"Master, Feng'er has missed you so much... Woo woo." The Golden Phoenix nestled in Bai Zhiyue's arms, weeping softly.
Every time it thought about how close its master had been to perishing, it trembled with lingering fear. Fortunately, the Red Magic Umbrella, being one of the most spiritually imbued treasures in the world, had managed to save its master's soul at the critical moment.
Yet, unfortunately, its master's strength was...
"Feng'er, do you know where we are now?" Bai Zhiyue ran her fingers through the soft, silken feathers of the Golden Phoenix, gazing at the unfamiliar surroundings with a hint of confusion.
"I don't know, Master," the Golden Phoenix lowered its head, appearing somewhat dejected. It had just awoken and had no understanding of where they were.
"Master, this is the innermost region of the Hazy Moon Mountain Range, in the Wind Kingdom," the Red Magic Umbrella suddenly broke free from Bai Zhiyue's hand and floated in mid-air, swaying slightly as it spoke.
"The Hazy Moon Mountain Range? What is that?" Bai Zhiyue's eyes were filled with profound confusion and perplexity. In her memories, the Divine Realm did not have a place called the Hazy Moon Mountain Range! Besides...
An Yang Mo Tian! To think you let me die so easily—how fortunate you were!
As Bai Zhiyue recalled the events of that day, a surge of anger welled up within her. Her father, her mother—they were murdered! And her closest sisters had all betrayed her!
Consumed by fury, a black lotus flickered on Bai Zhiyue's forehead.
"Master! Please, come back to your senses! You must not let your anger consume you!" The Red Umbrella, seeing the black lotus appear on Bai Zhiyue's forehead, felt a deep alarm. If this continued, her hatred would devour her very essence, turning her into a soulless demon!
"Hmm." Bai Zhiyue felt a sharp pain in her forehead, as though countless demons were writhing within her.
"No! We must find a body!" The Red Magic Umbrella darted around Bai Zhiyue, panic evident in its voice. "Your soul is still weak from just awakening! You cannot be exposed to sunlight, or all of our efforts over the millennia will be in vain!"
"Master, we must leave this place quickly!" The Red Umbrella, with urgency, swept its power across the area, scanning the surroundings within a hundred miles. At last, it found a body fifty miles ahead.
"Very well. Feng'er... let us go." Bai Zhiyue, fully aware that she was but a fragile soul at present, nodded to the Red Umbrella's advice and decided to leave the area for now.
Transforming into a magnificent phoenix, the Golden Phoenix allowed Bai Zhiyue to mount its back, her hand gripping the Red Umbrella. The phoenix's soft, fluffy feathers were soothing beneath her.
Bai Zhiyue turned her head, gazing back toward the direction she had come from.
For some reason, she felt as though someone's gaze was following her.
It was at that moment, when she turned her head, that the figure in the barrier—Gu Long Qingchen—finally saw her face.
She was nothing short of extraordinary.
A golden lotus bloomed between her brows, vivid and lifelike.
Her Danfeng eyes were calm, as though nothing in the world could touch her.
Her lips curved ever so slightly, a trace of a smile playing on them.
Her hair, as dark as ink, fluttered wildly in the wind.
She was a beauty beyond compare. Even someone like him, who had seen countless peerless women throughout his life, could not deny that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.
Unbidden, he smiled toward the direction she had left.
"Master? What's wrong?" A worried voice from Xu Xue pulled Gu Long Qingchen from his thoughts.
"Master? What did you see? Why are you so excited?" Xu Xue looked at his master in confusion. If he wasn't mistaken, Gu Long Qingchen had smiled. In the many years of following him, this was the first time he had seen his master smile.
"Did you not see it?" Gu Long Qingchen turned his gaze toward the ever-curious Xu Xue.
"Master? What exactly should I have seen?" Xu Xue was startled by the question and looked at him in bewilderment.