Silence, silence remained as Xiao soaked in the words of Yun Yurou, the words traveled deep into Xiao's heart as memories of a similar older Yun Yurou's promise came to his mind, for second Xiao felt his heart skip a beat but he quickly shook his head to get rid of the feeling, as he turned his head aside unwilling to look at Yun Yurou
Seeing it Yun Yurou smiled happily, for some reason, these words were breaming deep within her soul quivering to be said out loud, meanwhile, Xiao was sighing deep within his heart, from all that he saw till now he could understand that Yun Yuoru would not give up, in the past he could keep saying that she was just young and that it would just fade with time, but that's no longer possible
Never underestimate the burning feelings of a Phoenix
These are the words that are known everywhere, a phoenix, the beings of purity, grace and laws would be the most terrifying when they battle for the one they love and it would be better to never mess with a phoenix that's in love, once they were set on something they would not give up till death
Xiao could see that Yun Yurou was set on him and making her forget him was next to impossible, truthfully Xiao has no idea how he would deal with it, it's not like he's some expert on dealing with matters of the heart
'Sigh...let it be like this for now...'
In the end, Xiao decided to let fate take its course, right now Xiao already has a fiancee and in no way was he going to cheat on her and he has no desire to make anything hard for Li Lan, even though Xiao never had a romantic relationship, he did have his own fair share of dealings with women
Back then he walked the demonic path, the women who walked the same path wasn't exactly all that pure, back then he too was a young man in his teens, hence he did have some 'rendezvous' back then but nothing at all was serious, though that ended up being stopped after Yun Yurou had entered his life
sure that he slept in a relaxing position, done with it she sneakily hugged him as she kept her head on his shoulder as she relished in Xiao's warm body, taking his scent in her eyes turned blurry as she too fell to asleep, she too was tired...
"Pleased to meet you we will be under your care"
A man along with others bowed their heads to Xiao and Yun Yuoru, they were the servants that was given to them, after Xiao had fallen asleep, Yun Yurou had taken advantage of it as she had slept with him, and it was definitely not a small surprise when he woke up, Xiao never thought that he would have fallen asleep
Even though a bit pissed Xiao didn't say anything to Yun Yurou, not when she had given him the puppy eyes, nothing major had taken after it as a group of people entered the room after gaining their permission, they were the servants that were given to them for now but the most intriguing part was that all of them were human and some of them were even young
A total of 6 people had come to them and the one leading them was a middle-aged man with a powerful aura, while the rest of them were teens of age that looked to be about 16 or 17, all of them had extremely powerful cultivation, these kids if they were placed in Xiao's current timeline then they would be geniuses that would be hailed even in the 3rd heaven
But here they were mere servants of the Phoenixes forever being at their will, it didn't matter if they had people with cultivation equal to others, as they didn't have anything 'special' to beat the enemies of their own level, right now they could cultivate that's all...
As they entered, all of the teens went into a daze as they gazed upon Yun Yurou, after which they sent Xiao an envious gaze but that was all, they weren't jealous, in fact, they had a hint of awe towards Xiao after all the news of what happened had already spread across the lands of Nirvana, being the spiciest news across the realms of rebirth
How could it not? a half phoenix? it would mean that there's some lucky chap out there that had a good time with a Phoenix that was the rulers of this realm, it a huge piece of news that caused widespread outrage, the search for this Phoenix was being conducted everywhere but the news kept coming
Not only did this half phoenix awaken a talent that surpasses the current Empress who was termed once in a million years genius, but she had also actually done a marking ceremony with a human boy!, this news again sent waves across both the humans and phoenix, now an unseen talent was tied to a human, this altogether shook the world of Nirvana
Already several conceptions and theories were being spread but it was not the end there was a very hidden rumor being spread to, it was that the human boy had awakened an element! to humans that was currently at the bottom, this was definitely major news but there wasn't any evidence till now and the speculations were still being spread far and wide
Overall a hurricane had racked across Nirvana and many were still dealing with it but now seeing Xiao in front of them, the teens were sure that the rumors had some truth to them, Xiao's temperament and his looks were definitely not ordinary, just his mere presence demanded a sense of worship
Well this was mostly due to the purple flame, it was Nobel on its right, and even if not present it creates an aura of pressure and nobleness around Xiao, making him more eye-catching, the middle-aged man's eyes narrowed as he gazed upon Xiao but he didn't say anything as he just kept his respectful looks
"Sure, will be needing your help"
Xiao spoke with a smile, meanwhile, Yun Yurou stood beside Xiao looking at the humans in front of her with a complex gaze, before this Xiao had already spoke to her about the Beastial Era and it was a truly conflicting topic for her, right now she was a full-fledged phoenix but before her awakening, she was just a simple human girl with an inflated pride
She has already experienced many issues, to be truthful she knew that she didn't have the right to speak about the current situation, it was at this time the middle-aged man spoke
"Young miss, the Empress desires your presence, the guards behind me will take you to the location she stated"
Say so he pointed towards the guards behind him and just as he turned toward Yun Yurou he was taken back by seeing a frosty look came upon Yun Yurou's face, it wasn't wrong to tell that she was enraged, after waking up she had inquired to Xiao on how he had ended up inside the phoenix cauldron and when she knew the whole story she was truly enraged but she couldn't do anything about it right now
She could deduce who the woman was from Xiao's words and currently, she was too weak to do anything, the only thing she could do was to hold the grudge in her heart, shaking off her mood she looked at Xiao who nodded his head, seeing it she smiled as she started to walk towards the guards but not before stealing a kiss from Xiao's cheek who stood there surprised
In the end, he just went with the flow and he was tired of dealing with Yun Yurou's antics, finally, she left leaving Xiao alone with the six individuals in the room, looking at it Xiao sighed as he walked towards the sofa in the room, as he sat on it, looking at the six people in front of him he spoke
"Why don't you all state your names and please stop bowing so much, we are all humans here"
Hearing Xiao's words all of them looked at each other before which they nodded their head and started acting a bit more relaxed, the middle-aged man moved forward as he spoke
"The names Alex"Nôv(el)B\\jnn
The middle-aged man had brown hair and eyes, along with a handsome face, his cultivation too was unfathomable, as he stood tall but deep within his eyes a bit of unwillingness and defeat floated, in fact, this was present within all of their eyes
'Good looks like things are not that bad'
With that, the rest of them walked forward as they spoke
"Naria"
A black-haired and eyed beauty of 16 spoke
"Carmon"
A handsome black-haired and eyed boy of 17 spoke
"Aleezer"
A handsome brown-haired and eyed boy of 19 with a resemblance to the middle-aged man spoke
"Momin"
A shy girl of 15 spoke, she had blue hair and shining blue eyes
"Sam"
A good looking boy with blue hair and eyes similar to that of Momin spoke, as they finished they all looked towards Xiao, who had a thoughtful look on his face, soon it vanished as he spoke
"I see.....my names Xiao and I have some questions"
Xiao was at first surprised at the fact that none of them had any surname, it would seem that no humans had earned the right to have a surname but in the end, he shook off his thoughts as he asked some burning questions that filled his mind, most of his questions touched upon the basic subject of this world, surprising the six
But in the end, the middle-aged man took the spotlight as he started explaining everything to Xiao
"I see....."
Xiao nodded his head as Alex finished speaking, he closed his eyes as he started to soak in the knowledge that was given to him, most of the things he asked was basic, it was mostly about how big the world and the commonly known knowledge of the world which he got to know was named Nirvana
The whole realm belongs to the Phoenix, who rule over this divine plane, at the current time they are the absolute rulers and holders of power but unknown to all a species that came to destroy their balance came into their divine plane, The Scylla's are beings born from the pure filth of the Navier Realm
The one realm that all the beings that live across the vast realms hate to their bone, the Heavenly tree's each leaf represent each realm and dimensions, and its body itself hold the balance between chaos and order, in other words, cultivation is only possible because the heaven itself deems it and every realm survives because the Heavenly Tree stays strong
The one place where it all connects is the fourth realm, the realm where Xiao comes from isn't the only realm that exist, there are innumerable realms speed across the heaven, each with power equal to the first, second, or third heaven, in some only humans exist, and in other, there would be other species that call it their home but to all the cultivators their aim would always to reach the fourth heaven
Calling the fourth heaven a space would be wrong, it is a whole other cosmos, where millions of different powers come together, it is the only place where everything meets, and even till now no one has ever reached its end and no one knows how many powers that float within all this but this does not mean there doesn't exist dimensions where the power their rivals the fourth heaven
Take for example the fairy realm to the spiritual realm, the dream realm of all world spirit masters is to enter that realm but none that wasn't born there could enter that realm, the beings there had already reached a level of power and technology that many couldn't believe, all those outside of that realm is just borrowing the power from their realm to be world spirit masters
Like this millions of powers and mystery fill the Heavens and all of them is held together by the Heavenly Tree that is the base of all, species, power, and even gods fall due to the flow of time but the Heavenly Tree stays straight fighting against all, no one could say how many had died protecting it and none could imagine the sacrifice that had to be made
Anyhow from what Xiao had understood, he could see that this Navier Realm is something that is hated by all the powers of this Era, they seemed to be beings of unkillable body and skills that use their enemy's power to grow stronger, the worst part being that they didn't have any fear, they are just clumps of death and destruction
Right now they move from realm to realms taking them, devouring them as they grow stronger, with the death of each realm the stronger they grow but at first, they were smart as they kept their movement hidden, but by the time the truly powerful understood it, the beings Skylla had grown too powerful and now they had shown their fangs against the powerful
Not only the Phoenix, millions of species were fighting against it, the end of this fight was unknown but in all likely hood the beings Skylla must have been eradicated
'I haven't heard of it'
Xiao thought as he mulled over the information, if such being did exist them by now they would have consumed the Heavenly Tree but The Heavenly Tree stays strong and no word of them was ever heard, it would mean that the war was won but here's the true question, at what cost?
Such dangerous beings should have made an itch in the dents of history or they should have at least been noted down so that the future generations might be able to fight against it but nothing, no words of the war, granted the Beatsial Era was too far into the past but just the existence of these heaven defying being should have been known yet it was all lost or were they hidden?
Xiao shook his head to get rid of these thoughts, he in no way has any idea on how to deal with it, and truthfully it was above his strength and abilities, all now that he cared about was getting him and Yun Yurou out of here safely, this is the Beastial Era where several divine bests were born and geniuses like no other were seen
"Excuse me but can you tell me who you are?"
Just as Xiao was in his deep thoughts he was pulled out of it by Naria whose black eyes boor deeply into his back ones that shined with a hypnotic white, hearing her question Xiao blocked his thoughts as he looked at her and spoke
"What do you want to know?"
"Ca-can you really use an element?"
Even Naria who wss quiet and calm couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation as she asked this question, hearing it Xiao looked at the rest that though stayed calm was betrayed by the shinning desires deep within them, for a moment Xiao felt lost, to him being born with an element was normal and fighting to gain its strength too was seen to be natural
But here, just being able to grasp the element meant something great, for him the path was laid out because his ancestors fought for it but how would it feel not to have a path to walk forward to? this was a huge question that would send the most experienced of cultivators to a frenzy a question that was only pondered by the ones that had hit the last block
Xiao thinking about it felt as if he was hit with a huge block but unknown to him this thought would let him walk a path that would push him into danger he wouldn't even be able to dream about but no one could say if this was good or bad, soon Xiao went into a daze, being lost within a world with so much mystery that his head started to feel clouded
Meanwhile, the atmosphere within the room had turned awkward as they waited for Xiao's answer but seeing that he was lost in an Ephiny they all stayed silent, knowing how important this could be but what they didn't expect was to see blood come from Xiao's head! but thankfully it stopped quickly as Xiao regained his bearing
Ad as he sis he clutched his head in pain for a few moments, seeing it Alex moved quickly as he pulled doubt some pills that he feeds to Xiao, it took some time before Xiao was finally able to regain his bearing
'What the fuck was that!?'
Xiao couldn't help but grumble, if he was a bit late then his head would have exploded from trying to peer into secret he wasn't privy to, well not yet
"Are you okay?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Alex asked with a soothing voice to which Xiao nodded his head as he closed his eyes to take in what he had seen, he might have not understood much but just the tip of the iceberg was more than enough to deepen the understanding of the path he walked
Time seemed to have been stopped as Xiao's entire being rocked with newfound enlightenment, Xiao could feel it, he had gasped something but it was blurry and unclear, seemingly fading and reappearing, the injuries he sustained healed as his mind wandered between what could be and what isn't
Xiao's Soul's Core stimulated, releasing soul energy that clarified his mind, focusing on himself, Xiao quickly adapted into a cultivation state, his Soul Sense spread, rapidly assimilating to the nature of his enlightenment, like this, time began to quickly pass, from seconds to a few minutes to an unknown amount of time
Without any sense of time, Xiao felt as if a long time and no time had passed at all, but what Xaio didn't know was that deep within his body his blood started show some changes, during the rebirth the shackles that was placed in his blood was removed, granting them freedom...
But unaware during this duration, his mental psyche seamlessly also began expanding into something greater, his soul quivered as its quality was upgraded but suddenly a pulling force sucked his body, instantly bringing him into a minor dimension
The next moment, Xiao instinctively opened his eyes, feeling a mix of curiosity and anticipation, and what his eyes caught of completely awed him, Xiao couldn't even blink anymore as he sent his gaze all around this new scenery, starting with the ground, there truly wasn't an end in sight. Even when spreading his soul Sense out, Xiao still didn't catch the limit of this separate dimensionn/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The ground itself was a strange yet mystical mix, It was a very translucent red, nearly formless as if there was no ground at all, but mixed within was the most gorgeous black glow Xiao had ever seen, comparatively, when gazing at the skies, it was incredibly different to a jarring degree, one wouldn't think the sky or ground was related in any way
The sky was simply a harsh, blue and grey mix of colors, seemingly portraying a deadly feel, bright red, luminous blue, piercing yellow, radiant purple, and a bunch of other vibrant colors crashed together, creating an almost blinding extravagant scene
Standing here Xiao felt lost, here he felt forgotten, no it would be better to say that that the world was overwhelming him, it was making him feel small and worthless and the most quiver thing was that when he spread his sense he could feel a sense of energy he had never felt before but the wider part was that he could tell that this energy was made from the combination of several energies and among them he felt Qi, soul and spirit and mental energy
'How's this possible?!'
For a moment sheer incredulity filled Xiao's mind, this was more surprising than him being transported to the past but Xiao quickly shook his head as he forcefully calmed his mind down, his mind started calculating as he tried to make sense of what was happening and for that, he needed information, sensing the surrounding Xiao understood one thing
This environment was utterly chaotic!
simply breathing in the air gave Xiao a considerable sense of pressure, in this place Xiao felt as if his body was filled with lead, it was the feeling you get when you are not 100% in control of your body, Xiao could feel a sense of rejection filling his body, restricting his momentum, huge powerful winds of powerful energy flashed causing Xiao a step back but it was then that he heard a sound
"Um? someone actually made it here?..."
The voice was raspy and Xiao was unable to tell if it was a man or woman, just as the voice was heard the winds stopped, the pressure that was threatening to crush him disappeared, Xiao's ears burst as blood started to flow out of his ears, just the voice was filled with such power that him even with his current cultivation couldn't take it
Feeling curious Xiao opened his eyes and as he did an unnatural scene filled his eyes, there in front of him a throne had appeared, somehow within this chaotic and colorful world, this dark and black throne seemed fit and apt, the other thing Xiao noticed was that the throne was made completely out of swords!
And sitting on this beautiful throne was a person that was completely covered with a cloak, nothing could be seen about this person, he/she sat there upright and prideful, behind the throne floated 5 swords in a circular fashion and it was then that Xiao noticed something peculiar, the entire world had turned to swords!
The ground the sky and everywhere he looked was surrounded with swords! all of them were trembling and bending under the person that sat on the throne, it was as if they were paying respect to their king, for a moment Xiao was frozen as he gazed at all this and it was then the figure on the throne raised its head, as it looked at Xiao
A pair of beautiful blue eyes was only seen, deep within the blue eyes the patterns of several swords clashing appeared, it was such a beautiful seen that Xiao was monetary lost within it but he was able to soon regain his bearing as he shook his head and looked at the blue sword-like eyes that were only seen within the dark cloak
"Hmm.....a Gravewalker of the worldiard clan?"
Its voice was heard again but this time a hint of confusion filled its voice, thankfully this time the being controlled its voice hence it didn't hurt Xiao but its words confused him, Gravewalker? Worldiard? what the hell were those?
"I noticed that your own self is at odds with your age."
The being on the throne spoke again, confusing Xiao, he took a moment before he replied
"My own self?"
"Yes, It's impossible to lie to me in my world, this is a place that strips off all disguises to reveal one's truest self"
"… Is that so? That would explain why I feel a little relaxed here"
Xiao nodded in realization as he finally knew what the unnatural feeling constantly nudging him was, the being eyed Xiao intently as the light in its sword-like eyes intensified, a few seconds passed by before it spoke
"Tell me Gravewalker, wha-"
"Not Gravewallker, the names Xiao"
"...."
For a moment all the swords in the vicinity trembled, feeling anger for the disrespect the one on the throne faced, but the one on the throne just chuckled as it spoke
"Gravewalker you haven't earned the right for me to speak your name, go, first survive the ordeal that will come to find you, you seemed to have gone through a lot but your journeys just beginning"
"If you survive this, I shall call upon your name and I shall keep the promise that was lost within the sands of time, for now, take this as a meeting gift"
Saying so it pointed its covered hands towards Xiao and as soon as it did a sword that was stuck on the ground floated from the ground as it flew towards Xiao's chest, Xiao tried to move his body but he found that he was locked in place! hence he could only watch as the sword struck his body as it was absorbed into him
And as soon as it finished Xiao felt his body fading as it was pulled into his body, soon the eternal feeling of his body being pulled back filled him and soon he disappeared, leaving the calmness back within the world of swords, the being on the throne gazed at where Xiao was before its gaze broke through the barrier of space and time landing on something
"Show me Gravewalker, show me the will of the weak"
Its mummers filled the world as the swords trembled in its anticipation.
"Haa....."
Finally, Xiao opened his eyes as he woke up from his earlier state, looking around he could see that he was back in the room he was in before, seeing that he was back he finally sighed, relaxing his nerves a bit but his mind still reeled about the earlier encounter
'Gravewalker? Worldiard clan?'
What the hell were those? this was the first time that Xiao had heard about them, moreover, how did he reach that place? what was that place? many questions started to swirl within Xiao's mind giving him a headache, Xiao closed his eyes as he took a deep breath to regain his calm, right now he was in the dark and he could only make use of what give to him
'Calm down, calm down...'
'Looks like I need to get 'that' soon'
Xaio was planning on collecting 'that' treasure a bit later but since his cultivation rose this mich, it might be possible to get it, leaving it aside
Xiao's mind started to think about what had happened, the first thing he understood was that the being that sat on the throne wasn't his enemy but it also doesn't mean that it was his ally too, also he started to think about what it had said, it said that he was about to face an ordeal? right now Xiao was in a world where everything seemed to be going in a way that leads to war
Thinking till here Xiao's eye's opened as a hardened look came to his face, anything that such a powerful being could label as an 'ordeal' is not something that Xiao could consider simple, Xiao controlled his powers as he focused on something that was hidden within him, he could feel a 'sword' buried deep within him, awaiting his will to be wieldedn/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Even though Xiao couldn't measure its exact power he could least see that it's extremely powerful and it would be helpful in the upcoming troubles, it was then Alex spoke breaking Xiao out of his thoughts
"Are you alright?"
Looking towards Alex and the others Xiao nodded his head calmly as he spoke
"Yes, I'm alright, thank you for your help"
"It's nothing, I am just happy to help"
Hearing Alex's words Xiao nodded his head as he looked towards Naria, he hadn't forgotten what she had asked of him, he lifted his hands as a raging purple flame that demanded respect came upon it, causing the rest to widen their eyes with surprise, which soon changed to unbridled happiness, Alex even shed a single tear from sheer joy as his body trembled
Seeing it Xiao remained passive, how could he understand the feelings of these people who were from a young looked down on? people who believed they would never truly be special in their life? in this case, he could only look at the faces of all these people trembling with happiness but soon all this stopped as they all regained their bearing
"Thank you"
Naria said as she looked at me, right now within her eyes burned a deep desire, a desire to be not looked down on anymore, not only her the rest too had the same thought, Xiao didn't say anything as he asked the question that was within him
"So can we go out now?"
But just as he had asked this question, a loud sound was heard outside and after this, the entire room he was in started to shake with intense strength
Screeeeehhhhhh
A huge pained scream of a phoenix spread across the realms, at the same time the Qi around the room and everywhere else started to get chaotic, powerful auras started to appear everywhere, sounds of bell started to be heard everywhere, Xiao clutched the sofa he was in, soon the quaking stopped as he stood up from the place he was sitting in,
"What's happening?"
Xiao asked as he looked at Alex, who now looked pale, soon he and the others regained themselves as Alex spoke
"Th-They are here"
Hearing this Xiao's eyes narrowed as he understood the underlying meaning within Alex's words, soon a sense of emergency filled his mind as he thought about Yun Yurou but he calmed himself down, thinking that she was within the safest place possible, Xiao stayed quiet for a moment as he started thinking of his next move, right now he was locked up here, it looked safe but there was no telling how things would proceed
"Sam, can see if the guards are still outside?"
Xiao asked as he could see that Sam was the closest to the door, hearing it Sam walked towards the door looking outside, after a quick look he turned towards Xiao as he shook his head, now this was a dilemma, either Xiao could stay within this room which seemed 'safe', soon his reached his answer as he spoke
"I will be leaving"
"No"
Aleezer spoke as he looked at Xiao
"This is the best place for you right and if the lords find that you have left this room they could pin it on us"
The rest of the teens also agreed to it but started Alex was silent, as he had lived much longer, he could see more than others and he could understand some things they couldn't, looking at Xiao he asked
"Are they here for you?"
Hearing it the room became silent, Xiao stayed silent for a moment before which he nodded his head, he could understand from the words of the woman earlier that he was wanted by these Scyllas and he Xiao wasn't someone that would wait for his death, seeing Xiao's agreement many of them became pale,
"I see, then let's go"
"Father!"
Aleezer shouted as he looked at Alex but he didn't pay any mind as he asked Xiao
"Do you have anything capable of dealing with the Qi pressure?"
"Yes"
Xiao affirmed, if it was before, he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of the Qi outside but the sword that was 'gifted' to him helped him deal with this problem
"Then, where would you like to go?"
"First, I would like to know what's happening"
"Okay"
With that, Alex moved as he covered Xiao and the rest with his Qi as he exited from the room, the place Xiao was in was humongous, with Xiao's cultivation it might take years before they would be able to reach the place Xiao wanted to go to, soon they were moving through the hallways of the place Xiao was in and just as he had appeared outside the room the sword within him trembled as a certain pressure was released outside, convering Xiao, neglecting the Qi pressure
Soon Xiao could feel them going through a spatial gate and the next moment he was outside a huge castle that was floating in the highest position which was surrounded by hundreds of beautiful islands,
In front of him, myriad immortal mountains and islands floated in the air, releasing divine lights that rushed towards the sky, Spiritual mist floated everywhere, and the entire territory was shrouded by a terrifying formation that shone with bright flares that resembled the brilliance of the sun and the moon
Xiao's eyes widened from the beautiful scenery he was gazing at, hundreds of such powerful palaces, islands, and lands floated far and wide, while powerful aura that belonged to different individuals could be felt, after all not only phoenix lived within the world of Nirvana, there are countless beings within this world with the phoenix's being the leader that rules over this higher plane
But Xiao wasn't able to enjoy this breathtaking scenery for long as a second quake hit the place shaking it, Xiao could hear the sounds of cracks as the powerful barrier that was covering this place was cracking, seeing it Xiao's eyes narrowed, he could tell that whatever was outside was not something that could be taken lightly
"W-What's happening?"
The shy looking blue-haired Momin spoke with a pale look but soon they seemed to understand something as a revolting and chaotic feeling started to build around them as the surrounding Qi started to act out of control, Xiao's body trembled naturally as he felt a familiar feeling, similar to the entity he had faced before but right now the feeling was at least 10 times worse
He could feel his body revolting at this, soon powerful auras started to appear from within the different palaces and islands, the very surroundings trembled to their power, the heat within the surrounding increased heavily, the enraged roars of the phoenixes resounded around the world, feeling their pride being trampled upon
Hundreds of figures flew out of different places heading in a single direction, it was a beautiful sight to gaze upon but the hardened expression of the people floating away spoke something else, Xiao gazed at all this as an idea about the situation formed within his mind
"The Skylla's they are here"
Alex spoke with a pale face, hearing it Xiao understood that the situation was grim!, his instincts were screaming danger and from the earlier words, he could understand that they were here for him and Yun Yurou, it might not be bad for Yun Yurou since now she's a full-fledged Phoenix but it was different for him since he was human!
If it came to it, they wouldn't mind sacrificing him for their safety, alas Xiao had no idea about the marking ceremony that Yun Yurou had done with him, if he did, then he wouldn't have thought so, soon Xiao realized that he had to get out of here or at least hide at a safe place but even before he could do anything he felt his entire being frozen
"Oh? your better, that's good"
A playful voice reached his ear causing his eyes to widen at the familiar voice, after all, how could he forget the voice of the woman that had sent him into a flaming hell!, Xiao moved his eyes as he looked up, seeing the beautiful woman with a face similar to Yun Yurou, currently beside her floated Yun Yurou who was similarly being retained
Even before Xiao could say anything, he lifted off with the others, without being able to do anything as their powers were completely lesser than the current Empress of the Phoenix, the one named as one of their greatest genius, Xiao only felt a blur and the next moment he was floating above a sky along with several others
It took a few seconds for Xiao to regain his mind as he gazed at the scene in front of him and it gave him chills, right in front of him floated millions of different types of beings that he had killed before but the difference was that just one among the one in front of him was enough to kill him with a gaze
Xiao could feel the black flame within him trembling with desire to come out but Xiao controlled it, unlike the first time he's now able to control it barely, as he restrained it from bursting out of his body, right now at this battlefield he doesn't have a place, Xiao wasn't able to focus on it for long as all the people that was floating gave way as they bowed to their Empress, even the old fogies, elders, and ancestors gave her nod
But all their eyes widened as they gazed at Xiao and Yun Yurou who was brought here against their wish
"Amber! why did you bring them here?!"
The woman that was the ancestor from before came in front of Amber The Empress, as she looked at her with anger, hearing it Amber was nonchalant as she looked at the ancestor as she spoke
"They need to see this, it would be good for their future path, plus they should know our sacrifices if they ever in the future feel that we weren't fair"
Amber's words were clear and precise spreading across to everyone that was paying attention, many were confused but to the higher-ups they understood the deeper meaning behind it as their looks were a bit complicated, in the end, they shook their heads as they focused on the enemy in front of them
Meanwhile, the ancestor calmed down as she heard Ambers words before which she looked at Xiao and Yun Yurou for one last time as she walked away, she knew how stubborn Amber was and right now she's the Empress and she didn't want to undermine her power
"Let me go!"
At the same time, Yun Yurou finally spoke as she angered eyes focused on Amber, finally, she looked at Xiao trying to see if he was hurt seeing that he was fine her eyes narrowed as the power within her rumbled at her rage but all it took was a single swing from Amber's hand as that power disappeared, Amber gazed at Yun Yurou as she spoke
"Watch"
Is all she spoke as she left the ones she lifted off floating in the sky as the most powerful moved out as they traveled towards the Skylla's that seemed to be the strongest as they stood above the rest with gleaming intelligence in their eyes, the ones that were left behind were unable to understand anything as the powerful talked among themselves
Everyone watched as some kind of talk took place but they weren't able to understand much, soon an earthshaking roar took place that shook everyone that watched, they could see that Amber roaring to the sky with reddened eyes with a maddened glint, it wasn't just her the rest too looked royally pissed!
Soon Amber was pulled by the rest as a huge sound of a drum being hit spread across the world was heard, somehow it was heard within the mind of every being, and all those that heard it had a hardened expression as they understood the meaning behind it
War was Here!
The sound of the drum was not only heard within the top land of the phoenix but the entire world, all those who heard it paled, the sound of the drum only meant one thing.....war, a war that will decide the fate of the world they resided in, even monsters that resided deep within the plane of Nirvana rushed forth to the top of the world where the phoenixes lived, all of them had only one goal, to protect the land they call home
Meanwhile, deep within the palace that Xiao and Yun Yurou had first appeared, they stood there again but this time the only change was that the woman that looked down on them at first now sat on the very throne with reddened eyes that were now fuming with anger, right now Xiao nor Yu Yurou had any idea what's going on
At first, Xiao expected the fight to start at once but all he had seen was the very arrogant woman who brought him pain screaming with a maddened voice as the rest of the elders pulled her across as not to begin the war now itself, it would seem that, for now, the war would not begin immediately but for Xiao right now the most pressing issue was the find the reason for the depressed atmosphere he was in
All he could understand was that this woman the Empress Amber has lost someone important to her, it was pretty easy for him to understand it from her expression and the unbridled rage that was burning within her, he Xiao had already seen that look a lot, the very look of loss when someone that you love was lost
He had seen it a lot, especially during his slaughter time, the amount of time he had seen that very look was already beyond count, shaking off his thoughts Xiao understood something else, the person who was lost was definitely of high standing as the rest of the phoenixes also seemed extremely shocked and saddened
The atmosphere within the throne room only kept getting more depressive as everyone waited in silence, but soon the ancestor from before spoke as complex emotions passed her eyes
"We will avenge his death, the blood of a phoenix shall be paid back with blood"
Her voice was steady and strong, hearing it the rest of the others rose their head up as deep and powerful rage burned within all of them, their feelings manifested in the form of their flames as they roared around them even the old elders and ancestors flames rose up in defiance, even for them whose feeling have decayed felt their inner flame burning bright
No one was allowed to look down on the dignity of a phoenix! if they did then it must be paid with blood!
"Shouldn't we tell her?"
The ancestor spoke as she finally turned her eyes towards the confused Yun Yurou, hearing it the elders had complex emotions where they finally nodded their heads as they spoke
"We should she has the right to know"
The more they spoke the more confused Yun Yurou became, well it was not only her as the rest that was in the dark too felt lost too, just as the ancestral woman was about to speak, Amber did, she finally opened her reddened eyes as she spoke to Yun Yurou
"Child, your father's dead"
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
Both Xiao and Yun Yurou had a stunned look on their face as they heard Amber's words, Yun Yurou's father died? what kind of bullshit was that? at first, Xiao was stunned as Yun Yurou but he quickly broke out of it as his mind started to work on different scenarios and it finally dawned on him that some misunderstanding had taken place!
Xiao moved quickly as he caught Yun Yurou's hand gaining her attention, seeing it he didn't hesitate to talk telepathically to her
'Yurou don't say anything, just act surprised and go with the flow'
Though confused Yun Yurou accepted it as she looked back at Amber, by now the rest of the elders had already seen their interactions but they didn't mind it, as Amber continued
"We just received confirmation that your father's life flame, was snuffed out, it was done by those bastard Skyalla's!"
As Amber spoke her last words she hit her throne with her fist causing some cracks on it, meanwhile, the ones who were in the dark started talking among themselves, Xiao keenly paid attention to them and soon he understood the misunderstanding, it would seem that the one who died was the younger brother of Amber!
The little loved prince, well he can't be called little as he's hundreds of years old but the main thing was that he's the most spoiled and loved of all with this palace, he was different from others in the way that he didn't care about staus and the rest, heck he even fell in love with a human servant girl of the palace
Sadly from there on problems arose that, everyone rejected it and looked down on him due to it, this was only the beginning as the woman he loved died, she was found killed in her room, the man Norack, knew that it must be one of the elders that rejected his marriage and after it, he disappeared saying that he's feed up all this
Everyone just took it as a tantrum, after all, who would care bout the death of a useless human servant girl? right now it's been 50 years since his disappearance, to these phoenixes, those were just like 5 years nothing much, they weren't worried as they knew that nothing will dare to harm him in this world
"Niece it must have been you farther who sent you here, other than him no one had the right to enter my throne room without permission, plus when you appeared here I had felt a familiar flame signature"
Amber spoke with choked feelings, she had dearly loved and doted on her little brother, his talents were not much less from her too, she never thought that he would die in the world that she ruled, fate was truly hateful, holding back her feelings Amber spoke
"They killed my brother and now they want to kill my only remaining kin?"
Calmness regained into her eyes as Amber spoke, her killing intent blasted forth trembling the very world with her anger, she will burn the enemies that dared harm the one she loves, she will make sure to pay back the karma of death with death itself, her chilling eyes swept everywhere as her orders were laid down
"Contact the war-loving supreme orcs, give them the treasures they want, along with it spread the news to the dragons, high elves, the reigning wings to the Blood Heavenly wolves, we will make sure that these abominations won't leave this world"
Amber's command was the final verdict and everyone moved to make it a reality, even now powerful figures hidden within the world still kept coming over, Amber rose from her throne as she appeared next to Yun Yurou who was in a daze, everyone mistook it as her shock from everything, Amber's eyes turned towards Xiao who stood next to Yun Yurou holding her hand
Then she turned to Yun Yurou who always moved to protect Xiao, for a moment her figure seemed to faze with that of her brother, memories flooded her mind once more shaking her heart, Amber took control of her feelings as she spoke with a smile
"As father as a daughter...."
With that, she placed her hand on Yun Yurou's head as she spoke
"I guess, It's time I gave you our family name..."
"I guess, it's time I gave you the family name..."
Amber said as she looked at Yun Yurou, hearing her words the rest that was planning on moving stopped as they waited for Amber to finish the ceremony, receiving a family name is a highly respected pact, unlike other family names, their family name was one recognized by the heaven themselves!
Placing the name would mean that just giving out the name would cause others to fall under heavy pressure that sought to crush the foolish ones that dare move against it, everyone's expression turned serious as Amber's flame rose out of her body, it wasn't just her, the ancestors to the elders all of them made their move as several powerful flames appeared
At some point Xiao was moved far away from Yun Yurou, he stood there was quiet as he for the first time watched a naming ceremony, for others at birth itself the name would be attached to them but there are special ceremonies for ones that have yet to have a heavenly family name bestowed upon them, Yun Yurou looked stunning as she stood surrounded by the raging flames of the past
Circular protection of flame had surrounded Yun Yurou, it was as if they were all welcoming a new member to their family, soon the core within Yun Yurou wailed as her flame blasted forth within her surrounding the others, even among the many Yun Yurou's flames blazed with beauty and grace seen by all, it felt as if the mixed flame even with just a hint of purple demands respect above all
Many who were seeing it for the first time up close couldn't help but marvel at its beauty but this didn't distract Amber as her flame which burned with red and yellow took the lead as its shine burst forth, soon the rest followed, creating a beautiful scene that will take one's breath away, Amber stood before Yun Yurou as she spoke
"Let the Heaven and Earth bear witness to the promise made lost in time, I Amber Flammia invoke the witness protection!"
Saying so a pressure descend upon all within the world, everyone was stuck within their position, as the heavenly pressure descended on them all unless one had equal power to the heavens themselves, none would be able to defy this power, the heavens had come to bear witness.....
This was the gift given only to the ones that had earned the recognition of the heavens and would continue on to their descendants, true power and strength would always be recognized by the heavens, feeling the pressure on her Amber smiled as she continued
"Time, space, life, death, chaos destruction, sky, land, gravity, all that was at the beginning of creation to all that was in the end, let them all bear witness the birth of a Flammia, ancestors that fought for glory, ancestors recorded with glory to the ones lost within the sands of time, I call upon your souls to witness"
Soon a huge quake spread across the lands, the flames that were spread across Yun Yurou started to twist and turn, and break as different eyes emerged from among them, all of them came to bear witness, they were heroes from the past that fought for the future, they had the right to witness, by now Yun Yurou was surrounded with beautiful light that danced upon her entire being, Amber gazed at it as her words resonated with power spread
"Bless her and gaze upon her as she fights through the cruel reality of cultivation, give her strength to move past sadness and her pain, give her the willpower to come above her enemies, give her the power of the Flammia such that she emerges as the strongest, raising the name to heights far above now"
"Rise and rejoice at the birth of a new Flammia her name Yurou Flammia!, let her name spread across the vast cosmos, as her enemies tremble at her names, while her allies rejoice at her appearances, today a new member joins the family!"
With her last words the heavens above thundered, the sound being heard across the world, the heavens had recognized her name, a new Flammia, Yurou Flammia had been born and everyone was made aware, while back at the palace all the flame burned as they surrounded Yurou Flammia, all the eyes that were on her gave her one last look before joining into one flame and combining to Yurou's flame, now any actions she does would affect the name Flammia, all her karma, destiny and luck would be combined with the name
Be it glory, death, or defeat her name would follow it in all, soon the pressure and everything disappeared as Yurou appeared in front of everyone, her beautiful eyes opened as she gazed upon her family, soon she gave a bow to everyone within the hall, expressing her respect, Amber smiled satisfied as she patted Yurou's head, soon her expression turned serious as her orders were laid
"Now let the preparations for war begin"
Hearing her words everyone nodded their heads as they disappeared, Amber gave some words to Yurou and disappeared, the next moment both she and Xiao was led back to the same room they were in before
"Xiao, what will happen now?"
Yurou asked as she kept her head on Xiao's shoulder, Xiao stayed silent as he gazed at the ceiling, in truth he himself has a lot of questions and his head was a bit messy, the questions were lurking within his mind, reminding him that danger was afoot, starting with why did the world burning phoenix send them here? how long do they have to be here? is this the past? or just an illusion they were in?
Lots of questions but no answer, even then he didn't hastily reply as he held Yurou's hand with his, providing her the warmth that she wanted, feeling Xiao's hand squeeze her's she smiled, as she squeezed it back, Xiao smiled looking at her as he spoke
"In truth, I am too confused about all that's going on but I can promise you one thing, I will make sure that both of us come out of this alive, this I promise you, Yurou Flammia"
Yurou's eyes opened wide in surprise before which she smiled, her hands wrapped around Xiao's as she spoke
"Idiot...shouldn't it be me protecting you? after all right aren't I more powerful than you"
Her words were a bit playful, causing Xiao to shake his head, he didn't deny her on that, his main objective was just to relax here nerves, he could feel that Yurou's extremely tensed, after all the ones going to war were her family, she might have just met them now but due to her bloodline she feels close to them, more than the Yun family, and for that, all Xiao could do was help her relax a bit
But unknown to them something deep and dark lurked behind them hidden within the darkness, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, Xiao who comforting Yurou stopped for a moment, his soul quivered as it felt a familiar sense he was extremely close with.....killing intent! Soon the figure in the darkness moved, alerting the two within the room, Xiao moved a bit faster as he felt the power before but even then he was late, the figure from the shadows attacked
Slash
And with that blood flew....
Slash!
The sound of an attack was heard, following behind it was the sound of blood splashing into Xiao's face, he had just moved to protect Yurou but how could he be faster than her? and now in front of him she stood with a blade going through her body, her warm blood sprayed into his face, as she used her body to protect him,
"Yurou!"
Xiao screamed with reddened eyes, as he leaped forward to help her, as the Skylla that attacked her calmly moved back, its figure morphing from a dagger to a formless gas of a single eye, while deep vileness and evil shined within it, intelligence sparked within it, as it snickered in delight due to the pain it had caused Yurou and Xiao, it was calm as it was sure that nothing Xiao did would be able to hurt it, it would first enjoy the look of despair on the boys face before it would take them back to their superiors, where their flames would be swallowed to fuel their power
Meanwhile, Xiao moved forward as he caught Yurou's body, which had a hole close to her heart, looking at her calmly Xiao could see that her heart had not being punctured, seeing it relief filled Xiao's heart, as long as nothing had happened to her heart all was salvageable, but then he's eyes turned cold as he saw some dark like substances spreading through the region of her injury, preventing her flame from completely healing it
Xiao quickly determined that the objective of the Skylla was to take them captive but his mind didn't stay on it much as it quickly tuned towards Yurou's pained eyes, he could tell that she was in pain but on her face she had a relieved smile as she looked at Xiao, seeing it Xiao's heart trembled as he touched her face and spoke
"Why? you should have just let it happen..."
Hearing Xiao's question Yurou's beautiful eyes turned into crescents as she spoke with confidence
"How could I see the person I love be hurt?...cough....you aren't the only one who can protect me, I can do that too you know...cough...plus I rather see myself be hurt than seeing you get hurt"
While she said so she had the most beautiful smile Xiao had ever seen in his life, for a moment scenes of the past coincided with the present before they broke off creating new ones, Xiao's heart that refused to fall shook greatly under Yurou's constant attack, soon he had fallen before he knew it, finally, Xiao's calm facade broke out as a loving smile came to his face
Seeing it Yurou became dumbfounded, it was the first time that she had seen such a look on Xiao's face and even she in her state couldn't help but have a small blush, after all, Xiao's look when even young isn't anything to scoff at, adding to it her feelings, right now Xiao looked really handsome to her
Meanwhile deep within Xiao's soul changes started to take place, the mark that Yurou had placed on Xiao's soul trembled, it was something which would only awaken when both of their feelings, cultivation reach a high level and when an important step was completed until then it would slumber within waiting for the perfect time to shine
And now among them, one important step had been completed, soon Xiao's and Yurou's souls quaked, their feelings for a moment became tangible threads that leaked towards each other, Yurou's eyes widened as she felt her mark tremble and she knew what that meant
'...This feeling… it's amazing…'
Yurou was experiencing incomparably refreshing streams of essences flowing into her body, inscribing sensations into her she had never felt before, blissful pleasure, incredibly conforming warmth, massively addicting pleasure were all terms that Yurou felt couldn't quite describe these current sensations, it was like her entire being, her Soul itself was experiencing incredible pleasure!
It wasn't just her even Xiao could feel a sense of soul pleasure fill his body and within seconds Xiao's essence flew absorbing into Yurou, Yurou's Soul violently quivered as if it was shaking from a tremendous earthquake! Yurou's emotions and feelings raged about, all becoming increasingly closer and closer to Xiao, rapidly evolving from what she previously felt about him
Already it was at an inhuman level but with her soul, the feelings of the past, and her addiction itself joined together to give birth to feeling beyond all, both Xiao and Yuru could feel themselves imprinting on each other's martial hearts! from now and till the end of them, their feelings for each other will never waiver, be it close or millions of light-years away, they would always be close by heart
It wasn't just a simple connection, they were now joined on a level such that they would be able to push their feelings to each other, this was the ultimate connection that a divine beast could make with anyone, it was her promise to be with the one she loves with all her heart, It could be said that this assimilation was the highest form of spiritual bonding where a soul link has been inexplicably formed, permanently connecting Xiao's and Yurou's entire being
Such a feeling would exude intoxicating, addicting sensations, even the iciest of Martial Hearts that could barely waver in front of the direst of situations wouldn't be able to stay calm under these sensations
They were surrounded by several Dao's and laws watching over the bonding of two hearts that finally joined each other, heart's that was finally joined together after going through the test of past, present, and future, both Yurou and Xiao didn't know this but the connection of Martial Hearts isn't something that should happen at all
It was something only capable by people who had absolute trust and love for each other, even the couples that has being together for thousands of years won't jump to try this but for Xiao and Yurou it was as if this was normal, meanwhile, the lonely Skylla that just went through a breakup finally understood that it fucked up as it saw the things taking place between Xiao and Yurou but he wasn't able to do anything as this was heaven's chosen connection and no one has the right to intervene!
Soon everything faded as they came back to their senses, Xiao's and Yurou's eyes flashed as they looked deeply into each other's eyes, to the world it was a few seconds but to them, it felt like an eternity by now the way both of them see each other had already changed, with loving smile Xiao nodded at Yurou as he spoke
"Rest, this will be over soon"
"Um"
Yurou obediently nodded her head with a smitten expression, Xiao took his eyes and gazed at the skylla as his killing intent was directed towards it, causing it to flinch, even for it this level of killing intent was new but it soon shook it off as it attacked forward wasting no time, at the same time deep with Xiao's soul the dark flame blazed, it was finally time for it to show itself!
Xiao's cold eyes bore deeply into the Skylla that was attacking him with all its power, a terrifying pressure bore into him, with his current power he would be smashed to a pulp by the Skylla in front of him, even with the black flame that was their natural enemy it won't be able to bridge such a huge gap, that is in normal circumstances
Xiao's soul stirred as the blue sword that was within it trembled, it was the gift given to him by that being, right now he didn't care about any consequences as he wielded it with raging anger, Xiao might appear calm on the surface but on the inside, a raging flame of anger grew, the atmosphere in the hall stiffened
The Skylla that didn't want to take any chance stiffed as it felt the feeling of a sword hanging above its head, the puny being that it could kill suddenly felt like a behemoth that it dare not offended, a beautiful blue sword appeared in Xiao's right hand and along with it a terrifying black flame surrounded the sword
The skylla's entire being screamed danger with just the black flame, adding to it the sword a pressure that seemed to break it bore down on it, for a moment an illusion of a throne with a cloaked being sitting on it appeared behind Xiao, it was for a single moment as the Skylla made eyes contact with it but even for that moment the Skylla felt deep primal fear
Xiao didn't waste any time as he waved the sword forward slashing at the impudent being that dared to hurt someone that he loved, the sword move was a simple slash but it composed the feeling of the World Sword, the slash cut through the unmoving Skylla in half, while the black flame burned the being purifying it and relishing on the power that it felt
Soon silence filled the surroundings, as the flame removed the Skylla from existence, the blue sword in Xiao's arms broke off, breaking into particles, while blood swept from Xiao's mouth, using power beyond your level is not free, it always has a price, Xiao didn't flinch as he washed away the blood from his mouth
Giving one final look he walked towards Yurou who was weakly laying on the sofa, Xiao's face frowned seeing that her injury was still not healing but it soon faded away as a black flame appeared in his arms, he gently held it to her as he directed the flame to her injury, within seconds the flame started to defuse the burning injury
Meanwhile, Yurou looked at Xiao's calm face with a sweet smile, one might think that Xiao don't care with such a look but Yurou who was now attached to him clearly felt his inner turmoil, he's anger was burning fiercer than any flame would, soon all the remnant energy was taken care of, soon Yurou's natural healing ability took place as it started to heal her, seeing it Xiao sighed in relief
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm better now since my husband is taking care of me"
Yurou replied with a shy blush that brought a cute glow to her face, making her look more stunning, for a moment Xiao froze before which he smiled as he lifted her up in a princess carry, his simple actions spoke much volume than any words, in his heart, he had already accepted her as his woman, anyone who says otherwise could speak with his sword
? Yurou's smile widened as she saw Xiao's action, her heart was currently beating in pure bliss, with their connection just being with each other was pleasurable, no matter the distance they would always be at heart, moreover, she was content in finally having the person she loves, love her back, as for them being cousins?
Thinking of this a dark light lit within Yurou's eyes before which it disappeared, it was just for a moment but she seemed extremely dangerous, meanwhile within her heart, she had already disregarded the Yun family, with her strength she could squeeze them to death, right now only they knew that they were cousins if they were to disappear....
Unknown to the things he had set in motion Xiao frowned as he looked at his surroundings, the main point being the silence, just now Yurou was attacked yet there was not a single response? just as his thoughts reached here a huge quake hit the entire room he was in while the sound of cracks and blasts hit his ears
BOOM!!
Following it a huge sound of explosions followed, it was not the end as the cries of battle and death sounded in Xiao's ears, he stood strong as he tightly held Yurou in his arms, making sure she was not affected, right now she's hurt and it would take some time for her to be completely healed but the sounds were only puzzling him more
Why has he only heard the sound of war now? moreover, what's happening? shaking his thoughts off Xiao focused on Yurou who was in his arms, he started to walk to the door opening it expecting to find the hallway but he was wrapped within the spatial laws as he was transported to the outside of the palace and the sight the greeted him caused his eyes to widen
While Yurou who was enjoying her time in Xiao's embrace paled as she saw the scene in front of her, right in front of them a brutal battle was taking place, phoenixes trapped, humans being sent to the forefront as meat shields as they grinded to death, many being fighting for the world as they fell one by one
Each of these beings was powerful enough to rule several lands yet they fell like bugs, quickly Xiao focused on Yurou in his arms who was feeling her heart being crushed by the scene in front of them, all of the phoenix in front of her was her ancestors her family, just with her bloodline seeing each of them dying brought pain to her heart, she wanted to fight and Xiao felt it
He tightened his hold on her as he shook his head
"No Yurou we would only be getting in their way"
Hearing Xiao's words Yurou calmed down she knew that he was right but the scene in front of her was appalling, he didn't say anything else as he pushed her closer towards him, being a pillar she needed, it was then that he felt familiar presences behind him, turning around he was met with familiar faces, Naria, Alzeer and Momin, while the rest that was with her was nowhere to be seen
Right now all of them had red eyes that burned with pain and vengeance, their neat dress was torn while they were hurt and bleeding, one look was enough for Xiao to understand what had happened, Alzeer's bloodshot eyes turned towards Yurou as he gave a soul-piercing scream of pain
"Why?! Why are we treated like this? just because we are weak? why? what did we do wrong? why did the heavens be cruel to us?"
He seemed mad and lost, Xiao, didn't complain as he saw the scene in front of him, the huge formation that covered the whole hidden world was broken as the Skylla's kept running in but they were partially blocked? how? well humans were throwing their bodies into these gaps to slow them down, they were literally being killed to provide time, it was a disgusting strategy that gave no value to human life
Yurou could say nothing as she hid her face on Xiao's shoulder, unwilling to respond, while her body trembled.