Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  The group quickly calmed down but despite this Sha Yun understood that these friends of hers weren’t all as friendly as she had thought. Within her heart, a barrier had grown. Closing her eyes, she mumbled to herself, “Why does it have to be like this?”

  Tears were brimming in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away, not willing to let anyone see her tears.

  “Instead of blaming Sha Yun, why don’t we start moving forward?” Suggested the man as the Saints had long since vanished down the tunnel. “Hopefully, we can find more treasure further in the grave.” Everyone looked at the speaker and then nodded their heads. Slowly they all started to move forward through the tunnels they had moved in before.

  Sha Yun was standing uncertain what to do, yet after a moment of indecisiveness she quickly caught up with her friends and continued moving forwards. The place they had been standing before was eerie quiet. After around half an hour a shadow moved from the location and soon after followed straight behind Sha Yun and the beasts who had rushed off.

  ….

  “Wang Ju Long, come here quickly! We have more wounded experts!” Someone called out, and Wang Ju Long quickly looked at the expert she was currently healing. This man had a hole in his chest, yet the weapon had somehow missed all his vitals. Looking at the one who called for her, Wang Ju Long quickly forced her spiritual energy into the body of her patient before she cut off the energy. She then rushed to the next patient.

  The first patient with the hole in his body was at first ready to scream out for Wang Ju Long to return to healing him when he found that there was a foreign energy within his body. An energy which soothed his pain and quickly healed his wounds. Noticing this, he obediently laid back down on the blanket allowing for the strange energy to heal him. The more he was healed, the weaker the energy from Wang Ju Long became, and as his body was completely healed, the final drop of energy was consumed.

  Rushing back and forth, Wang Ju Long made sure to heal one person after another, yet as time tricked by her energy was completely exhausted. She then took the time to sit down and cultivate. Looking at the many injured experts, her eyes constantly scoured the newcomers fearing that her friend were amongst them. Though the knowledge that she could do nothing while completely drained, pushed her to focus completely on cultivating. While cultivating she was picturing herself trying to save Hui Yue, but not having the power to do so. This caused tears to stream down her face as she stubbornly continued to cultivate despite being too exhausted to do so. The thought of losing Hui Yue was not something she could handle.

  Chapter 364 - Is That Truly an Emperor?

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  Chapter 364: Is That Truly an Emperor?

  The two Saints, Hui Yue and Xiao Ning, were both rushing towards the Saints who were catching up on them, and upon reaching them, they couldn’t help but smile. Hui Yue used his Emperor strength forming a palm above him created with Wu Wei which rapidly descended upon their opponents.

  This attack was a mere Emperor ranked skill yet it was still something they needed to be cautious of. The undulations that appeared from the attack was in no way as weak as a normal Emperor attack; instead, it was more akin to a Saint who had broken through recently. Although the attack could not truly threaten them, it could, without a doubt, injure them. An injury which would almost cripple them if they wished to take down Xiao Ning. They all knew that to take down the Shield of Taiyang they would need to be at their strongest.

  Knowing that he was being ignored, Hui Yue snickered. Although it was true that Xiao Ning shone far brighter than him, he was not someone to be looked down upon. Suddenly the spiritual energy left his spiritual energy sea and started roaming through his meridians in a very specific pattern before it flooded out of his fingers into the ground below. On top of the spiritual energy sea the yellow flame was twisting and turning as drops of yellow liquid left the flame. It then merged with the mercury colored spiritual energy turning it yellow as it left his body and poured into the ground below.

  The opponents did not notice what Hui Yue was doing because they were spending their energy evading the massive palm crushing down towards them. Then they focused their attention solely on Xiao Ning. He was their opponent; he was the one they needed to watch out for. The Emperor was someone easily dealt with in their eyes. This was the mindset of the Saints who fought Hui Yue and Xiao Ning, and knowing that he was underestimated, the white-haired young man almost laughed out loud as he poured more and more energy into the ground.

  The ground suddenly started twisting and turning as a massive hand sprouted from the ground. A hand that was four meters tall and as agile as Hui Yue’s own hand. Looking at this hand coming from the ground. The hand was clearly created from Earth itself, but they could see that the power contained in it was nothing ordinary.

  Now they had to decide which opponent to focus on. Should they focus on this hand which clearly could cause trouble for them, or should they continue their attack against Xiao Ning? Their original target had been Xiao Ning, but because of this hand, the group fell into turmoil. Some blocked the hand while some continued their attack on the Saint. There was no one orchestrating their attacks, so it was a decision made by each attacker, causing confusion amongst the opponents.

  Seeing that everyone split up, Hui Yue grinned even more than before. He brought the massive hand sweeping down straight at his opponents. Golden lights flashed in the tunnel as they summoned their Wu Wei, yet every time an attack struck the hand the soil reformed. This made it seemingly impossible to destroy it. No matter how many attacks landed it would just keep regenerating.

  Seeing this, the experts became slightly irritated seeing this technique was more resilient that they expected. Their advance came to a halt as they didn’t dare move into the range of the hand only to find out that it could move. The hand shot forwards, and with a massive force it slapped towards the experts like a hand would slap a fly.

  Some experts managed to escape while others were unable to and instead got sent flying. They crashed into the wall violently creating a large crater in it. This was something which stunned everyone present, and even Xiao Ning was surprised that Hui Yue could unleash such an attack without using his Saint powers.

  Although it seemed formidable and had an outstanding amount of force behind it, Hui Yue was only an Emperor. Although the experts were thrown into the wall, they could regain their footing relatively quickly with only superficial injuries. This take of attack was not much to a Saint.

  Seeing this, Hui Yue could not help but feel slightly dejected, but nevertheless, he poured even more energy into the ground beneath him and summoned a second hand. A complete replica of the one already there. Then the two hands advanced rapidly.

  One hand was constantly attacking the Saints while the other was grabbing at them trying to crush them. Seeing the two attacks the Saints were forced to constantly retreat. Although the wounds they accumulated were only superficial, it still affected them slightly. When it came time, even the slightest injury could put them at a disadvantage. When they later had to fight against Xiao Ning.

  Hui Yue did not even spare a glance at Xiao Ning to see how he was doing as all his focus was on the Saints in front of him. Although his attacks did not do serious damage, he still smirked with confidence because the Saints had no other option than to retreat for the sake of the later battle. True the hands were protecting him, but if they went all out was it really impossible for them to break two hands created by soil and stones? They were Saints so course they could destroy it, but they were hesitating to invest such a large amount energy on such a low leveled opponent. Although he was troublesome, he was not worthy of the energy they needed to use against Xiao Ning.

  Hui Yue betted on the fact that they did not wish to use lots of their energy, so he relentlessly continued to attack. At the same time, he made sure not to stray too far from Xiao Ning. Although Hui Yue did not look at Xiao Ning, the older man was often glancing towards Hui Yue to ensure that he
was doing fine, only to be stunned time and time again to see that he, an Emperor, was capable of holding multiple Saints at bay. The impression that Xiao Ning had of Hui Yue was constantly increasing, and now he almost revered Hui Yue as a genius amongst geniuses.

  Not knowing what Xiao Ning was thinking, Hui Yue twisted the hands and changed his tactics. He commanded the hands to slam the ground making them slap the floor so hard that the entire tunnel trembled. This caused shockwaves which helped hold the Saints back. Finally, he had the time to look at Xiao Ning, and as expected, the Saint had already disposed of the experts who were attacked him. Seeing this, Hui Yue rushed behind him and unsummoned the two hands.

  The experts who had been kept at bay by Hui Yue had foul expressions on their faces. They saw that now it was not Hui Yue who was in front of them, but instead, the one they feared. Although they had the advantage of numbers, they still had to admit that the Saint in front of them was quite a bit stronger than themselves. Seeing that he had already disposed of the other experts who was to say that he couldn’t take them? Especially considering that not one of them had been unscathed after fighting Hui Yue. Their wounds might be superficial, but they were still present, and their opponent was completely unharmed. Before they even started fighting this powerful Saint they were at a disadvantage.

  “They aren’t Saints from the Taiyang Kingdom,” Hui Yue mimicked the words that Xiao Ning had said before the fight started. “I will be leaving the rest of the work to you,” He continued shamelessly as he sat down behind the older man. “I am sure this will help you balance your energies now that you advanced to the fourth star,” He continued completely carefree as he placed his hands behind his head and leaned against the stone wall.

  Seeing Hui Yue’s actions, Xiao Ning was uncertain of how to react. At first, he wanted to laugh but then he wanted to cry. Was he not just demeaned as mere cleanup? To save his energy, Hui Yue left all the hard work for him to deal with. Although he felt slightly abused, he remembered the golden pills that he was gifted, and a grin appeared on his face. He owed this young man a lot. If he wanted to take it easy while fighting a few experts, then why not let him. Xiao Ning was thought this while he stepped forward. As soon as he did golden Wu Wei left his body rushing in front of him creating a light screen that covered the entire tunnel.

  With a harrumph, he created another light screen similarly to the one in front of him, but this one appeared behind the experts who were currently battling against Hui Yue and Xiao Ning. With a gesture of his hand, these two light screens started to move towards one another.

  Looking at these two light screens that were slowly moving towards one another, the Saints started to feel fear. Their strongest attacks were thrown against the screens, but this only caused them to shake a little. At one point a small crack appeared, but Xiao Ning’s energy quickly mended it. He was clearly in full control of what was happening.

  Looking at this trap, it was Hui Yue turn to be at a loss. This was without a doubt one of the easiest ways to deal with a lot of experts at once, but it was truly gruesome, and he would have a front row seat to watch these experts crushed into a meaty pulp.

  Hui Yue was in no way a young man who feared death, or was weak to blood, but as the screams of these experts began, he had to admit that this was one of the most gruesome ways of killing that he had ever seen. It could almost rival the soul devouring beast attack Hui Yue had used in the war. Only when nothing else but silence lingered in the air, did Xiao Ning remove the two light barriers.

  Looking at Hui Yue, he was surprised to see that he had not puked or in any way looked sick. Everyone he knew would criticize him for killing in such a way; however, it was not like he had much choice. His strength lay in shields, and his attacks were all unless. Therefore he used his remarkable shields crush his enemies to death.

  “It’s a bit too messy to take their storage stones don’t you think?” Hui Yue commented as he stood up and went to Xiao Ning’s side looking at the flesh, bones, and blood which was all tangled together with scraps of clothing and hair. It was truly a grotesque sight, and Hui Yue did not want to linger more than absolutely possible.

  Xiao Ning did not answer, and when Hui Yue looked at him he saw that his face was pale. Staring at the meaty pulp, he suddenly turned around and puked, he, himself, not being able to stand the sight he created. Feeling somewhat sorry for the big guy, Hui Yue withdrew a red pill which he tossed to Xiao Ning.

  Looking at the pill, Xiao Ning did not fear that it was poisonous and instantly popped it in his mouth. As soon as it landed on his tongue, he felt the weakness quickly vanished and all the energy he had used previously once more returned to him. With a deep sigh, he grabbed a water bottle from his storage stone and poured it over his face before he looked at Hui Yue and nodded his head.

  “Let’s continue, perhaps those lucky bastards in front have managed to find something of value.”

  Chapter 365 - Wu Wei Warrior

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  Chapter 365: Wu Wei Warrior

  Hearing the words Xiao Ning said, Hui Yue looked at the older man and could not help but grin, a grin which was quickly returned. It was true that it had taken them some time to deal with the Saints that had caught up to them from the back, and now the group they were following before was now nowhere in sight.

  Despite this, the two experts were both in high spirits. They managed to deal with some competitors though they had died a truly gruesomely it was quickly ignored. The only thing which bothered Hui Yue was the fact that the storage stones were simply too covered in gore to take with them.

  Leaving behind the Saints who sealed their own fate by attack them, Hui Yue felt no remorse. Even if these experts had been a part of the Taiyang Kingdom, he would have reacted the same way. Within these tunnels which country you were from and what your status was in the outside world did not matter. It was a true dog eat dog world where the strongest would obtain the riches and the weakest would be pushed away. Had the duo of Saints not already showed this by stealing from many of the weaker cultivators? And other Saints had time and time again tried to steal from Hui Yue, greatly underestimating his strength.

  “You tried to kill me,” He said with a cold gleam in his eyes. “So why can I not kill you?” His words despite being mumbled were heard clearly by Xiao Ning, and it caused shiver had run down his spine. Time and time again he felt relief for being on Hui Yue’s side, and from a while ago he had actually started to fear this young man. Had it not been for the two golden pills he had received from Hui Yue, then he would still be a three star Saint, someone whom Hui Yue would not even put in his eyes, but now he was stronger than your common Saints.

  Both experts were deep in thoughts as they went further and further into the tunnel. The group in front of them triggered the majority of the traps and the ones they had not triggered posed no threat to either Hui Yue nor Xiao Ning as they quickly passed them by.

  Although they headed deeper into the tunnel, there were no signs of any treasures having appeared just as there was no signs of the group who was diligently clearing the traps. They had clearly picked up their pace and rushed through the tunnel in the hope of leaving it before Hui Yue and Xiao Ning caught up to them once again.

  Following their trail, neither Hui Yue or Xiao Ning felt any urge to rush. This was a mysterious grave, and everyone who was within it should move with care. Although a few people were ahead as of now, no one knew when they would encounter an obstacle which required more than just their strength to break through. When that happened, these experts would have no other option than to wait for many Saints to gather once again.

  Moving down the path blood started to appear more frequently on the ground as more traps were seen. These traps seemed increasingly ferocious. After walking half an hour, they came across a body in the tunnel. This cultivator was a one star Saint, but even so, his body had been hit by a slash which had almost severed his body in two. His insides were spread on the ground, and his eyes
were still opened and filled with shock as his life left them.

  Seeing the dead expert’s shock, Hui Yue and Xiao Ning were in a somber though their reasons were completely different. This expert was a Saint from the Taiyang Kingdom, and Xiao Ning could not help but fear that his kingdom was becoming weaker every time a Saint died. “I need to kill more of the other experts,” He mumbled. “The balance must be maintained.”

  Hui Yue was more worried about the dangers they would encounter soon because at some point they would reach an even more dangerous area. So far they had only been in tunnels, but he knew that this was only a fraction of the grave. Thinking back to Heaven’s door he assumed that after going through this tunnel they would reach the actual grave; the place where treasures would be stacked on top of each other alongside countless deadly traps.

  Although this was all just speculation Hui Yue remembered the words the spirit imprint at the Heaven’s door said, and it sounded like there was not a lack of treasures. Still in the tunnel he had picked there had been nothing insanely beneficial so far. They had only come across two stashes of treasures, and although these were filled with great materials, for both Xiao Ning and himself, it was far from what they expected to gain.