Gripped by pain and panic, one of them screamed, "Master Fengxi! Master Qing Chen! Please help us!"

Perfected Immortal Qing Chen frowned, "I'm afraid it would not bode well for us to have the Envoys of the Immortals' League slain before our very eyes, Master Fengxi... Should we not..."

"Why should I care? Just minutes ago these two filthy animals were saying about making a complaint to their leader about me," Fengxi muttered with a steely voice.

The two envoys immediately realized that Fengxi was angry at them and wished only to teach them a lesson; there was no way he would allow them to be slain in cold blood by anyone, nevermind a folk of the Devil's Practice. "We meant you no offense, Senior," one of them pleaded, "Please do not mind our poor manners and accept our humble apologies."

Fengxi breathed hard and grumbled, "All right, all right!" He disappeared from where he stood and reappeared between the Envoys and the Great Immortal from h.e.l.l. "How about considering this a favor for me? Let these two go."

"Huh?" The Great Immortal smirked, "Come on, old man, do you seriously think that I'm afraid of you? I do not take orders from you!" He yelled to his back, "And what are you waiting for, Venerable Bloodied Devil?"

"Be that as it may," Fengxi muttered wearily, "There are only the two of you. Do you think that is enough to defeat the three of us? Two of the Nirvana Realm against the all of us?"

The Great Immortals' eyes narrowed viciously before he relented, nodding. "That seems to be true. Very well then. You owe me a favor. But this boy destroyed my Corpse Puppet! I cannot allow him to walk free!"

He glared at the pair of Envoys, "Consider yourselves lucky today, you sniveling fools. Have some respects next time, or I'll skin you alive, as an incentive for being brave enough to call me 'devil' right in front of me!" He turned and took into the sky.

The rest of the evil folk departed on their Flying-cloud Stones and went out of sight. Finally, the two Envoys buckled on their knees, panting heavily with beads of perspiration rolling down their backs.

"O-our thanks, Perfected Immortal," one of them gasped, albeit with reluctance.

Fengxi made no response. He vanished from where he stood and materialized once more on his Flying-cloud Stone. One of the Envoys exclaimed, "Are you not going with us?"

"What makes you think I'm interested to come along on one for your Immortals' League's witch hunts?" Fengxi scoffed disdainfully.

Fl.u.s.tered with shame, the two Envoys quickly leaped on their own stone conveyance and fled.

Fengxi merely watched them leave, merely waiting patiently where they were. Minutes later, the Flying-cloud Stone carrying the evil folk returned and the Great Immortal from h.e.l.l and Venerable Bloodied Devil leaped onto their stone conveyance.

"What do you want?" Yu Yifeng growled, preparing for battle.

"Wait, Yifeng," Perfected Immortal Qing Chen stopped him, "They are not folks from the Corpse Refinery Sect or the Bloodied Fiend Sect."

"Hahaha!"

The newcomers both tore masks off their faces as the Perfected Immortal could only grimace with a bleak smile, "Alas... And yet you call yourselves the folk of Good when you're off disguising as one of the evil folk..."

Lo and behold! The one disguising as the Great Immortal from h.e.l.l and the Venerable Bloodied Devil were his very own Martial Uncle Zi Mo and Perfected Immortal Tai Yi respectively! So what happened earlier was merely a ruse they had planned with Perfected Immortal Fengxi! "My respects to you both, Master Perfected Immortal and Martial Uncle Xiaoyao!"

Zi Mo raised a hand and waved off Yu Yifeng's greetings dismissively before he pointed at him, "Look at your boy, Qing Chen! He reminds me of you! Both of you are one of a kind, both dull and boring!"

A weak smile broke on Qing Chen's lips. "And yet you, despite being an elder, do not behave like one..."

"Hmph!" Fengxi snorted, "It's not my fault! The two mongrel pups from the Immortals' League should be blamed for their arrogance! They should know that in my heydays, my name commanded fear from the good and evil folks combined!"

On the other hand, the two Envoys steered their conveyance as fast as they could. The presages of dusk were beginning to show in the horizons, and they needed somewhere to stay for the night. Before long, they saw a large city below. "How about staying in the city for the night? It's not safe to fly at night," asked one of them.

"I'd say no," answered his colleague, "We should finish our task as quick as possible. I do not wish to be sidetracked."

"Nothing will go wrong. Fengxi and his cohorts are just behind. Moreover, we need more fuel for the Flying-cloud Stone."

"Very well. Let's go then."

Behind them, lying on a corner of the stone conveyance, was Xiao Chen who was chewing on a blade of gra.s.s. There was something strange about the look in Fengxi's expression, he thought. It was as if he had already known that evil folks were lurking around!

There was also the Great Immortal from h.e.l.l... His movements and behavior seemed oddly familiar to him? And the other, purportedly a member of the higher echelons of the Corpse Refinery Sect; a member of that infernal order which depended so greatly on the capabilities of Corpse Puppet did not have one accompanying him? That was almost unheard of!

Realizing something at last, a cryptic smile broke upon his face. What old rascals these old seniles are! Fengxi and Zimo!

But his smile did not go unnoticed; one of the Envoys saw the smug look on him and barked, "What are you smiling about!? No tricks, I warn you! Just do as you're told!"

Xiao Chen spat the gra.s.s from his mouth with apparent disgust. If only you had taught these curs a heavier lesson, Senior Zimo, he mused spitefully.

The final slivers of the sun were completely gone by the time they landed in the city. Chains of lights from the busy streets blazed brilliantly across the huge city, stretching across every end of the city. Is there anyone that I might know here, Xiao Chen wondered.

He looked around the streets and thought he saw a person in red standing in the light, waiting for him. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. But no one was there. He was merely dreaming.

The lights from the busy streets still bustling with people brought back reminiscences of the times he was with Liu Fenghuang. But the cruelty of Destiny had rendered her no more.

The Envoys scoured the city and finally found a lavishly furnished inn. One of them then went out to look for fuel for the Flying-cloud Stone and came back carrying three boxes of food. He disdainfully tossed one to Xiao Chen and promptly turned away, walking away to enjoy his own food.

The pair of Envoys had earlier hatched several plans to torment Xiao Chen during the journey, but they were discouraged by the presence of Fengxi who could be nearby, and the incident with the "evil folks" they encountered not long ago.

But Xiao Chen made no hint of noticing the food. He merely stood by the window, taking in the night scenes of the crowded cityscape in the night without a word, motionless and still. It had almost been one year since he first stepped foot into the Violet Manor. “The first winds of autumn were just beginning to blow then, he mused, and yet here I am, looking to witness the first snow of the year. The sky looked the same to him even until now, perpetually lighted by the star twinkling brightly overhead.

It was almost the same on the night before his battle against Patriarch Guanshan, where he and Liu Fenghuang together perched at the crest of a ridge under the stars, enjoying the whispering breezes of the night.

Liu Fenghuang had spoken much to him that night. He remembered, so much that he should have known that she had foreseen her own pa.s.sing.

In the critical moments of the deadly battle, it was she who had sacrificed herself to give him an edge; she who had given her life to bestow him a pair of wings.

Xiao Chen heaved a long and heavy breath, his eyes shutting slowly as the fatigue and weariness of the pain and sorrow he had endured began to show on the creases that broke at the edge of his eyes. Of all the stars far away, he wondered quietly, is there one which Fenghuang is residing at now?

Liu Fenghuang carried the blood of Phoenixes from the Archean Eon. As the embodiment of undying life, the souls of those who bore the blood of Phoenixes were said to endure even after death; their spirits would never vanish and scatter into oblivion, but instead, remain to the origins of life where they await an opportunity to rebirth once more from the ashes of death.

But she had given me her wings, he thought suddenly, can she still return?

Power! I need more power!

From that very second, Xiao Chen conceived a conviction that only power would prevent history from repeating itself! It was his weakness that forced Liu Fenghuang to sacrifice herself. He could not afford to remain idle while Xiao Yue and the others were already far ahead of him in power and strength!

More – or even countless – trials and tribulations would await him in the future. He could not suffer another loss of another loved one. Be it Muxue, Senior Sister Luo, or Xian'er; he could never be able to lose any of them!

There was only one way: the Nascent Soul Realm!

In three months, I must reach the Nascent Soul Realm! There can be no setbacks! No matter what, I must reach it by then! Nevermind whatever enemies that might be waiting or the Immortal's Sword a.s.sembly; I will be ready!

He would be the first of the elite youths of all five continents of the Violet Manor to make history by becoming the youngest warrior to achieve the Nascent Soul Realm, just like how he once proved his supremacy when he was still a student of the Mystic Cyan Sect!

He felt his blood boiling with fervor and excitement. Unable to hold back his rus.h.i.+ng adrenaline coursing through him like a flood, he roared into the darkness of the night.

His sudden outburst shocked the two Envoys that they spilled the cups of tea they were holding. They had never been able to relax since the encounter with the "evil folks" and the shock Xiao Chen just gave them nearly caused their hearts to fail. "What are you yelling for? Shuddup! You just gave us a fright!" One of them spat angrily.