Chapter 112: The Methods of the Azure Emperor

"An auspicious sign of dragon and phoenix! Truly, an auspicious sign of dragon and phoenix!" Yan Qingqing murmured softly, her delicate face flushed even more deeply under the golden light. Ice and fire!

Long Yun also stared in astonishment at the wondrous spectacle unfolding in the sky, his eyes filled with incredible shock. He had originally thought it was merely a beautiful legend.

But unexpectedly, the fusion of their blood had truly summoned the dragon and phoenix’s blessing!

This aura was the purest and most sacred essence. Long Yun dared not look at Yan Qingqing, and a growing confusion settled in his heart. Could it be that he had truly developed feelings for her?

Feeling the warmth radiating from the woman in his arms, Long Yun suddenly felt awkward. He hastily released Yan Qingqing and helped her to stand.

His gaze avoided hers as he stammered nervously, "Qingqing, um, I’m sorry!"

Yan Qingqing’s face flushed even more deeply at his words; she gently turned her head away, unable to meet Long Yun’s eyes.

The ghostly images of the dragon and phoenix gradually dispersed in midair, and the two figures became clearer. Yet at this moment, both felt a certain awkwardness, especially Long Yun, whose eyes held a complicated expression.

“Boy, aren’t you coming in? What are you waiting for?” Zhong Xuan’s voice suddenly rang out, finally distracting Long Yun. He grasped Yan Qingqing’s arm and, with a flash, disappeared into the stone gate.

Long Yun knew the paths inside well. He didn’t seek out the Azure Emperor but instead headed toward the stone chamber carved with ancient characters.

Along the way, the two remained silent; the blush on Yan Qingqing’s face never faded, and the hand Long Yun held grew uncomfortably warm.

“Qingqing, I never expected you to be the inheritor of the Phoenix bloodline!” To ease the awkwardness, Long Yun spoke first.

“Hmm,” Yan Qingqing replied softly, her eyes filled with tender affection. “I didn’t know either until Uncle Canglang told me. He said the bloodline in me is the purest of the Fire Phoenix clan!”

Long Yun was slightly taken aback and murmured to himself, “She’s an Ice Phoenix, and you’re a Fire Phoenix. Your natures are completely opposite!”

Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing felt a twinge of sadness. The person Long Yun mentioned must be the woman who resembled her that he once spoke of.

Though Yan Qingqing had never met this woman, she always harbored an inexplicable hostility toward her. Every time Long Yun mentioned her, his gaze would soften with a special tenderness.

This made Yan Qingqing deeply uncomfortable. She asked quietly, “Does she really look a lot like me?”

Long Yun nodded. Seeing her eyes redden and tears welling up, as if about to fall at any moment, he silently chastised himself. This girl was so sensitive; mentioning Yan Ruoqing must have sent her thoughts spinning.

“Qingqing, we’ve arrived!” Fortunately, reaching their destination gave Long Yun a chance to change the subject.

However, as he spoke, his brow furrowed sharply. At the center of the stone chamber sat an elderly man in a blue robe, cross-legged on a meditation cushion. If he was not the Azure Emperor, then who was he?

“What’s the matter? Not happy to see me?” The Azure Emperor’s gaze was as sharp as lightning as it swept over Long Yun, a cold smile curling on his lips.

He had arrived in this chamber soon after Long Yun left. Though Long Yun claimed to have learned nothing from Zhong Xuan, the Emperor still felt uneasy.

He feared that once Long Yun returned, he might immediately merge with the Reincarnation Mirror, wasting all the years of effort the Emperor had invested. So he moved here to wait.

Feeling Long Yun’s grip tighten on her arm, Yan Qingqing seemed to sense his tension and looked at the Azure Emperor ahead.

“He is the second leader of the Azure Sect, not a good man!” Long Yun whispered into Yan Qingqing’s ear.

“Why so secretive when speaking? Boy, it seems you know quite a lot?” The Azure Emperor’s eyes flickered, and the space around them seemed to freeze.

Long Yun’s heart tightened. He silently called for Zhong Xuan, but the other was nowhere to be found. He hadn’t warned him the Azure Emperor was here. Could they have conspired to deceive him?

The thought brought a wave of regret. His life was expendable, but now he had dragged Yan Qingqing into this mess.

Seeing his expression, Yan Qingqing understood his thoughts. She squeezed his hand and whispered, “Brother, as long as I am with you, I have no regrets in life or death.”

Those words revealed her heart, moving Long Yun deeply but also filling him with shame.

Before meeting him, she was just a carefree girl from Canglang Gorge, somewhat willful but utterly innocent. Now, having followed him into the mortal world for only a short time, she was already plunged into peril.

“Looks like you’ve succeeded in obtaining the Immortal Fetus! Why hesitate to give it to me? Planning to keep it all to yourself?” The Azure Emperor smirked coldly, showing no intention to hold back.

In his eyes, Long Yun was nothing but fish to be cut up, utterly powerless to resist.

Long Yun gradually calmed himself and took a deep breath. “It’s not that I don’t want to hand over the Immortal Fetus, but your promises have been unreliable. Just now, I almost lost my life in the Azure Sect. If it weren’t for your firm assurances, I wouldn’t have ended up in such danger.”

“Hmph!” The Azure Emperor snorted coldly and slowly stood, stepping toward Long Yun with a disdainful sneer. “I gave you the Qinghe Wufeng Sword to protect yourself, yet you treated it like a royal decree, killing my sect’s disciples. If I were Feng Wuji, I would never forgive you!”

Long Yun sneered inwardly. Zhong Xuan still hadn’t appeared; it seemed he had fallen into their trap. Now he could only rely on himself, even if it meant crushing the dragon pearl given to him by Niyu.

Or perhaps he and Yan Qingqing could summon the dragon and phoenix’s blessing once more. The demon outside was no weaker than the Azure Emperor. The dragon and phoenix’s radiance might yet intimidate the Emperor.

With this thought, his mind steadied, and he sneered, “Your Majesty, Azure Emperor, Feng Wuji’s desire for my life is no secret to you. This Qinghe Wufeng Sword was a curse from the start. You gave it to me not to protect me, but to push me into the fire!”

“Ha ha!” The Azure Emperor laughed heartily, though inside he was displeased. Feng Wuji had dared openly disobey him. Now that he had obtained the Reincarnation Mirror, the first person he wanted to kill was Feng Wuji.

Yet there was something even more important now: to seize the Immortal Fetus from Long Yun and fuse it with the Reincarnation Mirror’s true form.

“Enough talk. I won’t waste time. I’ll take down you two little ones first. Finding the Immortal Fetus won’t be a problem then!” The Azure Emperor smiled cruelly and stopped just a few yards from Long Yun and Yan Qingqing.

With a wave of his hand, an invisible pressure spread out, enveloping them both.

Long Yun and Yan Qingqing immediately unleashed their protective energy, but the Azure Emperor’s oppressive force was terrifying. A mere brush shattered their defenses.

“Qingqing, dragon and phoenix, auspicious sign!” In desperation, Long Yun shouted, biting his finger and flicking a drop of blood into the air before him.

Without hesitation, Yan Qingqing released a drop of her blood; the two droplets merged. At the same time, Long Yun grasped the dragon pearl in his arms. If the dragon and phoenix’s blessing failed to subdue the Azure Emperor, he would crush the pearl instantly.

The merged blood droplets fell to the ground, but no sign of the dragon and phoenix’s blessing appeared. Both shared a glance, their expressions darkening.

Suddenly, Long Yun understood. The appearance of the dragon and phoenix might not be due to mutual affection, as Uncle Canglang had said, but something else entirely.

At this realization, he felt a headache coming on. Without the dragon and phoenix’s blessing, they stood no chance against the Azure Emperor.

He tightened his grip and was about to crush the dragon pearl when a voice echoed in his ear:

“Long Yun, accept this trial well. The master of the Reincarnation Mirror must possess not only extraordinary courage but also outstanding wisdom!”