Chapter Nineteen: Howling Moon, Celestial Wolf

In the early morning, it is the most crucial time for cultivators to practice cultivation. As the first rays of sunlight appear on the eastern horizon, Lu Yun smiles and opens his eyes, silently gazing at the vast expanse of the world. Xuan Yin True Man glances at him and says with a smile, "It seems that your progress in cultivation is rapid. Senior Zi Yang is truly fortunate. This time, your Sun Sect is likely to gain fame because of you. Work hard."

After Xuan Yin True Man finishes speaking, the other three also wake up. With a slight smile, he leads the four towards the Mysterious Yin Valley. When they reach the entrance of the cave where Lu Yun and the others entered seven days ago, Xuan Yin True Man whispers, "Now we have plenty of time because this time, we are heading to the most mysterious Yao Yue Cave in the Mysterious Yin Valley. Inside, the most formidable demon, the Howling Moon Celestial Wolf, resides. It is said that this demon has been cultivating for over two thousand years, so we must be especially cautious this time. According to our records in Easy Garden, the Howling Moon Celestial Wolf only appears on the night of the full moon. In other words, this demon will appear the day after tomorrow night. What we need to do now is to carefully pass through the layers of restrictions and reach the Yao Yue Cave. Remember, this time, we are not going to kill the demon because you cannot defeat it. We are just going to witness its strength. Keep this in mind. Now, let's go." With that, he takes the lead and enters the cave.

The group of five quickly enters the cave. Although Lu Yun and the others have eliminated many demons in the past seven days, the demonic energy inside is still very heavy. It truly deserves to be one of the gathering places for the seven great demons in the cultivation world.

As Xuan Yin True Man leads the way, Li Hongfei, Zhang Aoxue, Lin Yunfeng, and Lu Yun move forward, slaying demons and monsters along the way. A whole day passes quickly. Since the cave is very dark, they can't distinguish between day and night, so they continue moving forward without stopping. No one knows how many caves they have passed through or how many demons they have killed. At this moment, Xuan Yin True Man suddenly speaks, "Alright, everyone is tired. Let's take a break. We are about to reach the sealed area inside and outside the Mysterious Yin Valley. Once we open that seal, we can enter the most mysterious Yao Yue Cave. At that time, everyone must exert all their energy to deal with what's ahead. So take a rest now to restore your depleted cultivation."

Lin Yunfeng speaks up, "Master, what is this seal you're talking about? If there's already a formation outside the valley, why add another seal here? What's the reason?" The other three also look at him, curious to hear his explanation.

Xuan Yin True Man pauses for a moment, then whispers, "Actually, this seal was not set by our Easy Garden; it has existed from the beginning. We only discovered it later by chance, so we know that there is another hidden world inside. According to Easy Garden's records, this seal might have been set up by a certain immortal thousands of years ago. It was meant to prevent certain cultivators from accidentally entering and losing their lives. It may also be hiding some unknown secrets inside. Unfortunately, over the years, it has been occupied by the extremely rare demon, the Howling Moon Celestial Wolf. Every time Easy Garden sent someone to investigate, they were blocked by the celestial wolf, so we never knew what was inside."

At this revelation, Lin Yunfeng's eyes light up, and he grins, "Master, since there are treasures inside, why don't we team up this time to kill the Howling Moon Celestial Wolf? Then, we can search for treasures together. What do you think? Since there are treasures, why give up on them? What do you all think? Land Yun, what do you think of my proposal? It must be brilliant, right?" Li Hongfei and Zhang Aoxue remain silent, while Lu Yun just smiles helplessly without saying anything. Xuan Yin True Man, on the other hand, scolds Lin Yunfeng with a smile, "You kid, do you think you're invincible? If you're so confident, try facing that demon alone when we meet it. You really don't know the height of the sky and the thickness of the earth. Learn more from me and stop boasting, embarrassing me." Lin Yunfeng looks embarrassed, sticks out his tongue, and walks to the side, talking to Lu Yun about other things in a low voice.

Standing in front of a stone wall, Xuan Yin True Man speaks in a deep voice, "The passage to the most mysterious part of the Mysterious Yin Valley is behind this stone wall. And on this stone wall, there are three extremely powerful seals that separate the passage. We must break through these to enter. To train your abilities, now it's your turn, the four of you, to break these three seals one by one. Li Hongfei, as the eldest disciple, you go first."

Li Hongfei nods without saying a word and walks to the stone wall, quietly adjusting his breath. A cyan light slowly emanates from his surroundings, forming a strange cyan band that hovers around him, appearing quite peculiar. Li Hongfei places his hands in front of his chest with ten fingers forming a specific pattern, continuously tracing in the air, and quietly reciting an incantation. Suddenly, he pushes his hands forward, and a tai chi diagram appears in front of his chest, slowly moving towards the stone wall. When it is three inches away from the wall, a dazzling light flashes on the wall, and a layer of white light constantly flickers, resisting against Li Hongfei's tai chi diagram.

The others watch closely, their eyes showing a hint of surprise. Suddenly, Li Hongfei forcefully takes a step forward, and the light becomes dazzling and blinding. After a burst of white mist, the first seal is finally broken. Li Hongfei's face remains calm as he steps back six feet, and the light around his body disappears.

Without waiting for Xuan Yin True Man to speak, Zhang Aoxue invokes a sword technique. Purple light bursts forth, illuminating the entire cave with a purple glow. The divine sword, Purple Shadow, unsheathes with a dragon's roar, instantly piercing towards the stone wall. A red light appears on the surface of the wall, blocking the purple light. In front of the stone wall, a red and purple light, both vigorous, intermittently extend and retract, engaging in a confrontation. Zhang Aoxue's entire body is bathed in purple light, and the divine sword also radiates brilliance. With one move, she breaks through the red light barrier, successfully deciphering the second seal.

Lin Yunfeng grins and appears in front of the stone wall. Each hand forms a different incantation, and he chants, "Qian Kun Yin Yang, all things return to one, Yin Yang incantation, be guided by me. Break!" With one hand representing Yin and the other Yang, the two different incantations quickly converge, aiming

 at the stone wall. On the wall, a mysterious black light flows continuously, instantly contacting Lin Yunfeng's Yin Yang incantation. A dazzling light emits, forcing everyone to close their eyes. After the intense light, an incredibly powerful airflow, like a tornado on flat ground, suddenly appears, pushing all five people back a few steps. Lin Yunfeng is even more miserable, being thrown onto another stone wall, hitting it weakly and sliding down.

Lu Yun catches him and softly asks, "Yun Feng, are you okay? This little wind shouldn't hurt you, right? You are the most promising and talented person in our Easy Garden, how could you be injured by such a gentle breeze?" Lu Yun deliberately teases him, speaking with a smiling face.

Hearing this, Lin Yunfeng, who originally wanted to pretend to be seriously injured, has no choice but to turn over and get up. Looking at everyone, he grins and says, "This wind is nothing more than sweating a bit. How could it possibly hurt me? I deliberately didn't dodge to see how powerful this wind is. Well, it's not worth mentioning." After speaking, he intentionally lifts his head high and puffs his chest, showing an indifferent look. Lu Yun silently laughs inside, and Xuan Yin True Man's face darkens.

Lu Yun saw the expression on Xuan Yin True Man's face and understood that Lin Yunfeng would likely receive a harsh lesson from Xuan Yin True Man upon returning. The previous two had easily broken the seals, but when it came to him, not only did he fail to break it, but also embarrassed himself. This was not giving face to Xuan Yin True Man.

Lu Yun spoke up, "It seems that breaking this final seal won't be easy. I'll give it a try. Hopefully, I can succeed." Lu Yun walked slowly to the stone wall, extending his right hand towards it. In the palm of his right hand, there was a hidden true qi, and as he approached within three inches, a mysterious black light immediately appeared on the wall, swirling and flowing, looking very mystical.

Lu Yun activated the Ephemeral Heaven Technique true qi in his right hand and slowly made contact with the black light. A powerful airflow, accompanied by the Tremor Art, shook Lu Yun's entire body. Adjusting the frequency of his true qi rapidly, Lu Yun probed with different frequencies, quickly finding the right path. Adjusting his true qi frequency to 360 times per breath, his hand pierced through the light. The black light was instantly absorbed into Lu Yun's body and disappeared.

As the light dimmed, a passage appeared on the stone wall, revealing a peculiar entrance. Xuan Yin True Man, watching Lu Yun, had a strange glint in his eyes, while Li Hongfei looked at Lu Yun in amazement. Lin Yunfeng patted Lu Yun on the shoulder and rushed in.

After breaking through the seal, the five entered the passage and advanced for two hours, finally arriving outside a cave. Looking at it, Lu Yun suddenly felt a mysterious aura, something familiar. Xuan Yin True Man pointed to the cave ahead and whispered, "This cave is the legendary Yao Yue Cave. It's said to be the only illuminated cave in the entire Absolute Yin Valley. But where does that light come from? No one knows. Now, there is a dense demonic energy around, with many powerful demon creatures hidden. Be careful, and let's approach slowly, paying attention to our surroundings."

Li Hongfei unsheathed the Sky-Cleaving Sword, emitting a white light that hovered gently above his head. Zhang Aoxue also unsheathed her divine sword, Purple Shadow, and a purple light overshadowed everything, turning the entire cave into a purple realm. In the darkness, the demons shivered at the moment the divine swords were unsheathed. The remaining three each released protective true qi, and three green lights, against the purple backdrop, looked beautiful.

At that moment, Li Hongfei spotted a wolf demon and shouted, unleashing the Sky-Cleaving Sword towards its head. The wolf demon howled, filling the entire cave with the sound of wolves. Countless wolf shadows rushed towards Li Hongfei from all directions. On the other side, a group of leopard demons hidden in the darkness attacked Zhang Aoxue. The entire cave was filled with demons, all with a cultivation base of over eight hundred years, making it challenging for the five to handle.

While the others were dealing with the demons, Lu Yun subtly sent out mental waves to carefully observe the surroundings. Lu Yun, agile in the dim cave, dodged the attacks of the demons. He gradually distanced himself from the others and approached the mysterious Yao Yue Cave. With a swift palm, he split a wolf demon and swiftly moved towards the cave entrance.

As Lu Yun approached the cave door, a silver light suddenly appeared, repelling him. Lu Yun's face changed, glancing at the others who were too busy with the demons to notice him. Lu Yun's mental waves vibrated rapidly, sending out three different frequencies of mental waves to explore the situation of the enchantment on the cave door.

Lu Yun suddenly smiled, a trace of satisfaction on his face. His body turned into a cyan light, shooting towards the cave door. In an instant, he passed through the enchantment. As he appeared in the cave, Lu Yun carefully observed his surroundings. His face showed shock, and everything felt unreal. Standing in the cave, surrounded by brightness, completely different from the darkness outside, everything felt so familiar. Just three days ago, he was here chatting with Xiaotian. Now, everything had unexpectedly changed, becoming surreal.

Looking at the empty cave, Lu Yun sighed softly, "Xiaotian, it turns out that 'howling moon' refers to the Celestial Wolf of the Moon. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it when I asked you earlier. No wonder you didn't want to mention what this place was when I inquired. You didn't want me to get angry when I found out. What a needless worry." Pausing for a moment, Lu Yun looked up and said, "Xiaotian, I know you're here right now. I can sense your aura. Come out and let's talk. Since we were friends back then, we're still friends now. I have something to ask you."

In the spacious and bright cave, a silver light flashed, and Xiaotian's figure finally appeared. Looking at Lu Yun, Xiaotian smiled faintly, walked to his side, and said softly, "I didn't explain because I wanted to leave a good impression in your heart. Unfortunately, our separation was inevitable, perhaps a fate that couldn't be changed. Now that we meet again, who knows if we'll meet again in the future. Your life has your own path to walk; I hope you strive for it. There's something hidden in you; I wonder if you understand?" Staring at him quietly, Xiaotian's eyes showed a hint of inquiry.

Land Yun nodded slightly and said, "I understand. I know my life is full of twists and turns, but I won't give up. I want to make the world change because of me, and the earth become beautiful because of me." Xiu Tian patted his shoulder and whispered, "Remember to work hard, take care, my friend. Your companions are about to come in, and my time is almost up. Farewell. I hope we'll meet again in another place, and I'll be waiting for you there." With a flash of silver light, Xiu Tian's figure disappeared.

Land Yun's lips moved a few times, but he ultimately didn't say that sentence. Turning slightly, there was a loud noise at the entrance, and four figures with different auras rushed in. Lin Yun Feng, seeing Land Yun absent, scolded loudly, "Land Yun, you're really inconsiderate, entering alone and making us worry about you. How is it? Did you find any treasures?" After speaking, he looked around Land Yun disappointingly.

Xuan Yin True Man looked at the four people and said, "Stop making noise. This is the Yao Yue Cave Heaven. Be careful. The spiritual energy here is abundant, unexpectedly beyond expectations. I never thought that the Howling Moon Sky Wolf would occupy such a treasure trove. No wonder its cultivation is so profound. Everyone, be cautious and watch out for sneak attacks from the wolf demon."

Land Yun's eyes flashed with cold light as he stared at Xuan Yin True Man, not saying anything, and continued to look at the sky. At this moment, Land Yun suddenly noticed that the full moon had slowly risen to the center of the cave's ceiling, emitting a mysterious yellow light. Zhang Ao Xue looked at Land Yun watching the sky and also glanced upward. Suddenly, she exclaimed, "Look above. It's strange. It's so mysterious to see the moon here. This cave should be hundreds of feet underground. How is it possible to see the moon? Weird."

Li Hong Fei and Lin Yun Feng also looked up, while Xuan Yin True Man said, "This is why this place is called the Yao Yue Cave Heaven. The mystery lies in the fact that during the full moon night, the Howling Moon Sky Wolf usually absorbs the essence of the moon. But tonight, why is there no sign of it?" Xuan Yin True Man's eyes showed a hint of doubt; he didn't understand this either.

Land Yun, still looking at the full moon above, remained silent. Suddenly, Lin Yun Feng shouted, "Quick, look, something is happening. It's so strange, unbelievably incredible." Land Yun focused and saw that the full moon had reached its zenith. In the circular moon, a silver wolf shadow appeared, becoming clearer and larger. Looking from a distance, a silver wolf was howling at the moon, and a deafening wolf howl echoed into the ears of Land Yun and the others. The silver wolf slowly rotated its body on the full moon, occasionally spitting out a silver light ball, shining brightly. On the bright yellow moon, a yellow light was deeply attracted to the silver light, continuously approaching the silver light ball.

Li Hong Fei, Lin Yun Feng, and Zhang Ao Xue, who were witnessing this for the first time, felt amazed and puzzled. They all turned their gazes to Xuan Yin True Man, hoping to get some answers from him. However, Land Yun remained focused on the moon.

Xuan Yin True Man's expression changed significantly, and a hint of disbelief appeared in his eyes. Looking at the three disciples staring at him, Xuan Yin True Man whispered, "Unexpectedly, on this visit, we witnessed the moment of the Howling Moon Sky Wolf's ascension. It's too coincidental. You must find it strange, just like me. I never expected to encounter the Howling Moon Sky Wolf's ascension during this visit. Many people go their whole lives without witnessing such a phenomenon. Consider yourselves lucky; just watch carefully."

Li Hong Fei asked, "Master uncle, are you sure the wolf is ascending? Can creatures like these also cultivate and ascend? It's rare for disciples to hear such things."

Xuan Yin True Man looked at him, seeing disbelief in his eyes, and sighed lightly. "In fact, all things in the world can cultivate. When they reach a certain realm, they can ascend. It's not exclusive to humans. Humans were not the first to achieve immortality. You may not have heard because you've been focused on cultivating techniques and haven't explored these unfamiliar concepts. In the realm of cultivation, all creatures are collectively known as the supernatural. In the mouths of true cultivators, those creatures were not originally considered evil. They also seek to cultivate successfully and live longer to break free from the constraints of the world. However, in the human realm, they were labeled as demons and monsters, and advocating for their extermination began. Over time, the concept of killing demons and monsters became widespread, leading to the current situation. These creatures, which were once considered not bad, were now seen as evil. In reality, many of them just want to cultivate and live eternally."

Li Hong Fei wore a skeptical expression, and Zhang Ao Xue showed a hint of understanding. Lin Yun Feng only wore a strange expression and didn't say anything, just looking at Land Yun beside him.

Listening to Xuan Yin True Man's explanation, Land Yun agreed with his views. In the world of cultivation, there should be no discrimination. Why look down on these creatures? They actually faced more hardships in their cultivation journey and spent more time than humans. Land Yun was lost in his thoughts when a thunderous wolf howl suddenly echoed through the sky and penetrated the earth. Land Yun was startled, focusing his attention on the full moon above, carefully observing the changes.

The bright moon remained, but the howling moon celestial wolf was undergoing a transformation. Its entire body was enveloped in a brilliant silver light, reflecting the soft yellow moonlight, creating a fascinating scene. From a distance, within a large yellow circle, a silver sphere was slowly flashing and brightening, undergoing strange changes. As time passed, the silver radiance suddenly erupted, and a giant wolf within the moonlight kept growing and shrinking alternately. After seven consecutive cycles, the silver radiance instantly converged into a beam of light, connecting the moonlit cave where Lu Yun and the others were located to the moon above.

At this moment, a peculiar pillar of light appeared in the heavens, bridging the gap between the moonlit cave and the celestial moon. Countless cultivators in the mortal realm felt the strangeness of this moment and couldn't help but gaze at the sky-piercing pillar of light. Meanwhile, Lu Yun and his companions in the moonlit cave felt an even clearer sensation. Lu Yun's first impression was that Howling Tian was ascending. The second impression was that the spiritual energy in the entire cave was rapidly disappearing, flowing towards the moon in the sky. The third impression was that the continuously bright cave was gradually dimming.

The other four individuals, witnessing this mystical spectacle, all wore expressions of amazement, carefully observing what would unfold next. What would happen next?