Chapter 288 - Xiaoyue Resurfacing

“The Pond of Gods and Devils? What is it?”

Xiao Chen felt confused, although he could not shake off the strange sense of deja vu. He had heard Yi Tong mentioning this place once during the battle at the residence of Clan Zuoqiu, but that was all to it.

Zhiluan burst suddenly, after being forced to remain quiet for so long, “I’m sure you know nothing of this, boy! In the calamitous war in the previous epoch, all six domains nearly collapsed. Only they didn’t. But this does not mean that all was fine in the end. Breaches began to emerge between the domains, such as the places called the Deep Hatred Sky where Heaven meets the Mortal Realm, the Sea of Painful Sorrows where one can reach the realm of twilight, and the Pond of Gods and Devils where the link between here and the Domain of Evil exists….”

Zhiluan continued proudly, seeing as everyone was staring wondrously at it while feeling immensely pleased with itself, “Suffice it to say that it anything goes wrong with these places, this would mean that trouble is on the onset for the Six Realms. The worst that could happen is the collapse of all six domains.”

“Wow,” Zi Mo squinted his eyes at the cat and said, “To think that a little Immortal Lingzhi like you would know so much.” He reached for it but the frightened Zhiluan immediately ducked behind Xiao Chen. “WHAT ARE YOU UP TO! KEEP A DISTANCE! I’M THE HEAVENLY EMPEROR’S…”

But Xiao Chen was in deep thoughts of his own. The calamitous war that Zhiluan was just referring to could only be the war that took place seven thousand years ago when the Immortal Century reached its decline. On the other hand, the contents of Fengxi’s ancient scroll mentioned about the same war. Still, there was much he still did not know about the war and there were scarcely any more records or annals from that epoch.

But he needed to know what happened. He needed to know what took place during the fall of Immortals and Devils, and the whereabouts of his own teacher…

“So what do you think, Senior Zi Mo? What is wrong with the Pond now?”

Zi Mo stroked his beard wordlessly. After seconds of quiet pondering, he answered, “It could only be that other place…”

“What other place? Where is it? For Heaven’s sakes, just speak directly! There’s hardly any point by speaking in riddles!”

“D*mn your impertinence, boy.” Zi Mo glared indignantly. “The breaches between the Six Realms can bring about huge disasters. But why do you think the Realms have been stable for so long? Surely you don’t believe in the nonsense about divine intervention from Heaven?”

“Then what is the reason then?”

Zi Mo fell silent again. Ponderous seconds slowly ticked by as Xiao Chen waited until Zi Mo croaked, “It’s just a myth; I cannot be sure how much of it is true. But there was a legend that a person had used the powers of the Three Emperors to repair and maintain the breaches between the Six Realms. With troubles now surfacing from the Pond, I can only surmise that something is wrong with where he is now.”

The Three Emperors?

Xiao Chen swallowed. The final key in the ancient scroll belonging to Fengxi was precisely the phrase “the Three Emperors” and Xian’er could well be the spirit manifesting from the Three Emperors Grand Formation. “What was the role of the Three Emperors in this?”

“It’s not a myth,” Zhiluan said suddenly, “How else do you think the Six Realms can remain until today?”

“You know something do you, Leopard Cat Spirit??” Xiao Chen said grimly, “Spit it out.”

A dreadful horripilation tingled down his spine: there must still be secrets about his resurrection after thousands of years; secrets that could only be connected to everything happening now which were absolutely no coincidence! Be that as it may, he knew too little to reach any conclusions of his own.

“Humph. I’ve told you all that I know. The end of days is close, and all of you lot are only obsessed about some puny Immortal’s Sword Assembly… Come to think of it, this tournament of yours is fishy too…”

A voice rang from outside, interrupting them, “Big Brother Xiao Chen!”

Xiao Chen turned, gasping, “Xian’er…”

Murong Xian’er rushed in, almost falling, and dove into him. “I thought you’re not coming back anymore, Big Brother,” she wailed.

Xiao Chen stroked her hair, feeling it coursing between his fingers as a knot tightened in his gut. “It’s all fine now. Big Brother is back…”

“Boo hoo…”

No one spoke a word, until Zhiluan paced over slowly. “Li-little one?”

Murong Xian’er’s head rose up. Dewy drops of tears clung to her eyelashes and cheeks as she choked and gasped, “Who’s this weird and strange cat?”

Zhiluan untied the bundle hanging from its neck and rummaged inside for a dried fish jerky. “Do you love fish?”

Murong Xian’er covered her nose with a hand. “I don’t want it…”

A bright red patch blazed on Zhiluan’s face. “B-but… It’s the best jerky I’ve made…”

Murong Xian’er stooped down and petted the lingzhi-shaped appendage on its head. She dug in her pockets and produced a deep-scarlet fruit; a magic fruit, and offered it to Zhiluan. “Have this.”

A gentle smile broke on Xiao Chen’s face. “Zhiluan seemed to have taken a liking for Xian’er, but where did the magic fruit come from?” His eyes traveled to Zi Mo and smirked wryly at the vexed expression on the old man. It must be a gift he had used to coax and cajole Xian’er when she had been crying during his disappearance.

Zhiluan held the magic fruit in its arms and peered at it hungrily before it wolfed it down. Still flustered beyond belief, it grunted, “Is, is there any more?”

That made Murong Xian’er spurted a giggle. “And a greedy cat you are too! I’ve no more left. I brought only one today and it was actually for Big Brother. You’ll have to wait for tomorrow!”

“Can you be more disgraceful, you worthless cat?” Xiao Chen hissed.

“As if I need you barking over my shoulders what to do,” Zhiluan muttered quietly.

Xian Chen ignored that last bit and went to Zi Mo, finding out more about the recent events. “Concern yourself no more with the events of the Burg, boy. I’ll make sure the higher-ups know about this. You just keep your head wrapped around the tournament.”

Xiao Chen nodded. “Very well. But please keep my return a secret, Senior.” He has a feeling that Xiaoyue was lurking around somewhere and was sure that she would appear again in a few days.

Later that day, Yu Yifeng, Luo Shangyan, and Li Muxue came quietly to visit him. They were relieved and pleased to see him safe and sound.

Most importantly, Xiao Chen was overjoyed to see that his friends have greatly improved in their training at the Violet Illusory Land. “What a magical place it must be,” he mused, “that even my progress seemed pale in comparison.” Yu Yifeng was merely a pace behind the actual Nascent Soul Realm while Luo Shangyan and Li Muxue were almost beyond the Core Forming Realm by now.

Xiao Chen would spend the next two days indoors with Murong Xian’er and Zhiluan. To no surprise of his, Xiaoyue did indeed return just after three days.

It was said when she reappeared, she made her entry in her ever so aloof and grandiose manner—the Fairy of the Thousand Feathers Sect, flying up high in the sky for everyone to see on her sword. The flutter of her robes and hair in the wind betrayed not a hint of uneasiness from her, instead, merely accentuating her calm and collected demeanor like the triumphant return of a king.

“Is that Fairy Xiaoyue?! Look! It’s true! Fairy Xiaoyue has returned!”

News of her returned blazed across the huge city-state with immense alacrity. Before long, disciples and acolytes flocked the squares and parterres, hoping to catch a glimpse of her as buzzing murmurs rose under her feet below.

She surveyed everything and everyone below her in the same disdainful manner she always carried before she found Xiao Chen. She descended gracefully and wore the same exaggerated smile as their eyes met amidst the crowd. “I see Master Xiao you’ve made it back safely.”

“WHAT?! XIAO CHEN IS BACK!” Another loud exclamation blared across the thronging mob like trumpets of war.

Xiao Chen leaped into the air and glided to the center of the square where he landed in front of Xiaoyue. “Indeed. It is also equally comforting to see you alive and well.” But he was sneering on the inside. “And how in the earth did you realize that I was missing too?”

As if reading his thoughts, Xiaoyue smiled. “Please do not misunderstand me, Master Xiao. I’ve heard of your disappearance when I’ve just returned. Imagine my surprise when the ill news hit me.” A flash gleamed in her eyes.

Xiao Chen felt a shudder. “Could it be?! She has reached full Nascent Soul! Heavens, this woman is so dangerous…”

“It’s Xiao Chen! It’s really Xiao Chen!”

A shrill voice yelled from the crowd, confirming Xiao Chen’s return. Standing in the bosom of the swarming masses of anxious and curious onlookers, were a few Elders of the League, Zuoqiu Yang, and Ling Fei; all of whom had come to see with their own eyes the news now spreading across the city with unbridled fervor.

A cold fury burned in Zuoqiu Yang’s eyes. He was pleased. He was very close to breaching the Nascent Soul Realm but Xiao Chen was still the same Xiao Chen from two months ago. There was no way Xiao Chen could beat him now and he was absolutely certain of it.

But his budding faith in himself did not last long: a dashing young man, Su Zimu of Clan Su was watching nearby. A faint smile curled on the edges of his lips. “Impressive. How many people can survive the utter collapse of a domain, I wonder, and what more tricks does this man hold?”

The Elders waded through the crowds of people and one of them asked when they finally got to the pair still eyeing cautiously at each other, “Are you the only ones who had returned? What about Huangfu Xin’er of the Heartless Palace?”

But before he could finish, a chilly wave rippled across the square like a tide of cold wave, making everyone curdling with shivers. Another voice clamored, “That’s Huangfu Xin’er of the Heartless Palace! She’s also back!”

A red, shadowy figure perched atop a large and old oak at the south side of the square, overlooking the entire scene like a watchful eagle, was Huangfu Xin’er in her robes of blood-red.

Murmurs and whispers began humming all around. All three of the contestants who had gone missing more than two months ago had all returned simultaneously on the very same day after all attempts to locate and rescue them had failed! What an uncanny coincidence!

And in spite of everything, these three have survived the utter destruction of a domain. Only these three were worthy of being revered as the best and the strongest!