Rise of a Lunar Legend

Once Tang Chun Xi drank the Amber Natal Milk, she felt a wave of gentle energy slide down her throat, filling her with comforting warmth before spreading through her body like a calm river. With her eyes closed and seated in a lotus position, she focused on the sensation, striving to absorb the energy without letting a single fragment escape.

'This time, the energy won't disappear again,'— she thought with determination.

At first, the experience seemed to align with what the records described: a mild, gentle energy gathering in her stomach, where her dantian was supposed to be. But then, everything changed.

A searing pain erupted, like a burning blade piercing her body. Her face quickly turned pale, cold sweat dripping from her forehead as she struggled to remain calm.

'This is the gentle energy they talked about in the records? They've got to be joking!' — Tang Chun Xi thought, gritting her teeth to avoid screaming. Her body trembled as if every cell was crying out in agony.

Still, she steadied her posture. The pain was terrible, but it was not unknown to her. In her original world, she had faced far worse trials, and that gave her the strength to endure.

Focusing on the energy coursing through her body, she noticed something absent from the records: the amber energy was fiercely attacking the outer wall of her dantian, which seemed indestructible. Each impact was like thunder echoing in her mind.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Each blow reverberated in her consciousness, and Tang Chun Xi fought to stay conscious.

The records mentioned nothing about such resistance in the dantian, and uncertainty haunted her. If she fainted, what would happen to the uncontrolled energy within her? She didn't know, but she wasn't willing to find out.

Time seemed to stretch into endless agony. The world around her vanished, replaced only by the consuming pain. When she was on the verge of succumbing, she felt something different. The amber energy, once violent and insistent, began to be absorbed by something within her body, as if drawn in by an invisible force.

Suddenly, the pain ceased, leaving her in a state of stupor and emptiness. Slowly, she opened her eyes, feeling hope slip away. Once again, it seemed her attempt had failed.

Tang Chun Xi was about to rise when a new wave of overwhelming pain struck her. This time, it was far worse than before. It felt as if every cell in her body was being torn apart and reassembled simultaneously.

The pain was so intense that she didn't notice what was happening around her. Her body, still in the lotus position, began to emit a soft, vibrant light. If anyone had been present, they would have been shocked to see the immense amount of spiritual energy converging from all directions.

Tang Chun Xi appeared to be a bottomless vortex, absorbing spiritual energy from the area at an alarming rate. The air around her shimmered, as if on the verge of being torn apart by the mounting spiritual pressure.

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Moments earlier...

In the surroundings of the Eternal Mist Region, cultivators, spiritual animals, and ethereal beings abruptly halted their activities. The concentration of spiritual energy in the air was slowly diminishing, an occurrence that could not go unnoticed by those with heightened sensitivity.

Initially, they suspected a high-level cultivator was cultivating or a high-tier resource was about to emerge—a rare but not impossible event. However, the rate of energy depletion increased exponentially, causing panic and alarm throughout the region.

—"Something like this isn't normal. Could a high-tier treasure be about to appear?"— an elder murmured.

The rumor spread like wildfire, and soon, powerful factions mobilized to locate the source of the phenomenon. However, no matter how much they searched, the energy seemed to vanish directly into the ground, leaving no trace.

While some acted out of greed, others were alarmed. The energy consumption was frightening, surpassing the pace of even a high-level cultivator.

In the depths of a cave, a sinister, shrill voice laughed in the darkness.

—"Fear, chaos, pain, and greed... This is what I like. Keep going... keep going... this is delicious."

As time went on, the commotion in the Eternal Mist Region only grew. Cultivators from various factions tried to maintain order, but the task was monumental. The sudden reduction in spiritual energy had thrown not only the region but also neighboring areas into a state of alert. Leaders of major sects called emergency meetings, while the most powerful spiritual beasts, sensing the imbalance, left their lairs, howling in discontent.

Rumors spread like wildfire. Speculations ranged from a celestial cultivator attempting to transcend to an immortal realm, to the birth of a legendary treasure consuming spiritual energy on an unprecedented scale. However, the truth remained hidden.

Communication between sects was quickly activated, but the more information they shared, the more confusing the situation became. Reports indicated that the energy loss wasn't confined to the Eternal Mist Region. Other regions reported the same decrease, at the same intensity and quantity, as if an invisible pattern was draining the spiritual world.

This peculiar characteristic made it nearly impossible to pinpoint the phenomenon's origin. Even the great masters of spiritual tracking, who could usually find the source of any disturbance, were frustrated.

—"This doesn't make sense! Nothing consumes energy this uniformly,"— said a gray-haired elder, gazing at the energy map with a grim expression.

Just when it seemed chaos would reach a breaking point, something unexpected happened. The flow of energy stopped decreasing. The ensuing calm was almost more unsettling than the disturbance itself.

In the vast night sky, where once a single moon reigned, something spectacular occurred. No one knew who noticed it first, but a cry of shock pierced the silence of the night:

—"The sky... look at the sky!"

What had once been familiar had drastically changed. To everyone's astonishment, five full moons now shone with surreal brilliance. Each appeared larger and more radiant than the moon they were accustomed to seeing. Their surfaces gleamed like polished pearls, emitting a light that seemed to touch the souls of all who gazed upon them.