Moon's Nexus
That's exactly right.
That ethereal voice rang out again, and Yun Jingheng felt as if he had been gently pricked on the back of the head by something extremely thin.
He recognized her—it was Lunar Primordial Sovereign.
That clear and ethereal female voice rose from the depths of his Spirit Domain Realm, like a moon that had been obscured by clouds for too long and was finally revealing its edges in the night breeze.
Her voice resonated within Yun Jingheng's Sea of Spirit.
[This item contains the principles of creation; though severely damaged, it remains pure.]
The voice paused for a moment, as if waiting for him to process what she had said.
Yun Jingheng sat on the reef, his hands outstretched, the pink crystal lying quietly in his palms.
Sunlight streamed down from above, making the light and shadow on the crystal surface appear even more fluid, with the pink hue slowly transitioning between light and dark shades.
He didn't speak, but his consciousness reached out towards the direction of Lunar Primordial Sovereign, like reaching out a hand to touch a piece of moonlight suspended in mid-air.
"Should I absorb it?" he asked.
Absorbing this substance will bring you considerable benefits.
The voice of Lunar Primordial Sovereign was clearer than before.
[Your Moon comprises six phases: New Moon, Crescent Moon, Full Moon, Dark Moon, Calamity Moon, and Blood Moon, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The New Moon governs the divine, the Crescent Moon governs cold, the Full Moon governs offense, the Dark Moon governs concealment, the Calamity Moon governs calamity, and the Blood Moon governs curses.]
As she read out these names one by one, the six moons in Yun Jingheng's Sea of Spirit lit up simultaneously.
Each phase of the moon flashed for a fleeting moment deep within his dantian, like six lamps lit one after another in the dark night, lighting up and then going out, leaving behind a lingering warmth that slowly spread through his meridians.
[But these six moons are not perfect.]
The voice of Lunar Primordial Sovereign paused for a beat here.
In the brief moment between those two beats, Yun Jingheng felt his meridians contracting and expanding slightly, as if something was moving between the six phases of the moon. Each phase of the moon subtly avoided it as it approached, as if it were avoiding something that had not yet taken shape.
Yun Jingheng frowned slightly.
His fingers unconsciously rubbed against the surface of the crystal, and when his fingertips touched the edges, he felt a fine, tingling sensation, like being brushed by some extremely fine electric current.
"What am I missing?" he asked.
Lunar Primordial Sovereign did not answer immediately.
Her voice lingered in his mind for a moment.
Nine is the ultimate number; you are missing three.
As soon as he finished speaking, the pink light from the crystal in Yun Jingheng's palm dimmed for a moment.
Yun Jingheng remained silent.
He sat on the rocks, his feet in the seawater, the sunlight streaming down from the west overhead, illuminating his hands holding the crystal clearly.
The Greed Old Demon had already left sometime earlier.
His gaze fell on the flowing pink light and shadow in his palm, but the focus of his pupils had already pierced through the surface of the crystal, falling deeper, falling on the six phases of the moon that lit up and then went out in turn in his Sea of Spirit.
New Moon, Crescent Moon, Full Moon, Dark Moon, Calamity Moon, Blood Moon.
The Six Paths.
"The extreme number nine."
He lingered on the tip of his tongue over those four words.
The voice of Lunar Primordial Sovereign rose from the depths of his Sea of Spirit, carrying a unique texture, permeated with the coolness of moonlight.
[The wheel of the moon, from its birth to its peak and then to its decline, should originally have nine phases: three at birth, three at its peak, and three at its decline. Only when these three phases combine do they form a complete wheel.]
[Your six realms of existence are all external manifestations, all gifts from others, and all possessions.]
Her voice paused here.
In that instant, Yun Jingheng felt that the core of his Soul Power deep within his dantian, which he had always thought was solid enough, was gently bumped by something after those six words were uttered.
[The New Moon, Crescent Moon, and Full Moon —these three phases represent the initial stages of the lunar cycle, gifts bestowed upon you by others.]
[The Dark Moon, the Calamity Moon, and the Blood Moon —these three phases represent the decline of the lunar cycle, and are trials bestowed upon you by Heaven and Earth.]
[All six realms have their origins, yet none of them were created by you.]
Yun Jingheng's breathing became shallower.
The sea breeze blew from the west, lifting and lowering the stray hairs on his forehead, but he didn't move.
His gaze remained fixed on the crystal in his palm, but the posture of his fingers changed. From being outstretched and passively cradling it, his fingers became slightly clenched, as if he were grasping something that was slipping away.
"What about the three missing parts?" he asked.
The voice wasn't loud, but every word was spoken with remarkable steadiness, like stacking stones into their proper places.
The voice of Lunar Primordial Sovereign remained silent for a long time after those words.
So long that the sunlight on the sea had slanted slightly, so long that the sound of Tang Wulin chopping wood under the withered tree in the distance had changed from crisp to muffled, so long that the edge where Yun Jingheng's fingertip rested on the crystal surface began to feel slightly hot.
[The three missing lines represent the central axis of the lunar phases.]
She finally spoke.
The sound was slower than ever before, as if digging out a long-buried text from the ground, each word still covered in damp soil.
Between birth and decay, there must be a transition. The three phases of the moon, representing this transition, are the pivot of the lunar cycle.
[Without these three paths, the six phases of the moon would be like scattered pearls, each independent, each with its own strengths, but unable to be strung together.]
She paused for a moment.
[Without these three paths, your lunar phases will forever remain merely an accumulation imposed by others, and will not be your own true path.]
[You could potentially ascend to Soul Saint, Soul Douluo, or even Titled Douluo by relying on the power of the Six Paths.]
[But to truly reach the pinnacle, to ascend to that supreme realm--]
Her voice suddenly became extremely soft and thin, like a layer of ice stretched to its thinnest point, which would shatter at the slightest pressure.
[You must comprehend those three phases of lunar cycle on your own; otherwise, you will ultimately possess only the outward appearance and empty titles.]
Yun Jingheng sat up straight on the reef.
He sat up slightly, his back straightening gradually from a slightly hunched position, like a bowstring being slowly drawn back.
His chin was slightly raised, and the sunlight streaming in from the side made the faint line on his brow bone clearer, casting a thin shadow in the hollow below his eye socket.
He lowered his head and looked at the crystal in his palm.
Pink light pulsed beneath his fingertips, in sync with his heartbeat and his breath.
The edges and corners of the crystal surface shimmered with a flowing luster under the sunlight, and the light and shadow slowly transitioned between deep pink and light pink, like a flower that was breathing.
"Figure it out yourself," he said.
That's exactly right.
The cool, clear quality of Lunar Primordial Sovereign's voice remained unchanged, but the underlying tone shifted, much like how moonlight reflects differently on water of varying textures.
[The three phases of the moon, in their continuous cycle, cannot be taught, cannot be given as a gift, and cannot be imitated.]
[They must grow from your own path, and must be perfectly aligned with your Soul Power, your physique, your experiences, and your choices.]
[The moon that others have come to understand, contained within your own lunar phase, is like a garment tailored by someone else fitting you perfectly—no matter how well it fits, it is not truly yours.]
Yun Jingheng put the crystal into his Storage Soul Tool.
His movements were slow; the entire process of placing the crystal into the box, closing the lid, and storing the box in the Soul Tool took about four or five breaths.
During that time, his gaze remained fixed on his fingers, watching the fine marks on his fingertips caused by the shell fragments, and watching those marks slowly return to their original skin color after the pink light faded.
Then he stood up and stood at the highest point of that large reef.
He faced the sea, facing the undulating surface of water dappled with golden sunlight.
The sea breeze blew from the front of him, blowing his clothes backward like a flag being unfurled.
His hands hung at his sides, his fingertips slightly curled, his gaze fixed on the line where the sea and sky met. Under the sunlight, it was impossible to distinguish where the sea ended and the sky began, both blended together by the same golden-orange hue.
He stood there for a long time.
"My Lady, what should I do?"
[Find a quiet place here to absorb the Destruction and life-giving essence of heaven and earth. The Creator God's Core Fragment in your hand will naturally lend you a helping hand.]
Yun Jingheng nodded gently. "Thank you for your clarification, Yuanjun."