Chapter 672: Above the Moon

Wang Ping had long suspected there was an array deployed outside the planet’s atmosphere. As he’d approached it, the additional gravitational pull had suddenly intensified in a way that didn’t seem natural.

And, just as he’d expected, the array contained a dense aura of the Earth Vein, tying it intimately to the land of the entire planet. A single glance told him it was the work of the eternally slumbering True Monarch from the Earth Cave Sect.

Wang Ping subconsciously tried to probe it with his Primordial Spirit Consciousness, but all he saw was a boundless, sprawling space. This dimension was even vaster than the array-space within his Pocket World Mirror. He couldn’t even begin to describe its immensity, as he was utterly incapable of perceiving its entirety.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?”

Buqiong’s gentle voice rang out as she materialized from the shadows. As she spoke, she gathered her waist-length black hair and tied it back with a leather strap; hair was a nuisance in the vacuum of space.

Wang Ping turned to look at Buqiong but didn’t answer.

Buqiong continued, “The True Monarchs of your Mystic Sect and the Heaven Sect are powerful beyond our imagination. They must not be in the same realm as the Alliance Leaders of the Star God Alliance’s various divisions.”

Wang Ping’s eyes immediately lit up with curiosity.

But Buqiong didn’t continue the topic. As she turned, her form was once again mostly swallowed by shadows. She called out to Wang Ping and Ao Hong, “Keep up. And don’t put away your Identity Tokens. The warriors on the moon are in a constant state of high alert. We wouldn’t want any misunderstandings!”

With that, she displayed her own Identity Token before looking at Ao Hong.

Ao Hong silently produced his Identity Token.

“Follow me!”

As she spoke, Buqiong vanished on the spot.

However, Wang Ping could sense the trail of aura she was deliberately leaving behind. He exchanged a glance with Ao Hong, then discreetly took out an Armor Talisman and held it between his fingers. Concealing his own aura completely, he followed Buqiong’s trail toward the moon.

Buqiong must have been deliberately slowing down, maintaining a pace about one-fifth of Wang Ping’s usual speed. As a result, though the moon seemed to be right there, it took the trio quite a while to actually get close.

The moon loomed larger and larger in Wang Ping’s vision. As he drew near, all he could see was a single landmass. The lunar surface was also enveloped by an array.

Wang Ping again tried to probe it with his Primordial Spirit, but the result was the same as before. His consciousness entered it like a single drop of water into a great river. There was one difference here, however: on the dark side of the moon, his Primordial Spirit Consciousness was completely blocked.

What was more surprising was that the moon’s surface wasn’t just desolate gray dust—at least, not all of it. Beside a deep crater, on land nourished by dense Five Elements Yin Yang Spiritual Qi, were mountains, rivers, and forests. A small town had been built next to this Ecological Zone, and both the town and the zone were covered by a massive Barrier Formation.

‘An Ecological Zone like this could be created if each of the Five Profound Sects sent a single Third Realm Cultivator,’ Wang Ping thought. ‘And that’s not even counting the Fourth Realm experts and True Monarchs.’

As the trio passed through the array on the moon’s surface, a watchtower on the south side of the town flashed with a blinding white light. A moment later, a figure wreathed in fire shot into the sky, its roaring flames illuminating the already bright lunar surface even more.

‘It’s actually a Third Realm Cultivator from the True Yang Sect!’

Buqiong hovered below the lunar surface’s array and turned to Wang Ping to explain, “Some cultivators from the Mystic Sect and the Heaven Sect come here to serve their term, especially those from the True Yang Sect. This is because they can get closer to the sun’s Yang Fire here.”

Wang Ping couldn’t help but look at the approaching figure. A True Yang Sect Cultivator absorbing the sun’s Yang Fire to cultivate their True Flame was no small matter. Even back on the Zhongzhou Continent, it often caused Spirit Veins to spontaneously combust.

“Greetings to the three of you, Seniors!”

The newcomer was dressed in form-fitting, hardened leather battle armor. After a respectful bow, his gaze fell first on Buqiong. “Marshal Bu, are you here today to collect the umbral substance you’ve gathered at the base?”

‘Within the Star God Alliance, the hierarchy starts with squads and battalions, with Brigade Commander being a higher rank. From this man’s address, I can infer that Buqiong was once a Brigade Commander in the Star God Alliance.’

“That’s right. And for a routine inspection,”

Buqiong said with a nod, introducing him to Wang Ping and Ao Hong. “This is Pang Xu, the Pacification Envoy of the Moon Daoist Palace’s base. Oh, he should be called the Chief Steward now. He’s responsible for all matters at the Moon Base.”

Then she turned to Pang Xu and said, “Come and pay your respects to Lord Changqing and Daoist Ao Hong.”

Ao Hong stopped Pang Xu’s bow. “There’s no need for such formalities here.” He then asked curiously, “There’s a Daoist Palace on the moon? As the Second Seat of the Daoist Palace, how is it that I’ve never read any files about this?”

Pang Xu maintained a respectful demeanor as he said to Ao Hong, “To answer the Seventh Prince, the files related to the Moon Daoist Palace are kept by the Star God Alliance. If you wish to review them, you can inquire at your nearest Daoist Palace liaison post.”

“You know who I am?”

Ao Hong’s eyes lit up when he heard the man call him ‘Seventh Prince.’

Wang Ping, however, was currently studying a pitch-black highland to the north of the Ecological Zone. It radiated an aura of corruption, madness, and distortion.

Pang Xu glanced at Wang Ping, who was still studying the northern highland, before cupping his fist to Ao Hong. “This humble Daoist doesn’t spend all his time on the moon. I return to Zhongzhou when I have leave.”

After replying to Ao Hong, he cupped his fist toward Wang Ping. “Greetings, Lord Changqing. This humble Daoist often heard my senior brother, Wen Yang, speak of you. He said you were the one among the Five Profound Sects most likely to advance to the Fourth Realm. I always wanted to find an opportunity to pay my respects but never found the time. I never imagined I’d meet you here. If Senior Brother Wen Yang could see this, he would be overjoyed!”

Just then, Yu Lian poked her little head out from the front of Wang Ping’s robes to look at Pang Xu. She had sensed the aura of a Spirit Pet on him.

Sure enough, just as Yu Lian was looking at Pang Xu, a small flame flickered on his shoulder, and an adorable little squirrel appeared there. Its tail was wreathed in a trail of fire. But upon meeting the gazes of Wang Ping and the others, it quickly darted back inside Pang Xu’s collar.

Hearing Pang Xu mention Wen Yang, Wang Ping couldn’t help but get lost in his memories.

But he pushed the memories down in an instant, letting out a breath. “Time passes so quickly. It’s been over three hundred years in the blink of an eye,” he said, then asked, “How is Friend Wen Yang doing now?”

Pang Xu cupped his fist. “Senior Brother Wen Yang is no longer in this world.”

“I see.”

Wang Ping accepted this news calmly. He composed himself, looked toward the nearby Ecological Zone, and said, “Let’s tend to our business first.”

“Of course.”

Pang Xu turned to the side in a gesture of invitation. “This way, Seniors.”

As he spoke, he began to slowly descend toward the Ecological Zone.

As they neared the Ecological Zone, Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit Consciousness immediately detected countless, densely packed Monitoring Arrays. Then, within his Inspiration Realm, he saw these arrays forming fine threads of Gold Spirit Qi that spread continuously out into space. This Gold Spirit Qi seemed capable of ignoring the twisted, bizarre Spiritual Creatures.

On the outskirts of the Ecological Zone, Wang Ping sensed a powerful Fire Spirit Array, likely meant to defend against meteor impacts. But as they descended into the zone itself, he suddenly felt the aura of a Transfer Talisman.