Chapter 71 — The Kui Ox

"Miss—" Qinglong smiled, as though he did not regard Lu Xueling as an enemy at all. "This Kui Ox (Note 1) is a creature we spent great effort to bind, and it poses no harm to your esteemed sect. Why must we fall into dispute?"

Lu Xueling drew a deep breath, knowing that this man's cultivation was unfathomably deep and that she was likely no match for him; but as her gaze shifted, it fell upon the strange beast, the Kui Ox, and she saw that the Kui Ox was gazing this way too, its eyes bright, a low growl still rumbling in its throat—who could tell what it was thinking at that moment?

"Demon!" she cried suddenly, and heedless of all else, the Divine Sword of the Heavenly Dipper blazing with blue light, she charged straight at Qinglong.

Qinglong started. Facing the Divine Weapon of the Heavenly Dipper, even one of his cultivation dared not underestimate it; he could only knit his brows and fight with all his concentration.

In the clearing, blue light and pure radiance clashed into a tangled blaze, but Qinglong's cultivation was, after all, higher than Lu Xueling's, and the Qiankun Pure Radiance Ring seemed in no way inferior to the Heavenly Dipper. As time wore on he at once gained the upper hand, the pure radiance slowly bearing the blue light down.

Zhang Qingyue watched, anxiety gnawing at him, and turned his head. Song Dayi gritted his teeth and said urgently, "Little师妹—take our youngest junior brother and go, now! I will go over with Biyan; the moment we find an opening we will follow."

Tian Lingsu said in alarm, "Eldest Senior Brother, I—"

Song Dayi glared and snapped, "No time for chatter now—go!" With that he waved Du Biyan forward and at once plunged into the fray, leaving Zhang Qingyue and Tian Lingsu standing where they were.

In truth, Song Dayi's own inclination had been to leave this trouble alone, but Lu Xueling was of their own sect and could not be abandoned; and now the danger was grave, with the Nether King and Qinglong, those two great demons, on the enemy's side. Hard-pressed, he could only see to the youngest juniors first, while he himself went up to see whether an escape might be found.

Scolded thus by Song Dayi, Tian Lingsu only stared. From childhood to now Song Dayi had doted on her and had never spoken a harsh word; suddenly hearing one today, she could hardly take it in.

But she was, after all, an outstanding disciple of the Canglan Sect, and headstrong and spoiled by nature since she was small. Frowning in thought a moment, she said to Zhang Qingyue, "Xiaofan, you stay here and look after Fourth Senior Brother. I'm going over to—"

Zhang Qingyue was greatly startled; before he could speak, the wounded He Dachuan had already struggled up and cried, "Little junior sister, it's dangerous over there—you mustn't go!"

But once Tian Lingsu had set her mind, how could she heed him? Only Tian Buhui could have restrained her now; He Dachuan's words fell on her ears like wind past them.

Seeing that Tian Lingsu paid him no mind at all and was about to turn away, He Dachuan urgently called to Zhang Qingyue, "Youngest junior brother, hold her back!"

Zhang Qingyue came to himself and ran to seize Tian Lingsu by the sleeve, saying urgently, "Senior sister, don't go over—stay here, and I'll go help—"

Before the word "help" was out, Tian Lingsu, impatient, flung her arm and broke free of him. In desperation Zhang Qingyue reached for her again—when at that very moment, as Tian Lingsu swung her arm and leaped up, a small round object suddenly slipped from her sleeve.

A pretty, smooth stone, sliding quietly away in the night.

Dimly, it seemed a girl was laughing softly and saying, "When we get back later, I'll give this stone to Brother Qi—he's sure to like it!"

He froze, his hand still stretched out in midair, motionless where it was.

Until behind him He Dachuan's anxious voice shouted, "Youngest junior brother, why didn't you hold her back!"

Zhang Qingyue shuddered and started awake, cold sweat breaking over his whole body. He hurried to look: Tian Lingsu had already summoned the amber-red silk and was flying toward the clearing. Without another thought he summoned the Black Iron Staff and gave chase.

Tian Lingsu flew up into the air and saw that ahead Song Dayi and Du Biyan had already joined Lu Xueling's fight against Qinglong—yet Qinglong, one against three, did not fall the least bit behind; rather, he looked unhurried and at ease, with strength to spare.

Impatient though she was, Tian Lingsu was quick-witted, and at a glance she saw that Qinglong's cultivation was too high and his magic treasure too strong; even with her added, they might not overcome him. Her eyes shifted, and at once she had another plan: instead of flying toward Lu Xueling and the others, she turned and slipped quietly toward the far side of the great curtain of light.

Zhang Qingyue, following behind, went pale with fright; but it seemed the demon cult's followers were all drawn off by Qinglong's fight against three, and even the Nether King, presiding over the formation above, had his gaze shifting constantly with Lu Xueling's Divine Sword of the Heavenly Dipper, so that for the moment Tian Lingsu was overlooked.

In an instant Tian Lingsu drew near the far side of the light curtain. The black-clad guards who had held it lay every which way on the ground, plainly slain by the shock of the fierce battle that had trapped Kui Niu.

Her eyes swept swiftly, and she suddenly noticed that all the red light issued from strange dark-red iron spikes driven upside down into the sand, then poured ceaselessly upward, gathering into the ancient cauldron beneath the Nether King's feet in midair.

Clearly, the formation these things composed, together with the ancient cauldron in the air, was the key to holding Kui Niu fast. Without another thought Tian Lingsu flicked her jade-white fingers; the amber-red silk flew out at once and lashed straight at the things stuck in the sand.

Bang! A great crash as the amber-red silk struck hard against one of the iron spikes wrapped in the red curtain of light. Note 1: Classic of Mountains and Seas, "Great Wilderness East" — Kui Niu of the Eastern Sea: In the Eastern Sea there is Mount Liubo, seven thousand li into the sea. On it is a beast shaped like an ox, blue-black of body and hornless, with one leg; when it enters or leaves the water, wind and rain must come; its light is like the sun and moon, its voice like thunder; its name is Kui.

Further note: Shenmo Yi, "Spiritual Beasts" — Kui Niu: An ancient prodigy beast, shaped like a blue ox, three-legged and hornless, its roar like thunder. It dwells long in the deep sea and emerges once in three thousand years; when it emerges, wind and rain rise and thunder and lightning break forth. The world calls it the mount of the Thunder God. The Classic of Mountains and Seas version is adopted here.