The Tainted Red Stone

-Yunlan-

They mentally prepare themselves for the fight of their lives, as they walked toward the entrance of the mountain, which was nothing more a thin fissure in the volcanic stone. They stood in front of it, as a gale of heated wind greet them.

"Lord Yunlan, please allow me to protect your minds from the tainted air and atmosphere. It will make the fight easier." Guo asked for Yunlan's permission, which was unnecessary, because the Water Prince will never refuse Guo's help.

So, the young Sage, worked in putting spiritual protections in each of their minds, like he did once before, connecting them, just to be on the safer side. Next, Chu tide them all with his golden strings and they walked in a single line, practically pasting themselves to the wall so they could keep forward and when the narrow path finally ended to a big cliff and a huge round hole that glowed crimson red and orange.

As they looked below their sudden cliff and into the hole, they only manage to see red and black mist, making it impossible for any of them to see what lie at the bottom, although they could sense the red stone somewhere down.

"Okay... leave this mist to me, you guys prepare to attack." Lin said as he moved his hands to command the air inside the volcano, making the mist move in a spiral up to release it out of the volcano's mouth above their heads. It was then when they have a clear image of what lies deep down and even Yunlan swallow hard at the sight.

Deep down there was a strong shine of red, where the stone was, but above it, there were hundreds of black and red tentacles moving protectively over it. They knew what those things could do, as it had already wounded and kill one of their own. A single touch could scorch the skin, not to mention set it on fire in a very short period of time.

"Damn it, why those things again? I rather had the Furies." Chu asked, although it was just a way to venter his worry, because in his mind, that image of Guo falling down, along with Shen Wei, Zhu and Xue was still quite fresh in his mind, the same way it had engraved in the minds of all others.

"So this is its true form... no wonder we could do so little back then..." Guo said.

"It was so... so horrible..." Zhu whisper, as her hand tremble, remembering Xue's death, but Da Qing rubbed her back to calm her down.

"This thing had tainted our land for long enough... but how do we destroy it? It's so deep down and we practically don't have a place to fight it with no rocks in between. Even if Da Qing create earth platforms for us to stand, those things will come at us from all sides. Should I try some lightnings?" Wang asked.

"Not now. We descend a bit more... Shen Wei, can your new shield hold those things?" Yunlan asked.

"It should, but honestly I can't say for how long." Wei said a bit concerned.

"What about your golden threads Chu?" Zhao asked next.

"The same as Shen Wei... don't know for how long they can resist those tainted things." Chu admitted.

"What about a big attack, like your light beam or something, to take it in one go?" Sang asked.

"It will not work, the stone had a shield of its own. I can sense it." Guo told them.

"Okay, let's get closer first. Qing, prepare a way down... then we see how to approach this." Da Qing put his hands over the volcanic floor and pull out from the walls several thick pillars all around the hole, making a circle at the middle, then from the border of each one he created an even thicker platform that united all the pillars in the very center.

"Isn't that a bit too further down? It's kind of a long drop if we jump from here." Sang said.

"Seriously, aren't you a Water Master? Can't you cushion your own fall with it?" Wang asked with incredulity, making Yunlan smile.

"Ah, dear Wang, you definitely will have a hard time with him later. Make sure to train him well, I kind of got too soft on him, my bad." Yunlan said as he summon a huge pool of dense water right over Qing's platform.

"Worry not my Lord, I will take that responsibility from you, he is actually not a bad healer at all, just a bad fighter." Wang added.

"My Wang, please don't said that..." Sang said a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry Sang, that you are... okay, down we go... but first..." Zhao turned to hug and give Shen Wei a slight kiss in the lips. "For good luck..." Yunlan joked, just before he jumped several meters down, falling harmlessly over the water shield he had created, who caught him and then release him over the earth platform, completely dry. Chu looked at Guo, probably with the intention to kiss him too, but Guo was a mess of blush and his hair was beginning to shine deep white.

"Hey, forget it old Chu, he will blind us all if you try to kiss him now. Let's just jump down, we are wasting time here." Da Qing said as he took Zhu's hand and jumped down along with her, then the rest follow their example one by one. After they were all down, Zhao transformed the water into several small dragons.

"These dragons will help with the tentacles in case we are caught off guard or we had no way to avoid them. The thick water they are created will keep the dark liquid away from the skin, avoiding the burn for a minute of two. Try to get out as soon as possible, because after that, you will risk to be burned alive and we all know how badly that was...." Yunlan said and a dozen or so dragons came to him, trespassing his clothes and pasting to his skin, like a second one, then the others stood still, so their dragons could create a protective layer over the exposed and clothed skin.

"They feel quite cold..." Wang said, shuddering a bit.

"That's because our inner fire, our skin is hotter than others." Shen Wei said as he looked down to the mass of unmoving tentacles below.

"Ah, my Prince, that so true... I know it best." Yunlan joked, yet seen his Prince frown as he looked down, not blush or yell at him in embarrassment, he worry and moved to his side, slightly putting a hand on his back to also looking down.

"What is it, Shen Wei?" Yunlan asked and Wei looked at him with concern written all over his handsome face.

"Isn't it too still? That thing should be aware of our presence now, yet is not moving... But it was moving when we first came." The rest moved too, to see down and true enough, the tentacles were still below them. A big number was covering the red stone, as a hand would close over a coin, for example, but the rest were barely moving, even when they had go down to be closer.

"Strange indeed." Chu whisper, however, right at that moment, the mountain shock like on an earthquake and the stone walls broke as black tentacles came out of it to close on them from all sides. Shen Wei reacted barely in time to create a shield, before they could be capture, but the shield was cover in full and the tentacles put pressure on it, releasing the dark liquid.

"Damn it not this time!" Shen Wei yelled as he expanded the shield with a wave of white fire that he also sent out, burning away the tentacles as well as the black liquid.

Then, more tentacles came from below, trying to break the earth platform Qing created, but Da put his hand over the surface and sent down hundreds of earth spikes. Wang used lighting at the border, powerful ones that destroyed a lot of tentacles, but didn't reached too far down to cause the stone any damage.

"Keep it up Wang, for as long as you can from different sides. Chu make your strongest net, a sphere that covers all of Wei's shield and anchor it as much as you can. Lin, sent down cutting winds, Zhu, paralyzing powder if you still had some, Sang ice spike, Wei, white fire arrows." Yunlan commanded, as he sent down beams of light, yet no matter how much he try to aim to the very center, his attacks and that of the others were redirected away from the core.

"Guo, sent your shield as far down as you can! Talismans too!" Yunlan urge him and Guo stood right in the center on their circular platform, summoning his shield, multiplying the swords that hover inside their shield. Then he took out several talisman from inside his robes and sent them up, to paste over the swords, then he guided out and far down, as he closed his eye. Because of his high level of cultivation, he could use his senses to see further than with normal sight.

Thus Guo concentrate to keep his sacred swords going further down, cutting tentacles in a spiral descend until he felt the repellant magic protecting the stone. It was a very dense layer of dark energy, almost impenetrable from the current attack they were sending down. Only Wei's Phoenix could dispel it or his cleansing light. However, Wei's Phoenix was sacred, meaning that it will burn anything it touched, including them if not properly protected and he could only use his cleansing magic very close to the source.

He was going to voice his thoughts out, just when the earth under them shook yet again, braking apart in some places, only remaining whole by Chu's net. Some tentacles try to break the golden net, but it resisted the push and pull of the black and red things. However, the unsteady floor that moved with each attempt to break it, was making it hard for them to keep their balance and their attacks, for which the tentacles begin to cover Wei's golden barrier again.

Shen Wei sent down a massive column of white fire that instantly incinerated a good part of the tainted things, but still, more come from the deeper, to replace the burned ones.

"Ah, damn it!" Da Qing yelled as he once again hardened the platform, so they could keep up the attacks.

"Zhao Yunlan, we are not making progress this way! What else we can do to crack that defense?" Lin asked.

"The only way is for me to get closer." Guo said and Chu look at him like he had gone mad.

"What the hell? No you won't, that's a certain death!" Chu yelled, taking a hold on his shoulders and shaking him up. "I won't lose you. You hear me, I won't let you sacrifice yourself!"

"Chu! Let him go!" Wang yelled, but the usually strong man, simply hug little Guo, like his life depend on it.

"Old Chu... there is a barrier deep down, one made of a very dense layer of dark energy that will not be breached by any of the attacks we are using, except Shen Wei's Phoenix which in this confined space will kill us all or my cleansing magic, that will dispel the barrier, opening the path to the stone. There is no other way, this is more a battle of opposite energies, which we all know I had in abnormal quantities and I think this is the reason why I was gifted with such brightness." Guo whisper to Chu, who held him more tightly in return.

"No. No way. No, I refuse to let you go down." Chu whisper back with his heart in his throat, but Yunlan came to put a hand on Chu's shoulder.

"Old Chu, let go of him." Yunlan whisper.

"I will not let him die like this!" Chu turned to look at the new Oracle with anger.

"I never said I was going to let him die. I know quite well how it feels to lose the one you love. I already pass through that when Shen Wei went missing back in the river and I do not wish for you to experience it too."

"Then what?" Chu asked, quite confused.

"He said it himself right, Wei's heavenly Phoenix can dispel the barrier too, so obviously we both go down and finish this one and for all." Yunlan simply said.

"Isn't that the same? Yunlan don't be a fool, you can't possibly..."

"Old Chu, I said it before, I have a wedding to plan, thus I don't intent to die here. Guo is right, this place is not big enough to spare humans of the heavenly flames, so you all need to go in order for Shen Wei to summon the heavenly beast." Zhao calmly explained as Wang sent down more thunders.

"There is no way out now. The tunnel had been destroyed and the walls had tentacles inside of them, they will get us before we can go out." Qing said as he keep the platform steady.

"There is a very big hole above us, how do you fail to miss it?" Yunlan asked with amusement and just by impulse, they all looked up, to the open mouth of the volcano, from which they could see the clear sky.

"Ah, yeah... that one... alright, alright, forget what I said. So we go up, how exactly? If I use earth, they will destroy it, as they are trying now." Da Qing added, as Zhu released paralyzing powder, slowing the movements of the nearest tentacles.

"You ride, of course." Yunlan said, sending another beam of light further down.

"I think he had gone crazy. Did you hit your head when losing your balance?" Chu asked, yet Yunlan simply smiled.

"Had I? Let's see... how was that whistle?" Yunlan said, as his eyes turned gold, then he whistle three times and they all looked up as seconds later, three figures came flying inside the volcano's mouth.

"Are those...?" Sang begin as he watched in disbelief the three Qirin's they had trapped, now free of the influence of the red stone with clear cerulean eyes.

"Chu, dispel your net, it's no longer necessary." Zhao whisper, as he whistle again for the Qirin's to cross Wei's barrier and land over their platform, only a short distance away.

"How come...? No human can call a Qirin..." Wang said in shock.

"He is not exactly human now... and maybe neither is Shen Wei, as he can even summon a guardian beast directly from the heavens." Lin said, seen the proof of it in Yunlan's eyes.

"Either way, Wang, take Sang and Lin with you in one of the Qirin's. Da Qing, you take Zhu Hong. Chu, obviously you take Guo and fly quite far. When this place is destroyed, you better be away from it."

"But you and Shen Wei..." Zhu said quite concerned.

"No need to worry, my Prince and I will be just fine. Create a summoning circle back to the Clans, to the Star temple if you can. I think there will be people waiting for us there."

"Wait, Yunlan..." Sang insisted, but one of the Qirin's bite his robes impatiently.

"Just go. Go." Yunlan said.

"Shen Wei..." Zhu insisted.

"Go, I can handle this, we can handle this from here. Worry not, we will see each other soon, very soon. Now please leave." Wei said with a gentle tone that make her want to stay.

"Zhu, let's go. They are powerful enough to take care of themselves. We are creating openings for those things by staying here. Come." Qing whisper, taking her in his arms, bridal style and placing her in one of the Qirin's back. Then the others follow.

"Good luck." Chu whisper, just before his Qirin took off into the air. As soon as all three of them begin to fly, some tentacles try to reach them, breaking free form the wall. However, the Qirin's strike them with their lightning's, soon disappearing from their view.

"Shen Wei..." Zhao whisper, as he hugged his lover from his back.

"Ah Lan..." Wei whisper back.

"Are you ready?" Yunlan asked, kissing his neck as more tentacles close on their barrier.

"Of course. Can you stand the flames as you are now?" Wei asked, moving his head to one side to look at him.

"I can... call the Phoenix down. I really want you in red as soon as possible." Shen smiled.

"Then you will use the gold head ornaments and veil." Zhao laughed.

"They will look prettier on you." Yunlan said and Shen smirked as he summon a white flame in one hand and a blue one in another.

"You wish... I will not look like a woman, not even for you." Shen said, just before he clap his hands, merging the flames.

Those who were outside, saw as a pillar of light go out of the volcano and reached far up, to the sky. Then they hear the sound of a bird that descended from the heavens, set aflame. This time, the Phoenix was bigger and more majestic than the last time, perhaps that was it's true form, but either way, they watched as it go inside the mouth of the volcano and a bit later, there was the sound of a blast, along with a powerful shock wave that completely obliterate the whole volcano to nothing more than rubble.

Then, huge roots begin to grow, just like it did before with the snow valley, transforming the land, taking back what was taken and expelling the tainted energy that came out in a column of dark smoke, surrounded by a layer of gold. The gods had extracted the poison and sent it away from the earth. Then the rain begin, even without the clouds, because the one falling was emerald green, as the new forest grew as fast as the last one.

Fearing for Yunlan and Wei's life, the ones flying over the now huge forest, go back to where the mountain had been just a minute or two before and find a huge crater that was slowly filling with the green water and above the greenish surface, was the pair of lovers, engaged in a heated kiss under the rain. Zhu laughed in relief, as her Qirin descended toward the pair.

"Now we go home... it's finally over." Zhu whisper to Qing, holding his waist and completely reclining over his back. Their journey was over and the people will unite and flourish, as it was intended from the very start.

AN: My dear darlings, it's over. 😭😭 I actually did it, even if it was this long, I hope it wasn't too hard to read, because I put my heart and soul over these words. 😙💖💖💖😄😁😍🌹