Chapter 244: Double Countries

The Vermillion Bird World was engulfed in flames.

The world ablaze was crumbling. Red cracks had appeared on the arched dome, and the patterns spread across the entire world, like a piece of porcelain about to be shattered in a kiln.

Beneath a sky ablaze with firelight, the decisive battle between the girl and the white cat had already reached a fever pitch.

The sword gleams and spiritual energy they unleashed surged across the sky, destroying tall buildings one by one and toppling courtyard walls. People ran or crawled out from within the walls, wailing as they rushed into the streets, like walking corpses, only to be struck down by golden chariots, their bones shattered, flesh and blood scattered, and their faces contorted beyond recognition by the high-speed impact.

This world was being destroyed.

Malevolent spirits scrambled out of a cruel hell, only to be crushed to pieces by indifferent deities.

Piles of blood and bone were crushed into bloody mud by hooves and wheels, leaving no survivors.

It was as if this was a microcosm of the entire human world…

Above, Zhao Xiang'er's slender figure moved like a series of shadows. Each sword gleam she unleashed could span an entire city. Shen Tu and Cang Luan crisscrossed, leaving trails of red and white lines, which, upon expanding, transformed into smooth, cutting blades of light. These blades were all aimed directly at the Fish King.

The Fish King's figure was obscured by the sword light. It was riding an eel dozens of zhang long. The eel maneuvered through the sword light for three breaths, before being sliced into over three hundred pieces.

The Fish King's demonic eyes were equally solemn. The power Zhao Xiang'er displayed far exceeded its initial expectations.

Amidst the sword light, it simultaneously dodged and launched full-force attacks.

It did not intend to kill her within Zhao Xiang'er's world, because it vaguely sensed that in this world, she could continuously revive unless killed instantly with a single blow!

“You are not a Fire Phoenix... A young phoenix would not be this powerful.” The Fish King, observing the power she unleashed, stated, “You are indeed the one she truly chose...”

The higher one's cultivation, the deeper their reverence for heaven and earth. Even in this secluded world, it dared not utter the words “Vermillion Bird.”

Zhao Xiang'er's twin blades struck down again. She said coldly, “Who else would Mother choose if not me?”

The Fish King extended its sharp claws, the tips precisely striking the blade's weakest point. The Cang Luan blade, like a snake pinned down, instantly lost its momentum, its blade energy instantly dissipated, and the accompanying Shen Tu was also trapped by its sharp claws.

“Do you think you are so extraordinary?” the white cat coldly retorted.

“You cultivators... are merely born with exceptional advantages.” Anger surged within the Fish King. After deflecting the twin blades, the white cat swiped its crossed arms, sending two white lights, moving with a speed no less than Zhao Xiang'er's renowned blades, slicing towards her chest.

Zhao Xiang'er dodged, narrowly avoiding the center of the energy blade. Then, reversing her grip on the blade, she blocked outward, deflecting the ensuing, murderous white blades.

“Do you truly believe you are extraordinary, uniquely gifted, and ascended step by step by relying on sheer self-reliance and perseverance?” The white cat's pupils glowed crimson as it pounced with a sinister laugh. “Don't be foolish! You are only this powerful because your mother is connected to the Vermillion Bird Divine Kingdom! You are a descendant of the Divine Kingdom, a born divine child...”

“In this world, those with greater talent, stronger willpower, and who have suffered ten or even a hundred times more than you, have been countless over the past millennium... I alone have witnessed an innumerable number of them...”

“But what was their ultimate fate?”

“They spent a hundred times more time than you and still might not enter the Five Realms... Do you know how long it takes for a fish to escape a death pond cultivated by great demons, swim from a sewage-filled ditch to a narrow stream, navigate countless twists and turns, traverse tens of thousands of miles fraught with peril, and finally transform into a flood dragon?”

“Yet... yet even then, weren't they ultimately skinned, dismembered, and had their souls shattered by those arrogant deities!”

“You ancient gods...”

The white cat's voice grew sharp as it gazed at the phoenix-fire wings extending from Zhao Xiang'er's back.

Fury blazed in the sky.

The two moved at high speed amidst the intersecting light, transforming into shadows that sword light could not touch.

The Fish King was no longer merely a white cat; at this moment, it was clearly a ferocious tiger, roaring through the world.

Zhao Xiang'er's sword light was briefly suppressed, only to transform into a denser, furious torrent and surge forth once more.

The girl's figure, peerlessly beautiful, blazed in the firelight.

Her figure broke free from the white cat's intertwining claw energy, and surged forward with a snow-white torrent of fury.

“What's the point of saying all this? Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. If you can't stand the ancient gods' bullying, if you can't bear their oppression, then go resist them!” Zhao Xiang'er's sword light tore through everything, her dark ponytail whipped high, and fire erupted from her piercing black-and-white eyes.

“What are you now? You constantly rail against injustice, yet in the end, you've still become a slave and pawn of the ancient gods!”

“All you're saying is just to find a self-justifying excuse to kill me.”

The sword light swung, pressing down with brilliant force.

Zhao Xiang'er only learned swordsmanship at the palace martial arts hall when she was six. In the years that followed, all her sword and blade techniques were self-taught through fumbling and scrambling with a wooden sword in the mountains and forests, with no formal moves to follow.

The Fish King was forced back somewhat by this illogical sword light, and as it listened to Zhao Xiang'er's words, the scars in its heart were laid bare.

Its sharp claws grew several times larger. “Shut up!” it roared. “Ancient gods deserve to die, and so do you! All of you who have lived for thousands of years, enjoyed privilege for thousands of years, and disregarded heaven and earth, you all deserve to die!”

The fierce tiger's roar shook the mountains and forests.

Wind surged.

That was no mere wind, but the spatial currents generated by the trembling world.

The gale, like sharp blades, lashed at her. Zhao Xiang'er crossed her twin blades before her chest. The protective field she had erected was ripped open by the gale, and a few strands of her hair were shredded in the wind.

“Ancient gods... ancient gods are merely those who were born earlier! In terms of perseverance, hardship, and determination, how can you possibly compare to us?”

“Back then, back then you even devised that colossal lie, deceiving many great demons. Had it not been for the sages appearing and shattering that grand deception, not only I... but all the great demons in the human world would have been buried in your so-called heavenly kingdom...”

“The Divine Kingdom constantly claims to uphold the rules of heaven and earth, protecting all living beings. Are demons not living beings...”

“Hahaha, it's laughable, but in the end, you chose the more intelligent human race... They are indeed clever; what we demons couldn't achieve, they actually accomplished.”

“You... deserve it!”

The Fish King knew Zhao Xiang'er might not understand these words, but it didn't care about casting pearls before swine. It merely wanted to vent, to unleash its frustrations wildly within this isolated world. It wanted to unleash the dissatisfaction accumulated from five hundred years of imprisonment; it wanted to tear this world asunder.

The cat's paw slammed into the center of Zhao Xiang'er's crossed, guarding twin blades.

The blades dimmed, and her figure was forced back by the spatial gale and the impact of the cat's claw.

“Noisy... You're someone else's cat, yet you still fantasize about roaring through the mountains like a tiger? Being a slave isn't just about wearing a collar...” Zhao Xiang'er's eyes were like daggers. Her wrist trembled, shaking off the clinging air currents from her blades, and she said coolly, “If your sages return and see what the demons of yesteryear have become, they must surely be very disappointed, right?”

“What do you know, little girl?” the white cat roared, the demonic realm's power surging within its body. That power erupted from its bristling fur, like thousands of thin swords unsheathing simultaneously, sword energy spanning ten thousand miles in an instant, enough to pierce the entire sky like a honeycomb.

Giant, thunderous snapping sounds incessantly echoed through the air.

Zhao Xiang'er's realm was ultimately an illusion. Though she briefly unleashed several sharp attacks that only those in the Five Realms could possess, the world's power was also being drained by her. After thousands of sword gleams swept across, her realm began to waver.

The Fish King, however, grew stronger with each passing moment. Its five hundred years of suppressed fury, wielding the might of the Five Realms, relentlessly hammered Zhao Xiang'er, and slammed into this wavering world.

The Fish King stood still, snapped its fingers, and three white, fish-shaped bolts spun forward, leaving behind three spiraling, intertwined trails of snow-white smoke.

The bolts struck, and Zhao Xiang'er blocked with her blade.

Another deafening crash.

Zhao Xiang'er's strength was insufficient to deflect the incoming bolts, and she was rapidly forced backward by the immense power.

The Fish King snapped its fingers twice more.

From the void on its left and right, three fish-shaped arrows each shot out at high speed, trailing slender white wisps of energy, accurately striking Zhao Xiang'er's location.

Amidst the vibrating hum of her blades, the girl was directly propelled into the shattered imperial city.

The bolts exploded like firecrackers, detonating violently after smashing Zhao Xiang'er into the imperial city, sending up an immense white light that swallowed countless golden chariots, shattering them into golden dust.

The white cat pointed a finger at the smoking, dusty ruins.

The dust dispersed completely.

Zhao Xiang'er lay in the deep pit of the ruins, the tips of both blades broken off, their luster dull and faded.

“Is that all?” the Fish King asked coldly.

The cracks in the sky grew wider and wider.

In this world, they inherently existed in a state of ebb and flow. Once Zhao Xiang'er showed any weakness, she would be utterly suppressed by the increasingly fierce Fish King, unable to rise.

Zhao Xiang'er said nothing. She pursed her lips, forcing down the blood.

The laws of the world poured into her body, swiftly repairing her physical wounds.

Blood flowed over her wrist on her fair, slender arm, onto the blade, dripping from the broken tip, and was evaporated by the flames.

She silently lifted her bloody body from the ruins, and the shattered wings behind her reformed in the flames.

The girl's figure flashed and was gone.

The flames in the sky burned even more intensely.

The replicated famous blade she held was re-tempered and made whole once more.

The Fish King watched her as she launched a powerful, sweeping sword strike. It could sense that the edge of this blade energy was already subtly dissipating.

It sighed, saying, “It's merely futile.”

The girl's blade stopped a foot from its head.

Its snow-white fur still maintained its original flowing pattern, untouched by the blade energy.

Instantly, Zhao Xiang'er was thrown back again. She was rapidly pushed backward through the air. At the same time, she wielded her blades, drawing defensive barriers adorned with Vermillion Bird patterns as she retreated.

The Fish King raised its hand, mimicking the motion of drawing a bow and nocking an arrow.

The sound of glass shattering rang out, followed by continuous sounds of iron arrows piercing the wind.

The Vermillion Bird's barrier was instantly shattered, leaving only burning fragments.

There were three arrows.

Zhao Xiang'er poured all her spiritual energy into blocking, using her blades imbued with the power of laws.

The blades, so recently and painstakingly repaired, shattered again upon contact with the iron arrows.

The third followed immediately.

Zhao Xiang'er trapped the arrow, which was trailing a snow-white aura and spinning at high speed, between her hilts.

The sound of laws shattering rang out, and she was relentlessly forced backward.

The Fish King, like a tiger in a circus leaping through flaming hoops, leaped through over seventy such hoops in succession, pouncing directly before Zhao Xiang'er.

The white cat raised its paw and struck downward.

Blood spurted forth.

Zhao Xiang'er's hand, resisting the arrow, gave way. The high-speed spinning arrow pierced her chest, and with immense force, hurled her into the city wall.

The burning city wall crumbled extensively, revealing the void beyond.

The white cat gazed at its fingers.

It might not be the strongest cat demon in the world, but its fingers were undoubtedly the most nimble among felines.

It was thanks to this dexterity that it could practice various Taoist arts requiring hand seals, just like humans.

The crumbling city wall fragments, along with the void's great fire, swallowed Zhao Xiang'er's figure.

The cracks in the sky grew wider and wider, almost revealing the night sky of the outside world behind them.

Zhao Xiang'er's aura beneath the city wall also grew increasingly faint.

The Fish King felt a surge of emptiness. It recalled Zhao Xiang'er's earlier words and felt a pang of bewilderment.

It felt regret for its current state, yet having no other choice, it felt no remorse.

“It's over...”

It spoke these words.

Back then, in a remarkably similar location, the old fox had uttered the same words amidst the ruins of the imperial palace square.

History repeated itself.

A streak of fire rose from within the city wall.

That firelight within the flames was like water in a river; even the Fish King didn't notice it at first.

By the time it noticed, that ball of fire had already ascended into the sky, breaching the world's barrier and exploding brilliantly outside.

It was a signal flare.

At this moment, the night sky outside the city must have been illuminated exceptionally brightly by this flare.

The Fish King frowned, puzzled by her actions.

Far away in White City, beyond the battlefield...

“Look there!”

“It's His Majesty's signal fire!”

“Tonight, then...”

Amidst the brief exchanges, the entire guard of White City instantly awoke. They looked at the exploding flames in the sky, their expressions a mix of excitement and exhilaration.

This territory of Zhao, which had fallen into the hands of the Jin Kingdom, was finally to return to Zhao's domain tonight. And the current Zhao was no longer what it used to be, having become the most powerful nation in a corner of Southern Continent.

Within the city, the sleeping populace remained oblivious to the events unfolding.

“Remove the flags!”

The leading general raised his arm, letting out a roar-like shout.

On the city walls, all Jin Kingdom flags were simultaneously pulled down, raised high, cut with waist knives, and thrown below the battlement. At the same time, the national flag of Zhao was neatly planted in the empty spots where the flags had been.

The flags embroidered with the fire sparrow fluttered proudly in the night wind.

The generals who had fought for years on the city walls, knowing this moment would surely come, still couldn't help but shed tears as the signal flared and the flags were changed.

The military anthem of Zhao rang out over the imperial city.

From tonight onwards, Zhao... was finally whole!

Within the Vermillion Bird's world.

The final link in Zhao Xiang'er's destiny was finally completed.

The Vermillion Bird's final seal also ceased to exist.

As the city wall fragments lifted, the girl soared into the sky. No longer were illusory wings burning behind her; it was as if she were the deity itself.

The Fish King looked at her, its expression one of shock.

When the world condensed, the Nine Feathers, originally embedded immovably deep within her sea of consciousness, freely emerged. They transformed into a dark, sharp blade that she re-grasped in her hand.

Zhao... Xiang'er.

She softly uttered her name.

The next moment, she vanished from the Fish King's sight.

An immense sense of oppression emanated from behind the white cat.

Zhao Xiang'er sat cross-legged on the Nine Spirits Platform, just as her teacher had done back then.

The Fish King turned around, looking at her without fear. It said coldly, “Who isn't in the Five Realms...”

From the void, they emerged in a continuous stream.

Crossbow bolts, shaped like white fish, traced countless arcs as they shot toward Zhao Xiang'er, one after another.

Zhao Xiang'er raised her head, feeling the power within her body, a hint of bewilderment in her gaze.

She knew that the moment the world shattered, she would have to depart prematurely, without waiting for a divine messenger to greet her.

This was also why she had never allowed the Zhao Kingdom to be truly whole.

“Perfectly returned to Zhao...”

If Zhao was whole, then so was she.

Had she still failed to escape her destiny?

She gave a bitter laugh, then extended a finger and began to write.

Black light exploded.

The Fish King also desperately mobilized its power to its peak.

It originally did not wish to do so, as it would be burning its life force against destiny...

Its figure began to swell, revealing its true form on the demonic path.

It was a giant cat, its body as large as a city tower. Its fur was extremely long and slightly curved, swaying like water in the firelight.

It pounced towards Zhao Xiang'er on the former site of the Nine Spirits Platform.

Zhao Xiang'er had already completed the first character.

“Go.”

The character “Go.”

The world tilted towards the Fish King.

It was frozen within the world, seemingly moving forward, yet actually retreating.

“Go” — this was an order of banishment.

Next, Zhao Xiang'er quickly wrote the second character.

The character “乂.”

These were two sword gleams: one red from Shen Tu, the other white from Cang Luan. They flashed, crisscrossing, revealing an even more potent sharpness than before, like a crossed, slanted cruciform, pressing towards the Fish King's location.

The character “乂” slashed forth, striking its massive figure.

The blade light exploded across its fur.

Its body reeled backward, collapsing onto the ruins of the city wall.

Before the Fish King, most of its beautiful snow-white fur was burned away.

The character “Zhao” was what the National Preceptor wrote before his death back then. He believed