Chapter Eighty-Six: The Twin Spirits of Fu Bo

Thunderclap and the others followed Mu Qingchun’s gaze, and were startled themselves. A colossal creature, twice as large as the previous Fubo, was inching its way toward them.

“This is bad!” The Queen of Azure was the first to react. “The Fubo we saw before was female—this one must be the male. Fubo creatures nest together, with the males responsible for foraging. It seems this one is returning after hunting. We must act quickly: gather the spirit grass and retreat. Thunderclap and Fire Elder, delay it as best as you can. I’ll go down and retrieve the treasure.”

Fire Elder summoned a blazing fork and rushed forward, while Thunderclap, resigned, swung the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff at the monster. The Queen of Azure changed her incantation, her skin turning pitch-black and slick like a shark’s, and she slipped into the water as easily as a fish. The male Fubo had noticed them and was accelerating its crawl.

The flaming fork struck first, embedding itself in the creature’s right chest with a crack. Fire Elder’s spell sparked the flames, instantly burning a patch of green fur. The male Fubo howled, its ferocity unleashed. It wrenched the flaming fork free with a mighty hand and hurled it at Thunderclap, who barely managed to block it with the Lotus Staff, sent tumbling backward several steps before landing hard.

The male Fubo possessed enormous strength.

Now, it transformed into a whirlwind of green, lunging at Fire Elder, who retreated in haste. But the creature suddenly diverted its attack toward Thunderclap, demonstrating full intelligence and feinting cleverly. Thunderclap infused his staff with spiritual power, and the Lotus Staff shone with red light as he met the attack.

With a thunderous crash, the male Fubo was repelled. Its small eyes flickered, surprised by the staff’s sudden resilience. It deftly twisted its massive body, bearing down on Fire Elder. Fire Elder had not anticipated the creature’s cowardly cunning—preferring the weak over the strong. He barely had time to draw a fire hammer before the Fubo was upon him, crushing the hammer to powder. Fire Elder rolled frantically toward the lake’s edge, but one leg failed to escape in time, suffering a shattering fracture.

The Fubo’s palm descended again, threatening to end Fire Elder’s life. Suddenly, a column of water erupted from the lake, and a green light sword pierced straight into the monster’s right arm.

With a heavy impact, the Fubo’s arm was sliced, foul green blood streaming out. The light sword dissolved instantly. Witnessing this mutual wounding, the Queen of Azure, emerging from the water, shook her head and sent a mental message to Thunderclap, who nodded in response.

Then, the Queen performed a strange act. She brought her face close to the Fubo, and suddenly removed her black veil.

Everyone present was stunned, including Thunderclap, seeing the Queen’s true face for the first time. This legendary queen, famed for her elegance and beauty, had such a face—

No eyes, just two small holes where eyes should be. Half a nose, and a mouth that, though nearly whole, housed a sticky tongue constantly licking her cheeks.

That was not the worst. Her face bore no skin, only layers of raw, red flesh crawling ceaselessly, glistening with greasy fat, and even a few pale maggots wriggled freely through the meat.

Everyone retched uncontrollably, except Fire Elder, whose eyes betrayed deep affection. The male Fubo stared transfixed at the Queen’s ruined flesh. “Now!” At her cry, Thunderclap swung the Lotus Staff, its red glow piercing the monster’s hide before the staff crashed into its left back, collapsing its flesh.

“Retreat!” At the Queen’s command, all withdrew in haste. Yet the male Fubo, though gravely wounded, was ferocious. It opened its maw and exhaled a blast of cold, rapidly freezing the area within ten miles, even turning the lake’s waters to ice. Thunderclap found himself in a world of snow and frost.

The Queen of Azure, riding a banana leaf, suddenly met great resistance ahead—unable to accelerate past it. Just then, chilling wind swept from behind, and she turned to see a fist-sized green sphere drifting toward her—the Fubo’s inner core. She tried to maneuver the leaf away, but the air itself seemed frozen, rendering her immobile.

With the green sphere about to strike, escape was impossible. Suddenly, a flash of red shot across their vision—a fireball the height of a person intercepted the sphere, and a deafening explosion roared. Mu Qingchun, lacking magical strength, was knocked to the ground, and even Thunderclap spun wildly in midair before shaking off the force. It was Fire Elder, risking his life to save the Queen at the last moment.

Amidst the white expanse, Thunderclap understood escape was impossible; breaking through this icy formation would be no easy feat, especially with a furious male Fubo behind them. He glanced at the Queen, now stripped of her sharkskin disguise, cradling the dying Fire Elder. Tears streamed from the holes in her face, while Fire Elder wore a serene expression. For the first time, they saw Fire Elder’s true countenance—impressively handsome, and if twenty years younger, certainly a striking man.

One grotesque, the other handsome—how could love bloom between them?

There was no time for sentiment. The Fubo was closing in, and their two strongest allies were unable to fight. Thunderclap had not intended to assist the Queen, knowing she would likely try to kill him if they escaped. Yet, perhaps moved by their genuine love, or aware that defeating the Fubo was their only hope, he resolved to stand in the Queen’s stead.

Thunderclap drew the Lotus Staff, which extended to four feet, thick as a fist, and swung it at the Fubo. The monster slowed its charge, wary of the staff. It inhaled deeply, directing its green inner core at Thunderclap. Sensing danger, Thunderclap conjured four wheels beneath his feet, swiftly gliding across the ice to evade. The Lotus Staff stretched further, striking the Fubo’s chest. As the Fubo commanded its green sphere toward him, the staff retracted automatically, and Thunderclap’s wind-and-fire boots pivoted, sliding him to the left.

He fought by striking and moving, avoiding direct confrontation. The Fubo screamed in frustration, powerless to act. Meanwhile, the Queen had ceased her tears, gently murmuring to Fire Elder: “Don’t worry, I will save you. Now that we have the Reed Aloe, I can refine the Elixir of Youth and restore my face. Then I’ll leave the Azure Spirit clan behind, and we can live freely in the mountains together.”

But Fire Elder’s condition was dire—teeth chattering, lips coated with frost, unable to speak, communicating only with his eyes: “You can do it, hold on, we’ll be all right.” The Queen kept talking, fearing that silence would mean he’d slip away forever. She knew the chilling power within the Fubo’s green sphere was immense, but the man in her arms, her beloved, had been wounded saving her, and she hoped he might survive.

Suddenly, Fire Elder’s frozen lips moved, emitting a clattering sound. The Queen pressed her ear to his mouth, feeling the cold but hearing his words, just two:

Go now!

Hearing this, tears flowed again from the Queen’s face. “If I leave, I’ll take you with me. We still have so many beautiful—Fire Elder, you…” Before she finished, Fire Elder’s hand relaxed, releasing him from life.

After a long silence, the Queen dried her tears, took a pouch from her bosom, and scattered its contents—countless white grass seeds—into the wind. She was giving everything she had. Across the ice, green grass sprouted everywhere. “Green grass by the riverside,” she intoned, and the grasses grew wildly, soon reaching half a foot.

“Fubo, I will kill you to avenge Fire Elder!” The words squeezed through her clenched teeth, cold light gleaming from the holes where her eyes should be. With a wave of her slender hand, grass twisted around the male Fubo—even ensnaring Thunderclap.

The Queen had lost her mind.

“Haha, since Fire Elder is dead, none of you will leave here alive. You’ll all die with him!” she shrieked. The Fubo withdrew its green inner core, spun around itself, and the grass growing on its body was instantly frozen into ice. With a shake, shards crackled to the ground. The Fubo raised its green sphere overhead and lunged at the Queen, its massive hands crashing down.

The Queen sneered, extending her jade hand to fashion another sword from grass. She inhaled deeply, then spat a breath of green vapor onto the sword. Afterward, her complexion turned deathly pale, the flesh on her face ceased its writhing, but the sword in her hand glowed brighter green. She thrust it toward the Fubo’s wounded arm. The creature blocked carelessly, and with a burst of foul blood, its injured arm was severed with ease. The Fubo screamed, pain and shock mingled.

The Fubo could not believe its hardened body was so vulnerable to a blade of grass. It did not know the sword was forged from the Queen’s essence. The monster sprayed a mud-like substance over its stump, and the arm began to regenerate. “It can regrow?” The Queen hurled the grass sword and called urgently: “Little Feet, play the Blood Demon melody!”

Little Feet hopped onto the jade zither, using his delicate toes to start a somnolent tune. Everyone grew drowsy, unable to resist the pull of sleep. The Fubo wavered, its body unstable, while the Queen’s eyes glinted coldly, fixed on the flying grass sword.

Thunderclap, alarmed, summoned his powerful will to guard his spirit, clenching his fists until his nails pierced flesh. Sleepiness receded, a smile flickered across his lips as the grass sword pierced the Fubo’s chest, stopped, turned, and stabbed its back thrice before returning to the Queen’s hand.

At last, the Fubo was slain, avenging Fire Elder. Yet the Queen felt no joy—for now she saw Thunderclap’s Immortal-shooting Spear, its dark barrel aimed at her.