So we spent nearly half a month in Po Tian Shrine, when Xing Gui could finally stand up.
Xing Gui told me that there was a restriction among the astrologers, that was when the astrologer with stronger spiritual powers was able to suppress the weaker astrologer, and could even control or kill the weaker astrologer. This astrologer tribe’s oldest trend has started since ice age time; no one could escape this restriction, so it was a pretty sad thing for an astrologer to be in the weaker side. In other words, the moment we stepped into the boundary of Zong Tian Shrine, if the North Guardian Xing Zhou were to do it, Xing Gui wouldn’t be able to cast any spell or worse, Xing Zhou could kill Xing Gui easily. And Zong Tian shrine was situated at the highest point on the snow mountain, so the area that Xing Zhou could control was even bigger.
I asked Xing Gui, “Is Xing Zhou’s power that powerful?”
Xing Gui turned around and said. “My king, very powerful. My king, you know granny is a very good astrologer right? In the past those dreams that she gave you were so realistic that my brother couldn’t even create it. But the staff that granny used is the fallen star staff while Xing Zhou’s staff is the vertical star staff. You can see the stars above her shrine; they are changing their positions constantly, Xing Zhou is controlling the track of the stars to a certain extent. This isn’t that simple that an astrologer can reach so easily.”
I lowered my head, not saying a word.
Huang Tuo came over and carried Xing Gui up just like carrying his own daughter, he smiled at Xing Gui and said. “You just need to stay within my protection enchantment when we reach the territory of the North Guardian, don’t come out at all. I can guarantee that you won’t get killed by Xing Zhou.” His smile was so calm and firm, it made me thought of my father suddenly – that time when the Fire Tribe attacked Ren Xue Cheng, he has that expression, firm like the most solid ice jade.
“Huang Tuo, what about you? You don’t know anything about the black magic, what would happen if someone were to attack you?” Yue Shen said.
Huang Tuo chuckled. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It’s alright. I will stand beside Huang Tuo to protect him. And there’s Liao Jian, I think other than the North Guardian, no one can fight with both Liao Jian and myself.” Pian Feng added.
The next days Xing Gui would stand at the highest slopes to read the stars, I saw her raising her fallen star staff at the sky constantly, those stars would gather into a bunch of bright lights, enveloping Xing Gui in it and everytime there would definitely be a strong wind. Xing Gui’s hair and robe were flying in the wind, I could feel the faint shaking of the ground.
This was my first time seeing such a long star reading ceremony that was so full of strength. All of us were standing at the bottom of the hill, not speaking at all, on the third day when Xing Gui ended her star reading session, the starlight in the sky has condensed into a beam of light and shattered into pieces, falling all over Xing Gui’s feet, I saw Xing Gui started falling backward and her robe fluttering. Huang Tuo went up to catch hold of her before her body touched the ground. He put her in the enchantment that he had created long ago. Within the transparent light globe, I saw white blood coming out from the corner of Xing Gui’s mouth, just like how she fainted when we were at the Northern territory.
During these three days, Xing Gui managed to find a detailed route to Zong Tian Xuan Wu shrine, including where to stop, where to continue the journeys in the nights, Xing Gui has depleted her spiritual power totally; Huang Tuo created a healing enchantment and put Xing Gui in it. Then all of us took off with her. Because the moment we entered the territory of the North Guardian, Xing Gui would have to stay in Huang Tuo’s enchantment, if not she would be easily killed by Xing Zhou.
The route chosen by Xing Gui was very complex and tortuous, pa.s.sing the forests, lakes, swamps, stone forest; because of Xing Gui’s precise star reading skill, we’re always able to avoid the astrologers from the northern territory without creating any direct conflict; Xing Gui has been using her spiritual power to suppress those astrologers other than Xing Zhou, so that we wouldn’t have to use up too much of our power in fighting before we could even meet Xing Zhou.
After walking for ten days, we were all standing on the peak of the snow mountain, Zong Tian Xuan Wu shrine was standing before us. The palace was so high up, almost nearing the sky; the city wall seemed to have a thousand blades on it, extending upwards. Xing Gui told use the distribution of the shrine; it was decorated in accordance to the position of hexagram, every corner of the hexagram has a very tall tower, the top would be the best place for star reading, and Xing Zhou’s grand hall was at the centre of the hexagram; and Xing Zhou’s Zong Xing throne was sitting at the centre of the grand hall. The throne was made of basalt from Huan Xue Shen Shan, whereby Xing Zhou has given the throne unlimited spiritual power that embraced her spiritual powers and making up for each other.
We stood at the doorway of Zong Tian Gong and Xing Gui said to me. “My king, we can go in now. Xing Zhou may not know that we are here already, if Yue Shen were to a.s.sa.s.sinate her now, it should be successful.”
Yue Shen walked over, holding onto the transparent circular enchantment and said, “Xing Gui, don’ worry, I will use my a.s.sa.s.sination skill to kill the person that makes you suffer.”
Then all of a sudden we heard an ethereal voice, that voice said, “Yue Shen, you better come see me directly, if not you will be like your older sister, dying without even knowing the reason. Ka Suo, I respect you as a king, in order not to let you get lost, I will tell you the route you can take to see me. At where all of you are standing, it is Xuan Lei Star Sacrificial stand, you just need to walk straight, turn left at the second intersection and you will see me. My king, I am waiting for you…”
Then a sharp and broken laughter began to ring throughout the surrounding, it’s useless even if they were to cover their ears, that kind of laughter just entered the mind with ease, ringing back and forth in the mind, making one feeling extremely uncomfortable. And when I went back to check on Xing Gui, I knew the reason why Xing Zhou was laughing, because Xing Gui was lying unconsciously in the protection enchantment, blood was gushing out from her mouth staining her robe. Blood was also flowing out of Huang Tuo’s mouth; he was kneeling on the ground on one knee, both his arms stretched behind his back like a flying s...o...b..rd. He was using all his strength to maintain the protection enchantment, which Xing Gui was in. But the enchantment has already started to shrink in size, I saw the frown on Huang Tuo’s face getting tighter, and his body started to shake.
But that laughter disappeared suddenly, just like how unpredictable it was the time when it started.
That voice said, “Ka Suo, come and see me. I am the Xing Zhou that you are looking for, the North Guardian, the greatest astrologer of Huan Xue Shen Shan. I am waiting for you at my Zong Xing throne…”
“It seemed like Xing Zhou was already aware of our actions clearly, we have underestimated Xing Zhou’s ability.” Pian Feng was looking at the towering Xuan Lei Star Sacrificial stand and said. The wind is coming from all directions from Zong Tian shrine, our hair and robes were being blown like a flag fluttering in the wind.
“Our actions are in Xing Zhou’s control, I guess we have no other choice but to listen to her.” Yue Shen said.
Inside the enchantment, Xing Gui lifted her head and said to me. “My king, I didn’t expect Xing Zhou’s power is so strong and powerful, and it isn’t something that I can fight against. My king, I am sorry…”
Liao Jian walked over and knelt down with his face on the enchantment around Xing Gui, and said to her. “Xing Gui, no one is blaming you. Just sleep tight, I will not let anything to happen to you.”
When Xing Zhou appeared before us, Xing Gui and Huang Tuo have already collapsed onto the ground, Huang Tuo’s enchantment was gone and only the shattered pieces were left. As for Xing Gui, she was already on the ground, unconscious. When we walked from Xuan Lei Star Sacrificial platform to Zong Xing throne, Xing Zhou’s spiritual power started to grow stronger, it affected Xing Gui even more, and Huang Tuo could no longer support the enchantment. Xing Gui was fighting back with the tearing pain she had, her lips were bitten so badly till it bleed and I saw Liao Jian clenching his fist so tightly until I could see the white bone.
“Ka Suo, you are here.”
The time when Xing Zhou talked to me, I could not see her lips moving, I could only hear her voice coming from an unknown place within the vast and empty hall, so faintly just like a dream. I could only hope that Xing Zhou was not manipulating the dreams to control them, because I could see Pian Feng and Liao Jian were already in trance. But Yue Shen was not affected by it in any wau, because she could easily deflect those a.s.sa.s.sinations skills. Yue Shen’s expression was solemn and murderous; I saw the moonlight gradually forming into an ice sword in her hand.
Xing Zhou’s voice appeared again and she said. “Yue Shen, I know you want me to see the moonlight in your hand, I also know the real weapon is not that ice sword in your hand, you will attack me with your ice sword, and then you will make sure of the time when I blocked the ice sword and used the poison from the peac.o.c.k’s gut, adding it to the illusion to control the snow storm to surround me. Like this I won’t be able to move, because the moment I touch the snow around me, I will be poisoned. And if I can’t move, you will use your moonlight blade to kill me. Did I say it correctly, Yue Shen?”
I saw Yue Shen’s calm expression, but panic in her eyes could not be hidden.
Xing Zhou’s face was still strange and faint, misty like a dream.
This was the first time I felt forlorn. From the start of entering Huan Xue Shen Shan, from Feng Tian, Qing Ren, till Die Che, I have never felt so hopeless before. Xing Zhou was able to read everyone’s mind, which would mean all attacks were useless on her. I did not know how to beat her anymore.
I looked at Yue Shen, and she looked at me. I knew she wanted me to join forces with her, so I nodded my head.
But soon I realized even if we were to join forces, we still could not defeat Xing Zhou. Everytime if we were to attack her, she would be able to predict our position, illusion skills and even the speed.
Yue Shen and I were stooped down on the ground, Xing Zhou’s smile was still so faint and misty, like a black Mandala flower in the mist, having a scent that could make one sink into a trance but it was dangerous and deadly.
“Ka Suo, you can never revive your brother. You can’t even pa.s.s Zong Tian Xuan Wu shrine, let alone the West territory. I shall let all of you die here and it will increase the spiritual power of Zong Tian shrine.”
Then I saw the phantasmagoric light ball in Xing Zhou’s hand, I knew that was the unique dream of the astrologer tribe, Xing Jiu and Xing Gui had used it before. I knew the moment Yue Shen and I entered that dream, we wouldn’t be able to wake up.
But I have no strength to fight against it; my spiritual power was dispersing as quickly as the mist under the sun. I looked at Yue Shen and she was looking at me on the ground, I saw despair in her eyes.
Just when I was about to fall into the dream, a sudden burst of piercing cold wind came from behind and countless sharp icicles flew across my shoulders and then I heard the low flesh piercing sound.
I looked up to see Xing Zhou’s mouth agape, her eyes have an unbelievable expression in them, but fresh blood continued flowing out from her chest and down the icicle, dripping onto Zong Xing throne.
I turned around to see Pian Feng standing behind my back with his eyes closed, tear flowing out of his eyes. Huang Tuo was sitting on the ground, and Xing Gui was lying in a pool of blood in front of him, hair scattered out, both eyes were open, staring at the sky about Zong Tian shrine. There was no expression on her face, so empty and numb.
Suddenly a strange and weird smile appeared across Xing Zhou’s face, her voice was still so faint and elusive. She said, “You may have crossed the Northern Zong Tian Shrine, but you can never cross the west territory, because the West Guardian…”
Before Xing Zhou could finish her words, those icicles that ran through her chest grew a long sharp barb and I heard the shattering of Xing Zhou’s body. In actual fact it wasn’t Po Kong ice sword that defeated Xing Zhou, it was Jian Ci magical ice curse. After the first attack those ice swords would have new ice swords growing out from them and they would launch the second attack, this kind of magic would only be used on people with stronger spiritual power, because this illusion magic was too power consuming. It would mean to perish together in a way. I couldn’t understand why Xing Gui, as an astrologer, would know the most powerful magic of the ice tribe illusionist.
In fact I wanted to let Xing Zhou to finish her words, but she didn’t manage to say it, she fell onto the ground; her facial expression was still so strange and blurry, I could vaguely feel that she knew something, but I just couldn’t get the exact answer of it.
