The old man wore a vermillion red robe with gold and white embroidered edges that seemed to give the illusion that he were wearing flames instead of clothing. This set of clothing was unique to the elders and chief of the Phoenix clan.
Before either Yue Chen or Duan Shi could react they were both forced to their knees by an invisible pressure. No matter how they struggled the pressure made it impossible for them to move any of their limbs.
"Patriarch Renshu, Yue Chen was the one that saved me and brought me back to the village!" Feng Huang attempted to clear up the misunderstanding but to no avail. Patriarch Renshu had no intention of listening to anything else that was said. Being the only elder in the entire clan that was capable of taking on arduous tasks he left with a select few young men that could be sharpened to help the clan to stand proudly once again as one of the three ancient divine creatures only to return home to the clan's destruction. This infuriated Patriarch Renshu to the point that he had lost his sense of reason.
As he was being pressed onto the ground Yue Chen could feel his chest tighten and he was plagued by a suffocating feeling. His bones were creaking from the force and seemed as if they would shatter at any moment. Yue Chen was unwilling to die. His mind was in a disarray, hoping to find a reason for which he wanted to live so badly. With memories of two lifetimes his temperament was often unbalanced and that was a confusing situation for Yue Chen himself. Inside Yue Chen's mind there were two personalities fighting for dominance. One passionately strived for the power to seek revenge, disregarding love and family while the other sought after familial ties and new bonds and pursued strength for this purpose alone. With each passing night his memories of Bai Chen had a stronger influence on his actions and this clouded his mind while making it feel as if he were grasping at straws. What is my purpose? There is no purpose. I..... have no purpose.
The familiar voice in the back of Yue Chen's mind spoke up "That's right..... you bear no grudge against this world and your motivation is vain. My purpose is superior to your own!" Bai Chen and Yue Chen were one entity and as such both sides were able to obtain control over the body however Yue Chen had more dominance over the body as Bai Chen had been dormant until recent. "Tch....how stubborn, I won't make it if this goes on" Bai Chen thought inwardly.
Yue Chen took a deep breath and felt the pressure had vanished. His pupils had contracted as he wore a ferocious expression. There was an overbearing power flowing through his body, it was the same power that had killed the serpent before and now that it was his second time the animalistic instincts that manifested felt less foreign to him. Feng Huang shuddered as she recognized Yue Chen's change and recalled the fate of the serpent they fought. "Patriarch Renshu he is our benefactor!" Feng Huang's screams could not reach the ears of the enraged village chief and there was nothing she could do to help the situation yet if this continued both parties might end up fatally wounded.
The temperature around Yue Chen had risen far beyond the tolerance of an ordinary person yet Yue Chen remained unfazed. Clusters of eerie black smoke-like wisps of energy was pouring from his body, raising his fighting abilities by a terrifying margin. Unexpectedly Yue Chen had retained more clarity than during his last battle and was able to wield his current strength far more efficiently. As he was now Yue Chen was confident he could match the Phoenix Patriarch in terms of strength.
Boom! Patriarch Renshu's figure darted forward at an incomprehensible speed beyond Yue Chen's expectations. Reaching his hand forward he grabbed at Yue Chen's throat. A silver light flickered before Patriarch Renshu.
"Don't...don't fight anymore!" the little girl cried out at the top of her lungs, her tiny hands still clinging to Feng Huang.
Patriarch Renshu shifted the direction of his arm, narrowly missing Yue Chen's throat. A line of blood surfaced on his palm, dripping down his fingers. Patriarch Renshu looked at the clean cut on his hand and gave Yue Chen a surprised look. Up until the last moment Yue Chen had yet to lift a single finger against him and still managed to wound him to some extent. Even someone of the same cultivation base would have a hard time injuring him not to mention a teen at the Second Sky of the Nirvana realm.
Thud! The force that had been supporting Yue Chen vanished causing him to sink to his knees weakly. With the pressure gone Feng Huang quickly rushed to his side and helped him slowly recover his energy.
After Patriarch Renshu was calm enough to assess the situation he quickly understood what took place in the time of his absence. After the chaos in the village had been contained the Phoenix clan was soon restored to it's original state and Yue Chen was invited to the Patriarch's leisure room.
Sitting across the table Patriarch Renshu poured himself a cup of alcohol. "Do you drink?" he asked Yue Chen.
Yue Chen shook his head honestly. Even in his time living in the empire Yue Chen was unable to hold his liquor and would show an unpleasant side of himself to the public. His adopted father had taught him circulation methods to negate the tipsy effect of drinking but Yue Chen believed it contradicted the purpose of drinking.
Patriarch Renshu lifted his drinking glass and poured the contents down his throat. Placing his cup on the table Patriarch Renshu exhaled. "I apologize for attacking you without hearing your side of the story. I am a tad overprotective of my granddaughter Yuming you see, she is all this old man has left"
Yue Chen smiled wryly and accepted Feng Renshu's apology as neither party was truly at fault. Patriarch Renshu's lax expression soon turned to a stern look. A dark pulse came from Yue Chen's right arm as a heartbeat resounded in the room. The dark pulse covered the room from a ink black light, swallowing both light and sound in the room and the only thing that could be heard was the gentle heartbeat coming from Yue Chen's right arm.
Patriarch Renshu flicked his fingers and a soft crimson flame drew circles around his index and middle fingers then flew towards Yue Chen's hand. Light soon returned to the room. Yue Chen gasped for air, his forehead beading with sweat. His True energy had been sucked dry and it was only a matter of time before he died from having lost too much energy. Had Patriarch Renshu not stepped in... Yue Chen shuddered at the thought. Casting his gaze on the plain looking spacial ring that his parents had left behind Yue Chen could tell something was wrong.
Yue Chen left the Patriarch's residence with a troubled mind. The two had spent a great deal of time attempting to remove the ring on Yue Chen's finger until night had descended. Eventually Patriarch Renshu brought up the option of severing the finger to which Yue Chen immediately declined the offer.
The moon hung high in the sky, spreading it's veil over the village, extending it reaches to the distant forest. Yue Chen did not immediately return to the room the Phoenix clan had prepared for him and instead headed for the roof. The night was long and Yue Chen had too much on his mind to sleep at this point. By the time Yue Chen had made his way to the rooftop he found that someone had beat him to it and peered into the distance at the lone figure seated over the edge. It was Yuming but without Feng Huang. Yuming's legs were like moving pendulums as she hummed a soft tune. After a few seconds Yuming paused and without turning around invited Yue Chen to be sit next to her which surprised Yue Chen. Before making his way to the roof he had contained his own breathing and heartbeat to the point that if he closed his eyes anyone would think he was merely a corpse. Yuming however, was capable of acknowledging his presence so easily. Yue Chen had no choice but to acknowledge Yuming's horrifying detection abilities. Yue Chen sat next to Yuming and the humming became clearer. It was a gentle, refreshing sound that could revitalize the mind. It was as if one had been tossed into an oasis after being lost in a desert for a long period of time. Yue Chen found it hard to contain himself and quickly withdrew his self crafted flute. There was no communication between the two yet as if they had already reached an agreement one started to match the other's sound. Two sounds rang out in harmony giving off an even more relaxing sensation than before. If before there was a oasis now there was a cool ocean that relaxed and emptied the minds of anyone who heard it. Yuming's humming had turned to singing and Yue Chen's fingers danced along the flute at an amazing speed. It had been a while since he had played like this and felt his soul was cleansed by the soft melody of the sounds. Both parties soon came to a stop and the stillness of silence returned to the night.
"Are....you feeling better now that your mind is clear?" Yuming asked hesitantly.
Yue Chen was surprised by Yuming's sudden question but he replied with a nod all the same. Now that he thought about it his mind was a lot less chaotic now that he had finished playing. For the first time since arriving in the Phoenix clan Yue Chen had started to take more interest in Yuming than anyone else.
Yuming looked up at the relaxed Yue Chen, wanting to say something but eventually lowered her head. After a few minutes of plucking together the little courage she had the little girl spoke her mind "If....if you're troubled talking about it can make you feel better"
"Mn" Yue Chen slowly told Yuming of his journey up until the present without holding anything back. Soon he explained how he was chased from his empire and started his journey up until he had entered the blood world. For some reason he felt if it was Yuming then it wouldn't be a problem.
"Arent you being too childish brother Chen?" Yuming tilted her head, confused. " According to what brother Chen told me...brother Chen aren't you contradicting yourself by denying your past life? Your consciousness is spilt into two halves with one being your past self, if that is the case then your true strength will always remain halved as well"
Yue Chen stared at Yuming in disbelief. Just by hearing a summary of his experiences this ten year old girl was capable of assessing his condition and sharing her viewpoint. This was enough for Yue Chen to realize that Yuming was quite knowledgeable and mature for someone her age. He never would have thought a shy person that clinged to Feng Huang so desperately would have such a hidden and refined temperament. Yue Chen took a deep breath and nodded. He was aware of his own situation better than anyone. Until he was able to find the solution he was looking for all he could do was continue on as he always did.
"As for your ring brother Chen....." Yuming continued "I think you should dispose of it as soon as possible"