Chapter 105: Riding the Phoenix

Young master, Xiao Xie...

At this moment, Hu Shan looked at Zhang Jian, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

He was a little unsteady on his feet; the tiger demon's roar shook the foothills, and if it weren't for his good luck, had he moved back slightly, he might not have survived.

Zhang Lu stood to the side, shaking his head slightly. Hearing Hu Shan's words, he forced himself through the headache to look behind; dozens of soldiers had collapsed, more than half—those whose courage was shattered by the roar—while another group had simply fainted there, faces deathly pale.

Only a few, such as him and Hu Shan who had practiced body‑forging arts, had stronger resistance and were not killed by that sound wave.

The two maidservants, Meizhu and Taohua, also lay among the crowd.

No one knew whether they were alive or dead.

Zhang Jian glanced at them and immediately knew the two girls were probably beyond saving.

A hint of deep gloom flickered in his eyes.

And there was Xiao Xie.

That young veteran, timid yet brave, had followed him on several bandit‑suppression campaigns; he had originally been groomed as a seed for a future mid‑level officer in the Zhang Family Army.

Yet he died in the aftermath.

Zhang Jian also felt a faint shock in his heart; watching these people fall, his heart was inexplicably moved, but he soon suppressed the rising sorrow and annoyance.

"Zhang Lu, send word to Fourth Uncle at once, have him bring people for rescue; also properly gather the bodies of these fallen comrades, bury them with honor when we return—these comrades will not die in vain, I will surely avenge them!"

"Now I must rush to the prefectural city ahead of time; I fear something has already happened there—if we're late, it may be too late."

Zhang Lu heard this and quickly nodded his agreement.

"Young master, leave this to me; you can rest assured!"

Zhang Jian nodded; he felt a strong unease, but he knew that given his pace, going to the prefectural city now would likely still be too late, though he had his own plan.

He activated his magical power to trigger the Spirit Communion Seal within his body.

On the mountaintop, moments later a seven‑colored divine light tore through the sky, and the graceful figure of the Mount Fengling Spirit stepped out of it, instantly seeing the chaotic, gruesome scene on the mountain path.

She frowned slightly, her willow brows knitting, and the Mount Fengling Spirit gazed at Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian asked, "Fellow Daoist of Mount Fengling, do you have a way to help me return to Fengyang Prefecture City quickly, as fast as possible?"

Hearing this, the Mount Fengling Spirit glanced at Zhang Jian and couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, is it really that urgent?"

Zhang Jian's expression was solemn: "Better fast than slow!"

If his suspicion is correct, the situation inside Fengyang Prefecture City is unlikely to be optimistic.

Yu Jia Ming knew his cultivation level, yet dared to send this tiger demon to seek revenge; he must have made up his mind.

The Mount Fengling Spirit's beautiful eyes flicked over Zhang Jian, a hint of hesitation in her gaze, and after a moment she said.

"If that's the case, then I will personally escort Fellow Daoist Zhang!"

She gave a soft laugh; in an instant the seven‑colored divine light appeared on the mountaintop, and a huge black phoenix burst forth from the peak, its massive wings and back feathers displaying five colors, though its body remained mostly dark black, wrapped in a layer of intense black light, yet bearing a sacred, distant aura that swept over everything.

"Phoenix!"

At this moment, Zhang Lu, Hu Shan, and part of the soldiers stared, dumbstruck, at the sight.

Although the phoenix's torso was largely dark black, its form unmistakably marked it as the legendary divine beast; moreover, streams of vital light fell from the void onto the severely wounded soldiers, restoring their strength.

"To have a divine beast as a companion, young master, you are destined for great achievement!" Hu Shan said, gripping his longsword, his eyes also showing shock.

In those stories, anyone who follows a divine beast inevitably accomplishes great deeds.

At the same time, a clear voice rang out.

"Elder Brother Zhang, please come up; I will send you back to the prefectural city!"

Seeing this, Zhang Jian was also somewhat moved.

But upon hearing her words, his body instantly turned into a stream of light that landed on the huge black phoenix, and he softly said.

"In urgent times, I act as circumstances demand; I first thank you, Fellow Daoist of Mount Fengling!"

"No need for that; it's only a small matter. Earlier, Brother Daoist, you helped Mount Fengling without holding past grudges against it, and Mount Fengling has always felt grateful. Now that I have a chance to aid you, Fellow Daoist, I will certainly lend my strength!"

Although the black phoenix's form had manifested, the voice that echoed in Zhang Jian's mind remained gentle and pleasant.

The black phoenix slightly spread its wings and instantly turned into a streak of black light, shooting straight toward Fengyang Prefecture.

Seated upon the black phoenix's back, Zhang Jian felt extraordinarily stable; a faint, fragrant scent drifted from the phoenix's back feathers, like that of the clouds.

Its flight speed was extremely fast, like a black rainbow arcing across the sky, and Zhang Jian's heart was greatly shaken.

The speed of such a divine beast's flight is truly terrifying.

As a cultivator at the Measuring Fate Foundation Establishment stage, he could already fly using the Wind Walking Technique, but compared to this divine beast's flight, it was almost a tortoise's pace.

Even ordinary spirit beasts could not match it.

Zhang Jian sighed inwardly; it's no wonder men always love fine horses.

Cultivators are no different; relying solely on one's own flight, when will it ever end?

Zhang Jian felt that in just a dozen or so breaths, his form had already crossed a thousand li.

The city of Fengyang Prefecture came into view.

In the distance, the dragon‑tiger qi swirling above Fengyang Prefecture seemed to boil, while shouts of killing rose from the garrison camp outside the city walls, and flames and smoke could be seen, confirming Zhang Jian's unease.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist of Mount Fengling; from now on it's up to me!"

Zhang Jian spoke lightly, then rose into the air, his form turning into a stream of light heading toward the camp.

"Fellow Daoist, just call out if you need anything!"

High above, the black phoenix's massive divine beast form reshaped within the seven‑colored divine light into a human shape, and its voice echoed in Zhang Jian's mind.

Zhang Jian nodded, but he did not want to drag the Mount Fengling Spirit into this political turmoil.

The Way of the Gods has its own rules; meddling recklessly would bring trouble to the Mount Fengling Spirit.

In the camp, the battle was drawing to a close when Qi Yuan Si and a dozen or so armored warriors burst out, presently mopping up the rebel forces.

Seeing a scarlet red bolt of lightning strike from above, his expression changed; upon recognizing Zhang Jian, Qi Yuan Si's face flickered with shock, then he burst into delighted surprise.

「Ayu, you came just in time, something happened in Fengyang Commandery! 」

Zhang Jian glanced at the chaotic barracks, his brows slightly furrowed.

「Second Uncle, what's going on?! 」

「Qi Yuansi said with a dark face: 'It's the Yu family; the Yu family for some reason suddenly took action. If someone hadn't tipped them off, I had made preparations in advance, otherwise they might have succeeded. However, what I'm most worried about now is Fengyang Commandery. Early this morning, Yu You invited Father and Brother-in-law, and the Head of the Gu family went to the Commandery Governor's Residence to discuss matters…'」

His eyes showed a hint of worry.

Zhang Jian's expression changed slightly, but thinking of the guards he had assigned to Zhang Yi, his gaze flickered, and he said.

「I'll rush to the Commandery Governor's Residence right away; Second Uncle, you should return to the Qi family first. Since the Yu family dared to lay hands on Second Uncle, they surely won't spare the women in the Qi family manor! 」

Hearing this, Qi Yuansi's expression suddenly startled, and he said in a deep voice.

「I'll immediately dispatch troops to the Qi family manor! At the same time, I'll lead the soldiers into the city to suppress the rebellion! 」

Zhang Jian nodded and said: "I'll go ahead to the Commandery Governor's Residence!"