Chapter 117: Steel Moon Awakens
–Storm Realm, Gray Shadow Mountain Herb Gathering Area
Gong Lianyue walked through the mountains for three or four hours, finding nothing but desolation, not a single blade of grass in sight.
It was astonishing how thoroughly the Gray Shadow Mountain Spirit Masters had stripped the land bare, turning a lush forest into a barren desert.
Finally, after six hours in the herb gathering area, she caught a whiff of medicinal herbs.
Following the scent, Gong Lianyue walked towards its source. She wasn’t here to actually gather herbs and complete the mission. Those measly points were insignificant.
She simply wanted to see and understand the Storm Realm’s medicinal herbs. Perhaps they were different from those in the Sea Region.
Deep within the herb gathering area, in a beautiful, glowing forest, three Gray Shadow Mountain Spirit Masters listlessly collected herbs.
Despite the herbs’ shimmering, fluorescent leaves, they showed no excitement, their expressions filled with boredom.
Hearing approaching footsteps, they turned their heads.
A breathtakingly beautiful, silver-haired girl emerged from the forest, her eyes wide with awe as she gazed upon the glowing herbs.
“Shui Qingyue!?”
Recognizing the girl, the three of them tensed, their expressions wary.
They had witnessed her arrogance at the entrance, even scaring off the Saintess’s subordinate.
Although the Moonlight Grass in this area wasn’t worth even a single spirit crystal, with Shui Qingyue’s unreasonable nature, she might just rob them of everything they had.
“Senior Sisters, may I ask, what kind of herb is this…?”
The silver-haired girl’s innocent, sincere question stunned the three of them.
Gong Lianyue clutched her chest, her heart pounding, a feeling of excitement, as if she had stumbled upon a priceless treasure.
These herbs definitely didn’t exist in the Sea Region. Otherwise, she would have recognized them.
And yet, these Gray Shadow Mountain Spirit Masters seemed to disregard them completely. That was why she had asked.
The three women exchanged glances, their expressions incredulous.
“This is Moonlight Grass. It’s useless for us Wind Realm Spirit Masters. There are no moonlight-attribute spirit beasts or spirit techniques here.”
“Although it’s a high-grade herb, it’s cheaper than weeds. You can buy a whole pile for one spirit crystal. Completely worthless.”
“I heard someone once tried feeding Moonlight Grass to the Tyrant Demon Seed. It ate both the person and the grass. So, it can be used to feed moonlight-attribute spirit beasts!!”
So that was it…
Hearing their explanations, Gong Lianyue’s heart pounded.
Moonlight Grass. No wonder she hadn’t recognized it!
She hadn’t known what to do with the Void Moon Stone she had received as a reward from the Soul Prison Trial because moonlight-attribute entities were so rare that their value was negligible, ignored by almost everyone.
Moonlight treasures were worthless in the Sea Region and the Wind Realm, but in a world filled with moonlight-attribute spirit beasts, they would be priceless.
That explained her excitement, the resonance from the Void Moon Stone and the Steel Moon Chapter within her…
After a moment, Gong Lianyue cleared her throat and looked at the three women, her expression serious.
“Ahem, hand over all the Moonlight Grass you’ve collected, or I’ll have the senior instructors send you to the mines!”
“…”
“???”
Having driven away the three disgruntled girls, Gong Lianyue claimed the entire Moonlight Grass patch for herself.
She hadn’t expected such good fortune! Such valuable Moonlight Grass, completely disregarded!
The other Spirit Masters only collected it because they couldn’t find any other herbs, bringing it back to decorate their homes.
She wondered if absorbing this Moonlight Grass would affect the Steel Moon Chapter.
As she approached the patch, the Void Moon Stone pendant around her neck began to vibrate, resonating with the moonlight attribute of the herbs.
Hummmm~~~
Bathed in the moonlight aura, the beautiful, shimmering light flowed into her pores like a reverse fountain.
Gong Lianyue was surprised to find her depleted spirit energy rapidly recovering. The Void Moon Stone was converting the moonlight aura into a form she could absorb!
Not only that, but the dormant Steel Moon within her soul core also began to resonate and vibrate, rapidly expanding.
The Steel Moon Chapter of the Heavenly Full Cold Moon was evolving.
A few minutes later, the heavy, fragmented Steel Moon reformed, condensing into a hard, scale-like object.
As the silver scale materialized, Gong Lianyue felt an incredible weight, her spirit energy almost uncontrollable.
Boom!
The ground beneath her feet cracked and shattered from the pressure, forming a small, spiderweb-shaped crater.
The silver crescent moon continued to absorb the Moonlight Grass’s energy, forming a second scale, which attached itself to the first, gradually forming a piece of shoulder armor.
Boom, boom, boom!!!
The air around the silver-haired girl crackled and distorted from the immense pressure.
Yet, she only felt a slight discomfort, unaffected by her own spirit energy.
Sensing the heavy silver shoulder armor within her, Gong Lianyue was shocked. So the Steel Moon Chapter was actually a defensive spirit technique…!!!
She had been casually releasing its aura before, unable to truly utilize its power.
Only now did she realize that the silver crescent moon was the foundation of a defensive spirit technique, an incomplete fragment.
She needed moonlight aura to complete it, to unlock the true power of the Heavenly Full Cold Moon’s Steel Moon Chapter!
Just forming two pieces of armor had completely withered the hundreds of Moonlight Grass stalks in the patch.
Gong Lianyue wanted to test the Steel Moon Chapter’s current strength.
[Iron Jade Ice Scorpion]
The next second, the massive scorpion appeared behind her, exhaling a chilling mist.
Facing the scorpion, Gong Lianyue channeled the silver crescent moon within her soul core, releasing its heavy energy.
Modern spirit techniques were flawed imitations of the Lost Scroll. The Lost Scroll itself could be considered a higher-level, more powerful form of spirit technique.
Swish!
Resonating with the Steel Moon, the two heavy silver scales attached themselves to the base of the Iron Jade Ice Scorpion’s pincers, where they connected to its body.
The silver shoulder armor seemed perfectly natural on the scorpion, enhancing its already imposing appearance, giving it an aura of holy power.
Gong Lianyue couldn’t pinpoint the exact change, but she could sense that the Iron Jade Ice Scorpion was now incredibly powerful.
Just standing there, it radiated an aura that could terrify other high-rank spirit beasts.
Just two pieces of silver armor could enhance its aura to this extent. If she absorbed enough Moonlight Grass to form a complete set of Steel Moon Armor… what would happen then…?
Chapter 118: Legendary Moonlight Spirit Beast
–Storm Realm, Gray Shadow Mountain Herb Gathering Area
Deep within the herb gathering area, a patch of Moonlight Grass withered, its ethereal glow fading.
Standing amidst the lifeless plants, the silver-haired girl glowed faintly, like a firefly.
Having absorbed a massive amount of moonlight aura, Gong Lianyue’s spirit energy, depleted from summoning the Frost Snow Woman in the Wind Valley, had fully recovered. More importantly, it had accelerated the Steel Moon Chapter’s progress. She could now condense two armor fragments, forming a shoulder guard.
So this was the Void Moon Stone’s function…
Gong Lianyue touched the pendant on her chest, her heart filled with awe. This Void Moon Stone allowed her to absorb moonlight-attribute spirit energy, even more efficiently than water-attribute.
She had drained this entire patch of hundreds of Moonlight Grass stalks with a single thought!
Could it be… that she also had a high affinity for the moonlight attribute?
It might be a coincidence, but her name also contained the character for “moon.” In the Sea Region, which had no sun, moon, or stars, she wondered who had given her that name.
A shimmering, moon-like aura enveloped the silver Steel Moon within her soul core, like a beautiful, ethereal garment.
Did this mean she could try contracting with a moonlight-type spirit beast…?
Although moonlight-attribute entities were incredibly rare in the Sea Region, not even enough to complete a dedicated section in the Spirit Beast Compendium, some ancient legends had been passed down.
The White Flower Moon-Treading Deer, a legendary, dual water and moon-attribute spirit beast, whose passage erased the moon from the sky, causing the moon to vanish from tens of thousands of realms, before being hunted down by enraged Spirit Masters.
The Crescent Moons, a single entity composed of ten moons, controlling ten gates to realms beyond even the Sun and Moon Realm.
The White Moon Lord, ancestor of the Tyrant Demon Seed, originally named the Moon-Chasing Demon Rabbit, which once struck the mythical Divine Court and escaped, earning the title of White Moon Lord and achieving a unique characteristic.
“…”
“…”
Moonlight-attribute entities were incredibly rare, but the myths and legends surrounding them were numerous, indicating the immense potential of this attribute.
The most absurd one was the White Moon Lord, which had challenged a mythical being and survived, its combat power likely among the highest even among legendary spirit beasts.
And it was the ancestor of the Tyrant Demon Seed!
Compared to it, the Wind Realm Overlord, the Hibernating Sun, seemed… unremarkable, its legends few and far between…
Gong Lianyue exhaled excitedly. If she gathered enough Moonlight Grass to complete the Steel Moon Chapter, could she attract the Tyrant Demon Seed?
With one Saint-rank support and one Saint-rank offensive spirit beast, dominating the Sea Region would be child’s play.
Her heart filled with pleasant anticipation, Gong Lianyue continued her search for Moonlight Grass.
Two days later, standing amidst a withered patch of Moonlight Grass, the silver-haired girl closed her eyes, sensing the overflowing moonlight spirit energy within her.
Gong Lianyue had found more than ten Moonlight Grass patches, some with only a few hundred stalks, others with thousands.
The moonlight spirit energy within her was almost overflowing, threatening to burst the Void Moon Stone pendant.
For her, it might be a burden, but for the insatiable Steel Moon Chapter, it was a mere drop in the bucket, instantly devoured.
As the accumulated moonlight spirit energy was depleted, the illusory Steel Moon armor expanded, the scales multiplying, forming a single, heavy, steel arm with a silver hook, appearing within Gong Lianyue’s soul.
The silver arm guard pulsed with moonlight aura, creating a terrifying pressure that cracked the surrounding ground.
The air around Gong Lianyue distorted, a stark contrast to before.
Tens of thousands of Moonlight Grass stalks, and she had only managed to create a single arm guard…
If the Steel Moon Chapter was fully formed, just how powerful would its aura be?!
She was fortunate Moonlight Grass was so abundant in the Storm Realm. Otherwise, she would never be able to afford this!
Gong Lianyue felt a surge of gratitude for being in the Wind Realm. These weeds, trampled underfoot by others, were priceless treasures to her.
Not just Moonlight Grass, but perhaps there were even more powerful, moonlight-related treasures here, all available at bargain prices.
Since absorbing Moonlight Grass replenished her spirit energy, she regretted buying all that Clear Soul Grass…
Gong Lianyue continued to scour the surrounding area, confident she could fully awaken the Lost Scroll soon.
Storm Realm, Shadowcandle Temple
Within a dark, gloomy palace, flickering candlelight illuminated the oppressive atmosphere.
A beautiful green-haired woman was tied to a stone pillar, her clothes disheveled, her eyes vacant, a single teardrop clinging to the corner of her mouth.
While the Sorrowful Saintess idled away her time in Gray Shadow Mountain, the Wrathful Saintess had been captured by the Windchaser Emperor, one of the Wind Realm’s Four Guardians, and imprisoned.
A woman with purple pigtails and a veil paced back and forth, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“So, still feeling defiant?”
“I’m warning you, I’ve already informed the Sea Region! The Ice Shield Palace will attack soon!” Luo Kuxin retorted.
“Oh? It was the Windchaser Emperor who attacked you. What did we, innocent Spirit Masters, do?” the purple-haired woman replied, her voice dripping with false innocence.
“Then who’s torturing me right now!?”
“Torturing? You call this torture?” The purple-haired woman pulled out a fluffy cotton ball from her skirt and began tickling Luo Kuxin’s bare foot.
“Aaaaaah!!!!!”
The green-haired girl’s body convulsed, her screams echoing, her face contorted in agony.
The purple-haired woman laughed, her amusement growing.
“Go ahead, tell everyone that the Wrathful Saintess was tickled and bullied by the Saintess of the Shadowcandle Temple. Let’s see what the Ice Shield Palace, no, the entire Sea Region, thinks of you then.”
Swish!
The next second, the green-haired girl vanished, the ropes binding her falling to the ground.
The Shadowcandle Temple Saintess’s eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the empty pillar.
These were spirit artifact restraints created by the Nether Bell Maiden, one of the Wind Realm’s Four Guardians! How could they be broken so easily?!
[Soul Prison Trial, Session 218]
[Soul Prison Trial, Third Level: The Dark Ages]
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