The ground trembled beneath the weight of their battle. Huang Ling's sword danced like flowing moonlight, weaving between Lei Jiang's devastating blows. Her every movement was precise, her blade seeking out weak points like a relentless predator.
Yet…Lei Jiang was too strong.
Each of his strikes carried the force of a collapsing mountain, the crackling thunder-infused energy in his fists distorting the air itself. The ground beneath them split with every impact, fissures spreading like a spider's web. His Thunder Titan Martial Soul, a monstrous freak of nature wreathed in violet lightning, had made him a living catastrophe—his crackling eyes locked onto its prey.
A single mistake, a single misstep, and death would claim her.
RUMBLE!
A soft, radiant glow enveloped the battlefield. The air shifted, the chaotic storm of Lei Jiang's power momentarily suppressed as an ethereal force descended.
The light was warm yet commanding, serene yet unshakable—like the divine presence of an ancient ruler.
A crescent moon appeared behind Huang Ling.
Silver-white, with veins of purple that pulsed like a living heart. The moment it emerged, the entire battlefield darkened, yet it was not consumed by gloom. Instead, the surroundings took on an almost dreamlike glow, as if the world had entered a realm of divine twilight.
Lu Shen and Wei Jun, battered and broken, lay motionless on the ground, their breaths shallow as they witnessed the impossible.
Wei Jun tried to speak, his voice trembling, "…Junior Sister… is this strong?"
Cough! Cough!
He spat two mouthfuls of blood after forcing those words out, his body shaking violently.
Lu Shen, barely holding on, didn't respond. His gaze was locked onto the celestial martial soul manifesting behind Huang Ling. He wasn't concerned about the battle—he was concerned about her martial soul.
The moment it manifested, an ancient aura rippled outward, sending a shiver through the land. It was neither holy nor demonic. It was not celestial nor abyssal.
It was beyond classification. Even Lei Jiang's Thunder Titan Martial Soul shuddered, its energy fluctuating as if resisting something unfathomable.
Huang Ling's fingers tightened around her sword, her breath aligning with the pulse of the crescent moon behind her.
A voice, quiet and distant, echoed in her head, a whisper from a forgotten era. "A will unbroken… across the epochs of shattered stars… a blade forged in the silence of the cosmic sea…"
"The Radiant Moon… will never bowed to the heavens."
Legend speaks of an ancient time, Ages ago. A time before even the divine realms. Before the celestial wars began. Before gods and demons carved their names into history. There was only the moonlight—a blade of silver fire, a single sword that refused to submit to fate.
They spoke of a time when the Heavenly Sovereigns feared a nameless force, an entity that defied their rule and existed outside of divine law.
Not a god. Nor a devil.
But something older. Something much independent.
The Radiant Moon Martial Soul was not recorded in the sacred tomes. It was not documented in the lineage of divine clans. It simply… existed. Hinting at the era of the Old Ones.
Some called it an aberration. While others called it a celestial mistake.
But the truth was far more terrifying.
Because none who sought to uncover its origins had ever returned.
Only whispers remained. "The one who wields the Radiant Moon… will stand outside the cycle of fate."
"They would shape their destiny with their own hands."
Back to the present.
The crescent moon behind Huang Ling rotated violently. Her eyes burned with lunar brilliance, and her Sword Intent surged, sharper than ever before.
A blade that could cut through fate itself.
"This…" he thought, Lu Shen's mind was racing. "Could she be connected to the divine clans?"
The crescent moon rotated violently, its golden veins flashing as if absorbing the very essence of the heavens. Huang Ling took a deep breath, her figure standing amidst the swirling energy as if she had become a part of nature itself.
Even in the midst of battle, her beauty was ethereal, almost otherworldly.
Her every movement synchronized with the flow of the world—too cute, yet terrifyingly untouchable.
Lei Jiang, for the first time, narrowed his eyes in caution.
"You're quite an interesting one, Junior Sister." His voice was low, but laced with intrigue. His smirk widened, electricity crackling across his body. "That martial soul… interesting. No, fascinating."
"Haha! I've never seen anything like it. It makes me wants to worship!"
Huang Ling didn't reply. She simply raised her sword.
Swoosh!
A shockwave burst forth as she dashed forward, her blade glowing in the light of the crescent moon.
Lei Jiang barely had time to react. A silver-white arc tore through the air, slashing towards him with blinding speed. He raised his forearm, sparks exploding as the attack clashed against his lightning-cloaked skin.
Bang!
But Huang Ling had already moved.
Like a shadow weaving through the moonlight, she twisted her body, her sword slashing at impossible angles.
Bang! Bang!
Lei Jiang barely blocked in time. His monstrous Thunder Titan let out a guttural roar as it surged forward, fists crackling with violet thunder, seeking to crush her outright.
But Huang Ling's footwork was elusive, "Moonlit Sword Art."
Her swordplay flowed like ripples in a tranquil lake, yet each strike carried the might of a celestial force.
A fully mastered Saint could wield this technique to challenge the gods themselves. And even though she had yet to reach such mastery, Lei Jiang was on the defensive.
For the first time, the predator was being hunted.
SHIIING!
A phantom moon blade slashed toward Lei Jiang, appearing from nowhere—a spectral slash that ignored conventional defenses.
"Damn it!" Lei Jiang growled, his body twisting as the attack grazed his side. Blood sprayed into the air, his first wound of the battle.
His smirk vanished.
His eyes burned with murderous intent.
"This little game ends now," he growled, thunder roaring across his body. "I was going to savor this—"
BOOM!
A storm of lightning burst outward.
Huang Ling skidded back, her breathing growing heavier.
A warning bell rang in her mind. Her Qi reserves…
"No."
She clenched her teeth, trying to ignore the fatigue creeping in.
She had not fully mastered her martial soul. And maintaining it required too much Qi.
Her grip on her sword trembled. Her celestial glow flickered, the crescent moon behind her dimming ever so slightly.
Lei Jiang saw it and his smirk returned. "…Looks like you're running dry, Junior Sister."
Huang Ling's chest rose and fell, her fingers tightening on her sword.
Yet, despite her body's exhaustion—her eyes remained resolute.
She refused to fall.
Lei Jiang chuckled, his voice dark and triumphant. "Then let's see how long you last."
BOOM!
A violent explosion of lightning erupted—
Poof!
And then, in a flash—Lei Jiang vanished.
His figure blurred into dozens of afterimages, appearing in multiple places at once.
Huang Ling's breath was ragged. Her arms felt numb, the lingering shock from Lei Jiang's strikes threatening to shatter her bones. Each clash had left her body screaming in agony.
Yet, she refused to fall.
BOOM!
Thunder roared above her. And in a single instant, Lei Jiang vanished.
A flicker of violet lightning surged—
And—HE APPEARED ABOVE HER!
His fist crackled with divine thunder, golden arcs dancing wildly across his arm, making the air itself tremble. The Thunder Titan Martial Soul manifested behind him, its monstrous silhouette mirroring his movement, its colossal fist raised high.
A savage grin spread across Lei Jiang's face.
"DIE!"
BOOOOOOM!
Lei Jiang's fist descended like a heavenly punishment.
The sheer impact tore through the battlefield, sending shockwaves ripping across the sect. Ancient stone cracked. The sky itself seemed to split as thunder rolled through the heavens.
Huang Ling barely had time to react—
She raised her sword, but—
BOOOOOOM!
A second explosion erupted—
BLOOD SPLATTERED.
Her body launched through the air, crashing toward the Ghost Peak with a bone-rattling impact.
CRACK!
As she hauled toward the ancient peak, the world spun and pain wracked her body.
She gasped, blood pouring from her lips. Her vision blurred, and for a moment, darkness threatened to claim her.
"…N-No…"
Her fingers trembled as she tried to balance herself up, but her strength was fading.
Lei Jiang smirked. "Still alive? Impressive," he muttered, his voice carrying a mocking edge. "But that's where it ends."
He raised his fist.
Lightning coiled around his arm like a living dragon, its golden glow illuminating his face. As he descended from the sky like a falling storm, aiming directly at Huang Ling.
"I told you, didn't I?" His voice lowered, brimming with cruel amusement. "I was going to savor this."
Huang Ling could barely move. Her entire body screamed in protest, her Qi dangerously low. Her Radiant Moon Martial Soul flickering, its once-proud glow dimming as if struggling to hold on.
Lei Jiang pulled his fist back—The final blow.
Rumble!
Suddenly a low hum filled the air. It was deep. Ancient. Resounding.
This was not thunder, but something far older.
Lei Jiang's smirk faltered. His eyes narrowed as he suddenly came to a standstill midair.
"What…?"
RUMBLE!
The swords trembled. Every single sword within the sect began shaking.
In the hands of disciples, in the armories, in the training halls, and even those buried beneath the ruins.
Every single blade shook violently as if awakening from an eternal slumber.
Huang Ling's bloodied lips parted slightly, her breath shallow.
She could feel it—a will beyond herself, a force woven into the very foundation of the sect itself. Her eyes slowly shutting, and her body giving into unconsciousness.
Lei Jiang instinctively took a step back, his gaze snapping toward the Ghost Peak.
Then—The swords began to rise.
One by one.
Dozens. No, Hundreds. Then Thousands.
A massive swirling vortex of blades formed around the Ghost Peak, gleaming under the twilight glow. The entire sect shuddered under its presence.
Lei Jiang's expression darkened, his fists clenched. "What… the hell is this?"
Rumble!