Mu Zhe finally couldn't hold back any longer, his knees buckling as he knelt down.
Yu Xinghe rushed to help him, but he himself was unsteady and stumbled onto Mu Zhe, knocking him off balance.
Shen Weifeng's eyes lit up; he finally understood why this body was called "the number one person in the Nine Provinces."
Just now, Shen Gurong felt like a bystander, watching helplessly as he controlled Shen Feng Xue's body, unleashing a terrifying sword intent that severely injured the man who had casually unleashed a thousand-foot-high flame.
Seeing Xue Manzhuang, who had been so arrogant just moments before, kneeling beside him coughing up blood, Shen Gurong raised an eyebrow and said, "You lost."
Xue Manzhuang grinned: "I'm not dead yet, so I haven't lost."
Xue Manzhuang coughed up another mouthful of blood, which he wiped away. The phoenix blood seemed to be mixed with shimmering fragments of light, instantly blooming into clusters of fiery phoenix flowers on the ground.
Shen Feng Xue didn't remember Xue Manzhuang; he didn't know if it was because his memory has been destroyed, or if Shen Feng Xue simply doesn't think this person is worth remembering.
After the excitement subsided, Shen Gurong belatedly realized a strong metallic taste of blood was rising in his mouth. He bit his lip, desperately holding back the blood.
Shen Gurong took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the metallic taste, and mimicked his previous gesture, beckoning with his hand. His natal sword didn't reappear.
He beckoned again, repeatedly, back and forth, but Lin Xiachun remained unmoved.
Shen Gurong: "..."
This was somewhat embarrassing.
Shen Gurong was afraid of death. Unable to summon that divine weapon, and facing this phoenix again, he didn't know if he could easily defeat him.
He didn't want to linger outside the barrier. Just as he was about to take a half-step back to the Boundary Spirit Tablet, a blazing flame suddenly rose before him.
The flames, like a fiery dragon, roared and engulfed Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong instinctively felt a sense of disgust towards the surrounding flames, thinking that given Shen Feng Xue's previous combat prowess, even without that sword, he could easily beat him up again.
Amidst the raging flames, a phoenix's piercing cry rang out. After an unknown period of time, the fire subsided, and a radiant phoenix reappeared in the same spot.
The phoenix raised its head and roared, spewing forth a stream of crimson phoenix fire, which crashed down upon Shen Gurong with a deafening roar.
Phoenix fire can incinerate everything in the world; even a Great Ascension stage cultivator would suffer severe burns if touched by it. However, phoenix fire is generally only possessed by adult phoenixes.
The red mark between Xue Manzhuang's brows, seemingly dripping blood, was a mark of an adult phoenix.
—No wonder he was so confident earlier.
Shen Gurong saw the oncoming flames, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints. He didn't have time to dodge, and instinct told him there was no need to.
He feigned composure, his eyes fixed intently on the flames that seemed to ignite the very air.
The next instant, a deafening roar erupted, and flames engulfed Shen Gurong entirely.
Yu Xinghe, seeing this from afar, screamed in terror, "Master!"
Li Suo grabbed him, preventing him from recklessly running out.
A phoenix circled overhead, its long feathers stirring up even more intense flames.
He landed before the blazing inferno, transforming into human form. Seeing Shen Gurong, his figure barely discernible amidst the flames, he raised an eyebrow slightly and declared arrogantly, "I told you, today I will take you back to the demon race."
He had endured decades of beatings from the people of Li Ren Peak for no reason; this time, he could finally pluck that high-mountain flower blooming atop the cold mountain and possess it himself. This almost maddening sense of control filled him with a twisted pleasure.
Shen Feng Xue…
The Holy Lord Shen, who had never even opened his eyes to look at him, was finally his alone.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, Xue Manzhuang's breath trembled. His gaze towards Shen Gurong burned hotter than the phoenix fire.
"Shen Feng Xue, I don't want to kill you," Xue Manzhuang said, suppressing his inner elation. "If you admit defeat, I'll withdraw the fire."
Just then, a soft laugh suddenly came from the flames before him, followed by a gentle breeze that whipped the phoenix blood back.
Xue Manzhuang froze, immediately leaping backward, his eyes narrowing in horror. "This is Nan Yangjun's..." he exclaimed.
A gust of wind dispersed, and Shen Gurong, dressed in white without a single scrape of his robes, stood there, his jade-like face and ethereal figure exuding gentleness.
The protective barrier around him slowly dissipated. He slightly raised his eyes and smiled faintly, "Who did you say admitted defeat?"
Xue Manzhuang was stunned. Seeing Shen Gurong's smile, his eyes widened.
He froze on the spot, unable to stop the flames that lashed out at him, and was sent flying several feet.
With a deafening roar, dust billowed everywhere.
Through the smoke, Xue Manzhuang was instantly reverted to his original form, letting out a pitiful "Chirp!" as a tiny, palm-sized, crimson ball rolled straight down the stone steps.
Shen Gurong inwardly exclaimed, 'Wow!' Shen Gurong! You're the most powerful person in the world!'
Shen Gurong lavishly praised himself, but the sudden appearance of a protective barrier had drained half of his spiritual energy, leaving him weak and trembling.
He covered his lips with his hand, coughing up blood, which eased the pent-up frustration in his chest.
Fortunately, Xi Guxing's elixirs had worked somewhat; otherwise, he would have coughed up three liters of blood with a single exertion of spiritual energy during this fight.
As his inner core activated instinctively, the lingering phoenix spiritual energy around him swirled and was absorbed into his empty spiritual meridians.
In just a moment, his half-empty spiritual meridians were full.
It seemed the phoenix spiritual energy was even more effective than the elixirs.
Shen Gurong's brows slowly relaxed. He slipped his hands into his wide sleeves and silently wiped the blood from his palms.
The dust settled, and the stone steps were deserted.
Xue Manzhuang had run away at some point.
This was Shen Gurong's first time fighting in the body of Shen Feng Xue. Seeing that he had actually routed such a powerful cultivator, he was quite pleased with himself, despite sustaining some injuries.
As he was feeling pleased, he suddenly felt a burning sensation between his brows. He raised his hand to touch it, and his fingertips suddenly felt like they had been burned—it stung terribly.
The disciples beside the Boundary Spirit Tablet stared wide-eyed, their expressions a mixture of fear and reverence.
Because Shen Feng Xue's oppressive aura hadn't completely dissipated, Mu Zhe and Yu Xinghe could barely stand, and Li Suo carried them, one in each arm, their faces pale.
Xi Guxing arrived late, instructing Li Suo to take the two unsteady children back. The other disciples dispersed.
Hearing Xi Guxing's voice, Shen Gurong quickly returned to the Boundary Spirit Tablet, saying with a hint of smugness, "Senior brother, that phoenix has escaped."
I chased it away.
Waiting for praise.
Xi Guxing initially seemed indifferent; he was used to Xue Manzhuang and Shen Feng Xue always fighting him.
However, as he drew closer, Xi Guxing's gaze fell on Shen Gurong's brow, and his expression drastically changed.
—A crimson mark slowly appeared half an inch above Shen Gurong's brow.
Xi Guxing strode over, grabbed Shen Gurong's hand, and said sharply, "You absorbed the phoenix's spiritual power into your spiritual veins?!"
Shen Gurong was confused, not understanding why he was so serious.
Shen Gurong nodded.
Xi Guxing immediately erupted in fury: "Are you crazy?! You dare to casually touch the spiritual energy of the demon race?!"
Shen Gurong was even more bewildered, not understanding why Xi Guxing was angry.
He instinctively wanted to ask: So what if it's the spiritual power of the demon race?
But when he opened his mouth, he only managed a soft "Chirp chirp?"
Xi Guxing: "..."
Shen Gurong: "????"
Shen Gurong: "!!!!"
Chirp!? 🤣🤣🤣
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