A world without glitz
Ashes danced wildly in the night sky like inky butterflies. Taixu's invisible spirit clung to Xiaodouzi's thin frame, drifting with the fleeing crowd. The moment he brushed past Qi Yiwen, Taixu's heart and soul shrank. That look—not the pity or concern he should have for a child who had narrowly escaped danger, but like a needle tempered by ice, it pierced his hidden core. It was a knowing, condescending disdain, an indifference etched deep into his bones, as if watching a clown's performance. He could even feel that gaze piercing through the possessed body, reaching his frail soul. Qi Yiwen... he almost didn't care whether his tracks were exposed or not. The coldness in her eyes was clear, the coldness of a reunion with an old friend, yet he treated them like dust.
In the heart of Luo'an Town, the Yue Lao Temple had become a blazing hell. While the people instinctively flocked to the safety of the Western Mansion, Taixu, like a frightened bird, fled for his life eastward, in the opposite direction of the fire and the flow of people. Chaos was the perfect cover, and his ethereal form blended silently and unnoticed into the curtain of incinerated ash.
With the illumination of the flames rising into the sky, Taixu finally saw the entire barrier covering Luoan Town. Compared to the thick and tough light curtain that almost isolated the sky and earth when he first arrived, the barrier at this moment had become thin and dim under the scorching of the demonic fire and the impact of the chaotic spiritual power, and was covered with spider-web-like cracks. "If I give it my all, I will definitely break through!" Taixu felt a glimmer of hope. Qi Yiwen was currently trapped in the fire and couldn't take care of herself. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to escape! But... "Why hasn't that Bifang kid arrived yet?" A trace of anxiety crept into his heart. "Could he really have lost his way in that haunted forest in the southwest? After being a human for hundreds of years, could he have forgotten that he was a bird?"
"We need a 'shell'!" Taixu darted over the fleeing crowd, his invisible thoughts sweeping across the horrified, twisted faces. He couldn't possess a child like Xiaodouzi, a child without any foundation. He was too fragile and wouldn't last long. He needed a body that held some spiritual energy, a "ferry" that could carry his power and help him break through the boundaries. His gaze searched the chaos like a hawk.
Beyond the water mirror, in the dense forests of the southwest, there is a free place.
The dense shade of towering ancient trees shredded the moonlight, casting a riot of light and shadow. Bifang irritably dug at the thick humus with his claws, circling in the same spot for at least an hour. "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, his fiery red wings fluttering restlessly in the gloom, like two balls of suppressed dark fire. "I haven't left Hexu Mountain for hundreds of years, and this damn east, west, and north has become a heavenly book!" he thought bitterly. The boss's method of using falling meteors to locate the direction was absolutely stupid! Wouldn't a direct communication talisman be more effective? Could anyone really intercept Bifang's fire feather message? Fortunately, as a divine bird, living on wind and drinking dew, he wouldn't starve to death in this dense forest. But… He looked down at his gorgeous yet overly conspicuous fiery red feathered robe, carefully avoiding a small flower swaying in the night breeze, emitting a faint fluorescent light, and lamented inwardly, "This outfit is such a hassle. If I damage any of these delicate flowers, I'm afraid my thousand years of cultivation will be wasted."
Suddenly, an indescribable burning pain exploded from the depths of his throat! It wasn't just ordinary thirst, but more like a primordial fire from chaos, licking and beckoning frantically within him! Bifang jerked his head up, his crimson pupils suddenly constricting. "Fiery lust?!" He could clearly sense the source of the raging fire—to the northeast! A powerful devouring instinct instantly overwhelmed his anxiety about getting lost. He had assumed that even if he found the right direction, he'd still be blocked by that damned Water Mirror barrier.
However, the raging fire of desire seemed to have opened a gap for him! As a fire-devouring divine bird, he possessed a natural affinity and sensitivity to all fires. Without hesitation, Bifang suddenly turned, flapped his wings, and swept up a blast of scorching air, darting northeast. Sure enough, passing through a distorted curtain of light, a Yue Lao Temple, illuminated as bright as day by soaring flames, suddenly appeared before his eyes!
Bifang restrained his presence and quietly landed on the dilapidated courtyard wall of Yue Lao Temple. His sharp eyes swept across the chaotic scene, his nostrils twitching as he keenly detected a faint, familiar wave of spiritual energy lingering in the air—it was Boss Taixu's! Bifang's heart was filled with joy, and his claws gently tapped the charred tiles.
However, before this joy could spread, a figure appeared around the corner, carrying a strong sense of oppression. The leader, dressed in a gorgeous, almost extravagant sequined robe, shone brightly in the firelight, with a half-smile on his face—it was Qi Yiwen, the Shanhai Order's number one enemy!
Bifang's feathers instantly exploded! A chill shot up from his tailbone to his skull! The boss' fate was still fresh in his mind—imprisoned for hundreds of years as a gatekeeper! In the hands of this evil star, this "little bird" would probably be plucked and roasted!
run!
This was the only thought in Bifang's mind. He flapped his wings rapidly, raising a cloud of sparks, and turned around to turn into a streak of red light and escape.
"Little friend, now that you're here, don't rush to leave," Qi Yiwen said in a clear, playful voice. With a ghostly flash, she blocked Bifang's escape path. Although Bifang, in her transformed form, was half a head taller than him, Qi Yiwen's aura of experience and mastery was like an invisible mountain, pinning Bifang to the spot and creating a crushing threat.
"Little...little friend?!" These three words struck Bifang's heart like three thunderbolts, causing his tall body to sway violently and nearly collapse to the ground. A fire of shame and indignation surged through his body! "I am the ancient mythical bird Bifang. When I roamed the world, your ancestors were still playing in the mud! How dare you call me little friend?!" Bifang roared inwardly. The thought of being captured, and being plucked of all my feathers and locked at the entrance of the Taixu Sect as a mascot, was almost worse than being killed! In an instant, Bifang's mind flashed with a thousand secret ways to escape, from fire escape to self-destruction...
However, when he caught a glimpse of the fiery demonic fire in Yue Lao Temple that was twisting and roaring like a living thing, emitting a strong breath of death and madness, all his thoughts were instantly shattered, and even the thirst in his throat was scared away.
"Don't you love putting out fires?" Qi Yiwen's lips curled up into a fox-like smile. She stretched out her hand and pushed Bifang's shoulder, wanting to "send" him directly into the fiery hell. "That's perfect, a perfect match for your profession."
Bifang's entire body was as stiff as a stone statue. No matter how Qi Yiwen pushed and shoved, his feet seemed rooted to the ground, unmoving. The demonic fire, forcibly confined within the Yue Lao Temple by the magic circle, only grew more violent. Dark purple tongues of flame greedily licked the air, emitting a sickening odor of burnt and decay. Bifang's crimson eyes, illuminated by the flames, were unusually bright, yet filled with fear and resistance.
"Master! Do you think I'm a firefighter?!" Bifang practically cried out. His tall body suddenly dwindled, and with a "thump", he hugged Qi Yiwen's thigh! "Don't you know what kind of fire this is?! It's the raging fire of lust! If I get even a little bit of it, I'm afraid my divine bird body will turn into a roasted bird! I don't want to be the guardian bird of Taixu Sect! And I don't want to die so ugly!" With this kneeling, the divine bird's dignity was shattered to the ground. But saving his life was the most important thing, so what did face mean?
Qi Yiwen's brow furrowed slightly, and she tried to pull her legs free, but Bifang's grip remained tight. "I'm sorry," he said with a hint of resignation. "Our sect is broke these days, and we can't afford a second guardian beast." He paused, his gaze fixed solemnly on the increasingly raging demonic fire within the shrine. "But... are you truly helpless against this fire?" Only then did Qi Yiwen realize the gravity of the situation, far beyond her wildest dreams. The fire at Yue Lao Temple in her previous life had been a mere oil fire, difficult but not impossible to extinguish. But this all-consuming demonic fire before her, carrying the strong aura of the demonic cult... the trajectory of her current life had been drastically different!
That demonic saint… what exactly was she planning? A shared destruction? A chill ran through Qi Yiwen's heart, especially when he thought of Ye Ye's possible danger. Anxiety gripped him instantly.
"Master! You'd better ask the locals about this demonic cult! I'm a descendant of a divine bird, and I have nothing to do with the demonic cult!" Seeing that Qi Yiwen seemed to believe his "incompetence", Bifang quickly climbed up, nimbly jumped up from the ground, and hid behind this "capable boss". He added with disdain, "The rotten smell of old corpses in this fire is making me dizzy. I really can't appreciate it!"
"Master! We... can't hold on any longer!" Behind Yuxing, the several trialists maintaining the formation were pale as paper, veins throbbing in their foreheads. They practically knelt on the ground, squeezing out the last ounce of their spiritual energy and pouring it into the formation's base. The hope that had ignited at the sight of Qi Yiwen's appearance quickly extinguished beneath his furrowed brow. The formation was like a ravenous glutton, devouring their spiritual energy, taking in only. Yuxing, the main force, could still hold on, but the others were on the verge of exhaustion. Depleted of their spiritual energy, they were no different from mortals, lambs to the slaughter in this land ravaged by demonic fire. Fear and a desire to retreat quietly grew.
"Yuxing!" Qi Yiwen's eyes sharpened, and he made a decision in an instant, "You take the west, hold the position! I take the east! No matter what, we must lock the demon fire inside the Yue Lao Temple!" He swept his sharp eyes towards Bifang hiding behind the corner of his robe, "Little friend! Don't hide! Go find them! Two women, one in red like fire, the other in blue like water! They went to your right! I can't find them..." Qi Yiwen's voice suddenly turned cold, "You just come back and take over the unfinished work of your boss - be the center of the formation!"
Before he finished speaking, Qi Yiwen transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky. He faced Yuxing, who stood on the other side of the Yue Lao Temple, across the flames. A surge of spiritual energy erupted, working together to suppress the increasingly violent sea of inferno beneath them. In mid-air, the demonic fire twisted and swirled, its scorching air scorching his clothes. Qi Yiwen felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, there was a skilled cultivator like Yuxing among this generation of immortal cultivators. Otherwise, suppressing the demonic fire alone would have been extremely difficult.
"Uncle Sect Master," Yu Xing's voice carried the youthful sharpness and a subtle hint of provocation across the waves of flames. "I haven't had the chance to learn from you. How about a competition to see who can last longer in this sea of fire? I'll give you a quarter of an hour, how about that?" A confident smile played at the corners of his mouth. He had originally disdained to participate in such "apprenticeship conferences." As a disciple of two masters, he longed more for a good fight with the top masters.
"Shut up! Who's your uncle?" Qi Yiwen's face darkened. Having lived two lives, he hated being mentioned in references to his age. He caught a glimpse of Bifang still shuffling around on the ground like a toddler, and instantly flew into a rage. "What are you doing? Fly! Are you a walking chicken?!" It's okay for the boss to be stupid, but how come his little brother is so clueless too?
That bastard Taixu, not only did he run away, but he also insisted on burning the replica and letting the world know. Even more foolishly, he actually plunged into the water mirror barrier... Was he escaping or walking into a trap? Qi Yiwen felt a strange flash in her mind, "Could it be that he really has realized something?"
"Oh, that's right! I haven't flown for a long time, and I'm not very familiar with the skills!" Bifang woke up as if from a dream, patted his head awkwardly, and just as he got ready to flap his wings, his movements suddenly froze!
In the northeastern sky, a brilliant sword light pierced through the smoke and darkness, coming against the light! The figure wielding the sword was slender yet upright, dressed in red against the intertwined backdrop of fire and moonlight. It fluttered and soared, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, with a breathtaking and resolute beauty.
"Red clothes?!" Qi Yiwen's eyes widened, his heart filled with surprise and confusion. He had the impression that Ye Ye always preferred simple and elegant clothes, especially light blue dresses, and it was the same when they first met today. Will the arsonist... come back to put out the fire on his own initiative? And the person who came back... were they really here to put out the fire? Qi Yiwen's heart suddenly hung in the air, his eyes fixed on the red figure that was getting closer and closer. In his previous life, it was she who arrived in time and persuaded the reclusive Xi Xi to bring his concubine, the God of Rain, to descend upon the world to bring rain. In his previous life, Xifu was a reclusive sect that would not care about matters outside the sect. In fact, this fire was something he could handle, but just as he was about to take action, she arrived and said that he didn't want to take so many responsibilities anymore. The burden of the people must be heavy. She can share it with me.
In this life, will she come again? Will she walk towards him again?
A whirlwind of thoughts burned within him like a demonic fire beneath his feet. Qi Yiwen subconsciously closed his eyes, as if this could block out the surging, complex mixture of anticipation and fear. Only the slight burning sensation of spiritual energy flowing from his palms brought him back to the harsh reality.
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