When the White Moonlight Holds the Script - Chapter 31

Zhu Zhihan silently repeated to herself, “It’s just an illusion, this is a reasonable act of rescue.”

Only then did she manage to compose herself, lifting her head as if to cover her embarrassment, and met Luan Wu’s gaze directly.

Those eyes had returned to their usual deep black, the bloodthirsty sharpness she had seen earlier seemingly completely retracted into this body, leaving only a cold facade.

Hopefully, she hadn’t noticed my earlier unease.

Zhu Zhihan observed carefully.

Luan Wu wasn’t looking at her; her gaze was slightly averted, fixed on the jade stone that emitted light like breathing the moment Luan Wu regained consciousness, the blade pressed against the jade had been withdrawn, and the barrier remained intact.

Zhu Zhihan breathed a small sigh of relief, then found her own behavior somewhat amusing.

Why should she feel guilty? Anyone who witnessed such a scene and then faced the person involved would find it hard to remain composed.

With this thought, she felt a bit more justified.

When she looked at Luan Wu again, she suddenly realized that Luan Wu had maintained this posture for quite some time.

An incredible thought crossed her mind: Could it be that Luan Wu was also feeling embarrassed?

Perhaps out of concern for her dignity as an elder.

“Don’t worry, I won’t pry into your secret anymore,” Zhu Zhihan lowered her voice, speaking in a tone only the two of them could hear, testing the waters. “And I won’t tell Senior Brother Wan or the others. I left them outside.”

Luan Wu glanced at her but neither agreed nor disagreed.

Yet, Zhu Zhihan could sense that Luan Wu seemed to have relaxed slightly.

Zhu Zhihan felt as though she had come to understand Luan Wu a little better.

So even someone as lofty and seemingly untroubled by worldly matters as Luan Wu would care about being seen in a vulnerable state by a junior?

“Ladies.” Over there, Su Chaya had regained some strength and stood up.

Luan Wu lowered her eyes apologetically: “I was lost in a demonic haze and acted improperly. Young Chieftain, if you have any needs in the future, you may command me to do one thing.”

Su Chaya shook her head with a bitter smile and said, “It’s fine. In fact, you inadvertently did me a great favor.”

Her gaze swept over her lifeless comrades, a glimmer of tears in her eyes.

No matter the reason Luan Wu had arrived, had it been any later, she would have been lying there with them.

Zhu Zhihan noticed Su Chaya’s gaze: “My condolences.”

Su Chaya’s long eyelashes trembled slightly: “They were all fine sons and daughters of my Deer Cloud Clan.”

Zhu Zhihan sensed that Su Chaya seemed to have something she wanted to say but ultimately held back.

Luan Wu examined the traces around them, frowning slightly, and asked, “How did a demon manage to infiltrate this place?”

Su Chaya closed her eyes, suppressing all vulnerability, and regained the dignity befitting a young chieftain: “I don’t know either.”

She described the scene she had encountered upon first arriving deep inside the snow peak cave.

“There are two ways to enter here: one from within this secret realm, and the other from the real world. Both require the clan seal in my possession. Regardless of which path, that demon should not have been able to pass through.”

Zhu Zhihan: “But we are here now.”

Su Chaya explained: “That’s because I ‘restarted’ the secret realm. Entering this place no longer requires the clan seal.”

Only then did Zhu Zhihan understand the cause of the ground fissures.

It turned out that the demon had previously tampered with the jade stone, attempting to collapse the secret realm and open a passage to the demon world, which was what caused the ground to split.

But Su Chaya and her loyal followers fought desperately, temporarily suppressing the demon and restoring the secret realm to its original state which was why, when Zhu Zhihan and the others awoke from the illusion, their surroundings had returned to a sea of forests, the ground smooth as if the earth-splitting had never occurred.

“Young Clan Leader’s righteousness is commendable.” Zhu Zhihan’s eyes were moved.

If the secret realm had collapsed, countless cultivators within it would have suffered casualties. Su Chaya’s actions had indirectly saved her and her senior brothers’ lives.

This time was no exception, and in her previous life, in places Zhu Zhihan had been unaware of, it had been the same.

Su Chaya shook her head. “I merely did what needed to be done. Tell me, how did that demon manage to enter the core? Surely there isn’t a passage here that even I don’t know about?”

Luan Wu pondered for a moment. “Perhaps I have an idea.”

Su Chaya looked at her.

Luan Wu said, “I’ve heard about the events that occurred in the Luyun Clan back then. The immortal artifact currently held by the Luyun Clan was gifted by the Immortal Alliance. Perhaps the Immortal Alliance possesses another key.”

Zhu Zhihan understood Luan Wu’s implication. “Indeed, what happened last time in the Sumeru Realm was enough to prove that the demons have deeply infiltrated the Immortal Alliance. Perhaps this time as well… What happened afterward with the Immortal Alliance?”

“Nothing. It was left unresolved.” Luan Wu sneered.

Su Chaya looked confused. “This…”

Zhu Zhihan briefly explained the incident in the Sumeru Realm. “My master is the Dao Venerable of the Immortal Alliance. During that period, she had no choice but to attend the discussions, so her account should be accurate.”

“So that’s it. So you are the renowned Dao Venerable.” Su Chaya said. “So you’re saying the Immortal Alliance hid the key, and it was taken by a demon who infiltrated the Immortal Alliance?”

Zhu Zhihan nodded.

Being highly sensitive to others’ emotions, she noticed that Su Chaya’s expression suddenly turned somewhat indifferent.

Zhu Zhihan felt a bit frustrated and confused.

Earlier, the guardian of the secret realm and the Immortal Alliance seemed to be allies. Had she said something wrong?

Fortunately, Luan Wu had sharp intuition and added, “I have some grievances with the Immortal Alliance.”

Su Chaya was slightly taken aback.

Luan Wu continued, “What have they done now?” It was a statement, not a question.

Su Chaya was astonished. “You too.”

Zhu Zhihan: …

Oh.

She sighed inwardly to Miss System, “So it turns out there are no outsiders here just three unfortunate souls who’ve been wronged by the Immortal Alliance.”

Miss System: [Who could deny it?]

Zhu Zhihan sighed and lowered her head.

She decided it was best not to interject rashly again, lest her good intentions backfire. So, she and Miss System huddled together for comfort.

She muttered inwardly, “The Blade Sect was wronged by the Immortal Alliance, turning from a major sect into a small, broken one. But I wonder what happened to the Luyun Clan?”

[They are also unfortunate souls.] Miss System fell silent for a moment before replying.

“Do you know what happened?”

Just then, Zhu Zhihan felt a light touch on her shoulder.

She looked up and met Luan Wu’s reassuring gaze.

Zhu Zhihan was stunned.

Realizing it was Luan Wu’s subtle way of showing care, warmth spread through her heart.

The conversation between Su Chaya and Luan Wu seemed to have reached a conclusion. In the end, Su Chaya did not elaborate on her grievances with the Immortal Alliance. “This matter is now settled. Thank you both for your efforts.”

She lowered her eyes, a shadow clearly lingering in them, but she no longer intended to share the burden. “I will have someone handle the remaining matters. Please continue your journey in the secret realm and do not let this dampen your spirits.”

Zhu Zhihan hesitated, wanting to say more but holding back.

Luan Wu examined Su Chaya thoughtfully before finally handing over a paper crane. “If you ever need anything in the future, you can use this to find me.”

Su Chaya seemed to hesitate for a moment but ultimately did not reach out. “That won’t be necessary,” she said.

She smiled, but Zhu Zhihan thought her smile looked forced.

It was as if this person was hiding something and had secretly made a decision.

“Very well,” Luan Wu did not press further.

Zhu Zhihan, catching Luan Wu’s glance, suppressed her urge to meddle and followed behind her.

Yet, for some reason, the image of the deer-headed monster they had encountered earlier flashed through her mind, along with the human-like emotions in its eyes.

Could this be related to Su Chaya’s worries?

Perhaps she could ask Miss System about it later.

Just as she was about to step out of the cave.

A warning sounded in her ear from the system: 【Host!! Leave this place!】

Startled, Zhu Zhihan turned back.

Everything before her seemed to slow down.

The massive jade stone cracked with fissures across its surface, from which spiritual energy overflowed.

A dense green light erupted from the center of the jade, enveloping everyone present.

Her ears rang as if from tinnitus.

Luan Wu grabbed her hand and pulled her behind, shielding her.

Zhu Zhihan was held tightly in Luan Wu’s embrace, isolated from the green light.

Then, she lost consciousness.

When she awoke again.

Zhu Zhihan’s eyes snapped open.

The sky was a purplish-red, casting a heavy, oppressive gloom.

Rubbing her dizzy head, she sat up.

Wasn’t she just in the cave? How did she end up here?

Wait, that moment…

She suddenly remembered what had happened before she fainted.

Luan Wu had shielded her. But where was Luan Wu now?

Zhu Zhihan hurriedly stood up to search.

It seemed they were still in the forest sea, surrounded by endless snow and pine trees.

But unlike the forest sea she remembered, the snow was littered with numerous corpses and dried blood.

Crows circled overhead, and dry branches crackled as they burned.

It was a scene straight out of hell.

Her heart tightened. “This place…”

The mechanical voice of the system sounded in her ear, easing her unease: 【This is not reality but an illusion.】

“An illusion?”

Zhu Zhihan breathed a sigh of relief.

For a moment, she had been terrified that this was real and that among the corpses were her senior brothers.

“Is it like the illusion I fell into before? One created by demonic energy, reflecting the deepest desires of a person’s heart?”

【Yes and no,】 the system replied.

【Generally, such illusions only project the host’s inner self. What you are seeing now, however, is the collective desires projected from the hearts of countless people, an extremely rare type of illusion.】

Zhu Zhihan’s eyes widened slightly. “You mean their shared illusion?”

【Exactly. This is their wish, a reflection of a certain period from the past.】

The system paused, as if sighing. 【This is what happened to the Deer Cloud Clan when they resisted the demons centuries ago. Who would have thought this old history would resurface in such a way?】

【Host, you must be careful. This illusion is very special. You have entered it in your soul form. If you are injured or die here, the same will happen in reality.】

Zhu Zhihan took note.

“In that case, are Luan Wu and the young clan leader here too? Where are they?”

The system’s tone became somewhat odd: 【Yes, they are here too. The young clan leader is farther away, with a different identity in this illusion, while Luan Wu is actually quite nearby.】

【I’ll guide you to her.】

Zhu Zhihan didn’t dwell on it.

Following the system’s guidance, she stepped over numerous corpses and eventually arrived beside a dried-up riverbed.

A tall, slender figure stood there, clad in fiery red robes.

“Master!” Zhu Zhihan called out from a distance.

The figure’s back seemed to pause for a moment before slowly turning around after a while: “Are you calling me?”

As the person turned to face her, Zhu Zhihan noticed this individual bore Luan Wu’s appearance, yet compared to her master, the features seemed somewhat younger, with eyes full of youthful vigor and sharpness.

The system cleared its throat lightly: 【Well, due to certain circumstances, your master has reverted to her younger self and doesn’t remember anything from later years.】

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