Love & Redemption
Chapter 222: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms - 29 Jun Tian Sea Strategy (2)

Chapter 222: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms Chapter 29 Jun Tian Sea Strategy (2)

Continuing our weekend schedule, here are two more updates. The first one.

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Unexpectedly, the two of them didn’t even have time to drink a sip of water and rushed to Qingyang urgently, only to easily catch Liu Yihuan in the brothel, who was flirting and drinking. Seeing the two disheveled and exhausted, he wasn’t surprised at all and actually started laughing loudly while slapping the table.

Yu Sifeng’s face turned pale as he hurriedly grabbed Liu Yihuan’s sleeve and said in a deep voice, "Brother, has anyone from Heaven come to trouble you?"

Liu Yihuan, who had drunk quite a bit, was completely intoxicated. His eyes stared blankly as he belched loudly and started patting Yu Sifeng’s shoulder, laughing, "Little Phoenix is back! Come, drink... drink, drink!"

Seeing that he was heavily drunk, Yu Sifeng could only hastily agree a few times and let himself be forcefully fed a drink, nearly spitting it out due to choking. Seeing that he was still causing trouble, Xuanji stepped forward and knocked him out cold with a karate chop to the back of his neck, and Liu Yihuan passed out without even a hum.

"Xuanji!" Yu Sifeng said, both crying and laughing, but she just flicked her hair and said, "Come on! To the inn!" The two had not slept for a day and a night and had been running back and forth between Shaoyang and Qingyang, along with the matters of Heaven, they were at their limit. Now, seeing Liu Yihuan safe and sound, a huge weight lifted off their hearts. At that moment, both felt their legs weaken, exchanging a wry smile.

Yu Sifeng carried Liu Yihuan on his shoulder, and the two jumped out of the brothel’s second-floor window. Upon reaching the inn, they didn’t think twice, they tied Liu Yihuan from head to toe with a rope to prevent him from running away once sober and they immediately fell into a deep sleep. They slept until the moon was high in the sky, only waking up at the third watch of the night.

Yu Sifeng was the first to wake up. The first thing he did after getting up was to turn his head to check on Liu Yihuan, who was tied up on the lounge chair. The room was dark, not a single light lit, and he could faintly see Liu Yihuan’s silhouette. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to see Xuanji curled up in a corner of the bed, sleeping soundly. He tucked her in properly and then got out of bed to wash his face.

Liu Yihuan on the lounge chair did not move at all, as if he was not even breathing. Suddenly, Yu Sifeng felt alarmed, and he approached quietly, saying, "Brother Liu..."

After a long time, a sigh came from the darkness, Liu Yihuan’s voice sounded very distant, light, "You shouldn’t have come back. Competing with Heaven, in the end, who suffers? If you two had found a place to hide, I would be more at ease."

Yu Sifeng was silent for a moment before replying quietly, "Not everything can be solved by hiding. Even if Xuanji and I could really avoid Heaven’s pursuit, do you want us to live in guilt and regret for the rest of our lives?"

"Guilt my ass!" Liu Yihuan suddenly burst out angrily, "I’ve always told you since you were young, to be selfish and ruthless! Where the hell did you learn your nonsense? Learning to die together like others? Do you think I like that? I’m telling you, if our positions were reversed today, I wouldn’t give a damn about you! I’d have left long ago!"

Yu Sifeng had no reply to this, while Liu Yihuan gasped for air and then said, "Now is not the time to play heroes. If one can escape, it’s already a victory. If both stay, it’s all fucking over! Yes, you are Shieryu, and that girl is a War God. What are you in Heaven? You’re nothing! Where do you get the guts to come find me in this dangerous situation? You’ve completely disgraced me!"

His scolding was indeed harsh, and Yu Sifeng sighed, "Brother..."

"Who is your brother?!" Liu Yihuan rarely unleashed his fury, more ferociously than Chu Lei ever could.

"Running away isn’t my style!" Suddenly, another voice came from the bed, followed by the lighting of a candle on the table. Xuanji’s smiling face appeared behind the candlelight, her features picturesque. Liu Yihuan and the young girl didn’t know how to speak harshly and could only remain silent. Xuanji laughed, "If you wanted to talk, why not light the lamp? Is it fun staying in the dark?"

She got up and lit the candlestick on the table, brightening the room considerably. The three of them looked somewhat disheveled, their clothes unkempt and their hair messy, as if they had just been in a big fight. Xuanji sat next to Liu Yihuan and said, "Brother Liu, I understand what you mean. However, how to handle this is my business. It’s not about dying for you or anyone else; even if I die, it would be my own choice."

Liu Yihuan’s face was ashen, his lips trembled slightly, and he said softly, "You’re too young to talk about death!"

Xuanji spoke softly, "No, no matter the age, one should not talk lightly of death. You all want me not to fight with Heaven, but I never intended to go against them in the first place, not at all. So, I also won’t just accept the charges they’ve framed me with. I must make things clear."

Liu Yihuan scoffed softly and said lightly, "Make things clear? With whom? Do you think those immortals in Heaven will patiently listen to your reasoning?"

Xuanji replied, "How would I know without trying? Even if they do decide to kill me in the end, at least we would have tried our hardest. I don’t want to die senselessly or continue to suffer any punishment. I don’t want that, Brother Liu."

Liu Yihuan pursed his lips, saying nothing more. Suddenly, Yu Sifeng said, "Exactly, Xuanji and I think the same. To do nothing and just duck our heads hoping someone else would come and chop it off, I can’t accept that."

The room suddenly fell into an eerie silence, and after an unknown amount of time, Liu Yihuan suddenly cleared his throat and said irritably, "How long are you two planning to tie me up? My legs, arms, and feet are all numb!"

Yu Sifeng quickly untied him, thinking that their audacity was indeed frightening. No matter how disrespectful Liu Yihuan could be, he was nevertheless an elder, and for them to have actually bound an elder was appalling. Yet, for some reason, it was also amusing.

Seeing a hint of a smile on Yu Sifeng’s lips, Liu Yihuan rolled his eyes, "Bring me some water and food! Do you want to starve me to death?" Now acting like a demanding lord, he had the two juniors busy themselves tending to his needs. After they had finally managed his washing and eating, both found a moment to tidy themselves up. Xuanji was just splashing her face with water when Liu Yihuan said, "This Heavenly Eye of mine, it’s time to return it. Keeping it on me, I gradually lose control over it."

What does losing control mean? Both looked at him with surprise. Liu Yihuan slowly stroked the small fleshy seam on his forehead, seemingly lost in thought, then he continued after a while, "The Heavenly Eye allows me to see many causes and effects. If I have seen someone, no matter how far away, I would know what they are about to encounter and what they have encountered. There is almost nothing I cannot see. However, there are a few things I cannot see through. Do you know what they are?"

He spoke resolutely, "I cannot see my own past or future, nor can I see your past or future, Xuanji. This indicates that the Heavenly Eye is not omnipotent. Naturally, being from Heaven, it is of no use against Heaven itself. Therefore, I cannot see how this matter will end."

At this point, he seemed to hesitate and then shook his head, "No, it’s not entirely true that I can see nothing. What I meant by loss of control, that’s what this is. I have a strong sense of foreboding; the Heavenly Eye occasionally reveals things to me in dreams, like being captured by Heaven and subjected to a severe punishment, but I can’t see the concrete details. It does not obey my commands, issuing warnings to me in dreams, beyond my control. Moreover, my demon power decreases by the year. It seems that having the Heavenly Eye comes at a cost—the longer I possess it, the higher the price I pay. After my demon power is depleted, only my health and life remain. So, I think, it’s time to take it out. I still need to keep my life to see my daughter’s reincarnation..."

Hearing him mention his daughter, Yu Sifeng softly called out, "Brother, your daughter hasn’t reincarnated yet... at least wait until she has..."

Liu Yihuan said in a soft voice, "Perhaps I can’t wait. After all, I am a selfish father who always forsakes her for my own matters. Even if she reincarnates, I have no face to look after her."

He sighed, wiped his face, and continued, "This matter with Heaven, I can’t see with the Heavenly Eye, and it’s as bewildering to me as it is to you. But since it happened, why don’t I tell you about the difference between the Big Heavenly Eye and the Little Heavenly Eye? What I have is the Little Heavenly Eye, which knows the causality of all things. There is also the Big Heavenly Eye, which, Xuanji, you should have seen before during that incident at Shaoyang Sect, where it tore open the sky. The gods use it to watch over the mortal world or Netherworld casually. No matter how far, it allows one to see the situation in the Lower Realm instantly. Since it’s been used, I think someone from the Upper Realm must be monitoring you constantly, no matter where you go; the Big Heavenly Eye can see everything. So I say... letting you escape is actually pointless."

He smiled bitterly.

Yu Sifeng pondered for a long moment and suddenly said, "I have an idea. It’s probably too late now to rush to the East Sea Coast, and the East Sea is so vast, merfolk live in the water and it’s impossible to find them right away. Why don’t we directly go to the Netherworld to find Wuzhiqi? He probably hasn’t emerged yet, or there would have been some movement at Lize Palace. If he’s willing to help, all the better. Ask him to look after Brother Liu and Shaoyang Sect, and by the way, to search for Ting Nu in the East Sea. You and Xuanji, go to Kunlun Mountain."

Upon hearing the name Wuzhiqi, Liu Yihuan’s face immediately darkened, and he snorted, "He’s willing to help? That’ll be the day stones bloom! Isn’t it troublesome enough? We really had to involve such a problematic person!"

Yu Sifeng smiled, "Brother, you are biased against him. I, on the other hand, think he is a man of great loyalty and affection. He and Xuanji also had certain ties in their past lives. Xuanji’s punishment to descend to the Lower Realm and experience trials might even be because of him. Morally and logically, he wouldn’t owe her anything. If he’s willing to help, it truly would fulfill our greatest wish."

Liu Yihuan just scoffed, saying nothing. Xuanji quickly spoke up, "Good idea! I agree! Let’s go to the Netherworld right away!" She then pulled out two Mystical Iron Rings from her sleeve, saying, "These were left behind when Tengshe and I went to the Netherworld last time, originally brought back by Sixth Brother when he was spying in Buzhou Mountain. Si Feng should also have two rings, right? You and Brother Liu have been to the Netherworld too."

Yu Sifeng also took out two rings, thought for a moment, and frowned, "There are only four rings, but if Wuzhiqi agrees to help, we will have five people on our side, including Zi Hu."

Liu Yihuan snorted again, "If that monkey didn’t have some tricks up his sleeve, why would the immortals in Heaven be so wary of him? As if Buzhou Mountain could contain him! Shen Tu and Yu Lei wouldn’t even see how they died! Right now, both the Juntian Ring and the Sea Control Hook are in his possession. How else would you say those immortals always pick on the soft targets? Instead of going after him, they come to trouble us."

"The Sea Control Hook?" Xuanji’s ears perked up, "What’s that?"

"It’s said that both are incredible Divine Artifacts. The Juntian Ring was once treated as a sacred object by the Golden Winged Bird to enhance demon power; as for the Sea Control Hook, well, it’s personally held by Wuzhiqi. No one can escape the hook of the sea; it’s quite formidable."

Xuanji "Oh"ed, recalling her last visit to the Netherworld where she saw him, it seemed he didn’t have any hook on him. Where could he be hiding it?

Liu Yihuan suddenly furrowed his brows, adding, "I heard a legend a long time ago, the Jun Tian Sea originally belonged to a Heavenly God. Later, however, that Heavenly God disappeared for some reason, yet the artifacts were left behind. After a long time, somehow, they ended up in the mortal world and were taken by someone. Whether the legend is true or not, the Jun Tian Sea truly exists and is definitely not something from the Lower Realm. Li Ze Palace wanting to retrieve the Juntian Ring might invite endless troubles."

Xuanji clapped her hands and laughed, "Brother Liu, stop rambling! If we keep talking, it’ll be daylight. Let’s go! First to the Netherworld, then Si Feng and I still need to go to Kunlun Mountain! ... Oh right, why are we going to Kunlun Mountain?"

Yu Sifeng slightly raised an eyebrow, "It’s the Heavenly Emperor’s garden in the Lower Realm. When Heaven opens and closes, there’s a Heavenly Ladder that reaches Heaven. This matter needs a discussion with someone above." (To be continued. If you wish to continue following the story, please visit www.qidian.com for more Chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)