Chapter 708: Li Yuan: Beyond the Mountains Is Too Dangerous! (Combined Chapter)

"Kee-ee—"

A single cry.

The blood-rain pouring down like a waterfall instantly transformed into a raging blood-fire, Xiong Xiong blazing up!

In that instant, every cultivator within the battlefield inside the Blood Phoenix's belly—no matter their realm, no matter whether they had spirit treasures shielding their bodies—felt their hearts and minds tremble.

The terrifying intent contained within that cry exploded like something solid in everyone's mind and heart.

"Fan Jing!"

Li Yuan, hidden within the shadows, felt his vision go black; that terrifying intent surged through his heart-sea, as if carrying within it an endless flood of information.

Endless streams of light and shadow flashed across his mind like a slideshow.

"This is…"

Even though he had instantly switched his control set, Li Yuan still lost himself for a moment.

In his daze, his mind seemed to drift along with that intent-light through an incomparably long stretch of years.

'He' was born into the Blood Phoenix clan, gifted from birth with extraordinary talent, comprehending the great divine art left by his ancestors within his bloodline, and upon reaching adulthood had forged a first-grade Longhu Dadan.

'He' was a heaven-gifted prodigy, the Holy Son of the Blood Phoenix clan; since beginning cultivation he had advanced by leaps and bounds, and even when encountering calamities, they often turned into blessings—almost with an unstoppable momentum,

he refined a Dharma Realm, elevated to Dharma Heaven, reflected the Dao and became a god, single-handedly leading his clan to the peak of Tian Shi Yuan.

As his lifespan neared its limit, 'he' hid within Opening Gui Xu, relying on the offerings of the Blood Phoenix clan and the foundation he had accumulated through countless death-battles, hoping that after a long stretch of years, he could open a Dao-ground for the Blood Phoenix clan.

'He' harbored vast ambitions, and ought to have become a legend of the Blood Phoenix clan.

Until one day, while exploring Opening Gui Xu, 'he' befriended a close friend…

"Fan Jing!"

The light and shadow shattered with a roar, unable to continue.

"This is the obsession of that Blood Phoenix…"

Li Yuan snapped back to himself.

With the augmentation of the Soldier-Controlling Register, in that instant he had seen through the Blood Phoenix's obsession.

Although he had not had time to glimpse what came after, from what he had seen alone, Li Yuan could piece together the beginning and end of this Blood Phoenix battlefield.

"To fall just before success—no wonder the obsession runs so deep…"

Committing all the light and shadow he had witnessed to memory, Li Yuan didn't even have time to think further, because an instant later, the all-consuming Blood Phoenix fire had already burned into the shadows.

"Ah!"

Piteous screams rose from every corner of the world now blanketed in blood-fire.

In the instant Li Yuan had lost himself, the Nether Seekers who had narrowly escaped the Ice Soul Divine Light were almost all ignited by the omnipresent Blood Phoenix fire.

"Boom!"

The light of various spells and spirit treasures rose one after another.

Just as Li Yuan had gathered most of the demon shadows, the Cloud Demon Strange Land suddenly went 'boom'—ignited by the blood-fire; in less than an instant, tens of thousands of Dao-soldiers had all turned to ash.

"What fierce fire!"

Drawing the myriad demon shadows and some of the Dao-soldiers into the Shadow Demon Domain, Li Yuan moved his thoughts, and black water flowed around him, colliding with the blood-fire and emitting 'sizzle-sizzle' sounds.

"Even the Shadow Demon Water can't douse it!"

Li Yuan was startled but not flustered; he released more Shadow Demon Water to resist the Blood Phoenix fire, and with the vast quantity of Shadow Demon Water, he reckoned he could hold out for a long time.

But the black smoke where water and fire met was extraordinarily conspicuous, exposing him to the eyes of the other cultivators.

Yet at this moment, even though that black smoke rolled like a long dragon, the other cultivators seemed not to notice at all; under the burning of the Blood Phoenix fire, every surviving cultivator was in utter disarray.

"Boom!"

Li Yuan saw one Strange Land after another shatter, turning into countless streams of light and shadow that vanished into the void, and ultimately converged upon the crimson, blood-like body of the phoenix.

Like fierce fire poured upon boiling oil.

The flames on the phoenix's body grew even more intense; within a few breaths, they had become so dazzling one could not look at them directly.

"After all, it's only a wisp of obsession…"

Li Yuan shook his head inwardly.

This wisp of obsession from the Blood Phoenix had likely been deliberately left behind by the one behind the scenes named 'Fan Jing'; bursting forth now, it had incinerated vast stretches of Strange Lands and cultivators—roughly within that person's calculations as well.

With the augmentation of the Soldier-Controlling Register, Li Yuan could faintly see the intricate and dense array-prohibitions beneath the void.

All the Strange Lands and cultivators were being absorbed by those array-prohibitions, and through some method he could not yet comprehend, converged upon the body of the Blood Phoenix's obsession.

Together with the blood-rain formed from the melting of the Blood Phoenix's remains, it drove the transformation of this wisp of bloodline obsession.

"Boom!"

As Li Yuan stepped out of the shadows, a startling thunderclap exploded.

He followed the sound and saw, in the void, Feng Huang'er holding aloft a great banner emblazoned with myriad phoenixes; she danced in mid-air, and vast swathes of blood-fire were extinguished by her.

In the distance, a giant golden toad puffed its cheeks, sending out a tremendous gust of air that forced back the blood-fire.

Further still, Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long transformed his body into a ten-thousand-zhang crimson dragon, weaving through the blood-fire, relying on his powerful physique to withstand the burning of the flames.

The three true inheritors of the Holy Lands' great clans each employed their own methods, while Feng Feng Wu Ding and Xuandaozi had fled far away; under the augmentation of invisible array-prohibitions, the two were not harmed by the blood-fire.

Apart from these five, there were still several dozen Nether Seeker cultivators struggling, exhausting every means to resist the burning of the blood-fire—mostly fourth-realm cultivators—and the two survivors left gave Li Yuan some surprise.

"How can these two have such luck?"

Li Yuan looked toward the core battlefield—or more precisely, at the shadow of the Blood Phoenix taking wing.

Where the Blood Phoenix was, was the only place not covered by the blood-rain or burned by the blood-fire, and beneath it stood conspicuously two third-realm cultivators with ashen faces.

Duan Yang Jian Tian Yi and Wang Shan Xuan.

Relying on the demon shadow hidden within Wang Shan Xuan's shadow, Li Yuan needed only a thought to see the process of the two's flight and escape along the way, and felt that their luck was bizarrely good.

"Sacrifice!"

The great banner fluttered and danced, Fenghuang'er eyes blazing with killing intent, suddenly letting loose a great shout as dazzling sacrificial light exploded again and again from the void — clearly preparing to perform the rite!

Almost simultaneously, Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long and Fa Huan Fa Huan Yi Tong also lit their sacrificial fires and began the rite.

"Ruthless enough."

Li Yuan was somewhat impressed.

The three had plenty of boldness and decisiveness; if this place were merely within the Blood Phoenix's belly, they might well have succeeded — but with someone lurking in the shadows…

"Boom!"

Almost the instant Li Yuan had the thought, the void shuddered violently. A massive hand seal woven from crimson and gold, like the collapse of the heavens, smashed down simultaneously upon Fenghuang'er and the other two.

As well as the Shadow Demon Body, which billowed surging black smoke.

"Vajra Great Hand Seal!"

Li Yuan recognized the hand seal in an instant, and immediately, his magic power surged, boiled, and burned around him.

"Roar~"

In less than a thousandth of an instant, the demonic mist scattered abruptly, and the Shadow Demon Body had transformed into a violent, savage ape a thousand zhang tall, its fur red as fire.

It was the Great Sun Divine Ape Transformation!

"Beast!"

Outside the void, Master Lingji the Monk, who overlooked this battlefield, had an iron-blue face. The instant the Shadow Demon Body was forced out by the Blood Phoenix, he understood why his earlier calculations had fallen short.

Within that demonic mist hid thousands upon thousands of fiends — who knew how many strange lands it had devoured.

If not for his concern that Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long and the others performing the rite was too dangerous, his first palm strike would surely have been reserved solely to slap this beast to death!

"Boom!"

The divine ape suddenly reduced to motes of dust and fled through the air.

Don't be ridiculous — this was clearly an offensive hand seal of perfected law-prohibition level; he wouldn't dare take it head-on.

"Boom!"

The next instant, the great hand seal crashed down. Accompanied by heaven-shaking divine light, Fenghuang'er, Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long, and Fa Huan Fa Huan Yi Tong glared wide-eyed and nearly coughed up blood at the same time.

Even with their respective divine treasures protecting their bodies, they could not fully offset this hand seal of a peak Fifth Realm cultivator.

"That demon!"

His dragon horn nearly snapped off; Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long glared furiously at the cultivator billowing surging black smoke — it was this person who had suddenly teleported in, causing him to bear double the attack.

"Many thanks, Daoist friend!"

Li Yuan gathered and dispersed formlessly, turned and left, giving Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long no chance at all to vent his fury, causing the latter to involuntarily vomit up another mouthful of blood.

"Bastard!"

Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long raged, but he had no way to vent it either, because after the great hand seal shattered, from beneath the void, thousands upon thousands of spell-waves suddenly erupted.

Body-Fixing!

Spirit-Fixing!

Sky-Prohibiting!

Curse!

"I…"

The giant golden toad let out a strange cry, instantly shrinking ten thousandfold and burrowing into Fa Huan Fa Huan Yi Tong's sleeve — the latter had no time to rebuke it.

He decisively halted the great rite. Seeing that the sky was sealed and flight was impossible, he could only release a treasure ship and race at top speed toward Wind Wavering — even if it meant crashing, he had to kill this beast first!

"You, scram!"

Almost simultaneously, Li Yuan's Dun Fa was interrupted and he tumbled out of the void. Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long's face turned green, but he too was unable to flee, and because his body was enormous, large swathes of spells had already smashed into him.

"Roar!"

The crimson dragon wailed, nearly refined into nothing on the spot by the spells.

"Screech~"

At this moment, ten thousand phoenixes cried out in unison, their calls shaking this heaven and earth.

Fenghuang'er interrupted the rite, brandishing the Thousand Phoenix Banner as she swept across the sky. She wildly waved the great banner, shattering the various spells into Feng Feng Mantian surging spiritual energy of heaven and earth — and actually shielded Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long.

"Perform the rite!"

She swept a glance at the 'demonic cultivator', her gaze falling upon Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long, and immediately the great banner fluttered fiercely, shattering a stretch of void!

"Rip~"

A patch of the blood-colored sky was torn open.

"Hm?"

Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long was first stunned, then gritted his teeth and let out another dragon cry. Crimson light wreathed his entire body — he was already burning his own magic power, pushing the great rite forward at the fastest speed.

"Decisive enough."

Li Yuan revealed his ape body of about a zhang. Solemn, he raised his head and saw great swathes of the crimson sky peeling away — this was not the Thousand Phoenix Banner shattering the Blood Phoenix.

Rather, the Blood Phoenix's remnant body was about to be entirely melted.

Feng Feng Mantian blood-rain gradually lessened, but the phantom of the Blood Phoenix — formed from the obsession of its bloodline — spread its wings as if reborn from fire, and even a vitality seemed to be gestating within its body.

"This aura…"

Merely catching a glimpse of it from afar made Li Yuan's spirit tremble; he felt a desolate, ancient presence rushing toward him, containing mysteries far beyond the Blood Phoenix itself.

"Crack!"

In this instant, the blood-colored sky peeled away entirely, revealing a stretch of profound darkness — that was the Wai Fa Jie You Jing.

"Go!"

The Prison Wood Dragon, nearly burned to charcoal, let out a great cry, wanting to flee through the air, but was shaken out of the void by an invisible array-prohibition.

"Boom!"

The Thousand Phoenix Banner suddenly unfurled, and ten thousand phoenix birds surged like reverse-flowing meteors, slamming into the monk Ling Ji.

"Fine treasure."

Seeing this, Monk Ling Ji merely chuckled, then pressed his five fingers downward; the void trembled, and thousands of golden palms emerged simultaneously, grasping toward the ten thousand phoenix birds.

At the same time, a golden giant hand silently reached out, snatching toward Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long, who was performing the ritual.

"Boom~"

Suddenly, a torrent woven from black mist shot forth and shattered that giant hand.

It was Li Yuan who had suddenly intervened, protecting Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long; the latter, still frantically pushing the grand ritual, felt his heart ease slightly, his burning magic power nearly igniting himself.

"Wretched beast!"

Monk Ling Ji's expression darkened, but Fenghuang'er charged in with her banner; he dared not ignore the power of the top-grade divine treasure and had to counter, while casting a sharp glance at Feng Feng Wu Ding, who was locked in combat with Fa Huan Fa Huan Yi Tong, and roared:

"Shan Xuan Xuanjing Daozi, why aren't you acting!" His voice cracked like thunder; Shan Xuan Xuanjing Daozi, watching from afar, cursed inwardly—useless fool! What if it was a top-grade divine treasure? A few hits would finish off Fenghuang'er.

"Your disciple obeys!"

Still cursing inwardly, Shan Xuan Xuanjing Daozi leapt into the air, ready to strike the demonic cultivator wreathed in black smoke—when suddenly, he sensed something and froze in place.

He saw the demonic cultivator transform into a thousand-zhang ape, raising his head to roar:

"Bald monk!"

"Wretched beast!"

Monk Ling Ji flew into a rage, turning sharply—then his eyelid twitched.

From the giant ape's mouth, dark lightning wove and surged; in the instant of his roar, a thick bolt of black Lei Guang, dozens of mu in area, blasted forth!

"Hum~"

The giant ape spat Lei Guang!

In an instant, the glow of the blood phoenix's transformation seemed dimmed; the purest Lei Guang streaked across the heavens, moving at unimaginable speed.

The moment Monk Ling Ji saw the Lei Guang, it had already pierced through the void, striking him at a speed he could not react to, engulfing him in the column of light!

"?!"

Monk Ling Ji's vision went black, his spirit sinking.

This light, seemingly born solely to destroy, pierced through his eight golden-essence-empowered protective spells—nearly full of magic seals—in an instant.

Then came his protective divine treasure, and his body, refined over centuries, stronger than any fifth-realm body cultivator's!

Like rotten wood shattered!

"Is this Shan Xuan Yin Lei Guang?!"

In that instant, Monk Ling Ji sensed overwhelming danger; without hesitation, his back shimmered with a strange scene—he had already unleashed his Ji De Fa Fa Jie!

It was a sacred mountain, thousands upon ten thousands of zhang tall, wreathed in incense smoke, humming with endless chanting.

"Crack!"

The moment his Ji De Fa Fa Jie emerged, Monk Ling Ji heard a sound that made his eyes burst with rage.

"No!"

The Lei Guang, which had pierced through in an instant, severed the mountain within his Ji De Fa Fa Jie—and continued, tearing his entire Ji De Fa Fa Jie in two!

Instantly, heaven and earth fell silent.

Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long, still in dragon form performing the ritual; Feng Feng Wu Ding and Fa Huan Fa Huan Yi Tong locked in battle; Fenghuang'er standing firm with her crimson banner; even Shan Xuan Xuanjing Daozi, frozen in midair, sweat beading on his brow.

All eyes were seized by that column of Lei Guang.

"Boom—!"

A moment—or perhaps several moments later—a roar, as if heaven cracked and earth shattered, stars extinguished and exploded, finally detonated within You Jing.

Its volume nearly surpassed the limit a fifth-realm cultivator could perceive.

All one could see: at the instant the sonic wave erupted, all of Monk Ling Ji's summoned spells shattered; then the void trembled, revealing impossibly intricate divine runes.

Beneath the blood phoenix's belly, the scarred earth cracked instantly, turning to dust, exposing the deep arrays beneath.

"..."

Watching the raging ape standing in midair, Shan Xuan Xuanjing Daozi did not hesitate—he turned and vanished into the void.

Immediately, Feng Feng Wu Ding unleashed his Gu Gu Shentong and disappeared.

"This..."

Fenghuang'er's mind went blank for an instant; her gaze at the raging ape was filled with disbelief.

She had previously ignored this demonic cultivator—even when he activated his body-cultivation Gu Gu Shentong, it changed nothing: he was still only third-realm, useless in this great battle.

Yet she never imagined he had cultivated such a terrifying Gu Gu Shentong.

"..."

Li Yuan could hear nothing anymore.

The Shan Xuan Yin Thunder Light, drawn from nearly seventy percent of his Shadow Demon Domain's shadow demon water, had nearly electrocuted him to death; now, not a drop of magic power remained in his body.

Thousands upon tens of thousands of demonic shadows had turned to ash.

This was the cost of unleashing this Shan Xuan Yin Lei Guang—and its terrifying power far exceeded his expectations.

"Ahh!"

A deafening scream erupted after the light column and thunder faded.

In the void, Monk Ling Ji had vanished; only his Ji De Fa Fa Jie, severed into two halves, radiated divine light, resisting the deep black aura left by the Lei Guang's penetration.

"Sssss!"

Rolling black smoke nearly drowned the Ji De Fa Fa Jie.

Under the horrified stares of Fenghuang'er and the others, Monk Ling Ji's Ji De Fa Fa Jie was visibly stained by the black mist, turning gray and lifeless, as if sinking toward a cursed land.

"Shadow demon water!"

Li Yuan's mind buzzed, and seeing this scene, he was startled to realize he had still underestimated the compatibility between the Ying Mo Shen Gong and the Shan Xuan Yin Lei Chi.

The dharma realm, pierced through by Lei Guang, still had to endure the erosion of Shadow Demon Water.

And the Shadow Demon Water contained within that Lei Guang was something he had transformed by devouring who knows how many bizarre lands—it was the culmination of endless filth!

"This isn't Shan Xuan Yin Lei Guang!"

"This is Mo Gong, Mo Gong!"

Ling Ji Monk screamed.

The temples within his dharma realm were collapsing, the divine statues melting, countless sounds of chanting twisted, as if the legendary Five Decays of Heaven and Man had descended.

"Senior Brother Fan Jing!"

Ling Ji Monk's voice cut off abruptly!

Not just his voice—in that instant, including Li Yuan, including that blood phoenix beating its wings, even the You Jing void seemed to freeze.

"This is…"

Li Yuan's pupils contracted violently.

He heard, from somewhere beneath the void, the sound of hymns overflowing.

"Hail the Great Vajra!"

"Vajra subdues demons, Vajra saves the world…"

"Hail, hail…"

The hymns and chanting echoed within the You Jing, and following them came Buddhist light, resplendent gold, as if it were tangible.

The Buddhist light was like a tide, like a sea, like the great golden sun, illuminating every inch of the void and You Jing within sight!

In an instant, the You Jing evil land transformed into a sea of Jin Guang!

"Fan Jing!"

A cry exploded, and the blood phoenix beat its wings.

The shrill and ferocious cry became the sole discordant note among the countless hymns and chanting, and it caused the nearly stagnant void to resume its motion.

But no one thought this was because of the blood phoenix.

Because within the Jin Guang, myriad wondrous scenes emerged—temples, incense, faithful devotees' hymns, Vajras subduing demons, Bodhisattvas performing dharma, Buddhas preaching the Dao.

Visible to the naked eye, blossoms of heavenly flowers manifested, falling like rain, extinguishing the Xiong Xiong burning undying fire of the blood phoenix, sweeping away slaughter and filth.

"Senior Brother Fan Jing!"

The black fog within the dharma realm was swept clean, and Ling Ji Monk walked out from within. His face was deathly pale, his form wavering, yet he knelt reverently on the ground.

"Senior Brother Fan Jing!"

Shan Xuan Xuanjing Daozi, who had fled out from the void, knelt on the ground without hesitation. Feng Feng Wu Ding's face was dark as water, yet he bowed.

"Om~"

"Om~"

Zen chants and hymns intertwined.

From within the Jin Guang, from a 'Vajra Subduing Demons Painting' among the myriad wondrous scenes, walked out a Great Vajra, a zhang and two chi tall, with a kasaya draped diagonally over one shoulder, as if cast from Buddhist light itself.

"Om~"

As he slowly walked out, the myriad wondrous scenes and layers of Jin Guang collapsed and contracted, finally transforming into eight wisdom light wheels, suspended behind his head.

"Great Vajra Fan Jing!"

Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long awoke with a start, and immediately his face darkened and turned bitter.

That Great Vajra's gaze fell upon him, heavy as mountains, rivers, stars, and moon, causing his divine realm to thunder and his body to tremble.

"You!"

Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long's eyes nearly split with rage, his eyes blood-red, the magic power around his body burning even more fiercely, yet he only heard a 'crack'—his legs snapped instantly, and he was about to fall to his knees.

"This little monk is quite fierce!"

At this moment, beyond the void, a low, hoarse voice rang out. A divine light, dark as ink, suddenly appeared, enveloping Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long within it.

Then, the divine light dimmed, carrying Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long as it vanished into the void:

"Gone!"

As the sound waves echoed, suddenly a ferocious dragon claw reached out, seizing Feng Huang'er: "This little phoenix also has some foundation…"

"You cannot leave."

Fan Jing spoke calmly, and Jin Guang flickered in the void, transforming into a golden barrier connecting heaven and earth, blasting Feng Huang'er along with Ying Ying Shan Xuan Long out of the void.

"Little monk, do you want to die?"

In the depths of the void, the shadow of a demonic dragon faintly appeared.

"Matters here are concluded; those who should leave may leave. Until then, this divine sense of yours cannot leave either!"

Fan Jing no longer paid him any attention. His gaze swept across each place, pausing briefly on the violent ape wreathed in rolling black smoke:

"Demon, must be slain!"

"Om~"

Li Yuan's heart was suddenly gripped by a warning omen.

In fact, as early as when Ling Ji Monk had shouted the name 'Fan Jing', he had already thought of retreating, but no matter how he burned his magic power, he could not move.

The instant Fan Jing spoke, he struggled desperately, wanting to sacrifice all the demon shadows within the Shadow Demon Domain in one breath, and unleash another Shan Xuan Yin Lei Guang.

But the moment his words fell, the Ying Mo Shen stiffened, and then turned to dust, falling with a rustling sound.

The myriad demon shadows within his body, the Lei Chi, the spells… also turned into light and shadow, absorbed by the array restrictions, and merged into the blood phoenix's body!

"He… he just died like that…"

Beneath the blood phoenix's obsession body, Duan Yang Jian Tian Yi had long since collapsed limp on the ground.

"It's over!"

Watching the demon who had just displayed his might and nearly slain the Master Lingji monk die just like that, Wang Shan Xuan's legs gave way and he too collapsed to the ground.

"Heh~"

In the void, a low, aged cold laugh flashed and vanished.

Fan Jing seemed not to notice, merely walking slowly toward the Obsession-Body of the Blood Phoenix, which had been trembling violently, nearly going mad, ever since he appeared.

"In those years, it was you, Dao-brother, who said with your own lips that you would aid me in attaining the Dao—why then harbor resentment and grievance?"

Fan Jing walked slowly through the void; wherever he passed, golden light bloomed like lotuses, dazzling and brilliant.

"Fan Jing!"

The Blood Phoenix's grief and fury had reached the extreme; blood-like tears streamed from its eyes:

"I will surely kill you!"

"I will surely kill you!"

"Dao-brother, your obsession runs too deep."

Fan Jing slowly reached out and seized the Blood Phoenix by the neck:

"How will you kill me?"

"Lii!"

The Blood Phoenix cried out, resentful and unwilling, yet suddenly a surge of utter exhilaration burst forth:

"You are doomed!"

"Hm?!!"

Almost the instant the Blood Phoenix cried out, Fan Jing's pupils contracted; he raised his hand to grab at his brow, but a 'Dao-line' sliced his finger!

He suddenly raised his head, his gaze spanning the boundless void, and saw a stretch of dark, profound ocean; at the ocean's edge, an old man sat fishing, gently lifting his rod.

"Mist-Wave Fishing Old Man!!"

(End of this chapter)