Chapter 1232: The Beautiful are Sharing their Pain
It was not just the Radiant Moon Palace. All the fresh flowers on Leaning Moon Mountain that had ever been in contact with the Moon Empress’ aura closed up and sagged.
It looked as though they were all crying.
Mystic Moon noticed this and immediately looked worried.
Cicada Song said grimly, “The beautiful are sharing their pain. The Moon Empress is too impatient! It’s not that easy to take that last step! Your lifespan decreases by five years each time you attempt it. I might be able to try it many more times, but you can’t try it a single time more.”
Initially, Mystic Moon did not think much of Cicada Song’s words. But when he heard the latter part of what Cicada Song said, his heart skipped a beat.
What did Cicada Song mean? What did he mean by the Moon Empress could not try it?
Just as Mystic Moon was about to disregard his station and ask Cicada Song what he meant, he suddenly remembered all the changes that had happened to the Moon Empress over the last decade.
These changes had left Mystic Moon shellshocked.
He had been with the Moon Empress for half a century. By now, he understood the Moon Empress even better than he understood himself.
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Images from the past decade flashed through Mystic Moon’s mind, and he realized that the Moon Empress had turned into a completely different person after that incident.
Previously, she had been so unbelievably haughty, confident, and iron-willed that it almost hurt to look at her.
If you ever saw yourself as a genius, you would quickly wither in despair once you met her.
Yet, she had not done anything of note in the past decade besides accepting a disciple. Her sole focus had been increasing her power.
Mystic Moon did not think that the Moon Empress’ astounding power came from her hard work but from her incredible talent.
Her talent had enabled her to become the strongest expert in the world easily.
Additionally, she had been focused on paving the way for Lin Yuan ever since she accepted him as her disciple.
This did not fit with the person she had been ten years ago at all.
If the Moon Empress had accepted Lin Yuan as her disciple ten years ago, she would have allowed him to make his way on his own and only stepped in to clean up his messes, just like Chef Supreme did with Zong Ze.
In the past, she would only have started paving the way for him after he gained an understanding of the world.
She would never have planned out every step of the way for Lin Yuan when he was only 18 years old.
Lin Yuan had once been in danger in the water world dimensional rift outside Indigo Azure City.
Given the Moon Empress’ temper, she should have definitely stepped in to take on Tower Canon even if she did not care for Lin Yuan.
Moreover, he was the apple of her eye.
Before that incident ten years ago, before Seventh Page War had even started causing trouble, it had arrived in the Radiance Federation for the first time 15 years ago and had been riding on the Radiance War Chariot when aura had stained the plants on Leaning Moon Mountain.
At that moment, a brilliant moon had swallowed up the noon sun, and waterfalls of moonbeams had crashed down on Seventh Page War.
As a result, even the Radiance War Chariot had cracked.
If Second Page Revival, who had been hiding in the shadows, had not stepped in to help Seventh Page War flee, the Moon Empress would have continued to unleash her wrath on Seventh Page War.
Yet, 15 years later, the Moon Empress had chosen to control her temper after learning of the circumstances.
All these changes poked and prodded at Mystic Moon relentlessly, and only one possibility arose in his head.
Could something have happened during the incident ten years ago that he did not know about?
Inside the Moon Empress’ bedroom…
She had collapsed from her original upright seated position as moonbeams leaked from the moon imprint on the center of her forehead.
Her long hair and eyebrows had all turned as white as the moon.
In between breaths, she spat out moonlight. All in all, she did not look human at all.
At this moment, her tightly shut eyes flew open.
A look of wild indignance dominated her gaze. But slowly, her gaze shifted.
The small rabbit lying on her knee hurriedly handed its carrot over as an offering to the Moon Empress.
The Moon Empress smiled ruefully and gently pushed the carrot back as she said, “Zixi, it’s no use. My soul power is completely depleted. In this state, there’s no way I can continue to put my life on the line while trying to carve out a path to that heavenly road.”
The moon imprint on the Moon Empress’ forehead gradually darkened.
She paused for a moment before adding, “My birth horoscope is set. I am fated to draw my last breath within the next five years. Zixi, this is my destiny.”
The Moon Empress stopped speaking and looked down at her slender ivory hands.
Her life thus far had been a series of breakthroughs, and she had never known the taste of failure until now.
Unfortunately, this failure would bring about the ultimate end.
At that moment, the humming of what seemed to be numerous cicadas accompanied by a gentle breeze reached the Moon Empress’ bedroom.
Each cicada seemed to be using its music to weave a world that was brimming with soul power.
As the cicadas weaved their worlds and their songs amplified their efforts, thousands of rays of light appeared beside the Moon Empress.
The bodhis started from sprouts and grew into huge trees that soon produced adlays that fell onto the Moon Empress.
Every adlay replenished the Moon Empress’ diminished soul power.
The breeze danced around the bodhi trees and soothed the Moon Empress’ riled-up spirit.
Soon, the Moon Empress’ soul power had recovered.
She closed her eyes and made a final charge toward the heavenly road in the interval before her birth horoscope was truly set in stone.
Cicada Song was currently suspended in the air as winds circled him.
A cicada that was fervently rubbing its wings together sat on his palm.
Dragon horns had grown from the top of Mystic Moon’s head, and silver patterns covered his body.
But just as he entered his battle mode, Mystic Moon was promptly wrapped up in and trapped by a torrent of wind.
Cicada Song lowered his head and said, “32 lotus heads and 23 years of cicadas. In order to help the Moon Empress, I used the Cicada’s Merciful Guidance to give 23 years of Merciful Cicada Songs to the Moon Empress. I’m sure you know of the abilities of my Cicada’s Merciful Guidance.”
