Ning Wu Qing's complexion underwent a drastic change, and he took two steps back. Even his hands and feet were slightly trembling. He had already seen Half-bodied's miserable condition. So, how could he even think of experiencing it himself?
This was when he suddenly heard some people of his team shouting at him, "Ning Wu Qing! Discard your sword!"
Ning Wu Qing was startled to hear this. So, he lowered his head to look. And, he instantly lost his nerves. He let go off his longsword without much delay, and it fell to the ground. Then, he saw that a black mass of fire had emerged on the pointed end of his sword. This flame then gradually extended to the entire sword…
He had used this sword to cut off Half-bodied's arm and thigh a moment ago. Therefore, the pointed end had come in contact with the black fire. Surprisingly, the entire sword had caught fire as a result! The most terrible fact was that this black flame had emitted no sound, no light, and no heat. Moreover, it could burn metal, but the individuals present nearby… wouldn't even come to know of it…
Ning Wu Qing's complexion turned as white as paper. The fear of this close-call was still lingering on his heart… [This flame would've burnt my entire hand if I had continued to hold my sword? Then…]
Ning Wu Qing thought of the devastation that had befallen Half-bodied. And, he couldn't help but tremble. Even his spirit turned cold and began to shiver. He watched the black fire as it slowly and gradually engulfed his sword on ground. Ning Wu Qing felt terrible… as if a knife was being twisted through his heart!
[This was my favorite weapon!]
Then, he looked at Half-bodied again, and saw that the black-flame had started burning on his body again! In fact, the flame had burned his lower abdomen away by now… Only half of his skull and half the chest remained…
Half-bodied was no longer shouting. But, he was still breathing. He had survived for such a long time because of the excellent Xuan strength from his meridians had been resisting the flame to some extent. However, his body was throbbing now. In fact, it seemed as if he was sufferings the horrible torments of hell.
Half-bodied eventually died.
However, he died without even leaving a single speck of ash behind. He didn't even get a chance to turn into smoke since he had been burnt by the dreadful Flame of Primal Chaos. Instead, his body had disappeared into thin air…
He was expert who possessed the strength of above the Great Master Level. But, he wasn't even granted the time to showcase his signature moves. He had only been able to brandish his sleeve towards his opponent. But, he hadn't even gotten the chance to hit the enemy. Instead, a black mysterious fire had risen out of nowhere, and it had burned him while he was still alive!
His mind had remained sober to bear that tremendously horrible suffering until he had died. He had clearly felt his own body getting roasted till death while it had slowly faded away… He had dreaded and despaired. His comrades and colleagues had stood nearby and stared at him in helplessness. However, no one had come up to help him. Instead, all of them had looked-on as he had gradually turned into ashes…
The seemingly ordinary lumps remained on the ground. These were the left overs of the flame. These three remaining sparks had continued to burn-on even though they had already eaten thought Ning Wu Qing's sword had Half-bodied's body. And, that was because they had started to burn the ground now… In fact, the black flame was still burning without a halt. Suddenly, the black-robed man waved his hand and the black-flame rose into the sky. Then, it landed into the man's hands, and disappeared into nothingness.
Nothing but blank spaces remained on the ground now. No remnants of a sword or a skeleton could be seen on the ground…
That blank space was too horrible to look at. But, no one dared to say anything. All of them were stationary and dumbfounded. In fact they looked like statues…
Zi Jing Hong breathed a long sigh after a long silence. Suddenly, he felt an itch on his forehead. So, he stretched his hand to touch it. However, he couldn't comprehend when his forehead had gotten studded with sweat. He felt a strange chill in his garments as the cold wind blew past. And, he suddenly felt as if cold water had been poured into his clothes…
[Half-bodied was nearly as strong as me. I might be a little better, but there wasn't much of a difference in our strengths. However, he was tortured to death by the enemy with so much ease. Moreover, no one could even figure how this man managed to do it…]
[Things can often seem confusing to the individual who is involved in the fray. But, the on-lookers can usually get a clear picture of the situation at hand. And, there are many onlookers here… But, not a single person was able to detect the mystery behind this black-robed man's moves. Will I be able to escape if he targets me like this?]
[The answer is a very certain 'no'!]
[This matter is over clear at this point. So, making any amount of analyses and judgments is unnecessary!]
Then, he looked at the other people on his side. Everybody seemed to be thinking the same way… Their eyes were looking straight, their faces were stiff, and drops of sweat were streaming down from their foreheads…
Who amongst these individuals hadn't run amok the lands in the past? Who amongst them hadn't moved unhindered in the entire world? All of them had gathered here in one team. However, that one man had managed to scare everyone to such an extent…
This clearly indicated one thing — this black-robed man's strength was undoubtedly sinister and abnormal!
"Zi Jing Hong, do you have anything else to say? Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?" Jun Mo Xie folded his hands behind his back, and gazed at Zi Jing Hong as he asked this question.
The black-robed man's imposing vigor also began to turn unstable at this happened. It seemed that he had started becoming extremely irritable and angry. It seemed as if a hurricane was beginning to take birth on an ocean… the waves were ready to soar into the sky…
Zi Jing Hong was scared to death by this. He thought that he knew what had gone wrong. [This black-robed man is on the verge of breaking out. Perhaps he will destroy me and everyone on my side if I don't give him a reply that pleases him!]
However, he was completely unaware that Jun Mo Xie had been feeling unbearably anxious when he had said that. And, that was because he was struggling to maintain his appearance at this time. Jun Mo Xie had started his act with the Yin-Yang Escape method. And, everything had been normal at that time. But, the Flame of Primal Chaos's usage had taken its toll on him. He was clearly sensing that the Hong Jun Pagoda's energy was becoming increasingly unstable and restless with the passage of time. In fact, it was getting increasingly difficult for him to control it…
[The fusion has been too strong and prolonged this time. My spiritual strength is already finding it hard to handle the enormous energy of the Hong Jun Pagoda. Its energy may break through my mental restraints at any point of time. And, I'll be completely helpless when that happens…]
"We'll withdraw at once since the Senior has ordered it. However, I request the senior to consider the matter of those pills once again. After all, the Battle for Seizing the Heavens isn't a question of any family's reputation… Instead, it concerns the future of the entire Xuan Xuan continent's common people," Zi Jing Hong bowed in a respectful manner.
"Well… I've thought over this matter several times. I'll personally come to the Three Holy Lands when the time is right… Hha… Three Holy Lands, I'll surely come to you…" Jun Mo Xie's voice sunk, and he began to speak in a lowered tone. He clenched his teeth, and thought something entirely different in his mind… [I won't come to give you the pills. Instead, I'll come to take revenge, and kill you!]
[You dared to bully my Jun Family! I'm the son of this family. So, what good would my life be if I don't come looking out for you in the future? Why would I be 'kind' towards your Three Holy Lands?]
"Many thanks for your approval, Your Excellency!" Zi Jing Hong was overjoyed at this. So, he replied with extreme courtesy. Then, he somewhat stammered as he asked, "But… after how much… time…"
"Not much. I'll come within two years. I'll come before the Battle for Seizing the Heavens at the latest. And, I'll ensure that I come to the Three Holy Lands in-person! Is there anything else you wish to say? Nothing? Then, leave at once. And, don't come back to the Jun Family. You won't be able to leave if you come here again. However, this Old Man has no interest in any other place outside… That's all I have to say," Jun Mo Xie had began to have a splitting headache. He felt as if his soul was mercilessly being torn apart. In fact, he nearly wanted to cry out.
Jun Mo Xie felt as if his pain was as intense as the one that had been endured by Half-bodied when he had been burnt down.
"I request Your Excellency to reveal his name please… It'll help us in explaining ourselves upon our return…" Zi Jing Hong had already decided to withdraw. So, he waved his hand in order to gesture the eighty-nine people from the Three Holy Lands. He had signaled them to get together and prepare to withdraw… regardless of whether they were wounded or not…
The people from the Elusive Land of Immortals were grieving at this decision. But, they knew that they didn't have a choice. After all, not even a trace of Half-bodied could be found at this time… So, what other option did they have even if they were angry? Take revenge…? That was a joke! An ant had died under the elephant's foot. And, the other ants wanted to plan revenge…? But, the question was… how to go about it…?
[We'll have to wait until we go back and report this to our empress. We'll only be throwing away our lives even if we go all-out right now.] The Great Golden City and Illusory Ocean of Blood were already preparing for a withdrawal. So, Ning Wu Qing and his people also prepared to retreat since they didn't have a better choice.
"This Old Feng Jue Qing used to have a nickname in the past long gone —'Heartlessly Beheads the Heavens'!" Jun Mo Xie coldly groaned and continued, "Your thousands of years old seniors will know this Old Man's name if they are still alive. Go back and ask them about me."
Zi Jing Hong suddenly gasped in amazement. In fact, he nearly bit his tongue. He had been stunned to the core. [No wonder! This man can seize the world, and bring nature under his control with his moves! This man has lived for thousands of years! He's an ultrold freak!]
He couldn't dare to say anything more. So, he only spoke a few words out of extreme respect, "Your Excellency, I'll take your leave now. However, the great and immortal master is always welcome to visit the Three Holy Lands!"
Jun Mo Xie hummed in response. He turned his back on them to avoid any further conversation. In fact, it seemed as if he was trying to ignore them. His breathing was also growing more and more erratic. He was on the verge of breaking down. He couldn't take it anymore…
However, Zi Jing Hong and his people misunderstood this gesture as well. They thought that this great old man who had lived for a thousand years had turned his back on them because he was dissatisfied with them for dragging this conversation out. They believed that he had been enraged to an extent that he could break out at any time. So, their hearts skipped a beat out of fear.
Zi Jing Hong quickly took the lead, and shouted for his people to get moving, "Move!" Those eighty-nine experts suddenly leapt into the air, and began to move away. There was no doubt that these at least Great Master Level experts were extremely fast. They flashed over the fence of the Jun Family's residence, and disappeared into thin air within the blink of an eye.
Finally had they left!
…they were gone at last!
Jun Mo Xie heaved sigh of relief. He was no longer able to maintain his imposing presence. The pressure from the Hong Jun Pagoda's aura had already pushed him to his limits. This unusual and extraordinary aura didn't belong to the human world. So, how could Jun Mo Xie's human body endure such an explosive power?
Jun Mo Xie had to pay the price for the spiritual energy he had obtained and displayed over the course of this fusion. And, the consequence for the same was the complete upheaval of his entire spiritual energy. Therefore, he had to bear the extreme pressure of the entire Hong Jun Pagoda's energy. In fact, it could be reckoned that Jun Mo Xie's soul would've scattered to pieces a long time ago if he hadn't been astonishingly tough and resilient.
Jun Mo Xie relaxed his mind as soon as the powerful enemy left. Consequently, he unconsciously ended-up releasing the entire energy he had so far kept restrained. There was a loud and abnormally frantic explosion. It was as if a bomb had exploded!
His energy had abruptly exploded since he wasn't able to restrain it anymore. Mei Xue Yan and the others were about to come up in order to thank him. However, they suddenly found that their noses and mouths had been blocked. Moreover, this feeling of suffocation was intense and unbearable. Everything went hazy in front of their eyes, and their inner-most feelings of fear surfaced on their panicked faces. In fact, an urge to kneel down had suddenly arisen from the bottom of their hearts…