Junhua was just about to chase after him when shouts erupted from the direction of the teleportation array. Looking over, she saw Yu Chun and Yu Yingwan leading a group of people who had already broken through the defenses there. The guards had all fallen. Outnumbered and desperate, Junhua immediately rallied the remaining mer-warriors to go help.
But when she turned back toward the battlefield, she saw many of her kin floating silently upward from the coral reefs, lifeless, drifting toward the surface. Her heart ached with grief. She no longer cared whether the sacred grounds were lost—before lives, such things were meaningless. All she wanted was to save as many of her people as she could.
Just as she was rushing toward the teleportation site, a dragon’s roar echoed from another direction.
Junhua’s face changed—then slowly brightened with hope. Could it be that the black dragon, their reclusive neighbor, had come to help? If he was here, perhaps the tide could turn. But that creature was notoriously temperamental, never close to anyone, believing the world had nothing to do with him. Why would he suddenly grow a conscience now?
Meanwhile, Gu Baiqing’s fight with the old monster was becoming fiercer.
The old monster tried the same trick again—using another youth as a shield.
But Gu Baiqing, having seen it once, wouldn’t be fooled twice. He flung Morning Snow from his hand, sending the sword flying through the water to loop around behind the old monster, aiming straight for his dantian.
Just then, Manor Lord Yu regained consciousness and staggered toward them, trying to save his ancestor—but Gu Baiqing, anticipating it, turned and struck him with another lightning bolt. If he weren’t so pressed for time, he could have killed him outright.
A sharp metallic clang rang out—Morning Snow had struck the old monster’s Tribulation-stage energy barrier. It was his last line of defense, but before Morning Snow’s power, it was like a wooden stake being slowly pierced through—only delaying the inevitable.
That brief delay, however, saved the old monster’s life.
A long, piercing cry split the water. A massive shadow swept overhead, and the pressure it exuded was so immense that even Gu Baiqing’s chest tightened.
A monstrous beast, shaped like a Shadow-Sky Wyvern, cut across the battlefield like a phantom. Its claws struck Morning Snow aside, sparks flaring even under the sea.
The sword spun through the water in countless circles before returning to Gu Baiqing’s hand.
He retreated swiftly, narrowly dodging the slicing wind blades from the creature’s enormous wings.
The old monster now stood upon the beast’s back, rising high above. Pale, bloodied, and shaken, he looked down at Gu Baiqing with fury and fear. He had truly come within a breath of death. His face twisted in rage, veins bulging as he coughed up more blood—but his body could no longer keep up with his anger. He could only steady himself on the beast’s back and catch his breath.
Then a voice cried out in shock—from one of the remaining priests.
“Shadow-Sky Wyvern!”
Gu Baiqing’s heart sank. A legendary beast—its strength rivaled the Tribulation Stage. There were said to be only a few in existence. How could one appear here? No one had ever heard of anyone taming such a creature. If this wyvern was truly fighting alongside the old monster, he was in real trouble.
But something didn’t add up. The Shadow-Sky Wyvern was infamous for being impossible to tame. Unless completely overpowered by its master’s strength, it would never submit. Even if a group wounded it severely, it still wouldn’t form a contract.
Yet the old monster was clearly weaker than the wyvern. How could it possibly be his contracted beast?
“You—you possess her contract beast?!” the priest cried, disbelieving. “That was discovered by one of our clan’s prodigies! You—” He suddenly froze, realization dawning on his face. “You’re the one who, a hundred years ago, married into our—”
A sudden strike shot toward the priest, and Gu Baiqing’s figure flickered—his sword Morning Snow flared with blue light, neutralizing the attack in an instant.
He hadn’t expected to hear such news: so the Yu family’s old ancestor was actually the cultivator who had once married into the merfolk clan, taking a merfolk partner. No wonder his current tribulation-stage cultivation was so strange—clearly the hidden backlash left from training in the Sacred Land back then.
So that’s why Beast-Taming Manor knew so much about the merfolk—because of that ancestor?
Then what about his partner? Dead? But he’d never heard of anyone inheriting a contracted beast after their partner’s death…
Gu Baiqing’s head was full of question marks over this newly revealed backstory—but now wasn’t the time. These people couldn’t stay here any longer.
“Go! The merfolk have suffered heavy losses. The Sacred Land can be rebuilt, but if you all die, who will protect the clan alongside the Second Princess? Head for the teleportation array—now!”
Though the last attack hadn’t hit them, the lingering force from a tribulation-stage strike had already left them reeling, not to mention the ones already seriously injured and unconscious.
Hearing Gu Baiqing’s words, the group hesitated only a moment before acting, understanding the stakes.
“Thank you! We will never forget your kindness,” the eldest priest said, trembling with emotion.
While blocking another assault from the old monster, Gu Baiqing cast lightning spells to shield them. “Go!”
Suddenly, the eldest priest produced a glowing object encased in a thin water membrane—a green jade. “Benevolent one, take this. It’s the treasure of our merfolk—the Jade Condensed Merfolk Pearl. Don’t eat it, just keep it in your mouth. With your cultivation, you might be able to draw on the Sacred Land’s spiritual power. We have nothing else to offer—please, take the chance. And if… if they truly breach the Sacred Land, then shatter it. Better for the jade to break than to let the enemy claim it.”
Gu Baiqing knew it would be useless to him, but since it was pushed into his hands, he could only accept it. Still, as he heard the priest’s last words, realization struck—so this was the item tied to the original story’s mechanism. In the original text, Junhua had resolved to destroy the Sacred Land rather than let the enemy take it, though it seemed she hadn’t fully succeeded back then.
As always, the merfolk trusted too easily—handing over such an important artifact without hesitation. Weren’t they afraid he’d be like that old monster, coveting the Sacred Land for himself? To a cultivator, the Sacred Land was equivalent to possessing an independent spiritual vein!
But since they trusted him so completely—how could he betray that trust?
Gu Baiqing was about to put it away when he noticed the old monster’s face darken the moment he saw the jade. Inspiration flashed in his mind.
Fine then—time to scare him a little.
Gu Baiqing slipped the smooth jade into his mouth and instantly launched an attack. Even with that troublesome spirit beast present, “strike the leader first” was still the right principle.
Sure enough, seeing Gu Baiqing use the Jade Condensed Merfolk Pearl, the old monster instinctively pulled back with his beast, momentarily unwilling to face him head-on. But after taking a lightning strike and realizing Gu Baiqing hadn’t actually drawn on the Sacred Land’s power—just his own speed—the old monster’s shock turned to fury.
Astonished that Gu Baiqing couldn’t use it, enraged that he’d been tricked.
Gu Baiqing didn’t know what kind of effect the jade would have if someone could truly activate it; to him, it just felt warm and smooth in his mouth—nothing more.
Still, he knew how to seize every opportunity. While the old monster’s mind was scattered with confusion, before he could counterattack, Gu Baiqing cast Blazing Thunderstrike—fire entwined with lightning surging through the seawater toward the foe.
The old monster, shocked and furious, coordinated with the Shadow-Sky Wyvern to barely dodge the oncoming inferno.
Gu Baiqing frowned slightly—he’d missed his moment.
“Courting death!” the old monster roared, staring at his scorched robe and numb arm. Terror turned to blinding rage as he charged with the Shadow-Sky Wyvern.
Their combined wind-element strike gathered force like a concentrated tsunami, slamming straight toward him.
Gu Baiqing poured all his power into Morning Snow to block it, but the impact still sent him flying backward.
The two working together were indeed difficult to withstand.
Before he could counter, another barrage came—wind blades fell like a meteor shower, forcing Gu Baiqing to swing Morning Snow continuously to deflect them.
Even so, several blades pierced through, wounding him.
As the assault ended, Gu Baiqing retaliated immediately—but the old monster, already used to his rhythm, had the Shadow-Sky Wyvern carry him away from the strike.
Fighting two-on-one—Gu Baiqing truly wanted to curse aloud.
Suddenly, the Shadow-Sky Wyvern roared, releasing a storm like a shockwave of immense power.
Too fast. Too wide. Gu Baiqing knew he couldn’t dodge—it had to be endured.
But Morning Snow had already taken heavy blows; worried it might shatter, he gathered his spiritual energy before him to block instead.
Yet Morning Snow flew out of his grasp on its own, standing before him and shining with bright blue light.
“Morning Snow! Fine! Then we’ll fight together!”
He braced himself to take the hit—ready to be injured but already planning his next move—when suddenly, a white figure appeared right in front of him.
Only someone in a void space could move like that.
Gu Baiqing’s pupils shrank. Too late to react—he only saw Mo Xuanli standing tall before him, unmoving as a mountain, silver fan in hand, bracing against the violent wind as he swung it hard.
A small hurricane burst forth from the nearly-cracking fan ribs, colliding head-on with the incoming force.
Gu Baiqing’s heart lurched—
Mo Xuanli… facing that old monster—
He could see spiritual energy draining rapidly from Mo Xuanli’s body, his figure trembling. There was no need to guess what kind of state he was in. A golden core cultivator daring to confront two opponents nearly at tribulation strength—how could he not be courting death, risking even the collapse of his spiritual seal? Truly, only a protagonist would be this fearless.
Fortunately—he was there.
Gu Baiqing stretched out both hands and began channeling spiritual energy directly into Mo Xuanli.
They had once undergone a spiritual-sense dual cultivation and shared a merging of energies within the Sacred Land; transferring spiritual power between them now posed no barrier. Gu Baiqing’s energy flowed seamlessly into Mo Xuanli, who could use it directly without burden to his body.
Thus, the two opposing hurricanes collided—and through the enemy’s powerful wind spell, Mo Xuanli’s God Nine Transformations, an immortal-grade technique, carved out a bloody path.
That was the opening.
Gu Baiqing had originally planned to block the strike himself, then cut through the aftermath and take his foe by surprise.
But now… Mo Xuanli had given him the perfect opportunity.
Gu Baiqing pressed a hand on Mo Xuanli’s shoulder and said, “Wait for me.”
He didn’t intend to fight to the death; after all, the enemy had the Shadow-Sky Wyvern—killing him outright was unlikely. The priority was to buy enough time for the merfolk, then withdraw. One decisive blow to cripple the enemy—enough to ensure they wouldn’t be pursued.
Following the wind tunnel created by the God Nine Transformations, Gu Baiqing shot out like lightning and fire. He didn’t notice that behind him, Mo Xuanli was already coughing blood, his body swaying—at the end of his strength.
Mo Xuanli refused to accept his own weakness, unwilling to let his master face danger alone. Wiping away the blood, he forced himself to follow.
The explosion of colliding spells lit up the waters, momentarily blinding the old monster. Based on the prior exchange, he was certain Gu Baiqing must be injured—he moved to finish him off, when suddenly a bolt of blue-violet lightning tore through the darkness like an arrow.
The old monster’s pupils contracted—too late to dodge.
Gu Baiqing’s lightning pierced straight through his body.
That strike nearly halved the old monster’s life force, knocking him clean off the Shadow-Sky Wyvern’s back.
Since he could not yet fully control the beast, the Shadow-Sky Wyvern’s movements were imperfect; though it had failed to shield him, it still managed to catch him on one wing.
But as soon as the old monster steadied himself, he felt a chill down his spine. Before he could rise, Gu Baiqing flashed before him like living thunder, unleashing a third and final killing move.
He should have stopped—but the timing was too perfect. If he struck now, it would be fatal, leaving no future threat behind.
The old monster’s battered body couldn’t evade; he could only rely on the Shadow-Sky Wyvern to shield him.
But he knew at such close range, even the dragon’s wings couldn’t move fast enough.
The old monster’s eyes widened in shock as he felt the oppressive force of death closing in—only to see Gu Baiqing’s strike suddenly veer off, caught by the dragon’s wing. The wing’s wind blades swept Gu Baiqing away in turn.
What happened? A mistake? Was he injured?
The old monster wasn’t foolish—he immediately urged the Shadow-Sky Wyvern to pursue.
By now Gu Baiqing’s forehead was slick with cold sweat. His spiritual energy was still there, but his body could no longer hold up. The aftereffects of battle against a tribulation-stage opponent had come crashing down—the fight had gone on too long, draining too much. His limbs weakened, his mind spun, and he couldn’t even control his flight.
He cursed inwardly—but before he could fall, someone caught him.
“Master!”
Mo Xuanli’s voice was frantic as he caught Gu Baiqing. Before either could speak, the Shadow-Sky Wyvern’s next attack struck.
Even though Mo Xuanli unleashed the God Nine Transformations in defense, the impact still hurled them into the seabed.
With no strength left, Mo Xuanli could only clutch Gu Baiqing tightly, shielding him with his own body.
The blow blasted a deep crater into the ocean floor.
Gu Baiqing barely clung to consciousness, while Mo Xuanli lay motionless, unable to recover from the strike. Looking upward, Gu Baiqing saw the old monster descending upon them once more.
Mo Xuanli still couldn’t summon the Void Space—Gu Baiqing knew then that he was at his limit.
His mind raced. Things had spiraled beyond expectation—and now they had returned to the original storyline.
The old monster would not let them go. Mo Xuanli would die, and the seal would— No. Absolutely not! There had to be another way—
Mo Xuanli shook his head, forcing himself upright. He seemed to regain focus. Knowing his master couldn’t move, and with his own energy depleted, he realized he couldn’t use the Spirit Space to protect him. There was only one option left—stay behind and block the enemy, giving his master time to escape.
He quickly drew an array over Gu Baiqing’s body. “Master, go ahead. Your disciple will follow—”
Gu Baiqing looked at him, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to muster one final technique.
Thunder roared down—countless bolts like dragons swimming through the sea. The strike’s area was vast, trading focused power for sheer disruption—enough to overwhelm the enemy’s senses and buy time.
Lightning surged through the waters, throwing the entire battlefield into chaos. Though it injured everyone, it also gave the captured merfolk a chance to flee—a small, unexpected blessing.
But Gu Baiqing’s true intent was something else entirely—
Mo Xuanli’s pupils dilated as his master suddenly pulled him close by the neck and kissed him deeply. Before he could react, he felt something warm and smooth pressed into his mouth by the other’s tongue.
Color flushed up Mo Xuanli’s face.
“Hold it… the Sacred Land’s… spiritual power…” Gu Baiqing said hoarsely.
In that instant, Mo Xuanli felt an immense surge of energy rushing into him from somewhere beyond—flooding his body to the brim.
The old monster’s next attack descended—yet a long whip lashed upward from the crater, bursting with spiritual light, blocking the strike entirely.
The old monster recoiled in terror. In the distance, the Sacred Land itself pulsed with light, as though breathing.
Someone… had actually managed to use the Jade Condensed Merfolk Pearl.
Before he could recover, Mo Xuanli—clad in white—shot into the sky. Wind-element energy flared around him, wrapping his figure in a luminous vortex, as though he stood within a living tornado.
Supported by a surge of powerful spiritual energy, Mo Xuanli’s complexion quickly regained its color. Like an arrow released from the bowstring, he shot toward the old monster and the Sky-shielding Shadow-Sky Wyvern.
Gu Baiqing lay in the crater, watching as light exploded overhead—so bright he could barely make out any figures. Still, he knew his gamble had paid off. Although the sacrificial text had stated that only cultivators of high level could activate this “plug-in,” wasn’t this special mechanism made precisely for Mo Xuanli to break through?
However, while Mo Xuanli held the upper hand in raw spiritual power, there was still a vast gap in cultivation.
If they were to escape, it would only be possible once Mo Xuanli could use the Void Spirit Space again—and the current battle was meant to buy time for exactly that.
To keep himself conscious, Gu Baiqing clutched Morning Snow hard in his hand—the pain was the only thing stopping him from passing out.
Watching his disciple struggle through such a fierce fight, knowing he himself could do nothing to help, Gu Baiqing could only pray that the rumored Black Dragon would appear soon to save them.
Wasn’t it said that the dragon would appear just when Mo Xuanli reached his limit? Why hadn’t it shown up yet? What was going on with this plot?
As he was thinking that, a cold voice suddenly came from beside him.
“Who are you? Why do you carry San’er’s* scent on you? What have you done to my fiancée?”
* referring to Three Bean
Gu Baiqing froze, turning his head—at some point, a man in a black robe had appeared beside him. The man’s hand shot out, grabbing Gu Baiqing by the throat and hauling him up from the crater.
The man had twin horns atop his head, a tall and powerful frame, and long black hair cascading down his back. Over one of his eyes was a scale-patterned eyepatch, leaving the other eye to stare down at Gu Baiqing like a human might look at an insect.
That strikingly handsome face, that arrogant bearing, that unique appearance—
Wasn’t this the Black Dragon Ao Hang?!
Wasn’t he supposed to appear in his colossal dragon form, raging across the battlefield?
What was he doing here like this?!
“Speak—where is San’er?!”
![The Shadow Guard is also the White Moonlight [Rebirth]](https://i2.wp.com/lazygirltranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724126829-7102-The-Shadow-Guard-is-also-the-White-Moonlight-Rebirth.png?resize=151,215 "The Shadow Guard is also the White Moonlight [Rebirth]")
