"The moon flows like water, hastening the years; white hair brings only sorrow."
Not even Huo Ling'er had anticipated that this illusory moon contained the power of Flowing Moon—an embodiment of time itself. The flow of time weighed upon her, rapidly draining her lifespan. If not for the naturally long life of the phoenix race, she would have already turned to dust. The residual power of space-time within her body offered some resistance, slowing the erosion.
Added to that was the strength of the Qilin Bow and the Power Gem she carried. Though slow, their force steadily pierced toward the Lunar Jade Rabbit. However, within the Flowing Moon power hid a terrifying lunar chill. The flaming light that shielded her phoenix body was visibly weakening, being worn away. Were she not a pure fire spirit, wielding multiple true and exotic flames, she would have frozen instantly—her death inevitable.
Unfortunately, Flowing Moon was simply too fearsome. Despite all her preparations, the speed of her flight decreased more and more. Eventually, her arrow form dissipated, and she reverted to her phoenix body. In doing so, her life force and essence were nearly spent, like a dying flame ready to flicker out.
"Burn my body—slay this cursed moon!"
Huo Ling'er let out a sky-shaking cry. Her wings spread wide, and her entire body ignited in divine flames. Flesh, blood, and even soul burned as she turned into a blazing inferno. From within the flames emerged a single, gleaming white throwing knife, ancient Dao patterns etched along its surface, exuding endless sharpness. Like a black hole, it devoured all nearby fire.
In the blink of an eye, everything was consumed—including her soul. Only a trace of her true spirit remained.
The true spirit: the sole remnant of the soul once it has been shattered. No matter the enmity, the true spirit cannot be destroyed.
This blade had a name—Soul-Breaker.
A heavenly treasure. A one-use artifact of the highest order, equivalent to a Innate Spiritual Treasure. Once unleashed, its brilliance was peerless, its lethality unrivaled. Any who were struck would have their soul destroyed and divine spirit severed. Even top-tier cultivators and mighty beings would dread it. A single misstep could mean instant annihilation.
A blade like this—its value needed no explanation. At a critical moment, it was a trump card meant to destroy everything, even at the cost of the user's life.
Huo Ling'er had never intended to survive.
Because the only way to unleash the Soul-Breaker—was sacrifice.
She offered up her flesh, her blood, her soul—everything. It all became fuel for the flying blade's fatal blow. No retreat. No second chance.
Swoosh!
The Soul-Breaker absorbed all of Huo Ling'er's power, along with an infusion of divine energy from Mount Tai. It flared with dazzling brilliance, tearing through the air faster than thought. Even the Flowing Moon's suppression couldn't stop it—it posed no real resistance to a weapon rather than a living being. The speed shot up unimaginably, bypassing all earlier sluggishness, and appeared right before the fifteenth Lunar Jade Rabbit.
"Ah!!"
The little Fifteen hadn't expected this turn of events. Young and inexperienced, she had never fought or killed—acting entirely on instinct.
As the Soul-Breaker approached, her eyes widened in horror. The madness faded, and for a fleeting moment, clarity returned.
"Sisters… go back… return to the Lunar Star…"
Her voice rang out, aimed at the other Lunar Jade Rabbits chasing behind.
"No—Fifteen!!"
From First, a cry of panic erupted. They rushed forward, but the gap remained unbridgeable. The change had come too fast. No one could stop it.
All they could do was watch—watch as the Soul-Breaker stabbed into Fifteen's body.
In that instant, the blade's power exploded.
Her soul began to collapse. The brilliance in her eyes faded. Her body remained uninjured, even the wound from the blade healed instantly. But her soul had vanished—leaving only a cold corpse.
Yet she was still a Lunar Jade Rabbit, still connected to the Lunar Star's origin, a bond of blood. Even with her soul gone, the link remained unbroken.
The phantom moon she had created remained suspended in the sky. But without her spirit, it now plummeted toward the Eternal World, lifeless, yet terrifying.
Its light no longer pulsed with vitality, only a cold, lonely stillness.
"Fifteen… she's dead."
"We must avenge her! We cannot let her die in vain! She was so small, so innocent… That phoenix is too wicked!"
The remaining thirteen Lunar Jade Rabbits wailed in unison, eyes turning red with fury. Hate rooted itself deep within their hearts. All they wanted was revenge—swift, merciless vengeance.
"We're leaving. Back to the Lunar Star! Train hard, all of you. We'll avenge Fifteen… but I can't lose any more of you."
First gritted her teeth, tears falling freely. She had seen the truth—if they approached the Eternal World again, more of them would die. She could not risk that.
Originally, they'd come to bring Fifteen back. But now that she was gone, there was no point in continuing.
"Let's go. With her soul gone, the moon she manifested will continue falling toward the Eternal World. It's connected to the Lunar Origin. No one can stop it now. And her vengeance… she'll deliver it herself."
With a long breath, First turned and flew back toward the Lunar Star.
"Fifteen!!"
The others sobbed, tears flowing, but they obeyed—returning one by one to their homeworld. But the seed of hatred had been planted.
All this had happened in but moments.
To the people of the Eternal World, it had seemed like:—Huo Ling'er sacrificed herself, giving her life to unleash the Soul-Breaker, destroying a Lunar Jade Rabbit's soul.—One moon fell, but her body remained intact.—The moon still approached, unstoppable.
"We did it! We hit her! One of them is dead!"
"They're retreating—heading back to the Lunar Star! The catastrophe is over!"
"Wait—look! That moon is still falling! The sea will rise again!"
Joy turned to dread. The fourteen other moons were gone, but one still fell—silent and deadly.
"Husband… will this dead moon really bring disaster?"
Ao You looked to the sky, worry in her voice. No one knew what a falling moon might do.
"The sea is receding… That moon is dimming."
Yi Tianxing stood in the Imperial Palace, watching the heavens. The receding sea confirmed that the retreating moons had an effect.
But the fallen moon still descended. Its light gathered into the phantom moon, no longer shining upon the world. It seemed… dormant.
And yet—Yi Tianxing felt uneasy.
"This may not be over. That moon… it might be even more dangerous now."
"I hope I'm wrong…"
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a formless pressure swept over the world.
All living beings instinctively knelt, overwhelmed by a deep, ancient awe.
In the void, a single golden eye appeared—cold, emotionless, infinitely majestic. Supreme. Unquestionable.
"The Heavenly Dao…"
Yi Tianxing stood firm in his throne. He did not kneel.
He was a Sovereign of the Dao, ruler of a Dynasty of Providence.
He could respect the Heavenly Dao——But he would not fear it.