167. Yu Shui Lake
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'Impossible!'
High above the Arena, Zhurong Fen internally raged.
She considered landing at the Arena and simply killing Zhang Luoyin, Xu Weiyan, and everyone else at once!
But Swiftly approaching the Arena was Immortal Bao's aura...
Over the years, Zhurong Fen had risen to the fifth stage of the Universal Tier, placing her a level above the Immortal Bao from the past.
But that old dragon had healed and also grown in thirty-thousand years, and at Yue City, his aura had been enough to nearly root her in place.
Facing him without a plan would be careless!
So she swung her cloak and quickly vanished from there, reappearing somewhere else in the city.
'Zhang Luoyin...!!' She thought, livid with anger.
She had confidently cast the Blood Frenzy Curse because Zhang Luoyin had already used his rain technique during his fight with Fei Yun, raining over an entire city.
This alone could drain an immortal...
But a mortal had somehow remained standing, and even went further to defeat Fei Yun!
He should be completely drained by now, and yet he had somehow mustered the energy to perform the rain spell a second time to cure the crazed citizens!
'Zhang Luoyin!!!' Zhurong Fen gritted her teeth, her hands fisting to the point that her nails drew blood. 'I must destroy you!'
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Back at the Arena, Luoyin's irises darted to the point where Zhurong Fen had stood watching them.
'I can sense her now!' Luoyin thought with a scowl, and it was at this moment that the past events sunk in fully. A burning fury seared through him as he recalled the countless who had fallen to Zhurong Fen's schemes!
But as he stepped forward, Old man Bao's voice cut into his thoughts.
~"Calm yourself! You can't face her in your current state!"~
Luoyin instantly halted, but his hands fisted tightly as Old man Bao continued.
~"I released my aura to chase her off just now, or she might have killed you and everyone already! This is no time to act in mindless rage!"~
~"Umh."~ Luoyin nodded imperceptibly, his fingers relaxing slowly.
~"Xiaobai, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you what is likely buried beneath this City..."~ Old man Bao calmly resumed. ~"We never understood what Immortal Ye saw in his vision, but it was heavy enough to make him give his last breath to save you.
~"But with the coincidences of your mortal life, and the unveiling of past events, all this might be your fate! But if you are to face it, then it's time to take 'that' step, or you might lose those you're trying to protect."~
He sighed. ~"Whatever decision you make, this old man will still do all he can to protect you! But if you don't act, the world as we know it might fall to ruin..."~
Old man Bao's voice went silent, and Luoyin's brows dipped in worry.
He indeed couldn't face Zhurong Fen in his current state, and he turned away.
With a wave of his hand, a shield instantly appeared, separating the crowd of mortals from him, Weiyan, Yinying, Yin Xing, and the few swallows present.
From the outside, the mortals could no longer see or hear them, but from the inside, Luoyin and the rest could see them clearly, and his heart fell as he spotted Sect Leader Xu, Xu Min, Xu Wen, and Tao Yun who stood at the front of the large crowd.
Xu Min placed a hand against the familiar crystal shield and a hopeless sigh escaped his lips.
"Zhang Yin... He's going to do something to protect us again, isn't he?"
"I'm sure he's planning to send us far away from here." Xu Wen replied.
"Umh." Tao Yun nodded.
Sect Leader Xu simply placed a hand on Xu Wen's shoulder. "At a time like this, though it's shameful, our being here will only add to Xiaoyin's burdens...
"If he knows we are safe, he will be clear-headed enough to outwit the enemy!"
"Umh!"
"Zhang Yin won't lose!"
"Shixiong's skills are no joke!"
The four couldn't see Luoyin, but each gave an understanding nod in his direction... A nod which carried their encouragement, while begging him to return safely!
Sect Leader Xu's expression also bore a note of trust.
By now he knew his precious daughter was none other than the golden phoenix, Yan Liwei.
But she was mortal now, and yet Luoyin was deciding to keep her by his side, rather than send her away with the rest.
So Sect Leader Xu could only place his own trust in Luoyin... Trust that he wouldn't let Weiyan be harmed!
Luoyin received these nods and resolutely turned to Yin Xing.
"A-Xing, this city might be destroyed..." He held out a hand and a set of glowing silver flags appeared. "Set up this Formation around the arena and take the mortals back to Yueyan!"
"Umh!" Yin Xing collected the flags and vanished.
Next, Luoyin turned to the Swallows. "Before the Formation is done, find Yan Lutian and bring back as many of the remaining citizens as possible. After that..."
He linked his thumbs and bowed to the oldest among them. "I'm going to need your help with another matter...!"
There was a small silence, but all the Swallows soon inclined their heads and vanished.
"Meanwhile..." Luoyin, Weiyan, and Yinying looked down at a puddle of the greenish rain water, which now reflected the moon.
"The Blood Frenzy technique mimics my rain technique, reversed for evil rather than good." Luoyin observed.
"But it didn't rain, so how did she affect all these citizens?" Yinying asked, his eyes looking out at the citizens, some of whom were still lying unconscious.
"Yu Shui lake." Weiyan calmly replied.
Yinying looked more confused, but Luoyin nodded.
"Hao! As expected of my wife! You've recognized this city!"
"I awakened in the same courtyard from thirty thousand years ago..." Weiyan replied and Yinying gasped.
"Ei?! Are you saying this place is Jinyu City?!"
"One and the same..." Luoyin answered. "The black dragon went crazy and destroyed it thirty thousand years ago, so Zhurong Fen hid it's existence, while planting an obscure city in the stars.
"The Mortals around Jinyu City were most likely captured and had their memories altered, forming the earliest citizens of Yu Shui, and beginning the history that it had always been here, but destroyed by some force.
"Jinyu City was too big, so the gatekeeper only restored a small part for his illusion, breaking the resemblance with the original. And I might have sensed it because of that dense demon aura from back then, but as a mortal, my senses are not as strong as before."
He crouched, running his fingers through the water, shattering the reflected moon on its surface. "As to the Blood Frenzy Curse, Zhurong Fen's primordial form is a frost flower with Water and Ice as core elements, so she can mimic the rain technique."
He straightened, but shimmering spheres of water followed him, hovering and circling above his palm.
"But she's ultimately not a water creature, so she can't manifest endless amounts of water like I can. Even as a mortal, I can no longer manifest too much water, but I can still draw it from the East Sea since it's my primordial home.
"Hmph. Zhurong Fen does not possess such an innate place, so she must either use a nearby source, or summon it from a source tied to her aura, like I do from the East Sea."
"Yu Shui Lake!" Yinying finally realized.
"Exactly! Yu Shui Lake is the biggest change to this City.
If I'm not mistaken, the lake is the real centre of the original Jinyu City...
The place where that demon aura was strongest, and she dug out the lake and grew it herself infusing it with her own blood and essence, turning it into a sort of innate water home.
"This allowed her summon its waters from afar to rain in certain regions, framing me as the black dragon, and then the Lake also became the entire city's water source, making it easier to confuse, poison, and control the people!"
"Umh." Weiyan nodded, reaching over to poke one of the water spheres. "The 'Yu Shui' Citizens have been drinking water from the lake for years... Sun or rain, Zhurong Fen can activate the blood frenzy Curse whenever she wants!"
"How wicked!" Yinying shook his head. "She knew we would attempt to protect the Mortals, so she deliberately let the Swallows bring in so many citizens before activating the curse from within!"
"A poisonous woman indeed!" Luoyin's hand fisted and the water spheres collapsed, splashing to the muddy ground.
Luoyin indeed did not need Old man Bao to tell him what lay beneath Yu Shui...
If only half of the Demon King's essence sat beneath the Floral Realm's flower fields, then the other half was most likely buried here, and that must be why the Demon King had revealed Jinyu City to Zhurong Fen!
She had shifted focus to the Mortal realm since then, knowing it would be easier to avoid Sky Realm's detection.
But then Bailong had discovered Jinyu City, leading to the events from thirty thousand years ago!
Now, after so many years waiting, Zhurong Fen had orchestrated the Baishan tournament...
A move which might have killed multiple birds with a single stone...
First she would lure Luoyin through his friends and kill him and Weiyan, then she would raise the Demon King, sacrificing her own demons and the Pillars of Baishan.
And then together, she and the Demon King would conquer the Mortal Realm, beginning with Baishan which would be utterly defenseless.
But Luoyin had shattered her plans yet again, making Zhurong Fen now more desperate than ever...!
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