Chapter 480: Choice

On the other side of Fengxue Pass's world entrance, three Emperors watched everything through the twenty-plus-mile-wide portal.

"Liu Qiyue is using Phoenix Nirvana, yet she's still unleashing Phoenix Flames so recklessly?" Empress Xuanyue transmitted, seeing the scene. "Fengxue Pass's city walls are 150 miles long. To completely protect the entire pass, the amount of Phoenix Flames consumed is astounding."

"Indeed," Emperor Xinghe nodded, transmitting, "Such a furious outburst will also cause her lifespan to burn several times faster."

When performing Phoenix Nirvana, if one doesn't exert much power, the energy consumption is minimal, and the burden is naturally at its lowest – that's basic consumption. However, if, like Liu Qiyue, one expends massive amounts of Phoenix Flames to shield a vast city, the lifespan consumption will be several times faster.

"Fighting so desperately just for over ten million mortals?" Emperor Peng exclaimed, smiling. "I'm starting to admire this girl."

"She is also Meng Chuan's wife," Empress Xuanyue stated. "Meng Chuan has thwarted many of our plans."

"I've reviewed the intelligence. Meng Chuan and his wife Liu Qiyue grew up together as childhood sweethearts, cultivated on Yuanchu Mountain, and descended the mountain together. Their bond is very deep," Emperor Xinghe transmitted. "I wonder if Meng Chuan's personality would change drastically, and his cultivation fall into a slump, should Liu Qiyue die saving these mortals?"

"King Zhenwu fell due to his emotions, didn't he?" Emperor Peng smiled and nodded. "But Meng Chuan's rise was much swifter than King Zhenwu's, so it's unlikely he'll succumb easily."

"If he were to fall, that would be an unexpectedly huge gain," Empress Xuanyue chuckled, transmitting.

While shielding the entire Fengxue Pass with Phoenix Flames, Liu Qiyue also drew her bow and fired arrows.

"Whoosh." "Whoosh." "Whoosh." Her killing power was amplified by using arrows.

Streaks of arrow light tore through the rolling black water, cutting curves through it and causing the entire mass of black water to completely separate. Yet, the vast black water suffered no loss whatsoever.

After Phoenix Nirvana, Liu Qiyue's power surged from the peak of the Marquis realm to the peak of the Creation realm. The might of her arrows even reached the Emperor threshold; each arrow was slightly stronger than Peacock Monarch's full-power attack, but it couldn't harm Old Ancestor Poison Dragon in the slightest.

"A'Chuan said that Old Ancestor Poison Dragon's strength greatly increased after being nurtured by the three Emperors. Among the fifth-heaven demon monarchs, it's truly 'immortal.' I can't do anything to it," Liu Qiyue realized upon seeing this. "But simultaneously spreading Phoenix Flames over nearly two hundred miles also consumes too much."

"I must suppress Old Ancestor Poison Dragon."

With a thought, large amounts of Phoenix Flames immediately sought to suppress the black water.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh." The vast, rolling black water suddenly separated completely, forming nine black dragons.

Each black dragon was thirty to forty miles long, coiling and winding.

These dragons were in all directions around Fengxue Pass—north, south, east, and west, some in the sky, some underground. One 'black dragon' was even positioned at the world entrance, with part of its black water clinging tightly to the portal and part coiling around it.

The nine black dragons roared.

No matter how the Phoenix Flames tried to suppress them, the nine black dragons remained completely unharmed.

"What's happening?" "What's going on in the sky?"

Countless residents of Fengxue Pass saw the golden flames filling the sky. The flames obscured everything, though they could barely discern the rolling black water outside. Soon, the black water transformed into enormous black dragons! Several massive black dragons writhed and moved in the sky.

The residents watched it all in terror.

"Is it worth sacrificing your lifespan for these over ten million mortals?" Old Ancestor Poison Dragon's voice echoed through the sky, observing with a relaxed air.

Slaughtering over ten million mortals would yield over a billion merit points. However, killing Liu Qiyue would also grant extremely high merit. As a Marquis Godfiend with 'Phoenix Bloodline' and Meng Chuan's wife, the demon race had placed a bounty of a billion merit points on Liu Qiyue.

"Is it worth it?" Liu Qiyue had never hesitated.

Years ago, when she descended the mountain with her husband, they fought desperately at Beihe Pass, and Godfiends died then. When they lived in seclusion at Gushan Prefecture, they also hunted down demon monarchs together, protecting prefecture and county cities. She saw many Godfiends die there too. Later, they garrisoned cities… and many Marquis Godfiends guarding those cities also fell in battle. The couple had survived until now, but many comrades had already fallen. Those fallen comrades fought with all their might to resist the demon race and protect these mortals. How could Liu Qiyue retreat?

"Boom." Because maintaining the immense Phoenix Flames covering nearly two hundred miles consumed her lifespan too quickly, Liu Qiyue's physical body and true form also transformed rapidly, and insights into the fire lineage continuously emerged. Having already reached the peak of the Marquis realm, the vast insights now emerging finally allowed Liu Qiyue to break through completely. There was no bottleneck for the 'Phoenix Nirvana' breakthrough; insights simply surfaced, leading to an immediate breakthrough. Her fire lineage directly advanced into the Cavern-Heaven realm.

The moment she broke through, she could naturally tap into her Phoenix bloodline at a deeper level. The profound power of the Phoenix bloodline swiftly transformed Liu Qiyue's physical body; her bones became more crystalline and tougher, her skin developed a faint reddish aura, and fiery red runes even began to appear on her forehead.

"Fengxue Pass is in danger." Meng Chuan, standing on his Bloodblade Disk and maintaining his Flowing Sand divine power, rushed directly toward Fengxue Pass at top speed.

"Even if I'm returning from the world gap, three breaths of time should be enough to reach Fengxue Pass," Meng Chuan anxiously told himself, trying to calm his fears. "Qiyue has now reached the peak of the Marquis realm. Once she uses Phoenix Nirvana, she'll be able to handle any danger. Nothing major can happen in three breaths."

"Faster, faster," he urged himself. "Even faster."

Despite trying to reassure himself, Meng Chuan was still worried about his wife because he didn't know what exactly was happening at Fengxue Pass. He only knew it was an emergency life-or-death distress call.

Boom! He arrived! The scene at Fengxue Pass appeared before his eyes.

Meng Chuan instantly saw everything clearly: enormous black dragons, thirty to forty miles long, coiled in the sky, underground, and all around Fengxue Pass. Meanwhile, vast, surging Phoenix Flames heavily protected Fengxue Pass, and Liu Qiyue stood mid-air, the source of all the Phoenix Flames.

"Whoosh." All the Phoenix Flames immediately dissipated, their power returning to heaven and earth.

"Huh?" Old Ancestor Poison Dragon was astonished to see all the Phoenix Flames vanish. She wasn't protecting the mortals anymore? It looked at Liu Qiyue, who was bathed in flames, like a fire deity, having already drawn her bow and aimed an arrow.

An arrow, trailing golden flames that seemed alive, instantly struck one of the black dragons. The dragon's massive body had no time to dodge and was hit by the arrow.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle." One black dragon was hit. Simultaneously, golden flames ignited on all nine black dragons.

"Ah—" All nine black dragons simultaneously let out painful wails that echoed through heaven and earth, and countless amounts of black water naturally disintegrated.

Some of the black water frantically rushed towards the demon world through the entrance, simultaneously howling, "Emperors, save me! Emperors, save me!"

"What?" On the other side of the world entrance, the three Emperors watched the scene, somewhat surprised.

"Undying Phoenix's divine fire?" Emperor Peng was startled.

"Undying divine fire?" Legend had it that once 'Phoenix' flames touched something, they were almost impossible to extinguish.

"Save me—" Some of the black water vanished completely when it was only halfway through the passage. All of Old Ancestor Poison Dragon's black water was incinerated, with not a single trace remaining. Old Ancestor Poison Dragon was dead.

"Whoosh." Weapons and treasures fell, including a dark green bead that landed near the world entrance.

"Swoosh." Liu Qiyue beckoned, and the treasures flew towards her.

"Qiyue." Meng Chuan flew to Liu Qiyue's side. The flames on her body completely receded, and Liu Qiyue smiled, looking at Meng Chuan.