The front hall of the castle was steeped in the chaos of battle, with the cultivators slowly and steadily gaining the advantage.
Booms and cracks resounded loudly, underscored by the noise of flesh tearing and limp bodies thumping onto the ground. The hordes of ghouls dressed in burial robes were mixed with the white-robed cultivators, the contrast striking and making it easier to differentiate between the two factions as they churned and clashed with each other.
At the very back of the castle's front hall, the base of the broad staircase stayed strangely clear of the battle.
The twins, after conscripting the aid of a few other disciples like An YaLing and Li Yingzi, endeavored to keep the area free of ghouls as per their senior brother's orders.
Taking a page from Hei NingYu's book, after Li Yingzi summoned ghosts and made them possess a group of ghouls, he asked them to fight with the other ghouls and help keep the area around the staircase clear.
Currently, on the edge of this clear space, Qinghe stood with Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin on either side of him as he calmly looked up at the unhurriedly descending Xie Xingye.
Wei Xiang stood silently beside his little lover, his gaze assessing the black dragon that was staring warily at him from the top of the staircase. When Qinghe engaged the deity, Wei Xiang would draw away the attention of his black dragon companion to make sure that he wouldn't interfere like the last time.
On Qinghe's other side, Feng Huixin looked at his son with distress and fear, though none of his emotions showed on the surface.
With hesitation, Feng Huixin softly asked, "Qinghe, are you absolutely sure that you want to do this?"
Qinghe turned to look at his father and smiled. "Yes, I'm sure."
Seeing his son's warm yet unyielding expression, Feng Huixin felt helpless.
Qinghe continued, "And Grandmaster, there's one thing I'd like to ask of you. While sealing the demonic deity Xie Xingye, rather than sealing him into this place, could you instead seal him so that he's more…portable?"
Feng Huixin blinked. "You…want to move him someplace else?"
Qinghe nodded. "Yes. I've already heard about how he claimed to be my mother's brother by bond, and I feel like we should believe him in this. That is why I want to take him to Heaven with us and give him a chance at meeting my mother and resolving this issue. Since he's already come out of his qi deviation on his own and seems to have stabilized himself, he isn't as much of a danger as he was before, is he?"
Hearing this, Feng Huixin pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. I will do as you wish."
Then with a heavy sigh, Feng Huixin observed regretfully, "If Heaven weren't very blatantly indicating that it will not open its gates to us until you defeat the deity Xie Xingye, then we could have even resolved this issue with simple negotiation. If I had been able to offer him the chance to enter Heaven, then he might not have had to resort to this."
But Qinghe shook his head in response to this conjecture, his smile wry. "I might want to help this Xie Xingye because of his relation to my mother, but that does not mean that I am blind to his lack of morals. He will not believe in us as much as he believes in his own ability. All the lives in this world that he would be destroying due to his plan do not matter to him. What he does care about is the certainty that as long as he devours this world, he can forcibly open the gates to the heavenly realm and meet my mother. Compared to his confidence in that method, he will only find our assurances flimsy and untrustworthy."
Seeing his son so calmly analyzing the mentality of this demonic deity, Feng Huixin felt a little rueful. When had his dear son learnt to be so mature? When had that mischievous child grown up enough to think such weighty thoughts?
Feng Huixin still clearly remembered the mischievous and chubby-cheeked little boy who would keep pulling at the hem of his clothes while running around his feet, trying to trip Feng Huixin up when he was carrying food that the little Qinghe was not allowed to have. He remembered his naughty son suddenly jumping off from high places while yelling 'Father, catch me!', his little face showing complete faith that Feng Huixin would fulfill his expectations.
And until that time when he failed to keep his son from falling down from Heaven, Feng Huixin had never once broken that trust.
This one failure would haunt Feng Huixin forever, and so, he couldn't help but feel even more unreasonably protective of his son, wanting him to never attempt anything that had the chance of bringing him even the slightest bit of danger, no matter how necessary or important he thought it was.
Due to this, Feng Huixin really wanted to dissuade Qinghe from this drastic course of action, but just like all the other times this thought occurred to him, Feng Huixin pushed it away forcibly.
Because he knew that he couldn't tie Qinghe down like this, he couldn't let his fears get the better of him and end up smothering his son. Moreover, if he were in his son's place, he knew that he himself would have made the same choice, so he did not feel like he had the right to hypocritically speak against his son's well thought out decision.
And so, with a sigh, Feng Huixin finally said, "Very well, then. For now, let's put aside those what-ifs. I will do as you asked and try to take the demonic deity Xie Xingye with us when the gates of Heaven open for me again. Until then, do whatever you think needs to be done without hurting yourself unnecessarily. And Qinghe, whatever happens next, I will take full responsibility, so don't worry about it."
Qinghe blinked at him, startled. Each time his father supported him in some way without even being asked, Qinghe couldn't help but feel surprised anew. The lengths this person kept going for him was truly not something he could have expected.
And till now, Qinghe had also noticed all the smaller ways his father had tried to stay considerate towards him.
For example, Feng Huixin always attempted to reduce his presence and not interrupt Qinghe and Wei Xiang when they were interacting. And he did his best to not interfere in Qinghe's decisions, just accepting them as valid rather than contesting it based on his own opinions. He tried to give Qinghe enough space and time to slowly let him get accustomed to his presence, even though after waiting for so long to be reunited with his son, Feng Huixin must want to actively take part in his life more than anything.
Considering all this, how could Qinghe not feel moved by his father's understated ways of showing affection towards him?
Thinking about this, Qinghe realized that by now, he had already fully accepted Feng Huixin.
Meanwhile, Feng Huixin looked up to see that Xie Xingye had already made it down the staircase. Remembering what Qinghe had said about his presence potentially spooking away the demonic deity, Feng Huixin decided to move farther away.
"Then I'll leave you to do what you have to. But Qinghe, if you need anything from me, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask," Feng Huixin solemnly told his son, then turned around to walk away.
Suddenly, a pair of slender arms hugged Feng Huixin from behind. A soft and clear voice lightly whispered, "Thank you, Father." And then the arms were gone as Qinghe swiftly turned to walk towards the waiting demonic deity.
Feng Huixin stood stunned in place, his expression showing hints of frozen shock.
Had his precious son…just called him Father? Had he finally acknowledged him?
But before he could ask Qinghe, he was already gone.
Stepping into the cleared circle around the base of the staircase, Qinghe walked until he stood only a couple of meters away from Xie Xingye.
He could already sense the disciples of the Silver Moon Sect stealthily beginning to draw the formation around them, each of the disciples in charge of a particular section. But due to the chaos of battle just outside the cleared space as well as the cultivators of other sects covering their figures and protecting them, their actions went completely unnoticed.
In the circle of clear space, Qinghe and Xie Xingye studied each other, Qinghe with curiosity and Xie Xingye with caution.
"After injuring your core the last time, I didn't expect you to still have the fortitude to face off against me, especially when there are so many other people you could pass this burden off to," Xie Xingye casually commented.
Qinghe smiled, a hint of sardonic sharpness in his gaze. "This is something I have to do."
Hearing the strange tone with which Qinghe said this, Xie Xingye frowned. Was someone forcing this young one to take on this responsibility?
Shaking his head and pushing away this thought, Xie Xingye reminded himself to not care so much about his opponent's circumstances. Empathy towards one's enemy was a weakness that would be exploited. After the life he'd experienced, he was more than clear on this point.
In a probing tone, Xie Xingye remarked, "Choosing to fight against someone that you know is of a higher level, especially when you yourself are in such a condition, I see that you really do take after your mother a lot. Or do you have some tricks up your sleeve that you are planning to use against me? Are you stalling for time like before again?"
Qinghe smiled ruefully. "Are you asking that based on your understanding of me or your understanding of my mother? And since you seem to understand my mother a lot and consider her as your sister by bond…doesn't that mean that you should consider me your nephew and be lenient towards me?"
Xie Xingye narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to use my bond with your mother in your favor? Hmph, it seems you're just as crafty as Chunyi, Feng Qinghe."
Qinghe grinned unabashedly, not at all minding the accusation.
But seeing this expression, it struck Xie Xingye anew just how much this son of his Chunyi's resembled her, especially right now.
Shaking it off, Xie Xingye gritted his teeth and snarled, "Enough playing around. Don't think I don't know that you're up to something. I feel disinclined to let you keep stalling for time again."
And so, not wanting to keep conversing anymore, Xie Xingye shot towards Qinghe, his dark vines reaching for him.
Qinghe merely smiled. He really had been stalling for time once again, hoping he wouldn't have to fight Xie Xingye when his powers were still unsuppressed by the formation. But oh well, he hadn't actually expected to be able to stall him this long as it was, so he'd consider it a success.
Lifting up the gore-stained swords in his hands, Qinghe swept them towards the rapidly approaching vines. Unlike the last time, these heaven-made swords easily cut through the black vines, surprising Xie Xingye enough to make him falter.
Qinghe, however, had already become familiar with the lethally sharp edges of his blades. He couldn't help but feel immensely thankful towards his father for giving him these even as he ruthlessly cut his way towards Xie Xingye, trying to take advantage of his momentary shock as he struck with a sword.
Xie Xingye immediately came to awareness and summoned his black-hilted saber to meet the swoop of Qinghe's blade. Then as he exchanged blows with him, Xie Xingye quickly made the dark vines stealthily attack Qinghe from behind.
But though the dark vines impacted Qinghe's back, Qinghe felt nothing more than mild bruising, much less being pierced through as Xie Xingye had expected. After all, Qinghe's current clothes had been given to him by his father and were of heavenly make as well, easily able to withstand a few attacks of the black vines.
Xie Xingye clenched his jaws, his gaze sharpening. It seemed that this young man had come prepared this time. Even with his lack of cultivation, defeating him wouldn't be as easy as he'd thought.
Meanwhile, though Xie Xingye hadn't yet noticed the suspicious scurrying of the Silver Moon Sect's disciples, from his high vantage point at the top of the staircase, the black dragon had begun to realize that the silver-haired cultivators were up to something.
His eyes narrowing, the black dragon Zheng Xuan was just about to send some flames their way when he sensed danger approaching him rapidly.
Snarling, Zheng Xuan quickly used his powerful limbs to jump up into the higher level of the castle, disappearing from the view of the front hall. In the place where the black dragon had just been standing, white flames burst and burned silently, sending out waves of scorching heat. It seemed that Zheng Xuan had avoided being caught up in this fire in the nick of time.
Suddenly, from the wavering shadows cast by these piercingly bright flames, a giant golden wyvern slowly emerged.
"You have good instincts," Wei Xing spoke with a deep voice. "But they won't be enough for me to let you ruin my dear little lover's strategy. So why don't you be a good host and stay here to give me some company?"
Zheng Xuan growled, his lips peeled away from his teeth as his chest vibrated with fury. Since this brat was blocking his path down the staircase, he couldn't even warn his beloved about those silver-haired cultivators in some way. He felt frantic as he thought of all the things these people might be planning to do to Xie Xingye, feeling urgency bubbling within him.
No matter what, he had to get this brat out of the way soon so that he could protect his beloved!
Seeing the aggression gathering in his opponent's eyes, Wei Xiang grinned, showing his pearly white teeth that were each sharp enough to shred both flesh and bones with ease. "And we still have to settle the account of you hurting my Qinghe last time. But don't worry, after I'm done extracting every bit of payment you owe me, I'll leave you alive enough so that we can have a little heart-to-heart between us."
Not waiting for Zheng Xuan to react, Wei Xiang charged towards the black dragon, pushing his opponent further up into the higher floor, his claws aiming for those black wings. Zheng Xuan barely avoided having the sensitive membranes of his wings shredded as he flew even further up into the far more spacious upper floor. Opening his jaws, Zheng Xuan aimed a stream of fire at Wei Xiang, but the golden wyvern simply closed his eyes and let the hot fire wash over him, utterly unaffected.
Taking this chance, Zheng Xuan tried to barrel past the golden wyvern and down the stairs, wanting to reach his beloved soon. But as soon as the flames cleared, Wei Xiang opened his eyes and spat out his own stream of whitefire, halting the black dragon in his tracks and forcing him to retreat.
Zheng Xuan growled threateningly, then charged at the golden wyvern blocking the route.
And so, the two draconic beings battled, each fueled by their desire to protect their own beloved.
As the roar of fire, the booms of destroyed structures, and the thuds of large bodies striking each other sounded overhead, Qinghe and Xie Xingye were barely able to spare a few moments to worry about their lovers as they clashed with each other.
As one after another the black vines persistently targeted him, Qinghe swept his swords and kept slicing at them. In the meantime, he also had to evade Xie Xingye's saber, looking out for its blade as it sneakily thrust at him now and then from between the vines.
Just as he finally pushed Xie Xingye away with a blow and managed to clear some space for himself by chopping down the newest tangle of vines beginning to surround him, Qinghe suddenly glimpsed the figure of a white-robed disciple standing at the edge of the cleared area. The disciple had his silver hair held up in a ponytail and was waving a hand at Qinghe as if to get his attention even as he kept quiet so as to not startle him too abruptly.
Seeing him and comprehending his message, Qinghe's brows relaxed with relief. He gave a short, unnoticeable nod in the disciple's direction, and understanding him, the silver-haired disciple turned and melted back into the bustle of battle.
Seeking to use the moment of reprieve he had managed to carve out for himself, Qinghe quickly took out several healing and strengthening pills from his sleeves and swallowed them.
These pills were produced and provided to him by the sect master of Lightning Sky Sect, Fu Cangyun himself. They had a faster rate of absorption into one's body as well as more powerful effects. However, since they needed too many rare items to refine, these stronger versions of the pills were seldom given out. But due to circumstances, Fu Cangyun had generously given Qinghe a few of them to use.
After taking the pills, Qinghe felt his wounds rapidly healing as his physical strength grew to several times to that of his usual level. Now that he was in optimal condition, he took out a small white marble from his sleeves and crushed it.
A single, pure note reverberated through the air, signaling that the formation was now ready.
"You… What are you planning!?" Xie Xingye exclaimed in alarm as he saw his opponent's strange actions.
Qinghe smiled playfully as he replied, "Now, now, no need to be so impatient, Uncle Xie. You'll see soon enough."
Hearing Qinghe's address, Xie Xingye's caution and vigilance suddenly faltered. He could recall with crisp clarity what his Chunyi had said so long ago as if she were speaking it into his ear right now:
'You are my brother by bond, and if I ever get a brat of my own, he or she will call you uncle. No matter what, you will always be my family.'
As Xie Xingye's attention was thus diverted, powerful people slowly began taking their places around the cleared area and in their respective spots on the formation.
The first was Feng Huixin, who had been waiting nearby just for this opportunity. Even as he took his spot in the formation, his gaze still seemed deep and complicated while staying fixed on his son. Then determination firmed his expression as he focused on the task at hand and carefully let his power flow into the sigils under him.
Next was the Fu Cangyun who had been waiting by the staircase while occasionally releasing poisonous powders into the air to take several groups of ghouls out of commission at once. With steady steps, he slid into his spot without a fuss and began sending his spiritual energy down into the formation.
Then came Lu Feiyu, taking his place with a graceful swish of his robes. The feathers that he recalled perched on his head and formed into an elegant headdress once again, their color an unmarred white and their edges clean despite cutting into so many ghouls. In a quiet rush, he infused the part of the formation under him with his power.
Having leapt up from somewhere, Liu Xue landed on her section of the formation. Her semicircular saw was practically caked in gore, with a string of slimy grey intestines still tangled in it. With a beaming and refreshed looking expression, she nonchalantly disentangled her weapon from the coils of intestines and threw them to the side before doing her part and sending her spiritual energy into the formation.
Next came Zhen YiLan, stepping into his section of the giant formation with a noble stateliness, his expression weighty. The large fire constructs that had been battling the ghouls throughout the battlefield slowly dissolved into light as he poured his power into the sigils under him, not holding anything back and giving his all in a bid to support his beloved second disciple.
Running in from the outside on swift legs, with his white robes flaring behind him and his silver hair trailing a shining blur in his wake, Wu Xiao made haste and quickly claimed his place. Not willing to drag this any longer and leave his Ah-Shui alone for more time than necessary, he immediately began channeling his power into this familiar formation that he had painstakingly put together with the help of Qinghe's scroll.
Now, there were only two more places left to be filled.
A few moments later, Hei NingYu silently arrived to stand on his spot. Just now, he had asked the cultivators around the flower bud shaped earth shield to cut apart the ghouls whose minds he had grabbed using his ability. Then once those ghouls had been destroyed, he had let go of his control over them and had just now managed to throw off the stupor brought on to him due to his Enchantment. After that, Hei NingYu had made his way here to take his place as quickly as he could. And now, sending his power rushing downwards, he let out a sigh of relief at having made it in time.
And yet, the last spot remained empty.
All the people who had taken their places till now had done so smoothly and within moments, not giving Xie Xingye much time to react. But now that he could make out that he was being encircled by the greatest powers of this world, he couldn't help but start feeling apprehensive.
But before he could attempt to flee, Qinghe quickly used his increased strength and struck towards Xie Xingye, forcing the demonic deity to become entangled with him in battle once again.
And thus, keeping his opponent occupied so that he couldn't think of escaping, Qinghe tried to buy time for his beloved to quickly take his place.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Wei Xiang and the black dragon were still busy with their own battle.