Chapter 648: Heaven Has Two Suns?

They had fled quickly, almost at the fastest speed Ji Yuan and the dragons could achieve together in the water. Although less than half an hour had passed, they had already escaped a great distance. Now, on their way back, Ji Yuan and the two dragons deliberately slowed down, making the journey seem quite long.

Ying Hong and Qing You were currently in human form, advancing alongside Ji Yuan. The further they went, the higher the temperature they felt, but it wasn't as extreme as during their escape. The light in the distance also appeared dimmer, at least to Dragon Lords Ying Hong and Qing You, no longer the dazzling, blinding brilliance they had experienced before.

As the three passed, the water barely rippled, raising no bubbles. It was as if they were part of the current, moving gracefully through the water.

About an hour later, as they drew closer to their previous location, Qing You couldn't help but murmur.

"Something's strange!"

Ji Yuan looked at him, nodding as he whispered.

"Dragon Lord Qing also noticed? Given the power we felt earlier, we shouldn't be approaching this place so easily. If I'm not mistaken, perhaps there's no danger in going there, at least not before dawn."

Ying Hong and Qing You exchanged glances. They didn't ask directly, assuming Ji Yuan would provide an explanation soon, so they simply followed quietly.

After less than another quarter of an hour, the three finally saw the underwater mountain range again. Behind the mountains, a golden-red light shone through. Coupled with the murky seawater, the light dyed the water beyond the mountains a fiery red. To them, it looked like shimmering golden-red ink.

Upon reaching this point, the heat did not increase significantly. Instead, it remained as it had been over fifteen minutes earlier, seemingly having reached a moderate limit.

The three paused briefly behind the mountain range. Dragon Lords Ying Hong and Qing You looked at Ji Yuan, clearly ceding the decision to him. Ji Yuan didn't hesitate; having come this far, there was no reason not to proceed.

"Dragon Lords, let's proceed slowly, concealing our presence. Do not be restless."

"Don't worry, Mr. Ji, I understand the gravity of the situation." "Indeed!"

In this situation, even the typically proud and arrogant true dragons had to be cautious and follow the instructions of Ji Yuan, the "expert."

Their speed had now slowed to that of ordinary swimming fish. They gently glided through the mountain gap with the current, and the golden-red light fully emerged before them, casting a deep red glow on their faces.

A powerful aura washed over them, making Ji Yuan and the two Dragon Lords' hearts pound, as if they were mortals facing an immense, mysterious demonic beast. Surprisingly, however, none of them felt an overwhelming sense of pressure or a strong demonic aura.

The two Dragon Lords had originally expected to face an oppressive, suffocating pressure and a terrifying demonic aura as vast as the ocean and sky. But none of that appeared. The powerful aura they now felt was more like a vibration connecting their minds to the heavens.

Ji Yuan's mouth was slightly agape, staring blankly into the distance. Previously, even with the murky seawater, the Fusang Tree had been remarkably clear to his spiritual vision. Now, however, it appeared somewhat indistinct. On one of the upper branches of the Fusang Tree, a colossal golden-red three-legged bird was preening and frolicking. Its body was enveloped in roaring flames, emitting an endless golden-red radiance.

This Golden Crow was far larger than a true dragon's body, an unmissable sight perched on the mountain-like Fusang Tree. From a distance, it resembled a great sun hanging from a branch, incredibly bright and dazzling. Of course, its size was still incomparable to Ji Yuan's subjective impression of the actual sun, but Ji Yuan wasn't bothered by that now.

Ji Yuan's gaze searched around the Fusang Tree, then he vaguely saw a massive chariot at its base. However, in the eyes of the two true dragons, Ying Hong and Qing You, even with their full spiritual power and vision, the distant Fusang Tree was blurry, like a shadow in the mist. Above this Fusang Tree, a colossal golden-red flame was burning. Occasionally, wing-like forms would unfurl from the flames, and a sharp, fiery beak would extend. Sometimes it would even leap, revealing three indistinct fiery claws. But these were only fleeting glimpses; most of the time, its form remained hidden within the brilliant light and flames, perhaps because the Golden Crow's aura was so overwhelming it interfered with all perception.

"Three-legged Golden Crow, three-legged Golden Crow…"

Ji Yuan murmured, taking out the Golden Crow's feather from his sleeve again. The feather was now also radiating light, with faint illusory flames flickering around it.

Qing You was slightly startled, looking at Ji Yuan with alarm. He felt that Ji Yuan's action was akin to a child playing with fire in a thatched hut.

"Mr. Ji, what are you doing!?"

Even the old dragon Ying Hong was startled, but knowing that Ji Yuan was not a reckless person, he swallowed the "Mr. Ji" he almost shouted.

"Don't worry, Dragon Lord Qing, the Golden Crow can't see us."

Ji Yuan felt a slight release of tension in his heart and said with a faint smile. However, just as his words faded, the Golden Crow on the distant Fusang Tree, which had been preening its wings, suddenly paused. It slowly turned its head to look in their direction, a pair of eyes like converging golden flames fixed precisely on Ji Yuan and the others.

Ji Yuan and the two Dragon Lords instantly froze, stiff as ice.

In that moment, the three, who had previously felt little pressure, now felt as if ordinary mortals plummeting into a bottomless abyss. Their minds convulsed violently, and endless pressure assailed their hearts, like witnessing a great sun rising from a boundless sea of fire.

The Golden Crow narrowed its eyes, and after a few breaths, let out a crow-like cry.

"Ooooooh!"

To Ji Yuan, the sound seemed to come from across a deep, secluded valley. To Ying Hong and Qing You, it was indistinct, as if from someone separated by a thousand mountains and rivers.

After that single cry, the Golden Crow's gaze moved away from Ji Yuan and the others, and it resumed its self-preening.

"Phew…" "Hoo…"

The pressure on the three suddenly lessened, and they each gently exhaled.

In that immediate past moment, all three, including Ji Yuan, had been almost entirely blank-minded. Now, as their minds recovered, old Dragon Ying Hong and Qing You both looked at Ji Yuan, only to find his expression serene, still holding the faint smile from before.

In truth, Ji Yuan had been extremely nervous just then, and his smile had been frozen. Now, seeing the two Dragon Lords looking at him, he felt a slight awkwardness internally, but he didn't let it show on his face.

Combining the warnings left by another branch of the Daoist sect at Yunshan Temple with the astral phenomena he had observed using the two star banners, Ji Yuan could largely confirm his previous speculations.

"It seems my suspicions were correct. This Golden Crow is not truly on the land and sea where we reside. After sunset, strictly speaking, the Golden Crow and the Fusang Tree are currently in a 'celestial realm' in the narrow sense, though still 'between heaven and earth' in a broader sense. We can only vaguely observe them from a distance, unable to touch them. The Fusang Tree remains rooted in the earth, which is why we saw it relatively clearly before. But now that the Golden Crow has descended, it pulls the Fusang Tree away from the mortal realm as well."

Ying Hong's heart stirred, grasping a key point, and he spoke.

"So sunrise and sunset are the most dangerous times?"

"Precisely. At sunrise and sunset, the Golden Crow fulfills its duty as the celestial sun. When it flies from the tree, the Fusang Tree's connection to the earth strengthens, and it's also the moment when the sun spirit shines brightest. The intensity of the celestial sun's flames is intolerable in the mortal world. Affected by this, our current location becomes almost a forbidden zone!"

As he spoke, Ji Yuan's brows furrowed again. He glanced at Ying Hong and Qing You, then suddenly asked in a low voice.

"Dragon Lords, the sun rising in the east and setting in the west is a principle of the Dao. Since the Fusang Tree is here, at the eastern extreme, the sunrise makes perfect sense. But what about sunset?"

"Uh…" "This…"

This question clearly stumped the two dragons, who were still recovering from their fright. Then the old dragon realized that Ji Yuan was the one most likely to know the answer among them, so he casually said:

"Perhaps Mr. Ji can enlighten us."

Indeed, after asking the question, Ji Yuan had considered several possibilities himself and decided to voice the one he felt was most likely.

"Perhaps at sunset, the great sun is at the far west. However, the sun continues its orbit on the far side of the earth until it returns to the Fusang Tree in the east, whereupon the Golden Crow rides its chariot back and rests on the Fusang Tree…"

The more Ji Yuan spoke, the more his brows remained furrowed, finding his own words contradictory. Dragon Lord Qing You, beside him, directly pointed out the flaw in Ji Yuan's reasoning.

"If that were true, Mr. Ji, how vast the world would be! The sun's journey around the far side of the earth would not be instantaneous. How could it land on the Fusang Tree at the exact moment of sunset?"

Ji Yuan shook his head slightly, then nodded gently.

"Yes, Dragon Lord Qing, you are right… how could it…"

Mid-sentence, Ji Yuan's gaze fell upon the feather in his hand, and he suddenly trailed off, his heartbeat quickening.

"Gulp…"

Ji Yuan swallowed softly.

'No… way…'

"Mr. Ji? Mr. Ji?" "Mr. Ji, what's wrong? Is something amiss?"

Ying Hong and Qing You noticed Ji Yuan staring silently at the feather in his hand, his expression again distant, and they grew somewhat nervous.

Ji Yuan snapped back to attention, looking at Ying Hong and Qing You with an inscrutable expression.

"Dragon Lords, perhaps we should return here at this same time tomorrow to investigate…"

"Why is that?"

Old Dragon Ying Hong asked, but Ji Yuan's thoughts were somewhat muddled, so he merely shook his head.

"Tomorrow, all will be revealed!"

On the eve of dawn, Ji Yuan and the two dragons retreated, witnessing the sunrise from a distance. Then, after waiting an entire day until sunset, the three returned once more.

This time, Ji Yuan's suspicion was confirmed, while the two dragons stood dumbfounded for a long moment in the same spot as the day before.

On the Fusang Tree in the distant view, a Golden Crow was preening its feathers. Although it wasn't immediately obvious, upon closer inspection, this Golden Crow appeared slightly smaller than the one from yesterday, suggesting it was not the same divine bird.

Qing You was speechless.

"Are there two suns in the sky?"