:: At Ninth Heaven ::
Yang Cuo listened carefully as the sentry from Roushui River concluded his report. When he fell out of earshot, Yang Cuo turned to address the Sky Lord.
"My Lord, the situation seems to escalate quickly. Qing Cang might actually made his escape this time. Should we not send in reinforcements immediately?" he suggested.
"My Lord?" His tone became more urgent. Yang Cuo admitted he was confused. Why his father had yet to give the order to move out and assist their battalion at the border.
"Kunlun disciples are already there. Did you not hear his update?" The Sky Lord replied, he did not seem to be in a hurry.
"High God Mo Yuan is not there yet. There are only two of his disciples and a handful of soldiers. They might not be able to handle Qing Cang."
What was the cause for delay? The Lord should realize his apprehension had merit and not overly exaggerated.
Instead, the Sky Lord gave him a bland smile. "Let us not worry. Another sentry already went to Kunlun Mountain, he and the rest of his entourage will be there shortly. Did you forget Mo Yuan once said Kunlun Mountain will deal with Qing Cang when the time comes?"
"This is the chance for him to reclaim his rightful place and rise against as the God of War. Should we hinder his chance of glory, Yang Cuo?" He reminded him slyly.
"But...," Yang Cuo hesitated.
"Of course, I will send the reinforcements. I, Lord of Celestial Clan, am bound by the ancient oath to lend my aid to Kunlun Mountain, am I not? You will take fifty regiments of guards and join them, Yang Cuo."
The Sky Lord continued nonchalantly. "Just remember, before moving out, you have to explain the situation to your troops in details. Give your lieutenants the chance to discuss and find the best solutions to deal with Qing Cang; just in case he successfully escapes. We have suffered such a big loss the last time because we did not planned enough in advance. Do you understand what I am saying?"
Yang Cuo lowered his face down and avoid eyes contact to hide his discomfort. It was not that hard to figure out the Lord's true purpose. Yet this sort of sneaky, underhanded ploy to get his revenge was petty and inappropriate. The situation at hand was just too precarious to risk for some little personal grudges. A swell of anger and disappointment washed over him. Yang Cuo forced it down.
"What about the Emperor, my Lord"? He hoped Dong Hua's name might change his mind. The Sky Lord usually avoided risking his ire. "Won't he be displeased over the inordinate delay?"
"Dong Hua Emperor can look after himself. He, of all people, understands the needs for meticulous planning and careful consideration."
He raised his hand up, prevented his eldest son from saying further. "That is enough. See to your men, Yang Cuo."
:: At Roushui River ::
Mo Yuan's worry intensified ten folds the moment he rematerialized on the Riverbank. He looked around and took in the sight of fallen Celestials and Ghosts bodies lying the ground and of large areas that were laid waste. The long dormant Bell of Eastern Emperor awoke, actively claiming live once again. It was like time was turned back to seventy thousand years ago.
Then he saw her, his little Seventeenth, dressed in billowing white dress, a total contrast to the burning hellfire and darkened sky. His heart sunk when he saw her heading up into the Bell.
No.
She can't.
But she would.
Another voice from the recesses of his mind whispered. It was him who instilled the sense of duties and the responsibilities to the lesser and weaker beings into her. Disciples of Kunlun Mountain were taught to always uphold his teachings and principles, to devote their entire lives to the causes and to maintain the peace and orders of all realms.
"Seventeenth, come back," he shouted in despair.
Suddenly, the Bell of Eastern Emperor shuddered and gave out a sharp and shrill cry. It stopped growing in size and kept on swirling in circles; its destructive vibes seemed to lessen visibly. Mo Yuan spared no time to ponder the reason behind its unexpectedly altered behavior. In this suspended moment; there was only small a window of time for him to rescue her and destroy the Bell. Without Ye Hua here to back him up the outcome was uncertain; still he had no choices but to try.
He disappeared and reappeared once again beneath the Bell, trying to catch hold of her body and bring her to safety. He kept one eye on her, another on the Bell's movement. His arm reached out and finally made a contact. When he was about to crush her body to his side, she was tugged away from him. His eyes followed the arm that attached to her other limb and met with Ye Hua's. Neither of them was willing to let go of her.
Then another loud groan reverberated above them, Mo Yuan glanced up and studied the interior of the Bell. Aside from the opening Qing Cang must have made in his escape attempt, the light that flooded from outside showed him numerous fracture lines and cracks littering all over the Bell's surface. His hope went up a notch. Ye Hua's arrival had increase their chance of survival.
"Listen to me, Ye Hua." He drew his twin's attention to him, his face stern, the tone of his voice brooked no argument. "Help me destroy the Bell now. We might not have a second chance once it resumes the killing."
"How? I thought it was indestructible." Ye Hua frowned.
"It is not indestructible, just borderline impossible under normal circumstance. Now, find the weakest point on the surface. On the count of three, hit it, give it all you have." Mo Yuan gave his instruction. His Xuan Yuan pointed out the far side of the Bell. "And release her to me. I will keep her safe, Ye Hua."
Ye Hua glanced down at Qian Qian's pale and bloodied face. He reluctantly let go of her limp forearm. Mo Yuan quickly pulled her close to his chest and surrounded the three of them with strongest force field he could made. Ye Hua nodded in understanding. He pulled his own sword, Qing Ming, from its sheath, turned around and flied in the opposite direction.
Mo Yuan shouted; both of them were in position. "One, two, three ... Now!"
Both Xuan Yuan and Qing Ming struck down at the Bell's weakest points at the same time. With their combined effort and the power bestowed by both mystical swords, the Bell's whole structure was compromised and prone to crumble at any moment.
"Again, Ye Hua," Mo Yuan urged him.
The Bell's metallic surface, already swelled and distorted from the infernal heat of crimson hell-fire, cannot sustain another blow. Their second attack induced a total break down and started a series of huge explosion. Mo Yuan did not forget those who were still on the riverbank; he shouted in warning.
"Raise the force field. Protect yourselves."
A moment later a bright light, followed by deafening explosion, erupted from the Bell of Eastern Emperor. Its resounding echo was strong enough to cause loud ringing in the ears. Chunks and shards of shattered metal spread out like falling shooting stars. Celestial soldiers on the riverbank gritted their teeth and put everything they had into maintaining the protective shield against the deadly scattered debris.
A lone and barren mountain range that stood quite a distance away from Ruoshui River trembled and slowly crumble down; soon it was completely leveled to the ground. The water in the river below receded, rolled up high in the sky, then fell back with a vengeance. The energy whiplash from its destruction could be felt far and wide. Every immortals and deities would never be able to forget how close their lives almost ceased to exist that day.
Mo Yuan made his descent when everything started to calm down. He stumbled a little; one of his leg collapsed to the ground. He had given up most of his strength to ensure the Bell would be destroyed while maintaining the force field. The exertion took its tolls on his still recovering body, yet Mo Yuan could not find it in him to care. A feeble tug of his robe already captured all of his attention.
Bai Qian fought desperately to keep her consciousness from slipping away again. She came back to herself briefly after the shock of explosion was unleashed.
"You are here," her voice was so faint he almost missed it.
"Seventeenth," he caressed her face gently. "Hush. Save your strength."
She clutched his hand in hers, grateful for the chance to be in his arms again. "I thought I would never see you again."
He pressed his lips on her temple. His voice shook slightly with turmoil and suppressed emotions. "Speak no more. I will save you, you will be fine in no time."
She tried to shake her head but ended up coughing up more blood. "You are alive," her voice grew weaker. "So go - good."
"Never for- forget..." Bai Qian was too tired to even keep her eyes open. "I love you."
"No. Seventeenth, stay with me." He held her limp hand tightly to his lips, begging her to hang on. "Fight it, I know you can."
'Sorry' was the last word she whispered.
Zhe Yan rushed out from the crowd and kneeled down beside them. He tried to pry Fifth sister's body out of Mo Yuan's hold but he would not budge. She was fading quickly, there was no time for hesitation. Zhe Yan took the risks and pushed some of his eternal fire to sustain her.
Mo Yuan watched her lifeless face with despair. He had failed her. He cannot even protected his own female. It was laughable he was supposed to protect all realms.
"Mo Yuan, what are you doing?" Zhe Yan looked up at Mo Yuan in alarm; he felt it the moment his spirit began to let loose. He knew his brother loved her deeply. It never crossed his mind that, without her continue survival, he would choose to give up.
"You already knew how hard I fought to come back. Times and again, I just want to give up," Mo Yuan said tiredly. "But she is too stubborn to let me go, so I kept trying. What is the point of returning if she is not here anymore."
"Do not be irrational. Fifth sister would never want this. " Zhe Yan tried to reason with him but he remained catatonic. "Do you even hear me, Mo Yuan?"
Right there, Zhe Yan eyes caught sight of the tall, silver-haired Emperor walking toward them. In his arm was none other than Bai Feng Jiu. She was obviously injured. What was up with Fox Clan's women? Were they actively seeking death? Zhe Yan lamented silently.
"Dong Hua, help me talk him out of this madness." Zhe Yan's tone was helpless.
Dong Hua threw an uneasy glance at his old friend. It had come to this outcome after all, he sighed. Whether they could get past this hurdle was now up to them.
"Mo Yuan, do you really wish to waste this life and follow her in death?" Dong Hua asked without preamble. "Then all she had done for you was for naught? Are you going to tell her just that when you meet her again?"
"Mo Yuan, listen to me. Listen to me!" Zhe Yan got in his face and yelled. "Stop this foolishness. This is not like you. You must will yourself to live."
"I have sustained her body with my eternal fire but it will not last long. Yes, she is still on the brink of death. Her spirit is weak, broken, drained, but it is here nevertheless. Do you understand me? We might be able to save her yet."
Zhe Yan grabbed his arm and jerked on it. "I'm not lying to you. Mo Yuan, get a grip on yourself. She needs you now more than ever."
It took a while for Zhe Yan words to sink in and register in Mo Yuan's grief-stricken mind. He choked back a strangled sob when his essence touched her barely-there prove of life.
"What do I do?" he finally asked.
"At this time, I am afraid nothing short of the divine fungal grass could save her." Zhe Yan hesitated then continued. "Even then,..."
"I will get it," Ye Hua, who was initially sidetracked by the gathering of former ruler of Heaven and High Gods, spoke up from behind them.
"It is not that easy. There are four savage beasts left by Heavenly Father to guard them. Even if you succeed, Ye Hua, I am afraid your return might be too late." Zhe Yan told the Crown Prince evenly.
"What then? We stand here doing nothing?" he said in a crisp, cutting voice.
"What if I transfer my spiritual power to her now," Mo Yuan suggested. "She have fed me her heartblood for thousands of years. Part of her essence is in me, that should count for something."
"There is still the risk of falling into the demon side." Zhe Yan gave a slow shake of his head. "Right at this moment, you are weak, Mo Yuan. You barely got back your lost cultivation and you just spent most of it to bring down the Bell. If anything went slightly wrong, what then? Have you thought about that?"
"What choice do we have? Let me try." Mo Yuan insisted.
"No. Absolutely not. It is too risky." Zhe Yan refused outright.
Mo Yuan looked to the back, at his brother; their eyes met. "If something happens to me, you will take care of her, right?"
Ye Hua took a long, good look at his older twin brother before he inclined his head in acceptance.
"Let me through." A small, feminine voice suddenly rang out as she made her way to the inner circle. "High God Mo Yuan, you were talking about the divine fungal grass just now?"
"Princess Yan Zhi." Mo Yuan recognized her at once; she was the only female general that rode with Qing Cang back then, during the last Ghost War.
She came to stop, knelt down in front of Mo Yuan and retrieved something from her sleeve pocket. "Here, take it."
In the palm of her hand was an almost Elixir. She confided in him. "Si Yin gave me some of the Divine Fungal Grass a few months earlier. I tried to make it into an Elixir but my brother said there is too much darkness inside for it to work."
"For us, at least." She corrected herself. "If this Elixir could keep Si Yin alive, then take it."
"You are certain about this?" Mo Yuan asked; not that he did not trust her. Her name came up more than once in their conversation; clearly she was considered a friend of sort to Seventeenth.
Yan Zhi's head bobbed up and down. She swallowed a lump in her throat and blinked back her tears. "It would be my brother's wish too, if he was still here," she said, her voice was soft but firm.
"I will take it then." Zhe Yan quickly plucked the Elixir from her proffered hand. He took a good sniff of it, flipped it in his hand and nodded in approval. The princess assumption was correct. "We must return to Kunlun Mountain immediately. I need your Elixir Cauldron to refine this," he added.
Mo Yuan slowly got up, he waved off Zhe Yan's offer to carry Bai Qian. After he carefully secured Bai Qian's body in his arms, he was ready to leave.
"Thank you, Princess. I will never forget this." Mo Yuan told her before he jumped on Zhe Yan's cloud.
Lord Dong Hua with Bai Feng Jiu in his arms and Die Feng who regained consciousness followed them in tow. Ye Hua stood there, lost, for a moment before deciding to make his way to Kunlun Mountain as well.
:: At Kunlun Mountain ::
When they reached Kunlun Mountain, Mo Yuan immediately took Bai Qian to his room. He left everything in Chang Shan's capable hands. Chang Shan, though petrified at the sight of their beaten, battered and blood-splattered appearance, recovered from his initial shock as swiftly as he fell into it. He jumped right back into works and gave out orders in quick succession.
Zi Lan was sent to prepare Seventeenth's old room for her niece and waited on Dong Hua's Emperor. Thirteenth was tasked with patching up their First Senior's wound. Tenth was redirected to the Grand Hall, just in case more visitors came later. He also appointed Fourteenth and Fifteenth to prepare and assist High God Zhe Yan in the Elixir Cauldron chamber. Only after everything had been arranged and seen to, he allowed himself into his mentor's room.
Chang Shan padded across the room in silence; he placed the water basin and wash cloth on the bed-side table and bowed respectfully.
"Master, I brought some water in case you wish to clean up."
Chang Shan lift his head up and threw anxious glances at his mentor and Seventeenth. He got nothing from his mentor's blank expression. Seventeenth was the opposite; her almost colorless feature and blood-stained white dress gave him a fright.
"Master, I will remain close by, please summon me if you wish for anything else."
He made his retreat out of the room, careful not to disturb any of them. A faint 'thank you' was Mo Yuan's only response. Chang Shan decided to drop by Senior Die Feng's room next. He was the only one capable to fill him in on the details of what took place today.
Zhe Yan was busy preparing the medicine when Ye Hua came to Elixir Cauldron chamber to speak with him.
"High God Zhe Yan," Ye Hua approached him. "Can I have a moment of your time?"
"Can it wait? I am in a hurry here," Zhe Yan stated matter-of-factly.
"You are making the Elixir for Qian Qian," he started.
"I know certain amount of spiritual energy is required to refine it. High God, I am asking you, will you please let me do it?" he asked quietly.
Zhe Yan raised an eyebrow at his request, surprised. "Why?" He flat out asked. "Because she was once your wife?"
Ye Hua was a bit startled. He did not think anyone had realized the truth of what happened between him and Qian Qian three hundred years ago. "So you have figured it out."
"I have my own suspicion, you just confirmed it with your request," Zhe Yan replied.
"That day you were rescued after you followed your mortal wife, who looked strangely just like Fifth sister, down the Zhu Xian Terrace. I already had my doubt. Then I found Bai Qian, wounded and injured, in my woods almost the same day. When she said, she became a mortal and just experienced a Heavenly trial. I made a theory of my own."
Zhe Yan summed it up in not so many words. "If they were not the same person, what else would made you so willing to make such sacrifice?"
"Is this why you refused to tell me the truth when I asked you all those questions about her back then?" Ye Hua narrowed his eyes. "You knew it does not matter if she really was Su Su or not; she has set her sights on Mo Yuan a long time ago."
Zhe Yan did not comment on it. What was the point to explain when things already came full circle?
"Today Qian Qian obviously chose Mo Yuan's life over her own. And he - when he thought she was dead, he almost followed her." Ye Hua rumbled on. "I found my resolve shaken for the first time. I used to think I will never be able to let her go, no matter the circumstance."
"You doubt the depth of love their share, Ye Hua? Or you think only you can love her that much?" Zhe Yan asked humorlessly.
Ye Hua pressed his lips into a thin line, his silence spoke for himself of what he really thought.
"I am afraid I do not know anything anymore," he admitted.
"Ye Hua, the sooner you learn to let go, the quicker you put yourself and your loved one out of misery." Zhe Yan said sagely.
Ye Hua snorted wordlessly. Did he not already know that? Everyone told him just that, repeatedly, all the time. Even Fate conspired against him.
"I owe her so much, High God Zhe Yan." Ye Hua spoke. "I cannot undo the past, at least allow me this chance to repay my life debt."
"I do not think it is wise, Ye Hua." Zhe Yan was quick to decline.
Ye Hua saw through his facade of uncertainty. "You think I will use this chance to my advantage," he retorted, not minced any words.
"Will you?" Zhe Yan shot the question right back at him. "Because if that is your intention, then you can forget about it. She would hate you even more when she knows you tried to manipulate her feelings. Trust me, I know it for a fact."
Ye Hua would never admitted it aloud, the very thought came across his mind.
He thrust the palm of his hand out, silently asking for the Elixir. "What if I give you my oath that I would never ever use this Elixir to my own gain? Will you allow me to do it?" He asked again. It may be the very last unselfish thing he could do for her; other than letting her go.
Zhe Yan paused for a moment and reconsidered his request. He studied Ye Hua's face and found it quite sincere.
"Oath or not, I think Qing Qiu cannot accept such generosity. What would the Sky Lord say?" A voice suddenly interrupted their conservation; it carried over from the entrance of Elixir Cauldron chamber. Bai Zhen stepped out of the shadow and strode toward them.
Note: How does the new story development live up to your expectation/anticipation? Next chapter would be here in a few days, or so I hope. :))
#serena : The story is scheduled to weekly update; +/- a few days. I'm a super slooow writer.
#Weisfreya : Bingo! You hit the jackpot. :)
#bebepantheon : I see. Is that a request for an extra chapter of YH's pov on what was happening to BQ? lol
#pennameisblank : That intense! For a moment, I thought of Scream, the movies. :D