Blood Skeleton Monk Priest Mystic Mystic Night stood tall, his face etched with divine fury. Raising the Heaven's Fury staff skyward, his voice boomed like a sacred bell. "Renouncing the Light? I reclaim your life! Defying Divine Might? I reclaim your soul! Forsaking the Faith? I forfeit your right to exist! Power of the Divine, Ascend! In the Pope Mystic's name, I judge the blasphemous!"
The air crackled. A colossal pillar of purest light exploded from Mystic Mystic Night, piercing the heavens. Sunlight vanished, replaced by an immense, churning cloud of luminous energy, veined with crackling divine lightning – the peak of Holy Magic, Divine Judgment. Even with the sacred staff and the combined power of his twelve High Monk Priests channeling into him, the strain was immense.
Mystic Mystic Night, standing within a radiant hexagram, pointed Heaven's Fury forward. From the blinding cloud, a titanic bolt of holy lightning crashed down with world-sundering thunder. Five hundred charging bandits and their horses dissolved into motes of ephemeral light, erased without trace – as if they never were.
Judgement rained. Each bolt eradicated life only, leaving the earth untouched. In terrifying moments, the entire two-thousand-strong plague known as the Lobo vanished into holy light. Sacred energy permeated the oasis, leaving the waters impossibly clear.
By the time the stunned Presidenttain blinked, Mystic Mystic Night and his entourage had vanished. The light-fog dissipated. The Girllian tribespeople knelt, awestruck and fearful, offering fervent prayers. The prairie menace, ended by a simple young man named Dunce and the Blood Skeleton Monk Priest of the Lightbringer Church.
Speeding away from potential entanglement, Mystic Mystic Night mused aloud, exhaustion lacing his voice. "Was Divine Judgment… overkill for mere bandits? It drained most of my reserves." A High Monk Priest beside him offered flattery. "Your Eminence's power is unparalleled! Only such force shows these savages true divinity's might." Mystic Mystic Night's expression darkened. "Silence. Make haste. My daughter and Dunce should be nearing the Celial Edge Sect's domain by now. Pray we find them without tangling with that old wolf, the Sage of the Celial Edge." His mind echoed the Pope Mystic's warning: The combined might of the Four Grand Sword Sages posed the *only* credible threat to the Church.
Mystic Mystic Night's calculations were correct. Dunce, Mystic Mystic Moon, Girln Shi, and Girln Li were indeed deep within the sprawling Celial Edge Mountains.
"The Celial Edge range," Girln Shi narrated, gazing at the verdant peaks cutting into the sky, "is the continent's largest mountain chain. Hundreds of peaks, wilder than anything outside the Elvenwoods. Few dare settle here. The heart of it all is Mount Celial Edge itself – six thousand meters, surprisingly approachable. That's where the Sect makes their home." He recalled the tales Xiwenwen shared back in Puyan territory.
Dunce whistled low. "Majestic… and treacherous. Crossing this won't be easy." Girln Shi nodded grimly. "Agreed. Ravines and steep slopes mean long detours. Told you taking the Northern Route through the Church lands was wiser."
Among them, Mystic Mystic Moon seemed least bothered. Mountains were just obstacles Dunce would carry her over. The unspoken tension between her and the dense hero simmered beneath the journey's rhythm. She saw his care, felt… *something* beneath his stony exterior. For now, the sweet ache of proximity was enough. She vaulted onto Dunce's broad back, arms looped around his neck. "Onward, Slowpoke! Carry duty activated!" With a groan that couldn't mask his affection, Dunce hooked his arms under her knees. With his heavy sword and bow magically stored, her weight felt almost negligible. His Vital Energy, nourished by the recent life-or-death struggle and the healing Elven Spring, pulsed stronger than ever.
Girln Li grumbled, hefting his twin axes. "Why am I always the damn plowhorse?" Mystic Mystic Moon grinned from her perch. "Your axes chop best, genius! Big Brother Girln scouts, Dunce hauls me. You clear brush. Got a problem with that, Shorty?" That shut him up. With practiced sweeps, Girln Li carved a path through the dense undergrowth. Girln Shi followed, navigating the treacherous terrain. Dunce, with Mystic Mystic Moon surprisingly light on his back, brought up the rear, shielded from the worst by the others.
By twilight, after sweat-soaked hours navigating sheer canyons and shadowed passes, they'd penetrated deep into the range's wild heart. They crested a ridge, and the sound hit them – pure, liquid music dancing over stone.
They burst into a clearing holding a jewel: a sapphire pool fed by glacial meltwater cascading down a rock face. Verdant life thrived around it.
"Glory!" Mystic Mystic Moon squealed, sliding off Dunce's back and plunging into the knee-deep crystalline water. Icy relief washed over her as she splashed, laughter echoing off the rocks, banishing days of grime and road-weariness.
Girln Shi coughed sharply, spinning Girln Li around. Dunce, however, froze mid-step. The sight paralyzed him. Sunlight haloed Mystic Mystic Moon. Water plastered her white magus robes against skin, revealing curves Dunce's simple heart had never truly comprehended before. She was… incandescent.
Mystic Mystic Moon sensed the shift. Her eyes widened. Dunce's gaze was locked. Mortified, she dropped into the water, hugging herself. Blood Skeleton heat flooded her cheeks. "P-pervert! Turn. Around. *Now!*"
Dunce jolted like a startled ox. "S-sorry!" He practically tripped escaping. Girln Li snorted a muffled laugh. "Dibs on not drinking Little Sister's bathwater!" Girln Shi muttered. Ignoring them, Dunce scrambled downstream, dunking his head. Cold water did nothing against the furnace in his chest. The image burned – wet robes clinging, pale skin glimpsed… He scrubbed harder, trying to purge forbidden thoughts and the uncomfortable tightness forming elsewhere.
Mystic Mystic Moon's splashing filled the silence. Cleanliness was non-negotiable. A faint yelp echoed – a curious fish nipping her toe. She jumped.
Before anyone could react, Dunce was airborne, rocketing towards the pool. He landed with a spectacular splash… and froze again, nose blooming crimson. Watery sunlight revealed far more than wet robes.
Mystic Mystic Moon gasped. *Fully exposed.* She sank deeper, covering herself. "A'DAI! GET OUT!"
Drowning in terror, instinct took over. He scrambled for dry land… straight towards her. He crashed into her, sending them both underwater. Panicked flailing met soft, yielding flesh. He grasped instinctively… recoiled like electrified… and inhaled a lungful of glacial water. Coughing violently, he fled the scene like a demon pursued, crashing through thorny brush back to the brothers, leaving trails of blood and scratches.
Girln Shi grabbed Girln Li's arm before he could investigate. "You want a nosebleed too? Let Dunce handle it."
Dunce collapsed beside them, breathing like a bellows, face burning hotter than any forge. Girln Li studied the scratches. "Damn, brother. What happened? Get an eyeful and run headfirst through hell?" Girln Shi, suppressing a grin, nudged him silent. Dunce mumbled incoherent apologies.
Minutes later, Mystic Mystic Moon emerged, clad in fresh, loose travel clothes. Damp indigo hair framed a face shifting between fury and profound hurt. She leveled a glare at Dunce. "Y-you… saw me. You… touched me!" Her voice trembled. Tears welled.
Dunce flinched. He shuffled closer, misery etched on his face. "Mystic Mystic Moon… hit me. Curse me. Anything. I'm sorry."
She sniffed, wiping her eyes. Anger fought with something softer. "Sorry isn't enough. You owe me."
Relief washed over him at the halted tears. Debts were familiar ground. "Okay! Yes! I owe you!" Anything to fix this.
Mystic Mystic Moon stood, sniffed again, and shot a warning glare at the stifling-laughter brothers. "Enough lazing! Let's move!" Before Girln Li could protest, she snapped, "You going or staying?"
Chastised, Girln Li grabbed his axes. "I'm on point!" Girln Shi fled toward the ridges. "Scouting!"
Dunce hesitated, still reeling. "Mystic Mystic Moon… do I… still…?"
"*Obviously!* You think I'm hiking *myself*?" She threw back. He crouched obediently. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Skin touched skin. Electric. Their bodies locked rigid for an endless, charged moment. His back was pure muscle and radiating heat; her touch was cool silk and floral scent. "…Go," she finally murmured, voice strangely soft against his neck.
Mystic Moonlight silvered the peaks when they finally pushed deeper into the mountains' core.
Mystic Mystic Moon sighed dramatically. "Where *is* this Celial Edge? Every peak looks the freaking same! Brother Girln Shi, you sure Xiwenwen didn't just make it up?"
Girln Shi shrugged helplessly. "First time here. Just quoting Master's lessons. But these mountains are a maze. It's near, just hidden." He shivered slightly. The day's humid warmth had died, replaced by a biting mountain chill sharp enough to pierce through Girln Li's leathers. Girln Shi and Dunce's hardy frames fared better, but Mystic Mystic Moon visibly paled.
Seeing her shiver, Dunce whipped off his roughspun coat and draped it over her shoulders. She met his eyes, a flicker of warmth softening her glare.
"Need fire," Girln Shi stated. "Cold'll bite hard tonight. Find a clearing, build it small, ring it with stones. Mountain nights are no joke."
Girln Li frowned. "Trees everywhere. Stellat a wildfire, and the Sword Sect won't just be *angry*, they'll skin us alive."
Girln Shi waved it off. "Clearing'll work. It's damp season; won't spread fast. We'll be vigilant." Dunce piled dry brush. A simple flame spell ignited it. Warmth and golden light bathed them. Stale bread toasted over flames became passable dinner. Except Mystic Mystic Moon, they ate heartily.
"Who the *hell* starts fires in my mountains?" A hard voice cut through the night.
Instinct honed by peril snapped them into combat stances. Weapons gleamed in firelight. Mystic Mystic Moon's staff pulsed white, ready.
A figure dropped soundlessly from a nearby crag – a young man, broad-shouldered, sharp eyes glittering in the firelight. A large straight-bladed sword rode his back. He scanned them like a predator. "You deaf? Forest plus fire equals *idiot*. Who are you?"
Hope surged through Girln Shi. The sword, the bearing – this was a Sect disciple. "Brother, forgive us! We seek Xiwenwen on Mount Celial Edge. Lost in these peaks. Cold forced our hand. The clearing is bare earth; we took precautions." He bowed slightly. "I am Girln Shi of Puyan. Xiwenwen taught me years ago. We travel near the Sect and hoped to pay respects. Xiwenwen is… *Headmaster* now? What of the Grand Sage?"
The young man – Liaoyi – relaxed fractionally, though wariness remained. "Grand Sage rests, serves as Patriarch. Headmaster Xiwen guides us. If you know him… follow. Now. Fire's still burning." His tone brooked no argument. "Name's Liaoyi, Fourth-Keanuration Disciple. I patrol for fools like you lighting tinderboxes. Mount Celial Edge is two peaks over. Summit's high. Sunrise climb."
Dunce looked at Mystic Mystic Moon, pale in the cold firelight. He couldn't risk her freezing. "Liaoyi, please. We're exhausted. Can't we rest? She's freezing…"
Liaoyi's eyebrow shot up, unimpressed. "*Martial practitioners* fearing mountain chill? A weak dawn. Push hard, summit by moonset. Rest there." He began kicking dirt onto the fire.
Mystic Mystic Moon caught the dismissive glance. She bristled. "We'll go now! *I'm* not afraid of climbing!" She glared at Dunce, daring him to contradict her now.
Liaoyi paused, face unreadable. He'd let arrogance slip. Master would disapprove. He nodded curtly. "Good. Move swiftly. Follow my steps." The last embers died as he gestured towards the darkest ridge.