Chapter 108: The Ambush

Night had fallen, the sky sprinkled with countless stars, yet the moon was absent.

Above Mount Falling Spirit, however, hung a faint, hazy crescent moon. The five-colored radiance it once displayed was now blending into a unified glow, no longer distinct as the five vivid hues it had shown at first.

Nearly half a year had passed since Beiling departed, yet she had not returned. Southfall could do nothing but recall her oddly from time to time. He was not worried about her safety; in his view, although Beiling was not among the top-tier beings within the Divine Realm, her skills were exceptionally cunning and unpredictable, making her difficult to guard against. She had claimed that if she wished to escape, no one could stop her.

Her bold personality might make her say such things, but Southfall did not truly believe she could move freely among the Daoist or Saintly realms without consequence. Yet he conceded that her art of evasion was unique and enigmatic.

The world lay silent; countless creatures in the mountains inhaled the essence of the stars beneath the vast night sky.

Three thousand miles south of Mount Bu, above a mountain range, hovered a mirror—neither fully moon nor mirror—emitting a gentle, five-colored luster. Few in the world now could discern that it was indeed a mirror.

Though not as bright as daylight, the mirror above Mount Falling Spirit stood out vividly against the starry backdrop.

Suddenly, a giant claw formed from swirling clouds appeared silently above Mount Falling Spirit. It lacked the overwhelming fury of a storm, instead carrying the subtle menace of a stealth attack.

A stealth attack was one carried out when the opponent was unprepared, while the attacker was ready to capitalize. This enormous cloud claw, materializing from nowhere, was vast enough to cover half the mountain range.

Black as ink, with only three claws, the massive cloud hand immediately enveloped the demonic moon mirror above the mountain. Darkness descended, shrouding the land.

But shortly thereafter, a voice of surprise broke the night’s silence.

“Eh...?”

That single startled exclamation shattered the stillness. A blade-like beam of light pierced the darkness, growing brighter and wider until it tore a rift in the gloom. The demonic moon mirror reappeared in the sky, its radiance undiminished. The black cloud claw dissipated into a mist, gradually fading away under the light as if nothing had occurred.

It was as though the giant claw was no more than a drifting cloud that had inadvertently blocked the moon for a moment before vanishing again on the breeze.

Only the sound of that startled voice seemed to linger in the void.

Within Mount Falling Spirit, the little Red Bird and the little Azure Bird, who had been quietly cultivating in their nests, had grown accustomed to the strange moon-mirror in the sky. Their instincts told them it was a creation of their immobilized master.

When Southfall told the Green Sprite that he could no longer move, the little Red Bird had overheard. At that time, she had feared calamity was imminent and anxiously warned her heedless master, who appeared indifferent.

Upon returning, her concern grew, prompting her to relocate several times with the little Azure Bird until they found a hidden cliffside nest and finally felt secure. She remembered the cultivation technique their master had passed on and thought that, having warned him, their debts were settled. Thus she focused on her practice but would occasionally criticize her master’s lack of foresight and vigilance whenever she glimpsed the demonic moon mirror.

Many days passed, and as the little Red Bird had feared, trouble arrived at last.

Lifting her delicate red head, she watched the demonic moon mirror silently break free from the grasp of the mysterious black cloud claw and disperse the shadows without a trace. She mused silently, “So my master truly possesses genuine power. No wonder he shows no fear. But such recklessness will surely attract more formidable foes.”

No matter what, the little Red Bird believed her master should not have been so ostentatious after encountering difficulties in his divine arts.

Just then, the ominous tension in the air intensified. As the little Red Bird prepared to retreat to her nest, a thin veil of crimson clouds—like flowing silk—wound around the demonic moon mirror.

Still silent and serene, like a muted film, the blood-red mist was vivid in the mirror’s glow, resembling a layer of sprayed blood fog. It fluttered like a gauzy veil in the wind but in an instant enveloped the mirror completely.

This time, no sudden darkness followed. The little Red Bird watched closely as the blood mist cloaked her master’s treasure, causing her heart to flutter involuntarily, for she still held great respect for him.

Though initially drifting lightly, the blood mist began to churn wildly once it surrounded the mirror, billowing like ocean waves, as if intent on sweeping the mirror away. Yet, the seemingly weightless demonic moon mirror remained as steady as a mountain, its light tinged red by the mist, emanating a refreshing breeze like one brushing over a hillside.

No matter how the blood mist surged or roiled, despite the myriad laws it embodied, the mirror stood firm.

From the darkness beyond the light, an arcane chant suddenly echoed, its profound tone bridging heaven and earth. The void fell silent at the sound, suppressing the wind, the rustling treetops, and the calls of night insects.

The blood mist suddenly shrank and transformed into a blood wolf, howling to the heavens. Though the little Red Bird heard no sound, darkness swept before her eyes, and she collapsed.

Invisible ripples stirred the void that the demonic moon mirror occupied, disrupting the once harmonious space. The mirror, seemingly fused with the entire void and the mountains, was now forcibly separated, its subtle connection to the landscape severed.

At that moment, a massive azure-black claw tore through the void, appearing as a tangible force and churning the space violently. The blood wolf, enraged at the claw’s sudden arrival, abandoned the mirror and lunged to bite.

The claw fought back fiercely. The two were clearly not allies, both seemingly vying to claim the demonic moon mirror as their own. The surrounding mountain ranges loomed like hidden beasts watching the struggle.

Yet their battle was tentative, a mutual probing rather than a full clash. Clearly, they knew their purpose and that it was not yet time for all-out war.

As the azure-black claw and blood wolf tested each other, the demonic moon mirror suddenly stirred, soaring upward as if entering a layered void, impervious to the external chaos. Simultaneously, a faint voice rose from the mountains.

“Do you seek my Southfall’s demonic moon mirror, or do you seek my life?”

“If it’s your life you want, then the mirror comes with it.” The blood wolf’s mouth opened wide, its voice thick with menace, as if a sea of corpses and blood rose behind it, sending ripples through the void. Judging by its current display, it had only exerted a fraction of its true power.

The three-scaled azure-black claw moved sharply, shattering the void like cracked ice. Even Mount Falling Spirit trembled as if about to fracture. Then a sharp voice rang out from the claw, “Southfall, I offer your life as a sacrifice to my deceased child.”

After a brief silence, Southfall sighed, “Since my path began, I have never sought to offend others first, yet many have fallen by my sword, and foes abound beyond my reckoning. It seems you two have come merely to test whether Southfall still holds power. Very well, I shall not conceal it. I will show you—and all—what is real.”

His tone began reflective and slow but grew cold and deadly by the end.

The little Red Bird had regained consciousness without realizing when and hurried into the nest without looking skyward, nestling close to the little Azure Bird. She scolded the blood wolf silently, convinced the foes had come for their foolish master.

Yet hearing Southfall’s words, she suspected he had long anticipated their arrival and that many others lurked in the shadows. Shrinking closer to the little Azure Bird, who remained blissfully unaware and peacefully asleep, she felt a chill.

Southfall’s voice still echoed when suddenly a sword light pierced the void—soundless and swift—materializing before the azure-black claw and blood wolf. The sword tip trembled, unleashing a staggering brilliance, murderous energy surging to the heavens.

The sword’s radiance fell like snowflakes, engulfing both claw and wolf.

The blood wolf howled skyward; the claw quivered as the void convulsed.

The sword’s light descended relentlessly, slicing the claw and blood wolf into fragments. The shards dissolved into dust and smoke, vanishing into the void.

From the distant darkness came two muffled groans.

All around, voices whispered in surprise.

“An Innate Sword Artifact!”

“Sword Dao? It’s the Sword Dao!”

“Exchange your collections and red tickets for the Sword Dao’s divine power—are you willing?”