Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  "Don't be too discouraged," Huli smiled as she saw Hui Yue's depressed expression, "you cannot compare yourself with the blue phoenix. He is the son of the Vermilion Bird, and his talent is ranked among the best one can have. Not to mention he has an innate talent comprehending all the daos of fire. If he were slower than you, then I would be ashamed on behalf of his father."

  Huli's words were incredibly direct and rather harsh, but Hui Yue understood that she meant every word, and he felt slightly better. He smiled at her and cracked his neck as he looked around.

  "Seal the room; we need to speak," he finally said. Huli, who had been waiting for him, allowed for the Ancestral Worldpower within her body to flow out from her and lay itself like a layer of armor around the entire room.

  "It is amazing that you are capable of using the dao of sound to such a degree," Hui Yue sighed in admiration but his words just caused Huli to smile, what she was truly feeling, no one knew.

  "When we were in the restaurant a memory of mine forcefully broke through the barrier that usually keeps them closed off from my consciousness. This was very different from how my previous memories have opened before; never before has one forcefully tore apart the barrier."

  Hearing this, Huli's appearance was shocked for a moment and then she smiled a very gentle, loving smile at Hui Yue.

  "Tell me about this memory," Huli asked gently, and her voice contained an uncertain but also a strange hope which Hui Yue did not understand. After thinking about it for a moment, he just shook his head and closed his eyes.

  After closing his eyes, he allowed his consciousness to enter the small cave where the black figure was waiting for him. Reaching out his arm he touched the memory, and suddenly the black figure with white spots started moving. It merged with Hui Yue, and he felt how his entire body started to greedily absorb the Ancestral Worldpower around him. He was like a whirlwind, sucking in everything around him, not leaving even the smallest bit of energy behind.

  The moment Hui Yue touched the memory he found that he could feel more than one dao around him opening up.

  Hui Yue had never before touched a memory after becoming a God, and he was unaware of exactly what would happen. Previously the energy would envelop him and slowly appear at the moments when he needed them, but now he could feel the daos surrounding him.

  Right now what he could feel was a dao he did not understand; a dao which was so vast that it felt as if his mind was exploding!

  His eyes opened wide as he acutely felt one dao surrounding him. This dao was so strong that it was filled with thousands of small daos. They shone like thousands of stars in the night sky, and he could instantly feel that this was a major dao or even a heavenly dao!

  Hui Yue could not tell exactly what it was, but he could feel its power. He could feel the many thousands of daos that were shining around him, and he could not help but feel astonished.

  To test, Hui Yue retreated from the black figure and instantly the daos he had felt vanished from his senses. He could no longer feel even the slightest breeze of them.

  Puzzled, Hui Yue returned to the cave and once more touched the memory, and suddenly the many sparkling daos appeared once more.

  Sensing the many daos surrounding him, Hui Yue closed his eyes again and focused solely on the dao. Countless daos had opened up around him, but two were the strongest. They were so dazzling that Hui Yue felt blinded by their strength, and it was clear that these were major daos and most likely complete ones at that.

  "I wonder just how strong I was back then," Hui Yue could not help but muse as this was without a doubt the strongest memory he had ever sensed.

  'This memory is definitely stronger than any others you have awakened,' Lan Feng's voice appeared next to Hui Yue's consciousness. 'This strength is not something you can use just yet, but if you meditate enough on the daos that this memory knows, then I am sure that one day you will comprehend them. Even if you cannot comprehend these daos that are surrounding you just yet, with time, it will come.'

  Hui Yue nodded his head as it made sense. For now, this memory was of little use to him, but as time went on the more he contemplated the different daos, the stronger he would become.

  Hui Yue left the area where the many daos were opened up to him and returned his consciousness to the core of his body. Afterwards, he opened his eyes and saw Huli looking at him with great expectations.

  Looking at her, he smiled. He never really knew what to do with her, but after leaving the Divine Beast World, they had grown increasingly close. Now Hui Yue and Huli were very close, and he could not imagine the universe without her. Deep within his mind, a minute tremble ran through the memory, and although they did not usually move on their own, this memory reached out and touched Hui Yue's consciousness causing the many daos to appear once more out of nowhere.

  Since Hui Yue was not currently focused on comprehending these daos, or on understanding the memory, he was taken by surprise by this sudden attempt to overtake his mind. Because of his current state, he suddenly saw things much clearer than before.

  In front of him, the entire vast universe expanded. He saw the galaxy he was currently within, and he saw the many stars that were the countless small worlds, all of which were placed together in the tiny galaxy. But this vision expanded even further. He saw galaxy after galaxy next to one another; he saw the infinite universe where there were worlds countless times bigger than he had ever imagined possible. He saw worlds so small that there could be thousands of them placed within the Divine Beast World, and he saw so many stars everywhere until his eyes landed on a figure that was traveling through this unending universe.

  The traveler seemed middle-aged. He was wearing rags as clothes and cosmic dust covered his body. His eyes were closed and his features normal. He was floating through space with his arms behind his back, but just as he felt Hui Yue's glance he turned around and it appeared as if he was looking through the infinite space to gaze straight at Hui Yue. His closed eyes opened and a blazing inferno seemed to shoot out from within.

  With a scream and piercing pain in his mind, Hui Yue and the memory got forcefully separated from one another. He tumbled to the floor with his arms cradling his head as he screamed out in pain.

  His entire mind burned, and his consciousness felt like it was being set aflame, but with each flame, the essence of the dao was spreading in his mind. The dao of inferno that he had spent so long meditating and thinking about was now opening up to him; he was piecing together aspects he had barely touched before and was realizing how the dao was merged as a whole at a much swifter rate than ever before.

  "This is my gift to you. To see a youngster who has started upon the dao of space is truly rare," the middle-aged man mumbled, but no one could hear what he said. Hui Yue had long since lost the ability to observe this elder.

  Chapter 518 - Why Did You Choose Me?

  * * *

  Chapter 518: Why Did You Choose Me?

  Huli was shocked when she heard Hui Yue's agonizing screams of pain. Her eyes widened, and she was unsure of what to do until she noticed that his body had suddenly without warning turned into a chaotic flame.

  Seeing this, Huli knew it had to do with the dao of inferno, and she did not hesitate to cloak him with Ancestral Worldpower to contain the flame.

  After releasing her Ancestral Worldpower, she was shocked as she realized that the amount of Ancestral Worldpower she had used was not enough to protect the room from the flame, and she was much more focused as she released even more energy to wrap around him.

  Huli was shocked as she looked at Hui Yue. She had never before seen or even heard about anything like this. It was clear that the intensity of the flame meant that Hui Yue was currently undergoing some insane baptism of the dao of inferno.

  Without any hesitation, Huli poured out her Ancestral Worldpower and formed a strong barrier around Hui Yue which ensured that the flames could not burn anything. As for which daos were apart of this energy, only Huli hersel
f knew, but amongst them was the dao of sound which kept Hui Yue’s agonized screams from being heard.

  Huli's face was filled with pain as she saw Hui Yue's agony. Although she could not hear his screams, the soundless screams chilled her heart and tears fell from her eyes in steady streams. Despite his suffering, she remained silent. Energy kept leaving her body steadily supporting the barrier around Hui Yue.

  The flame Hui Yue was emitting was so chaotic and intense that even Huli's Ancestral Worldpower was constantly being eroded; the power this flame displayed was truly terrifying and chaotic it was the energy that the dao of inferno was famous for.

  Hui Yue was in this state for a full night and day before Hui Yue finally lost consciousness and the flame on his body died.

  By now even Huli was exhausted. Having spent all her energy to look after Hui Yue even as he collapsed.

  Seeing that Hui Yue was ok, relief flooded Huli, and she too stumbled forward as everything turned black around her and comfortable nothingness descended upon her. She had used so much Ancestral Worldpower that her body had become feeble and she could no longer stay awake.

  No one knew what time it was when Hui Yue woke. His body was sore, and he had a terrible headache. Trying to sit up, he found that it was not possible because something was weighing him down. Looking down, his eyes widened in surprise. He covered his eyes with his hand as he tried his best to recall what they had been doing previously.

  The sight that he woke up too was truly rather chaotic. He was laying on the bed without any clothes on his body and on top of him was a small furry fox.

  Something must have happened. Huli was in such a small, cute shape, but the weight she possessed was so heavy that Hui Yue could only move his arms which were not being laid on. Apparently, she would always control her weight, but right now something must have happened that had taken all her energy so that she could not even control her own form.

  "The last thing I remember is that mysterious man..." Hui Yue thought for a moment. "Then I remember pain. Such excruciating pain the likes I have never experienced before. That couldn’t have been connected with Huli... If we did something it would have been much more pleasant," he continued to muse.

  "No, what am I thinking about!" He shook his head, "I better just wait and ask her when she wakes up."

  Hui Yue closed his eyes and entered his consciousness where he started meditating. Although he had an incredibly heavy fox on top of him, he still managed to feel the dao around him.

  Feeling the dao, Hui Yue was shocked. The dao of inferno was now many times clearer to him than it had been before. Sensing the dao now, he gained many insights that had previously eluded him, and he could feel that he had almost fully comprehended the dao of inferno.

  Hui Yue's eyes opened in shock as he felt this. He felt the urge to cultivate, but he knew that if he did his body would spontaneously combust and that would not only cause problems for Huli, who was laying on top of him, but it would also burn down the bed he was on.

  Thinking this, he had no other option than to once more enter his consciousness and move closer and closer to this new memory. Every time he had touched it so far he had sensed a wide array of daos surrounding him. If he could merge with the memory, he would instantly become one of the most outstanding geniuses, but even so, this was no easy task.

  Since it would take a long time before he would be able to merge with the memory, he instead decided to try and gain some insights into the daos that this memory possessed. He touched the memory once more and felt the many daos surrounding him.

  "Space!" Hui Yue exclaimed shocked as one of the brightest daos finally revealed itself. "To think that this dao is the dao of space! What a grand dao to venture down! If it wasn't for the strange phenomena yesterday, I bet I would never have been able to guess what this dao was, much less touch upon the threshold of such a strong dao. It is as strong as the dao of devouring, and it is also a dao under the major dao of darkness."

  Hui Yue was elated. He had yet to complete the dao of inferno, yet as soon as he finished it, he would be able to walk down the dao of space! He already had a new dao to ponder upon.

  Just as Hui Yue was busy thinking about all this, he felt some movement on top of him. What previously had been a cute, furry fox turned into an alluring woman.

  She was still sound asleep, but she was no longer as heavy as she had been as a fox. Hui Yue gently laid her down on the bed and covered her with a blanket before he found a set of clothes and dressed. He wished to cultivate, but he was unaware which kind of phenomena would appear if he tried. He was not currently within a training room, and his body would change according to the dao he was comprehending.

  Seeing that Huli was fairly pale, Hui Yue quickly went down the stairs of the inn and ordered food which he brought up to the room. As he looked at Huli, he felt guilty. He had never before seen Huli look so weak, nor had he ever seen her unconscious. Although he did not remember exactly what had happened the day before, he knew that the reason she was so exhausted was because of him.

  Hui Yue sat down and waited patiently for Huli to awaken. When the food got cold, he ate it before he went down to order some cold snacks that could last in the room’s temperature. After having sat next to Huli for a full day, she opened her eyes.

  Her body suddenly rose to a seated position, and her shut eyes opened. Her pupils contracted as sharp spikes of pain invaded her mind. Her body was sore, and she had gotten up far too quickly. As a result, she was dizzy and almost lost consciousness once more. Losing control of herself, she fell back only to be caught by Hui Yue.

  "Be careful," he said. His voice was filled with consideration as he gently helped Huli lay down on the bed. "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly as she closed her eyes once more allowing for the pillow behind her to support her body.

  "I'm fine," she said with a feeble voice. "I ended up using more Ancestral Worldpower than I had. I overdrafted my energies, and my body is weak now as a result. My usual form has returned, but it will take a day or two before my energy is back to normal."

  "I see," Hui Yue said, not sure what he should do, "can I do anything to make you feel better?" He asked, feeling completely useless.

  Hui Yue did not ask what had happened earlier. He knew it had to do with him meditating on the dao of Inferno, and that she had most likely saved him once more, but asking the question would just make everyone uncomfortable.

  "There is one thing..." Huli said hesitantly, but the moment Hui Yue heard it, he swore in his heart that he would do anything she asked of him. She had disregarded her own safety for the sake of helping him, what kind of person was he, if he did not repay her kindness.

  "I’m cold," she said meekly, "come into bed and warm me up."

  Although Huli was really weak and most likely cold, Hui Yue could not help but look at her with confusion. Did she ask because she was truly cold or was she abusing her weakness to gain something? Either way, Hui Yue just chuckled and slowly moved to the bed. He gently hoisted Huli up and sat down placing the woman on his lap and wrapping her up in blankets.

  A sigh of joy escaped Huli's lips as she leaned against Hui Yue's chest. Her entire body was shivering at first, but Hui Yue searched within his core and found the Nirvana Phoenix Flame. Withdrawing a wisp of energy, he pressed this small flame from his body into Huli's, and she instantly stopped shivering. After a short while, her pale face gained some color again.

  Huli had lied. Although her body was better than it had been before, it was still far from being in the best condition, yet now that the Nirvana Phoenix Flame entered her body, it was instantly healed and even strengthened. Unfortunately, the Nirvana Phoenix Flame was not capable of filling up Huli's body with Ancestral Worldpower again.

  One’s body was like a container for Ancestral Worldpower. When Huli had overdrafted her energy, she had injured her body, and this resulted in her being incapable of holding all the Ancestral Worldpower that she was absorbing. It was as if she was a c
ontainer that was leaking Ancestral Worldpower as quickly as she absorbed it. This wound to her body would heal slowly, but now that she had been healed by the Nirvana Phoenix Flame all the leaks had been healed.

  Unfortunately, the Nirvana Phoenix Flame also drained Hui Yue completely of energy, and as he had healed Huli the two were in the same situation, neither of them had the energy to move.

  "Sleep," Huli said while nestled against Hui Yue's chest. She took her arms and embraced Hui Yue's neck, and with a nod of his head, Hui Yue laid down on the bed, allowing for Huli to lay by his side, using his arm as a pillow.

  It did not take long before the small fox-lady fell asleep, and Hui Yue gently stroked her hair. "Why did you choose me?" He asked quietly but the fox was already asleep, and he got no answer.

  "No matter the reason, I swear I will protect you. I won't die like your previous friend; I will forever be here, right by your side."

  Saying these words, Hui Yue allowed for his eyes to close and he slowly drifted into a comfortable black dreamworld.