Maiden Of The Splitting Moon - Chapter 747: Escape From the Ascetic

Raising both hands, one towards the Ascetic and one towards her, the ground rumbled forming two serpents made from the underground tree roots. They were incomplete, smaller than the previous ones and their bodies were already breaking apart.

“Leave! Now!” he shouted.

One serpent went straight up, opening its jaws to swallow the Ascetic. The other slithered underneath Ming Yue, taking her away as quickly as it could.

“Wait, but yo-”

Her hand was outstretched, almost reaching for him before getting whisked away, Moments later, the serpent that had engulfed the Ascetic was torn in half. The man himself looked unbothered by it all.

He just turned, staring in the direction that his target had gone before looking down.

“Trying to save her, are you?” he asked.

More roots had shot out of the ground, wrapping around his ankles. They tightened up, trying to pull him down to the ground but he didn’t move at all.

“Heh, why not? There’s still hope for her.”

Cheng Wei’s voice was strained as he pushed himself further, doing what he could to slow the Ascetic down.

“Hope? Does such a thing truly exist? I’ve long since forgotten what it’s like to have hope. Love, hatred, despair, joy, none of these things matter. To reach the state of divinity, the mortal vessel must shed everything. It cannot be swayed by anything, it cannot be influenced by anyone. That is the true path, the one way to godhood.”

More roots shot out from the ground, wrapping around his ankles. They pulled and pulled, tearing themselves apart from the amount of force being used. And despite that, the Ascetic didn’t budge at all.

He was still, floating above Cheng Wei, looking down at him.

“Stop trying. Give up. I do not wish to stain my hands with the blood of others”, he said.

But the old man grinned, snickering at him.

“All this talk is such hypocrisy! You’re just a hypocrite like the rest of us! Hah, you don’t want to stain your blood with others yet you’ve been searching for her all this time. You’re going to kill her, no? In fact, you’re probably going to kill me too! So stop with this silly charade, no matter how many words you use to mask yourself, you are nothing more than another demonic cultivator. The path of Godhood, the path to the Immortal is not in your favor. Rather, a demon is what you’ll become.”

The Ascetic’s expression barely changed but just for an instant, he looked angry.

“Your words are meaningless. In the end, whether or not you die by my hand does not matter. I will reach enlightenment, no matter the cost.”

He then brought one of his hands forward, pointing it toward Cheng Wei. Even though they were meters apart, the Ascetic opened his hand before clamping down, grabbing at the air.

The old man’s eyes widened as he started to choke. He quickly moved to touch his neck but felt nothing. Still, there was a faint imprint of someone’s hand on his neck, squeezing tightly.

“Gaaaah, you… you are… a fool… a hypocrite! Your lies… they can fool… others… but… you can’t… fool… yourself!”

The Ascetic’s hand closed even further, shaking a bit as he slowly choked the life out of the old man. Rather than fear, Cheng Wei looked at him with a weak grin.

And then, after what seemed like forever, the old man’s hands fell to the ground and his body went limp.

It was only then that the Ascetic relaxed, letting go and putting his hand down.

He let out a slow and controlled breath though the hand he used to kill Cheng Wei was still shaking. Veins popped out visibly from the top. Closing his eyes for a moment before opening them, the Ascetic stared down at the dead man, descending to the ground.

“Another person’s life ended by my hands, I must cleanse myself after this ordeal. My mind and my body must be brought anew. But first, I must deal with her. The last thing connecting me to Redmist Sanctuary.”

He looked up toward the direction where Ming Yue had gone and then flew off.

As for the young cultivator, she had been looking back behind her the entire time the serpent brought her away.

“I didn’t think that he’d send me away like this”, she thought to herself.

Just as she had crossed all of the plateaus, the wooden serpent suddenly crumbled away. Jumping off before it fully disintegrated, her face changed, turning grim as she looked towards where Cheng Wei and the Ascetic would be.

“It can’t be… he’s dead.”

She stood there for a few moments before Xiao Yin and Hei Yue came to her side. And then she took out a paper from her spatial ring, writing up a quick letter before tying it to the Star Owl’s leg.

“I want the both of you to go back to the Den and bring this letter to Elder Shen. Now go!”

Both beasts nodded before heading off.

Ming Yue didn’t see them off, heading off in a different direction.

“I have all the ingredients and the Ascetic is on my tail. I have to reach the teleportation array quickly. If I stop by the Den, there’s a chance he might destroy it if he doesn’t find me there.”

That was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.

Her eyes were focused as she flew off, going at her top speed. Using those precious minutes on the serpent to recover, she didn’t have enough strength to fight him but if it was to solely escape, she could do it.

“I have to get through as quickly as possible, return to Heaven’s Gate and make the pill”, she muttered.

Her surroundings were a blur as she sped through, coming back to the Reticent Fortress where a group of guards were already waiting for her.

They bowed before letting her inside.

“The Fortress Master had foreseen this and prepared the teleportation array for you”, they told her.

“She did? Tell her that I owe her a debt of gratitude.”

Ming Yue followed them towards the center of the Reticent Fortress where the teleportation array was. It was already activated, humming with power. The guards stopped by the steps, parting away to let her on.

Standing on it, she turned around and bowed before vanishing on the spot.

Seconds later, the blinding light faded away and Ming Yue found herself within familiar ground. However, she had no time to waste, immediately flying off towards Heaven’s Gate.

“I need to get to Elder Hua, ask her to help me make this pill. And whatever happens after, I just hope I still have enough time.”

Soaring through the air, the young cultivator did not stop at all.

And while she had left the Beast Continent, the Ascetic was still searching for her. He suddenly stopped staring up into the sky with his eyes closed.

“Her presence… it’s gone. How is that possible? But I can still follow the traces,” he muttered.

Gazing at his surroundings, he continued in the direction where she had left, stopping at the point where Cheng Wei’s serpent had turned to dust. His eyes narrowed, studying the ground carefully before suddenly looking up.

“Who goes there?!” he called out.

There was nothing but trees and other plants but there was some rustling as someone emerged from it.

“Are you… the Ascetic?”

He looked at this newcomer though his face showed no changes.

“You… weren’t you supposed to be dead, Bai Meng?”

Indeed, it was her, one of the Fourteen Evils, the leader of the original Redmist Sanctuary. With her whip hanging from her hip, she had a look of shock on her face.

“I didn’t die but I barely survived. To think that I’d encounter you here! What… what are you doing here? Were you also curious by the noise up North?” she questioned.

The Ascetic nodded.

“Indeed, but now I’ve come to find that the one I’m looking for is here. Though, there is nothing but traces now.”

Bai Meng was quiet, her mind seemed to be moving.

“Is it… are you looking for someone called Ming Yue?”