In the darkness of the night, warm calm winds blew over Guan Yu's face as he flew back to ninth heaven. Mid-air, he recalled back all of the things that Wan Miansu said. His thoughts seemed to shake his mind. The more he thinks of him, the more that his heart aches. "I don't understand why my heart feels sorrow for her."
Many questions start to circle in his mind like the endless halo of stars from above.
Arriving at the hallway, he ran and tried to find Elder Fang but he didn't find him. He was out of breath as he arrived at the inner hallways and saw Xuanwu instead of Elder Fang.
"Where is Elder Fang? What is happening?" —Guan Yu
"I don't know what is happening. He seemed strange. It is as if he knew I was observing him. I didn't get any information from the paper talisman I attached to him."—Xuanwu
"I see. What strange thing did you observe from him?"—Guan Yu
"I found anomalies while my talisman was still attached to him. His one closed meridian eats half of his qi but he wasn't bothered by this. I think there is something behind that closed meridian right?" —Xuanwu
"This one closed meridian of his is his dui meridian. The dui meridian is the most important meridian of an immortal. If one closes, then the others will take up much qi. I want you to come with me when I will fight Elder Fang and observe him with your eternal night eyes." —Guan Yu
"Fine... I will go with you." —Xuanwu
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In the dead of night, disguising as an old woman, Wan Miansu entered Wenxi city, the capital of the Jade Phoenix's kingdom. The smell of food enticed her as she passed by an open inn. It has been so long since she had seen the mortal realm.
"This is rather frustrating..."
She went inside the open inn and ordered food and accommodation paying one large pearl.
"I'll take a room and food for tonight."
The innkeeper's eyes grew large as he received the pearl in his hand while using his other hand to wipe his eyes confirming if he wasn't seeing things.
"I'll prepare your room right away, mistress."
With hands shaking in wonder, he ran right away and prepared a big room for Wan Miansu.
Meanwhile, Moxiao was silently cultivating at the top tower of the kingdom's fort. As the cultivation was about to reach it's peak, Moxiao sensed an unsual evil aura that entered the premise of the kingdom. He retracted his cultivating state and rose up to find Wei Yue running across the chambers.
"Will you miss me if I'll go?"
Lu Jie asked with eyes brimming in love and longing looking back at Wei Yue.
"You're rather playful today... Since when did you have that energy?"
Wei Yue pulled her close and she sat at his lap.
"Crazy bird. I'm always like this when I am free." She slowly traced her hands against Wei Yue's face lowering down to the side of his robe.
"Tomorrow, I will descend to the dark realm and check on my master's condition." —Lu Jie
"When will you be back?" —Wei Yue
"You're asking me when I'll be back even if I haven't left yet?"—Lu Jie
"Yes, because in that way I would be hopeful when I keep missing you."—Wei Yue
"Idiot.... Haha. Do you know, we descendants of shuras must have to descend to the dark realm once in a while?" —Lu Jie
"Demon-kins have this kind of ritual? Or...."—Wei Yue
"We demon-kins die if we breathe too much mortal air."—Lu Jie
"But you always loved breathing me in and out..."
A smirk formed in Wei Yue's lips as he was about to engage a kiss when Moxiao barged inside the room out of breath.
"Moxiao... Why are you here?"—Lu Jie
"I have something to tell his majesty..."—Moxiao
"Alright. I'll leave you two alone. I'm going to be gone for awhile." —Lu Jie
"Alright. Take care your majesty."—Moxiao
Wei Yue then let Moxiao sit first and calm himself before speaking out. As he calmed his breath, Moxiao then spilled the beans.
"I have sensed someone who entered the palace premise... It's a strong evil aura with an intent to kill." —Moxiao
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Guan Yu ran back and forth passing by every immortals on every levels of hallway of the ninth heaven but still there was no sign of Elder Fang. He scratched his head. "There was no way he could've disappeared..."
He was losing hope when he then remembered someone that maybe knows Elder Fang's whereabouts... Zhuge Liang.
The dungeon was located underneath the thirteenth floor of ninth heaven and no one would even dare to venture there except for the heavenly guards or the immortals who are in charged of distributing commodities for the ones who are inside the dungeon.
Guan Yu mustered up his courage. The last thing he remembered was the day his divine weapon shattered by the hands of Xuanwu's son. "I trusted the fool too much which led to the ruination of my divine weapon. I musn't visit him today, perhaps I will find another time."
He was hesitant as his hands froze before opening the entrance to the dungeon. "No... I must do it today. It's either now or never after all, he's just an old friend..."
Guan Yu slowly put his hands on the lever of the door as he slowly creaked it open. Descending down the stairs, he finally made it to the pitchest black part of the dungeon...
There, only a sliver of light filled his eyes so he decided to light up a ball of fire to see where he would go. As he lit up a floating torch, the other torches lit up which made his skin crawl.
"Maybe the torches reacted to my aura..." he concluded.
As he continued descending down few more steps, a radiant glow from a corner of a cell radiated his eyes.
He withdrew the floating fire ball from his hand and went closer to the light.
There, Zhuge Liang was sitting at a lotus position with his eyes closed. Guan Yu assumed that he was asleep inside the God withholding Buddha Platform because the intense energy of the platform will suck all of the cultivation base that a restrained god has. Basically, any immortal that is stuck inside it will just be regarded as an ordinary person no better than a mortal.
"Did you exact your revenge to Xuanwu dear friend? You vowed that you would avenge me did you not?"—Zhuge Liang
"I was defeated because of you! You pushed me to the brink of my death!"—Guan Yu
"Brink of your death? Ha! You are just one of my dispensable pawns yet you're too naive to know it! How amusing!"—Zhuge Liang
"Forget it. I'm not wasting my time talking to someone like you!"—Guan Yu
Guan Yu was about to leave but Zhuge Liang laughed out loud like a crazed person.
"A friendly advice as an old friend, do not blink when someone is attacking you because you may never know if they are already standing behind you ready to pounce at your back anytime."
"I will keep it in mind."
As Guan Yu was about to leave, he turned his head for abit and
bade his farewells.
"You are one of the best I knew but you chose to betray the people that adored you. For me, you're the one who is miserable."
Ascending to the stairs, Guan Yu left all of his feelings down into the drain. It was like a breath of relief and a sigh of sorrow at the same time.
Meanwhile, Zhuge Liang sat down on his cell as tears fell down from his eyes.
"It is too late to regret now, I guess." He whispered to himself.
Finally, Guan Yu exited the dungeon's main entrance and suddenly remembered something. The millennium cascading cherry blossoms...
He suddenly recalled of the pavillion where Elder Fang sits everyday.
He ran fast and as he reached the place, he saw Elder Fang standing in front of the cherry blossoms.
Stepping forward, Guan Yu slowly summoned his divine weapon from behind. He is weak against water deities but it is still a good fighting chance if he summons his divine weapon.
Face to face, Elder Fang did not hide anything anymore. His other eye is corrupted by ancient evil as black veins trailed down on his left arm.
"Fang Xuezhi!!! How???!"—Guan Yu
"More—power.... I will revive the shuras and overturn heaven and earth! I will rule above them and pathetic fools like you will be the first to die!"—Elder Fang
"I thought you are better than this? I respected you!"—Guan Yu
"You should have just kept your trust to yourself!"—Elder Fang
With Elder Fang's words, Guan Yu clenched his fist and finally completed the weapon summoning.
"Since you have dishonored yourself and our bond as brothers, I will bring back the honor by ending your life myself!" —Guan Yu
From the distance, Elder Fang's sword and Guan Yu's spear brimmed creating various sparks as Xuanwu observed their battle using her eternal night eyes.
The battle was seemingly smooth and her observation doesn't have any anomalies at all but... Her eyes grew.
"What is that?"
Xuanwu looked closely.
Elder Fang's dui meridian is completely covered by a black flame although his element is primary ice.
"How is this possible??!" Xuanwu internally shouted in utter shock.