96: Rob Lie Tianxiong

When the last royal descendant fell in a pool of blood, the Luoxia Valley was completely silent.

Bloodstains on the Nine Heavens Dragon Soul Halberd and the Primordial Sword slowly dripped from the blades, forming winding, thin streams of blood on the bluestone slab, like solidified dark red scars.

"Great Yan Dynasty, this is just a small interest payment."

Xiao Ruobai looked down at the blood streams, his voice low but filled with unyielding resolve.

"Wait for me, it won't be long."

Fang Hanyu slowly walked to his side. He offered no extra words of comfort, only raising his hand to gently pat Xiao Ruobai's shoulder with his palm.

Xiao Ruobai turned his head to look at Fang Hanyu, the surging crimson killing intent in his eyes receding slightly, replaced by a hint of warmth that was difficult to detect.

During his time on Zizhu Peak, it was his Master's protection that gave him the capital for revenge, and his Junior Brother's companionship that ensured he was no longer alone.

At this moment, Little Black flapped its wings and landed on his shoulder, gently pecking his sleeve with its sharp beak, as if urging, "Quickly clean it up, leave no traces."

The two exchanged a look and immediately divided tasks.

Xiao Ruobai condensed a ball of pale golden spiritual fire in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, the spiritual fire instantly split into several strands, coiling around the corpses on the ground like nimble golden snakes. Flesh and bones silently melted in the spiritual fire, and even the bloodstains splashed on the stone slab were licked clean one by one.

Fang Hanyu stood guard nearby, faint Sword Qi lingering around his fingertips. He occasionally swept it across the corners, rolling any overlooked severed hands, broken swords, or even blood-stained Spiritual Plants into the spiritual fire, leaving no suspicious objects at the scene.

After all the corpses had turned to ashes, Little Black suddenly flapped its wings and flew up, circling twice in the valley.

Its wings gently fanned, and a soft yet irresistible force of wind spread out, sweeping up the grayish-white ashes from the ground and carrying them through the rock crevices into the distance. Even the lingering scent of blood in the spiritual mist was blown away.

When the wind stopped, the entire valley was so clean it seemed as if no battle had ever occurred, with only the moss on the rock walls still clinging to undried spiritual dew.

Xiao Ruobai squatted down and rubbed the bluestone slab with his finger, confirming that not a single bloodstain or bone fragment remained, before extinguishing the spiritual fire.

Fang Hanyu also checked the surroundings, and seeing no omissions, he nodded, signaling that they could leave.

At the same time, inside the bamboo house on Zizhu Peak of the Azure Profound Sect, Gu Changge was leaning against a bamboo chair. In the water mirror suspended on the stone table in front of him, the entire process of the group destroying the evidence was clearly reflected.

"His Heart-Nature is stable enough, and his methods are sharp. It wasn't for nothing that I taught them."

Gu Changge mused inwardly, but then a thought struck him, and he felt that the two had talked a bit too much earlier.

"Villains die from talking too much. It seems I'll have to remind them more next time."

He couldn't help but recall the novels he had read in his previous life, where protagonists always loved to pour out their past grievances endlessly, then complain about the enemy's crimes.

Not only did this give their enemies ample room to argue and beg for mercy, but it often led to "beating the small one, and the old one comes," needlessly adding a heap of trouble for themselves.

As for those villains, they were even more arrogant and brainless, possessing huge advantages yet rambling on endlessly, ultimately waiting foolishly to be counter-killed by the protagonist.

Not long after Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu left the valley, they heard a "crackle" from the dense forest ahead.

A burly figure was chasing a cluster of cyan-blue flames, surrounded by surging fire waves that scorched the ground's rocks black. It was Lie Tianxiong, the Palace Lord of Burning Heaven Palace.

"It's Lie Tianxiong."

Fang Hanyu's fingertips rested on the Primordial Sword sheath, a hint of vigilance flashing in his eyes.

"That fire he's chasing... something's not right."

The two quickly concealed themselves among the gnarled roots of an ancient tree, observing carefully under the cover of the spiritual mist.

Lie Tianxiong's temples were throbbing, and his breathing was heavy like an ox, clearly having pursued for a long time, with even the hair at his temples soaked in sweat.

The Burning Sky Blazing Flame condensed in his palm had tried several times to envelop the cyan-blue flame, but it was always skillfully evaded.

The cyan-blue flame was about the size of a fist, with intricate ice crystal patterns swirling at its core. Each flicker carried an bone-chilling cold, yet it also exuded the pure Origin of fire attribute.

It was actually the legendary exotic flame, the "Netherworld Ice Flame"!

This flame was cold on the outside and hot on the inside. It could both freeze spiritual energy and unleash power capable of burning mountains and boiling seas. For fire-attribute Cultivators, it was a rare and invaluable treasure for Body Refining and artifact refining.

"It's the Netherworld Ice Flame!"

Fang Hanyu's pupils constricted slightly.

"The Burning Heaven Palace Lord cultivates fire-attribute Cultivation Techniques. This exotic flame could double the power of their Burning Sky Art. Lie Tianxiong has probably been chasing it all the way, forcing it into this desperate situation."

Just as Fang Hanyu's fingertips touched the Primordial Sword sheath, Xiao Ruobai nudged him with his elbow.

"Senior Brother!" Fang Hanyu whispered.

"That fire looks very sinister. Lie Tianxiong is chasing it like he's lost his soul. We should..."

"No rush. We'll make our move after he catches the exotic flame. It'll save us some effort."

Xiao Ruobai shrunk further into the gnarled roots of the ancient tree, not forgetting to pull Fang Hanyu to hide even more securely.

Fang Hanyu looked at Lie Tianxiong, who was desperately chasing the exotic flame, with a hint of sympathy, sighing inwardly, "Senior Brother is still more prudent."

Sure enough, it wasn't long before Lie Tianxiong roared, and the flame spiritual energy around him suddenly surged, forming a fire net in mid-air.

The fire net tightened, eventually binding the exotic flame tightly, rendering it unable to move.

He grinned menacingly as he grabbed the exotic flame, muttering, "Run! Weren't you still caught by me!"

"Act."

A large black staff appeared in Xiao Ruobai's hand at some point, and he swung it directly at Lie Tianxiong with a fierce Aura.

Fang Hanyu, meanwhile, circled to the side, his Sword Qi condensing into a sharp cyan-gold ray, stabbing directly at Lie Tianxiong's wrist, which held the flame.

"Who?!"

Lie Tianxiong was furious and startled, hastily turning to condense a flame barrier to defend himself.

However, he had already expended most of his spiritual energy to trap the exotic flame, and his attention was distracted by the ecstasy of his success. The flame barrier, barely formed, was split with spiderweb-like cracks by the battle-light.

The next second, the staff heavily smashed into his back, and the Chaos Sword Qi also took the opportunity to sever the spiritual energy meridians in his wrist.

"Pfft!"

Lie Tianxiong spewed a large mouthful of blood, the Netherworld Ice Flame flew from his fingers, and he stumbled forward, his knees heavily hitting the scorched rock.

Before he could even prop himself up, Xiao Ruobai was already upon him, smashing the staff like a heavy hammer onto the back of his head.

"Thud!"

Lie Tianxiong's eyes rolled back, and his burly body collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious, with lingering bloodstains at the corner of his mouth.

In the last flicker of consciousness before he passed out, only a bewildered thought remained: "Numb... why is it me getting hit again?"

Fang Hanyu, meanwhile, caught the Netherworld Ice Flame in mid-air. As his fingertips touched the flame, he immediately wrapped the outer layer of coldness with Sword Qi to prevent frostbite, and at the same time, he flicked Lie Tianxiong's Storage Ring into the air with his sword.

Just as Xiao Ruobai was about to lean down to search him for other treasures, he heard several urgent whooshing sounds.

Without needing to think, he knew that the Elders of Burning Heaven Palace had caught up.

"Go!"

Fang Hanyu made a decisive move, stuffing the Netherworld Ice Flame, wrapped in Sword Qi, into his bosom. The two simultaneously used the Cant Catch Me movement technique, their figures like two afterimages, darting into the depths of the dense forest.

Little Black flapped its wings and followed, and with each gentle beat of its wings, a soft gust of wind blew away the Aura and traces of battle left by the two.