Chapter 104: Moonlight on the Twenty-Four Bridges

Inside the ship's cabin, Lu Qian opened a jade vial and retrieved a medicinal pill. The pill was blood-red, with a single aperture emitting a faint wisp of cyan smoke. As he placed it in his mouth, an explosion of scorching heat erupted within him.

Deep within his dantian, the Fish-Dragon Moon Essence blood seed began to pulse with warmth, and Lu Qian’s appearance shifted: his hair turned purple, and his pupils became golden. He slowly absorbed the essence of the Blood Essence Demon Pill. His blood surged, and the progress marker of his cultivation technique crept upward.

His Taiyin Golden Pupils radiated a golden light. Through them, the world was revealed to be composed of countless, strange, multicolored lines and swirling vapors. The local earth energy was chaotic, making it impossible to discern direction. This was a convergence of terrestrial qi and various other essences. The world was not merely made of solar and lunar essence; there was also solar energy, lunar dew, wood essence, water-eye qi, metallic essence, and more.

For instance, the multicolored vapors swirling above the cabin were visible. The closest to him was a mass of fiery red light, as scorching and turbulent as a wolf-smoke signal fire. That must be Daoist Lutai. Other vapors, resembling the rising sun and radiating immense brilliance, were likely the昴Ri (Pleiades) essence described in the texts.

After a long while, the medicinal power of the Blood Essence Demon Pill was fully absorbed. The Nine Heavens Lunar Blood Refining Method (1182/15000) had advanced once more.

Suddenly, the ship jolted heavily. Lu Qian stepped outside to find clear weather; the dark clouds had vanished. Ahead lay an island. It was not large, but its scenery was like a celestial realm—shrouded in mist, filled with exotic flowers and rare grasses. White cranes soared through the clouds. At the very center of the island stood pavilions, towers, and divine palaces.

The experts who had been in the sky descended toward the edges of the island. Among them, Lu Qian caught a glimpse of members from the Tongyou Temple, including two acquaintances: Yu Ci and Li Yutong. He instinctively pulled up his hood. His current appearance was the one he had established previously; changing it now would surely arouse suspicion.

"Follow me down!"

With a swoosh, Daoist Lutai spread his fiery red wings and dove straight down. The heroes of the Lingbo Pavilion followed. As most were body-refining cultivators, they looked like a chaotic swarm of demons. Lu Qian also assumed his fish-dragon form, with purple hair and golden eyes. Few in the Tongyou Temple had ever seen his body-refining state, save for the deceased Li Mingyou, Long'er, and Liu Ruyi.

A fifteen-zhang-long He Luo fish—a creature with one head and ten bodies—loomed over the crowd, casting a vast shadow.

"Haha! Brother Fubo, long time no see!" a loud laugh echoed from afar.

A wave of heat surged forth, accompanied by rolling clouds of blood. Amidst the fiery, malevolent clouds, the figure of a lean, withered old man emerged.

"Hmph! Old Man Bloodcloud, you're still not dead yet," Fubo snorted, the atmosphere turning tense and hostile.

At these words, the red-haired Daoists atop the blood cloud unleashed torrents of flame. This was the Firecloud Mountain branch of Qianshan City, a group that had always been at odds with the Lingbo Pavilion.

"Ai, today is a grand occasion; not a time for blades and spears," the old Firecloud Daoist said, reaching out to stop his followers. "Rest assured, I won't die even after you're long gone. Heh heh."

With a roar, the fireclouds dissipated, and they descended to the side. The others in the sky followed.

Boom!

Suddenly, the sound of a tidal surge crashed over them. A man in white robes and a dark crown appeared, riding a white horse across the surface of the water. The water was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the azure sky and drifting clouds. Behind him followed twelve white-robed acolytes, as if they were immortals descending from the heavens.

Wherever he passed, massive waves were whipped up. Dark clouds gathered, and a torrential downpour began to fall. The arrival of the White-Robed Envoy was always accompanied by wind and rain. The environment turned somber and gloomy.

The moment they stepped onto the island, the celestial mist vanished, revealing the full appearance of the palace. It was a bronze celestial hall mottled with verdigris. The vermilion gates stood wide open, the interior dark and yawning, like the maw of a great beast.

Major factions began to command their subordinates to bring out large chests. From the boxes brought by the Lingbo Pavilion, the faint, sickening scent of blood wafted out. Other factions presented living people, human hearts, human livers... In an instant, the air was thick with the stench of blood.

The offerings were placed on the shore. The White-Robed Envoy gestured with both hands, and a gale of wind swept the living sacrifices and viscera into the bronze palace. The Envoy of the River Lord smiled in satisfaction, though he remained silent. Then, he slowly spread his hands, and a golden sphere floated into the air.

Boom!

The White-Robed Envoy entered the bronze gates, and they slammed shut with a thunderous roar.

"Attack!"

The ten bodies of the He Luo fish twisted suddenly, moving as if they were underwater, breaking through the rolling clouds.

"Ha! Don't even think about it!"

A hideous, winding dragon formed from pitch-black smoke emerged, baring its fangs. At the same time, Lu Qian noticed the experts from Tongyou Temple also moved. The Daoist in the yellow cap chuckled, his body merging with a cold crow.

Whoosh!

A hundred-zhang-wide cold crow surrounded by ghostly green flames suddenly appeared. The nether-fire spread like spilled ink, staining the white clouds green for miles. A Daoist with a bronze head and iron forehead struck out; a giant whale flew from the depths of the water; elsewhere, Yin-Spirit fireclouds filled the sky. There were also hooded cultivators wielding sword light and white-robed figures casting talismans and refining magical artifacts. These individuals appeared less monstrous, and the techniques they employed were quite orthodox.

All the leaders of the various factions struck simultaneously, the aftermath of their clashes creating towering waves. Miles away, the flashing of spiritual light and the roar of spells could be seen and heard. Below, countless people died or were wounded. Lu Qian hid behind a large rock with Lutai and the others, the force of the air currents stinging his invulnerable skin.

Lu Qian did not understand. In a battle between Dao Foundation and True Form experts, there was no room for others to intervene. If that were the case, why bring them here at all?

Soon, Lu Qian learned the reason.

"Hahaha! I have arrived!"

A foul stench swept over them, and a shadow loomed. Lu Qian instinctively looked up to see nine massive black-scaled serpent heads rising from the water of the Tongtian River. The clear river water was instantly stained a ghostly green, and countless fish and shrimp floated to the surface, bellies up.

"Xiang Liu! The number one late-stage Dao Foundation expert on the bounty list!" Daoist Lutai exclaimed in shock.

Xiang Liu was not a body-refining cultivator; he had used some unknown secret technique to refine his own Yin-Spirit into this monstrous form. He was a creature of extreme malice and cruelty. Once, his nine heads had simultaneously devoured the ten thousand living beings of nine mountain settlements, including the local clans and branches.

Xiang Liu appeared right near Daoist Fubo.

"Oh no!" Fubo's pupils constricted. His ten bodies radiated a ghostly light as he unleashed ten different divine abilities: spitting fire, commanding water, hardening his skin, slaughtering souls... The very sky changed color.

"Playing with an axe before a master! Begone!" Xiang Liu snapped. The central serpent head spat out a stream of pitch-black poisonous water, washing away all the spells. The serpent head on the right blew a cyan wind that stripped flesh from bone, blasting Daoist Fubo and several others nearby into the distance.

"Refining a demon with a Yin-Spirit! What a fierce and ruthless Daoist. I fear only the Temple Master could suppress him," said the Mistress of Silence, Miao Ming, her brow furrowed. It seemed today would be a wasted trip.

"Tch!"

A woman's light laugh echoed from the void—her voice clear, resonant, and full of heroic spirit.

The sky darkened. Twenty-four full moons hung suspended in the firmament. A chime of sword music, like the striking of a jade chime, clear and melodic, rang in everyone's ears.

"The Twenty-Four Bridge Moon Sword Orbs! It's the Dragon Firmament Sword Immortal, Qu Suxing!"

There was no need for others to remind him; Lu Qian recognized her as the second-ranked expert on the list. Most of those who cultivated sword orbs were from the southern sects. Lu Qian had not expected her to be a woman, nor for her sword qi to be so razor-sharp. It was said this very technique had claimed the heads of countless high-ranking officials among the Xiang Island factions.

The twenty-four moons clashed with Xiang Liu. Sword light carved through the air like a rainbow bridge. The Dragon Firmament Sword Immortal seemed uninterested in the Water-Commanding Golden Plate, as if she held some deep, personal vendetta against Xiang Liu.

Seeing their chance, the surrounding experts struck.

Boom!

The golden light sphere exploded, and dozens of rays of light flew in every direction.

"Go!" Daoist Lutai shouted. He flapped his wings and chased after one of the rays. Lu Qian scanned his surroundings, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately followed in their wake.