Volume 2: Fuzhu Huodou
Divine Wood as a Bridge.
At that moment, between heaven and earth, aside from the water and fire that had been eternally incompatible for thousands of years, there was only a dead silence.
Huodou quietly gazed at the Fuzhu before it. In its crimson pupils, the boundless resentment that even the heavy rain could not wash away began to burn, inch by inch, like a raging flame.
“Jian Li, you’re always like this,” Huodou said softly. “From the very first time we saw each other, you’ve always been this way, desperately fighting against me to protect those people who have nothing to do with you.”
Her voice was so soft, yet the words she spoke echoed heavily like giant boulders in this broken world.
At that moment, in the midst of the downpour, she began to softly speak the words she had wanted to say to Fuzhu for so many years.
“Jian Li, you’re so kind… We’re clearly the same, born to be seen as fierce beasts, despised and driven away by others. I wish I could burn this world to the ground, yet you still side with those humans and immortal gods who want nothing more than to make us disappear from this world!” As she spoke, her tone took on a hint of grievance. “I once hated them so much, yet you insisted on telling me to let go of my hatred…”
“Let it go, so I let it go… You told me to let it go, so I did. See how obedient I was?” Huodou said, gently lying down and resting its large, rain-drenched head in front of the Fuzhu, lowering itself to be at eye level. “You said I would come to like Mount Ao’an and that I would also like the appearance of a human… Clearly, clearly I was just a little bit away from feeling like I liked all of it. But why, why did you leave?”
“Why? You’re so good to everyone, so why do you despise only me?” she asked aggrievedly, asking again and again the question that had gone unanswered for over two thousand years.
“I have never despised you…” Fuzhu wanted to move closer.
But just as she stepped forward, Huodou stood up and retreated a few steps.
“Do you know what it feels like to lose your heart-soul1, to be filled with hatred, and to be trapped in a place where you never see the light of day, living in a daze for over two thousand years?” Huodou said softly, its voice low. “In every brief moment of clarity, I can’t help but think of you… And every time I think of you, I don’t know whether I should feel resentment or hatred, or if I should try to hold on to every bit of gentleness you ever showed me in my memories…”
Fuzhu looked up at Huodou, her mouth opening and closing, hesitating for a long time before finally managing to say just one thing: “I’m sorry…”
It turned out that the child who had once tried with all her might to get close to her had long since been thoroughly and completely wounded by her during two thousand years of lonely, deathless existence.
“I’m done wagging my tail and begging for your pity.” Huodou said, turning around to look at the other side of the cliff. “A few days ago, I don’t know who hid the spiritual aura of the Golden Crow and the Fusang, which made me search for a long time. Fortunately, the monk can run, but the temple can’t2. I only had to wait here for a day, and they came to throw themselves into the net3.”
“Jian Li, don’t be hasty. As long as I kill the Golden Crow and the Fusang, there will naturally be a place for me in this world. When that time comes, I will take you there and seal your power so that you can never leave me again.” She spoke in the most innocent tone, saying words like a demon’s. “Don’t you like protecting humans? Just you try and see if you can still protect them today!”
Hearing this, Yi Qiu finally understood why Huodou was willing to work for the Yi Bird.
Two thousand years ago, Huodou committed such a great crime and believed it could never return to Mount Ao’an. Even if it could capture Fuzhu, it would still be homeless. At this time, the Yi Bird promised it a place to stay, and the condition for this exchange was very simple: kill the Golden Crow and the Fusang, who were currently undergoing a tribulation in the mortal realm and had not yet awakened their divine power.
Yi Qiu could feel that Huodou missed its former life on Mount Ao’an. It wanted a home like that so badly that it was willing to be used by whoever would give it one.
And that was exactly what was happening right now!
In an instant, a murderous aura erupted from Huodou’s body. A massive vortex of heavenly fire suddenly appeared in the sky. In the depths of that vortex was a black flame as silent as the abyss, like an eye gazing upon this world that could be turned to ash at any moment.
From within the vortex, countless flames suddenly fell. Accompanied by the pouring rain, they plummeted like meteorites toward the other side of the broken cliff.
“Yue Zhuo!” Xun Chi subconsciously wanted to stop it, but seeing the surrounding trees also catch fire, he had no choice but to gather spiritual power in his hands and try to stop the fire from spreading.
At the same time, Fuzhu suddenly leaped to the edge of the cliff, condensing the rainwater into a giant umbrella to block the rain of fire falling from the sky.
The fiery rain landed on the giant umbrella, creating a sizzling sound of scorching. The sky was filled with flames and evaporating steam.
How was this still the mortal realm!
This was a special meow4 steamer! There was fire, water, and meat; once cooked, it would be a pot of soup!
This was truly a large-scale disaster scene of “when gods fight, the fish in the moat get hurt”!5
The heat, which made it almost impossible to breathe, gradually broke down the final spiritual power barrier erected by the three venerables and dozens of disciples of the Xianlu Sect.
Yi Qiu couldn’t help but clutch her chest, and a strange thought surfaced in her heat-addled mind—this pot of soup was quite rich. It had men and women, old and young, immortals, and demons. If the alpaca and the other humans were the meat, then such a large tree as Fusang must have a lot of leaves, which should count as the vegetables, right? That way, it would be a balanced meal with both meat and vegetables.
Just then, You Yan protected her body with spiritual power and flew back to her side. She gently tapped the spot between Yi Qiu’s eyebrows with her right hand, sending a stream of coolness into her.
Yi Qiu instantly felt like she had come back to life.
She subconsciously glanced at the surrounding people from the Xianlu Sect and saw that they were all about to collapse, their faces frighteningly pale.
Yi Qiu looked at You Yan and said anxiously, “What do we do?”
You Yan looked into the distance and said flatly, “That kid is about to reach his limit. If this drags on, no one will be able to leave.”
Yi Qiu followed You Yan’s gaze. Through the rain of fire and layers of mist, she saw Huodou single-mindedly trying to interrupt Fuzhu’s spellcasting. Luo Mingyuan, who had not yet recovered from his injuries, was joining forces with Xun Chi to stop it with all their might. However, the gap in their strength was too great, and they couldn’t defeat it at all. Even if they could stall for a while, what good would it do?
The cloud bridge was broken, and everyone was trapped here. If Jiang Xuan, Mu Qingshuang, and Chu Tinglan’s spiritual power ran out and they could no longer support the final protective barrier, then everyone would really be cooked.
“Is there no other way?” Yi Qiu clutched You Yan’s sleeve.
She knew that You Yan would at least protect her; at this very moment, You Yan still had the strength to take her and escape.
But if she left with You Yan at a time like this, what would happen to so many living people?
Even if, even if she could completely disregard the lives of these humans, what about Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan? They couldn’t die here, right? If the damn system’s mission failed, she would be erased by the system too!
“A way… is not entirely out of the question,” You Yan said, frowning slightly.
“What way!” Yi Qiu’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Build another bridge,” You Yan said.
“…” That really wasn’t funny at all.
Such a great distance, such a deep chasm, and two fierce beasts fighting a you die, I live6 battle on the side—who had the ability to create a bridge out of thin air?
Rather than believing You Yan’s method would work, it would be better to pray that Fuzhu, with only half of its cultivation base left, could defeat Huodou, or to hope that Huodou would suddenly have a change of heart and leave.
But at this moment, she saw You Yan turn and walk toward Jiang Yuyao, who was still struggling to maintain the spiritual power barrier.
Seeing You Yan walk up behind her, a trace of surprise flashed in Jiang Yuyao’s eyes.
“Miss Jiang, forgive my offense,” You Yan said, her right hand transforming into a demon claw. Under everyone’s astonished gazes, she stabbed it into Jiang Yuyao’s heart from behind.
After a moment of dead silence, Jiang Yuyao’s shrill scream jolted everyone out of their daze.
“Yuyao!”
Jiang Xuan’s eyes instantly turned red. No longer caring about the spiritual power barrier, he charged at You Yan with his sword, only to be thrown back several meters by a powerful spiritual force. His spirit sword flew from his grasp, and his already weakened body finally coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The next second, a ghostly green spiritual light had completely enveloped Jiang Yuyao.
Suddenly, vines extended from within the spiritual light, inch by inch, snaking into the ground.
“What is that!”
“A demon, a demon… She turned Senior Sister into a demon!”
Yi Qiu’s heart trembled as she suddenly remembered something.
The divine Fusang tree could reach the Nine Heavens above and connect to the Nether Spring7 below. Before it developed a heart-soul, it was a giant tree that connected heaven and earth, linking the Three Realms.
Build another bridge…
So that’s what You Yan was thinking. She was using her spiritual power to force Jiang Yuyao to awaken her divine power!
But she clearly hadn’t recovered from her injuries, and she had clearly used up so much spiritual power while fighting Huodou, and she clearly…
Clearly could have disregarded the lives and deaths of these people…
Yi Qiu stared blankly at the spiritual light that no one could approach, listening to the pleas and curses of the people beside her, her eyes gradually turning red.
When the spiritual light dissipated, Jiang Yuyao opened her eyes. Half of her body was a tree, her hands were vines. Under countless terrified gazes, she turned to support the swaying You Yan and softly said, “Thank you.”
Yi Qiu instantly ran forward and took You Yan from her hands, but was pulled down into a sitting position on the ground by her heavy body.
The next second, Jiang Yuyao plunged her hands into the soil, and countless branches began to grow wildly toward the opposite shore across the sea of clouds.
The rain of fire falling from the sky now continuously smashed onto the wildly growing branches. The heavenly fire that should have burned all things to ashes was, for some reason, unable to ignite them.
—The Golden Crow is fire, the Fusang is wood, yet the Golden Crow has never burned the Fusang.
It turned out that it wasn’t that the Golden Crow had never harmed the Fusang, but that the wood of the Fusang was simply not afraid of raging flames.
“See, isn’t there a bridge now?” You Yan’s voice sounded by her ear, so weak it was heartbreaking.
“You…” Yi Qiu choked, looking at You Yan’s pale lips, unable to say a word for a long time.
Seeing Yi Qiu’s red eyes, a smile touched the corners of You Yan’s lips. She reached out with her cold fingertips to wipe away the tears from the corners of Yi Qiu’s eyes and asked softly, “What are you crying for? I’ll be fine after a few days’ rest.”
“Did you do this because of me?” Yi Qiu asked in a small voice, her eyes red.
You Yan was silent for a moment, then smiled. “I made you angry during the day… Is it a little better now?”
The author has something to say:
I’m late today, but you can always believe in a second update. I’ll give out red envelopes for comments on this chapter (before the next chapter is updated).
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