Chapter 657: Yellow Spring Ashes

Prior to today, Qi Zhencang and Duan Qinghang had never witnessed the Emperor's power, but they fully grasped the concept of an "Overlord." In the Divine Phoenix Empire, the strongest of the Seven Nations, Overlords were revered as god-like, transcendent existences. However, after Feng Feiying, they watched in horror as Feng Feiheng, himself a late-stage Overlord, met his end at Yun Che's hands in just two swift exchanges.

The shock and terror in their hearts intensified beyond measure. Looking back from mid-air, they were horrified to see the once vast Divine Phoenix army disintegrating in a flash. Flames of disaster continued to rain down from the sky, consigning segment after segment of the Divine Phoenix forces to a fiery hell.

With trembling fingers, Qi Zhencang clutched his sound-transmitting jade and roared, "Scatter immediately! Vanguard to the east, central army to the west, rear guard to the south!"

Following Qi Zhencang's order, the fleeing Divine Phoenix army began to disperse in three directions. Concentrating their retreat would only make them easier targets for slaughter, whereas scattering would force Yun Che to pursue only one group, leaving the others unmolested.

Confronted by the scattered Divine Phoenix forces, Yun Che paused in mid-air, halting his pursuit, as if deliberating which direction to chase. Qi Zhencang, fleeing eastward, saw Yun Che standing still and immediately let out a deep breath of relief, then poured all his profound energy into his escape. Never in his life had he fled so completely, so desperately. Even after the most catastrophic battlefield defeats, he had never been reduced to such a state. This wasn't a military rout; it was an escape from the slaughter of a demon!

After a considerable time, Yun Che still did not resume his pursuit, simply watching as the three Divine Phoenix contingents rapidly vanished from sight. Yet, the flames of hatred burning fiercely in his eyes and the seething murderous intent permeating his body showed no sign of diminishing. Then, he finally moved, but not to chase. Instead, he slowly ascended, rising higher and higher until he reached an altitude of a thousand zhang.

Hovering at this immense height, his gaze swept across the entire fleeing Divine Phoenix army.

"You sinful Divine Phoenix curs... every single one of you... must die!!"

Yun Che's hateful whisper was low, yet it resonated like a demonic curse piercing the soul, sounding with chilling clarity in the ears and minds of everyone present.

His arms slowly spread wide in the air, and a layer of crimson flame gently ignited on his body. This flame was not fierce, yet it eerily painted the sky above a deepening red. Against these Divine Phoenix soldiers, he had consistently unleashed the Golden Crow Flame, not the more manageable Phoenix Flame. Only the Golden Crow Flame's ferocity and destructive power could truly express the immense hatred and rage within him.

The terrifying "demon" remained stationary, not giving chase for a long time. The Divine Phoenix army, amidst their full-speed retreat, briefly relaxed, believing they had escaped the demon's cruel blade. At that moment, they suddenly felt the surrounding air temperature rise at an astonishing rate, escalating from warm to hot, then to an uncomfortable, searing heat. Within mere breaths, it felt as if red-hot brands were pressing against their skin.

Even the air they inhaled transformed into scorching currents, causing violent convulsions throughout their internal organs. And the terrifying temperature continued to escalate rapidly with every passing moment. In horror, they looked back at the crimson, flaming silhouette in the sky behind them. The air itself seemed to have become an invisible flame, burning their skin a fiery red. The crimson armor pressed against their bodies felt like glowing hot irons, eliciting increasingly agonizing screams from the Divine Phoenix soldiers.

"Wha... what is this?!" Qi Zhencang, though protected by King Profound energy, still felt as if he were trapped in an immense furnace, every inch of his body aflame with searing pain. He stared, wide-eyed, holding his breath desperately, for the air filling his lungs was hotter than actual flames. Below him, over half of the Divine Phoenix army had ceased their flight, rolling on the ground in agony, frantically tearing at their armor. Yet, these armors were already scalding hot like molten lava, branded inextricably onto their skin. When forcibly ripped off, they peeled away large swaths of flesh, accompanied by the smell of burning.

Their pained roars were as agonizing as those of demons enduring the torments of purgatory.

This fiery purgatory, slowly descending, enveloped a full seventy-mile radius around Yun Che, completely encompassing the entire Divine Phoenix army without exception. To the north, Heavenly Wind Imperial City and its army remained untouched, merely sensing a slight increase in air temperature. However, they witnessed the Divine Phoenix army's horrifying ordeal firsthand, and their increasingly desperate screams echoed with chilling clarity.

"What's going on?" Tianxia Qiqi exclaimed in surprise. Suddenly, her mouth gaped open, and she pointed towards Yun Che, stuttering, "Th-that... that's..."

A colossal golden silhouette appeared behind Yun Che. It was the image of a bird, utterly magnificent and noble, depicted in mid-flight with wings outstretched and head held high like a phoenix. Its feathers were the purest gold, resembling clusters of burning golden flames. It had three legs beneath its body, and its long tail feathers shimmered with dazzling, brilliant gold.

Yet, accompanying this exquisitely beautiful and noble golden silhouette was an oppressive aura and destructive energy that caused both the earth and the sky to tremble.

"It's the Golden Crow's shadow!" Tianxia Diyi gasped in astonishment. It wasn't his first time witnessing the Golden Crow's shadow; every Demon Emperor would manifest a fleeting or prolonged Golden Crow image when cultivating the Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World. However, the Golden Crow shadows he had seen before were always ethereal, semi-transparent, and relatively dim. But the Golden Crow flame silhouette now appearing behind Yun Che was almost corporeal—as if the Golden Crow divine being had truly descended. Its blinding golden radiance made it nearly impossible for him to keep his eyes open, and the overwhelmingly powerful pressure and destructive aura caused his soul to tremble uncontrollably, even from a considerable distance and without being directly targeted.

In the Illusory Demon Realm, successive Demon Emperors, upon awakening their bloodline in the Golden Crow Ancestral Land, were granted only three drops of source blood and just three months to comprehend the Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World. Even the most powerful Demon Emperor in the history of the Imperial Clan had only managed to reach the fourth stage of the Golden Crow's Record.

Yun Che, however, was bestowed with nine drops of source blood. Furthermore, due to his unique Evil God Fire Body and exceptional comprehension, he had mastered all seven stages of the Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World in less than three months.

This meant that Yun Che, an outsider who married into the Imperial Clan, wielded Golden Crow Flame power that surpassed every Demon Emperor throughout their history—even the Ancestral Demon Emperor could not compare! At this moment, not just Tianxia Diyi, but even if past Demon Emperors were to be reborn and witness this, they would be utterly astonished by the Golden Crow aura Yun Che was unleashing.

For what Yun Che was now unleashing was precisely the seventh stage of the Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World—a level they had never even approached, nor dared to dream of.

"All of you... die... now..." Yun Che murmured softly, a glint of perverse satisfaction in his eyes as he listened to the agonizing cries around him. The seventh stage of the Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World... even with his current power, it was still a strenuous undertaking and would demand immense energy. But these invaders, who had perpetrated unforgivable atrocities against the Heavenly Wind Nation, deserving of a thousand deaths... they must die... every single one of them!

"Golden Crow Burning Annihilation Domain... Yellow Springs Ashes!!!"

The flames on Yun Che's body and the Golden Crow flame silhouette behind him erupted with his guttural roar.

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A deafening, apocalyptic roar swallowed all other sounds. For everyone standing on the Heavenly Wind city walls and below, the world before their eyes was instantly consumed by crimson flames, transforming into an utterly pure realm of fire. The Divine Phoenix army, the land, the horizon, even the sky above—everything was completely engulfed by the flames. Nothing but fire was visible, as if the entire world had, in that instant, become a fiery inferno.

Eyes widened in disbelief, mouths gaped to their fullest extent, yet no one could utter a single sound. Their ears were completely deafened, and their eyes were blinded by the dazzling crimson, turning everything red.

Within the seemingly boundless flames, everything was mercilessly incinerated. What each person witnessed was the most shocking and terrifying sight of their lives. They were certain that even the most catastrophic volcanic eruption on the Profound Sky Continent could not unleash such boundless flames that blotted out the sky with near-apocalyptic power. Tianxia Diyi, Tianxia Qiqi, and Xiao Yun had all grown up in the guardian families of the Illusory Demon Realm's highest echelon; their knowledge and experience far exceeded that of ordinary people. Yet, even they were so utterly stunned by this sky-devouring fire that their souls nearly fled their bodies... to say nothing of others.

The endless sky was completely painted crimson. This sky-engulfing fire did not last long, for a mere instant within this terrifying Golden Crow domain was more than enough for the vulnerable Divine Phoenix army. Ten breaths later, the greatly expanded air hissed, and the towering flames rapidly receded. Yet, not a single dazed face in Heavenly Wind Imperial City averted its gaze; instead, an even greater horror was etched onto their expressions and into their eyes.

"Ah... ah... ah... ah..." As his hearing slowly returned from the temporary deafness, Xiao Yun heard the trembling sounds constantly escaping his own throat.

The vast expanse of land before Heavenly Wind Imperial City had transformed into a terrifying void. Within a full seventy-mile radius, absolutely everything had vanished. Withered trees, collapsed structures, undulating sand dunes, scattered rubble, mountains of corpses, and rivers of congealed blood—all were gone without a trace.

That massive Divine Phoenix army, numbering in the hundreds of thousands and moving like a furious, surging tide, had also utterly vanished. It was an obliteration, not merely a massacre! For in this empty world, there were no corpses, no shattered armor, not even a single drop of blood. They had disappeared completely, without the slightest trace remaining.

The ground had sunken by dozens of meters, and the entire seventy-mile expanse of land was as flat as a mirror, its color a chilling, uniform pallor. Aside from this stark paleness, no other discernible color could be seen. Above, the crimson hue began to recede, but all the clouds that had once dotted the sky were gone; not even a tiny wisp remained.

This was not merely slaughter or destruction; it was the complete erasure of an entire seventy-mile swathe of the world, turning it into a blank canvas.

Yun Che remained the sole presence in this now-silent world.

In the world that had fallen utterly silent, Yun Che slowly lowered his arms. As the sky-engulfing flames subsided, the violent fury in his eyes gradually receded. He gazed down at the completely empty landscape, his expression serene. Slowly, he turned his head to face the southwest... the direction of the Divine Phoenix Empire.

The annihilation of this Divine Phoenix army... was merely the beginning!

He was a man who always repaid enmity, especially such a monstrous, heaven-shaking grudge for the destruction of a nation!