Section 75: A Tragic Fate, Hongshang Fairy
By: Gu Zhenren
February 9, 2013
The space within the stone creature was dim, with little light. This kind of space was particularly unstable, filled with spatial turbulence, like surging undercurrents. Near the edges, spatial storms raged. Once caught, one would be trapped like in quicksand, unable to escape.
Chu Yun, cloaked by the Colorless Rainbow Demon and guided by his sensitivity to space, infiltrated a safe position. He immediately noticed that others were already present within the stone creature’s belly.
“Hongshang Fairy… so she was trapped here. No wonder she’s been out of sight recently.” Chu Yun exclaimed in surprise. In the center of the space, a flower boat was held captive. Hongshang Fairy stood upon it, injured and with a somber expression.
She had clearly been through a brutal battle. Only five or six female subordinates remained, all bloodied and surrounding her. Their faces were resolute, their eyes burning with hatred as they glared at their formidable enemy.
“Mad Lion, you want me to submit to you? That’s just an absurd dream! Don’t even think about it!” Hongshang Fairy flatly refused. Despite the dire situation, she showed no hesitation in rejecting the enemy’s offer of surrender.
Facing her was a single opponent.
He stood nine feet tall, his muscles bulging like stone, his physique incredibly robust. He had a lion-like nose and a broad mouth, with a thick mane of golden hair cascading down like a lion’s, exuding immense power and valor.
In his hand, he held the renowned Golden Dragon Swallowing Sun Saber.
The great saber had a hilt alone that was eight feet long. Golden dragon patterns coiled around the hilt, lifelike, as if ascending. The hilt ended in a dragon’s tail, and near the blade, a golden dragon roared, spewing forth its brilliant, sharp edge.
The saber blade itself shone like the sun, its surface shimmering with golden light, appearing like a fragment of the sun, dazzling the eyes.
Behind his head, a Heavenly Wheel slowly rotated, suspended in mid-air like a cartwheel.
This was the famous Five Elements Sky Wheel of the Archipelago!
The Golden Dragon Swallowing Sun Saber, the Five Elements Sky Wheel – these things clearly indicated his identity. He was Mad Lion! One of the three great pirates of the Archipelago, ranked twenty-fifth on the Peculiar Person Ranking.
He was an absolute powerhouse, a living legend, and the nightmare of merchant fleets.
Even Yan Dongliu could only look up to him from the lower ranks of the Talented Person Ranking.
“Mad Lion, why is he here? And why would he trouble Scarlet Tiger, another pirate?” Chu Yun wondered to himself, drawing closer stealthily, but not yet making a move.
“Hmph! Hongshang Fairy, what’s the use of you being so stubborn? If you join me, I can help you achieve your wish and find your lost sisters. You should know, if I expose your true identity, you won’t be able to move freely anywhere in Xingzhou.” Mad Lion employed both soft and hard tactics, attempting to break Hongshang Fairy’s will.
Hongshang Fairy slowly shook her head, a bitter smile on her face. “Mad Lion, you will never understand what freedom means to us sisters. Better death than servitude! We Saber Immortal Concubines have already sworn an oath. We will never serve anyone in this life; we will live free!”
“Hmph! Stubborn fool! Fine, this time I won’t hold back. I will forcefully make you mine! After you submit, I’ll have you kneeling at my feet, licking my toes. You, a mere Spirit Monster, dare to defy my will!” Mad Lion’s fury ignited, his golden hair wild. He took a step forward, like an ancient fierce god, and swung the Golden Dragon Swallowing Sun Saber with immense force.
Hongshang Fairy’s sleeves danced, conjuring hundreds of feet of red silk to block forcefully.
The two engaged in a fierce battle, their clash erupting in brilliant light, illuminating the surroundings, accompanied by continuous thunderous roars.
“So Hongshang Fairy is actually a Spirit Monster. Saber Immortal Concubine… I think I’ve heard that name somewhere before…” From fragmented sentences, Chu Yun gained a wealth of information, but it only deepened his confusion.
In his previous life, his understanding was too shallow. He only knew Hongshang Fairy as the pirate Scarlet Tiger, never imagining she possessed such an astonishing identity.
Thinking back, when he was fleeing from the Yan Family ancestor’s pursuit, the ancestor had seen Hongshang Fairy fight and exclaimed, “You are not human!”
Indeed, Hongshang Fairy’s actions as the pirate Scarlet Tiger were peculiar. She didn’t hoard gold and treasures; instead, she plundered various antiques from the Tang Jin Kingdom era.
“Wait a moment, Tang Jin Kingdom, Saber Immortal Concubine, Blissful Joy Ship! Heavens! So her true identity is actually like this.” Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Chu Yun. His body trembled as he finally understood the cause and effect.
In the past, the Tang Jin Kingdom was a top-tier powerful nation in Xingzhou, prosperous, with a strong military and abundant talent. However, the King of Tang Jin, despite his satisfaction with worldly power, also desired immortality, to live as long as Heaven and Earth.
Having enjoyed the sweetness of power, kings throughout history harbored such thoughts, which was understandable. But the madness of the King of Tang Jin was pointed out by the world.
Heeding the advice of the Imperial Preceptor of Tang Jin at the time, he mobilized the entire nation, using coercion and enticement, or even outright abduction, to seize the most beautiful and talented maidens of Xingzhou.
They were all young, virgins, possessing exceptional aptitude and talent. Some were descendants of Weapon Forging Masters, others rising stars in the alchemy world, and some had possessed nine Spirit Monsters at just sixteen years old…
He spared no effort in collecting these women, collectively calling them Saber Immortal Concubines. Then, under the direction of the Imperial Preceptor of Tang Jin, they were refined into seventy-two Demon Soldiers, which were then combined to form a Blissful Joy Ship.
According to the Imperial Preceptor of Tang Jin, this Blissful Joy Ship could sail the sea of suffering to the other shore, transcend all tribulations, and achieve eternal life.
Ironically, on the day the Blissful Joy Ship was completed, an unprecedentedly vast Demonic Tribulation descended from Heaven and Earth. Although the King of Tang Jin had foreseen this and used the nation’s military force to resist the heavenly tribulation, he still failed. The seventy-two beautiful demon soldiers were successfully refined, but combining them proved extremely difficult. The heavens and earth resented it, invoking the anger of the Great Dao, and unleashed an endless, terrifying Demonic Tribulation that was beyond human power to resist.
The path to eternal life led to a dead end. Simultaneously, this event made the King of Tang Jin create numerous powerful enemies and lose the hearts of his people.
The victims formed an alliance. The Tang Jin Kingdom’s powerful military, already severely damaged by the heavenly tribulation, was eventually destroyed.
The King of Tang Jin perished, and the once-magnificent Tang Jin Kingdom vanished into the river of history. For countless years that followed, later generations would lament and sigh over it.
However, the most crucial component, the seventy-two beautiful demon soldiers, disappeared. Some said they were taken by the Imperial Preceptor of Tang Jin who fled. Others claimed they were destroyed in the heavenly tribulation… In short, there were many rumors, but no definitive answer. The fact remained that the Blissful Joy Ship, harboring the secret of eternal life, had truly vanished completely.
Little did anyone expect that, after countless years, traces of this Blissful Joy Ship would reappear in the Archipelago.
And the Hongshang Fairy, admired and adored by many, was one of the original Saber Immortal Concubines!
“Seventy-two beautiful demon soldiers. It is said that when they were refined, they were already at the Spirit Monster level. That is to say, Saber Position Spirit Monsters. Moreover, they all possessed human intelligence and did not need a Monster Tamer to direct their battles!” At this thought, Chu Yun’s heart began to pound uncontrollably. He clearly recognized that his great opportunity lay with Hongshang Fairy!
“Hongshang Fairy, struggling is futile! Without my help, your sisters cannot awaken from their slumber. For the sake of your sisters, you should give up resisting and surrender to me!” Mad Lion roared, his eyes gleaming with greedy and fervent light.
No wonder Mad Lion was so enticed. He first spread rumors to lure Hongshang Fairy here and then went to great lengths to set up arrays to trap her.
This was because controlling Hongshang Fairy meant holding the clue to the remaining lost spirit monster beauties. It also meant the possibility of assembling the Blissful Joy Ship, which contained the secret of eternal life.
Never mind that he was a strong figure on the Peculiar Person Ranking; even King level, Emperor level, and Emperor level experts would be tempted. Only Saint level, having already achieved immortality, would not need it.
“I never imagined the final outcome would be like this.” Hongshang Fairy was on the verge of defeat under the blinding golden light of the Golden Dragon Swallowing Sun Saber. Facing death, she managed a wry smile. Her once fiery and bright eyes now held deep sorrow, regret, and utter despair!
Although the memories were too painful to recall, Hongshang Fairy had not forgotten her identity.
She was human!
Even though she had become a demon soldier, she had always believed this.
This was human dignity. It was the last shred of reason for her to live, the sole pride she had left.
To have to submit to someone else was far more unbearable and despairing than death for this formerly heavenly maiden. Yet, the cruel reality was that once a Contract was signed, even if she was unwilling, she could not defy her master’s orders.
“Better death than servitude! Sisters, please forgive Hongshang. I truly did my best…” Hongshang Fairy fell into despair. She knew she was no match for Mad Lion.
As she fought, Hongshang was like fire, a resplendent bloom before death. A single, sorrowful tear trickled from the corner of her eye.
She had already made up her mind! While she still had free will, she would self-detonate. Otherwise, falling into Mad Lion’s hands, her life and death would be beyond her control.
“Wha—?! You intend to self-detonate before my very eyes? I anticipated this! Five Elements Sky Wheel, Five Energies Grasping Hand!” Mad Lion, fully prepared for this scenario, shouted loudly. The Five Elements Sky Wheel behind his head erupted with a burst of golden, wood, water, fire, and earth colored light.
The radiance coalesced into a massive hand, like a rainbow of clouds, blanketing and descending upon Hongshang Fairy.
“Not good!” Hongshang Fairy fought back desperately, but her innate attribute was fire. Her cultivation methods were all fire-element. The Five Energies Grasping Hand, like a stone entering the sea, only made it grow larger.
The hand, appearing slow but in reality swift, snapped shut, capturing the retreating Hongshang Fairy.
“Hahaha!” Mad Lion threw his head back and laughed. “Hongshang Fairy, you have finally fallen into my hands. Now, you can’t even die if you want to. I’ll make you wish you were dead!”
Hongshang Fairy’s face turned ashen. Her demonic energy was instantly absorbed by the Five Energies Grasping Hand. Her eyes dulled, and she sank into profound despair.
She possessed human intellect, yet she was to be enslaved, unable to resist. Such a nightmarish existence was almost suffocating.
“Miss!!!” The three remaining female companions lunged to her rescue.
“Hmph! You dare to offend me as well!” Mad Lion swung his great saber, and with a dragon’s roar, a golden blade energy slashed out, cutting the three of them in half.
“No one can save you! Just surrender obediently to me! Ahahaha…” Having done this, he threw his head back and laughed, then closed his eyes, entering a meditative state.
As he had just said, he intended to forcefully subdue Hongshang Fairy.
Hongshang Fairy’s delicate body trembled. Sensing Mad Lion’s approaching spiritual energy, she frowned deeply. Her beautiful face was contorted with pain, sorrow, and despair, silent tears streaming down her fair cheeks.
Fate was so cruel to her, like a mountain pressing down, too heavy for her slender shoulders to bear.
But at this very moment, a brilliant saber light flashed!
In the darkness of this space, it shone like a sudden burst of hopeful light!!!
