C1042 Lunar Wand
Golden chains had just released their hold from the two landmasses behind, and the Ashen Hollow surged forward like a wild horse freed from its reins, accelerating to more than ten times its previous speed!
Whoosh!
A shadowy streak of lightning zipped beneath the surface of the Moonlit Domain.
Yu Yuan was taken aback by the sudden burst of speed. "How can it be this fast?"
Peach Madam shared his astonishment.
The Ashen Hollow, now under the command of the King of Bandits, was showcasing its true velocity, making the battered black iron warship she had been aboard seem sluggish by comparison. It was clear that the two vessels were not even in the same league.
Pattinson wore a look of pride. "Without the drag of those two landmasses, the Ashen Hollow is nearly as swift as the renowned Voidfarer warships of the Star River."
He and Rosny had personally constructed the Ashen Hollow's core energy crystal arrays.
As Pattinson pieced together the numerous secret mechanisms, the astonishment on the faces of Yu Yuan and Peach Madam gave him a sense of deep satisfaction.
Elena pointed at Pattinson and said, "You know, those two landmasses we left behind can self-destruct in a pinch. This guy's got some tricks up his sleeve! If we ever face a formidable regular army, detonating those landmasses could engulf any nearby starship in a fiery downpour in an instant!"
"Quiet, you!" Pattinson shot her a stern look.
By revealing all the Ashen Hollow's secrets to Yu Yuan, an outsider, she was compromising their ability to operate discreetly within the Star River.
Yu Yuan was more preoccupied with the possibility of being pursued. "With this incredible speed, your father and his companions won't be able to catch up, will they?"
"They definitely won't catch up!" Elena was confident. However, her certainty wavered as she gazed at the radiant crescent moon and the dazzling meteor trails nearby. "Bertha of the Moonlit Wanderers wields the Lunar Wand. It's a renowned artifact known for its tracking abilities and swift movement."
"Could that wand actually catch up to us?" Yu Yuan was visibly alarmed.
"Lunar Wand!" Benin's expression shifted subtly.
"You're familiar with it?" Yu Yuan inquired, intrigued.
"Do you remember? A girl from the Moonlit Wanderers joined us when we entered the Nirvana Realm," Benin said, her tone tinged with melancholy. "Her name was Grace. She once spoke of the Lunar Wand's remarkable abilities. It seems Grace had visited that waning moon and briefly trained with the powerful beings there."
"The Lunar Wand is indeed extraordinary," Peach Madam remarked.
She had recently sifted through the memories of two eighth-level Moonlit Wanderers, selecting the most significant parts to analyze, and had gleaned some information about the Lunar Wand.
"However, that Bertha from the Moonlit Wanderers won't be able to detect us," she added.
Pattinson concurred, "In theory, even with the Lunar Wand in her possession, Bertha shouldn't be able to pinpoint our location across such an expansive Star River."
After abandoning the two other landmasses, the Ashen Hollow's energy shield faded, becoming even more concealed beneath the Moonlit Domain.
No matter how formidable Bertha was, extending her influence across the vast Star River was beyond her reach.
...
Beneath the oval-shaped Moonlit Domain.
"Damn it!"
Calves, overwhelmed with frustration, stood before the Dark Nebula, watching helplessly as a lightning-fast streak of light zipped across the icy Star River below him.
He knew the Ashen Hollow all too well and instantly recognized that the fleeting light was the fully unsealed Ashen Hollow.
The Ashen Hollow had shed its burdens, cloaking its presence as it raced through the Moonlit Domain.
"I'm worried about Elena's safety!"
General Fernand of the Shura, his face clouded with concern, was no longer the picture of ease he once was. "She's in the Ashen Hollow and hasn't sent any messages. I can't even reach out to her. Just moments ago, she was so close—if she weren't restrained, she could have cried out for help!"
"Pattinson is there too. He's the only one who can unlock those golden chains and allow the Ashen Hollow to navigate at full throttle!" Rosny of the Shadowkin clenched his teeth. "Someone must be coercing him into this!"
The three ninth-level Kings of Bandits, having hastily evacuated the Moonlit Domain, had not boarded any other warships.
They were well aware that the fully unleashed Ashen Hollow, at its breakneck speed, was uncatchable by even the military's starships.
It was impossible for them to pursue the Ashen Hollow with mere flesh and blood.
Whoosh!
As they were consumed with urgency, the Silvermoon Queen casually appeared behind them, her graceful figure bathed in a shimmering silver glow.
A fraction of the moon energy illuminating the Moonlit Domain was drawn into her body.
"The bloodline of the Moonlit Wanderers?" Rosny of the Shadowkin was visibly taken aback as he stared at Lee Yupan. "You have traces of the Moonlit Wanderers' bloodline in you?"
"If she weren't a hybrid, how could she risk exposing herself to the tainted cosmic energy like us?" Calves scoffed, "What brings you here? Our deal is off for now, as long as the man who killed my son is still alive!"
Bathed in the radiant moonlight, the Silvermoon Queen wore an expression of cool detachment, a silent sneer hidden in her heart. The technique she employed to harness moon energy wasn't the blood magic of the Moonlit Wanderers, but an enigmatic method known only to the ancient Moonfiend.
She was confident that Yue Fei, who emerged from the moon, would have taken notice. After all, the pristine moon energy she was channeling originated from the very moon where Yue Fei resided.
Sure enough, before long, a brilliant silver beam streaked toward her like a shooting star.
"Bertha has discovered us!" Calves's face paled slightly. "It's just as I feared! Bertha, the mistress of the waning moon, shares my ninth-level lineage. But she wields the Lunar Wand and commands the altar of twelve Moon Lakes! In the nearby Star River, she can continuously draw power from the waning moon."
By saying this, Calves implicitly acknowledged Bertha's superior strength.
"Why fear Bertha when the three of us join forces?" Fernand sneered menacingly. "I've encountered ninth-level Moonlit Wanderers' High Priestesses before. If Bertha dares cross me, she'll regret it! Calves, if I ascend to the moon and wreak havoc, don't hold it against me!"
With his daughter Elena in peril, he was desperate enough to do anything.
"Bertha isn't after us," Rosny interjected, urging them to keep their cool. "The Ashen Hollow only began to shift after Bertha left the moon. Perhaps, she's after the Ashen Hollow that slipped away right under our watch."
"She's coming for me," the Silvermoon Queen interjected. As the three Kings of Bandits fixed her with a lethal gaze, Lee Yupan continued, "You can sense the Ashen Hollow's coordinates. Please inform me, and I will relay them to Bertha. Don't worry, Bertha isn't out to eliminate you, nor is she pursuing the Ashen Hollow."
"She's out to kill Yu Yuan!"
The Silvermoon Queen declared the truth.
"Yu Yuan?" Rosny inquired.
"Yes."
"Good!"
...
"Look, didn't I say they wouldn't be able to catch up?"
Elena spoke with ease, waving her arm from the platform. She shot Yu Yuan a coy look and hesitated before saying, "My bloodline has just advanced to the eighth level. I need to sort things out."
With a graceful leap, she headed toward another square-shaped stone building. Mid-air, she waved back at Yu Yuan, "Rest assured, once we reach the Annihilation Nebula, I'll persuade my thick-headed father."
"We're at most a month away from the Annihilation Nebula," Pattinson sighed in relief.
He preferred not to confront Rosny, who was unaware of the situation, in the Moonlit Domain, nor did he wish to deal with his daughter's loss of innocence to Fernand, a human.
And then there was Calves, grieving for his son.
Avoiding conflict here was crucial; once they reached the Annihilation Nebula, with the Skyreach Consortium present, negotiations could be revisited.
"Okay, we'll discuss this later," Yu Yuan agreed.
Freed from the drag of the two other lands, the Ashen Hollow sped on its way. Yu Yuan sat quietly on the platform, occasionally glancing at the sky, where he could still make out the meteoric light beams cast by Bertha.
The waning moon hung in the dark firmament, distinctly visible.
He knew that as the moon waned further, he would leave Bertha behind, free from the worry of being found.
So passed the better part of the day.
Meteors, following no set path, began to veer from the distant Star River, converging toward the Ashen Hollow's course.
More astonishingly, Bertha, previously so conspicuous, had vanished unnoticed.
Yu Yuan grew increasingly uneasy, sensing that something was wrong, and attempted to connect with the sword spirit once more.
"She's here."
The sword spirit's sent message caused Yu Yuan's face to tense, as he braced for an imminent threat.
Half a day later, as the Ashen Hollow neared a land reminiscent of the Moonlit Domain, it was abruptly seized by a potent magnetic force, bringing the vessel to a sudden halt.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth beneath the feet of those on board erupted with deafening sounds, as if an earthquake had struck, and the energy crystals within seemed as though they were bound by ropes.
Pattinson emerged from the tower where he had resided for years, cast a glance at Yu Yuan, and declared, "We've been marked!"
At that moment, everyone, save for Elena who was in the vital phase of securing her bloodline, was roused by the Ashen Hollow's tremors—Benin, Hart, and Peach Madam included.
They all convened promptly.
It was then that Bertha, her hair a cascade of silver, stood upon a cushion composed of Moon Lakes, clutching the exquisite Lunar Wand. She effortlessly breached the Luminescent Barrier, materializing before the group.
"Ashen Hollow!" Bertha's voice was icy as she scoffed, "Calves, you disgrace! As a Moonlit Wanderer, to conspire with humans is to shame our kind. You're unworthy of even being called a bandit!"
"Show yourself! I shall discipline you on behalf of our ancestors!"
Bertha hoisted the Lunar Wand above her head, and the crescent-shaped magic circle burst forth with endless moon energy, shrouding the Ashen Hollow entirely.
In an instant, she discerned the caliber of hidden warriors aboard, their races, and the tiers of their bloodlines.
"He's not here?"
Bertha was momentarily taken aback, then her gaze settled on Yu Yuan. Drawing a deep breath, she addressed him with a frosty tone, "Are you the Yu Yuan that Greco seeks?"
"Oh, you're aware of that too?" Yu Yuan responded, unfazed.
He continued to assess the situation discreetly.
If Elena and Pattinson had been truthful, Calves and the other two Kings of Bandits wouldn't be able to pursue the Ashen Hollow, nor could they match the speed of the Lunar Wand. It was highly likely that the trio hadn't followed.
This meant that Yu Yuan was left to confront only Bertha, bearer of the ninth-level bloodline.
At most, he would have to contend with the ancient Moonfiend residing within Bertha.
"You're imbued with the residual essence of the Titanblade!" Bertha snarled, "Are you aware that Nie Qingtian is an archenemy to numerous clans?"
"Of course, I'm aware." Yu Yuan responded with a smile, summoning the sword sheath from his Cosmos Ring. He deliberately stirred the sword spirit within his arm bone, "I've also mastered the intricate sword spell of the Nine Celestial Slashes. Interested in testing it?"
Yu Yuan brandished the sword sheath towards Bertha, his eagerness for battle palpable.
"Just you?" Hu Caiyun's laughter was light and mocking, "Do you even grasp the gravity of the situation? What makes you so confident to come here and stir up chaos?"
"It's because of this!"
Bertha hoisted her wand aloft, unleashing her blood magic.
Beams of brilliant light burst forth from the waning moon, targeting Ashen Hollow. The Star River, with its celestial path and icy expanse, was bombarded indiscriminately, as if a thousand arrows were loosed simultaneously.
A vast swath of the Star River fell within the firing line!
