Warring Kingdoms: The Tale of the Jade Phoenix and the Dragon Blade

Chapter 52: Forbidden Treasure Library (峨眉的禁書)

Going down the stairs inside the secret room, Jue Chen led YingLuo and FeiXian down below. As they reached the bottom, collections of books and other treasures were displayed inside shelves enclosed with spiritual seals.

"What's this?" FeiXian reached his hand out to the barrier but Jue Chen hit him with her fan.

"If I were you, you should keep your hands inside your pocket." (do not touch anything)

They continued to explore the library until Jue Chen's eyes laid on a shelf adorned with engravings of insects. She clasped her hands together and blew a little breeze using her mouth. A spiritual power ascended from her hand into the seal and brought out a book.

Jue Chen took out the thick black book and slammed it on the nearby table. YingLuo and FeiXian joined her and watched as she skimmed through the pages. When she was about to reach the middle pages, something caught her attention. Two pages were ripped apart.

"Impossible! How could this be?"

"Grandmaster. If I may, did Zhao Min know about this chamber?"

"No. This chamber was disclosed only to the Grandmaster."

"I see. So if it wasn't Zhao Min, then who would rip the pages from this forbidden book?"

"I do not know... But I can be assured that the ripped pages belongs to conjuring the forbidden spell called Dance of the Cicadas."

"If Zhao Min would be found, then we can fish answers from her directly. For now, it would be best if we would explain the whole situation by calling the attention of other schools in Old Jianghu."

"Thank you for assisting me YingLuo. You truly are Emei's best student."

"Thank you Grandmaster."

"Please this matter stays only here. After you leave this Forbiddden Treasure Library, do not tell anyone that this place exists."

"We solemnly swear."

FeiXian and YingLuo soon exited the room with Jue Chen. She sealed the room once again and the lotus carving looked like an ordinary wall. YingLuo and FeiXian excused themselves to return back to ChuanXi. When they arrived at the city walls, people were busy cleaning up dead bodies at their wake. YingLuo was shocked as she rode her horse fast up to the palace. There, she saw Wei Yue and MoXiao helping with the people who had lost their loved ones during the incident. YingLuo hopped down from her horse and talked to MoXiao what exactly happened when FeiXian and her were away.

"Sister YingLuo. Back so soon?"

"Yes. What happened here?"

"Well... An unexplainable thing happened. Uhh... You wouldn't believe if I tell you."

"Believe what MoXiao? Spill the beans already!"

"Uh... Living Corpses came here in a form of a Cicada swarm and killed few people but there's more sis. The corpses resembled two prominent figures in Old Jianghu 100 years ago. It seems like General QiuShan Li and Qing Luan."

YingLuo's eyes grew wide. She could not believe what she had just head. Corpses could not use magic at the same time manipulate spiritual techniques. Their body is like a hollow chamber. Without a soul, they are useless like a doll with no arms and feet.

"Did you check the corpses?"

"Yes we did. The perpetrators used a forbidden technique called Dance of the Cicadas."

"Hmm... That's strange."

"What sis?"

"Emei's Grandmaster sent me a message to investigate on the deaths of people in Siyu. They all died by the same technique."

"What do you think sis?"

"This isn't just a war of schools, they purposely wanted to lay waste on kingdoms."

MoXiao gasped as he heard about his sister's explanation. He wanted to tell her about the letter that he received from Tangmen's Head Ronin, Tang Shijiang. But he shook his head.

'The matter is disclosed only to Tangmen's disciples. Maybe this is something in relation to what happened this afternoon.'
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"Please Senior sister give me one more chance! I will surely kill King Fu!"

With her head on the floor, Zhao Min earnestly begged for Lu Jie to get her to assassinate King Fu one more time however, Lu Jie stared cold daggers at her and raised her hand gesturing her to stay silent.

"Insolent disciple! I shouldn't have recommended you to be part of this. However, I have something special for you. Something that might get rid of your humanly traits."

Zhao Min's eyes wet with tears as two masked men carried her inside a dark chamber.

"Senior sister! Why are you doing this? What are you going to do to me?"

"Oh Zhao Min. You are too compelled in giving in to your emotions, now... I will give you a gift to get rid of this pesky side of yours."

Another masked man entered the room holding an elixir contained in a glass compartment. Lu Jie carefully reached inside the glass and removed the vial's cover.
She smelled the liquid inside the elixir and flashed an ecstatic smile on her pale face.

"Now drink up and renounce your humanity!"

"Never!!"

Zhao Min tried to close her mouth. Although she was bounded in chains and outnumbered, she fought her way out. As she was nearing to the exit of the chamber, Lu Jie casted a spell that made her unable to move.

"I am sorry but this is inevitable."
Lu Jie put the elixir on her own mouth and transferred it to Zhao Min's.

Zhao Min's eyes turned into pitch black. Dark veins and evil marks crept from her body into her face. Her beautiful black hair turned into white and her fair complexion gradually transformed into a pale state.

She felt her thoughts and emotions fading away. All of her memories are sucked up in a void of no return.

'I am sorry Sister YingLuo.'

She whispered before disappearing forever. Now, she was turned into Lu Jie's puppet and she'll do whatever that she says.

Lu Jie cackled in a sinister way after turning Zhao Min into one of her pawns.

"Zhao Min, is senior sister pretty?"

"Senior sister is pretty."

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A laugh of hysteria resounded the whole TaoYan city. Lu Jie had succeeded.

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Arriving at the ninth heaven's gate entrance, XuanZheng and LanRong made their way up to where Chang 'e was lain. In order for her to recover somehow, the Gods and Goddesses placed her in the sun-shining cloud pavillion. As LanRong and XuanZheng reached there, many immortals gasped and gossiped at the sight of XuanZheng.

"Why are you all looking at me? Oh that's right, I WAS banished. Tch."

"Don't mind them XuanZheng. Let's hurry and perform the purification, we might make it in time."

They both entered the chamber and saw Chang 'e whose skin had already turned pale and the curse had already spread up to her face. XuanZheng sat on a chair and pulled out her flute.

"Cover your ears LanRong and no matter what you do, do not remove your palms from your ears."

"Understood."