Chapter 51: The Enchanting Moon Illuminates Her Youth, An Immortal Descends from Beyond the Heavens

A jolt of terror shot through Nan Luo’s heart; naturally, he could not have known that this toad, sprawling arrogantly atop the mountain peak, gazing about and swallowing up heaven and earth, was the very first of its kind since the dawn of creation. It called itself the Great Sage Who Swallows the Heavens and was born already possessing two supernatural powers. One of these powers was remarkably similar to the art of devouring the world practiced by the ancient Wu tribe. It could swallow all living things under the sky, and within its own body, a world unto itself, any being it consumed—no matter how powerful—would find their magic and soul force sealed away, and in the span of a short while, be reduced to nothing more than pure spiritual energy.

The Great Sage Who Swallows the Heavens possessed another might: a sonic wave, invisible and formless, yet capable of shaking the soul and annihilating the void itself.

Upon hearing the toad’s furious roar, Nan Luo could not help but muse in amazement—so this Ice Palace and even this mountain peak, too, had been seized by force!

Night had fallen completely, and after the passage of that sound wave, silence reigned across the land. It was as if, in that single instant, all sound in heaven and earth had been utterly extinguished. Nan Luo wondered anxiously: could that wave have damaged his hearing? But he had sealed his sense of hearing the moment the roar erupted.

Suddenly, a beam of light lanced down from the heavens, bright and pure as silvery frost, illuminating the Great Sage’s silver-grey hide with a deep, shimmering halo. Nan Luo looked up sharply and realized that the source of the radiance suspended high in the sky was none other than the Demon Moon Mirror.

In the space of a single thought, the light streaming from the mirror spread silently, and the Demon Moon Mirror itself transformed into a delicate, perfect little moon, casting cool, radiant light. The Great Sage Who Swallows the Heavens, along with the entire mountain peak, was enveloped in its glow, clear as daylight.

“How is she doing this?” Nan Luo wondered, perplexed. “My spiritual imprint on the Demon Moon Mirror remains intact—she hasn’t erased it. How can she wield the mirror?”

As the Demon Moon Mirror transformed into a moon, snowflakes began to appear, drifting down along the moonbeams. Ethereal, dreamlike, mysterious and coldly beautiful, it seemed as if the space within that lunar radiance had transcended the bounds of the mortal world. Yet within this tranquil beauty, an undercurrent of danger flowed.

Nan Luo knew well the sensation of being frozen stiff in an instant by those snowflakes. Even from afar, he could feel the deathly chill in their silent descent. The giant toad seemed to sense the peril as well, suddenly opening its cavernous mouth wide enough to engulf mountains.

The falling snowflakes, bathed in moonlight, abruptly scattered, vanished, or were swept back upward. The spectacle was grand, yet utterly silent. Nan Luo narrowed his eyes; this was surely the same sonic force as before. Yet this time, it did not resound through the entire world, but seemed somehow contained, restricted within the moonlight itself. Nan Luo could not tell if it was the moonlight holding it back, or if the toad itself was keeping it in check.

The soundless wave surged upward along the moonbeams, striking directly at the delicate moon that was the transformed Demon Moon Mirror. Snowflakes in the moonlight silently melted away. Then, a crimson shadow swept from the toad’s gaping maw, riding the sonic force straight towards the moon high above.

Though the distance was vast, the clash happened in less than an instant. Yet to Nan Luo, it seemed agonizingly slow. In the silence, the lone moon hung in the sky, its light wrapping the mountain and the monstrous toad sprawled atop its peak. The beast roared to the heavens, its blood-red tongue lashing out like a whip toward the moon.

Suddenly, the pink-gowned woman, long vanished from sight, appeared within the moonlight. In her hand gleamed the unsheathed Cyan Beauty Sword, her form wreathed in countless snowflakes. Her pink dress, high-coiled dark hair, proud cold eyes, and the haughty smile at the corner of her lips—all were revealed in exquisite clarity beneath the moon, under Nan Luo’s farsighted gaze.

She descended through the drifting snow in a reverse arc, like a celestial being from beyond the world. The tip of her sword aimed straight at the giant toad, moving with deceptive slowness; yet in an instant, it pierced into the onrushing wave, and the crimson shadow of the toad’s tongue recoiled as if shocked by lightning.

The giant toad quivered violently, as though mortally wounded, and its body suddenly swelled even larger, its presence growing ever more terrifying. Even standing thousands of meters away, Nan Luo could not help but think, “If I were to encounter such a being of boundless power, I could do nothing but flee as far as possible.”

At that moment, the Cyan Beauty Sword in the woman’s hand expanded rapidly, transforming into a massive blade that flew from her grasp, plummeting straight for the toad below. The sword, as Nan Luo saw it, stood nearly as tall as a small mountain, radiating a chilling, dreadful power. Sensing the looming peril, the toad’s silver hide flashed as it tried to flee, but its movement was halted, as if shackled by the moonlight. The colossal sword plunged downward, sinking effortlessly into the toad’s immense form and pinning it firmly to the mountain peak.

Nan Luo stared, dumbfounded. Was it dead, just like that? He gazed at the toad’s gaping maw, horror rippling through him. It had clearly been about to escape—why had it failed to move in the end? Was it some spell the pink-gowned woman had cast, or was it the moonlight?

He looked to the sky, at the woman called Xuanming, seeing her unfasten the scabbard at her waist and toss it aside, drifting down into the Ice Palace below. She did not spare Nan Luo a single glance; she ignored both the Cyan Beauty Sword and the Demon Moon Mirror, abandoning these treasures, which had moments ago been wielded with supreme power, as if they were no more than straw. Such was her proud bearing that Nan Luo could not imagine what kind of person could ever catch her eye, or see her expression soften from its cold arrogance.

With a thought, the blue scabbard floated into his hand.

Raising his eyes, he saw that the moon formed by the Demon Moon Mirror still hung in the sky, quietly absorbing the world’s energy to restore itself, though its light was growing ever dimmer. Sending out his mind, Nan Luo called to the Demon Moon Mirror. After a moment, it gave a faint hum and vanished from the sky, reappearing as a mirror in his palm. He was delighted, yet sensed a deeper layer of mystery and unfamiliarity about the treasure. Casting one last glance at the Ice Palace, he slipped the Demon Moon Mirror into his robe, and with a step, rode his yellow cloud down to the mountain peak where the toad lay.

The toad’s posture was still frozen in a skyward roar, but its eyes were glazed with the gray of death. Its back was deeply sunken where the giant sword had pierced it, and the hilt of the Cyan Beauty Sword, still exposed, stood taller than Nan Luo himself.

A fervent light shone in his eyes as he thought: If only I could one day wield the Cyan Beauty Sword with such power, I would finally possess some means to protect myself in this world.

Until now, he had only fumbled alone, trying to use the Demon Moon Mirror and Cyan Beauty Sword. But the methods shown by the pink-gowned woman named Xuanming had flung open a window onto new ways of commanding magical treasures, revealing a boundless world beyond.

“So even innate treasures that do not contain the essence of the Way can still unleash such power. But to wield them so, it must depend on the person. The greater one’s own strength, the more power one can draw forth from such artifacts, even producing countless variations. Their might might well rival that of those rare treasures infused with the Way itself,” Nan Luo mused, gazing at the giant sword.

He rested his hand lightly on the hilt, feeling again the sword’s aura. For five years he had nurtured it day and night with his own spiritual energy, forging a subtle connection with the Cyan Beauty Sword—almost as if it were an extension of his own body, though still a little indistinct and out of reach.

With a flash, the sword slid back into its scabbard. Smiling, Nan Luo turned the regained Cyan Beauty Sword in his hands, then hung it once more at his waist. He glanced at the massive corpse of the toad, and prepared to leave.

But suddenly he remembered: the refining of the Universe Pouch was at hand, and he needed the toad’s stomach. He wondered whether the sword had ruined it.

He had learned the method of crafting the Universe Pouch three years ago, during a visit to a Daoist temple named Five Pines Abbey. At the time, he had overheard a philosophical discussion there and, out of curiosity, went in to listen. Afterwards, he learned that all who listened had to take a turn speaking. Nan Luo, having nothing particular to share, could hardly refuse, so he recited a passage from the Yellow Court Classic.

When he finished, the hall erupted in praise, and everyone recognized that the Yellow Court Classic was a treasure indeed. Nan Luo regretted revealing it, but observed that no one showed any sign of greed—all present were people of virtue.

Carried away by the atmosphere, he ended up staying for half a year. During those months, he heard that the abbey’s master possessed a magical art called the Sleeve-Universe Technique, capable of merging worlds and seas, creating a miniature cosmos in a single thought. He dearly wished to learn it, but knew it would not be taught to outsiders, so he never asked, lest he invite embarrassment.

Still, those six months were the most peaceful of his life. Each day he listened to philosophical debates or lectures on the hidden workings of the world. If not for the need to return to his tribe, Nan Luo would never have wanted to leave. It was during this time that he learned the method of crafting the Universe Pouch, and, on his departure, a young attendant from the abbey even presented him with a set of ritual robes, filling Nan Luo with deep emotion.