The tale of the fox and the dragon egg

Chapter 54 - New Resolve

Not a second later, the whole of the temple was collapsing into itself, the statue of a goddess vanishing under it.

The dragon tried to get far towards the outer wall, as far away from the fights happening as possible. It was a good decision. 

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Wei Ying did not move in his arms.

He was alive, Lan Zhan could feel it. But he did not move, not like he always would.

Maybe he shouldn't have made that promise.

Standing down and just letting him go, right into this cursed array. Maybe Wei Ying was the Yiling Patriarch, maybe he was the grandmaster of demonic cultivation, but he was still a man. Going against the power of the Yin Tiger Tally was a horrendous act by itself and somehow Wei Ying had managed it.

The worst thing about it was that it had worked somehow.

With the disturbance of Jiang Cheng and the lost focus of Xue Yang, the energy of the Yin Tiger Tally had been split between two forces. Something that would be difficult in a ritual to revive someone and with an owner that didn't understand the weapon itself.

„Wei Ying ", he whispered, his lover unmoving as he held him.

It was so different, to have him so still in his arms. He pulled him more secure into them, looked over his resting face. With fast movements, Lan Zhan uncovered a part of Wei Ying's arm. The curse was still there, spread over his whole arm up to his shoulder. Even though it was obviously active on his skin, the deep veins bulging and thundering with his heartbeat, it was not spreading.

A soft touch of his hand on Wei Ying's cheek and Lan Zhan shuddered out a breath. His skin was still warm.

„Mother ", came the whisper from behind.

Jin Guangyao was still standing there, right in front of one of the evillest presences the Lan had felt in his whole life. It was almost scary that the deer was not faced in the slightest, not by the dark presence turning his way and not by the arm that was slowly outstretching itself to his figure.

However, the dark energy had no opportunity to even grace his cheek.

Purple lightning crashed down just between them, the electricity crackling in the air and burning the air around. Although the dark figure didn't move but simply tugged its arm back, it wasn't as easy on Jin Guangyao's side.

Lan Minshan was quick to come to his side and tug him back, letting him miss the lightnings glow just slightly.

It didn't stop the lightning to come down once more, right at the figure in the middle of the array.

„Protect her!", Jin Guangyao yelled out, his arm outstretched towards what was left of her. Lan Minshan held him back, but it was Xue Yang who jumped right in and deflected the whip with a burst out the Yin Tiger Tally.

„It's a little awkward for you to jump in it now, isn't it?", the five tailed fox grinned, not to the amusement of the Jiang that intervened previously.

„Shut up", Jiang Cheng rushed through clenched teeth and slashed at the fox with Sandu in his hand, but the other was quick in skill and parried it with his own.

As the both of them shared their sword blades, there was almost a broken voice echoing from the side.

„A-Yao", whispered Lan Xichen, as if a hushed whisper had left his mouth, „Why did you do this? Why cause so much pain and suffering? Why?"