Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  "You are smart." He said nodding his head. "Although it is possible for weaker experts to enter the formation it is indeed very hard to reach it. As it is the center of the world, it is the most protected place. And even worse, right now it belongs to An He. He allowed for his four followers to use the Formation of Life to become Gods. Their talents were quite limited, but they are his most loyal followers. Because of this, he is not someone we can easily deal with." Zhong Fai said with a sigh.

  "If it belongs to An He, how will it be possible for me to get my hands on the formation without him getting in the way?" Hui Yue asked with a sigh. Although he was tempted by this wonderful formation, he was not willing to risk his and his friends' lives. Being alive was more important than reaching the God rank sooner.

  "Don't worry too much about An He and his guardians." Zhong Fai promised, "An He hasn't been back here for a few hundred years, and he has no interest in staying in this world. His aim is to become the sovereign on of a Heavenly Realm."

  "Three of the four Generals are with him currently. The last, and weakest, is still here in the world, but he is not in the Central Palace. No one would know that you got your hands on the formation." Zhong Fai promised.

  "Had An He actually still cared about this world then he would not have let the beast army take over Siban. Ironically enough, he does not like beasts; he looks at them as though they are nothing but slaves, food, and things for entertainment." Zhong Fai laughed, "but he only cared about this place back when he had just reached the God rank because this world made him into a Crowned Sovereign. From the moment he joined the ranks of the Gods, he instantly became a Crowned Sovereign. This caused his strength to soar to the heavens. Even though he was a mere Primordial Immortal, he still had the support of a top-tier world."

  "He is most likely in closed door training somewhere. He is probably either planning on building his own world using this as a template or learning new arts that make it possible for him to fight other Crowned Sovereigns. Either way, he will be busy building his own strength and doesn’t have time to deal with this small world. We just need to watch out of the one General, and he should not be close to the Central Palace. Although they are Gods all of them are merely Primordial Immortals. Truth be told, they are afraid of the powers of the four divine beasts and their many traps which are within the Central Palace."

  "So you’re telling me that the Gods are fearful of this area but I, an Emperor should enter?" Hui Yue said with a dry smile on his face, and Zhong Fai chuckled embarrassedly. "I feel that you might be able to deal with the challenges better than these Gods." He laughed, and Hui Yue nodded his head. If it had something to do with the four divine beasts, Hui Yue believed in his powers, not because of himself but solely because of his relationship with Lan Feng.

  "I suggest you do not enter the Central Palace until you are at least a Saint." Zhong Fai said with a sigh. "Although I wish for you to go sooner rather than later, rushing will never give me the results I want." He complained, "and with your current cultivation speed I know you will reach the Saint rank soon. Since I have already waited for as long as I have, waiting for you to become a Saint will not be a loss for me." Zhong Fai said.

  Hui Yue nodded his head and looked a Zhong Fai for some time. If he truly managed to become a God and gained possession of the Formation of Life it would be possible for him to allow his friends to become God ranked experts as well. It would even help Xu Piao become a God and reunite with Xie Lan who was his best friend and the love of his life.

  Everyone went quiet for some time. They thought about the amazing abilities this Formation of Life offered. It would thoroughly change their lives if they got their hands on it.

  "Will it not change this world if I remove the formation from the Central Palace?" Hui Yue suddenly asked and his question caused Zhong Fai to frown and after a while shrug.

  "I really don't know." He said honestly, "in theory nothing should happen as long as the formation is within this plane; however, if it were removed from the plane then it would probably be impossible for this world to keep creating essence of the heavens and the earth. This would then become a world where it would be almost impossible to cultivate."

  Hearing this, Hui Yue was reminded of his old life back on earth where cultivation was something which was none existent, and he shook his head. He could no longer imagine living in such a world, and he would never let this world become like that. Even though he would borrow the power of the formation, he would never take it away from the world.

  "I have a question, which might be quite off our current topic." Hui Yue suddenly said, and his words caused Zhong Fai to look at him curiously. "I have a friend who is a necromancer; he has been experimenting with controlling corpses and becoming a puppeteer, but he is not able to control more than a few at a time. How are you able to create the Frozen Army?"

  Hearing the question at first the Frozen General was taken aback, but after a moment he started laughing out loud.

  "Necromancer? Haha, right it would look as though I am a necromancer to the outside world!" He chuckled. "Although I am a divine beast and have elemental affinities, I am no necromancer. I am an Ice-Serpent, a serpent which is capable of creating parasites. Each and every one of these parasites are capable of taking over the body of a person."

  "These parasites can grow stronger depending on the talent of the expert they consume. That is why I have always been hunting down talented experts. The parasites freeze the body to keep it from rotting, and as soon as the parasite is within, the body will perpetually frozen. They are the perfect soldiers. Even if they lose limbs, they will keep fighting. These parasites come from me, and thus are completely loyal."

  "But although I have many frozen soldiers in my army, I also had quite a few people who are experts who have sworn their allegiance to me. One such expert is Zhong Hei, who I picked up when he was a very small child. Another is Su Ge, my right-hand man. Being around the parasitic soldiers for too long is boring because they cannot speak and only follow orders." He grinned, and Hui Yue nodded his head. This was an innate ability of the Icy-Serpent and this it was not an ability that could help Deng Wu, even so, Hui Yue was going to tell Deng Wu about the situation. It was possible for him to perhaps create an ability from this situation much like Hui Yue had managed to create pills and abilities inspired by other things he had experienced.

  "I will be returning to my Frozen Palace." Zhong Fai said with a nod. "There is no need for me to stay here within the capital city while you are training. When you finish you can either come find me at the Frozen Palace or go directly towards the Central Palace where you can get your hands on the formation." Zhong Fai said before he stood up. "Thanks for wanting to cooperate with me." Zhong Fai said gratefully. "I also want to allow three of my followers to become Gods alongside me, and all four of us will owe you a favor for this. I look forward to the day of my ascension."

  Having finished talking, Zhong Fai stood up and with a nod towards the two others he turned to leave. Just as he was about to pass by Hui Yue, he placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder and with a serious expression on his face and a grave voice he said. "Make sure to take care of Sha Yun. She is a wonderful woman who deserves attention."

  The words left Hui Yue completely stunned, and Zhong Fai left the room with a smile on his face while Sha Yun's face had turned beet red.

  Chapter 433 - To Choose

  * * *

  Chapter 433: To Choose

  By the time Zhong Fai had left the room only Hui Yue and Sha Yun were left behind. Both of them were slightly embarrassed and uncertain what to say or do. The words spoken by the Frozen General had caused both of them to be completely aware of the other.

  Finally sighing, Hui Yue stood up and went to Sha Yun. Leaned down, he dragged the snake-woman into his arms, holding her in a warm embrace. Completely uncaring for what the world might think. Hui Yue was so happy to once more have the snake-woman by his side, to be able to share life with her
once more.

  Only when he took her into his arms did he understand that although he did not love Sha Yun the way he loved Wang Ju Long, he still loved this woman who had done so many things for him.

  Previously he had always just assumed that she would always be by his side. The usual Sha Yun who never asked for too much but was always there to do anything for him. Yet now that she had been away, he understood that it was not certain that she would always be with him, and when she was gone, he had felt as though he lost an important part of himself.

  Struggling with his feelings, Hui Yue was uncertain about what to do therefore, he just kept standing there with Sha Yun in his arms and savoring her special scent of lilies.

  At first, Sha Yun had been startled and incredibly self-conscious, but as time went on she understood that Hui Yue was struggling with his thoughts and she slowly started to enjoy the warm embrace. Hui Yue had never before been this intimate with her, and even though she had accepted that Hui Yue was now with Wang Ju Long, she secretly told herself that this embrace would be something she would remember the rest of her life.

  "I’m so glad to have you back." Hui Yue whispered as his one hand was wrapped Sha Yun in a warm embrace while the other stroked her beautiful, soft hair. His voice was thick and filled with emotions; there was a relief, longing, and happiness and all these emotions made it almost impossible for Sha Yun to not cry. It was so unfair that she had steeled her heart yet now Hui Yue was shaking her determination. When she was being treated this well, how was she to be satisfied with just being his friend after this? Having just felt the tenderness and care from Hui Yue and then have to give up on it moments later... It was in no way an easy thing to do.

  "We need to speak with Ju Long." Hui Yue suddenly said, but he still did not let go of the snake-woman in his arms. It was as though he feared that she would vanish should he let her go.

  "Yue, let me go. I’m here to stay." Sha Yun finally mumbled, her face red and her heart beating rapidly as her hope grew. The hope that she had done everything to kill had sprung to life and no matter what she did she could no longer suppress it.

  Hui Yue instantly let Sha Yun go when he heard her voice. Looking at the woman in front of him, a tender expression appeared in his eyes. He could not understand that it was not before now that he looked at her as a woman; a woman who was of great importance to him. Even so, he still loved Wang Ju Long as much as he had before and he couldn’t help but feel a headache coming.

  "Stay here!" Hui Yue ordered as he pointed to the chair Sha Yun was seated in and moments after he left the room to find Wang Ju Long.

  Finding her was no difficult task, she was in the gardens cultivating with a poisonous pill in front of her. Clearly, her cultivation was focused on this pill and how to improve her ability.

  Hui Yue, looking at Wang Ju Long felt great joy, but now it was mixed with anxiety. He did not want to lose what he already had, but he had to be honest with his emotions after seeing Sha Yun return safely. Both for Sha Yun's sake but also for Wang Ju Long. He did not wish to keep such an important secret from the ones he loved.

  While waiting for Wang Ju Long to finish her cultivation, Hui Yue used the entire time to steel himself. Yet the more he thought about it, the more worried he became. To be honest, he had never felt as terrible as he was currently feeling. Even when facing Siban’s vast army had not felt the same worry as he did now. Even dying was nowhere as frightening as losing either Wang Ju Long or Sha Yun.

  Daylight slowly vanished and the day turned to night before Wang Ju Long finally opened her eyes. Looking at the poison pill in front of her, Wang Ju Long's face shone with a smile before turning around to look at Hui Yue who was still fretting behind her. Seeing his expression she frowned. She had never seen him like this before, so she became worried.

  "What's wrong?" She asked, but Hui Yue just shook his head. "Follow me." He said with a somewhat forced smile and quickly moved back to the library.

  Wang Ju Long following behind was puzzled; she was very confused and also worried. They finally made it to the library, and Wang Ju Long looked around and found that Sha Yun was seated within. Clearly, her face was filled with mixed emotions as well, some of them were hope and happiness while others were anxiety and fear.

  "What’s wrong?" Wang Ju Long asked as soon as the door closed. Her hands were on her hips and her eyes filled with questions as she looked from Hui Yue to Sha Yun.

  Feeling awkward Hui Yue did not know how to start. Even he did not fully understand his own emotions, but honesty was something he prided himself on, and as looked at Wang Ju Long as his wife, she deserved to know everything he felt.

  The silence stayed for quite some time before Hui Yue finally got the courage to say what he truly felt. His words shocked both Sha Yun and Wang Ju Long, but both of them could see how terrible Hui Yue was feeling and eventually both of them started laughing.

  "Is that all?" Wang Ju Long asked with a gentle smile on her face. "I knew long ago that Sha Yun was a very important person in your life and just like Sha Yun knows that I am an important part of your life. We long since came to an understanding of accepting one another." Wang Ju Long said with a small smile on her face. She would be lying if she said that she did not want Hui Yue for herself, but she understood that he truly cared not just her but also Sha Yun. To her, his happiness was far more important than her own greed.

  Seeing the expressions on both women's faces, Hui Yue was dumbfounded at first, but suddenly his legs collapsed below him. He sat on the ground as his nerves finally starting to settle again.

  "I have never experienced anything as horrifying as this before." He sighed as his entire body suddenly feeling weak. After a few breaths of air, he was back to his normal self. Deep inside he felt hopeful and anxious for the future.

  "Oh yes, Ju Long." Hui Yue said as he suddenly thought about the Formation of Life. After having come through the entire ordeal with Hui Yue's emotions, he explained everything he and Zhong Fai had spoken about including how they would all become Gods. Hearing this, Wang Ju Long's eyes widened, and she was as stunned as Hui Yue had been.

  "If was can all become Gods then we will end up stronger than An He in almost no time." She said excitedly but Hui Yue shook his head. "Although we will become Gods, we will be just Primordial Immortals while he is a Crowned Sovereign. Even if we were all together, we would still be slaughtered." Hui Yue sighed deeply. "Not to mention that getting my hands on the Formation of Life will not be an easy task."

  "We will go together." Wang Ju Long said seriously, and Hui Yue nodded his head. "If you guys reach the Emperor rank, I will take you with me. However, I need to reach the Saint rank first. He said it would be incredibly hard to gain access to the Formation of Life as the four divine beasts hid the center of this world behind many formations and traps. We will need enough strength to be able to force our way into the formation."

  "You don't think that perhaps the General will be in the way?" Wang Ju Long asked worriedly. If it were true that the Generals and An He were gone then, it would make everything much easier, however, who knew when he would suddenly decide to return to this world?

  Hui Yue, having told Wang Ju Long about the Formation of Life excused himself first and returned to his room where he sat down and started to cultivate. Reaching the Saint rank was something which would take quite a while, and he truly needed to train as much as he possibly could. It was true that Lan Feng was a Saint and he could rely on his powers. However, Lan Feng's power was limited. It would be hard to reach the Formation of Life depending solely on Lan Feng's powers.

  ....

  Wang Ju Long and Sha Yun were left alone within the library, both of them looking at the door from which Hui Yue had vanished. Both were completely silent and had complex expressions on their faces. As time went by they no longer looked at the door but instead started looking at one another. After a bit, a smile appeared on their faces and then their smiles turned to low chuckling and light laugh
ter.

  "It seems that neither of us could win in the end." Wang Ju Long said with a sigh, but a smile still played on her lips as she leaned back in the chair she was seated in.

  "I think we both won." Sha Yun disagreed, "In the future, it seems as though we are going to be sisters." She laughed slightly. "Who would have thought that after all this time, we would have to look at one another as sisters."

  Both were quiet for some time while thinking about the fact that they'd be sisters but as time went on, their chuckling could be heard once more.

  "I guess there is no reason for us to be hostile towards each other anymore. Although we never really liked each other before, let’s start fresh. Being enemies with each other will trouble Yue in the future, and we will not help anyone. Both of us want to be of use to Yue when he travels through the many worlds, goes to meet danger, and fights for survival. Being by his side, we need to trust each other as we trust him; we need to be his strongest supporters, the ones he can always confide in." Sha Yun continued, and Wang Ju Long nodded her head. Standing up, she went towards Sha Yun and reached out her hand. "You are right."