Chapter 711: The Meaning of Moonrite
The transformations to Moonrite began after Crimson Mother reached godly ascension and fought Li Zihua. Perhaps their battle did not end as neatly as people in subsequent epochs believed. Perhaps their fight pierced through space-time from the ancient past until modern times, continuing all along in a way that ordinary people couldn’t comprehend. Perhaps it went on for countless years....
But in the end, the battle concluded, and the final exclamation point was added. The dark haze that had covered the region for too many years to count finally disappeared along with the red moon.
Where did the red moon go? Was Crimson Mother actually dead? Would Li Zihua appear again...?
No one knew the answers to such questions, not even the people who had personally participated in the battle.
To all the other living beings in the Moonrite Region, the main thing that was certain was that the battle was going to become a thing of legend, talked about from generation to generation in the years to come. It was also possible to imagine how, years in the future, people born in this region would read about the battle in various ancient records. There, they would read about how their region had once been afflicted with a curse. They would also learn about how the curse was ended by that legendary showdown.
If, one day, later generations in the region earned the qualification to step through time, maybe they would return to this day to see how the Moonrite Region changed when the red moon disappeared.
Living beings began to recover. Hope had returned. The waters of the Yin Sacrifice River were already changing. They were no longer blood-red, but rather, clear. The innumerable corpses that once filled the river turned into silt that sank to the bottom. The people no longer had the red moon curse in their blood. There was no need for painquelling lozenges, nor any need for cursequelling lozenges. The people were no longer forced to stay inside the region. Once again, the people of Moonrite had freedom.
And yet, after the countless epochs of torment and despair, even though they now stood at the beginning of a new era, and were cheering excitedly, that couldn’t erase the exhaustion in their hearts. They were tired. Moonrite needed to rest and recover.
The Heir Apparent stepped forward. Given his identity, he had to live up to his responsibility and mission. His cultivation base was up to the task. As hope returned to everyone, the Heir Apparent accepted the power and authority that had once belonged to his father. He would be the ruler of Moonrite. [1]
The Heir Apparent had a new Moon Palace built in the Bitter Life Mountains. Henceforth, that is where he would rule from, and it was the location from where he would safeguard the entire region.
In the depths of the Moon Palace was an ordinary medicine shop. No special explanations were necessary regarding the shop. It was part of the entire legend, going back to the very beginning. The owner of the medicine shop wasn’t the Heir Apparent. It was a person named Xu Qing.
In terms of the Moonrite Region’s allegiance, the Heir Apparent chose not to join with the rest of humankind. His region would be independent.
The name Moonrite remained the same. However, the meaning was different.
The ‘rite’ wasn’t about a rite of sacrifice. It was a rite of offering. And the offering was the red moon! That was the decision made by the Heir Apparent and his siblings, and it was a decision backed by the people of the region.
Princess Brightblossom had her set of responsibilities. She went to the northern ice plains, to the spot where she had been previously sealed. There in the north, she established an educational establishment called the Northbright Palace. In the years to come, she would teach the people everything she knew.
Fifth Sister had her own mission. She tapped into her abilities to repair the Mirror of Moonrebel. After the work was done, she lifted it high into the canopy of heaven over the Moonrite Region. It became a sun. She chose to enter the Mirror of Moonrebel and sit there in meditation for all eternity. By releasing her authority and making herself part of the light of that sun, it ensured that the sunlight that shone onto the Moonrite Region was full of nourishment and life force.
The cultivators of the Moonrebel Congregation were free again. They could now choose their own path. Some of them decided to end their affiliation with the Moonrebel Congregation, and return to their species to lend their strength to the recovery efforts. Others chose to stay in the Mirror of Moonrebel, gain unlimited life force, and stand as guardians of the sun. The final portion chose to join the Heir Apparent in standing guard over their home.
Eighth Sib made a different choice compared to his siblings. His personality didn’t suit a sedentary life, and his years in imprisonment had given him a unique view of the transformations in the outside world. Thus, he chose to wander. He left the Moonrite Region to see all the familiar and unfamiliar things out in the Revered Ancient mainland.
Then there was Ninth Sib.... As the strongest of the siblings, he went to the Penitence Steppes to find the mountain of flesh that had once been his father, and was now the foundation of the forbidden region. There, he sat down cross-legged and unmoving. His divine will filled the forbidden region, then spread out through the Moonrite Region. He was working on his cultivation, but at the same time, seeking to find the path his father had once walked.
And thus, events wound to a conclusion in the Moonrite Region.
Everyone who had participated in the final battle with Crimson Mother benefited in different ways. Such details weren’t made public. But everyone seemed pleased with how things turned out.
Emperor Ancient Spirit didn’t seek out Xu Qing. Clearly he had benefited handsomely. Moonfire and Starfire didn’t show up again either. There was no doubt that they had profited as well.
The Heir Apparent and his siblings didn’t talk about that subject. But given what they did after things were over, it seemed likely that they had received additional benefits from their father.
As for Xu Qing and the Captain.... On the surface, it seemed like they benefited the least of all. All they got was Crimson Mother’s doppelg?nger, Zhang Siyun. They had both worked incredibly hard in this effort, whether Xu Qing with his red moon authority, or the Captain with his past-life body or his Dawning Suns. Therefore, though the rewards they received were appropriate given the level of their cultivation base, it wasn’t commensurate with their overall effort.
As a result, the Captain repeatedly pleaded his case to the Heir Apparent and his siblings. He attempted to magically summon High God Moonfire in the hopes of laying out his argument. He even went so far as to ask Xu Qing to talk things out with Emperor Ancient Spirit and the clay fox. The Captain was like a worker hounding the boss for his paycheck. Sadly for him, High God Moonfire ignored him. Emperor Ancient Spirit never responded.
And after some thought, Xu Qing decided not to reach out to the clay fox.
However, the Heir Apparent and his siblings ended up looking at the Captain in the same way that an adult would look at a child who had behaved well.
Just about anyone else would probably be embarrassed having others look at them that way. But not the Captain. He just kept trying to convince them, all while looking resentful and sighing constantly. Eventually, the Captain took Xu Qing to a remote area, where he took out his two remaining Dawning Suns. Then he begged Xu Qing to bring out his own remaining sun. Still not convinced they were safe, the Captain spat out several mouthfuls of blood, sealed the area, then had Xu Qing unleash his red moon authority.
Although the red moon was gone, Xu Qing’s authority... was still there! There were some differences compared to before, although Xu Qing would need to do some research and study to figure out the specifics. Regardless, with that hard work done, the two of them had a safe place to split up the rewards they did have.
Eyebrows dancing up and down, and his face full of excitement, the Captain said, “Did you pick up on all that, little Ah Qing? We want everyone to think we didn’t make out with much in terms of rewards. That way, they won’t get jealous. Gods might be omniscient and omnipotent, but when it comes to Crimson Mother and Li Zihua, those effects are greatly diminished. And therefore... after this, we need to make a huge deal about not getting our fair share!”
Xu Qing nodded. He had known all along the Captain was putting on an act. Truth be told, although he wasn’t sure exactly how they had benefited, the way the Captain had blinked three times made it clear that they had done well.
“This time, little Ah Qing... we made out like bandits!!” The Captain’s voice trembled, and he was breathing heavily. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, he lowered his voice and continued, “Our reward isn’t just Crimson Mother’s doppelg?nger Zhang Siyun. We also got this!”
With a flourish, the Captain produced three fingernails....
“Do you know what these are, little Ah Qing? They’re Crimson Mother’s fingernails! They’re from a god body! These surpass any kind of precious treasure, even the fish bone weapons the old man gave us. They’re completely beyond the comparison of anything like that. Once we get back and the old man sees how we made out, he’ll be drooling nonstop. Hahaha!”
The Captain smiled proudly at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing looked expressionlessly at the three fingernails. Then he looked up at the Captain. He said nothing.
The Captain blinked a few times and then cleared his throat. “Little Ah Qing, do you know what the greatest pleasure in life is? It’s called being pleased! You should learn a bit about that. You see, I’m the kind of person that’s easy to please. Think about it. Crimson Mother is a High God. Not only did we eliminate any threat from Crimson Mother, but also, we got her doppelg?nger. And even better than that, we got these three fingernails. They’re rare items, and yet, since you’re my Junior Brother, little Ah Qing, it’s my job to take care of you. Therefore, I’ll give you two of them. One’s enough for me.”
Looking like the epitome of generosity, the Captain gave Xu Qing two fingernails. Then he turned to leave.
Xu Qing’s facial expression had remained extremely calm the entire time. After taking the two fingernails and putting them away, he took out a bamboo slip and started carving something onto it.
When the Captain noticed that, his heart suddenly started pounding. Hurrying over to Xu Qing’s side, he looked at the bamboo slip and saw his own name.... He blinked a few times and then cleared his throat.
“I was just joking around with you, little Junior Brother! Hahaha! Put that bamboo slip away... you really don’t need it.” Expression turning serious, the Captain lowered his voice again. “Our real reward obviously couldn’t just be three fingernails. It’s actually....”
The Captain once again waved his hand out in a flourish. Three bubbles appeared on his palm, within each of which was a finger covered with bloody feathers made of flesh. It was hard to say which finger was gorier than the other, but the godly power they emanated was incredibly intense.
1. Just to clarify, the ‘authority’ mentioned here is not the magical authority that has come up a lot recently. It’s the generic/mundane word for authority as wielded by governmental figures, leaders, etc. ☜