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Tianyun Abyss lay just west of Two Realms City, its closest point less than three li away.
For cultivators, this distance was practically at their doorstep.
Thus, anyone exiting the city’s west gate could see the demonic flames swirling on the horizon, scorching the clouds and sky into a vivid, fiery red—a terrifying spectacle.
The residents of Two Realms City were long accustomed to this, and the searing heat of the demonic flames, which could burn one’s soul, deterred most from using the west gate.
The white tiger guards stationed there had clearly been informed by their earlier commander. Upon seeing Mu Hanyuan, they saluted with reverence and trepidation.
“We pay respects to the Lord.”
“Greetings, Lord!”
Feng Qinglian, walking alongside Yun Yao, let out a cold laugh and flashed forward, putting ten zhang between them.
The west gate wasn’t heavily guarded, with only a small captain stepping forward from the ranks. He hurried to Mu Hanyuan’s side. “Lord, are you heading to Tianyun Abyss? Shall this humble one guide you?”
His fawning demeanor seemed to disgust Feng Qinglian, who leaned against a white tiger banner pole, sneering. “The demonic flames are practically burning the city gates. It’s impossible to miss. Is your Lord blind, or could he actually get lost?”
“…”
The captain’s face flushed with anger, but wary of this sharp-tongued phoenix being the Lord’s friend, he didn’t dare retort. He turned plaintively to Mu Hanyuan.
Mu Hanyuan gave a faint, amused smile. “No need. We’ll go ourselves.”
“May I report your visit to the Left and Right Envoys of the White Tiger Guard?” the captain asked, trailing a few steps behind.
Mu Hanyuan, walking with Yun Yao toward the city’s edge, paused his sleeve at the question, his sharp gaze turning. “Report what?”
“Uh—”
The captain froze under that look, his shoulders stiffening. “I-I assumed the Lord was going to Tianyun Abyss to… to restart the Demon Sovereign Hall…”
“…”
The guards’ expressions grew visibly excited.
Ten zhang away, Feng Qinglian, leaning against the pole, shot a cold, murderous glance.
“How much do you trust your disciple now?” Feng Qinglian asked, eyeing Yun Yao as she approached. “You said the Wheel of Reincarnation is beneath Tianyun Abyss, where the Demon Sovereign Hall fell. Are you sure he’s not colluding with the other Mu Hanyuan to trick you into opening the Hall with him?”
Yun Yao blinked lazily. “He’s more trustworthy than a feathered pest like you, isn’t he?”
“?”
Feng Qinglian glared coldly.
“Relax,” Yun Yao turned to him. “Today’s just a scouting trip to see if we need further preparations. We won’t turn you into a roasted phoenix in Tianyun Abyss.”
“Yun. Yao. Jiu.” Feng Qinglian gritted his teeth.
“…Master.”
Mu Hanyuan’s clear, pleasant voice drew Yun Yao’s attention back.
“Hm? All settled?” She glanced behind him, seeing the guards retreating into the city. “What did you say?”
“I issued four decrees, sealed with runic curses, to be sent to the four main cities.” His voice was calm, his gaze flicking coolly over Feng Qinglian. “The four factions will balance each other. Once the demonic flames in Tianyun Abyss are extinguished, cutting off any chance of restarting the Demon Sovereign Hall, the immortal and demon realms will remain as peaceful as they’ve been for the past three hundred years.”
“You’d better be right,” Feng Qinglian said skeptically, glancing at him before heading toward Tianyun Abyss.
Mu Hanyuan frowned slightly. “Why is he still going?”
“Hm?” Yun Yao turned, puzzled.
“Isn’t he here for the crisis between the realms?” Mu Hanyuan lowered his voice, a trace of regret in his eyes. “I thought informing him would make him leave.”
“…”
Yun Yao stifled a laugh, glancing at Feng Qinglian’s indignant figure, then back at Mu Hanyuan. “No wonder you said that while looking at him—you were trying to shoo him away? His tongue’s sharp, but with his True Phoenix bloodline at the eighth realm, nearing the ninth, he’s perfect for backing us up.”
Mu Hanyuan’s eyes dimmed. “Does Master not trust me?”
“No, no, it’s not about trust,” Yun Yao hurried to explain. “An extra person means extra safety.”
“The demonic flames could harm a fire phoenix. If evil flames invade his core, it might spark a demonic calamity and ruin his cultivation,” Mu Hanyuan said gently, coaxing. “Better to send him back to the immortal realm to relay the news and calm the sects.”
“…”
Yun Yao knew his words carried a private motive.
After a struggle in her cloud-like eyes, she reluctantly agreed. “Fine.”
—
An incense stick’s time later.
The trio reached Tianyun Abyss, where the air was thick with suffocating flame-dust.
All three instinctively sealed their auras. Even a Tribulation Realm cultivator could go mad in such conditions.
Feng Qinglian’s vibrant feathered robes were already dusted gray. Standing before the abyss, he peeked inside, his face darkening. “…You’re sure the Wheel of Reincarnation is down there?”
Yun Yao nodded reluctantly. “I can sense it. There’s no mistake.”
“My phoenix clan is born in fire, dies in fire, but I’ve never seen flames burn like an ocean,” Feng Qinglian said, pointing at the molten, terrifying flames that blackened the rocks like dark iron. “You’re telling me the Wheel of Reincarnation is down there? Even a Tribulation Realm cultivator would be reincarnated a hundred times jumping into that.”
Yun Yao: “…”
If only his beauty could lend a fraction to his mouth.
A golden light suddenly shot through the blood-red dust toward Feng Qinglian.
His face changed. “Mu Hanyuan! You dare ambush—”
His words stopped.
The golden light halted before him.
As it faded, a two-inch seal appeared.
“This is the Demon Realm Lord’s Seal,” Mu Hanyuan said. “This journey is perilous, and we may not return. Please, Phoenix Clan Leader, take it to Mu Jiutian.”
Feng Qinglian: “…”
“Also, I disdain ambushes,” Mu Hanyuan added, his lips curving faintly without warmth, glancing at the fuming phoenix. “Clan Leader, don’t judge others by your own measure.”
“…”
Feng Qinglian’s face was pitch-black, whether from the abyss’s flames or his mood.
He turned to Yun Yao. “This is your decision too?”
Yun Yao coughed, looking away. “This is the demon realm. He’s the Lord. Everyone listens to him.”
“You’re his Master!”
“Hm? Didn’t anyone tell you we severed ties a year ago?” Yun Yao blinked innocently.
“Fine, Yun Yaojiu…!” Feng Qinglian turned to leave, but before the dust swallowed him, he paused.
After a long, stiff moment, Yun Yao could see the proud phoenix wrestling with himself before reluctantly turning half his face back. “Last time I’ll ask—are you really jumping into Tianyun Abyss with him?”
“The way you say it makes it sound like we’re eloping.”
Feng Qinglian sneered. “You’ll find out if it’s eloping when you jump.”
Seeing his genuine anger, Yun Yao grew serious. “You know I have no choice.”
“I don’t,” Feng Qinglian said flatly. “If the monk’s words are true, this is your disciple’s doing. Let him bear the consequences. Why risk your life?”
“No one can simply assign blame, especially when I’m not blameless in his path…”
Yun Yao’s expression dimmed.
But before sinking into her emotions, she looked up with a smile. “Enough. The phoenix clan’s bloodline is scarce. I can’t drag you into this, or your great-grandfather will climb out of his grave to haunt me. Take the seal and return to the immortal realm.”
Feng Qinglian gritted his teeth, exasperated. “This is your choice.”
“Yes, my choice,” Yun Yao smiled, gazing through the blood-red dust at the clear figure nearby. “I chose three hundred years ago, and this time, I have no regrets.”
“…”
Feng Qinglian’s figure faded into the thick dust and mist.
Mu Hanyuan had approached her side unnoticed.
Seeing her gaze linger southward with a trace of worry, he comforted softly, “Mu Jiutian has been consolidating power in the demon realm’s Black Tortoise City for years. With the seal, he’ll handle everything perfectly.”
“Mm.”
Yun Yao smiled at him. “Compared to them, what’s ahead for us is the real danger. Afraid, Lord?”
He lowered his eyes, chuckling softly. “Terrified.”
“?” Yun Yao hadn’t expected that, turning in surprise.
Before she could read his expression, her vision darkened—
Mu Hanyuan pulled her into his arms, as if to meld her into him.
Pressing her forehead against his neck, he whispered by her ear and leaped into the molten flames.
“I’m so scared, Master. You’ll have to hold me tight.”
“…” Yun Yao: “!”
*Boom—*
The demonic flames, capable of reducing all to ash, swallowed their figures instantly.
Yun Yao’s consciousness wavered, as if submerged in a sea of fire, teetering in darkness.
But what steadied her was the familiar, warm embrace that never left her side.
After an unknown time, in the dim red haze, a golden glint flickered at the abyss’s deepest point.
It grew in their consciousness, tangible as a physical object.
Yun Yao saw it clearly.
It was a golden artifact, shaped like a lotus with only three petals.
Though her consciousness held no memory of it, the moment she saw it, a single thought rose—
This was the creation artifact, the Wheel of Reincarnation.
Its three petals, initially closed, slowly unfurled, revealing a figure within.
Its form was ethereal, linked to the Wheel, clearly its artifact spirit.
But the figure was shrouded in golden light and red mist, its outline indistinct.
Yun Yao couldn’t help but think of Little Golden Lotus.
In her consciousness, she curiously extended her spiritual sense toward the awakening artifact—
The moment her sense touched it, golden light erupted, sweeping away the red haze like a thousand-foot cascade rushing toward her.
In that instant, she saw the figure clearly.
A burly, eight-foot-tall man with a muscular build and a thick beard.
Yun Yao: “…”
The tastes of creation artifact owners were… unique.
The thought barely formed when the golden light faded. The bearded man, seated in the three-petaled wheel, opened his eyes and locked onto Yun Yao’s spiritual shadow.
The Wheel had been in the demonic flames for at least three hundred years—perhaps its essence was tainted.
Wary, Yun Yao restrained her aura. “I apologize for disturbing Senior. We came here because—”
“Master…?”
A childlike voice emerged from the eight-foot-tall, bearded man.
Yun Yao froze. “?”
The next moment, his eyes clearing, the man leaped up joyfully, lunging toward her—
“Master!!”
Yun Yao: “…?”
“?????”
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