---

Chapter 14: The Moon of the Ancient Spirit Realm

On the night of a starry sky without a moon, seven stars of varied colors were slowly moving, interweaving in a specific pattern, drawing closer. The not-so-dazzling yet impossible-to-ignore light cast an increasingly obvious haze upon the land, presenting a rare and fantastical sight.

Surely, many people across the Ancient Spirit Realm have already witnessed the extraordinary celestial event known as the “Seven Stars Align.” Goblets clinked as friends and family rejoiced, toasting to the last night of the old calendar’s end and the dawn of a new era, all while marveling at the beautiful scenery.

Yet, few knew that beneath the same starry alignment, an ordinary little village was unfolding a bizarre and intense battle that was destined to be etched in history.

A ghastly green mist transformed into various terrifying beasts and charged toward the black-haired, white-robed Priestess.

She raised her hand, and a golden barrier soared into place under the guidance of her holy staff. The ill-omened phantom beasts, emitting an eerie and sinister energy, collided with it and fizzled out, never even managing to launch a proper attack.

Uh… Sorry, this can’t really be called “intense.”

“Is this it? You’re making all that noise, but can’t you show me something a bit more interesting?”

Although she intentionally provoked the entity with a light and mocking tone, this time, the “main body” formed from green mist did not get angered again by Vilyric.

It merely gazed around with something akin to eyesight, occasionally glancing sideways at the larger golden enclosure that wrapped them both, while excluding the other villagers, including Zeng Zhuang.

“This method… is not one within the common spell system of the Ancient Spirit Realm. Plus, with such a peculiar outfit… Little girl, are you an outsider?”

“Oh? Not too skilled, but your eyesight is quite sharp.”

At least that was more impressive than Zeng Zhuang.

The light green mist subtly swayed, as if pondering.

“If you’re an outsider, why ally with the dogs of the Yin-Yang Division? I don’t necessarily have to fight with you; the coming of the grand era is only beneficial for you. How about we join forces?”

“…?”

Isn’t that a bit of a quick change in attitude?

Vilyric could see through it.

This fellow likely noticed the arrival of the two mysterious women over in the square, and since it wasn’t entirely confident in dealing with them—whom it labeled as “dogs of the Yin-Yang Division”—it sought other external powers.

Otherwise, anyone with just a bit of insight should be able to see that the Holy Light magic employed by Miss Vilyric was in stark contrast to these malevolent entities, making it illogical to target her.

Indeed, no matter where one goes, it all ultimately boils down to strength.

After demonstrating her power through battle, the adversary’s demeanor noticeably changed. If it had previously been utterly aloof, acting proud and hard-headed for the sake of face, it was now at least approaching a more equal conversation.

“What should I call you?”

Noticing that the black-haired girl’s tone had eased slightly, the green mist perked up and couldn’t help but seize the opportunity.

“Please, my friend, I am Misty Veil, one of the Seven Day Demon Lords. The mist gives birth to countless forms, hidden in plain sight. May I ask how you are called?”

“Vilyric.”

The Misty Veil’s aura briefly stalled, perhaps unaccustomed to such a brief and somewhat dismissive introduction, but ultimately, it composed itself and spoke with patience.

“Regarding the previous suggestion, what does Miss Vilyric think? Your astounding powers are already enough to make you a partner among the Seven Demon Lords. If you help me complete the living sacrifice, I can recommend you afterward…”

“Hold on.”

The black-haired girl raised her hand, stopping the other from endlessly tossing out empty promises.

“Let me ask, what exactly is this living sacrifice you speak of? What happens to the one who is sacrificed?”

“The one who is sacrificed?”

Misty Veil paused briefly, then quickly responded.

“A living sacrifice naturally requires a life as an offering. The three souls and seven spirits must be transformed into ghostly energy and consumed by the Ghost King to achieve the best effect. Is there anything Miss Vilyric does not understand?”

“Wow… Sounds like you’ve done this kind of thing frequently.”

While she sensed the girl’s adversarial attitude, Misty Veil, perhaps trying to win over this outsider with strength, patiently explained.

“It wouldn’t be frequent; after all, the dogs of the Yin-Yang Division are everywhere. With their sharp senses and expertise in divination, large-scale sacrifices would be discovered early, making it hard to succeed.”

“If it weren’t for the extreme Yin peak of this Thousand Year Night, achieving a living sacrifice with just a small-scale ritual of over a hundred villagers would have been impossible. Thus, I have rarely acted in nearly a hundred years.”

Listening to the nonchalant tone of its words, the Priestess sighed softly and shook her head in resignation.

“One person ascends, while thousands turn to dust… Is that it? In other words, if conditions allow, you wouldn’t shy away from frequently holding large-scale living sacrifices.”

The green mist agreed wholeheartedly.

“The path of immortality is heartless, and the divine secrets are unfathomable. The journey of seeking immortality is a tug of war; if we do not treat all beings as fodder, how can we achieve ascension?”

“Ha…”

The black-haired girl lifted her staff again.

“Alright, the time you’ve been trying to delay has come. Show me what you’ve been working so hard to wait for.”

“…… I see, so that is your answer. No wonder you collude so clumsily with the Yin-Yang Division; it’s truly foolish.”

Misty Veil’s hoarse voice became cold as well, but soon, it turned fervent and impassioned.

It extended its formless hand toward the sky and shouted.

“The millennia have arrived, and the grand era is upon us! Please—Holy Moon!!!”

As the clock struck midnight, the moment reached its climax.

In the sky, the seven brilliantly colored stars completely aligned into a single line, resembling a rope that bound the heavens, and reached into the distance of the sky…

A moon emerged from the darkness.

It was a lone moon, starkly different from another continent.

Clearly, the silver light shone like a celestial being, yet a hint of desolate chill seeped through its glow.

The brilliance brought forth by the Seven Stars could not compare to that radiant moon; in just a night, the earth donned a silver robe, seemingly returning to daylight, while the malevolent aura that had already pervaded the world reached its peak at this very moment!

“Village, Villager, why do I feel like the weather has turned cold?”

“…… Stay calm, don’t cause trouble for Miss Vilyric.”

Following the nearby conversation, Vilyric turned her gaze slightly toward the barrier’s perimeter.

All the villagers of the Zeng family, including Zeng Zhuang, were suddenly exuding thick strands of sinister energy from within.

The ghostly energy within them had begun to stir under the moon’s power.

Although the noble girl had given out talismans before, which also began to glow again, forming a protective shield that adhered to their bodies to isolate the dark energy as much as possible, in this extreme Yin moment of the Thousand Year Night, combined with the heavy arrangements left by Misty Veil beforehand, it was obviously unrealistic to expect just those temporary talismans to isolate everything.

Without Vilyric, they’d likely be struggling helplessly, waiting for those two women over there to deal with the ghostly flames, then come back to take on Misty Veil here.

In the meantime, the lives of the Zeng family villagers would likely be hard to guarantee, unless those two had some secret trump card.

The girl looked up at the solitary moon.

“Holy Moon… No wonder we never see it usually.”

If this moon could cause such strong evil energy on the land simply by manifesting, then its reason for disappearing all the time became clear.

It had to disappear; it had no choice but to disappear.

At the very least, its light could not shine down upon this extreme moment of Yin.

The black-haired girl raised her staff, pointing at the moon in the sky while Misty Veil, trapped within the barrier, stared in disbelief.