There once was a time when spiritual beasts ruled the lands and sea without contest as the living creatures with the purest quality of chi running through their veins. Yet, as time went on, humans who coveted the heaven's blessings learned by studying spiritual energy and the spiritual beasts themselves. They learned how to take the life force given to them by birth and refine it into awe-inspiring abilities only possible due to their heaven given gifts of a powerful soul. One capable of enduring and expressing something even the spiritual beasts couldn't cultivate in. Emotions, and the understanding of being born weaker, short-lived beings, in a cruel world where the strong ruled over the weak. It was said by the ancestors, that one should never underestimate mortals who strived for immortality. Throughout the ages, humans refined their techniques more and more to the point where if one was diligent and talented enough, they easily rivaled the spiritual beasts who once ruled the realm with iron fists.
...However, sometimes, even being gifted is not enough to challenge a beast with the blessing of the heavens. A beast which upholds the heavenly laws bound since birth, blessed with godly gifts which crossed the border of immortality with ease. The Royal Chuanqi. A title lost to time, but one which used to send shivers down the spines of all who hear of it. Titans among mortals. Inhuman, odd, and unnatural. It's said, Royal Chuanqis' were born for the pure purpose to become contending Rulers. Envoys of heavens. Lords of the Realm. Feng Mei Xing trembled as her fingers were shocked back by the barrier she had once more attempted to bypass, unable to see anything beyond but that of a murky golden flare. The burning backlash which flew throughout her entire right arm was so powerful, she was bounced back from the force field and only balanced herself with Ehuang catching her.
"Mei Xing." Ehuang whose expression was forcefully calm but whose unsteady voice gave her away, held the trembling Feng Mei Xing back from trying again. Hurriedly checking the condition of Feng Mei Xing, she could see that there was no physical harm to the other woman. However, from the paling of her features, her spiritual body must have taking quite the shock from the blast. Ehuang purses her lips and looks up at the flaming barrier preventing anyone from entering or seeing what was happening inside. It was subtle, but sturdy. To the point where, if one wasn't sensitive to spiritual energy, it wouldn't even make someone bat an eyelash before smacking right into it. "Ehuang, Xiao Bai-" The hands holding onto her reflexively tighten their hold before the owner forcefully relaxes them.
"En." Their expressions were grim, however, there was nothing they could do at this time. The sophistication of the array far outclassed both their levels of understanding. Such was the might of a mature Royal Spiritual Beast. Not to mention, if no one had already come to stop the events going on inside. Then it was formally acknowledged as something they could not and would not interfere in. Knowing her brother most likely knew what would occur but left her out of the loop once more Feng Mei Xing's worries and frustration only grew. "Madam Feng, Miss Ehuang." Hearing this, Feng Mei Xing moved before anyone could stop her pulling herself out of Ehuang's support. *SLAP! Ehuang frowns but in her heart she approved and even bit her tongue refusing to reprimand Feng Mei Xing for her actions.
It was Matriarch Wu and Feng Shuchang who had arrived after so long. Feng Shuchang was stunned by the slap. He gave his gentle sister a complicated look, yet she paid him no mind after hitting him and quickly changed targets. Her gentle aura long tossed out the window as she trembled with unconcealed rage, Feng Shuchang stepped in front of her line of sight silently. Seeing her younger sibling trying to stop her when her glare moves from himself to Matriarch Wu. Her heart grew ten times more furious. However, long prepared Feng Shuchang raised his hand to catch her wrist only for his soft spoken sister to shakily stop him from moving by shouting without a care for outsiders. "If you dare block it don't you dare call me elder sister ever again!!" The hand raised to stop her palm froze halfway allowing another reverberating smack to echo across the corridor. Much more powerful than the one given just seconds ago. *SMACK-!
With this head turning slap, Feng Shuchang only dared to quietly face the bottom of her clothing as her red palm trembled in the corner of his vision. Turning to Matriarch Wu who though was unhappy with the disrespectful treatment in her own sect still understood the woman's distress and only pursed her lips in response. Her own gaze complicated when peering at the flaming barrier and the blocked connection between her and Hulian. Feng Mei Xing felt no sympathy for her unlike earlier, tremblingly raising her finger to point at her accusingly. "You-! I had thought you were a good woman-But to think you would go back on your promise so easily! Is our Zenith Star sect something easy to look down on?! You swore on your honor that no harm would come to Xiao Bai and yet what has happened?! I should have known better than to trust someone who doesn't belong to our sect with her."
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Chao Bai breathes out mist filling the already cloudy interior snow globe more, her glazed over gaze settled upon the fiery barrier trapping her winter storm within the large courtyard. Preventing it from affecting anyone or anything out of this domain. However, all corners of the inside were long lost to her spiritual body. Coated in snow, Chao Bai let go of it all, allowing the man across from her to hold back her aura all on his own. Hulian, although his barrier remained stable without a single crack or tear, physically trembled under her pressure. Nearly coughing blood, the royal fox fell to his knees as the weight upon his body only intensified as the minutes passed. For a moment, Chao Bai could see the beautiful red sky wink at her. So, bringing her gaze down to the young fox, who had been nearly pampered and unrivaled all his life due to lineage only.
The sea serpent lifts her snowed in skirt, taking slow and deliberate steps in his direction. Each one shaking the earth where he knelt, choking him with frostbite, each gasp for air like swallowing needles. "*Gasp *Hack-!!" The spittle of frozen red finally fell from his lips to the snow covered ground. Chao Bai seemingly indifferent to his pain, did not kneel to his level and stood above his bowed head and defiant glower. She and him both knew, should she raise a single finger, he would be at her mercy and unable to defend himself. Hulian felt shame coat his heart under her white shadow, closing both his eyes and original arrogant heart. However, he refused to show her his belly or flatten his ears to her dominance. Not to a Sea Serpent. Never.
If he had known.... He grits his teeth, refusing to admit he had been both outmatched and ignorant to the calamity he had invited into the sect with his own two hands. If it was the end here, he will take her with him!! "A long time ago, an elder of my clan and yours faced a similar situation." He, who had been about to explode his beast core and try and take the sea serpent with him froze up. His shoulders shook, and his ears prickle up faintly, uneasy and alert. He tried to pull a sneer glaring up at the serpent with his fangs bared "I fail to see why you care to tell tales to an opponent, do you truly fear no retribution for taking out a sect of innocents and another royal under heaven's eyes?" He didn't let her answer, laughing brusquely and maliciously "Right-! I had forgotten! A heartless beast like you knows no restraint, the venom flows clearer in your veins than the cold blood you were born with-*cough*cough!!"
Chao Bai sent the agitated and time buying spiritual beast one peek of glimmering starlight, then continued her speech without minding his insults. "-It was a few hundred years ago before the great war, your elder wandered into our territory fleeing from people who wanted their life. Though my clan did not know the exact detailed surrounding those days, your elder managed to leave our sea stronger for it. Completely unharmed by order of our ancestor." Hulian whose warming spiritual beast core paused for the second time, held his breath as dread and incomprehensibility started growing in his mind. However, remembering it was a sea serpent speaking, he snarls at her mockingly. She didn't mind his doubt. It was not her intention to cloud his judgment or save him.
In fact, Chao Bai herself was unsure of why she wanted a Red Fox to hear their side of the story. Perhaps, she wanted him to see where his backwards mentality was wrong and for him to see the hypocrisy of their hatred so she could look down at them in turn. They were used to bearing sinful names, yet the preservation of their clan in itself was proof they hadn't committed any heavenly defying sins against the laws. It was even more clear today, as the red fox had no choice but to lower his head to her mere pressure. The Silver Sea had prevailed against the odds. "-The first serpent of the silver sea to turn his head from ascension was said to be a lover of beauty. Though our kind do not typically grow attached to others and prefer to lead solitary lives, our ancestor was said to be more foolhardy than others."
Ignoring the melting snow at his side, Chao Bai lightly brushes her sleeve against a bush coating it in another layer of frost. Her voice both light and monotone, "All of you knew him as the "Mad Royal", but us serpents call him by a different name." Even a fool would understand her meaning and what she was alluding of his ancestor sending a shiver all throughout his body. Disbelief coating his heart and soul as she nails the lid of his coffin in a cool manner. "-An ancestor we despise and look down upon, a royal we teach our hatchlings never to mention, admire, nor replicate, the Lovelorn Fool." Hulian winces as the chill surrounding him doubles, choking him as she robbed him of air entirely as if taking out her hatred of her ancestor on himself.
Chao Bai spoke coldly as she held the fox's throat in her scaled hands, if she squeezed even the slightest bit more his neck would roll. "We snakes do not treasure things as affection, love, or familia as you beasts. But do not dismiss our current indifference for weakness, as you said, the venom in our veins is thicker than blood." Assured he would die here, Hulian bit his tongue to stay awake and prepares to explode his core only to be stopped by the assault of a chilly energy seeping into his body holding his core together by force. Shocked and uncomfortable he struggled at first, but then stops as confusion filters through him when he realised that his injuries were being healed not worsened. Set down abruptly Hulian caught his fall with his elbows and winced as the cold retreats from his body and the courtyard directly into the woman's core.
The dense air and weight on his shoulders lifted as if never there to begin with. Along with it, with his own eyes he watched each stone, tile, wood plank, was put back in place as if untouched. Hulian, not knowing how to react at first sat baffled by the sudden turn of events in a minor daze. What... Chao Bai, like nothing happened just now, quietly ties her blindfold back on with her dainty fingers. Eluding that same peaceful and pure aura as she did before she tried to kill the other royal. In just seconds, she went back to a weak and unassuming spiritual beast. Hiding the harm in her body after her show of strength, she holds a silk handkerchief to her lips to prevent the stomach acid in her body from spilling out of her lips. The bundle of foreign spiritual energy in her stomach once more making itself known by kicking around in revolt which she still made no effort to assilmulate nor let go of.
Before Hulian could understand what was happening, the oppressive royal who stood above his head weakly swayed in the windless restored courtyard. He only had one second to snap out of his daze before a large shadow emerges from the ground resembling another woman carefully catching the "weaken" spiritual beast. It took a defensive stance hurriedly snatching Chao Bai away from the assumed danger, blade like spikes emerging from it's robes directed at Hulian. "Chao Bai!" Feng Mei Xing hurries to retreive her, only when she could be by Chao Bai's side entirely did she breathed a sigh of relief and coldly look down at Hulian who wore an entangled expression. He was being treated as the villian... Still, Hulian purses his lips and stood up on his own two feet subtly flexing his completely healed right hand, conflicted.
Ignoring the humans surrounding Chao Bai. He looked directly over all of them to stare at the sea serpent who was cleverly being fussed about by lesser knowing creatures as if she were the victim. It was only Matriarch Wu who went to his side and hesitantly touched his shoulder to get his attention who noticed how odd her contract companion was acting. There was an flickering light within his gaze which never strayed from Chao Bai since the barrier fell that she couldn't help but worry about. "Hulian what, happened?" Her tone was neither blaming nor fearful. Just concerned. "...Nothing." Hulian shook his head, his tone odd but flat. His eyes never leaving the blind folded spiritual beast being pampered by three humans. "-Absolutely nothing happened."