Pathway

Chapter 108: Springflame [12]

Ju Feng stepped out into the snowy plain and looked around before lifting his head up as the snow flakes gently caressed his face. Standing on a spot with his eyes closed, he took in a lungful of air before exhaling, slowly. The feel of the freshness in the air, was beginning to have the traces of comfort to him.

"Ah, my snowy plain."

Having confirmed he was truly back at the beautiful snowy plain, he crashed down on the ground. He planted his face on the snow filled ground to his much needed respite. Oh, the calming solace of the snow.  The feel of the snow had become a soothing relief from the apprehension of these recent events.

Several minutes later, that seemed like hours, he stood himself up and quickly located a moundy spot of snow where he sat down heartedly. He rumaged through his sac and brought out some preserved turtle meat and goat milk. He chewed the meat and washed it down with the milk as he ruminated on the events of the recent past. He had found the soul ring before the dimensional threw him out. The more he looked at the soul ring, the more he was happy with himself. But how did he had to find a soul ring on this journey? Heavens sent it must be.

Anyway, sooner or later, he would form his own soul space without the need for any artifact. But he knew it wouldn't be a matter of sooner. And with the way things were going, especially with the feelings of an impending death, he would need his soul space sooner. He was putting the soul ring away, when he remembered the fireglade he found on the lake of the molten fire. He quickly check inside his spatial sac and found it. 

Looking at it, he already knew it wasn't an ordinary glade, but a conchi shell. He slowly checked it and found that it was already opened but the bead was still inside. No wonder the hydra-guardian was released. The shell was already opened. But what could've opened a conchi shell at that place without them knowing? It had to be from a fortunate action during the raging battles. Slowly, he opened it and removed the bead.

The Flowing Flame. Crafted from an ancient redwood seed.

He could help himself, but bust into laughter. It seemed the beads were the ones looking for a way for him to enter Samsara cycle. He would've been dead by now if not for the heavens smiling on him. Remembering the two guardians he had seen, he made note to avoid the beads by all means. The beads were death in disguise. He put the bead away carefully, and his own share of the Irrium coins from the sojourn to the Springflame.

Ju Feng's mind trembled slightly as he recalled the time they were sorrounded by an army of scavens and two argonians when they were coming back through the mountain straits, without them knowing. And then, the sight of the three rulers of Wuzhen.

He remembered that, from the words of Shi Lingxian, they had unknowingly entered the Frozen Stars lock. A time freezing lock. They would have been killed at that point, if not for Shi Lingxian uncle, sovereign Yin Qian, who was the ruler of the human kingdom. He had, coincidentally or intensionally, opened a portal near the spot of the arrays which had destroyed the frozen lock. From the sound of it, the portal alone shouldn't have destroyed the lock, which meant that sovereign Yin Qian had intentionally destroyed the lock. 

On the soil of the scavens!

Although there was no visible prove, that was a major breach of the pact. A nascent soul and above must not get involved in the affairs of lesser ones. Ju Feng recalled his conversation with the tattered clothed boy, who he later learned his name to be Tan Wu.

"As you already know, the sovereign had intervened because of his nephew."

"Yea, such a great risk."

"That was why sovereign Yin Qian had brought those gifts. Their values could only be imagined."

"He must truly be fond of his nephew."

"Very much. You see, Shi Lingxin's mother, Yin Ying Hui, was the elder sister of Yin Qian, the sovereign. Long before the foming of the fortified cities, there was only one human city. This human city was founded by their father, Yin Xinyi. It was the first human kingdom. Despite being a turbulent time, the human city was holding fort. Yin Xinyi came to have two children, Yin Ying Hui and Yin Qian. Two geniuses of the human kingdom. But since Yin Ying Hui was born way before Yin Qian, she was given the first-born spirit pill. Her cultivation kicked off in a bang. She was growing up very strong in mystical and martial arts. There was a great expectation of her being the future pillar of the kingdom."

"So it seems."

"Thousands of years after the birth of Yin Ying Hui, Yin Qian was born. He turned out to be a genius of his kind. Despite being born several thousands of years after Yin Ying Hui, he reached Jindan stage only few years after his sister. But, he was too impatient and too eager to impress their father. After both reach the golden core stage, they decided to have outland cities in expansion of the human kingdom. Yin Qian moved to the right of the city towards the argonians while Yin Ying Hui, took the left on the side of the scavens."

"Please, continue."

"Although there was no pact then and the kingdoms were just few in population, there was regard shared among the rulers. But in his eagerness to expand the human territory, Yin Qian was systematically infringing on the argonians. One of the outland territories of the argonians, infringed, was gorverned by a member of the argonian highest. Yin Qian thought at the Jindan level, he was at the top to prove himself. But, he was wrong."

"Was he?"

"Absolutely."