Chapter 1384: Second Awareness
She grew calmer and calmer, and could speak more or less clearly now, albeit in an emotional tone. "Next, every once in a while, her immortal spirit would be attacked, and fragments would be split out. And after each time, she would use some immortal technique and enter a deep slumber. While she was asleep, I could move freely. And so I merged with those parts time and again....
"And then I grew bigger, repeating this over 10,000 times until I was about a tenth of her size. But she did not discover me.
"And in these past few days, her immortal spirit was constantly battered, and she was constantly in a broken state. I used the opportunity to merge with those parts. Now I'm about a third of her size.... And then, as her awareness shattered against the attack, I was suddenly left in control of the body, and I saw you...."
This was a fantastic tale for Wu Yu.
Wu Yu's immortal spirit would only have one awareness, which would be his immortal spirit.
But she was different. She was but a small speck in the sea of the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord's consciousness. But Wu Yu's Spirit Chaser Art and Fleeting Immortal Dreams had inadvertently created an opportunity for her to grow until she was a third of the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord's awareness. As for the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord, she probably thought that the part which was Nangong Wei was just a part that she had yet to absorb. She did not know that this portion had her own consciousness, which belonged to her companion phoenix egg!
After all, such a thing had never been heard of before.
Of course, she would eventually find out.
"When her immortal spirit is severely injured, and her consciousness lapses, the 'second consciousness' that is you can emerge to take control of the immortal spirit and body, since you are strong enough. Imagine your body is a ship. If the captain is hit by cannon and falls unconscious, the first mate can take the wheel... that's the idea of it. As for her awareness, it is always in control of the immortal spirit. So when I attack it, I am always attacking her, and not you."
All was clear now. Wu Yu was overjoyed. He did not expect that the Spirit Chaser Art would be the answer. It had allowed her to grow strong enough to take over the body. Otherwise, even if the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord's awareness had been broken, a speck of awareness would not have been able to take over the body!
If not for Wu Yu using the combination of the Spirit Chaser Art and Fleeting Immortal Dreams tens of thousands of times, and searching her body for traces of her, Nangong Wei could not possibly have grown as strong as she was.
All was clear to Wu Yu now. He would definitely help Nangong Wei grow even stronger. One day, she would completely defeat the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord! At that time, she would truly be back from the dead!
"What am I to do next?" Wu Yu knew that she had an idea, having grown to a third of the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord's strength.
Nangong Wei looked deep into his eyes, siphoning strength and resolve, which hardened her own eyes. "Although I think I've grown quite a lot stronger these days, it is very easy for her to discover me. I am no longer an insignificant size. Therefore, keep up the previous method. Crush her, then send her to sleep. When she sleeps, I can peacefully merge with her fragments and continue to grow stronger. I can also take over her body for a while. But doing so increases the risk of discovery, so maybe it's best I keep hiding...."
It was like she was playing a computer game. She had spent 1,000 years in the immortal spirit, even longer than her mortal life. She definitely knew how to protect herself better than Wu Yu. And now Wu Yu finally had confirmation of how to get her back from the dead. The key was to keep the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord ignorant about her existence. Otherwise, she could very easily destroy Nangong Wei while she was still stronger, and then all would have been for naught.
"Then you had better not come out," Wu Yu said in a low voice.
Nangong Wei craned her neck up at him, unwilling. She had been in the immortal spirit for too long, and it had been a grueling and agonizing experience. Feeling the warmth of the outside world, she was naturally unwilling to go back. But in order to truly live... the longer she lingered now, the greater the danger!
"Alright!" She grabbed Wu Yu around the waist tightly in a death grip. "Part of this body was originally mine. I will definitely take it back. I will not let you down again, Big Brother."
Her final words were packed with conviction.
Her last two words brought Wu Yu back to his younger years. Suddenly, she seemed like that little girl whom he had met back then. When Wu Yu had just met her, she was still too young, sticking tightly to her "big brother." Her eyes and voice were the same today.
Perhaps this close brush with death had changed her. Once, she had been consumed by rage at her mother's death at the Shushan Immortal Sect. She had become Princess Phoenix Dawn, and gone against him. Now she finally understood that it was Wu Yu who had saved her time and time again, and given her hope in the darkest of nights.
This sort of kindness was not something that could be easily expressed in a few words.
Wu Yu was a little troubled. After all, his mind was made up to go back and marry Luo Pin. But no matter what, he would keep to the original plan to revive Nangong Wei. Put another way, if Nangong Wei did not become the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord, then even he would be in danger. After all, the Provenance Phoenix Empress was an eternal immortal emperor!
As she finished speaking, she closed her eyes and faded away, going limp in Wu Yu's arms.
But soon, her body stiffened again, her eyes flying open. Wu Yu saw nine-colored flames blazing in them!
Wu Yu was still holding her, and she woke up pressed close to Wu Yu's skin.
"You!" The Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord had held some small suspicion that Wu Yu had not actually touched her before this, but now, waking up mushed up against him so closely, her doubts evaporated. She knew that this guy had changed recently, no longer sending her into slumber like before. He must’ve gotten tired of her.
She was still being held down by the destinable immortal treasures, and could only try her best to push him away. She covered her own ample chest, furious and flustered. "You beast! You animal!"
The Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord was in control, and Nangong Wei should be hidden.
Nangong Wei had left a little late just now, so Wu Yu was worried that the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord might have discovered her. Therefore, he decided to aggravate her a little, to divert her attention and allow Nangong Wei to make her escape - to conceal herself and await her moment.
He laughed. "What's there to gripe about? Just those two babies? I played with them until I was sick of them. What about them don't I know?"
"Shut up! You pervert!" The Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord's face blushed and flushed. You could almost see the steam rising from her. She was both sickened and frustrated. Of course, a deep terror also simmered within.
"Don't be shy. You're not a dainty maiden anymore. Your body is already a veteran of a hundred trysts." Wu Yu continued to provoke her, trying to get the biggest rise out of her, minimizing the danger for Nangong Wei. He continued spewing well-calculated taunts that incensed her to the verge of fainting.
In short order, she was in no state of mind to repair her immortal spirit.
Towards the end, she was a crying mess. Wu Yu moved up and used the Spirit Chaser Art again. Her painstakingly reassembled awareness was again smashed, and she was sent back down into oblivion.
"You! Didn't you just...." the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord said hoarsely.
"Our child has yet to take shape. I must continue." Wu Yu sneered coldly.
And then he used Fleeting Immortal Dreams to send her down into sleep.
"You... why must you make me sleep again...."
"You're too noisy. I hate yammering women."
It was unclear if she heard his reply before she sank back down into unconsciousness. As she fell asleep, Wu Yu wiped the cold smile off his face. Of course, he was not actually that sort of person.
"I'm sorry, Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord. You and I have no enmity, but your Ancestral Phoenix Nirvanic Venerable Art almost killed my friend. And if one of you must die, then I'd rather it be you."
This matter was fate at work. Right and wrong were seldom clearly defined. Wu Yu would definitely look out for himself first. That was the meaning of cultivating dao. It did not mean that the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord was innocent and Wu Yu would sacrifice Nangong Wei.
"Now that the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord is sleeping, she can continue growing stronger in this time. Next, I just need to keep the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord asleep, and occasionally use the Spirit Chaser Art. Before these 70 years are up, she can definitely grow strong enough to crush the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord.
"Actually, all she needs to do is grow stronger than the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord, and then the tables will turn."
Nangong Wei was now only a third of the Dancing Flame Phoenix Lord. Therefore, she had to continue hiding. This was the most crucial phase, and he would only breathe a sigh of relief when the pair were evenly matched.
Wu Yu was already very happy. He had spent a thousand years in despair, and finally a ray of hope had appeared. And he had also obtained a ninth-grade Mark of an Immortal King. He even had 70 more years, and already his gains were bountiful.
To him, this had all gone very well.
"Who would have thought that the door to the Hell of the Netherworld would actually appear here. If not for the fact that one can go but not return, we could send Xixi there to roam." The Full Moon of Nanshan sighed.
Wu Yu had already told them everything, putting their minds at rest.
"I wouldn't want to. It's dark and smelly there. This side is much better," Ye Xixi said.
"Haha, Old Wu, once Nangong Wei is revived, you can have two girls at the same time."
"Don't talk nonsense," Wu Yu said primly.
"Don't be shy. It couldn't be more normal for successful men like us to have hundreds of thousands of beauties hanging on our arms...."