Chapter 359 – Fire Chaser. Azure Flame!

But the minuscule amount of strength was not even qualified to hinder Oresa and his companions’ strides.

Under the blade of Oresa and the attacks of several sky level mechas, the Phoenix bloodline blocking their path was quickly reaped like weeds, exploding into flames one after another, creating a gruesome scene.

Yin Muqing didn’t even have time to grieve for these natives who had inexplicably “sacrificed” themselves for her; she was completely bewildered.

To outsiders, it seemed like she was desperately fleeing with the Phoenix Egg, but in reality, only she knew that it was the Phoenix Egg pulling her along.

Towards the unknown expanse of magma and spreading flames.

“Slash–“

A terrifying blade light rent the void, whistling toward her.

Yin Muqing felt as if her entire back was about to be sliced open by something incredibly sharp; the two star acupoints in her body throbbed wildly, her entire frame on the verge of shattering under the blade’s momentum.

“Swish–“

Fortunately, just as the blade light was about to descend, the Phoenix Egg in her arms suddenly lunged forward, narrowly helping her avoid this horrifying strike.

“Hmm?”

A voice tinged with surprise and doubt sounded from behind, followed by an overwhelming, even more intense wave of killing intent.

Energy beams, light spheres, laser tendrils, blade light…

A series of terrifying assaults came in an unending succession, any one of which could easily pulverize Yin Muqing. But every time she was about to be hit, the Phoenix Egg in her arms would suddenly emit a surge of strength, propelling her forward just enough to escape the brush with death.

The repeated close calls only intensified the murderous intent of her pursuers. With Yang Nan at the forefront, the Yellow Bear powerhouses from the Xia State chased her several times, only to be forcefully driven back by pursuers from other factions.

Sweating profusely, Yin Muqing’s pretty face was as white as paper. She felt as if she were walking a tightrope over a ten-thousand-foot precipice, constantly teetering on the knife-edge between life and death. Every second was fraught with danger, and her survival seemed uncertain.

“Let me go. You can run faster on your own…”

Yin Muqing struggled to suppress her panic and fear, trying to persuade the Phoenix Egg in her arms to stop dragging her along.

But the attraction radiating from the surface of the Phoenix Egg remained.

“Cuckoo-Cuckoo!”

She wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but Yin Muqing seemed to hear a cooing sound coming from the egg shell.

But wasn’t the cuckoo bird long dead?

“Boom!”

In her moment of distraction, another terrifying beam of light descended, almost grazing Yin Muqing’s back. It singed the ends of her hair and left a scorching sensation on her back-she was injured.

“You…”

Yin Muqing was shocked.

She sensed that the Phoenix Egg in her arms was showing signs of exhaustion; as if it was running out of Strength, the speed at which it dragged her was gradually slowing down.

This subtle change was quickly noticed by the pursuers behind her, and their momentum suddenly intensified.

“Boom!”

A series of dense whistling sounds filled the air, carrying an unmatched terror.

Yin Muqing’s hairs stood on end, a primal fear of death surging from the depths of her soul, flooding her body in an instant.

Under the unprecedented shadow of death, the Phoenix Egg in her arms seemed to have completely exhausted its strength.

Not only did the power surge stop, but the speed at which it carried her was also getting slower and slower, to the point that…

Even the suction holding her to the egg shell was rapidly weakening.

It’s over.

A bone-chilling cold penetrated Yin Muqing, plunging her into despair as she closed her eyes with a bitter smile.

Yet just as she closed her eyes,

“Ding–“

A crisp, melodious sound, as if something gently struck fine porcelain, rang in her ears.

Yin Muqing noticed her body had come to a complete stop, and the Phoenix Egg she was holding tightly left her embrace.

The rushing wind in her ears ceased, and the terrifying assailment from behind seemed to vanish as well.

“Whoosh–“

“Whoosh whoosh–“

The sound of figures cutting through the air approached her.

The pursuers behind her seemed to have all caught up.

The anticipated death did not arrive as expected. Instead, everything around her fell into an eerie silence, and a strange and subtle atmosphere seemed to permeate the air.

Yin Muqing mustered all her courage and slowly opened her eyes, her previously cowering mental power unfolding as well.

When her eyes fully opened, she froze in place, speechless and stunned.

The powerhouses and Mechas that had been relentlessly pursuing her were now standing still in the air behind her, each one expressionless, with a strange and indecipherable seriousness in their eyes.

None of them even glanced at her; their gazes were all fixed on a specific spot.

Directly in front of Yin Muqing.

–

On the scorching earth, entwined with dark red and black, a figure was floating quietly.

All the magma rivers on the ground were flowing towards this figure’s feet, and all the heat in the air was converging on this person.

The snow-white Phoenix Egg was nestled against his foot, quiet and obedient like a child who had found a parent for support.

Phoenix bloodline individuals with bodies ablaze were appearing from seemingly nowhere. They came from all directions, faces filled with fervor and reverence, like Followers on a pilgrimage, kneeling at the figure’s feet.

That figure…

As if he had seized the very center of this vast world.

A man, incredibly young yet extraordinarily radiant!

He stood in mid-air, bare-chested and barefoot.

His exposed skin was as smooth and lustrous as jade, without a single flaw.

His physique was perfectly proportioned, with every muscle sculpted as if by the hand of a master artisan.

His features were clear-cut and handsome, his aura as pure and transparent as crystal.

His hair was pitch black, with a mysterious emerald sheen.

His eyes were also emerald green, their luminescence suggesting an underlying vitality that made one think of a jade lake under the noonday summer sun.

He…

Yin Muqing knew him.

She stared blankly at the figure in the distance, who seemed like a deity sung about by ancient forest tribes. She murmured his name.

“Lu Yuan?!”

Embers Mountain Secret Realm Entrance.

This was the headquarters of the united forces.

Suspended above the headquarters, a massive light screen originally displayed the real-time rankings of powerhouses in the Embers Ranking. When the hunting operation for the Phoenix Egg began, it connected to the “Pursuit of Deity” satellite signal, starting to broadcast the progress.

At this moment, the leaders of various factions and those staying behind at the base were showing surprise and curiosity towards a mysterious figure that suddenly appeared on screen.

From time to time, their eyes darted towards the direction of Xia State. They whispered amongst themselves, exchanging subtle glances.

High-ranking officials from Xia State’s Yellow Bear faction were equally surprised and began quickly arranging to investigate the identity of the newcomer.

On the other side, the head of the Distant Star Federation was watching the mysterious figure on the screen with a sullen expression, his brows furrowed.

“It’s him?! He’s not dead?!

And he possesses a third type of the power of the evil deity!!”

“Gasp–“

The head of the Distant Star Federation took a sharp breath and closed his eyes.

Half a second later, he opened them, his gaze now filled solely with cold killing intent.

“Perfect.

Tell Oresa and the others to seize the Phoenix Egg at all costs, and… make sure to kill the Hidden Star from Xia State!”

…

“It’s him?! He’s not dead?!”

Oresa’s face was filled with astonishment at the sight of the mysterious young man who had suddenly appeared.

He had personally witnessed this person entering the crater and had assumed he met his end when the magma flooded in. The fact that he was still alive was truly shocking.

Oresa wasn’t the only one; Yang Nan and others from Xia State wore similarly astonished expressions.

However, this demon blade wielder was one of their own, and his timely appearance during the crucial moment of the Phoenix Egg contest was undoubtedly good news for them.

“Get ready… assist him in securing the Phoenix Egg!”

Yang Nan lightly held the hilt of his blade, his expression focused as he issued the command.

All the powerhouses from Xia State adopted solemn expressions, preparing themselves for battle.

Although an ally had suddenly appeared, and the Phoenix Egg was temporarily in their possession, the battlefield’s situation still placed them at an absolute disadvantage, and a severe one at that.

Everyone else on the field was their opponent.

Among them were no less than seven sky level mechas, with nearly a dozen powerhouses at the seventh stage.

It was evident that the upcoming battle would be incredibly challenging and fiercely brutal.

“Kill!”

A chilling, low shout resounded in the space.

Instantly, the roaring sound of super-powered engines echoed like a herd of giant beasts, and numerous powerful auras soared skyward like war smoke.

An overwhelming killing intent spread across the field in an instant.

Yang Nan’s eyes flashed with determination. He swiftly moved and charged forward with his blade.

However, the enemy was faster.

Five or six sky level mechas and several figures clad in sky armament surged almost simultaneously towards the handsome figure near the Phoenix Egg.

Among them, the most formidable, Oresa, led the charge. Radiant starlight erupted from within him, converging into a star diagram power around his body.

Oresa’s blade gleamed brightly like the scorching sun overhead, slashing downwards as if to cleave the mysterious figure and the surrounding heavens in two.

Yet, before Oresa’s blade could complete its descent, the young man, serene and as divine as ever, calmly lifted a finger and pointed lightly in front of him.

“Fire Chaser. Azure Flame!”

In an instant, it felt as if time had halted, with the moment stretching infinitely.

Everyone could clearly see the handsome young man appearing to “glow.”

Countless emerald flames burst from every pore of his body.

As these emerald flames emerged, all the surrounding heat seemed to be absorbed by the flames, making the scorching, magma-flowed ground feel almost “cold.”

The emerald fire, suffused with boundless heat, then converged at the young man’s fingertips, transforming into an azure flame column that burst forth fiercely.

“Boom!”

The still frame was abruptly torn apart by the roaring azure flame column.

A flash of emerald swept across everyone’s eyes.

It was as if an emerald, luminous arrow streaked through the sky, leaving behind a breathtakingly beautiful trail…

When the light of the emerald flame vanished, everyone saw-

Oresa, wielding his blade with both hands, stood dazed in mid-air, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

He looked down at his chest with incredulity.

There, somehow, a huge, clean-through bloody hole had appeared.

The edge of the hole was singed and molten.

“Thud-“

Oresa fell from the sky like a stone, with the sky armament he wore emitting a pitiful groan under the strain.

At this moment, everyone on the battlefield froze.

Whether ally or foe, all stood in stunned silence, faces filled with shock and hearts pounding with waves of astonishment.

One move…

Instantly killed Oresa, who was clad in sky armament?!

What kind of strength is this? What level of power?!

…

Meanwhile, at the headquarters at the secret realm entrance of Embers Mountain.

The viewers watching the broadcast could be heard taking sharp intakes of breath.

The head of the Distant Star Federation had a face so dark it nearly dripped with gloom.

On the other side, the high-ranking officials from Xia State had eyes sparkling with amazement, their expressions full of awe.

“What a lethal demon blade!”