The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 378: Fortune Map of Mountain and Rivers

Fortune Map of Mountain and Rivers . . .

Bing Xinyue had accomplished the seemingly impossible: halting Xiu of Heavens in her tracks.

Without Wan of Clouds\' intervention, Xiu of Heavens would have inevitably removed the restraint, leading to Bing Xinyue\'s demise. Nevertheless, Xiu of Heavens would have followed her into death shortly after.

Now, facing Xiu of Heavens and Wan of Clouds simultaneously, Bing Xinyue felt powerless. Both were legendary figures, and while she might have managed to hold her own for a time in an ordinary confrontation, she knew that if they employed any special martial arts to augment their combined might, she would inevitably fail. Despite having no fear of death, Bing Xinyue was determined to buy as much time as possible to ensure Cha Nantian\'s escape. Regardless of the eventual outcome, she would harbor no regrets.

However, things took an unexpected turn.

Wan-Er muttered, "Since you don\'t wish to kill her..."

In a swift motion, she shook her wrist, causing her sword to vanish. In its place, a scroll appeared, unfurling before her. She exclaimed, "Xiu-Er!"

Without hesitation, Xiu of Heavens extended her hand, grasping the opposite end of the scroll. Simultaneously, they both cried out, and a stream of white light radiated from their hands, merging into the scroll. The once unassuming scroll now gleamed with brilliant light, and an explosion of vivid colors filled the space.

Bing Xinyue watched in astonishment as Wan-Er and Xiu-Er disappeared.

"Let\'s meet in Chen-Xing City," Wan-Er called out. "You cannot stop us."

Dazed and bewildered, Bing Xinyue scanned her surroundings but found no trace of her adversaries. She was left to wonder what had transpired. While Wan and Xiu were formidable within their world, they should never have been capable of vanishing before her eyes. So how had it happened?

To her dismay, the unimaginable occurred. Before her stood none other than Chen-Xing City.

There was no mistaking it – the Royal House, the House of Zuo, the Crown Prince\'s Palace, and even Chu Chu\'s residence were all unmistakable. She even spotted Ling-Bao Hall.

"I was just outside the city. How did I suddenly appear within the city in an instant?" Bing Xinyue pondered aloud. "This must be an illusion. I am surely trapped within some delusion."

Yet, everything around her was far too tangible to be dismissed as mere illusion.

Bing Xinyue reached out and touched the nearby wall. It was hard and rugged.

"What is this? What kind of sorcery is this? How can it be so real?"

In her pursuit to unravel the mystery, Bing Xinyue bit her tongue, causing her pain. She let out a cry and swiftly ascended like an arrow, soaring to a height of a thousand meters in the sky.

Bing Xinyue, despite her earlier contemplation, found herself musing once more as she observed the city from a great height. Her skepticism persisted.

"No matter what illusion it is, if I stand high enough in the sky looking down back on it, how could it still cover my sight?" she questioned, her doubt unwavering. "Since you can make an entire Chen-Xing City, can you make the whole Kingdom of Chen?"

From her elevated vantage point, she surveyed the landscape below, yet what met her gaze remained unmistakably the Chen-Xing City as she had always known it. The terrain surrounding the city was just as she remembered, every detail preserved. It was all too authentic to be an illusion, compelling her to ponder the extraordinary powers at play.

Indeed, if it was a spell or sorcery, it must possess unparalleled might to transcend the natural order.

Bing Xinyue lingered in the heavens, deep in thought. She knew the city was illusory, but her determination to unravel its secrets remained unshaken.

Then, something captured her attention.

Her pupils dilated as dense smoke began to emanate from Ling-Bao Hall, and a palpable aura of death and conflict hung heavy in the air.

The sound of battle reached her ears as if thousands of combatants were locked in fierce strife. Yet, Bing Xinyue steadfastly maintained her composure, confident that these were nothing more than illusory manifestations, figments of her own thoughts.

The onslaught of black dots rapidly advancing from the smoke didn\'t alter her conviction. As they surged forth, they resembled warriors engaged in a relentless pursuit.

She reasoned, "It must be illusions! It only shows me whatever I am thinking about! Whatever I am worried about, it will show up! How come nowhere else will there be a fight but only Ling-Bao Hall? Things in dreams are fake, but what I am dreaming will become truth!"

Bing Xinyue\'s discerning mind had always kept her grounded, unswayed by mere illusions. But the next instant, she could no longer deny the reality unfolding before her.

From the billowing smoke, a collection of black dots raced with frantic determination, closing in on her. They moved at an alarming speed, and the air grew charged with tension.

The vanguard of these dark figures was unmistakably led by Feng Zhiling, the Monarch of Ling-Bao Hall. Accompanying him were just two others, starkly outnumbered in their desperate dash for survival.

As the three of them hurtled forward like lightning, a tide of black-clad assassins pursued relentlessly. More assassins appeared along their path, with swords flashing like lightning and their collective assault focused squarely on Feng Zhiling and his companions.

The Monarch bore countless wounds and was drenched in blood, yet he continued his relentless pursuit, intent on escaping the impending onslaught.

Cha Eun Xiao pressed forward relentlessly, his body a vessel of torment, a crimson path tracing his every step.

In his wake, a gruesome tapestry unfurled, a nightmarish highway of red, where his blood coursed freely, like a macabre signature upon the earth. The vivid hues of crimson wove a haunting tapestry on the ground.

Even in these dire circumstances, the sight was insufficient to shake Bing Xinyue from her conviction, leaving her anchored in the realm of doubt.

Yet, in stark contrast to the visceral chaos surrounding him, Feng Zhiling\'s countenance remained untouched by fear or panic. His visage was marked only by a frosty resolve, an unshakable calm that defied the perilous situation that threatened to extinguish his life.

Despite the relentless storm of adversity, he wore his frigid determination like an ironclad mask. It was a display of pride, a profound self-assurance birthed from the pinnacle of existence.

Amidst the fray, his unyielding thoughts resonated like a clarion call, "Even in the depths of anguish, my pride soars skyward, resolute and undeterred."

Pressing onward, he bore the brunt of each merciless strike, a crimson testament to his unwavering determination. Blood flowed like a river, a stark reminder of his perilous journey.

Bing Xinyue\'s heart ached as the tragedy unfolded before her. In the depths of her soul, she clung to the belief that this was naught but an elaborate illusion, a cruel mirage within Chen-Xing City, unfathomable and surreal.

Feng Zhiling surged ahead, traversing the labyrinthine streets, but danger lurked on every rooftop. Stealthy figures, cloaked in darkness, materialized above him like specters, their blades descending with eerie precision. A storm of swordplay unfurled, an unrelenting onslaught of steel intent on his demise. Cha Eun Xiao danced with death at every step..