Chapter 236: Moon Eclipse Calamity · Midway Renegades

Chapter 236: Moon Eclipse Calamity · Midway Renegades

"Don't come any closer!"

Su Li shouted, but her eyes helplessly followed her master's approach—his face glowing with paternal pride as he strode forward to congratulate her on breaking through to Golden Core.

Beneath the full moon of the fifteenth night, the Moon Eclipse Curse spread through moonlight, infecting all living beings within a thousand-mile radius of the sect.

She rose from her stone house, trying to shake off these wretched memories.

Perhaps her fated constitution had always marked her as the Heaven's Cursed Solitary Star.

From birth, she'd been abandoned by her parents. Her master, who had just given birth to her senior apprentice at the time, had been moved by her cries and taken her in out of compassion.

Who could have foreseen that this act of kindness would trigger the Moon Eclipse Calamity that ravaged a thousand-mile expanse?

Since that day, no living creature could remain near her. Even Fourth Stage spirit-sealing cloudwood would gradually decay under her presence, manifesting as a self-propelled natural disaster.

The situation had grown dire. The surrounding factions were at their wits' end.

Su Li, a Golden Core True Sovereign bearing an ancient forbidden curse, was untouchable without a Nascent Soul expert's intervention.

But the problem was, Nascent Soul cultivators were preoccupied with their own cultivation, as elusive as mythical dragons.

Thankfully, to prevent further carnage, Su Li voluntarily exiled herself to this remote, desolate island, keeping only statues for company.

The surrounding sects were overjoyed. They pooled resources to erect a massive Fourth Stage Illusion Formation around Silent Calamity Island, ensuring ordinary cultivators couldn't even see the island, let alone approach it.

The nearby Cang Ming Immortal Sect even funded a supervisor formation personally. Ostensibly to prevent intrusions, its true purpose was to monitor Su Li's movements. If she ever attempted to leave the island, they'd detect it immediately and devise countermeasures—or at least warn their disciples to stay clear.

Yet on the day she arrived, Su Li silently swore an oath to heaven: she would never set foot off Silent Calamity Island until the curse was lifted. If no solution emerged, she'd rather spend her remaining years here, alone but harmless, than harm another innocent soul.

"Though greedy men hardly count as innocent", she mused, glancing at the nearby cave. Using Xiao Chen to craft new statues probably didn't violate her vow either.

Strangely, this thought lightened her heart. Perhaps it was simply the anticipation of new company.

Time passed like a fleeting white horse. Three days had elapsed since Xiao Chen first set foot on the island, unknowingly exposing himself to her curse.

Another long night passed, and the sun rose from the distant sea, golden rays piercing darkness to illuminate Silent Calamity Island.

As usual, Su Li sat curled on a seaside rock, her bare feet trailing through the waves. Morning light highlighted the vermilion beauty mark between her brows, her silver hair shimmering like liquid mercury. Strands danced with the breeze, teasing her alabaster neck.

Yet she remained oblivious, her gaze fixed on Xiao Chen, already at work carving statues on the beach.

"Kuang-kuang-kuang!"

The familiar rhythm of his hammering echoed—steady, powerful, and oddly reassuring. If anything, he seemed even more energetic than the past two days.

But today marked the fourth day.

Su Li's eyes darkened with confusion. Her delicate brows furrowed, teeth nibbling her lower lip.

Over the past century, any living being near her had been infected by her curse—a slow, agonizing decay that claimed victims within three days.

Yet Xiao Chen remained bursting with vitality, showing no signs of corruption.

She stared unblinking, as if her gaze alone could unravel the mystery.

Why hadn't the curse taken hold?

Had her power weakened over a hundred years?

A flicker of hope stirred in her chest—only to be crushed immediately. No. Impossible. She'd tried countless methods to break free, all in vain. This was just wishful thinking born of desperation.

Her eyes dimmed again.

"Bang-bang-bang!"

Xiao Chen shifted from hammering to finer adjustments.

Watching him circle the wood, a thought struck her—could he be carrying a treasure artifact that resisted curses?

But careful observation revealed no mana fluctuations from any artifact.

How absurd. A Golden Core cultivator possessing a treasure artifact? She must truly be losing her mind.

Then—could he also have a special constitution?

Thoughts churned in her mind like a storm. Her fingers absently twisted her hair, tangling the silver strands as her gaze remained locked on him. She watched him all day long.

Night fell, but the clinking chiseling sounds softened the moonlight's usual chill.

"If things keep going like this... wouldn't that be nice?"

A strange thought surfaced—maybe life could be peaceful if every day unfolded like this.

But such dreams were futile.

She glanced at the moon. Another fifteenth night approached—the Moon Eclipse's return.

Her brows knotted tightly.

"Why the frown? Is my carving that bad?"

Xiao Chen stole a glance at the rocks, puzzled.

After absorbing the Blood Pool, he'd scoured the forest fruitlessly before returning to the beach with fresh spiritwood, continuing his work.

But Su Li's behavior had grown increasingly perplexing. The first two days staring at statues was odd enough, but now she scrutinized his every move.

Today, whether he glanced up deliberately or casually, he always met her star-like eyes.

At first, he assumed the Golden Core elder was monitoring progress. But her gaze carried... something indescribable.

Xiao Chen's heart prickled with unease. What did she want?

So he'd broken one piece of wood two days ago—there were plenty more in the forest. Did this Golden Core expert have... unusual hobbies?

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

Hissing through his teeth, he sped up his work. He just wanted to finish the statue, grab the moon-stained jade marrow fungus, and flee.

Despite the broken wood incident, he'd completed half the statue in four days. With growing skill, he'd finish the second within two more.

If all went well, by the sixth night, he'd deliver the statue and claim his reward. The moment he got the spirit herb, he'd leave immediately—no delays.

"Something's wrong. My cultivation realm is rising again."

Normally, Su Li loved watching sunrises from the seaside rocks, witnessing dawn's light piercing endless darkness.

But today, she had no time for such pleasures.

Without cultivation, her true mana surged uncontrollably, swelling in volume.

"Is the curse activating early again?"

Under the night sky, she whispered to herself, unaware of the fear in her voice.

For decades, each Moon Eclipse had inexplicably boosted her cultivation. Over a century, she'd been pushed to Golden Core Late Stage without effort.

With each breakthrough, the curse grew stronger, spreading further. It now infected surrounding seas, warping passing fish into mutated varieties. The afflicted schools turned violent, savagely attacking others until hunted or collapsing from exhaustion.

For a century, Su Li had tried every method to suppress the curse. But her resistance seemed to destabilize it further—recent years saw frequent, unpredictable outbreaks. Last year and three months ago, it had erupted days early.

"Kuang-kuang-kuang!"

The familiar sound tightened her chest.

When the Moon Eclipse struck, the curse would amplify a hundredfold.

Even if Xiao Chen was somehow immune to normal effects, he'd never survive this.

Thinking of the agonized, twisted forms consumed by past eclipses, pain flashed across her face. Her hands gripped her robes, knuckles whitening.

As the sun dipped below the western horizon, night's curtain fell. The moon would rise soon.

"Enough!"

Her clear voice trembled faintly. Tilting her head slightly, she said, "Stop carving. You may leave."

"What?"

Xiao Chen paused mid-swing, his flying sword hovering over the sculpture.

You're really reneging on our deal?!

Fine! So this is how you play! I've already finished half the work! If you weren't a Golden Core True Sovereign, I'd make you regret this!

As the saying goes, the prettier the woman, the more deceitful.

When Xiao Chen looked at Su Li’s appearance, he immediately suspected she might renege on her promise. Fortunately, he had the upper hand—he had already secretly obtained a moon-stained jade marrow fungus beforehand, ensuring he wouldn’t end up working for nothing.

“Very well, junior takes his leave.”

Though inwardly resentful, Xiao Chen maintained a calm facade. He clasped his hands in a bow and turned to leave without hesitation.

He understood the rules of the cultivation world perfectly: power dictated right. The wisest move now wasn’t to argue, but to depart quickly—before Su Li changed her mind and demanded the moon-stained jade marrow fungus back.

Don’t think such things impossible. In the cultivation world, there were countless precedents of people being killed to silence them. If you didn’t tread carefully, you’d end up devoured without a trace.

Watching his retreating figure, Su Li felt an inexplicable emptiness, as if she’d lost something vital. Instinctively, she called out, “Wait!”

Hmph?

Xiao Chen froze mid-step, his heart sinking. Trouble!

Events often spiraled toward the worst possible outcome when given the chance. His eyes narrowed—could Su Li actually be planning to reclaim the moon-stained jade marrow fungus?

If she dared demand it back, even offending the local power would be worth it. He’d rather endure months of sea winds elsewhere than yield on matters critical to his Stage Breakthrough.

Some things could be tolerated—like chopping wood or using respectful titles—but when it came to spirit herbs for cultivation advancement, even offending the entire Mercy Sea was a price he’d pay.

“Senior has further instructions?” Xiao Chen turned, his expression composed as he asked coolly.

Su Li opened her mouth, but her words stuck in her throat. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed her sleeve, torn between hesitation and resolve. Maybe this month’s curse won’t erupt early?

The previous two outbreaks had been rare exceptions. Most times, the curse struck on the fifteenth. This prodigy, Chu Jiu, still had days until the full moon. She could drive him away tomorrow, surely.

But… what if she couldn’t?

“Take the few moon-stained jade marrow fungi,” Su Li finally said, biting her lip hard enough to leave a mark. “All the spirit herbs on this island are yours to take, but leave quickly. You must depart before the zi hour tonight.”

“Remember—never return here.”

“Next time we meet, I won’t spare you.”

Huh?

Xiao Chen blinked, puzzled. What was she playing at?

Truthfully, Su Li’s behavior baffled him. Why halt their deal now? If she intended to honor the agreement, why stop it abruptly? Something must’ve changed in the past two days.

Suddenly, he recalled Su Li’s furrowed brow last night as she stared at his carved wooden figurine.

Could she be dissatisfied with my craftsmanship?

He glanced at his “masterpiece.” True, he’d never studied carving, but surely it wasn’t that bad?

Typical of a major sect disciple—too pampered to lift a finger, yet quick to criticize.

Still, Su Li had honored her payment and even added a bonus. Perhaps her artistic standards were simply high. No fault in that.

Bowing respectfully, he said, “Thank you, senior. I understand.”

She’d explicitly permitted taking any spirit herbs on the island. That meant harvesting a couple of Fourth Stage spirit-sealing cloudwood trees wouldn’t be an issue, right? Those were Fourth Stage spirit trees—too valuable to pass up.

To avoid further complications, Xiao Chen quickened his pace, vanishing from Su Li’s sight in moments.

“A greedy little thief!” she muttered, watching his direction with a distant gaze.

He seemed fond of those herbs… Well, she had no use for them anyway.

No—wait!

She’d long found those herbs annoying. This was just a convenient way to rid herself of useless clutter.

Now, she should focus on preparing for the impending moon eclipse.

Over the years, she’d moved beyond initial helplessness, uncovering patterns in the curse. It likely stemmed from an ancient witch clan’s bloodline curse, triggering a rare ancestral mutation—turning her into something akin to a Mutatedspirit beast.

Through repeated observations, she’d noted that certain high-grade spirit herbs survived longer under the curse’s influence. More precisely, they accelerated growth cycles dramatically.

The curse carried immense vitality, intertwined with her own condition.

Though her appearance was forever marred, the Moon Eclipse Curse preserved her youthfulness, keeping her skin and vitality frozen at the time of her golden core breakthrough.

If she could harness this vitality to counteract the curse…

Alas, the Moon Eclipse Curse was too dominant to control effectively.

“Huh?”

Xiao Chen stiffened, brushing aside dark green vines to reveal three moon-stained jade marrow fungi. He blinked in surprise: “An extra one?”

Impossible! Only days ago, there were two. Now a new fungus had sprouted, already half the size of the others—as if decades had passed.

Xiao Chen’s instincts kicked in. Something was accelerating its growth.

He examined the soil, noticing the new fungus’s roots sat atop a raised patch. Digging swiftly, he unearthed a tiny, reddish crystal the size of a thumbnail.

“What’s this?”

As he lifted the gem, a surge of vitality erupted from it, racing up his arm like wild horses. The energy surged into his body, yet—like the Blood Pool—it immediately felt unclaimed.

Reacting on instinct, he activated his cultivation manual, refining the sudden influx.

This time, the Body Cultivation effect dwarfed the Blood Pool’s. His entire body warmed, as if infused with potent elixirs.

More astonishingly, he sensed part of the vitality “melting” into his meridians, becoming part of him.

After half an hour, the crystal was drained. Xiao Chen closed his eyes, sensing five new true mana threads in his life-essence core—equivalent to two weeks of cultivation. His vital energy had also surged, doubling the previous boost.

“This crystal’s vitality enhancement is far superior!”

He stared at his empty palm, savoring the lingering power. Such shortcuts were dangerously addictive.

What is this crystal? Why such potent Body Tempering effects?

“Ah, I get it!”

This must be the island’s specialty! Su Li, a golden core True Sovereign, chose this retreat for a reason. The previous water pit, the spirit herbs—all connected to this crystal!

Excited, he dug furiously, hunting for more crystals. A bold thought struck him: What if there’s a spirit mine vein here?

One crystal yielded such gains—imagine dozens! He could even breach golden core Perfect Completion. If he stumbled upon thousands… Golden Core Realm, even Nascent Soul, might be within reach.

…Okay, maybe overreaching.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the fantasy. Such treasures likely formed only in a mine’s core, scarce and rare. Still, even one or two more would aid his Body Cultivation breakthroughs.

Yet after scouring the area, he found nothing.

“Ah well, guess I’m not that lucky.”

Glancing at the sky, he recalled Su Li’s zi hour deadline. Time to chop those spirit-sealing cloudwood trees and leave.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end