'Gotta run, gotta run, gotta run,' Zhuque chanted within her mind as she flew low on the ocean surface. She took care not to make herself too noticeable and as such did not ignite her flames. Even so, her gorgeous feathers and long tail feathers were very noticeable. She was like a peacock trying to hide its colours.
"Don't let her get away," general Chi commanded his army of hundred thousand. They drive the high grade xiantian treasure after Zhuque who looked back in annoyance.
"If not for that defensive treasure, I'll incinerate you!" She threatened. She flapped her wings and kicked a flying debris towards the boat. General Chi swung the kunwu sword in response.
"Getting chased by small fries, sister will be so angry," Zhuque said self deprecatingly. Her tail feathers shot out arrows of orange light in a shower of spears.
"Activate the defences," general Chi commanded. A grey dome manifested on the ship defending them against the attack. However, in order to do so, much power was diverted away from speed.
"General, the eleventh, sixteenth, eighth, and second regiments are out of power," a commanding soldier said.
"Get the next batch ready, we can't let her escape," general Chi ordered. He stabbed out with the kunwu sword with all his might. His artefact once belonged to a mighty chaos goldfield. The remnant will of the sword possessed terrifying might.
Chi stabbed the sword down at the sea. The waters answered the call, waves upon waves darkened into murky pillars of ice. They shot up at the unsuspecting Zhuque.
"What the?" Zhuque barely uttered out before her abdomen was smashed by the black ice. The vermillion bird gasped in pain and had to quickly steady herself. She looked back in annoyance.
"So persistent, are you looking to die?" Zhuque opened her beak and spewed forth waves of red hot fire. General Chi keeled back and tried to defend his men with the kunwu sword.
"Quickly, pool your strengths together, manifest the kunwu god," he commanded.
…
"Brother," Qinglong called out to Zulong. "Over there," he said pointing at the bird armoured figure of the kunwu god facing off against Zhuque.
"What is it Qinglong?" Zulong enquired looking over. He frowned and asked, "Were you not listening to master's warnings?"
"I have brother, but this…I have a feeling that I have to help that fellow daoist," Qinglong said. "Please, only good things will come," he begged.
"The same feeling you had with Xuanwu and Bai Jian," Zulong stated for confirmation. When the azure dragon nodded Zulong sighed. "Do what you must," he said.
Bai Jian also looked at Zhuque from a distance. The vermillion bird was not struggling with the kunwu god but she was tied down. He'd seen where she'd flown from and both he and the dragons could extrapolate theories.
A silent understanding came between both innate gods. They descended in a heartbeat. Between the two, Bai Jian had superior firepower whereas Qinglong had more mystical power.
The enormous image of the Venus star appeared behind Bai Jian, resembling a golden metal ball. Behind Qinglong appeared the Jupiter star, appearing like a wooden construct. Both celestial bodies empowered one another and sent a wave of power that washed over Zhuque and the kunwu god.
"What was that?" Both Bai Jian and Qinglong uttered. Instinctual knowledge appeared in their minds when they began their move. Zhuque seemed to have also benefited.
The avian's forehead glowed with a circular image of the Mars star in all its fiery glory.
"Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Mercury," Yinglong muttered in contemplation and looked at Zulong. Both dragons had concluded that something strange was going on between the four individuals who feared such planer powers.
"Qinglong born in the east holds Jupiter the wood star, Xuanwu of the north holding Mercury the water star, Bai Jian whom we still don't know his real name of the west holds Venus the gold star. Then there is this newcomer who holds Mars the fire star," Zulong said in deep thought.
"I've read master's library before, aunt master Wangshu had gifted stellar charts that corresponded with master's diagrams of the five elements. Each of those stars represents one of the elements," Yinglong concluded. "Could our little brother have inherited something from the late daoist of the five elements?"
Zhuque looked bewildered at the two men who appeared before her. They looked puny compared to her gargantuan bird form, mere specs of dust before her six thousand kilometre wingspan.
Distantly, the Kunwu god stood aboard the universe traversing boat. It stood proud and tall at just shy of four thousand kilometres. It brimmed with the power of over a hundred thousand elite immortals in addition to a high grade and top grade xiantian spiritual treasure. Multiple lesser treasures on board were also used. Needless to say, the resulting titan was on par with a Great Unity Golden Immortal realm peak.
"Thank you fellow daoists for your assistance," Zhuque said genuinely. "You will be rewarded," she said with a sincere voice.
"There is no need," Qinglong said. "I…" the azure dragon was cut off when the kunwu god held out a rope. Zhuque scowled at the treasure, she flapped her wings to unleash a heatwave.
Bai Jian drew his sword and drew the heat wave into its tip. He then redirected all that power in a burst of red lightning straight through the kunwu god.
"No!" General Chi cried out as thousands of his men died on the spot.
Qinglong joined in as well, he swooped down transforming into a massive dragon and sending tendrils of water to batter the kunwu god around. He soared high into the air and sent a ball of wind right into the Kunwu god staggering him.
Bai Jian jumped in next. His sword glowed with a metallic sheen and he roared like a tiger. The symbol for king on his person flashed as he sliced off the other arm of the formation.
Qinglong's draconic form circled the formation clawing chunks out of it while Zhuque joined him and tearing the kunwu god apart. Their coordination generated waves of hot air.
Zhuque's talons lit aflame. In the presence of Qinglong, her talons elongated into swordlike claws even deadlier than what she was used to. Elated, Zhuque tore into the formation and grabbed with her left talon.
In an instant, she grabbed hold of general Chi and tore him out of the kunwu god. Tightening her grip, she pulverised all the bones in his body, beating him back into a swordfish.
Transforming into her Dao body, Zhuque's delicate hands held the swordfish general's throat with a crushing grip. "Should've given up when you had the chance," she spat igniting the fish. Her prize, the kunwu sword remained idle before flashing to her side.
Zhuque looked up at the azure dragon who simply said, "It's your prize." Nodding, Zhuque pricked her finger and allowed her blood to drop into the sword refining it.
"Thank you," she said smiling brightly. She couldn't explain it but something within her chest told her that she was among allies, among family. Qinglong and Bai Jian smiled as well. 'Now we're just missing one,' they both thought.
"Come, let's get out of here before both seniors realise what's going on," Qinglong said. Zhuque nodded and flew up with them.
"Yes, but first," Zhuque raised her hand. The universe traversing boat shrunk and flew into her palm. She held it out and flew right before Qinglong who'd assumed human form. She placed it in his hands much to his shock.
"I apologise," Zhuque said to Bai Jian. "I regret that I have nothing to gift you."
"No need, no need, it's only a small matter," Bai Jian said dismissively.
"No, no, no, I will find something," Zhuque insisted before Qinglong handed the boat back.
"I can't accept this, their grievances were with you. I am an irrelevant party," he said. "This should be your prize."
"The hell you are, just accept it," Zhuque insisted. This routine went back and forth for a bit before Qinglong relented when Bai Jian knocked both their heads and pointed at the battle of Chaos Immortals.
"Fine, but we should get going," the dragon said.
"I know a place where we'd be safe, it's in the South Continent but it's on the main land," Zhuque replied.
"Very well," Qinglong said. "Brothers, let's go," he called out to Zulogn and Yinglong. The two dragons flew along with them and nodded.
"Looks like our time west is over, let's head south," Zulong said.
"These two are?" Zhuque began before Qinglong interrupted her.
"Introductions can wait, we should get away first," he said. The rest nodded in agreement and picked up speed. They flew by broken fragments of the island that were drifting away by the shockwaves. Looking back, everyone but Zulong could barely perceive what was going on.
Si Hai battle with Shen Feng had spiralled out of control. But the emperor of the four seas clearly held the advantage. His true form in all its grotesque glory laughed at Shen Feng. His razor like mouth grinned maniacally.
"Ah Sheng Feng, you've gotten worse," he tainted. Lashing out with his tentacles, he kicked the wind god square in the chest. He held the harpoon and stabbed at Sheng Feng.
However, the patriarch of divine wind's red eyes shot out beams of light that grazed Si Hai's scales. His smokey body lashed out like a spiral of blades made of wind. He was like a spinning top and grinder Si Hai until he could fly away.
"I could say the same for you Si Hai," Shen Feng taunted back. He chained his ball appendages into a large mace and smashed Si Hai across his face and thin neck.
Si Hai's shark face scowled. He punched a second blow away staggering Shen Feng and grabbed both his wings with his arms before ripping them off. His harpoon stabbed into Shen Feng's body. Bringing another fist down, he smashed Shen Feng's smokey body of air again and again.
"Ragh!" Shen Feng cried in pain and scattered into billions of streams of wind. He flew out of Si Hai's grasp and tried to reform.
The emperor of the sea swung his harpoon in a wide arc drawing up a long arch of water into the newly reformed Sheng Feng. "Bastard," Sheng Feng cried out.
"Hand over my lantern and I may spare your life," Si Hai offered.
"You want the lantern?" Shen Feng said amused. "Here it is!" Sheng Feng held up the lantern.
Si Hai reached out to grab the treasure before suddenly jumping back to dodge. "Shenni?" He cried as the emperor of beast's crimson hairy form snarled at him.
"Heh, so that's its special ability," Shen Feng smirked revealing a mouthful of jagged razor teeth. His pale blank eyes flashed in a dull coloured light. "What a coincidence I've prepared just for this scenario," he said.
Shenni charged at Si Hai but the emperor ignored him. He simply reached out to his left and grabbed a bundle of the spheres of air of Shen Feng that was coming up for a hit.
"How did you?" Shen Feng uttered while Shenni harmlessly passed through Si Hai. "A spell just for illusions?" The wind god suddenly realised. "And here I thought you were a dumb brute," he chuckled.
Si Hai growled, he swung Shen Feng into the air and back down into the ocean surface which hardened into solid ice.
CRASH!
Shen Feng impacted the ground hard. His body was bleeding Dao essence that flew off like fireflies. Si Hai repeated this action several times before raising his harpoon.
"Wait, wait, wait, Si Hai, wait a minute," Shen Feng called out. Si Hai was about to stab down unbothered by Shen Feng's words before stopping when the lantern appeared before him.
"You can't run Shen Feng," Si Hai sneered. "It's mine either way."
"What about your ship?" Shen Feng returned. Confused Si Hai twisted his neck and looked back. His eyes widened.
"No! Those useless grunts," he got off and immediately flew off. Shen Feng smirked, getting up he wasted no time to break the fabric of reality and fly off.
Within the void, Shen Feng made some good distance before halting. His crimson eyes widened in fright at the figure just arriving.
…
"Master, what's wrong?" Xuanwu said getting from his meditation position in a stone pillar. The stone like face of Ao appeared uneasy.
"A commotion is taking place in the west sea," Ao said.
"West sea? But isn't that where Qinglong and the others went?" Xuanwu said in a quick panic. "Are they involved?"
"Indeed," Ao's booming voice replied.
"Shit, I knew I should've gone with them," Xuanwu cursed. He turn and braced himself to fly off at max speed.
"Where are you going? You are nowhere near fast enough to get there without flying for another few centuries," Ao said stopping Xuanwu.
"I have to help them, master, can you help me get there?" Xuanwu asked. He got onto his knees and kowtowed before Ao.
"You lot were born to work as one, fate has decreed it so," Ao said. A tear in reality opened before Xuanwu revealing a portal. On the other side, Xuanwu could see a violent storm. "I've already imparted my cultivation style, go at your own peril."
Without hesitation, Xuanwu jumped through.
"Four innate gods, four stars, four elements, four symbols," Ao mused. "I wonder, your future, it is not bright," he sighed. "Da Hai, the ripples you've made, are they big enough for them to escape their fate?"