Chapter 271 – Past and Present Fate (Part Three) (2/2)

The sound of the zither, the tree behind her, as well as the space that enveloped the entire mountain path, made her feel that there was something extremely dangerous out there.

Since childhood, she had cultivated the Dao. Ever since her blood had awakened, this had been the greatest danger she had ever perceived.

She did not have any specific reason. She did not know who was waiting for her at the end of the path, nor did she know for what purpose her opponent had used so much mental strength to design this space to cut her off from the Garden of Zhou.

However, she knew that she should probably break this space.

There was no reason to do it, but she did not need a reason. Since her opponent had trapped her in a prison, and she wanted to destroy the plan, then of course she should destroy this space her opponent had designed for her.

She brought her finger up to her lips and lightly bit down on it. Then, she realized that she hadn't broken the skin, so she could not help but feel a little embarrassed.

Afterwards, she forcefully bit down, and her slender eyebrows twisted in pain.

As she looked at the beads of blood coming out of her fingertip, she frowned in displeasure.

She disliked the pain, and much less to wound herself.

She placed her hand in the air over the abyss at the edge of the path.

A dark red bead of blood dripped down from her finger and fell towards the wispy clouds below.

As they fell, the drops of blood began to change color. They grew increasingly red and splendorous. They continued to grow brighter, until at the very end, they had become gold.

They were like drops of melted gold. Within, they concealed an unimaginable power.

The temperature around the mountain suddenly began to rise. The shallow layer of frost that had just covered the stone surface suddenly evaporated. That lonely tree became even more withered.

The weeds that had grown up with much difficulty in the seams of the cliff instantly burned to ash.

The golden drop of blood fell down upon the clouds.

There was only a whoosh.

A light began to erupt from the clouds. Those clouds were like cotton that had suddenly been set on fire.

A massive fire suddenly blazed up amongst the mountain range, turning the dark night into day.

A single drop of blood had brought about such a magnificent sight.

Was this the power of the Heavenly Phoenix's true blood?

Seeing the newly lit up mountain range, her face was filled with satisfaction, but in the next moment, her brow creased once more.

Biting open her own finger truly was a bit painful.

She brought her finger in front of her mouth and began to lightly blow on it, seemingly very focused.

At the same time, she mumbled to herself as if she were coaxing a child, ”Doesn't hurt......doesn't hurt......it doesn't hurt, good.”

From the day he entered Mount Li to learn the sword, Su Li's fate had been decided. He wanted to protect this peak as well as the entire south. So even if he spent the vast majority of his time wandering the four seas, he would always come back to Mount Li every so often to prove to the Empress in the capital and to the demons even further north that that iron sword was still there.

From the day her blood had awakened, her fate had also been decided. She wanted to protect the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green, protect the Eastern Divine General's Mansion, the Imperial Palace and the Li Palace. Now she had added on the Holy Maiden Peak. The things she wanted to protect were truly too many. In reality, they all pointed without a doubt towards that final goal of protecting all of humanity.

How to protect it? On what grounds should she protect it? The most important, or even the sole reason was of course the fact that within her body flowed the true blood of the Heavenly Phoenix. For this reason, all people doted upon her, or revered her, or placed endless hopes and expectations on her. However, no one knew that there were times when she really did not like the fact that within her body flowed that blood.

That blood was too pure, too sacred, so in everyone's eyes, she was also pure and sacred. As a result, she, a person of the Zhou, born in the capital, able to become the successor of Holy Maiden Peak. However, she had never thought of herself as a pure and sacred young lady. The entire continent called her ”Phoenix”, but she felt that a more appropriate title would be ”Vulgar”.

She creased her eyebrows and blew on her finger as she watched the faintly discernible outlines of demon horns in the blazing clouds. She thought to herself, ”If I wasn't afraid of pain, perhaps I really would try and find some way of pouring out all this blood until there was nothing left.” But would it be okay for there to be no blood? There was no way, so she could continue to be afraid of pain with a clear conscience. If this was to be her fate, then she should continue forward and see, and talk about it then.

The clouds had burned into nothingness, leaving only the sky. The cliffs returned to darkness, but it seemed lighter than before. It gave one a feeling of safety.

She continued forward along the mountain path.

For some people, their fate was not decided at birth, or when their blood was awakened, or when they entered the tutelage of some expert or sect.

Somewhat sorrowfully, and prone to bring about an indescribable anger in them, was that their fate was decided by the fate of others.

At the peak that was at the end of this path was the legendary Sunset Valley, the true Sunset Valley.

If someone sat there, he would be able to see the mystical design of suspended light over the plain.

A little girl sat at the edge of the cliff, calmly looking at the plain below. In her indifferent, wooden eyes, there was no emotion.

She was called Nanke.

She was the Demon Lord's thirty-seventh daughter.

When she was born, the Demon Lord was extremely happy, because her body possessed the bloodline of the Peacock. So he gave her the name of ”Nanke”.

(TL: 南客 (Nan ke) is another name for the peacock.)

Nanke was a Peacock.

At that time, her fate should have been to be doted upon by her royal father, then becoming the pride of the entire Demon race.

However, when she was one year old, the blood of a girl in the south awakened, and she began to cultivate the Dao.

In comparison, she fell short.

Let alone the fact that she was of the imperial family.

Thus, pride became shame, and even humiliation.

From that point on, her fate had been decided.

To be victorious over her, or to kill her.