Chapter 123: Seizing the Opportunity in Chaos

Chapter 123: Seizing the Opportunity in Chaos

The Winged Ones were not the only ones incensed; all the spectators in the front rows had taken action.

Ji Xinghuo was also among the crowd. As soon as Phosphorus Yongfeng entered the stage, he sensed something amiss. Someone was tampering with his mind!

This interference was subtle, akin to "empathy," yet far more pervasive and exceedingly stealthy, making it challenging to detect.

A mind hacker!

Ji Xinghuo's first thought was that a mind hacker was at play.

However, their target wasn't him but the audience in the arena, particularly the Winged Ones seated in the front rows. And it seemed that the primary target was Phosphorus Yongfeng on the stage.

Phosphorus Yongfeng, in a heightened state after slaying several opponents, unknowingly fell prey to the manipulation. He gave full vent to his true nature.

The words he spoke were the thoughts in his mind.

Usually, no matter how arrogant and domineering he was, he wouldn't dare utter such insults. Queen Ayaki, as the Holy Star of the Star Shepherd, was by no means someone a young dragon lord like him could disrespect lightly.

Yet, under the subtle guidance of the mind hacker, he blatantly voiced those insulting words.

Queen Ayaki enjoyed immense prestige in the Skyfeather Court and was deeply beloved by the Winged Ones.

The Winged Ones could not tolerate any insult to their queen, and their displeasure with Phosphorus Yongfeng had already been simmering. Those words pushed both sides to opposing ends, and their emotions were secretly manipulated by the mind hacker, amplifying their anger like a simmering volcano.

However, the Winged Ones feared the might of the True Dragon Family, and so they held back.

This was an opportunity! Ji Xinghuo decisively entered stealth mode, drew out his Invisible Sting and Silent Arrows, and took aim at Phosphorus Yongfeng, personally lighting the fuse.

The Winged Ones could all fly and were incredibly fast.

In the blink of an eye, the front row of Winged Ones had rushed to Phosphorus Yongfeng, brandishing their weapons and attacking him from all sides.

"Roar!"

Phosphorus Yongfeng let out a furious roar, his skin sprouting dragon scales and his eyes igniting with a ghostly white flame.

A draconic aura burst forth.

His roar carried a heart-shaking force, and the sound waves were visible to the naked eye, resembling a dragon's roar. The nearby Winged Ones were stunned by the roar, their eyes reflecting fear.

Phosphorus Yongfeng swung his sword, unleashing a series of sweeping sword energies.

In an instant, over a dozen Winged Ones were sliced into pieces.

Just this initial clash had stained the arena floor with the blood of the Winged Ones.

But this did not deter them; their anger and bloodlust were fully ignited, and under the manipulation of the hidden mind hacker, they had almost completely lost their rationality. They charged at Phosphorus Yongfeng without fear of death, wave after wave, surrounding him tightly.

Sword energies crisscrossed, and furious flames raged!

Most of the Winged Ones were third-stage or lower, and even when they joined forces and used all their tricks, they were no match for Phosphorus Yongfeng.

However, no matter how skilled one was, it was difficult to fend off attacks from all sides. After repelling two or three waves of attackers, despite making the best choices and displaying unmatched martial prowess, Phosphorus Yongfeng was still breached by the Winged Ones, and a blade struck his back, failing to pierce his dragon scale defense but leaving a mark.

He turned and slashed, killing the Winged One, only to be immediately replaced by others.

More weapons rained down on him.

Phosphorus Yongfeng found himself mired in a quagmire of relentless assaults, unable to display his exquisite agility. Every attack became a brutal exchange of blows, trading injury for injury.

Nonetheless, the dragon lord's defense was formidable, and while Phosphorus Yongfeng was battered, he sustained no severe injuries.

The white flames on his body burned at an incredibly high temperature.

Each time they erupted, the white flames would spread to the Winged Ones, and wherever they landed, they would rapidly engulf their bodies, burning their feathers to ashes, then piercing through flesh and bone. No amount of flapping and struggling could extinguish the flames, and they burned with terrifying intensity.

This was the white phosphorus flame of the Phosphorus Dragon!

Ji Xinghuo, concealed among the Winged Ones, witnessed this scene, his pupils narrowing in response. He became even more cautious.

After several waves of attacks, a fourth-stage expert among the Winged Ones stepped forward to lead the charge for their tribe.

"Come!"

"Bring it all!"

Phosphorus Yongfeng's ferocity was also aroused, and he acted without regard for the consequences, shouting, "Let me see how strong you Winged Ones truly are! Show me everything you've got! If I die here today, killing a dragon lord will be the greatest honor you can claim in your lifetime!"

As he roared, his broadsword cleaved and split, repelling two enemies attacking from behind and slicing three other Winged Ones into fragments.

The clanging of metal rang out incessantly.

With each clash, a Winged One would fall to Phosphorus Yongfeng's sword.

Even the distant Winged Ones drew their bows and fired a volley of arrows.

Phosphorus Yongfeng possessed an acute instinct for danger, and he effortlessly ignored most of the non-threatening arrows, letting them bounce off his dragon scales.

Even so, the few thousand Winged Ones formed an overwhelming tide, engulfing Phosphorus Yongfeng.

But only a small fraction of them could get close to him.

Phosphorus Yongfeng stood firm like a reef amidst the raging waves, unyielding no matter the force of the onslaught, slaying each Winged One that dared to approach.

A pile of their corpses had already accumulated at his feet.

His body gradually accumulated more wounds.

However, with the formidable defense and regenerative abilities of a dragon lord akin to that of a true dragon, it was impossible to kill him quickly. As long as they could buy a little more time, he would be rescued.

Ji Xinghuo's magnetic field perception had already sensed a dragon approaching—Phosphorus Yongfeng's mount.

At the same time, the two Feather Kings presiding over the arena were also about to take action.

Several powerful individuals from Cloudsoar City were on their way, including Legends and even a Heavenly King—a total of six or seven of them!

Within a minute at most, the riot in the arena would be suppressed.

"Can't delay any further."

Ji Xinghuo's face was covered with a piece of cloth, revealing only his eyes. In stealth mode, he maneuvered through the crowd, using the Winged Ones as cover as he gradually closed in on Phosphorus Yongfeng.

At this moment, he was less than ten meters away from his target.

If he advanced another five meters, he would enter the range of Phosphorus Yongfeng's extremely acute senses and be detected.

This conclusion was drawn from days of continuous observation.

That sensory range was small, only about five meters.

It might even be as little as three meters!

In the Myriad Images Star Pupil interface, the arrow was flashing intensely, pointing towards Phosphorus Yongfeng amidst the crowd in his field of vision.

Ji Xinghuo nimbly dodged the Winged Ones rushing past him. Without hesitation, he picked up a bloodstained curved blade that had fallen to the ground, originally belonging to a deceased Winged One.

His right eye pupil shimmered with a faint circle of light.

Myriad Images Forest!

In an instant, it was as if the entire world had come to a standstill. All the surrounding matter and information were mapped in his mind, with illusory streams of light appearing in his field of vision, foretelling future outcomes in an incomprehensible manner, one after another.

Ji Xinghuo's mind processed the optimal process and the result he desired.

Then, he moved.

Flash Step!

Ji Xinghuo dashed forward with seven or eight quick steps, his body slightly bent. A Winged One from the Mad Bird Clan happened to descend from above, blocking his path and momentarily obscuring Ji Xinghuo from Phosphorus Yongfeng's view.

Clang!

The Mad Sculptor Clan Winged One's axe clashed with Phosphorus Yongfeng's sword, and the dragon lord's formidable strength sent him flying.

Ji Xinghuo executed another Flash Step.

The timing was impeccable. In the moment before the Mad Vulture Clan member was knocked away, Ji Xinghuo flashed to the left rear of Phosphorus Yongfeng, his figure obscured by another Winged One from the Jadefeather Clan.

The Jadefeather Clan member was incredibly fast, wielding a short sword and lunging forward in a crouched position to strike at Phosphorus Yongfeng's back.

Pu!

The short sword pierced Phosphorus Yongfeng's back, but it was stopped by his tough dragon scales and couldn't penetrate further. As if anticipating this, Phosphorus Yongfeng swiftly turned, his left hand shooting out like a dragon's claw and piercing the Winged One's heart. White flames erupted, instantly reducing the attacker to ashes.

As the ashes scattered, Ji Xinghuo's figure appeared behind them.

There was nothing between them now.

Only three steps away! At such a close distance, he was well within Phosphorus Yongfeng's powerful sensory range, and stealth mode was useless. The dragon lord immediately noticed Ji Xinghuo, their gazes colliding for the first time.

Phosphorus Yongfeng perceived a vast yet subtle amount of information.

But there was also a moment of hesitation.

For the first time, his perception encountered a problem, and it happened at a critical juncture.

In an instant, although he didn't understand what was happening, Phosphorus Yongfeng realized that this was the most dangerous moment of his life. The necklace around his neck sent a warning, indicating that the human before him was no ordinary foe and that he possessed a unique ability similar to his own!

Phosphorus Yongfeng's mind raced like lightning, and he immediately abandoned the other Winged Ones attacking him to focus on this new enemy. He had to take this human down first.

His broadsword slashed out without restraint.

He slashed with his scimitar.

Electricity arced along the blade, and it was about to clash with Phosphorus Yongfeng's broadsword.

At the critical moment, Ji Xinghuo vanished.

Flash Step!

Ji Xinghuo instantly appeared at Phosphorus Yongfeng's side, his scimitar continuing its arc to slice at the enemy's neck.

Phosphorus Yongfeng stepped to the side, creating distance.

He, too, could use Flash Step.

But just as he landed from his step, Ji Xinghuo was already there, having used Flash Step again. It was as if he had predicted Phosphorus Yongfeng's movement, his scimitar still aimed at the dragon lord's neck. Their relative positions, distances, and actions remained unchanged, as if they hadn't moved at all.

A glint of shock flashed in Phosphorus Yongfeng's eyes, but he reacted without hesitation, using Flash Step once more.

His vision blurred.

In an instant, Phosphorus Yongfeng was back in his previous position. However, Ji Xinghuo followed like a shadow, always at his side.

Phosphorus Yongfeng flashed again.

Ji Xinghuo kept up, always a step ahead.

This time, Phosphorus Yongfeng anticipated Ji Xinghuo's move and slashed his broadsword towards his own side, the location of Ji Xinghuo's previous two Flash Steps. But Ji Xinghuo flashed to his right, and his scimitar drew even closer, now just a palm's distance from the dragon lord's neck.

Phosphorus Yongfeng had no choice but to Flash Step again, attacking his own right side. Ji Xinghuo appeared on his left.

He had guessed wrong again.

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged positions multiple times, but within a small range as the surrounding space was occupied by the Winged Ones, limiting their movement.

Flash Step consumed a significant amount of starlight and stamina, and after using it consecutively four times, Phosphorus Yongfeng's state finally overloaded, his body unable to bear the strain.

"Roar!"

Phosphorus Yongfeng went berserk, unleashing a surging tide of ghostly white flames.

Ji Xinghuo's figure vanished.

But only for the briefest moment, reappearing immediately to avoid the nearby flame shockwave, and his scimitar finally found its mark.

Phosphorus Yongfeng's starlight energy was at its lowest ebb, and despite having all the information, he could only watch helplessly as the scimitar sliced into his neck.

Pu!

Dragon scales shattered, and blood spurted.

The high-voltage current from the scimitar surged into Phosphorus Yongfeng's body, paralyzing him momentarily, but he quickly adapted.

Ji Xinghuo's strike failed to sever his head, as the dragon lord's defense was too strong, and the quality of the scimitar wasn't sufficient. The blade managed to cut about a third of the way through his neck before getting stuck.

Phosphorus Yongfeng's eyes shone with ferocity, unafraid.

He knew he couldn't die yet.

Taking advantage of the fact that Ji Xinghuo's scimitar was stuck in his neck, he unleashed a sword energy blast from his broadsword, covering all angles around Ji Xinghuo, but once again, he missed.

Ji Xinghuo had already discarded his weapon.

Flash Step!

Due to massive blood loss, Phosphorus Yongfeng's brain reacted slowly, and he felt something flash past him, moving away in the next instant.

The next moment, Phosphorus Yongfeng realized what had happened.

The necklace he had worn around his neck for years, never taking it off, had been taken by his enemy! That scimitar strike had never intended to take his life but to sever the necklace!

Instantly, Phosphorus Yongfeng lost that powerful sense of perception.

His abilities plummeted, and panic and confusion filled his mind. The world before his eyes became strange and complex, as if he had fallen from the clouds to the depths, and he struggled to adapt, unsure of what to do.

Then came boundless madness and rage.

Phosphorus Yongfeng turned to look at the human, but he could only see a faint figure retreating into the crowd, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Come back!"

His anger reached its peak, and he roared, wanting to chase after his foe, but the Winged Ones blocked his path.

The surrounding Winged Ones only thought of killing Phosphorus Yongfeng, and seeing him heavily wounded and bleeding, they seized the opportunity to swarm him relentlessly.

Having suddenly lost his necklace, Phosphorus Yongfeng's strength plummeted, and he couldn't hold off the onslaught for more than ten seconds before being overwhelmed by the Winged Ones.

Weapon after weapon, attack after attack, fell upon him, worsening his injuries.

Filled with hatred and regret, Phosphorus Yongfeng lost consciousness.

On the other hand, Ji Xinghuo had already circled around the surging crowd of Winged Ones and left the martial arts arena, quickly putting distance between himself and the scene.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end