Chapter 88: Chang'e Flees to the Moon

Let us set aside Houtu for the moment. After Li Tian had comforted Nuwa in the Palace of Myriad Realms, he quietly departed from the Heavenly Realm.

He wished to see with his own eyes what the fabled Chang’e—the most beautiful mortal woman in later legends—truly looked like.

Of course, he harbored no ulterior motives; at his level, beauty was but a fleeting cloud. Should he desire it, he need only will it so. He was simply, genuinely curious.

With a flicker, he appeared above the Youqiong Tribe, gazing down at the mortals below with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

He strolled leisurely, following the guidance of his divine senses directly to Chang’e’s residence. Countless tribesmen passed by him, oblivious to his presence, each absorbed in their own affairs.

At his cultivation, whether one saw him or not was a matter of mere thought.

“You are Chang’e?”

Stepping into her chamber, Li Tian could not suppress a smile as he beheld the serene and exquisite woman before him, unmatched in her beauty.

“Who… are you?!”

Chang’e was startled by the unfamiliar male voice behind her. Turning to see a stranger in her room, she paled and retreated several steps.

“Shh, don’t scream.”

Seeing her fear and sensing she was about to cry out, Li Tian promptly cast a silencing spell, preventing any sound from escaping her lips.

Chang’e covered her mouth, panic rising as she found herself unable to speak, her heart filled with terror. Instinctively, she backed away until she nearly stumbled against the table.

“Rest assured, I mean you no harm.”

Li Tian, seeing how terrified she was, realized he had overplayed his entrance. He gave an awkward smile, moved closer, gently helped her up, and dispelled the silencing spell with a wave.

He did not forget to isolate the room from outside sounds with a thought. After all, as the Emperor of Heaven, it would not do for rumors to spread of him visiting a mortal maiden.

“Senior…”

Chang’e, never before so close to an unfamiliar man, felt deeply unsettled, but having witnessed Li Tian’s power, she dared not protest, only nervously expressing her thoughts.

“My apologies for frightening you.”

Li Tian smiled, released her arm, sat down at the table as if nothing had happened, and casually produced a flask of celestial wine, pouring two cups.

“Please.”

With a gentle smile, Li Tian raised a cup to his lips, glancing at Chang’e.

“Yes…”

Chang’e hesitated, but had no courage to refuse such a being. She sat and took a tentative sip; immediately, her brows relaxed, and she drained the cup in one go.

Instantly, she felt her entire being transformed. Previously, she was merely at the early stage of Earth Immortal, but with a single cup, her cultivation soared to Celestial Immortal.

Heavens, what manner of wine was this, that a single cup could elevate one from Earth Immortal to Celestial Immortal?

“Thank you, Senior, for your generous gift. Chang’e cannot repay such kindness.”

Setting the cup down, Chang’e rose and bowed gracefully to Li Tian.

She now sensed a faint goodwill from him, but remained deeply puzzled as to his purpose in visiting her. What was there about her worth coveting?

As for him desiring her beauty, she could not believe it. Someone of his stature, whom even the three leaders of the human race feared to offend, could have whatever he wished with a word—why go to such trouble?

Li Tian smiled again, then produced a pill radiating nine-colored light.

“This is the Nine-Colored Mysterious Yellow Pill, refined by the Sage of Grand Purity from apricot-yellow plums. Consume it, and you will instantly attain the realm of Great Luo. Today, I gift it to you.”

Instantly attain Great Luo?

Chang’e’s heart thudded, but she dared not accept so easily. One should not accept rewards without merit; such a precious gift surely came with strings attached.

She could not believe Li Tian would bestow such treasures merely out of fondness.

Yet she could not fathom what he might want from her. With his overwhelming power, she could offer no resistance—why bother with such ceremony?

“Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but Chang’e lacks virtue or merit, and cannot bear such fortune…”

Chang’e knelt before Li Tian, anxiety written on her face.

“You need not feel burdened,” Li Tian saw through her thoughts and smiled. “This pill is precious to you, but to me, it is nothing.”

He spoke truly; he had an entire gourd of such pills in his storage, gifts from the Sage when Heaven unified the world.

“Whether you consume it is your choice. I will take my leave now.”

Li Tian realized that Chang’e would not take the pill while he remained. He stepped back, left the nine-colored pill floating in the air, and vanished.

“Senior…?”

Chang’e watched his disappearance, waited a while, and finally called out softly. Once certain he was gone, she cautiously stood.

Gazing at the pill suspended in midair, radiant with nine-colored light, she found herself torn.

Should she take it or not?

She had no doubt that the pill would indeed grant her Great Luo immortality. Such a powerful being had no reason to deceive her.

That very certainty was what made her hesitate.

Who would not yearn for the realm of Great Luo?

Even now, Chang’e’s father, chief of the Youqiong Tribe, was only a Taiyi Golden Immortal. Great Luo immortals were regarded as mighty figures among the entire human race.

“In this primordial world, only power truly governs one's fate…”

Reflecting on Li Tian’s effortless comings and goings, and Hou Yi’s death, Chang’e whispered to herself, then resolved. She reached out, took the floating pill, and swallowed it whole.

In an instant, a gentle energy melted within her, rapidly spreading through her body.

Her cultivation surged—from Celestial Immortal to Golden Immortal… then reached the threshold of Quasi-Saint, before finally settling.

“So this is Great Luo Immortality… such tremendous power… My divine sense can now cover so many surrounding tribes!”

The sudden elevation amazed Chang’e. Yet, she soon found her body moving beyond her control.

“What is happening?”

In bewilderment, she discovered herself floating, then slowly drifting out the window.

“Is that… Chang’e?”

Countless tribesmen of Youqiong saw her soaring in the sky and looked up in astonishment.

“Help me! I can’t control my body!”

Chang’e called out desperately to her people below, hoping someone could save her. There is nothing more terrifying than losing command of one’s own body.

“Chang’e’s body is out of control! Quick, fetch the chief!”

The tribesmen were alarmed, but Chang’e flew ever faster, soon vanishing from their sight.

Her father soon arrived with a group of powerful tribesmen. Upon learning Chang’e had disappeared, he was frantic, and followed the directions of the witnesses in pursuit.

Yet, their search yielded nothing.

Now that Chang’e possessed the cultivation of Great Luo Immortal, how could they hope to catch up?

……

As for the cause of all this—it was Li Tian who had placed a restriction within the pill. Once Chang’e consumed it, her body would uncontrollably fly toward the lunar star.

In Li Tian’s view, the beautiful myth of Chang’e ascending to the moon must not be lost simply because of his arrival.