From the darkness, LanRong felt the knife stroke her skin. Although she never felt pain as an immortal, the torture was slow and brutal making her whimper silently while the stranger persists his way on carving a sculpture out of her flesh.
Yet, no matter how he tried, the flesh and skin grows back. Blood sheds only a few drops and after a while, LanRong's skin regenerates in place like it has never been scalded.
Finally, the torturer gave up and the sound of the knife clanked on the concrete floor.
"I'm envious of you immortals, while we humans are vulnerable, you all have immense qualities of something that we cannot have."
"If you are envious, then why'd you not kill me then? If it angers you, why do you enjoy bothering yourself scalding off my skin like a fish learning how to walk on land?"
"Because I enjoy pain. I enjoy seeing you in a pitiful state. Until MoXiao finds you, I'll be able to keep my promise of keeping you alive."
"Don't hope that he'd find me. Because if he does, he will definitely destroy you."
"Bold words you have there. I like your glib tongue."
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"Grandmother… There was still no sign of LanRong. I'm afraid that she have been gone for almost a day now."
"It's alright Wei Yue… I'll now give you my permission to use the sword pool. Once you get to the bottom of the sword pool, an ancient guardian eel will guide you through the cave of the sacred swords. There, you will be able to see any immortal that has been missing."
"Yes Grandmother. Thank you."
"Take MoXiao too. He's an immortal after all."
"Alright. We'll go now grandmother."
Wei Yue and MoXiao excused themselves and went to the sword pool. The sun was almost setting and the light of the last day reflected upon the waters.
Wei Yue conjured his jade staff and placed it's tip on the clear waters. The water reacted differently. The flow of the water from the sword pool reversed on the other direction and soon, the pool turned into a whirlpool sucking all of water like an abyss.
Moments later, a serpent-like creature with ears like sails and scales like a dragon ascended from below the abyss. The creature looked at both of them with it's gigantic eyes. MoXiao gulped a saliva as he reached for his divine weapon slowly. He hadn't seen such creature before and afraid that it might be hostile towards them. Wei Yue noticed his worries and touched his hand shaking his head.
'Don't do it. Let's wait for the eel to recognize us as immortals.'
'Yes your highness.'
The eel looked at them intently and afterwards spoke with a booming mighty voice.
"I can sense that you both are immortals… What brings you both here?"
MoXiao was about to speak but Wei Yue stepped forth and opened his mouth first.
"We are here to look for a missing immortal named Zhuge LanRong, daughter of Zhuge Liang."
"I see. The cave of sacred swords lies deep within the abyss that I guard. Hold your breaths and we'll arrive there."
The ancient guardian eel lowered it's head and afterwards descended into the abyss. Wei Yue and MoXiao looked at each other and nodded. They already got the notion that they should follow the eel into the deep abyss. But, before they dove into the deep, MoXiao gave Wei Yue a special pill specially crafted and perfected by the prestigious medicine students of Tangmen.
"This pill will enable us to breathe underwater for long without drowning. Before we follow him, we'll make sure that we won't drown your highness."
"Yes. Thank you, MoXiao."
"No, thank you your highness. I was the one who should find LanRong and yet, here you are helping me in finding her."
"We are all friends here MoXiao…"
Nodding both of their heads after taking the pill, MoXiao and Wei Yue jumped on the water abyss and as it was expected, the water abyss was so deep that no ordinary human lung or immortal lung could even hold their breath for long. Luckily, MoXiao and Wei Yue took the pill or else…
The water then began to tighten and MoXiao and Wei Yue could see the other side. As the water dispersed, both of them were led inside a cold cave.
The cave is almost the same as Old Jianghu Water Palace's Hall of Purity yet it was too beautiful that even a single word could not describe it. It was a bit different from the Hall of Purity, instead of only small fishes swimming on the side of the water walls, it almost felt like they are transported deep within the ocean floor. Fishes great and small, creatures of the ocean long or wide greeted them the moment that they arrived below the abyss.
The eel showed himself and afterwards transformed into a young boy.
"Welcome to the exterior of the temple of the sacred swords. I believe that BeiYin may have told you about this place to find someone that has been missing am I correct?"
"Yes." Both of them nodded and after a while, the little boy beckoned them to follow him. While going to the exact location of the Sacred swords, MoXiao and Wei Yue started talking to the ancient guardian eel.
"Stick closer. These paths are specially made for agitating trouble makers who wanted the swords for themselves."
MoXiao raised his hand and the boy then acknowledged him.
"Uh, aren't immortals supposed to be not greedy?"
"Just like some humans, immortals have also different perspectives. Some are good, some are bad. It's just the way of the world and realms. In order to bring balance, the other must not be the same with the other one."
"I see."
"You, bird… Do you have any questions?"
Wei Yue touched his head. He was very aware of his appearance expecting that he would touch bunch of feathers yet, he only touched his original face. With a skin, flesh, and hair.
"Why do you know that I'm a descendant of the Jade Phoenix?"
"I am an immortal eel, I can see what your soul truly are."
"I… See.. There are so much that I do not know about immortality."
"There will be tons of it. You'll see it soon enough boy."
The air went thinner as they descended into the cooler part of the cave where the sacred swords are gathered. Between the swords is a large round mirror which BeiYin said to reveal LanRong's location.
The little boy then pulled out one of the giant swords from being impaled at it's stone sheath. The gigantic weapon on his hand looked heavy yet after a while, it soon transformed into a little dagger shaped like a moon.
"One of you who had a recent contact with the missing immortal might drip a little blood on the mirror and it will lead you where you can find the lost."
Sparing no more second, MoXiao went up the platform and slit his hand a little. A droplet of blood dripped from his hand into the mirror.
The mirror glowed in a faint-white color and afterwards revealed LanRong shaking in darkness cold and afraid. When MoXiao saw this, his heart almost crumbled. Clenching his fists, he vowed to find LanRong immediately and apprehend the perpetrator.
"Your highness. If you may, Can I go now and locate LanRong? My heart would be at ease if I apprehend this XiuCai immediately."
"If you say so… Go. Bring LanRong back safely."
MoXiao bowed in front of Wei Yue and the ancient guardian before fleeing without any single word.
'LanRong… I will find you and I will definitely apprehend the one that did this to you… I promise… My resolute is now strengthened…'