Chapter 851: Fujiwara no Mokou's Choice

The very instant the avatar of Tsukuyomi dissipated, a terrifying aura erupted violently from the center of the Moon Capital.

Inside the Palace, Tsukuyomi clenched her hands, the aura on her body surging incessantly, causing the surrounding space to distort. Who was she? She was one of the Three Noble Children, the Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto who governed the moon, one of the most noble deities in the Dongying pantheon. Yet, what had she just experienced? Her avatar had actually been smashed to pieces by a moon. The avatar of a Goddess who controlled the moon had been smashed to pieces by a human wielding the moon; to her, this was simply a supreme humiliation.

At the mere thought of the images her avatar had transmitted back before it shattered, Tsukuyomi felt an urge to rush directly to the surface and grind that human into dust. However, she could not do it. Ever since she chose to sever her connection to the surface and migrate to the Moon with a portion of her subjects, she could never return to the surface again. If she dared to descend to the surface in her true form now, she would inevitably pay a heavy price.

At the same time, there was a trace of fear in Tsukuyomi's heart. She clearly remembered Lingyun saying that his technique was learned from another Moon King, which indicated that in this world, perhaps she was not the only one capable of controlling the moon. And now, the moon was Tsukuyomi's foundation for survival; the other Moon King Lingyun spoke of undoubtedly cast a shadow over her heart.

With complex thoughts, the aura on Tsukuyomi became increasingly chaotic, as if she were pondering something.

Lingyun, on the surface, had no idea that his use of Moon Fall to shatter Tsukuyomi's avatar would lead her to associate it with so many things. Using the moon to smash Tsukuyomi's avatar was, in the end, nothing more than a whim of his dark humor. After Tsukuyomi's avatar vanished, Lingyun landed once again in front of Watatsuki no Yorihime and the others.

Seeing Lingyun's gaze fall upon them, Watatsuki no Yorihime and her party were as silent as cicadas in winter. The person before them was a ruthless individual who had destroyed Tsukuyomi's avatar without mercy; if he wanted to make them disappear in the next second, it would not be a surprise.

"Teacher." There was a trace of astonishment in Kaguya's gaze as she looked at Lingyun.

Although she had long known from Eirin that Lingyun's strength was formidable, she had not expected his strength to reach such a level; Tsukuyomi's avatar could not even last a few moves in his hands before being obliterated.

"Kaguya, what is your choice now? No matter what decision you make, I will support you." Lingyun said to Kaguya with a smile, looking nothing like the ruthless man who had just obliterated a deity's avatar.

Kaguya was silent for a moment, then revealed an apologetic smile to Lingyun: "I am sorry, Teacher, I still must return to the Moon Capital. Please forgive my willfulness."

"Sister Kaguya, why?" Fujiwara no Mokou asked, somewhat uncomprehendingly.

From the actions of that Moon Envoy just now, Fujiwara no Mokou knew that the Moon Capital was not a good place for Kaguya. Now that Lingyun was here, those people from the Moon Capital would definitely not dare to force Kaguya to return. Under these circumstances, Kaguya's choice to return to the Moon Capital was something she could not quite understand.

"Eh?" A bunch of question marks could not help but appear over Watatsuki no Yorihime's head.

She had originally thought that this attempt to bring Kaguya back to the Moon Capital was a complete failure, and she was already thinking about how to deal with the difficulties from the other Lunar Sages upon returning. After all, the fact that Tsukuyomi's avatar was obliterated absolutely could not be spread, and the people she brought would certainly keep their mouths shut. She had not expected that the situation would take a turn for the better at the end, and that Kaguya would actually choose to return to the Moon Capital.

"I understand." Seeing Kaguya's gaze land on Watatsuki no Yorihime, Lingyun knew why she had made such a choice. "Since you have chosen to go back, I will leave some things for you to defend yourself."

"Teacher, I am the Princess of the Moon Capital; in the Moon Capital, who would dare to lay a hand on me?" Kaguya said.

"One must guard against others; after all, there is never a shortage of idiots and lunatics in this world." Lingyun said with a smile, and at the same time, he opened his hand, and three silver, three-inch Small Swords appeared in his palm.

When these three silver Small Swords appeared, everyone present felt a chill in their hearts, as if something terrifying had emerged.

"Teacher, what is this?" Kaguya took the silver Small Swords from Lingyun's hand and asked curiously.

"This thing is called the Silver Emperor Killing Sword; it has another name, called the God-Slaying Thorn." Lingyun said with a smile. "If anyone wants to do you harm, you just drive it with your consciousness, and it will naturally launch an attack. As for its power, you will know just by hearing its name."

Looking at the three Silver Emperor Killing Swords in her hand, Kaguya was silent for a moment, then carefully tucked them away close to her body.

Having put away the Silver Emperor Killing Swords, Kaguya tidied her clothes, bowed respectfully to Lingyun, and walked toward Watatsuki no Yorihime's party.

Seeing Kaguya disappear with Watatsuki no Yorihime and the others into the passage leading to the Moon Capital, Fujiwara no Mokou suddenly felt empty inside. After following Lingyun into the Bamboo House, Fujiwara no Mokou asked Lingyun in a muffled voice: "Teacher, will we be able to see Sister Kaguya again?"

"Seeing Kaguya again, that is of course." Lingyun nodded and said. "Yakumo Yukari and I are planning a war against the Lunar Surface. Yakumo Yukari wants to use that war to root out some restless things, and I will bring Kaguya back during that war. After all, the Moon Capital is not a good place for Kaguya!"

"Teacher, I want to go too!" Fujiwara no Mokou said to Lingyun with a serious face.

"You want to go too?" Lingyun seemed to see something and could not help but be slightly stunned. "Mokou, you should know that the battlefield is not a place for jokes; it is a meat grinder for living beings. With your current strength, the danger of stepping onto that battlefield is simply too high. Moreover, if I want to bring Kaguya back, I will inevitably clash with Tsukuyomi; when that time comes, I might not be able to look after you."

To tell the truth, Lingyun did not want Fujiwara no Mokou to enter the Lunar War. Although in these past few years, under his guidance, Fujiwara no Mokou was not a novice who had never seen blood, she was still lacking when it came to stepping into that battlefield filled with blood and death.

Do not be fooled by how easily Tsukuyomi's avatar perished in his hands this time; that was because Lingyun had caught the opponent off guard. If both sides were truly firing on all cylinders, it would not have been an easy task for Lingyun to take down this avatar. Without a hundred percent certainty of ensuring Fujiwara no Mokou's safety, he did not want to take the risk.

"I know how dangerous that war will be; it might even be the legendary God War. But Teacher, it is not just you who wants to bring Sister Kaguya back; I want to as well. This is something I must face. If I do not go, this matter might leave a shadow in my heart for the rest of my life." Fujiwara no Mokou's tone was firm.

After Lingyun was silent for a moment, he suddenly laughed: "So that is how it is. Mokou, as your teacher, I naturally support your decision. However, Kaguya must have guessed your temperament to have left this thing behind."

As Lingyun spoke, he waved his hand gently, and the Array set up by Kaguya shattered instantly, and a jade bottle appeared on the table.

"Although I feel it is a bit early, now is indeed a good time." Lingyun picked up the jade bottle in his hand and looked at Fujiwara no Mokou. "Mokou, are you ready to become the Immortal Smoke?"