Chapter Fifty-Two: The Ebbing Tide

Wei Qiu naturally had no idea about the interaction between man and beast. When he heard Ji Mo mention Senior Brother Chen, he was slightly taken aback. Climbing up from the ground to look around, he finally realized that Chen, Jiang, and the others were all present. Hastily, he walked over to them and expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, senior brothers and sisters, for saving my life!”

“You rascal, why are you being so formal with me? Besides, we didn’t really do much—just happened to arrive at the right time,” Senior Brother Chen said, feigning annoyance as he gave Wei Qiu a slap on the shoulder. They were both disciples of elders from Thunder Peak. Although they had different masters, their relationship had always been good.

A few hours passed in the blink of an eye. As the sun’s last rays were about to slip beneath the horizon, Mu Baiyun finally opened his eyes. Jiang Ping, who had been watching him closely, immediately spoke up, “Junior Brother Mu, you’re awake? How’s your body?”

“I’m fine, almost fully recovered now. May I ask who this senior sister is?” Mu Baiyun did not recognize Jiang Ping. Seeing her standing with Chen, Jiang, and the others, he asked politely.

“I’m Jiang Ping, disciple of the Peak Master of Spirit Mist Peak,” she replied, her delicate face flushing slightly.

“So, you’re from Spirit Mist Peak.” Mu Baiyun nodded to her and rose to his feet.

Hearing the commotion, Ji Mo also opened her eyes. Noticing Mu Baiyun was already standing, she asked, “How do you feel?”

“I’m fully recovered. I was merely suffering from overexertion of spirit energy, which left me unable to move for a while. Your injuries looked even more severe than mine—how are you?” He walked over to Ji Mo’s side, scrutinizing her closely.

“My skin’s thick and my flesh tough—I’m already back to normal. The tide should be receding soon,” Ji Mo said, standing up as her gaze turned to the sunset on the horizon.

“Yes, it should be almost time. If nothing unexpected happens, once the sun dips below the horizon, the tide will retreat.” Mu Baiyun followed her gaze and picked up the thread of conversation.

“Junior Brother Mu, let’s discuss something. For this treasure hunt by the lakeshore, how about we form a team?” Senior Brother Chen, delighted to see Mu Baiyun awake, hurried over and repeated what he had discussed earlier with Ji Mo.

“Sure, as long as Junior Sister Ji and the others have no objections, neither do I.” Mu Baiyun glanced at Ji Mo. Seeing no displeasure on her face, he agreed. By nature, he was not fond of casually forming alliances, but since Senior Brother Chen and the others had just saved his life, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“We have no objections,” Ji Mo replied, seeing Chen’s gaze land on her. Chen, Jiang, and the others were overjoyed. With Mu Baiyun and Ji Mo joining, the team’s overall strength increased significantly.

With the matter of forming a team settled, no one spoke for a while. Everyone’s eyes fell on the lake below. After another half hour or so, as the last sliver of sunlight disappeared beneath the horizon, the tide, as if drawn by some invisible force, began to recede at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In less time than it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the vast expanse of water, spanning over two hundred kilometers, had vanished without a trace. What lay before them now was a stretch of barren, slightly damp sandy earth. The once lush flowers, plants, and trees that had covered the ground had all disappeared completely.

“What incredible water! How mysterious this Bluewater Lake is—so dense a feather cannot float on it, not even a bird can fly over, nothing can survive within. It seems the old stories were true!” Ji Mo stared in astonishment at the bare sand below, her eyes full of shock. She was not alone—the others were equally taken aback by the sight.

They had all heard tales of Blue Moon Lake’s tides, and the sect’s records contained many accounts, but nothing compared to witnessing it firsthand. The first to recover was Senior Brother Chen, whose gaze swept over the group as he gave a light cough. “Ahem, everyone, now that the tide has receded, it’s time for us to head down. Look—many people are already going.”

Looking closely, they saw that there were indeed many figures and even beast tracks emerging below. It was said that Blue Moon Lake contained many rare treasures, and with every tide, some would surface. This time, not only would disciples from all over the testing grounds rush here, but the region’s demon beasts would likely do the same. With so many people and beasts all hunting for treasures together, who knew what chaos might erupt? Ji Mo mused to herself.

To Ji Mo, she had no interest in treasure hunting at all. She felt her own fortune was already extraordinary—she possessed a Five Elements Spirit Body, had obtained a Five Elements cultivation method of unknown rank (but surely coveted by every cultivator in the Azure Profound Realm), and even the Heavenly Demon Body Tempering Art. With all these advantages, as long as she survived, her name would inevitably become known throughout the Azure Profound Realm.

Someone so blessed with fortune would be unwise to constantly compete with ordinary cultivators for further opportunities; even the heavens might take offense. Ji Mo was not that greedy.

But these were not things she could say aloud, nor could she persuade others to give up seeking treasure—especially Zhao Hu. She could clearly see the deep longing in his eyes. Well, she thought, let it be for the sake of helping Brother Zhao Hu. Her own fortunes were too shocking to reveal or share, so she would try her best to help him find something suitable.

“Senior Brother Chen, with so many people and demon beasts crowding into such a small area in search of treasure, won’t there be chaos?” Ji Mo was not the only one worried about a potential melee. As soon as Chen finished speaking, Jiang Ping voiced her concern. The others all looked to Senior Brother Chen. Though his combat strength was not the highest among them, his experience was certainly the broadest.

“It’s hard to say. Once we’re down there, it’s best for us all to stick together and not get separated. No one can predict what will happen. Even without the presence of demon beasts, fighting and even killing between fellow disciples for the sake of treasures is nearly unavoidable,” Senior Brother Chen replied with a wry smile. Though it was his first time in this situation, no one could afford to be optimistic.

“Once we’re down there, let’s avoid snatching things others have already found. Of course, if others try to take what we find, we needn’t be polite either.” Ji Mo added.

“I agree with Junior Sister Ji’s suggestion,” said Mu Baiyun.

The others frowned slightly at this. In such situations, the rule was rarely ‘finders keepers’—usually, strength decided who got the treasure. But with both Mu Baiyun and Ji Mo holding this view, none of them could object, for within this group, the two of them were undoubtedly the strongest.