Chapter 1181: Fiery Phoenix

Crows spewing blood-poison filled the sky, furiously devouring the bodies and lifeblood of every guard soldier on the battlefield. The once orderly courtyard battlefield was now strewn with corpses and drenched in blood.

Not long after, the Fifth Prince descended upon the battlefield again. The several top experts accompanying him each exuded an intensely thick aura of slaughter. The Fifth Prince merely snorted, appearing utterly unperturbed and unagitated by the sudden escalation of the situation before him.

Evidently, he already had a countermeasure. With a gentle wave of his hand, a brilliant crimson totem quickly emanated from his right palm. The moment this totem solidified, an ancient spirit beast, fiery red all over, materialized in its true form.

"That's a Blazing Phoenix! It's said to be one of the ten most powerful spirit beasts on the entire Yingzhou Continent. I can't believe he actually has a Blazing Phoenix as his summon! Such a privilege is probably rare even among the other princes."

Arno couldn't help but exclaim. It was widely known that every cultivator across the Yingzhou Continent dreamed of acquiring a top-tier spirit beast like a Blazing Phoenix to be their guardian beast, accompanying them as they grew. Yet, they were all very much aware of the immense difficulty in obtaining such a guardian.

Seeing the Fifth Prince now also possessing a Blazing Phoenix by his side, it was impossible for them not to feel envious. Every member of the Eight Gates team gazed at the dazzling Blazing Phoenix divine beast with almost greedy eyes.

The moment the divine beast appeared in the battlefield's void, it unleashed a brilliant torrent of raging flames into the air. The fire, as if possessing a life of its own, erupted horizontally, beginning to furiously consume the blood-poisoned crows surrounding them.

In short order, the flames reduced all the blood-stained crows in the vicinity to ashes. Having succeeded, the Fifth Prince, with a composed expression, gently waved his hand, reabsorbing the Blazing Phoenix into his body and sealing it within his power.

"Come out, esteemed Xu Yang. I know you've already broken free from the City of Enticement's dungeon. You were bound to show yourselves sooner or later, so why hide?"

Indeed, the Fifth Prince possessed some genuine skill. It was impossible for him to detect Xu Yang's presence through aura fluctuations alone. His ability to deduce the situation was purely due to his masterful grasp of the overall strategic rhythm, which allowed him to make such an accurate judgment.

As expected, Xu Yang saw no further point in hiding. He transformed into a streak of light, landing steadily in the center of the conflict, his gaze fixed on the Fifth Prince with a terrifying calmness.

"Speaking of which, you truly have some tricks up your sleeve. The construction of that City of Enticement's dungeon is simply uncanny. I doubt even I, with all my resources, could find artisans capable of crafting such an exquisite magic array."

However, the Fifth Prince didn't blindly claim credit this time. He shook his head with a bitter, helpless smile. "How could someone of my ability construct such an ingeniously crafted dungeon? That was my Third Brother's doing. Among all the princes, he is the only one truly proficient in mechanisms and Qi gate techniques.

"However, his cultivation is also the weakest. It seems fate truly is fair; it opens one door for you while closing another. None of us other princely brothers possess the Third Brother's unique talents.

"For these past years, Third Brother has served as the warden personally appointed by the Central Imperial Dynasty. All operations involving the imprisonment of major criminals required his approval before the target could be confined in his City of Enticement dungeon. Unfortunately, that honor has now been shattered by your own hands."

Xu Yang, with a look of disdain, regarded the Fifth Prince's pretense of righteousness. "Whether your Third Brother's aspirations were destroyed by us, I don't know. But the one thing I'm certain of is that you were eagerly wishing for his early demise. In fact, I strongly suspect he has already fallen by your hand."

This time, however, the Fifth Prince did not continue to play the scapegoat, accepting the blame for his brother's demise. "Don't speak so carelessly, esteemed Xu Yang. While your power is immense, capable of even escaping the City of Enticement's dungeon, what happened to my Third Brother truly has nothing to do with me."

Xu Yang burst into laughter. "How about we play a game? The victor can make a demand of the loser, and the loser must comply. Of course, I won't choose meaningless options like fighting to the death or asking you to commit suicide."

As expected, hearing Xu Yang's proposition, the Fifth Prince immediately grew interested.

"Oh? Tell me, how do we play?"

Xu Yang chuckled lightly and spoke again, "It's simple. If I win, I want you, in the name of the Yingzhou Continent's Imperial Family, to admit to the entire continent the fact that your Imperial Family massacred the entire Dark Alliance for your own selfish desires back then. And as a member of the Imperial Family, you must apologize to the descendants of the Dark Alliance." The Fifth Prince gave Xu Yang a deep, almost smiling, almost sneering look, and snorted. "And if you lose?"

"Hahahaha! I think you've got a screw loose! When have you ever seen our boss lose a battle? If you're afraid to die, you can take your shrimp soldiers and crab generals and scram from Brocade Villa right now! Otherwise, you'll have to accept the challenge from our boss!"

Top experts are never short of sycophants. For instance, the current members of the Eight Gates team weren't truly eager to merely boast; they too wished to enter the fray, slay enemies, and earn merit. Unfortunately, their strength truly didn't allow it. On the other hand, it was also because they had ample confidence in Xu Yang's power.

"Hahaha, very well. You've certainly ignited a strong desire for battle in me now. It's not just that the enemy in this fight is formidable, and there are many variables, but what truly piqued my interest are you death row inmates of the Eight Gates.

"Do you think that just because you have Xu Yang as your backing, clinging to his leg, you can do whatever you want? How ridiculous. Do you believe I can, right here, right now, in front of everyone, completely slaughter you few death row inmates of the Eight Gates? And your boss won't even bat an eye!"

Upon hearing the Fifth Prince's words, Arno and the others all stepped forward, their expressions icy, scanning all the experts under the Fifth Prince's command. "To be frank, if our boss can't even conquer someone of your caliber, then there would be few indeed throughout the annals of time who could. Tell me, who among those capable of being our boss's opponent is not a truly extraordinary master?"