Beyond the Divine States

Chapter 22 Rosefinch Swept across and Set on Fire

The woman hesitated for a while and finally spoke slowly, "My name is Lu Jiajia. Jia means marrying someone."

Lu Jiajia...

What a weird name! And.it was a bit cute?

Slightly dazed, Ning Xiaoling could hardly connect the name with this cold and aloof sword immortal for the moment.

The woman proclaimed as Lu Jiajia heaved a sigh and said resignedly, "I was thin and small when I was a child. My mother was worried that no one would marry me when I grew up, so she named me Jiajia, hoping to bring me luck."

Ning Changjiu said with a smile, "It seems that Miss Lu fails your mother's goodwill."

Lu Jiajia knew that he was complimenting her on her appearance. After staying silent for a moment, she said, "Since I've started cultivating, I should be fully devoted to Taoism. It is allowed in the sect that one can have a Taoist partner, but I have no interest in it."

Ning Xiaoling asked, "Do you have to isolate yourself from the secular world as you start cultivating?"

Lu Jiajia said with a nod, "Since one gets out of the secular world, he should try to stay away from it. The casual relationships in the secular world are complicated. The more you involve, the harder it will be to pass the inner demon tribulation when you enter the realm of Purple Court."

Ning Xiaoling asked further, "Then why did you get off the mountain?"

Lu Jiajia was slightly flurried but her tone was still calm. "There are evils and demons in the secular world. I have to come."

Ning Changjiu suddenly asked, "Since demons can wreck Taoism in the secular world, why do you live outside the secular world?"

Lu Jiajia had no idea how to answer his question. Never had she considered that human beings could be compared with evils and demons.

Ning Changjiu continued, "I've asked my second fellow disciple this question."

Lu Jiajia immediately asked, "How did he answer it?"

Ning Changjiu said, "He said he was shunned by the secular world instead of avoiding the secular world himself."

Lu Jiajia was astonished first and then her eyes glistened. She felt that she understood the answer and then slightly nodded. "Your fellow disciple is quite extraordinary. I would like to meet him if possible."

Ning Changjiu's eyes suddenly went blank. In his memories, this senior fellow disciple had become immortal with his other six senior fellow disciples. According to the law of the universe, once one became immortal, he would be truly be detached from the secular world and never be able to come back.

It meant departing from the secular world forever.

Lu Jiajia looked at the two young people who depended on each other for survival and only reckoned that his fellow disciple must have passed away. She felt sorry for him and didn't ask further.

Ning Changjiu said smilingly, "My second fellow disciple had a brilliant temperament. If you really meet him, you must be careful."

Lu Jiajia slightly frowned and blushed with anger, saying sternly, "You did save my life but if you want to join my sect, you can't talk so rudely. You must know that we are kindred spirits on the road of cultivation but a disciple must be humble and respectful for his master."

Ning Changjiu didn't expect that his joke would make her so mad. He thought about it and then asked, "You want to take us as your disciples just because you want to cut off the causal relationship?"

Lu Jiajia stared at him in surprise for a while and then slightly nodded her head. "Your constitution is not as good as Xiaoling's but you are quite smart indeed."

Ning Xiaoling saw that Lu Jiajia's face was a bit serious so she tried to soothe her anger, saying, "Okay. If we can get away alive, we will go to your sect and take you as our master."

Lu Jiajia's countenance slightly softened and then she looked at Ning Changjiu.

Ning Changjiu said composedly, "I'll think twice."

The woman got a bit angry and only believed that he was too shallow-minded. If he really saw the celestial mountain covered with mist and clouds, which was like a fairyland built by a god, how could he want to leave that place?

Ning Xiaoling felt caught in a dilemma. "Changjiu, if you don't agree and I join the sect first, by then I will be your senior fellow disciple? How can that happen?"

With a smile, Ning Changjiu patted her head. "Now, the imperial city is in chaos. It remains unknown whether we can survive or not."

Ning Xiaoling nodded her head approvingly. "Yeah... We will be in trouble if we are found by the old fox."

Looking at her innocent and yet worried face, Ning Changjiu gave a smile.

Staring at them, Lu Jiajia felt so confused somehow.

Shortly, her thinking was interrupted.

It seemed to clear up suddenly outside. A large area of lights showed on the originally dark window paper.

As her sword mind was alarmed, she realized that the old fox had arrived outside the imperial palace.

Ning Xiaoling also noticed something was wrong. She wanted to push open the window and take a look but Ning Changjiu pressed her hand and shook his head with a stern face.

...

...

When the evil fox entered the city, the street was empty.

Under the disguise of the wizard patriarch, it looked like an old man with a lofty virtue worthy of respect. It walked through the straight street unhurriedly towards the center of the imperial city.

One hundred years ago, this was a mountainous area with beasts running amuck. Now, it had been paved with bluestones and buildings rose from the ground.

Usually, in the afternoon, even if it was raining, people were still coming and going in the street. Today, the imperial city was met with a catastrophe. Under the strict order of officers and soldiers, people also stayed at home in case of being implicated innocently.

Just when it stepped into the street, the patter of soldiers stepping on the rainwater came.

In the surrounding alleys, numerous sabers drawn out of the sheaths pierced through the rain, glistening with silver lights. They were all coming for the old fox.

It was raining heavily. The raindrops hit the helmets and crashed outside the eye sockets. Only by standing there, the old evil just showed the domineering evil power. Many people who couldn't open their eyes for the splattering rain could only see a vague and old silhouette now.

The general who led the soldiers, holding a saber, gazed at the silhouette very nervously, but his saber in the rain didn't tremble.

The general recognized the old man before him. That was the wizard patriarch, the cultivator he respected before but meanwhile, he could notice that the old man in front of him was giving off domineering evil Qi all over the body.

"You are not afraid of me?" The evil fox looked at the man pointing at it with a saber.

The general said, "I respect Lord Wizard Patriarch so I'm unwilling to s***h at his body."

The evil fox said with a smile, "But the wizard patriarch didn't seem to love you. Today, he even thought that after I slaughtered you all, the blood could serve as a sacrifice to the universe so that he could accomplish his Taoism. Luckily, I killed him for you."

The rain dripped across the rough cheeks of the general. Looking at the unfathomable old man before him, he had fear in his heart but his body had subconsciously sunken with his legs tapping the ground in tandem, ready to launch an attack.

"Stop slandering Lord Wizard Patriarch..." The general slowly twisted the saber handle and said coldly.

With its hands put on its back, the evil fox said laughingly, "After all, you still don't dare to attack me. You know clearly that I can kill all of you here."

Staring at the middle-aged general, it continued, "Maybe you are not afraid of death, but you should fear that your subordinates would die for no reason. Her Highness sent you here actually to let you go to hell. You know that but you still come here with your subordinates. You must feel unhappy with her, right?"

The general took a deep breath. His eyes glistened but he still said with determination, "As the general of the state of Zhao, I live on the soldier's pay and provisions. Of course I should guard the imperial city of the state of Zhao."

The evil fox looked around and asked, "Have you ever asked them whether they would like to die with you?"

The general shouted in a deep voice, "I haven't but I know the answer. Today, the state is about to perish. When a bird's nest is overturned, no egg can remain intact. For the sake of our family, I would like to sacrifice my life."

After saying that, the saber in the rain moved. That was a field-tested and yet very simple s***h. When the sword moved, all the people held their breath subconsciously. The sword glistened unprecedentedly bright, which was just like the thunder flashing across the pupils. The soldiers slightly leaned forward and only felt that something in their chests seemed to be ignited.

The saber was slashed down fiercely and then it just halted.

All the people were shocked to see the old man pinched the blade with two fingers firmly, even more stably than the general held the sword.

Hence, the sword just halted and couldn't land.

"What's your name?" The evil fox asked him.

The general, holding the saber handle with one hand and pressing the back of the saber with the other hand, wanted to press the saber down forcibly but he still couldn't make it.

As he didn't reply, the evil fox didn't ask further either. Instead, it reached out the other hand and pointed at itself, "You can take over this man's position in the future."

Before the general could hear clearly what he was saying, the sound of the saber cracking came into his ears. He suddenly leaned forward but he didn't bump into the old man. Instead, with a bang, he thudded on the ground. Luckily, he reacted so fast that the moment his body reached the ground, he supported himself with the sword handle and suddenly leaped up. When he composed himself, the old man had walked towards the end of the long street.

"Freeze!" The general shouted and drew out a saber from the waist of a soldier around him. Then he chased the old man but within a blink of an eye, the old man just disappeared like evaporating into thin air.

The general stood a long while in situ. He was hot all over the body. As the rain dropped on the backs of his hands, it seemed to be flaming with a sizzle.

He stared at the position where the old man disappeared. After a while, he dropped the cracked saber on the ground and his soldiers all put down the sabers and started to wipe off the sweat on their foreheads.

The general laughed bitterly and said lightly, "Her Highness didn't lie to us. It doesn't dare to kill people indeed.

Now, the old fox had appeared on another path that was closer to the imperial palace.

It could have killed a general to intimidate the others at the cost of being backlashed.

However, looking at the apparently frightened soldiers who still besieged it, it suddenly thought of the fact that this imperial city seemed to belong to it.

"The whole state of Zhao was born for me. Of course, this is my state."

Since they were its people, it didn't need to hurt them then.

At the moment, it suddenly wanted to take a look at the throne in the imperial palace, wondering what it would look like if it sat on the throne and ruled the South Continent with the soul of an evil.

The old man laughed while stroking the beard. He raised his leg lightly and put it down heavily. The next moment, thunder just crashed through the imperial city and it started to pour down.

As the old man passed the memorial gate carved with the words--Phoenix Twitter, the high city wall of the imperial palace appeared before him.

The bows and arrows on the city wall had been fitted to the strings. One after another, they were targeted at the old man who appeared from nowhere.

"The seal of the state, the ancient book and the red umbrella are all shields while the Flame Wand is the sword. So that explains it." Paying no heed to the bows and arrows, the old fox just looked at the chaos of the city and muttered to itself. "What a nice move that the immortal conceived to slow down my pace of destroying the state! Yet, I do wonder how much sword Qi Zhao Xiang'er can exert with the sword."

Just when it finished muttering, the iron arrows were all shot from the wall with a whoosh.

However, in the eyes of the old man, they were no different from the ordinary raindrops.

Clang!

The time and space around him seemed to be stagnant.

The iron arrows stopped weirdly several meters away from him. Only the tips of the arrows caused thin ripples.

The old man rolled up his sleeves. The arrows were all taken into his sleeves like water. Then the old man said loudly, "Thank you for lending the arrows to me, Your Highness."

He raised his legs and wanted to tread towards the central one of the five gates of the imperial palace.

Now, on the throne in the imperial palace, a young girl, who had taken a shower and changed her clothes, was sitting before the mirror and drawing her eyebrows.

Wearing a bright yellow cloak drawn with the pattern of golden feathered phoenix, flames and waves of snow, she was sitting alone in the depths of the palace. In the world of a black-and-white style, her silhouette of sitting straight up on the throne appeared rather fabulous.

In the mirror, there appeared a childish face of a young girl who was even not 16 years old yet. Her eyebrows were clearly drawn as if a picture is faintly drawn in the finest art paper with a brush pen, which contained a lingering cold beauty.

She gathered up her long hair scattered on her thin shoulders, watching the pretty face in the mirror quietly for a long time. She didn't come to her senses with a smile as if thinking through something until the old and deep voice of the old fox came from outside the imperial city.

"If you really wanted to lock him up, why did you make the four keys?" Zhao Xiang'er slowly stood up. Her robe was large and wide. The drooping sleeves covered the tips of her fingers and her body shape was still perfectly shown with her slim waist. She looked up slowly and stared at the luxurious and beautiful dome, saying, "Mother, I see. Hopefully, when we meet again, I won't fail you."

She walked down the stairs.

Outside the city gate, the old fox didn't put down the leg.

On the water surface under the shoe, there vaguely appeared a pale red shadow, which got increasingly clear. It was faintly a flying bird with flaming wings, hovering on the shadow in the water as if there were also a free world under the water.

At that time, in the heart of the fearless old fox, it suddenly felt strongly alarmed.

It wanted to crush the shadow in the water with one stomp but he was still hesitant.

In the imperial city, a shout swept through deafeningly.

Under the water, the flaming phoenix flew down like a rocket.

Flying down in that world, from the angle of the old fox, appeared like flying upward against the fire at an increasingly fast speed.

As it approached the world above the water, the flaming phoenix became bigger and bigger. Within a few breaths, on the wet ground outside the imperial city, the shadow of the phoenix fluttering its wings was everywhere.

Now, it seemed as if the whole water surface was burning.

The temperature turned into real heat before it could go through the barrier of the water world, but everyone would foresee that the barrier between the water world and the real world was about to be broken.

"Rosefinch sweeps across to set the heavenly fire?" The old fox pondered and suddenly blurted out this prophecy.

However, having been confused for only an instant, the old fox put on a determined look. "You are only a fake one. How can you be the real Rosefinch?"

Notwithstanding, the moment the water rippled, the old fox still slid backward for hundreds of meters.

The silhouette of the flaming phoenix emerged from the water, like a flying arrow, a flash of lightning, a shooting meteor, or a flowing flame.

The moment it broke out of the water, there seemed to be intangible threads connecting it and the old fox, which couldn't be cut off or melted.

Zhao Xiang'er had strolled out of the hall of the imperial palace.

The arrows on the city wall were shot again.

Zhao Xiang'er raised the Rosefinch Flame Wand up high. For the moment, her spirit and the flaming phoenix that guarded the city were integrated.

After sliding backward for hundreds of meters, the old fox didn't want to retreat anymore. The Rosefinch Flame Wand was the sword left by the immortal to kill the old fox. Now that the sword was around the corner, it still felt worried, but after all, that was not the sword used to s***h it at that time. Therefore, the old fox was not very frightened.

The old fox stopped. Its three wisps of souls were integrated, not swayed at all. It swiped across its chest with its fingers to exert the condensed sword move it had done above Lake Qifeng and waved away all the arrows in its sleeve with the other hand at the same time.

The iron arrows hit each other in the air, all dropped on the ground with the sound of clatters.

The human figure and the flame figure bumped into each other on the ground.

Those were two balls of fire.

It could hardly tell which one was hotter or brighter but as they fought with each other, they flew up and rushed towards the bright light pillar in the sky.

The rain was heated and turned into the fog; the clouds were crushed into bits. The bright light poured in the imperial city, which appeared like the sun ahead when near and yet seemed like the shattered moonlight at the distance.

Before the imperial palace, Zhao Xiang'er wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, staring at the light pillar without blinking her eyes. However, she had shed tears unknowingly.