Chapter Forty-Five: Pursuing Immortals and Capturing Souls

Heaven and earth, mysterious and profound, the heart wanders endlessly...

Drifting within a vast chaos, sometimes soaring in liberation and comfort, sometimes sinking in unwillingness and lingering attachment.

Is this how the journey ends... Years will pass... Is there another life... Will we ever meet again...

The soul departed from the body, landing lightly upon the cliff. No longer feeling cold, no longer feeling pain, weightless as a feather, blending into the swirling snow.

Mingzhong withdrew the Binding Immortal Rope and bent over my body, staring blankly at my face. Suddenly, something struck him, as if thunder had pierced his heart. He froze, let go, stumbled backward, clutching his chest. He trembled, curling up, suffering as if afflicted by a terrible heart ailment, overwhelmed by agony.

That small body lay lifeless on the ground, face ashen, eyes wide open, still bearing the hopeful gaze of the moment of death...

Seeing this, Mingzhong pounced again, frantically pulling at the Black Bone Whip that gripped the neck.

He looked just like my master in my nightmares, poisoned and driven mad...

My soul lingered atop the Chasing Immortal Cliff, confusedly watching him, slowly floating closer, wanting to remove the mask from his face. But I passed right through his body...

Tears of rage streamed down my face...

Dead, killed by Mingzhong! Why, when I see him, do I still think of my master! Why do I long to see the face behind the mask!

At this moment, my elder brothers finally arrived at the Chasing Immortal Cliff. Mingzhong abandoned me and fought fiercely against them. The Black Bone Whip danced and darted, its movements like a dragon diving into water, shifting as a dragon leaping from the abyss, sweeping through the air like a soaring dragon. Sword energy flowed from the whip, filled with a sinister, ruthless aura. Within a few exchanges, my brothers were utterly defeated, each one wounded and battered.

I grew anxious, wanting to help, but my soul, separated from the body, was too light to intervene. If Mingzhong brought out the Golden Seal and the Binding Immortal Rope again, my brothers might follow my fate.

Seeing them falter, I was frantic and helpless, when Spring Wind finally arrived. He wielded a pair of violet-gold maces, his form ablaze with crimson-purple divine flames, engaging Mingzhong in fierce combat.

Those divine flames resembled the colors of dawn's clouds, the warm light of life itself, illuminating his handsome, stern face and enveloping his tall, powerful figure. The vibrant energy immediately suppressed Mingzhong's sinister aura.

The crimson-purple dawn flames whirled around Spring Wind's violet-gold maces, transforming into coiled twin dragons, relentlessly attacking Mingzhong. Mingzhong, clutching his heart, grew increasingly outmatched.

Spring Wind was usually playful and irreverent, never revealing his true power. His Dawn Spring Technique, so formidable, made his fighting stance breathtaking.

"You've come, now I am at ease," I thought, filled with excitement.

"Little Brother!" My elder brothers cried out, voices tearing through the air.

I hurried to their midst... Eleventh Brother was sobbing, clutching my body tightly and shaking me desperately.

"Brother, don't shake me. I'll be fine if you let me rest," I tried to comfort him, but he could hear nothing.

Just then, Mingzhong took a blow from Spring Wind's mace, feigned with his whip, and fled in panic.

"Little Crow!" Spring Wind rushed toward me.

"Wonderful! Mingzhong is defeated, Spring Wind is truly amazing!" I ran toward him, excited. He ignored me, instead rushing to the ground before my body.

Spring Wind froze...

After a moment, he slowly stretched out a trembling hand, testing the breath from my body's nostrils...

A long silence...

He gently stroked the deep marks on my neck, using his magic to heal the wounds, then softly touched the little face he often tugged at.

My brothers watched him with hopeful eyes. I, too, watched him, praying.

Spring Wind wept bitterly...

"Master! Is there hope for Little Brother?" My brothers asked anxiously.

"Is there hope for me?" I asked too.

He sat silently in the snow, holding my body, saying nothing.

"Spring Wind... Your clothes are stained..." I said, but he could not hear.

Spring Wind tried to close my eyes, but they wouldn’t shut...

"Don't close them, find a way to save me! I haven’t seen Master yet!" I pleaded.

All my brothers wailed in grief...

Dongfang Mo, clutching his wolf-tooth mace, stood rigid and numb, staring at me in disbelief, pain etched in his voice, "How... How could you end up here!"

Spring Wind lifted my body and walked toward the Jade Pure Realm.

"Don't go! Where are you taking me? Are you going to bury me?" I shouted at their backs.

Spring Wind paused...

I hurriedly floated forward.

A figure stood atop the cliff, amidst the swirling snow—a presence more familiar than any other...

Master had finally arrived! He was fraught with anxiety, exhaustion, and the marks of travel.

He stopped, silently gazing at Spring Wind cradling me, his expression cold and sorrowful...

The icy wind whipped his robes, sending snow slanting onto his head, his face, his body... He stood there, quietly watching me...

"Yun Xiao..." Spring Wind choked on the name.

Master said nothing.

"Little Crow... is gone..." Spring Wind spoke in grief.

Master slowly approached, took my body from Spring Wind’s arms... and walked straight toward the edge of the cliff...

"Yun Xiao!"

"Master!"

Everyone called to him.

He seemed to be in a world of his own.

I hurriedly floated before him, blocking his path, nervously asking, "What are you planning to do?"

He sat at the edge of the cliff, holding my body, gazing deeply at those expectant eyes, speaking tenderly, "Fei’er... Master has come..." His voice was choked with emotion.

I cried beside him, chiding, "I see you now... Why did you take so long?"

He could not hear...

He raised his hand to gently close my open eyes, and as they shut, tears streamed down his handsome face...

I tried desperately to wipe his face, "Don’t cry! Don’t worry! Fei’er hasn’t left yet! Fei’er is still here!" But he could not hear, and I could not touch him.

"Spring Wind! Guard me!" Master commanded with resolve.

"What are you going to do?" Spring Wind seemed to know, fear in his voice.

"Guard me!"

"You’re risking your life! The time has passed, it’s too late!" Spring Wind cried.

"Guard me!" Master’s tone grew deeper and more resolute with each word.

Spring Wind gritted his teeth, "Very well! You all, stand back! Guard the Chasing Immortal Cliff, set up the barrier and protect him!" he ordered the brothers.

They sat in meditation, forming a barrier around the entire cliff. Spring Wind summoned his crimson-purple spiritual flames, sitting behind Master, enclosing them both in a protective shield...

"What are you doing? Don’t act rashly, I’m fine!" I pleaded.

Master radiated a dazzling white light...

"Han Qing! If you save her this way, I’ll slit my own throat!" Lu Xue rushed forward, sword pressed to her neck.

Master did not turn, the white light flared, and Lu Xue staggered back, falling to the ground, her sword dropped, unconscious.

"Take her away!" Master said coldly.

Fifteenth Brother used magic to carry Lu Xue away.

Seeing this, I cried anxiously, "Master... I swore never to interfere between you and Lu Xue! I’ll leave now!"

As the thought arose, my soul began to drift...

Master could not hear me, and raised his right hand, a ball of white light appearing, and without hesitation, struck his own heart with full force!

Blood trickled from his lips...

"Master! What are you doing! Why!" I flew to him, grabbing him, watching helplessly as he smiled, closed his eyes, and his head drooped.

"No! Don’t die!" I tried to use magic to save him, but I could not reach him.

I flew to Spring Wind, "Spring Wind! Stop crying! Save him! Why didn’t you stop him?"

Spring Wind could not hear, nor could the brothers. No one could hear...

"Wake up! Don’t die with me!" My heart was frantic, my whole body burning as if struck by Spring Wind’s Dawn Palm. My heart was ablaze, my head splitting with pain. It felt as if I plunged into an endless abyss, or was surrounded by armies. The cries around me thundered, darkness before my eyes, flames rising within, "I don’t want to leave, don’t want to be apart from you... But if you are safe, I can let go!"

Suddenly, I could remember nothing, drifting to the edge of the cliff, standing there in a daze...

"Where should I go?" My heart ached, my mind was empty.

"Who died just now? Who jumped from the cliff? I can’t remember..." I tried to recall, but nothing came.

"Fei’er!" Suddenly a voice behind me.

I turned and saw him, someone so familiar.

"Are you calling me?" I asked.

"Yes, I am calling you. Come here, to your teacher," he replied gently, reaching out his hand.

"Are you my master?" I asked, lost in wonder.

"I am," he answered.

"Oh... Someone just jumped from the cliff, I wanted to save him," I said, pointing.

"Fei’er, you saw wrong. That was your teacher mending the sky. Have you forgotten?" he said.

He waved his sleeve, and snow and sparkling crystal sand fell from the sky...

On Chasing Immortal Cliff, amidst the falling snow...

I recognized him! He could see me!

I was so excited I threw myself into his arms, "Master! You’ve finally come!"

He held me tightly, "Yes, I have come..."

"Why so late..." I complained, full of grievance.

"Not too late..." He gently patted my back to comfort me.

For two thousand years, on Chasing Immortal Cliff, amidst the snow, he had always stood with his back to me... Suddenly, something felt wrong. I pushed him away and said, "How can you speak to me? How can you see and touch me? Are you dead too?"

"No, your teacher is taking Fei’er home," he said.

"Home... The Jade Pure Realm isn’t my home... I can’t live there," I replied, dejected. Thinking this, my soul began to drift away.

Master hurriedly said, "The Jade Pure Realm is Fei’er’s home. Pears can be eaten! Fires can be lit! Beasts can be released! The Heavenly Pool can be jumped! If Fei’er can’t live there, no one can!"

"But I am a girl... I deceived you and everyone..." Looking at my female soul, I felt immense guilt.

"No matter! Follow your teacher home, and after enough time, your teacher will only wander the world with you," Master said, taking my hand.