Nightfall

Xiong Chumo stood in front of the Divine Flame and clutched the flaming phoenix’s throat. Shrills resounded in the fiery Divine Hall. The whistle became more and more shrilling, furious, and painful.

The flaming phoenix was struggling in fury.

Fiery white light flowed down its body onto the ground and set an ocean of fire. The chilling killing intent of the sword hidden inside its body was exploding.

Xiong Chumo suddenly got pale but still looked indifferent. His short figure seemed extremely awe-inspiring under the powerful Divine Flame.

Many people including Ye Hongyu could never understand why Xiong Chumo became powerful. Being the Hierarch of the Divine Halls would not necessarily empower him. Then where did his power come from? How could this wretched dwarf have surpassed the Five States? Was that simply because he was a running dog for Haotian?

Someone tried to find an answer but those were all speculations. Xiong Chumo still stayed behind the radiating screen and clutched the throat of the flaming phoenix as well as destiny, and continued to be invincible no matter how unfair it seemed.

Xiong Chumo’s huge palm kept pushing forward. The dark sky above Peach Mountain seemed to have come closer to the ground as he was pushing. A bout of unimaginably massive power pounded downward.

The flaming phoenix shrilled and its feather scattered. The powerful sword intent bursting from its body could not withstand the pound from the dark sky and was smashed upon a bang.

The sword intent was smashed by Xiong Chumo’s pound. Countless pieces of sword intent were scattered everywhere. They fell on Ye Hongyu and pierced her scarlet Gown of Judgment. Blood was oozing.

That was the horrible backfire.

Colors drained from Ye Hongyu’s face and the starry lights deep down her eyes were fading even more rapidly.

Her scarlet right sleeve was vanished by the power of Tianqi and her fair wrist was unveiled. The sword intent was gone. But she was still holding the sword.

Her dark hair fluttered like roaring waterfall.

She gazed at Xiong Chumo, emotionlessly and soullessly.

Her soul was burning, so was her life. Blood gushed out of the countless gashes on her body and became flaming. She used her Divine Skills to turn her body and soul into the Divine Flame.

She was going to hug Xiong Chumo who was standing by her side.

Different from the humiliating hug years ago, her hug was neither affectionate nor indifferent. She was simply inviting him calmly to confront death together.

Xiong Chumo’s pupils constricted while he watched Ye Hongyu burning and sensed the hidden terror.

He shivered and became even paler, while he shouted like thunder, “Heaven’s Hack!”

He was the master of the Divine Halls of West-Hill, and his shout was thunder.

During the late night on Peach Mountain, his thundering shout resounded throughout the valleys, awoke the hibernating animals under the ground, and shocked the thick clouds that were no longer producing snowflakes, until it reached the unknown Divine Kingdom far away.

The dark sky pressed gradually toward the ground.

The overwhelming and irresistible power inside the Divine Hall of Judgment became even more distinct and direct.

Xiong Chumo’s pounding had finally crushed every bit of Ye Hongyu’s remaining sword intent. His palm broke through the pure flame and pounded on her shoulder.

A thud was heard.

The cloth on Ye Hongyu’s right should was torn into pieces and her fair skin was revealed.

Her shoulder sent forth refreshing odor from the blazing flame and terror.

The bare shoulder was alluring in purity and terror.

Xiong Chumo’s palm pounded on the alluring shoulder.

It immediately reminded him of many things many years ago. He seemed even more unfathomable while he recalled. His pupils constricted into tiny black beans, with bitterness, satisfaction, greed, and moaning.

If he had pounded on her, she would definitely be dead.

Even if she was Ye Hongyu, she would never survive a pound with Haotian’s power.

But what confused Xiong Chumo was that she still seemed indifferent.

Being the Tao Fanatic, was she really crazy enough to disregard death?

It was not until the next moment that Xiong Chumo realized why Ye Hongyu was being so calm. It was because she would never let his palm fall onto her body like he did years ago.

A gash was formed on her right shoulder. Same as other gashes on her body, blood gushed out of it and her gown was torn. But beneath the blood deep inside the gash, golden threads were shining.

The golden threads differentiated her from any ordinary cultivator or even the powerful ones. Only she and Ning Que were different in this way because they were extremely ruthless.

She was the Tao Fanatic. She was not disregarding her death but rather applying her fanaticism in transforming her body into a sword. That was her real Taoist sword.

The Gown of Judgment was torn. The sheath of the sword was cracked. She herself, the sword, was officially unsheathed.

The golden threads bounced up and danced in the air. They came gently onto Xiong Chumo’s palm.

Compared with his huge palm, those threads were even finer than the finest barnyard grass in autumn. But that was her natal item, more tenacious than the sharpest sword, unbreakable and uninterrupted.

Upon a slightest sound, a thin blood line was form of blooded on Xiong Chumo’s index finger before it reached her shoulder. Blood burst from the line. A finger bone was broken.

Xiong Chumo’s index finger fell off like a ripe fruit falling from the tree. His face became extremely pale. And his eyes revealed unbearable pain. Overwhelming fury prevailed on his peaked face. Then, it faded into calmness within a blink. He looked emotionless and kept pressing down his palm. Even if he were to lose all his fingers or his entire palm, he was determined to pound Ye Hongyu to death. Because this was his best chance.

However Ye Hongyu would not give him the chance. Ye Hongyu closed her eyes. Right then she collected all of her sword intent. The torn Gown of Judgment curled up like dried leaves and wrapped her body. Not a single bit of her sword intent was discharged. She seemed to be no longer vital.

Previously, she was like a sword. Right now she turned into a conscious-less rock. It was like the moss-covered rocks at the bottom of the lake outside the Front Gate of Devil’s Doctrine many years ago. There were two sword cuts on the rocks that were left by Ke Haoran many years ago. Later on she made some new cuts. Today she turned herself into one of the rocks, and the cuts on her body were like the sword cuts on the rocks. What was she trying to do? There was no time for pondering or reasoning.

Xiong Chumo’s palm had pounded onto her shoulder. Her shoulder bones were crushed upon a crack and blood burst. Xiong Chumo was confused, so was Zhao Nanhai. Why would she rather hurt herself and take the pound? Right then on the other side of the Divine Hall, the middle-aged priest raised his head and took a glance.

…

…

She was like a real rock knocked off by heavenly power. And power meant speed. She took the unbearable pound and gained unimaginable speed. No one except for those at the Distanceless State could have applied such a speed.

She cut through the Divine Hall while her torn Gown of Judgment left ghostly shadows across the hall. She became burning because of the friction with air. The hard rock became a meteorite and carried a flaming tail.

Perhaps it was a variation of the flaming phoenix.

Ever since he entered the Divine Hall of Judgment the middle-aged priest had been quiet with his head lowered.

It wasn’t until now that he finally raised his head.

He looked above to the ocean of Divine Flame in the Divine Hall, the figure in the flame, and the meteorite darting at him. Then he realized what the chilling flaming phoenix was about to do.

Ye Hongyu’s target had always been him. It was neither Zhao Nanhai nor Xiong Chumo. It was him. The fight of Divine Skills with Zhao Nanhai was merely a warm-up. Taking Xiong Chumo’s heavenly pound of Tianqi was her accelerating. Ye Hongyu was taking advantage of the attacks of these two powerful figures.

She adjusted herself to the most powerful and fury mode at the cost of hurting herself severely. What for? Simply to kill him? Ye Hongyu was so fast that the middle-aged priest was only able to take a glance before she came to him.

The flaming phoenix cut through the Divine Hall, and the meteorite was there.

Even the Abbey Dean could not have been able to elude from her.

The middle-aged priest realized that both the Abbey Dean and himself had underestimated Ye Hongyu.

The young Great Divine Priest of Judgment was a true genius of Taoism. She surpassed Zhao Nanhai in Divine Skills and transformed her own body into a natal Taoist sword, and eventually a hard rock. That was the legendary Intent of Bulking Array invented by the Great Divine Priest of Light a thousand years ago!

Nowadays there should only be the Queen of the Great River Kingdom who could apply the Intent of Bulking Array. “Where did she learn that?” the middle-aged priest wondered. But he had to confront it. Otherwise this flaming phoenix would break from the Divine Hall of Judgment and Peach Mountain, and regain her freedom. That was something that Taoism would never allow.

The middle-aged priest reached out his right hand and pointed out one finger extremely slowly. The flaming phoenix was unprecedentedly fast. He seemed to be extremely slow yet he came before the flaming phoenix arrived. He looked solemn and his finger was extremely powerful.

To know and to guard, it was the Natural Stream. This was the most unique skill of Zhishou Abbey, the Natural Stream Magical Finger. The middle-aged priest’s Natural Stream Magical Finger was far more powerful than that of Chen Pipi from years ago. Once the finger was applied, the world was settled.

The burning Haotian’s Divine Flame in the Divine Hall of Judgment seemed to be frozen!

The remaining of the bout of heavenly power seemed to have sensed the solemn finger point and calmed down!

The burning tail of the flaming phoenix immediately disappeared!

The furious meteorite suddenly unveiled its true self. How could the moss hurt anyone?

The middle-aged priest applied his most powerful attack. He came with light and pointed one finger. The flaming phoenix shrilled in despair.

But Ye Hongyu seemed still indifferent as if she cared for nothing.

She held onto her sword and then stabbed.

The feathers of the flaming phoenix were scattered. But she did not care.

Massive Qi burst in the hall and the wind roared. The flaming phoenix disappeared and her true figure revealed.

She stabbed toward the middle-aged priest. It was an ordinary yet most powerful stab.

As an arrow hit on a heavy leather or a rock fell into a deep pond.

It resounded constantly.

The finger of the middle-aged priest met with her sword in the air.

The wind suddenly ceased and dust fell on the floor. The Divine Hall of Judgment became deadly quiet in a blink.

Several golden threads burst out Ye Hongyu’s body and drifted down like dried leaves.

She held the sword loosely and stood emotionlessly in front of the middle-aged priest. Her Gown of Judgment loosened and hung around her waist. Her upper body was naked. Blood dripped from her perfectly curved figure.

She was half-naked and stained with blood. It should be embarrassing. Yet she was extremely charming. It was a holy and pure charm. And alluring.

Being holy and alluring was not conflicting, at least not for her.

Blood flowed down her body, onto the ground, and into the cracks of the stones. The cracks were filled up by blood and started glowing like shining threads.

Rays of lights arose from the ocean of blood and formed a confinement.

The middle-aged priest was finally alerted. Because he found himself in the center of the confinement.

…