Chapter 0742 Moon Essence

Chapter 0742: Moon Essence

Qin Yun hid in the distance, watching intently to see what would happen next and who would step forward to fight.

Though Yang Shiyue had also appeared, no one recognized her because she wore a mask. Qin Yun, however, was very familiar with her and could tell it was her just from her silhouette.

Suddenly, a middle-aged soldier in golden armor rushed toward Xie Ying in a hurry.

"What's the matter? Why the rush?" Xie Ying asked coldly.

"A boar escaped from the Beast Dungeon!" the soldier reported. "That boar... it seems to be the Beast Heavenly King!"

"How is that possible? The Celestial Beasts inside have no celestial energy left—they can't break free from those cages!" Xie Ying exclaimed in shock. "Go search immediately! You must recapture that creature!"

"We searched but found nothing!" the golden-armored soldier replied.

The soldier avoided mentioning Qin Yun’s imprisonment, fearing he would be blamed.

"You must find that boar! We need enough Celestial Beast blood for the sacrifice to the Dark Moon... By the way, has the star core been found? It’s somewhere in the outer mountains—shouldn’t be hard to find!" Xie Ying pressed.

At the mention of the star core, Qin Yun and Xiao Xuanqin’s hearts skipped a beat—the crystal mountain was the star core, and Qin Yun had already taken it.

"No luck—no traces at all!" the golden-armored soldier shook his head.

At this moment, Yue You frowned and said, "Xie Ying, your men are incompetent! That star core is at least the size of a mountain, and you even have detection tools. The gateway’s been open this whole time, yet you still haven’t found it?"

"I worked hard to drag that star down, and you swore you could retrieve the core. And now? Without it, we can’t awaken the Dark Moon!"

Yue You was furious.

Xie Ying sneered, "The Dark Moon is under my control now, not yours. Why the fuss?"

Yue You snapped, "If my fighters win this match, the Dark Moon will be mine! And yet, your bumbling underlings let the sacrificial Celestial Beast escape and still can’t find that crucial star core!"

"I have plenty of Celestial Beasts—one missing beast is no loss! As for the star core, who besides us could even take it? Without a Celestial Artifact-grade storage treasure, no one could’ve taken it. We’ll find it eventually!" Xie Ying retorted.

Xiao Xuanqin’s heart raced—she knew Qin Yun had taken the crystal mountain star core and that he possessed a Celestial Artifact-grade storage treasure.

She kept quiet, knowing Qin Yun would become a target if word got out.

Upon learning this, Qin Yun felt a surge of excitement.

The Dark Moon was still up for grabs!

He immediately contacted Yao Fang and told her the news.

"Qin Yun, this is huge! If I’m not mistaken, that Dark Moon is hidden at the center of this fake moon!" Yao Fang said, also excited. "If you obtain it, it’ll be a game-changer for you!"

Without hesitation, Qin Yun activated the Piercing Mystic Art and dug into the ground.

Above, Yue You and Xie Ying each sent their next champions for the duel.

"Yao Fang, I’ve got the star core, but I don’t have beast’s blood!" Qin Yun said.

"What do you need Celestial Beast blood for? With your Mingyang Dao Core, you can easily capture the Dark Moon!" Yao Fang said. "If that doesn't work, just have your pig brother bleed for you!"

Qin Yun glanced at the Pig Celestial King in the second pearl, who was actually fast asleep.

He recalled what the Pig Celestial King had mentioned—how he had deliberately let Yue You enter this place so she could cultivate the Dark Moon Saint Physique through the Dark Moon. But later, Yue You had never managed to obtain the Dark Moon.

Qin Yun told Yao Fang about Yue You's situation.

After hearing it, Yao Fang also found it somewhat unbelievable and said, "Forget about Yue You for now! You need to boost your cultivation fast, and Yue You is a powerful Celestial King. Even with her strength sealed, she’s still a formidable Immortal!"

"Focus on obtaining the Dark Moon first!"

Qin Yun continuously used the Piercing Mystic Art, heading toward the core of the false moon.

Half an hour later, Qin Yun finally reached the center of the false moon.

It was an empty space with a massive black orb dozens of meters wide, its surface covered in white patterns.

"Moon sigils? But they’re not quite right!" Qin Yun exclaimed in surprise.

"Those are Dark Moon totems!" Ling Yuner said. "This is the real deal!"

Qin Yun had initially intended to let Yao Fang come out, but she was worried that Yue You and Xie Ying might sense her presence, so she stayed hidden.

"Xie Ying is the Celestial Emperor’s top enforcer. I never expected him to be here too—he must be after the Dark Moon!" Yao Fang snorted. "Yue You is such a clueless girl. She went through so much trouble to enter the Darkmoon Barrens, yet after millennia, she still hasn’t managed to claim the Dark Moon!"

"Yao Fang, wait—are you saying Yue You was only sealed in the Darkmoon Barrens because I framed her?" Qin Yun asked.

"Exactly! This was supposed to be a great opportunity for her, yet she failed to secure the Dark Moon!" Yao Fang also found it strange, as the Darkmoon Barrens weren’t completely sealed—someone had clearly left an entrance and exit.

Back then, very few could have done such a thing, and Qin Yun’s past life was one of them, for he had been a highly skilled Runes Master in his previous incarnation.

Qin Yun stared at the enormous black orb and muttered, "So this is the Dark Moon? It’s tiny. How am I supposed to take it?"

Yao Fang said, "Didn’t you say you obtained a crystal mountain earlier? There’s a pearl inside it, right? That pearl is the Dark Moon’s core. Once the Dark Moon absorbs it, you can claim it!"

Ling Yuner excitedly shouted, "Xiao Yun, I’ve got this!"

Qin Yun quickly summoned the crystal mountain.

The space at the core of the false moon was vast—it could easily accommodate several mountains.

As soon as the crystal mountain appeared, the white pearl inside suddenly flickered, then transformed into a beam of light that shot toward the Dark Moon.

The Dark Moon, which had initially seemed lifeless, whirred to life after absorbing the Dark Moon’s core.

With the core gone, Qin Yun could easily reclaim the crystal mountain, which contained vast amounts of Stellar Force—fuel for the Demon Star Overlord.

"My turn!" Ling Yuner laughed heartily. "Dark Moon, my little treasure, get in here, little moon!"

Ling Yuner controlled the Mingyang Dao Core, unleashing the power of the Mingyang Dao Core.

The Mingyang Dao Core spun wildly, releasing a peculiar ravenous pull.

The Dark Moon gradually distorted before transforming into tendrils of energy that surged toward Qin Yun’s abdomen.

The massive Dark Moon emitted ribbons of black mist, which Qin Yun absorbed, causing it to dwindle steadily.

And so, the Dark Moon quietly seeped into the depths of Qin Yun’s Mingyang Dao Core.

"Yun'er, isn't my Mingyang Core a bit too overpowered? How can something so small devour the Dark Moon!" Qin Yun exclaimed in amazement.

"This Dark Moon is nothing special! Besides, the Mingyang can even devour the Nine Sun—what's a mere little Dark Moon?" Ling Yuner laughed cheerfully.

Qin Yun didn’t know what benefits the Dark Moon would bring him, only that it was a rare treasure. As long as he could take it, it certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing.

...

Qin Yun was at the core of the fake moon, while on its surface, an intense battle was taking place.

"Martial King, Emperor Wu, Half-Immortal—though we are strong, our numbers are too few! They’re wearing us down; we can’t win against them!" Yang Shiyue whispered.

"If we can’t win, then so be it. Even if the Dark Moon ends up in Xie Ying’s hands, he won’t be able to take it without the Dark Moon’s spirit within the star core!" Yue You muttered angrily. "I’ve been here for so many years, captured this place several times, yet still couldn’t do anything about that Dark Moon!"

"Yue You, you possess the Darkmoon Martial Spirit—can’t you do anything about it?" Yang Shiyue asked.

"I simply can’t devour the Dark Moon!" Yue You said, frustrated. "That bastard set me up and got me locked in this damned place. Fine, I put up with it because of the Dark Moon, but in the end, I still couldn’t obtain it!"

Xiao Xuanqin frowned slightly upon hearing this. If that was truly the case, then it was clear Qin Yun had deliberately arranged it.

"It’s all because you’re too dumb! If Xiao Yun had come in, he would’ve succeeded long ago!" Yang Shiyue chuckled.

"Don’t mention that bastard! He’s caused me so many enemies and got me imprisoned here for eons. If not for you, I’d have killed him long ago!" Yue You grew even angrier. "I admit that guy is unbelievably cunning, but even he wouldn’t have succeeded!"

Bao Changshou, the Cloud Demon Matriarch, and Jian Shitian were all completely drained from battle.

Yue You’s side had no fighters left to deploy—they had already lost!

"Yue You, back then, the Celestial Emperor agreed to seal you away just to get me in here and take the Dark Moon! After all these years, I’m finally about to succeed—ahahaha!" Xie Ying burst into maniacal laughter.

"Xie Ying, what will you do even if you get the Dark Moon? There’s no way out for you! Anyone at the Immortal realm can’t exit through the Silver Coffin! Only I know where the real exit is!" Yue You laughed triumphantly. "If you want to leave, hand the Dark Moon over to me. Otherwise, even if you get it, you’ll be trapped here for eternity!"

"What? The Silver Coffin isn’t the real exit?" Xie Ying shouted.

"Not for us Immortals, ahahaha!" Yue You cackled in triumph.

"Where’s the other exit?" Xie Ying bellowed. "You dared to lie to me! You told me the Silver Coffin was the exit!"

"Your subordinates can leave, can’t they? I didn’t lie to you!" Yue You sneered.

"You deceitful witch!" Xie Ying wanted to attack, but he knew they were equally matched—he couldn’t defeat her.

At this moment, Qin Yun also left the core. Hearing their conversation, he thought to himself, "My past self must have told Yue You the real exit. So why does this woman still hate me so much?"

"Let’s go!" Yue You smirked coldly and led Jian Shitian and the others away.

Jian Shitian and Bao Changshou had fought for Yue You, clearly having received some promised reward in return.

As Yue You flew off with her group, Xie Ying could only glare helplessly.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Qin Yun sent a voice transmission to Xiao Xuanqin: "Aunt Xiao, it’s Qin Yun! When you leave, leave a trail for me. I’m going to Yue You’s lair!"

Xiao Xuanqin was startled upon hearing this—she was shocked Qin Yun had snuck in.

She quickly responded to Qin Yun and gave him an exact path.

"Yue You, ah Yue You, what you couldn’t accomplish in eons, I achieved in one go. With your pathetic skills, how dare you think of daring to seek revenge against me!" Qin Yun smirked to himself before quietly leaving the palace and heading toward Yue You’s lair.