Chapter 551 - 235: Lunar Eclipse Calamity: Reneging Midway (Part 2)
Chapter 551: Chapter 235: Lunar Eclipse Calamity: Reneging Midway (Part 2)
He carved for the entire day.
Night fell, but with the steady TAP TAP TAP of carving, the usually desolate and chilly moonlight seemed to grow a little gentler.
’If only it could stay like this forever... wouldn’t that be nice?’
A strange thought had suddenly occurred to Su Li—the idea that it would be wonderful if every day from now on were just like today.
But that was doomed to be impossible.
She glanced up at the moon. Soon, it would be the fifteenth of the month again—time for the Lunar Eclipse to strike.
Su Li’s brow furrowed unconsciously, twisting into a tight knot.
’Why’s she frowning all of a sudden? Did I carve something wrong?’
Xiao Chen stole a glance toward the reef, feeling utterly perplexed.
After absorbing the Blood Pool, his search in the forest had come up empty. He had then returned to the beach with a newly-felled piece of Spirit Wood to continue carving.
Strangely, however, he found Su Li’s behavior increasingly difficult to understand.
It was one thing for her to stare blankly at the statue for the first couple of days, but over the last two, she had started to watch his carving process with unnerving frequency.
Especially today. During any lull in his work, whether he looked up intentionally or feigned a casual glance, he would invariably meet a pair of eyes as bright as stars.
At first, he just assumed this Nascent Soul predecessor was monitoring his progress.
But gradually, he started to feel something more in Su Li’s gaze, something inexplicable.
This made Xiao Chen start to wonder. ’What is she up to?’
’So I broke one piece of wood the other day. So what? There’s plenty more in the forest. For a mighty Nascent Soul Cultivator, you’re sure holding a grudge, aren’t you?’
Seeing Su Li staring straight at him, Xiao Chen frowned slightly.
’They say some of those old Nascent Soul eccentrics have... strange hobbies. She isn’t thinking about something weird right now, is she?’
The moment the thought occurred to him, a chill ran down his spine, as if a cold draft had just swept past.
Hiss!
Xiao Chen sucked in a sharp breath and quickened his pace.
All he wanted now was to finish the statues as quickly as possible, grab the remaining Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma, and get far, far away.
Despite his earlier mistake of breaking one of the logs, he had finished the first statue in four days, completing half the job.
Moreover, as his skill improved, Xiao Chen was confident he could finish the second statue within two days.
If all went well, he could deliver the new statue on the evening of the sixth day and then trade it for the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma.
He had it all planned out: the moment he got the Spirit Medicine, he wouldn’t linger for a second. He’d leave that very night.
.
’Something’s wrong. My Cultivation is increasing abnormally again.’
Normally, Su Li’s favorite thing to do each day was sit on the seaside reef and watch the sunrise.
She loved to witness the first light of dawn piercing the boundless darkness.
But today, she was in no mood for it.
Even though she hadn’t cultivated at all, she could clearly feel the True Essence in her body surging uncontrollably, its total volume having increased yet again.
’Is the curse going to strike early again?’
Beneath the night sky, Su Li murmured to herself, her voice laced with a trace of fear she herself hadn’t even noticed.
For the first several decades, Su Li’s Cultivation would inexplicably increase after every Lunar Eclipse.
Over the past century, without her ever actively cultivating, it had forcefully pushed her all the way to the Late-stage Nascent Soul Realm.
At the same time, as her Realm advanced, the curse’s effects grew stronger and its reach wider.
It had even begun to affect the surrounding sea, corrupting the Sea Fish that passed through.
Schools of fish within the Lunar Eclipse’s area of influence would mutate into all sorts of bizarre variants.
They would become exceptionally aggressive, frantically attacking other Sea Fish until they were either killed or died from exhaustion.
Faced with the worsening curse, Su Li had spent the last century trying various methods to mitigate its influence or suppress its onset.
But perhaps due to her resistance, the curse had only grown more unstable, frequently spiraling out of control in recent years.
It had even struck several days early on two occasions—once more than half a year ago, and again three months ago.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
The familiar sound rang out, making Su Li’s heart clench.
Once the Lunar Eclipse began, the curse’s power would be dozens of times greater than usual.
Even if Xiao Chen seemed to be special in some way, he would have no hope of escaping the calamity when it struck.
A flash of anguish and pity crossed Su Li’s eyes as she recalled the figures who had writhed in agony, their bodies twisting and deforming under past Lunar Eclipses.
Her hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her robes, her knuckles turning white from the strain.
While she hesitated, the sun quietly set in the West. Night fell like a vast curtain, once again blanketing the world.
The moon was about to rise!
"That’s enough!"
Su Li’s cool voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible tremor. She lifted her chin slightly. "You don’t need to carve anymore. You can go."
Hm?
Xiao Chen, who had been studying the sculpture before him, froze, his Flying Sword halting mid-stroke.
’You’re actually going back on your word!’
’Fine, fine, fine. So that’s how you want to play it. I’m already halfway done, and now you’re backing out. If you weren’t a Nascent Soul True Monarch, I’d teach you a lesson you wouldn’t forget.’
’As the saying goes, the prettier the woman, the better the liar.’
’One look at Su Li, and he’d suspected she might not keep her word.’
’Luckily, he was one step ahead. He’d already secured one Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma in advance, so at least this whole ordeal wouldn’t be a complete waste of his time.’
"Very well. I shall take my leave."
Though indignant, Xiao Chen maintained a calm expression. He immediately cupped his fist in a salute, then turned and walked away without the slightest hesitation.