Mystique Soul: A Cultivator's Flame
Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Chapter 70

"Jiao Xue" Huang Jin de materialized infront of Feng Jiao Xue startling the old patriarch.

His muddled gazed sharpened as his Qi spiked up against the new introder before his head snapped back towards Feng Jiao Xue. "...Jiao Xue?" his hands trembled as he raised it to hold her cheek in his palm. "My little snowflake...?"

Feng Jiao Xue fingers that was holding his wrist stiffened slightly at the call, a shiver running down her very soul as her heart ached in longing.

How her previous incarnation had once longed to hear those terms again. Unfortunately, she could not wait long enough to hear them or perhaps... whirlpools of emotions swirled in those beautiful obsidian eyes... perhaps she would waited for nothing at all.

"Give me" Feng Jiao Xue sighed as she stretched her hand out.

Huang Jin De placed the red, glazed pill in her palm.

Feng Jiao Xue’s hand clenched around the orb as she held the thumb sized small radiant pill between her fingers.

The Soul Stabilizing Pill glowed with a soft golden red hue. It’s energy thrumming like the soft strums of a guitar, carrying the essence of a thousand rare herbs and the painstaking refinement of Huang Jin De’s alchemy.

Feng Zhenhai frowned at the pill Feng Jiao xe offered him.

"Grandpa" Feng Jiao Xue deliberately called in the sweet, sticky tone her previous incarnation used to call him when she was little. "Get better okay?" Feng Jiao Xue smiled yet tears welled up her eyes involuntarily, half of her soul calling out to her grandfather like a wounded child calling out for her parents. "You still haven’t given me that pearl candy from the south I begged for"

Feng Zhenhai shakily let out a breath, a hand that would not stop trembling slowly struggled to reach for the pill. His face that was once as unshakable as a mountain, was now lined with deep creases, his body frail like a dying ember on the verge of being extinguished. Yet, even in his weakened state, his presence remained overwhelming, a dormant dragon waiting to awaken.

Feng Jiao Xue exhaled slowly, steadying her heart as she catched the pill that slipped through his fingers and put the it back in his hand

"Grandfather" she called gently, her voice carrying a warmth she rarely showed. "You need to take this pill."

Feng Zhenhai’s clouded eyes flickered with confusion before settling on her. For a moment, his gaze softened as if recognition.

"Xue’er...?" He cradled her face with his other hand, tears streaming down his face. "Are you my little Xue’re

She froze before she slowly nodded. "Grandpa was taking too long to return so Xue’er came to find you" she smiled, the corner of her lips wavering as they looked like they are about to falter.

Hearing him recognize her, seeher, Feng Jiao Xue felt a strange... joy and regret in her heart.

’Grandpa! I’m right here! Grandpa! Grandpa!’ A shrill, sharp, bitter and surrowful voice called. "Grandpa, Jiao Xue misses you. Grandpa, why didn’t you come back to Jiao Xue? Did you not want me anymore?Grandpa!!!"

Feng Jiao Xue’s breath hitched as she heared the voice inside her own head. And for a brief moment, on the reflection of the mirror wasn’t the current Feng Jiao Xue but a young girl with a burned face clinging desperately to the old man while the Feng Jiao Xue in the real world was simply supporting the old man.

Feng Jiao Xue dazed eyes snapped back sharply. Her heart chills at what she expirienced. She had felt cold and detached, as if her soul had momentarily disconnected with her body. It didn’t feel like she was out of her body. Instead, the feeling was as if her soul went far away inside her body.

Mo Tianze silently supported her, hugging her from behind, his face burried in the crooks of her neck and his tail wrapped around her waist.

The slight comforting squeeze grounded her back in reality. She leaned in to Mo Tianze as she looks back at her grandfather. "Yes, it’s me, Grandfather. You have to listen to me and take this pil, okay? It will help you to get better."

A heavy silence filled the room as Feng Zhenhai warily look at the pill.

Feng Zhenhai’s fingers twitched, his eyes filled with a distant warmth. "You’ve grown..." he murmured. "So much like your mother... She always worried too much..." He looks her in the eyes.

Feng Jiao Xue swallowed the lump in her throat. There was no time for sentimentality.

She coaxed the pill toward his lips. "Please, just take it." ’please, trust me’

Feng Zhenhai looks at her before pulling her into a hug. Then, finally, he parted his lips, allowing the pill to slip past them.

’Even if you offer me poison, grandfather will take it as long as its frm you, just let grandfather hold you one last time.’ He thought to himself, closing his eyes.

The moment the pill dissolved inside him, a sudden burst of pure spiritual energy erupted from within Feng Zhenhai’s body making his eyes snap open. The entire room shook. The frail, withered shell of the patriarch began to glow, his qi surging violently as if a floodgate had been opened.

His breathing deepened. His fingers clenched the bed sheets as he stumbled away from Feng Jiao Xue, his chaotic qi, swirling like raging rivers yet he gritted his teeth, his every muscles straining as he forced them to not harm her.

And then----

BOOM!

A deafening explosion of power burst forth.

The walls trembled, the roof groaned, and an invisible force threw Feng Jiao Xue backward. Huang Jin De materialized again to wrapped her in his arms protectively while Mo Tianze stood infront of them, using his own qi try and block them from reaching her.

Feng Zhenhai’s eyes widened farther, his lips parting as he breathed heavily, raggedly.

"Take her... take her and leave..." he struggled to speak. The murky dullness in his person was gone, replaced by a brilliant, piercing radiance. His once weak body straightened, vitality surging through him like wildfire.

A powerful gust of wind swept through the chamber, shattering vases and sending loose papers flying.

Feng Zhenhai was no longer lying down. He rose, his aura expanding, his body glowing like a divine beacon as he rose to the sky. Mo Tianze batting away the cieling that was failling above them.

The heavens had sensed it.

A breakthrough.

The tribulation had begun.

Outside, the skies darkened further in an instant. Thick, black storm clouds churned like an angry sea, rolling across the sky and blotting out the sun.

The wind howled. Lightning crackled in the distance. The once peaceful mountain now pulsed with an overwhelming pressure.

Below, at the base of the mountain, the gathered members of the Feng Clan froze.

"It’s happening..."

"It’s the old patriach!"

"Yes, thank the heavens!"

"The old Patriarch is ascending!"

A surge of excitement, fear, and awe rippled through the gathered crowd.

Feng Zhenhai’s figure shot into the sky, his robes billowing as he ascended toward the storm. His presence was undeniable, overwhelming, like a dragon rising from its slumber.

The clouds churned violently, responding to his surge in power.

BOOM!

CACKLE!

BOOM!

CRAAAACKKKK!

The first tribulation lightning strikes his body one after another.

A bolt of heavenly lightning crashed down from the heavens, striking directly at Feng Zhenhai. The entire mountain shook from the impact.

Inside the Chamber

Feng Jiao Xue barely had time to react. The pressure was suffocating.

Her chest tightened, her vision blurred. Her knees buckled. The sheer force of the tribulation’s presence bore down on her like a collapsing mountain.

Her fingers clawed at the ground, struggling to steady herself.

She knew she should move. That she had to get out.

But her body wouldn’t obey.

The overwhelming force pushed against her very soul.

Huang Jin De was frantically trying to fin an exit in the collapsed hall. Feng Jiao Xue is too overwhelmed to take them into the ring. He can come and go but only she can take others with her.

"You! Make yourself useful." He gritted as he focused his gaze on Mo Tianze. "My presence will only bring trouble that the current her cannot face if others find out she is not contracted to an ordinary fire bird"

Mo Tianze nodded and then a warmth enveloped Feng Jiao Xue.

Mo Tianze has his arms wrapped around her, shielding her against the unbearable weight of the tribulation’s presence.

His normally bright golden eyes dimmed slightly, his fluffy fox ears twitching as he endured the pressure alongside her.

But, he didn’t collapse.

Huang Jin De’s eyes widened as faint, transparent seven tails danced behind Mo Tianze. "You---!"

Mo Tianze ignored him as he held firm, his grip tightening protectively.

"Feng Jiao Xue... don’t be afraid." His voice was soft, but it carried a quiet intensity. "You’re stronger than this."

His words barely reached her. Her vision blurred further. The last thing she felt before the darkness took her was the steady warmth of his embrace.

Outside the Feng Clan, the imperial city was in turmoil.

The storm wasn’t just affecting the mountain, it was spreading fast.

The Crown Prince stood atop the palace balcony, watching the distant sky with narrowed eyes.

"So the old man really did it." His voice was unreadable.

A minister beside him swallowed nervously. "Your Highness, if he reaches the Spirit Lord Realm... it could change the entire balance of power."

The prince merely smiled. "Let’s see if he survives the tribulation first."

"Old man... don’t fail Xiao Xue again."

Elsewhere, in the Zhao Clan, a noblewoman sipped her wine, eyes filled with amusement.

"Interesting..." she mused, tapping her fingers against the lacquered table. "The Feng Clan has been stagnant for years. Now, they suddenly have a Spirit Lord in their ranks?"

A shadowed figure beside her chuckled darkly. "Power always attracts attention. And danger."

The woman’s lips curled. "Exactly. Let’s see how long their fortune lasts."

Back at the Feng Clan’s mountain, the second round of lightning tribulation struck.

And Feng Zhenhai, stood tall.

His robes were scorched, his body trembling from the force of the strike, but his aura only grew stronger.

He threw his head back and laughed, the sound resonating through the storm.

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