Volume One: The Most Heartless Are the Phoenix Paulownia Blossoms Chapter Thirteen: Farewell and Return

Moonlight spilled cold and clear over the empty square, while, from a distance, the forlorn cries of crows occasionally echoed, deepening the sense of solitude. By the princess’s prior command, the imperial guards holding torches around the perimeter did not take action.

Qin Ying and Old Jiao finished clearing the battlefield and returned to report to Zhuo Hua. “My lord, we have scouted the surroundings thoroughly. No other individuals were found.”

Zhuo Hua stared blankly at the corpse of the black-clad figure on the ground. Though his expression remained calm, a tempest raged within him.

“It’s a deathsworn of the Dark Cry Clan.” Only after a long silence did Zhuo Hua finally speak.

With a thud, Qin Ying collapsed to the ground, shaking his head repeatedly. “My lord, that’s impossible, absolutely impossible! The Dark Cry Clan could never enter this void.”

Old Jiao prowled around Zhuo Hua like a trapped beast. “Those star-watchers should all be executed. For thousands of years, not a single report from them has mentioned the Dark Cry Clan approaching the void. I said from the start we shouldn’t trust those natives. You should have listened to me, Old Zhuo, and had them all executed to avoid future troubles. But no! Not only did you spare them, you even handed the duties of celestial surveillance over to those birdfolk. Who knows, maybe their treacherous natures have surfaced again and they’ve colluded with the Dark Cry Clan, plotting against our Heavenly Palace.”

Zhuo Hua began a complex incantation, and a ghostly light rose, encircling the black-clad corpse. “Old Jiao, silence! Stop making things worse.” Qin Ying stood up, hastened to Zhuo Hua’s side, and seeing his master’s brow knit tight with worry, gently wiped the beaded sweat from his forehead with a silk handkerchief. In a soft voice, Qin Ying asked, “Zhuo Hua, are you alright? We’re all worried about you. This little white dragon here is so frightened he’s about to reveal his true form.”

“No, that’s not right! He’s not Dark Cry Clan!” Zhuo Hua suddenly exclaimed.

“What?” The others looked at him in confusion.

“I just examined his body with my heart technique. He is, in fact, a native of this void, but his movements and hidden weapons are indeed those of the Dark Cry Clan. Yet the artifacts and spells he used greatly resemble those of the Xuanhuang Tribe.” Zhuo Hua picked up a round object from the ground and seated himself cross-legged.

“The Dark Cry and Xuanhuang are two utterly distinct races—their mechanisms, techniques, and spiritual arts are entirely different.” Zhuo Hua attempted to activate the artifact with a spell, but it only hovered and spun a few times before shattering into fragments.

“Thus, due to the limitations of their bodies, it’s impossible for a member of the Dark Cry Clan to learn or wield the abilities of the Xuanhuang, let alone use their artifacts.”

Qin Ying anxiously knelt before Zhuo Hua, clutching his sleeve. “Then, my lord, is this person Dark Cry or Xuanhuang?” Zhuo Hua waved his hand, sweeping the fragments far off. “Neither!” With that, he stood, preparing to leave. “None of you are to follow me.” His voice lingered, echoing across the empty square.

Alone in the small garden, Zhuo Hua paced restlessly. He plucked a leaf, only to toss it away in frustration. He simply couldn’t understand—why had she returned? She’d left without a word, and now, after all these years, had come back just as silently. What was her intention? If she had truly returned, surely he would have sensed her presence. No matter how much she suppressed her power, it was impossible for her to be entirely undetectable to him. When she left, her spiritual sense had already reached the level of a celestial sage; the moment she approached this void, the star-watchers would surely have noticed something amiss.

Even if by chance she slipped through unnoticed, with her cultivation, the moment she entered the void, there would have been a heavenly tribulation or the appearance of auspicious clouds. In recent years, none of the recorded tribulations showed any anomalies.

Besides, she was never one for keeping a low profile.

“Lanling, why did you leave without a word back then? All these years, why haven’t you sent me a single message? I’ve kept our communication rift open for you, never once sealing it. Ah, my mind is a mess, such a mess…” Zhuo Hua thought.

But let us speak of another place, where the tall, imposing walls of Honglu Pass were just becoming visible in the first light of dawn. Zhuo Yun glanced at the little mountain beast in her arms, newly awakened, its half-closed, sleepy eyes making it irresistibly endearing. She couldn’t help but reach out to stroke its head.

But, as it turned out, the little creature was not to be underestimated. It opened its mouth, attempting to bite her. Zhuo Yun, agile and quick, barely dodged in time, but though unscathed, the scare left her pale.

The commotion on her back made the Cloudmane Beast toss its head and snort loudly. Su Xin called out, “Be careful! Don’t be fooled by its size. There’s a reason it’s called a mountain beast. We’re almost there—recite the spell to bring the flying beast down.”

Zhuo Yun pouted and, behind Su Xin’s back, stuck out her tongue. Then she muttered in confusion, “What was the incantation my lord taught me? Oh! I remember!” She pressed her left thumb and middle finger against the Cloudmane Talisman to form a ring, slipped her ring finger through, and began to chant, “Clouds disperse, rain clears, all is radiant. Cloud and mist return to the talisman.”

Suddenly, the Cloudmane Beast threw back its head and neighed, wisps of mist swirling around its body. Su Xin, clueless, clapped in admiration. “What a marvelous beast—so full of flair, even descending with such grand style—ahhhhh!”

Accompanied by a flash of green light, the Cloudmane Beast vanished into thin air. Su Xin shrieked. In her panic, she hastily tried to ride the wind with a spell, but the surprise and the relatively low altitude meant she hadn’t finished the incantation before crashing to the ground.

Bang! Bang! Thud! Three more pits appeared on the wasteland.

As the eastern light illuminated the towering Honglu Pass, the wind carried Su Xin’s furious roar: “Zhuo Yun! What kind of incantation did you just recite?”