The atmosphere in the sky grew increasingly oppressive.
It seemed as though even the air had solidified.
The supreme powerhouses, those who ruled over the fate of countless beings, now found themselves in a heavy mood, even entangled in hesitation.
The Human King!
She was a terrifying figure, arguably the uncrowned queen of Xuanhuang Tian, with battle prowess that defied the heavens.
No one wanted to provoke such a terrifying existence.
Such a being was incredibly difficult to kill. Even if besieged by many other supreme powerhouses, she could always escape. However, her vengeance would bring catastrophic consequences that no force could withstand.
She was like a human-shaped nuclear weapon.
"Sun Devouring Emperor, as far as I know, the Human King is aloof by nature and rarely meddles in others' affairs. Are you sure you're not fabricating this?" the Phoenix Clan elder said with a dark expression.
"What do you think?" The Sun Devouring Emperor sneered, not giving a direct answer. Instead, he turned his gaze towards the other supreme powerhouses hidden within the gray whirlpools and said, "My fellow Daoists, if you do not wish to make an enemy of my sister, you may leave now."
The whirlpools fell silent.
Then, some of them wavered.
"Brother Huang, since the Human King is involved, I won't interfere in this matter. Farewell."
"Brother Huang, I'll forego what you promised me. I'll be taking my leave first."
"Brother Huang..."
One by one, the whirlpools dissipated, leaving only seven remaining.
"Sigh, the tide has turned."
A voice of helpless resignation rang out, and the seven whirlpools slowly faded, revealing the figures within.
There, seven elders surrounded by Phoenix flames stood. These were the Phoenix Clan's ancient ancestors. Now that their external allies had left, there was no need to hide anymore.
"We can't kill him today. Let's go back," one of the elders said weakly.
"Damn it! Damn it!!" The black-robed elder's expression turned stormy. He roared to the heavens, shaking the stars until they began to fall from the sky.
After a long time, he calmed his emotions, shot a resentful glance at Qin Zi, and began to leave with the seven others.
Their forms began to blur, as though they were about to disappear entirely.
"It's over."
"Phew..."
Jin Zhi, Ye Lingshuang, and the others breathed a sigh of relief. There were only five of them, but the opposing side had eight. If they had truly decided to risk everything to kill Qin Zi, they might not have been able to stop them, as it is far easier to kill than to save.
As for Qin Zi, he felt like he had just narrowly escaped death, his entire body soaked in sweat, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
"You scoundrel, die!!"
Just when everyone had relaxed, an angry voice rang out, accompanied by a fierce blaze of fire cutting through the sky!
The light moved too fast.
Like a streak, it tore through the heavens and earth, seemingly splitting the world in two.
This was a supreme powerhouse's strike, fueled by anger and pushed to the absolute limit, reaching a state of near perfection!
The beam of light surpassed the constraints of space and time, arriving before Qin Zi in an instant, poised to pierce through him.
"Not good!"
"Flame King!"
"How dare you!"
Jin Zhi, Ye Lingshuang, and the other five reacted instantly, scrambling to shield Qin Zi. But the power they hastily gathered was no match for the full-force, hateful strike of a supreme powerhouse.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Their energies were instantly shattered, and the golden light continued to surge forward, unstoppable, toward Qin Zi—too fast for him to evade!
"No!"
Ye Lingshuang's face turned pale, and Jin Zhi's eyes reddened as he tried to intervene, but it was too late.
"Boom!"
In the next moment, the blaze exploded, blooming into a magnificent fiery lotus, engulfing the sky within a radius of tens of thousands of miles.
"No!!"
Ye Lingshuang stood amidst the flames, untouched by the fire, but tears of despair flowed down her face.
Her only disciple... was dead.
"Wait, something's not right!"
Suddenly, a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes. She stared intently at the flames, where two blurry figures gradually came into focus.
A figure in white robes, billowing in the breeze.
It was that familiar silhouette.
"Qin... Brother Qin!" Ye Lingshuang cried out in joy, her voice trembling with emotion, though a touch of awkwardness lingered—after all, she was now the Twilight King.
"Long time no see, Lingshuang," Qin Chuan said with a gentle smile, effortlessly carrying Qin Zi as he stepped out of the flames, his demeanor calm and collected.
"Master." Zhou Xiang put his hands together and smiled respectfully at Qin Chuan.
"Mm." Qin Chuan nodded at him, then looked at Chu Zhongtian, Jin Zhi, and the Sun Devouring Emperor, smiling as he said, "Thank you for your help."
"It was nothing," the three of them replied with a wave, though a hint of surprise and caution flickered in their hearts. Even now, they couldn't fully discern Qin Chuan's true nature!
It wouldn't have mattered before, but now they had all regained their supreme powers. There were few things in the world that could escape their perception, yet this man remained an enigma.
As for the eight members of the Phoenix Clan, their fading figures suddenly became clear once again.
They turned back to look.
But Qin Chuan paid them no mind. Instead, he lowered his gaze, piercing through space, and focused on a figure standing on the Forbidden Mountain.
It was none other than... Zhao Ri!
This was the same Zhao Ri whom Qin Chuan had knocked out, stripped naked, and left hanging on a city gate to blow in the wind.
Zhao Ri, also known as the Flame King!
"Why did you try to kill my son?" Qin Chuan asked calmly, feigning ignorance.
"Hmph, that vile beast humiliated me before I regained my memories. It was the greatest humiliation of my life, and this grudge is irreconcilable!" the Flame King roared with fury.
Flames blazed around him, and as his anger surged, the Forbidden Mountain beneath him turned bright red. Everything within a million-mile radius began to melt, rivers of lava flowing in all directions.
"Zi'er, what did you do?" Qin Chuan looked at Qin Zi, still pretending to be clueless.
"I... I've never even met him! How could I have done anything to him?" Qin Zi stammered, utterly confused.
"You liar!"
The Flame King roared, his voice full of rage. "You wretched child, are you too cowardly to admit what you've done?!"
Qin Chuan turned to the Flame King and said, "I don't know what grudge or misunderstanding exists between you and my son. If my son truly wronged you, I have no right to ask you to let it go. However... he is still my son. If you wish to kill him, I cannot stand idly by."
His face was earnest, leaving no room for discussion—it was as if he was saying, "Sure, let's say my son did everything you claim. But as his father, no matter what he did, I must protect him!"
With this, the situation was sealed.
Whether the Flame King or Qin Zi had any more to say, it no longer mattered. There was no need for a confrontation, because in the end, the truth was irrelevant.
The Flame King believed Qin Chuan was shamelessly defending his son, while Qin Zi thought the Flame King was being unreasonable. Thus, no one would ever know that the real culprit behind those heinous acts was Qin Chuan himself...
"Hmph, a king cannot be humiliated!! I can let go of anything, but not my dignity! Today, your son must die!" the Flame King declared coldly.
"Hahaha, well said, Flame King! We'll help hold off the others while you seize the chance to kill that brat!" the black-robed Phoenix Clan elder laughed heartily.
His laughter was full of glee.
Due to the Human King's involvement, they dared not kill Qin Zi themselves. But if a supreme powerhouse from Xuanhuang Tian were to do the deed, it would be perfect!
"Kill!!"
The Flame King stomped his foot, and the Forbidden Mountain erupted with light. The earth within a million miles shattered instantly as he shot into the sky like a true dragon, charging toward the heavens!