Chapter 588: Phoenix Descent
The two experts were both extremely exhausted. Hui Yue had used a large quantity of energy to summon the nine tribulation’s lightning, but the Nightcrawler Sect's youth was not in a much better position. Having used the world of darkness and then the cage of darkness, two attacks that relied on two and three daos merged together, he had expended a great amount of Ancestral Worldpower.
Both men were standing on the stage. The world of darkness had crumbled, and the cage of darkness had been sliced in half, but because Hui Yue had been entangled in the cage of darkness, the nine tribulation’s lightning had dissipated into the air without releasing its utterly terrifying last two golden lightning bolts.
Neither of the two men moved. Their attacks so far had proven to be useless, so their only choice was to try other means. Hui Yue stored the Sword of the Icy Tempest in his Universe Box and quickly changed to his wolf-form. His body was bursting with energy, and his speed was increased greatly while in this form.
Launching himself as fast as the wind he arrived at the side of the Nightcrawler Sect's youth and his arm came down from high up. His claws were as sharp as razors, and it was clear that if anyone came into contact with them, then they would end up being seriously wounded.
Anyone present could feel doom looming above the youth. Although they could not feel even a hint of Ancestral Worldpower behind the attack, it seemed as ferocious as the sword which had been used before. As the claws descended, a ripping sound was heard.
The young man managed to avoid Hui Yue's claws by mere inches but moments after he felt how the clothes on his arm were shredded to pieces.
Hui Yue did not let up. Instead, he moved forward as fast as he could as he followed the Nightcrawler Sect's youth all over the stage. One was constantly retreating while the other advanced but neither gained the upper hand.
Hui Yue was frustrated. No matter how much he pushed his speed, no matter how much he merged with the wind, it was impossible for him to catch up with the expert who could teleport from shadow to shadow.
Sighing deeply, Hui Yue came to a standstill in the middle of the stage. He was breathing heavily as it had required quite a bit of him to charge after the youth for as long as he had, but the youth was also paler than before. His skin now had a sickly gray color to it. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his eyes were narrowed slightly, but they never left Hui Yue for even a moment. It was clear that he was ready to teleport at a moments notice if Hui Yue rushed after him once more.
Hui Yue had tried to use the dao of gravity as well, but he found that it had little effect when the youth was able to teleport and merge with the shadows that were all around.
It was not only Hui Yue who felt rather powerless, but the expert from the Nightcrawler Sect was also feeling quite apprehensive. He could not get into melee range of Hui Yue as he would be shredded into pieces, but running was also not a good plan as he would not be able to run indefinitely.
On the other hand, his most powerful attacks had proven useless against Hui Yue, and even his most profound cage of darkness was useless. With this being the case, what should he do now?
Although they both should have been feeling tired and exhausted, Hui Yue and the Nightcrawler Sect's youth were both immersed in their feelings of excitement. Both felt that they had finally found someone who could draw out their potential.
Having a good rival was just as important as having good friends, and this was something both Hui Yue and this youth had lacked all their lives. Though Hui Yue was somewhat better off as he had the threat of An He constantly looming over him. He constantly faced danger and the threat of being destroyed, which made him grow at an astonishing speed, but he also lacked a true rival with whom he could have a friendly relationship with.
'Okay, I have done most of what I could do. I admit he is my true nemesis. Being incapable of closing in on him makes things much harder, so I will leave it to you,' Hui Yue sighed to Lan Feng, and the phoenix displayed a brilliant smile as he took over control of their body.
Suddenly, the aura of Hui Yue abruptly changed. This was something which shocked everyone present, and the most shocked was Yanluo. His eyes widened at first before they narrowed. Confusion could be seen within his eyes before they quickly returned to their normal calm appearance. Yanluo finally understood what was happening and a knowing smile spread on his lips, "I see... So that is where your phoenix has gone off to," he mumbled to himself, yet no one seemed to hear what he said.
It was not only Yanluo who was shocked about the aura of Hui Yue changing so much, everyone was, but no one was more stunned than his opponent.
Hui Yue's body returned to its human form and moments after, feathers started to sprout from his body. He morphed into the form of a massive blue phoenix which screeched loudly and took to the sky.
The temperature in the entire area instantly rose as the feathers on the phoenix were lit with blue flames. The sight was simply breathtakingly beautiful, and soon flames ignited everywhere on the stage. blue flames appeared all over the stage, some hovering in the air, others laying on the ground.
The higher into the air Lan Feng flew, the more the flames appeared all over the stage, and soon they exploded one after another.
Lan Feng flew in circles high in the air a few times before he turned downward and descended. He was a bird, but his entire body was now made out of blue flames, not one feather could be seen. The display was simply brilliant.
"The Phoenix Descent, the main technique of the Vermilion Bird, and we also have the Nine Heaven’s Tribulation Lightning, the technique used by the Demon Lord... These two, man and phoenix, are truly mysterious," Yanluo mumbled to himself while stroking his chin in amusement.
The phoenix was spectacular and eye-catching, but no one other than Yanluo understood what was going on. Did Hui Yue have a third bloodline or was this some sort of dao? Was it perhaps an Ancestral Worldpower Skill which made it possible for him to change his appearance and merge with energy?
But no matter how they looked at it, it was odd. This was a fire attack, and it was not just Ancestral Worldpower. It had to have a dao behind it, but which kind of dao could display such a magnificent attack without also relying on an Ancestral Worldpower Skill?
Still, it was obviously impossible for Hui Yue to have three bloodlines, of this they were all positive, but no one had any inkling of what was going on.
Pei Ze had been recording everything that was happening and sending it directly to the elders of the sect. The elders watched everything back in Youdu, their faces filled with shock. They were incapable of refraining from gasping, and Pei Ziqi even clutched her chest in surprise when they saw this outstanding attack. Even these elders who were far more skilled than Hui Yue and Pei Ze had no idea how such a thing was possible.
Blue flame after blue flame shot towards the Nightcrawler Sect's youth, but he narrowly escaped every single one of them.
"Let’s see how you escape my phoenix descent!" Lan Feng yelled as he dove down. His wings were constantly growing in size, and dazzling flames were everywhere around him as the temperature in the whole area started soaring rapidly.
Lan Feng was now so large that he spanned the entire stage as he descended. Now it was impossible for the youth to avoid this attack as every part of the stage was bathed in flames. Shortly after, a massive explosion boomed outwards as Lan Feng slammed into the stage.
The barrier that Yanluo had raised earlier was still present, but cracks started appearing on the surface of it as the volatile flames soared to the sky.
Everything was covered in blue flames. The entire stage was bathed in flames, and everyone held their breath as Hui Yue, and the Nightcrawler Sect's youth were both covered by the flames. This was the attack which would determine the winner.
If the Nightcrawler Sect's youth was incapable of withstanding this attack, then he would lose, but it seemed like Pei Yue had poured all his Ancestral Worldpower into this attack to make it as all encompassing and powerful as it was. After this, they would not be able to continue the fight.
The flames slowly died out, and the audience could make out that a figure was standing in the dying flames. Only one person was left standing, and this caused everyone to hold their breath. Their hands were clenched, and their eyes were wide open. No one dared to blink as they all waited to see just who was left.
Even Yanluo had to admit that he was curious about who had been left standing. The aura in the area was a complete mess. The flames had caused even the soul energy in the air to become chaotic. It was impossible to tell who it was that was still standing as both Hui Yue's and the Nightcrawler Sect's youth's auras were present, but one could not pinpoint their location, neither the condition they were in.
The person everyone saw standing suddenly coughed and blood flew from his mouth, as he staggered forward, but he refused to give in and collapse.
It was soon possible to see the white hair of the young man who was standing in the middle of the stage. His eyes blazed with fighting spirit, and his entire body was covered with wounds.
When the explosion happened, stones had burst forth from the ground. The impact caused Hui Yue quite a bit of damage, and one could see thousands of cuts on his body and face. His hair was dishevelled, and his hands were clenched tight as blood streamed from his palm.
In the end, the one person who had remained conscious during the fight was Hui Yue, but his entire body was about to give out. Still, his willpower was so outstanding that he refused to give up. He was half unconscious, but the sliver of consciousness that was left refused to give up. It kept replaying the moment Wang Ju Long had thrown herself in front of him, and it was for her sake that he kept conscious.
"We have our winner! The new Judge of Hell is Pei Yue from the Celestial Sword Sect!" Yanluo stood up and announced after which he clapped his hands.
Everyone else around the arena stood up. All of them had expressions filled with reverence and amazement as they nodded their heads, clapped hard, and discussed with their friends about what a breathtaking match they had just watched.
The announcement was the last thing Hui Yue heard before the world turned black around him. He collapsed just moments after but a smile was evident on his face, and he seemed much more relaxed than he had been ever before. Looking at him, it was as if he was no longer burdened by the death of Wang Ju Long. He had finally taken the first step towards resurrecting her.
"Guards, take these two outstanding experts and place them in their rooms. When they wake instantly alert us." Yanluo continued to order. Alongside Wei, another guard stepped forward. They carried the two experts back to their rooms and placed them in their beds.
Wei looked at Hui Yue with amazement in his eyes. "I am very proud to be a guard of Yanluo," he said to the unconscious young man. "But even so, I think it is time for me to ask for a transfer. Now that you are in Diyu, I would like to stay by your side. I am sure life would be much more interesting that way."
Wei knew that Hui Yue could not answer, but he had already made the decision on his own. The smile on his face was brilliant, and he laughed at himself for a moment, "It seems the future will not be so boring any longer."