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Chapter 16: The Dwarfed Mountains Face the Enemy
Li Tang appeared troubled. "Zhi, if she has left, then let her go. She is a Vermilion Bird, not a bad person."
Zhi exhaled sharply through her nose, closed her eyes to think for a moment, and then said, "So she has the aura of a Vermilion Bird. No wonder I didn't sense her last time. But even if she is a Vermilion Bird, she cannot leave like this. You should know the rules of the Vermilion Bird King."
Li Tang nodded silently.
Zhi's eyes were filled with coldness as she continued, "Li Tang, I sent you to find her as a way to give you a chance to survive. I will not defy the Vermilion Bird King's orders for you."
Li Tang kept her head down and remained silent.
Zhi sighed and said, "I've done what I should. Think carefully about what you need to do."
Li Tang looked at Zhi with deep concern and asked, "Zhi, why does the Vermilion Bird King issue such orders? Since we are of the same clan, why can't other Vermilion Birds interact with each other?"
Zhi's expression suddenly turned frightening. "You shouldn't ask questions like that. Your courage is growing bolder; you dare to question the Vermilion Bird King's orders!"
In a panic, Li Tang explained, "I am not questioning the Vermilion Bird King's orders! It's just... I just don't understand..."
With an expressionless face, Zhi replied, "There is nothing to understand. Just know that the Vermilion Bird King acts for our own good. You don't need to be curious about the details. This is a time of turmoil; as long as you bring her back to me, everything will be fine."
Zhi looked at her with pity for a moment before departing.
Li Tang waited until Zhi had flown far away before setting off herself.
Lin Chuyu initially gazed at the exit's light halo, which was clearly at sea level. Although it appeared no larger than a palm's size, Lin Chuyu had been flying for quite some time, yet the exit's light halo remained unchanged—still only as big as a palm. She thought she was near the exit and had felt relieved, but now her heart sank again.
The sea stretched wide before her; Lin Chuyu had lost track of how long she had been flying. At this moment, she felt increasingly adept at flying; her control over her wings became more fluid. Lin Chuyu enjoyed the sensation of soaring through the air, but right now she needed to leave this place as soon as possible.
Not long after, Lin Chuyu noticed the shadows of six figures on the horizon of the sea, yet the aura surrounding them remained unchanged. She couldn't help but wonder, "Could that Xiang Bi be deceiving me?" But then she reconsidered, "It seems she had no reason to lie to me."
As Lin Chuyu approached the six figures, she saw that there was a watchtower. This watchtower was not like a human one with tall structures; instead, above the arched mountain gate, there were two Vermilion Birds perched on either side. The archway was exceptionally tall, even higher than the city walls. Lin Chuyu found this unsurprising, as Vermilion Birds were inherently large creatures.
Lin Chuyu dared not fly directly over. Instead, she transformed into human form and hid beside a cliff at the coast of the mountain gate. Human bodies were delicate; if she made no unusual sounds, she thought she could pass unnoticed.
The two Vermilion Birds rested on the stone wall of the mountain gate, seemingly asleep. However, Lin Chuyu was uncertain about their habits and did not want to linger. Cautiously using the mountain for cover, she successfully entered through the gate.
Inside the mountain gate, at the end, stood a Barrier that was as tall as the mountain wall. This Barrier resembled the Water Wall in the chief's house, except that while the Water Wall was blue, this Barrier was white. Upon seeing it, Lin Chuyu braced herself for an obstruction.
With a rush of her human form, Lin Chuyu collided with the Barrier. It trembled slightly; she felt as if she were diving into honey—sticky and thick—but after struggling a bit, she broke through to the other side and slid forward several feet before finally stopping.
Due to Lin Chuyu's forceful passage, the Barrier vibrated and created ripples. The two resting Vermilion Birds sensed this disturbance and lifted their heads to look at the Barrier. However, they did not see any significant object passing through; how could they imagine it was Lin Chuyu's body that had slipped by?
One Vermilion Bird said, "Don't be alarmed; perhaps it was just some sea creature passing by."
The other Vermilion Bird nodded in agreement and returned to its rest.
After passing through, Lin Chuyu found herself on a low hilltop. She had no idea where she was. Transforming back into her Vermilion Bird form, she soared into the sky. The ability to transform into the Vermilion Bird Form indeed provided assistance to Lin Chuyu; however, she felt different now. As she flew forward, she couldn't shake off a feeling of pain and fatigue after crossing that Barrier.
Lin Chuyu recalled that when she last left with Ji Zichen, it seemed they hadn’t needed to pass through any Barrier.
Focusing all her attention, Lin Chuyu began searching for that aura. At this moment, it appeared larger than before. Suddenly it dawned on her, "Ah! I haven't left Zhuque Chenjing yet; but this place is truly vast."
At that moment, Li Tang arrived at the mountain gate where the two Vermilion Birds rested. She felt that Lin Chuyu was not nearby because if she were present, Li Tang would surely have seen her. Based on the reactions of those two guarding the Barrier, it seemed they had not noticed Lin Chuyu's presence. Yet Li Tang felt compelled to ask, "Did you see any Vermilion Bird pass by?"
The two Vermilion Birds replied, "No Vermilion Bird has passed."
Li Tang nodded and extended her consciousness outward. Only the awareness of the Vermilion Bird could cover such a vast area, but she sensed nothing. Could it be that Lin Chuyu had fallen into the sea and met with misfortune? The thought sent a shiver down Li Tang's spine, but she reassured herself that it couldn't be true; perhaps Lin Chuyu had found a way to pass through the Barrier.
Suddenly, Li Tang's spirit lifted. She felt Lin Chuyu's familiar aura, though the exact location was still unclear. At least she knew which direction to fly in.
Li Tang said to the two Vermilion Birds, "I need to pass through the Barrier. You two keep watch."
One of the Vermilion Birds nodded, and Li Tang immediately soared into the air, flapping her wings desperately to cross the Barrier. The sooner she found Lin Chuyu, the sooner she could regain her sense of security.
Li Tang wasn't sure whether she would bring Lin Chuyu back once she found her, but first, she needed to locate her. With her mind solely focused on Lin Chuyu, she ignored everything around her. She beat her massive wings and flew a long distance but still felt it was too slow.
---
Lin Chuyu was thrilled to be flying on her own until a pair of claws scratched her back, making her realize she was under attack.
Startled, Lin Chuyu rolled in mid-air, surprising her assailant. Then she saw a Vermilion Bird with iron shackles on its feet appear before her.
The bird's feet were encased in iron, much like human soldiers donning armor. The Vermilion Bird shouted, "Stop!" It continued, "I am a Low Mountain Guard! If you keep moving around, I won't hold back!"
Lin Chuyu dared not comply; instead, she immediately flapped her wings and fled. The Vermilion Bird was furious. Its wings turned red as it flapped them, unleashing a wave of Nirvana Fire toward Lin Chuyu. She dropped her body just in time to evade the terrifying flames that scorched past her face, causing tears to stream from her eyes due to the heat.
At that moment, Lin Chuyu felt a sharp pain in her back where the Vermilion Bird had clawed her. She cried out, "Let me go! I mean no harm; I just want to leave here!"
The Vermilion Bird seemed unreasonable and retorted, "No ill intentions? Then why are you running? Hurry and land on the Low Mountain so I can tie you up and take you back!"
Lin Chuyu thought to herself, "Letting him tie me up? That’s out of the question!"
Seeing that Lin Chuyu was ignoring its commands, the Vermilion Bird declared, "Oh really? Not listening, huh? Then don't blame me!"
The Vermilion Bird swooped down from above Lin Chuyu's head, and she quickly sidestepped to avoid it.
Lin Chuyu spread her wings and flew away, but the Vermilion Bird pursued closely behind. Suddenly, another Vermilion Bird charged up from behind a nearby low hill, colliding with Lin Chuyu and causing both of them to lose control and plummet toward the uneven terrain below.
Lin Chuyu crashed into a low hill, sustaining several injuries that caused her intense pain. The Vermilion Bird that had collided with her quickly got up and shouted, "No orders to leave! No one is allowed to escape!"
Enduring the pain, Lin Chuyu took to the skies again. The bird that had just hit her was about to chase after her, but it realized that one of its wings was broken and could not fly properly. Lin Chuyu sighed in relief at her luck.
However, another Vermilion Bird was closing in on her. Knowing that the injured bird's companion would not let her go easily, Lin Chuyu was determined not to die there. She flapped her wings vigorously and flew forward.
This Vermilion Bird flew above Lin Chuyu's left wing, slightly tilting its body as it reached out with a claw toward her. Although Lin Chuyu had just begun to master the Vermilion Bird Form and could control her body well enough to fly, she was still at a disadvantage when it came to combat compared to the pursuing bird.
The Vermilion Bird grabbed hold of Lin Chuyu's left wing and threw her toward a rugged area filled with sharp peaks. If she crashed into them, she would surely be injured again.
Just as Lin Chuyu's body was about to collide with one of the sharp peaks, she flapped her wings with all her might, forcing herself upward and narrowly avoiding the spikes. She let out a long sigh of relief.
Seeing that Lin Chuyu had evaded its attack, the Vermilion Bird became furious. She desperately tried to distance herself from it, but the bird pursued like a relentless parasite. It lunged for Lin Chuyu's wing again, but this time she was prepared and managed to dodge just in time, almost allowing it to succeed.
After a fierce struggle, Lin Chuyu was utterly exhausted. She gasped for breath, finding it difficult even to stay suspended in the air. She had never imagined that leaving this place would be so challenging, but no matter what, she had to find a way out.
"I will kill you!" the Vermilion Bird roared.
The bird was completely enraged by Lin Chuyu's defiance; it seemed that this time, her situation was dire.
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