Chapter 117 Goodbye

A vast sea of ​​fire, its dazzling, golden color filling the space, yet the flames that should have incinerated everything merely floated above the objects, clearing a vacuum for the boy and his friends.

A white figure floated amidst the flames, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

"Give him back to me," Xie Baoqiong pleaded, facing the flames that had taken Xueyan away.

The flames then leaped even more fiercely, and specks of firelight gradually splashed onto the edges of the white wings, rising into an even more intense burst of fire.

Xie Baoqiong reached out to stop them, but was pushed further away by the rising flames.

Flames powerful enough to distort the air blurred the vision, and the white traces in the field of vision were replaced by bright colors, like adding a touch of scarlet color to a snow-white sheet of paper, and then spreading and overflowing with orange-red paint, completely erasing the white canvas from this world.

The intense flames danced in the boy's stubborn eyes. He seemed to have completely forgotten the pain of the flames burning his palms, or perhaps he didn't care. He mustered all his strength and rushed towards the center of the flames.

Flames climbed up his clothes, but retreated just before they hurt him. He passed through the flames as he wished, and a clearing appeared in the burning sea of ​​fire, but he could not find the white figure anywhere.

"Ah-Jung".

The familiar voice startled him. Xie Baoqiong turned her head sharply, her gaze sweeping across the flames.

But there was nothing there, only a patch of orange-red firelight.

When Xie Baoqiong turned around, a very faint shadow appeared in front of him, and Qi Gui's shy smile was reflected in his constricted pupils.

He reached out in disbelief, only to be stopped by a wave of flames.

"Qi Gui, are you... alive again?"

The boy, dressed in plain clothes, shook his head with a somber expression, and even his illusory figure became blurred:

"Ah-Jung, I'm leaving."

His face no longer bore the pained look of tears at the moment of death, but instead held a faint smile, as if he were comforting his friend in return:

"I'm so glad to see Arjun again. You won't only remember me crying this time, will you?"

His tone was deliberately light, as if trying to mask the heaviness of a final farewell.

"You heard everything..." Xie Baoqiong's eyes stung from the smoke of the flames, but she didn't blink, as if she wanted to firmly imprint her friend's image in her heart.

Qi Gui's illusory figure swayed in the flames. He struggled to maintain a smile, looking into his friend's eyes, his gaze flickering, his pleading lacking in conviction: "Actually, it's not that A-Qiong doesn't remember me. Demons can live for a very, very long time, and it would be exhausting to always remember someone..."

The sound gradually faded into nothingness, and the flames once again engulfed everything, as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than Xie Baoqiong's illusion.

He never understood why people would hide their true feelings and say the opposite of what they mean. He always assumed that what people said was what they thought, but why could he see that the emotions in Qi Gui's eyes were completely opposite to the words he was conveying?

The boy opened his hand, and a white bead, much smaller than a normal inner core, landed in his palm. Like Cat Brother's inner core, it was covered with cracks and emitted milky white spiritual energy, which swept across his palm like a pure white feather before returning to the world.

Flames still surrounded him, and the bloated feeling from absorbing the salty water had not completely subsided when a breath approached without any concealment.

Xie Baoqiong raised her eyes, looked over the wall of fire, and met a pair of cold, indifferent eyes. Lin An had already figured out how to cross the flames and was walking towards her step by step.

Xie Baoqiong clenched the dull bead in his hand, raised his other hand, and with a whooshing sound, the long knife flew through the flames and into his hand.

The young man who had already arrived in front of him glanced at the flames floating around him, a rare solemn expression appearing on his face, a fleeting look of apprehension.

One after another, the fluorescent butterflies detached from his body and swooped down on Xie Baoqiong at an illogical speed. Their beautiful wings were like sharp blades that cut off the hem of the boy's robe as he dodged.

He dodged one, but there was still a swarm left. Although the flames surrounding him helped him block many, he was still in a sorry state. He rolled on the spot to avoid the fireflies attacking from behind, and as he got up, he thrust his longsword backward and then slashed to the side, wiping out the fireflies from both directions.

Xie Baoqiong took the opportunity to catch his breath. Although his spiritual power was abundant, it was of no advantage against Lin An. The young man who stood there watching his disheveled appearance with amusement also had inexhaustible spiritual power.

He is currently fighting against Lin An, whose strength is vastly different and who uses evil magic to restore his spiritual power. Even with the presence of flames, he will inevitably feel strained.

He channeled his spiritual power, a ruthless glint in his eyes, and leaped straight into the swarm of fireflies. Sharp wings tore through his clothes, making a clanging sound like metal colliding with stone when they touched his skin. White marks were left on his exposed skin, but his gaze was firm as he pierced through the swarm of fireflies and leaped toward the young man not far away.

The increasingly dense fluttering wings of the fluorescent butterflies almost overlapped, their dazzling colors obscuring his vision and causing him to feel dizzy. Xie Baoqiong simply closed his eyes and moved forward by sensing the surrounding atmosphere.

The dull pain from the sharp weapon cutting into his body kept radiating, and he gripped the long knife even tighter.

When the breath was almost upon him, he opened his eyes, removed the protective gear from his vital points, mobilized all his spiritual power, and slashed out with all his might.

The spiritual energy overflowing from the blade instantly severed the dense swarm of fluorescent butterflies before it, and the long blade was aimed directly at the person in front of it.

But they couldn't make any progress.

The fireflies dispersed, revealing Lin An holding the blade between two fingers. A look of realization dawned on his face: "So you can't control those flames."

Xie Baoqiong's hands, gripping the hilt of the sword, went slightly numb. Ignoring the young man's words, she continued to pour her surging spiritual energy into the longsword.

As the two were locked in a stalemate, a sudden tremor came from the mountainside, and rocks began to fall from above.

The young man looked up, a look of surprise and doubt flashing in his eyes. He then lifted the hand that had caught the long sword, breaking the stalemate.

Xie Baoqiong used the force to dissipate her momentum and created distance behind her.

A violent explosion rang out the moment he landed, causing the mountain to shake violently.

Xie Baoqiong observed Lin An's ever-changing expression, slightly lowered her body, leaned forward, and was poised to strike when a voice suddenly rang in her mind:

Don't move.

A tremendous sound surged into my ears the next moment.

An aura of cataclysmic destruction descended, a corner of the mountain was sheared off, and blinding sunlight poured in, illuminating this dark cave.

The melodious and long cry seemed to come from ancient times, and a huge bird that came with the glow of dawn spread its wings and was reflected in the eyes of the boy who was adjusting to the light.

The bird transformed into human form the instant it flew into the cave, landing in front of Xie Baoqiong. Beneath its long eyelashes, its inhuman pupils reflected the dusty-faced boy, and a long sigh escaped from his lips.

Xin Xuan turned to face the culprit who caused all of this, and whispered, "It was definitely too early to let you face these things on your own."

He raised his hand, and a spiritual force, both ethereal and seemingly suffocatingly powerful, rippled outwards.

Xie Baoqiong, who was being protected behind him, was completely unaware, but Lin An, who was standing in the same spot observing him, suddenly changed his expression. The aura of death swept in from all directions, and there was no way to avoid it.

Before the look of horror on that face, which was as delicate as fine porcelain, had faded, spiderweb-like cracks appeared from within, spreading along the neck to the limbs and bones, and the intact body collapsed in an instant.

Thousands upon thousands of brightly colored butterflies, like souls hiding within a body, broke free of their cocoons and scattered in all directions. The flames floating around the boy moved at the sound of their approach, cleaning up the remaining mess.

Xin Xuan remained indifferent, not taking Lin An seriously. He turned his attention back to the young man beside him.

"How did you manage to make yourself look so pathetic after just a short time apart?"

The boy's clothes were tattered, with brown bloodstains and gray dust obscuring the dark patterns on them after oxidation. There were also burn marks on the edges. His exposed face and hands were covered with red and white marks.

Xin Xuan showed no disgust, bent down and picked up the small person from the ground, raised his hand and brushed it across the boy's face, and the scratches disappeared instantly.

Physical pain is easy to heal, but emotional pain is not so easily soothed...

Comforted, Xie Baoqiong buried her face in Xin Xuan's neck, her voice muffled by the fabric:

"Senior Xin, why are you so late..."

The tone was drawn out, making it sound as if the person had suffered a great injustice.

Xin Xuan gently stroked the child's back, but before she could speak, she heard a rapid, labored breathing sound coming from the side of her neck:

"Senior Xin, you know about what happened back then, right? How exactly can the art of resurrection be performed?"

When the words "resurrection" were uttered, Xin Xuan's eyes sharpened, and his hand, which had been gently patting the child's back, paused. He then turned the boy's buried face towards him.

“Xiao Bao, just pretend this never happened.” His serious expression softened slightly as he patiently coaxed, “Your friend’s soul is still intact, and he still has a chance to be reincarnated.”

“But he won’t be called Qi Gui in his next life.” Xie Baoqiong turned her face away childishly, refusing to meet Xin Xuan’s gaze.

Xin Xuan did not deny the boy's words. After a moment of silence, he emphasized the first two words of his next speech: "Xiao Bao, life and death cannot be disrupted."

“But I survived.” Xie Baoqiong turned her head back, her almond-shaped eyes gazing longingly at the young man, her lowered eyes making one’s heart soften.

But Xin Xuan was a demon who had lived for countless years, and his heart hardened instantly after the slightest wavering. He glanced sideways at the chaotic outside world before speaking coldly:

"If you are really sad, I can erase your memory."

"I don't want to!" Before his mind had even processed the words, Xie Baoqiong stubbornly refused, determined not to forget Qi Gui.

After the mountain was split open, the people imprisoned in the underground palace regained their freedom as they wished. Countless streaks of light flashed from outside the cave, engaging in a chaotic battle with the Yu'an Guards in the palace.

However, all the noise from the outside world was blocked by Xin Xuan's barrier and had nothing to do with the two of them.

"If you don't want it, then don't." Xin Xuan pinched the child's chubby cheek, put him back on the ground, and a brightly colored feather appeared in his palm. He handed it to the child: "I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself. I might not be able to make it back next time."

Xie Baoqiong stared blankly at the feather in her hand, reaching out to pull Xin Xuan's robe.

But in the blink of an eye, the youth's figure transformed into a giant bird and flew away.

The barrier shattered as the giant bird flew by, and in an instant, dark clouds filled the sky, with rolling clouds of calamity hovering overhead.

A muffled clap of thunder boomed, and the fighting crowd around them instantly parted, staring warily and fearfully at the ever-growing storm clouds overhead.

Those who escaped from the underground palace sensed Xin Xuan's presence and shouted:

"Thank you so much for saving my life. I will never forget your kindness. Please feel free to ask if you need anything."

The giant bird, wary of the impending descending tribulation clouds overhead, spared a sliver of attention and casually remarked:

"It's nothing. I'm about to undergo my tribulation. If you're so kind, please look after that child."

Having said that, he flapped his wings and disappeared from the spot.

As the giant bird departed, the calamity clouds in the sky gradually dissipated.

Most of the people standing in the air had escaped from the underground palace and had all received Xin Xuan's kindness. Upon hearing this, they looked towards the cave from which the giant bird had emerged. Cultivators are sharp-eyed and keen-eared and could clearly capture the faces of the people at the cave entrance. When they saw that the faces of their enemies were somewhat similar, they were filled with mixed feelings.

Before they could react, a crimson shadow suddenly streaked across the sky, crashing straight into the cave entrance like a meteor, and pinning the child standing in the cave to the ground before anyone could react.

As the crowd tried to stop them, the Yu'an Guards, who were standing opposite them, saw the tribulation clouds dissipate and immediately stepped in front of them to engage in combat...

A two-tailed fox, as tall as a person, appeared after the smoke and dust cleared, picked up the figure on the ground, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

In the silent, deserted cave, a gray butterfly, blending seamlessly with the dust, fluttered its wings and disappeared into the darkness...