Chapter 368: I'll be Waiting For You on the 18th Level
"Why go to such lengths for me, risking offense?" the Phoenix Empress asked. The notion that many might die for her seemed a folly too grand.
In her moment of sorrow, Yun Xiao's eyesor rather the very eye of the Prison Warden Sigil, flared open amidst the mists.
"Found you," he declared, his gaze piercing through the gloom to lock onto a shadowy figure.
With a buzz, Yun Xiao, cold and detached, rode his Sovereign Sword with lethal precision, closing in on the shadow's trail.
The shadow, wielding a sword of its own, fled in panic and rage, unprepared for the audacity of those from this world.
"Little brother," a chilling voice called from behind.
Yuan Jian felt a shiver as darkness engulfed him. Whirling around, he was met with a massive azure blade thrust before him, its tip piercing his chest and pinning him against the wall.
"You! You!" Yuan Jian trembled, gazing at the gaping wound, his body convulsing.
Yun Xiao leapt down, his Heaven Burial Sword Soul transforming into a gleaming azure edge.
As Yuan Jian's face twisted in terror, about to scream, Yun Xiao's blade plunged into his open mouth, emerging from the back of his skull, nailing the boy to the Immortal Asylum's wall.
Yuan Jian's limbs twitched before going limp.
"My god," the Phoenix Empress cursed under her breath, turning to witness this chilling scene.
With Yuan Jian's death, the golden cage binding her finally loosened. Despite her freedom, she was drenched in sweat.
"Yun Xiao, you cunning fox..." In a moment straight out of a tall tale, she found herself at a loss for words.
With a sound as final as a door slamming shut, she saw Yun Xiao, fresh from dispatching Yuan Jian, not resting on his laurels but rather, skewering the defeated's spine with his Heaven Burial Sword Soul.
The Phoenix Empress, dumbstruck, watched as dark layers of Sword Aura gathered on the blade morphed into Yun Xiao's own Sword Aura. "He's devouring another's Sword Soul..." she realized, her skin crawling at the thought.
Then, as if performing a magician's trick, Yun Xiao plucked several black and white meridians from Yuan Jian, weaving them into his own being with a finesse that turned the stomach.
"What the hell is this?" the Phoenix Empress' voice quivered with fear and confusion.
"Devil Breaker Meridians, with a touch of holy attribute for flavor, useful for refining and improving the purity of my sacred power. It'll beef up the Nine Heavens Star Meridians quite nicely," Yun Xiao explained, as if discussing the weather.
"What? What?" The Phoenix Empress was hopelessly lost.
"That's the point. If you understood, you'd be next on my list," Yun Xiao quipped with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, a threat hanging in the air. Then, with the ease of a practiced thief, he stripped Yuan Jian of his Bag of Holding and drained him dry of blood.
With a buzz, what remained of Yuan Jian, now a useless husk, dissolved into black liquid under the corrosive touch of the Heaven Burial Sword Soul, leaving not a trace behind.
Having tidied up his affairs, Yun Xiao turned to the golden cage and then back to the Phoenix Empress, "Can you walk?"
"Not on your life..." Truth be told, the Phoenix Empress, fearless in the face of heaven and earth, felt a genuine flicker of fear towards this man.
"And what would you have me do?" Yun Xiao inquired.
"I... I need you to carry me," she mumbled, her pride taking a nosedive.
"Your wish is my command," Yun Xiao responded. With a wave of his hand, a white torrent surged from him, solidifying into a Four-Tailed Demon Fox beside him. In a blink, the creature transformed into a silver-robed figure with fox ears, an enigmatic blend of male and female charm.
"Well, I'll be..." The Phoenix Empress slumped to the ground.
"Only you guessed his true identity, so, you understand the consequences of betrayal, right?" Yun Xiao and Moon Fairy spoke in unison, a chilling harmony.
"Only a fool would betray a freak of nature like you," the Phoenix Empress quipped, her voice tinged with a mix of awe and apprehension.
"Come on then," Moon Fairy beckoned, his four fox tails swirling invitingly.
Without a moment's hesitation, the Phoenix Empress clambered onto his back, clinging to Moon Fairy's neck as if her life depended on it. Nestling close, she murmured affectionately, "This little fox is far easier on the eyes. Humans just try too hard."
Yun Xiao, for his part, couldn't be bothered with her antics.
To her, they might be one and the same, but to Yun Xiao, the distinction was clear as day. His body double was just thata double, not a vessel for shared emotions or intimate encounters meant for him alone. The women in his life, he reasoned, wouldn't take kindly to being approached by a fox, no matter how charming.
And that suited him just fine. Being Yun Xiao meant juggling two distinct livesa luxury that brought him no small measure of delight.
With a hum, he led the way, a motley crew of man, fox, and bird navigating the shadows of the Immortal Asylum. The throng outside the gates meant a discreet exit was in order.
"What's the plan now?" the Phoenix Empress inquired, her voice softening.
"You're to vanish into the Primeval Demon Hell, play dead. Until I say otherwise, you're to keep out of sight," Moon Fairy instructed, his tone brooking no argument.
"So, we pin our death on the Nian?" she prodded for clarity.
"No need for scapegoats. The fact remains that they vanished in the Immortal Asylum. Let them speculate on the culprit," Moon Fairy replied.
"And you weren't seen?" the Phoenix Empress pressed, seeking reassurance.
"Of course not. I made sure of that,"
"Oh" With a coy smile, the Phoenix Empress planted a kiss on Moon Fairy's cheek, her voice dripping with mock indignation. "So, you had plans to rescue me all along, you tsundere! Acting all indifferent, yet here you are, risking it all for me."
Moon Fairy just chuckled.
"What's this? A soul inside?" the Demon Queen asked, eyeing the fox ear pendant.
"My first sugar mama..." Moon Fairy confessed.
"???" The Demon Queen, irked, tugged at his ear, "So, you're a professional gigolo, huh? Spill it, how many more are there?"
"Just the two of you."
"Hmph," she huffed, still not quite satisfied but willing to let it slidefor now.
"You oughta tip your hat to her," Moon Fairy suddenly said.
"Why's that?"
"Once upon a time, I was too green, couldn't save her. Took that regret," he paused, taking a breath, "to spur me into saving a demon like you at the risk of making an enemy out of the Primordial Ruins."
"Well, that does pluck the heartstrings," the Phoenix Empress pinched his ear, "But can you drop the human tone? Grates on my ears. I miss the sassy yet polite little fox."
"That was all an act..."
"I'm begging you, keep the show going," she implored.
"Alright then..." With a mix of laughter and tears, Moon Fairy tickled her with his four tails, coaxing giggles and squeals of delight. Clearly, she was smitten with the fox, not the man.
"Playing with my body double like this? Intriguing," Yun Xiao mused, tempted to conjure a few more. Each double, a different chapter, a new facet to his Worldly Dao Heart. He just had to avoid developing a split personality.
"Doesn't it twist your melon?" Blue Star suddenly chimed in.
"How so?" Yun Xiao asked.
"Back in the Divine Continent, you were offing demons for humans. Now, you're offing humans for a demon. Seems like you've lost your compass," Blue Star's question was a dart to the heart.
"Your words sound dire, but they're empty," Yun Xiao said, unruffled.
"How's that?"
"If principles are rigid, the follower becomes numb. My allegiance is to my people on the grand stage, but on a personal vendetta, I play by my own rules. Or else how would I be any different from those zealots?"
Yun Xiao glanced back at his body double and the Phoenix Empress, continuing, "If there's to be an unchanging principle, it's myself. Everything comes from the heart. Setting doctrines only blocks my path. Why bother?"
His actions weren't a sign of losing his way, but of his moral compass maturing, understanding better how to wield his reborn abilities for the world.
Upon entering the Nine Hells, the tables turned; no longer were demons oppressing humans. Yun Xiao would quell them, ensuring the greatest gain for humanity, but the total annihilation in the Demon Continent was a one-time deal.
He was after bigger fish. Like the peril of the Nian. That was the kind of challenge that could truly grow his Worldly Dao Heart.
"Bravo, you've broadened your horizons, seeing things from a wider perspective now," Blue Star commended.
"Of course," Yun Xiao replied with a chuckle.
"Except you're a bit of a scatterbrain! We've met a fox and a chicken so far, but you still haven't found a woman cow yet for your reliable old reddy," Red Moon lamented.
"..." Yun Xiao was at a loss for words...
Soon, they approached the neighboring Bound Gate.
Using his body double, Yun Xiao reminded the Phoenix Empress, "Remember, once we're out, you're dead to the world."
"Got it, how annoying," she retorted.
At the gate, Moon Fairy bid her a reluctant farewell.
Yun Xiao was also ready to depart, to return to the stronghold in the Nine Hells. The War Princess wouldn't last much longer without the Blood Base being returned.
Just then, a rustle came from behind!
Yun Xiao and his body double turned, their brows furrowed.
From the darkness, soft footsteps approached, accompanied by a massive shadow looming closer.
Soon, it stood before Yun Xiao!
"Hmm?" A chill ran down Yun Xiao's spine, a feeling more terrifying than encountering the Year Beast.
This was a giant beast, akin to an ape, covered in black fur.
The creature that stole the show was a marvel with three heads and six arms, each head sporting a different expression: joy, rage, and sorrow. And it was with a look of sorrow that it gazed upon Yun Xiao.
But the real kicker, the thing that really made one's hair stand on end, was what it held in its grasp, a young man in a black robe, with hair smooth as silk and eyes shut tight. Yun Xiao's eyes were drawn to the young man's chest, where a dark vortex swirled, a sight so bewildering it could make a cat laugh.
"Can't be!" Blue Star's eyes shook with disbelief, as if he'd seen a ghost at noon.
"What is it?" Yun Xiao, puzzled, asked.
"That's not a being from this Dao Realm! This can't be..."
Blue Star grew anxious, retreating into Yun Xiao's embrace as if seeking shelter from a storm.
Just then, the black-robed youth spoke up, "You, are you the Primogential Spirit of this Dao Realm? What a sorry state you're in."
"Primogenital Spirit?" Yun Xiao's gaze sharpened.
The youth's eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of deep red orbs.
"I'll be waiting for you on the 18th level."
With those parting words, he and the three-headed six-armed wonder vanished into a mist, leaving Yun Xiao standing there, mouth agape, in a mix of awe and confusion.
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