### Chapter 362: The Showdown (Part 1)
After successfully snagging Lu Liangting’s soul, Bai Yu found a genuine Ghost Gate that very night. This place was quite a distance from the Dark Moon God’s territory, buying them a little time.
Before they set off, Bai Yu equipped both Ye Ming and the Dark Moon God with blindfolds, just in case.
The Dark Moon God was already alerted, and anything could happen on their trip to the ghostly realm. She might prepare in advance and intercept them before Bai Yu and Zhao Mingyue left, which would mean they’d have to fight sooner than expected.
“Be careful! I’m waiting for your good news,” Long Nv said solemnly in front of the Ghost Gate. She didn’t even know what to say. She had so much on her mind, but when the moment came, she just went blank, failing to utter a single word.
Her worry was palpable, a rarity for her in the sc*m Game, making this feeling all the more pronounced.
What if, once they went in, the Dark Moon God was just waiting there?
Then Bai Yu and Zhao Mingyue would be in grave danger!
But there was no point in worrying too much. Starting the battle tonight was essentially the same as starting it over a week later—just a little more precarious. If they could return safely tonight, that extra week could help Bai Yu grow stronger while allowing Mingyue to get used to her newfound power.
When they finally returned, they could dive back into the fray without panicking.
“Got it.” Bai Yu nodded lightly, gripping Ye Ming’s sword sheath, clad in her signature long black leather jacket, which made Long Nv feel reminiscent of the days during the sc*m Game.
“Don’t you worry, when have you ever seen Bai Yu lose?” Zhao Mingyue chimed in, trying to reassure Long Nv. It was clear her smile was a bit forced.
Saying she wasn’t nervous at all would be a stretch; this was the final boss after all.
Her ability to coordinate with Bai Yu would directly influence the outcome of the battle.
If they failed, they would both end up six feet under.
Just when they had retrieved her sister, Bai Yu’s little sister was also on the line. A happy life was within reach, and she really didn’t want it all to end now.
“Right, Bai Yu has never lost. I’ll be here waiting for you two. When you come back, that’s when I leave. We agreed on half a day. If you haven’t returned in four hours, I’m going in to find you,” Long Nv said seriously, straightening Zhao Mingyue’s outfit and giving her shoulder a pat.
“Go on, you two are the chosen duo. I believe in you.”
“Of course! No need for you to come inside; just wait for the good news from me and Bai Yu!” Zhao Mingyue jogged over to Bai Yu, looping her arm through hers, and waved back.
Stepping into the Ghost Gate, that familiar sensation of distortion hit her again, although this time it was a lot calmer. Maybe it had to do with her unique constitution.
Zhao Mingyue closed her eyes, pondering what her life would’ve been like had she never ventured into this world.
Would she be dreaming? Only in dreams could such creatures and deities exist, right?
It hadn’t been long since Bai Yu entered her life, transforming it into a surreal experience. Reflecting on it gave her a touch of disbelief.
What if one day the world around her crumbled, taking Bai Yu down with it?
All because “she” awakened, ending her beautiful dream. Opening her eyes, she would see the familiar ceiling of apartment 404, without Bai Yu beside her, nor the sounds of stir-frying wafting in from outside. That nondescript shadow that used to linger by the vanity had vanished, along with her rabbit plush toy.
There would be no response when she spoke to Bai Yu; the empty house was utterly devoid of anything.
Downstairs, the old landlord hadn’t been taken out by the female ghost from the fifth floor, and in the Sunshine Convenience Store, Li Tianan would greet her with a wave when she arrived for work.
The wind chimes in the store were silent now, and, as Li Tianan put it, they were just broken wind chimes.
Lu Liangting hadn’t engaged with the ghosts from the Ghost Domain because, well, his sister wasn’t dead.
At that moment, the dark, warped space solidified, and Zhao Mingyue opened her eyes. Her perspective wasn’t the ceiling of 404 or herself, but rather the enormous eye in the sky. She could even see her own form, suspended in mid-air, gripped tightly by Bai Yu.
Clearly, she had been influenced the moment she entered the realm of the Ghost Gate. Bai Yu using Lu Liangting’s soul also led her to feel a direct connection with this land, blending their souls together.
“Is this what Bai Yu meant?” Zhao Mingyue sensed her own will merging with the entire world, cocooning it like a giant net. Just by tweaking the threads, she could influence things within this realm.
On the surface, this was a good thing. But could she even leave since she was so intertwined with this world?
It made sense now why Bai Yu had pushed her through the dream, opening the Ghost Gate; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to exit in this state.
But how was she supposed to push open the Ghost Gate in this condition?
Zhao Mingyue was at a loss for what to do; everything melding together happened naturally without her effort, and she felt unable to communicate with Bai Yu in her current state.
“Right, I should locate the Dark Moon God and see where she is,” Zhao Mingyue thought to herself. Just as she dispersed her consciousness to search for the Dark Moon God, she felt the sensation of the Dark Moon God racing towards her at a speed that was hard to believe. At this rate, she’d arrive in less than three minutes!
Panicking, she rushed to transmit this information to Bai Yu.
Meanwhile, Bai Yu was already wary. She could feel the moonlight intensifying around her; the Dark Moon God had discovered them and was racing over.
This had been expected—the Ghost Gate world was currently at the Dark Moon God’s command. After alerting her presence, she would surely piece together their plan sooner or later. So, even if she needed to recover, she had to remain vigilant.
“Bai Yu, the Dark Moon God is coming!” Black mist formed the warning in front of Bai Yu, who shot a glance upwards at Zhao Mingyue, still floating in mid-air.
Pulling out the potion left by Nightmare, Bai Yu quickly yanked Zhao Mingyue down and opened the crystal bottle, letting Zhao Mingyue inhale the gas.
She really didn’t want to use Nightmare’s power, but she had no choice.
Zhao Mingyue wasn’t exactly in a regular sleep state—ordinary medication wouldn’t even touch her. Even in her everyday state, she struggled to fall asleep. The key was to get Zhao Mingyue into a deep sleep, and it seemed like only Nightmare could achieve that.
Good news was, what Nightmare provided was genuine. After inhaling, Zhao Mingyue quickly slipped into a deep slumber.
In Zhao Mingyue’s perspective, she felt herself suddenly engulfed in darkness, as if the giant eye in the sky had closed.
Upon entering the dream world, Zhao Mingyue opened her eyes.
She stood and gazed at the Ghost Gate; all she needed to do was push it open, and Bai Yu could take her out.
The thought was good, and everything seemed to be on track.
But plans always tend to get derailed, and perfection is a myth.
Just before Zhao Mingyue touched the Ghost Gate, a small figure materialized right in front of it.
Upon seeing that figure, Zhao Mingyue froze.
“The Dark Moon God.”
“Hmph.” The Dark Moon God snorted, raising her tiny hand and delivering what looked like a feather-light punch toward the Ghost Gate. In an instant, Zhao Mingyue heard a heavy hum as her consciousness was forcefully expelled from that space.
In her final moment of awareness, Zhao Mingyue saw the Dark Moon God shatter the Ghost Gate with a single blow.
Only then did she realize the Dark Moon God’s plan—she hadn’t come to k*ll them; she was targeting the Ghost Gate’s essence.
The essence of the Ghost Gate was the source of all Ghost Gates. The Dark Moon God and her awakened self could only escape through the path opened by its essence; all other Ghost Gates were mere projections. Even a powerful projection couldn’t withstand the force of the two of them.
The reason the Dark Moon God broke the essence now was that she had purposely lured Bai Yu in, intending to leave Bai Yu stranded by smashing the essence.
Back in reality, Zhao Mingyue had barely slept for half a minute before waking up.
Seeing this, Bai Yu knew something must have gone wrong.
“The Ghost Gate has been shattered by the Dark Moon God; we… we might not be able to get out,” Zhao Mingyue’s face went pale. Indeed, the Ghost Gate behind Bai Yu was quickly fading away.
Zhao Mingyue could sense the consequences of breaking the essence.
This thing would eventually restore itself, but the problem was, how could they survive in the meantime with the Dark Moon God lurking?
“Mingyue, you can control a part of this world’s rules now. First, try to hide your body. The rest is up to me,” Bai Yu said, gently setting Zhao Mingyue down as she slowly drew her long sword.
“Okay!” Zhao Mingyue took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her will connected once again to the eye in the sky, manipulating the threads of the great net to conceal her body deep within the earth, layer upon layer of protection shrouding her.
Ⅴ Ⅱ Ⅵ Ⅵ Ⅴ Ⅱ Ⅱ Ⅴ Ⅰ
She began to understand why the Dark Moon God was in such a hurry. Given time to adapt, Zhao Mingyue could contend with the Dark Moon God using her own strength. With Bai Yu by her side, didn’t that mean the Dark Moon God was destined to lose?
The long sword angled at the ground, Bai Yu stared ahead, fixing her gaze on the gathering power of the Dark Moon God.
