Chapter Sixty-Three: The World Beneath the Lake (Part Two)

The soul of the White Jade Flood Dragon Whip was actually the spirit of a dragon? Ji Mo was stunned. Her consciousness entered the silver whip suspended in her sea of awareness. After the whip’s soul recognized her as its master, it had not awakened on its own again. Ji Mo tried communicating with it for quite some time, but the White Dragon Flood Dragon Whip showed not the slightest response.

Helpless, she focused her mind, summoned the White Jade Flood Dragon Whip into her hand, closed her eyes, and poured all her mental and spiritual power into it. The whip’s shaft trembled softly, then began to draw her inner power with the force of a whale sucking in water, rapidly absorbing both her spiritual and mental strength.

Time slipped away, moment by moment. When even the last trace of power had been drained from her body by the silver whip, Ji Mo could hold on no longer. Her vision went dark and she lost consciousness. Meanwhile, the White Jade Flood Dragon Whip shone with dazzling light, and the shadow of a dragon several yards long appeared in the water.

As the dragon’s shadow materialized, it lowered its gaze and saw Ji Mo lying motionless, sinking deeper into the water. Fortunately, their souls remained linked, indicating the girl was still alive.

Drowning? The concept startled the Flood Dragon as soon as it surfaced in its mind. How could this be? Had the girl ascended to the heavens and been cast into the Drowning Waters? The dragon soul was filled with anxious doubts; it knew that in the mortal realm, drowning was nearly impossible.

“This isn’t the heavenly realm, but these waters share the same origin as the Drowning Waters above. Don’t ask so many questions—hurry and carry her to the bottom of the lake, or she really will die. If she dies, you’ll likely fall into endless slumber once more.” The voice of the Peony Immortal echoed beside the dragon soul’s ear.

“Could it be that shameless creature who harmed her?” the dragon soul retorted. Upon first entering Ji Mo’s sea of awareness, it had encountered the Peony Immortal and was not unfamiliar with her. The Peony Immortal merely snorted at the accusation and turned away, ignoring it.

Fortunately, the dragon soul noticed Ji Mo’s body was slowly dissolving and realized this was no time for argument. With a flick of its tail, it wrapped Ji Mo onto its back and quickly descended towards the lake’s depths. Once she was secured, her fading, nearly transparent body gradually regained its natural hue. The lake water could no longer erode her form.

After sinking for what seemed half an hour, a barrier of water mist appeared below. The dragon soul’s ethereal body passed through it without resistance, and as it did, a sudden brightness filled its vision—a crystal palace appeared before it.

“Hm? A dragon soul? What is your relationship to this mortal?” As soon as the dragon soul entered the crystal palace, a thunderous voice vibrated in its ears, nearly shattering its carefully condensed form.

“She is my host. For reasons unknown, she was cast into these drowning waters. I do not know what place this is, but as her life-bound weapon, it is my instinct to protect my master. If I have offended, I beg your pardon, elder.” The dragon soul was no fool; it had seen much in its lifetime. The owner of this palace, capable of nearly dispersing it with a mere voice, was clearly formidable. Alarmed, it quickly offered apologies.

“No need to say more. Without fate, you could never have entered. I see your soul has suffered grave injury, and now you’ve exhausted yourself carrying her here. Go and rest within your true form.” The voice chuckled, not at all displeased.

Overjoyed, the dragon soul wanted to express its gratitude again, but its strength was spent. The great draconic body rapidly shrank into a small silver whip, retreating into Ji Mo’s sea of awareness.

Ji Mo had no idea how long she’d been unconscious. When she awoke, she found herself out of the water, lying in a crystal-clear palace. With a startled roll, she sat up and looked at her hands and arms, discovering that her skin had returned to its normal color. Examining her soul, she found no sign of injury.

It was as if she had never exhausted herself awakening the dragon soul. Perhaps the environment had something to do with it? With that thought, she looked around. Everywhere she saw was crystalline, a world so beautiful it seemed almost unreal. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Where is this? What a gorgeous palace!”

“This is the palace of the Blue Moon Divine Palace. Human, in two hundred thousand years, you are the first to set foot here. What is your name?” No sooner had Ji Mo spoken than a thunderous voice boomed in her ears.

“I’m Ji Mo. May I ask who you are, senior?” Ji Mo was so startled she bounced up from the floor, landing heavily again, her backside aching from the impact. But she paid it no mind, instead scanning her large eyes around, hoping to find the speaker. Yet the crystal palace was utterly silent; there wasn’t even a shadow besides herself.

“I am the guardian beast of this palace—Ao Feng! Since you have entered, fate has brought you here. Little girl, as the first to breach this sealed place, you have the privilege to attempt the trials. The Blue Moon Divine Palace has nine trials in all. If you can pass them, you may become the inheritor of the palace. What do you say?” The voice, perhaps fearing it would frighten Ji Mo, lowered its volume considerably, sounding less intimidating.

“What if I refuse? Is there a way to leave this place?” Ji Mo blurted out.

Blue Moon Divine Palace—it sounded like trouble to her. Ji Mo had no intention of becoming its heir. Too much luck was often a bad thing, and for such a beautiful, resplendent palace with such a mysterious and powerful name, yet not a soul within, it could only mean one thing. Everyone who belonged to the Blue Moon Divine Palace was dead, leaving only a guardian beast behind. Whoever accepted the legacy would bear the burden of reviving the entire palace—something Ji Mo had no interest in whatsoever.

“If you do not wish to inherit, the only way to leave is to open the barrier yourself and pass through the Moon Lake waters!” Ao Feng sounded surprised by her answer. From what it knew of mortals, their hearts were full of greed and desire. Any cultivator faced with such an opportunity should be overjoyed.

A barrier? She had fallen into Blue Moon Lake and awoke in this palace, whose guardian called it the Blue Moon Divine Palace. This must be the lakebed, with a barrier separating palace and water. But with her current abilities, Ji Mo doubted she could open it.