Waxing Crescent Moon

An enormous broom struck the crimson moon on the "head" at that most inopportune moment. The entire Rising Yang Mansion shook, and the various abstract things brought to life by the crimson moon seemed to have discovered something immensely nourishing as they closed in on Big Fat Fish!

With a broom in her left hand and her fist in her right, Big Fat Fish landed a flurry of blows that left the freaks unable to tell north from south. Her damage output was still far too "physical"; all those seven emotions and six desires were a mess, but Big Fat Fish's world contained only ones and zeros.

She then brought the broom down on the crimson moon, visibly knocking it a good distance lower in the Rising Yang Mansion. The scarlet Spiritual Qi in the sea of Qi, which had been baring its fangs and brandishing its claws as it tried to invade the silver-white moon disk, now rushed north to reinforce the Rising Yang Mansion!

At that moment, however, Jiang Wangxuan's Spiritual Sense, seated atop the silver-white moon disk, remained as steady as a rock.

With the pressure in the Rising Yang Mansion greatly relieved, he concentrated on studying the crimson waxing crescent moon. He grew increasingly certain that it was a moon phase belonging to the [Grand Yin].

With this rare chance to "comprehend the Dao," if he did not glimpse a sliver of the [Grand Yin]'s true nature now, when would he?

The waxing crescent moon was like a sprout, and all things grew.

The Dao of [Grand Yin] inherently carried the meaning of "awakening all things," and the waxing crescent phase embodied that purpose.

The awakening of the waxing crescent moon did not create things from nothing. Rather, it used Grand Yin moonlight as a catalyst to kindle the spark of life hidden within all things. Moonlight itself had the effects of "nourishing Yin and extending life, stabilizing the Dao Foundation, and nurturing life and spirit."

With it as a catalyst, whether a withered tree or a remnant soul, anything with even a thread of life left could, after being awakened by the waxing crescent's moonlight, begin to grow in a way it otherwise never should have.

Yet this crimson moon in the Rising Yang Mansion, shaped like a waxing crescent, had taken "awakening" down an utterly opposite path: flesh proliferated, true essence mutated, and the seven desires became demons.

A True Lord-level existence must have contaminated this waxing crescent moon phase.

The struggle in the Rising Yang Mansion had reached a white-hot pitch. Although Big Fat Fish chased the crimson moon down and beat it relentlessly, its moon phase remained as steady as Mount Tai, showing no sign of breaking apart.

Big Fat Fish was so angry that she stomped her little feet. She had only stepped away to level up for a little while, so how had another crimson moon barged into their home just after they had knocked down a black sun?

Master, you ought to reflect on whether you're being too casual. How can just anything possess you?!

Big Fat Fish hurled the big broom at the obstinate crimson moon like a dart. The crimson moon merely plunged a good distance in the Rising Yang Mansion, then climbed back up, swaying as though it might fall at any moment.

With her last physical attack declared ineffective, Big Fat Fish finally flew into a rage. At some point, her shadow in the Rising Yang Mansion had attached itself upside down to the "sky," and that familiar mass of Black Tide had returned to its former territory!

When the Black Tide collided with the crimson moon, it was like Mars crashing into Earth. The Rising Yang Mansion was instantly divided in two: on one side was a dazzlingly multicolored black, and on the other, a crimson glow as scarlet as blood!

Under the Black Tide's forceful return, this crimson moon clearly lacked the confidence it had shown while physically fighting Big Fat Fish just now! Its "territory" in the Rising Yang Mansion was shrinking bit by bit!

Seeing that Big Fat Fish had resorted to the vicious stratagem of driving a tiger to devour a wolf, and had even achieved good results, Jiang Wangxuan knew she had run out of options too. It seemed the grade of this crimson moon had already surpassed what he and Big Fat Fish could currently imagine.

They could only fight magic with magic! This was bound to be a long tug-of-war!

Having prepared himself for that, Jiang Wangxuan once again devoted himself entirely to comprehending the waxing crescent moon phase. Since it had already come, it ought to pay some rent!

As the crimson moon was steadily worn down by the Black Tide, Jiang Wangxuan's body and sea of Qi recovered their lost ground across the board. The silver-white moon disk began continually drawing in and releasing moonlight, and the process of forming his Immortal Foundation, interrupted at the very outset, began once more!

This time, however, under Jiang Wangxuan's control, the silver-white moon disk adjusted its position to mirror the crimson moon in the Rising Yang Mansion.

The Dao wisdom he had just gained told him that if he could make a seamless copy of that waxing crescent moon phase, it would be of immense benefit to him!

Outside, the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus on the raised platform had also narrowly escaped disaster. The scarlet bone branches formed from Jiang Wangxuan's bone spurs had long since wound their way from its crown down to its underground roots, wrapping the entire osmanthus tree so tightly that not a breath of air could pass through.

Had they been any later, the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus, which had existed for centuries, would have met the misfortune of becoming nourishment for those bone branches today. And once the osmanthus fell, the place where the Spirit Veins of the Clear Frost Osmanthus Garden converged would also have been completely drained by those bone spurs.

An unknown number of days and nights passed. Jiang Wangxuan remained motionless in seclusion beneath the osmanthus, yet wisps of moonlight streamed outward from his body. The osmanthus trees filling the garden were quiet as well, drinking in the cool radiance that fell upon them.

The Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus, meanwhile, shed a few silver-threaded osmanthus blossoms from time to time, letting them drift onto Jiang Wangxuan's body. The petals dissolved as soon as they touched him, turning into pure moon essence that silently seeped into his body for him to absorb.

With each blossom that fell, the flowing radiance of the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus dimmed a little.

The outcome of the struggle in the Rising Yang Mansion was gradually becoming clear. Under the combined assault of Big Fat Fish and the Black Tide, the crimson moon could only hide alone in a corner of the "horizon," its scarlet radiance gradually dimming, far less brilliant than before!

The silver-white jade disk in the sea of Qi had also condensed into the illusory image of a waxing crescent moon phase. As the moon phase grew increasingly solid, Jiang Wangxuan noticed that the crimson moon in the Rising Yang Mansion was establishing a subtle connection with him!

That subtle connection was like a thin cord, with Jiang Wangxuan and the crimson moon each holding one end. As time passed, Jiang Wangxuan seemed to gain control over the connection!

When he raised his head again, the crimson moon was already surrounded on all sides by the Black Tide. Big Fat Fish had somehow picked up the broom again and even prepared a trash can. She was just waiting for the crimson moon to weaken a little more so she could sweep it straight into the can, then enjoy a hearty meal!

Big Fat Fish was ready to feast!

Just then, however, Jiang Wangxuan made his move before Big Fat Fish could. In his sea of Qi, a waxing crescent moon phase modeled after the crimson moon had fully taken shape.

His Spiritual Sense merely gave a gentle upward tug, and the crimson waxing crescent moon high above was abruptly pulled from the heavens like a moon's reflection, plunging swiftly toward the sea of Qi.

Inside the sea of Qi, the waxing crescent moon phase caught the falling crimson moon in a seamless fit. Its scarlet color swiftly broke apart and melted away in the bright moonlight, and the silver-white jade disk finally swallowed the damned crimson moon whole.

Yet the moon phase he had formed with such difficulty cracked apart along with it!

Streaks of pure white Grand Yin radiance burst from the cracks, then fell into the silver-white moon disk as well. Jiang Wangxuan's Spiritual Sense, which resided within it, felt as though it had suffered a crushing blow. It was also as though the majestic sound of a great bell had come from beyond the heavens, shaking his very soul.

Immediately afterward, Jiang Wangxuan's Spiritual Sense entered a realm of profound mystery. The feeling was rather like the great dream he had experienced when he returned to Luzhou that day.

Only, at the final moment before he "closed his eyes," Jiang Wangxuan heard Big Fat Fish's heart-rending cry: "You stinking master, you stole my kill!"

An unknown amount of time passed.

A waxing crescent moon hung high above a desert. Jiang Wangxuan lay in an oasis, completely naked, his consciousness drifting in and out.

A group of wild people clad in animal skins came from behind the dunes and helped him up from the water's edge. Then they all knelt before him in worship, chanting ancient words.

They bowed their heads, kowtowed, and kowtowed again. Then they rose, formed a circle, and performed a ritual dance whose meaning was unknown.

Every movement of the dance seemed to contain the will of heaven: their raised hands were like a waxing crescent moon rising into the sky, their bowed bodies like moonlight falling to earth, their turning like the wheeling of the stars.

Jiang Wangxuan sat in the oasis and watched them dance.

At this time every year, the wild people brought their entire tribe back to this place to sing and dance before his altar.

Thus, an unknown number of centuries passed.

The oasis gradually shrank. The water and grass withered and returned, only to wither again. The wild people's ritual dance grew shorter and shorter, until at last only one or two elders still danced it. Their movements had become blurred and distorted, no longer what they once were.

At last, even the elders stopped coming.

A giant bird flew in from afar, its wings spread like clouds, blotting out half the light in the sky.

It circled several times before slowly alighting in the center of the altar. The altar had long since been covered in yellow sand, and the traces of the wild people's dancing had been wiped completely clean by the wind.

The giant bird paused briefly, turning its long neck as though trying to recognize the place. It was just about to spread its wings and leave when a bright spot suddenly flashed in its divine eyes.

It turned its head.

In a corner of the altar, half buried beneath the yellow sand, was a gleaming stone carving.

The carving was tiny, no bigger than a palm. Its edges had been worn smooth by the sand, yet it still gave off a warm, gentle glow. The giant bird lowered its head and gently picked it up in its beak.

The stone carving trembled in its beak, as though something that had lain dormant for too long had suddenly awakened.

The giant bird's pupils abruptly contracted.

It lowered its head, looking at the stone carving and the indistinct lines upon it. The lines resembled a waxing crescent moon, yet also looked like a person sitting cross-legged.

Suddenly, it began to dance.

It danced like the wild people once had. Its enormous wings spread and folded, its long legs stepping upon the yellow sand. As it rose and fell, its movements matched the wild people's ritual dance from centuries ago in every detail.

Above the desert, a waxing crescent moon had appeared high overhead at some unknown time. A beam of moonlight fell upon the giant bird and the stone carving.

The giant bird picked up the stone carving once more, spread its wings with a ringing cry, and flew away toward the east!