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Chapter 74: Jade Toad Dagger
The Vermilion Bird was entirely covered in fiery red feathers, a male representation of the creature. Its human-like form boasted an additional pair of bird wings on its back. The Vermilion Bird lay flat in the coffin, its red wings serving as a shroud. With a robust physique, if it were human, it would surely be a bold and hearty man.
The Jade Pavilion spoke mysteriously yet with enthusiasm, "This Vermilion Bird died hundreds of years ago. Not only has it not decayed, but its feathers have grown increasingly lush."
As the Jade Pavilion recounted the past of the Vermilion Bird, there was a hint of pride in their eyes, as if possessing the body of the Vermilion Bird was something to be proud of. "Hundreds of years ago, according to the Emperor's handwritten records, he personally witnessed the Divine Clan and Madam Jiang capture the Vermilion Bird. They extracted the Vermilion Bird Spirit and discarded its corpse. At that time, the Emperor did not dare to confront Madam Jiang and secretly took the corpse back to the Doomed Court."
"Even though the Vermilion Bird was dead then, it still had its eyes open. In the Emperor's writings, he could sense the bird's hostility and disdain. After that, Madam Jiang and the Divine Clan seemed to vanish from this world without a trace. I learned about this incident by chance over a decade ago, which excited me greatly; I had heard rumors before."
"This Vermilion Bird Pearl resonates with the Vermilion Bird, and only the Jade Toad Dagger can imprison the Vermilion Bird Spirit within it. Thus, I began secretly searching for relics and pearls many years ago, but I found nothing until five years ago when I heard about Sister Lin's exploits."
The Jade Pavilion turned to Lin Chuyu and asked, "Sister Lin, have you ever wondered why you can control the Vermilion Bird Pearl?"
Lin Chuyu was taken aback by the inquiry. "I... I don't know. My father..."
The Jade Pavilion suddenly erupted like a madman! "Your father? Which father are you talking about? The Vermilion Bird in this Jade Coffin is your father!"
A wave of shock washed over them!
The words from the Jade Pavilion plunged Lin Chuyu into despair as she cried out in confusion, shaking her head vehemently. "No! You're lying!"
Ji Zichen could hardly contain her turmoil and retorted, "Stop spouting nonsense! Look at this winged monster; it doesn't resemble her at all! Lin Chuyu, don't listen to him! That creature is not your father; look at its feathers—they're all bright red while hers are black!"
The Jade Pavilion chuckled eerily and declared to Ji Zichen word by word, "That's because she is still immature; it indicates that her inner Vermilion Bird essence has yet to fully develop."
Ji Zichen was stunned upon hearing this.
The Jade Pavilion continued bizarrely, "Whether you believe it or not is your business; you cannot change the facts. I won't waste time arguing with you. I have two objectives: first is the wealth within the ruins; second is to obtain the Vermilion Bird Spirit. You probably haven't heard of this before—the power of the Vermilion Bird Spirit can shake mountains and rivers. As long as I can acquire it, I can use this Jade Toad Dagger to reclaim my position in court!"
"Now, there is already a Vermilion Bird Spirit within this Jade Toad Dagger. Although Lin Chuyu has not fully matured yet, having such power is always beneficial!"
With that, the Jade Pavilion laughed wildly.
Ji Zichen stared intently at Jade Pavilion, gritting his teeth as he said, "What control over the Vermilion Bird Spirit? Look at her; she is human. If she possessed the terrifying power you speak of, how could you have captured her?"
Jade Pavilion couldn't help but chuckle. "You've been with her for so long, yet you truly know nothing. Do you know how long a Vermilion Bird can live? Right now, she is just a child to the Vermilion Bird. Once she fully matures, she will become an adult Vermilion Bird! At that point, she will be nothing more than a humanoid beast to us humans! This is the fate of the Vermilion Bird!"
Even though Jade Pavilion spoke with reason, Ji Zichen did not believe a word. "You’re just smooth-talking! I won’t fall for your lies!"
A sly smile crept onto Jade Pavilion's lips as a chilling light flickered in his eyes. "Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant. I don't have time to convince you. There’s something else you need to do: kill her, and I will let you and your junior sister go."
Suddenly, Jade Pavilion tossed the Jade Toad Dagger at Ji Zichen's feet. Despite its importance, he seemed unconcerned about Ji Zichen seizing it. "When the Jade Toad Dagger pierces her heart, it will continuously absorb the power of the Vermilion Bird within her."
Ji Zichen stood frozen in place. Although his mind was in turmoil, he could still see one thing clearly: why didn’t Jade Pavilion take action himself? He could easily break the pearl and take the Vermilion Bird Spirit; why couldn’t he just kill Lin Chuyu?
In that moment, Ji Zichen couldn’t make sense of it all. His gaze flickered as he pondered how to respond.
Jade Pavilion noticed Ji Zichen's reaction and laughed sinisterly. "Stop thinking about it. It’s easy to break into Holy City, but escaping will be difficult."
Jade Pavilion suddenly spoke earnestly. "I want you to kill her because I actually want you to help her. Do you want her to grow up into that kind of humanoid beast?"
Jade Pavilion laughed unabashedly. "I beg you, help her! Pick up the Jade Toad Dagger and use it to save her from future suffering."
Ji Zichen trembled all over as he bent down to pick up the Jade Toad Dagger. Though he held it in his hand, he found himself unable to move an inch, as if his legs were filled with lead.
Seeing that Ji Zichen seemed to be stalling for time, Jade Pavilion coldly remarked, "If you don’t act soon, your junior sister may lose her life. At my command, my loyal subordinates will show no mercy to her."
Shen Bifan remained dazed and was supported by two guards.
Ji Zichen surveyed the situation and found himself at a loss for what to do.
He glared at the audacious Jade Pavilion and shouted, "You are truly despicable! I will never forgive you!"
Jade Pavilion appeared quite pleased and laughed heartily. "Feeling frustrated, are we? I want you to suffer from the intertwining of failure and guilt; this is your punishment. Do you remember that Water Beast? I was on the verge of controlling the Sand Bandit when you interfered. If it weren't for your meddling, I wouldn't have wasted years of effort."
Ji Zichen looked at Lin Chuyu, his eyes filled with deep sorrow, a gaze that could pierce any strong soul.
Suddenly, Ji Zichen's attention shifted to Jade Pavilion, and the sadness in his eyes vanished, replaced by an overwhelming coldness. Ji Zichen said, "You’re not telling the truth. You don’t want me to suffer from failure and sin; you want to know what happens when a living Vermilion Bird is killed."
"A living Vermilion Bird!" Jade Pavilion laughed heartily, clearly pleased with Ji Zichen's insight. He turned to Lin Chuyu and said, "Sister Lin, did you hear that? He has already admitted that you are a Vermilion Bird!"
In the face of Jade Pavilion's mockery, Lin Chuyu remained unmoved, gazing at Ji Zichen with a sorrowful look.
Ji Zichen stepped in front of Lin Chuyu and laughed bitterly, "I was so foolish, searching for something that was right beside me. If I had known earlier, this situation wouldn’t have happened."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chuyu's brows suddenly relaxed as she gave an unusually sharp smile. "Kiko, please kill me. Not for you or Bifan, but for me. I don’t want to become a monster!"
Ji Zichen hated his own foolishness but after a moment, he also smiled strangely. "If you want to die, that's your business, but I won’t kill you to save my own life!"
Ji Zichen's gaze shifted as he lunged forward with the Jade Toad Dagger aimed at Jade Pavilion. This was within Jade Pavilion's expectations; he cackled maliciously, "Hahaha! You’re willing to sacrifice your junior sister’s life to save a monster! Fool! When you see your junior sister’s corpse, you’ll know what regret truly means!"
As the dagger thrust toward his chest, Jade Pavilion sidestepped to avoid Ji Zichen's strike and shouted an order. "Cut her throat!"
Ji Zichen felt a chill of fear! "How dare you!"
The soldier's blade was already pressed against Shen Bifan's throat when Lin Chuyu suddenly shouted, "Stop! If this continues, we will all die here!"
Tears of sorrow shimmered in Lin Chuyu's eyes as she suddenly ran toward Ji Zichen. She grabbed his hand holding the Jade Toad Dagger and plunged it into her own chest!
The dagger sank deeply into Lin Chuyu’s heart. Ji Zichen trembled violently, every muscle in his body convulsing as his teeth clashed together uncontrollably.
Ji Zichen let out a heart-wrenching wail. "Lin Chuyu!"
Lin Chuyu collapsed into Ji Zichen's arms, her breath faint as she said, "No... don’t give the dagger... to him... or something terrible will happen... I..."
Ji Zichen ’s eyes turned red as if his heart had been shattered. "You... you..." Tears streamed down his face like a river of sorrow.
Lin Chuyu spat out a mouthful of blood, her teeth stained red as she lightly smiled, "Brother Ji... I have many things... to apologize to you for... The first thing is... that I caused you to be expelled from the Divine Alliance..."
Before Lin Chuyu could finish her words, Ji Zichen felt a sharp pain in his heart and said, "I... I don't blame you..."
A look of satisfaction crossed Lin Chuyu's face as she replied with a gentle smile, "The... second thing..."
With tears in her eyes, Ji Zichen softly urged, "No more of this now. This isn't the time for such talk. Don't worry, you won't die. I will save you!"
As soon as Ji Zichen finished speaking, Lin Chuyu's pupils changed. Her once bright eyes suddenly transformed into the Vermilion Bird's Eye, leaving Ji Zichen stunned.
At that moment, the Jade Pavilion saw the Jade Toad Dagger tremble and exclaimed with a gleam in his eyes, "It's starting to absorb!"
From Lin Chuyu's chest, a white light erupted, growing more intense by the second. Within that white light was a force that suddenly pushed Ji Zichen away completely.
Ji Zichen coughed up blood and was thrown several meters back.
Yuxuan had just emerged from the artifact basement. Since it was deep underground, she hadn't heard the commotion caused by Ji Zichen storming into the city.
As she made her way towards the Power Hall, she noticed soldiers standing guard nervously outside the hall's entrance. Yuxuan called out to one of them, "What happened?"
A soldier reported, "Someone has breached the city. The Master has ordered that no one is allowed near the Power Hall."
Yuxuan's heart sank! "Could it be!"
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