Water Moon Abbey.
It stood upon a vast river.
This river was a tributary of the Azure Waves River, named the Star-Moon River: stars hung low over the broad plains, and the moon surged upon the flowing river.
Such wondrous sights could often be seen.
The entrance to Water Moon Abbey lay hidden within the moon reflected on the water.
Night hung low, the Stars and moon shone brilliantly, and pure moonlight poured over mountains and rivers. The clear river reflected the white moon and a sky full of Stars, its rippling shimmer like the Milky Way flowing into the mortal world.
Unlike its usual tranquility, one stretch of the Star-Moon River bustled with visitors tonight, as crowded as a marketplace.
Painted moon boats, each roughly ten feet long, passed from Void into reality, sailed out of the reflected moon, and moored along the banks. A Female Daoist stood at the helm of each boat, waiting patiently, their cultivation ranging from Essence Refining to Qi Refining.
The invited True Persons displayed their various divine abilities as they arrived by the river. Some rode spirit beasts, some trod auspicious light, some carried bamboo staffs and wore straw sandals, some flew on swords, and some conjured lotuses beneath each step, each possessing a distinctive bearing.
Every guest boarded a moon boat reserved for them and drifted along the river, eventually sailing into the reflected moon amid rising veils of mist.
Half an hour later, only a solitary boat remained by the bank. A Golden Core True Person personally commanded it, standing quietly aboard as she waited patiently.
A deer's lilting calls rang out, and radiance lit the night. The Golden Core Female Daoist looked toward the sound and saw a handsome young Daoist leading a deer toward her. The white deer was