Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  "Jo next!" Hui Yue ordered, and this time he stopped thinking about those thoughts, and instead fully focused on the fight. His Wu Wei was steadily being used as more and more attacks landed on Jo’s clone. Although, she was quite skillful and managed to throw a few attacks of her own before she was overwhelmed. So far the hardest to defeat was Wang Ju Long, but she was quite skilled in defense and had a higher cultivation than the others.

  "Attack Deng Wu!" Hui Yue called out. During the entire battle, Deng Wu and his clone’s soul shadows had been fighting it out head to head while occasionally attacking other groups with their Wu Wei. The clone's direct attacks had all been blocked by Hui Yue and Cai Jie while the real Deng Wu's attacks assisted in defeating one clone after another.

  Seeing that Deng Wu was taking most of the attacks from his opponent, Hui Yue and Cai Jie thought they could take a slight breather as they were defending against many attacks and their defenses were only so strong. However, they soon understood just how wrong they had been.

  The more of their allies that fell, the more desperate the remaining clones became as the attacks that they had to defend against became increasingly powerful.

  "I am going to try something." Hui Yue said through gritted teeth as he watched his clone. Suddenly a black mist billowed out from his body, forming a protective layer around both his and Cai Jie's body. This made it much easier for both of them to withstand the attacks that rained down upon them.

  While Hui Yue released the black energy, he constantly observed his other self, waiting for it to release a black cloud of its own to attack him and Cai Jie but nothing happened.

  While Hui Yue was surprised, the bull was filled with shock. By now this bull was numb to all the surprises that they had created, but even so, his mind felt muddled, it felt like it had just stopped working as he looked at the black energy.

  What is this? He thought to himself. I know about the energies of magical beasts, and I know the energies the humans use, but this energy is neither, yet is very similar at the same time. How is this even possible?

  While the bull was shocked, Hui Yue was elated. It seemed that this black energy was not something his clone was able to use, and thus he could use it to protect them. This would allow for the two at the front to breathe a little.

  Seeing that Hui Yue had released a black mist everyone was at first surprised. This was because they had never seen Hui Yue use this energy before, but they quickly adjusted. Everyone kept attacking Deng Wu's clone which slowly lost ground and became overwhelmed as it too turned into a shadow which vanished just like all the others.

  By now only Sha Yun, Cai Jie, and Hui Yue's clones remained, but they were full of ferocity. They were displaying their most outstanding abilities.

  The entire ground under Hui Yue and his friends had long since turned to magma; the heat was intense, but it was also showed their desperation. Although Sha Yun's energy clone was capable of using magma, it was useless against their group that had traversed the wastelands and gained Ancestral Worldpower which protected their bodies against the heat. They had even learned how to give their Ancestral Worldpower Fire nature due to the fact that they learned the incomplete Phoenix Descent. For these reasons fire was now completely useless against them. As long as this fire was not too much stronger than their current levels.

  Standing on the magma, Hui Yue, who was still covered in the black energy, let one Wu Wei attack after another rain down upon the Sha Yun’s clone, and everyone followed his lead. Cai Jie, who had even more Wu Wei attacks than Hui Yue, was also attacking as if his life depended on it.

  Now that the black energy was surrounding them none of the Wu Wei attacks could touch them, but suddenly Hui Yue called out in surprise. It was not Sha Yun who had caused him to call out, but his own clone as he saw a fiery red energy envelop this clone. His entire body turned red and was indistinct. It was clear that he was getting ready to use the Phoenix Descent.

  "Everyone back up!" Hui Yue called out, and although the others were worried about Hui Yue, they could do nothing but all back away. This ensured that he did not only have to protect himself but also his friends behind him.

  The black cover over Cai Jie vanished, and instead it intensified in thickness around Hui Yue. Without any reservations, he used all his energy to shield the front of him. As he did, he noticed that the clones of Sha Yun and Cai Jie had vanished. This would be the final clash and also the last battle to decide the victor.

  It was true that if they lost now, then they could try again, but within the minds of all these experts were no thoughts of losing. Looking at Hui Yue, who was covered completely by the black energy which was sucking in all the surrounding energy, the bull was greatly alarmed. Hui Yue had turned into a whirlwind that was constantly sucking in energy. Even the Ancestral Worldpower from his clone's attack was attracted towards him and gulped up. This energy entered his body and made his strength soar to the sky.

  The Phoenix Descent that his energy clone planned to use soon lost all its power. Instead, it was absorbed by Hui Yue who felt his body becoming stronger and stronger very quickly. As the final drop of Ancestral Worldpower had vanished from his clone, it turned into a shadow that slowly vanished.

  Hui Yue had won the battle for their team. However, while he was still standing the black energy still swiftly turning around him. As it finally vanished, they found that blood was slowly streaming from the corner of his mouth while the aura around his body was incredibly chaotic and impossible to understand.

  Rushing towards Hui Yue, all his friends were worried for him. The moment they reached his side, Hui Yue looked at them with a tired smile. "I’ll rest now." He said before he collapsed into Sha Yun’s arms who gently laid him down on the ground.

  "You will all stay here until he is fit and then we will head to the next trial." The bull said with a stern voice. He had never before seen this black energy, and he felt rather worried having seen this level of skill executed from such a lowly Saint ranked expert.

  He wished to ask this person about this before they continued to the next trial. Not because he felt that he had cheated, but because Hui Yue had used something not even the divine masters could copy. It was clear that it was outside of their understanding. How could Hui Yue comprehend something that not even the divine masters understood? Thinking about this, the bull was quite unsettled.

  Hui Yue was sleeping soundly, and while he was asleep, the chaotic aura around his body slowly relaxed and became more stable once more. As he opened his eyes, Hui Yue felt that he had absorbed all the clone’s energy, doubling the amount of Ancestral Worldpower which was flowing within his body. He could feel minor changes within his body as well. His body was much lighter than before, yet his strength had increased. His physical defense had improved and his ability to control this Ancestral Worldpower had also increased.

  Feeling this sudden leap in his strength, Hui Yue was quite shocked. He had never known that this black energy he had created had such a potent ability to devour energy in the world around him. Looking inward, he found that the black energy he had stored for so long had more than halved and with a heavy heart he slowly started to cultivate and create more.

  The bull was not in a rush to talk with Hui Yue. It understood that he had gained quite some benefits from this encounter and needed to adjust his body before he was ready to converse. Observing Hui Yue, the bull was filled with both amazement and trepidation.

  Chapter 454 - Trial of Determination

  * * *

  Chapter 454: Trial of Determination

  It took Hui Yue around a day to wake from his trance. When he opened his eyes, no one around him was able to understand what happened to him, but he knew his body had to rest while he refined and got the massive influx of energy under control. All the chaotic energies had been successfully refined, and as a result, his body underwent a miraculous change. He could feel his upper dantian flooded with energy. His Wu Wei core was growing rapidly expanding allowing for
him to become much more powerful than before. Although he was still a Saint ranked expert, he could not help but feel that his strength was on par with those very few top tier Saints. The likes of the Frozen General, Wan Qiao, or Li Xiaopeng might not necessarily be his match any longer.

  "Ahem." The bull cleared his throat as he moved towards Hui Yue, finally taking the time to speak with him.

  "I have never seen that black energy you used before..." He started. "Not even the divine masters knew about this energy, how do you know about it? Is it perhaps a technique you gained from a supreme expert that roamed the heavens?" The bull was interested in this energy and how it had appeared in this world, but Hui Yue just shook his head.

  "The divine beasts naturally do not know about it because I created it on my own. I am of mixed blood. Not only do I have dantians with the ability to cultivate like a human, but I also have a beast core with the ability to cultivate like a beast. Mixing these two energies together creates this volatile energy. However, it is not at all easy to merge. It takes quite some time to merge and refine even a small amount, and today I used up half of the energy I had managed to create over the last few years."

  Hui Yue did not explain about the green pearl nor the blue cloud. Although he admired and was grateful to this bull, he was not going to tell him about his closely guarded secrets. He never knew if this bull would suddenly decide to raise the difficulty of their challenge just because Hui Yue had hidden strengths.

  Hearing Hui Yue's answer the bull was shocked. He had heard about mixed blooded creatures before but none of them had both dantians and beast cores. No matter what age he thought back to, he could not find even the slightest memory of a creature who had both a beast core and dantians.

  "I see..." The bull was amazed. Truthfully this bull did not have the ability to make the trials harder than they already were, but he was still amazed by these youngsters. He was getting more and more certain that the Formation of Life would finally choose a new guardian, and that he would be able to leave this deserted realm and once more roam the worlds outside.

  "In this case, let’s move onto the next trial." The bull said, and the world around them warped once more as the current scenery changed into something else.

  When Hui Yue focused, he found that they were now inside a massive building, seated on the floor in a large stone hall. However, the air was chilled, and it felt even colder than it had when they were traveling through the mountain range.

  "Senior bull." Hui Yue asked curiously as he looked around. "You keep calling this a realm. What exactly is the difference between a realm and a world?" He understood that both were created by Gods, yet even so, it seemed that they were not the same.

  Looking at Hui Yue with a deep glance, the bull could not help but wonder why Hui Yue had asked such a question. Most who had entered this realm before could not tell that there was a difference between a realm and a world yet Hui Yue had noticed. Explaining the differences to him was not a bad idea.

  "As you know, Gods are capable of creating worlds. For something to be called a world it needs to contain living beings who are able to evolve and sustain themselves from the world."

  "Realms are usually broken worlds or worlds which were failed while they were being formed. After failure, they become a small pocket dimension within the vast space where the worlds are like shining stars."

  "The world that my masters, the divine beasts, created is a real world, and it is even ranked as one of the top ten thousand worlds, able to create a crowned sovereign."

  "This, on the other hand, is just a realm that the Vermilion Bird set up on a whim. He never got to finish it and therefore it was always just a broken world used for nothing before they created the Formation of Life."

  "Most realms cannot exist without being attached to a world, and this small realm has been attached to the Divine Beast World. It is an unstable realm, and as soon as the Formation of Life is removed, the realm will collapse." The bull explained.

  "Right now it only exists because it is supported by the dense essence of the heavens and earth and the great amount of Ancestral Worldpower from the formation. When it is moved everything in here will collapse, but at the same time, the energy within the world of the divine beasts will see an increase. This is because as of right now only a small fraction is able to slip through between the two worlds."

  Listening to the words of the bull, Hui Yue finally understood the differences between a realm and a world, and he also somewhat realized that creating a world was nowhere as simple as he had expected.

  "Thank you senior for the explanation." He said humbly with a nod of his head. "Please explain the next trial we will undergo."

  He no longer had time to waste on something as esoteric as creating worlds. They had already been within this world for quite a long time, and he wished to return as soon as possible. He wished to become a God and fulfill the many plans he had for the future.

  "Right." The bull cleared his throat as he looked at the ones in front of him, his eyes showing some tenderness. It was clear that he had gotten to like these youngsters from the time they had spent together within this fire realm.

  "This next trial is the most challenging so far." He warned them. "Unlike the ones where you are capable of passing through with sheer strength, this one will test your determination and willpower. It will test your heart of martial arts and your eagerness to succeed."

  "This test cannot be passed with power at all. You will enter a trance where you will experience different things. While these experiences are an illusion, they are as real as anything else your soul experiences. Be careful, if your soul dies within these illusions then you will truly die; your soul will never again return to your body staying eternally trapped in your new reality."

  "I have warned you. If you do not feel that you have the heart of a martial artist, then you should back away now."

  Everyone looked at one another. Although the words caused them to feel slightly worried none of them were willing to back down

  "I might only be interested in food but my martial heart has grown increasingly stronger during the time we have been here; I am sure of my own heart." Jo suddenly said, and after she finished speaking the others nodded their heads. All of them walked the martial path; all of them were geniuses and believed in their own determination and their own heart.

  Seeing that all of them were so determined, none backing down, the bull could do nothing but sigh in amazement. These experts were very young, but they feared nothing in their pursuit of the apex of cultivation. It was clear that he was hoping for the best, yet amongst all the trials, most had failed here. Therefore, the bull could not help but be nervous.

  "At least one of you will perish in this trial." He said seriously as he looked at them. "Do you think that gaining the Formation of Life is a walk in the park? Believing that only one of you will die is already a very generous estimation of your abilities. If you are unlucky, only half may survive or even less!"

  The bull hoped that at least some of them would back out, but their eyes were filled with determination; it was clear that all of them were willing to give their all to improve and pass this trial.

  Sighing the bull took out his final trump card.

  "The next trial is the trial of talent. This trial is also an individual one, and only by passing the trial will you be able to reach the Formation of Life. You do not all need to go through these trials to obtain the Formation, just one person passing is enough. This way you can ensure that you will not have any casualties in your group!"

  The bull had preferred not to say anything but seeing such talent in these children, their level-headedness, and accomplishments, he did not want any of them to lose their lives in this trial.

  Hui Yue was touched by the gentleness showed by this bull, but he still shook his head. "Many thanks senior for the kind words." He began but looking at all his friends a smile shone on his face. "However, we went through this trial together. We will a
lways have each other's side, and although this trial is dangerous, I do not doubt in the martial hearts of any of my companions. We went through this trial of fire together, and we will leave having passed all the trials together as well. There is no need to be overly worried about us, should anyone die here then I will stake my life to go to the Netherworld to resurrect them when I become a God." The casual way Hui Yue mentioned resurrection stunned the bull but moments after he laughed out loud.

  "Go to the Netherworld to resurrect your dear ones? Yes, that is indeed a possibility but to do so, you will need to trade something of equal value for the life of the person you want to resurrect." The bull laughed. "Yanluo will never let his souls go! He controls the Netherworld with an iron fist. You would need either immense power or something he wants to make him agree. Still, for some reason, I feel that it might be possible for you in the future, so I will say no more and allow everyone to enter this Trial of Determination. Who knows, perhaps you will really give me another surprise and all of you will survive."