Volume Two: No Way Forward Amid Mountains and Rivers Chapter Nineteen: Peril

The two sides faced off for a while. Seeing that their opponents neither fled nor spoke, the Three Shark Wind Gods grew impatient. The sharper voice called out again, “Hey, you on the other side, do you have the Crystal Raiment or not?”

Without hesitation, Lan Sheng spun a lie, “How could such a divine artifact possibly be on me? Naturally, it’s locked away in the royal treasury.”

He never expected that this casual remark would provoke wild laughter from the Three Shark Wind Gods. The gruff voice bellowed, “Not a word of truth from your mouth, boy! We brothers have already razed Changshan’s royal palace to the ground. We searched your so-called treasury and found nothing of the Crystal Raiment.”

A sinister voice then continued, “Your father suffered every torment but refused to reveal the raiment’s whereabouts. Only by using the Soul-Searching Spell did I glean from his lingering memories that the Crystal Raiment was with you. I advise you to hand it over honestly, lest you suffer needlessly.”

These words thundered like sudden dry lightning. Lan Shan could sense that the killing intent of the person in front of her had soared to a whole new level.

Lan Sheng had shed his earlier anxiety, replaced now by burning rage and murderous resolve. He clenched his teeth, spitting out each word: “You—slaughter—immortal kin—tantamount—to rebellion—my father slain—my nation ruined—our enmity—irreconcilable!”

Lan Shan knew the person before her had now pushed the Energy Bead in his body to its utmost power. It was noon, and the blazing sunlight flooded the ocean, dazzling and brilliant.

From within the windstorm, the deep voice coldly replied, “What’s it matter, slaughtering a few immortal kin? When the Dark Fiend Clan descends, even your precious Sky Palace will be upended. Then, we three brothers will sit atop that scoundrel Zhuo Hua and ask him if he regrets kicking us out of the Cloud Stele!”

“Slandering the Divine Lord is a capital offense!” Lan Shan, usually calm, was provoked beyond endurance. As she summoned her true energy, she found the space before her empty—the person she followed was already gone.

Lan Sheng transformed into a streak of white light, riding the wind straight into the heart of the dark cyclone.

Lan Shan hurriedly tore off the Fixed Sun Talisman from the Serene Lamp and tossed the lamp skyward. The lamp expanded as it floated, swaying and shedding a dim red glow as it rose.

From the cyclone, the sharp voice cried, “Big brother, this is bad! They’ve released the Serene Lamp for help. It won’t be long before the Palace’s star guardians arrive as reinforcements.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a bolt of lightning, carried by a fierce wind, struck toward the red Serene Lamp. But rather than shattering it, the lightning passed silently through the lamp’s body and shot into the distant sky.

Lan Shan sneered, “You bumpkins from the East Sea Abyss! Anything marked with the Fixed Sun Talisman only retains its essence; its physical form has long been refined away. If you don’t even understand that, you can forget about invading the Sky Palace. Such empty boasts!” With that, she too rode the wind and plunged into the cyclone’s battle.

In the Cloud-Topped Sky Palace, the Phoenix Drum echoed across the heavens.

Jiaomu Jiao, flustered, reverted to his dragon form and rushed to the vast plaza before the Hall of Spiritual Perception. Several other streams of energy converged from different directions.

Doumu Xie slapped Jiaomu Jiao’s shoulder and demanded, “What’s got you so rattled you’ve turned into your original form? Is it that the Azure Dragon Palace folk have no respect for the Palace’s rules?”

Jiaomu Jiao shook off Doumu Xie’s hand and retorted angrily, “You old rhinoceros! Get your filthy hand off me. The Phoenix Drum being beaten like this means something grave is happening. And you care about trivialities?”

Doumu Xie was unfazed, withdrawing his hand and continuing at a leisurely pace, “I, as the guardian of the Black Tortoise Palace, am in charge of the Palace’s statutes and rules. Upholding the law is my duty.”

Jiaomu Jiao abruptly stopped, swinging a fist toward Doumu Xie’s face. “I’ve long disliked you, old rhinoceros. Today I’ll shut your foul mouth!”

Kui Mu Wolf darted between them, summoning the Heavenly Gang Qi and barely blocking Jiaomu Jiao’s fierce blow. He spoke coldly, “Lord Lin, the Phoenix Drum mustn’t be struck three times without grave cause—regardless of rank, it’s a serious offense. When the Nine Heavens Thunder smites the soul, none can withstand it. Is it worth having your soul obliterated over a quarrel? Think twice.”

Jiaomu Jiao considered: if he fought these two now, he’d gain little. Besides, Doumu Xie was born thick-skinned and had cultivated a set of primal energies—he could take a beating. So he grunted and strode into the hall.

Doumu Xie and Kui Mu Wolf exchanged a smile and followed him inside.

Within, Zhuo Hua and Jingmu Han were already present. Seeing the four palace lords gathered, Zhuo Hua spoke, “We’ve just received an alert from the Serene Lamp—location: Ripple Ocean. Azure Dragon Palace’s stars are to reinforce, White Tiger Palace’s stars to assist, and Black Tortoise Palace is to send forth the Golden Bell to Jiaomu Jiao.” He finished and said no more.

Except for Qin Ying, who remained impassive, the others exchanged glances. Though Jiaomu Jiao had doubts, he knew that the Serene Lamp’s emergence meant danger—no time to delay. He knelt and saluted Zhuo Hua, received his command, and withdrew. The others followed, leaving Qin Ying alone in the hall.

On the plaza, Kui Mu Wolf glanced at Jiaomu Jiao, “How do you plan to rescue them? The Ripple Ocean is far—even if we travel day and night, it’ll take two days. Will they hold out?”

Jiaomu Jiao thought briefly, “Let the Golden Bell and other artifacts go ahead—they’ll arrive in half a day. I, in dragon form, can reach by dawn tomorrow. You bring the main force after. Join the battle as soon as you arrive.”

Kui Mu Wolf nodded, saying nothing further, just looking back at Doumu Xie. Doumu Xie now held a golden, transparent bell-shaped artifact, a Fixed Sun Talisman fluttering atop it. This was the strongest defensive artifact of Xuanhuang—the Golden Bell.

Doumu Xie handed the Golden Bell to Jiaomu Jiao, saying, “This divine artifact hasn’t been seen in ages.”

Jiaomu Jiao nodded, “Indeed, since the ancient wars, it’s been unused. Crafted for the combined power of three gods, it’s endured many battles.”

Kui Mu Wolf interrupted, “No time to lose. Let’s activate the artifact together! Half a day’s journey lies ahead—who knows if they can hold out till it arrives.”

The three immediately activated their Energy Beads, infusing the Golden Bell with their energies. The bell emitted a deep, resonant chime. After about the time of an incense stick, it hovered in midair, now fully charged. Wiping sweat from their brows, they stepped forward and intoned, “Fly to Ripple Ocean, to the Serene Lamp, protect our Xuanhuang kin.” The Golden Bell spun several times, sensed its direction, and then sped toward the Cloud Stele.

Over Ripple Ocean, Lan Sheng and Lan Shan had battled the three sharks inside the cyclone for more than two hours. Once inside, they realized they’d made a grave error. The cyclone's interior was shrouded in darkness, lightning raging everywhere. In such conditions, their Energy Beads couldn’t draw on sunlight at all. Whenever they tried to break out and return to the sunlit ocean, the three giant sharks blocked every escape, encircling them tightly. Forked lightning exploded around them, and ball lightning followed relentlessly.

Lan Shan struggled to control her flight, shouting, “Lan Sheng! Lan Sheng! This won’t work! We haven’t even seen our foes and we’re already in such dire straits. Without sunlight, we can only rely on Sun Essence Jades. If this keeps up, we’ll exhaust our energies and be struck down by these giant bolts, our souls obliterated.”

Lan Sheng was having no easier a time. Once inside, he too realized the danger. Worse still, he’d tossed the bag of Sun Essence Jades Zhuo Hua had given him to Yao Bo Gong, thinking his passage through the Cloud Auspice Tribulation made him unmatched on the continent. He hadn’t expected such peril and cursed his own carelessness.

Yet seeing Lan Shan’s grim face, he forced himself to remain calm: “Don’t worry, little sister. Last time, Yuan Lord and I faced a cyclone ten times fiercer in the Cloud Void, and we came through safely. I promised Brother Tian I’d keep you safe.”

Lan Shan shook her head, thinking: He’s still going on about the Cloud Void—maybe a bit too blindly confident. But in such danger, unity was their best hope. She encouraged him, “Before we entered, I released the Serene Lamp. The Palace will arrive within two days. If we can hold out until reinforcements come, all will be well. Then, with the star guardians, we’ll settle scores with these sharks.”

Lan Sheng knew that for now, all they could do was hold fast and wait for help. He’d tried several times to break toward the cyclone’s center, but each attempt ended with him struck down by forked lightning. If not for Lan Shan’s timely rescue, he’d have fallen into the depths of Ripple Ocean.

As they struggled, caught between advancing and retreating, the sinister voice from the cyclone’s center spoke again, “Big brother, instead of waiting for them to exhaust their energy, why not grab the boy now and use the Soul-Searching Spell to find the artifact? Master only wants the artifact, not the boy alive.”

The deep voice replied, “Second Brother’s right. Let’s act now.”

With several deafening thunderclaps, three towering figures, illuminated by countless bolts of lightning, surged toward Lan Sheng and Lan Shan.