After explaining all the details of the Dream Moon to True Monarch Liuyun Suyu, the senior True Monarch fell into a long silence before finally speaking, “This Dream Moon is a Dharma treasure created by the former Penglai Sect Leader using a portion of the authority of the ‘Heavenly Moon’ Dao Throne.”
In other words, this was also a Dao Throne-class artifact. No wonder it could turn illusion into reality and draw people into dreams; ordinary methods certainly could not do anything to it.
Gu Chengming also learned something even more surprising from True Monarch Liuyun Suyu: the ‘Heavenly Moon’ Dao Throne shared a direct, ancestral origin with the ‘Moon in the Clouds’ Dao Throne that True Monarch Liuyun Suyu herself cultivated.
According to True Monarch Liuyun Suyu, the Penglai Sect Leader of that era had split the complete ‘Heavenly Moon’ Dao Throne into two parts, which became the ‘Dream Moon’ and the ‘Moon in the Clouds.’
To this day, the ‘Moon in the Clouds’ still firmly held a seat as a High-Rank Dao Throne in the Unfettered River, personally managed by True Monarch Liuyun Suyu.
Since a mere half of the split Dao Throne could nurture a top-tier High-Rank Dao Throne like the Moon in the Clouds, one could only imagine what level the complete ‘Heavenly Moon’ must have been.
However, there was one thing that Gu Chengming still felt wasn't quite right.
“Senior,” he began thoughtfully, “the Penglai Sect Leader who originally created the Dream Moon and the ‘Penglai Sect Leader’ who controls it now shouldn't be the same person, right?” After all, the Sect Leader inside the Dream Moon clearly seemed to be nothing more than a manifestation of a lingering obsession, rather than a genuine master of a Dao Throne.
“You are not mistaken, little friend,” True Monarch Liuyun Suyu nodded. She explained that the Penglai Sect Leader who had established the Heavenly Moon Dao Throne and created the Dream Moon was named ‘True Monarch Dinghua Zhangshi,’ who was roughly from the same era as herself.
“As for this current one...” True Monarch Liuyun Suyu's brow furrowed slightly. “I cannot see her background clearly.”
Gu Chengming's heart stirred. He recalled how, back in the Sect Leader Hall, Ano had been on the verge of saying a name but found herself completely unable to utter it.
—The true name of that Sect Leader seemed to have been forcibly erased by someone.
No, not just her true name.
Gu Chengming thought back carefully and realized that from beginning to end, he had not even heard the other party's ‘Dao title.’
No matter how much ordinary cultivators hid their true names, they would always have a Dao title to use in the outside world. Yet, this Penglai Sect Leader had even wiped her Dao title completely clean, as if she had never left any identifiable ‘name’ in this world at all.
The sense of unease in Gu Chengming's heart grew stronger.
For what possible reason would she erase her true name and Dao title so thoroughly?
Gu Chengming could not make sense of this mystery for the time being, so he could only push it to the back of his mind.
...
Soon after Gu Chengming's bet with the Penglai Sect Leader began, the Dream Moon hanging high in the sky finally began to exert its power quietly.
It began trying to make Gu Chengming's friends and elders ‘voluntarily’ step into Penglai.
Perhaps bound by the terms of the previous bet, the Dream Moon actually played by the rules this time. It did not target the innocent ordinary disciples of the Wenjian Sect, instead focusing all of its temptation on the few people Gu Chengming truly cherished.
However, the Dream Moon had miscalculated.
How could the Dao hearts of his elders be so easily shaken?
As a Supreme Elder who had survived the Great Calamity, Mo Wu's Dao heart had long been tempered as firm as a monolith. No matter how the Dream Moon laid out the various regrets from the Place of Calamity before her, she merely gave them a cool glance and brushed the illusory temptations aside.
True Monarch Liuyun Suyu went without saying; she had come with the absolute determination to personally bury Penglai. But among them all, the one who amazed the Penglai Sect Leader the most was Gu Chengming's master, Ren Wencai.
The Grand Elder of the Huiyuan Gate possessed a Dao heart so steadfast that it was completely impervious to any form of persuasion or trickery.
At first, the Dream Moon tried to tempt him with a few regrets from his life, but Ren Wencai refused to take the bait at all, instead cursing the illusory scenes to high heaven in his mind.
When the Dream Moon changed its tactics and tried to evoke his longing for ‘unfettered ultimate bliss,’ the old elder simply sat down cross-legged, formed a hand seal to protect his Dao heart, and began chanting. He refused to leave even the slightest opening for the other party to bewitch him.
Ren Wencai's regrets lay with several fellow Daoists whom he had failed to protect in the past. When those Daoists urged him to join them in the ultimate bliss of Penglai, he remained completely unmoved.
Later on, Ren Wencai actually began attempting to reverse-bewitch the phantoms of his fellow Daoists within the Dream Moon. He spoke so persuasively that the phantoms were actually swayed, declaring they wanted to ‘no longer be controlled by this wretched Dream Moon and regain their freedom,’ forcing the Dream Moon to personally disperse those phantoms.
Even the habitually composed Penglai Sect Leader, seeing Ren Wencai's utterly unyielding stance, could not help but marvel in her heart that such a steadfast Dao heart truly existed in this world.
However, the situation of another person did not look nearly as promising.
This person was Elder Yu... Her worry was a familiar one: that she would gradually fail to keep up with Gu Chengming's footsteps.
The path of cultivation was long, and Little Gu walked so incredibly fast.
It was so fast that she often fell into the illusion that she had just been walking side by side with him, only for him to stride far ahead in the blink of an eye, leaving her in the dust.
From the disciple who initially needed her protection and cover as an elder, to the peerless genius whom even senior True Monarchs now chased after, Little Gu had advanced far too quickly. It filled her, as his Dao companion, with a constant sense of panic that she could never catch up.
Could she really keep up with him?
The enemies Little Gu faced were becoming increasingly powerful.
In the past, they were just ordinary monsters, but now they were True Monarchs and mighty figures capable of stirring the Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth. On one hand, she was constantly on edge, worrying if Little Gu would one day succumb to those immense dangers; on the other hand, she was terrified that one day she wouldn't even be able to see his receding back anymore.
Whenever she saw Little Gu exhausting himself and risking his life for matters of monumental importance, she hated that she couldn't help at all. She could only watch anxiously from the sidelines, without even the right to share his burdens.
Her meager cultivation was practically negligible in the face of the world Little Gu now had to confront.
Yet, what she wanted had never been much.
It was simply to live out this life with Little Gu, in peace and smooth tranquility.
There would be no need to care about any Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth, nor any need to pay mind to those mighty True Monarchs who stirred up trouble. They would just find a quiet place where he could practice his sword and she could read her web novels. When they were free, they would go for a stroll together, and when they were hungry, she would cook a dish for him...
“As long as you and Gu Chengming enter this Dream Moon together, the two of you will no longer be disturbed by the chaos of this world. There will be no Great Calamity, no True Monarchs, and none of those perils that could take his life.”
“You can walk hand-in-hand forever, in peace and smooth tranquility, just as you have always dreamed.”
The moment those words fell, warm, cozy scenes flooded into Yu Wenqiu's mind like a tide.
It was a small courtyard, its walls covered in green ivy, with the couplet Little Gu had written for her hanging on the doorposts. In the yard stood an old sweet osmanthus tree, shedding a carpet of golden blossoms every Mid-Autumn Festival.
She saw herself lying lazily in a hammock under the corridor reading web novels, while Little Gu practiced his sword on the empty ground nearby, the sword light flowing under the sun. When he grew tired, he would walk over and naturally brush back her hair ruffled by the wind. She saw herself wearing an apron, frantically frying fish fillets before the stove, flinching as the splattering hot oil stung her hands, while Little Gu watched with a helpless smile but still reached out to block the oil for her.
She saw the two of them snuggling together, sipping a pot of warm osmanthus wine and chatting idly about nothing in particular. When she got excited, she would lean into his chest and nuzzle her head against his stomach...
With just a single nod, she would never have to fear that unreachable silhouette again, nor would she ever have to worry about those fatal dangers.
She and Little Gu could live out this life in peace...
“Elder Yu,” a voice suddenly called her back.
Gu Chengming could naturally tell that Elder Yu was wavering, and he saw her worries. “Do you remember what I told you when I broke through to the next realm the other day?”
Yu Wenqiu stared at him blankly.
“I said that I would save the scenery along the path of a True Monarch for us to look at together.”
“I have never wanted a fake Penglai that holds only the two of us. What I want is to walk side-by-side with you in this very real mortal world. Even if there are Great Calamities, dangers, and countless troubles along the way, that is what makes our life together real.”
“I want to give you real peace and tranquility.”
“And the ‘peace and tranquility’ inside that Penglai is nothing but a grand dream.”
Looking at the face so close to hers, Yu Wenqiu suddenly burst into a smile through her tears.
“What are you thinking?! Do you take this elder for a fool? I don't care about that fake Penglai at all.”
“Who wants to hide inside and be an ignorant idiot?” She glared at him. “I still want to watch you become a True Monarch with my own eyes. You promised to save the scenery along the True Monarch's path for us to see together. You'd better not break your word.”
Seeing her lively, familiar self return, Gu Chengming felt a wave of relief wash over his heart.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Dream Moon, the Penglai Sect Leader, seated high on her main seat, looked down at this scene of sweet affection under the moonlight and fell silent for a long moment.
She had naturally seen through it clearly.
That woman surnamed Yu had never once truly entertained the thought of joining Penglai.
Even during that seemingly fragile moment just now, the woman's Dao heart had not wavered in the slightest.
—She was practically no different from that stubborn Ren Wencai.
This caused the Penglai Sect Leader's brow to furrow.
Since the woman had no intention of entering Penglai from the very start, why had she bothered to put on such a wavering, vulnerable act, making the Dream Moon waste so much effort trying to guide her mind?
Puzzled, her gaze swept over the two embracing under the moonlight. Suddenly, she seemed to realize something. She unconsciously raised her hand and slapped her own forehead with a soft smack.
—Well, well, so that was the game.
That woman surnamed Yu hadn't been wavering at all. She was clearly playing dumb, deliberately acting like a pitiful, fragile soul to lure the Dream Moon into laying out the illusion to the very end. All of this was just to hand that young friend Gu a perfect excuse to clear her doubts and lay bare his heart in public.
So her grand Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth had ended up serving as a ready-made stage for this couple to deepen their affection?
Sure enough, cradled in Gu Chengming's arms, the corners of Yu Wenqiu's mouth curled upward.
Just as planned!
Elder Yu happily chalked up a major victory for herself in her mind.
Hmph, usually that senior True Monarch suppresses me to snatch Little Gu, and I even get humiliated by that temptress from the Hehuan Sect. Plus, I always hate that I can't help him. Now, I've finally caught a golden opportunity to hold my head high.
Her subtle anxiety about not being able to keep up with Little Gu's pace was genuine, of course. But using this anxiety to go with the flow, pretending to waver for the Dream Moon, and prompting Little Gu to resolve her doubts—that had all been part of her calculations.
—This not only got Little Gu to personally speak the intimate words hidden in his heart, soothing her soul that constantly worried about gains and losses, but also allowed her to fiercely show off their exclusive affection to that senior True Monarch who always loved to compete for him.
It was truly killing two birds with one stone, serving both public and private interests.
Now that her goal was achieved, with Little Gu not only declaring his feelings in public but also reaffirming his promise to share the scenery along the way with her, Yu Wenqiu felt all the frustration accumulated over the past days vanish into thin air. She felt utterly refreshed.
As for the peace and tranquility inside that Penglai...
Although Yu Wenqiu was lazy, loved to slack off, and wasn't particularly brave, her mind was incredibly sharp.
A harbor built upon nothingness, no matter how safe and stable, was somewhere she would absolutely never go.
The peace and tranquility she wanted had to be something she could hold in her own arms, with a living, breathing Little Gu right beside her to make it count.
With that in mind, Elder Yu snuggled a bit closer into Gu Chengming's chest, completely hiding her smugness beneath her tear-stained, pitiful disguise, leaving only the tips of her ears flushed a bright crimson.
Rate on N.U.
