Chapter 176 - Slipping (1/2)
Ren stands before the burning house, or what's left of it. Three days... the house has been burning for three days and no matter what they do, they can't put the fire out! No one can even get within ten feet of the blazing fire without catching on fire themselves.
Ren falls to his knees and throws his head back, screaming at the top of his lungs in anger. Why? Why!? Lady Xue collapsed that night and hasn't recovered since... it's like someone placed a dark curse on his Master and all his loved ones.
He felt so useless...
”Where's the woman?” A deep voice behind him asks. Ren frowns and turns to find a man in solid white clothes with long black hair. Ren collects himself and slowly stands to face the man. Was this the man from the higher heavenly council that Master told him about?
”Are you from the higher heavenly council?” Ren asks with a rough voice. The man narrows his eyes before slightly nodding and asking again ”Where is the woman with silver hair?” Ren's body trembles from anger as he says ”The King from the Under Realm took her... he took her! And now my Master... My Master has been struck by lightning and killed...”
The man cuts his eyes over to the burning building as he says ”That devil will not die by Unholy fire... I guess I'm too late. The wheels of destiny have already begun to turn...” He turns to walk away but Ren quickly grabs the man and says ”Repeat what you just said...” in a trembling voice.
The man looks down at Ren's hand before flicking his hand off with a shrug. He brushes his white robes off and says ”You're wasting my time.” Suddenly the man is gone, leaving Ren in a jumbled mess. He slowly turns back to the burning building with fear and hope.
~~~~~~~
The man in white appears in a solid white building with nothing but gold to break up the white here and there. A very old man with a long white beard sits on a large golden chair looking down at a golden bowl of water. A thin layer of white mist is seen hovering over the water as the old man watches everything with clear white eyes.
The man in white kneels before the old man and waits. ”Where's the girl, Bolin?” The old man asks swiping his hand over the misty water. The white mist grows thicker until the water's surface is completely hidden. Bolin raises his head and says ”Forgive me, my Lord. I was too late. I was told the King of the Under Realm has already taken her.”
The old man's eyes were now back to normal as he reaches up to stroke his long white bread with a frown before saying ”Troublesome... Why did she appear in the Lower Realms and not here? Lady Mei foretold the woman coming to us first. This is all wrong... I still can't see her either.”
Bolin lowers his head and says ”What if the prophecy crumbles because she did not come to us. We didn't get to teach her anything...” The old man huffs out and says ”Who knows... everything is a mess now.” A beautiful woman in white walks in and says ”She has been tainted. She can no longer carry out what the prophecy has foretold.”
Bolin grits his teeth in annoyance and says ”Xia, it's too soon to say that. The prophecy can still be fulfilled.” Xia watches Bolin with a cold look as Bolin continues ”The prophecy foretold that when evil overtakes the land and washes everything at hand in the very blood of our mothers and daughters. A star will fall. Through dirt and shadow, she'll grow, devouring the very evil that grows. She'll bask in the darkness as her own, for she was born on a moonless night and yet shines just as bright.”
Bolin slowly stands to his feet and says ”Nowhere does it say that she must come to us first. She can still do it.” Xia smirks at Bolin and turns to look at the old man saying ”What if she succumbs to the very evil she's supposed to destroy?”
The old man continues to stroke his beard as he says ”If she can not overcome the evil, we will remove her. For now, we wait and watch.” Xia shakes her head and says ”Let's just hope she doesn't become too strong for us.”
Bolin snaps at Xia and says ”She cannot become stronger than a deity, even with all the dark, evil energy. Why do I get the feeling you just want to kill her?” Xia smiles at Bolin and says ”Calm down, Bolin. Are you feeling guilty for not knowing your charge was here and unprotected?”
Suddenly, a loud clack is heard as the old man slams his white staff down. The noise echos around the white and golden room while he says ”Enough! What's done is done. We will watch and see. Until then, no one is allowed to go back down to the Lower Realms and interfere.” Bolin and Xia both bow to show respect before turning to leave.
Just as Bolin was about to leave, he suddenly remembers something. He turns back to the old man and says ”That's right, I almost forgot. That devil... he's awakened his true form.” The old man's head jerks up with large, shocked eyes.