Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  Seeing that they were no longer captives all of them bowed deeply towards the woman who appeared in front of them. This woman waving her hand dismissively and she rushed back to her location, rushing through the shadows.

  ….

  The prisoners who had been released did not rush forward, towards the middle of the forest, instead, they all backed away and traveled the way they had come from earlier. All of them aware that someone was coming to their rescue. They moved towards the rescuing team.

  And as expected, they did not need to travel for long before they saw the rescue team led by Wan Qiao and Hui Yue causing the group to rush even faster towards the each other.

  Finally reaching the squad of rescuers, the villagers were all panting their eyes glistening with hope and happiness.

  “How did you manage to get away?” Wan Qiao asked the village leader curiously. She knew that humans were greedy creatures and humanoid magic beasts sold for an amazing price back in their own cities.

  The village leader was a young man whose original shape was a Death-Clawed Lion. A beast known for its strength and speed. He was the only man whom the delegation took prisoner although he had strongly fought for the safety of his village.

  “There is a woman, they called her Senior Observer Li,” The guard started, “She was against the actions of the delegation saying that they were only there to talk with the residents of Shenyuan. The captain refused to listen and said that we were worse than dogs. Their captain is far worse than a beast, he indiscriminately killed the weak and elderly, even the women and children! Get revenge for us!” The leader pleaded with a trembling voice, “Get revenge for our children and our elders, our brothers and our sisters.”

  Hearing his trembling voice and seeing his eyes turn red and moist, it moved Wan Qiao into listening to what the beast in front of her was saying. He forced his tears back and cleared his throat. “The woman, the Senior Observer was our savior and during the slaughter in the city, she went against the captain. She was also the one who saved us when were taken prisoner.” The man fell to his knees in front of Wan Qiao.

  “We beasts have nothing, but we feel pride in returning kindness with kindness. That woman fought for our survival. She deserves to be saved. I beg of you, please let her go.”

  Frowning Wan Qiao rubbed her head while thinking her eyes deep as an abyss not showing what she was feeling, but after pondering for a few moments, she sighed heavily.

  “The woman, although friendly towards us, is still human. She is part of a delegation which was sent here to spread death and disaster. If we let her go she will have to live within our capital where we can keep an eye on her. I refuse to let her know about us and then return her to her old kingdom. All our secrets will be spilled.”

  The face of the young man turned soft, and he kowtowed in front of the One-Horned Jasmine Eagle for the sake of showing just how grateful he was in the reply. “Even if she is to live within our capital, it is better than her dying.” He said happiness in his voice.

  “Oi!” Wan Qiao suddenly yelled out and the many guards who just caught up with her ready to go attack the delegation all halted The stood on their legs and looked only at her.

  “You, you, and you,” She pointed at three groups of guards who were standing within range, “Take these citizens back to the capital. Let them reside within the Heavenly Spring Mansion.”

  Given an order, it was clear how quickly the guards started to act. Some of the guards took the children on their backs and took to the sky while others marched on the ground and showed the way for the villagers who were stronger. There were no elderly villagers left something which caused great grief to the survivors.

  Seeing that the guards were swiftly following her orders, Wan Qiao was satisfied before she turned towards Hui Yue.

  “I have a job for you,” She said with a brilliant smile on her face, “No one is more suitable for this job than you are. This woman Senior Observer Li, you are to locate her and keep her alive while the rest of us butcher the humans who dared touch our lands.”

  Hearing this Hui Yue could not help but gulp. Everyone within range was a King ranked or above. Fighting against them was something he could do for a short period of time when he transformed into a wolf-man, however, to fight against more than one for an extended period of time, Hui Yue was more than likely to lose.

  Thinking for a bit he knew that he could not decline the responsibility he had been given and instead he started pondering how he could keep her safe. The best idea was to simply leave the battle.

  Although these magical beasts in human form were very similar to humans, both in intellect and lifestyle, they were not humans. Deep within were some instincts which they could not kill and these instincts were certain to surface during the battle royale they were about to enter into. Seeing a woman alive, even if they were told not to kill, the hate these beasts felt towards humans was rooted deep and they probably would attack her. Killing her in the confusing, loud, and messy battle that was to descend.

  Although Hui Yue was at a loss about the job he had been given he never showed any of his thoughts on his face, instead, he started to plan the best way to save this person whom he had no clue what kind of cultivation base she had.

  If Hui Yue was to use all his energy then he could transform into the wolf-man and for a few moments he could release all his energy within three or four swipes causing strong enough energy ripples to allow for the two to escape in the middle of the battle, but after escaping he would have no strength left. It would mean that they had to hide to stay alive.

  Although this sounded easy, it really was nowhere as simple as it sounded. Hiding from a magical beast was almost impossible. They had keen scent, sharp eyes, and astonishing hearing. No matter where they hid they were likely to be found, and if Hui Yue had already used up all his energy by the time they hid then they would have no one to protect them.

  Sighing internally, Hui Yue could not help but hope that this Senior Observer Li was strong enough to protect herself so that all he had to do was find a safe spot and stay put.

  Wan Qiao was observing Hui Yue this whole time. She understood exactly what thoughts went on within his mind. She had to say that she was astonished to see the determination which crept into his ice-blue eyes. His demeanor changed from the laughing man from before to a proper cultivator; a person who had experienced life and death battles previously and knew exactly how important it was to be cautious. The fact that he had no ties to the other guards also meant that if one of them had a grudge against him, it was likely that they would try and get rid of him in the chaos which was expected to appear near the battle.

  Chapter 215 - Battle Royale

  * * *

  Chapter 215: Battle Royale

  As soon as the group of villagers left their surroundings, Wan Qiao’s eyes turned ice-cold and she lifted her arm into the air. Her hazel brown, golden feathers sprouted from her skin and within moments the giant bird was standing at the front of everyone. Her wings spread out and the force contained within sent debris of the trees flying in every direction. The previously dense forest suddenly changed, and the bird created a clearing within the trees. The blue sky was suddenly visible through the trees which allowed for light to cascade down towards the group of beasts and the one human. All the beast’s’ eyes turned red when they were overtaken by their killing intent. The animals all slowly transformed to their original shapes, howls, roars, growling, all sounds from the beasts could be heard reverberating through the forest, and finally, Wan Qiao started to move. She lifted her wings and a loud, terrifying shriek sounded out before the bird started to make a way through the dense forest.

  Hui Yue activated Velocity Flow as he followed behind Wan Qiao. Considering that he needed to save this Li Meilin, he had to be there from the very start. Finding her would be hard, and keeping her safe even harder.

  Wan Qiao knew this and to help him slightly she made sure to keep a pace which fitted his highest
speed when using Velocity Flow. Behind him beast after beast roared out, preparing themselves for the battle which was to come. At this point, Hui Yue was the only human shaped person left, however, he dared not transform too early because his control over his wolf form was still limited.

  It took the group of magical beasts roughly two hours of constant running before they started hearing the sounds of clattering and yelling in the distance. The delegation had long since heard the beasts horde coming their way, and they had all taken up positions getting ready to greet the incoming beasts.

  Seeing this, Hui Yue hid right behind Wan Qiao, and as he expected the massive eagle shrieked once more. The shriek sounded throughout the entire forest and was answered by howling, growling, and roaring beasts.

  Wan Qiao collided straight into the many humans. Her wings and her legs swept around, killing at least twenty humans from the collision alone. However, just as she collided into them she took to the air and a large bald man appeared who was fully focused on the flying bird.

  Looking at this man Hui Yue was taken aback. The man was without a doubt a Saint ranked expert. To send a Saint showed how serious the Siban Empire was about this delegation, however, they never arrived at any place where they could find humans, nor had they ever intended to be peaceful. Their real purpose in entering Shenyuan was to get any kind of information back to the empire.

  This trip was valued highly by the Siban Empire which was why they sent Captain Song. One of their few Saint ranked experts. This saint was so sure of his own power that he was not frightened by any sort of retaliation no matter which kind of dirty deeds he committed. He was certain of his strength as the strongest, however, he had never met anyone like Wan Qiao before.

  While the large bird was flying in the sky, one tree after another was chopped down. The tree trunks landing in the middle of what was becoming a bloody battlefield. Magical beasts and humans were constantly fighting one another. Hui Yue was drifting around the battlefield doing everything in his power to not attract anyone’s attention as his eyes finally landed on a strong looking woman who refused to fight anyone.

  Rushing towards her, Hui Yue sprouted a smile on his face as he hoped that this was the woman he had been looking for. As he reached her side he noticed that she was quite a bit stronger than himself, another thing which caused him to be ecstatic.

  “Li Meilin?” He asked, his eyes roaming across the battlefield in front of him. The guards were numerous but so were the magical beasts. Golden light and silver light flashed everywhere only to be met by counter attacks from the beasts. Mist energy of any color could be seen near the ground and ripples from each and every attack collided in the air. Small explosions could be heard everywhere.

  The woman looked at this young man and was slightly taken aback that he knew her name. Guessing that it had something to do with the beasts she had saved, she decided that right now it would be best to allow for this man to lead her away from the battlefield because she refused to fight either side.

  She could not fight her own delegation as she still felt loyalty towards the Siban Empire; however, she understood why these magical beasts were taking revenge. She understood that this place, Shenyuan, was a place belonging to magical beasts, not a place where humans fit in.

  “Who are you?” She asked the young man who grabbed her hand and was pulling her with him away from the middle of the battle.

  Everywhere they went, the ground was soaked in blood. Small streams of blood ran across the ground as both man and beast died in battle. At this point both sides seemed to be very even, however, Hui Yue knew better.

  High in the sky, Wan Qiao was flying while the bald man was cursing after sending one ranged golden attack after another at the bird. He was failing in his attempts to hit her, and a mocking smile could be seen on the One-Horned Jasmine Eagle’s face.

  “I’m Hui Yue, pleasure to meet you, now follow me and stay low,” Hui Yue whispered back as he found a small bit of vegetation which had yet to be destroyed and he instantly went towards it. He hoped to use the tall grass as a way to camouflage himself and his new friend.

  “Why are you saving me?” She asked. Although it was a dangerous situation, this woman was not too worried about her own safety. Although there were many magical beasts around, the majority of them were Kings, people she could easily deal with. However, to be saved by someone from the side of the magical beasts was something she had not expected. So with quiet curiosity, she followed the young man who was walking with steady steps.

  Hearing the question Hui Yue did nothing but look at the woman with a long glance before he shook his head. Showing that he would not answer the question right now, instead, he gestured for her to be silent so that the beasts around them would not hear them.

  Hiding in the tall grass, Hui Yue did not, even for a moment, allow his eyes to stop roaming his surroundings. His ears were strained to their utmost and his eyes alert. He was constantly looking for humans and beasts headed their way, and finally what he had feared happened.

  The battle slowly shifted from a head on battle where the two opposing sides were like two massive waves colliding into one another and battling for a slight advantage, but after having battled for some time the two waves turned into one on one battles. The battleground had changed now. The humans were at a disadvantage and although they kept battling, they slowly retreated backwards. This caused the battleground to creep closer and closer to Hui Yue’s location.

  While Hui Yue was focused solely on the battle happening around him, Li Meilin focused on the young man who had led her to this patch of grass, away from the battle itself.

  Looking at the young man, he did not seem to even be twenty years of age. His skin was soft and spotless, his hair long and white like newly fallen snow, and his eyes were as blue as the bluest sky in summer. His face was effeminate, and instead of calling him handsome, beautiful fitted his appearance better.

  Strength wise, his aura was that of a Duke, however, there was something about him a mysterious air of strength which made her feel as though she was incapable of truly seeing through him.

  “What are you?” She finally whispered while looking at the young man, however, all she got was a complicated smile as the young man turned towards her. He shook his head before he turned back to watching the battles transpiring right in front of him.

  It was not that Hui Yue did not wish to answer, but he was not capable of answering. He, himself, was unaware of what he was. He had been born a human, however, these phenomena within his body were also part of his sou,l and so far one of them was a magical beast. At least some of him was a beast while some was human. He also had a soul contract with a divine beast which changed his own soul quite a bit. In general, he was no longer human, nor was he a magical beast. Hui Yue belonged to neither world while at the same time lived in both.

  Li Meilin was confused to see the reaction from the young man, but she did not say anything else. She wondered if she should mention to the young man that she did not need his protection because she was an Emperor, and only Captain Song and the One-Horned Jasmine Eagle in the sky were capable of truly threatening her. However, after seeing the serious expression on the young man’s face as he observed their surroundings, she decided to say nothing and just wait patiently for the young man to explain what was going on.

  Observing the young man, Li Meilin’s eyes slowly widened in surprise as she saw how his eyes were narrowed on a specific beast. A beast which seemed to be a One-Horned Eagle, the race which the majority of the beasts in this battle seemed to be.

  This One-Horned Eagle was not looking for humans to battle, instead, he was looking straight at Hui Yue and Li Meilin. A sinister smile appeared on his lips as he saw them, and with steady steps he made his way towards the two people hiding.

  “How annoying,” Hui Yue said with a click of his tongue, and suddenly the white hair and the pale skin sprouted red fur. His blue eyes turned blood red, his hands turned into paws with ra
zor sharp claws, and long fangs protruded from his mouth.

  The woman who was previously certain that this young man was a human due to his low rank and human shape, however, after seeing the red wolf which appeared in front of her she suddenly felt that she had misunderstood both his strength and his race.

  “You disgusting creature!” The guard yelled out loud the moment he saw Hui Yue. His arms changed to wings and he flew into the air. Having flown high into the sky, he turned downwards and sped towards Hui Yue with a screech. He flew like an arrow speeding towards its target. Seeing this, his red wolf eyes narrowed, but he did not panic nor did he seem to fear the one coming towards him.

  Seeing this, Li Meilin curiously stayed within the grass as she observed everything which happened in front of her. She was very curious about this young man who appeared with this beast horde and seemed to try everything he could think of to keep her safe.