Chapter 778: Night Moon Charm
The night was quiet and cold, the earth vast and empty. Only when the wind blew was there a rustling sound. Under the dim night, one could not see too clearly. The grassland undulated like the sea, stretching to the end of the earth—a scene of desolation.
On this chilly night, in this desolate and boundless world, two figures walked side by side, like a pair of banished immortals treading on waves, strolling across the endless prairie under the moonlight.
For hundreds of thousands of li, there was no sign of human habitation. Occasionally, a lone wolf would howl at the moon, swallowing its essence to refine a demonic core, and nothing else.
Ye Fan and An Miaoyi both remained silent. They simply walked through the void like this, strolling along, experiencing a sense of clarity and gentleness.
No longer distant, no longer cold, no longer pushing each other away. At this moment, a hazy light connected them, as if they had become one.
"I want to go back to the Western Desert," An Miaoyi said softly after a long time. Her black hair cascaded down, making her face, as smooth as mutton-fat jade, appear even fairer and more crystalline.
"Why? Isn't it good to stay?" Ye Fan asked.
"My Dao lies in the Western Desert. My path must be walked by myself. To reach perfection, I need to experience it personally," An Miaoyi said. Her figure was slender and graceful. Under the cold moonlight, she seemed as if she might ride the wind and depart, returning to the heavenly gates.
"How can I rest easy letting you journey west alone? I said I would protect your path. How could I let you go by yourself?" Ye Fan looked at her steadily.
"One must walk one's own path. If I need your help even to sever the Dao at the Third Immortal Stage, what right do I have to embark on the long cultivation road ahead? I'm not a burden, you know." Saying this, An Miaoyi let out a light laugh, and the entire quiet night seemed to brighten at once. She radiated a stunning beauty, her graceful body flowing with a layer of holy radiance. "Wait until your Sacred Body has achieved success, or even reached Great Accomplishment, before protecting my path for me."
Ye Fan stared at her, momentarily at a loss for words. She was a captivating woman, breathtakingly so. Many things didn't need to be said; they were already understood.
"The path of cultivation is full of unpredictability, especially the hurdle of severing the Dao at the Third Immortal Stage. Even the most stunning individuals can encounter accidents. In ancient times, some Human Clan Great Sages barely survived, struggling through and nearly severing themselves," Ye Fan said.
This hurdle was full of variables, extremely complex. The Dao to be severed was difficult, with great implications. It was said that even some Ancient Great Emperors had nearly fallen at this stage in their youth.
Different experiences led to different encounters, and thus different severings of the Dao. Talent and aptitude might not be helpful; they could even become obstacles.
"Little man, are you worried about me?" An Miaoyi smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling with wisdom. "This hurdle must be crossed on one's own. It concerns the future path, and only personal experience will do."
Seeing her so determined, Ye Fan's heart tightened. Though it wasn't absolute, some stunning individuals might face even greater resistance.
"Stay, then. I won't interfere unless it's a critical moment."
An Miaoyi shook her head, firm in her resolve. "My Dao fruit is in the Western Desert. I can only go there. Don't worry."
Ye Fan wanted to say something but didn't know how to begin. The Third Immortal Stage was truly unique. In ancient times, there were several heaven-defying prodigies who were said to rival or even surpass the young Great Emperors of their eras, yet they all fell at this stage. Their stories were recorded in history, unforgettable to later generations.
Sometimes people wondered: if those few had broken through, would there have been more Great Emperors? But there was no "if." Once you failed, no matter how stunning you once were, you became nothing but dust.
They fell silent again, walking across the desolate prairie under the moonlight, their robes fluttering, like a pair of immortal lovers.
"Do you believe in an afterlife?" After who knew how long, An Miaoyi suddenly asked.
"Why do you ask?" Ye Fan looked at her.
"The Buddhist tradition speaks of suffering in this life to cultivate the next," An Miaoyi said.
"Who can say for sure about the next life? Have you ever seen a reincarnated Ancient Great Emperor? Even such beings never reappeared. How can one believe in it?"
"How do you know that the Ancient Great Emperors didn't attain the Dao in that life because of their past?" An Miaoyi smiled.
"Aren't you cultivating both Buddhism and Daoism? Buddhism speaks of the next life, Daoism values this one. Don't think too vaguely," Ye Fan said gravely.
"You should know that there are deities within the Dao Palace. It's said that the past self chants sutras for this life, illuminating the present. I feel as if I've perceived my past self, so I have some belief in a future self," An Miaoyi laughed.
The human body has five great secret realms. Cultivating any one to its utmost could grant heaven-shaking, earth-shattering power. Many ancient sages specialized in a single realm.
The Dao Palace, the second great secret realm, had once confused Ye Fan as well. He had heard the past self chanting sutras for this life, and some called it the Dao self, sensing the heavenly rules and Dao order.
"Don't think too much," Ye Fan said to her. The woman before him seemed ethereal, and he feared that once she left, he might never see her again.
Before they knew it, they arrived before a great mountain. There were few mountains on the grassland—it was mostly flat—but when one appeared, it was always towering and majestic.
On the cliff walls, orchids bloomed with fragrance, exotic flowers blossomed, and dragon grasses swayed, their scent spreading.
"Look at those flowers. When the autumn wind comes, they all return to the roots and turn to mud. Yet after a spring rain, they bloom again. Perhaps it's the same for people," An Miaoyi said softly.
"What's wrong with you? Have you sensed something?" Ye Fan turned abruptly, staring at her intently.
An Miaoyi's black hair danced in the wind, her skin crystalline and radiant, her forehead fair, her eyes lively and spirited. Her figure was graceful and slender, radiating divine brilliance like a deity—bright, stunning, and heart-stirring.
At this moment, though she stood right before him, she felt very distant. Her voice was ethereal: "If I truly fall, just think of it as watching a beautiful rain of flowers bloom and then wither."
"Why say that?" Ye Fan grabbed her shoulders.
"Don't worry. Perhaps after ten lives, or a hundred, I'll reappear, like those withered flowers that bloom again. One day, I'll still be radiant in this world. The condition is that you attain the Dao, so you can wait for that day. Perhaps you'll see a flower that seems familiar, blooming anew." An Miaoyi's smile was brilliant, but it made his heart ache.
"What are you saying? Don't think about these things. What afterlife? What past? I only want to be invincible in this life. All karma, all Buddhist teachings—I'll shatter them all!" Ye Fan said.
"Little man, you're so domineering. I hope you become invincible in this life too. All entanglements, all Buddhist fate, all chaotic fruits—smash them all, crush them completely!" An Miaoyi laughed, like a divine flower blooming, at her most radiant and captivating.
They climbed the mountain step by step, saying nothing for a long time. They ascended slowly, not using their power, like mortals climbing a path.
"Little man, don't worry about me. Just think of it as my rambling," An Miaoyi's laughter echoed through the mountains, pleasant to the ear.
"Why did you choose this path?" Ye Fan asked.
"There are thousands of paths, but for each person, there are only two: the right one and the wrong one," An Miaoyi replied calmly.
"Is there a Bodhisattva or a Buddha guiding your way forward?" Ye Fan asked, then looked toward the Western Desert. "Alright then. When I'm invincible in this life, I'll go there and take a stroll. With my fists, I'll shatter all karma and climb Mount Sumeru to see for myself."
"Let's not talk about this anymore. The future is too distant. Focus on the present, on this moment." An Miaoyi's smile was enchanting, her eyes like two pools of water, soft enough to melt the hardest steel.
They reached the top of the mountain. Ahead, mist filled the air. It was a hot spring, bubbling and flowing into a pool before them, like an immortal lake, steaming with vapor.
Nearby, wildflowers bloomed in profusion, covering the ground in a riot of colors—purple, red, and every shade in between—fragrant and refreshing, as if they had stepped into a paradise.
An Miaoyi stood on the peak, spun around, and began to dance lightly, like a fairy from the Guanghan Palace, graceful and enchanting.
Her black hair was lustrous, her face stunning, her large eyes lively, her skin like congealed fat, her neck as white as a swan's. Under the moonlight, she was like a spirit of the night, breathtakingly beautiful.
Her curves were elegant. Her white gauze dress could barely contain her full breasts, her waist was slender enough to be encircled by a hand, and her long, straight legs moved gracefully as she danced, carrying a charm that could topple nations. Her figure was peerless.
When agile, she was like a celestial maiden from the Nine Heavens, untouched by worldly dust. When languid and radiant, her smile over her shoulder could bewitch all beings, turning the world upside down.
This ancient, world-toppling beauty was stunning beyond compare, flawless to the point of making one suspect she was the most perfect creation of the heavens.
She danced under the night moon, then sang softly. Her enchanting voice lingered in the ears, full of divine charm, intoxicating.
"Little man, I have to go..." She landed gracefully, turned, and seemed about to ride the wind away. "She's coming back. My time is running out."
Ye Fan grabbed her, staying silent, just looking at her.
An Miaoyi laughed lightly, her eyes seductive, stirring his heart.
With a spin, they pressed together. Under the night moon, by the misty hot spring, her white robes were like flowers, fluttering lightly.
It was a body of pure white, glowing with a crystalline luster under the moonlight. Every inch radiated brilliance, incredibly holy.
Yet when An Miaoyi smiled, it was a smile that could topple a city, indescribably captivating. Her world-bewitching charm clashed with her holiness, creating a beautiful contradiction.
Holy as a goddess, yet with the seductive grace of one who had fallen into the mortal world. Her white jade-like body twisted lightly like a water snake, stirring the blood.
They merged together, moving nimbly under the night moon like immortal lovers. The hot spring's mist obscured the view, but faintly, two figures could be seen—a scene of paradise.
Crystalline petals danced, covering the entire hot spring pool, turning it into a place of spirit and desire.
When the breeze blew and the mist parted, one could glimpse a body as white as ivory entwined with a strong, bronze-hued physique.
The silver moon moved westward. Who knew how long passed before the hot spring pool grew still. The two bodies lay together, gazing at the starry sky, silent for a long time.
After another half hour, An Miaoyi's body shimmered with crystalline light, pure and flawless. She turned lightly, floating into the air, and a white dress fell, covering her jade-like form.
Ye Fan also rose, looking at her quietly, feeling a great distance between them.
A crystalline flower petal drifted down, landing between An Miaoyi's slender fingers, making her seem even more ethereal, pure, distant, and unattainable.
"Flowers have their day of rebirth, and people have their time of return. When I look back, my heart remains the same. Even if the flowers wither, after ten lives, a hundred lives, we will meet again. If you attain the Dao, look with your heart for that familiar flower."
An Miaoyi smiled amidst the rain of petals, free and natural, and then she departed, making Ye Fan's heart tremble.
That magnificent figure was forever imprinted on his heart. The departing An Miaoyi, like a divine Buddha holding a flower and smiling—that moment of charm, that instant of beauty, became an eternal image.
A scene of emotion, a scene of emotion. I don't know how well I wrote it. I'm really not good at writing emotional scenes. If you think this is acceptable, please cast your *** to encourage me. Let me see your thoughts, and I'll adjust my ideas accordingly.
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