HSSB638: Ritual of Dim Sun and Cold Moon
While a great sun was rising before his eyes, Yan Zhaoge was unable to feel any heat or warmth.
That was because the sun before him was, shockingly, black.
It was no longer a streak of brightness emitted amidst boundless dimness. Instead, it was like infinite dimness had been nurtured within radiance.
Yan Zhaoge’s heart jolted slightly. Looking over, he saw that there was still dim blue moonlight beside the great black sun.
The sun and the moon moved together, the sun jet-black while the moon was also not as it normally was, bright and pure as it illuminated the heavens and earth.
This moon was pale and ashen, emitting streaks of ice-blue radiance that caused a chill to arise in the hearts of those who saw it.
“Dim sun and cold moon?” Seeing this scene, Yan Zhaoge was taken slightly aback yet also felt emotionally that it was indeed so.
While the Dim Sun Cold Moon Ritual was a ritual that had not existed before the time of the Great Calamity and he had never encountered it before, looking at that black sun and that ice-blue full moon and connecting them to the Dim Darkness Sect’s martial art legacies and current situation, Yan Zhaoge immediately understood the Dim Darkness Sect’s goal in aiming to perform this ritual.
The people of the Dim Darkness Sect wanted to artificially create a dim sun and a cold moon before making use of this power of reversed sun and moon to undergo a baptism.
The current number one expert of the Dim Darkness Sect was their Chief Zhou Haosheng, who was a longtime rival of the Chief of the Radiant Light Sect, Luo Zhitao.
He was similarly an expert of the sixth level of the Martial Saint realm, the late Seeing Divinity stage. Zhao Haosheng had been stuck at this cultivation level for too long a time.
This time, he wanted to make use of the Dim Sun Cold Moon Ritual to break through that bottleneck of many years, stepping into the early Immortal Bridge stage of the Martial Saint realm.
As Yan Zhaoge pondered, he saw the dim sun and cold moon before him trembling slightly, shaking alongside the unique space of darkness that he was currently in.
“The Grand Xuan Dynasty has managed to find the Dim Darkness Sect’s main altar through those extended vines,” Yan Zhaoge realised, “How fast.”
The sky opened in the space above the vast ocean in the southeastern part of the Royal Reed Sea, an incomparably massive black hole seemingly revealed.
In the depths of that black hole, a massive cliff hovered within the air atop which sat a majestic city.
The city and the cliff were shockingly both completely jet-black, seemingly having become one with the surrounding darkness which was unceasingly extending into the surroundings, devouring even more light.
Currently, this city and the cliff it was on were connected to several dim pillars of light that resembled chains as well as black smoke which extended through space to locations unknown.
These light pillars and black smoke doubtlessly originated from the various Dim Darkness Sect branch altars far away.
The dim light pillars traversed the heavens and the earth, intersecting and intermingling as they converged at the main altar of the Dim Darkness Sect, forming a massive spirit formation together with the branch altars which enveloped a whole corner of the Royal Reed Sea.
However, before the dim light pillars had appeared, the black smoke that also originated from the various branch altars had already congregated at the Dim Darkness Sect’s main altar, exposing its location.
The very space shook as an all-encompassing sea of flames swept through it.
The might of the flames was such that they were even more terrifying than that caused by the Grand Xuan Dynasty over at the Dim Darkness Sect’s branch altar located at the Flourishing Peace Region.
The blazing fire was actually not devoured by the black hole, instead causing the black hole to distort and dissipate as it was actually the flames that were unceasingly devouring and incinerating the dark space as a result.
The fiery light gradually began to dispel the darkness, even illuminating that jet-black city and cliff.
Within the unique space Yan Zhaoge was in that was created by the Dim Sun Cold Moon Ritual, he could feel a majestic will appearing close to him that seemed to envelop the entire sky.
A pair of eyes seemed to have opened, gazing at the blazing flames sweeping over from outside.
The aura emanated by the other party was even stronger than that of the Grand Xuan Dynasty’s Lord Protector Zheng.
Whilst all being experts of the sixth level of the Martial Saint realm, there were still differences in strength between them. A longtime expert like the Chief of the Dim Darkness Sect’s Zhou Haosheng naturally displayed even greater power and might.
Even though those eyes were not staring at him, Yan Zhaoge could feel his entire body grow numb.
Silently circulating the Peerless Heavenly Scripture, Yan Zhaoge seemed to entirely turn into nothingness, merging with and becoming no different at all from that dim light within space.
The attention of the Chief of the Dim Darkness Sect, Zhou Haosheng, was currently placed entirely on the outside world.
Because the enemy he would be facing was even stronger than him!
The terrifying boundless sea of flames split to the sides, multiple figures appearing who were in an orderly formation as they stood atop the air together.
In the centre of the formation, numerous experts protected a dragon carriage, waved a dragon flag, carried fans, raised a golden umbrella, with a dragon banner fluttering as there were also multiple colourful embellishments all around.
Atop the dragon carriage and in a black dragon robe with an authoritative gaze and a mighty crown on his head sat the third generation King of the Xuan Dynasty, King Xuanmu.
Directly beside King Xuanmu shockingly sat another person had an even stronger aura than him.
This person appeared to be in his early twenties from the outside, yet had an ancient, heavy gaze.
While he was sitting beside King Xuanmu, the feeling he emanated was that of someone who was on a higher level than him as others could not help but feel awed.
Swivelling his head to look at this person, King Xuanmu said slowly, “Please assist, Senior Uncle.”
The other party did not speak as he merely raised a hand and pointed towards the distant main altar of the Dim Darkness Sect. A streak of light that resembled a sword of water appeared, resembling a long river as it swept over towards that black cliff as well as city.
Around the Dim Darkness Sect’s main altar, streams of dim light circulated, forming a massive formation which manifested in boundless darkness.
Wherever the darkness touched, the blazing fire would instantly be stopped in its tracks, even coming to be devoured by the darkness instead.
However, wherever that sword-light that resembled water went, all colour appeared pale and helpless as everything seemed to be ageing and decaying amidst the onrushing grand river of time.
Light and darkness seemed to have lost all significance at this moment, all things becoming mere symbols in the face of the river of time.
Within the main altar of the Dim Darkness Sect, a white-clothed old man expressionlessly watched this scene, a great black sun and a blue full moon hovering high above his head, dim radiance descending which illuminated his body.
Black light arose from the body of this white-clothed old man, dense black incantations suddenly surfacing on the exterior of his white robe.
He pushed horizontally forward with his palms, boundless darkness enveloping the Dim Darkness Sect main altar which obstructed all light from entering.
The world seemed to have no brightness left within whatsoever as all returned to the initial universe of primordial darkness.
That sword-light that resembled water was also obstructed outside by the darkness now.
However, the sinuous sword-light coiled about the darkness, beginning to unceasingly whittle away at the defensive power of the Dim Darkness Sect’s guardian grand formation, the Primordial Wilderness Formation.
Now, King Xuanmu made his move as well, leading the experts of the Grand Xuan Dynasty under his command to attack the Primordial Wilderness Formation.
All-encompassing blazing fire surged once more, dispelling layers of darkness with the assistance of the sword-light that resembled water.
Within the main altar of the Dim Darkness Sect, the white robe on the body of Chief Zhou Haosheng was already filled with incantations, causing the robe to be dyed entirely black.
Darkness that resembled the sum total of lengthy dark nights of millennia past unceasingly resisted the attacks from the outside world. However, it still felt hard pressed to withstand them now.
Zhou Haosheng was currently not looking at King Xuanmu, instead gazing at that person who appeared young yet possessed an ancient gaze.
“Seventh level of the Martial Saint realm, early Immortal Bridge stage!” Zhao Haosheng paused with each word.
That person sitting beside King Xuanmu suddenly stood up, spiritual light flashing above his head as he disembarked from the dragon carriage.
He strode forth, arriving above the Dim Darkness Sect main altar before stomping downwards.
Light circulated beneath his foot as the sword-light that resembled water appeared once more, gushing straight downwards like a waterfall as it descended towards the Dim Darkness Sect.