Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I lowered my eyelashes, staring at the white jade Mysterious Bird hanging at my neck.

How I wished this was the soul spirit of legend. If it were, I would only need enough spiritual power to command it to take form and cast the demon before me into the abyss.

But that was nothing more than a delusion.

Even if it truly were a soul spirit, it would only obey its true master-Lan Yi-not me.

I was a Soulless One, incapable of wielding spiritual power.

Just as this thought surfaced in my mind, I suddenly felt the jade pendant grow warm.

A faint glimmer of blue light quietly emerged on its surface.

I almost thought that despair had caused me to hallucinate.

But in the next moment, Chang Yan’s expression shifted drastically. In a mix of shock and fury, he roared, “Quick! Catch her-”

Before his command could even land, a dazzling blue light erupted from the jade pendant. A tide of luminous feathers exploded before my eyes.

The pendant transformed into a sky full of glowing feathers in the air, rapidly absorbing all the moisture in the surroundings. It soon condensed into a giant, crystal-clear bird.

It spread its wings, reflecting the colors of heaven and earth, beautiful beyond anything mortal.

It was the Mysterious Bird.

It shielded me beneath its wings. Its wingtips were as sharp as blades, and its voice sounded like the low hum of wind and snow, instantly frightening back the approaching Soul Devourer Clan.

With its beak, it deftly removed the restraints on my hands and feet.

Then, it leaned down, picked me up by the back of my clothes, and soared into the air, crashing through the roof and flying toward the sky.

Livid, Chang Yan grabbed a longbow and fired several arrows in quick succession.

The Mysterious Bird twisted and dodged in the air, ensuring I wasn’t harmed in the slightest. An arrow passed through the tip of its wing, but it only created a ripple like water before instantly dissipating.

Just as it was about to fly into the vast sky, a figure leaped down from behind me and landed steadily on the bird’s back.

He wrapped a white cloak around my body, his arm protecting my waist as he whispered, “Princess, I have arrived late.”

So, he was the one controlling the Mysterious Bird soul spirit.

I leaned against him, my heart racing in chaos.

The wind whistled past my ears. Beneath us was the translucent bird of light, and beside me was a familiar scent.

We rode together on a single wing, racing through the sky, moving further and further away from that nightmarish, scorched yellow land.

I turned my head and saw Lan Yi’s deep blue eyes. They looked exactly like a cloudless, clear sky, untainted by a single speck of dust.

He spoke, his voice low and raspy. “Your humble servant’s words earlier were disrespectful, but it was only to numb Chang Yan’s guard. In truth, I-”

I cut him off calmly. “It does not matter.”

Regardless, what he had said was the truth.

There were no vows of staying together until our hair turned white between us, only a silent exchange.

His lips parted as if he had more to say, but I didn’t want to hear his explanations, so I asked, “That Mysterious Bird… is it really your soul spirit?”

Lan Yi nodded. “Its name is Xing Luan. It only took form eighteen years ago; it is the same age as you.”

“Oh? Then it and I truly share a destiny… even our names are somewhat similar.”

My name was Xing Yan, and its name was Xing Luan.

Something suddenly occurred to me, and my heart jolted. I blurted out, “A soul spirit takes a hundred years to take form. Exactly how old are you?”

He was silent for a moment before saying softly, “I am a hundred years older than the Princess.”

I looked at his fair, handsome face, speechless for a long time.