Savage Wolf, Lotus Heart [Never Let You Go, Again: Book 4]

37: Tiger in Torment

"Wangji, Wuxian-di..."

"...Went to transform, gege," Lan Zhan answered, raising Bichen higher.

"Yes!" Nie Huaisang punched the air with his fan. "Battle of the Beasts: Kun Peng Vs Qiong Qi!"

"Correction, Chief Cultivator," Lan Sizhui winked.

"Right. Winged Kraken and Sawtooth Blood Wolf Vs Winged Tiger! Flat-out outnumbered! Legendary battle this shall be."

"Quit the prattling and save your necks already," Jiang Cheng shouted, pointing with Sandu to the incoming onslaught of flames. 

Amd where was the woman who had started it all? 

Aria Verduria was being held under the custody of General Nie's massive sabre.

Zhang Huli had been easy to kill. And Chen Xuanji had been done with waiting to give her punishment, that woman deserved to die soonest, before she escaped again, and aroused more chaos. It wasn't a facet in her personality to repeat the same mistakes twice. Wasting another second on that woman would just be inducing more chaos.

But as for Aria Verduria... It would be necessary to keep her alive. For all they knew, she was the only way they had to control the Qiong Qi. If they were unable to kill it, then they would at least manipulate it. And for that, they needed the demonic creature.

So there she stood, often smirking smugly, tied up in Jiang Cheng's Purple Lightning and Jin Ling's Golden Thread all over, cowering under Xuanji's sabre-sharp glare.

The beast opened its jaw wide and let out a brilliant line of flames, assaulting them with sparkling green fire. Wangji and Ningjing were brought out in a swing and strummed loud and clear, shoving the evil energy of the fire away from nearing them.

"Ah, there's the fire," Nie Huaisang fanned himself and them all to wave away the heat. "So even the Heavenly Realm didn't know about the lightning thing?"

"That war was centuries ago, drawing by word of mouth over the generations should lead to this," Lan Sizhui sighed, flicking the sweat off his forehead.

Jin Ling didn't ignore how Sizhui was clenching his fists, biting his lip. 

Resisting. He was resisting. But resisting what?

With another roar, the Qiong Qi swept the ground with its flames. A thin streak of green fire lit up the clearing, forming a line blocking the cultivators off from approaching him.

"DAMN IT!" Jiang Cheng swiped Zidian at the flames to no avail.

"Jiang-xiong, use your brains, lightning won't put off fire!"

"NOR CAN A PAPER FAN!"

"I didn't say it WOULD!"

"Stop it," Lan Wangji cut in. "Gege."

"Mn," Lan Xichen nodded.

Wangji and Liebing were out in a flash. Strings strummed and gentle notes blown produced music as soothing as the wintry Gusu breeze; as soft as snow; as cold as ice, washing over the fire of evil, retaliating with purity. Raging green resentment fought with beautiful blue virtue, each striving to eclipse the other. After a good five minutes or less, the fire had died out, good having won over the bad.

"Woah, that was fast," Jin Ling gasped.

Lan Sizhui smiled at the Twin Jades. He had not even joined in, knowing these two will get it done on their own. He could never be on par with their skill anyway.

Aria snarled under the sabre and a single sharp note again darted out her pouting lips, not caring for the sabre digging into her neck. Yet again the Qiong Qi growled and roared, shooting out more flames along the same line, this time, fiercer, fierier.