Time passed, and before he knew it, night fell again. Sikong Jing’s figure became increasingly eerie, but there wasn’t even a hint of clouds tonight. He barely had a moment to catch his breath, having to constantly fend off attacks.
Amidst the struggle, he finally managed to close the meridians of the Shadow Moon Rat in the early hours of the night.
Under immense pressure, Sikong Jing finally grasped a rough idea of the demonic power circulation method of the Shadow Moon Rat.
As the meridians of the Shadow Moon closed, Sikong Jing murmured, "Beast Skill, Shadow Moon!"
His entire being seemed to merge with the moonlight, and Sikong Jing vanished like a phantom within the forest.
In the next instant, he sped off swiftly.
However, the Shadow Moon Rat continued its pursuit. In its eyes, Sikong Jing hadn’t disappeared; he was still perfectly visible, just faster and with a more peculiar movement.
Yet, the Batian experts monitoring Sikong Jing were dumbfounded, halting their steps in confusion.
"Where did the one-armed kid go?"
The two exchanged glances, with one asking, "It seems we can still sense his aura, but it’s so faint."
The other suggested, "Could it be that he’s been swallowed by a ghost?"
They shivered with fear, swallowing hard as they searched around, but couldn’t find even a shadow. In the end, even that faint aura that belonged to Sikong Jing vanished.
Looking at each other, the two were at a loss, their bodies covered in goosebumps.
Meanwhile, Sikong Jing dashed into a sea of flowers, where countless fireflies danced in the sky.
Under the moonlight, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
At this moment, Sikong Jing suddenly turned around, whispering, "Shadow Moon Rat, I understand your situation. Under the light of the fireflies, your fur becomes faintly visible."
"If you dare, come into the sea of flowers and attack me!"
Saying so, Sikong Jing darted into the depths of the flower sea, letting the surrounding fireflies drift across his body.
He became peculiarly enigmatic as well.
At this time, a demon rat, about the size of an ordinary mouse with a bluish-yellow hue, finally appeared at the edge of the flower sea.
It squeaked at Sikong Jing, saying with animosity, "Human, you are stealing our techniques."
The voice was feminine, indicating that this Shadow Moon Rat was female and capable of speaking human language.
Her spoken words were still clumsy.
This was the first time the Shadow Moon Rat appeared in front of Sikong Jing, and also the first time the latter saw her clearly.
Sikong Jing turned back to observe, nodding as he said, "Yes, but this isn’t called stealing. It’s called learning openly."
The bluish-yellow fur bristled slightly, and the Shadow Moon Rat said with arrogance, "You can’t learn it properly... The moonlight power merges with me and my fur and flesh. The Human Clan can never learn it."
Of course, it didn’t realize Sikong Jing was the Master of Ten Thousand Beasts, so in its eyes, Sikong Jing was a complete Human Clan member.
Sikong Jing was well aware that he couldn’t fully replicate the actions of a demon beast.
Different demon beasts have their own fur, flesh, and innate power, which Sikong Jing couldn’t possess unless he truly became the Master of Ten Thousand Beasts one day.
But he shrugged, replying, "I never intended to fully master it; just learning a bit is enough."
"Alright, I’ll cultivate and heal for now; we’ll fight later."
Saying this, Sikong Jing sat cross-legged among the fireflies in the flower sea, circulating True Qi throughout his body.
He hid entirely beneath the flower sea, completely covered by it.
After a day and night of intense battle, although Sikong Jing was seriously injured, he gained significantly... Though he only had a preliminary understanding of the Shadow Moon Rat’s meridians, it strengthened the True Qi within him.
Additionally, the meridians of the Moon Swallowing Beast were gradually formed during the battle.
He not only needed to heal but also push through to the Dao Inquiry Realm!
"Give me the inner core of the Moon Swallowing Beast... and I won’t pursue you," the Shadow Moon Rat said indignantly.
Sikong Jing didn’t lift his head, replying, "Sorry, that’s reserved for someone else."
With that, Sikong Jing no longer paid attention to the Shadow Moon Rat, closing his eyes to begin his cultivation, though he kept a slight awareness outside, ready to retaliate instantly if the rat attacked.
The Shadow Moon Rat at the edge of the flower sea hesitated, ultimately choosing to hide nearby and observe Sikong Jing.
Entering the flower sea would result in exposure under the firefly light.
It had realized the terror of this Human Clan member Sikong Jing, knowing exposure would mean doom.
Time passed for a quarter of an hour, just as the Divine Shuttle Ship cruised past.
But Sikong Jing was entirely concealed within the flower sea, surrounded by flickering lights. Additionally, he was deeply absorbed in understanding the preliminary meridians of the Shadow Moon Rat, revealing almost no trace of his presence...
As a result, the people on the Divine Shuttle Ship didn’t notice his presence.
At that moment, the Divine Shuttle Ship suddenly stopped, hovering above the flower sea.
The people on the ship were puzzled, and Elder Yin asked, "Lord Yao, why have we stopped here? Is there something special?"
The quota battle had been ongoing for two days and nights now, seemingly not yet reaching its climax. The sword-shaped Jade Tokens of the nine captains were still intact, with no one perishing.
From what everyone understood, the Southern Land and East Land planned to ally against Ju Hua and the West Land.
Meanwhile, the West Land was preparing for a sweeping operation, persistently pursuing Wang He and other main adversaries...
Everyone was concerned about their skirmishes and maneuvers, so why did Yao Yuzhi suddenly stop above the flower sea?
Clearly, there was nothing here.
Yao Yuzhi replied nonchalantly, "Don’t you think this flower sea looks beautiful?"
"I planted it specifically after becoming the Supreme Judge of the East Plain."
Everyone turned grim upon hearing this; it turns out he just wanted to admire this flower sea under the moonlight with fireflies. But damn, as the Supreme Judge, he could indulge himself, but how could we relax?
Most squads had already regrouped, on the brink of the looming battles erupting at any moment.
Yet, faced with the ever-dominant Yao Yuzhi since the beginning, none dared voice their dissatisfaction, even as they opened their mouths.
Suddenly, Yao Yuzhi tilted his head and asked, "Wouldn’t you like to know the locations of the nine captains now?"
These words shook everyone, sparking eagerness, of course—they wanted to know.
The Divine Shuttle Ship could only patrol one area at a time.
Batian Valley was vast, making it impossible to monitor every movement comprehensively. Only Yao Yuzhi had people to track everything clearly.
"Tonight, let us enjoy the flower sea, and I will also tell you the precise positions of the nine captains."
"Perhaps there will be unexpected surprises, and maybe, as we admire the flower sea, the final battle will commence."
Having said this, Yao Yuzhi ordered the middle-aged Judger beside him to release a number of Message Birds.
Their mission was to instruct the operatives in Batian Valley to transmit the locations of the nine captains...