Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 47

Volume 6 Chapter 47: Counterattack, Hold Back

The black flames exploded, turning into sparks splattering everywhere. Wherever they landed, the rocks melted, and shockwaves swirled.

There, at the place where the black flames had burned, Xu Qingfan stood quietly, calmly gazing at Feng Qingtian. In his right hand, he held a shining gem that radiated a golden-white light. The "Tianyu Robe" he wore and the "Ice Spirit Jade Pendant" at his waist also emitted pure white light. The three lights combined to form a halo, protecting Xu Qingfan within, clearly showing that this halo had just helped him block Feng Qingtian’s "Hell Fire."

The item in Xu Qingfan’s hand was the Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic left by Master Jiuhuan after his death, which absorbed all the Power of the Holy Spirit from the "Holy Spirit Stone." The energy contained in this relic was far more powerful against the evil Spirit Qi of the "Power of Guardian Deity" than the mixed and impure "Flourish Qi" that Xu Qingfan practiced. Combined with the powerful immunity to fire and evil energy provided by the "Tianyu Robe" and "Ice Spirit Jade Pendant," the three together formed a thin halo that surprisingly blocked an attack even the "Five Spirit Bell" could not resist.

It’s not that the defense created by these three items was stronger than the "Five Spirit Bell," but each type of defense has its own specialty. The "Five Spirit Bell" has unmatched strength, but it is designed for normal attacks and has no means to resist evil energy. Its effectiveness had been greatly reduced after it was overwhelmed by the Fire Ghost’s attack. In contrast, the "Holy Spirit Buddhist Relic," "Tianyu Robe," and "Ice Spirit Jade Pendant" possess different degrees of power against evil energy and fire. Together, they formed a protective circle that the "Five Spirit Bell" could not achieve.

Meanwhile, Feng Qingtian stood still, his long hair flowing wildly in the turbulent air. His sleeves swayed constantly as he coldly watched the scene before him, a flicker of surprise flashing through his eyes. He clearly hadn’t expected Xu Qingfan to break through his black flames. The dark blue fire he used was part of a new cultivation method he had developed that combined both righteous and evil paths, called the "Infernal Formula." Although he had never used such a power against an enemy, he was very confident in the strength of this new method, as it was one of his trump cards against Zhang Xusheng and Jiuhua in the future. If it weren’t for Xu Qingfan witnessing him enter the "Jiazi Cave," he would not have revealed his ability to use the "Infernal Formula" against Xu Qingfan, not expecting that Xu Qingfan would actually break it.

But thinking back to when he was still at Jiuhua Mountain, Xu Qingfan already possessed many abilities and a mysterious cultivation method. At that time, he was a whole realm above Xu Qingfan and still could not defeat him. Now, Xu Qingfan’s level was similar to his, and with years of experience and more powerful artifacts, it would naturally not be so easy to kill him.

But when Feng Qingtian saw that Xu Qingfan could break through his ultimate move without a scratch, he realized that he and Xu Qingfan were getting closer, and his desire to kill Xu Qingfan grew stronger. If he let Xu Qingfan continue like this, it would surely ruin his plans.

Feng Qingtian let out a cold snort, and after Xu Qingfan broke through the "Hell Fire," he said nothing. Instead, he moved his fingers in a series of gestures, and then countless dark blue Fire Ghosts, which had been quietly floating around him, suddenly gathered together. Under Feng Qingtian’s control, their dark blue flames grew stronger, and within the flames, the Fire Ghosts appeared tormented, letting out chilling cries of agony. Amidst those cries, the countless Fire Ghosts gradually joined together.

As the Fire Ghosts combined, a powerful and dangerous aura spread throughout the entire cave.

Next, with a continuous stream of piercing ghostly wails, the enormous dark blue flames that had merged surged restlessly, changing shape. After a moment, they transformed into the form of a black phoenix.

This move seemed to blend the "Soul Refining Technique," the "Guardian Deity Technique," and the Feng family secret skill’s first move, "Flame Phoenix." It was unclear whether it was due to the fusion of dark magic or Feng Qingtian’s deeper understanding of the Feng family’s cultivation method. Previously, when Feng Qingtian used "Flame Phoenix," the phoenix took on a shape but lacked spirit, merely transforming from the Phoenix Spirit Fire into a phoenix’s figure. While it exhibited some phoenix traits due to his phoenix bloodline, the black phoenix now appeared as if it were real, every detail clear, its eyes full of life, resembling an actual phoenix. The overwhelming and dangerous aura surrounding the black phoenix proved that its power was far greater than the previous sea of fire and the Fire Ghosts.

"Infernal Phoenix."

Feng Qingtian coldly spoke the name of the move, and then the black phoenix let out a sharp cry, sounding as piercing as a ghost’s wail. It then rapidly charged toward Xu Qingfan, distorting the space around it, causing the surrounding rocks to vaporize instantly, showcasing its immense power.

However, after Xu Qingfan witnessed the power of Feng Qingtian’s new magic, he realized that if he only defended passively, he would not be able to compete with Feng Qingtian. So, at the moment before the Phoenix took shape, he took the initiative to attack. Before the Infernal Phoenix could reach Xu Qingfan, it had to quickly defend itself.

As Feng Qingtian unleashed the "Infernal Phoenix," black and white mist slowly began to surround Xu Qingfan. The two colors of mist swirled together, and in a moment, they formed a black and white Tai Chi ball, about a foot in diameter, slowly spinning just an inch above Xu Qingfan’s hand.

It was Xu Qingfan’s special skill, "Cycle of Life and Death."

In the moment before the Infernal Phoenix took shape, Xu Qingfan brought his hands together, and the Tai Chi sphere on his hands suddenly vanished. Then, pointing towards Feng Qingtian, a large Tai Chi pattern appeared three feet above Feng Qingtian’s head, carrying immense pressure and an air of mysteriousness, slowly rotating and pressing down towards Feng Qingtian.

Looking at the Tai Chi pattern that had suddenly appeared above him and feeling its immense pressure, Feng Qingtian was shocked. He wanted to dodge, but he found that his body was surrounded by the sudden force radiating from the Tai Chi, unable to move even a little. Though the pressure of the Tai Chi pattern was slow, Feng Qingtian found himself unable to escape it at all.

Normally, Feng Qingtian was pure in fire magic; he could transform into flames, and as long as the flames did not extinguish, he would not die. He did not fear any attack outside of water magic and a few advanced cultivation techniques. Yet at this moment, Feng Qingtian instinctively sensed that if he was pressed under this Tai Chi pattern, it didn’t matter if he could transform into fire or even anything else—only the path of being permanently sealed remained.

With no other choice, Feng Qingtian had to call back the Infernal Phoenix, which had just attacked Xu Qingfan, letting out a shrill cry like a ghost’s as it rushed towards the Tai Chi pattern above him.

"Boom…"

At the moment of collision between the "Infernal Phoenix" and the "Cycle of Life and Death," a huge crash sounded, causing the ground to shake. Rocks in the cave shattered, and stones of various sizes fell from the cave’s ceiling.

"Xu Qingfan’s technique is so powerful?!"

Feng Qingtian was alarmed, watching as the Tai Chi pattern continued to press down slowly yet firmly against the Infernal Phoenix’s resistance. He couldn’t believe it, considering that the "Infernal Phoenix" was already one of his most powerful techniques.

Just as Feng Qingtian was about to be crushed by the Taiji symbol, a flash of brilliance sparkled in his eyes. He snorted coldly, waved his hands, and suddenly, over a hundred Fire Ghosts appeared around him. Under Feng Qingtian’s control, the Fire Ghosts moved together and formed a certain pattern. Then, Feng Qingtian swiftly made gestures with his fingers, and the Fire Ghosts, which were supposed to be mindless, mimicked his movements perfectly.

Next, under the control of the formation, a dark blue flame barrier took shape around Feng Qingtian. Together with the "Infernal Phoenix," it finally managed to hold off the crushing force of the Taiji symbol.

Then, Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian gathered their Spirit Qi, supporting their powers to resist each other.

The merging and spinning forces of life and death in the "Cycle of Life and Death" perfectly countered the burning force of the "Infernal Formula." Meanwhile, the destructive power created by the intersection of the life and death energies matched the corrupting power of the "Infernal Formula," leading to a standoff between the two sides.

"Boom…"

It was unclear how long it had been, but with another loud explosion, both Xu Qingfan’s "Cycle of Life and Death" and Feng Qingtian’s "Infernal Phoenix" and "Infernal Barrier" could no longer withstand the pressure of their battle and collapsed in a simultaneous explosion.

Both Feng Qingtian and Xu Qingfan, the controllers, had to step back a few paces due to the backlash of their powers, their faces pale.

Since the explosion occurred around Feng Qingtian, he looked even more disheveled, covered in dust and with torn clothes, but he had no serious injuries.

This time, both sides reached a stalemate again.

After two ties, neither Feng Qingtian nor Xu Qingfan wanted to fight again. They just stared at each other coldly.