Death of Moon Worshipper

No one knew what that blood bead was, but it had actually broken the Witch Queen’s seal. The Witch Queen’s stone statue in the lake began to collapse.

"Brother A Yang must be curious what I just threw into the lake, right?"

Pride flashed in Moon Worshipper’s eyes, as though he were showing off his cleverness to Chu Yang.

"That was the Five Spirit Blood Power I gathered in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains by blood-sacrificing the people of five tribes. Those five tribes were born with the ability to control the power of the five spirits."

Moon Worshipper’s face remained expressionless, as if he were discussing something utterly insignificant.

Chu Yang’s expression darkened. "You said people? People from the Black Witch Tribe?"

Moon Worshipper looked at Chu Yang in surprise. "Oh? Brother A Yang knows of the Black Witch Tribe too?"

Chu Yang did not answer. In his eyes, Moon Worshipper had already gone insane. Blood-sacrificing five tribes was utterly heartless!

The lake churned violently, as though some peerless ferocious beast were about to emerge.

"There is no need for anger. Those people died for my ideal. Their deaths were of great value. In truth, I knew I would die today as well, but it does not matter. My ideal already has a successor."

Moon Worshipper’s muttering gave Chu Yang an ominous feeling.

What did he mean by successor?

He clearly knew he would die, so why had he returned to the Nanzhao Kingdom?

Just to awaken the Water Demon Beast?

Moon Worshipper’s actions were filled with too many mysteries. It was impossible to guess his intentions. Moreover, he had returned alone, while the whereabouts of Evil Sword Immortal remained unknown.

At this moment, Chu Yang could only focus on dealing with Moon Worshipper and the Water Demon Beast. Whatever scheme Moon Worshipper had, it could wait.

Rumble!

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a bolt of lightning exploded. The lake suddenly rose, and a massive monster leaped from its surface. It was like a serpent yet not a serpent, with eight heads. The central head bore a human face, sinister beyond measure.

The Water Demon Beast was one of the ancient Five Elements demonic beasts sealed by Nüwa in primordial times. It possessed the ability to summon floods and regenerate upon touching water. Because it was so difficult to kill, it could only be sealed by the Nüwa Clan.

As long as it remained in water, the Water Demon Beast’s regenerative ability was on the same level as Chu Yang’s.

The Water Demon Beast was immensely powerful, but its intelligence was nearly nonexistent, making it easy to control. Moon Worshipper had not expended much strength to control it.

Towering waves flooded the surrounding land, leaving Chu Yang no choice but to fly into the air and confront Moon Worshipper.

The Water Demon Beast’s appearance signified the arrival of a flood.

To test the Water Demon Beast’s recovery ability, Chu Yang unleashed the Malevolent Shrine. In an instant, the eerie shrine emerged beneath his feet.

"As a disciple of Shu Mountain and a righteous cultivator, you actually use such bizarre evil arts. I imagine those Sect Leaders and elders would be quite shocked to see it."

Moon Worshipper tried to provoke Chu Yang with words and make him reveal an opening, but Chu Yang remained unmoved.

"Sever!"

As if his words carried the mandate of heaven, countless slashes descended like a torrential downpour, smashing the Water Demon Beast back into the bottom of the lake. Even the vast lake was forcibly carved open by the slashes, exposing the Water Demon Beast beneath.

The Water Demon Beast’s flesh was mangled and bloody. Under normal circumstances, it should have long since died, yet it stubbornly remained alive.

Once the slashes ceased, its wounds rapidly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

As expected, it would not work!

The Water Demon Beast’s self-healing ability in water was even more terrifying than Chu Yang had imagined. In nearly an instant, it appeared before him completely unscathed.

"Hahaha! No matter how strong you are, you still cannot destroy the Water Demon Beast. And this flood threatens the safety of the Nanzhao Kingdom’s people every moment!"

As he spoke, the Nanzhao Kingdom was already being ravaged by an unprecedented flood.

Since the Water Demon Beast would recover no matter how many times he struck it, Chu Yang could only turn his attention to Moon Worshipper.

Curses found it difficult to lock onto Moon Worshipper, so Chu Yang gave up on using the Malevolent Shrine against him and directly teleported to Moon Worshipper’s side for close combat!

He threw a punch, as though heaven and earth were overturning. The spiritual energy barrier around Moon Worshipper instantly collapsed, and a tyrannical aura shook all directions.

Moon Worshipper counterattacked with a spell. Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning descended. The rain rode upon the wind, while lightning gathered within the curtain of rain and formed a beam that shot toward Chu Yang.

The destructive force struck Chu Yang squarely in the chest. A muffled tremor echoed between heaven and earth, like the evening drum and morning bell.

Chu Yang’s physical body crackled.

With Idle Transfiguration as his foundation and his heaven-defying vitality, any injuries he suffered could instantly recover.

Moon Worshipper stared at Chu Yang in disbelief, a chill rising in his heart. How was this a human? He was clearly a humanoid Water Demon Beast!

The phenomenon of sun and moon sharing the sky gradually rose from behind Chu Yang and reached above his head. Two rays of light descended like a heavenly river falling from the sky. The radiance of the sun and moon flowed across his body, and starlight scattered with every gesture.

A heavenly god?!

Moon Worshipper’s expression turned dazed.

Chu Yang pushed both hands forward. The radiance of the sun and moon transformed into millstones, grinding away everything within their illuminated range. Moon Worshipper and the Water Demon Beast were both enveloped within.

Moon Worshipper used his magic power to resist, while the Water Demon Beast endured it with its physical body.

Facing one against two, Chu Yang completely suppressed them both.

Just then, a streak of sword light descended from the heavens and pierced through Moon Worshipper’s body with lightning speed.

Chu Yang looked up and saw that the Sword Saint had arrived in time.

Moon Worshipper’s eyes grew unfocused as his thoughts returned to his childhood, to the time he had spent with his Foster Father, Shi Gonghu. Back then, he had always seen the smile on his Foster Father’s face and the doting look in his eyes.

"Why…"

Before Moon Worshipper could finish, more sword lights descended and completely swallowed him.

Chu Yang sighed in relief and focused all his strength on killing the Water Demon Beast. Yet no matter how he killed it, the monster could rapidly revive.

Chu Yang tried to forcibly move it out of the lake to weaken its recovery ability, but it could create floods on its own. It never lacked water wherever it went, so the plan immediately fell apart.

The Sword Saint joined the battle against the Water Demon Beast. Golden sword qi surged like ten thousand galloping horses, crushing the Water Demon Beast time and time again.

"This thing cannot be killed. We need to find another way. If all else fails, we can only have a Descendant of Nüwa seal it."

The Sword Saint thought of the Witch Queen, his eyes filled with both guilt and heartache.

"Any method is fine except that one. We must kill the Water Demon Beast, or everything we have done until now will be meaningless."

Chu Yang believed in solving things once and for all. A thing like this, which required sacrificing a Descendant of Nüwa every time it appeared, would leave him deeply unsettled if he did not eliminate it.

Just as the stalemate continued, a red teleportation formation opened in the sky, and Chonglou appeared.

"The thing is fixed!"

Chonglou tossed the Five Spirit Orbs to Chu Yang and prepared to leave.

"Quick, have him help you get rid of the Water Demon Beast!"

The Sword Saint shouted anxiously.

Chonglou glanced at Chu Yang, then at the arrogant Water Demon Beast, and nodded. "That I can do."

Like hell you can!

Chu Yang clasped his hands and said, "There is no need to trouble the Demon Lord over such a trivial matter!"

Chonglou was quite surprised. However, since Chu Yang did not want his help, he would not force the issue. His figure vanished into the teleportation formation.

The instant he obtained the Five Spirit Orbs, Chu Yang had an astonishing idea. He had the Sword Saint hold the Water Demon Beast off for a while, then ran to an uninhabited place and entered the Soul Palace.

After all these days, Magic Chu Yang had already refined the prototype of the Demon Refinement Tower. Pirate Chu Yang had also embedded the Infinite Fire Seed into it. Now, only the Five Spirit Orbs were needed to provide Five Spirit Power.

Xianxia Chu Yang handed over the Five Spirit Orbs.

A Five Spirit formation automatically appeared around the Demon Refinement Tower. Drawn by its power, the Five Spirit Orbs each settled into their proper positions.

A moment later.

A Demon Refinement Tower the size of a teacup appeared in Xianxia Chu Yang’s hand, and he hurriedly returned to the world.

Meanwhile, the Sword Saint had already lost count of how many times he had slain the Water Demon Beast. Even his expression had become numb.

Suddenly.

A Divine Radiance descended, and the Water Demon Beast was sucked away, vanishing before the Sword Saint’s eyes.

The sword qi filling the sky froze in midair, and a huge question mark rose in the Sword Saint’s mind.

Where had such a huge Water Demon Beast gone?

With the Water Demon Beast gone, the flood also subsided, leaving devastation in its wake.

Throughout the Nanzhao Kingdom, houses had been destroyed by the flood, and even the remaining ruins were buried beneath mud and sludge. Former prosperity had become desolation.

Had Zhao Ling’er not activated the power of her Nüwa Bloodline in time and used enormous spiritual energy to stop the flood from spreading further, the Nanzhao Kingdom would likely have long since become dust in history.

Zhao Ling’er’s public display of divine power also made most citizens and soldiers believe once again in the legend of the Descendants of Nüwa. People stood in puddles and worshipped Zhao Ling’er.

Just as they had once blindly worshipped the Moon Worship Sect.

For some reason, seeing this scene only filled Zhao Ling’er with sorrow. This was not what she wanted.

Shi Gonghu led the surrendered soldiers to continue encircling the remaining Moon Worship Cultists and destroy the Moon Worship Sect’s strongholds.

Xu Changqing and the others busied themselves treating the injured victims.

The Witch King had died in the chaos of war without getting to see his daughter even once, which left Zhao Ling’er heartbroken.

Fortunately, Zi Xuan stayed by her side and gave her heart some comfort.

The Sword Saint returned to the Nanzhao Kingdom with news that Moon Worshipper had been executed. Amid everyone’s cheers and celebration, he once again departed gracefully on his sword.

"What an unromantic blockhead."

The Drunken Sword Immortal shook his head and sighed.

"You are not much better!"

Ming Yuanqing stood behind him, her resentful tone enough to make one’s skin crawl.

"Hehehe…"

Cold sweat broke out on the Drunken Sword Immortal’s forehead. Another major matter awaited him.

Would he remain on the mountain to cultivate, or return to secular life and go home?

Only after Ming Yuanqing left did the Drunken Sword Immortal recover from the feeling of needles pricking his back.

"Uncle-Master, is this your sweet burden?"

Not far away, Chu Yang slowly approached with a teasing smile.

"Quit making fun of me! Can’t you see your Uncle-Master is so troubled I cannot even drink?"

The Drunken Sword Immortal glared at Chu Yang gloomily. "Senior Brother Sword Saint already came by once, and you brat are only showing up now."

Chu Yang shook his head with a bitter smile.

The commotion from the Demon Refinement Tower refining the Water Demon Beast had been enormous, so he had no choice but to hide in the Soul Palace and wait until everything settled before coming out.

However, the result of this refinement was completely different from what Chu Yang had imagined.

He had not gained any cultivation. Instead, he had obtained a magical treasure similar to the Water Spirit Orb.

For the time being, he named it the Water Demon Orb.

Its effect was to help Chu Yang deduce all water-element Dao arts, halve the spiritual energy consumed when casting water-element Dao arts, and increase their power.

In places rich with water vapor, its holder could gain a self-healing ability similar to that of the Water Demon Beast.

Chu Yang truly could not understand it. The Demon Devouring Gu’s ability was clearly to consume demons’ cultivation, so why had such a mutation occurred after combining it with the Demon Imprisonment Tower?

Inside the Soul Palace, the Chu Yangs from the other worlds were working overtime to investigate it.

Fortunately, the Water Demon Orb’s effects were satisfactory. Otherwise, Chu Yang would truly have suffered a massive loss this time.

Three days later, the aftermath of the flood was being cleared away and no longer significantly affected the people’s lives. The Moon Worship Sect had completely vanished, and the entire Nanzhao Kingdom was returning to normal.

The Witch King’s death did not cause much of a stir. During his years on the throne, he had always lacked any real presence. So many had died in the great flood—who would care about a Witch King?

Out of consideration for Zhao Ling’er, everyone held a simple funeral for him. Then a very practical question arose.

Who would inherit the throne of the Nanzhao Kingdom?

Zhao Ling’er was a woman, so by tradition, she could not inherit the throne. However, her public display of divine power three days ago had given her an extremely lofty status in the hearts of the common people.

The Southern Barbarian General and Ming Yuanqing strongly supported Zhao Ling’er ascending the throne.

Li Xiaoyao had no objections. At worst, he could bring his aunt over to live here. Sword Flight would not take long, so it was no trouble.

Once everyone reached an agreement, including Shi Gonghu, they all supported Zhao Ling’er’s ascension. Yet Zhao Ling’er had a different opinion.

"That day, I saw the way they worshipped me. The fanaticism in their eyes frightened me."

"I do not know what ideas the Moon Worship Sect instilled in them, but I do not want to continue on that foundation."

"If it is only because I am a Descendant of Nüwa, then I do not wish to inherit the throne of the Nanzhao Kingdom."

Zhao Ling’er’s face was filled with worry. She worried for the Nanzhao Kingdom’s future, because the people here already had a problem in their way of thinking.

Shi Gonghu and the others anxiously tried to persuade Zhao Ling’er not to be willful, but they had not expected the normally gentle Zhao Ling’er to be so stubborn at this moment.

After pondering for a moment, Liu Jinyuan suddenly smiled. "I believe everyone has misunderstood Miss Ling’er’s meaning. It is not that she does not wish to shoulder responsibility, but that she does not wish to use faith to bind the people."

"Miss Ling’er hopes that the people of the Nanzhao Kingdom can break free from their dependence on faith and create their future with their own hands."

Li Xiaoyao asked, "Is that right, Ling’er?"

Zhao Ling’er nodded vigorously.

Chu Yang reminded them, "The people of the Nanzhao Kingdom have suffered under the Moon Worship Sect for far too long. If we make them suddenly abandon their current way of life, problems may arise. It would be better to proceed gradually."

"You can make use of their worship of you and influence them little by little. While this may resemble the Moon Worship Sect’s methods, the original intention is different, so the result will be different as well."

Zhao Ling’er fell into thought.

Liu Jinyuan continued to persuade her. "Faith itself is not a bad thing. It simply needs proper guidance. The Daoists of Shu Mountain are the best example. They believe in the Dao, strive toward goodness, and regard eliminating demons and defending the righteous path as their duty."

Zhao Ling’er was finally persuaded and decided to formally ascend the throne, replacing the people’s faith in the Moon Worship Sect with faith in Nüwa.

"The Nanzhao Kingdom’s affairs are settled for now. We will leave the rest to Senior Holy Aunt and the Southern Barbarian General. Everyone, return to the mountain with me."

After Chu Yang spoke, everyone except Lin Yueru and Liu Jinyuan stood still.

Li Xiaoyao said somewhat awkwardly, "When I decided to join Shu Mountain, first, it was to repay Brother Chu for saving my life. Second, Brother Chu said that was the only way Shu Mountain would have a reason to intervene in the Nanzhao Kingdom’s affairs."

"It may sound a little bad to say this, but now that the Nanzhao Kingdom’s crisis has been resolved, I truly have no reason to go up the mountain again. Of course, Brother Chu, I will definitely repay your kindness!"

Before Chu Yang could speak, Lin Yueru became anxious and cursed, "You really are ungrateful! We just wiped out the Moon Worship Sect, and now you are turning your back on us!"

Li Xiaoyao’s face turned red, and he wanted to speak but stopped himself.

Liu Jinyuan grabbed the enraged Lin Yueru and softly advised, "Cousin, everyone has their own aspirations. Besides, Brother Xiaoyao is a family man. Even if he returns, he will not be able to stay long. Why waste the time?"

Lin Yueru angrily shook off Liu Jinyuan’s hand, turned around, and said nothing more.

Chu Yang looked at the guilty Li Xiaoyao and smiled. "It is no big deal. If you do not want to return, then do not return. It will not affect the friendship between us. Come find me whenever you have time. We can spar whenever we want."

Li Xiaoyao’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly nodded. "Brother Chu, I will definitely come find you!"

Amid the crowd, Xu Changqing and the Drunken Sword Immortal exchanged a glance.

The two silently walked up to Chu Yang, both wearing guilty expressions. In unison, they said, "I am not going back either."