The ambient brightness rises dramatically and then falls several times. I cannot see the sun, but I can still record the passing of time and days since my owner and her companion have been discarded in this courtyard.
At first, I busy myself with trying to discern the flow of Qi in the background to identify the formation powering this prison, but all such attempts have been unsuccessful. If there truly is a formation here, I cannot detect it. Even the snowstorm walls of pure sword force feel like a natural feature, which I would normally declare to be impossible, but without any evidence to the contrary, I cannot declare that it is unnatural or artificial.
Eventually, my thoughts turn toward the more sinister interpretation of the prisoner and her final words.
Eternal Red of the Nine Frozen Suns.
That is most certainly a name — and one that is unlike any other name on this continent.
I did not have much opportunity to think about this before, but now all I have is time. The most mysterious aspect of the princess is the fact that she possesses both a fire and an ice root. This is simply something that defies all common reason and logic. Fire and water — and ice by extension — cannot coexist.
When Wu Yulan spent most of her time in my inner world practicing under the waterfall, it was to sharpen her sword but also to deepen her attainment of ice. It is because she saw the princess use fire energy and concluded that attacking her with ice — fire’s weakness — could yield positive results.
Who would have thought that the princess could also use ice energy at the same time?
It is not humanly possible to wield fire and ice energy — at least not for long. Eventually, one of the elemental natures would overpower and destroy the other. Those with roots that have opposing elements are born frail, weak, and suffer a short lifespan fraught with illness.
It is not humanly possible — which is further evidence that the princess is not human to begin with. A phoenix and ice phoenix heritage is only possible, to my knowledge, by being the direct descendant of such mythical beasts.
In the original myth, it was said that the Fire Empress had the bloodline of dragon descendants. While this still may be true, it is more probable that the true identity of the so-called Fire Empress was not known by the public, at that time.
In other words, not only is the princess not human, but she is most likely not even from this world. Dragons exist in this world, of that I am sure. Lu Long is most certainly an alias used by someone who wants to indicate or imply the alternative meaning — “massacre dragons” — a dragon slayer.
However, phoenixes exist only in stories. There is no record or memory of one ever existing, beyond the creation myths of the world. And yet, the phoenix heritage, and the ice phoenix heritage, are most certainly real.
This evidence is still only circumstantial and conjecture at best. If this princess truly was a spirit, mythical beast, or some other type of existence from another world, why would she appear in this one? Furthermore, just like phoenixes, there are no records or memories of another world existing either.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Perhaps, I conclude, there is another way to obtain the heritage of a phoenix without being a direct descendant. Something similar to the Ancient Sword Graveyard.
After several days of ceaseless agony, Lan Xiaohui and Wu Yulan finally calm down as their newly rebuilt roots are completely reformed.
Perhaps calling this process ‘rebuilding’ is not entirely accurate. To rebuild the roots is to make slight adjustments — a heaven-defying power in its own right, but not impossible.
The process my owner and her companion go through is more like rebirth — itself an aspect of the phoenix. During their final attempts at dignity, they tore up their roots, among other things, and damaged their spiritual veins considerably. Restoring them was, at the time I thought, simply impossible.
The spiritual roots are considered to be a gift of destiny which is the exclusive domain of the Heavens. Tampering with the will of Heaven is simply a fool’s errand. Heaven-opposing powers exist, but the transformation I witness in my owner and her companion is beyond mere opposition; it is completely subverting the laws of nature.
Perhaps it is rebirth of some limited nature, though I could not even comprehend the consequences of such a thing. But there is no doubt that what was once an irrecoverable injury has now become a pristine, heaven-defying asset.
Not only are their spiritual roots restored, but their veins have also recovered and rebuilt themselves. In their veins, it is no longer just the Qi of Heaven and Earth that flows, but natural energy as well. Though this may be a result of their cultivation of [Empty Moon Prana], it still raises some questions about the state and quality of their new internal configuration.
In addition to being able to wield fire and ice energy now, their innate talent of cultivating such is, simply put, something that defies all reason. If I could directly observe their spiritual roots and measure their quality, it would not surprise me if I found out that they were of the Divine grade.
Even if that were true — and I have misjudged before — killing Lu Long in twenty years is simply not possible. Even my most generous estimates of Lu Long’s strength place him in the Nihility realm of cultivation, and that is at the time of the myth. How many dozens or hundreds of years have passed since then?
Even if Lan Xiaohui and Wu Yulan could cultivate to the peak of the Nascent Soul Ascension realm within ten years, catching up to Lu Long to threaten him seems out of the question.
Who is Lu Long anyway? Most certainly, his true identity is not that of a wanderer, but the cultivator of a powerful, hidden clan or sect — like the Heavenly Sword Villa.
The powers that lurk within these sects are profound and mysterious. Even if Wu Yulan and Lan Xiaohui could catch up to Lu Long in cultivation, their martial arts and attainment — especially in Wu Yulan’s case — could hardly match that of anyone within Lu Long’s organization, let alone Lu Long himself.
At the very least, all of these things are logical conclusions.
However, twenty years may be a short time to cultivator standards, but to me, it is plenty of time to prepare. Furthermore, Wu Yulan and Lan Xiaohui are not entities that can be estimated through logic. Their strange techniques that they used in the end aside, their determination and cultivator hearts are most certainly assets that outclass even their improved spiritual roots.
Given enough time — and most importantly, prudence and guidance — they will become unstoppable sword cultivators. Sword sovereigns in their own right.
So what if Wu Yulan sealed her sword attainment? In twenty years, she can obtain another sword that is peerless under the Heavens.
So what if Lan Xiaohui’s heart is crushed? In twenty years, she can cultivate one that will never falter.
For the first time in my existence, I feel a sort of envy towards this lesser creature and its ability to adapt and overcome challenges that are, logically, impossible to overcome.