After sending Wei Tuantuan off, Chen Xiang returned alone to the tower, sitting down with a sigh. He lowered his gaze and said,
"When things are calm, I get bored and want to find something to do. Now that I have something to do, I miss the time when I was idle."
On his wrist, the mirror-like tattoo with cracks made a summative statement:
"In short, this is called 'trouble.'"
Chen Xiang flicked it off his wrist and slapped it down hard.
"Shut up!"
He snapped, "If you dare to say that word, I'll play a few more rounds of frisbee with Wangcai!"
The mirror protested indignantly:
"You're suppressing my freedom of speech with your power! You're violating my human rights!"
"Are you even human?!" Chen Xiang thought his head was starting to hurt from this annoying mirror.
He shook his head and took out a dark, chaotic orb from the mirror—something that exuded a feeling of tearing and annihilation.
[Void of Profound Darkness]
When in the Great City, Lu Saleng had fought against the archbishop of the Abyssal Void Church, and this treasure from the Abyssal Void Church had fallen onto the ancient altar, later coming into Chen Xiang's possession.
He hadn't used it until now, but he had some thoughts about it due to the urgency of the situation.
Little Wei seemed to be in trouble, which jolted Chen Xiang out of his complacency. The ancient castle was merely a temporary refuge; he wouldn't stay here forever, and his current leisurely life would ultimately turn into a fleeting dream.
"The soul essence produced by the big black cow is running low. Unless I cycle through the process of nurturing, adding ghosts, and absorbing for ten thousand years, my pure soul essence would be enough to rival an outer god. Where am I supposed to find ten thousand years?"
Chen Xiang muttered to himself, trying to sort out his situation and the path ahead:
"Simply relying on realm advancement is too slow; I must find a different path. I have two routes before me."
"Enhance my legend; when everyone in the world knows my name and has strong emotions of fear, awe, or admiration towards me, [Observation] will experience a great leap, allowing me to rival outer gods."
"Or develop the Order Church; the power of faith seems very mysterious—millions of fanatical believers can create a true god, but what about more?"
"Or… both paths in parallel?"
Chen Xiang pondered to himself, his eyes gradually brightening:
"Exactly, the Emperor and the Venerable are both in Donghong Kingdom. The former is a high-ranking figure there, and the latter should be no less. With Donghong Kingdom as a base, I can reach the White Star Nation where the Prophet and Meng Tu are, and then to the Great City."
"From these three, I can radiate out to all nations. This might not be impossible!"
Chen Xiang's vision for the future was now clear:
"When order spreads across the globe, and pure white resounds in all nations…"
"I will reclaim some of the glory, and the Lord of Pure White will return."
He slightly collected his thoughts and focused on the [Void of Profound Darkness].
[Void of Profound Darkness: Forbidden Object 015, birthed from the corpse of the Void Being, can suppress all real divine realms; when fully unfolded, it can devour and complete itself from forbidden objects beyond Sequence 015; when completely unfolded…]
Chen Xiang closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, a pair of large skeletal wings made of jagged bones and countless lost souls sprouted from his back, while a phantom of a bronze cross floated behind him.
He revealed his true self, transforming into Him.
At this moment, Chen Xiang was no longer just Chen Xiang; he was also [The True Shepherd].
He played with the dark orb in his hands, becoming completely absorbed, liberating himself entirely!
Low murmurs of chants and prayers swirled around Chen Xiang, and in the infinite depths behind him, the sounds of a short flute and a horn echoed.
Even the phantom of the Nine Provinces floated beside him.
His shoulders twitched, two heads grew forth, and four arms sprouted from his sides;
The sounds of the flute and the prayers suddenly became bright and clear, causing the tower to tremble slightly. This tremor abruptly ceased, everything froze, and lost time arrived!
With the complete liberation of himself, Chen Xiang lowered his eyes, using six hands to tear at the [Void of Profound Darkness], as a time staff emerged, piercing through the [Void of Profound Darkness]!
The dark orb began to change shape, and the sleeping, hidden will within it was thoroughly obliterated!
Immediately,
He merged the Void of Profound Darkness into the jagged skeletal wings behind him, an immense power surged through his soul, and in this moment, divine might was like a prison!
"Half a step…"
Chen Xiang whispered:
"Just half a step away from the [Stars] of the fourth ladder. Only by taking this last half step can I truly integrate with the [Void of Profound Darkness]."
"I only need to bathe once in the light of the stars, resonating my soul with a star."
Even though with [Observation] and the power of forbidden arts, he could match top-tier giants and even deities of the seventh ladder,
A single advancement in his realm would still be a leap.
Especially after entering the fourth ladder, with a soul resembling that of a deity, he could reorganize basic particles merely with his will, enabling the creation of void entities.
This was a qualitative change.
The realms of [Stars], [Constellations], and [Starry Sky] were all formed by bathing the soul in the light of ancient stars, and Chen Xiang was now only a baptism away.
To reach the stars of the fourth ladder, he merely needed to accept the light of an ancient star. Most gods would choose the brilliant and radiant sun,
But Chen Xiang wished to choose the red moon.
"Then it shall be the red moon."
He departed from the realm of loss, his consciousness touching the twilight decree, and he suddenly became ethereal, descending along the formless pull to that ancient hall.
After Wei Tuantuan returned home, she felt somewhat distracted.
She closed her room door and sat alone on her bed for a long time.
Knock knock knock
A gentle male voice accompanied the knocking.
"Tuantuan, what's wrong? Why do you look so downcast?"
As he spoke, the door opened, and Wei Shu walked in with a smile:
"What's wrong? Did your dad not let you go to Old Li's antique shop, and you're upset? Alright, alright, I'll take you to Old Li's to pick out something you like later, okay?"
"Dad, it's not…"
Wei Tuantuan hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke up:
"I… I want you to accompany me to see the moon."
"See the moon??"
Wei Shu was somewhat puzzled. Before he could speak further, Wei Mu's head poked in from outside the door:
"What's gotten into you, girl? When did you become so cultured?"
"Mom!"
Wei Tuantuan's face flushed slightly:
"You eavesdropped again!"
Wei Mu laughed heartily.
Although Wei Shu was puzzled, he smiled:
"Alright, looking at the moon, it's getting dark. Where do you want to go? Dad will accompany you!"
"Let's go to the tallest building in our city!"
Wei Tuantuan finally mustered the courage to say, "Tianchuan Center!"
Tianchuan Center was the landmark of Tianchuan City and the tallest building in the entire Tianchuan Province, standing over 1,400 meters high. Excluding the Sky Country perched above the clouds and some buildings built on supergiant floating platforms in the White Star Nation, Tianchuan Center ranked among the top ten in the world.
"Okay, I'll take you there; it's not far anyway."
"And I want to eat the fried chicken from Tianchuan Center!"
"Sure, whatever you want!"
"Does what you just said about going to Uncle Li's to pick something still count?"
"…"
Wei Shu helplessly replied, "Alright, as long as my treasure is happy, we can do anything. Is that good enough?"
Wei Tuantuan jumped up three feet high.
Wei Mu smiled and said, "You two go ahead. I've arranged a mahjong game with Old Bai tonight, so I won't be going."
Wei Shu chatted with Wei Mu for a moment, and soon he took Wei Tuantuan out the door.
"Let's go to Uncle Li's first!"
Wei Tuantuan glanced at the sun that hadn't set yet and immediately suggested.
"Sure, I'll follow your lead."
The father and daughter arrived at the antique shop at the end of the street, only to see the middle-aged man just pulling down the rolling shutter.
"Old Li, closing this early today?" Wei Shu asked in surprise.
The middle-aged man turned around, saw the father and daughter, and smiled,
"Yeah, I have some things at home to take care of. So, Old Wei, are you bringing Tuantuan here to trouble me?"
"No! Uncle Li!" Wei Tuantuan waved her hand: "My dad agreed to take me to pick something. If you have something to do, then I'll just bring my dad tomorrow!"
"Alright, but I might not be here tomorrow either." Li Rong'en said with a smile, "I have an old friend visiting, and I'm taking him around the city tomorrow."
"What about the day after tomorrow?"
"I'll be here the day after tomorrow."
"Then we'll come the day after tomorrow!"
Wei Tuantuan waved her hand, said goodbye to Uncle Li, and then left with Wei Shu.
Li Rong'en watched the father and daughter leave with a smile, but his expression gradually turned calm, and he sighed softly, a hint of worry flickering in his eyes.
Upon arriving at Tianchuan Center, they went up to the top floor of the 1,400-meter-high superstructure, which was still crowded, almost like a night market, with various stalls and small shops, even two basketball courts and a large infinity pool.
Wei Tuantuan held her dad's hand, browsing the little stalls. She had already eaten so much street food that her stomach was full, but she occasionally glanced at the darkening sky, feeling somewhat anxious.
The red moon—
What did that terrifying person mean by saying he would gaze upon her from the red moon?
He wouldn't really go to the moon, would he?
Could he help Sister Qiyi?
Thinking about this, Wei Tuantuan's joy faded considerably.
After wandering a bit longer with her dad, the sky grew darker, the sun had completely set, and two full moons rose into the sky, with stars twinkling.
"Oh, what a coincidence! Both moons are full. This doesn't happen often in a year; it's truly a good time to see the moon today."
Wei Shu said cheerfully,
"No wonder my precious daughter suddenly wants to see the moon."
"Dad!"
Wei Tuantuan playfully pouted and kept looking at the red moon in the sky. The moon was still the same, with no abnormalities; she couldn't see anyone.
Of course, even if someone was up there, they wouldn't be visible.
So what did the red moon look like?
As she lost herself in thought, she suddenly heard someone exclaim.
"Hey, hey? Look at that moon!"
Wei Tuantuan and Wei Shu looked up, just in time to see the dark red moon dimming, as if covered by a massive, hazy shadow.
And then!
That shadow visibly twisted and gathered, accompanied by a dense, deep hue!
"Red moon…"
Wei Tuantuan murmured in a daze, while Wei Shu's expression turned incredibly serious as he tightened his grip on his precious daughter's hand:
"What's happening to the moon?"
As soon as he spoke, gasps filled the air as the visible massive shadow on the red moon and the deep light spun wildly, and as they spun, they eventually converged!!
Converging into—
An eye.
The gasps gradually quieted; atop the building, in Tianchuan City, in Donghong Country, and across the entire hemisphere under the night sky, everything fell silent at this moment.
Countless insomniacs stood in the streets, on rooftops, in the wilderness, or by their windows at home, staring blankly at the startling change in the sky.
The shadows and deep dark hues intertwined to form a single eye that covered the entire front of the red moon.
Or perhaps, the red moon transformed into a giant eye, silently gazing down at the entire Earth.
"I will gaze upon you from the red moon."
Wei Tuantuan recalled the young man's deep voice, her expression dazed, her hands and feet cold.