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

Chapter 55: Sonata of The Coiling Dragon (黑笛如何擊敗惡魔王阿蘇羅)

"Xi ZiJiang. We entrust this to your hands." Chang 'E gave him a jade-colored flute. He nodded and bowed after he received it with his hands and left to face the Demon King Asuro alone.

As he ascended far away from ninth heaven's premises, he conjured a talisman which opened a portal to the Dark Realm. He stepped inside and as the portal closed, he held his breath in anticipation of upcoming enemies. Eerie presence of monsters from nearby tickled his sixth sense (instinct) yet no one dared to lunge or put a surprise attack at him. Holding the jade flute in his hands, he secretly approached the Demon King's palace. From far away, He saw a tall figure of a man who sat on the high throne. Long sleek black hair flowed from his head down to his torso. He later identified this man as the Demon King Asuro. 

He pulled out the flute from his sleeve and prepared to play a tune while hiding behind a huge boulder of rock but Asuro rose up from his seat and clapped his hands while smiling. ZiJiang looked at him and their eyes met. 

"Have you come to slay me as well?" 

ZiJiang gulped a lump of saliva before coming out from behind the boulder. 

"Yes. I have come to slay the Demon King."

"I can see what my servants sees and I know that you already hid behind that rock. Did you know what I did to your comrades?" 

ZiJiang's eyes widened as he thought about his comrades. Lu Jie, Hao Shan, Yi Jiu... All of their faces flashed on his memories. He gnashed his teeth in anger. 

"What did you do to my comrades? Where are they?" 

"Oh... You're looking for them? They're already in front of you." 

Looking down in front of him, ZiJiang lost composure as he saw piles of bones laid on the ground. There were total of three heads so he had assumed that all of those people that he thought of actually died. 

"Curse you! You are the worst! Now, prepare as I unleash my great attack upon you!" 

"Hah. Go ahead... Let's see how long you can survive half-immortal." 

ZiJiang played a tune from his flute as he poured all of his spiritual siphon on every note that he blew. Asuro raised his sword and commanded the monsters to attack ZiJiang. The demons scourged their way up to ZiJiang but ZiJiang relentlessly played the sonata.

The demons reached their hands up to ZiJiang but all of them were cut into pieces as they heard his sonata. Asuro hovered and with his sword, he smite ZiJiang however, the barrier around him  caused by his divine weapon activated. He played a forceful tune and Asuro was then tossed in the air. 

Seeing that Asuro was weakened after playing a tune, ZiJiang lowered his divine weapon. Asuro pretended to be weakened as he scrambled and forced into the corner of the stone boulder. 

"Don't kill me please..." 

"Demon King Asuro you have made mortals and immortals suffer for too long. Now, I will give them justice!" 

"I am sorry for the things that I did. I was I was-"

ZiJiang closed in and forced him in a corner however, a smile flashed on Asuro's face. 

"Did you really think I will die in your hands? A mere half-immortal isn't worthy of spilling my blood." 

Two demons leapt in front of ZiJiang and held him down in on the ground. Asuro stood up and wiped the dirt from his robes. He leaned in closer to ZiJiang and put his claws on his face.

"I will not kill you but I will make sure to scathe your soul."

ZiJian's shrill reverberated in all of Dark Realm. As Asuro took off his claws from his face, ZiJian stood up and played a tune. The flute from his hands transformed it's color into deep black. His gentle tune changed into a deep and sinister way.
He played more and soon, a portal opened up leading to Old Jianghu. Asuro laughed in glee seeing that his charm worked at ZiJiang.

Inside ZiJiang's consciousness, he feels like he was trapped inside with chains binding him preventing to control himself.
He watched as portals opened from the Dark Realm.

'Oh no... What have I done?'

ZiJiang was about to give up. No matter he struggle, the chains won't break. He was feeling powerless when a gentle voice of a woman beckoned him.

"ZiJiang... ZiJiang... There is another way..."

"Who— Who's there?"

"ZiJiang... I know a way but it would be dangerous. It'll cost your life."

"I know. Just tell me and I'll do it."

"No! Your divine weapon has been corrupted, you cannot resurrect anymore if you die!"

"So what? I'd rather lay my life rather than seeing my world crumble into nothingness."

"Then so be it. Play the Sonata of the Coiling Dragon after I set you free. Only then you can defeat Asuro and save Old Jianghu."

"Thank you."

The surrounding chains then broke and ZiJiang took back his body. Asuro wondered why ZiJiang stopped playing. He commanded demons to attack him once more but it was of no use. ZiJiang played the Coiling Dragon's Sonata and summoned the Great Golden Dragon.
It whiplashed the demons and laid waste upon the dark realm. However, due to this immense power, ZiJiang's soul siphon has been greatly consumed.

Blood fell from his nose as he played the last stanza of the sonata. With his weak state, he faced Asuro still holding the flute in battle position.

Asuro grabbed his sword and pointed it against ZiJiang.

"I have never thought that you still have tricks up your sleeve. Aren't you afraid to die?"

ZiJian spat a drop on the ground.

"Right now, Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu are on their way to burn you ancient evil tree. How does that sound Asuro?"

"You!"

"Even if I'll die and not be reincarnated, I'd still come back once again to kick your ass if ever you come back."

"Y————You!!!"

Gripping his weapon, Asuro charged at ZiJian with his sword pointed at him. ZiJian played another Coiling Dragon's sonata. The impact of the two forces sent a shock from the Dark Realm up to the Mortal Realm and to the Ninth Heaven.

Asuro and ZiJian could not be found. Instead, a sword and a flute can be seen on the ground from where they stood.

Xi Yuyao awakened from her slumber and gripped her chest tightly.

'Brother...' She whispered under her breath. The same nightmare haunts her every night in her sleep.
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FeiXian stared far away into the horizon. He didn't know the reason why he couldn't sleep so he decided to visit YingLuo in her chambers. As he walked past near Wei Yue's chambers, he heard YingLuo and somebody's voice.

"Drop your weapon if you don't want this bird to get hurt." A woman with pale skin and white hair spoke with a knife pointed up Wei Yue's neck.

"Alright." YingLuo dropped her daggers.

"All weapons. Drop them all."

"This is a divine weapon. Why would I want to drop it?"

"Because it's also a weapon?"

"Tch."

YingLuo took the fan out of her sleeve but FeiXian stepped inside the room.

"Hey lady. Why don't we discuss this?"

The lady's eyes grew wide and dropped her knife leaving Wei Yue unguarded. Wei Yue took this chance to grab his staff and point it on the lady.

"ZiJiang... It's me... Lu Jie..."

The pale woman's eyes welled up with tears after seeing FeiXian. The others were clueless as FeiXian.

"W—Who?"