Chapter 250: Episode 11 Chapter 8 A Fine Friend Tianhuo (Seeking New Monthly Votes for January)

Hou Fei also stroked his chin, frowning in contemplation as he said, "Well, that’s true, Wu Kongxue is strong, after all, he is a Twelfth Tribulation Independent Demon. And with a whole group of powerful Independent Demons rushing back, we won’t be able to trample over ordinary Independent Demons anymore."

Hou Fei chuckled again and said to Qin Yu, "Big Brother, let’s not bother with all that for now, let’s just rest in the Qin Yu Immortal Mansion for a while. With the restrictions set by Immortal Emperor Ni Yang back in the day, how could a single Twelfth Tribulation Independent Demon possibly find it? I refuse to believe that Wu Kongxue can keep using the Devil’s Consciousness to search continuously without rest."

A smile appeared on Qin Yu’s face, "Rest for a while? No, we should set out tonight."

"Tonight, why the rush?" Hou Fei questioned.

"Big Brother, are you planning to set another fire?" Hei Yu looked at Qin Yu.

"The one who knows me, Little Black." Qin Yu said with a smile, feeling a surge of excitement as he realized that what he wanted to do was exactly what Hei Yu had in mind. Hou Fei also understood after a moment’s thought.

Hou Fei’s eyes shone as he looked at Qin Yu, "Big Brother, you really are ruthless."

Qin Yu just smiled.

Ruthless?

This wasn’t about being ruthless. Hou Fei and the others were not descendants of the Qin Family, so they had no idea how important their own clan was to the Qin Family members. Qin Yu had known since he was a child how much responsibility his father carried as the Clan Leader of the Qin Family. It was all for the sake of the Qin Family!

Many of the Qin Family had died or been injured, and most of it was Qin Yu’s responsibility.

"Wu Kongxue, True Master Ming Liang." A cold light flickered in Qin Yu’s eyes, "Countless of my nephews and other relatives have died or been injured, and more than ninety percent of our people have been killed. They slaughtered without any remorse when it was happening unintentionally, and now they will have to swallow this bitter fruit."

×

The Heavenly Fire on the surface of the Yinyue Mountain Range had already dissipated, but now the Yinyue Mountain Range was barren and scorched black.

Above the Yinyue Mountain Range.

Wu Kongxue’s face was grim as he surveyed the Yinyue Mountain Range below, where a large group of Independent Demons were meticulously searching. The target of their search was, of course, the most important ’Sky-breaking Map,’ but despite searching for nearly an hour, there were no results.

The Sky-breaking Map was created by Immortal Emperor Ni Yang and would normally conceal its aura. It was like when Qin Yu and his group entered the Treasure Pavilion of Nine Sword Immortal Mansion; even though the Sky-breaking Map was hanging on the wall, they did not notice it. That was why Wu Kongxue had his subordinates search for it personally.

"Master, hundreds of Independent Demons have searched for so long and have not found the Sky-breaking Map, could it have been burnt to ashes?" Pei Yan ventured to ask.

"Think." Wu Kongxue looked coldly at Pei Yan, "What kind of treasure is the Sky-breaking Map, that it would be burnt by Heavenly Fire. You should know that I have had the Sky-breaking Map in my hands before, so I am very clear about it. What I am most worried about now is... if that Independent Demon ’Xu Hei,’ who kept the Sky-breaking Map, was burnt to death and the map was taken by that ’True Master Tianhuo,’ that would be bad."

Pei Yan suddenly realized, "Ah, if True Master Tianhuo has killed the Independent Demon and really took the Sky-breaking Map and left, what to do then?"

"No rush," Wu Kongxue said coldly, "We don’t know where that True Master Tianhuo has escaped to at the moment, but before we find him, we must do one thing."

"What is it?" Pei Yan inquired.

"Find ’Xu Hei’s’ close friends or fellow disciples and ask if any possess ’Xu Hei’s’ Soul Jade Scroll. Just check the Soul Jade Scroll of ’Xu Hei,’ and we’ll know whether he’s alive or dead. If he’s still alive, there’s a high chance the Sky-breaking Map is with him. If he’s dead, and the Independent Demons below cannot find the map... then, there’s a high chance it was taken by True Master Tianhuo."

As he said this, Wu Kongxue’s expression turned even uglier.

The mysterious ’True Master Tianhuo’ had escaped from under his command and it was due to his oversight. If the Sky-breaking Map was indeed taken by the enigmatic and unpredictable ’True Master Tianhuo,’ then Wu Kongxue would bear a great responsibility.

"True Master Tianhuo, he doesn’t seem that strong, but he was able to release so much Heavenly Fire in one go." Wu Kongxue was annoyed in his heart.

To shave off a thick layer of the entire Yinyue Mountain Range required an immense amount of Heavenly Fire.

Yet, the thought of the mysterious ’True Master Tianhuo’ vanishing suddenly after being struck by his attack made Wu Kongxue waver, "Could it be that this True Master Tianhuo is pretending to be a weakling, while actually wanting to take advantage of our battle with Qingxu Mountain for his own gain?"

Meanwhile, Pei Yan was communicating with Lady Lian Yue, who was leading the Independent Demon Army rushing back from afar, through a Communication Order.

"Lord Wu Kongxue."

Pei Yan’s face was full of joy as he excitedly said, "Lord Wu Kongxue, I have just informed Lady of the situation here, and Lady has already inquired with a master of the Independent Demon ’Xu Hei’. We learned from that master’s sect that the Independent Demon ’Xu Hei’ is not dead!"

"Not dead?"

Wu Kongxue’s heart involuntarily relaxed, then he quickly asked, "Does the sect of ’Xu Hei’ know where Xu Hei is now?"

"We don’t know. The experts of the Independent Demon Xu Hei’s sect have tried to communicate with Xu Hei, but they simply can’t get through. It seems... Xu Hei can’t receive any communications at all." Pei Yan’s face showed confusion, "Could there be a place that can block communications?"

"Of course, there is."

Wu Kongxue replied with a composed smile, "There are special places, like the immortal mansions of immortals. They are isolated from the outside world, and even communication orders cannot reach in or out."

"From the moment the heavenly fire started burning, not much time has passed, but I can’t detect any trace of the Independent Demon Xu Hei, nor do I know where he is now." Wu Kongxue was somewhat oppressed in his heart and involuntarily thought of ’True Master Tianhuo’.

"True Master Tianhuo, you’ve truly angered me this time." Wu Kongxue’s eyes flashed with blood.

And soon after—

A tremor and cracking noise suddenly erupted from beneath the Yinyue Mountain Range, and then— a huge mountain peak split in two, from which a gigantic sword shadow flew out. The sword shadow was tens of meters tall and two to three meters thick, with a human figure inside.

Wu Kongxue’s eyes bulged at the sight of this abruptly appearing person, and he couldn’t help but exclaim in shock, "Xu Hei."

This Independent Demon who had burst forth from within the Yinyue Mountain Range was Xu Hei, the guardian of the ’Sky-breaking Map’.

The huge sword shadow began to slowly dissipate, revealing the figure inside, a young man with a hint of baby fat.

"Lord Wu Kongxue." Xu Hei flew to Wu Kongxue’s side, his face filled with excitement, "Junior has finally seen you, Lord. That heavenly fire earlier was utterly overwhelming; I was so worried at that moment."

"What about the Sky-breaking Map?" Wu Kongxue could not care about anything else; he was most concerned about the Sky-breaking Map.

The Independent Demon Xu Hei immediately replied, "The Sky-breaking Map is safe, I’m very clear on that. It doesn’t matter if I die, but the map cannot fall into others’ hands. At first, I wanted to use an Escape Technique to enter the mountain’s interior. But... Yin Yue Palace had laid down numerous Restrictions, making it impossible to use the Escape Technique."

Wu Kongxue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The protective measures for Yin Yue Palace, which kept enemies from entering by Escape Technique, meant that during the heavenly fire attack, many Independent Demons were burned alive because they couldn’t enter the mountain in time. With the heavenly fire blanketing the sky, the Independent Demons and disciples of Yin Yue Palace couldn’t move at all, and those who couldn’t escape into the ground were undoubtedly doomed to perish.

"How did you get underground?" Wu Kongxue asked with a smile.

A look of terror crossed the face of the Independent Demon Xu Hei: "Junior, in the end, I..."

"In the end, you performed the Blood Recognition to claim the Sky-breaking Map, right?" Wu Kongxue’s expression darkened.

The Independent Demon Xu Hei immediately knelt down: "Lord Wu Kongxue, Junior did not wish to claim the Sky-breaking Map by Blood Recognition, but the map is of utmost importance. With the descent of the heavenly fire, no matter what, I couldn’t let it fall into the enemy’s hands, so I performed Blood Recognition and then used ’Sky-breaking Sword Qi Protection’."

Wu Kongxue snorted coldly: "Sky-breaking Sword Qi, this is sword energy left by the Immortal Emperor, you’re lucky to have used it even once."

Xu Hei respectfully said, "The power of the Sky-breaking Sword Qi is indeed formidable, protecting me from the heavenly fire. Afterwards... the Sky-breaking Sword Qi easily pierced through the Restrictions, and then I directly entered the mountain’s interior."

What happened after that Wu Kongxue obviously knew, Xu Hei just kept hiding in the mountain until he finally emerged now.

Wu Kongxue was actually very shocked in his heart: "That Sky-breaking Sword Qi is truly wondrous. Xu Hei’s strength is only average, but after using ’Sky-breaking Sword Qi Protection’, it seemed like he was completely isolated from the outside world. I couldn’t detect even a trace of him with Devil’s Consciousness; could it be that Sky-breaking Sword Qi Protection also has the function to conceal one’s presence and evade searches?"

Wu Kongxue was right.

Surrounded by the Sky-breaking Sword Qi, the person inside was completely cut off from the outside world’s energies, which was one of the great divine powers of Immortal Emperor Ni Yang’s ’Sky-breaking Sword Technique’.

"Alright, hand over the Sky-breaking Map. Your identity has been exposed, so you’re no longer suitable to keep it." Wu Kongxue spoke indifferently.

Although Xu Hei was fond of the treasure with the "Sky-breaking Sword Qi Protection," he feared Wu Kongxue even more. Reluctant in his heart, he respectfully removed the Blood Contract from his face and then reverently handed over the Sky-breaking Map to Wu Kongxue.

Having obtained the Sky-breaking Map, Wu Kongxue felt much relieved.

"Hmm?" Wu Kongxue frowned, flipping his hand to reveal an object similar to a Communication Order.

"Big Brother Wu Kongxue, it seems Lady Lian Yue’s Independent Demon Army is at a disadvantage," Fire Demon called out as he flew up to Wu Kongxue. While Wu Kongxue received the message from Lady Lian Yue, Fire Demon also received her communication.

The content of the message was simple.

After Wu Kongxue, Fire Demon, and a portion of the experts had left first, Lady Lian Yue began to withdraw the Independent Demon Army from Qingxu Mountain to regroup at the Yinyue Mountain Range. However, True Master Ming Liang must also have learned about the situation at the Yinyue Mountain Range and took the opportunity to lead the Independent Immortals’ Army out from the Ten Variations Illusion Array to pursue and attack.

The Independent Demon Army and the Independent Immortals’ Army clashed once again in the chase.

In contrast to the last time, the Independent Demon Army was at a disadvantage this time.

Because at the levels of the Eleventh and Twelfth Tribulations, more than half of the high-level Independent Demons had left first to head to the Yinyue Mountain Range. Thus, the super-high-level experts on the side of the Independent Immortals were extremely arrogant, especially True Master Ming Liang, who was utterly unrivaled.

Out of desperation, Lady Lian Yue asked Wu Kongxue for help.

"Everyone, we have obtained the Sky-breaking Map, and our mission is resolved. However, the Independent Demon Army now lacks our presence, and its combat strength has greatly diminished. Moreover, the Independent Demon Army is currently being besieged by the Independent Immortals. Please head to the battlefield at your fastest speed," said Wu Kongxue.

Wu Kongxue immediately transmitted his Devil’s Consciousness to these Independent Demons, and then he, Fire Demon, Pei Yan, and other experts used Instantaneous Movement to rush toward the battlefield.

×

On the route from Qingxu Mountain to the Yinyue Mountain Range, the two sides of Independent Immortals and Independent Demons fought bitterly for hundreds of thousands of miles. Over this distance, more than ten thousand Loose Cultivators were killed or injured, tens of thousands of ordinary Cultivators were affected, and the number of Mortals reached as many as tens of millions.

Blood flowed like rivers all the way, and the sound of explosions was unceasing like thunder.

"Haha... Lian Yue, today, I will make your side of Demon Cultivators remember our side of Cultivators’ might forever," laughed True Master Ming Liang, shining like a dazzling sun. On this battlefield of slaughter, he was an invincible presence.

His existence greatly bolstered the morale of the Independent Immortals’ side. Any tough nuts to crack or powerful Demon Path experts were easily dealt with by True Master Ming Liang.

Only Wu Hei from the Independent Demons’ side was barely able to resist him.

"Ming Liang, don’t get cocky!"

A roar, overwhelming True Master Ming Liang’s laugh, echoed across thousands of miles of the battlefield. At the same time, a terrifying scent of blood instantly permeated the entire battlefield. A blood-red light shot from the distant horizon, targeting True Master Ming Liang.

Following the blood-red light, a series of rainbow lights of various colors closely followed, streaking across the sky.

"Lord Wu Kongxue has arrived."

"It’s Lord Wu Kongxue!"

...

The strength of the Independent Demons’ side surged instantly.

"Hmph!" True Master Ming Liang snorted coldly, transforming into a dazzling white light and rushing towards the blood-red light.

Countless Independent Demons and Independent Immortals saw only the blood-red and bright white lights constantly colliding, entangling, and exploding... In short, within a range of dozens of miles where the two beams of light fought, no Independent Demon or Independent Immortal dared to approach. Yet, the space did not shatter.

"So powerful," Wu Hei couldn’t help but squint his eyes. He could see clearly that the attacks between True Master Ming Liang and Wu Kongxue were almost without any excess energy wasted. Every time, the energy was controlled with extreme precision, which is why the space didn’t break apart.

For a moment.

The two lights separated from each other, one being Wu Kongxue, the top Demon Path expert clad in a blood-red robe, and the other True Master Ming Liang, the top Immortal Path expert in a moon-white robe.

×××

Qin Yu quietly appeared alone in a forest far from the Yinyue Mountain Range.

"Just as I expected, with such a major event happening in the Yinyue Mountain Range, True Master Ming Liang would definitely be aware of it. He must have guessed that the Independent Demons would certainly have experts rushing back first. If Ming Liang doesn’t take the opportunity to thoroughly trample over the Independent Demons, then he would truly be an idiot." Qin Yu glanced at the now deserted Yinyue Mountain Range with a slight smile on his face. Then, he rode a Middle Grade Immortal Artifact at full speed towards the direction of Qingxu Mountain.

Everything was within his control.

Having flown for a while, Qin Yu saw from afar that the Independent Demons were fighting fiercely with the Independent Immortals, so he immediately took a detour.

"The slaughter is indeed brutal. How many Loose Cultivators have died, after all?"

On his way down, he must have flown at least a hundred thousand li, yet in this expanse, there were countless severed limbs and dried-up black blood.

"Most of the dead here are likely ordinary mortals, but there definitely won’t be a shortage of Demon Cultivators. True Master Ming Liang is truly ruthless, pursuing and killing for hundreds of thousands of li... He must be having a grand time this time. However, falling from the peak of a mountain to the bottom of a valley is the most painful experience."

It wasn’t long before Qin Yu arrived at the location of Qingxu Mountain.

Since the Independent Immortals had gone to chase down the Independent Demon forces, the disciples of Qingxu Temple had all left the Ten Variations Illusion Array and began to reorganize their sect’s entrance after the great battle. Qingxu Temple had fared much better than Yin Yue Palace, with its elite disciples and many powerful cultivators hiding within the Ten Variations Illusion Array and thus suffering minimal losses.

Now, Qingxu Mountain was bustling with activity. One could clearly see myriad Cultivators lifting huge stones with one hand to start rebuilding their living quarters.

"Big Brother, those Independent Demons are really hateful, having destroyed most of our Sect’s buildings — all the beautiful scenery is gone. These demonic fiends should indeed be exterminated from their Sects." A disciple of Qingxu Temple discussed with his senior brother.

That senior brother also snorted coldly, "Our Qingxu Temple’s True Master Ming Liang has personally taken action, leading tens of thousands of Independent Immortals to launch an assault. They will eliminate those powerful Sects and experts. Later on, we will move out to wipe out those smaller Sects."

Qingxu Temple had always been the number one Sect among Cultivators, and it was common for them to bully disciples from other Sects. Having their Sect nearly destroyed this time, they were, of course, extremely enraged.

"Big Brother, what’s that, purple flames..." The junior brother looked up at the sky at the rapidly descending ball of flames, puzzled.

The senior brother was also startled.

"Ah, it’s the Heavenly Fire!" The senior brother’s face instantly turned pale as death.

With the first cluster of Heavenly Fire descending, in an instant, hundreds of huge purple fireballs slammed into Qingxu Mountain. In just a short while, countless purple fireballs rained down on the skies above Qingxu Mountain, densely packed and endless. Suddenly, Qingxu Mountain had turned into an ocean of Heavenly Fire.

×××

The Independent Demon forces and the Independent Immortal forces had finally ceased fighting, but Wu Kongxue and True Master Ming Liang and other super-experts were still at loggerheads,

"Ming Liang, who is this True Master Tianhuo? He actually destroyed my Yin Yue Palace Sect and ruined the entire Yinyue Mountain Range," Lady Lian Yue’s voice was chillingly cold.

"Haha, True Master Tianhuo is naturally an unparalleled expert from our Independent Immortal faction. Expelling demons and defending Tao is what we Independent Immortals ought to do, and what Friend Tianhuo has done this time is truly exhilarating," said True Master Ming Liang, very much pleased with himself.

Upon receiving the news from ordinary Cultivators outside in the Upper Heavenly Palace that Yinyue Mountain Range had been burned by Heavenly Fire, True Master Ming Liang was overjoyed, knowing that his chance to strike back had arrived. At the moment, he was truly grateful to that mysterious True Master Tianhuo.

"Expelling demons and defending Tao, it sounds good to hear. Your Qingxu Temple, I..."

"Senior Brother, something terrible has happened; it’s really bad." True Master Ming Shan, standing nearby, looked at the Communication Order, and his face turned deathly pale without a trace of color.

At the same moment, Lady Lian Yue had also received communication, as she had naturally placed some spies outside Qingxu Mountain.

After viewing the message, Lady Lian Yue’s face was filled with disbelief. Then, looking at True Master Ming Liang, who was arrogantly laughing, she burst out, "Haha, expelling demons and defending Tao, what a righteous act, and what a ’friendly’ Tianhuo. Unfortunately, your Qingxu Mountain has also been reduced to ashes by the Heavenly Fire!"

(This Chapter is over five thousand words. Today is the last day of September, and tomorrow marks the beginning of October. Fang Qie hasn’t pushed for monthly ticket rankings this September. Fang Qie has decided to really strive for monthly ticket rankings in October. Of course, aiming for the rankings means a surge in releases, which is also a motivation for Fang Qie to be more enthusiastic. To rally for votes, Fang Qie will naturally update more, and since tomorrow is October 1st, the National Day, and some students will be participating in activities, but since it’s been announced that we’re aiming for rankings, let’s have at least three Chapters tomorrow. Everyone, please support Fang Qie with your monthly votes!)

(To be continued... For more details, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM where the Chapters are more abundant, and support the author, support genuine reading!)