Nine Heavens

九霄

nine-heavens

Chapter 25

The nine-tailed fox spoke in human language, "Don't hurt them, I'll go with you."
The man said, "You can hardly protect yourself, so don't bother worrying about others."
The white fox said, "Although I have lost all my cultivation, my demon core is still there. Even if I can't resist, it's not difficult for me to perish together with you."
The man and woman looked at each other, and the woman said, "If you obediently comply, we naturally won't make things difficult for the others."
Fei Lan raised his hand but was stopped by Zhou Yin. "What are you trying to do?"
"Save them!"
"You save them, or I save them?"
There was the heavily injured, the low in cultivation, and a young beast that couldn't even speak clearly. Adding them together, they weren't even enough to fill the gaps between the opponents' teeth.
Fei Lan was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth, "The nine-tailed fox is a high-level demon beast among the Demon Beast Clan, equivalent to an elder. Now even it has fallen to such a state, the Demon Beast Clan must have suffered a great calamity. If this continues, the entire Demon Beast Clan will be wiped out."
"It won't be wiped out," Zhou Yin said.
Six thousand years later, although there were few demon beast cultivators on the continent, there still were some. Otherwise, he wouldn't have discovered Zhou Chen. Moreover, as a bystander, he had to appear much calmer compared to Fei Lan's righteous indignation.
"The weak are prey to the strong, and the fittest survive. If the Demon Beast Clan has fallen to the point of needing protection from others everywhere, even if they are eventually destroyed, it is the cycle of the Heavenly Dao, and they can't blame others."
From the beginning of his cultivation to his final ascension to immortality, Fei Lan had always adhered to the principles of staying true to his heart and having compassion for the world, which was completely at odds with Zhou Yin's ideas. In the era sixty thousand years ago, cultivators like him were not few in number, so even within the Upper Realm, there were many voices opposing the war between the Immortal Clan and the Demon Beast Clan.
"No, now that the Upper Realm has reached an agreement with the Demon Clan, the Upper Realm disdains to use those tricks to torment the Demon Beast Clan, but they also turn a blind eye to the Demon Clan's actions. I must save him, otherwise, if that fox falls into the hands of the Demon Clan, they will forcibly extract its demon core, leaving it in a state worse than death!"
Having said that, he removed the barrier and, without bothering to say anything more to Zhou Yin, disappeared.
The nine-tailed fox had originally surrendered, and the man placed his hand on its head, slowly extracting the demon core.
But unexpectedly, Fei Lan suddenly appeared, causing a disturbance. Without a word, he first forced the two back dozens of steps.
The man and woman from the Demon Clan saw the Heaven Opening Mirror and their expressions greatly changed.
"Immortal Lord Fei Lan has graced us with his presence. Why did you hide your form, making us unable to welcome you from afar?" The woman laughed coquettishly, glancing at the Heaven Opening Mirror in his hand from time to time, apparently quite wary of it.
Fei Lan looked at them coldly, "Since you know I've come, why don't you retreat?"
The two looked at each other, and the woman laughed, "The Upper Realm and our Demon Lord have long had an agreement. Surely Immortal Lord is aware of this?"
Fei Lan said, "Aware or not, what does it matter?"
The white fox lay on the ground, gasping for breath. Zhou Yin walked over. As the white fox moved and struggled to open its eyes, they brightened upon seeing Zhou Chen, as if filled with renewed vitality.
Just now, Zhou Yin had cast a minor spell to put the villagers into a deep slumber, so even with all the commotion, no one came to investigate.
"You..." The white fox seemed to want to say something, its voice hoarse and strength fading.
Zhou Chen tilted his head to look at it. Rarely taking initiative, he hopped out of Zhou Yin's arms and pecked at the white fox's fur, as if to comfort it.
A flash of excitement passed through the white fox's eyes. It glanced at Zhou Yin again, seemingly understanding their relationship.
Under this kind of merciless persecution, demon beast races had become fewer and fewer. So upon seeing Zhou Chen, it couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotion.
"Please take good care of..."
Before finishing, the white fox breathed its last. Although its demon core remained, its cultivation was ruined. Having been injured before, it was only due to the little girl's rescue and attentive care that it managed to hang on for a while longer.
However, with its internal energy severely damaged, there was no saving it.
"Chirp?" Zhou Chen stared at it blankly.
Meanwhile, Fei Lan was still in a standoff with the demon man and woman. They didn't know Fei Lan was injured. Deterred by his status and the Heaven Opening Mirror he wielded, they didn't dare make a move.
But Fei Lan knew he was just putting on a strong front and couldn't last much longer. He also didn't dare act rashly, only hoping to scare them off with a show of force.
"Fei Lan, if not for the Heaven Opening Mirror, I wouldn't have found you!"
A leisurely voice called out from the horizon as Kui Hao gradually appeared, shrouded in clouds and mist. He stood with hands behind his back, a smile on his face.
"Old friend, I haven't seen you for several days. Why the long face?" He asked knowingly, glancing at Zhou Chen and the the white fox. "Perfect timing, everyone's here."
The woman came over to pay respects, half apologetic and half probing, "What wind blows Immortal Lord Kui Hao here today? We came for that white fox but had a little misunderstanding with Immortal Lord Fei Lan. We hope you'll forgive us."
Kui Hao smiled ambiguously, "Fei Lan rebelled and left the Upper Realm, no longer part of the immortal race. If not for you all, I wouldn't have found him. Come to think of it, I should be thanking you instead."
The demon man and woman exchanged a look. The woman laughed, "In that case, we won't disturb you two immortals catching up. We'll take our leave now."
Kui Hao looked at Fei Lan's visibly aged face and said, "Was it worth it?"
Fei Lan ignored him and instead turned to Zhou Yin, "You were right earlier. I acted on impulse and implicated you."
Zhou Yin didn't respond.
Kui Hao's eyes flashed. Taking the initiative, he spread his five fingers, and a dazzling net of colorful threads descended upon them, faintly revealing crisscrossing patterns.
The white jade hairpin transformed into a sword. The Lingyin Sword in his hand was by no means slow, but the moment the blade touched the golden net, it slid right off, having no effect.
Kui Hao sneered coldly, "A mere speck of light dares to compete with the bright moon!"
Fei Lan summoned the Heaven Opening Mirror. The mirror's radiance surged, and the golden net was forced to a halt in midair, its momentum blocked but not severed.
He gritted his teeth slightly, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.
Kui Hao said leisurely, "Fei Lan, your vital energy is severely injured. You're no match for me. Hand that thing over. I can plead for leniency on your behalf when I return."
Fei Lan didn't answer. Instead, he communicated telepathically to Zhou Yin, "I can't hold on much longer. I originally wanted to perish together with him, but I'm unwilling to implicate you two. I have a favor to ask of you."
Zhou Yin said, "Speak."
His hands never stopped as he took out pre-written talismans one after another from the Sumeru Ring, setting up a formation around them to assist Fei Lan.
At this point, with his shallow cultivation and Kui Hao's preparedness, the formation's effect was actually just a drop in the bucket. But it could at least allow Fei Lan to catch his breath.
"I have an item here called the Heaven Washing Brush. I was entrusted with delivering it to the demon beast chief. That's why I couldn't tell you the truth earlier, my difficult predicament. It's extremely important and can't fall into Kui Hao's hands. For now, I'll leave it with you. When you encounter other demon beasts in the future, please pass it on to them. Until then, you can use it as a magic weapon."
With that said, a crystal-clear jade brush appeared in his palm, its body emitting a faint glow, exquisite and delicate.
Pressed for time, Fei Lan couldn't explain more and concisely described the Heaven Washing Brush's usage.
Zhou Yin took the jade brush and placed it into the Sumeru Ring.
Seeing this, Kui Hao flew into a rage, "Fei Lan, instead of giving me this item, you want to give it to that little cultivator. Do you really think you can escape today?!"
Fei Lan sneered coldly, "Although I'm useless, I'm still an Upper Realm immortal, on par with you in strength. Now that I've fallen, if nothing else, I can still fight you!"
The Heaven Opening Mirror changed direction, its white light suddenly turning purple. The golden net shattered in response. Kui Hao, having anticipated this, flipped his palm and summoned the Subduing Dragon Halberd.
Taking advantage of the opening in the broken net, he thrust it forward, his voice like rolling thunder, his momentum like a flash of lightning, too fast for the eye to follow.
The Subduing Dragon Halberd, in concert with its master's spiritual power, unleashed a torrent of energy even before the halberd arrived. Fei Lan's face grew even paler, fresh blood seeping from the corners of his mouth, yet he refused to retreat half a step.
He spat out a mouthful of blood onto the back of the Heaven Opening Mirror. As the blood seeped into the mirror's patterns, its originally fading light suddenly surged again, growing brighter and brighter until it enveloped everyone in its radiance, making it impossible to keep their eyes open.
"Sharing the same lifespan as heaven and earth?! Fei Lan, you've gone mad!" Kui Hao was both shocked and enraged, but amidst the dazzling mirror light, his voice sounded very distant.
He used his life's cultivation to unleash the Heaven Opening Mirror's full power. Not only Kui Hao but even Zhou Yin beside him couldn't withstand the immense spiritual energy pressure. Blood flowed from his nose and mouth, rendering him unable to move.
Fei Lan's voice reached his ears, "Thank you for accompanying me all this way. But now, it's time to bid farewell forever."
Zhou Yin's consciousness gradually blurred, with only that warm bundle on his chest slightly squirming, always there.

Nine Heavens

Nine Heavens

Chapter 25 - Chapter 25

Echo