Chapter 425: Unable to Let Go

Yuan Yao's heart sank.

She immediately stood up.

"What's wrong?" Cang Li was the first to notice Yuan Yao's abnormality.

Upon hearing the sound, others also turned their gazes toward Yuan Yao.

Yuan Yao said, "The Death Spirit King has sent Death Spirit Beasts to hunt down the other cultivators in the Heaven Fire Secret Realm."

"How do you know?" Qian Yunzhou's expression slightly tightened.

This time Yuan Yao did not conceal the truth, "It was a voice transmission from the Heaven Fire Secret Realm to me."

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts were slightly startled.

Before they could even open their mouths to ask, they heard Yuan Yao say, "I want to go check the situation; will you come?"

"Go." Qian Yunzhou readily agreed.

The others also had no objections.

Except for the two siblings of the Gui family.

Yuan Yao and the others quickly arrived at the cliff above the Heaven Fire Wasteland, looked down, and saw many young cultivators scattering to flee; the most conspicuous spot was the raging flames, where a figure was engulfed and burned by heavy fire.

Yet that figure did not stop its steps or actions because of the fire.

"What is that?!" Dongfangxiu couldn't help but exclaim.

"A Death Spirit Beast." Bian Chen's expression turned grave, "Moreover, his strength should be no different from that of the Dragon Maiden earlier."

Feng Xuanji frowned and said, "We must go stop his slaughter."

Yuan Yao turned her head to look at Feng Xuanji, "Then let's go!"

Everyone leapt down and hurried toward the Stone Man's direction.

On the way there, they encountered some panicked young cultivators fleeing in disarray; most of these young cultivators were below the Golden Core Realm, and they could not possibly match the Stone Man.

When Yuan Yao and the others arrived, they saw the fire-engulfed Stone Man had already swung its claws and killed two people, who lay in a pool of blood with grim expressions, their deaths horrific.

Yuan Yao's eyes narrowed; she quickly conjured a Phantom Spirit Sword and then lunged, slashing toward the Stone Man.

The others also acted swiftly.

Xie Zixu's voice came: "He is a Stone Beast, and the Stone Beast's weakness lies in its eyes."

Yuan Yao: "Nirvana Form, Phoenix Fire!"

Cang Li: "Horizontal Thunder Technique, Wangchuan Spear!"

Xie Zixu: "Wuji Form, Blood-Transforming Blade!"

Xiao Zhufeng: "Phantom Eye Cloud Abyss, Ice Flame Torrential!"

Feng Xuanji: "Phoenix Command Sword, Sever Spring Mountain!"

Bian Chen: "Mad Heaven Order, Slash!"

Yan Yunlan: "Cloud Song, Heaven Spike!"

Yu Jing: "Thirteen Layers Shadow Slash!"

Dongfangxiu: "Heaven's Net Gate, Flowing Blade!"

Ao Jiayu: "Ao Gate Sword Style, Waves Turning Flowers!"

Qian Yunzhou raised his bare hand, placed the pale green jade flute to his lips, and began to play softly.

The combined strike of everyone caused a terrifying force pressure to erupt over the entire plain, stirring up a sudden gale and changing the colors of wind and clouds.

The powerful impact almost swept away everything within a one-kilometer radius.

The Stone Man was struck and staggered a few steps, its stone body split in multiple places, and black liquid oozed from the corner of its mouth.

The Stone Man quickly counterattacked.

Yuan Yao and the others engaged in a fierce battle with it.

Their every move was aimed at the Stone Man's eyes.

After several rounds, Xie Zixu flashed his figure and actually thrust his sword into the Stone Man's right eye.

It pierced straight through!

As the black liquid seeped out, the Stone Man's painful howl also came.

The Stone Man tried to raise its claw to slash at Xie Zixu, but Yuan Yao blocked it with a sword.

At that moment, Bian Chen also plunged his long sword into its left eye.

In an instant——

The Stone Man's entire body began to collapse, cracking apart, turning into a pile of rubble.

At this moment, Yuan Yao seemed to sense something; her expression suddenly changed, and she shouted, "Get out of the way!"

Immediately, she swiftly grabbed Cang Li's arm and forcefully pulled him away to a distance.

Cang Li also sensed something wrong and immediately ran wildly with Yuan Yao.

The others' expressions shifted, and they also immediately scattered to flee.

Immediately after, on the Stone Man's 'corpse', a terrifying spatial explosion erupted instantly, a powerful suction forming a huge vortex that wildly sucked in everyone around.

Yuan Yao and Cang Li were sucked in for a distance.

Seeing that they were about to be sucked into the vortex, Yuan Yao turned her head to look at her own Third Senior Brother.

"Third Senior Brother, go in!"

"Yuan Yao..."

Before Cang Li could finish his words, Yuan Yao sent him into the Yaoguang Space again.

Meanwhile, Yuan Yao quickly turned, formed a seal with one hand, and unleashed a defensive barrier.

However, under the powerful suction, the defensive barrier quickly began to burst apart.

At that moment, a white figure swiftly came toward her, blocking her front, and then he swiftly swung a sword toward the vortex.

A single sword unfolded the vortex, dividing it into two halves.

Yet the vortex's suction did not stop.

At this moment, Dongfangxiu and Ao Jiayu were about to be sucked into the vortex.

Seeing this, Yu Jing swiftly acted and pulled Ao Jiayu back.

Dongfangxiu, however, drove his heavy sword deep into the ground, carving a long fissure on the surface.

Bian Chen immediately acted and pulled Dongfangxiu back.

Yuan Yao, seeing this, thought of something and immediately summoned the Great Sun Burning Heaven Mirror, aiming it at the vortex.

Scorching true fire burst forth and was sucked into the vortex.

Meanwhile, the Death Spirit King Wei Yueze, who had been waiting for Yuan Yao and the others to be drawn into the Ruined City, suddenly sensed something; upon looking up, a continuous stream of true fire gushed toward the Ruined City.

Wei Yueze furrowed his brows.

Soon he realized the flames also contained heavenly fire from the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm.

At that moment, the Death Spirit Beast beneath the Ruined City sensed danger, became agitated, and surged uneasily underground.

Seeing this, Wei Yueze's face darkened slightly.

He immediately raised his palm toward the vortex and exerted spatial power.

Boom—

Meanwhile, Yuan Yao and the others found the vortex's suction grew more terrifying, with spatial power faintly fluctuating.

"Step back a little!" Xie Zixu said, his expression slightly solemn, giving a warning.

Having said that, he naturally reached out and grabbed Yuan Yao's wrist, retreating to a distance.

This scene was witnessed by Feng Xuanji, Qian Yunzhou, Bian Chen, and Dongfangxiu.

Bian Chen pressed his lips, suppressed his emotions, and led Dongfangxiu away from the spot.

Qian Yunzhou smiled, but his eyes were filled with coldness.

Feng Xuanji's face showed a hint of desolation.

Dongfangxiu furrowed his brows.

At this moment, heavenly fire continuously gushed from the ground, spraying toward the vortex.

Yuan Yao saw Xie Zixu so obviously protecting her, she was stunned and couldn't help sending a mental message: "You're too obvious."

His voice came: "If they find out, just say we're two friends. Anyway, I am Xie Zixu now."

Yuan Yao: "……"

"Could it be that you don't think we're friends?"

Yuan Yao's heart skipped, and she hurriedly replied: "Yes! Yes, we're friends!"

Her hasty reply only made it seem like she was trying to cover something up.

The youth's lips curled slightly, but he soon pressed them down.

He seemed to recall something, pressed his lips, and finally couldn't help asking: "Yuan Yao, what are your feelings toward your senior brothers?"

He felt that Yuan Yao's interaction with her senior brothers was quite different from that of ordinary senior-junior siblings.

To him, it was absolutely impossible to have any physical contact or affectionate words with sect senior sisters or junior sisters.

Therefore, when he saw her having physical contact with Cang Li and others, he felt uncomfortable, even distressed.

Yuan Yao tilted her head to glance at him and answered seriously: "We grew up together since childhood; they are not only my senior brothers, but also family I cannot part with."