His robes billowing through the cold wind that blowing on his direction but despite being old and a hundred years of age, the isolated old man seems not to be bother by it. He just continues watching the Snow Mountain, at the mouth where blows of wind that mix with thick evil qi is presenting itself, soon something starting emerging from it; the old man calmly turn around and enters his hut. Inside he walks towards the small altar at the corner, together with various simple offerings of fruits is stack of scrolls. He light three incenses.

"Your Highness, I'll see you soon." in the middle of wrinkles a smile full of adoration and love and longing appears, while staring at the painting that hanging on the wall the painting of his god, the painting of his beloved.

MDZS Fanfic

Red Strings of Connections

Chapter 37 The Hidden Divine Beast Further Within

The Evil Phoenix continue flapping its wings, roaring, and releasing evil qi, yet despite that it wasn't leaving its nest, and just there repeating these three moves without rest, the ground where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji used to be is no longer exist as it might been eaten by the lava.

Cracks are beginning creating at the surface of the mountain, or volcano, between the cracks orange flame light peeking through. It's like the volcano will also destroy mountain and if that happen then the lava that trap inside will surely pour not just on village of snow but to every direction surrounding the mountain!

Thick cold wind begun blowing and circling around the mountain, it gets thicker and thicker that it now visible to the eyes, the wind blows stronger by time and just circling around the mountain. Shockingly, despite the heat of lava, the snow that covering the entire mountain doesn't melt and the wind soon identify as snowstorm. No one knows what's going on, or what force creating this occurrence.

Standing on their swords, just near above the volcano mountain of snow and lava, watching as the head to neck of phoenix emerging from the mouth are the missing Young Master of Zhuque Sect and Young Master of Lan Clan.

Wei Wuxian is wearing the black winter clothe of Lan Wangji.

To think that the real Divine Beast of Night Snow Village is an evil phoenix.

Both the young masters have already heard about this evil beast before; Wei Wuxian at House of Zhang, while Lan Wangji in his ancestor documents.

Five hundred years ago, a monster was summoned by sacrificing a local maiden instead of what written in the legend where the one who must summon it is a chosen lady from another world. People back then never believes in possibility of another world, have used a maiden that they could get their hands to; uses her blood and flesh to summon Zhuque but instead of the heavenly creature, what they have summoned is this demonic beast that begins eating human flesh.

A God and a Ghost King has joined forces to defeat this creature and sealed it under a mountain.

If they going to believe this legend, then the mountain where the Evil Zhuque has been sealed under must be this snow mountain.

Wei Wuxian curses. Peri is no doubt a stone statue that only made by human that sucking human soul, but after many years is still weak, it cannot be compared to this evil beast.

Wei Wuxian nailed on his head to ask his grandma if the other vessels of Yin Iron are same as this one. If ever that is the case, then... Wei Wuxian could only pray that he would survive all battles.

Escaping is not an option, seeing the seal has finally broken then there will be no doubt that this evil beast will surely destroy everything on his wake; their only choice is to defeat it right here and right now.

Lava has started to leak out from the slits of the cracks of mountain, they must quick.

Wei Wuxian forms his fingers into a sign and writes a sigil in air, the sigil has multiplied by five, then throw it at the emerging bird. Not much effective it, still it was enough to halt the movement of the giant bird. The Evil Beast howls in its screeching voice, giving whoever hear it an ear-piercing noise that the young masters cover their ears. Enduring this annoying irritable noise Lan Wangji take out a white guqin, slide his fingers in the strings and strum, sound with spiritual energy has been threw to the bird, making it stop from howling. Again, Lan Wangji strum his guqin strings, and this seems to be effective seeing the bird begun trashing inside its cauldron, Wei Wuxian continues in throwing various kind of sigil towards it.

Ice and water proved to be really useless, so is wind and earth, at the very least all kinds of sigil for fire are quite useful. Right now, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji could only do is stopping it from getting out from its bathtub, worst thing is the lava that keeps flowing down the mountain path is almost reaching the village, looking down now, they have noticed that the snowstorm is only covering half of the mountain, letting them to see the people running around in circle, like ants that lost their formation, and these people to see what going on atop the mountain. Wei Wuxian then remembers about the Village Chief his minions, but him and Lan Wangji has no time to check if they able to descend the mountain already.

Wei Wuxian jumps, holds the hilt of his spiritual sword and let himself fell towards the man-eating bird, slashing his sword and able to create a wound on his head, but Wei Wuxian knew that this wasn't enough, so upon landing in the still snow-covered ground, Wei Wuxian uses qigong to lift again and made slicing attack against it.

Although this bird is an evil version of the real Zhuque, it is still demoted version, not even as divine and strong as Zhuque itself, the only its advantage is still in the hot boiling lava which preventing the Young Masters from attacking it in close range.

Wei Wuxian flew back with his sword after inflicting several slashes, as he cannot endure the hot temperature of the bird's bath.

"It seems like, it is much better if we let it out from the lava." Wei Wuxian jokes, which turns out to be much better idea that Lan Wangji agrees.

For the next moments, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji stops attacking and just watch the bird to flap its wings and slowly pulling out itself from its bathtub.

Together with it, either the two Young Masters noticed or not, the blizzard that covering half of the mountain is now getting higher and higher that soon passing the mouth, and as the evil Phoenix continue raising the blizzard raising as well.

That's when then Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji noticed this strange occurrence, they both watch the two sides, witnessing the blizzard passing the phoenix, then phoenix passing the blizzard. This went through and thus a strange thought and feelings built in them. They then remembered what they are thinking might be possible. That the mountain of snow might be really alive and it's trying to prevent the giant bird from leaving.

Soon the last claw of the phoenix has finally pulled out from the lava, and it was about to fly towards the sky, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji was about to attack it to get it back down, but the blizzard has closed atop the phoenix, preventing it to go further. It close and it is now a dome made of snowstorm. Wei Wuxian without much thinking caught an incredible sight below, the lava that going down the mountain has stopped upon reaching the blizzard wall, and soon the hot boiling lava that supposedly melting the white snow has instead cool down and turn into hard rocks.

But Wei Wuxian has no time to indulge himself in this wonderful yet strange discovery seeing the phoenix is force itself to the barrier made of snowstorm, and Lan Wangji already at below with fingers form into sign and commanding his Bichen to keep attacking the phoenix.

Wei Wuxian takes out another round of paper talismans and threw them, these turns out to be explosive talismans as it all blows up upon contact. He jumps down from his sword and form a sign, feeding Suibian with his spiritual energy and commanded it towards the phoenix that aren't yet giving up from going against the barrier's ceiling.

Lan Wangji switch into his guqin, sending musical waves of spiritual energies towards the evil phoenix, but this doesn't take the attention of the bird, and instead Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji flinch upon hearing a really bad sound coming from the blizzard.

The blizzard seems like just a cover of the real wall of erected barrier, and soon this wall has crack, the phoenix noticed this and continues banging its head, in attempt to destroy it completely.

They must do something to pull that stupid bird back down, but before they could think of a way, something went pass them, something that is like a long rope, crackling in color of water.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji turns around and smile widen at Wei Wuxian upon seeing his siblings behind not far away.

"Sister Qing! A-Ning!"

Myo Qing is the one that gripping the hilt of the whip, while Myo Ning is preparing his spiritual arrow onto his bow, aiming for the phoenix above. He releases the spiritual arrow that multiply itself ten times, yet the bird doesn't care, even after contact. Myo Qing has been sending spiritual energy against the phoenix using her whip that the tip coiled around the evil phoenix's neck, locking and keep crackling, electrifying the beast but this doesn't make the phoenix stop as well at banging its head, and it seem frustration finally kick in, it roars fiercely destroying the barrier above.

Its screeching roar reached the heaven and earth.

It begun soaring towards the sky, pulling Myo Qing along.

After showering the bird with his spiritual arrows, Myo Ning chased his sister and grips on her whips, trying to help, yet it's a useless attempt; soon Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji sees the helplessness of the blood siblings that they also join the tug o' war.

The bird finally decided to give them a piece of mind, turns its head to them, and flaps its wings sending series of feathers. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian counters it with Bichen and Suibian. The feathers then landed on the several directions, everyone was thankful for the fast reflexes of them or else—seeing how it digs through the snow covered mountain they will be surely skewered like barbeque.

The Evil Phoenix flap again its wings sending waves of cold breeze to its pullers, this time it doesn't have feathers targeting them, instead it was rushing towards them!

Wei Wuxian and Myo Qing cursed, Lan Wangji narrows his eyes, Myo Ning screech.

But they are all readied themselves for countering it. Seeing it is coming to their way and has no intention to fly away anymore, Myo Qing uncoiled her whip and commanded it back to her, and with crackling light she was ready to threw it again, Myo Ning creates spiritual arrows from his hand and placed five arrows at the bow, pulling the string, aiming for the incoming enemy, Lan Wangji fed Bichen with spiritual energy, letting it to float just above him, Wei Wuxian readies a series of sigils and anytime ready to send 'em all.

The tension between humans and giant beast is so fierce, that the only sound they could hear is the howling of the bird, and whisper of cold breeze.

From above, something appears, but no one notice other than Lan Wangji. He sees a person, short, wearing a black robe with familiar tassel, its side is on the bird. The person is like being carried by the wind stays on air for too long than a normal person could.

His light color eyes witness how the person twirls and as if pulling something on the other side.

To everyone who doesn't witness this were shocked to see that the bird abruptly dashes down the ground of snow instead of continuing towards them. Only Lan Wangji sees how things have play out, sees who is the person that saved them, and brings the beast down the ground to eat snow.