Chapter 711: The Meaning of Moonrite

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.

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. ☜