37. Azure Dragon and White Tiger
Before long, Bei Chen and Gui Fang were fighting the evil spirit masters in the forest, deliberately leading them out of the forest. Meanwhile, within the formation, the spiritual energy emanating from the bird patterns on the boulder was weakening, and the blue lotus flames within the stone altar were growing smaller.
The afterimage of the Raven King—no, the Vermilion Bird—gradually overlapped with Zhu Qianqian, who was controlling the formation. Zhu Qianqian's pupils were covered with a light amber color, as if a shadow overlapped with her. With a wave of her hand, a bracelet engulfed in flames appeared, and Zhu Qianqian spoke, her two voices overlapping.
"This is the Heart-Guarding Bracelet, bearing the weight of predestined fate and watchful waiting. I present it to you now, so that in times of crisis, it will guide you and turn danger into safety."
The flames around the Heart-Guarding Bracelet gradually died down, and it slowly moved closer to Tangxi.
Tang Xihe was engulfed in raging flames. Even with his fine clothes and spiritual energy protecting him, the temperature of the Undying Flame was still terrifyingly hot, making his vision blur. He felt that the person in front of him was Zhu Qianqian, or perhaps the afterimage of the Vermilion Bird King Zhu He. He blinked hard, the afterimage disappeared, and Zhu Qianqian, still solemnly handing over the Heart-Guarding Bracelet, slowly released it. The Heart-Guarding Bracelet floated over and landed in Tang Xihe's hand.
Compared to the azure lotus flames surrounding her, the bracelet in her hand wasn't hot to the touch, yet Tang Xihe felt a certain lifeless part of her heart being vaguely ignited by this solemn inheritance.
Southern Star Emperor Vermilion Bird?
Tang Xi turned to look at Pi Pi. The Vermilion Bird's characteristic is "to live towards death," possessing an inextinguishable flame, and each generation of Vermilion Bird is reborn from ashes.
Pipi was still very young, having just hatched, and perhaps did not yet understand what emotions were. At this moment, tears streamed down her face as she stared blankly at the gradually fading black figure covering Zhu Qianqian, lost in thought.
Zhu Qianqian was also watching Pipi.
With its short orange beak, full plumage, and golden-orange beady eyes, its feathers gleam and shine under the light, it has the typical appearance of a raven.
Could it be that the previous Raven King acted for so long that when the seed of inheritance hatched, it also looked like a Raven?
Zhu Qianqian felt a mix of secret joy and disappointment.
She knew that Pipi was still young and was only affected by Zhu He's remaining memories. When it grew up and its wings were fully grown, Pipi would grow into the form it was meant to be and would not remain in the form of a crow forever.
The azure lotus within the formation transformed into specks of starlight, illuminating Pipi's entire body. As the light reached its peak, Pipi's form was reshaped within the ball of light, the creaking of his bones making one's teeth ache. When the radiance dissipated, Pipi's body had expanded considerably, his tiny eyes had become narrower and paler, and the pale black flames on his body had transformed into dazzling golden-orange flames.
The afterimage of the Vermilion Bird King watched Pipi's changes, and gradually disappeared into the stone altar along with the faint flames of the blue flame.
The formation was restored to its original state.
This place seemed to be a secret base hidden deep in the dense forest. All the plants around the stone altar quickly withered and turned yellow, turning into ordinary boulders. The bird patterns on them disappeared, leaving only Tangxi, who was just waking up from a dream, Pipi, who was sobbing, and Zhu Qianqian, whose face was pale.
Exhausted, Zhu Qianqian collapsed to her knees and let out a long sigh, "It's over!"
"It's not over yet."
Tang Xi quickly got up, her face as cold as ice, and said in a deep voice, "Hide here and don't make a sound."
"Um?"
Zhu Qianqian struggled to open her eyes and mustered her strength, only then did she hear the sounds of fierce fighting outside the stone altar.
Exhaustion of spiritual energy is no good. Even with the help of Zhu He's remaining spiritual energy on the boulder's patterns, Zhu Qianqian was already so tired that her vision was blurry and she had no strength left. She looked at Tang Xihe with some unease and saw that Tang Xihe was forming hand seals to put a barrier on the stone altar.
Tang Xi had no talismans on her body, so she had to expend her own spiritual power to weave a barrier with magic. "Someone has broken in, many people."
Zhu Qianqian was startled and immediately thought of the half-demon with wolf ears on its head and the strange woman who used an ancient hunting rifle as a magic weapon. She was still worried, "Immortal Tang, be careful, the people in the research institute are particularly cunning!"
Research Institute. In Zhu Qianqian's memory, a cultist named Shi Jinxiu once mentioned something like "our research institute," meaning that the guy impersonating the Demon Management Bureau was actually a research institute.
The original work never mentions any research institute, which is another change that goes beyond the original work.
After setting up the barrier, Tang Xi turned and walked outside, saying, "Get some rest, Pipi. Please take care of him."
Pipi snapped out of her daze and nodded absentmindedly.
...
In the Graveyard Forest, a tidal wave of evil spirit masters relentlessly attacked the two figures, one in purple and one in white.
The golden threads flashed with a chilling light, leaving limbs flying and blood splattering everywhere they passed, a truly gruesome sight. Bei Chen could no longer maintain the longsword he held, which was formed from spiritual energy, and had no choice but to fight with his fists and feet. The spiritual energy very politely enveloped his fists and his entire body.
The two gradually ran out of energy and fell into a disadvantageous position, struggling to defend themselves and narrowly escaping death several times. After a coordinated attack, Bei Chen and Gui Fang stood back to back, panting heavily. Bei Chen said, "Why are you always so bloody when you fight?"
Gui Fang was panting heavily from exhaustion and didn't bother with him. The "prosthetics" on his hands had already been removed, and the thin threads formed by the eerie energy looked like ordinary sewing thread.
Bei Chen had never seen Gui Fang fight with his hands exposed before, and couldn't help but glance at him a few more times. "I thought you were wearing two skull claws because you were afraid you wouldn't be able to control the poison, but I didn't expect you to be..."
He racked his brains before finally remembering the technical term, "chuunibyou?"
Gui Fang's temple throbbed with anger. He was already annoyed, and this guy was still distracted. He snapped, "Is there a problem? I like it! Besides, those skeletal claws were originally used by Teacher Qin to filter out toxins for me!"
Why are you so angry?
Bei Chen curled his lip; this explosive temper meant Gui Fang was already running out of energy. He anxiously guarded against the evil spirits before him. To be honest, Bei Chen estimated that he wouldn't last much longer either. Wiping the blood splattered on his cheek, he gritted his teeth and said, "This is never going to end!"
"roar--"
A sudden roar startled everyone in the fight. The sound was like the roar of a ferocious beast, carrying a powerful pressure that made everyone's eardrums ache and their heads spin.
Both sides immediately stopped fighting, staring at each other in bewilderment, unsure of what was happening. Roars came from all directions, making it impossible to discern their origin.
The woods were quiet for a moment.
One of the evil spirit masters spoke in a trembling voice, "The graveyard... there are still some remaining monsters! Leave no one alive! Take care of these two first! Charge!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a bolt of golden lightning struck down from the dome, hitting the speaker squarely on the head.
The golden lightning was blinding. Although it was only a thin bolt of lightning, its power was terrifying. Everyone around forgot about their mission and retreated dozens of steps in fear. Centered on this person, a charred arc formed on the spot. The evil spirit master who was struck by the lightning was charred all over, his lips trembled, and a wisp of black smoke rose from his lips as he fell stiffly to the ground.
There was a deathly silence all around.
What kind of monster can control lightning with such precision? This isn't a monster! It must be an outside help!
The sudden lightning strike left Bei Chen and Gui Fang speechless for a moment. Bei Chen's expression was strange, and his face gradually turned red as he tried to hold it in. He couldn't help but point at Gui Fang and burst out laughing, "You'd better not keep your hair long."
"..."
Gui Fang smoothed his shoulder-length hair, which had been blown up by the lightning, and grinned at the evil spirit masters who were staring at each other warily. "Great, you've done so many bad things that you deserve divine punishment. Heaven will take care of you."
"Could it also be a monster?"
Bei Chen said thoughtfully, "After all, that Zhu Qianqian is also very strong. She was able to drive away Lang Yuehua and Fu Guanhong with just one wind blade."
"Bullshit!" a cultist shouted angrily, pointing at Beichen. "Under the rules of the secret realm, how could a monster possibly attack a human on its own initiative? It must be outside help you hired!"
"What are you shouting for? You think being louder makes you right, huh!" Gui Fang rolled up his sleeves, ready to start a fight. "You're bullying the few with the many of you. I haven't even started cursing yet, what's your hurry!"
"..."
The evil spirits exchanged glances. The stalemate continued for a while, but the second lightning strike didn't occur. Then, one of the evil spirits made a hand gesture and shouted, "The mission is paramount! Kill Beichen! Loot the grave! Don't let any living being escape!"
As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of fine golden lightning bolts fell from the dome, piercing through the forest and striking the foreheads of many evil spirit masters with precision. The lightning illuminated the entire forest in an instant, causing Bei Chen and Gui Fang to clutch their heads and frantically smooth their wildly flying hair, channeling their spiritual power to protect themselves.
After the blinding flash of lightning, many evil spirits collapsed one by one, their bodies steaming and stiff. However, the afterglow of the lightning lingered, and scattered electric currents crackled in the forest.
The spellcaster's control was so precise that he was able to accurately strike numerous evil spirit masters in the complex terrain of the forest.
The few remaining surviving evil spirit masters and Bei Chen's entourage reacted in the same way: they were terrified and cursed, looking around and at the sky in confusion.
Lightning and electricity gradually coalesced in mid-air, drawing everyone's attention to the strange lightning, from which a figure emerged.
This man had snow-white hair, wore a platinum-plated outfit, and stood proudly, as upright as a pine tree. His hands were behind his back, his eyes were sharp and fierce, his eyebrows were raised in anger, and his words carried an invisible aura of killing intent.
"Who are you, daring to attempt to slaughter the tomb's inhabitants? Speak, where is the Vermilion Bird!"
The crowd on the ground looked up at the man in mid-air. The evil spirit masters were filled with surprise and confusion, and Bei Chen blurted out, "Who are you? What do you want with Zhuque?"
The man glanced down at Bei Chen, "I...I am the Western Star Emperor, White Tiger!"
The remaining evil spirit masters looked at each other in bewilderment.
"What's going on? The White Tiger?"
"Is it a monster from the tiger clan nearby?"
"Can a tiger demon control lightning? Could it create such a commotion?"
After a brief discussion, one of the evil spirit masters pointed at the White Tiger from afar and said, "You say you are the White Tiger? Do you have any proof? Four Star Emperors, why are you here?"
"Hmph, why should the Star Emperor need to prove himself to humanity!"
The White Tiger, its patience exhausted, glared at the evil spirit masters, its imposing aura spreading out, "Confess! Where are the Vermilion Bird and the Qilin!"
Screams echoed as the remaining evil spirit masters were horrified to find that their bodies were being suppressed by an invisible mountain range, unable to even lift a finger, and they collapsed to the ground one by one. Bei Chen and Gui Fang were also unlucky, almost unable to withstand the pressure, and they knelt down on one knee with difficulty.
An irresistible, supreme pressure—he truly is the White Tiger.
Despite the oppressive aura, Bei Chen managed to speak: "We don't... know... about the Qilin, but... the Vermilion Bird..."
"Foolish!" Gui Fang hissed, stopping Bei Chen in a low voice, his eyes warning, "The evil spirit master is still here!"
If the evil spirit masters find out that our group is related to the Vermilion Bird, let alone finding a way to escape, even the Ghost Fang is worried that they won't be able to leave this graveyard.
Bei Chen suddenly realized what was happening and looked at the group of evil spirit masters in a panic. These guys were pressed to the ground by the White Tiger's oppressive aura, their expressions unreadable, and it was unclear whether they had heard anything.
Several evil spirits were clearly terrified by the white tiger, their voices trembling: "Qilin...we don't know, we don't know..."
"Lies!" the White Tiger roared. "I can see through the truth; don't try to fool me!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the evil spirit master who had spoken was instantly charred black. The group of evil spirit masters screamed in terror, but they were all unable to move, trembling in a prone position. One of the evil spirit masters broke down and said, "We really...we really didn't know! There were other...other masters...sealing...sealing the Qilin!"
"What?"
White Tiger opened his eyes wide in surprise, seemingly not understanding what these words meant when strung together. He stood there for a few seconds, about to speak, when a slightly lazy but noble voice slowly drifted over.
"I said, are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated? You're running so fast."
As the words fell, azure spiritual energy condensed out of thin air, and a slender figure leaned against the air.
Gui Fang and Bei Chen exchanged a glance. Needless to say, since it was Bai Hu who was the first to help, then this guy with pink dragon horns must be the Eastern Star Emperor, Qing Long.
Qinglong casually adjusted his cuffs, his long, dark green hair tied back with a peach wood branch, and the dark green cloud patterns on his robe sleeves flowed on their own. With a slight glance from his dragon eyes, the evil spirit masters were terrified.
It's true!
"The Western Star Emperor White Tiger, and the Eastern Azure Dragon!"
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