35: Qiongqi from the Heart
High above in the sky, the Thunderbird Ling Ming led thousands of birds to form the "Nine Heavens Thunder Extreme Array," their wings blotting out the sun.
Ling Ming spread his wings and summoned the Nine Heavens thunder. Tens of thousands of lightning bolts poured down like a torrential rain, turning all the Vicious Beasts within a thousand-mile radius into charcoal.
"Die, you vile beast!"
The Thunderbird let out a long cry, and the array's formation suddenly shifted.
The avian army transformed into a spiraling thunderstorm vortex. At its center, a divine lightning bolt with a diameter of ten thousand miles condensed. The Qi of the Purple Heavens manifested, carrying a power that seemed capable of destroying everything as it blasted toward Qionghi.
This was the most overbearing and fierce thunder in the Primordial World, possessing the ability to annihilate all things.
An ordinary Grand Unity Golden Immortal would be turned to dust and vanish from the world upon the slightest contact.
However, facing such powerful thunderous force, Qionghi merely bared its bloody maw, revealing forest-white fangs.
It neither dodged nor avoided it, charging straight up into the thunder. That Purple Heavens Divine Thunder, powerful enough to kill a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, was actually swallowed into its belly in one gulp!
A muffled thunderous roar echoed from its abdomen, yet not the slightest injury could be seen.
"Not strong enough."
Qionghi grinned hideously, its wings suddenly accelerating. It crashed into the thunder array like a black meteor; wherever it passed, feathers flew and poisonous gas spread.
The sharp claws of a Cloud Roc sparked against its scales, and the flames spat by a Fire Crow were swatted away by its claw.
A Blue Bird tried to block it but was bitten by the neck and torn in half.
Ling Ming's eyes nearly split with rage as he summoned his Life Thunder Pearl.
Before the Ninefold Lightning Tribulation on the thunder pearl could even manifest, Qionghi flicked its tail casually, sending the pearl flying. Ling Ming's body was also sent flying backward.
It didn't even bother to pursue Ling Ming, instead pouncing on the weaker birds. With every swing of its claws, the blood of countless spiritual birds splattered across the sky.
The thousands of birds hurriedly changed their formation, linking their wings to form a curtain of light.
Qionghi didn't take them seriously at all. Maneuvering its massive body, it crashed directly into them. Crimson Evil Qi erupted from its broken horn, actually corroding a huge gap in the light curtain.
It rampaged through the array as if entering an uninhabited land.
Every roar shook down countless birds, and every claw strike brought a storm of blood.
The Vicious Beast army launched a charge through the opening it had torn.
Before long, the once orderly avian array had been smashed to pieces.
Blood trickled from the corner of Ling Ming's mouth as he watched Qionghi stroll leisurely through his carefully arranged array.
This Vicious Beast king casually tore off a crane's wing and chewed it slowly, its crimson beastly pupils full of mockery.
"Is this all you've got?" Qionghi licked the blood off its claws. "All of you combined can't even compare to her!"
Before its voice could fade, a blinding red light suddenly lit up the horizon.
A line of fire spanning heaven and earth arrived in an instant. The divine phoenix plume transformed into thousands of fiery feather arrows, piercing toward Qionghi.
Qionghi had no time to react before it was struck by the countless streaks of fiery red light.
With a "boom," it was sent flying and pinned deep into a great mountain.
Yuan Feng's figure appeared amidst the flames, the Phoenix True Fire behind her transforming into wings ten thousand feet long.
"Are you talking about me?"
Seeing Yuan Feng appear, the birds filling the sky immediately let out earth-shaking cheers.
"The Phoenix Lord! The Phoenix Lord is here!"
"We pay our respects to the Phoenix Lord!"
The thousands of birds all folded their wings and bowed their heads in mid-air toward Yuan Feng.
Even the injured birds that had fallen struggled to lift their heads, their eyes filled with reverence and hope.
The Thunderbird Ling Ming hovered in mid-air, his gold-and-purple wings trembling slightly.
He wanted to speak, but he was drowned out by the rising cries of "Phoenix Lord."
Although he was clearly the commander of the billions of birds at this moment, he felt as awkward as an outsider.
Yuan Feng lightly brushed her red sleeves, and the Nanmingli Fire transformed into a rain of warm light that fell to heal the injured birds.
"I have come today specifically to hunt down this beast!"
Her gaze swept over the Thunderbird, and she nodded slightly. "Fellow Daoist Ling Ming, it has been many years."
This address of "Fellow Daoist" made the Thunderbird feel as if a heavy burden had been lifted; it let him know that Yuan Feng was the same as always and had no intention of competing with him.
"Greetings, Yuan Feng," Ling Ming replied.
At that moment, a massive beastly roar came from the distance, and Qionghi was seen crawling out from the mountain ruins, glaring angrily at Yuan Feng.
Then, it shifted its gaze and scanned the area around her, as if searching for a certain azure figure.
As it wished, Qing Wu's Dao rhyme manifested, and an azure figure appeared beside Yuan Feng, pointing a sword at Qionghi and saying:
"Vile beast, the last time you invaded my Immortal Volcano, I only managed to sever one of your horns."
"This time, I will make your soul fly away and your spirit scatter."
A powerful Sword Intent radiated out, pointing directly at Qionghi.
Yuan Feng immediately followed by releasing her own pressure, locking onto Qionghi.
Under the powerful pressure of the two, Qionghi finally set aside its look of contempt, a trace of solemnity flashing in its crimson beastly eyes.
Seeming to sense that the strength of Qing Wu and Yuan Feng had improved quite a bit, Qionghi felt somewhat hesitant.
Last time, he had fought Yuan Feng for a long time and could find no opportunity to defeat her.
Coupled with Qing Wu's sword strike, which had an extremely powerful restraining effect on him.
With so many avian experts present this time, the situation was extremely unfavorable for him.
A look of constant deliberation flashed in Qionghi's eyes. He let out a series of beastly roars, summoning billions of Vicious Beasts to gather around him.
They launched a charge following his command.
Then, this powerful Vicious Beast king simply turned and left, as if he had made a certain decision.
He was a Vicious Beast, it was true, and though his head wasn't the brightest, he wasn't stupid.
Knowing he couldn't win, it wasn't as if he couldn't run.
But this scene playing out before everyone's eyes was clearly something no one had expected.
The once insufferably arrogant Vicious Beast king had actually become so cowardly at this moment, choosing to avoid the fight.
A trace of disdain appeared in Yuan Feng's fiery red eyes.
"Don't you dare leave!"
Yuan Feng let out a clear cry, her figure turning into a streak of fiery red as she pursued Qionghi.
Nanmingli Fire soared into the sky from around her, transforming into a rain of fire that fell across the battlefield.
The cries of the phoenix spread throughout the battlefield, severely intimidating the billions of Vicious Beasts.
Countless sparks landed on the wings of those birds, causing their feathers to ignite with brilliant golden flames and their combat power to skyrocket.
The thousands of birds were also deeply encouraged by Yuan Feng's cry, immediately launching a charge and beginning a direct slaughter with the Vicious Beast army.
Seeing this, the Thunderbird Ling Ming also summoned the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder to deploy the array once more.
Thunder and the Li Fire merged, actually forming a Thunder-Fire Domain above the battlefield.
Any Vicious Beast that broke in was either struck by heavenly thunder until its Soul Flew Away and Spirit Scattered, or burned by the fierce flames until not even its bones remained.
The morale of the avian army was like a rainbow, driving the Vicious Beasts back in defeat.
The once arrogant beast tide was now fleeing in all directions like stray dogs.
Qionghi looked back from a distant mountain peak, trembling with rage at the sight.
The grudge of the severed horn made him extremely resentful toward Qing Wu and Yuan Feng.
He was confident that with his strength, he would not be at a disadvantage against either of them individually.
But as it happened, these two were inseparable, leaving him no opportunity to strike.
Seeing the Vicious Beasts in a state of collapse, he wanted to regroup, but he saw two figures—one azure and one red—chasing closely after him.
Where Qing Wu's sword pointed, a Sword Qi spanning heaven and earth had already cut off his retreat.
Following that, a Mysterious Yellow Golden Bell was summoned, and ancient Dao sounds echoed throughout the entire battlefield.
The Golden Bell transformed into sixty-five phantom images, ruthlessly suppressing Qionghi.
The Golden Bell phantoms struck his head, continuously emitting the five notes: Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu.
The bell tolls were like thunder and the sound waves like knives. Qionghi felt his Divine Soul tremble, and his bones and muscles seemed about to be crushed!
He struggled frantically, but the Golden Bell phantoms followed him like a shadow, still smashing heavily onto his forehead!
Qionghi was smashed into the ground; rocks crumbled, and dust rose everywhere.
He only felt a bout of dizziness as blood seeped from his mouth and nose, and a trace of fear finally rose in his heart.