Chapter 373: Lian Xi's Dream
"Eh?" Yun Xiao stood outside the gate, puzzled. He thought the worst was over, but then, the Immortal Asylum erupted with even fiercer sounds of battle.
"What's the deal? Those Primordial Guards seemed pretty tough; who could possibly stand against them?" Yun Xiao wondered.
Just a moment ago, that golden-eyed youth, Yuan Wu, boasted about beating the fiery-haired Old Immortal.
"Could it be that the Nian played a trick, and was aiming for the Primordial Guards all along? Is that why it didn't chase after you guys and dive straight into the rest of the Nine Hells after breaking down the gate?" Blue Star raised an eyebrow.
"Likely so." Yun Xiao had found it odd before; the Nian seemed in no rush. He thought maybe it failed to devour the powerhouses of the Nine Hells due to its weakened state... but was there more to it?
Frowning, Yun Xiao asked, "What if its nourishment shifted from the cultivators of the Nine Hells to those 250 Primordial Guards? What then?"
"They're no ordinary warriors; they're the cream of the crop, mostly Seeds of Creation. Each one's worth their weight in gold, a match for hundreds, if not thousands of Talisman Emperors..." Blue Star's eyes widened, "If that's the case, we're in deep trouble!"
"If the Nian breaks free completely because of this, the whole Nine Hells is doomed, maybe even the Divine Continent!" Yun Xiao wasn't overthinking; the commotion in the Immortal Asylum grew louder, despairing screams echoing within.
These weren't the cries of the Old Immortals. They had to be the Primordial Guards!
Such divine beings, driven to despair only by something truly terrifying.
"Change in the Immortal Asylum, everyone pull back another 100 miles!" Yun Xiao immediately decided to disperse the surrounding cultivators.
This wasn't a time for internal strife. If things got out of hand, it could spell disaster for all beings in the world, rendering personal gains meaningless in the face of such a calamity.
As Yun Xiao dispersed the crowd, he coldly watched the gate, hoping he was wrong.
But in that moment, harsh reality struck!
BUZZ! Out from the gate burst two figures, one in white and one in gold. It was Yuan Wu and Zhang Qingwei!
Zhang Qingwei was somewhat okay, her armor torn, with a few scratches on her legs. But Yuan Wu seemed worse for wear, one arm possibly broken, his face marred by dense claw marks, nearly losing an eye.
The real terror was hot on their heels! Yun Xiao caught sight of a swarm of fiery-haired Old Immortals, roaring and giving chase, their numbers too many to count. Among the last to flee, a few Primordial Guards barely stepped out of the Immortal Asylum before being tackled to the ground. In moments, they were torn to shreds, devoured by the pursuing horde in a ghastly spectacle.
"Damn..." The sight of so many fiery-haired Old Immortals clued Yun Xiao in on their grim fate. "They must've gobbled up all the Primordial Guards!" A disaster of historic proportions was unfolding.
What to do? Before Yun Xiao could even process the situation, Zhang Qingwei was suddenly at his side, her arm snatching him by the waist and whisking him into the air. "Move!" Her voice was cold, brooking no argument, her grip iron-tight, leaving Yun Xiao gasping for breath.
BOOM! They landed aboard a colorful divine vessel. Zhang Qingwei tossed Yun Xiao onto the deck, took the helm, and with a swift turn, the vessel burst forth, soaring skyward!
A horde of fiery-haired Old Immortals followed, their presence alone a sheer terror. Thankfully, the vessel seemed to be shielded by a magical array, repelling the attackers and ascending higher, momentarily out of danger.
Leaning over the rail, Yun Xiao looked down to see the Old Immortals retreating back to the Immortal Asylum. Then, the asylum erupted in the most violent upheaval ever witnessed. The land for miles around cracked open, rivers stopped flowing, volcanoes erupteda veritable doomsday scene!
A long-suppressed roar of brutality and ferocity burst from the asylum, shaking the divine vessel to its core and scattering the dark clouds above.
BOOM! The roar echoed across the Nine Hells, reaching every creature, instilling a universal dread of the end of times.
From that moment on, it seemed no soul could escape the looming doom. A calamity year it was!
"Could it truly be? Set fully free?" Yun Xiao's eyes were red with dread. Perhaps before, its imprisonment in the depths was a distant tale, irrelevant to the common folk. But now, as it broke free, no one could remain untouched by the ensuing chaos.
Who would bear the brunt? The Nine Hells, a sealed world, offered no escape.
With each tremor of the Immortal Asylum, it felt like a direct blow to Yun Xiao's heart. Some disasters, yet to unfold, were already foreseencountless lives lost, widespread mourning, a world in torment...
And there was Yun Xiao, whisked away on this divine vessel of escape. He turned to look at the two companions sharing his fateYuan Wu and Zhang Qingwei.
"My brother's still down there!" Yuan Wu stood, blood dripping from his face, his voice heavy as he addressed Zhang Qingwei.
"What do you mean he's still there? He's probably long been eaten," Zhang Qingwei retorted, her tone icy as she steered the vessel.
"You..." Yuan Wu looked down, witnessing the Nian's frenzy, his heart skipping a beat. "Zhang Qingwei, your Primordial Guards fed it, causing this disaster. The blame is on you!"
A cold laugh escaped Zhang Qingwei. "So quick to shift the blame? Typical of your family, clinging to your so-called noble traditions."
"Weren't the Primordial Guards yours?" Yuan Wu glared back.
"Indeed! But I was merely following orders. You, on the other hand, with your arrogance and misinformation, have caused the death of my comrades. Their families won't let you off easily. I will report this to my superiors. Right and wrong will be judged by those who see clearly, not by your baseless accusations," Zhang Qingwei retorted with a sneer.
"Shameless," Yuan Wu paused, then suddenly turned his gaze to Yun Xiao, his voice turning venomous. "So you brought him as a witness to clear your name?"
Before Zhang Qingwei could respond, Yuan Wu lunged, his palm striking towards Yun Xiao's head with the force of a collapsing palace, the air splitting before the blow even landed.
BOOM! A blur of green and white appeared before Yun Xiao, sending the golden-eyed youth flying with a punch, blood spraying as he tumbled across the deck. It was Zhang Qingwei.
"Injured as you are, best not court death. I'd rather not lose my only witness," she stated coldly.
"Bravo! Bravo!" the golden-eyed youth sneered, spitting a mouthful of dark blood and glaring daggers at Zhang Qingwei. "Look at you, lowborn, daring to stand against me. Spare a thought for your kin and pals; pitiful lot, they are."
Zhang Qingwei just shook her head, gesturing towards the chaos below. "The Nine Hells face catastrophe, countless souls on the brink, and here you are, shirking blame. You're the epitome of low."
"Ha! Look who's high and mighty now. Sitting pretty in the Primordial Ruins, acting all holier-than-thou. That's rich!" Yuan Wu, clutching his aching chest, burst into laughter, his eyes fixed on Yun Xiao in a silent threat. If Yun Xiao dared speak against him, he'd better weigh the consequences.
"A polite and cultured man shows his true colors when faced with adversity..." Yun Xiao wasn't surprised by such human nature; Yuan Wu's indulgence in his brother's misdeeds was telling enough.
Yun Xiao had bigger fish to fry, more concerned about the impending doom of the Nine Hells than engaging in petty squabbles.
The colorful divine vessel buzzed out of the Nine Hells, venturing into the boundless void. Zhang Qingwei, no longer at the helm, gestured for Yun Xiao to follow her into the cabin.
She settled into a high seat, opening a vial of a golden elixir to tend to her arm. With a flick, she opened her breastplate. What was once a solid became fluid, the milk swirling in the air, captivating yet unspilled.
"I've got a wound on my back, help me with it," she said nonchalantly, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
"Alright." Yun Xiao, calm as still water, took the jade vial and moved behind her. There, on her fair skin, hung several gory wounds, possibly left by the beast, misted with blood.
Dabbing some of the golden elixir onto her wounds, Zhang Qingwei winced, her muscles tensing in silence.
After a while, she covered up and asked, "Got something on your mind?"
"You shouldn't have taken me. My fate is with the Nine Hells," Yun Xiao replied.
"With the Nian unleashed, overpoweringly so, staying would've done you no good," Zhang Qingwei retorted bluntly.
"Abandoning the common folk to save one's own skin doesn't make a true path to enlightenment," Yun Xiao stated with gravity.
Zhang Qingwei chuckled in response. "Yuan Wu doesn't grasp this concept, yet he's far stronger than you. What does that tell you? In the pursuit of the Heavenly Dao, the heart of the path isn't crucial. Bloodline, heritage, status, powerthose are what truly matter."
Yun Xiao locked eyes with her, choosing silence over words.
"Consider it from another angle. The real solution to the Nian crisis likely lies within the Primordial Ruins. Instead of waiting here for death, it's wiser to seek help or opportunities there," Zhang Qingwei suggested lightly.
"Could the Primordial Ruins really ignore such a massive crisis?" Yun Xiao countered.
"I wouldn't know about that! Everything is a matter of cost-effectiveness. If the loss is too great, the effort too much, and the results minimal... why should the heavens falling concern us?" Zhang Qingwei laughed, her sarcasm not directed at herself.
But she had a point. In such circumstances, the sooner Yun Xiao reached the Primordial Ruins, the sooner he might find a way to avert the catastrophe.
Staying in the Nine Hells, with limited resources, he was powerless.
Plus, with his body double, the War Princess, and Pale Revenant back there, he had a safety net in the Nine Hells, capable of handling matters in his stead.
He needed to head to the Primordial Ruins at once!
And as fate would have it, the Primordial Ruins were just above the Nine Hells.
"The Primordial Ruins will be anchored nearby for about a month," Zhang Qingwei suddenly added.
"Understood," Yun Xiao nodded. "Besides testifying for you, what else should I do?"
He recalled their first meeting; even before the Primordial Guards were completely gone, she had mentioned taking him up.
"Oh, almost slipped my mind." Zhang Qingwei looked up, her gaze deepening as she spoke with an odd tone, "Lian Xi has been having a strange dream for a month."
"Lian Xi, dreaming?" Yun Xiao was taken aback.
Who was this?
What was her dream about?
Zhang Qingwei didn't leave Yun Xiao in suspense for long, continuing, "In her dreams, there's a man named Yun Xiao. According to her description, he's the most handsome man in the world."
"..." Yun Xiao was speechless.
Zhang Qingwei suddenly burst into laughter, shaking her head, "She says, every night, she meets this brother in her dreams... and he's not exactly gentle."
"..." Yun Xiao was stunned again.
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