Heart Protection

Chapter 110

Huan Xiao Yan and Yan Hui went with the rear of the army and entered Central Plains. 

There wasn't much xian sect resistance along the way because the sects thought Qing Guang might be a heretical cultivator. The animosity between the sects and Chen Xing Mountain were greater than Yan Hui thought they were.

Yan Hui gazed at the far away Chen Xing Mountain which was growing closer with each step. She unexpectedly didn't feel much towards it. Yan Hui's eyes only sharpened when she saw Qing Guang's figure appear in that direciton. Huan Xiao Yan tugged at Yan Hui. They weren't in the middle of the soldiers.

A large gale whipped up with Qing Guang's appearance. Trees and vegetation swayed. The demon soldiers started to prepare themselves, but none of them expected piercing vines to come up from underneath the ground. The vines suddenly impaled upwards, and soldiers who didn't dodge fast were skewered. Some died right on the spot.

Huan Xiao Yan carried Yan Hui and leapt to midair, dodging the attack. 

But the vines didn't let them off. One of the vines was like it was sentient. It swung upwards like a whip and wrapped around Huan Xiao Yan's ankle. Huan Xiao Yan gritted her teeth. She was just about to slash at the vine with a dagger when suddenly a heat wave came from ahead of the troops.

The flames were like a blade that swept across the earth. The vines on the ground were sliced down. After that fire spell, all that was left was black, scorched earth.

It was only then that Huan Xiao Yan dared to lower Yan Hui down. The demon soldiers also stood firm. Some started to treat their own wounds, and some started to carry away the corpses of their fellow soldiers. It was a messy situation all around. Some of the soldiers looked towards the front as Yan Hui was doing. Tian Yao, standing tall and firm, was facing off against Zhenren Qing Guang. All their powers clashed intangibility between the two of them. The injured soliders caught in the middle were in painful anguish.

In the power struggle between giants, the lowly commoners were never given a second thought.

If Yan Hui was healthy enough to stand by Tian Yao's side today, perhaps she wouldn't have had that realization. The help of the giants will also be the help of the commoners. The death of the giants will also be the death of the commoners. 

Yan Hui loved someone who was like that, high up and above all. 

Yan Hui smiled. Huan Xiao Yan didn't understand: "Master......what is it?"

"Nothing." Yan Hui shook her head. "I just suddenly thought how lucky I was that I actually got to meet him in this life. It's magical how we came together."

Huan Xiao Yan's mouth had a slightly bitter set: "I don't understand. Master, clearly you aren't doing well right now. How is this lucky? The Heavens aren't being fair."

"You haven't been out of your illusion demon palace for long," said Yan Hui. "Perhaps one day you'll also meeting someone like that. He'll make you feel like meeting him is the luckiest thing ever. He won't make you feel resentful and dissatisfied about unfair matters anymore because as long as you're with him, you'll be happy. Even if you've reached you're limit, you'll be happy."

Huan Xiao Yan shook her head and said: "I don't want to meet someone like that. It'll be too pitiful. I don't want......."

Those words were just said when suddenly there was a huge aura shift up ahead. It was Tian Yao and Qing Guang finishing their confrontation. In the end, It was Qing Guang who made a move first, and they started to fight. The bulk of the demon army started to rapidly retreat.

They had already achieved their purpose of luring Qing Guang out of the mountain. Staying there would be like a target offering up neidans for Qing Guang.

The enormous magic fight going on tore apart the clouds in the sky and split the ground. The weather started to change. Perhaps the battle fifty years ago between Zhenren  Qing Guang and the Qing Qiu King was just like this.

Tian Yao had recently studied "Demon Bestowal". Although the techniques beyond the ninth levels weren't there, the first nine levels were written in the book. Tian Yao could anticipate the patterns of Qing Guang's attacks. However after two exchanges, Qing Guang also realized that.

Qing Guang coldly laughed as their swords crossed: "Did that nine-tailed fox king give you 'Demon Bestowal' to read......"

Tian Yao didn't respond.

Qing Guan turned and left only a shadow in front of Tian Yao. Qing Guang actually appeared behind Tian Yao and swept his blade at Tian Yao's neck. But Tian Yao didn't even turn his head. The aura around his body immediately intensified. From far away, it looked like a star had appeared in the sky. The dazzling, burning brightness forced Qing Guang away.

Qing Guang heavily retreated back about 330 meters. The vines from the ground caught him.

The corner of his lips had a hint of blood, but his eyes gleamed as he stared at Tian Yao. The craziness in his eyes was no longer concealed.

"You actually got it back," Qing Guang murmured. He suddenly laughed out loud. His figure flashed, and in a blink of an eye, he crossed the 330 meters to appear right in front of Tian Yao. This time, he angled his enormous sword and ferociously attacked. His sword swung at Tian Yao's chest: "You actually got it back, ha ha ha ha!" He laughed, "Coming here wasn't a waste of time."

Tian Yao furrowed his brows. He attacked Qing Guang again. 

Qing Guang stood still in midair and formed a spell formation under his feet: "You actually got back your neidan. Can you completely crush me now? Dragon Demon, I was able to use Su Ying's magic to defeat you. Today will be the same."

Tian Yao only listened to half of what Qing Guang said. He was stunned: "What did you say?"

Qing Guang grinned: "I said, I'll take the neidan in your heart today."

Tian Yao's complexion suddenly paled.

"What did you say?" He didn't dare believe what he heard and asked again. His tone was grave, and he spoke slowly. The scene of Yan Hui's room where he overheard Huan Xian Yan saying he wasn't supposed to know suddenly appeared in his mind. What he started to suspect was like a blade stabbing into his heart. The pain was like his heart and lungs ripping apart.

With that realization, Tian Yao turned around, intending to go past Qing Guang.

But of course Qing Guang wasn't going to let Tian Yao go. The spell formation activated and trapped Tian Yao in it.

Tian Yao's rage flared at being stopped. Magic gathered in his palms. The strength of a millennium dragon demon faced off against Zhenren Qing Guang's magic. It shattered Qing Guang's formation. Right away, Qing Guang summoned another formation to prevent Tian Yao from leaving. A second formation came down from the sky. It was even harder to break than the first one.

With the neidan finally in his grasp, there was no way Qing Guang would just let to walk away.

Naturally, the shorter amount of time the neidan was in Tian Yao's body, the better. If he let Tian Yao go, then he would face great difficulties in the future!

 Qing Guang pulled out his jian and started to execute complicated maneuvers. He fiercely struck out at Tian Yao again and again. Not a single bit of magic was withheld.

Tian Yao was torn with anxiety and completely wasn't in the mood to fight Qing Guang. After a few exchanges, he started to think about breaking the formation. When the battle reached the edge of the formation, Tian Yao suddenly looked downwards. There were actually two people still standing there on the scarred earth. They were outside of the formation but still lingered close by.

Unexpectedly, the duo was....... Huan Xiao Yan and Yan Hui.

Yan Hui stood outside of the formation. When they were trying to leave earlier, Qing Guang's large formation suddenly appeared on the ground. She couldn't move fast enough, and one of her hands was caught in the formation. It was trapped too deep in the formation. No amount of pulling could release her hand. Yan Hui's other free hand clutched her chest. Her back was hunched over. It seemed like she didn't have the strength to stand upright. 

Her head was dipped down, so no one coudl see her features. However, it was because of that Tian Yao could imagine what kind of pain she was in. 

And Huan Xiao Yan stayed by her side to support her. Huan Xiao Yan worriedly whispered something in Yan Hui's ear. Yan Hui only shook her head.

Finally, Huan Xiao Yan gritted her teeth and pretended to no longer hear Yan Hui's words. She looked up at Tian Yao who was facing Qing Guang's relentless attacks. Huan Xiao Yan's eyes were filled with tears. She beggingly screamed up at him.

Tian Yao couldn't hear Huan Xiao Yan through Qing Guang's heavy blows. However, he could read her lips.

Huan Xiao Yan was saying: "Save her!"

Tian Yao's heart tightened. He was about to move when Qing Guang wound up another round of attacks. Qing Guang also glanced down and was surprised when he realized what he was seeing. His lips curled in an evil sneer: "You want to save her?"

The spell formation suddenly started to press downwards. The edges of the formation were like knives, and it started to cut into the ground. The area right outside of the formation immediately became like a trench.

Huan Xiao Yan cried out in alarm. She immediately flew upwards with Yan Hui in her arms to prevent Yan Hui from falling into the abyss.

Tian Yao's eyes widened. His aura started to roil, and a flame started to burn in his eyes. Blue veins popped out on his forehead. He gave a deep shout, and his jian moved so fast than even Qing Guang couldn't see it.

Qing Guang just felt a chill on his chest. Immediately blood started to spill out from the wound. The power of Tian Yao's flames pushed him back 33 meters. The flames didn't stop and burned his chest.

However, Tian Yao didn't even glance at Qing Guang. He turned and sliced through Qing Guang's formatio.

Yan Hui finally pulled her hand free. Huan Xian Yan was still carrying her. Just as the illusion demon was going to fly upwards, Tian Yao reached out and was going to pull her........

But right at that critical moment, Qing Guang's eyes suddenly locked into that scene. He completely ignored the wound on his chest and brandished his hand. The ground suddenly started to move and close up!

Tian Yao watched helplessly as the pair couldn't escape the rapidly shrinking crack in the ground. He just heard a rumble as the abyss in the ground sealed back up. Huan Xiao Yan's panicked face was buried along with Yan Hui's already very emaciated body. It seemed like in the last moment, Yan Hui looked up at him and said something, but it all happened too fast........

Everything was a blur. Tian Yao didn't clearly see nor hear anything.

The force of the earth slamming together was so great that a bulge formed at the seam. Tian Yao was also knocked back by that very same force. Just like that, he had to watch Yan Hui and Huan Xiao Yan be buried alive.

"No........"

It sounded like something wrenched out of the bottom of his heart. Silence immediately fell on the field. For a short time, Tian Yao forgot he had magic, forgot he was an all-powerful dragon demon. He actually bent over, knelt down onto the ground, and hugged that mound of dirt.

Dirt stained his clothes. Tian Yao looked pitiful.

And right at that moment, Qing Guang suddenly appeared from behind. His eyes were ice-cold without a single shred of warmth. He raised his jian and immediately stabbed at Tian Yao's heart.

All of a sudden, the ground where Tian Yao was kneeling sunk inwards. Tian Yao became lower in the ground, and Qing Guang's stab swished by Tian Yao's ear instead. Flames started to emit from the earth. A wave of heat exploded outwards, knocking away Qing Guang. The fresh mound of dirt that was just formed by the sealed abyss became a crater.

In that crater was a whimpering, sobbing Huan Xiao Yan. She was clutching something in her arms.

Tian Yao blankly stared at Huan Xiao Yan. There wasn't a single trace of Yan Hui's aura in that crater.

Huan Xiao Yan raised her head when she heard Tian Yao walk over. She looked at him and forced her sobs to stop: "Master used the last of her power to protect me." Huan Xiao Yan couldn't hold it in anymore and wailed: "She left only this behind."

Huan Xiao Yan opened her arms and revealed a glowing dragon scale. It was Tian Yao's......heart protection scale.

Tian Yao despondently reached out and touched the scale. It was the same temperature as Yan Hui, yet also so hot that he could barely hold it. He suddenly remembered that day when Yan Hui said she had a dream where he reached the peak of cultivation and became an immortal. He had asked, 

"And you?"

 "Me?"

"Where areyou?"

"I was in here."

I was in here.

So that's what it meant........

So.....that's what it meant......

For a moment, Tian Yao felt like he had been flung in the abyss full of monsters. Even the very air was stinging his skin, drilling into his bones, chewing through his innards. Right now, that pain was tunneling through him.

The pain 20 years ago of being dismembered was nothing compared to this. The pain these 20 years when the moon was full was nothing compared to this.......

 From behind came a sharp, murderous aura like arrows. Tian Yao endured that aura. It was like he needed that pain in order to wake him back up. It pulled him out of that stifling, frightening abyss.

Tian Yao looked back at Qing Guang with scarlet eyes. His aura swirled into a near imperceptible red dot on his forehead between his eyes.

Even though Tian Yao was just looking at Qing Guang, that gaze was like a fist striking deep into the depths of Qing Guang's heart. Qing Guang couldn't help feeling somewhat terrified. 

In his long life, Qing Guang had never felt this kind of emotion before when facing any one of his opponents. Trembling........in fear.

The flames around Tian Yao's body was no longer bright but rather became dark. They were like black flames from the Underworld. However in contrast, his hair turned white from the root down to the tip.

Scales started to appear on his face. He was like a sinister spirit from the Underworld that had broken through three boundaries to glare down upon Qing Guang.

The jian still pierced Tian Yao's back, but he didn't notice the pain at all. He turned and broke the blade. Half was left still in his back, but it was slowly forced out by the layers of scale appearing on his skin.

Tian Yao turned and reached out to grab Qing Guang, who was trying to dodge. However, even though Tian Yao's movements were slow, his black flames still ensnared Qing Guang. There was no way for Qing Guang to escape.

Tian Yao wrapped his hand around Qing Guang's neck.

Black flames race down his arm and reached Qing Guang's neck. The flames spread onto Qing Guang's body until his entire person was aflame.

Qing Guang struggled in the blaze: "This can't be.......I can't accept this....." His voice was drowned out by the flames. From the inside to the outside, he was completely destroyed by the burning flames. Not even a speck of ash was left to fall.

But even when Qing Guang was burned into nothingness, the flames in Tian Yao's hand didn't stop. Black flames appeared around his feet and started to burn. His scales were set aflame, but Tian Yao didn't move at all. It was like he also wanted to burn away.

Huan Xiao Yan was so frightened by the sight that she didn't even dare to cry. She hurriedly cried out: "Don't do it! Don't do it! Master said she'll return to find you!"

The words reached Tian Yao. He shifted his gaze and looked at Huan Xiao Yan: "She'll come find me?"

"If you die, then you won't remember her! You won't have any memories! As long as you remember her, Master said that she will find you!"

Tian Yao looked down. In his hand was the azure heart protection scale. It was still blue-green unlike the rest of his scales which had darkened. The black flames slowly disappeared.

Where are you?

I was in here.

Tian Yao accepted back his heart protection scale. He was no longer as frightening, but his white hair remained.

"I will also find her."

The End.

50 years later.

There was a strange little girl in a village. She was a prodigy. No one taught her how to read and write, yet she knew how to do so. When her father was alive, she always insisted on changing her name. Not only did she insist on changing her first name, she also insisted on changing her last name. Her dad refused and would hit and scold her. However, his actions had no effect on the girl. Now, the girl's father had passed away, and the girl's mother had passed away when the girl was small. All the girl took when she left the village was a small bundle.

She said her name was Yan Hui. She was going to find a person. That person was her husband. His name was Tian Yao.