Chapter 488: Could You Be Talking About Me?

Chapter 488: Could You Be Talking About Me?

The vast ocean of Hongze was boundless, filled with all sorts of wondrous and bizarre sights.

Cuiyun Reef was merely one of the many unremarkable places within it, and it was only because of its location in Nanhong and the absence of any real danger that many disciples talked about it.

Su Yushang had seen countless landscapes more extraordinary than this, so she wasn't particularly excited.

But after a moment's thought, she felt a twinge of sadness. Even a place like this, to a Spirit Beast like her Blood Master, who had reached the Twelfth Layer of Return to Void, was still worth remembering and caring about.

In truth, the title of 'Blood Master' itself was quite ironic.

Despite the respect shown by the sect's disciples, in their eyes, it was merely a Demon capable of providing the sect with the essence of Fire Birds.

It was only because of its longevity, high cultivation, and the hardships it had endured over the years that the sect elders showed some leniency, allowing it to move freely within the sect. However, it wasn't an elder or an administrator, and many disciples sympathized with its plight, so they gave it the title of 'Master'.

No one knew what had happened in the past to make this Crimson Phoenix captured by the Heavenly Sword Sect.

It had endured a hundred thousand years of suffering.

"Is it not as beautiful as you imagined?"

Su Yushang stood atop the continuous green reef, and as the green light merged with the clear sky, it created a beautiful emerald glow.

"It's indeed different from what I imagined," the Crimson Phoenix said, now in the form of a beautiful woman, smoothed her wind-tousled hair and quietly gazed up at the sky, a hint of bewilderment on the stage, her eyes fixed on the distant horizon.

"It's normal," she said. "When I first heard them talk about the outside world, I was so eager to explore it. I worked hard in my cultivation, and finally, I got the chance to leave the sect. But when I ventured out, it wasn't as exciting as I'd imagined. Most cultivators' lives are even more boring and tedious than those within the sect."

Su Yushang smiled shyly, "When I met Baohua Xianzi later, I could only tell her stories of heroes and heroines from the books I'd read, making her envious. But I never experienced any of that myself."

The beautiful woman, the transformed Crimson Phoenix, listened quietly to the Heavenly Sword Fairy's rambling. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, seemingly admiring the wonders, but also searching for someone beneath the calm waters.

Unfortunately, the ocean was even quieter than usual.

She sighed softly.

These Southern Hong Dragon Clan members were clearly powerful, but they were also extremely cautious.

Their target was solely Su Hong Xiu.

Only a true Daoist Priest was worth the risk in their eyes. Compared to the renowned Heavenly Sword Fairy, she seemed somewhat less impressive.

Therefore, until they confirmed Su Hong Xiu's true appearance, they would never reveal their presence.

This was quite normal.

Who would believe that a future leader of a Converged Dao Site, a Daoist Priest, would risk everything for a so-called 'sister' during her weakest moment, venturing out alone?

Too foolish!

How could mundane mortal affections compare to the importance of a Converged Dao Site? Once she became a Dao Fusion Colossus, no matter who from Southern Hong was behind this, she would have the power to take revenge.

Even without waiting that long, she could bring the sect elders or even her Dao Fusion Realm master to handle the matter.

As for venturing out alone, that was almost impossible.

Only the Crimson Phoenix, who had been with Su Yushang her entire life, knew how much the Heavenly Sword Daoist Priest doted on this young lady.

Even with the slightest possibility that the Demons might be intimidated by the Heavenly Sword Sect's reputation, forcing them to take away her 'sister' and disappear without a trace, he would never allow such a thing to happen.

So not only would she come, but she would also actively help cover up the news, preventing the sect from stopping her or making a fuss and scaring away the Demons.

Having lived in the sect for a hundred thousand years, she truly understood these sisters.

This time, it was too much of a coincidence.

Su Yushang had just caused trouble during her sister's reincarnation, and for the first time, she hadn't brought any sect disciples for protection.

By her side was only a Demon, and it happened to be herself.

"..."

The Crimson Phoenix retracted her gaze, focusing on Su Yushang's slightly fragile back.

In her palm appeared a dark talisman, its surface covered in intricate and cryptic lines traced by Blood Runes, sending a chill down anyone's spine at a glance.

She didn't rush to attack.

She approached slowly, then reached out and slapped the talisman onto the girl's back.

Even as the Crimson Phoenix retracted her hand, Su Yushang hadn't reacted yet, her face still carrying a smile that hadn't completely faded, as she turned back in confusion.

Only the emotions cultivated since childhood could have such an effect.

In an instant, two Treasure Wheels shot out from Su Yushang's waist pouch, carrying a terrifying aura as they slashed towards the Crimson Phoenix!

Even before her expression could change, the Heavenly Sword Fairy's instinctive reaction surpassed that of most cultivators.

However, the Crimson Phoenix merely sidestepped, and the two Treasure Wheels whistled towards the water, raising a hundred-zhang tall wave, as if about to split the sea!

She pursed her lips, "Have you forgotten that I taught you how to use these two Treasure Wheels myself?"

"..."

Su Yushang fell silent, her palms quickly forming intricate hand seals, and a thick aura burst from her body.

She used this time to summon her Dao Palace.

Every move she made seemed to be within the Crimson Phoenix's expectations, as she had always quietly watched over this girl's day and night cultivation.

She knew the Demon's most skilled and familiar techniques.

The powerful Demon Energy gathered at her fingertips, and she precisely pointed at Su Yushang's body, causing the spirit light in her palms to suddenly stagnate.

In theory, Su Yushang, at the Eleventh Layer of Return to Void, with the support of a high-quality Dao Palace and her mastery of spirit arts, should easily defeat a Demon at the Twelfth Layer of Return to Void.

But setting aside other factors, the Crimson Phoenix gently exhaled, "When I was young, I was also called a Celestial Talent in my clan."

If not for the Heavenly Sword Sect deliberately drawing her essence blood to suppress her, she would have ascended to the White Jade Capital long ago. Even so, she wasn't someone that ordinary Return to Void Perfection Water Clans could compare to.

The lady's eyes suddenly turned red, and her palm forcefully covered Su Yushang's glabella.

The raging wind blew away the girl's hair bun, and the dense demonic energy suppressed the spiritual light that emerged from her glabella, inch by inch.

Just then, the dark talisman finally took effect.

Su Yushang instantly lost her connection with the Divine Soul Dao Palace.

Her face turned lifeless, and her eyes revealed a fierce look like that of a beast, as she gathered all the remaining spiritual energy she could muster into her palm.

Another jade slip flew out of her storage bag.

There weren't many jade slips that could directly communicate with the Heavenly Sword Daoist, and Su Yushang happened to have one on her. Perhaps it was her only hope of survival, but at this moment, she didn't hesitate to slap it with her palm.

If the Crimson Phoenix wanted to kill her, she could have done it more directly. Instead, each of her moves seemed to aim at controlling Su Yushang.

The reason for this was already quite clear.

"You're not stupid."

Crimson Phoenix smiled and, in the instant the raging spiritual energy rushed towards the jade slip, she reached out and took it into her palm.

Su Yushang's attack missed, and as she tried to mobilize her spiritual power again, her entire body wobbled and she knelt down, vomiting continuously until the blood at the corner of her mouth turned as black as ink.

The ferocity in her eyes gradually faded.

Wiping the corner of her mouth with a trembling hand, she finally looked up and spoke for the first time, "Can you give me a reason?"

There was no need for idle talk between life and death.

Speaking meant she had already understood the situation.

"I don't want your compensation; I'd rather take it myself."

Crimson Phoenix slowly crouched beside Su Yushang and, in front of her, began to activate the jade slip, "You shouldn't blame me; after all, this is what the Heavenly Sword Sect owes me. It's only natural that I want revenge."

"I really want to know...why were you captured and brought to the Heavenly Sword Sect in the first place?" Su Yushang's arms trembled wildly, and she was even weaker than the most withered old man, but she still managed to support her body.

"It's all in the past; it's not important."

Crimson Phoenix's smile was gentle, and she wasn't in a hurry; after all, there was still plenty of time.

Revenge was a way to release the anger in one's heart, and it couldn't be rushed.

Su Yushang remained silent for a long time, then suddenly managed a complicated smile. With blood in her mouth, her voice was unclear, "The Heavenly Sword Sect took your essence blood, and you want revenge, so you chose me, who treated you like a birth mother?"

There was such a strange logic in this world.

"After all, I can't defeat the Heavenly Sword Sect, and the two of you sisters are the greatest blow I can deal to the Heavenly Sword Sect."

"Actually, there's one more person who must die, but he's lucky and I don't have time. I'll leave it for when I return to my tribe."

Crimson Phoenix finally broke the restrictions on the jade slip.

Su Yushang knew what would happen when this news reached her sister.

As she took in this scene, she finally closed her eyes in despair. During their conversation, she had been trying to use her spiritual energy to shock the spirit infancy organs.

However, even this act of self-destruction was suppressed by the talisman.

The reason she could still remain conscious was because of the burning sensation on her knee, which scorched her mind and body.

Almost at the same time, a young man's murmur sounded in Crimson Phoenix's ear.

"You must be talking about me, right?"

Unbeknownst to them, the peaceful green cloud in the air was now covered in scarlet, and a vast demonic energy spread from the end of their sight.

The temperature around them quickly rose, as if an invisible flame had enveloped this reef.

Su Yushang felt a sense of deja vu, as if she had seen this scene somewhere before.

Crimson Phoenix didn't have the chance to respond to the young man's question.

In the instant before his voice sounded, a vicious knee strike had already slammed into her temple.

In Crimson Phoenix's upward gaze, a pale face looked down at her. Although those pitch-black eyes were occupied by purple-golden light, the intense and greedy gaze was the same as before, and even more unconcealed.

This time, however, she didn't have the chance to wrap her collar tightly and hide her plump, white neck.

Boom—

Under the indescribable terrifying force, Crimson Phoenix's body was viciously blasted away.

Shen Yi slowly stepped forward.

With the support of vast purple energy, the dragon lance he held diagonally instantly came to life.

Roar!

The raging dragon's roar almost shook the heavily injured Su Yushang to death, fulfilling her wish to end her own life.

"Roar!"

In the instant Crimson Phoenix was blasted away, she roughly understood who the attacker was.

To approach silently and blast away a powerful demon like her, who had pure bloodlines, without any resistance, the attacker had to be at least on the same level.

However, the last time she saw him at the Southern Flood's floating sculpture, he was just a small cultivator at the Fifth Layer of Return to Void.

And now, he had already reached perfection?

She didn't have much time to wonder, as she vigorously waved her arms, transforming them into a pair of wings, several dozen feet wide, with crisscrossing black and purple patterns, stirring up layers of fiery waves and stabilizing her body.

In an instant, a crimson-eyed Crimson Phoenix revealed her true form above the water, casting a massive shadow over the surface.

Her eyes, redder than blood, glared furiously.

An aura comparable to the Twelfth Layer of Return to Void enveloped this place, and with the enhancement of her bloodline, she was much stronger than the previous Golden Patterned Turtle Demons.

The golden flames blazed, and the rolling heat waves seemed to turn this place into a hellish inferno.

With her innate divine abilities, lesser cultivators couldn't even get close, and those who dared to enter would likely only meet the fate of having their souls incinerated.

Demons didn't need to cultivate techniques; the innate abilities they possessed from birth were enough to look down upon most cultivators who spent their entire lives studying spell formations.

However, this scorching flame was suddenly suppressed.

Hiss! Hiss!

Under the reflection of dense purple energy, two golden flames erupted with unparalleled momentum! Like surging waves, or a pair of purple-golden wings, they gathered behind the black-robed figure.

In front of such a massive phoenix demon, Shen Yi's figure seemed minuscule, but as he soared across the sky, he used his overwhelming might to suppress the crimson-eyed Crimson Phoenix.

The long lance in his hand gathered azure light, transforming into a coiling dragon shadow.

The pinnacle of spear techniques.

The dragon shadow swelled amidst the raging storm, its claws and whiskers solidifying as they coiled around Shen Yi's body, forming an Azure Dragon Coiling posture.

Its physique was even more massive than the Crimson-Eyed Phoenix.

The Purple-Gold Phoenix Wings spread wide, and the Azure Dragon roared out!

The dragon's roar and the phoenix's cry echoed together!

Shen Yi suddenly swung his arm, the spear resembling a full moon, slashing horizontally towards the Crimson-Eyed Phoenix!

Azure Dragon Shattering Stars!

The raging flames collided fiercely, merging like the waves of a vast ocean.

Sizzle—

The Azure Dragon pressed down on the Crimson-Eyed Phoenix, pushing it towards the water, its claws viciously tearing apart the demon's body!

"Roar..."

Indeed, the techniques of cultivators were mostly inferior to the divine abilities of demons.

But this was a spirit art, a culmination of the efforts of the top celestial talents among cultivators, each move leaving behind legendary tales of brilliance.

And Shen Yi had mastered three such arts, each perfected to the utmost!

Boom!

The Crimson-Eyed Phoenix crashed into the water, its body now bearing a massive gash as if a mountain gorge had split it open.

Nearly splitting its entire body in half.

Its once exquisite form was now drenched in blood, and as the surging water washed it away, broken flesh and shattered bones were exposed.

It let out a mournful cry.

When Shen Yi looked at the youth before him again, he no longer saw an empty-titled sect leader; instead, he saw a reflection of Su Hongxiu or Wei Yuanzhou in their prime as Daoist priests.

Using demon blood to pave the way for the celestial talent.

And he, Shen Yi, was like the countless white bones beneath their feet as they ascended to the sky realm.

"You deceive me too! Southern Flood has deceived me!"

The Crimson-Eyed Phoenix let out a piercing wail, and as the Azure Dragon's shadow dissipated, its enormous claw, like a mountain peak, viciously grabbed at the thin, black-shirted figure within the shadow.

"..."

Shen Yi glanced at the phoenix's blood, diluted by the vast ocean.

Suddenly, he stopped his evasive thoughts.

Holding the spear in his left hand, he raised his black shirt, and with his right arm, he fearlessly punched, colliding with the enormous shadow that approached.

Boom!

This insane scene, witnessed by Su Yushang, was so shocking that even the scorching pain in her knees, which threatened to render her unconscious, couldn't stop her from widening her eyes in disbelief.

A cultivator physically clashing with a demon?!

In front of the phoenix, even a single claw or finger seemed like a massive stone pillar to Shen Yi.

The next moment, the sound of cracking shattered Su Yushang's awe, as the enormous phoenix was smashed and sent flying hundreds of zhang away, its claws and entire leg shattering into pieces.

Shen Yi looked at the Netherworld Immortal Armor on his arm, now covered in cracks.

He leaped and pursued it again.

As if using his human body to challenge a mountain, he stomped heavily on the phoenix's head, his fists raining down like a sudden downpour.

The phoenix's skull was harder than the most stubborn blue stone.

But against the sharp blows of the immortal armor-clad fists, it seemed to transform into a mountain, its spine shattered by the impact of the fists.

"Save me... Save me..."

The phoenix's body convulsed as it looked down into the water, knowing that many powerful Turtle Army powerhouses were hidden below.

If these great demons were willing, they could easily save it, and with this thought, its voice became increasingly shrill and desperate, "Su Hongxiu will definitely come, you have to believe me!"

"Believe me!!!"

As its piercing wails echoed, there was no response from the water, even more silent than usual.

Until a whip kick smashed the phoenix's throat, silencing its pleas into faint whimpers.

[Killing a Crimson-Eyed Phoenix in the Return to Void Realm, total lifespan of 287,000 years, remaining lifespan of 184,000 years, absorption complete]



Shen Yi looked at the prompt on the panel and finally retracted his fists.

He collected the relatively intact corpse of the phoenix into his ring and then glanced at the water below.

Of course, he knew who was down there.

But after spending some time in the sky realm, he had also figured out the situation between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Crimson-Eyed Phoenix.

They were plotting to assassinate the Heavenly Sword Sect Daoist.

The scale of their operation would undoubtedly be beyond his current capabilities.

However, as long as the Daoist didn't reveal himself, they wouldn't dare to act either, as exposing themselves would inevitably lead to a war between the Southern Flood Seven Sons and the Dragon Palace.

Assassinating a Daoist was far more serious than killing a fake sect leader like him.

Shen Yi was greedy, but not to the point of being blinded by greed.

These lifespans were not something he could take at the moment.

With this in mind, Shen Yi turned to leave, but just then, he heard a painful cry from Su Yushang.

He saw that the Heavenly Sword Immortal's knees had sprouted seven small swords, which fell to the ground and instantly formed a simple sword array.

A familiar light screen appeared.

As the sword light dissipated,

A figure, seated in meditation, slowly floated in the air.

Her snow-white hair reached her waist, appearing dry and lusterless.

The face, aged and weathered, still retained traces of her former exquisite beauty, now etched with the marks of time.

She stared indifferently ahead, her palms maintaining the gesture of forming hand seals, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth.

Her entire body exuded an extremely weak vitality.

If not for the blood pearl rolling down from the corner of her mouth, she would have looked more like a corpse.

Forcing the activation of the teleportation sword array had further weakened her last shred of vitality, making her seem like a wind-blown candle, ready to be extinguished by the slightest breeze.

"Give me the sword fruit."

Her voice was raspy and hoarse.

There was no scolding, no complaint.

Her arm trembled as she reached out to Su Yushang.

"..."

Shen Yi remained silent, gazing at the water.

Although he couldn't be entirely sure of the old woman's identity, the change in the underwater aura was undeniable.

It seemed like escaping today wouldn't be as easy as before.

"Sister..."

Su Yushang, in a daze, took out the sword fruit and asked, "What are you doing?"

She wasn't even aware of when her sister had left the teleportation sword array on her knees.

The old woman tremblingly brought the sword fruit to her lips.

Her eyes were chillingly cold, and her voice was weak yet calm, "Kill them all."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end