582: Phantom of the North

Phantom of the North

"I found something or perhaps I found nothing. I truly don't know", he said, talking with an enigmatic tone.

"What? What do you mean? Either you found something or didn't."

"Yeah, why are you speaking like that, don't tell me you found some ghost or something."

The others laughed together but Ruishi Lei's next words silenced them.

"Maybe I did find a ghost, a ghost that can command the skies. Or perhaps a phantom of sorts. I don't know what I found but I do know that the North is its territory."

"How do you know?" one of them asked him.

This time they had serious expressions on their faces. After all, they never took Ruishi Lei for a liar, his words carried truth and they could tell through his demeanor. 

"It warned me, this... Phantom of the North. It told me never to venture into its territory. In fact, I was left alive to warn the others. If we did, it would leave none of us alive", he told them.

Things turned silent between everyone. 

"We have to tell the others, something is in the North. Something that we cannot underestimate."

"If this Phantom was what created that attack, there is no doubt that it is powerful. The North should be the last place to venture into."

"Right, as powerful as it may be, we can become stronger. We can prepare for this."

Discussing with each other, everyone agreed to return and inform everyone else. They all returned with Ruishi Lei trailing from behind, quietly thinking. 

"Perhaps this was for the best. As powerful as she is, I doubt that she can take on all of us, that human. And considering how she reacted to my words, she must've been the one that cleared the White Sword's Remains. She possesses one of the keys to the Teleportation Array. But how did she get here? Has she always been living in the North?" he wondered. 

The lion-kin looked up and towards his comrades. 

"At least I've delayed it for her, though we will cross paths again. There is no doubt that it will happen but what will happen next? They might just treat her like a Beast God but if I were to reveal that she was a human... they would head North immediately" he thought to himself. 

Whilst news of her existence had begun to spread among the beast-kin, Ming Yue returned to her humble home, having dealt with the source of the commotion.

But there was a lot on her mind. 

She stopped by the stone slab that was laying there right outside her home. 

"So this was the key to the teleportation array. And all this time, I had been using it as a dining table."

Ming Yue couldn't help but smirk, laughing at herself at this moment. 

"Hah, damn it, to think I had the key to home all this time", she muttered. 

Looking at it, she lifted it with one hand, examining it more closely and checking the bottom as well. 

"Hmm, seems like an ordinary stone slab aside from the engravings... nothing in the bottom either. Xue Yue, what do you think?"

"Hm, seems like an ordinary piece of stone for sure. But I guess there is some deeper mechanism to it perhaps", her counterpart said. 

Ming Yue continued to turn it, looking at every part of it. 

"Elder Zhen, what do you think?" she asked. 

After all, Elder Zhen had existed at the same time as the Order of the Astral Sword. Perhaps, he might know something about this. 

But the weapon spirit had nothing to say about it. 

"I truly don't know. After all, I'm not omnipotent, I'm just a weapon spirit after all. Why would I know something about this stone or the teleportation arrays", he answered her. 

She paused at the answer, nodding soon after. 

"That's true. If this is the key, then we can return to the Human Continent... all of us..."

Looking at the house while speaking, the young woman felt that things were beginning to go her way. They were starting to fall into place. 

However, there was still one piece that didn't quite fit yet. 

"The beast-kin... are they an enemy or not?" 

Ming Yue contemplated this question. Certainly, she had met those who were kind and friendly but hearing what Ruishi Lei had to say, she wasn't sure about those she hadn't met yet.

"A struggle... Once the Savage Lands no longer pose a problem, the unity that they have would dissolve. These tribes would most likely target each other, fighting for territory. That's what that beast-kin said. Depending on who takes control, they would either target the other continents or go for peace with them. If that's the case..."

She stared at the stone slab for a bit longer. 

"Would it be right to head back to the Human Continent? There is no doubt that they would notice that one of the arrays is being activated. Although even if I have the key, I still need a source of power to fuel the activation."

Pondering this situation of hers, it took a while for her to decide what to do. In the end, she set the stone slab back down. 

"At this point, I'll need to know more about the situation. I can't let another war occur but I'd rather not be the cause of one either. More than likely, I might be roped into a power struggle between them all though. Perhaps making an appearance wasn't the best idea."

She clicked her tongue, walking back to the house. 

"It doesn't matter anymore, what's done is done. They would've crossed paths with me at some point. Maybe that warning will hold them off from this place for a while. Until then, I have to collect information but who should I go to?" 

Ming Yue didn't know many of the Beast-kin so there were really only two choices. 

"Bai Sheng and her son are within the Byakko Tribe, meeting with them would be difficult. I wouldn't want to implicate those two either. So the Four Claws or Ao Qin are my choices, I'd have to find one of them first."

Stopping in front of the house, she peeked in to find Hongyu asleep, cuddling up to Liang Wei and Hei Yue. Looking at the child, she smiled before gazing at the two beasts, both of which were fast asleep, taking a midday nap.

"If I were to go, I'd have to be gone for most of the day. There has to be a way to speak with them."

Just then Xiao Yin gently landed on her shoulder, cuddling up to Ming Yue's cheek. 

"Haha, trying to cheer me up?"

The Star Owl cooed while the young woman gently scratched the top of its head with a finger. 

"Wait a minute, do you remember the Four Claws? Those four Beast-kin we met with?" she asked. 

Xiao Yin chirped as if to say yes. 

"Hmm, do you think you can find them? Send them a message?" 

Star Owls were perfect for scouting and tracking, with Xiao Yin, Ming Yue wouldn't have to leave the home as often. With Xiao Yin, she could send messages back and forth. 

The owl chirped again and she smiled, petting Xiao Yin's head a bit more. 

"Alright let me write down a message first!"

She quickly went to the table, grabbing some paper and ink she had taken from some ruins earlier. Taking no less than a few minutes to write it down, she tied it securely to Xiao Yin's foot before sending her off. 

"Be safe! Come back soon!"

Walking out of the house, she sent Xiao Yin off, awaiting the owl's return.* 

"I hope they respond quickly."

She thought watching the owl's silhouette vanish into the horizon. 0

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