Chapter 1253: Jingyu
Chapter 1253: Jingyu
"Is the Lightning-Devouring Falcon demon king really here?" Qin Sang revealed a look of surprise. He stared at the Lightning Thought Orb but could not discern anything from it, so he waited patiently for the fat chicken to finish the secret art.
Tears had already begun streaming down the fat chicken’s cheeks at some point, and his entire body trembled.
Mother and child had been separated for two hundred years. At last, he had found news of his closest kin, and tears of overwhelming joy flowed freely.
Unable to suppress his excitement, he opened his eyes as soon as he completed the technique and looked at Qin Sang, calling out urgently, "Master..."
"Can you determine your mother’s location?" Qin Sang asked in a deep voice.
The fat chicken nodded rapidly like a pecking chick and replied, "It’s somewhat vague, but I can determine the general direction. The closer we get, the clearer the guidance from the Lightning Thought Orb becomes!"
Qin Sang pondered briefly, then put away the sword talisman and said, "Let’s go. We’ll rescue your mother first!"
Back then, the Lightning-Devouring Falcon demon king had been able to fight two enemies alone, yet she had been trapped here for two hundred years without escape. Clearly, there were dangers within the Black Tower Array that they still did not understand.
She must have been very familiar with the array. If they could rescue her, she might help them deal with Old Devil Ye.
The Spiritual Infant cultivators of Small Cold Domain were mostly gathered. Helping her escape should not be difficult.
However, Qin Sang decided to assess the situation first before deciding whether to seek help.
If he could rescue the demon king on his own, that would be best. After being trapped for so many years, her current condition was unknown. If others saw her weakened and harbored ill intentions, it might instead lead to disaster.
He instructed the fat chicken to focus on activating the Lightning Thought Orb, then wrapped both of them in sword light and plunged into the blood mist.
***
In an unknown space, it was pitch black and extremely cold. The space was so narrow that it could barely fit one person. Two people would feel cramped.
Black walls surrounded the space. There was no ceiling slab. Instead, a blood-colored vortex appeared in the void above, constantly spinning in reverse.
Not only did no blood mist pour in from the vortex, but faint strands of spiritual qi seeped through it.
Seated cross-legged within this space was a woman. She wore no makeup. Her silver hair draped naturally over her shoulders. Her nose was delicate and straight, her appearance graceful.
She wore a soft silver Daoist robe. Upon closer inspection, threads of lightning flowed across it. It had been woven from lightning silk. Behind her, a pair of wings extended. She was of the demon race.
This woman was the Lightning-Devouring Falcon demon king, whose Dharma name was Jingyu.
She did not know how long she had been here. She had already grown accustomed to the cramped space and sat with her eyes closed, cultivating in meditation.
Trapped in such a place, she no longer knew what else she could do besides cultivation. After so many years, she had no choice but to accept her fate.
The only fortunate thing was that the barrier here had been damaged. It could only imprison her and did not inflict further torment. Otherwise, she would have long since perished.
Even so, these years had been unimaginably difficult. More terrifying still was not knowing whether there would ever be a day she could leave.
What had allowed her to endure until now was the greatest bond in her heart, her only family.
Yet cultivation was arduous, and the world changed like the tides. Without her protection, could that fragile child who had just been born survive?
The pitch-black space was utterly silent. Even the passage of time could not be felt.
Suddenly, Jingyu jolted awake. She rose abruptly, her hair nearly brushing the blood-colored vortex above.
She seemed to sense something and revealed an expression of disbelief. The sensation was far too vague. She even suspected it was merely an illusion born from her longing.
She froze for a moment, then suddenly realized. This was real. Not an illusion!
Lightning surged across her body. Bolts of electricity gathered before her like rain, condensing into a sphere the size of a dragon’s eye. Guided by her will, it entered her forehead. The sensation became clearer.
"Little Fatty! It really is Little Fatty!" Her face filled with joy.
First, she had finally confirmed that her child was still alive. Second, she could sense the Lightning Thought Orb drawing closer. It was clear he had come to rescue her.
The Lightning Thought Orb connected their bloodline. Only a direct relative could trigger such a response. Even another of her kind would not be able to produce this effect.
"How did he get in? Has he already reached the Transformation Realm? Or has something happened within Blood Lake?"
Trapped here, Jingyu could only vaguely sense the orb and knew nothing of her child’s situation.
She could not help but worry. What if he was threatened? To reach the Transformation Realm in two hundred years, even with my nurturing and being born already at the Demonic Spirit Realm, would mark him as a peerless genius.
Besides, this is a place of extreme danger. If Little Fatty acted recklessly out of urgency to save me, the consequences would be dire!
Back then, she had only escaped death by fleeing into this space. She had survived that calamity, only to discover she could never leave. No matter what methods she used, she could not break the vortex.
"No!" Her thoughts churned chaotically. How could she remain seated any longer?
Clenching her teeth, she looked up at the blood-colored vortex. Suddenly, she reverted to her true form. Her wings spread wide, and countless arcs of lightning surged forth silently.
In the next instant, she transformed into a bolt of lightning and charged directly into the vortex.
Boom! The vortex descended into chaos.
It spun wildly as countless streaks of blood-red light converged toward the center. Inside, blood light churned, flashing with intermittent lightning. The two forces clashed violently, yet the space below remained completely unmoved.
The outcome was decided quickly. Jingyu was defeated and crashed down heavily. She was now in a wretched state, many of her feathers damaged. This scene had repeated countless times.
***
Qin Sang moved through the array with the fat chicken.
The direction indicated by the Lightning Thought Orb kept shifting. The array was constantly rotating, and the black towers were not fixed, though the pattern governing them remained unknown.
However, as time passed, the orb’s guidance became clearer, indicating they were drawing closer to where the Lightning-Devouring Falcon demon king was trapped.
Whoosh! After passing through a patch of blood mist, Qin Sang suddenly halted, then slowly retreated with the fat chicken.
Ahead of them, more than a dozen giants, each nearly two zhang tall, were wandering about.
The giants were extremely burly, each holding a massive axe in both hands, their expressions ferocious. Their bodies and axes were entirely blood-red, as if formed from congealed blood, resembling grotesque flesh puppets.
Not long after entering, Qin Sang had already discovered these wandering flesh puppets within the array.
Fortunately, the Sky Eyes had detected them in advance. These creatures possessed extremely sharp senses. Even a slight approach from Qin Sang had nearly exposed him.
They seemed to lack intelligence, yet Qin Sang could clearly sense danger from them. The feeling was strangely familiar, reminding him of the unknown monster he had disturbed at the bottom of the blood river.
He did not know whether the two were connected, whether they had been created by the ones who built Blood Lake, or had formed naturally.
It seemed like the dangers of Blood Lake were not limited to what appeared on the surface.
Qin Sang had no intention of testing the taste of their blood axes. He carefully avoided them with the fat chicken and continued searching for the Lightning-Devouring Falcon demon king.