The Immortal’s "White Moonlight" Reborn - Chapter 55

 That is her Mother 

If a True Demon were truly that easy to kill, the Phoenix Lord’s flames wouldn’t have burned for ten thousand years without scouring it clean.

Just as everyone let down their guard, the fragments of the demon shifted into another hideous form. Like a viper lurking in the shadows, it prepared to strike at a fatal spot while no one was looking.

As Yun Heng’s strength began to wane, the demon stealthily warped the surrounding space, intending to turn everyone present into its prey. But before its scheme could come to fruition, the Tomb of the Phoenix Lord swung its gates open to the outside world for the first time.

The demon had only just escaped that hellish place. Feeling the searing heat of the tomb’s flames once more, the shadows of tens of thousands of years sent it bolting in terror.

But there was no escape. The flames of the Phoenix Lord latched onto its body; no matter if it severed its own flesh or its soul, it could not shake the fire.

It howled, rolling frantically on the ground, completely forgetting the “food” it had been eyeing. However, the impact of its presence remained—the ground continued to collapse. At the moment the earth gave way, a powerful suction pulled down from below, dragging humans and demons alike into the depths.

Yun Heng immediately pulled her junior sister into her arms, controlling their descent to keep them from being torn apart. But as the rolling flames surged from above, she felt the space around them shift. After a dizzying whirl, she fell into a sea of fire, still clutching Wen Qiwu.

She condensed a barrier of ice to shield them from the heat. Yet, when the ice sphere touched down, Yun Heng realized the flames here weren’t scalding. In fact, they felt as warm as A-Que’s own fire.

Moreover, this white flame, tinged with a streak of cyan, looked remarkably like her junior sister’s.

“Where are we?” Wen Qiwu looked around warily. Above them was a brilliant sea of stars; beneath their feet was a roaring, endless expanse of fire. “Is that thing still not dead?”

When the ground collapsed, Wen Qiwu had sensed demonic energy radiating from the fissures. Without a doubt, the culprit was that True Demon they thought had been eradicated.

The records within Wen Qiwu’s inherited memories mentioned this demon; it was indeed notoriously difficult to kill.

“This is… the Tomb of the Phoenix Lord.” Yun Heng recognized the place. It was a case of “searching far and wide only to find it effortlessly.” They had tried every method to open this place before and failed, yet just as they were preparing to leave, the tomb had reached out and pulled them in.

“This is it?!” A flash of joy crossed Wen Qiwu’s eyes. After the demon appeared, she thought they might have to return empty-handed.

But there was nothing here but an ocean of fire. Where were they supposed to find the Phoenix Lord’s immortal artifact?

Wen Qiwu didn’t notice that her senior sister had quietly breathed a sigh of relief, looking utterly content just to be holding her.

“Chirp!”

Yun Heng hadn’t spoken, simply wishing this moment of peace could last a little longer. To her surprise, a crisp bird’s cry suddenly rang out between her and her junior sister.

The two of them looked down simultaneously to see a little white fluffball perched on Wen Qiwu’s shoulder.

“Qing Tuan?” Yun Heng frowned slightly, recognizing the little creature. Strange—she was certain the little thing hadn’t been with A-Que just a moment ago. Where did it pop up from?

“Why are you here?” Wen Qiwu wasn’t overly surprised; Qing Tuan was elusive and often appeared in the most unexpected places.

“Chirp, chirp!” Qing Tuan gave Yun Heng’s hand a sharp peck before snuggling against the crook of Wen Qiwu’s neck.

Reminded by the bird, Wen Qiwu suddenly recalled her senior sister’s “good deeds.” She looked at Yun Heng, her gaze no longer tender. With a cold snort, she turned and walked away.

Yun Heng felt a pang of bitterness. The little fluffball on her sister’s shoulder glanced back at her. The usually brash little creature seemed to harbor a faint, mocking smile. After shooting her that look, it turned its round little body away. Yun Heng was inexplicably certain the bird did it on purpose!

She remembered Qing Tuan as a blunt, impulsive little thing. That look just now… something was wrong!

[Walk to the left.]

Wen Qiwu heard a familiar voice. It sounded like… the voice she had heard in her senior sister’s dream? Wasn’t that Qing Tuan?

She looked down at the bird on her shoulder, a bold idea forming in her mind.

“A-Que! We don’t know if this place is dangerous yet, don’t walk so fast!” Yun Heng called out in warning. She watched Qing Tuan warily, staying on guard against the strange bird.

“There’s no danger.” Wen Qiwu shook her head. With a hint of melancholy, she stepped out of Yun Heng’s protective barrier and into the flames. The temperature of the fire made her feel as though she had returned to her mother’s embrace.

“Hurry up and keep close.” Wen Qiwu looked back at her senior sister, who had slowed down. Seeing the vulnerability and hesitation in Yun Heng’s eyes, Wen Qiwu’s lips twitched helplessly.

Does Senior Sister really think I would leave her here alone? There were scores to settle, yes, but she would still take the woman with her. If she actually left her behind, Wen Qiwu knew she would be the one worrying most.

Wen Qiwu sighed inwardly; she simply found it impossible to stay truly cold-hearted toward her senior sister.

Hearing her voice, Yun Heng’s brows curved into a hidden smile. She dropped the barrier and stepped into the flames alongside Wen Qiwu.

Not only was the fire harmless, but Yun Heng also felt a steady stream of vitality flowing into her body. Her old injuries from years ago had never fully healed and often flared up with a dull ache, but after walking in the flames for just a short while, the warmth seemed to mend those broken places.

“Chirp, chirp!” Qing Tuan suddenly called out twice, gently pecking at a stray lock of hair by Wen Qiwu’s temple to stop her from moving forward.

Wen Qiwu stopped and asked what was wrong.

Qing Tuan flapped its wings and chirped several times. Suddenly, the flaming ground beneath them began to vibrate.

The land they stood on seemed to be rising. Yun Heng rushed to shield Wen Qiwu, keeping her within reach, taking advantage of the heavy tremors to hold her a little longer.

A moment later, the shaking stopped. The ground had been elevated, and the flames receded, finally revealing the true face of this place.

A chilling aura spread through the space. Wen Qiwu shivered from the sudden cold, and Yun Heng pulled her closer.

The “land” they were standing on… no, it wasn’t land. It was a massive mound of bones.

This was the battlefield of the Immortal-Demon War from ten thousand years ago. Most of these were the remains of demons slain by the Phoenix Lord. The corpses were piled layer upon layer; because there were so many, they generated endless resentment, which was why they were suppressed here. Unfortunately, even the Phoenix’s flames hadn’t been able to completely destroy them over the millennia.

Yun Heng suddenly looked behind her. Several figures were rushing toward them—it was the Kings of the Feather Tribe. And behind them was the fragment of that True Demon that refused to die!

When the Tomb of the Phoenix Lord opened, it had dragged the creature back in. Leaving such a thing in the world would be a disaster, so the master of this place had brought it back.

The Feather Tribe royals were horrified to see Wen Qiwu. Had they known the little Phoenix was here, they never would have led the True Demon in this direction!

The group nearly collided in their disarray, attempting to change course, but it was too late.

Yun Heng drew her sword. The thing was hard to kill, but she could chop it into pieces once more. It took time for a True Demon’s remains to regenerate; they could use that chance to trap it within the tomb to be scorched daily by the Phoenix’s fire. If the monster truly couldn’t be killed, this was at least a solution it couldn’t be allowed out to plague the mortal realm.

Wen Qiwu ignited a flame in her hand, preparing to use a secret technique again. In that split second, Qing Tuan let out a piercing, resonant cry. It suddenly took flight, diving straight toward a stone monument behind Wen Qiwu.

“Qing Tuan!” Wen Qiwu tried to catch it, but she found her power passing right through the bird’s body.

Qing Tuan merged into the monument as if diving into the surface of a lake. Before Wen Qiwu could process her shock, an even more intense heat erupted from the tombstone.

The flames coalesced into a massive Phoenix that blotted out the sky. Her wings spread like a rising sun, illuminating the pitch-black space.

Seeing her, the True Demon fragment turned like a dog with its tail between its legs, scrambling to run the other way. But in the next heartbeat, it was incinerated into a pile of ash, merging into the layers of bone below.

Its main body was buried at the very bottom of this mountain of corpses and hadn’t truly perished, but having this fragment burned away would keep it quiet for a long time.

“Your… Your Majesty!” The King of the Azure Luan and the other Feather Tribe members who had served the previous Phoenix Lord felt their eyes redden instantly. They recognized the identity of this Phoenix soul at a glance. They never expected that after tens of thousands of years, they would have the chance to see her again!

They scrambled to fly toward her. These demons, who were legendary figures in the outside world, nearly forgot how to use their wings, flapping awkwardly before finally stabilizing themselves.

The Phoenix circled once in the sky before landing in front of Wen Qiwu and Yun Heng. Her form was ethereal and her features blurred, but Wen Qiwu could feel her tender gaze.

A long, long time ago… likely even before she had been picked up by her Master… she felt as if she had seen this Phoenix. She couldn’t tell if the memory belonged to “Wen Qiwu” or the body of this little Phoenix.

Back when she hadn’t even opened her eyes, this being must have stayed by her side for a very long time.

Seeing her again, the memories sealed deep in Wen Qiwu’s mind from her infancy began to stir. She finally understood who this Phoenix was to her.

Tears welled in Wen Qiwu’s eyes. As the great Phoenix drew her close with a shimmering wing, she whispered softly:

“Mother.”

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