Chapter 948

Not only Xiao Jiu is nervous right now.

All those guarding the area around Cangwu Mountain held their breath and focused, watching Shan Shan's movements, preparing for the worst and ready to strike at any moment.

The atmosphere at the spirit shrine was the same.

In the foremost space of the spirit mirror, it was now as bright as daylight; A Cheng and Tang Xun could see spiritual qi continuously surging into that area.

Inside that space, like layers of glass cut faces, smaller spaces stacked and multiplied; staring at them for a moment made the eyes ache.

A Cheng tried to divine again, but the needle of the compass in his hand was pressed down tight, unmoving, unable to cast a hexagram; the entire Feng Clan's magnetic field was extremely unstable.

The disturbance in the magnetic field plunged the entire Feng Clan into chaos.

The birds and beasts inside were restless, while those outside lost their sense of direction and could not return.

At this moment, the Feng Clan seemed to be facing doom.

As time passed, the temperature inside the spirit shrine rose higher and higher, and the color of the inner space of the spirit mirror gradually turned fiery red, as if it were burning.

Tang Xun stared at the spirit mirror, her temples throbbing, and she worried, "A Cheng, I feel like this spirit mirror is bound to explode sooner or later."

"Exploding would actually be better," A Cheng said, his throat tight, "I'm afraid that in the end it won't explode at all, but instead return to normal, and then..."

A Cheng didn't finish his sentence, but Tang Xun understood what he meant.

By then, the entire Feng Clan would become an illusory space inside the spirit mirror, becoming fertile soil that provides 'nourishment' for the Chan Chen Pearl... including every living being dwelling on this land.

Even though they fully understood this, they never considered leaving early; they would guard their homeland to the very last moment.

Just like the ancient Feng Clan of old.

Tang Xun suddenly thought of something and asked A Cheng, "Should we also leave behind a fire seed, just in case..."

"There's no 'just in case'," A Cheng said firmly. "Shan Shan is our fire seed; the problem lies at the root—no one can fully withdraw, we either live together or die together."

As soon as he finished speaking, A Cheng launched several eyes toward the spirit mirror.

Those eyes vaporized before they even touched the edge of the spirit mirror, leaving not a trace.

Tang Xun sighed and turned her head toward the direction of Cangwu Mountain.

Although she couldn't see what was happening there, Tang Xun knew the situation would only be worse than at the spirit shrine; she actually wanted to go to Cangwu Mountain and stand guard beside Shan Shan.

This child, ever since taking charge of the Feng Clan, has practically grown up beside her; Tang Xun has poured all her feelings into her, and for Shan Shan she would sacrifice anything.

Including love and her own life.

Thinking of love, Tang Xun then thought of the Seven Halls Yama.

Although the recent events in the Feng Clan have been kept secret, paper can't wrap fire forever; at this point, the magnetic field's chaos, the spirit birds and beasts unable to return, the gathering of spirit birds above the Feng Clan... all of it will let the Seven Halls Yama notice something is wrong right away.

After enduring so many years of hardship, that fool's feelings toward himself haven't changed, but his temperament has changed dramatically.

Previously he endured with a hint of innocence; now he is cunning and radical, ready to fight if displeased, often ignoring superiors' orders, essentially saying, "If you don't like the look of me, then I'll just quit—does that work?"

Of course not.

Even during his most difficult years, no one could replace his position as the Seven Halls Yama, let alone now.

But the more this is the case, the more Tang Xun worries.

She fears that if that fool acts on impulse and charges straight into the Feng Clan, and if they end up trapped together in the spirit mirror's space... Tang Xun shakes her head sharply, forcing herself to stay calm and not let her imagination run wild.

Such a situation will not happen.

Liu Qiye has already sealed the Feng Clan's ley lines; he would never allow the Seven Halls Yama to enter at a time like this.

Tang Xun's heart eased a little.

Immediately, guilt welled up again.

She truly owes that fool a great deal.

She can't even remember how many times he has proposed to her.

Yet each time she refused without hesitation.

She always felt the timing wasn't right, always finding reasons she deemed perfectly reasonable to reject him; only now does she truly reflect on whether her actions are fair to that fool.

Do they really have so many obstacles? So many unbridgeable chasms?

Or is it actually a lack of confidence deep in her bones?

If... if they survive this calamity safely, Tang Xun thinks, this time she should rush toward that fool without hesitation...

Just as Tang Xun was thinking these thoughts, a shrill bird cry suddenly came from the sky; she lifted her foot and ran toward the courtyard, and immediately saw that the direction of Cangwu Mountain was a sheet of crimson, dyeing half the sky red, to the point that even the treetops of the wutong trees were invisible.

Vast numbers of the Feng Clan's spirit birds formed a formation in midair, doing their best to slow the damage that the anomaly at Cangwu Mountain would inflict on other areas of the Feng Clan.

This endeavor undoubtedly entails great sacrifice, yet not a single spirit bird draws back.

They are all protecting their newly developed homeland in their own way.

Tang Xun felt moved; the next moment she also manifested her true form, hovering above the spirit shrine, ready for battle at any moment.

Cangwu Mountain.

Shan Shan's whole body now seemed to be on fire; even Xiao Jiu could see the reddish halo of heat rising around her.

Xiao Jiu kept wavering on the edge of instability, yet she had to grit her teeth and persevere.

Until she saw Shan Shan's heels slowly lift, her whole body uncontrollably leaning forward, but her toes dug desperately into the ground, straining to keep her balance...

At first Xiao Jiu didn't understand why Shan Shan was doing this.

But soon she realized that Shan Shan hadn't awakened; her body leaned forward because that third 'eye' could not draw in the yang fire of the Nirvana flame domain.

Not only could it not absorb, the repulsive force of the Nirvana flame domain actually caused Shan Shan to be uncontrollably pulled toward it.

Two forces tugged at Shan Shan's body from inside and out.

Xiao Jiu wasn't worried that Shan Shan would fall into the Nirvana flame domain, since she had trained there before and successfully emerged.

Xiao Jiu only worried whether Shan Shan's body would suffer serious damage amid this tug-of-war.

Rationality told Xiao Jiu to endure.

But her body was more honest—her two feet moved forward uncontrollably a few steps, her hands gathering strength, wanting to give Shan Shan a push.

But before her palm could push out, Shan Shan's toes failed to grip the ground, she flew up herself, heading straight for the entrance of Cangwu Mountain.

At the entrance, firelight already shot up into the sky.

Shan Shan's body plunged into that sheet of firelight, instantly disappearing before Xiao Jiu's eyes...