"Sister Alan!"
Ninth Sister was horrified to see Alan instantly reduced to a bloody mess, plummeting to the ground. She pulled away without a care in the world, only just in time to see Alan's body twitch twice, uttering two halting words before expiring.
Don't want to?
Ninth Sister's heart was broken. She and Alan were like sisters, and with Alan's death, it was as if she had lost her soul. She couldn't understand the meaning of Alan's final, desperate words of "don't."
"Don't give up, or don't make an enemy of this person?"
Ninth Sister had no idea what Alan was trying to say. Her heart was in turmoil, and she simply stood there, stunned, staring at Alan's body, completely lost.
"Fool, now is not the time for you to be dazed!"
Zuo Mingzi, in the air ahead, saw Ninth Sister's distraught state and shouted angrily.
He unfurled the Flying Crane Flag in his hand, and as spiritual light surged, a ball of emerald green light suddenly condensed on it, and a small whirlpool instantly flew out from the flag.
Standing nearby, Du Huifeng no longer dared to be careless. He had originally intended to just put on a show and let the others take charge, but who could have imagined such a powerful opponent, killing one right off the bat? If this continued, their chances of victory would likely continue to decline.
Du Huifeng attacked, and the Heaven and Man Harmony Fan flew out of his hand, rapidly expanding. Du Huifeng leaped forward, actually standing on the fan. His entire aura instantly transformed, and a suit of aqua-blue armor quickly enveloped him.
"This guy's fan is a bit strange."
Ming Qi was controlling the fire spirits to attack Ninth Sister, but he also kept a close eye on Zuo Mingzi and Du Huifeng, observing every move Du Huifeng made. Zuo Mingzi and Du Huifeng were both masters of the Celestial Realm, naturally possessing considerable strength. Their simultaneous attack immediately eased the lopsided situation.
The emerald green hurricane unleashed by Zuo Mingzi's Flying Crane Flag didn't strike Ming Qi, but instead swirled, locking onto the Fire Gate within the Five Elements Gate, from which fire spirits continuously poured forth.
Du Huifeng, also experienced and aware of Ming Qi's prowess with the fire element, planted his feet on the Heaven and Human Unity Fan. With both hands grasping the air, two azure balls of water spirit energy were rapidly compressed into two aquamarine spheres of light. Extending his arms, he launched the spheres directly towards the Fire Gate.
Du Huifeng and Zuo Mingzi simultaneously attacked the Fire Gate with all their might, instantly shattering it and suppressing its ferocious flames.
With the Fire Gate suppressed, Ming Qi's fire spirits were annihilated, vanishing into thin air.
"These two are a bit difficult to deal with."
Ming Qi calculated, temporarily shifting his target to face Du Huifeng and Zuo Mingzi, who were still in the air.
Ninth Sister's pressure was relieved, and she suddenly regained her composure. She knew now was no time to grieve. She and Alan were the pillars of the Sanhuan Jinxiu Sect. Now that Alan was dead, the entire Sanhuan Jinxiu Sect depended on her. She absolutely could not impulsively destroy the entire sect.
After pondering for a moment, she collected Alan's body and soared into the air once again.
"Hurry and attack! The longer we delay, the worse it will be for us."
Zuo Mingzi urged Ninth Sister upon seeing her approach.
The masters' magical powers clashed in the blink of an eye. Zuo Mingzi barely had time to speak when Ming Qi's spear struck him head-on, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
Ming Qi paid no attention. While manipulating the small Five Elements Fan, he found a moment to flick his hand and unleashed a burst of fire thunder. A shower of fire thunder flew out, showering the sky with rain. Most of the people in the air dodged, but the two families and many independent cultivators on the ground weren't so lucky. Many were struck by the fire thunder, suffering terribly.
While the power of this fire thunder wasn't as strong as the Vermillion Bird's Burning Heaven or the Phoenix's Dance of the Nine Heavens, the pain was unavoidable.
As the fire thunder unleashed, screams rang out from below, one after another.
Qing Zhu and the others in the distance were already terrified, especially those who had previously mocked Ming Qi's weakness. Now, watching Ming Qi's mighty display in the sky, their faces paled, their minds musing that this master must not be the kind to hold grudges.
Du Huifeng and Zuo Mingzi joined forces, with Ninth Sister occasionally joining in. For a moment, the two sides were evenly matched. Meanwhile, the red-haired youth continued to engage the twin demon dogs, seemingly oblivious to the ongoing battle.
"Quick victory!"
Zuo Mingzi could no longer endure this. He roared a second time, simultaneously waving the Flying Crane Flag in his hand. Energy surged from his body, unleashing it relentlessly onto the flag. The embroidered crane on the flag spread its wings, followed by a resounding cry as it soared from the surface!
"You have this trick?"
Seeing Zuo Mingzi fully unleash the power of the flag, Ming Qi no longer hesitated. With a cold shout, the Vermillion Bird's divine wings stretched out from behind him, and a raging flame rapidly rose.
Phoenix Dances in the Nine Heavens!
He once again unleashed the Phoenix Dances in the Nine Heavens, fully invigorating the bloodline imbued with the ancient will of the Vermillion Bird, and the Vermillion Bird's divine wings rapidly transformed.
"Du Huifeng, if you don't take action now, what are you planning to do?"
Zuo Mingzi also sensed the imminent danger and hurriedly called out to Du Huifeng.
Du Huifeng was now in a difficult position, knowing that if he didn't unleash his most powerful skills, if Zuo Mingzi were defeated, he would be the next to be attacked.
Swish!
With a flick of his finger, the Heaven and Man Harmony Fan swiftly swung forward. A blue light shone in front of the fan, and ripples resembling the ripples of the ocean spread out. Du Huifeng, standing on the fan, stretched his hands in front of him, and two identical Heaven and Man Harmony Fans suddenly appeared in his hands.
Du Huifeng, holding both fans, stepped forward, and the massive Heaven and Man Harmony Fans pierced through space and flew towards Ming Qi.
His hands, holding the fans, opened and closed wildly, emitting countless dazzling blue rays, forming a dazzling web of light in front of him.
Seeing the two men attacking with almost all their might, Ninth Sister suddenly stepped forward and flew swiftly, heading straight for Ming Qi.
"Senior, please forgive my blindness. I willingly accept your punishment and will never again become your enemy."
Ninth Sister's voice was low, but Du Huifeng and Zuo Mingzi, standing nearby, could hear clearly. This was clearly a surrender!
"You bastard, I will kill you!"
Ninth Sister paid no attention. She simply bowed respectfully and stood ten meters away from Ming Qi, unmoved by the flames.
Ming Qi was somewhat surprised by Ninth Sister's surrender, but since this was the crucial moment to unleash Phoenix Dance in the Sky, he didn't have much time to dwell on it. He simply said, "Well, step aside for now. I'll deal with these two old dogs first."
A resounding phoenix cry pierced the sky, and the Suzaku divine wings behind Ming Qi completely transformed into Suzaku divine feathers. Feathers flew out in a flash of lightning, and the sky was raining blood-red feathers.
Feeling an overwhelming pressure, Zuo Mingzi's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to urge the spirit crane to fight, he heard a mournful cry. The spirit crane, which had originally flown out, suddenly disobeyed his command and transformed into a streak of white light. It rushed into the flag and fell completely silent.
"..."
At this moment, Zuo Mingzi wanted to curse. What a lousy mountain-guarding treasure! It was so frightened that it retreated.
But he didn't even have time to curse, because Ming Qi's attack had arrived in the blink of an eye. The feathers in the sky condensed into two rainbow rays, which were aimed at Zuo Mingzi and Du Huifeng separately.