Chapter 6 - The Woman Who Was Held Captive by Her Feelings

After they entered Wind City spirit world, Mingzhu was extremely uneasy. The Qilin followed the Little Lingchong to scout ahead while Wuyou stopped and surveyed the surroundings. In the distance, there was a large rock hidden behind the dense vegetation that was like an open-mouthed monster, striking fear in the hearts of those who saw it. Wuyou gently flicked her spiritual finger and spirit power rushed toward the mountain stream like lava. The Little Longchong hid within her sleeve while the Qilin stuck close by her side and waited for her command. Wuyou gently stroked the Qilin and tasked it to remain alert. The psychic Qilin carried its master on its back and slowly walked into the depths of the mountain forest. Throughout the journey, Wuyou proceeded with extreme caution. She knew that it would be better to be more cautious when moving through such an eerie place. She did not want to lose her life here and break the promise she made with that man. She would have to remain unharmed for that person. "Master, Little Long can't find the entrance." Little Ling reported after completing its task and landed in her palm. Wuyou could not rein in her frustration and as the Qilin sensed its master's uneasiness, it blew out fire toward the sky. "Qilin, don't be so arrogant when you're on foreign territory. You're such a boorish fellow." "Master, how about sending Qilin ahead to scout instead?" "No, I'm afraid we would not be able to find your body then." It was a quiet mountain stream with the occasional growl of wild beasts. Wuyou released her spirit power and the purple spirit light gathered toward the bottom of the ravine like lightning. The wind in the mountains was sometimes strong and sometimes weak and as Wuyou's clothes billowed in the wind, she quietly stared ahead and listened closely to the movement of her spiritual power. as her spiritual thought gradually expanded, she separated her soul from her physical body and flew into the deep valley. Her spirit power was like the stars in the sky and lit this wilderness in a myriad of colors. She flew past the mountains and headed straight for the ravine. When she was about to reach the bottom of the ravine, a spirit power attempted to swallow her. Wuyou struggled and tore at its bindings. After the purple spirit power broke through its defensive cover, the spirit power that had been crushing her immediately disappeared. After her soul landed at the bottom of the ravine, Wuyou realized that this was no wilderness. Instead, for an instant, she thought that this place was a Fairyland. There were little streams under her feet, fish playfully swam past the bridge and there was a stone statue next to a bridge carved out of white marble. Although it was a stone statue, the stone could not mask its glorious phantom beauty. The cobbled streets were clean and wide and filled with people. Scents of wine and food floated down the streets. Was this the legendary Ghost City? To her surprise, the terrifying Wind City seemed to be filled with such a lively aura. Phantom was a horrid woman. How could she then construct a spirit heaven to give all those homeless souls a home? Who was this woman whom Jiefei liked? Was she an executioner in hell or an innocent flower of the netherworld? She wished so badly that Uncle Jiefei was still alive. Lonely souls lived in this part of the world. Wuyou's spirit will traveled through the dark sky and she looked ahead, flowers blossomed across the sky and the entire sky was filled with brilliant colors. Although it was not as dazzling as the sun or the moon, it contained the warmth of fire. The flowers floated gently across the sky, swept by the wind, and as Wuyou floated across the sea of flowers, she saw souls creeping out of the flower petals. When she touched them, the souls were so scared that they dissipated. It turned out that these floating flowers were a paradise for these souls to rest and these flowers existed in such a lively place to be a requiem for souls. Up in the Heavenly Rank, tiny fruits resembling lanterns dotted the area, long vines intertwining and weaving across each other. A lady whose colorful robes floated in the wind was picking these fruits. Wuyou stopped on those vines and looked at the beautiful soul. These small fruits seemed to be able to see and evaded the ladies each time they tried to pluck them. After she put those fruits in their baskets, she immediately used spun yarn to cover them. Wuyou looked at these struggling fruits and the fruits that were running in all directions from fright and noticed that the souls had plucked almost all of these fruits. She saw the fruits' terror and helplessness when they found that as fruits of the netherworld, they were unable to escape their destiny. The olives were lined up neatly in her basket and after the beautiful soul looked furtively around and saw nobody, she carefully selected a large green fruit and stuffed it into their mouths. The olive gave off spirit light and after the soul swallowed the fruit, it took on a physical body. These mysterious fruits existed in the netherworld and despite their ordinary looks, they were able to produce extraordinary effects. These fruits that phantom grew were able to give these souls a physical body. She stared after the soul who had already departed, picked up one olive to take a closer look and saw that there were tears within the olive. These fruits were formed from mortal souls and within each olive contained a mortal life. As she gazed up at the interwoven vines, Wuyou took pity on these olives. The floating palace was crystal clear and Wuyou released her spirit will in search of a trace of phantom. There were only floating souls within the large palace and as Wuyou traveled past these floating shadows, she saw beautiful, hideous and busy ghosts all waiting for their master to come back. The Netherworld Palace was brightly lit. She wondered why was the palace brightly lit with red candles, their wax dripping down silver plates. The snowy white flower petals turned the palace silvery white and high above on the Prince's throne, flowers from the netherworld bloomed. There were naga's tears placed on an exquisite jade plate and these naga pearls which were used to calm the souls were strung together on a silver thread. There was a hidden compartment on the soft couch and when Wuyou peered through the crack with her spirit will, she was surprised to hear the sounds of flowing water in such a small place. Everywhere her spirit will passed was dark and eerie. Wuyou searched for the sound of flowing water and used her spirit will to light a candle. Then, she saw nagas swimming in the water. These small human fish were playing in the water, their lively tails swishing about. Wuyou sighed. These pitiful nagas had their tribe annihilated while those who survived have been used to make naga pearls. As her spirit will touched the water, a column of spirit mist rose from the river, knocking Wuyou back. Phantom had constructed a spiritual barrier in the water and while these nagas might seem happy, they were merely Phantom's victims. The nagas will lose their lives because of Phantom's selfish desires and would end up like Mingzhu trapped in a deep abyss one day. She used her spirit will to search for her Uncle's aura and her spirit will gathered in this wide underground palace to form a purple ball suspended in the air. As the purple light twinkled, the flickering flames from the lamp in front of her broke free of its wick and danced in the night wind. Each lamp contained a life which had gone out. Wuyou carefully searched through the lamps and her purple spirit passed by each wick in search of her uncle's aura, afraid that she would miss him if she was not careful enough. She looked in every nook and cranny. When she finally came across the lamp which contained her uncle's soul, her heart sank as she realized that her uncle had become a lamp soul and was truly no longer around. She held the blue lamp in her hands and tried to feel his warmth through the flickering flames. Uncle, are you cold in his dark underground palace? It turned out that Phantom from Wind City had been by your side. There is no sunlight here, no birds chirping nor the scent of flowers, so Uncle, how could your soul rest easy? "Uncle, little fox is here." Wuyou held the lamp in her hands and was about to leave with her uncle when she suddenly heard footsteps. The intruder walked gently and gracefully. Wuyou recalled her spirit will and hid in a darkened corner. The footsteps drew closer and finally stopped in front of the lamps. Wuyou could decipher the woman's features through the faint light and wondered what had caused the sorrow in her clear eyes. Her brows were furrowed and tears rolled down her cheeks. Her longing was carved into her face that resembled the silver moon and her face was leeched of all color as she stared at the lamp containing Jie Fei's soul. She was clad in wedding robes, indicating that she was about to get married soon, but she did not look as happy as a bride-to-be would normally look. Under the glow of the lamp, her hands were as gentle as jade and the tears that rested on her eyelashes dripped into the lamp wick. The flames grew more vigorous and green smoke slowly rose from the wick. Wuyou was shocked when she saw what the green smoke was - it was Uncle Jiefei. Uncle Jiefei's soul floated on top of that woman's head and Wuyou even saw her uncle attempt to touch the woman in front of him. He tried his best but could only touch the cold while his hands passed through the warm body. The grieving woman was too overwhelmed with sadness to notice. All she needed to do was to look up and she would see the man she loved. The green smoke that floated in the light dissipated, the lamp still burned brightly. The woman carefully rubbed at the lamp, refusing to let go despite the bridal robes she wore. "Jiefei...Jiefei." She muttered sorrowfully. The woman who was held captive by her feelings was none other than Phantom. Her sighed reverberated across the underground palace. Then, she lifted up her bridal robes and slowly left. As she left, the lamp behind her immediately grew weaker and Wuyou knew that her uncle's heart was aching. Although Uncle Jiefei was gone, his soul still loved this woman. She wanted to bring her uncle out of this damp place but Wuyou knew that her uncle would never leave Wind City for his lover lived here. Even if her uncle's soul scattered, he would still stand by this woman. "Uncle, the woman you love is about to become someone else's wife. Do you not feel regretful?" Her spirit power hovered above the lamp, then Wuyou flew out of the underground palace with this lamp. As Wuyou brought her uncle out of the palace, in the palace, dancers from the immortal realm were dancing beautifully on clouds. Wuyou looked around for Phantom to no avail. Just as she was extremely disappointed, fireworks lit up the skies and a groom clad in black elegant robes descended from the heaven. The main hall was brightly lit with candles and the Wolf King who had come from afar gripped his bride's hand tightly as they slowly walked toward the place of authority. Pear-colored flower petals decorated the sky and pear blossoms slowly floated in the night wind before gently landing on the bride's hair, turning her bridal robes white. Wuyou saw the blushing bride and caught the emotion in her eyes, she looked like a beautiful March blossom, completely unlike the woman who was trapped by her feelings. Immortal music echoed across the palace and guests from all three realms were present. These familiar faces used to be her uncle's friends but now they smiled sincerely and raised their cups to give their blessings to this couple. The couple who walked past them looked extremely compatible and very much like a couple in love. As for my Uncle Jiefei? He is no longer in this world and had been killed by this man clad in black. The despicable man who betrayed my uncle is here enjoying his life and had long forgotten that a place known as Teal Hill existed in the three realms. Uncle, if you were still alive, you would have kill these enemies. One day, I will avenge your death and make sure that those who had hurt you grovel at my feet for mercy. Wuyou held the lamp high and drew closer to the raised platform, attracting the attention of the couple in the main hall. When Phantom saw Jiefei's name, she shook the hand which held hers off. The Wolf King Hong Yu was enraged and joined both hands together as he charged toward the lamp. Wuyou gathered her spirit power to surround the lamp, protecting her uncle within. She did not wish to see his enemy live happily, neither could she allow his lover to marry her enemy. She was willing to die for her uncle but she wanted the Wolf King to know that his wife had been feeding her uncle with naga's tears. Wuyou's greatest wish at the moment was for the couple to turn against each other. She had to leave Phantom for her uncle, even if it cost her her life. One day, she would make sure that her poor uncle would return to Teal Hill in glory and would become a god of the three realms, to repay him for his kindness in raising her. As spirit power breezed through the black robes, they rattled noisily. The Wolf King bellowed angrily. His high spirits were destroyed by Phatom's actions earlier. His long robes flew out and the lamp suspended mid-air plummeted like a kite that had its strings cut. Phantom's heart sank as she looked at the darkening lamp, subconsciously digging her long nails into her palms. Blood dripped down her palms onto her bridal robes and trailed along the bridal robes toward the lamp. She was afraid that the Wolf King would scatter Jiefei's soul and longed so much to be a lamp herself so that she might be able to burn beside him. Even if they were annihilated, it would be fine. However, all these had come to an end. She had thought that she would be able to kill the Wolf King by her own means but things did not turn out according to plan. Her lover was now trapped forever in a lamp. They had meant to grow old together but this was impossible now. She wished that she had sacrificed her own life to ensure Jiefei's safety back then. The bloodstained bridal robes disappeared in the wind and a long-haired woman in plain clothes followed the spirit power to gracefully approach that lamp. This was a promise of life and death and no one dared to put a stop to it. Wuyou's face was filled with tears as she looked at the woman. She finally realized how beautiful was the woman whom her uncle loved, she was wicked but her love was pure. There were few such women across the three realms. The spirit power interwove in the sky and Wuyou unleashed her spirit power to protect the lamp. When the layers of spirit power burst forth from the lamp, navy blue light mingled with purple light in the lamp. The wick had almost fallen off and the lamp continued to transform. The navy blue lamp was like fireworks rushing through the night sky and the lamp blossomed like lotus petals. As powerful spirit power coursed through the lotus petals, the lamp suspended mid-air tumbled around. The navy blue light was completely consumed by the purple light and a familiar aura rose from the lamp. Wuyou looked at the floating light with surprise, unable to hide her excitement. "It is Uncle Jiefei." Her uncle summoned the spirit power and the dormant spirit power gathered toward Jiefei. In the distance, a spirit light tore the skies open and Wuyou saw that it was the long-lost mythical bird with colorful feathers. He flipped his spiritual finger and the purple light expanded, instantly turning the night sky into day. His Crushing Dry Weeds and Smashing Rotten Wood rolled across the sky and the mythical bird beneath him howled loudly. The Green Dragon Slash in his hand kept clanging and he sent a thunderbolt rolling toward the Wolf King. Phantom looked at the fleeting figure of Jiefei and was unable to hold back her tears. She flew toward him, a blush spreading across her cheeks like a young maiden rushing to her lover. As he looked at the petals dyed red with blood, Jiefei's heart ached even more. "Jiefei, is that you?" Phantom reached out to touch him, her hands trembling. When her hand passed through his body, her heart sank. Her heart broke when she realized that her man was merely a soul. Jiefei wanted to hug the woman in front of him close, but this hug could only be a dream. "You shameless creature!" The Wolf King was enraged by the actions of the sentimental couple. He waved his sleeves and walked toward them, spirit power circling his fingers. After his spirit power gathered in his hands to form a fireball, the Wolf King jumped up the clouds and charged toward the couple, lighting up the place into a sea of fire. Jiefei rode the mythical bird and deftly evaded the Wolf King's attacks. As the bird's giant wings grazed the fireball, some of its feathers caught fire and it then charged toward the heavens with a loud screech. The mythical bird shook its feathers and circled around the Wolf King while Jiefei rode the wind and slashed his Green Dragon Slash toward the Wolf King. The sharp blade forced the Wolf King to retreat for dozens of meters. Jiefei held his knife tightly and spirit power flowed from his arm into his Green Dragon Slash, wrapping it with layers of spirit light. The Green Dragon Slash's thunderbolt momentum charged toward the Wolf King, as chilly as can be. However, as it was about to land on the Wolf King, Jiefei did not see terror on the Wolf King's face but instead, the Wolf King smiled as a woman appeared in his hands. When Jiefei noticed that Phantom was held hostage, the spirit power disappeared from his sword. The Wolf King then used all his spirit power to attack Jiefei and Wuyou did her best to protect her uncle. "Uncle...little fox will leave now." Wuyou looked at her uncle through the flowing light while her uncle looked at her through the floating light, wanting to hold her tightly but unable to do so. Phantom coughed up blood when she landed on the ground, the bright red blood made the underworld seemed tragically beautiful. The knife buried in the Wolf King's chest turned pitch black and such a serious injury could only be caused by a demon with extraordinary spirit power. Even then, the demon would have to cultivate for many months before it had the power to do so. He looked at the woman he injured and his heart ached even more at the thought that this woman had caused such harm because of Jiefei. The Wolf King stumbled away and blood dripped out from his robes. Ni Shang ran over and carefully held him steady. The Wolf King glanced at the woman on the floor, then turned to leave. The woman on the floor was helped to her feet by Jiefei. Wuyou's soul flew across the sky like flowing lights and her uncle Jiefei returned to the lamp and became a lamp soul that would stay by his Queen's side. He might able to be reborn one day and Phantom hoped that this day would come one day.