(Part 8)
* THE HEAVENLY CITY:
Inside the portal Xianwu gazed in delight. It had been long since she had travelled across places through arrays. Feixing who stood behind her questioned "Lady Xianwu, are you ready to meet the emperor?" Xianwu who was unable to reply promptly nodded after a while. Soon the portal opened in front of the gates of the Heavenly Palace. Xianwu stepped outside gazing in awe. "All of it… is just as same as it was in the past…" she murmured. Shentong who had seemed to heard her remarks affirmed "Yes, my Lady. The Heavenly city is just the same as before… only People changed in such a long time." Xianwu nodded.
The sight of the Heavenly Palace, seem to make her realise the time she used to proudly enter it without worry and would always talk big about her missions and credits. Nonetheless, here she stood again. The place that once rejected her with all its might. It was time she had to face it again.
The moonlit nightingale fluttered around her, silently hiding behind her hairs. Taking a deep breath Xianwu stepped inside. Feixing, Fenghuang and Shentong followed behind. Looking at Xianwu the whole Heavenly Palace turned silent. In front of Xianwu she could see the three familiar figures. Tiandi Zhijun, who was like her 2nd father in the past. Emo Shashou, who was the most closest to her, just like her very own brother and last one her real youngest brother related to her by blood Yue Leiren, who in the past never even gave her a chance to speak for her justice.
Xianwu walking closer, bowed in front of the throne. "My Lord, your majesty the Emperor. I Yue Xianwu former princess of Yue kingdom who died a thousand years ago, reborn as the flower spirit in the demon Inferno city is here to greet you…" she greeted. Zhijun and Shashou looked at her with their eyes widened. "Yue Xianwu…?" Shashou called in disbelief. Even the Heavenly emperor himself stood a gape. "Xianwu?!" he whispered. Xianwu nodded in return. "Yes my lord… it's me" She confirmed. Zhijun who was still in trance ordered "Stand up! No need to bow in front of me." Shashou walked towards her, gently touching her shoulders picking her up. "After such a long time…?" he spoke in disbelief.
Even Xianwu couldn't help but hide her inconvenient tears. "Yes… it's been such a long time!" she whispered back. The whole Heavenly Palace started gossiping. "She is Yue Xianwu! The only princess who died in the Heavenly City!" they whispered. "Unbelievable! How could she come back? And she really is a spirit. Look at the wings behind her." Murmured the others. However, Xianwu had no time to listen those comments, her gaze shifted towards the chained demons. "Are they the demons captured from the demon march? How could Leiren do something like this?" there are even kids amongst them.' She pondered.
Suddenly, Leiren began to laugh. Xianwu and the others looked at him anxiously. He laughed louder and louder crazily. "My, my… how great!" he smirked. "That demon king of the Inferno city hides behind a girl? No… an outcast?! Unbelievable!" he growled. Xianwu with her eyes widened gazed in shock. Leiren stood up as he grabbed the chains and pulled the demons harshly. "So this is how your king is? Huh?! Tell me what, were you doing their killing people from the village! How dare you try to kill innocent people? With a king who terrifies us, do you think you'll get away with this?" he growled.
Picking a demon man in his hands he ruthlessly slammed his head on the nearby pillar. "Arrgh!!" he screamed in pain. Xianwu keeping her hands on her face stared at him in utter shock. "Say it!! Why did you kill them? Tell everyone here!!" he angered slamming his head again and again creating a bloody sight. All the heavenly Supremes backed away by the bloody scene. "We would never do that!" shouted another demon who was chained.
Leiren looked at him in rage. "Oh really…?" he questioned menacingly. Xianwu looked at them in shock. "Yes! We promised our lord we would never, hurt anyone. We get to enjoy the sight once a year under our lords command we would never do that! Instead you were the one who captured us! Listen well you heavenly freaks our lord will come to save us!" shouted a demon woman back. Leiren who was fuming in rage threw the man away and walked towards the woman. "So now you dare talk back? Huh?" he shouted as he was about to hit when Xianwu interrupted.
"Yueren! Stop it!" Leiren with his expression widened turned around to face her. Xianwu clutched her hands in slight fear. The once known princess who was known for her best martial arts and the strongest, was now trembling with the sight of her own brother. "You dare to stop me…?" he questioned. Slamming the demons behind him, he took his sword and walked towards her. "Yueren... listen to me..." stuttered Xianwu however Yueren growled ""Don't call me your brother with that filthy tongue of yours, in this world I despise you the most even more than demons!!" Xianwu stood shocked.
"The one who destroyed my whole family, dares to stop me from killing these evil creatures?" he questioned. "Did being reborn in the Inferno city… made you lose your mind as well? Or did you turn into one of them? Ah! I remember now, you don't have to turn into them. You are already one of them. That being the case… it won't hurt to die once more, isn't that right?" he asked mockingly. He rushed with his sword in anger to pierce through Xianwu. Xianwu in fear closed her eyes however, before the sword could hit her. The moonlit nightingale touched the sharp tip of the sword bursting with the slightest touch and throwing Leiren onto the ground with a huge thud.
Just as the nightingale vanished, the clouds thundered and storm raged. The clear sky turned into a dark velvet one. Rain began spluttering down aggressively. "What's going on?! Thunder?!" asked the Heavenly Supreme in confusion. Many of them started peeking from the windows. "It's the Demon Sovereign of the Inferno city! He's here! This rain is poisonous don't go out everyone. Once it touches you it'll corrode everything and turn us into corpses!!" they advised.
Xianwu stood up as she thought "Yeying is here!" a smile escaped her lips as she turned around and walked outside the Heavenly gate. Zhijun stared at her gravely. Looking below she could clearly see a figure dressed in maple red and velvet black walking upwards. Around his waist shined a silver dagger. In its one hand twirled the jade red parasol and other one grabbing the hilt of his weapon. Under his parasol, his red lips were curved into a smile. Xianwu couldn't help but stare. "Is this a demon sovereign's power?" she thought. The heavenly supremes too gazed at the sight ascending fearlessly. "Xiao long is here!" said Shentong with a smile. "Our sovereign is here! We will surely be saved!" said one of the demons with happiness. "All hail his highness!" said a demon women. "Mama is our hero finally here?" asked a young demon boy. "Yes! Yes finally! Our saviour is here." Replied the child's mother.
Xianwu's heart beating fast at his every step. Closer and closer he came towards her, and soon standing right before her, his parasol right over her. Xianwu who still couldn't make out his expression asked "You really came?" Yeying with a smile deeper than one before replied "Of course… I promised you. Didn't I?" Giving his hand towards her which Xianwu grabbed she apologised in return. With her slight touch of his hand a bunch of more than a million transparent nightingales busted behind his back all around the heavenly castle surrounding them into a scene of dreams. For an instant Xianwu stood dazed however, remembering what happened to the little nightingale pulled her back into reality. "I'm sorry, I couldn't save the little Nightingale…" she told slightly sad. Yeying smiled back. "No need to worry, it was meant to protect you and it did. Now let's go and retrieve what was ours." He said. Grasping her little hand into his large one he covered the last three stairs facing right towards the Heavenly castle with her by his side. Placing his last step, A gush of wind invaded the Palace like wild fire stammering the huge windows and doors open.
It was clearly seen, that after 800 years. The Demon king of Inferno city had once again stepped into the gates of the Heavenly Palace.