Chapter 69
Roar!!!
A loud booming sound erupted from the depth of the forest as many colossal beasts of every kind slowly emerges. As if awakening from their deep slumber each creature showed their bloodshot eyes with the extreme presence of blood lust. The trembling ground and small fissures created as the horde of beast moved forward making every low-level creature cower in fear. High above these hordes floats a figure covered in dark mist, but its red glowing eye gleams dangerously.
"It's my turn now to reap some souls… Roar!!! Haha!" the evil-eyed creature said as it lifts up its head and roared in laughter.
Meanwhile, two shadows can be seen rushing towards the direction of the border between the middle and the outer part of the Daemon forest. Suddenly both immediately stopped as the man immediately grabbed the woman and hugged her while lifting his hand to put up a barrier.
Waves of killing intent and powerful aura bombarded the barrier as it slowly cracked. The barrier would have been blasted but the man looked at the woman who is also directly looking at him and smile. Then he used his blood essence and boosted the barrier which is able to withstand the powerful but invisible force. Booth of them was thrown a few steps back but the barrier was able to hold.
"Are you… okay?" The man Xi Jung asked as he looked at the beautiful woman in his arms with tenderness.
She was about to say something when she noticed some blood slowly seeps out of his mouth. Then something painful immediately tugs within her which finally broke the wall she's been putting up these past few days.
"You… you crazy… stupid… man." She said as she pounded his chest in annoyance as he did not care of his own safety and would rather suffer, this made her feel guilty as she is still resisting his advances knowing full well his own feelings for her.
Then she slowly rubbed his chest as if trying to mend what she did. Although the man didn't feel any pain as her hands are like cotton hitting him, but he felt a little touch as she caressed him.
"Why go such length just to protect me? I'm… I'm just a…" Phoenix said with a low voice lowering her head and unable to look him in the eyes.
"You're not… to me, you are the most precious thing in the world. And I would gladly give my life to you." Xi Jung said with a smile which makes it a little ugly as blood has dyed even his pure white teeth.
"Pfft!" Phoenix suddenly giggled as she found his expression really funny.
Then she slowly wipes the blood off his mouth and drew closer to kiss his soft lips. This stunned Xi Jung as he almost let go of the formed barrier.
"Whew… That… that was close. This woman, she… wait… Does she also like me? Really!" Xi Jung thought as he greedily etched in his mind this moment.
It is the moment that he knows that the woman has already accepted him and his Dao's heart. Immediately after this epiphany and that wonderful kiss something suddenly opens up within him. It's like a huge amount of power is rushing towards his dantian coming from his heart. Like a rushing tide of a tsunami hitting and breaking the boundaries that constrain a normal human. Then changes immediately happened as his meridian grew larger and every acupoint in his body suddenly opens up without any hindrance.
In a normal human there exist at least 12 principal meridians and the 8 extraordinary meridians. It is said that these meridians are connected by different acupoints in the body. Now, once every acupoint in the body is cleared and unobstructed that person can attain a high level of cultivation and faster cultivation speed. But what if those meridians and acupoints are not only unobstructed but also enlarged and strengthen what would happen? That is where the legend of the Jung clan began, as when each cultivator in their clan who successfully achieve his own Dao heart, that cultivator would be unrivaled and can skip levels when fighting an opponent.
This is the Dao heart that Xi Jung clan's practices, once a clan member received a true feeling from their chosen companion it would open up a path for them. As their body would immediately change in preparation to deification. This, in turn, would make their cultivation advance by leaps and bound, which should be a cause of envy to other clans or cultivation communities. But the drawback with this technique is when they could not find their true Dao companion or that their Dao companion is not true to their feelings towards them, the heavens will not grant them its blessing and would not transform their bodies for deification.
In this world of schemes and machinations, it is very hard to find someone who would truly show or give their feelings to others. Hence the members of the Jung clan could only rely on their luck in finding their true soul mates.
Phoenix can clearly feel the power gushing forth from within Xi Jung's body and also towards her. It's as if something within her mind suddenly opens up and a lot of information which is unfamiliar to her burst forth which made her mind go blank and she fainted.
Xi Jung was awoken from his bliss when he noticed that Phoenix's lips and his suddenly parted. His mind immediately began to worry as he saw her body limps as if all her strength left her. He is still holding the barrier as she is not sure if the aura and killing intent is still present, but he immediately supported her with his other hand.
"Phoenix! Phoenix! No… this should not have happened. Please, wake up!" Xi Jung worriedly shouted upon seeing her faint.
The opening of his body and surging energy should not have any negative effect on a mortal. He knows this as he has seen it many times in their clan. He also knows that instead of harm it would actually bring great blessing to mortal as with the deification of the body of their partner a mortal's lifespan would actually increase up to hundreds of years, not as long as that of a cultivator though.
But before he could overreact further, Phoenix suddenly woke up.
"Ugh… What… what happened to me?" she muttered.
Upon hearing her voice, Xi Jung immediately hugs her it was as if he'd lose her if he didn't do so. This causes Phoenix to be dumbfounded and felt warm at the same time. She didn't expect that he would be so worried about her, though she didn't know what is happening yet.
"Umph… you… you're crushing me." Phoenix said feeling a little exasperated as she didn't expect that this man would be this clingy and passionate.
But deep inside her heart, she felt really happy.
"We need to leave this place, I think the danger is coming and we also need to warn the town," Phoenix said as her woman's intuition is telling her that something is not right.
Xi Jung nods and with renewed stamina and strength carried her and both flew to the air. This made Phoenix astonished as she never would have expected him to have an increase in power just from a kiss.
…
The night before, when Shin Jiao and Qian Li discovered that someone is chasing after them they decided to stop in the forest. Now they are both facing a very beautiful young woman.
"I never would have thought to see you again like this." A beautiful young woman slowly emerges from the shadows.
Her beauty is like that of an ice goddess which could topple down and empire. But the thing that's very noticeable is the way the young woman looks at the young man in front of her. Her eyes are blazing with jealousy as her fist tightens. She saw how the young man carried the mortal woman in his arms, she didn't know why but when she saw that, her heart began to hurt too much that she wanted to rage.
"It… it's been a long time." The young man said with an apathetic tone.
Shin Jiao didn't want to talk to the woman more than that is necessary as just looking at her makes his wounded heart ached more. When he saw her emerges from the shadow his whole body actually shivers. Though he somewhat knew who is following them, but knowing is different from seeing.
Cherry Lao is as beautiful as ever, that he could not deny. But the emotional wound she had caused him is too deep that it made him close his heart towards other women. He thought he was over her, but now he knows that he is wrong.
"I… I… just want to say… sorry. But… but can you blame me for my decision?" She said with a weak voice which made Shin Jiao raised an eyebrow.
He didn't expect that Cherry Lao would say this. It was as if she was forced by circumstance to leave him at that time. Well, he can't judge her and she can't blame him either for trying to move on. But her eyes are showing something that he didn't expect, it was jealousy.
She knew that she didn't have the right to be jealous, but she can't help it, as her gaze turns towards the woman beside Shin Jiao. She could not help it as she suddenly raised her hand and pointed towards Qian Li. Then a small fireball congeals in front of her finger and was immediately released. When Shin Jiao didn't move, Cherry Lao became happy because this means that the woman beside him is of no importance to him.
But then all of a sudden her face fell, the smile she was about to show froze, as the woman who was about to be hit by the fireball actually banished. Then she immediately felt a cold metal pointing directly towards her head.
"I don't want to disrespect master, but if you do that again. I won't be polite." Qian Li's voice which is like, the autumn wind, calmly resonated.
She had underestimated the mortal as the cold metal thing on her head is something that's familiar. She had seen that kind of thing which Shin Jiao would always use when they were together. And she also knew the power that it holds. Even if she is able to escape, but with the speed that the woman is showing now, Cherry Lao can't help but feel a little scared.
"That's enough, Fairy. We have to go." Shin Jiao said coldly.
"Yes, master." Qian Li said as she immediately disappears from her place and reappears beside Shin Jiao.
Cherry Lao was unable to react as her mind is a mess. She didn't want to accept things as they are, she could not accept that a mortal was able to subdue her in one move. She was thinking of a way to defeat the one Shin Jiao called as Fairy, but she knows that if she has the capacity like him, then her defeat is inevitable even with her current cultivation level.
"Wait… Shin! I… Please wait!" Cherry Lao suddenly blurted unconsciously.
Though she is a proud woman and can't accept her defeat, still she is unsatisfied with his reaction. Although it was her fault for leaving, however at that time she is only driven by revenge. Her mind is only focused on getting back to her position and neglected his feelings. But now, she wanted differently, she really wanted him back.
Shin Jiao didn't know the fickleness of a woman's mind. He didn't know that sometimes, what they are doing is not what they want. But no matter what happens now his focus is not on this matter. As right now he suddenly feels that something is amiss.
"Cherry… You should go back. There is something going on, it's not the time for us to talk about this… We'll see each other again someday and we can try to sort out our feelings. Then that's the time we can decide." He said as both he and Qian Li's figures suddenly disappear.
"I... I will wait, I don't care anymore. But, I will wait." She muttered under her breath as she just looks at the place where he disappears as if his figure is still there.
…
Meanwhile…
In the town's hall, a group of cultivators is already gathered. Most of these people are cultivators with powerful backgrounds and cultivation level. They have already felt the disturbance within the forest, and with the report of the scouts, they now have an idea of what's going to happen. And so the discussions in the hall are rowdy as each shared their own opinion of the matter.
"Everyone! I know that you all are anxious and it's seldom that many sects are gathered in here. But we have to be unified in our defense against the upcoming beast tide. According to some of our World nascent seniors in here, there are around eight beasts that are level six and a possible level six beast king leading them." The middle-aged man said.
He is the representative of the council of elders in the town of Dis. And is the one in charge of preparing the defenses and the counter-attack. Many of those that are in this hall have experienced what had happened in the town of Haven. This time they have 4 World nascent realm cultivators so they are confident that they would be able to defend the town. The head elder himself is also a nascent realm and the rest of the high council members are in the infant soul realm. With this powerhouse is the last line of defense would secure the survival of the town.
"But before we head out there, I want to ask the remuneration of each cultivator. Is it the usual, one's kill one's harvest? Or do you plan any other way?" a bulky man suddenly said within the middle of the crowd.
This man is an elder of a branch of the Soul Mountain School near the City of Yi. They have come with other powerful schools and clans from the City of Yi after hearing the incoming beast tide. Many of the powerful faction in these parts are here not only to participate in the defense but for the opportunity to obtain a harvest. As this is a high-level threat so it means the danger is high but the harvest is more bountiful. It is possible that some high level or even rare beasts would appear and this is what they are after.
"The rule is, as usual, one's kill, one's harvest." The man replied which gave everyone a deep smile because that is their main purpose in coming to this place.
"Everyone will follow Dao ancestor Shanguan Lao for the battle arrangements. We also requested the help of Master Ju, and those array formation experts should follow him…" The man then said as he conveys each assignment to every cultivator.
As the town is preparing for the coming beast tide, Shin Jiao has already reached the underground base. He had already conveyed his orders to them and made their own preparations.
Then he met with the Shadow Squad and was surprised by what he learned.
Phoenix is missing.