Chapter 251: Despicable Father
A phoenix cried out. A huge phoenix appeared on the ground.
Its feathers were of different colours of the rainbow. It waved its wings and the lightning around it ceased. Then, it swung its long tail toward the dragon. Instead of crashing into it, the tail whipped around the dragon like a chain. It was almost as if the phoenix was trying to not hurt the dragon. The phoenix pulled it close and hugged the dragon with its wings.
"Let me go!" Long Zhen screamed. Yet, she could not break out of the phoenix's grip. She had no choice but to turn back into a human to break free.
Feng San's reaction was faster than hers. He turned back into human form at the exact same time and managed to keep his hold on her. Since he was bigger and stronger, he tackled her onto the ground and locked her down. "I'm not letting go!"
Long Zhen felt like she was about to explode with rage, yet she could not move. Even her God Power was being suppressed by Feng San. "Feng San, you bastard!" "Little Zhen, what did you just say? Can you say it once more?" Feng San pleaded agitatedly with the woman pinned down under him. His eyes began to well up. "You said you liked me? Little Zhen, you do like me, don't you?"
"Get away from me!" Long Zhen glared at him with hatred in her eyes. "I hate you! I've wanted to pluck all of your feathers off since 160,000 years ago!"
"Little Zhen…" Feng San's expression darkened. He buried his head under her chin. "But I like you. I've liked you since I was little."
"My foot!" Long Zhen did not believe him in the least. "You won't even acknowledge your own son. How dare you say you like me."
"That dragon egg… really is mine?" Feng San could hardly believe his own ears. It's been so many years and she still held the dragon egg so dear… And he thought she had no feelings for him.. That was why he had not dared to go up and look for her. He never thought that the egg… was really his. How could it be? "I thought…"
"What did you think?" Long Zhen's expression hardened as she laughed mirthlessly. "You left us mother and son behind all those years ago and returned to Wu Qi Mountain without another word. Why bother putting on an act now?"
"No! I didn't know. I really didn't know! Someone told me…"
"Get away!" Long Zhen did not want to hear his explanation. She began to struggle again with all her might. "If you want to, just kill me! Otherwise, let me go!"
"No, I'm not letting you go!" Feng San tightened his grip. "I've lost you once. I won't let you go again."
"Get away, you bastard!"
"No!" "Let me go!"
"No…"
"I say…" Suddenly, a hesitant female voice spoke up.
The two of them looked up. For some reason, two people were standing in front of them - one bigger and one smaller. They had no idea when the two of them got there, but the two people were watching them struggle with pursed lips.
"Well…" Shen Ying bit her lip and said, "You can flirt if you want to, but don't play out such a poor drama, will you?" If this carried on, it would really be too corny.
Long Zhen: "…"
Feng San: "…" ———————
Feng Qi Palace.
Feng San stared at the little child in front of him, eyes filling with emotion. His eyes resembled his, as did his nose and his mouth. The more Feng San looked at the child, the more he thought the child resembled him. This was his son! His and Little Zhen's! He stared on, forgetting to blink. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but no words came out. Finally, he muttered, "Call me Dad."
Snap! Shen Ying heard the sound of something falling apart.
Yi Qing pursed his lips. He drew his immortal sword immediately.
"Master, can I chop him up?"
Shen Ying: "…" Calm down, Chef! No matter how despicable he is, he is your biological father. You can't eat him!
"Hmph!" Long Zhen tutted. She remained expressionless. "Why are you now acknowledging him for the sake of it?"
Feng San paled. He sighed and walked toward her.. "Little Zhen, I…"
"Stop right there!" Long Zhen shot him a sharp glare. "Get away from me!"
Feng San had no choice but to retreat back to his original position. "I really didn't know that the dragon egg was my son. You gave me an ultimatum that time. In a fit of anger, I decided to leave the Dragon Abyss and return to Wu Qi Mountain. Later, I heard that you had a kid… that's why I thought!"
"You thought the child was someone else's?" Long Zhen scoffed. Feng San lowered his head like a child who knew he was in the wrong. "It's all my fault. All these years, I did not dare to ask you myself. I've wronged you for so many years as a result."
Long Zhen tutted and took a deep breath in to suppress the anger rising in her throat. She closed her eyes and said, "I don't want to think about the past anymore. I just want to ask you why was there Yin Qi in my dragon egg."
"I really don't know anything about Yin Qi!" Feng San said anxiously. "I do know one or two ghost immortal, but I just chanced upon them the other time at the Yin River."
"The Yin River?" Long Zhen paused. "When did you go to the Yin River?"
Feng San hesitated, realising that he had said something he was not supposed to. He subconsciously turned to the little child next to Shen Ying.
Long Zhen jumped, eyes widening. "You were the one who broke into the Underworld and sent the dragon spirit to Samsara?" Her expression changed. "How could it be? I pleaded with-"
"I told him not to say it," Feng San sighed. "I know you very well. If you knew it was me, you may not have agreed to get help."
Long Zhen fell silent. She hated him to the core then. How could she have accepted his help?
Feng San stepped forward, his emotions welling up in his eyes again. He sighed, "You don't have to mind that. When I went to the Yin River that time, I got to know a couple of ghost immortals. Later, my body got infected by the death Qi from the Yin River. That triggered the ancient fire phoenix in my meridians and led to me ascending to become a Supreme Divinity. We could say it was a blessing in disguise."
At the time, the dragon spirit in the egg was so weak that it could not have withstood any reincarnation sorcery. That was why they had to send the spirit to the Reincarnation Stage in the Underworld. In order to get there, they had to cross the Yin River. Feng San spoke in a relaxed manner, but the water in that Yin River could always infect the souls of divine beings. There was nothing relaxing about it. He must have been backed to a corner when the ancient fire phoenix was triggered.
Long Zhen frowned. She could not figure out what exactly she was feeling. At first, she thought he let her down, refused to acknowledge their child, and so left the Dragon Abyss. She never thought that he was the one who sent the dragon spirit into Samsara!
"I really did not know how the Yin Qi got into the dragon egg," Feng San lowered his voice and said warily. "But I promise you. I will help you find out. How's that?"
Long Zhen glanced at him. Her expression was conflicted. She slowly relaxed, and then stiffened again. "No need!" She closed her eyes, then opened it with renewed determination. "On account of the fact that you were the one who sent my dragon baby to Samsara, I will forget what you owed me from before. I'll figure out who put the Yin Qi in the egg myself!" She turned to leave.
"Little Zhen!" Feng San shouted. He ran in front of her and cast a spell to lockdown her position, then pulled her into his arms. "I will not let you leave me. All these years, you have been the only one in my heart."
Long Zhen could not move but she glanced at him coolly and clenched her fists by her side.
Feng San continued, "Little Zhen, let's not carry on with this wrong. Please trust me this once, alright?"
"Reporting to Supreme Divinity," a voice said the moment Feng San finished speaking. "The 438th new madam has arrived. Should I arrange the rear hall?"
Feng San: "…"
Shen Ying: "…"
Yi Qing: "…" Ah, his promise backfired so quickly.
╭∩╮()〈))╭∩╮
Chapter 252: Everyone Gather
"Feng… San!"
"Little Zhen, listen to me! It's not like that… Ahya! It hurts, it hurts… Little child!"
Suddenly, within the hall, frightening cries followed one after another.
The master and disciple duo sitting in a corner calmly sipping tea…
"Master."
"Oh?"
"Should we stop the two of them?" "I don't think that's necessary?" Shen Ying had not watched a good family drama in a long time. This was refreshing. "They haven't torn the house apart. There's no hurry, no hurry!"
"Yes Master, no problem Master!"
"Eh! Have you sharpened the vegetable knife?"
"You should sharpen it first. For all you know, they might need it later!" He was afraid he would destroy these two adorable people by accident.
"…"
An hour later, the two of them finally stopped fighting.
Perhaps because he knew he was wrong, Feng San willingly became Long Zhen's punching bag. No matter what Long Zhen did to him, he showed no intention of fighting back. Long Zhen was thus engaged in a one-sided battle. Maybe they forgot to employ their best techniques. The house was still standing, although the tables and chairs in it were all shattered to pieces. The only table left standing was the one at which Shen Ying was seated, and only because Yi Qing had set up an array to protect it.
Feng San was unrecognisable by now. His alluring and smooth face was now swollen beyond recognition. He turned weakly to face Long Zhen, still trying to explain himself. "Little Zhen, it's not what you think."
"Get lost!" Long Zhen could not contain her anger. She kicked him one more time. "Everyone in the Divine World knows that you, Supreme Divinity Feng San, are a player. You have plenty of female divine beings in your backyard fighting for your attention - each of them incomparably beautiful." She was crazy to have fallen for his trick.
"Little Zhen, believe me. This is a misunderstanding. I have never touched them!"
"Hmph, I couldn't tell that you're a playboy?" Long Zhen's gaze was chilling, daring him to continue lying to her. "Oh yes, isn't your new lady on the way? Why isn't she coming in? I'm just in time to celebrate your marriage." Feng San tried to say something, but Long Zhen turned and stalked out of the hall. A moment later, she was dragging someone into the hall. That person was wearing dressed in a red bridal dress. Her face was veiled, and she just slightly taller than Long Zhen.
"Little Zhen…" Feng San slowly got to his feet while holding on to his swollen head. "Listen to me."
"The person who sent her here said she's an absolute beauty," Long Zhen said, smiling. "Even I envy her good looks. I trust you wouldn't mind if I take a look?"
Once she finished, she unveiled the woman, revealing an exceptionally beautiful face. She indeed was exquisite.Her eyebrows were very nicely shaped and she had cherry lips. She also looked slightly Caucasian, especially since her eyes were so huge. She would have caught anybody's eye - her face was practically glowing. In fact, she looked… quite familiar.
Pui… The master and disciple who had been sipping on tea could not help but spit out a mouthful of the tea they just drank.
Holy shit! This can't be?
"Indeed, she's one of a kind." Long Zhen glanced at the two people beside her and her heart froze. She immediately shoved the veil into Feng San's hand and said, "Well, I wish the both of you… Eh? You…."
Before she could finish speaking, her eyes widened, as if discovering something.
The bride who had been standing aside silently, suddenly turned Long Zhen around, drawing her immortal sword and holding it to her neck. Below the two of them, an array appeared. "Don't move. If you don't want to die, get me out of this wretched place!"
"Little Zhen!" Feng San exclaimed, his expression falling. "If you dare to hurt her, I will kill you!" A ball of black QI flowed out from the bride's palms. "If you don't want her to die, then move back!"
"Is this… Yin Qi? Who are you? What do you want?" Is this person a ghost immortal! Feng San retracted his hand and looked anxiously at the hostage. "Little Zhen, don't be afraid. I will rescue you."
"Who needs your help!" Long Zhen looked absolutely enraged. Without any hesitation, she broke out of the immobilising lock. Her body seemed to flash with lightning as she dealt a blow to the person behind her.
The bride was not prepared for it. She moved backward a couple of steps from the impact. The Yin Qi in her palms momentarily dissipated.
The two of them started. That was not Yin Qi!
The bride immediately turned around and attempted to run out of the main hall. "Where are you thinking of going?" Feng San scoffed. Immediately, an array lit up at the doorway, blocking it off. He flicked his wrist and summoned a True Phoenix Fire, throwing it toward the bride with all of his strength.
The fireball got closer and closer and was just about to hit the bride. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of the doorway. She raised her hand and caught the fireball. She clenched her fists, and the fireball disappeared with a hissing sound.
Feng San: "…"
Shen Ying turned to look at the bride, raising her hand in greeting. "Hey, Father Niu!"
Lonemoon, who had narrowly escaped death, looked like he was frozen to the ground.
A while later…
A loud roar filled the entire main hall. "Hey your ass!" He used the side of the sword to hit Shen Ying's head. "Where the hell have you been?"
"Ouch ouch ouch…" Shen Ying subconsciously rubbed her head. "I came here to search for you, didn't I?"
"Search my ass! Do you think I'm blind? You happened to bump into me, didn't you? That must be the case!"
"Don't focus on these little details!"
"Is this a freaking detail? I was nearly roasted!"
"Don't blame Master," Yi Qing said, coming to Shen Ying's defence immediately. He felt helpless about the height difference between him and Lonemoon. He could not do anything to calm Lonemoon down given his size. "The three of us got separated. It's a miracle that Master managed to find the two of us."
Lonemoon glanced down and hesitated. "Who… is this little rascal?"
Yi Qing: "…"
Shen Ying: "…"
——————
An hour later.
"In other words, you were originally a dragon. That's why the moment you got to the Divine Realm, you got recalled into your body." Lonemoon, who had just finished listening to the entire story, scanned Yi Qing from head to toe.
"Yes," Yi Qing nodded.
Lonemoon pursed his lips. It was no wonder that he was such a cheat from the beginning. His cultivation level increased so quickly that it seemed almost like a game to him. So all this time, he was already at the finish line.
Damn it! These winners at life who only got in through the back door! No matter how hard Lonemoon tried, he could not keep up with them!
"Father Niu, actually…" Shen Ying began.
"Shut up!" Lonemoon immediately shouted, glaring at Shen Ying. You were born with a crazy advantage, so you have no right to talk!
"Oh."
"Long… Yi Qing." Long Zhen could not help but ask, "Since this fellow Daoist is your friend, it seems like we had a misunderstanding earlier. How should I address him?"
Yi Qing subconsciously answered, "This is Father-" "I am Lonemoon!" Father your ass! Lonemoon cupped his fists and bowed. "I'm sorry, I was not sure of the situation earlier. I apologise if I offended you, Supreme Divinity. Please forgive me."
"No worries," Long Zhen answered, shaking her head.
"How did you appear here?" Yi Qing asked. At the same time, he scanned Lonemoon's bridal get-up. He even looked like a woman who was about to get married. If not for the fact that he did not do anything to his face, and that Yi Qing and Shen Ying were familiar with his aura, they would not have recognised him so quickly.
Lonemoon pursed his lips and frowned. A moment later, he sighed and spat, "I found Shortie."
Chapter 253: A Match Made in Heaven
Yi Qing and Shen Ying were taken aback. Together, they asked, "Where's she?"
"Relax, she's fine now." Lonemoon frowned. "When I just arrived at the Divine World, I happened to be right next to the Underworld. I sensed the same Yin Qi as we saw in the flower in Xuan Tong's room. That's how I came all the way here. On the way over, I found her."
"Is Shortie alright?" Shen Ying asked.
"Her body is fine, although she is slightly injured." Lonemoon seemed to have recalled something as his face drained of colour. "She was locked in a cave. At the time, I was not confident of rescuing her on my own, so I told her to look for Shen Ying on her own. I wanted to stall some time for her to escape. Before I could plan anything, I sent her away, and was told that I was going to marry a pervert who already had hundreds of wives."
The three of them turned to look at a certain phoenix. The perverted Feng San: "…"
"Little Zhen." Feng San immediately turned to Long Zhen beside him. "Listen to me. I had no idea about this!"
Long Zhen turned away. "This has nothing to do with me!"
"Little Zhen…" Feng San began to tear up. "Trust me this once. It's true! Why don't I bring you into the rear hall - you would know how to come back."
"I don't want to know."
"Listen to my explanation."
"No."
"Please listen to me." "No."
"You say I-"
"Shut up!" Yi Qing pursed his lips. The next moment, hundreds of immortal swords appeared in the sky, pointing toward the two of them. This had already gone on for two chapters, yet they were still arguing. "If you keep fighting, I'm going to act."
Feng San: "…"
Long Zhen: "…"
Er… you've already acted.
"Your blood will drench this entire place!" Yi Qing turned to Feng San. "You should know who's the person that Father Niu sent over?" Feng San paused. He pondered for a moment, then said, "He came from the Divine Underworld. I only know one ghost immortal from the Underworld."
"Who is he?"
"Ghost Immortal Zhu Ming." Feng San frowned, as if thinking of something. Then, he added, "No… If it were him, he might not have been trying to do you harm by sending someone here."
Lonemoon started. "What do you mean?"
"Come with me to the rear hall and you will know." Feng San gestured toward his back.
The few of them exchanged meaningful glances, then followed Feng San into the rear hall. The moment they stepped through the door, the entire surroundings changed. The majestic hall immediately turned into a dense forest.
They could hear phoenixes calling from all around them. The phoenixes were of all sorts of colours. They gathered around in a square, as if guarding something. Beside the phoenixes stood a few girls who were dressed in strange clothing. There was an array set up around the birds, and right in the middle of the array sat an egg as tall as the girls. From its texture, it was obvious that the egg was belonged to a phoenix.
"This is…" Long Zhen was startled. "The phoenix's incubation forest!"
"It's only temporary," Feng San replied.
All along, dragons and phoenixes had trouble reproducing. Every single egg had to undergo thousands of years of incubation. That was why both races tended value the incubation process. The moment they obtained an egg, they would focus all their energy on incubating. Even dragons, who were used to living solitary lives, would gather together to incubate an egg once they found out that there was one. That was why each race would normally keep their incubation location hidden from other races.
"They are my wives," Feng San introduced indignantly. "So…" Shen Ying paused. "Those eggs are yours?"
"Pu…" Feng San nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. "Fellow Daoist, please do not harm me. This is my phoenix race's incubation location. I am only responsible for fetching them here."
"Oh…" She thought he was excellent at fertilising eggs.
Yi Qing, who thought he was good at fertilising eggs: "…"
Lonemoon, who shared the same thoughts: "…"
Fortunately, they kept their mouths shut.
"Ten thousand years ago, the phoenix race faced trouble with the incubation process. At the time, they had not found a location safe enough to incubate their eggs. That was why they came to me for help. I created this mystic realm to allow them to incubate their eggs temporarily. I did not expect there to be more and more phoenixes!" Among all the phoenixes, he had the highest cultivation level. Since they were all of the same race, he did not think it would have been nice to turn them down. Even after the new incubation forest was ready, phoenixes would still come to him for help from time to time. "Incubation is required from time to time. That is why I decided to take in those from other races who have nowhere else to go, and I help to take care of them."
Upon closer inspection, they found that apart from women, there were also other men inside the array. There were even some people of other races.
"Why do the girls of the Feng Qi Palace call you their husband then?"
Feng San paused. An awkward look flashed past his face. "Well… Well, that's because I heard that you, Long Zhen, took in a lot of… servants. I thought that you…. That's why I allowed them to address me as such."
"Oh…" The three of them exclaimed. Was he being spiteful?
Here, they had a woman who looked for a bunch of male servants to incubate her eggs, and a man who found a bunch of women to incubate their eggs. On a certain level, they were a match made in heaven!
Long Zhen did not respond, but her anger had clearly dissipated slightly.
"The people in this mystic realm have all decided not to go out from here until their eggs have hatched. That's why these are all people who have nowhere else to go and are only searching for a place to escape dangers," Feng San said to Lonemoon. "So I think that if Zhu Ming wanted to send your friend here, perhaps he wanted to protect her from something. It should be someone else that's intending to harm her."
The three of them fell silent.
"Father Niu, where's Shortie now?" Shen Ying asked. Lonemoon paused, then quickly retrieved a transmission amulet. He transmitted a gust of immortal Qi into it, but there was no response ."How could this be? I sent her to a dense forest nearby to wait for me."
"Go and take a look!" Shen Ying disappeared out the door immediately after she said that.
The rest exchanged meaningful glances and followed behind her.
Lonemoon pulled her back and said, "Shen Ying, it's this way!" If you're bad at directions, then don't rush in front.
Lonemoon had arranged with Shortie to meet at a dense forest just a few hundred miles from Wu Qi Mountain. The forest there was extremely dense and was filled with complicated auras from all around. Therefore, it would not be easy for anyone to locate her.
However… "Shit!" Lonemoon glanced at the now-destroyed forest. There were still remnants of Yin Qi on the burnt ground. He had only been gone for less than an hour.
"I should ask Zhu Ming to understand this situation better." Feng San glanced at the few anxious people and immediately retrieved a mirror.
A moment later, a black-robed middle-aged man appeared in the mirror. All around him was thick and rich death Qi. Yet, his face seemed kind and his lips curled up in a slight smile. "Feng San? How are you so free to contact an old friend? Did you receive the big gift I sent you?"
"Brother Zhu, can you please tell me why you sent that girl over here? What exactly happened?" Feng San asked.
"Has something happened to her again?" Zhu Ming exclaimed.
"Again?" Feng San repeated.
Chapter 254: Luring the Snake out of the Cave
Zhu Ming frowned and sighed. "That day, I unexpectedly sensed that there was a special aura in the Divine Underworld. I followed it and realised that it was immortal Qi. That was when I saw that girl. At the time, she was trapped in a Blood-Soul Array. I rescued her out of it."
"A Blood-Soul Array!" Feng San exclaimed, eyes widening. "You mean somebody tried to steal her soul!"
"That's right." Zhu Ming nodded, his expression dark. "Someone who can set up a Blood-Soul Array must be a ghost immortal of reasonably high cultivation level. This person must have set his sights on her immortal soul, since it is less powerful than divine beings' souls. That was probably why he tried to suck her soul out to house his own and set up the array to attack her weak body. I was afraid that if she stayed in the Divine Underworld, the person who set up the array would not let her go so easily. That was why I sent her over to you before she even regained consciousness. I thought that you could use your Feng Qi Mountain's powers to protect her."
Lonemoon: "…" Was he the stand-in bride for no reason? "Brother Zhu, do you know who kidnapped her?"
"I'm not sure either." Zhu Ming shook his head. "When I found her, there was an array nearby."
In other words, they had no idea where to locate this person?
Feng San thanked Zhu Ming and kept the mirror.
"Master?" Yi Qing turned to Shen Ying. Given Shortie's cultivation level, it would be dangerous for her to remain, whether in the Divine Underworld or the Divine World.
Shen Ying frowned. "Come, let's go to the Divine Underworld."
"Yes, Master."
A certain pair of parents spoke up, "The Underworld is too dangerous, Yi Qing, why don't we-" "No need!" Yi Qing turned around and glared at them. He pointed to Long Zhen and said, "Solve your rotten problem before you try to come along." Master was enough for him.
"Oh…" The two of them muttered in disappointment.
They were sad - it felt like the master had become his biological mother.
——————
The Underworld was whether the perished souls from the Three Reals went to seek a place to stay. It was the complete opposite of the Divine World, which was filled with immortal Qi in every corner. Where the two worlds met, the heavens and earth seemed to be split by a single line. Where there were supposed to be green plains, pure springs and immortal Qi in the Divine World, there was pitch darkness and death Qi in the Divine Underworld.
The three of them arrived at the Underworld. "What now?" Lonemoon looked around at the travelling souls surrounding them.
Yi Qing tried to set up a tracking spell, but gave up after awhile. "I can't, there's too much death Qi here. The aura that was present in that dense forest is completely gone in the Underworld."
"Shit!" Lonemoon cussed under his breath. "The Underworld is huge - where are we supposed to find Shortie?"
"Why don't we get him to come to us?" Shen Ying suddenly said.
The two of them started, turning to look at her. "What do you mean?"
"Wasn't the person who captured Shortie after her soul?"
"Indeed." Yi Qing nodded. "That Blood-Soul Array was meant for devouring souls." "We have immortal souls here as well." They would not complain there were too many, right?
Yi Qing pondered about this and finally understood. So he turned to look at Lonemoon.
"Why are you looking at me!" Lonemoon burst out, glaring at him. It was not a bad idea to try and lure the snake out of the cave, but… "Why must it be me again?"
Shen Ying: "People can't see me even if I go!"
Yi Qing: "I don't have my immortal body anymore."
"And Father Niu, you haven't changed yet, have you? It's just right, then - you don't have to change. Maybe the other party likes girls?"
"Master is right!" "…" Motherf*cker!
He understood their logic, but why did he feel like beating these two retards to death?
He took a deep breath in and managed to suppress some of his violent thoughts. He pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I will set up a Soul Gathering Array later on to lure him out. But this is the Underworld after all. I would probably only be able to hold it up for as long as it takes to burn one joss stick. The two of you better hide well. If he manages to run away, don't even think about getting an allowance from me in the future."
"Yes, Father Niu! No problem, Father Niu!" The two of them replied obediently.
The moment they finished speaking they retreated a couple of metres. Yi Qing retrieved two Aura-Concealing Talismans and pasted them on his own chest.
Yes, Master won't need them! "…" Why did Lonemoon feel a stronger urge to hit them now?
Calm down, calm down! For the sake of Invincible Sect's only disciple who was training in sword cultivation, he had to tolerate the two of them!
Lonemoon took a big step forward to increase the gap between him and the other two. With both of his hands, he conjured a Soul Gathering Array, which appeared beneath his feet. The array was glowing faintly. The Yin Qi and death Qi that was within the array suddenly disappeared. The array looked especially obvious in the pitch-blackness of the Underworld.
Lonemoon entered the array and sat cross-legged inside of it. He acted like he was regulating his own immortal Qi. Suddenly, the travelling souls around him retreated and ran far away from him, as if encountering something scary.
He sat there for a full ten minutes. Other than the fact that there were far fewer travelling souls around him, there was no other discernible difference. Everything around him was eerily quiet. Was their plan not working?
Lonemoon frowned. Could it be that the other party had figured out their trick? Or did he already realise that they were here when they landed in the Divine Underworld? Lonemoon began to consider retracting his immortal Qi. This was the Divine Underworld after all, and although he could temporarily isolate himself from the Yin Qi, he could not hang on for much longer.
He was lost in his thoughts and was just about to retract the array when he felt a chilling Yin aura outside of the array that was different from that of the other travelling souls around him. That aura was steadily travelling towards him.
It's coming!
His heart was jumping in his chest. He immediately summoned a wall using his Qi to surround his body. He heard a huge crash and saw a ball of black Qi knock into the wall. The wall, together with the array surrounding Lonemoon, disintegrated into pieces. Lonemoon immediately retreated a couple of feet to avoid getting hurt by the shards. "Who is that?"
"Heh heh heh…" A chilling laugh sounded. The ball of black Qi disappeared and a human figure appeared in its place. It was a woman dressed in black robes. She looked extremely pale, and her eyes were bloodshot. Streaks of blood were flowing down her cheeks in place of tears. The blood kept dripping from her face onto the ground. She gave Lonemoon a manic look. "Immortal soul, my immortal soul, mine… mine!"
Rich Yin Qi exploded from her body. A huge array appeared on top of the two of their heads, flashing a blood red.
"The Blood-Soul Array!" Lonemoon exclaimed. He turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Shen Ying!"
The next moment, it started raining swords. The swords were all pointing toward the ghost immortal, flying down toward her. They cut through the thick Yin Qi and through the woman as well, forming several holes in her body. Even her head split into two. Yet, she looked like she could not feel any pain. She turned around, staring at Yi Qing with her bleeding eyes. The holes in her body began to fill up again, so that she looked like she had never been cut. "Immortal soul, my immortal soul…" When she finished speaking, she charged toward Shen Ying. An overwhelming amount of Yin Qi rushed toward the ground.
Lonemoon jumped, shouting, "Shen Ying, be careful! She doesn't have a physical body, you can't-"
Bam!
Before he could finish speaking, the ghost immortal got slapped and held down by Shen Ying's palm. Shen Ying turned to face him. "Father Niu, what did you say?"
"… No-Nothing?" Motherf*cker!
"Immortal soul, immortal soul…" The ghost immortal was pinned to the ground by Shen Ying, yet she kept staring at Lonemoon and Yi Qing. Lonemoon quickly stepped forward and said, "Where's the other person from the immortal realm that you caught earlier?"
The ghost immortal did not seem to have heard him. She kept trying to escape from under Shen Ying's hand and charge at Lonemoon. She looked even crazier than before.
What… is wrong with this woman?
Chapter 255: Lost Primary Soul
Lonemoon frowned, as if recalling something. He quickly turned to the person beside him. "Yi Qing, check her soul!"
Yi Qing nodded and knelt down, activating a bit of his divine power and transmitting it to the center of the woman's forehead. A moment later, he widened his eyes strangely. "She… She has no primary soul!"
Indeed!
Lonemoon's expression darkened. A primary soul was the most important part of a person's soul. A person without a primary soul would have no consciousness - he would only count on his own physical strength. It was no different from a travelling soul. But why did she attack them? And it was obvious that she was targeting immortal souls.
"There you all are. It was easy for me to locate you." Just as Lonemoon was figuring things out, he heard a familiar voice. A figure that was as tall as the woman and dressed in a black robe landed in front of them. "You're the Ghost Immortal Zhu Ming!" Lonemoon recognised the man from Feng San's mirror.
"You remember me?" He nodded suspiciously. He had the same bleeding eyes as the woman did, but he did not seem as crazy. Instead, he looked relatively calm. He cupped his fists and bowed. "I am Zhu Ming. Greetings to you, Fellow Daoists Feng San, my old friend, said that you entered the Divine Underworld to look for someone. He told me to offer some help."
So that annoying couple sent him here. Lonemoon heaved a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist."
"Don't stand on ceremony. Feng San is an old friend of mine. I take him as… Mother Feng!" He started, eyes widening as he looked at the ghost immortal pinned to the floor.
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, you know her?" Lonemoon asked. "Mother Feng, is that really is you!" Zhu Ming rushed forward anxiously, scanning the crazed woman. He looked up at them and asked, "What… is going on here?"
"We were trying to lure the ghost immortal that captured our friend out." Lonemoon explained everything that had happened. "It turned out to be her."
"How can that be!" Zhu Ming's face was a mask of shock. "Mother Feng has lost her senses, but she has always been…" He trailed off mid-sentence and scanned Lonemoon from head to toe. "Could it be that you're still an immortal?"
Lonemoon exchanged a meaningful look with his other two companions. "I am still an immortal."
"I see." Zhu Ming's expression softened. As if understanding something, he said, "No wonder… It's no wonder that I bumped into that friend of yours in that cave. So it was Mother Feng…"
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, what do you mean?" Lonemoon asked. Zhu Ming's expression darkened. A moment later, he sighed and bowed to the group. "Mother Feng is my junior sister. She lost her senses and has committed many sins. Please forgive her." He stepped forward and knelt down, touching the woman's forehead.
The next moment, the woman that had been struggling violently just moments before relaxed and quietened down. She did not say another word. "When she was living, she ascended to become an immortal. After she died, she became a ghost immortal. That's why she's particularly sensitive toward immortal souls. She tried to attack you because she sensed an immortal soul similar to her own primary soul. She mistook it for her own and tried to snatch it."
Lonemoon glanced at the woman on the floor. No wonder the moment Zhu Ming covered her divine perception, she quietened down.
"You mean she's not the one who tried to kidnap my friend?"
"Well…. I'm not too sure either." Zhu Ming lowered his gaze and studied the remnant Yin Qi on the ground. He flicked his wrist and transferred some Yin Qi into the woman's palm. "When I last met your friend, the remnant Yin Qi in the Blood- Soul Array was indeed similar to Mother Feng's. Although, I'm not sure why the Blood-Soul Array did not succeed. Mother Feng lost her senses because she lost her primary soul - if your friend is really with her, she would immediately use the Blood- Soul Array to snatch your friend's soul. She would not bring your friend all the way back to the Divine Underworld, and she would definitely not fall for your trap."
Lonemoon fell silent. Indeed, this ghost immortal Mother Feng was a crazy woman. Why would she do something so logical as to come back to the Divine Underworld before she sets up her Blood-Soul Array? But if she was not the one who captured Shortie, who did?
"But there was Yin Qi left behind where Xuan Tong disappeared."
Zhu Ming pondered for awhile and said, "If that's the case, why don't I bring the few of you to Mother Feng's abode so you can take a look? Perhaps you might find some clues. What's more, the Blood-Soul Array needs two days before it can completely remove someone's soul. If she really was the one who caught your friend, your friend should still be in the cave now." He glanced at the woman on the ground who had begun to play with her own hair. "Mother Feng is my junior sister afterall. I cannot leave her alone like this."
The few of them exchanged looks. There was nothing else they could do now.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist."
The few of them had no choice but to mount their swords and travel in the direction that Zhu Ming led them. Zhu Ming carefully carried Mother Feng and rode on a cloud behind them, shouting directions to them on the way. "Your relationship is quite close," a female voice said just as Zhu Ming was supporting Mother Feng's weight.
He looked up and saw the little boy that Feng San had instructed him to look after time and again. He was apparently Feng San's biological son. He looked behind the boy and saw a woman who was seated cross-legged on the sword, dressed in white robes. She rested her chin on one fist and looked at him curiously. Zhu Ming started. Eh? Was this woman here before? On seeing that neither Lonemoon nor Yi Qing looked surprised, Zhu Ming smiled. "When Mother Feng was alive… we grew up together. We were also from the same sect as cultivators. That's why we're closer than anyone else."
Shen Ying nodded. "How did she become like that?"
"Well… I'm not sure." Zhu Ming frowned, as if thinking of something. Then, his expression went blank. "All ghost immortals became the way they are because of excessive anger and indignation when they were alive. We have all gone through torture and pain like no other and we can only become ghost immortals by getting rid of our own souls. When I became a ghost immortal, she was already like that. Perhaps she suffered more pain than the rest of us."
"Oh, then she…" Shen Ying wanted to ask something more, but something caught her eye and she jumped to her feet, gripping the person in front of her. "Father Niu!"
Lonemoon was relaxing. When Shen Ying gripped him, he almost fell off the sword. "Why did you pull me back all of a sudden?" He restored his balance just in time. Shen Ying pointed in front. "There's a river in front!" Did he not see it? He almost fell into it.
"What river?" Lonemoon looked around, confused. Apart from pitch-blackness, there was nothing.
Huh?
Shen Ying stared blankly back at him. Yi Qing was the one who reacted. He used his God Power to form a sword and caused it to fly ahead of their own sword. After only travelling less than three feet, the sword seemed to fall into something highly corrosive. It melted right before their eyes and disappeared in less than two seconds.
"Holy shit!" Lonemoon retreated. The river could swallow even God Power. If not for Shen Ying, he would probably have been dead by then.
Chapter 256: Hiding the Mystic Realm
"It's the Yin River of the Underworld!" Zhu Ming exclaimed. The Yin River of the Underworld had no form or figure, and was omnipresent. It did not affect the ghosts or ghost immortals in the Underworld, but it would swallow every other soul whole. "Please be careful, everyone. This Yin River is changing every second. Sorcery cannot detect it."
When he finished speaking, he tossed a weird look at the lazy woman standing behind Yi Qing on the sword. "This Fellow Daoist… can see the Yin River?"
"Her eyes are different from ours!" Lonemoon gave an unexplainable look to Zhu Ming. One had to take time to get used to the cheat's eyes. "Let's hurry along. It's so dark in here, we'll never know what else is hidden!"
"We're not far - it's just ahead." Zhu Ming pointed in front of them and they carried on flying.
Shen Ying, however, hesitated and looked around. Was it that dark in here? It was all golden to her, and even kind of blinding! Of course, apart from that black river that was floating in the mid-air.
——————
The group did not fly for long before they saw a house floating in the middle of nowhere. All around was thick Yin Qi. The cave was much smaller than Long Zhen's palace on the Wu Qi Mountain. It stood as a lone house.
They did not know why the Yin Qi was so strong. For some reason, there were also fewer travelling souls around. It was so quiet that they could hear footsteps of the few people below.
"This is it." They landed in front of the house. Zhu Ming seemed to be very familiar with the surroundings. He waved his hand and the door to the hall opened. He helped Mother Feng, who was still staring blankly into space, onto a seat in the hall.
The hall was empty. They could see every corner of it. Apart from fur chairs, there was nothing else. "There is a little yard at the back. The two of you can go there and take a look," Zhu Ming suggested.
"Yi Qing, go to the back and take a look. I'm going to set up an array to look for Shortie's aura," Lonemoon instructed.
Yi Qing nodded, turning around and walking out the back door of the hall. Lonemoon walked to the middle and released his divine perception. Immediately, the entire cave appeared in his perception. He activated his immortal Qi and began to set up an array.
As if wanting nothing further to do with them, Zhu Ming did not offer any help. Instead, he remained seated beside Mother Feng.
Shen Ying was the only one who had nothing to do. She sat down on another chair. Since she was bored, she pulled a fruit out and began to chew on it out of habit. Except, she retrieved it with a little too much strength, so that another fruit fell out. It rolled on the floor. She bent over to pick it up, but a pair of pale hands that had no sign of any life picked it up before she could. Mother Feng, who had been sitting on the chair staring into space the entire time, stared at the fruit in her hands, then looked at Shen Ying. She reached out and handed the fruit to Shen Ying, grinning. "Heh heh…"
Shen Ying tilted her head and received the fruit. "Thank you."
Mother Feng continued to stare at the fruit in Shen Ying's hand with her bleeding eyes. Shen Ying heard the sound of blood dripping onto the floor and shivered.
She took a bite of her apple and said nothing.
After thinking for a second, she retrieved the greenest fruit from her storage bag and handed it over. "Do you want to eat it?"
Mother Feng hesitated and glanced at the fruit, then glanced back at her. She reached out and took the fruit. Mother Feng grinned even wider and then stuffed the entire fruit into her mouth.
The next moment, there was a plonk. The fruit dropped through her body and fell to the floor. Mother Feng, who had no physical body, looked dumbfounded.
"Hey, you dropped it!" Shen Ying picked the fruit up and handed it over again. "Here, I still have more."
Mother Feng took it again and swallowed it whole. Again, there was a plonk as the fruit hit the floor.
Heh heh heh… She can't eat it, can she!
Shen Ying seemed to be addicted to this game. She picked the fruit up and handed it over again.
The ghost immortal still regarded the fruit as some kind of treasure. She hurriedly took it and… dropped it on the floor again! They kept repeating this process.
Zhu Ming, who watched the entire thing: "…"
She was doing this on purpose, right? She must be! He was still watching them!
"Master." Yi Qing finally returned from the backyard and rushed toward her, shaking his head. "She's not there!" The backyard was cleaner than the front - there was not a single chair in the yard. Apart from Yin Qi, there was nothing else in there.
Zhu Ming's expression darkened. As long as they could not find the girl, Mother Feng would remain under suspicion. After pondering for a moment, he suggested, "Why not… I go along with you to look in the forest where the girl disappeared? I'm familiar with ghost immortals' aura. Maybe I can get some clues?"
Lonemoon, who had been setting up the array, stopped. His expression was as dark as Zhu Ming's. "Shortie is not here indeed."
"Oh." Shen Ying narrowed her eyes, but she did not respond to any of them. Instead, she kept the fruit, causing Mother Feng to reach for thin air. Suddenly, Shen Ying smiled. "I'm not giving it to you anymore. I gave you so many - why don't you return one to me?"
Lonemoon: "…"
Yi Qing: "…"
Zhu Ming: "…"
Where's her shame? She just gave Mother Feng the same fruit again and again. Was she bullying a ghost immortal for her lack of a physical body?
o(>_<)o Mother Feng paused. It was obvious that she did not understand what Shen Ying had just said. Her bleeding eyes stared directly at the fruit in Shen Ying's hand, yet she did not dare to reach out for it again.
Lonemoon pursed his lips. "Hey, are you almost…" He began to reprimand her.
Mother Feng pulled a rectangular sign out of nowhere and threw it at them. Then, she returned to staring at the fruit in Shen Ying's hand.
"Master!" Yi Qing exclaimed.
Lonemoon re-focused his energy as well. He looked at the sign. "What is that?"
"Is it a token?" Zhu Ming looked confused as well. Why did Mother Feng possess something like that? What's more, the token had some God Power in it. "I think it's an array formation!" Shen Ying answered. She finally gave the fruit to Mother Feng, who by now looked elated. Then, the fruit dropped on the floor.
Shen Ying did not help her to pick it up his time. She picked up the token instead and walked to the center of the hall. Then, she knelt down and pressed down on the ground. Suddenly, the entire cave it up with a red light. An array appeared in the hall.
The ground collapsed inward inch by inch, especially the flooring in the middle where the red light was the most blinding. After a few moments, the array twisted and another scene appeared underneath it. They could not see quite clearly into the scene.
"That is… the entrance to a mystic realm!" Zhu Ming exclaimed.
Lonemoon was shocked as he asked, "How did you know that there's an array that can open a mystic realm here?"
"I can see it!" Shen Ying answered. There was golden light everywhere - only that part of the ground was black. There was also a rectangular image on it. Anybody would be able to tell that there was something suspicious there.
Lonemoon: "…"
They watched as the red entrance became bigger and bigger, until it filled the entire hall.
Lonemoon nodded at his two companions and gestured to them. "Go in!"
They mounted their swords and flew into the mystic realm. Zhu Ming tugged Mother Feng, who was still looking for the fruit, along with him and entered the mystic realm as well.
With a flash of red, they found themselves in a different space altogether.
Chapter 257: Soul-Splitting Array
This was an especially small mystic realm – it was more of a mystic room. There was only a huge stage in the room, and there was a strange ancient array on the stage. Even Yi Qing, the dragon heir, had never seen it before.
As soon as they landed, there was a red flash of light. The quiet stage lit up with many arrays of different sizes. Lonemoon felt his heart jump and he felt uneasy right down to his primordial spirit. He felt as if something was trying to break out of his body.
"Father Niu!" Shen Ying picked him off the ground. Yi Qing also felt something weird. The moment he touched the ground, he flew into the air again.
"How are you feeling?"
Lonemoon gasped for air, trying to regulate his immortal Qi. Finally, after much effort, he managed to suppress the feeling of his primordial spirit jumping out of his body. "That array down there can capture souls." Even immortal souls are no exception! All of them started and retreated a little. The array on the stage was fully activated by now. The entire stage had become red. Out of nowhere, they heard ear-piercing wails. Inside the array, many ghostly figures suddenly appeared, and they looked like they were in extreme pain. They struggled and cried out from inside the array, doing their best to fight the red light that was trapping them. Every time they tried, their souls would grow fainter. Yet, they did not seem to notice this. They continued to struggle.
"What… What is all of this?" It was obvious that the group was shocked into silence. They could say that it was travelling souls inside the array, but it was obvious that those souls were even weaker than travelling souls. Even their shadows were faint.
"Immortal soul… My immortal soul!" Mother Feng, who had been staring blankly, suddenly shouted. She became agitated and began to act maniacally again. She turned around and flew toward the array.
"Mother Feng!" Zhu Ming exclaimed, blocking her with Yin Qi.
Yet, she wanted to go over extremely badly. She began to attack Zhu Ming. "My immortal soul… Return it to me! Return it to me!"
"What's the matter?" Lonemoon looked down at the array and the crazed Mother Feng. Zhu Ming had clearly sealed her divine perception and five senses. Why was she still behaving this way? Could it be the array?
"Do you feel…" Shen Ying suddenly spoke, pointing to the ghostly figures in the array, "that all the ghostly souls down there look the same?"
"What do you mean, the same?" Lonemoon looked closer into the array and specifically at the figures inside it. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Holy shit!" They did look exactly the same – their bodies and their faces. How did this array find two or three people that looked the same?
"How could it be?" Yi Qing was obviously confused. "Although some people do look alike, there aren't two people who look exactly the same. Unless…" He paused mid-sentence and sucked in a deep breath. The two of them exchanged glances and exclaimed at the same time, "The Soul-Splitting Array!"
This was an array that could split one's soul. Those people who look exactly the same must be parts of the same soul.
"Mas…" Yi Qing was just about to call out to Shen Ying, but she had already jumped down. She stepped hard on the side of the stage. There was a loud crash and the corner of the stage caved in.
The Soul-Splitting Array became dimmer almost immediately. The hundreds of ghosts inside of it floated out. The split souls began to gather together so that the number of souls halved. There was no more wailing. Perhaps because they were seriously injured, several souls did not seem to have any consciousness left. Instead, they floated around aimlessly.
The few people floating in mid-air finally landed on the ground again.
"These souls are missing some parts. Only the power of reincarnation would be able to complete their souls once again," Zhu Ming sighed as he watched the ghosts around him. "I'm afraid that they will only be able to be retards for a few lifetimes."
"Shortie is not among these souls." Yi Qing heaved a sigh of relief after he finished scanning all of the souls. "It seems like the person who captured Shortie only planned to bring Shortie's soul here to be split after extracting it from her body somewhere else." The only thing was that they could not figure out why exactly that person wanted to collect primary souls.
Lonemoon frowned and glanced at Mother Feng, who was still crazed despite being held back by Zhu Ming.
This array had clearly been around for a long time. From the looks of it, Mother Feng's primary soul was taken away by this very array. That was probably the reason why she became agitated upon seeing it. But why was this little mystic realm containing the array hidden in her abode? And why did she have the token that opened it?
When they entered the mystic realm, apart from the divine Yi Qing, Zhu Ming's and Lonemoon's primordial spirit nearly got caught in the array. That proved that even ghost immortals could not control the array. This array was not set up by Mother Feng.
"What's that?" Shen Ying asked as she pointed to the center of the array.
They paused and turned. There was a transparent ball standing in the center of the array. It seemed to be trapping something inside of it.
"It looks like shards of remnant souls. Zhu Ming leaned closer for a better look. Then, he conjured a seal, causing the remnant souls to float out from inside the ball. They condensed into a little figure. The figure sat down and hugged her knees immediately. She looked not more than two years old and was slightly familiar.
"Shortie," Shen Ying suddenly called.
Lonemoon and Yi Qing's chests tightened. "This is Shortie's remnant soul? Are you sure?" "Yes." Shen Ying nodded. This was the same ghost she saw when she was sleepwalking the last time.
"That's not right." Lonemoon frowned and continued, "Even if Shortie's soul has been split, it should look like an adult. This remnant soul is clearly still a child. Unless…"
His voice trailed off as he exchanged a meaningful glance with Yi Qing. The both of them had the exact same thought at the same time. "This remnant soul already left her body before she reincarnated!"
Yi Qing's expression fell as he recalled something. He immediately began looking around. A moment later, he pointed to the array beside him and said, "Master, quick, look! There's a Realm-Attracting Array here. Shortie must have been lured here by this remnant soul. That was how she got pulled into the Divine Underworld all the way from the Invincible Heavenly Palace."
But the realm gates that were opened by the Realm-Attracting Array were not stable. That was probably why it did not manage to transport Shortie into this mystic realm directly. "We have to find her quickly," Lonemoon muttered anxiously, his expression darkening. It looked like the person who kidnapped Shortie was not willing to settle for just any soul. He clearly plotted to get Shortie's soul specifically.
"My friends…" Zhu Ming suddenly spoke. "You have found the remnant soul of the person you're looking for. This part of the soul is connected to the others. Why not make use of this connection and employ geomancy to check her location."
The few of them stared blankly back at him. That's right!
They almost forgot that they could employ that technique.
Although the remnant soul was not exactly a big part of a person's soul, and faded with time, it was still connected to the rest of one's soul. The remnant soul would be able to sense what the rest of the soul is experiencing. If they employed geomancy, they would be able to locate Shortie.
Chapter 258: Searching at Thousand Feet
Lonemoon quickly conjured a seal and connected it to the remnant soul. A moment later, two images appeared on top of the remnant soul. One was the location of the remnant soul - where they were at the moment. The other was a place with very little immortal Qi. There were multiple huge transparent peaks floating around that looked like they were made out of crystal. Each of them seemed to have a temple on the top.
"This is… Thousand Feet Mountain!" Zhu Ming exclaimed.
"Where is Thousand Feet Mountain?" Lonemoon asked.
"That is where the Supreme Divinity Qian Yue lives - it's on the east of the Divine World." Zhu Ming frowned. "Although Supreme Divinity Qian Yue's personality is cold, he is someone of respectable standing in the Divine World. I don't think he would have set up such a cruel array. Why is the person you're looking for there?"
"We'll only find out when we get there. Thank you, Fellow Daoist Zhu." Lonemoon nodded toward him in thanks. Then, he turned to his two companions. "Let's go! We're going to find her!"
Yi Qing did not hesitate. He immediately drew his flying sword. Shen Ying picked up the ball that contained Shortie's remnant soul and mounted Chef's sword. Together, they flew out of the mystic realm.
——————
When the three of them arrived at Thousand Feet Mountain, they realised why it was named as such. Everywhere around were crystal mountains floating in the air. It looked like sharp blades that caught the sunlight and reflected it into passerby eyes. Those crystals were moving too. Altogether, the place looked like it was covered in some gigantic array.
What's more, the mountains were half see-through. It was very easy for one to get lost among the mountains.
Lonemoon subconsciously glanced at Shen Ying, who was beside him. Then, he turned to Yi Qing and instructed strictly, "Watch her! We are only here for Shortie. We cannot get lost again. According to Zhu Ming, that Supreme Divinity Qian Yue must be of a high cultivation level. We're not sure as of now whether he's friend or foe and he has Shortie in his hands. Before we find her, let's not be rash."
After he finished speaking, he added, "Do you have the Aura- Concealing Talisman?"
"Yes." Yi Qing retrieved a few talismans from his robes.
"Give me two!" Lonemoon took them and gestured for Yi Qing to take two for himself. "Let's try not to alert anyone, understand?"
"Yes, yes, yes." The two of them nodded profusely.
"Let's go!"
"Wait, Father Niu!" "What's the matter now?"
"Are you sure…" Shen Ying scanned him from head to toe. He was dressed in a red bridal gown. "Are you sure you want to wear that in?"
"Shit!" He was so mad at the two of them that he actually forgot to change back into his true self. He conjured a seal and started to cast a spell on himself so that he could turn back into a female. He turned and glanced at a certain foodie, as he held his hand up for a second. A moment later, his form changed. His face was familiar yet strange - it was Shen Ying's!
The two of them: "…"
"What are you looking at?" Lonemoon glared at them. "It's better for me to change into this than use any other Aura- Concealing Talisman."
Yi Qing: "…" That's true. He had nothing to say in retort. Shen Ying: "…" Son of a b*tch!
"Let's go!" Lonemoon continued flying on his sword around the floating peaks. He used all his might to release his divine perception and take note of his surroundings. The strange thing was that during the entire way here, they did not see another divine being.
What's more, the crystal peaks did not seem to be under any array. Apart from floating around before their eyes, they did not do much else.
On top of the clear crystal peaks, a temple appeared.
Lonemoon retrieved the transmission amulet that he previously left behind for Shortie. He transmitted some immortal Qi through it, but there was still no reaction. The crystal peaks seemed to have the ability to suppress signals. They had no way of contacting Shortie at all.
"Shit!" He muttered under his breath. "There are too many crystal peaks here. The transmission amulet is of no use at all." "Let's knock a few of them down!" Yi Qing instinctively drew his sword.
"You must be crazy!" Lonemoon rolled his eyes. "Do you still want to save Shortie?" Can the two of you think of better solutions other than resorting to violence? What if they triggered the other party and got chased out of the territory immediately? The Invincible Sect would lose their only sword cultivator disciple.
"What should we do then?"
"We can only keep looking." Lonemoon looked around the ground and waved at the two of them. "I've been observing the way these crystal peaks move. I think they're all floating toward the west. There's no array in the middle that controls them, and the deeper in we get, the more temples there are around us."
He pointed ahead and continued, "That's why I'm guessing these crystal peaks are spinning around something circular. I think it's a natural maze. Shortie must be deep inside. Although flying right in would be the quickest way to get there, the crystal peaks must have some sort of relationship so that there's no way for us to get to the centre immediately…" "Master, watch out!" Before he could finish speaking, Yi Qing suddenly grabbed Shen Ying and retreated toward the left.
Crash!
A moment later, there was a loud crash and a huge aura charged toward them, brushing the right side of Lonemoon's body. The peaks in front of them looked like they had just exploded. The glass shards began to drop down from the sky.
On the right side, a wide road appeared. They could faintly see the temple on the innermost of the territory.
"There's a direct route!" Shen Ying pointed to the path.
Lonemoon: "…" Son of a b*tch!
Would they have died if they grabbed him before they retreated? 凸(艹皿艹)
The next moment, two terrifying suppressive forces headed toward them, down the pathway. Even Yi Qing could not help but frown. The rest of the crystal mountains around them cracked apart.
Lonemoon set up defensive arrays all over his body. "There are people battling ahead of us. By the looks of this suppression, their cultivation levels must be…" Before he could finish speaking, his eyes widened. "I… feel Shortie's aura. It's right there!"
Yi Qing paused. On closer inspection, he did faintly feel a familiar aura. The two of them exchanged meaningful glances and flew down the path. The further down the path they got, the more shards of what once were crystal peaks there were. They saw remnants of temples on the way down as well.
From afar, it looked like the two figures were battling. One was dressed in green and the other was white. It was not clear how far away they were from each other, but their aura was frightening enough. Compared to the battle between Long Zhen and Feng San, this battle looked far more aggressive. The moment their frightening force brushed past him, Lonemoon felt like his immortal Qi dissipated. He raised his head to look at the two people in the sky.
Huh?
"Chef, don't you think that person in white looks a bit familiar?"
Yi Qing looked up and nodded. "Hey, I think so." But he could not recall who it was.
The next moment, they heard an impatient voice saying, "I already said this. I don't know the person you're looking for. You can ask an infinite amount of times but my answer will remain the same."
"…" The other party did not respond.
The voice spoke again, this time sounding more heavy than before. "I've already saved the person you wanted me to save. It's been so many years - why are you still hounding me?"
A moment later, a cold voice replied, "She also said… you know!"
"You…"
"Where is she?"
"Stop pushing your luck!"
The two of them began to fight again.
Why did they feel like… The latter voice sounded so familiar?
Chapter 259: Finding Shortie
Before Shen Ying and the rest could think carefully, an even stronger suppressive force charged toward the group, followed by another series of crashes. All the crystal peaks around them turned into smithereens immediately. Yi Qing quickly released his dragon force to protect the two people beside him.
Shen Ying, however, stared blankly. She pointed toward her right and said, "Eh, isn't that Shortie?"
The two of them paused, turning to look in the direction Shen Ying was pointing. Indeed, there was a girl flying on the right in a pink robe, surrounded by a defensive array, and who was looking anxiously at the two people in battle.
Yi Qing's and Lonemoon's hearts jumped. They were just about to go forward when Shen Ying raised her hand and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Hey, Shortie!"
Those words echoed throughout the Thousand Feet Mountain. The two people in battle suddenly paused. Yi Qing: "…"
Lonemoon: "…"
Lonemoon felt the sudden urge to choke Shen Ying. They agreed to be stealthy - how was this stealthy in any way!
Xuan Tong's body stiffened. She turned around, as if not daring to believe it. Elation flashed past her face as she mounted her sword and flew toward the group immediately. "Sect Master!"
She was going to jump on Shen Ying, but then came a flash of white light. The person in the white robe who was originally in battle suddenly charged toward them and reached them before Xuan Tong could.
Yi Qing and Lonemoon finally managed to recognise the figure and they all stared in shock.
"Bai Ze!" They shouted. The next moment, the man appeared before their eyes, clearly agitated. He did not seem to be able to believe his own eyes. Then… he hugged Father Niu!
Shen Ying: "…"
Yi Qing: "…"
Father Niu, who was being hugged: "…"
(゚Д゚≡゚Д゚)
Are?[1]
Then, Bai Ze's cold and trembling voice sounded beside his ear. "Shen… Shen… Shen…" He kept repeating "Shen" but could not bring himself to continue. Bai Ze's ears began to flush red.
"Sect Master!" Shortie finally landed in front of them and buried herself in Shen Ying's arms. Her elation turned to utter sadness as she cried out, causing the ground to vibrate. "Sect Master, you're finally here… I knew it, you would come back for us. Wah…"
Yi Qing: "…" Little bastard!
"Yes, I'm here." Shen Ying patted her shoulder. "Stop crying." My robes are new.
Bai Ze, who was still hugging Lonemoon, stiffened. He looked at the person in his arms, then looked at the person next to him, who had the exact same face. There are two Shen Yings?
(⊙_⊙?)
"Shen…"
"Shen your ass!" Lonemoon exploded when he finally managed to respond. "Look closely at who you're hugging!" Bai Ze then realised and quickly pushed Lonemoon aside without hesitation. He ran to Shen Ying instead and acted like nothing had happened.
"Shen… Ying." He finally managed to say her full name. "I really… really…" Really really missed you.
Shen Ying finally got rid of the bug who was dripping mucus all over her robes and looked into Bai Ze's eyes, which were twinkling. "Who are you?"
Bai Ze: "…"
Yi Qing: "…"
Lonemoon: "…"
There was the faint sound of a heart breaking. The light in his eyes went out!
***
"Bai Ze, is this the person you're looking for?" A question came from the sky. The person who was battling with Bai Ze earlier landed beside them and the group finally managed to get a good look at him.
He was dressed in a green robe. His hair was to his shoulders and he had a wide-set face, like that of a champion. His entire body emanated a familiar Spirit Cleansing Qi. Apart from his black eyes, and the lack of a smart and mischievous twinkle, he looked exactly like…
"Father Niu!"
Yi Qing and Shen Ying called out at the exact same time.
Lonemoon: "…" What the hell is going on?
—————
Thousand Feet Hall.
Lonemoon had turned back into his original form. He looked at the person in the main seat and felt uncomfortable. He really looked exactly the same. If not for the fact that they were in different clothes, he would have thought he was looking in a mirror.
"Father Niu, you have an older brother?" Shen Ying could not help but ask.
"Get lost!" Lonemoon rolled his eyes. Who has a brother?
"I did not think that there would be someone else just like me in this world," Qian Yue said as he looked at Lonemoon strangely. He frowned out of habit, giving him a very strict demeanor "Supreme Divinity Qian Yue, you really aren't Elder Lonemoon." Xuan Tong looked slightly troubled. She looked at Qian Yue, then back at Lonemoon. They did not just look similar - even their auras were identical. The only difference was one had God Power and the other had Immortal Qi surrounding his body.
"So all of this happened because you were mistaken of my identity," Qian Yue tutted. He said angrily, "Bai Ze, what do you have to say now."
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Ever since he got to know Bai Ze a few years ago, Bai Ze had been asking him where his sect master was. No matter what he said, the other party did not let the matter rest. He remained at Thousand Feet Mountain for several years and forced Qian Yue to a corner. Without saying more, he also initiated battles with Qian Yue. Thousand Feet Mountain had been destroyed and rebuilt countless times. From the looks of it, Qian Yue had been terribly wronged. "I already said that I don't know who you are looking for, yet you kept coming after me for her whereabouts. Now, you can finally believe my words."
"All these years, at my Thousand… Eh? Bai Ze? Bai Ze?" Qian Yue called out and found that Bai Ze was not even listening to him.
His cold eyes were twinkling as they fixed on the woman beside him. His pupils were filled with the reflection of Shen Ying's figure. From time to time, he would even hand something over to her.
"Fruit…"
"Oh."
"Tea."
"Yes."
"Pastry."
"Thank you." Bai Ze's eyes brightened up each time Shen Ying received what he handed her. His ears began to flush red again and this time, his hair began to turn red as well. A moment later, he spoke in a low voice. "You're… you're welcome."
The group faintly saw red bubbles appearing in the surroundings.
Xuan Tong: "…"
Qian Yue:: "…"
Lonemoon: "…"
Yi Qing, whose seat had been stolen, had an extremely dark expression on his face. He suppressed the urge to draw his sword, and could not help but think that the kick he gave Bai Ze a few years ago was far too light. He stepped forward in frustration and said, "Supreme Divinity, you don't have to worry about Master." "You are…" Bai Ze paused. He took a closer look at the person's aura and recognised who it was immediately. His expression turned cold. Why was this annoying person still around? Bai Ze frowned, but did not put the plate he was holding down. He turned back to Shen Ying.
You're still looking at her!
Yi Qing pursed his lips and took a step forward, attempting to stand between the two of them. Yet, because of his height, he was unable to block their view of each other. So… he climbed on the table.
He was one entire head taller than Bai Ze. Yi Qing stared down at him.
What are you looking at, bastard!
Suddenly, the two of them were engaged in a stare-down in this weird position. Lonemoon: "…" F*cking retard!
He really wanted to act like he did not know either of them.
Lonemoon frowned and nudged Xuan Tong, who was seated beside him. He whispered, "Shortie, what happened? Didn't I ask you to wait for me in the forest? How did you get here?"
"Elder, I was waiting for you there. But the ghost immortal suddenly appeared and I could not fight him. Thankfully, Supreme Divinity Bai Ze happened to be passing by. I said I was a disciple of the Invincible Sect, so he saved me and brought me here."
[1] Are is Japanese for huh
Chapter 260: Paying for the Damage
Lonemoon pondered for awhile. Back at the forest, they had been too concerned with the remnant Yin Qi. They forgot to take note of the other God Power surrounding them. They were near Wu Qi Mountain afterall - he thought it was normal for them to feel God Power around.
"After I woke up, I mistook Supreme Divinity Qian Yue for you. That was why I kept pressing him for Sect Master's whereabouts," Xuan Tong explained. "In the end, Supreme Divinity Bai Ze and Supreme Divinity Qian Yue began to fight. Then… you came!"
So that was what happened. Was Bai Ze the one who saved her then?
He turned to look at the person seated at the head seat. Qian Yue's expression was so dark that it was beginning to look like ink. He looked like he was suppressing the urge to take action.
Bai Ze obviously mistook Qian Yue as Lonemoon and pressed him for Shen Ying's whereabouts as well. From the looks of his expression, Bai Ze had been harassing him profusely over the past few years.
The corner of Lonemoon's mouth twitched. He lowered his voice and said, "Since we have found Shortie, we shall not hold you up any longer." He stood up. This was so embarrassing - they had better make their leave as soon as possible.
"You're leaving?" Qian Yue's anger heightened. He tutted. "No one is permitted to come and go from my Thousand Feet Mountain as they please. You've destroyed so many of my crystal peaks. Are you not intending to make up for it at all?"
Lonemoon's heart sank. He knew it would not be so easy to get away.
"Supreme Divinity Qian Yue, you're overstating things. We are not the sort to do that. My Invincible Sect is a respectable Sect and we are always fair in the way we deal with matter. We would never do that to you," Lonemoon explained in a serious tone. "So… every debt has a debtor. You should look for whoever destroyed your peaks." He pushed the blame aside as quickly as he could. As long as the few of them could escape, he would be happy!
The others were not his responsibility.
Everybody in the room turned to look at a certain figure in white robes.
It was him, it was him! He's our scapegoat!
(๑•ᄇ̀ •)و́ ✧
Bai Ze: "…"
Bai Ze's expression darkened. Finally, he turned to face Qian Yue. Perhaps he knew he was in the wrong, and that was why he stepped forward and said, "This was indeed my fault. I will compensate you." After he finished speaking, he turned and walked out. Everybody exchanged glances and followed him.
Bai Ze stopped at the stage in front of the hall. With both of his hands, he conjured a series of strange seals. A moment later, a huge array appeared beneath his feet. It began to expand. A moment later, it filled half the sky, illuminating it with white light.
Then, everything on the ground began to shake. The shards of crystals rose, as if being pulled up by a certain string. They gathered together and formed huge crystal peaks once again. It was just like time was turning backward. All the crystal peaks in the sky re-formed around them. It did not even look like they had ever been broken.
Everybody present stared in amazement. There were plenty of arrays that could fix broken things, and apart from Shen Ying who knew no sorcery whatsoever, everybody including Shortie knew that it was easy to fix things. But the peaks were so huge. Bai Ze's array managed to fix them in a blink of an eye. This was the first time they were seeing an array like that.
"You really are an ancient divine beast," Qian Yue sighed in amazement. His eyes were wide. Bai Ze had already turned around and walked over to Qian Yue. He flicked his wrist and a blue pearl appeared in his palm. He handed it over to Qian Yue and said, "This is the Soul Stabilising Pearl that you wanted. From now on, we are even."
Qian Yue received the Soul Stabilising Pearl, his eyes twinkling. A moment later, he nodded and said, "Since you've done this, I will not pursue the matter any further." He turned to survey the peaks in the air. As if recalling something, Qian Yue said, "But… while the crystal peaks are restored, at least ten of my Thousand Feet Mountain's 9981 temples have been destroyed. You must restore them as well."
Bai Ze nodded and said, "Alright!"
He turned around and flew toward the various peaks. Then, he began to restore the temples one by one. Thousand Feet Mountain's temples were different from others. Although most of them were not big, they were situated on top of the crystal peaks. Some of them were even hidden in the caves and were unable to be detected. That was why Bai Ze's array earlier was not able to restore the temples.
Yet, these were temples after all. Compared to crystal peaks, they were much easier to restore. Ten temples were completed in less than four to five hours.
However…
Why did they have to fix the temples as well!
Lonemoon glared at Bai Ze, who was still fussing about Shen Ying. He really did kick Bai Ze too lightly that time.
Wait a moment!
"Shen Ying, what are you doing? Put that wooden beam down at once!"
"I'm helping?"
"Helping my ass! The beam has already been broken. Just eat your food and drink your water, can't you?" "Oh."
"And Bai Ze, stop stealing Chef's seat! This place was ruined by you. Can you please have some shame!" Did he not hear Qian Yue say that not one of them could leave if he did not fix the temples!
"…"
Motherf*cker, did he even want to leave this place!
Father Niu felt extremely worn out. Apart from Shortie, all of them were cheaters who liked to drag their feet.
"Shortie, come here for a minute." Bai Ze was finally left with the final temple. Lonemoon heaved a sigh of relief and gestured toward Xuan Tong.
Xuan Tong flew over. "Elder what are your instructions?" "When I saw you conjuring the seal earlier, you looked much slower than before. Are you injured?"
Xuan Tong's expression darkened. She looked down and said, "Yes… I am injured."
"Stick out your hand and let me see."
Lonemoon checked her meridians first, then activated her immortal Qi. He touched the center of her forehead and checked her primordial spirit. He was surprised to find that there was not a single injury in her body. Yet, for some reason, her primordial spirit was very unstable. It looked like it would come out at any moment.
"You call this an injury?" Lonemoon's face fell. Why was this happening? When they parted ways, she was fine. "Did the ghost immortal do this?"
Xuan Tong nodded. "I told you to take care of yourself and run away if you couldn't fight, didn't I?" An injury in the primordial spirit was different from a physical injury. It would be extremely difficult for her to recover after this. It did not look like much but her soul could leave her body at any time.
The others looked at Shortie worriedly.
Xuan Tong lowered her head even further. She apologised, "I'm sorry Elder Lonemoon, your disciple's cultivation was so low. That's why…"
"Why are you apologising? This isn't your fault!" Lonemoon exploded.
"She must have had a Soul-Transferring spell cast on her before she got sent into the Blood-Soul Array," Yi Qing muttered after checking her injury. "This body is not hers. Now, it's even been injured by the ghost immortal's Yin Qi. That's why her primordial spirit is unstable."
Lonemoon fell silent. He glanced at Xuan Tong. Why was this unlucky kid always getting herself into near-death situations?
"Do you have any solutions?" Shen Ying looked to the person beside her.
Suddenly, Bai Ze lit up. His eyes brightened as he answered, "Yes!" In a speed faster than any of them could achieve, he nodded his head and fixed his eyes on Shen Ying's face for a split second. Then, he flushed fiery red before saying, "But you… you all must come back with me to Bai Yun Mountain."