Chapter 394: To the Moon!

What preparations were needed for entering the Moon Palace for seclusion? A detailed plan? A massive technical team? The perfect rabbit meat recipe[1]?

To cultivators, those were all meaningless.

Well, perhaps the last one depended on the situation.

Wang Sheng, however, felt that he didn't have to prepare anything. With just himself and his sword, he could roam the world. Cultivating on the Moon was no different from cultivating deep in the mountains.

On the other hand, Mu Wanxuan dragged Xiaomiao down the mountain to the nearest town. They went on a shopping spree, filling her storage artifact with all kinds of snacks. Worried that her phone would run out of battery and she would be unable to type, she even bought ten power banks and charged each one to the brim.

The cultivation world remained silent. Only Qing Yanzi, Xiaomiao, and Xi Lian knew that Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan were going to the Moon Palace.

To ensure a safe journey to the Moon, Wang Sheng even looked up information on mankind's lunar missions. The earliest Moon exploration, which Dami had led, was done last century. Later, it was proven that landing on the Moon had more symbolic significance than economic value, and Dami abandoned its follow-up missions.

Hence, it was only when the Hua Republic rose to prominence, several decades after mankind's first successful lunar landing, that several more missions were launched. Compared to Dami's lunar program, the Hua Republic's expeditions to the far side of the Moon proved far more worthwhile. Its most notable accomplishment was bringing back Yaoyun's corpse, which triggered a worldwide transformation.

The true Blue Planet Transformation Project.

Yet after all his studies, Wang Sheng barely reached the level of a self-taught amateur. He learned about tidal locking, understood that the Moon had a "metallic, shell-like" structure, and drafted a "mission plan" for reaching it.

Step One: depart quietly.

Step Two: fly toward the Moon.

Step Three: try to avoid landing face-first.

This was perhaps the best example of hard work paying off.

While preparing, Wang Sheng contacted his master again. He learned that all was proceeding smoothly, and his mistress had already received tacit approval from the higher-ups.

Wang Sheng continued searching online for lunar information. He studied both scientific data and ancient myths. Seeing him immerse himself so deeply, Yaoyun took the initiative to explain the origins of the Moon Palace.

In the ancient folklore of the Hua Republic, the Moon had always played an important role. People of the past compared the Moon to a beautiful woman, which created many associations. A famous Tang poem even had the line "Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir and bind her heart to the blue sea and clear skies each night."

It was part of the mythic cycle of Hou Yi[2] shooting down the suns and Chang'e fleeing to the Moon.

The Moon was nothing more than a natural satellite thousands of years ago. There was nothing special about it. When the immortals of the Heavenly Court came to Earth, they carved out a Small Immortal Realm within it. Later, when the Heavenly Court left the Realm of Exiled Immortals, it became the treasure trove known as the Moon Palace.

It shouldn't be confused with the legendary Moon Palace of old, which had been on Taiyin of the original Immortal Realm during the Heavenly Court's prime. The stories about Hou Yi shooting the suns and Chang'e flying to the Moon were true, but they did not happen on Earth. They took place in the immortal spirit world, the homeland of the Heavenly Court.

Within the Heavenly Court's dominion over the Three Realms, Taiyang[3]and Taiyin were the most important of all the celestial bodies. They represented yang and yin, life and death.

The deity who presided over Taiyin was Taiyin Xingjun. She had unfathomable cultivation, was known as the embodiment of yin among the forces of heaven and earth, and was known as the first beauty of the Three Realms for her peerless appearance. Her status among female immortals was second only to the Queen Mother.

Known as "Chang'e," she was famed for her dances. She often performed before the Jade Emperor. Still, she rarely showed herself. With such profound cultivation, she would never go out to perform dances, much less be subjected to ridicule.

When the Heavenly Court suffered a great calamity and retreated to Earth, the stories of the Moon Palace reached the mortal world. Earth had a sun and a moon, which aligned perfectly with the Heavenly Court's Taiyang-Taiyin system. Hence, tales of Kuafu chasing the sun, Chang'e flying to the Moon, and Wu Gang felling the cassia tree spread and were passed down through generations.

In reality, the true Moon Palace was far from romantic. Taiyin Xingjun's rules were strict and cruel. If a female Moon Palace immortal were ever found to have a secret relationship with a man, her cultivation would be stripped away, and she would be cast down to the mortal realm.

Taiyin Xingjun was also said to be Hou Yi's wife. However, even Yaoyun had only heard rumors; she did not know the full truth.

When Wang Sheng learned that the Moon Palace had no rabbits, he sighed in disappointment.

"Did Taiyin Xingjun survive the calamity of the Heavenly Court?" he asked.

"

I don't know,

" Yaoyun replied telepathically. "

At the time, the Heavenly Court was besieged from all sides. Many immortals broke through the encirclement, but powerful outsiders pursued them. Only the few whom Emperor Ziwei had protected reached this realm.

"

If we stayed here a few hundred years, tens of thousands of years would have passed outside. We rushed our counterattack out of fear of our surviving members being hunted down one by one.

"

"I see." Wang Sheng snapped his fingers and looked at the sheet of paper before him, on which he had written his lunar plan. Feeling it was too brief, he added a few more lines.

Principles of this lunar mission:

Don't bring trouble to the Hua Republic.

Don't use government resources.

Don't start disputes.

Don't make even the slightest ripple.

Wang Sheng set down his pencil and stood up confidently. With all preparations done, all that was left was to take action.

***

At dawn the next day, Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan donned their Celestial Combat Garments. Each used techniques that concealed their aura. Holding hands, they then soared to the Moon hurriedly and unceremoniously.

On the rooftop of the villa, Xi Lian, who was in the form of a young maiden, sighed softly. She allowed Wang Xiaomiao to cling to her arm and gently patted the girl's head.

"Your brother and sister-in-law have eloped. We can only rely on each other now." She sighed.

Wang Xiaomiao's eyes sparkled. "

Hehehe.

At last, no one is around to control us! Big Sister, what should we do first ?"

Xi Lian smiled mischievously. "I'll activate an array first so no one notices that they've disappeared. Are you of age yet, Xiaomiao?"

"No."

"How can I take you out to play, then? We'll stay home, sing songs, and play games!" Xi Lian stretched lazily. "Oh, but don't neglect cultivation. That's serious business. I promised your brother that I'll keep an eye on you and make sure you don't fall behind in your studies."

Tears welled up in Wang Xiaomiao's eyes. "You've changed, Big Sister!"

Xi Lian chuckled softly and then gazed at the night sky. Realizing that the silhouettes of the martial siblings had vanished, her expression turned a little complicated.

Helping Wang Sheng discipline his younger sister was not without its benefits.

At the Moon Palace, he would also investigate whether Qinglin had left any traces within the Small Immortal Realm. If they could find something Qinglin had left behind, they would have more certainty in searching for him in the future.

***

The higher the martial siblings flew, the thinner the air became, and the lower the temperature dropped.

Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan stayed close to each other. They used their enchanted power to protect themselves and employed incantations to conceal the fluctuations of their qi. Wang Sheng also extended his spiritual perception upward, ensuring the satellite network in outer space wouldn't detect them.

As long as they stayed clear of the most sensitive satellites, their chances of being discovered were almost nonexistent.

Half an hour into their flight, Wang Sheng couldn't even tell anymore if they had left the atmosphere. He only felt the air's resistance becoming faint, almost negligible. At this height, even a Golden Core Realm cultivator could reach the Moon with sufficient power.

The two unleashed more power to speed up. The immortal radiance of Ice Crystal and Flying Haze was deliberately suppressed.

When Wang Sheng glanced down, he saw patches of light scattered across Earth. He had no idea how high they were now.

Sensing Mu Wanxuan's condition, he whispered in her ear, "Let me carry you."

Mu Wanxuan shook her head. "Fly together."

Wang Sheng decided not to insist. "

Mm.

"

Their fingers remained tightly interlaced as they accelerated. Leaving the surface proved uneventful.

Contrary to the image that Wang Sheng had imagined, outer space was not crowded with satellites. It remained vast and empty. Although mankind had thrown countless objects into it, they were still insignificant compared to the enormity of the void. Gazing back at Earth and then looking around to see nothing but endless darkness only further emphasized that.

Focusing on the Moon, Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan pressed forward at an even greater speed. They could feel themselves accelerating, but with no wind, they barely sensed any motion. All they could feel was the pull behind them growing weaker, as though the depths of space held a vortex capable of devouring everything.

By now, they had been flying for over an hour. They had no idea how many kilometers they had traveled. The Moon grew larger and larger, its brilliance making all surrounding starlight seem dim.

Mu Wanxuan looked up at it for a long while. Unable to restrain herself, she sighed dreamily. "So beautiful."

Wang Sheng followed her gaze, beholding the endless starry sky. Without the interference of atmosphere or moonlight, the stars shone with dazzling clarity.

At that moment, soft laughter echoed in his mind.

"

Don't be tricked; it's fake,

" Yaoyun whispered. "

Those stars are but projections that arrays have woven. When you see the true stars one day, your Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent will double in power.

"

Wang Sheng froze for a moment, while Yaoyun quieted down.

Raising his gaze to the Moon, he leaned toward Mu Wanxuan and murmured a few words. Mu Wanxuan didn't refuse this time. She moved closer to him and wrapped them both with yin-yang qi.

Wang Sheng unleashed the maximum force of his Sword-Controlling Art, and Flying Haze accelerated once more.

1. A reference to the Jade Rabbit, the companion of Moon Goddess Chang'e. ☜

2. In Chinese Mythology, Hou Yi is a legendary divine archer who climbed Mount Kunlun and shot down nine of the ten suns, leaving only one so the world could survive. ☜

3. Taiyang means sun. ☜