Translator: Subudai11 Editor: Chrissy

  "In view of the honest reply that I just made, may I ask if you could give me the spirit dog at your feet?"

  When Wang Lu tentatively asked for this request, the fairy’s expression was visibly stiff for an instant.

  However, the next moment, the gray shadow sprang up from the lake, breaking its calm.

  "Woof!"

  Wang Lu saw his pet dog Huahua excitedly pouncing on the white spirit dog at the fairy’s feet. However, that spirit dog threw it's face to the side in disgust and dodged Huahua. Empty handed, Huahua fell back into the lake.

  Wang Lu angrily glared at his pet dog. "Come back here!"

  Though it was unwilling, Huahua, after all, had a pet contract with Wang Lu. Therefore, it could not disobey Wang Lu’s order. After swimming to the shore, it took several steps towards Wang Lu. However, it struggled to stay still at Wang Lu’s feet. Very quickly, it spat out some human words.

  "Hey, hey, see that? Those two girls are so beautiful! I can’t hold myself back!"

  "…"

  The dog Huahua assumed an abnormally wretched expression. "The fairy is yours, and the other one is mine, what do you think?"

  Wang Lu sighed. "Indeed it is time to give you a castration."

  "Woof!?" Huahua’s whole body shivered in fear.

  Hearing the exchange between the man and his dog, the fairy on the lake chuckled, and then faintly said, "I’ve been waiting for you for a long time."

  Wang Lu was startled. "Been waiting for us for a long time? Aren’t this a bit too much? May I know whom I am speaking to?"

  The fairy said, "I am… Grand Cloud Mountain."

  Wang Lu said, "… You’re the Mountain Goddess?"

  "I dare not to claim myself as a goddess. I am just a spirit born nameless by the Grand Cloud Mountain, so I just assume the name Grand Cloud."

  Wang Lu curiously asked, "If you’re the mountain spirit of this mountain, then who’s that dog at your feet?"

  Grand Cloud fairy said, "The goal that you seek, moon spirit."

  Wang Lu could not help but wrinkle his brows. "They said her name is moon spirit, it’s because she was magically transformed by the moonlight, but ultimately, she’s still the mountain spirit born out of the Grand Cloud Mountain. Don’t tell me Grand Cloud Mountain can simultaneously conceive and accommodate two mountain spirits? If that’s true, this is a really rare phenomenon, worthy of record. Seeing your appearance, you should be older than the moon spirit; her elder sister? But you don’t seem very strong, hmm, in the books, it said that ancient creatures do not necessarily have to be strong. Some creatures do not have interest in immortal cultivation or transformation, so I assume you’re like one of them."

  Grand Cloud fairy shook her head. "I just don’t have a good aptitude. Grand Cloud Mountain is a blessed place, unfortunately, my spiritual opportunity is not good."

  Wang Lu said, "Well, regardless of that, since your origin is clear now, can you now please tell us, what exactly is going on?"

  "Moon spirit was born similar to me sixty years ago, where Emperor Essence appeared on the moonlight transformation day, she had the chance to take form. Afterwards, for sixty years, I protected her every day while she absorbed the moonlight essence, until now." The fairy then gently stroked the spirit dog’s head, gazing her with love-filled eyes. "If things go smoothly, in three days, on the fifteenth day of the sixth month, moon spirit will complete her form. However, as you can see, there are uninvited guests on the Grand Cloud Mountain… Therefore, I need your help."

  Wang Lu asked, "You’re the local mountain spirit, and the Grand Cloud Mountain is a blessed place, rich with spiritual energy. For a mountain spirit that can take form like you, you can gather the spiritual energy within five hundred kilometer radius of Grand Cloud Mountain. Thus, even if you can’t contend head-on against Beast Master School, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to guard the smooth tribulation of your sister right? For example, letting her absorb the Emperor Essence on this Green Lake and smoothly transform her form in secret. Even if they manage to refine their spiritual treasure, which power can cover the whole Grand Cloud Mountain, but with you, mountain spirit who has already transformed, you can chisel out a corner, just like the spiritual energy along the Feng Shui line, and cover the trail of moon spirit; and you say you need our help?"

  Grand Cloud fairy shook her head. "Things are indeed just like what you said, Beast Master School’s refined spiritual treasure is not the problem here; I alone can cope with it. The problem is that, three days later, when the Emperor Essence appears, if she doesn’t take this opportunity to absorb enough moonlight essence so that she can smoothly pass the form transformation tribulation, we can’t afford another sixty years. Sixty years is enough time for the Beast Master School to take root here. At that time, I’m afraid even I…"

  Wang Lu knitted his brows. "You mean, Beast Master School has a way to affect Emperor Essence? Is that a joke? This is nature’s natural change; even Deity Stage cultivator couldn’t shake it, much less them, a bunch of barbarians?"

  Grand Cloud fairy said, "They’re indeed not qualified. Therefore, this past year they have been collecting spirit beasts, ready to activate the great array of Ten Thousand Spirit Lock Termination."

  Wang Lu gasped in consternation. "Not the Ten Thousand Spirit Assemble? Wait a minute, these two arrays seem to have similar outcome even with different methods…"

  Wang Lu carefully recalled the array lesson taught by several elders in the Teng Cloud Hall; he pondered over it for a moment, and was startled even more. "It turns out to be so. Extracting the spirit of countless dogs and refining spirit beast collar the level of spiritual treasure was just camouflage. Their real purpose was to make use of these numerous spirit dogs and then blood-sacrificed them, to create a life resentment bomb. The negative energy from these resentful spirits would then stop the moonlight from gathering on the Grand Cloud Mountain. By then, moon spirit wouldn’t be able to absorb the moonlight essence, thus unable to transform her form, unable to leave Grand Cloud Mountain for another sixty years, truly becoming a thing in the Beast Master School palm! This is a f*cking good plan!"

  After successfully deducting the real plan of the Beast Master School, Wang Lu could not help but exclaim in admiration, "This bunch of barbarians are actually clever."

  As a former member of the Beast Master School, cat girl suddenly realized., "So that’s it, their real plan is actually this?"

  Wang Lu looked at her sympathetically; this idiot was a peak Jindan Stage, yet she didn’t even know the real plan of the Beast Master School! It seemed like she never entered the decision-making circle…


  "However, even if now we know of their plan, it seems like we can do nothing about it. If we want to break their Ten Thousand Spirit Lock Termination Array, it is necessary to enter the array and destroy its critical nodes. But doing this is no different than suicide."

  Wang Lu’s words were actually an understatement. Previously, just to cope with A Xia, he had to go all out, but, there were ten Jindan Stage Elders within Beast Master School Division, not to mention the Yuanying Stage Tiger King.

  Foundation Establishment successfully contending against Jindan was already enough to shock the entire Nine Regions. But, to contend against a Yuanying? That was basically breaking all the known laws.

  "Yes. With your strength, it is far from enough to be able to contend against Beast Master School cultivators." Grand Cloud fairy lightly said, "Therefore, I will help you improve your strength."

  While she spoke, dim light emitted out of the Green Lake. A silver light that came from the bottom of the lake caught Wang Lu’s attention.

  "What is this…?"

  Grand Cloud fairy said, "This is the essence of the moonlight that I have collected for thousands of years."

  Wang Lu exclaimed in surprise, "Thousands of years of moonlight!? Since you have this amount, why don’t you give it to the moon spirit instead?"

  "For moon spirit, the moonlight inside the lake is like a deeply fermented thing, useless for her to cultivate with. Now, it’s even more so; without Emperor Essence, she can’t transform her form. However, I believe it’s still a rare treasure for you."

  "Mm, enough to fry one’s brain," Wang Lu muttered.

  The moonlight inside the lake was barred from outside by the lake water, thus, could not reveal its true brilliance. However, thousands of years of brewing was not a small matter. After the end of the age of chaos, how many millennia have passed? Perhaps for the moon spirit, the moonlight in the lake was not fresh enough, but human cultivators have never been so picky! This pool of moonlight was invaluable!

  Why even Shengjing Sect as the number one sect still encouraged their disciples to go out to do experiential learning? Why should those disciples who were carefully cultivated by the Elders still go down the mountain to look for "a chance of immortality"?

  Because some things could only exist in the world outside the sect. If Shengjing Sect’s disciples just stayed in their own region, perhaps they wouldn’t be able to find thousand years old moonlight. Such an opportunity could only exist outside their sect’s domain.

  For more than a year, those poor idiots in the Beast Master School only focused their attention on the moon spirit, but they failed to discover that, in the bottom of this green lake, there was actually a much better treasure. At this time, the cat girl looked at the light that emerged from the lake as if her jaw had fallen down.

  "However, isn’t it very difficult to improve cultivation base in a short amount of time just by relying on moonlight alone? Not to mention moonlight essence is a just precious treasure to maintain mental tranquility and not that good in terms of increasing cultivation base and magical power. With only a few days left, it’s not enough time for us to evolve to be able to contend against Beast Master School cultivators in controlling the situation on the Grand Cloud Mountain."

  Grand Cloud fairy said, "It doesn’t matter. Please enter the lake, and you’ll know."

  "Just me?"

  "The one beside you can also enter." Grand Cloud fairy’s gaze landed on Liu Li.

  "M-Me?" The girl was somewhat surprised and subsequently elated. "Thank you, fairy!"

  Then, Liu Li bounced to Wang Lu’s side and pulled his hand. "Senior Brother, let’s go together!"

  For Xiao Qi, she knew herself well enough to stop. Not to mention that she was just a cloned avatar, the moonlight was almost useless to her. Even if her main body arrived, she would not snatch the chance of her two juniors. As for the cat girl, she dared not expect to have such a good chance.

  Under the gaze of Grand Cloud fairy and Moon Spirit, Wang Lu and Liu Li slowly walked hand in hand towards the lake. As their feet touched the soft soil, they continued to slowly move forward.

  The clear water quickly inundated the top of their heads. The silver light at the bottom of the lake still appeared dim to them, but then, after a moment, the silver light suddenly lit up the whole lake, wrapping the two of them in a pure silver light.

  The thousands of years moonlight, driven by the thought from Grand Cloud Fairy, frantically poured into Wang Lu and Liu Li’s body using the lake water as the guide. Liu Li’s reaction was the fastest; as the surging moonlight pounded into her, she let out a surprised cry and then passed out. Wang Lu’s Non-Phase method’s foundation was profound, for a while, he just thought that the silver that pounded into him from all directions seemed gentle as if the moonlight essence was ethereal, yet at the same time, it was real and incomparably hard.

  Was this the weight of the thousand years brewing? The moonlight was almost like a fossil! However, the more noteworthy thing was, with such a strong impact, did it want to take their lives? Fortunately, he and Liu Li’s foundation was solid enough; if it were the cultivators of the common sect, the first impact alone would’ve collapsed their Jade Mansion, and their souls would fly away!

  Wang Lu never doubted the identity of the Grand Cloud Fairy. There were too many pieces of evidence that proved she was indeed the mountain spirit of the Grand Cloud Mountain. Moreover, up to this moment, on the surface of the lake, the Grand Cloud Fairy still has yet to reveal even half of malice, therefore… she should have another intention in doing this.

  Before long, Grand Cloud Fairy revealed the answer. Her foot gently touched the surface of the lake. The next moment, millions of ripples suddenly stirred and spread until they impacted the moonlight in the lake.

  In the lake, when the moonlight and the ripple collided, Wang Lu suddenly felt the time was slowed down. The raging moonlight suddenly stayed still, and that indestructible wild energy, under the time dilatation, appeared gentle and ethereal.

  Wang Lu was vaguely aware that in the past thousands of years, the Grand Cloud fairy not only locked the moonlight, but also the time.

  In the mountain, after countless of sixty years cycle, this thousand years mountain spirit finally used her magical ability to use the moonlight that was for festive occasion [1] to warp the time, so that Wang Lu and Liu Li, within the lake, experienced the time where a day dragged into a year.

  So that’s how it is. This was the secret on how she could greatly improve his cultivation base in a short time.

  This is a god-like move!

  …


  Note:

  [1] Ghost Festival