Rescuing Bi An

The boundaries of reality rippled and distorted, before peeling away like the wrappings of a banana. What manifested was a titanic island which floated with a harmonious aura both mesmerising yet daunting. It was as if it it did not belong in this universe and was merely an image projected onto this texture of existence. Yet it was a physical landmass who's presence can be felt by the entirety of Kailong Chen.

It would've only been several hours since Zulong departed with what was essentially the east sea's entire fighting force. What remained were the bare minimum personnel left to run the city and to protect his resting son.

So when Yingzhou manifested right above the capital city, it did cause quite a commotion. Yingzhou did not show itself often and this would've been the first time in many Yuanhui it has done so so close to the capital.

Within the immortal island, a feminine figure gazed down. She took the reins of the phoenix beside her and rode him down, diving into the water and leaving the island behind. Yi Fei'e and her mount Cinnabar made haste, reaching the city in mere moments.

Her landing caused the water to ripple and even knocked some servants int he courtyard off their feet. Her presence also wasn't noticed, the elder Zulong left in charge had already teleported into the courtyard to greet her.

"I came as soon as I heard," Yi Fei'e said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Bi An's injured state was among the worst possible news for the eldest female disciple of Da Hai. It presented a reality no one wanted to accept. But with the rumours that the phoenix had been so sinister in their dealings, she had to bring Cinnabar to check out the situation.

"Lady Yi Fei'e," the dragon elder and current expert that was holding down the fort, Ni Hong, cupped their hands and bowed first.

"Greetings, it's an honour to be in your presence," they said in a voice that was conjoined in male and female tones. "Young master Bi An's condition is not good. I can lead you to him immediately."

The dragon motioned for Yi Fei'e to follow and lead her within the palace complex. They went towards the inner sanctums where security was noticeably higher. Everyone was on edge yet still greeted Yi Fei'e with high reverence.

Her mount on the other hand kept his head down. Mounts were only respected if their master was powerful. In ordinary scenarios, no matter how humiliating being a mount to someone was, Cinnabar would still be held in respect simply for being associated with the Yingzhou lineage. But in the current situation, that sentiment towards him had dipped drastically.

The glares and distrustful looks he'd received in the way here was very much noticeably, if ignored by his mistress. The once proud phoenix could only dip his head and bear with it for now. Causing trouble was just asking for death.

When they entered the chamber Bi An was held in, Yi Fei'e wrinkled her nose. Her flinch was noticed by Ni Hong and they gained a curious look. In reality, the moth could smell a corrupting force that was surrounding Bi An like flies on a dung pile.

"The hell," she grimaced stepping forwards.

"Aunt!"

Yi Fei'e tilted her head in surprise. Ao Guang, Yinglong's son approached her in surprise.

"Guang'er, you did not accompany eldest brother?" She inquired.

"No, emperor-uncle told me to stay. Probably for the best, I can't contribute too much to the fighting anyway," he said looking down.

Yinglong's children could never compare to the dominance of Zulong's own. Despite being many years older than Bi An, Ao Guang was infinitely inferior in terms of both strength and accomplishments.

As a minor Golden Immortal, he could only take up some administrative roles. Even younger dragons like Ni Hong had long surpassed him.

"Your Highness, Lady Yi has come to see if prince Bi An's condition can be improved," Ni Hong said before turning towards Yi Fei'e. "Though I'm afraid we cannot to much. Whatever is wrong with him is outside my understanding."

They took a glance at Cinnabar and asked, "Would you know anything lord Cinnabar Phoenix?"

"How would I know?" Cinnabar scoffed narrowing his eyes. "I haven't been part of the avians for the better part of the last several hundred thousand years."

"My cousin was hurt in phoenix domain," Ao Guang said glaring back suspiciously. "Despite your presence, much of you avians still have mysterious techniques we aren't aware of."

It was at this moment that Yi Fei'e stepped between them. Her presence acted as a soothing feeling that quelled the irritation Cinnabar felt and warned the two dragons to back off.

"If my mount was aware of anything, I would be the first to know," she said. With that said, she sent a warning look towards Ni Hong and Ao Guang. Above all else, Cinnabar was a member of her household.

She approached where Bi An was kept. Several high ranking dragons and turtles were present and noticed her approach. "My lady, it's dangerous."

Yi Fei'e nodded but still approached undaunted. She glanced at Bi An's sedated form and wondered to herself, what could possibly knock a Hunyuan Golden Immortal out of commission like this?

Little by little, her eyes gained a celestial lustre. Within her celestial eyes, six stars forming the shape of a spoon manifested. Her skin changed from milky white to almost transparent, like a membrane containing a galaxy. Her innards became identical to a cloudless night sky and moth wings appeared behind her.

Both Ni Hong and Ao Guang were awed by the sight. This was because the power Yi Fei'e was showing eclipsed that of even Yinglong or Qinglong. It was as close to one could get to the Dragon Sovereign without being Zulong themselves.

However, as opposed to Zulnog, her power was a lot more restrained. It wasn't ferocious nor was it brutal. It wasn't imperial nor was it commanding. Rather it was disciplined with many nuances that could not be perceived upon first viewing.

"Show yourself, what are you?" Yi Fei'e ironed at towards the happenings within Bi An's body. Her hand reached out for her nephew's forehead.

THOOM!

It was then that a counterattack of smoke emerged. It struck out like a tidal wave intending to penetrate Yi Fei'e. Yet such a puny power could not puncture her body much less damage her.

"Aunt!" Ao Guang stepped forwards in worry only to be instantly blown back like a rag doll. If not for elder Ni Hong, who swiftly caught him, he'd be busy making Ao Guang shaped holes through the palace.

But as Yi Fei'e extended her index finger, and as it made contact with Bi An's forehead, her eyes dulled. Her shoulders slacked and her bodily motions stopped.

Behind her, the others felt a sinister feeling emerging.

…

"Hm?"

Yi Fei'e lifted her head in her room. Her bean bag gifted by her master was on the side. Her romance novels scattered around alongside covers of cultivation manuals. Dolls and weapons alike lay in a heap and a portrait of herself hung on the walls.

"Fei'e, oh Yi Fei'e, why do you hide all the time?" Her own voice responded to her in a shrill tone. "What are you so scared of?"

Yi Fei'e turned around with a curious look. "What?"

"You two faced coward. Why are you so scared of the opinions of others? Embrace your interest," her body double said opening her arms wide.

"Oh god you're naked," Yi Fei'e quickly concluded with a look of appreciation. "Forgot how beautiful I was. Who are you?"

"What are you talking about love? I'm you. Except minus all that self restraint. You're limiting yourself you know, it's not healthy to bottle up everything. You need to live a little, embrace your desires," she said.

Yi Fei'e raised an eyebrow and smirked. "What a wonderfully crafted illusion," she mused rubbing her chin and examined the other person who was an identical recreation of herself.

"Illusion?" Her other self spat. "Hardly, I'm merely you but liberated in full as we rightfully should be."

"Is that why you're naked?" Yi Fei'e said straightening herself up. "That does make a lot of sense. But why show yourself to me? In fact, what motivated you to manifest?"

"To show you the truth. After all, Yi Fei'e, you've been hiding too much about yourself. You're so scared of what…"

"Alright, Imma need to stop you there," Yi Fei'e held up her hand in a commanding tone. "First of, I hide nothing about myself. It's just a bit embarrassing to talk about porn in public so I don't. And everyone basically knows."

"You really think that's all?" Her other self said. "Don't fool me Yi Fei'e. I'm talking about a different type of lust."

The white moth narrowed her eyes. "Oh, you're talking about that. Yes, I am a bit prone to holding myself back."

"That sword hungers, your body hungers, yet you deny it. Come on, we both know we're itching to kill something. To test our metal so to speak?"

"I don't deny it, I just lack enemies powerful enough to go all out. All those who can are my brothers and master. None of my sisters compare and everyone else is either unreachable or in hiding," Yi Fei'e sighed.

"You're really bad at this you know," Yi Fei'e said towards her naked self. Then she drew her sword.

"You are certainly part of me. Whatever self doubting thoughts that were in the recesses of my mind were drawn out and given form. Too bad for you," she muttered as with a single swing, Yi Fei'e cut the other woman in half.

"I'm not ignorant to my own repressed desires. If my mental state was that weak I'd never have reached where I am now," she said bemused. Her sword retracted, she…

…

Opened her eyes and gazed down at Bi An.

"Nice job nephew, holding your inner demons back," she praised. Her other hand shifted positions and opened Bi An's eyelid. Within, she observed the clashing energies of Bi An and another individual.

"Aunt!" Ao Guang ran forwards after the cold feeling subsided. "What happened with you? Is cousin alright?"

"No not approach," Yi Fei'e warned harshly. "Step back else you be infected too."

"Mistress, dare I ask what's going on?" Cinnabar asked.

"His body, his very mind is stuck in endless turmoil. Whatever hit him brought his darkest most thoughts to light and birthed them into a complete individual. This individual is now fighting for control of the greater whole. You could say Bi An is warring in himself. Almost like an inner demon."

Her explanation was met with alarm. No wonder no one could figure what was wrong with Bi An. He was fine physically, whatever injuries he sustained were likely just reflections of his mental state. It was his mind where the damage was.

"As someone who's extensively studied again cultivation arts curtesy of my mount over there, I can safely say this does not originate from the phoenix. The basic principles are vastly different."

"For example," she held out her left hand towards the others. "This ability focuses on attracting the innermost desires of the target. It's a move that seems to originates from another and revives the individual as one part of a greater whole. It's like being converted to a drone for a hive? No that's a bad analogy."

Yi Fei'e had never directly encountered this enemy before. But based on its nature and what she examined, the description she came up with did match what she knew of the school of Seven Emotions and Six Desires. Or at least what's he learned from Da Hai. The west wasn't exactly accessible to her and the west sea didn't have direct lineages.

Yi Fei'e hardened her touch and leaned closer to Bi An. Her forehead was almost touching Zulong's sons as she closed her eyes. "I'll collect Bi An, I have an idea how this all works now."

Ao Guang nodded anxiously as Yi Fei'e went still once again.

…

Yi Fei'e once again found herself transported into another location. This time, she was at a palace building, one she knew belonged to Bi An located within the east sea.

"Bi An!" She called out, her voice riveting across the area.

She didn't have to wait long as a massive explosion occurred above her. Two titans resembling a cross between a tiger and a dragon were struggling against each other. One had ruby like red eyes and darker fur while the other had a normal complexion.

"Aunt!" Bi An cried out, narrowly avoiding a tackle from his darker counterpart.

"Hmph, calling for others to help? All that time wasted in management when you could be so much more. Son of the dragon my ass," the other chuckled darkly.

"I…I haven't wasted my time, managing the empire is important," Bi An replied uneasily.

"And yet you fell so far behind even Chao Feng. That kid's claws would scrape off our flesh in a single hit!"

Yi Fei'e narrowed her eyes in anger. In one instant she stood on solid ground, in the next instant she was in front of dark Bi An. Her hand was held out and she stopped the tiger's charge.

"Aunt," Bi An greeted shamefully.

"Aunt! Don't you care for my future? I can't go on living like this. My growth is forever stunted!" Dark Bi An begged.

However, Yi Fei'e was not in the mood to listen. Her middle finger extended in a flick that released from her thumb. What resulted was a slash of cosmic Qi that eviscerated dark Bi An.

She then turned towards the real Bi An. "Nephew, you can deal with your inner demons when they're not threatening to kill you. But for now, let's return to the real world."

"Ah," Bi An stuttered in surprise. He still wasn't over how quickly Yi Fei'e felt with the imposter. However, he felt something missing within him. Something unresolved within him that was not only present but still very dangerous and far from gone. Like what Yi Fei'e did ultimately accomplished nothing at all.

"Yes, I suppose Denglong would be worried about me."

Yi Fei'e shook her head. "Even more has happened since then."

…

Yi Fei'e opened her eyes staring directly into a flushed Bi An. She chuckled and stood back up. Her arm held out gripping Bi An's own and heaved him to a sitting position.

"Are you well?" She asked.

While servants and others entered to fuss around him, Bi An nodded massaging the back of his neck.

"Aunt, what really happened?" Ao Guang asked from beside Yi Fei'e. "You said Seven Emotion Six Desires right? Does that mean it's devil related? But they're reclusive in their west continent."

"Evidently not," Yi Fei'e said shaking her head. "We need to see Zulong urgently. Else I fear a misunderstanding might occur."