Chapter 281

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Protagonist:

Jiang Xuan

"Level this land, slaughter every living being!"

Qiong Qi's voice was low like thunder, its gaze blazing, intent on crushing all vitality between heaven and earth.

It stood like a mountain, its whole body emitting a sky-soaring baleful aura; every word seemed to come from the depths of hell, shaking the surrounding air into distortion.

"Clear away all obstacles, exterminate all enemies!"

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow's eyes glowed blood-red, fangs bared, its words filled with killing intent.

A slight movement of its wings stirred up a foul wind; not a single low-level ferocious beast failed to tremble, and the next moment they would be torn to pieces by this aura.

"Any who perform outstandingly shall be permitted to enter the Tai Gu Shen Shan where I dwell for secluded cultivation!" Its words carried supreme authority, proclaiming a promise.

The Tai Gu Shen Shan is a holy land for cultivators; if one can set foot inside, even a ferocious beast can shed its mortal body and exchange its bones, achieving the extraordinary.

At these words, greed-flames instantly ignited in the eyes of countless ferocious beasts.

The temptation of the Tai Gu Shen Shan is enough to drive any ferocious beast mad.

They roared, restless, the next moment about to pounce onto the battlefield, to prove their worth with blood and slaughter.

"Insolence!" Xiao Hong let out a heaven-shaking long cry, like a thunderclap exploding, shocking the ferocious beasts within a hundred li into involuntarily halting their restlessness.

Its wings spread, emitting dazzling golden light, like a war god descending.

However, despite its suppression, it could only temporarily pacify a small portion of the ferocious beasts.

Beasts are inherently hard to reason with, let alone those ferocious beasts with low intelligence.

The entire Great Wilderness fell into a frenzied restlessness; beast roars rose and fell, deafening.

Countless ferocious beasts' eyes glowed blood-red.

Those ferocious beasts barely suppressed by Xiao Hong also could not help but stir restlessly.

In such a frenzied atmosphere, they simply could not remain uninvolved.

If they did not go with the flow, the first to be torn apart and trampled would surely be themselves.

The entire Great Wilderness seemed to have sunk into an uncontrollable frenzied feast; the roars of countless ferocious beasts shook heaven and earth, permeated with a bloody aura.

The air was thick with a heavy killing aura; even breathing felt suffocating.

"Boy, your Supreme Bone has transformed into a Supreme Furnace; as your master I shall teach you what a true furnace is like."

Jiang Xuan pointed a finger; a streak of flowing light flew from the Boy's chest, transforming into a furnace spanning the Void.

Crimson flames surged, magma flowed horizontally.

The furnace fire appeared out of thin air, carrying a sky-covering heat wave, instantly turning the space within a hundred zhang into a furnace.

Dense essence Qi condensed in the Void, forming a giant fire dragon rushing straight into the clouds.

When it appeared again, it was already in the center of the battlefield of four ferocious beasts.

Scarlet fire tongues roamed the Void; blinding light dispelled the darkness.

The four ferocious beasts simultaneously sensed an unprecedented threat, their gazes snapping in unison toward that jumping firelight.

"Boom!"

Inside the furnace, magma surged, fire waves towered.

Crimson flames like substantial long whips lashed the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow's demon wings.

The wing surfaces instantly melted, turning into a pool of viscous liquid.

"Hiss!"

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow tried to flee, but was entangled by fire chains released from the furnace.

The fire chains clung like shadows, tightly binding the demon wings.

Every inch of contact transmitted heart-piercing scorching pain; the scales on the wing surfaces twisted and deformed under the high temperature, emitting "sizzle" sounds.

"Ah!"

A miserable shriek reverberated across the sky.

The demon wings completely collapsed under the furnace's high temperature, turning into a wisp of green smoke dissipating in the air.

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow's flesh body also suffered severe damage in the sustained high temperature; black blood gushed from its wounds.

But all this seemed still not enough.

Inside the furnace, magma churned, gradually forming a giant vortex.

At the vortex center, a crimson-gold fire pillar rushed straight into the sky, firmly sucking in the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle!"

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow's flesh body continuously twisted in the fire pillar; black blood evaporated under the high temperature, replaced by threads of golden steam.

These steam flowed along the fire pillar into the furnace interior, fusing as one with the magma within.

Xiao Hong and the other two ferocious beasts watched speechless.

"Th-this is refining?"

Xiao Hong's heart pounded uncontrollably.

It had lived so many years, never seen such a domineering method. A Venerable-level Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, just like that, refined alive?

Even more unsettling was that within the aura released by the furnace, there was faintly mixed a strand of familiarity that made their hair stand on end.

That feeling was like returning to the embrace of the mother body, yet carried a few points of indescribable fear.

"So strong!"

No one knew who spoke first, but the other two ferocious beasts also involuntarily retreated a few steps.

Before such a terrifying existence, so-called battle was nothing but a joke.

Inside the furnace, the magma gradually calmed, the fire light collecting.

In the gazes of the four ferocious beasts, only deep wariness and awe remained.

They knew very clearly that what they had encountered today was absolutely not a simple artifact refiner.

This was a terrifying existence capable of controlling the laws of heaven and earth, refining ferocious beasts for its own use.

Such an existence was absolutely not something they could easily provoke.

"Since Qian Sui is here, this sacred object belongs to you, I withdraw from the contention." In the depths of the mountain range, Xiao Hong spoke respectfully.

"It's over, this time it's really over."

Xiao Hong wailed in its inner heart, watching that willow tree gradually awakening before its eyes, it finally understood why it had been trapped here.

This person's aura reminded it of that existence from back then that had nearly caused its demise — a deity.

Contend with a deity, how to contend? Stake one's life and fight?

Xiao Hong had grown to this day, never having seen such a terrifying existence. Its heartbeat raced, the feathers on its wings stood up one by one, even its breath became difficult.

It knew it no longer had any way out.

Just then, it noticed three furnaces floating in the sky.

Those furnaces emitted an eerie emerald green light, floating calmly in the air, like venomous snakes waiting for prey.

Xiao Hong's gaze swept across those furnaces, the blood in its whole body seeming to freeze.

In the distance, the already suppressed Swallowing Heaven Sparrow lay on the ground, its wings tattered, unable to even let out a miserable cry.

That pitiable Venerable realm ferocious beast, once also an existence that struck terror in the Great Wilderness, now was like a lamb awaiting slaughter, at the mercy of others.

Xiao Hong's heart twitched violently.

It knew these furnaces were absolutely not mere decorations.

Their purpose was obvious — to deal with the remaining three people.

"Pa!"

A furnace rotated in the air, space instantly shattering, chaotic qi spreading out.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Hong's calves involuntarily went weak. It could feel the pressure in the air, as if a great mountain pressed on its body, making it almost unable to breathe.

"It's over, everything is over." It thought in despair.

It tried to mobilize the power within its body, but that power seemed suppressed by something, completely unable to circulate. Its claws gripped the ground tightly, nails sinking deep into the soil, yet still unable to steady its silhouette.

"Chi!"

With a light sound, three furnaces activated simultaneously.

Before Xiao Hong could even react, it was already bound.

It struggled, wanting to flee this terrifying power, but it was all in vain.

"Why? Why is it like this?" It roared madly in its heart.

It remembered how powerful an existence it once was, rampaging across the Great Wilderness, no one daring to touch its edge. But now, it didn't even have a sliver of room to resist.

The other two ferocious beasts also met the same fate.

Their sounds of struggle and miserable cries echoed in the valley, yet no one could save them.

Just like that, four Venerable realm ferocious beasts that once ran rampant in the Great Wilderness were caught all at once.

The whole process was calm to an inconceivable degree, not even any fierce battle occurring.

Apart from the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow moving a bit at the very start, the other ferocious beasts didn't even have a chance to fight back.

"Is this a deity's strength?" Xiao Hong sighed silently in its heart.

Such an existence was fundamentally not something Venerable realm ferocious beasts like them could contend against.

As the last ferocious beast was suppressed, the entire Great Wilderness seemed to quiet down.

Those originally restless endless ferocious beasts, as if sensing something, all stopped their restless steps.

Xiao Hong knew this calamity had finally ended.

But the price was the lives of the four Venerable realm ferocious beasts.

"Heyo!" Xiao Dian'er suddenly raised his voice, excitedly dancing hand and foot, pointing at that little red bird, shouting at the top of his lungs: "It's Xiao Hong!"

Xiao Dian'er's words still echoing in the air, he let loose his legs and went "da da da" running toward where Xiao Hong was hanging.

"Xiao Hong, how did you get into Master's furnace?" Xiao Hong's whole body red like fire, only its eyes a different color.

At this moment, it and Xiao Dian'er faced each other eye to eye, immediately rolling its eyes.

Xiao Dian'er scratched his head, full of confusion, always feeling Xiao Hong's gaze hid something strange.

Immediately after, he blurted out another line: "Xiao Hong, could it be you were taught a lesson by Master?" The moment these words came out, Xiao Hong instantly felt life was not worth living.

A scholar can be killed but not humiliated, this wretched state of its own, could it not be seen as the result of a beating?

This little brat, always picking at sore spots, who did he learn this way of speaking from!

However, Xiao Hong's heart also gradually settled a bit.

Having played and frolicked with this little guy before, thinking this time would probably pass safely.

Worldly impermanence, the dignified Huo Guo sacrificial spirit, now actually having to rely on friendship with a Xiao Mao Hai to have hope of preserving its life.

"Should have let Xiao Hong stay in the village long ago, if you hadn't left, how would you have been cleaned up by Master." Xiao Dian'er's mouth like a little loudspeaker that couldn't stop, muttering to himself endlessly.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck his mind, his eyes suddenly lighting up, excitedly saying: "Xiao Hong, when you left originally, was it a secret plan arranged with Master? You went there as an inside agent, waiting for the right moment, then caught all those bad guys in one net?" Xiao Dian'er's face full of excitement, a face of certainty, as if he had discovered some super big secret.

Xiao Hong was stunned by this weird idea, this little brat still reeking of milk, what strange things did he ponder all day long!

However, Xiao Dian'er's outrageous guess attracted the attention of the other three ferocious beasts.

To know such a formidable Master?

He almost stayed in this village back then?

This is too suspicious.

Shi Yunfeng and the others looked at Xiao Dian'er, their hearts in turmoil, for they had personally experienced the terrifying power of these four ferocious beasts.

Xiao Dian'er's Ancestor Grandfather was even more like he had been fixed in place, his whole body stiffened there, completely stunned.

In Shi Cun, besides Jiang Xuan and Xiao Dian'er, he had the broadest experience.

Venerable-level ferocious beasts are existences that can be mentioned in the same breath as a Human Emperor, yet now, four such formidable fellows were buried in the furnace like hanging cured meat.

This is too hard to believe!

Xiao Dian'er's master, could he be a god?!

And this furnace was clearly formed by Jiang Xiansheng connecting with the Supreme Bone inside Xiao Dian'er's body.

This is truly too inconceivable.

"Xiao Dian'er, once you learn this move, you won't lack provisions." Jiang Xuan laughed.

Jiang Xuan looked at the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow.

This Swallowing Heaven Sparrow, its nature is like a vicious flood dragon at the bottom of an abyss, ferocious and ruthless, acting in a cunning and treacherous manner.

Looking back to those years, it once paid homage to a Divine Spirit and became its Direct Disciple.

Time flowed on leisurely; when that Divine Spirit entered its twilight years, the Divine Fire in its body flickered unsteadily, and could extinguish at any moment.

At the critical juncture of life and death, the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow struck without warning, ruthlessly betraying its own benefactor master.

From then on, it embarked on a path of blood rain and bloody winds, relying on various ruthless means and cunning schemes, transforming into a terrifying existence whose name shook the Xia Jie and made people lose their courage at the mere mention of it.

In the Xia Jie, Venerables already stood at the peak of this world; they are the ultimate symbol of the mundane, their every gesture could stir wind and cloud, possessing the great power to overturn rivers and seas.

However, above Venerables, there is the Divine Spirit Realm.

Divine Spirits are originally Transcendent Sage existences, but even among Divine Spirits, there exists a heaven-and-earth difference.

There are some cultivators who, after experiencing countless hardships and trials, finally ignited the Divine Fire and managed to step into the domain of Divine Spirits, enjoying endless reverence and awe.

But when they enter their late years, the Divine Fire is like burnt-out lamp oil, gradually dimming and losing its light, until it extinguishes.

Once the Divine Fire extinguishes, their Qi and blood also decline along with it.

At this time, if purely arguing power, they differ little from a mundane peak Venerable; only, Divine Spirits after all have deep foundations, and the means they grasp are many more than Venerables.

This type of Divine Spirit is in the Divine Fire Realm, also called Pseudo-God by the world; their strength is only limited to their prime years, once they enter twilight, there is no more glory.

But if a Divine Spirit can, on the basis of the Divine Fire Realm, defy heaven and act, break through that layer of shackles, and successfully cultivate into a True God, that would be a thorough transformation.

The metamorphosis from Pseudo-God to True God not only causes one's own strength to increase geometrically, the True God's Divine Fire is also indestructible, only extinguishing upon bodily death.

That is to say, no matter what stage of life they are in, True Gods always stand at the peak of power, possessing endless divine might, almost impossible to fall into a miserable state not even as good as a Pseudo-God.

In the cognition of Xiao Hong and the other ferocious beasts, Jiang Xuan is precisely a Pseudo-God in peak state.

The Eight Domains of the Xia Jie, though vast and boundless, have a limit to the power they can bear that is like an uncrossable chasm, and the Divine Fire Realm is the boundary of this limit.

"I am willing to offer all my treasured collections, only seeking a thread of survival!"

Just at this moment, the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow's sharp yet somewhat trembling voice suddenly rang out.

At this moment, at its broken wings, it was as if ten thousand steel needles were piercing, severe pain attacking wave after wave like a surging tide.

At the critical moment of life and death, it could no longer care about its former dignity and pride as a Venerable, its whole body trembling slightly from fear and the desire to survive, its posture placed extremely low, nearly humbly begging.

"Precious techniques, Spirit Medicines, Primordial Treasure Bones, supreme Magic Weapons, as long as you spare my life, I have them all, and can present them with both hands!"

Its voice was filled with despair and urgency, attempting to grasp the last life-saving straw in the darkness.

Inside that giant furnace, the imprisoned Qiongqi was like a volcano about to erupt, its eyes constantly surging with violent emotions, that dense killing intent like materialized flames, blazing and burning.

It raised its head and let out a long howl, its voice shaking the four fields, roaring fiercely: "So what if you're a Divine Spirit?! In my eyes, you're just a lamb waiting to be slaughtered! Today, even in a head-on fight, I'll bite off a piece of your flesh."

This Qiongqi is a true Ferocious Beast King; it once made countless living beings terrified, and in the past even devoured the countless citizens of an Ancient Kingdom; wherever it went, it was a scene of living beings suffering.

Now placed in the furnace, the rage and killing intent in its heart grew even more intense, its mind full of thoughts of swallowing all the Shi Cun people into its belly.

From the moment it was suppressed, it never stopped struggling, its body constantly twisting.

Although both are supreme ferocious beasts, their personalities and styles of conduct are completely different.

Qiongqi is known for ferocity and brutality; wherever it passes is leveled flat; while the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow excels in insidious cunning, like a venomous snake hiding in the dark, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy at any time.

Looking at Zhuyan again, it was quietly placed in the furnace; although it also similarly yearned to live, its mindset was exceptionally calm, as if it had already seen through life and death.

Its condition could be described as precarious; the injuries on its body were the most severe among the four beasts.

This injury was not caused by Jiang Xuan, but was left from that tragic great battle where the four beasts fought over the Mountain Treasure.

Zhuyan is born with Three Heads Six Arms; its combat power can be called heaven-defying; in the process of contending for the Mountain Treasure, it successfully seized the treasure multiple times.

But this also drew the other three's joint siege.

Moreover, before the Mountain Treasure appeared, Zhuyan had a great battle with Xiao Hong.

Zhuyan was first focused-fired in the melee and suffered heavy injuries, and because of the heavy injuries, it attracted the other three ferocious beasts to intentionally continue targeting it.

Even if it luckily escapes this calamity from Jiang Xuan's hands this time, for Zhuyan to completely heal is also difficult as ascending to heaven.

Because of this, Zhuyan has already seen it openly; no matter what decision Jiang Xuan makes, it holds an attitude of leaving it to fate and not caring, as if everything in this world has already become unrelated to it.

Up to this point, the three great ferocious beasts are like lambs waiting to be slaughtered. (Chapter End)