Donghuang Taiyi

Cui Yuan had passed, but given the current circumstances, the Sub-Institute could only place her remains in the ancestral hall for now. After all, Cisheng had brought back crucial news—Donghuang Taiyi was on the verge of resurrection!

Meanwhile, word also came from Xiao. He claimed to have found Donghuang Taiyi's hidden burial site. Surprisingly, it wasn't inside the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion but in a remote, desolate mountain. After repeated inspections, he detected no significant life fluctuations within, indicating Donghuang Taiyi was either not fully resurrected or was extremely weak just after revival. Regardless, now was the perfect time to strike.

Master Mu's divination pointed to the same conclusion. Yet, just before departure, he uttered these words:

To oppose heaven, yet man's affairs remain unfinished; with no sovereign among men, the Heavenly Emperor reigns.

Rise and fall come and go; Yin and Yang reverse, bringing prosperity or demise.

The old dean's expression was grim. After consulting with the ruler of Qin State, he led the group out.

The main force would attack the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to divert attention. The Qin King, along with Yan, Dun, Fan Cang, and Qian Dan, would head to Donghuang Taiyi's hiding place to rendezvous with Xiao. It was speculated Young Master Su would be there too. Although Cisheng wanted to go, the uncertainties surrounding the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion were too great. As a core pillar of strength, he was ordered to stay by the old dean.

Yan was eager for revenge, and the Qin King was desperate to rescue his brother. The two raced ahead the entire way, leaving the others far behind.

Upon arrival, the Qin King followed his bloodline's guidance toward another entrance, while Yan entered from the spot where Xiao had last left a message.

The cave mouth was narrow and pitch black. Inside, it was so dark he couldn't see his own hand. A strange aura permeated the place, confining Yan's Pseudo-consciousness to his immediate surroundings, making it hard to extend. He had to crawl to avoid bumping into rocks.

As he moved forward, Yan suddenly sensed something ahead—something human-shaped. Drawing closer, he saw patches of grey. The patterns on it matched those commonly found on Xiao's clothing.

"Senior Brother Xiao...?" Yan tentatively pushed at the figure ahead. It felt stiff, and his query received no response. He decided he must be mistaken; it was just a rock with a similar appearance.

He groped around to the sides. His hand brushed against something. Grabbing it, it felt like feathers. A sense of unease crept over Yan. He felt around more carefully, his fingers closing around a hand still faintly warm, and then those unmistakable, iconic bird-like claws.

"Senior Brother, it is you! Don't try to scare me!" Yan stood up and naturally looked toward the figure. "Ah!" He found Xiao's eyes fixed on him, his expression odd, as if he had been staring for a long time.

"Whew! Don't scare me like that, Senior Brother!" Even though he'd been startled many times and was mentally prepared, locking eyes still gave him a fright. He reached out to pat Xiao's shoulder, wanting him to turn his head away.

"Whoa—ahhhhh!" Yan suddenly leaped backward. With just a light pat, Xiao's head had completely detached. Summoning his courage, Yan approached the body. Looking at the severed section, it was clearly twisted off by force, but in a bizarre manner Yan couldn't fathom. Another point: not a single drop of blood had spilled from Xiao's body the entire time. Even placing a hand on the severed neck yielded barely a trace of crimson.

"Wait! The Shenxiao Clan is affiliated with Metal!" Yan roughly rearranged Xiao's bones, setting them straight, and preserved the body. Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"I heard... hiss~... who told me this? I think it was said the heart in the far south belongs to Donghuang Taiyi... and that heart... I remember when Master Lan went, it was Wood attribute. But why was that? What happened back then? Hiss~..." Suddenly, a fragment of strange memory flooded into—or was recalled by—Yan's mind.

Yan's eyes suddenly widened. Sensing danger, he instantly spun around and sprinted towards the cave entrance at full speed. Thanks to the markers he'd placed earlier, he wasn't moving slowly, but he could distinctly feel something far faster than himself closing in rapidly from behind. His heart pounded violently; he could almost hear the sound of footsteps hitting the earth right at his heels.

Realizing he couldn't outrun it, he turned and adopted a fighting stance to face the enemy. Instead, a vaguely familiar silhouette appeared before him. By the faint light, he could make out blue fabric.

"Yan? What are you doing here?" A gentle voice reached Yan's ears.

"Lan... Lan Jinxi?" Recognizing the voice, Yan asked with some confusion.

"It's me!"

"Where have you been? Master Xian, your Senior Brothers, and Senior Sisters have been searching for you for ages!"

"That... I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. However, this place is dangerous. I can send you back first, as repayment for the kindness you once showed me." Lan Jinxi directly grabbed Yan's arm and began expertly navigating through the cave.

"Um... how did Senior Brother Xiao die?" Along the way, Yan couldn't help but ask cautiously. The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it, feeling the grip on his arm tighten noticeably.

"I wasn't aware Senior Brother Xiao was here. It's too dark. I'm relying on a memorized map. The Shenxiao Clan can see clearly after coming here, but we can't. So, you might have been mistaken."

Lan Jinxi's words carried no emotional fluctuation, but the Lan Jinxi now was utterly different from the kind, gentle, and caring person Yan remembered, making him grow more vigilant.

They safely reached the cave entrance, but Lan Jinxi stopped at a corner, still hidden from the light. She continuously urged Yan to leave, to leave alone.

Yan was puzzled but had begun to guess something. He patted her shoulder and went out. Dun and the others had arrived, but the King of Qin had not yet returned.

"Run! Senior Brother Xiao is dead! Donghuang Taiyi may very well have revived!" Yan shouted the moment he emerged and saw Dun's large figure. Without taking time to adjust to the outside brightness, he tried to lead the group away.

Suddenly, a tremendous roar erupted from behind. The cave entrance exploded—Lan Jinxi's doing. She stood there calmly, at the explosion's epicenter, wearing a cloak that hid her face. "Yan, I owed you a debt of gratitude, so I let you go, allowed you to leave alone. Yet you told them about this place! Then you shall all stay!"

Yan looked closely. Lan Jinxi's hands and skin were unnaturally pale. Fan Cang reacted instantly, launching a spell at her. A violent gale, filled with countless wind blades, arose, but Lan Jinxi simply tilted her body and dodged them all. Simultaneously, she used Fan Cang's wind to establish a connection with the moisture within their bodies, causing white mist to instantly erupt.

"Jinxi, why?!" Yan felt his body's moisture rapidly depleting. Still clinging to hope, believing Lan Jinxi must have some unspeakable difficulty, he pressed on.

"Why? My husband is gone. He died to save me. So, I'm doing this to resurrect him. Are you satisfied with that reason?" Lan Jinxi's voice remained devoid of emotion, though a trace of something could be heard in her words.

Yan fell silent. They had no choice but to fight; only by defeating Lan Jinxi could the spell on them be lifted. A bitter fight between former comrades ensued. Apart from Dun, the other three found it hard to strike with full force.