Merin sits upon his throne, his posture relaxed yet carrying an authority that fills the entire open chamber, as the Soul Awakening cultivator stands below and recounts the events that have shaken the Moon Empire.
"A day ago," the cultivator begins, his voice steady but unable to hide the weight of what he has witnessed, "the Star Singer Tower surrounded the capital city of the Moon Empire."
The hall grows quieter.
"They did not attack recklessly," he continues, "but even with their numbers and strength, they could not break the city."
"Why?" someone asks.
"The formation," the cultivator replies, "and… the Moon Goddess."
A murmur spreads.
"The Moon Goddess?" another repeats, confusion clear in his tone.
Questions rise immediately.
The Moon Empire has always worshipped the moon.
But not a being.
Not a person.
They worship the celestial body in the night sky, the silent and eternal presence above, and their cultivation techniques are built upon its light and cycles.
Not faith in a living figure.
Yet now,
A Moon Goddess?
Different voices begin to answer.
Each one offering a fragment.
A memory.
A rumor.
A witnessed truth.
One says, "Ten years ago, a woman appeared in the Moon Empire."
Another continues, "She challenged the ancestors."
A third adds, "Both of them."
"The two ancestors of the Moon Empire… both at the Soul Transformation Stage…"
"And she defeated them alone."
Silence follows.
Then,
"They surrendered."
"And from that day…"
"She was called the Moon Goddess."
The fragments piece together.
Forming a complete picture.
At the throne, Merin listens.
Unmoved.
Unsurprised.
To others, this is shocking.
Unbelievable.
But to him,
It is natural.
Ye Weiran is a Saint.
Even if only her clone exists in this world, her foundation remains.
Her understanding remains.
For a Saint, returning to peak strength is not a matter of time,
Only of resources.
Given enough,
She can rise from mortal to Saint in moments.
Merin himself could not do so.
Not because he lacks the ability,
But because he has chosen a different path.
A new way.
A second Dao.
One that cannot be rushed.
His thoughts shift.
What interests him is not her strength.
But her name.
Moon Goddess.
Not,
White Spider.
Her true Saint Title.
White Spider Saint.
Why abandon it?
Why take another identity?
Merin's gaze lowers slightly.
The answer forms easily.
Belief.
Faith.
Perception.
She is shaping the world's understanding of her.
Letting people believe she is the Moon Goddess.
And through that belief,
She aligns herself with the concept of the moon.
With its presence.
Its influence.
Its existence within this world.
So she can comprehend it.
The Law of the Moon.
Faster.
Deeper.
More completely.
Just like him,
She is not satisfied with her original path.
She is seeking something new.
A second Dao.
Merin's expression remains calm.
But his thoughts sharpen.
The Soul Awakening cultivator continues speaking, detailing the confrontation, the stalemate, and the tension that now grips the Moon Empire.
And Merin,
Listens.
Silently.
As the pieces of the world begin to shift into place, the Soul Awakening cultivator continues, his voice steady yet carrying the weight of a turning era.
"When the leader of the Star Singer Tower found himself unable to defeat the Moon Goddess," he says, "and could not break the formation protecting the capital, the battle reached a stalemate."
He pauses briefly, letting the tension settle before continuing.
"Then, a few hours later… Nox arrived."
A ripple moves through the hall.
"Father and son stood together," he says, "and the two of them besieged the Moon Goddess."
For a moment, it sounds like a decisive turn.
But then,
"Halfway through the battle…"
He hesitates.
"…Nox turned on his father."
The chamber erupts.
Shock spreads instantly.
"Why?"
"How is that possible?"
"He turned on his own father?"
"Who exactly is this Moon Goddess to cause such a thing?"
Questions overlap, voices rising as confusion and disbelief fill the hall.
Some turn back to the earlier point.
"She appeared out of nowhere."
"There are no records."
"No lineage."
"No past."
"It is as if she emerged from stone."
Merin remains silent.
His gaze shifts.
It lands on Yu Diexin.
She is already looking at him.
Their eyes meet.
Understanding passes without words.
They both know.
They have seen her before.
In the Song Capital.
And again,
In the Royal Forest.
She was the one who saved Diexin.
The one who escorted her out.
This "Moon Goddess",
Is not a mystery to them.
The Soul Awakening cultivator continues, raising his voice slightly to cut through the fading murmurs.
"The reason for Nox's betrayal…"
The room quiets again.
"…is that the Tower Lord never treated him as a son."
Silence deepens.
"He was treated as a slave."
The words fall heavily.
"Raised like livestock."
"A pig… to be sacrificed."
"To help the Tower Lord advance to the Saint Stage."
This time,
The chamber explodes.
Anger.
Disbelief.
Cold realization.
Voices rise again, louder than before, filled with shock at the cruelty behind the truth.
It takes several minutes before the order returns.
Before silence is restored.
Only then does the cultivator continue.
"In the end…"
His voice lowers.
"…the Moon Goddess and Nox joined forces."
"And together, "
"They killed the Tower Lord."
Silence.
Absolute.
What should be victory,
Feels like uncertainty.
An enemy has fallen.
But something worse may have taken its place.
A Saint.
And a being like Nox.
More dangerous.
More unpredictable.
More ruthless.
The weight of it presses upon everyone present.
From the side, Nazar steps forward slightly, her expression serious as she bows her head just enough to show respect.
"Totem Lord," she says, "what will be our response?"
"Shall we expand our territory?"
Before Merin answers, another voice follows.
Duan Lei steps forward.
"Lord," he says, "all forces in the western desert are ready to surrender to us."
The room waits.
All eyes turn toward the throne.
Toward Merin.
For his decision, the entire hall falls into stillness, every gaze fixed upon Merin as he sits upon the throne, unmoved by the weight of the shifting world.
He looks at Duan Lei.
"Uncle," he says calmly, "you can handle them."
Duan Lei bows without hesitation.
"Yes, Lord."
Merin's gaze shifts.
It lands on Yu Diexin.
"How is the war progressing with the Holy Gu Sect?" he asks, his tone steady, as if the matter carries no urgency beyond what is necessary.
Diexin steps forward slightly.
"We have captured four towns in the northern Cangzhou Mountains," she says, her voice clear and controlled, "and we are currently attempting to break through the pass to enter the southern Cangzhou Mountains."
The northern Cangzhou Mountains, where Yulan City and the three known cities lie, stretch along the western borders of the Song and Wei Kingdoms, forming a region already under their growing influence.
Beyond it,
The southern Cangzhou Mountains bend along the southern edge of the Wei Kingdom and the remnants of the Zhao Kingdom.
But that land is not easily taken.
A dense blanket of poisonous miasma covers the region, making entry difficult for any outsider without preparation.
Merin listens.
Then asks simply,
"To defeat them, what do you need?"
Diexin does not hesitate.
"I need the help of the elders," she says, her gaze turning slightly toward Nazar, Emirus, and Sirius.
Merin follows her gaze.
Then looks at them.
"What is your opinion, elders?" he asks.
Nazar meets Diexin's eyes briefly before answering.
"If Madam requires us," she says, "we are willing to go."
Emirus and Sirius nod in agreement.
Diexin speaks again, her tone thoughtful.
"The Sect Leader of the Holy Gu Sect is only at the Quasi Soul Transformation Stage," she says, "to defeat her, I do not believe all three elders are necessary."
The three elders exchange glances.
A silent understanding passes between them.
Then,
Emirus steps forward.
"I will go," he says.
Merin nods once.
"The meeting ends."
The words fall simply.
Yet decisively.
For a moment, no one moves.
Then one of them hesitates, stepping forward slightly.
"Lord… what about the Moon Goddess?"
The question lingers.
Merin answers without pause.
"There is no need to concern yourselves with her," he says.
"She is not something you can handle."
His gaze remains calm.
"Let her do as she wishes."
"And we will do what we must."
Understanding settles.
They nod.
One by one, they leave.
The hall empties.
Only a few remain.
Diexin.
Xingli.
They stay behind.
Merin speaks with them briefly, his words quiet, unheard by others, before they too bow and depart.
Silence returns once more.
Merin leans back against the throne.
His gaze lifts slightly.
Thoughts deepen.
"What is your goal, Ye Weiran?" he wonders, his gaze distant yet sharp, as each possibility unfolds and is examined without haste.
If her intention is to fight him directly, then there is no reason for her to pursue a new Dao, for the most logical path would be to recover her Saint cultivation first and return to her peak strength as quickly as possible.
Yet she has not done so.
Instead,
She takes another path.
Then only one answer remains.
"She seeks to comprehend a new Dao," Merin concludes, his thoughts aligning with quiet certainty, "to evolve her existing one."
If that is the case,
Then she is not an immediate threat.
Not yet.
Because the path of Law is clear.
Divided into twelve levels.
And beyond the twelfth,
At the thirteenth,
It transforms.
Into Dao.
Merin's own path stands at the edge.
His Virtual Dragon Law has reached the eleventh level.
Only one more step remains before transformation begins.
Before he crosses the boundary.
Before he becomes a Saint.
He is confident.
If Ye Weiran has not yet comprehended the Law of the Moon,
Then he will advance faster.
He will reach Sainthood first.
But,
He does not gamble.
Confidence is not certainty.
And certainty is what he seeks.
Without another thought, his figure disappears from the throne.
In the next instant,
He appears on the streets of the city.
Silent.
Unnoticed.
He moves.
Step by step.
Across walls.
Across the stone.
Across the unseen veins of the city.
His fingers trace patterns beneath the surface, engraving runes into the ground, into the foundations, into the very structure of Dragon City itself.
Invisible.
Precise.
Each rune connects.
Links.
Forms part of something far greater.
The existing formation begins to change.
To evolve.
To ascend.
From a defensive structure,
Into something higher.
Something capable of resisting a Saint.
He continues without pause, his movements flowing across the entire city as if he is rewriting its very existence.
A Saint-rank formation.
Layer by layer, it takes shape.
Hidden.
Silent.
Absolute.
Even if Ye Weiran advances before him,
Even if she reaches Sainthood first,
This city,
Will not fall easily.
And within it,
He will remain protected.