Ten feet, nine feet, eight feet…
The Azure Moon descended like a divine mirror capable of reflecting the heavens, radiant and resplendent, slowly approaching the two figures below.
By this point, Shi Hao had grown serious, no longer jesting, standing ready for battle—let alone Yue Chan at the center of it all.
At first, there was a warmth, but soon it turned into a searing pain, as if blades were peeling divine skin and axes splitting dao bones. Eventually, it caused their blood to boil, seeping out from their pores!
Yue Chan, whose body had been as pure as ivory, now had a faint layer of blood mist covering her skin, mingling with her innate essence as it burned.
This was perilous. A single misstep, and she would turn into a raging flame, reduced to ashes!
For this was the Azure Moon Flame, known to all the mighty throughout the ages! It was said to be the remnant of a fallen True Immortal, an ancient fire so fierce that even deities of antiquity had perished in its blaze, countless in number.
It could not be resisted, nor could it be fought. The only way was to communicate with it, to forge a stable covenant—otherwise, death was certain.
Yue Chan, flawless and sacred, her lips crimson, began chanting ancient sacrificial verses, resonating with the Azure Moon Flame, seeking to merge with it, to become one.
Yet, despite her perseverance, she was still consuming vast amounts of innate essence, which leaked from her pores along with her blood, burning in the void.
The Azure Moon Flame was terrifying. Though it did not unleash its full might, even its ordinary radiance was unbearable.
At first, beads of sweat formed on Yue Chan’s pristine body, but they quickly evaporated into mist, burning alongside her spilled essence.
Her condition was dire—wavering, struggling—on the verge of collapse.
Shi Hao frowned, his body glowing as he released a surge of innate essence, transforming into a radiant stream that poured into Yue Chan’s body, replenishing her vitality.
Stabilized, Yue Chan’s eyes regained their sparkle. Symbols spilled from her lips like blooming lotuses as she communicated with the flame.
“Hmm, is she about to succeed?” Shi Hao’s face lit with joy as he saw the Azure Moon soften, its heat diminishing, as if sensing Yue Chan’s struggle.
The moon descended until it was less than five feet above Yue Chan’s head—dangerously close—yet she remained unharmed. In fact, her condition improved.
Shi Hao couldn’t help but sigh. People truly couldn’t be compared. The first ancient flame he had encountered was the Azure Moon Flame, and it had nearly drowned him in fire, rejecting him.
Now, Yue Chan was on the verge of success. If word spread, it would shake the world!
After all, this flame was tied to a True Immortal, a treasure beyond compare. Achieving divinity with it would bring unparalleled evolution, limitless potential.
Four feet, three feet, two feet…
The Azure Moon drew closer, serene and peaceful, as if the outcome was already decided.
**Boom!**
Suddenly, Yue Chan shuddered. When the flame was just a foot away, it changed. A faint silhouette emerged within it, causing the fire to blaze anew.
“No!”
Without hesitation, Shi Hao’s body erupted with light, channeling his innate essence into countless auspicious strands that surged into Yue Chan’s body, aiding her with all his might.
He, too, began chanting sacrificial verses, seeking to communicate.
The azure moonlight flared, enveloping Yue Chan in a terrifying aura. Even Shi Hao, standing outside the field, felt a chill.
If this light turned violent, even deities would be reduced to ashes!
Yue Chan stood motionless, her voice steady, bathed in the moonlight. She remained calm, neither joyful nor sorrowful.
Shi Hao was tense. If something went wrong now, it wouldn’t just be failure—it would mean annihilation, leaving nothing behind!
He didn’t know how to help anymore, afraid any intervention might trigger a catastrophic change.
Then, Shi Hao stiffened. Within the Azure Moon, he saw a figure—slender and majestic, standing within the lunar glow like a True Immortal reborn!
“Is that… the Azure Moon Fairy?” Shi Hao gasped in disbelief. How could such an imprint exist?
He had once asked Qi Daolin whether anomalies occurred when facing rare ancient flames. The answer had been reassuring—no connection to past True Immortals.
Yet now, a figure had appeared. This flame was extraordinary!
Suddenly, Yue Chan let out a pained gasp, her body trembling as she struggled to hold on.
“Yue Chan!”
Shi Hao’s expression darkened. The moonlight had touched her skin, its heat enough to terrify even gods.
“What’s happening? It had calmed down—why is it flaring up again?!” Shi Hao clenched his fists.
“I can’t… I might have failed,” Yue Chan whispered. This heat could reduce any deity to dust, let alone a mere Venerable One.
As she spoke, her form grew indistinct, her vitality severely damaged.
The moonlight, once harmless, now raged like a wild stallion, searing her flesh, igniting her from within.
“No!”
Shi Hao roared, chanting louder, trying to draw the flame away, to avert disaster.
“I never thought it would end like this,” Yue Chan murmured, regretful. Her pristine body was charred, barely holding together.
She could still speak only by sheer willpower—otherwise, she would have collapsed long ago.
“I’m still here. I won’t let you die!” Shi Hao reached out with his divine sense, provoking the flame, hoping to divert it from Yue Chan.
**Bang!**
A beam of light struck him, scorching him black, sending him flying. The pain was excruciating.
If just a wisp of this light could do this to him, what horrors was Yue Chan enduring? She was moments from turning to ash.
“You call this the flame of a True Immortal? Bullying a woman—come at me instead!” Shi Hao abandoned the ancient chants.
This flame was abnormal. That figure in the moon set it apart from other rare fires.
With a metallic clang, he donned his battered armor—rumored to hail from the Forbidden Lands, with some unfathomable origin.
Now, he had no choice. If communication failed, he would fight.
“Hah!”
Risking his life, he lunged for Yue Chan’s fading form, trying to pull her free.
Seeing his reckless rescue, Yue Chan weakly mouthed, “Don’t… just go!”
“Open!”
Shi Hao slashed at the moonlight, trying to disperse it, to drag Yue Chan to safety.
Her body was nearly gone, her gaze dim. Yet, seeing Shi Hao’s efforts, a faint light returned to her eyes. “Leave… don’t be foolish.”
This was the flame of a True Immortal. Even a host of the mightiest deities would perish—how could a Venerable One hope to resist?
**Thud!**
Ignoring her, Shi Hao thrust his arm through the light, yanking her out and retreating swiftly.
But the Azure Moon followed, its radiance still clinging to Yue Chan, determined to erase her completely.
Shi Hao’s arm screamed in agony—his bones felt charred, his flesh withered.
Yet, anyone watching would marvel. What kind of armor was this? It shielded him from the flame’s full fury.
“The remnant fire of a True Immortal… cannot be opposed…” Yue Chan’s fading eyes met his. She pushed him away weakly.
Her soul was alight, her jade-like skin and bones crumbling. She was at death’s door.
And this was just the moon’s passive glow. If it turned violent, she’d vanish instantly!
“What do you want? If you’re going to destroy her, why torment her slowly?!” Shi Hao berated the moon. Then, with a fierce motion, he stripped off his armor and draped it over Yue Chan.
With a burst of power, he hurled her away, dodging the moon’s wrath himself.
The armor, though full of holes, still offered some protection.
Yue Chan’s fading form was momentarily shielded, but all danger now shifted to Shi Hao. The Azure Moon seemed enraged.
**Boom!**
A blast of fire sent him flying. Anyone else would’ve turned to ash, but he crashed into ruins, wreathed in flames, gritting his teeth against the pain.
“Damn it!” Shi Hao cursed. His desperate gamble had failed.
The moon clung to Yue Chan, hovering above her, the two now linked.
The armor was flung aside, no longer able to protect her.
Shi Hao swiftly drew out his alchemy furnace, ready to fight with everything—divine thunder, yellow mud, all his trump cards.
He charged again, hoping to draw the moon away.
“Don’t… come!” Yue Chan’s final whisper reached him.
Her gaze was complex as she lifted a fading hand, waving him off.
“Nonsense! You’re my wife—of course I’ll save you!” Shi Hao hurled the furnace, unleashing immortal-grade lightning and the yellow mud, using every means at his disposal.
He rushed forward, trying to divert the moon.
Yue Chan’s lips moved, but no sound came out—not even a thought could be transmitted.
**Boom!**
A sacred light struck Shi Hao, sending him flying again.
Yet, surprisingly, he wasn’t burned or killed. The light merely repelled him.
At the same time, the Azure Moon brightened, the fairy within it growing clearer, as if sighing.
The flames around Yue Chan calmed, turning gentle in an instant. Everything reversed.
Her fading aura strengthened. Her body, once blurred, reformed—like a phoenix reborn from fire, bursting with vitality.
Gradually, a pristine, crystalline figure emerged. Yue Chan had been remade.
“This is…” Shi Hao stared in shock.
A mark on Yue Chan’s brow glowed—her Suspected“ Divine Forms of the Immortal Path” imprint—taking the form of a dancing woman, resonating with the figure in the moon.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage