Chapter 48: Whom Do You Want to Kill?
Long Ling stared at Su Muluo silently.
Su Muluo met his gaze and turned his face away.
Long Ling: “?”
He suddenly grasped Su Muluo’s hand and said, “I’m not happy!”
Why was he being called ugly?
Where was he ugly!
Thinking of this, he hugged Su Muluo tightly, determined to get an explanation from his Phoenix.
Su Muluo laughed as he was being swung around. “Alright, alright, you’re not ugly at all.”
Long Ling stopped swinging him and asked, “Really?”
Su Muluo nodded. “Really, you’re the most handsome.”
Long Ling hmphed and rested his chin on Su Muluo’s shoulder. “So, I was picked up by the Phoenix even before I hatched?”
Su Muluo replied, “You were picked up by Frost Li and then given to me.”
Long Ling nodded, “Oh,” and said, “Then I should thank him for letting me stick to the Phoenix even before hatching.”
Su Muluo’s eyes dimmed upon hearing this, his voice softened. “We probably won’t see him again.”
The Phoenix clan had long since fallen, and what they encountered earlier was likely just a remnant soul left by Frost Li thousands of years ago.
Despite the many years that had passed, Frost Li’s remnant soul remained, reacting to the presence of his people, guiding them to the Abyssal Ravine.
If he was here, were the other members of the Phoenix clan here too?
Su Muluo looked around, hoping to find remnants of other clan members, but all he saw was a desolate valley.
Long Ling noticed the subdued expression of his Phoenix and spoke gently, “Phoenix, don’t be sad. Since we’ve come here, we should be able to find more about them.”
Su Muluo nodded silently. Then he remembered something and asked, “Was it Frost Li who brought you here after I fainted?”
Long Ling replied, “No, I still haven’t seen him, but I felt we were approaching the Abyssal Ravine, so I brought the Phoenix down here.”
“He might have already left…” Su Muluo murmured, paused, and said, “Let’s go, let’s explore around.”
By now, the valley was faintly lit by dawn, but the light only lingered above the narrow sky at the top of the valley, never reaching the depths below.
With each step Su Muluo took, his heart sank further. In his dreams, the Phoenix territory was still lush with green hills and blooming flowers. But upon waking, all he saw was dry, cracked earth under a darkened sky, like a huge net pressing down on this lifeless valley, where not even a breeze could penetrate.
The Phoenix clan had fallen thousands of years ago, and even intact souls couldn’t last that long. Thus, he knew deeply that what they had just encountered was not the real Frost Li, but merely a remnant soul, a fleeting presence.
But he still held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking perhaps he could encounter other clan members or discover remnants of their former habitation. Yet, the desolate and lifeless valley was like a brutal hammer smashing his illusions, telling him that such hopes were futile.
Even if hope lingered in his heart, reality was immutable. His people had long departed from him, their very existence erased over the passage of time.
“Phoenix?” Long Ling sensed his Phoenix’s unease and gently held his hand. “If you’re not feeling well, we can rest before continuing.”
Su Muluo shook his head lightly and whispered, “I’m fine.”
Long Ling frowned. “Are you sure?”
Su Muluo remained silent.
In truth, when he was living alone in the mountains with a dragon egg yet to hatch, he never imagined he had a past closely tied to the Phoenix clan. He simply thought he was the last egg left behind before their downfall, separated by thousands of years from his kin. Even if he felt nostalgia, it was tinged with unfamiliarity.
But now, knowing he existed in that ancient time, lived with his clan, and possibly witnessed their departure before him—suddenly, an indescribable sadness surged within him, overwhelming him until he struggled to breathe.
“Phoenix,” Long Ling pressed his forehead against Su Muluo’s, embracing him tenderly. “If it hurts, just let it out. I’ll be here with you.”
“…,” Su Muluo slowly gripped the hem of Long Ling’s clothes, head bowed, and murmured softly, “I’m just wondering why I’m the only one who stayed.”
“…Why could I save myself, but not my people?” As he voiced this question, his heart was filled with confusion and sorrow, emotions that tortured him like insects.
What had his feelings been as he watched his people leave, one by one? Had he made efforts to save them, only to find himself powerless in the end?
Or had he simply stood by, watching them depart without doing anything?
In that moment, Su Muluo’s mind raced through many thoughts. He even felt a sense of helpless despair, eventually clinging tightly to Long Ling, closing his eyes, burying his face into his chest.
“If only I could have done more,” his voice, though calm, carried a hint of choked-up sorrow. “If only I could have saved them… even just one.”
Long Ling’s clothes were slightly damp, his brows furrowed as he looked at Su Muluo with distress. He raised his hand and gently stroked his own phoenix-like soft hair.
He didn’t speak, because he knew that what the phoenix needed now wasn’t consolation, but an embrace, a support, a place where his phoenix could release all emotions.
The valley quieted down, no wind, only faint sobbing. After some time passed, Su Muluo took a gentle breath, still tears on his face, but finally calming down.
“Pheonix,” Long Ling spoke at this moment, wiping the tears from Su Muluo’s eyes, softly comforting, “The demise of the Dragon and Phoenix clans may have been a destined fate, beyond anyone’s control. It’s not your fault.”
“And your survival might be what your people hoped for, perhaps even their choice to let you live… After all, as long as you’re here, the Phoenix clan is not truly extinguished. You will return here and remember them.”
Su Muluo’s eyes still glistened with tears, silently staring at Long Ling.
Long Ling smiled softly, kissed Su Muluo’s face again, and said, “So don’t be sad. Your people will guide you even after a thousand years, proving they don’t blame you.”
After a while, Su Muluo softly responded and leaned against his own dragon.
Thankfully, he still had his dragon by his side.
He thought.
Otherwise, if he came here alone, facing everything alone… he might really collapse.
Thinking of this, Su Muluo held Long Ling’s hand again, refusing to let go.
Long Ling’s heart softened, feeling like he had a clingy little chick beside him, couldn’t help but kiss Su Muluo’s face again.
Su Muluo looked at Long Ling without saying a word.
A smile crossed Long Ling’s eyes as his fingertips interlocked with Su Muluo’s, holding hands with him.
The valley was vast, and the two walked for a long time, seeing only desolate land along the way, as if it would never end.
After a while, Su Muluo remembered the jade pendant in his pocket, took it out, and awakened the spirit inside.
“Lord Phoenix!” The spirit of the jade pendant exclaimed as soon as it appeared, “Rest assured! Today, I will definitely— Oh?”
It looked around in surprise, “We’ve arrived! When did we get here!”
“Just now, I was guided here by Frostweed,” Su Muluo said, “Do you know Frostweed?”
The spirit of the jade pendant hesitated and weakly said, “You don’t seem willing to mention your people to me…”
This sentence further confirmed to Su Muluo that when he created the spirit of the jade pendant, his people had already left him. If they were still around, he would never have kept it from mentioning them.
“But I know why I keep getting lost!” The spirit of the jade pendant quickly continued, “Because there’s a force here that interferes with my direction. The closer we get, the stronger the interference—so it’s very difficult for outsiders to enter here. This should be a protective measure left over from before!”
Su Muluo realized, “So is your direction correct now?”
“Yes! Ever since we entered the Abyss, the interference disappeared!” The spirit of the jade pendant said, “Lord Phoenix, please come with me. I’ll take you to where you used to live!”
It pointed in a direction, Su Muluo and Long Ling glanced at each other and followed.
Before long, they arrived in front of a small building. The building was made of wood and had stood for thousands of years, without any signs of aging.
“Indeed, it’s still here!” The spirit of the jade pendant exclaimed joyfully, “Lord Phoenix, Lord Long Ling, we’ve arrived!”
Su Muluo looked at the small building in front of him, feeling an extremely familiar sensation rushing over him. He was sure he had lived here for a long time… But why did all the other buildings in the Abyss leave no trace, while this small building remained?
He asked this doubt, and the spirit of the jade pendant listened and said, “Actually, back then, there was only this small building here. You set up a barrier on it, saying that you hoped that when your future self returned many years later, you could still see it.”
Su Muluo was slightly stunned and asked, “Is there really only this wooden building here now? Are all the other houses gone?”
The spirit of the jade pendant nodded and said, “That’s right.”
Su Muluo didn’t say anything. He had thought that the old residence of his people would gradually disappear with the passage of a thousand years, but he didn’t expect that it had already vanished a thousand years ago.
Who could have done all this?
Su Muluo couldn’t understand all this. He needed answers urgently and walked forward quickly.
Long Ling said, “Wait, Pheonix.”
He held Su Muluo, and the next moment, thick black smoke emerged from the desolate land. The black smoke surged and condensed into twisted figures, like resentful spirits from hell, rushing towards the two.
Long Ling raised his hand, a strong momentum swept away, instantly obliterating those shadows. But very soon,
The black smoke condensed again, forming a pile of dark humanoid figures. These shadows weren’t individually strong, but they were incessant. Just as one was dealt with, ten more would appear—blink, and they had layered around the entire small building and the two figures in front of it.
Su Muluo frowned. “Are these the things left behind by that person?”
He remembered the man behind the demon spirit telling them about “Abyss,” saying he had left a gift there… These might be what he meant.
“Blowing hot air,” Long Ling scoffed lightly, then said to Su Muluo, “Phoenix, go inside first.”
Su Muluo shook his head. “I’ll go with you.”
“No need. It might take some time to deal with these things, but it won’t be troublesome,” Long Ling said. “You go in and see what’s inside first, in case they do something to this building if we delay too long.”
Su Muluo looked at him, and Long Ling gently said, “Go on. I’ll be right at the door of the building. You’ll see me as soon as you turn back.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand and swept away a large number of shadows.
Su Muluo hesitated for a moment. He knew those shadows couldn’t harm Long Ling at all, but he still cast a barrier around his dragon so those shadows couldn’t approach him.
“I’ll take a look inside and be back soon,” Su Muluo said. “Don’t go far. I want to be able to hear your voice the whole time.”
Long Ling nodded. “Got it.”
With that, he leaned over and lightly bit Su Muluo’s lips.
The spirit of the jade pendant exclaimed, “Oh!”
Su Muluo: “…”
He tugged at Long Ling’s clothes, turned, and walked into the small building.
Long Ling stood guard at the door of the small building. When Su Muluo opened the door, he found the interior was as clean as new, after millennia, not a speck of dust anywhere.
The spirit of the jade pendant sensed his confusion and said, “This is also the law Lord Phoenix set up back then. Because you found it troublesome to clean here, you specifically studied the dust-free spell.”
Su Muluo fell silent. Back then, he seemed stronger than now. This spell, including the barrier around the small building, surviving to this day, explained a lot.
The furnishings in the small building were simple, with only some furniture casually placed on the ground floor. He saw a carved peach-red wooden table, and on the table was something wrapped in cloth. He stepped forward.
—On the square tabletop lay an elongated object wrapped in cloth, but he didn’t know what was inside.
“Did I leave this here too?” Su Muluo asked.
“Ah… I’m not sure about this,” the spirit of the jade pendant struggled to remember. “Perhaps it was left behind after you gave me to the avian clan?”
Su Muluo considered this possibility. Glancing back at Long Ling, who was still guarding the door, he felt reassured and picked up the object—
Just as his hand touched the cloth, black lightning suddenly surged out from underneath. In an instant, ominous thunder pierced through the entire room, accompanied by the intense sound of electricity, as countless chains seemed to bind Su Muluo tightly, while at the same time, a formation appeared under his feet!
Su Muluo doubled over in pain, ancient bells roaring in his ears, shaking his very soul. Blood surged in his throat, barely hearing his dragon’s voice speaking to him from afar… Only one voice was so close, right next to his ear.
“Fenghuang, do you know why I can enter here?”
The cold, sinister voice chuckled softly, like a sticky venomous snake crawling over his body, causing a nauseating disgust.
“Because I have a piece of that vile black dragon’s spine, taken from him by my own hands—”
Su Muluo’s vision darkened. He struggled to lift his eyes and saw something floating in the air under the cloth… It was a section of dragon bone shrouded in black aura.
“And now, I will kill him right in front of you… This is my gift to you.”
“Hahaha—”
The man finished speaking with a roar of laughter, his voice filled with triumphant malice.
——But in the next moment, Su Muluo pressed his hand down forcefully. His slender fingers and bones surged, gripping the tangible black lightning that bound him, tearing it apart forcefully.
The formation shattered instantly, and the man’s laughter abruptly stopped.
The chaotic black lightning reflected off Su Muluo’s snow-white skin. His ink-black eyes were as cold as the eternal snow on a mountain, radiating a chilling intent to kill.
He said coldly, “Who did you say you were going to kill?”
The man: “…”
T/N: Hello hello! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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