Chapter 4

Several hours earlier.

Yue Yin pushed a garish flyer into Shen Xiaodi’s hands, her expression earnest. “Would you like to learn about our Heavenly Father and Savior, Hydra, the Thousand-Faced Moon?”

Shen Xiaodi, engrossed in his game, huffed impatiently, “Go away! You’ve said that like a hundred times! Can’t you see I’m gaming?”

Yue Yin remained silent for a moment. Just as Shen Xiaodi started to feel uneasy, she leaned in again. “Are you sure you don’t want to join the Moon Cult?”

She held up the flyer with both hands, blinking. “Membership is only 998!”

Shen Xiaodi clutched his head. “Ahh! Yue Yin, you’re so annoying!”

He frowned. “You keep saying you’re a god. If you were really a god, wouldn’t you have money? Evil gods on TV steal, kill, and get rich so easily.”

Yue Yin sipped her milk tea, mumbling, “I’m a new-age god, a law-abiding citizen.”

Even in horror stories, most evil gods tempt and deceive for what they want—killing and stealing directly? Too low-class for her.

Shen Xiaodi ignored her, and Yue Yin sighed theatrically. “Another day without gaining a follower.”

Crossing over to Earth was no problem for Yue Yin. Being a villain? Not an issue either—she was an evil god, after all.

The problem was, after crossing over, she couldn’t contact her true self in the Void!

That was a big problem.

Without connecting to her true self, she was trapped in this body, unable to return to the Void universe.

So, Yue Yin decided to spread her teachings on Earth, gathering followers and beliefs, hoping to stir her true self into noticing her presence.

Yet, after over half a month, she hadn’t gained a single follower and nearly ended up in jail for her trouble.

At this rate, who knew when she’d contact her true form?

Clutching her chest, Yue Yin sighed dramatically, “Foolish mortals, you have no idea what a great god you’re rejecting!”

Shen Xiaodi, feigning deafness, delivered another blow: “Yue Yin, if you don’t finish your homework, your foolish mortal teacher is going to make you write lines tomorrow.”

Yue Yin’s spirits sank further. “Why do I have to do homework every day? I don’t want to be human!”

Shen Xiaodi handed her a pack of milk tablets, his tone sincere. “Sis, maybe you should take some meds.”

Always claiming to be a god—it was practically delusional.

Just then, Yue Yin’s phone rang.

She was busy fighting with Shen Xiaodi over the last bag of chips. “Hello? This is the great Thousand-Faced Moon, Mother of Monsters…”

“You remembered me?” Yue Yin playfully patted Shen Xiaodi’s curious head.

“But you’re in serious danger now, right? So, the price has gone up—now it’s five million.”

Yue Yin didn’t actually know how much five million was. But on TV, parents of the male lead always tossed out five-million-dollar checks. It looked cool, and she wanted some of that.

After hanging up, Yue Yin popped the milk tablets into her mouth. “Whatever, I won’t stoop to the level of fragile worms like you mortals.”

She tossed the trash and strode towards the door.

Shen Xiaodi leapt up, panicked. “Sis, where are you going? Aren’t you going to finish your homework?”

With a determined look, Yue Yin declared, “To buy grilled cold noodles—and save the world!”

She hadn’t eaten dinner, and she was starving. Homework could wait.

Shen Xiaodi was dumbfounded. “What?”

—

In Xifeng District of City A…

Most people had fled into a nearby mall to take shelter, including older women, greasy middle-aged men, and crying girls.

Outside, monsters were climbing closer, and those hiding inside trembled in fear.

Greedy eyes peered in from outside, thick drool dripping onto the floor as the mall’s security doors strained against the pressure, creaking ominously.

“Humans… fresh humans…”

“So hungry, so hungry.”

“I want to eat, want to eat.”

The monster’s raspy, horrifying voice grew closer, its twisted limbs pressing forward. At last, a gnarled limb broke through the door.

It all happened so fast. Screams filled the room as people scattered.

A middle-aged woman, fleeing in panic, tripped and was ensnared by a tentacle.

A young girl hiding behind a chair shrieked and crawled desperately back. “Mom! Mom!!”

In her haste, she fell to her knees.

“Ahhh! Get away!! Run!” Screams and sobs echoed through the room.

Everyone believed this mother and daughter were doomed—until the door was kicked open.

In the next moment, the hideous, man-eating monster fell with a loud crash.

“Is Jiang Suliu here?”

A girl peeked in, her voice crisp as it echoed through the room.

She wore a school uniform, her hair tied in a high ponytail with blunt bangs. Her sleek, black hair glistened, her presence like something from another dimension.

She glanced around, then straightened up when she didn’t see who she was looking for.

“Not here? Sorry to bother you.”

She left in a flourish, stabbing the still-twitching monster twice as she exited.

—

Yue Yin arrived later than Jiang Suliu had anticipated, and he had even wondered if she would come at all.

While waiting, he had considered countless outcomes.

But when he finally saw her, every thought vanished, replaced by a sense of inevitability.

“Here, hold this for me.”

Yue Yin glanced around, then handed him something she had been carrying with a solemn expression. “Make sure you take care of it.”

He noticed she was holding a plastic bag in her left hand and frowned. “What’s this?”

He thought it might be a tool—after all, supernatural practitioners in reality and films always carried items like talismans, peach wood swords, and sticky rice for exorcisms.

Yue Yin held up the bag, looking puzzled. “Grilled cold noodles. Want some?”

Jiang Suliu: …?

He stifled his words, left with only a polite, awkward smile.

“Oh.”

Strangely, in this unfamiliar, chaotic place, with Yue Yin’s bizarre presence, the eerie atmosphere around him felt a bit less terrifying.

Above, there was a loud crash.

The massive creature—classified as an A-Level Malice by the uniformed officers—rose, its towering body blocking out the sky.

Up ahead, something big was happening. A snake-headed monster roared, mingling with human screams.

“What is that?” Yue Yin squatted, taking a bite of her grilled cold noodles.

“Malice? A monster?” Jiang Suliu wasn’t sure.

Yue Yin took a sip of yogurt, stabbing a creeping monster behind her.

A soft “squelch” sounded as blood sprayed, like an exploding flower.

Jiang Suliu turned, shaken, to see the creature collapse behind him. Yue Yin, unfazed, focused on the snake-headed figure in the sky, muttering, “This is unacceptable.”

She—the great Thousand-Faced Moon, Mother of Monsters, also known as the evil god Hydra—endured schoolwork and snacks every day, living as a model citizen to avoid jail.

She followed the rules, so why could these creatures act so recklessly?

Didn’t they fear jail?

She couldn’t understand, wondering if she was wrong, or if these monsters were.

Then she laughed.

Jiang Suliu watched, baffled by her amusement.

Yue Yin’s laughter faded as she stood up. “The great Thousand-Faced Moon makes no mistakes.”

“All that defies my will—must die.”

Before Jiang Suliu could react, Yue Yin was airborne.

She was actually flying.

Bathed in moonlight, she wore a school uniform, a two-meter crescent blade in one hand, forming hand seals with the other.

The snake-headed monster, noticing her, charged. All eyes below were fixed on her sudden appearance.

“Who is that?”

“She’s flying? Is she from the Arcane Guild?”

“Impossible! Even Arcane Guild members can’t fly unless they’re A-Level…”

“She’s crazy! This is an A-Level Malice. Anyone below A-Level will be torn apart in seconds!”

“She might be trying to evade it…”

The snake-headed monster, enraged, charged at her.

Spectators below gasped, some already picturing the girl’s gruesome fate.

But Yue Yin stood her ground, her eyes steady.

“All that defies my will—must die.”

With calm precision, she aimed her blade, unleashing a brilliant arc toward the beast.

Amidst the onlookers’ shouts, she and the grotesque creature passed each other in the moonlit sky.

A piercing shriek filled the air as the A-Level Malice exploded.

Scarlet rain showered down, dissolving in the moonlight like a scattering of cherry blossoms.

Adrenaline surged as Jiang Suliu’s breathing slowed, his gaze locked on Yue Yin.

Faith took root, and an atheist found a god.

But it was far from over.

The wail of the serpent-headed creature summoned all the pollutants within its domain.

Above, a strange red moon hung in the sky. Terrifying monsters, twisted and deformed, crawled on all fours, their bodies writhing as they charged swiftly toward the crowd, ready to tear into them.

Screams of terror and cries filled the air as people ran in panic, desperately trying to escape the onslaught of pollutants. The Paranormal Incident Management Squad, who had been battling these creatures, hadn’t expected the sudden outbreak of rage among the lesser evil spirits after the A-level malicious spirit was defeated, and they were caught off guard.

The monsters lunged forward, and it seemed as though countless tragedies were about to unfold in mere moments.

Squad Leader Li Changhe, eyes wide with rage, yelled, “Save them!!!”

Everyone thought catastrophe was inevitable—until a voice rang out from above.

It was a young girl, her usual casual demeanor gone. Her voice was cold and clear, like moonlight: “Raise a wall.”

The earth trembled as a towering silver wall rose up from the ground, reaching hundreds of meters into the air, forming a fortress in the midst of the nearly ruined area.

The wall twisted and turned, like a massive labyrinth that trapped the creatures within, who roared with frustration as they struggled against their confines.

She looked down from above, her gaze indifferent. “Clear them out.”

At her command, the clouds dispersed, and the moonlight blazed forth.

The dark night became as bright as day, and all the grotesque creatures knelt in submission.

The ground split open, revealing a deep fissure glowing red under the intensified moonlight. With a thunderous roar, the turmoil ceased completely.

…

Eighteen years of materialistic belief crumbled in that moment for Jiang Sulian.

The others could only feel even more shocked.

Li Changhe stood rooted in place, staring at where the pollutants had been swallowed, too stunned to relax even a bit.

“Wha… what the hell?”

After a brief silence, Xiaojun hesitated, “What just happened?”

All around them, the moonlight remained.

An ethereal, silver fortress of light cast the night into a semblance of daylight. The ground was strewn with severed limbs and blood-red stains, illuminated by a sacred silver glow.

The moon shone as bright as day.

None of them had ever seen moonlight so brilliant.

They had always thought of the moon as gentle and tranquil, like cool water—aloof, elegant, and without any sense of threat.

Unlike the sun, which was radiant, scorching, and blinding, impossible to gaze upon directly.

But in that moment, their understanding of the moon was utterly transformed.

The moon’s glow fell evenly upon each of them, burning with an almost blinding brilliance. Everyone who attempted to look directly at it found their eyes welling up with tears.

Yet despite this, none of them could bring themselves to look away.

It was a divine, sacred light.

Beneath the moon, the girl hovered mid-air, her hair swirling as the light surged around her. Her form was silhouetted by the radiant glow.

Someone whispered, “What… is that?”

“It’s… a miracle.”