After that fling that came with the explosion, Cui Wulei couldn't help the smug look on her face. Meanwhile, Guo N'Yang couldn't help finding Xing Yue worthy of a friendly chat without bickering. The same also goes for Xing Yue.
"How did she just puff up like that? Did you call her?" Guo N'Yang whispers to her ear.
"Beats me. But I have to say—for the first time, she came when she was actually needed." Xing Yue whispered back.
"Oh? Has she come unannounced before?"
"You couldn't have guessed wrong. It was because of her, that I had thought fighting that fake dragon emperor would end in my demise! She even dared to use Endless Shackles to bind me. Could you believe that?" Xing Yue asked. Making a face that looked funny, but sounded serious, making one feel complicated about her actual emotion. Was she just joking? Or was she serious?
But who would have thought that Cui Wulei came in front of them, with that extremely mean looking face, baring it just at Xing Yue.
"If you want to bad-mouth me, you'd better do it to my face."
"I wasn't..." Xing Yue had just made the mistake of looking at Jiang Yunxian, and had found that bastard, holding his laughter. That was when it must have occurred to her that, he had done something stupid.
But she wasn't the one to back down either.
"So? I was right! You know that using that weapon is mainly for high ranking demons, yet, you used it on a goddess. How thoughtful of you." Xing Yue said. Laying her thoughts bare.
Cui Wulei didn't say anything.
When Xing Yue looked at her, she couldn't quite decipher the emotions she was having. But she was sure that one of them was sour. And just remembering what happened to their flower friend, Zheng Aoyuan, filled her heart with nothing but sadness.
Of course her stubborn self couldn't allow a poor orphan to be abandoned. She could have just rejected the duty of being a Star Goddess and avoided that long-term seclusion, since she didn't know when she would return. Seeing as that young boy had just ended Zheng Aoyuan, left her with regret. She felt so bitter.
"Umm...."
"Don't say it!" Cui Wulei said. She must have thought that she was about to bring up the topic. As expected, she must've known that Xing Yue now remembers the past. But she still hated Xing Yue. And she had cultivated into a Red Omen just to settle things with Xing Yue. It made her conflicted. She has spent all her life, in making herself better. Plotting her way just so she could leave the heavens, and search for Xing Yue herself, to end the millennium years of feud. She knew that Xing Yue had never actually known the truth. And she also knows that Xing Yue never knew why they were enemies.
How would she know?
She wasn't even there when Zheng Aoyuan was killed. No one was. And when she was out of seclusion, a lot of havoc had been caused. But Cui Wulei still continued to fight her. And the reason was simple.
She had loved that fragile flower for ages. Everyone knows about it, including Zheng Aoyuan. And, Zheng Aoyuan had also said he liked her. When Xing Yue told them what Emperor Tianlan Zhao said about that boy, she had been the one that had said that they should obey the emperor. No one knew that that baby had been poisoned by a demon. No one knew except for Jiang LuCi and Xing Yue. They just didn't say anything. Cui Wulei could tell that even Emperor Tianlan Zhao had known that boy wasn't good to be in heaven.
And that was why she had hated Xing Yue.
Xing Yue had been their friend since all of them could remember. Cui Wulei had been a strong cultivator. But everyone knows where her capacity was. And keeping in mind that it was Xing Yue that killed Zheng Aoyuan, filled her with determination for revenge. Ever since that first tragedy, she had trained herself into a formidable Omen, scaring many of the immortals in the Divine Empyrean.
Who would have thought that this person has a place in heaven? No!... That wasn't the right thought for people to think. The right thing was, a power like Cui Wulei's, so dark, so powerful, still found has a spot in heaven? She must be Emperor Tianlan Zhao's favorite.
But here's the actual truth. Her power was never dark, but mortals who saw her powers, no matter how many times, would think, she was from the Abyssal Golley, where all kinds of demons are. And that thought didn't escape Jiang Yunxian mind either.
In all, Guo N'Yang and Xing Yue both knew that there was light in her powers, but the hatred that burned deep, made it impossible for her to maintain a steady rhythm to her powers, thus the confusion.
And that was what Xing Yue had come to understand.
Cui Wulei had lived only to hunt her down. For someone like Cui Wulei, having her tone down the hatred that had long been accumulated, was just like pouring a kettle of hot water into a lava. So, she smiled and said.
"At least next time we have a feud, do well go to tell me. I don't want to die not knowing what I did wrong. But now that I know, I will try my best, In every possible way I can to bring him back."
"Huh! You must be stupid! Do you think I still wouldn't hate you, if you managed to bring him back?" Cui Wulei asked frowning so deeply.
"I know you will still have so much hatred left in you. I mean, an anger of a millennium years can't be quenched with just a promise. So, all I have to tell you is this, don't hit too hard when you vent your anger on me. Be a little considerate. I will find Zheng Aoyuan, and then, we will talk about your accumulated hatred." Xing Yue assured.
"You'd better!" Cui Wulei said then, flew away, disappearing into thin air.
After things seemed to have died down, Jiang Yunxian quickly rushed to Chufeng and chanted the No Effect Spell on her, freezing her completely.
"What are you doing?" Guo N'Yang asked alarmed.
Jiang Yunxian sighed, "You were too engrossed in what was happening that you didn't realize that half of her spiritual energy is being swallowed away." He explained.
"Being swallowed away?" Xing Yue asked.
Guo N'Yang looked at Chufeng. She didn't understand, there was nothing that's hidden, that can never be known to her. After all, she's the Goddess of knowledge.
"But...."
"Do you think that Miao Xia Cai was destroyed? That was an illusion. Chufeng, was the most affected by that Fog of Regret. The reason she couldn't sniff the regrets of you three, was because of the Bonding Spell, Chufeng still has lingering regrets left. The real Miao Xia Cai was using the distraction of Cui Wulei's appearance, to collect and retain the energy used to cast that illusion. So, the No Effect Spell was the only way to keep her from any lingering thoughts." Jiang Yunxian said.
He wasn't the type to explain things to people. But from what he saw, this was kind of new to the Goddess of knowledge, well, of course this spell wasn't in any recorded scrolls in the Empyrean Archive Hall. And this was invented by him, it was the first spell he had perfected so far. The most effective.
"No Effect Spell? What's that spell for? How come I never know of it?" Guo N'Yang asked, this still being confusing to her. She understood that she might have neglected the obvious, but something never recorded in any records can't be trusted.
"Though I've never heard of it before, but it had been used on me before." Xing Yue decided to assist him, though he never needed it.
"You?" Guo N'Yang asked as if that was the most impossible thing to hear from her.
"Anyways, the No Effect Spell is more of a calming spell, it could momentarily stop the flow of energies flowing within her. Her mind would be in a state of calm with nothing to think about." She explained.
Guo N'Yang wanted to have her own doubts. Something that wasn't recorded, shouldn't be used. But seeing that Xing Yue had no problem with it, made her want to be patient even for a while.
"So, how long will it be?"
Jiang Yunxian smiled, then. "Well, that's if her will is strong. So we just have to wait."
Guo N'Yang couldn't help but frown. But there was nothing she could do about it. All she could hope for, is that Chufeng would overcome it. She had known her history. The way she was ostracized by all the immortals and gods. She was aware of that. That was why she took her in. Guo N'Yang too has a history of being stoic and indifferent. Sometimes mean. But the moment Chufeng touched her hanfu with uncertainty, bowing to her, pleading to be taken in as her disciple, Guo N'Yang had decided to make room for her.
Suddenly she felt anger towards that demon. That disciple of hers has spent a decade trying to get over the blame, only for it to be reopened just for.... She couldn't bear to continue thinking about it. She only turned to where Chufeng stood motionless like a statue.
Xing Yue on the other hand, looked distressed. She had already taken the Wow Pill, just like Dreamer Long had instructed. But it wasn't that that brought her distress. It was the Sleep Like Death poison that had circulated. She ignored every other thing, and sat, meditating, to try and control it. For the past month, there wasn't any sign. Everything looked normal. No, everything was normal. It's just that today, just now, someone seems to have spread that poison again.
Dreamer Long had told her that, Cui Wulei had been taken care of most of the poison. And she, every night, had been doing her own part. The only reason she hadn't done anything so far, was that, things had quieted down.
As she channeled energy— it flowed upwards, to the sky emitting a blue resonance. As if controlled, it stopped at a particular sky, then, it turned into dews, raining down on the small town. Somehow, it all managed to land on the forehead of those affected by the poison.
This was the first thing she learned from her Master An Xie. The Wind Dew.
It was nothing special, nothing of great importance. But why it was needed was, for hallucination purposes.
Just like Sleep Like Death poison was made for people: giving them, all the beauty of life. Money, women, rank power. All those things people can never say no to, that was the exact way the Wind Dew works.
If one should dream of having a harem, when touched, the Wind Dew would make all those things turn to a nightmare.
Like the saying goes—the only way to wake a person is using fright. One doesn't like having nightmares, the nightmare would jerk one awake, whether they liked it or not. That was exactly what it was used for.
Just as this move could be considered simple and less use of spiritual energy, it could be tricky. It has only one rule: Never use too much energy when channeling The Wind Dew, and never use less. Anyone can learn it, but not everyone can master it.
But this could be considered deadly for Xing Yue. She was after all, a fading immortal. Using less of spiritual energy was just as useless. And due to that she wasn't as strong as she used to be during her stay at the Divine Empyrean, she could only use more. Because in her condition, more of spiritual energy, was like the normal usage. But could also cause several backlash.
And almost immediately, she coughed up blood.
At that, Jiang Yunxian and Guo N'Yang turned to look at her.
"Are you ok?" Jiang Yunxian asked.
Wiping her mouth, she nodded. "I'm okay. I was just taking care of something."
"I guess that fog messed up your energy." Guo N'Yang said, standing up, and walking towards her. Alarmed, Xing Yue asked.
"What are you doing?"
Guo N'Yang rolled her eyes. "Relax, I don't fight weaklings." Making some hand seals, her palm was engulfed in flames, but she seemed unbothered by it. Before anyone could have time to ask her what she was trying to do, she slammed the engulfed palm, unto her back. The sudden burst of energy, made Xing Yue spit another mouthful of blood.
"Wow! You think you are as good as you were? Using The Wind Dew with more energy than required. Do you want to die?" Guo N'Yang asked. After assessing where her injury lies.
"Shut up!" Was the only thing Xing Yue could say.
"Tsk tsk tsk, your spiritual core is a mess! Do you want to suffer a backlash? Keep on doing that, and I will come ten years later to pay my last respect!"
Hearing this, Xing Yue couldn't help but scoff. "Why ten years?" She asked.
"Maybe.... because you bore me. But trust me, ten years later."
After passing spiritual energy to help her reciprocate, she stood back up, and went back to where she sat before.
Now, there are two ladies holding them up, from continuing their journey to Qing Shi village.
Xing Yue, would need enough rest. And Chufeng, who might hold them up for days, if possible.