Unfixed Island

A short while later, Geng Peng stopped. They were now in a Mountain Valley, surrounded by layer upon layer of mountains. Glaciers were dimly visible in the distance, yet the nearby basin was as warm as spring. The mountains kept out every trace of cold air. Here, green grass spread like a carpet, and a hundred flowers vied in beauty.

A lake lay in the center of the basin, with a large island at its heart. The island was peculiar: on other islands, the land above the water rose high in the middle and sloped down around the edges. This one was high around the edges and low in the middle, like an upturned bowl.

Geng Peng set Shi Feiyang on the ground, then collapsed with a crash.

Only then did Shi Feiyang see that his wings were riddled with holes. The right wing was especially badly injured: a flying sword had pierced it and slashed sideways, leaving an enormous bloody hole. Large areas of his body had been burned, and several red spots marked both his chest and the space between his brows.

Shocked, he hurriedly resumed his original form and lifted Geng Peng into his arms. "How... how are you?"

Geng Peng said, "Fellow Daoist Cold Light was burned to ashes by the Red Flower Old Demon's Jin rings. I went to save him and fell prey to the Demon Fox's sneak attack... This is Unfixed Island in the Northern Sea..."

Shi Feiyang said, "Oh, right, right! Ancestor Hollow Space has plenty of Spiritual Herbs here."

Geng Peng shook his head. "The Demon Fox pierced my Primordial Spirit with the Nine Heavens Secret Art. No Spiritual Herbs can save me now. Ancestor Hollow Space has been a close friend of my brother and me for a thousand years. Now that I've brought you here, the Demon Fox and Red Flower will never come after you again..."

Shi Feiyang was deeply moved. Geng Peng had known he was dying, yet still thought of using the last of his vital energy to bring him somewhere safe.

He said, "You don't need to worry. I have ten-thousand-year queen mother grass with me. It can make all things grow and bring the dead back to life."

He was about to release Mo Zhui, but Geng Peng shook his head again. "It's no use! Ten-thousand-year queen mother grass is a fine thing. I've never seen it in all my years of cultivation. But it can only save the Physical Body, not the Primordial Spirit. My Primordial Spirit is damaged... I'm about to... about to have my Soul Scattering..."

"What?" Only then did Shi Feiyang realize how grave it was, and he grew anxious. "Then is there any way..."

"There is no way!" With the last of his strength, Geng Peng shook his wings, shedding thirty-six glittering golden feathers. Pointing at them, he said weakly, "These are the golden feathers I was born with. I refined them into magical treasures and nurtured them for a thousand years. They are the equal of any flying sword in the world. They're... they're yours now. Stay here on Unfixed Island for the time being. Fellow Daoist... Hollow Space, he will... shelter you. After some time... go to Iron Flute Hollow in Great Roc Bay in the Eastern Sea and find my elder brother. His name is... Geng Kun. Tell him you're my... disciple... my disciple. Come to think of it, you've never called me Master. Call me Master, just once."

"Master," Shi Feiyang called sorrowfully.

"Good! Good! Over the past thousand years, I've taken many... disciples, but none amounted to anything. I haven't... taken a disciple in more than three hundred years. You're a good one..." Geng Peng collected himself for a moment, then continued, "Take my golden feathers to my brother, and he will take you in. Only... he has a bad temper, and he treats his disciples coldly. Never talk back to him. Just be patient and learn the Chiyou Threefold Scripture from him. Cultivate diligently..."

His voice grew weaker with every word. Helplessly, Shi Feiyang said, "One day, I'll kill Baoxiang and Red Flower to avenge you."

Geng Peng's eyes began to lose focus. He smiled, gazing blankly at the Lan sky. "One should avenge... one's own wrongs... Now that it's come to this, I accept my fate..."

After those words, he fell still. Moments later, his soul dispersed and his breathing ceased.

Shi Feiyang sighed helplessly. He had known Geng Peng for only a short time, less than half a day in all. Yet from the moment he appeared, Geng Peng had helped drive back his pursuers, taken him to Daoist Cold Light to have the White-Brow Needles drawn out, and, in the last moments of his life, brought him here. He had even entrusted him with the Jin feathers he had nurtured and refined all his life.

His Mind Reading truly ached. Since coming to this world, this was the first time he had felt such pain.

Suddenly, water splashed behind him, and a young man with a wax-yellow complexion rose from it. After coming ashore, he said, "My honored master, the island lord, has sent me to summon you to meet him."

Shi Feiyang turned and asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Zheng Yuan Gui."

Shi Feiyang nodded in recognition. This was Unfixed Island in the Northern Sea, and its lord was Ancestor Hollow Space. Ancestor Hollow Space had two disciples: the senior disciple, Ling Wei Sou, and the second disciple, this Zheng Yuan Gui. In the future, Zheng Yuan Gui would betray his master and sect, steal a great deal of Ancestor Hollow Space's Spiritual Herbs, and flee to the Central Land, where he would become a disciple of Five Poisons Heavenly King Lie Baduo.

He first arranged Geng Peng's body so that he lay there peacefully, then collected the Jin feathers from the ground before following Zheng Yuan Gui onto the island.

Many monsters lurked in the waters outside Hollow Space Island. Grotesquely shaped, ugly, and vicious, they cruised through the water with their fangs bared.

Once on the island, they descended beneath the sea.

This had originally been an immortal abode left behind by an ancient immortal. Ancestor Hollow Space had acquired it several hundred years ago and expanded and refurbished it several times, making it ever more majestic and splendid.

Following Zheng Yuan Gui into the main hall of Frostflower Palace, he met Ancestor Hollow Space himself.

Ancestor Hollow Space looked young, almost like a youth, but his beard and hair were entirely Bai. His Bai hair was so long and thick that much of it remained loose even after being coiled up. Dressed in a Bai cloth Daoist robe, he sat solemnly upon a broad throne. When Shi Feiyang entered, he spoke in an utterly even tone. "Fellow Daoist Geng was my close friend for many years. He died tragically here and entrusted you to me before his death, so naturally, I cannot stand idly by. You may settle on Xiuqiong Plain. Find yourself a Cave Abode and cultivate in seclusion.

"If you need any medicinal herbs growing on the plain, you may gather them freely, but you must not destroy or waste them without cause, nor may you devour any living creatures here. My home lies far away at the North Pole, surrounded by the Dark Netherworld, which stretches for tens of millions of li and is difficult for immortals and mortals alike to traverse. It is a blessed sanctuary for cultivation and refuge from tribulations. You may remain here to escape your tribulations for as long as you wish. Whenever you want to leave, there is no need to tell me. Simply seek out my two young attendants, Cold Light and Mysterious Jade, and have them lead you out. However, my home has never maintained contact with the outside world. Once you leave, you may never return."

Shi Feiyang expressed his gratitude. He tried addressing Ancestor Hollow Space as his martial uncle, but Ancestor Hollow Space neither acknowledged nor objected to it. His voice remained as still as the water in an ancient well. After stating his requirements, he had Zheng Yuan Gui escort Shi Feiyang away.

Back outside, Shi Feiyang looked at Geng Peng's body and let out a long sigh. Though fate had bound them as master and disciple, that bond had been all too brief...

He found a clean, level patch of ground and carried Geng Peng's body over, preparing to cremate him.

Unfortunately, Mo Zhui could only heal the Physical Body, not the soul. If only there were medicine that could heal souls. In the world of Mount Shu, the Elixirs and medicines capable of healing the soul and Primordial Spirit could be counted on one hand. The most famous was the Soul-Stabilizing Divine Glue belonging to the Two Elders of Great Wilderness, but that was out of the question. He would certainly never obtain it. There was also... also... wait?

He suddenly remembered another medicine: the Soul-Gathering Form-Refining Pills, left behind by Guang Chengzi several thousand years ago. They were right there in the middle compartment of the Heavenly Book Jade Casket inside his belly!

The thought immediately lifted his spirits. As their name suggested, the Soul-Gathering Form-Refining Pills could gather a dispersed soul and help a person refine their body anew. As long as he could open the second compartment, he might be able to bring Geng Peng back to life.

He hurriedly cast a spell, gathering Geng Peng's scattered soul remnants and resentful energy, along with the Seven Souls within his body that were on the verge of disintegrating, and sealed them all back inside Geng Peng's body. Then he drew talisman script on Geng Peng's chest and back. Finally, he summoned clear water, froze it into an enormous ice casket, and sealed Geng Peng inside.