Chapter 107: Phoenix Ode to the World Classic · Fragment (I)

A large cloud of blood mist exploded on Black Demon’s shoulder, eliciting a painful howl from him. His ferocity was ignited. With a roar, he grabbed onto Lan Xueruo’s jade sword with his bare hand and violently flung it. Lan Xueruo’s “Emperor Sword” had just exhausted its force, and Black Demon’s strength was astonishing. Caught off guard, she was forcefully disarmed by Black Demon.

*Oh no!* When Yun Che saw Lan Xueruo injure Black Demon, his heart sank. If she had merely prolonged the fight with Black Demon, she might have bought more time. Piercing his shoulder, however, would undoubtedly provoke his rage, and the consequences would be dire.

Clutching Lan Xueruo’s sword, Black Demon stumbled back, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace. He roared, “Catch that woman! Kill everyone else!”

As Yun Che had expected, the enraged Black Demon immediately issued his command. Instantly, the Black Demon Mercenary Group, who had been waiting for a long time, raised their weapons and charged forward with shouts. Three vice-captains simultaneously attacked Lan Xueruo.

If they were to charge in, countless people here would surely be killed or injured. Yun Che no longer dared to hesitate. He swiftly moved to Lan Xueruo’s side, gripping a Sky-Shaking Thunder in his right hand, and hurled it with all his might.

*Boom!!!!*

The Sky-Shaking Thunder landed, emitting a colossal roar like thunder descending from the heavens. The dozen or so Black Demon mercenaries at the very front were all blown away, lying on the ground, wailing in pain. Six men had their legs blown off, three were completely dismembered, and the rest suffered injuries of varying degrees.

The Black Demon Mercenary Group, which had just initiated its charge, abruptly halted, each member staring blankly at the massive crater, drawing in sharp breaths. Even Black Demon, who was having his wound dressed, had his eyes wide open. All three vice-captains also took a step back, their faces filled with terror.

“Wh-what was that… What just happened?”

Yun Che held a second Sky-Shaking Thunder in his hand, and a Blazing Poison Gun in his left. He stood protectively in front of Lan Xueruo, his gaze coldly fixed on the terrified Black Demon mercenaries who dared not advance. He sneered, “Whoever wants to die, take another step forward and try!”

Lan Xueruo glanced at the item in Yun Che’s hand and suddenly exclaimed, “Sky-Shaking Thunder? How do you have a Sky-Shaking Thunder from the Xiao Sect?”

“I took it from the sect’s treasure vault,” Yun Che whispered, pulling Lan Xueruo back step by step until they reached Feng Baichuan’s side.

The previous Sky-Shaking Thunder had undoubtedly created a tremendous deterrent, preventing the Black Demon mercenaries from advancing for the time being.

“Clan Leader Feng, do you have a place where we can take temporary refuge?” Yun Che raised the hand holding the Sky-Shaking Thunder, his eyes darkly fixated on the Black Demon Mercenary Group, and spoke in a low voice to Feng Baichuan. He had a total of six Sky-Shaking Thunders; three were used against Xiao Zaixing, and one just now, leaving him with only two. All he could manage was temporary deterrence.

Yun Che’s words caused Feng Baichuan’s expression to stiffen, but he said nothing.

Yun Che stated gravely, “These people carry a strong scent of blood, indicating they’ve killed many. I suspect their mercenary group name is just a cover; in essence, they are a gang of murderous bandits. If they start fighting, they won’t show any mercy in killing your clansmen! Your clan is on the verge of being wiped out; why are you still concerned about offending or not offending?!”

Yun Che’s words caused a drastic change in Feng Baichuan’s expression. He glanced at Feng Zu’er and Feng Xian’er, who clung tightly to him, then gritted his teeth and whispered to the elder beside him, “Inform all clansmen to retreat to the back mountain!”

“Clan Leader, are you going to…”

“Go quickly! Preserving lives is paramount, don’t worry about anything else for now!” Feng Baichuan, having made up his mind, exclaimed sternly.

The instructed people began to retreat together towards the back mountain. Yun Che and Lan Xueruo remained standing, the Sky-Shaking Thunder in Yun Che’s hand like a grim reaper’s scythe, intimidating the Black Demon Mercenary Group and preventing them from taking another step.

“What exactly is that thing?” Black Demon pressed his shoulder, his face twitching.

“I once heard of it,” a man beside Black Demon whispered, “a terrifying weapon manufactured by the Armament Sect of the Xiao Sect. Once thrown, it produces a horrifying explosion of power. What he just threw seems to be that kind of thing!”

“What? Xiao Sect? Did you say Xiao Sect?” Black Demon’s body jolted violently, nearly causing him to fall onto his backside in shock. He then suddenly remembered that this stunning young woman, seemingly only seventeen or eighteen, already possessed True Profound Realm Level Three profound energy. Besides the terrifying Four Great Sects, where else could such a monstrous talent be nurtured?

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and Black Demon immediately broke into a sweat. If he had known they were from the Xiao Sect earlier, he would never have dared to provoke them, not even with ten thousand guts. But now, he had already provoked them…

Black Demon gritted his teeth… Then he would have to kill everyone except that woman! Otherwise, if they escaped… the Xiao Sect eradicating a small mercenary group like his would be as easy as crushing a tiny ant.

“They’re escaping!”

Vice-Captain Black Wolf exclaimed. While they hesitated, Feng Baichuan was rapidly retreating with his clansmen, heading straight for the back mountain.

“Damn it, trying to escape? The back mountain is all cliffs; they wouldn’t be able to fly out even if they had wings! Chase them!” Black Demon ordered.

“Bu-but…” Black Wolf glanced at the Sky-Shaking Thunder in Yun Che’s hand, not daring to move.

“Something with such terrifying power must be extremely precious! They can’t have too many of them; maybe that was the last one! Split into two groups and chase them immediately!”

The Black Demon Mercenary Group’s formation quickly dispersed, dividing into two wings, left and right, yelling as they pursued toward the back mountain. Yun Che’s face darkened. With a flick of his arm, he hurled the Sky-Shaking Thunder in his hand to the right, then swiftly pulled out his last Sky-Shaking Thunder and threw it with full force to the left.

*Boom!!*

*Boom!!*

Two deafening roars sent the Black Demon Mercenary Group sprawling, their screams echoing. The entire valley entrance was shrouded in dust. The Black Demon Mercenary Group’s charge halted once more; some even stumbled backward and sat on the ground, no longer daring to advance. Self-preservation is a human instinct, and facing such a life-threatening danger, they were instinctively afraid. No one was willing to risk their life by charging forward.

“Senior Sister, let’s go!!” With the last Sky-Shaking Thunder expended, and under the cover of the obscuring dust, Yun Che grabbed Lan Xueruo’s hand and rushed at top speed in the direction of Feng Baichuan and his group.

When the dust settled, Yun Che and his companions were gone. The ruined small village was deserted, with only scattered groups of people in the distance running toward the back mountain. Black Demon cursed, then roared, “What are you standing there for? Chase them quickly! Kill everyone except that woman!!”

Yun Che’s injuries had not fully healed, and his body was relatively weak, but with Lan Xueruo’s lead, they quickly caught up with Feng Baichuan. A total of two hundred and twelve clansmen, including elders and children, followed closely behind him, none missing.

Shouts of battle echoed from behind, growing closer and closer, indicating they could be caught at any moment.

Entering the back mountain area, towering, sky-high cliffs stretched before them. Directly ahead, a colossal formation, over ten meters high, was embedded in the mountain wall. The entire formation glowed a dazzling red, flickering on and off, its patterns resembling countless clusters of intensely burning scarlet flames.

“Is this the seal formation the Black Demon Mercenary Group mentioned?” Yun Che looked up, staring in amazement at the strange red formation.

“That’s right. This is a sealing formation, sealing the remnants of the ancient divine beast, the Phoenix. Only the fresh blood of us, who possess the Phoenix bloodline, can open it,” Feng Baichuan explained.

“Clan Leader, do we really have to enter here? Our ancestors said that only one person can enter at a time. So many people entering might offend the Phoenix divine spirit,” an elder said with a grave expression.

“There’s no other choice,” Feng Baichuan quickly approached the formation, bit his finger, and sprinkled his blood onto the sealing formation.

Instantly, the faint sealing formation suddenly burst with a brilliant red light, then slowly disappeared, revealing an irregular entrance below where the formation had been.

“Quick! Get in quickly!” Feng Baichuan, having deactivated the sealing formation, turned and urged them.

Immediately, the clansmen of the Phoenix remnant tribe flowed in, one after another. This sacred place, which they usually dared not enter lightly, now became their only path of retreat to preserve their lives. Many of them would rather die than do something that might offend the Phoenix divine spirit, but they could not disregard their families and children.

After everyone had entered the cave entrance, the Black Demon Mercenary Group finally caught up. Feng Baichuan swiftly rushed into the cave entrance, and as he made a simple gesture, the disappeared red sealing formation reappeared, completely obscuring the cave.

“Damn it! They really do know how to open this seal formation!” Black Demon clenched his fists, his voice venomous. “They kept denying it before, which means there must really be some treasure hidden behind this seal formation!”

“Captain, what should we do now?”

“What to do? Of course, we wait here!” Black Demon sneered. “They think just because they’ve escaped inside, we have no way? Heh, there must be no food in there, and no water. I don’t believe they’d rather all die of thirst and starvation than come out. I want to see how many days they can last!”