World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 395: Before the Moon Palace

"Fei Yu and Bu Yu have already set out?"

—Mm. They should have flown beyond the surveillance network by now. Don't worry, Little Sheng's cultivation is more than deep enough to easily reach the Moon.

"I'm not worried about them." Chi Ling put down the file in her hand and removed the glasses she seldom wore. The lamp on her nightstand dimmed automatically.

She was sitting on the bed, preparing to rest. A projection of Qing Yanzi floated before her.

Softly, she added, "With those two going into seclusion, we will have fewer forces available to respond if trouble comes. The captain of the Special Affairs Unit has been becoming more and more active lately. I still don't know his real goal, but I can't shake the feeling that he's about to cause huge trouble."

Qing Yanzi assumed a dismissive tone.

—Why not simply get rid of Qin Yishen altogether?

"A word or two can't solve this. He's only one rank below me, and I have no authority to remove him myself. He's also made remarkable achievements since taking the post of captain. To top it all off, he's strong, and he has a few higher-ups supporting him."

Chi Ling turned serious.

"I can't just dismiss him because I disapprove of his more extreme methods in certain matters. Everyone's perspective is limited. Different angles and different solutions are important."

Looking utterly dejected, Qing Yanzi immediately backed down.

—Yes, yes, I know. Chief Chi Ling will not deal with her subordinates out of personal bias. Not everyone has your sense of principle, though, honey. In my eyes, Qin Yishen is no nobleman.

Chi Ling slowly shook her head. "Let's just wait and see what he'll do for now. If he really has ulterior motives, he'll eventually reveal them himself. No matter how much our three departments and the institute stir things up, we are no more than tools of the authorities to manage the cultivation world. We can't exert our influence on critical decisions, so don't worry about it."

Qing Yanzi nodded. Seeing the weariness in her face, he softened his tone.

—Stop taking those energy pills and go to sleep. You work overtime every night. When will we ever have the chance to think about a second child?

Chi Ling chuckled. "You want another child? I suggest you divorce me and marry again. Hasn't Daoist Master Jingyun been waiting for you all this time? Why wait until I'm in my grave? I can serve as a witness to your union right now."

Qing Yanzi's eyes brimmed with helplessness.

—You're linking me to Jingyun again. We are innocent! Alright, enough nonsense. We still have a long life together. Just sleep for now. Since I've finished my matters here, I'll head home to you now.

"Mm..." Chi Ling answered faintly. Leaning against the bedhead, she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep before long, her long hair spilling loosely around her. She still wore faint makeup and had her white shirt buttoned to the collar.

Soft footsteps approached. A young woman came to the bedside and pressed a button, lowering the headboard until Chi Ling lay flat.

The girl seemed long accustomed to such a scene. In a whisper, she told the projection sitting at the bedside, "Daoist Master Bu Yan, I'm going to turn off the lights now."

—Much obliged.

The girl gently pulled a thin blanket over the chief and turned off the lamp. She adjusted the room temperature and finally closed the door to the resting room.

Qing Yanzi's projection lingered at the bedside for a while. It slowly dimmed until it faded away.

Though the two often met, chances to be alone together were far too rare. Chi Ling was always burdened with endless work, while Qing Yanzi often had to run errands for her.

Qin Yishen.

On an airliner speeding northeast, Qing Yanzi put away his phone, his gaze cold.

***

For ordinary people, leaving the shelter of the atmosphere and exposing themselves to cosmic radiation was extremely dangerous.

Wang Sheng tried it on purpose. He withdrew his enchanted power and let inertia carry him forward, though the results overturned his expectations.

He had often seen in sci-fi films that humans thrown into the vacuum of space without suits froze instantly into ice. In reality, near-vacuum space contained few particles. Heat conduction could not occur; it could not immediately dissipate.

Even with his enchanted power retracted, being exposed to the void didn't make him feel any sudden chill. He didn't explode, and his blood didn't boil.

He honestly felt a little disappointed.

For cultivators who had already established inner circulation, suffocation was no concern. Once one reached the Golden Core Realm, they could protect themselves in a vacuum using just a bit of power. Cultivators could also make themselves weightless at will, which was rather amusing.

Maintaining uniform speed, Mu Wanxuan drifted from Wang Sheng's arms and twirled in circles beside him. Her long skirt, freed from gravity, billowed upward.

"Senior Sister, stop playing around," Wang Sheng said as a strand of Pure Yang Enchanted Power and yin-yang qi formed a link between them that carried their voices to each other.

Mu Wanxuan drifted back, slipping her arm around Wang Sheng's.

Wang Sheng raised his head, gauging their distance from the moon based on its size. They were now traveling at more than fifteen kilometers per second. Since he had only expended twenty percent of his power, he didn't fear depleting it before reaching the Moon.

At this pace, they'd be at the Earth-Moon Lagrange point in six or seven hours, where they would have to decelerate. Technically, they didn't have to slow down, but both the Hua Republic and the Dami Empire had numerous probes on the Moon. Crashing straight in risked exposing them.

With his back to the sun, Wang Sheng gazed at the distant stars.

Yaoyun said that they're just mere illusions conjured that a grand formation has conjured. If so, where can I see the real starry sky? The Immortal Realm?

"There..." Mu Wanxuan whispered in his ear.

Looking at where she was pointing, Wang Sheng saw the brilliant Big Dipper and the North Star standing out in the void.

Are those illusions as well?

As a trace of wonder stirred in his heart, he recalled the latter half of what Yaoyun had told him.

If he could reach the true starry sky, he could draw upon the power of the stars. Only then could he unleash the true power of the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art. Even now, the sword art was so powerful that it could cleave through anything.

If its strength multiplied several times over...

He suddenly felt an urge to ascend as soon as possible—to leave the Realm of Exiled Immortals and roam the endless stars.

"Senior Sister, don't rush into breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm, and don't fixate on gains right before your eyes. Cultivation requires foresight. If you can bring each major realm to perfection, your future path will gain unexpected benefits.

"Once we enter the Moon Palace and find useful techniques, take your time to comprehend them. Don't think about when you'll break through. It'll happen naturally.

"I want us to ascend and leave the Realm of Exiled Immortals together. If you damage your foundation in your haste, I'll have no choice but to remain on Earth to watch over you."

"Mm..." Mu Wanxuan's cheeks flushed faintly. She whispered, "Don't wait..."

Naturally, she didn't want him to deliberately wait for her.

"You'll only fail if you rush into things, so don't be afraid of slowing down. We have to ensure steady progress."

Mu Wanxuan smiled and nodded gently. Still, Wang Sheng could tell from her expression that she had no intention of changing her mind.

She was gentle, but she could be immeasurably stubborn at times. Once she had decided on something, not even nine of him could sway her.

They flew for some time. Eventually, Wang Sheng almost drifted into sleep. He felt the faint force pulling on his feet vanish and shift to his head, rapidly growing stronger.

They had crossed the Earth-Moon Lagrange point.

He and his senior sister flipped immediately, their soles now toward the moon and heads facing Earth. Immortal light enveloped Flying Haze as they slowed their descent.

Finally, Mu Wanxuan's skirt fell properly downward again.

They narrowed the distance to three thousand kilometers, then two thousand.

Heading to the nearer side of the Moon, the martial siblings could already see the lunar surface and its gray craters clearly. Since Spiritless still hadn't reacted, they still had no idea where the entrance to the Moon Palace was.

For now, they focused on landing first.

Enchanted power surged outward steadily, ensuring there wouldn't be any gales or piercing speed. Even the shift from weightlessness to heavy gravity caused the Heavenly Abode Realm and Nascent Soul Realm cultivators little discomfort.

They were now only five hundred kilometers away.

They slowed to the speed limit of Wang Sheng's flight technique on Earth. He pressed down with his left palm, while Mu Wanxuan formed swift hand signs, conjuring several Tai Chi diagrams beneath them. Each rotated at a different pace.

The closer they were to the surface, the slower their descent became. They looked around, picking and choosing, before settling on a crater rim with a pleasing view as their landing site.

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng spread his spiritual perception across the Moon, searching for the Dami Empire's flag. He still had several barrels of paint stored in his storage artifact. If he found it, he would happily coat it in bright red.

With such limited strength, all he could do for now was amuse himself on the Moon. Once he ascended and left the Realm of Exiled Immortals, though, planting red flags on every planet of the solar system would be the first thing he'd do.

Thud.

Having landed gently on the crater's edge, the two instinctively scanned their surroundings. Silence reigned in every direction.

"Follow me," Yaoyun telepathically whispered.

Spiritless slid from its sheath, circled them once, and then flew off.

Wang Sheng had wanted to try the joy of jumping across the moon's surface. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to follow alongside his senior sister.

Affected by the moon's weaker gravity and resistance, their sword flight consumed only a fraction of the power it would use up on Earth.

Focusing his senses, Wang Sheng soon discovered that the Moon did have traces of primal qi.

He recalled the Lantern Festival night when heaven and earth's primal qi returned. At the time, the Moon had appeared above the Earth with a towering moon laurel tree upon it.

"Where is it, though?"

Wang Sheng had spread his spiritual perception across the Moon, yet he couldn't find anything.