The Ancient Battlefield (Tianyan Side Story)

With those words spoken, Xu Yuan smiled faintly at the young girl and drew back his gaze. Yet Tianyan's heart instinctively tightened. Call him Xu Yuan... Looking at his profile, Tianyan pursed her lips slightly. "Are you angry?" "Huh?" Xu Yuan blinked in surprise and looked back at her. "Angry about what—" Mid-sentence, seeing how she looked like a little girl who had done something wrong, he suddenly realized what she was referring to. Given names and courtesy names. In this world, those who were close addressed each other by courtesy name, not given name. His eldest brother and his old man had always called him Changtian. Combined with Tianyan's inexplicable bout of anger just moments ago, what he had just said was practically telling her that their relationship stopped right here, with no need to go any further. The girl's transparent thoughts left Xu Yuan momentarily speechless. He instinctively wanted to tease this washboard Saintess, but on second thought, he let it go. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced down at the churning clouds and mist below. Down there, patches of brownish earth were already faintly visible. First things first; he didn't know all that much about ghost mist. After a brief silence, Xu Yuan said gently, "Well... you can think of it as a pet name." "A pet name?" Though she was still a little puzzled, seeing the warm smile on Xu Yuan's face eased Tianyan's heart. She had seen what this bastard looked like when he was truly angry, and it wasn't like this. After a quiet moment, Tianyan muttered under her breath, "Psycho. Absolutely bizarre." Xu Yuan chuckled, but before he could speak, he met Tianyan's fox-like, narrowed, probing gaze. "Xu Yuan, did you just say... 'too'?" Xu Yuan's heart tightened, though his eyes remained clear. "What 'too'?" "You just told me to call you Xu Yuan too." "What do you mean?" "'Too.' Who else did you tell to call you Xu Yuan before?" "..." Damn it. Tianyan was usually so silly, yet she had such a sharp eye for a detail like this. Should he admit it outright, or just make something up on the spot? After a split second of thought, Xu Yuan already had his answer. Using another Big Block of Ice to provoke Tianyan once or twice could heighten her sense of urgency, but doing it too often would only backfire. After a brief pause, Xu Yuan gave a light laugh and casually fibbed, "Lots of people. My father, my eldest brother..." "Do you think my Overseeing Heaven Pavilion never performed divinations on your Prime Minister's Manor? The results included scenes of you interacting with your family." "..." The corner of Xu Yuan's eye twitched. Damn it, did this wretched Heaven-Deducing Art even come with peeping functionality? Tianyan let out a cold snort, her tone sounding utterly indifferent. "That person is none other than Ran Qingmo, isn't she? Why bother hiding it?" As she spoke, her voice dropped slightly, turning almost inaudible. "Hmph. Not like you and I are anything anyway, and there's never going to be any future between us." A trace of dejection crossed the girl's expression. Xu Yuan's narrow, phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and with a smile, he squeezed her little hand. "Hey, feeling jealous?" Tianyan cast her gaze downward toward the descending ground and said nothing. She was blatantly jealous. Xu Yuan's voice remained calm and measured. "It isn't even certain whether we can make it out alive. What are you getting all worked up over?" "Don't give me that line." Tianyan suddenly spoke up out of nowhere. "We've spent seven years together, and you and Ran Qingmo have only... Never mind." Halfway through, Tianyan seemed to find it too embarrassing to say, so she turned her face away and fell silent. Watching the girl's jealous pout, ripples inexplicably stirred in Xu Yuan's heart. Yet he chose neither to offer an explanation nor to use cliché lines to coax her. The Big Block of Ice's temperament only required relentless pampering and indulgence, but Tianyan's disposition needed pulling and tugging, back and forth. He had never forgotten the haughty, bratty demeanor she had put on the very first time she appeared as a young girl. If he gave in completely, her tail would shoot straight up into the sky. Silence stretched between the two of them. Before long, the roiling white mist around them finally came to an end. Amid a surge of air currents, the two landed steadily at the bottom of Zhujian Valley. Holding Tianyan's small hand, Xu Yuan swept his gaze—flickering with a faint crimson light—across their surroundings, a trace of surprise surfacing in his eyes. As far as the eye could see, there was actually a forest. Yet unlike the lush, verdant canopy atop the cliffs, the woods at the valley floor appeared withered and twisted. The desiccated branches were a dark brownish-black, the leaves sharp and needle-like, and roots that should have been buried deep in the soil were contorted and exposed, squirming almost imperceptibly. Moreover, through the powerful intent-soul of the Origin Realm and his Source Qi perception, Xu Yuan could also sense many living creatures rustling and shifting within this forest. Because the distance was too great and the ghost mist interfered, his senses were somewhat blurred, preventing him from discerning their true appearance. Even so, everything before him exceeded his expectations. Seven years ago, the ghost mist kept in captivity by the Prime Minister's Manor outside Jingjiang Prefecture had been entirely different from this ancient battlefield. Captive ghost mist was pitch-black like ink, and apart from yin ghosts, there were no living creatures within it. Even if living humans or demons were thrown in, they would be devoured almost instantaneously. Yet here... "Tianyan..." Xu Yuan asked hesitantly, "there are actually living creatures inside this ghost mist?" Though she was still annoyed, Tianyan did not let her personal feelings interfere with serious business. Sweeping her golden eyes across their surroundings, she asked back placidly, "Why couldn't there be living creatures?" Stumped by the question, Xu Yuan took in the surroundings and replied thoughtfully, "I recall that ghost mist devours all living things." Tianyan shook her head slightly and pulled Xu Yuan forward. "Your Prime Minister's Manor simply has too few ancient texts—so few that you don't even know what ghost mist was like in the past. "Xu Yuan, whether it's yin ghosts or the creatures at the valley floor, if they want to survive, they must establish an interdependent relationship. "And this ancient battlefield, having endured for who knows how long, has long since found an equilibrium." "..." Listening carefully, Xu Yuan pondered for a moment before coming to an understanding. Looking around at the bizarre environment, he muttered under his breath, "Well, would you look at that. Even yin ghosts understand sustainable development." The ghost mist kept in captivity by the Prime Minister's Manor had the manor acting as an external force, constantly feeding it death-row inmates and corpses to produce soul pearls. This wild ghost mist, however, had no outside force supplying it with flesh and blood. If it wanted to persist, it had to establish a balanced ecosystem. In other words, this vast ghost mist, which seemed practically boundless, was essentially a feeding pen for yin ghosts. The living creatures inside were nothing more than reserve ingredients for them. Thinking of this, Xu Yuan said nothing more. Ten thousand years ago, when yin ghosts were mighty, they kept living creatures in captivity as blood-food. Ten thousand years later, when humanity was mighty, humans kept yin ghosts in captivity as resources. The strong preying on the weak was only natural. "What a bizarre ecological cycle." Feeling the warmth of the girl's fingers, Xu Yuan's footsteps rustled against the dark brown soil as he sighed softly. "Still, for ghost mist of this scale to form, as an ancient battlefield... just how many died in Zhujian Valley back then?" As the Saintess of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, Tianyan seemed to have read the ancient records regarding this piece of history. "Over hundreds of millions of living souls." Hundreds of millions... The staggering number gave Xu Yuan pause, and he looked back at her. "What did you say?" Tianyan's golden eyes swept over the surroundings, and she pointed at the ground beneath their feet, her tone even. "In ancient times, the Fourteen Provinces of the Central Lands were not occupied solely by humanity. The prosperity humanity enjoys today was fought for and conquered step by step by our ancient forebears. Toward the end of the chaotic era, the only major powers left standing were humans and demons, and this Zhujian Valley was the very site of the decisive battle that determined the fate of both races. "In a war wagering the prosperity of an entire species... hundreds of millions of casualties is hardly excessive. "Humanity won that war, which is why we alone hold the fertile fourteen provinces of the Central Lands, while the demon race was forced to retreat westward into Guyuan." Pausing to reminisce briefly, Tianyan continued in a calm voice, "Moreover, according to the ancient texts I've read, Zhujian Valley itself was terrain carved out by that very war." "..." This was information the Prime Minister's Manor did not possess. In fact, outside of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, perhaps no one in the world still knew such ancient secrets. Yet intelligence from countless millennia ago was of little consequence right now. Having heard this, Xu Yuan realized another problem. Looking at the young girl beside him, he asked in a low voice, "Shouldn't the ghost mist in Zhujian Valley be expanding continuously?" That ghost mist expanded was practically common knowledge among cultivators. Xu Yuan did not believe Zhujian Valley would be an exception to this rule. Though this patch of ghost mist seemed to have reached a bizarre equilibrium, the total area was only so large, and its resources would run dry sooner or later. With such a colossal expanse of ghost mist sprawling right here, how could the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, the dominant power of the realm, have simply left it unchecked? If this were the current Great Yan dynasty, they would surely mobilize armies to purge such a peril at the earliest opportunity. Tianyan did not answer his question immediately. After a moment of contemplation, she answered softly, "That was twenty thousand years ago. I don't know what the Pavilion Master of that era decided, but if the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion chose to leave it alone, there must have been a reason." Hearing this, Xu Yuan let out a light laugh and teased, "Exterminating such a magnificent expanse of ghost mist would probably have shaken the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's ruling status, wouldn't it? Or perhaps the mountains were high and the emperor far away; this area simply fell outside the Pavilion's sphere of influence. After all, if I recall correctly, the former site of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion was atop Mount Tianjue, right by the sea." "..." After a brief silence, Tianyan did not deny it, admitting the possibility quite candidly. "That is possible." "Doesn't your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion pride itself on protecting humanity? How could you allow this ghost mist to grow to such proportions?" "The prerequisite to protecting humanity is ensuring your own survival first. Every choice demands a compromise." At this point, Tianyan paused for a second, looked into Xu Yuan's eyes, and countered, "Is your Prime Minister's Manor any different?" "..." Meeting her familiar gaze, Xu Yuan chuckled and shook his head, offering no denial either. "True enough." Tianyan withdrew her gaze and continued scanning their surroundings, shifting the subject as she asked in a low voice, "Xu Yuan, do you know why I brought you to Zhujian Valley to escape the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's pursuit?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Why?" The corners of Tianyan's lips curved into a radiant smile. Raising her palm, she gestured in a wide circle at the white mist around them. "Ghost mist can interfere with the deductions of the Heaven-Deducing Art. As long as we hide in here, the current Pavilion Master will only be able to divine that we are somewhere inside this ghost mist!"