Prophecy Of The Stars

39.FINDING CLUES

Enclosed in heavy a red tinged atmosphere, Wan Huang was already feeling querulous, now this sort of riddle appeared whose head or tail couldn't be decoded, pushing her to the verge of impatience and breakdown.

The smoke and ash prickled her nose as the self protection barrier started to wane. The discomfort prompted her to nearly throw everything away and escape from this hellish place, but she held on, watching xiufeng running around to find a clue.

That little brat is giving his all to help her, so how could she run away?

She tried to give a shot at guessing the  riddle.

Winter, fall, spring; Un. Three words that does not fit in the current situation.

Under the brightest red, you are sitting  there leisurely watching us being fried in this heat, do you have any conscience?

I couldn't find you. Happy now?

Now you want me to be enlightened? Oh!please.I am not a Buddha who have unlimited patience.

Under the sky, where the six stars joins...

Under this sky, where we don't even know whether it is day or night how are we supposed to find six stars? Other than the twelve peaks that is seen at a distance, what else is there to see?

Twelve peaks, six stars... it suddenly struck a chord in her mind.

Six stars..six pointed star array.. will that be the answer to this riddle?

Wan Huang immediately shared her analysis with Xiufeng who first stared at her confused but quickly regained his composure.

So, there are times when this smelly girl's brain works.

Wan Huang looked around. Surrounding them, at a distance there were twelve peaks, out of which six alternate peaks were taller than the other.

Assuming them to be the array points,  both xiufeng and Wan Huang set out to find the array center which they soon achieved.

So the six pointed star illusion was just a prelude to hide the real array trap.

On the bare ground, there was a small heap of cooled lava rocks. Both of them removed the rocks one by one and under the rocks appeared a bubbling hot lava pool.

Wan Huang slightly trembled at the sight. It was so boiling hot that it would melt anything dropped into it, not to mention a puny human.

Little Xiufeng changed into his beast form. He spread his small wings, hooked Wan Huang under his claws, and wrapped both of them in a protective barrier and dived into the hot lava pool.

Wan Huang felt her entire body going numb, but that didn't stop her from screaming which echoed inside the deep pool.

Wan Huang tightly closed her eyes shut, waiting for the lava to burn them. The horror she expected did not come, she opened her eyes and saw how they were passing through the pool unscathed.

Realizing the pool itself was another illusion, she stopped screaming and looked forward for their landing.

Both of them descended onto the solid ground.

Below the bright churning lava, was a dark underground chamber. The faint brightness of the magma revealed a stone door on the ground, which they opened to find a flight of stairs leading further deep down.

Descending the steps they reached a chamber.

At the center of the chamber crimson red fire burned wildly. On the ground there were numerous channels through which bubbling magma flowed outwards continuously from under the flame.

Taking a deep breath, Wan Huang walked towards the flame. All of a sudden she was pushed back a strong force, that sent her stumbling a few steps back.

Sensing something appear before her, she lifted her head.

A big tiger, with its body covered in flames inched slowly towards her. It's eyes practically shot fire as it growled at her warning to stay back.

She knew, the things she wanted, she never got it in an easy way. After going through all troubles and almost dying in some hecking illusion, they finally managed to see the essence flame.

But before she could get near it, a fearsome tiger appeared from who- knows-where blocking their path.

Want them to return empty handed?

To obtain the flame,even if it meant killing this tiger she would do it.

And thus a battle between a human and a fire tiger began.

Wan Huang brought out all the techniques she has learnt in this lifetime but pitifully she was swatted  away everytime like a fly. The entanglement between an animal and a human, xiufeng could only helplessly watch.

He tried many times to deter the fire tiger's movement, but being the same fire attribute as him, his flames produced little to no damage to this exotic tiger.

His attacks were canceled out, now this battle solely depended on Wan Huang. But victory was far reached for her as she could not even break through the defences of the damn animal.

Poor Wan Huang  flew around the room, swatted away by the fire tiger. Her endurance reached its limits and she coughed up blood from injuries and overexertion.

Her body was trembling and she couldn't summon energy to even stand that left her sitting on the hot floor.

The fire tiger suddenly stopped and twitched it's nose, smelling something familiar. It stared hard at Wan Huang, and walked towards her. Xiufeng immediately  appeared in front of her, protecting her from the approaching danger, but the tiger continued its actions.

His sight was fixed on the blood Wan Huang just now threw up and it craned its neck towards her trying to sniff her.

It's  previously hostile eyes were filled with confusion that made xiufeng  confused too, but he still did not relax his guard.

In the blink of an eye, xiufeng was sent flying by the fire tiger who then knocked down the weak Wan Huang and sat on top of her sniffing and staring at her.

Wan Huang who was weak to the extreme and was slipping into deep sleep was woken up by the pain and heaviness caused by the fire tiger who sat on her.

Her mind startled for a moment, thinking it was the end, but the actions of the tiger left a strand of hope in her.

Xiufeng was also taken aback by the nonsensical actions of the tiger.

What happened next left xiufeng shocked and cursing the ancestors of the fire tiger upto eighteen generations.

After sniffing and scrutinizing for a cup of tea worth time, the fire tiger extending his paw, bit on it and dropped a blob of his blood on Wan Huang's  forehead.

Wan Huang felt as if a fire was surging through her body, through every veins,muscles and cells. She screamed out in pain and her body started twitching, xiufeng ran over and pushed away the fire tiger holding her in his arms, calling out her name in panic.

After a while, her consciousness  slowly cleared and the pain receded and a small voice echoed in her head.

"Master".