth Realm... should not be a big problem, right?"

Qi Yuan pondered.

He had never fought a strong one of the Ultimate Truth Realm.

However, after estimating, he thought it was not a big problem.

After all, his right eyebrow was not twitching wildly, indicating that everything was under control.

"What a pity. This is the Demon Abyss, not the Mara clan. If Demon Eye Heavenly Lord disappears for more than a while, he will definitely be discovered."

Qi Yuan sighed, and his figure headed toward Absolute Moon Abyss.

(End of this chapter)