Under Changxi’s leadership, the entire Fire Phoenix Clan had gathered here. Kornet and the assembly of Tianmu Clan powerhouses, naturally unable to escape, were also present at Changxi’s insistence.
Nearly a hundred experts of refined cultivation stood outside the valley entrance. The valley within was the secluded meditation ground where Evelyn, Adams, and Mahisa’s deceased master had cultivated. Upon arrival, Evelyn’s expression was deeply troubled; wracked with guilt, he stood motionless.
He had no desire to reveal the whereabouts of Shi Yan and Zi Yao, yet he had no choice. He could not sacrifice the lives of the Tianmu Clan members to protect the two.
And Changxi had stated he merely wished to clarify the origin of the Flame Crystal and had no intention of a massacre.
Evelyn forced himself to think positively. After bringing the people over, he intended to enter the valley alone to speak with Shi Yan and Zi Yao first. However, the moment he took a step toward the valley, his face suddenly stiffened.
A gentle yet irresistible force, like a river current, enveloped him, forcibly pushing him back!
He was, after all, in the second layer of the Immortal Realm!
Evelyn, refusing to accept it, tried several more times, but the result was the same—he could not breach the barrier. Defeated, he returned, shaking his head. “The barrier outside the valley has been reset. I cannot enter.”
“Senior Changxi, what are your orders?” Kornet inquired deferentially.
“No matter. I shall break the barrier myself,” the sole Domain Ancestor of the Fire Phoenix Clan sneered, striding toward the valley.
“Boom!”
A colossal Fire Phoenix totem blazed forth from the scorching sea of fire above Changxi’s head. This fire phoenix was condensed from pure energy, its soul fluctuations originating from Changxi himself—it was refined using the blood imprint within him as its foundation, employing a profound secret art of flame profundity capable of incinerating all creation.
“Crackling sounds!”
The fire phoenix unleashed intense flames, causing the barrier to burn with a loud, abrasive sound. Changxi remained composed, waiting for the barrier to dissolve before forcefully entering the valley.
The others watched with varied expressions.
The Fire Phoenix Clan members remained arrogantly composed. They held the Tianmu Clan in utter contempt, and consequently, they treated any friends the Tianmu Clan associated with as inconsequential figures.
They believed they would be inside the valley soon enough.
Evelyn and his two disciples were uneasy, afraid of facing Shi Yan and unsure of what they should say.
Time ticked by in silence.
Half an hour later, Ancestor Changxi of the Fire Phoenix Clan’s expression gradually grew solemn.
That fire phoenix had been burning for half an hour; it should have been capable of incinerating any barrier. Yet, he now noticed that the barrier showed no sign of energy depletion.
Changxi sensed something was amiss and secretly wondered if the one inside might also be a Domain Ancestor?
Only a barrier set up by someone of the same Domain Ancestor realm would possess an energy intensity he couldn't burn away quickly. This thought made Changxi cautiously reserved.
A while later, the flames continued to rage. Just as Changxi was growing impatient, a figure voluntarily emerged from the surging sea of fire.
It was a woman with an eerie, mesmerizing beauty, covered in exotic patterns. A small, cyan serpent-like mark adorned her brow. The moment she appeared, Changxi suddenly panicked, crying out, “Jiani! How could it be you?”
The sea of fire receded, and Jiani of the Secret Rune Clan stood before Changxi, her face cold. Her expression was chilling, her eyes flashing with killing intent. “Changxi, what game are you playing? Causing such a commotion here—is it amusing?”
Jiani was sworn sisters with Judy of the Profound Heaven Clan, but the Secret Rune Clan was not a vassal of the Profound Heaven Clan. The Secret Rune Clan possessed immense power in the Void Sea Domain, second only to the Seven Great Races, and was far more formidable than the Fire Phoenix Clan. Similarly, Jiani surpassed Changxi in both strength and status.
Kornet, the Ancestor of the Tianmu Clan, was also stunned. Though she had never seen Jiani, she knew the name, recognizing Jiani’s noble status and immense power.
Seeing that the person emerging was Jiani of the Secret Rune Clan, Kornet was both shocked and relieved, frantically signaling to Evelyn to clear up the misunderstanding.
Evelyn and his apprentices were dumbfounded, utterly bewildered.
They distinctly remembered sending Shi Yan and Zi Yao into the valley; how could Jiani be the one walking out?
Evelyn pondered for a moment, then his face drastically changed, and he shrieked, “What have you done to Shi Yan and the others?” He glared at Jiani, assuming she had pursued and slaughtered Shi Yan and Zi Yao within the valley. Evelyn was suddenly filled with deep regret and self-reproach, believing he had caused the doom of the two.
Jiani glanced oddly at Evelyn, pulled at the corner of her mouth, and said nothing more.
“Jiani, I shouldn't pry, but this Flame Crystal is of monumental importance. I need to know exactly what has transpired,” Changxi said, hesitantly lowering his stance, his previous arrogance vanishing.
In front of Jiani, he dared not act boisterously. “If you know the situation, please explain it clearly to me. Tell me, were those two… were they killed by you?”
Hearing Evelyn’s outcry, Changxi also ‘understood.’ He knew the name Shi Yan and assumed Jiani had tracked Shi Yan here and, seeing Jiani emerge, took it as confirmation that Shi Yan and the other had been killed. After all, Jiani was renowned, and her Domain Ancestor cultivation might even surpass his own strength.
Jiani looked deeply at Changxi and said, “For Judy’s sake, I offer you this advice: return that Flame Crystal to the young girl, gather your clansmen, and leave the Linming Star Domain at the fastest possible speed. Never inquire about the Flame Crystal again.”
At these words, every member of the Fire Phoenix Clan’s expression shifted dramatically.
Changxi’s face darkened. He snorted, “Jiani, I have already humbled myself. Do not push me too far. Do you think I genuinely fear you? Even if we fight, I will not concede to you. Do you believe you can assuredly kill me?”
Being of the same Domain Ancestor realm, even if his power was slightly inferior, Changxi did not believe Jiani could easily subdue him. Thus, when Jiani seemed to be deliberately threatening him, he naturally became angry.
“You think I’m threatening you?”
Jiani smiled, and the cyan serpent mark on her brow twitched unnervingly.
“Or do you mean it as a good intention?” Changxi scoffed coldly.
Jiani did not wish to explain further. She glanced back at the valley behind her and said, “The barrier is lifted now. If you wish to enter, I will not stop you, but I hope you think clearly whether you truly want to step inside.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Changxi, fearless, covertly circulated his flame power, transforming into a figure of fire as he slowly walked toward the valley.
Many Fire Phoenix Clan members, as well as the Tianmu Clan members, stared curiously toward him, secretly trying to decipher the meaning of Jiani’s words, uncertain of the current situation.
“What exactly did you do to Shi Yan?” Evelyn demanded of Jiani.
Jiani glanced at him, her expression one of bitterness. “What could I possibly do to him?”
Evelyn and the others were stunned, inwardly thinking, You are only a first-layer Domain Ancestor, how could you not handle him? Could he possibly be stronger than you?
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Changxi entered the valley while Jiani remained outside.
The Fire Phoenix and Tianmu clansmen stared strangely toward the depths of the valley, listening intently for any minute sound.
Inside the valley.
Shi Yan remained in deep meditation. Zi Yao, however, opened her eyes and watched Changxi enter like a ball of flame. She smiled sweetly, narrowed her eyes to observe Changxi, and after sensing him briefly, nodded lightly. “Reaching the Domain Ancestor realm, and having stimulated a tiny bit of Primordial Essence Blood—you possess some slight value.”
Changxi’s face was cold. “You were the one who gave my clan’s Ancestor’s sacrificial altar fragment to that little girl? Where did you obtain it?”
“Obtain it?” Zi Yao’s smile was radiant. “Naturally, I took it from your Ancestor. I killed it, absorbed its Primordial Essence Blood, and merged with everything about it. It’s that simple. How do you think I obtained it?”
At these words, Changxi’s soul scattered. He looked closely at Zi Yao again and suddenly noticed that within her eyes, huge, serpentine spirits seemed to writhe.
An aura of absolute terror suddenly permeated the valley, enveloping it completely.
“Heavens!”
Changxi let out a horrifying shriek from within the valley. He finally realized the terrifying entity standing before him!
He instantly believed every word Zi Yao had uttered.
The Primordial Lifeform capable of slaying his Ancestor and absorbing and refining him—it was right here!
Under the immense shock, he knew immediately that Jiani’s suggestion just now had been pure goodwill. He deeply regretted entering this valley, regretting walking willingly toward his own death.
Alas, the moment the valley sealed shut again, he had no chance to escape his predetermined fate.
“That bit of Primordial Blood, whether little or much, can restore some of my power. So, you just die,” Zi Yao said with a gentle smile, condensing billions of dazzling divine lights that transformed into coiling spirit snakes, wrapping around Changxi and dragging him directly into her divine light realm.
Outside the valley, everyone heard Changxi’s shrill screams, and as the cries gradually subsided, they trembled all over, frozen in place, not daring to move.
This included the Fire Phoenix clansmen, Changxi’s apprentice Hongfei, and the Tianmu Clan leader.
An entity capable of so easily slaying Changxi was beyond anything they could have imagined. What peerless, ferocious demon lay hidden in that valley?
“Whoosh!”
The Flame Crystal flew out of the valley again, hovering right before Xiao Ya’s eyes.
“Little girl, I gift this thing to you; it is yours. Next time, don’t let others take it so casually,” Zi Yao’s light laughter drifted from the valley. Then, her tone shifted. “Jiani, slaughter all the Fire Phoenix clansmen outside, lest they spread nonsense about me.”
“As you wish, Master,” Jiani replied with a slight smile.
To the astonishment of all the Tianmu Clan members and the terror of the Fire Phoenix Clan members, she calmly acted, erasing the soul imprints of Hongfei and the visiting Fire Phoenix clansmen one by one, killing them utterly.
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