1548 Hell + Meeting + Sky Mirror + Xia Di
On returning back to the Waystation, Xia Fan received some unfortunate news: He had just missed Xia Geng!
“Xia Geng was in a rush, like he was on an important mission. He was very excited the moment he got news about you, though, and had specifically left a video with me that I’m tasked to pass to you,” Carlos told Xia Fan.
“Truly, impulsiveness is the devil,” Xia Fan lamented. Had he waited longer outside the Cosmic Gate, he would have been able to meet with Xia Geng, but his impatience impelled him to charge through the gate, missing out on an encounter with Xia Geng! “Did Xia Geng mention why he was in such a rush?”
“No. I’m an outsider, after all. Maybe you’ll get your answer if you watch the video that he left for you.”
“I understand. I caught someone from the Desolated Valley Universe, and was hoping you could interrogate him for me.”
!!
Carlos patted his chest and guaranteed, “That’s no problem at all. Hand him over!”
Tamu and Bright Pearl had the Hell Ghost sent to the interrogation room deep in the Waystation, while Xia Fan made his way back onboard the Skydome, found a secluded room, and played the video that Xia Geng had left for him.
*Bzzt*
The screen displayed a man, handsome and tall, sharing a set of eyebrows that looked somewhat similar to Xia Fan’s. The eyebrows of the Skywing were a clan characteristic; they were slightly raised, which naturally gave them an extraordinarily heroic aura.
This was the first time he had seen his kin, and Xia Fan instinctively puffed out his chest and straightened his back. He was being very serious and formal, but Xia Geng was just lazing on a sofa, blowing on a harmonica. He was playing a melodious tune that transported Xia Fan into a dreamlike world of melody. Its movements were simple yet elegant, almost as if it was describing the Skywing Clan traversing every world, forever searching.
Xia Fan was astounded. He had learned a bit about music from the Dancer Couple, so he knew how to appreciate music. He was deeply aware that such a sonorous and moving performance would require talent and years of honing. Sure enough, Bright Pearl and Tamu were right; the people from the Skywing Clan had always been free, easy-going, and multi-talented. Even their Grand Ancestor Xia Gucheng seemed to be a carpenter…
After the tune was over, Xia Geng burst into laughter and said plenty of welcoming words. But the topic suddenly shifted when Xia Geng shrugged, “But it’s too bad that your father and others have suddenly disappeared.”
Disappeared!
Xia Fan was flabbergasted. Why did Xia Geng not mention this earlier? To think his father and a large portion of his team had actually gone missing. This was a serious matter, so why would Xia Geng still be in the mood to play the harmonica? Was he not being too light-hearted right now?
Xia Geng scratched his head and continued, “I was sent to investigate, and while I was doing that, all traces of them had vanished. I am very heartbroken about this right now, and I have no idea where they ran off to cause trouble.
“These last few few years, we’ve been investigating the truth behind the Great Chiliocosm, and we discovered that there were many lifeforms that are not originally from the Great Chiliocosm, but came from other territories, which was rather curious.
“After all, the Great Chiliocosm is a closed loop, and if there are other territories as well, then there must be a path connecting said territories, but we’ve yet to uncover anything like that…”
Xia Geng’s personality confirmed the rumors about the freewheeling freedom of the Skywing Clan. but he also revealed plenty of practical and credible information to Xia Fan.
Everyone knew that the Skywings had indeed initially entered the Great Chiliocosm for the sake of finding Xia Fan, yet they had very quickly discovered an even bigger problem, rallied countless other universes in the Great Chiliocosm, and were presently dealing with the invasion of Darkness. If they failed to stop the Darkness from spreading, then there would come a day when the Great Chiliocosm would fall, and their homeworld would not be spared, either.
That was something the Skywings would never allow happen. As such, the Skywings began their search and exploration of the Great Chiliocosm, and they encountered Demonic Ants, sapient beasts, and many other strange phenomena.
In the end, the Skywings came to the conclusion that Darkness was not something that originated from the Great Chiliocosm, but was the result of an invasion from beyond.
Since they had invaded from beyond, then that clearly meant that there were still other territories outside of the Great Chiliocosm. However, the Celestial Path they knew was a closed loop. There was no way for anyone to reach other territories from within, so how did the Darkness come to be?
Harboring such huge doubts in their hearts, the Skywings persisted and continued to give it their all. It was only recently that they had come across some clues, but it was unfortunate that in the process of chasing said clues, the main force had lost contact with Xia Geng’s search team, and they had no idea where Xia Fan and the rest had gone. Xia Geng was searching everywhere. That was the reason why Xia Geng had gone to the Desolated Valley Universe; the Hell Ghosts there had self-proclaimed that they had come to the Great Chiliocosm from Hell!
“When you’re done with things on your end, head to the Sky Mirror Waystation to find me. They are hosting a gathering of Celestial Path experts there right now, and perhaps we could learn some useful information there!” Xia Geng ended the video with that.
…
After he finished watching Xia Geng’s message, Xia Fan hurried over to find Traveling Buddha and the others. They were currently in that secret interrogation room, and Xia Fan saw how pale Cardiff looked when he entered. The old man was seated in the corner of the room, a listless expression on his face, almost as if he had been rendered stupid. He did not even react even after Xia Fan shouted at him.
Carlos stopped Xia Fan in a hurry. “Don’t wake him. I’ve never seen Cardiff look so distracted before. Reading memories is a very specialized act that now has him completely engrossed in the target’s memories. It’s akin to an immersive experience, so maybe he has received an immense shock.”
Xia Fan relayed what Xia Geng had said to Bright Pearl and Tamu, but who would have thought that the two would be totally unaffected after learning that a large portion of the Skywings had gone missing.
Tamu stroked his chin and said, “It was a catastrophe when I was captured, but anyone that dares capture anyone from your clan would surely become a disaster for the enemy. Believe me, even if your father has been seized and taken to Hell, I’m afraid his captors might not even live.”
Pearl nodded repeatedly, “That’s right, that’s right! There’s no need for you to worry for your kinsmen on their behalf. It’ll just be a waste of energy and strength on your part. Anyone in their way, be it god or demon, will die! That slogan of the Skywings’ is no joke!”
Xia Fan was surprised. With the Skywings missing, he was instead worried on behalf of the Skywing’s enemies? How ridiculous was that?
——
It was after a long while later when Cardiff came back to his senses and told Xia Fan about the memories he retrieved from the Hell Ghost.
“There might really be a Hell that exists out there,” Cardiff said, fear in his voice. “In all my life I’ve never seen such a frightening place. An inextinguishable inferno raged in the darkness as countless spirits and ghosts wander the desolate lake, as deep at the bottom of the abyss lived fire and blood demons…”
Xia Fan quietly listened as Cardiff described a world. He could not ascertain if it was truly Hell or otherwise, but it was definitely true that the Hell Ghosts had come to the Great Chiliocosm from that terrifying land. It seemed like they had been hunted down and were fleeing something even more frightening, and had to take refuge out here in the Great Chiliocosm. That was why they ended up hiding in the barren Desolate Valley Universe, and did not get into contact with the outside world.
“There’s nothing else,” Cardiff shook his head regretfully. “Look at how I am now, as if I’ve just come down with some serious illness. Reading the memories of the Hell Ghost has been absolutely agonizing for me, and I’m afraid I just might lose my life if I were to continue this.”
Xia Fan patted Cardiff on his back. “I understand, rest well.”
——
Having left the interrogation room, Carlos was in the middle of instructing his own men not to reveal anything about this to anyone else. If word were to get out that Hell actually existed, it just might create panic on the Celestial Path. Carlos did not want rumors to spread before they could come to any plausible conclusions on the matter. It had to be said that the owner of this Waystation was quite wise and prudent.
Xia Fan finally did not end up leaving the Hell Ghost at the Waystation, considering that Carlos’ strength might not be sufficient to keep the creature under control. Since the Hell Ghost was frozen thanks to Bright Pearl’s Absolute Zero Frost Breath, and everyone needed to take turns standing guard to ensure that the Hell Ghost did not break out from said ice, the risk of him breaking free was simply too great if he was handed over to Carlos. After all, he was a foreign being who no one had an understanding of with regards to his nature or potential.
“If there’s any progress, please get someone to relay word to me,” Carlos told Xia Fan before they departed.
Xia Fan nodded. There was no long-range communication system on the Celestial Path, so information and news had to be passed around by word of mouth, making it very inconvenient.
The Skydome set off once more, hot on Xia Geng’s trail. This time, Xia Fan was headed to somewhere called Sky Mirror, an even bigger Waystation that was said to be in the middle of hosting a gathering of Celestial Path experts. Various forces and powers wandering about the Great Chiliocosm all gathered there and exchanged information and supplies.
——
There was no talking along the way. When the Skydome reached the Sky Mirror Waystation, they were welcomed by the bustling scene in front of them. This Waystation had the outward appearance of a white shell, and plenty of warships had gathered here. There were not enough landing pads inside the Waystation for everyone to dock, so plenty of ships had to park themselves in orbit outside.
“It’s the Skywings. Another ship of theirs had arrived!”
“And it’s even a Fey warship. Looks like there’s going to be quite a show this time.”
“A fight won’t really break out, will it?”
A lot of people began quietly chatting with each other the moment they saw the Skywing’s insignia on the Skydome, believing them to be reinforcements from the clan. The fact of the matter was that Xia Fan had no idea that the atmosphere onboard the Sky Mirror was already so on edge that anyone could slice the tension in the air with a knife!
——
Entering the Waystation, Xia Fan and his group were all very excited. Tamu was looking forward to meeting his people again, and while Bright Pearl had not said a word, Xia Fan could tell that she was missing her father very much.
Who would not have such yearning? Even Xia Fan’s heart was uneasy. In no time at all, he would be able to meet his blood kin, and later his father, mother…
Family. The concept that used to exist only in Xia Fan’s mind was no longer that far away. Aside from being nervous, he was also feeling quite a bit of excitement, intermingled with all his other emotions.
The people in the Waystation treated Xia Fan as the others had before. Those who showed respect did so with a tinge of fear, giving way to them before whispering behind their backs.
“So few people? Looks like they aren’t reinforcements.”
“With so few people, the Skywings just might be taking a loss.”
Xia Fan told his identity to the administrator of the Waystation, and instantly a little boy came running in from afar. He looked to be about seven or eight years old, running very quickly despite his short arms and legs. In the blink of an eye, this boy arrived in front of Xia Fan with a bright smile, bearing a piccolo on his waist.
“Are you big brother Xia Fan?” the boy asked cheerfully.
“I am Xia Fan, and you are…?” Xia Fan asked back.
“You can call me Xia Di. My father is Xia Geng, and sure enough, you came looking for us after seeing the message my father left!”
Xia Fan was elated, but what Xia Di continued to say left him shocked.
“My father can’t take a step away right now, so sent me to fetch you. It’s not convenient for us to speak now, though. They are currently preparing to fight, so we can talk afterward,” Xia Di rattled off quickly.
Xia Fan was stunned, “A fight? With who?”
“Everyone!” Xia Di answered enthusiastically.
