Chapter 14: The First Moon Hunt

Zhao Lixuan truly didn’t think it was the stone’s fault.

But since Jiang Chen insisted it was broken, he couldn’t be bothered to argue.

Better no trouble than extra hassle—just swap it for a new one, right?

Moments later, Zhao Lixuan arrived at the storeroom.

The Fate-Linking Stone wasn’t some rare treasure in the Immortal Realm anyway. This time, he directly picked out the finest ones for Jiang Chen, the ones brimming with the most spiritual energy. Let’s see what he had to say about these!

That said…

For the sake of thoroughness, he still weighed that “broken” stubborn rock in his hand: “Hey, Rumu, Rumu? Can you hear me?”

“Hm? Lixuan, what’s up?” Yu Rumu’s mild response came quickly from the other end, mixed with the “sizzle” of stir-frying in the background. He was probably cooking.

See? The stone works just fine!

Some loner with no friends blames the stone for his own issues!!!

…

“Jiang Immortal Venerable, here.”

Zhao Lixuan plunked a large bag of premium Fate-Linking Stones on the table, keeping his tone as even as possible: “These are the finest Fate-Linking Stones available. Feel free to pick whichever you like, Immortal Lord—any shape or size you want, we’ve got them all!”

However, mere moments later, Zhao Lixuan regretted it immensely.

He absolutely should not have handed over this huge bag of stones to Jiang Chen during the banquet, under the watchful eyes of everyone present.

The result? In this hall of clinking goblets and cheerful banter, that ever-misfit Jiang Immortal Venerable once again sat alone in a corner, stone-faced, testing one Fate-Linking Stone after another…

A one-of-a-kind conspicuous spectacle.

And he was utterly oblivious to it!

What was even more exasperating was that those top-quality, spiritually rich stones failed one after another in his hands.

As he finished sifting through the entire bag, Zhao Lixuan finally couldn’t sit still. He dashed over in one stride.

“You, hold on!”

He snatched the last surviving stone, propriety be damned, and yelled into it: “Rumu! You there?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“…”

“…”

“See! Look, Jiang Immortal Lord—this one’s perfectly fine, isn’t it? Don’t believe me? Let me test it again. Hey, hey, Senior Sister Lu, you there?”

“I’m here.” Moments later, Lu Ziyuan’s clear, resonant voice rang out.

“Senior Brother Xia? Senior Brother Xia?”

“It’s Lixuan?” Xia Yunjie’s response arrived right on cue.

“…”

This stone is giving me way too much face!

Buoyed by the moment, Zhao Lixuan boldly risked it. He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and probed the stone: “Chu Immortal Lord, can you hear me?”

“…”

“Yo, Immortal Lord Li Xuan?”

Even Chu Fusheng connected!

When Zhao Lixuan shoved that “battle-tested” Fate-Linking Stone back into Jiang Chen’s hands, a smug grin crept onto his face—one that nearly brimmed with malicious triumph.

After all, he’d only known Chu Fusheng for a few days.

They got along great, sure, but they weren’t bosom buddies by any stretch. And this connected? His people skills really are innate.

It proved once more: the stones were fine. It was a people problem!

“Why don’t… Jiang Immortal Lord, you try finding a true friend, someone with a deep bond, and test it with them?”

“Jiang Immortal Lord, you’ve racked up illustrious war achievements in the Mortal Realm these past years, with fame spreading far and wide. Surely you have plenty of genuine immortal friends, right?”

Ha, hahaha…

That night, even as Zhao Lixuan lay down to sleep, the memory of that man’s stifled forbearance—unable to lash out—made him burst out laughing awake several times. All the pent-up frustration from recent days vanished in an instant.

Twenty years after reuniting with old friends, he might not have achieved great feats, but at least he was still as likable as ever. Unlike someone, who despite his career successes, remained a lone bachelor.

He’d finally turned the tables!

…

With strategy set and communications ready, the first Moon Hunt was scheduled for a few days later.

The Moon Hunt site was none other than the Misty Crevice Abyss, formed twenty years ago when the Immortal Realm fractured. Here, the auras of the Three Realms clashed and tore at one another year-round, shrouded in demonic mists with jagged, monstrous trees and countless demonic beasts lurking in the gloom.

Originally, if the demonic creatures stayed confined to this corner, the Unstained Immortal Realm and Mortal Realm could afford to sit idly by.

But the wheels of Heaven turned, and the Three Realms’ destinies were fatefully intertwined, each encroaching on the others. Especially every ten years as a cycle, when the realm barriers thinned and demonic qi surged—prime time for powerful fiends to gather strength and attempt breaches.

Of course, it was also the perfect opportunity for the immortals to plunge into the abyss and purge the demonic scourge.

Right now, the optimal Moon Hunt season was still a month away.

The barriers remained relatively stable, so for this first Moon Hunt, even though they could enter the abyss, they couldn’t venture deep into its heart—only probe the fringes.

But even probing held great significance.

It allowed the newly paired temporary dao companions to hone their skills, familiarize themselves with the battlefield, and clear the outer edges of the abyss as essential tempering before the major battle.

On the day of the first Moon Hunt, the moon shone bright amid sparse stars.

At the Profound Earth Sacrificial Tower directly north of Fu Xi Palace, radiant light blazed forth. Ancient runes on the tower body lit up one by one. The structure trembled as gathered spiritual power tore open a constantly rotating dark vortex at its core—the temporary passage straight to the edge of the Misty Crevice Abyss.

At the tower’s center, Xia Yunjie and Lu Ziyuan stood side by side, their finger incantations shifting as their immortal powers intertwined and resonated in midair, jointly activating a hovering, archaic, and profound Vast Heaven Mechanism Mirror.

The reason leaders were leaders wasn’t because their immortal arts were the strongest.

It was because they were steady and reliable, adept at holding the center, watching all directions, and commanding the overall situation.

Especially in the demon-qi-interfered, communication-disrupted Misty Crevice Abyss, their roles were indispensable.

In an instant, the mirror’s light rippled like waves, splitting into two beams of clear radiance: one pure white and righteous, enveloping all Human Immortals; the other deep purple and nimble, covering all Demon Immortals.

The two glows intertwined like yin-yang fish, mutually supporting in a profound cycle—the Two Yi Protective Immortal Formation—continuously providing frontline Immortal Lords with endless immortal essence buffs and solid protective damage reduction.

At the same time, the mirror light spread out, clearly projecting the chaotic scenes at the abyss’s edge into the eyes of the two leaders—

Demonic creatures, mountains, terrain: all laid bare.

Though moments later the mirror surface was assailed by surging demonic qi, causing intermittent blackouts over large swaths, that initial glimpse was enough for the two to grasp the opening battle situation.

“Everyone, go.” Xia Yunjie’s voice was steady, echoing through the Sacrificial Tower. “Be cautious above all. Safety first.”

Yu Rumu, Jiang Chen, and the others had joined the Moon Hunt ten years prior, so they were no strangers to the abyss environment.

But this was Zhao Lixuan’s very first Moon Hunt, his first time experiencing the Profound Tower’s teleportation.

He truly hadn’t expected the array vortex interior to be a realm of violently twisting, folding space, with countless bizarre, kaleidoscopic fragments hurtling toward him.

Weightlessness, dizziness, sudden loss of orientation…

Coupled with a powerful chaotic thrust that left him struggling to control his body, as if the next moment he’d be utterly devoured by this raging, disordered spatiotemporal torrent.

Fortunately, just as his mind wavered on the brink of panic, a steady, powerful hand reached from behind.

A cool palm gripped his wrist firmly, yanking him back from the edge of losing control.

“…”

Zhao Lixuan’s thoughts flickered. Moments later, he gripped that wrist in return.

The next instant, the vortex’s chaotic push-pull intensified without warning, like a thousand-jun force tearing from all directions, bent on prying them apart.

…Good thing he held on tight.

Otherwise, they’d surely be scattered by this chaotic space, with unthinkable consequences.

Zhao Lixuan closed his eyes briefly.

The Misty Crevice Abyss was dangerous territory, after all—not the time to fuss over petty grudges or deliberate avoidance.

For now, at least, he and Jiang Chen were comrades-in-arms, partners entrusting each other with their lives.

He had to trust without reservation, commit fully.

In a flash, the spatial distortion ceased, and solid ground met his feet.

They landed in a eerie Demon Forest under the night sky. Twisted ancient trees surrounded them, branches like dragon claws, leaves glowing with an ominous purple sheen.

The thick demonic qi had nearly solidified, carrying a corrosive tang, while distant low roars of unidentified demonic beasts echoed.

The Nine Heavens Immortal Sash coiled around Zhao Lixuan’s fingers sensed the danger on its own, emitting a soft, glowing light as it trembled faintly.

“Jiang Immortal Lord, movement to the northeast.”

He steadied his breathing and softly alerted the man at his side, instinctively tightening their clasped hands.

Yet somehow, fingers that had been tightly interlocked the previous instant were suddenly empty.

Zhao Lixuan whipped his head around.

His side was abruptly empty. Only the twisted Demon Forest and dead-silent, pervasive demonic qi remained.

“Jiang Immortal Lord?”

“Jiang Chen?”

But how was that possible?

They’d clearly landed together. The palm even still held a trace of warmth—how could they separate in a blink?

Zhao Lixuan forced himself to calm down.

No problem. Even if separated by accident, the Fate-Linking Stone could still connect them. But when he reached for the stone at his chest, his hand met only emptiness!

The Fate-Linking Stone was gone too…

Before he could ponder this bizarre turn, a foul wind reeking of thick stench and corrosion blasted from behind!

Zhao Lixuan dodged sideways on pure battle instinct and whipped around in shock. A grotesquely hideous Bone-Eroding Demon Golem, towering several zhang high, loomed mere inches away.

Unlike ordinary demons, the golem’s body was forged from hard netherworld demon rock and twisted corpse bones, granting extreme defense. The yin-sha demonic qi swirling around it also resisted and neutralized most clear-spiritual, purifying immortal arts.

And Zhao Lixuan specialized precisely in those righteous, serene arts that purged evil.

This thing hard-counters me…

A tough, thick-skinned earth-corpse demon of extreme yin and turbidity like this was perfect for a Demon Immortal of Jiang Chen’s attributes to handle.

With the razor edge of Mortal Life Ashes, backed by pure, blazing Demon Immortal power, breaching its defenses would be no trouble.

But he wasn’t here!

In that instant, the Bone-Eroding Demon Golem let out a muffled roar. A massive palm of rock and bone, ripping through the air with vicious wind, smashed toward Zhao Lixuan’s face.

With no choice, Zhao Lixuan urged the Nine Heavens Immortal Sash to block or entangle—even if attribute-clashed, it could buy time!

But in the nick of time, his hand suddenly grew heavy.

The Nine Heavens Immortal Sash was gone.

In its place, he gripped an icy-cold, impossibly heavy Profound Iron Heavy Sword.

The blade was broad and thick, faint dark-red veins pulsing like blood channels. Near the guard, two ancient, vigorous seal characters leaped into view.

“Army Breaker…”

Zhao Lixuan stared in disbelief. He recognized that sword!

It was the weapon of his senior brother Shen Fengyan, missing for years with unknown fate.

Thoughts flashed like lightning: the Four Sights of Fu Xi back then—

Gentle and bright Zhao Lanze, vibrant and dashing Lu Ziyuan, carefree Xia Yunjie, and… coldly sharp Shen Fengyan.

Later, his brother sacrificed himself, and Shen Fengyan vanished without a word. Rumors swirled in the Immortal Realm.

Some speculated Shen Fengyan had Demon Immortal bloodline and defected unannounced to the Demon Bright; others, tying it to the A’Tu incident, suspected him as a Demon Clan spy.

Pure nonsense.

Senior Brother’s disappearance was surely like Yu Rumu and Lu Ziyuan’s—to some unknown peril in the Three Realms, gathering fragments of brother Zhao Lanze’s scattered soul, seeking that slim chance of resurrection.

Zhao Lixuan believed this, and so did Xia Yunjie, unwaveringly.

And now, it seemed his guess had some confirmation.

On the wrist gripping Army Breaker hung a slightly worn bracelet woven with Fu Xi Palace motifs. This clearly wasn’t Zhao Lixuan’s own hand.

This really was Senior Brother Shen’s hand…

But why was he seeing Senior Brother Shen’s hand?

Had he unknowingly fallen into some intractable illusion? Or plunged into a segment of Senior Brother Shen’s memory?