Chapter 313: Phoenix Fire for Survival

“Chirp!”

Just as the force from Xuan Ming’s palm was about to erupt, a sharp bird cry echoed from the void.

Chen Fei’s vision went black as an overwhelming force surged into his body. This time, even the Void Heaven Cauldron couldn’t suppress it.

His organs, strengthened through multiple physical tempering sessions, instantly developed fine fractures. Blood spurted from within as he suffered devastating internal injuries.

A wound of this magnitude—at best, he would be plagued by it for life, his cultivation permanently stalled. At worst, he would die on the spot.

Yet before passing out, Chen Fei’s mind remained shockingly clear.

Even as the Void Heaven Cauldron tried to repair his body, his eyes caught sight of a bright red light appearing from the void.

“Su Ying… is that you?” he murmured, as the darkness swallowed him whole.

Xuan Ming had thought injuring Chen Fei would be effortless.

But in that very instant, as the crimson light flared, his scalp tingled with an instinctive dread.

Without hesitation, he immediately retreated.

Amid the snowy landscape, Su Ying appeared, proudly standing in a blazing red dress.

A flicker of worry crossed her otherwise calm face as she turned to look into the distance.

“The life-saving Phoenix Flame has activated? Chen Fei… what in the world did you go through?!”

But soon after, the concern in her eyes faded completely. She raised her head, gazing at the floating purple palace in the sky.

Flames swirled around her as she declared coldly:

“Ziji, come out and face your death!”

Xuan Ming had assumed the phoenix flame was just a one-time survival measure—some ordinary life-saving artifact Chen Fei had gained through fortune.

That was why he’d backed off when he sensed danger.

But his expression quickly darkened.

The flames—out of nowhere—had ignited his hand!

“Damn it! What the hell is this thing?!”

Even as a Heaven Dao Realm powerhouse, one of the top elites of the Xuanhuang Continent, Xuan Ming found himself powerless to stop the fire from spreading.

His hand was soon entirely engulfed in blue-red flames. Though the color suggested a moderate temperature, the fire burned with eerie intensity and continued to spread.

A ruthless gleam flashed in Xuan Ming’s eyes.

Flash.

Without hesitation, he severed his own hand.

It was the only logical decision—to cut losses before the fire spread further.

For someone at his level, losing a hand was hardly a death sentence. With the right rare herbs, he could easily regenerate it.

But what he didn’t expect was—

Even after the severed hand dropped away, the fire didn’t go out.

The flame kept burning calmly.

Blue and red intertwined, chilling and scorching at the same time. Though silent, the fire spread once again, climbing up his arm.

Spiritual energy began to dissipate wildly, and for the first time, panic replaced his usual composure.

“This flame is far more terrifying than I imagined!”

And worst of all—he had no clue how to extinguish it.

“Damn it!”

Xuan Ming glared at Chen Fei.

Now lying like a broken rag doll, Chen Fei’s body was shredded with horrifying wounds—some even exposed white bone.

Though he was still barely breathing, he was as good as dead.

A Heaven Dao Realm strike—no one in the Mystic Realm could possibly endure it!

But what truly vexed Xuan Ming was not Chen Fei—

It was that damn fire, still relentlessly burning!

“Young Master!”

A shout echoed through the air as Miao Yue rushed over at full speed, her aura surging with newfound stability.

Ever since receiving Su Ying’s guidance, her cultivation had soared as if a bottleneck had shattered.

She was already at mid-stage Human Dao Realm!

Such terrifying improvement in such a short time was unheard of.

“You bastard, die!”

She lashed out with a red ribbon that danced like a whip, aiming directly at Xuan Ming.

But despite being wounded by the flames, Xuan Ming was still a Heaven Dao powerhouse.

Even weakened, he was far beyond what Miao Yue could handle.

As he casually caught the ribbon, preparing to strike back—

Blue fire suddenly erupted from the fabric.

This fire bore a shocking resemblance to the flame currently devouring his arm.

Startled, Xuan Ming instantly let go and leapt back.

Miao Yue, furious but wary, had clearly tested her opponent’s strength with that move.

Biting her lip, she glared venomously at Xuan Ming before quickly wrapping the red ribbon around Chen Fei’s broken body.

“Young Master…”

Seeing his grotesque injuries, tears welled up in Miao Yue’s eyes.

To follow in Su Ying’s footsteps, she had pushed herself constantly.

And she knew how proud Chen Fei was—that’s why she hadn’t insisted on protecting him during this mission.

But she hadn’t expected such shameless behavior from a Heaven Dao Realm elder!

“This grudge… will be avenged!”

With that, Miao Yue carried Chen Fei and retreated at full speed.

Xuan Ming’s face twisted with fury.

What should have been a simple operation had turned into a complete disaster.

Not only had Chen Fei been rescued, but Xuan Ming himself had suffered a grievous injury from some unknown flame.

“Bastard!” he roared again, just as his expression changed once more.

The burning pain, initially tolerable, was now spreading deeper.

Even his internal organs were beginning to ache.

Now truly alarmed, he had no choice but to stop pursuing Miao Yue and vanish into the void.

He needed to find a way to deal with this fire—or his cultivation might fall.

That was unacceptable.

Miao Yue flew at top speed.

Though she had already fed Chen Fei a powerful Essence-Preserving Pill, he remained unconscious.

Fortunately, the previously terrifying wounds had begun to heal.

But a new problem arose.

In her rush to escape, Miao Yue hadn’t been able to realign his bones properly.

Though the flesh had regrown thanks to the pill, several bones were clearly misaligned.

To recover fully, Chen Fei would have to endure even more pain later.

“Young Master, you must survive! We promised to follow after Miss together… You can’t die!”

Tears streamed down her face.

Though she had once been a Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Apex Sacred Land, her days by Su Ying’s side had been her happiest.

And Chen Fei—was someone she could never ignore.

“Just hold on a bit longer. Once we return, the Ancestor will surely have a way to save you!”

She gently touched his face.

The journey was exhausting. Miao Yue’s face had gone pale.

But with all her strength, she pressed on—

And at last, the gates of the Heavenly Apex Sacred Land came into view.

“What’s going on?!”

Mu Yun Su’s voice rang out in alarm. She rushed over, her face filled with concern.

Seeing the Sect Master arrive, Miao Yue finally let go of the tension in her heart.

“Sect Master, hurry! Bring Chen Fei to the Ancestor—he must not die!”

As soon as she finished speaking, her body collapsed.

Startled, Mu Yun Su caught her just in time.

After a quick inspection, she sighed in relief—Miao Yue had only fainted from overexertion.

Still, it spoke volumes. For someone in the Human Dao Realm to be so drained—

She had clearly pushed herself to the limit.

But when she turned to look at Chen Fei—

Mu Yun Su’s face paled in shock, then twisted in rage.

“A Heaven Dao Realm ambush?!

Damn it all!”