The moon hung low above the stronghold when Lin Dao entered my chamber with a grim expression. "My lord," he said quietly, "the Moon Shadow Legion has sent word. The situation outside our borders is worse than expected."
I closed the scroll I was reading. "Speak."
He unrolled a map, its surface glowing faint blue where the legion's spies had marked their findings. "The kingdoms of Wu, Huang, and Freeport have set aside their rivalries. They're forming what they call the Coalition of Balance—an alliance against the Empire. Officially, it's to curb 'imperial expansion'. But the reports say otherwise."
"They fear me," I said softly.
"They do," Lin Dao admitted. "Your rapid rise unsettled them. The fools believed the Emperor had forged a new weapon in you. Now, they plan to strike first—small probing attacks before a full war."
Yue Zhilan stepped out from the shadows, arms crossed. "Let them come. They've forgotten the difference between mortals who play politics and those who've touched divinity."
I frowned. "We can't let them provoke a war yet. The empire isn't ready. If I act openly, all eyes will turn here."
But fate rarely waits for perfect timing.
The attack came two nights later.
A fleet of black‑clad soldiers slipped across the mist‑covered border—elite cultivators from Freeport and Wu, hand‑picked assassins said to be able to kill a general with one blade. Their mission was simple: test the border's so‑called Playboy Duke and confirm if he truly possessed mythic power.
Unfortunately for them, Yue Zhilan was the one they found.
She had sensed them before they stepped over the cliffs. While I slept, she waited in silence among the rocks, her silver spear resting on her shoulder, her eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
When the assassins appeared, they saw only a single woman standing against an army. For three breaths, they hesitated—long enough for Yue Zhilan to move.
Under the grey moonlight, her spear swept like a streak of lightning. The first wave of enemies vanished before they even screamed. The rest tried to scatter, but the ground beneath them warped with lunar energy; space itself bent to her will.
By dawn, not a single enemy soul remained. Only the faint shimmer of moonlight marked where they had stood.
When I woke, Yue Zhilan was already back in the courtyard, calmly pouring herself tea. Her armour carried no stain; her presence, however, had changed.
Even without using the system's scan, I felt it—the immense pressure that rolled off her like a living storm hidden behind serenity.
"Your cultivation," I said slowly.
She looked at me and smiled faintly. "Early God Transformation Realm, before. Now… one step higher."
"Peak God Transformation?"
She set her cup down. The air trembled slightly. "Beyond. Half‑step Divine Lord Realm. Only one more wall before godhood itself."
Lin Dao arrived minutes later, his robes fluttering in panic. "Reports from the neighbouring kingdoms—my lord, they're terrified! Their scouts vanished along with two thousand soldiers. Rumour says an otherworldly goddess guards you, stronger than any mortal cultivator alive."
Yue Zhilan didn't deny it. "They're not wrong."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "And my plan to keep a low profile?"
She shrugged gracefully. "It seems the heavens disagree with subtlety."
By evening, messages came pouring from every border.
The coalition had halted its movements. Fortresses that once bristled with soldiers retreated into silence. The High Priests of Wu declared a divine warning: 'Do not anger the spear of the moon.'
Even the Emperor sent a letter written in his own hand.
"My son, what have you brought into my empire? The border kingdoms now send peace tributes in fear. Perhaps the heavens sent you because mortals no longer listen to me."
Wen Zixing chuckled when he read it aloud. "The Emperor sounds more amused than angry this time."
"Let him be," I said. "Fear brings peace faster than treaties."
Still, I could not shake a quiet unease. I had avoided revealing my full strength, letting others see only Yue Zhilan's power. It gave the world a plausible explanation—a terrifying guardian rather than an unpredictable prince.
But I knew how these games worked. Fear lasts, but it also breeds conspiracy.
That night, I stood on the stronghold's walls as the wind howled across the mountains. Yue Zhilan joined me, her expression unreadable.
"You wanted a disguise," she said softly. "Now everyone sees me instead. You can keep your mask a little longer."
I nodded slowly. "But sooner or later, they'll understand no guardian acts without her master's command."
Her smile was quiet. "Then let them ponder whether the master is stronger than the guardian."
The system's familiar chime broke the silence.
"Ding! Hidden Task complete—'Shadow Deterrence'. Result: Coalition War averted. Reward: World Reputation + 50; Exclusive Skill Unlocked: 'Divine Command Field (Shared Authority with Yue Zhilan)'. You may extend her presence across battlefields remotely."
I exhaled. "Even the system wants me to lean on her strength."
Yue Zhilan looked amused. "Then lean, but not forever. My spear protects, but it's your choices that move the heavens."
"Flattery from a goddess?" I said, smiling faintly.
"Correction," she replied lightly. "From a half‑divine bodyguard who just saved you from two nations with one battle."
We watched the horizon where enemy banners had once gathered. Now, their camps were empty, firepits cold.
Lin Dao appeared hours later with a smirk. "All borders are quiet; no incursions reported. The coalition is broken before it began."
"Good," I said. "Let them calm down. They'll fear before they respect—but at least they'll stop testing."
He glanced sideways at Yue Zhilan. "And if they forget?"
Her calm voice carried through the cold wind. "They won't forget."
That night, beneath the same silver moon that once welcomed a single goddess into my life, peace finally returned to the northern border.
The world whispered of the Moon Spear Goddess, whose cultivation touched the heavens, protector of the mysterious Duke of the North. No one dared test her claim.
And as for me—
I stayed in the shadows a while longer, smiling at how well a single ally's power could reshape the world while my secrets remained untouched.
Sometimes, silence was stronger than conquest.