Chapter 186
Chapter 186: The Eye of the Moon
Fire.
Raging flames set the sky above Bluestone Town ablaze, staining it blood-red.
Five-year-old Xiao Que, dressed in hemp clothing covered in ash and blood, stood in a street littered with corpses.
"Mama! Papa! Where are you..."
"Xiao Que is scared..."
She screamed herself hoarse searching for her parents.
But when she ran to the plaza at the center of the town, she saw a nightmare she would never be able to erase from her mind for the rest of her life.
The Ancient Moon Evil Dragon Clan's army—normally tasked with guarding the outer perimeter of Dragon-Summer Imperial City—now stood amid the firelight like demons.
And before that army, rows upon rows of long spears had been erected.
The tips of those spears...Were mounted with severed, blood-soaked heads.
Xiao Que recognized them in an instant.
Those were her papa and mama.
Their faces still bore the terror and agony of their final moments.
Their eyes had been cruelly gouged out, leaving nothing but two gaping, blood-filled holes.
Not just her parents—the heads of countless town garrison soldiers from Bluestone Town had all been strung up on spears like this, trophies of the Ancient Moon Evil Dragon Clan's wrath.
Thud...
"Papa... Mama..."
Five-year-old Xiao Que's knees gave way and she collapsed into the blood-soaked mud.
And behind those spears.
Dragon King Gu Yue Hao Tian sat astride a massive beast, head thrown back, roaring with laughter.
"Hahahaha! Ancestral Dragon Emperor! Do you see this?!"
"This is the price you pay for marginalizing and plotting against our clan!!!"
At that moment, several soldiers holding long blades noticed Xiao Que weeping and kneeling in the mud.
"Dragon King, there is still one survivor here."
"Shall we kill her?"
Gu Yue Hao Tian lowered his gaze, sweeping it over the five-year-old girl.
"Cut the roots when you pull the weeds, or they'll grow back with the spring wind! Finish her!"
"Yes, sir!"
Several soldiers broke into vicious grins and raised their long blades to advance.
At that critical, life-or-death moment.
"Stop."
A woman's voice rang out beside Gu Yue Hao Tian.
She had dragon horns, long violet hair, and a face of breathtaking, cold beauty.
She was Gu Yue Hao Tian's own daughter—the esteemed princess of the Ancient Moon Evil Dragon Clan.
Gu Yue Xu Yu.
Gu Yue Xu Yu looked at the trembling little girl, her brow furrowing slightly as she urged him in a cool voice.
"Father, do not cause any more killing."
"She is nothing more than an ordinary little girl without even an ability."
"Killing her would only dirty the blades of our Ancient Moon Clan."
Gu Yue Hao Tian turned his head and patted his daughter's shoulder, speaking with weighty earnestness.
"Xu Yu, you cannot afford to be soft-hearted! Think of your brother!"
"Think of the eyes and arms that were dug out of him while he was still alive!"
"Did that high-and-mighty dog Emperor ever show him mercy?!"
"But Father, this has nothing to do with the common people—"
"Silence!"
Gu Yue Hao Tian cut her off.
"My mind is made up! And this is the first lesson your father imparts to you today!"
"From this day forward, we and Dragon-Summer Imperial City are enemies who will not rest until one side is destroyed!"
"Against enemies, you must never show even a shred of mercy!"
He seized Gu Yue Xu Yu's chin and forced her eyes open to watch the little girl in front of them who was about to be slaughtered.
"Your brother is already broken!"
"When I am old! When I fall in battle!"
"The banner of the Ancient Moon Clan will rest on your shoulders!"
"Open your eyes and look—this is war!"
"No... please don't do this, Father!"
Gu Yue Xu Yu's face turned deathly pale. She struggled in agony to close her eyes, but her father's grip held her firm.
Ahead, several Ancient Moon soldiers had already surrounded five-year-old Xiao Que.
Long blades raised high, drops of blood from the blades fell onto Xiao Que's pale cheeks.
Xiao Que squeezed her eyes shut in despair.
Whoosh!
A screaming sound tore through the air!
But it was not a blade!
It was a spear!
Thwack!!
It pierced straight through the soldiers who had raised their blades!
The sheer force skewered them together and pinned them to a stone pillar!
"Who is that?!!"
The wild grin on Gu Yue Hao Tian's face froze. He roared toward the direction from which the spear had flown!
Through raging fire and billowing smoke.
The sound of footsteps slowly approached.
Every pair of eyes widened at once.
From within that blood-red, smoke-laden haze, a black-haired young man emerged.
He wore the cheapest, lowest-ranked foot soldier's armor in all of Dragon-Summer Imperial City.
And it was already in tatters.
His body...
His face...
His hair.
Were covered in wounds and blood, as though he had just crawled out of hell.
"Who is this man?! How is there still a soldier alive?!"
Gu Yue Hao Tian fixed his gaze on the blood-soaked black-haired young man and flew into a thunderous rage.
He snapped his head around toward several Dragon Generals of the Ancient Moon Evil Dragon Clan beside him and unleashed a torrent of furious curses.
"This was supposed to be a covert siege and slaughter to demonstrate our power!"
"If this one fish that slipped through the net escapes to sound the alarm and ruins my grand plan, then everything will be ruined!"
Three heavily armored Dragon Generals trembled from head to toe in fright and immediately dismounted, dropping to their knees.
"Dragon King, please calm your wrath!"
"We must have missed this worm during the sweep! Your subordinates will go deal with him now!"
With that, they moved to grab their weapons and advance.
"Wait."
Gu Yue Hao Tian narrowed his eyes, looking the stumbling young man up and down, and suddenly changed his mind.
He let out a cold laugh and raised his hand to hold back his subordinates.
"No dragon horns, no dragon scales, no dragon tail..."
"And dressed in the most lowly armor at that—this is clearly a bottom-rung foot soldier with a bloodline too wretched to even pity."
"That strike just now... was nothing more than a last flash of brilliance before the end."
Gu Yue Hao Tian turned his head and looked at his still-trembling daughter beside him.
"Xu Yu, since you're so reluctant to cause more killing, this man—I'll leave him to you."
"Use this worthless wretch for some practice and try out the 【Moon Eye】 you just awakened!"
Although Gu Yue Xu Yu had not achieved a dual awakening like her brother, the 【Moon Eye】 alone—capable of opening the Dragon Clan's domain—was more than enough to place her among the top-tier geniuses.
"No... please..."
Gu Yue Xu Yu shook her head frantically. "Father, I don't want to take a life! I can't bring myself to do it!"
"Womanly weakness!"
Gu Yue Hao Tian let out a cold snort.
"Xu Yu, if you kill him with your own hands, your father will be magnanimous and spare that five-year-old girl on the ground."
"One life for one life—your choice."
At those words, the anguish in Gu Yue Xu Yu's eyes stilled.
She did not want to kill, but under this coercion, to preserve the little girl's life, she had no other choice.
"Fine... I'll do it."
Gu Yue Xu Yu trembled as she took a longbow from an attendant at her side and slowly nocked an arrow.
She trained the arrowhead on the blood-soaked black-haired young man.
At that moment, the young man was silently standing guard in front of Xiao Que.
He was laboriously pulling the spear he had thrown back out of the stone pillar.
Hum!
Gu Yue Xu Yu opened her left eye!
"Domain Activation... Cold Moon!"
Her previously normal pupil transformed into deep violet, and the phantom of a cold, desolate crescent moon materialized over the battlefield!
In an instant, icy moonlight descended from the heavens, enveloping the young man's head!
Under the oppressive might of the 【Moon Eye】, a thick layer of frost rapidly formed across the young man's body.
His motion of pulling the spear became unbearably sluggish.
"I'm sorry..."
Tears burst from Gu Yue Xu Yu's eyes. Unable to bear watching, she turned her head away and released the bowstring.
Whoosh! Thwack!
The arrow drove into the young man's left eye!
It pierced through the eyeball, sending him crashing down into the rubble, and he lay still.
"Big brother!"
Five-year-old Xiao Que crawled and tumbled over to the young man's side, her hands covered in blood as she shook him frantically.
"Big brother, wake up! Get up!"
Watching this, Gu Yue Xu Yu's last emotional defenses completely crumbled.
She dropped the longbow and buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably, repeating the same words over and over.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."
"Hahahaha!"
Gu Yue Hao Tian threw his head back and roared with laughter from atop his beast, tremendously satisfied with his daughter's performance.
"Good! Worthy of being my, Gu Yue Hao Tian's, daughter!"
"Now, take a blade and go cut his head off for me!"
"I want to use his skull to pay tribute to the warriors he just killed!"
"Father... I beg you, he is already dead, please don't force me anymore..."
Gu Yue Xu Yu pleaded in despair.
"Go!"
The smile on Gu Yue Hao Tian's face vanished in an instant. He drew his sword and pointed it at Xiao Que on the ground.
"If you don't cut off his head, I will immediately hack this little wretch to pieces!"
Under threat and terror.
With no other recourse, Gu Yue Xu Yu drew the short blade at her waist and stepped, one pace at a time, toward the young man lying in a pool of blood.
Yet before she could get close.
"Bad person! You're a bad person! Get away!"
Five-year-old Xiao Que had picked up a battered dagger from somewhere. She stood in front of the young man's body.
Shielding the one who had fallen defending her.
Gu Yue Xu Yu looked at the little girl before her, tears flowing without end.
"Little one, get out of the way!"
"Everything I've done has been to save you—I am saving your life!"
But Xiao Que couldn't take any of it in. She just swung the dagger in her hand, not letting anyone come near.
"I won't let you touch big brother! Get away!"
In the chaos, Xiao Que's dagger swung wildly and slashed a tear into the hem of Gu Yue Xu Yu's skirt.
Gu Yue Xu Yu looked at her torn skirt, then back at the little girl in front of her fighting with everything she had.
Her emotions, under all this unbearable pressure, finally collapsed.
"Why... WHY?!!"
Gu Yue Xu Yu's eyes turned red. She screamed hysterically like a madwoman.
"I dirtied my own hands! I went against my conscience and killed someone!"
"I did all of this to save you!"
"Why are you attacking me?! WHY?!!"
"This is my final warning! Move aside!"
Faced with Gu Yue Xu Yu's breakdown, Xiao Que gritted her teeth and held her ground: "No!"
"Fine! Then don't blame me for what happens next!"
Her reason completely severed, Gu Yue Xu Yu raised the short blade in her hand.
And brought it down toward the top of Xiao Que's head!
"Yes! Just like that! Just like that!!"
From behind, Gu Yue Hao Tian watched with eyes blazing, roaring with fervent excitement.
"My good daughter! Kill her!"
"Once you kill her, you will never again be swayed by that laughable mercy you carry in your heart!"
The blade was mere inches from Xiao Que's forehead!
Snap!
A hand covered in frost seized Gu Yue Xu Yu's blade-gripping wrist!
Stopping her cold, unable to advance a single inch further!
"What?!"
The entire Ancient Moon army went pale with shock in an instant. Every last one of them sucked in a sharp breath as if they had seen a ghost.
He had taken a fatal arrow through the head—how could he possibly still be alive?!
In the mud, the black-haired young man had somehow risen to one knee without anyone noticing.
He gripped Gu Yue Xu Yu's wrist tight and slowly raised his head.
He fixed her with his sole remaining eye—blood-red and blazing.
That gaze held not a shred of emotion. Only pure, absolute killing intent!
"You... you..."
Gu Yue Xu Yu was so terrified her entire body went rigid and she dared not move. The short blade in her hand rattled without stop.
And in the reflection of her pupils, something horrifying unfolded.
The pupil of the young man's blood-red right eye began to change as she stared at it!
The originally round pupil elongated, gradually transforming into...
A vertical slit!
"Vertical pupils?! This is a Bloodline Surge!!"
Gu Yue Hao Tian cried out in shock from the distance.
"A Bloodline Surge among the Dragon Clan?! And it's happening right now?!"
A Bloodline Surge among the Dragon Clan was exceptional and rare, typically occurring only in bottom-tier Dragon kin whose bloodline had degraded to an extreme!
Yet who erupted with terrifying potential in a life-or-death crisis.
It could allow the host to temporarily ignore the genetic lock, causing strength to surge hundreds or thousands of times over!
But the odds were vanishingly slim—just 0.003%!
"To think it would happen here!"
Gu Yue Hao Tian's expression shifted dramatically, but immediately he realized an even more fatal problem.
"No—even if a Bloodline Surge has occurred, a bottom-tier foot soldier's ceiling is still only so high!"
"How could this man be restraining Xu Yu with a single hand?!"
"He took a point-blank arrow to the head!"
"A cannon-fodder nobody with not a single Dragon Clan trait!"
"How could he have survived on this battlefield until now, and even killed my warriors?!"
"This man is strange!"
Gu Yue Hao Tian could no longer afford to think about any tempering. He roared in alarm.
"Quick! Xu Yu! Get away from him! Don't go near that monster!"
But it was already too late.
Not a trace of pity crossed the young man's face.
His right hand locked Gu Yue Xu Yu in place. His left hand formed a claw, driving it straight toward her 【Moon Eye】!
"No... no!"
Gu Yue Xu Yu trembled.
The next moment.
"Aaaaaaaaah!!!"
A scream shattered the air.
No excess motion. No flashy technique.
Expressionless, the young man clawed the 【Moon Eye】 clean out of Gu Yue Xu Yu's eye socket!
"Ugh... ah..."
Blood erupted in a gush. Gu Yue Xu Yu blacked out from the pain on the spot and crumpled to the ground.
And before the tens of thousands of Ancient Moon Evil Dragon Clan soldiers—whose guts had been turned to water by what they'd just witnessed—
The young man made a move that every last one of them would never forget for the rest of their lives.
He raised his hand, gripped the arrow shaft lodged in his own left eye socket, and tore it out by the root.
Black blood mixed with the tissue of his eyeball splattered across the ground, yet he didn't even furrow a brow.
Then he pressed that 【Moon Eye】 into his own left eye socket!
Creak...
The young man slowly raised his head. The deep-violet 【Moon Eye】, freshly seated in its new socket, snapped open amid the blood.
It blazed in perfect contrast with the blood-red vertical pupil of his right eye.
Like a god who had shattered his way out of hell.
"Domain Activation..."
He extended his right hand, forming a sword-pointed finger.
"Fool's World."