Dungeons of the Divine (Blue Phoenix Book 2)

by Tinalynge

  Leaving behind Xu Piao with an expression on his face which was ugly to behold. The older man felt gratitude in his heart for Hui Yue feeling grateful to him, but at the same time he was unable to completely handle the guilt he felt. The guilt he felt for deceiving his new good friend.

  Chapter 77 – The Spy

  Walking towards Sha Yun, Hui Yue did not even look back once. He was already quite certain about the expression which would be seen on the older man’s face.

  Meeting up with Sha Yun, the snake-woman instantly hooked her arms around the young white-haired man’s and started dragging him towards the courtyard’s gate.

  Moving out of the gate, the two guards instantly saluted towards the two guests and Hui Yue, being the person he was, repaid the respect by saluting back at the two men.

  As soon as he was done, Sha Yun dragged him with her through the beautiful park down towards one of the canals where they boarded a small boat which took them through the city.

  Seated in the boat, Hui Yue took the time to look around and his eyes were filled with astonishment and approval as he saw the many beautiful townhouses. Unlike all the other cities he had seen so far no one within this city seemed to be poor, begging, or starving.

  Hui Yue was not dumb. He knew that it was impossible that there were no poor people within the city, and he believed that the poor were banished from the roads, making it even harder for them to beg for food.

  Sha Yun was very direct with the way she was taking. She refused to give up just because Hui Yue had shown some attention to Wang Ju Long and as soon they left the boat Hui Yue was dragged through one street after another on their way towards the largest marketplace in the city.

  Being out with Sha Yun was like going out with girls in his previous life. They would look at anything from clothing to jewelry. Unlike in the other world though they would also look at weaponry, medicinal pills, and armors. After looking at items they purchased some snacks and spent the majority of the day walking around looking at one stall after another.

  By the time it was evening, Sha Yun had been gifted a set of bracelets by Hui Yue. Now the two friends were walking back towards the courtyard where everyone was waiting for them.

  Seeing the snake-woman so happy, Hui Yue too could not help but feel happy. Sha Yun was one of his dearest friends. She was the one whom he could trust unconditionally and she was always there for him. The feelings Hui Yue felt were definitely those of gratitude and happiness.

  However, another emotion had been stirring within his heart lately, an emotion which, once again today, had surfaced as he saw a pearl white hairpin. Before realized it, Hui Yue bought the hairpin and his heart started racing as he thought about how beautiful it would be, if the hairpin was in Wang Ju Long’s hair.

  Even now, he was excited to see her face when he handed it to her the next time they were alone together.

  Sha Yun’s face was all smiles, however, she noticed that the young man by her side was deep in thought, a sad expression flickered on her face as she too remembered the hairpin which he purchased with an excited expression on his face.

  Sha Yun knew who Hui Yue was thinking about while purchasing the item and that knowledge had hurt her heart deeply despite him buying her a set of bracelets for her.

  The sadness on the snake-woman’s face quickly changed from sadness to determination and from determination to a happy smile once more. Her mind steeled against the sadness. She knew from the very start that she would probably not win Hui Yue’s love, but she still kept hoping day in and day out.

  At the start it was unknown whether or not her wishful thinking would come true or not, but the older she had became the more she felt that she was only being treated like a friend. Her only happiness was that Wang Ju Long was treated the same as her. Unfortunately recently that seemed to have changed.

  Hui Yue would look at the black-haired woman, his eyes dreamy with a small playful smile on his lips which Sha Yun never saw him use for anything else other than when he looked at her.

  He laughed every time she was embarrassed, and he would go out of his way to embarrass her. Something he never used to do before.

  It was not just small things like these, it was also the fact that he would often would become absent minded when looking at her. All these things were visible to Sha Yun as she spent her time by his side. These facts caused great sadness for the snake-woman, who, even though Hui Yue seemed to be looking at another girl, refused to give up.

  Walking back to the courtyard they talked about training. Hui Yue was uncertain whether or not he would be able to make another breakthrough in a year, but like always Sha Yun supported him.

  She was a magical beast and as magical beasts cultivated very similar to humans, the snake-woman too sighed deeply as she wondered if she would reach the Grandmaster rank anytime soon.

  As a magical beast her merging with the elements was very different from humans. If she was to increase her rank to Grandmaster she would be capable of merging further with the elements than she could now. This would boost her strength by a noticeable amount, and although she might not be capable of defeating Hui Yue, she would definitely be capable of drawing out the battle considerably.

  Returning to the courtyard, Hui Yue noticed that new guards were standing guard outside the gate, but as soon as they saw the two approaching they respectfully bowed before opening the gate.

  Having spent most of his day outside, Hui Yue went straight to the training house where he sat down and started to cultivate. He knew that it was likely impossible for him to reach the Duke rank in the time given, but as long as even a percent of success remained, the young man would do everything in his ability to achieve it.

  As he entered the training house he was shocked to see that Wang Ju Long was already seated inside, along with Deng Wu. Both of them were in deep meditation and the dense air was filled with the essence of the heavens and the earth which was constantly roiling around, being inhaled and exhaled by the two cultivators as they absorbed it to their hearts content.

  Seeing that Wang Ju Long was here, Hui Yue quietly moved closer to her and placed her present in front of her. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he looked at the beautiful features which were calm and serene as she was focused on cultivating.

  Hui Yue pulled back ever so slowly because he did not wish to disturb her cultivation. He slowly moved away and found a place within the room where he sat down and started breathing steadily.

  He closed his eyes and increased the activity of his cultivation techniques.

  Having followed Hui Yue into the room, hurt was visible in Sha Yun’s eyes, however, she quickly choked back all the negative emotions and moved next to her white-haired friend, almost arm in arm as the two of them cultivated together.

  Hui Yue was not so blind as to not notice that Sha Yun had feelings for him, but he was very blunt with her back in Riluo City, telling her straight out that it was not mutual.

  Knowing all of this, Sha Yun still stayed by his side and she still hoped that one day the young man would turn towards. Would look at her. Unfortunately before that happened, Sha Yun found that Hui Yue now cared about another woman instead of her.

  Although the snake-woman was grumbling about her emotions, it all quickly vanished as she entered meditation. The only thing present in her mind afterwards was the feeling of being one with the world. Absorbing the essence of the heavens and the earth, as it rushed through her body before it entered her beast core where it swirled around, turning into a mist energy. This was the kind of energy which magical beasts used when activating their abilities.

  As the four of them were seated in the room together time slowly passed by and the sun which was hanging in the sky changed to a moon, cascading gentle light down onto the beautiful white courtyard.

  In the gentle moonlight that shone through the windows the four youngsters were still focused completely on meditation, the longest meditation session these three Wang Ju Long, Sha Yun and
Deng Wu had ever had. Only Hui Yue had meditated longer than this before.

  Suddenly, the moonlight which was shining in through the window was blocked by a person. Had the youngsters not been completely focused on their cultivation they would have noticed Xu Piao standing there with a complicated expression on his face, an expression showing some sort of hesitation and regret.

  Sighing deeply, Xu Piao turned around and slowly made his way out of the courtyard. He had a small memory stone within his hands and he made his way towards the main office of the rentals mansions with steady steps.

  Stepping into the main office, Xu Piao moved straight to the counter where he waited for a person to come and assist him. Within this cave, no matter what time of day the counter was always open, ready to accommodate anyone who showed up.

  Seeing Xu Piao, a person who had previously flashed a B rank emblem caused the manager to act quickly as he rushed towards the man, his hands clasped together while bowing deeply.

  “What can I do for you my good sir?” He asked with a sleazy smile, his hands no longer cupped together, instead, they were now rubbing each other. His expression showed a hint of greed which in no way passed by Xu Piao’s keen notice but there was nothing he could do about it, and he lifted the memory stone from within his hands.

  “I need to send a memory stone to the Dragon Corps’ main office within the Demon Dwelling Cave.” He said with a somber voice, his eyes darker than usual and his entire demeanor anything but cheerful. Each time he sent information to Zhou Long, the harder it became.

  When Xu Piao first encountered Hui Yue and his friends, the Guild Master had been very interested in them, even more so when he heard that they came from the surface world. He expected that he could use his connection with these young cultivators to leave the caves and get to see the world Hui Yue spoke about.

  Seeing the attention Zhou Long put on Hui Yue, Xu Piao was quickly aware that the Dragon Corps leader knew the fact that the white-haired boy came from another world, and he let it slip that he too knew about his past.

  Hearing this, Zhou Long instantly hired the Guild Master to take on the task of reporting important information to him. To relay how their travels went and ensure that no danger came to Hui Yue. On the other hand, he was not to protect any of the other youngsters. It would be ideal if only the white-haired young man was alive by the time they reached the capital.

  Zhou Long had even gone as far as to inform Xu Piao that he would send mercenaries to assassinate the youngsters during their trip, warning him so that they could keep Hui Yue alive.

  Chapter 78 – Explanations

  While Xu Piao was feeling guilty about his behavior, Hui Yue was completely absorbed in his training and as the sunrise was coloring the sky purple, he finally opened his eyes.

  Looking around, he saw that his friends were still cultivating. With a sigh he allowed for his consciousness to sink down into the dantian cave where he saw Lan Feng for once not cultivating, instead, he was seated still as if he was contemplating something.

  ‘I knew you’d come.’ He smiled as he saw Hui Yue’s mental projection move towards him, and the white-haired boy smiled back as he sat down next to the phoenix.

  ‘What do you think I should do with Xu Piao?’ Hui Yue asked with a careless voice. He had already made up his mind, but he still valued the opinion of his lifelong friend.

  ‘I agree with you.’ The bird said with a sigh, ‘He has no hostile feelings towards you, he even said that he sees you as a friend. Even though he is most likely using you for the sake of progressing up the ranks, or escaping these tunnels no one says he is the only one able to abuse the friendship.’ The bird continued with a wicked smile on his face, ‘To get two King ranked protectors is not a bad deal for the sake of allowing him to give information on you to Zhou Long, or whatever he might be scheming.’

  Hearing that, Hui Yue could not help but laugh a little as he nodded his head agreeing with the bird. The two of them stayed seated for a bit in the comfortable quietness while Hui Yue’s eyes scanned the many small caves containing one odd energy form after another.

  His eyes came to rest on the golden wings and he furrowed his brows as he suddenly remembered what Lan Feng said earlier.

  ‘Hey.’ Hui Yue nudged the bird by his side, ‘When I was flying earlier on my Qi fan everyone were deeply shocked. While we were escaping from the illusion of the endless forest earlier, neither Xie Lan nor Xu Piao seemed to be capable of flight.’

  ‘They are both King ranked experts, shouldn’t they be able to create wings and fly?’ Hui Yue asked curiously.

  ‘No,’ Lan Feng sighed, ‘When you were flying by using the golden wings the only reason you could fly was because they rely on a steady stream of Wu Wei. Just those wings consumed an amazing amount of Wu Wei.’

  ‘For a King ranked expert, or even an Emperor ranked expert, to create wings with their Wu Wei and fly with it, they would not be able to fly for more than a few moments before their wings disintegrate and they fall down.’

  ‘How come?’

  ‘Flying is the domain for birds and Saints.’ Lan Feng said with a sigh, ‘Unlike you, no one else should be able to fly. You can levitate and you can hang in the air. You can even fly a certain amount with Wu Wei, but long flight such as the one you displayed with both the Qi Fan and later with your Wu Wei wings, none of them should be possible.’

  ‘The Qi Fan is a skill I had to pay an amazing amount of money to get. It is one of the most peculiar abilities I ever got my hands on. As for those heaven defying Wu Wei wings of yours. I really don’t know and I dare not check them out.’

  Hui Yue was quiet for some time as he processed Lan Feng said. To fly was something which belonged to birds and Saints. It was true that he had seen some people levitate; he had also seen short flight, but he had never seen anyone else who was capable of flying the way could.

  ‘Lan Feng,’ Hui Yue asked once more as he was seated next to him, feeling slightly nostalgic.

  ‘Yes?’ The phoenix replied. For once the bird was not stressed about training or refining. It was the perfect time for Hui Yue to get answers on what he was wondering about.

  ‘This is a cave and I understand that we are heading to the middle of it to this so-called Dragon’s Core to leave the dungeons. But is it not possible to fly to the ceiling and start digging our way out?’ Hui Yue asked curiously, as he looked at the ceiling through the window.

  ‘Digging your way out of the Dungeons of the Divine?’ Lan Feng suddenly started laughing uproariously.

  ‘It is not possible?’

  ‘No. It is not possible. Have you never wondered how caves of this size can keep standing without

  pillars of support?’ Lan Feng asked while still chuckling about the thought that one could simply dig their way out

  ‘These dungeons are created from the will of my father and the other divine beasts. They are held up by their everlasting magic, the Ancestral Worldpower. Although Sha Yun was rampaging in the tunnels, and even if she were to remove every single wall the ceiling still would not fall down. Just like the cave ceiling will never fall. There is a safety barrier which ensures that it will never fall, but it also ensures that no one can dig their way through.’

  Hearing this, it somewhat made sense to Hui Yue and he nodded his head slightly, ‘So the only exit is at the Dragon’s Core? We need to exit there somehow then?’

  ‘No.’ Lan Feng once more disagreed, ‘When we reach the Dragon’s Core we are going to enter the part of the dungeons which belongs to the phoenix’s descendants. Our aim is to enter into Shanyuan through these dungeons.’

  ‘That will take a very long time, right?’ Hui Yue asked, already feeling that the travel they were going on would take forever.

  ‘My goal is that by the time we reach Shanyuan you will be a King ranked expert.’ Lan Feng said with a sigh, ‘Only if you travel within these dungeons will it be possible for you to quickly advance.’

  The quietnes
s once more sunk in and the two friends were seated in silence once more until Hui Yue remembered one more of his questions he wanted to ask, ‘The Laws,’ He started, ‘Do you have any idea why the Dragon Corps are capturing the laws?’

  ‘No,’ Lan Feng replied his eyes glittering with anger, ‘Back in the day Laws were seen as revered members of society within the Dungeons of the Divine. Now they are hunted. I wonder if all four parts of the dungeon are doing this.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Hui Yue said as he felt that the phoenix actually cared a lot about these laws, ‘When I find out what is going on with them I’ll do my best to help them. I guess we can see it as an extra training exercise.’

  After that, no one spoke anymore as both Hui Yue and Lan Feng were quiet, just sitting there, side by side, and calmly observing the cultivation technique within the dantian cave working as quickly as it could.