Chapter 1516: Moon God Returns
The Moon God was an ancient deity, and even after disappearing for a hundred thousand years, she still held considerable renown in the Heavenly Realm. A hundred thousand years ago, the Moon God had suffered extremely severe injuries in the Underworld, exhausting all her divine power, forcing her to slumber within the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin. Even now, with only ten to twenty percent of her divine power restored, none of the gods in the Heavenly Realm would dare underestimate her.
The Moon God's beautiful figure slowly descended, landing atop the Guanghan Divine Palace. Her skin, like divine jade, radiated a brilliant light, illuminating the vast expanse of the Shatuo Heaven Domain. Throughout the entire Heavenly Realm, it would be difficult to find a few gods with her peerless elegance and beauty that outshone all living beings.
Above, the three-colored divine clouds began to contract, transforming into a giant beast with three heads. The beast's body stretched for hundreds of miles, as massive as the Moon God Mountain, covered in scales, resembling an elephant yet not quite, its wings spreading out to become two black clouds. Its six eyes emitted terrifying divine light, like six suns suspended between heaven and earth. That giant beast was merely a divine thought of a god.
"Moon God, do you not know that blaspheming a deity is a capital offense?" The giant beast spoke in human tongue, its aura overwhelmingly powerful. Every word it uttered contained the divine power to destroy heaven and earth, as if it would shatter this realm.
The Moon God remained very calm, asking Yükong Dacheng, "Did you ever curse the Yan God by name?"
Yükong Dacheng clasped his hands and bowed to the Moon God, neither humble nor arrogant, replying, "No, I did not."
"Did you deliberately damage the Yan God's divine statue, or commit any act of blasphemy against the Yan God?" the Moon God asked again.
"No, I did not," Yükong Dacheng said.
The Moon God raised her head again, fixing her gaze on the giant beast, and said, "I have already asked him. He did not blaspheme you."
"Chi chi."
Flames surged from all six eyes of the giant beast, enveloping the entire region of the Moon God Mountain in fire. It let out a roar, "Moon God, do you insist on protecting him?"
"I am the god of the Guanghan Realm, so naturally I must protect its living beings. Was that not an unnecessary question?" the Moon God said.
"Today, I will slay him nonetheless."
The giant beast flapped its wings, stirring up a violent storm of flames. A pair of massive claws, carrying divine might, pierced through the firestorm and descended upon Yükong Dacheng's head.
Divine might enveloped the Moon God Mountain. All the Great Saints of the Guanghan Realm felt immense pressure, as if this world were about to be destroyed. The Half-Saints of the Guanghan Realm gathered near the Moon God Mountain were suppressed by that divine power, all kneeling prostrate, trembling, their hearts on the verge of collapse from fear.
Yükong Dacheng, however, laughed heartily, "To be killed by a god is a worthy death, a worthy death... haha..."
The Moon God's gaze turned extremely cold. Then, a dazzling divine light flew from between her brows, shooting out to hundreds of thousands of miles away. The giant beast was struck by the divine light and turned to dust.
The Moon God's gaze looked toward a certain direction in the Heavenly Realm, and she said solemnly, "Destroying one of your divine thoughts is just a warning. If you provoke me again, then a divine war will begin."
The thunderous divine voice echoed between heaven and earth. Many cultivators in the Heavenly Realm heard this voice, all filled with shock and uncertainty. Then, they respectfully bowed toward the direction of the Moon God Mountain—a reverence born from a cultivator's innate awe of the gods.
Inside the Merit Divine Temple was an independent world. The Yan God was within that world, his true body thousands of times larger than the giant beast just now. He let out a deep roar, his anger soaring to the heavens: "Moon God, when the Guanghan Realm becomes the next battlefield, let's see if you can still be so arrogant. At that time, don't come begging me, or you will pay a heavy price."
...
The Great Saints and Half-Saints of the Guanghan Realm trembled with excitement. When the Moon God was not in the Heavenly Realm, the gods of other great worlds could bully the beings of the Guanghan Realm at will. Even the descendants of those gods acted superior in front of the Guanghan Realm's cultivators. Even when bullied, the cultivators of the Guanghan Realm dared to be angry but not speak out. Now that the Moon God had returned to the Heavenly Realm, the cultivators of the Guanghan Realm finally had backing and support. The Moon God's assertiveness moved countless cultivators to tears.
Yükong Dacheng was the most moved. His proud and upright figure seemed to shrink, and he knelt on one knee: "Thank you, Moon God."
"Rise. In the Guanghan Realm, those above the Saint level need not kneel to gods," the Moon God said.
Jiuling Dacheng stepped forward from among the Great Saints and asked, "Moon God, what was the result of the Divine-level Merit War?"
The Moon God gently shook her head and said, "The Divine-level Merit War is just a formality. How easy is it to kill a god? If my divine power were fully restored, perhaps I could have made some gains."
Killing a Great Saint was no easy task, let alone a god, whose life level was far higher. If a god from a certain great world could kill a god from the Hell Realm, that great world's ranking on the "Myriad Worlds Merit Ranking" would immediately rise significantly, and all beings of that great world could hold their heads high in the Heavenly Realm.
Jiuling Dacheng immediately understood that this Merit War, the gods of the Shatuo Seven Realms had probably all returned empty-handed. The final outcome of the Merit War would ultimately depend on the Saint-level Merit War, the Saint King-level Merit War, and the Great Saint-level Merit War.
The faces of the Great Saints present were all unpleasant, filled with self-blame and shame. Because the Guanghan Realm had ranked last in the Great Saint-level Merit War, its collected merit points were even lower than those of the Kunlun Realm, which had far fewer Great Saints. No matter how proud they were inwardly, they were now deeply ashamed before the Moon God. Moreover, the situation in the Saint King-level Merit War was also grim; the Guanghan Realm had been overtaken by the Kunlun Realm, becoming the last place. Tonight at midnight, the Merit War would end, and turning things around seemed impossible.
Now, not only the Great Saints present, but also the millions of races and billions of beings of the entire Guanghan Realm, had placed all their hopes on that Merit Battlefield in the Zuling Realm. More precisely, on that young man standing atop the Qifeng Sacred Mountain. At this moment, that man was the hope of the entire Guanghan Realm. His figure seemed as towering as the Moon God's, worthy of admiration and respect.
So far, the Guanghan Realm still held first place in the Saint-level Merit War. As long as they could maintain this until midnight tonight, it would be a victory, equivalent to saving the entire Guanghan Realm. At this moment, everyone was anxious, worried about accidents, hoping only that the Saint-level Merit War would end soon.
"Moon God, there are unfair aspects to the Saint-level Merit War. Moreover, the Rakshasa Clan's power is vast, and they have long plotted to annihilate the Saints of the Shatuo Seven Realms. Could you negotiate with the gods of the Merit Divine Temple to end the battle early?" Yükong Dacheng said.
The Moon God's gaze fixed on the battlefield mirror in the sky. On the mirror, the Saints of the Guanghan Realm kept dying and falling, but her eyes remained calm throughout. Finally, the Moon God's gaze locked onto Zhang Ruochen and said, "The Saint-level Merit War is brutal, with countless casualties on the Heavenly Realm's side. But rules are rules. Changing the rules would mean greater unfairness."
"But the Rakshasa Princess mobilized three million Rakshasa Marquis troops into the Zuling Realm. Why did the Heavenly Realm not intercept them?" Yükong Dacheng expressed his confusion.
The Moon God said, "In your view, should the number of cultivators from the Heavenly Realm and the Hell Realm on the battlefield be equal for it to be fair? Who would offer you such fairness?"
Yükong Dacheng was speechless, because he also understood that war and slaughter existed precisely because of unfairness.
The Moon God said, "The Rakshasa Princess is very clever. She only dispatched three million Rakshasa Marquises, which is the limit of what the Heavenly Realm can tolerate. If she had dispatched five million Rakshasa Marquises, the Heavenly Realm would definitely have intervened. Because that situation would no longer be called unfairness, but slaughter."
Yükong Dacheng added, "The Yan God also used divine power to protect the Merit Ledger Wall. Does that count as interfering in the Merit War?"
The Moon God was silent for a moment, then said, "There is nothing wrong with that. The Merit Ledger Wall should not have been destroyed. The meaning of the Merit War is to resist the Hell Realm. The Yan God merely played some small tricks within the rules. To counter such tricks, I can only do some things within the rules."
The eyes of the Great Saints present all lit up slightly. Indeed, the Moon God would not sit idly by. But what did she mean by "things within the rules"?
"Look! Zhang Ruochen has actually entered the battlefield!" a cry of surprise rang out.
Then, one after another, gazes turned to the battlefield mirror above. Sure enough, Zhang Ruochen was no longer staying atop the Qifeng Sacred Mountain. He had rushed down the sacred mountain, turning into a streak of fire, speeding toward an area where Rakshasa Marquises were gathered.
The Great Saints present were all puzzled. Could Zhang Ruochen not see the situation? Now, guarding the Merit Ledger Wall was the greatest victory. Joining the battle would certainly add many variables. If the Merit Ledger Wall were lost, it would be a disaster for all beings of the Guanghan Realm.
"Divine Envoy, oh Divine Envoy, please don't stir things up. You've guarded the Merit Ledger Wall for so long; don't let an accident happen in the last half day."
In the Guanghan Realm, many beings felt their hearts about to leap out of their chests. Some even knelt and prayed, hoping Zhang Ruochen could guard the Merit Ledger Wall until the last moment.
The Moon God's gaze fixed on the area Zhang Ruochen was charging toward. There, nearly two hundred Saints from the Kunlun Realm were gathered. They were surrounded by a large number of Rakshasa Marquises. Many were injured, and people kept falling; the situation was already precarious. Those Saints...
The Moon God felt a sense of familiarity. Back when Zhang Ruochen attacked the Demon Sect's headquarters, it seemed these Saints had followed him, fighting alongside him. At that time, to take those Saints away, Zhang Ruochen had nearly fallen out with her. Unfortunately, in the end, all those Saints had remained in the Kunlun Realm.
The cultivators of the Guanghan Realm could not understand Zhang Ruochen's actions, but the Moon God understood. In Zhang Ruochen's heart, all the beings of the Guanghan Realm combined were probably not as important as those Saints.
Inside the Merit Divine Temple, the Yan God was also closely watching the Saint-level Merit War, his attention focused on Zhang Ruochen. Seeing Zhang Ruochen join the battlefield, the Yan God revealed a cold smile: "Finally, a variable has appeared. Moon God, relying on this brat to help you keep the Guanghan Realm will only be like drawing water with a bamboo basket—all in vain."
...
(There were some system issues yesterday, causing chapter confusion. It should be fixed by now.)