827 14.103 Last Violet Star – (Past) Nest of Demonic Creatures
In the vicinity of the Lan Zhuayun Sect’s Territories, at the lifeless lake.
They had to come out together to complete the investigation task at this infamous dead lake, which is well renowned for its strange aura which fishes do not even dare to live within. After being barred at the gates of the Sect by his own betrothed, the First Young master Yun had no other choice but to bring Bai Qiyin with him. The scene of the lake itself is stunning, and the water is so clear that it is possible to view the whole lake from the surface.
The lake appears to have no bottom due to the abundance of black stones at its base. Yun Huaxi flew over the lake and watched it as they rode on his flying sword. The almost translucent lake under Bai Qiyin’s feet caught his attention as he soared on the same blade as his Dao Companion, who as he was still unable to fly on his own. The use of a flying sword can only be used by a cultivator at Peak Establishment Foundation stage and above. Yun Huaxia is at Golden Core Stage while Bai Qiyin is only at the fifth-level Establishment Cultivation Stage. Thus, the latter couldn’t fly yet.
Bai Qiyin said, “Wow~ this lake is so clean that I can almost see what’s inside it.”
“Yin’er, don’t lean too much. You might fall,” warned Yun Huaxia. “Hold on to me. I will try to get closer to investigate.”
“Okay. I promise I won’t move around,” said Bai Qiyin as he firmly hugged Yun Huaxia’s waist.
As First Young Master Yun reduced the elevation of his flying sword to approach the ocean, he exercised control over it. He could see something at the bottom of the lake because of how clean the water was, but Yun Huaxia can only make out a bedrock made of dark stones that shines brightly when sunlight touches it. Nearing twilight made it difficult for Yun Huaxia and Bai Qiyin to see the lake’s bottom.
Bai Qiyin said, “Wow~ so many black stones. It looks like an obsidian gemstone from afar. Hm? Brother Hua! Look at that! There’s a rare crimson glowing stone among the black ones. Huh? Why is it multiplying?”
“Yin’er! Don’t reach out your hand in the water!?” yelled Yun Huaxia.
.....
Yun Huaxia was initially astounded to see the strange shining red stones beneath the lake, especially in the direction that his beloved had just indicated, but as soon as their number grew, he sensed danger approaching from below and within the lake. He quickly gave Bai Qiyin a hug before commanding his sword to rise once again. As predicted, First Young Master Yun’s hypothesis that the red stones beneath the lake weren’t gemstones was correct. As opposed to that, there were the glowing red eyes of demonic entities, who were sparsely populated under the lake.
Growl~ roar~
Numerous dark monsters, shaped like monster fish and seaweed, sprang from the lake’s bottom. They were all aiming for Bai Qiyin and Yun Huaxia, who approached the river’s surface.
“Ahhhh!! What are those!? Sea monsters?” gasps Bai Qiyin.
Yun Huaxia hugged his sweetheart and cut through the first wave of monsters when he was standing on the lake. They were unable to go off right away due to Bai Qiyin’s hand becoming briefly trapped. Yun Huaxia, a user of the water element, has control over a portion of the lake and can create water swords to slay the monsters.
“Darling, this is a lake, not a sea,” said Yun Huaxia.
Bai Qiyin said, “So... A lake monster then...?”
Sigh~
“Okay, you win,” said the First Young Master Yun. “But these things don’t seem to be ordinary monsters.”
“My brother says creatures with glowing red eyes are demonic beings and the only useful element against them is Ice. Since Brother Hua’s water blade injured them they shouldn’t be demonic creatures,” explained Bai Qiyin.
Yun Huaxia looked at the colorless surface of the clean lake. He scowled and tightened his grip on Bai Qiyin as the bad feeling persisted.
“Does your brother say what color demonic beast blood is?” asked Yun Huaxia.
Bai Qiyin nodded his head and said, “Brother said they have purple-colored blood. Since most of them feed on poison due to the miasma in the Infernal Region.”
“No way! Yin’er, I’ll support you by attacking them with ice elements. My water blade didn’t hurt it at all. These things are demonic creatures and there’s a huge nest of them at the bottom of the lake!” said Yun Huaxia as he carried his lover and tried to fly away.
All of a sudden, a large number of creatures emerged from the water and began to surround them.
They were unable to fly away, and Bai Qiyin was forced to blast one side of the monsters in order to freeze them. He also ordered Yun Huaxia to clear a route. However, Bai Qiyin is simply a fifth-level Establishment Foundation cultivator. His qi was drained so quickly.
Bai Qiyin spoke, “B-Brother Hua... My qi... is running out too fast. What should we do?!”
“I’ll transfer my qi to you. Darling, do your best! Only your elements are able to hurt them!” said Yun Huaxia as he finally used flares for emergency situations like this one. He didn’t care if the Xie Clan spies also got called off by his flares. His sect is closer than theirs anyway.
Whoosh~ Boom!
The crest of the Lan Zhuayun Sect may be seen in the sky as a white crest formed of white light. It was a flare that exhorted any Sect followers nearby to assist the person who lighted it.
Bai Qiyin was able to employ at least Peak Establishment Foundation power at this time after receiving the majority of Yun Huaxia’s qi. Despite Yun Huaxia’s best efforts, demonic monsters kept getting in the way of his attempts to access the land. Due to these demon creatures, the lake is so large that the duo could scarcely move one.
The Heir of the Bai Clan quickly began to pant from using too much qi. The situation for Yun Huaxia doesn’t appear to be good either, and his face was pale from using so much qi. They were in grave jeopardy. Bai Qiyin suddenly recalled the amulet his eldest brother had given to his siblings.
He presented Bai Qiyin with a necklace with snowflakes that were scarlet with blood.
“Brother handed me this defensive weapon, which can defend us eight times; use it, Brother Hua. Just add some qi.”
Cough!
Bai Qiyin coughs blood. His internal organs suffered a little injury as a result of overexertion. Upon viewing his lover’s condition, Yun Huaxia was anxious. He was shocked to see that his lover’s meridians were damaged. He instantly activated his lover’s protecting amulet with the rest of his qi and gave him a strong embrace.
The second wave of monsters was larger than the first one, it was thrice larger than before. Yun Huaxia thought that the barrier around them wouldn’t be able to block it but his beloved said something in a weak, giggling voice.
Bai Qiyin said, “Don’t worry, Brother Hua. Big brother says unless an immortal descends to attack us. It wouldn’t break no matter how many dared to attack the barrier. I guess we only need one part of the snowflake to protect us. Until my brother arrives.” Then he finally fainted in his dao companion’s embrace.
Yun Huaxia was astounded by the barrier’s ability to repel such a fierce onslaught coming from all sides. The barrier had totally protected the two of them, who was uninjured.
“An Immortal-grade amulet? How come A’Wuan had such a type of thing?” he wondered. Yun Huaxia murmured as he struggled to circulate his qi and enter a state of meditation in order to make up for the lost power he and his lover had suffered.
Suddenly, he remembered a few things that his younger brother and lover had previously said something to him as if they were a solution to all of his heart’s concerns.
Bai Qiyin’s words:
‘My brother suddenly appeared one day and I don’t know where he comes from. But mother says we are connected to him by blood and must treat him as our elder brother.’
‘There are times my brother would leave for a mission and we don’t know where he goes to but he wouldn’t forget to inform us he is safe.’
‘This amulet is a gift from big brother. Both I and Lili received one. He says it was strong enough to block a full attack from an immortal and each stem of snowflakes signifies the chances it can be used. Mine and Lili both had 8 branched snowflakes.’
Yun Xiajie’s words:
‘Brother, I always feel that Jing’ er is so biased toward me ever since we met the first time. Do you think there’s a reason for it?’
‘My natal weapon. Do you still remember it, Brother? Jing’er also has one and... He was able to touch mine and was able to hold his. Don’t you think it’s strange? As if he already knew a lot of things but it’s knowledge not from this realm?’
‘Brother, do you think Jing’er is... sigh~ forget about it.’
Yun Huaxia, at last, understood why he had always thought that this disciple called Bai Wuan is strange enough as if he had discovered a piece of the puzzle that had been missing. His skill is on par with or better than his younger brother’s, and his cultivation is too high for his age. There are no events that have impacted his younger brother, and what has changed him must also be tied to Bai Wuan. His younger brother’s rapid rise in power, a strength that was concealed from everyone that was greater than his own, and even knowledge of the Devil Race that was unknown to even the seniors.
Yun Huaxia mumbled, “Is he a reincarnated immortal? One with memories of his past life, unlike his younger brother. If this is true then... All his other actions and reactions can be explained. This amulet can only be found in the immortal realm. I wonder if he can give one as well if I ask.”
While the First Young Master Yun was grumbling to himself, the Demonic entities were getting irate as the barrier around Yun Huaxia and Bai Qiyin refused to shatter no matter what they did. This time, they gathered to drag them into the lake’s depths, which alarmed Yun Huaxia.
Dumbfounded Yun Huaxia exclaims, “Are they for real? They wanted to drag us down under the lake. Even though I don’t know how long this amulet can last, we can’t live underwater!”
While the First Young Master Yun desperately battled every demon that attempted to take them underwater due to the sheer number of them and that he hadn’t fully healed yet, they were still being dragged down no matter what he did.
Cough!
After coughing a mouthful of blood from overconsumption of qi, Yun Huaxia weakened as he mumbled, “It would be bad if we got dragged underwater before the reinforcement arrived.”
Suddenly, the environment surrounding him had chilled to below zero degrees, and the lake’s surface had turned solid. His sweetheart, Bai Qiyin, had previously employed a similar technique, but this ice is considerably sturdy and colder than the ice Bai Qiyin uses.
When he looked up, he noticed Bai Wuan perched on Yun Xiajie’s flying sword and gazed down at the lake with a cold expression. The two descended and landed down close by. The demonic creatures were extremely hesitant to approach these recognized prey that had entered the nest as soon as they felt the aura coming from Bai Wuan who was standing at the frozen surface of the lake.
The demonic entities felt particularly vulnerable in the presence of Bai Wuan as if he were an adversary created to destroy them. They hesitated before attacking them. Yun Xiajie came up to his brother and knocked on the surface of the barrier.
knock. knock.
Yun Xiajie says, “Deactivate the protective amulet, brother. I will bring you to the shore.”
“Un! A’Wuan, be careful. There’s a huge nest of demonic creatures under the lake,” said Yun Huaxia after lowering the barrier and carrying the unconscious Bai Wuan in his embrace.
Yun Huaxia noticed Bai Wuan looking at his brother and even personally checking his pulse.
“Slightly injured meridians. He must have over-exerted his dormant Yin physique which is about to completely awaken. But his qi is depleted,” said Bai Wuan as he pulled a small jar filled with Qi Gathering pills and gave it to Yun Huaxia.
Bai Wuan spoke once again, “Elder Brother Yun, please feed him some pills and transfer some qi to him so he would be able to wake up. Once he wakes up, stay away from him. Once his physique had undergone awakening everything around him would be frozen. As for the demonic creatures in the lake, A’Xia and I can handle them alone.”
With reluctance, the Second Young Master Yun released his lover’s hand and assisted his elder brother in flying towards the shore. After securing the two injured individuals on the land, he went back to his beloved’s side and supported him.
“Jing’er what do you want me to do?” asked Yun Xiajie.
Bai Wuan responded, “Can you capture them all and pull them out of the lake using water elements?”
Yun Xiajie nodded his head and concentrated on controlling the water elements around him. His precise control over this element prevents the demonic beings he imprisoned in a water ball and at one move pulled them all out of the lake. As soon as the huge water ball filled with demonic creatures appeared above the lake Bai Wuan used eternal Ice to freeze it.
Then, with mastery over their flying swords, the two of them destroyed all evil creatures in the lake. The lake now has taken on its previous tranquil state, but the fish, as usual, remain unwilling to survive in such death-qi-infused water.