Chapter 1197: Two Paintings (Third Update!)
In this battle, Nguyệt Thiên Tôn absorbed the experience from the previous battle. Instead of fighting independently, she did her best to coordinate with Lăng Thiên Tôn, Hỏa Thiên Tôn, and Hiểu Vị Tô.
She established her Dao through space, possessing astonishing mastery over the Dao of Space that no one could surpass. Her spatial arts, whether used for combat or to support others, could play an extremely crucial role.
In the previous battle, the four of them had not coordinated with one another, but this time, with Nguyệt Thiên Tôn directing everyone, their threat to Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân increased dramatically.
Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân suffered severe injuries. Just as they were about to claim her life, she suddenly healed completely, pulled out her roots, and fought them to the death.
In the end, in this battle, Lăng, Hỏa, and Hiểu all perished in battle. Only Nguyệt Thiên Tôn herself escaped unscathed.
"Cheater!"
Nguyệt Thiên Tôn returned to Tần Mục's side, pouting angrily: "This is clearly unreasonable! Where is the logic in suddenly healing from one's injuries mid-fight?"
"Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân can do it."
Tần Mục said: "Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân is rooted deep within the earth. Her roots spread throughout Nguyên Giới, and almost everywhere has her root systems. In an instant, she can draw nutrients from all over Nguyên Giới. Moreover, she also possesses Hồng Minh Nguyên Dịch. By consuming Hồng Minh Nguyên Dịch, she can instantly return to her peak state!"
Nguyệt Thiên Tôn suppressed her anger and said: "Eliminating Địa Mẫu is truly not easy. Let me think about it."
She pondered for a long time, then said resolutely: "Let's do it again!"
This time, Nguyệt Thiên Tôn separated the earth of Nguyên Giới from Nguyên Mộc, preventing Địa Mẫu's roots from connecting to Nguyên Mộc. She also assisted and coordinated with the others' attacks, altering space so that everyone could strike at Địa Mẫu from various directions, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
In this battle, they finally slew Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân.
All four of them breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, Lăng Thiên Tôn's head suddenly exploded, and Nguyệt Thiên Tôn felt a sudden chill at her heart. She hastily activated her spatial arts and fled far away.
She looked back and saw that it was Hỏa Thiên Tôn who had punched Lăng Thiên Tôn's head to pieces, while Hiểu Vị Tô held a divine sword—it was he who had tried to assassinate her.
The dream shattered.
"Ngục Thiên Tôn!"
Nguyệt Thiên Tôn returned to Tần Mục's side, furiously seeking to settle the score with him, fuming: "Just now, Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân being severely wounded and instantly recovering—fine, she has that ability. But why did Hỏa Thiên Tôn and Hiểu Vị Tô kill us? Today you must give me a proper explanation!"
Tần Mục's expression was gentle, his gaze tender. He looked into her eyes and said softly: "Nguyệt, this is your dream. I am merely letting your dream cycle; I did not interfere with your dream. Whatever you think in your heart will be reflected in the dream. Hỏa Thiên Tôn and Hiểu Vị Tô killing you—isn't that the scenario you imagined?"
She was captivated by his gaze, her heart fluttering. She nodded repeatedly, and her voice became much gentler: "I forgot. Even you are the you I imagined—handsome, dashing, gentle, far better-looking than the real you."
Tần Mục smiled as he looked at her, saying: "But the real me is not this handsome, nor this tall and imposing."
Nguyệt Thiên Tôn's heart pounded wildly. Feeling a bit shy, she shot him a glance and giggled: "Originally, the you in my heart was still quite similar to the real you, but you disappeared for so many years that my memories of you grew increasingly blurred, and so it became less similar. Aren't you good at painting? When you recover, paint a picture of yourself for me, so that I won't remember you as being this handsome."
She rallied her spirits, and another dream came over her.
At the end of this battle, Nguyệt Thiên Tôn blocked Hiểu Vị Tô's sneak attack, but on the other side, Hỏa Thiên Tôn killed Lăng Thiên Tôn.
"Can I tell Lăng Thiên Tôn that Hỏa Thiên Tôn and the others have ill intentions?" Nguyệt Thiên Tôn returned to Tần Mục's side and asked.
Tần Mục nodded: "You can."
Another dream.
Nguyệt Thiên Tôn dodged Hiểu Vị Tô's sword, and Lăng Thiên Tôn avoided Hỏa Thiên Tôn's fist. The two women had just steadied themselves when suddenly Hạo Thiên Tôn, Lang Hiên Thần Hoàng, Tổ Thần Vương, and others appeared.
Nguyệt Thiên Tôn looked at this scene in despair. In the end, she still escaped, but Lăng Thiên Tôn still fell under the blades of Hạo Thiên Tôn, Hỏa Thiên Tôn, and the others.
Nguyệt Thiên Tôn returned to Tần Mục's side. This time, she did not question why Hạo Thiên Tôn and the others happened to appear so conveniently. Instead, she fell into quiet contemplation.
Tần Mục did not disturb her, letting her think deeply.
After who knows how long, Nguyệt Thiên Tôn smiled again: "Try once more!"
This time, Lăng Thiên Tôn still died, and only she alone escaped.
She was the Thiên Tôn who controlled the Dao of Space. Killing her was simply too difficult.
"Once more!" Nguyệt Thiên Tôn's voice trembled slightly as she forced herself to stay calm.
But the result was still the same. She could never change the outcome of Lăng Thiên Tôn's death. No matter how many times she tried, after killing Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân, Lăng Thiên Tôn would always die under the siege of the others.
She tried again and again, failed again and again, and could never save Lăng Thiên Tôn.
"Let's try once more." Her voice was a bit hoarse as she said to Tần Mục.
...
This time, she did not save herself. Instead, she used all her strength to cast her divine arts, sending Lăng Thiên Tôn away from this place.
Her spatial divine arts were wondrous beyond measure. No matter how Hạo Thiên Tôn, Lang Hiên, Tổ Thần Vương, and the others tried to obstruct and attack, they could not keep Lăng Thiên Tôn there.
However, after Lăng Thiên Tôn was sent away, Nguyệt Thiên Tôn herself fell into danger. As she fled, Hiểu Vị Tô's sword slashed across her waist, Hỏa Thiên Tôn's fist slammed into her cheek, and Hạo Thiên Tôn's seal struck her in the back.
Lang Hiên's divine consciousness assault left her mind hazy, and Tổ Thần Vương's strike shattered her skull.
"This outcome is already quite good."
Nguyệt Thiên Tôn woke from the dream. After trying again and again, she found that after sending Lăng Thiên Tôn away, she herself would always inevitably die. But later on, she could avoid death, though she would inevitably be severely wounded. No matter how hard she tried, her legs would always be crippled by Hiểu Vị Tô.
And her face would always inevitably be ruined by Hỏa Thiên Tôn.
"This is only my dream. None of this necessarily has to happen."
She smiled at Tần Mục and said: "Let's leave it at that. No matter what, Địa Mẫu must die! Mục, is this really a dream?"
Tần Mục nodded.
Nguyệt Thiên Tôn suddenly rose on her tiptoes, leaned over his face and gave him a kiss, then ran off shyly, giggling: "It's a dream anyway. Kissing one's lover in a dream doesn't count!"
She stopped again, turned around to look, and said: "Ngục Thiên Tôn is a great painter whose brush brings flowers to life. Can you paint my current appearance? I want to imprint my current looks into my mind, so that even if I become ugly in the future, I won't forget."
Tần Mục picked up his brush. Under the moonlight, the young woman looked a bit shy because she had just secretly kissed her beloved.
Tần Mục painted this scene.
This scene was exactly the same as the painting Nguyệt Thiên Tôn had given him. The scenery in the painting was dreamlike, and now they were inside Nguyệt Thiên Tôn's dream.
Nguyệt Thiên Tôn quietly crept to his side and watched him paint her. She saw that in the painting, her hair hung down softly, the girl as quiet and enchanting as the moon, with a hint of shyness at the corner of her lips.