Chapter 49: Prison Fire
Chapter 49: Prison Fire
“They… are here?” Li Yi’s brow furrowed slightly, a look of puzzlement crossing his face. “This place is beneath the yellow barrier. How did they get in? Are they looking to die?”
He didn’t have time to think it over. Alert, he took a step back, pressing close to the tree trunk. His Tree Shadow Cloak flashed with a faint green light, transforming into a piece of withered bark that merged seamlessly with the giant tree behind him.
“Cough… Cough…”
Coughing and panting sounded from a distance. Then, Liu Fangfei appeared, supporting the blood-soaked Wang Ben. They stumbled forward, staggering and unsteady.
Wang Ben’s head lolled against her shoulder, his eyes half-closed. He was clearly gravely injured.
In no rush to reveal himself, Li Yi’s gaze swept over them. It landed on several long arrows embedded deep in the girl’s back, penetrating to the bone. His pupils suddenly contracted.
These arrows were called “Blood Thistle Arrows.” Their arrowheads were made from “Blood-Drinking Thistle Seeds.” If not removed promptly, they would continuously suck blood, sprout, and grow until they drained their host dry.
He had seen these arrows before!
“Zhang Jue! How dare you attack my brother and me! The Taiyuan Wang Clan will never let you get away with this!”
A pained groan from Liu Fangfei, her accusation filled with sorrow and rage, confirmed Li Yi’s judgment.
“The Taiyuan… Jianpao Wang Clan?” Li Yi was inwardly shocked. “Tsk tsk, my guess was right. They really are from a noble clan!”
The Taiyuan Wang Clan was also known as the Jianpao Wang Clan. Like the Langya Wang Clan, they were descended from the ancient God of War—Wang Jian!
In modern times, the Jianpao Wang Clan still produced many heroes and talents: one Grand Marshal, seven Generals, and countless Colonels and Commanders! Legend said their main ancestral hall was guarded by a true Apocalypse Phoenix—also known as the Morning Duck, an entity of the same level!
This Zhang Jue really had a death wish!
“Afraid? Of course I’m afraid! Terrified to death! It’s precisely because I’m afraid that none of you can live! However, you little girl… you’re quite to my taste. Since you’re going to die anyway, I’ll let you experience a soul-melting pleasure first…”
A wild, strange laugh accompanied the thunderous crash of giant trees falling. Zhang Jue stood atop a massive crimson shadow, smashing and charging through, shattering countless giant trees in his path.
That colossal crimson shadow was none other than the Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque that Li Yi had earlier brained!
The Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque’s pupils were vacant. Its entire body leapt with crimson light, surging with violent fluctuations. Its movements were not sluggish at all; it seemed as if it was possessed by a demon.
“The Prison Spirit Art?” Li Yi’s expression changed once again.
The Prison Spirit Art was anciently called the “Five Ghosts Transport Technique.” However, it was not a necromantic spell.
Its essence was “inviting a deity,” and moreover, it invited a “plague god,” also known as the “Hell’s Will”!
“Hell’s Will” was said to be a malevolent divinity capable of standing against powerful deities like the “Lord of Heaven” Jade Emperor and the “Queen Mother of the West” from the Jade Pool. However, for most deities to send down an avatar or projection, extremely strict sacrificial offerings and divine magic arrays were required. Only Hell’s Will was indiscriminate, accepting anything, easier to summon, and also more prone to going wrong.
“Even a fool knows it’s easier to invite a god than to send one away. And he dares to invite a plague god? Isn’t he asking for trouble?” Li Yi, hidden in the shadows, shook his head inwardly.
“Hunting Traces Triple Arrow!”
With a fierce shout, Zhang Jue actually knew the art of shooting three arrows in quick succession. He held three arrows between four fingers, drew the bowstring to a full moon, and released. Three streaks of green light, like locusts flying through the forest, traced bizarre trajectories as they tore through the air with a whistling sound, their paths elusive.
“Hah!”
Liu Fangfei let out a light cry. Her massive sword spun horizontally. Upon its surface, ripples immediately appeared, transforming into a shield of surging waves.
Clink! Clink! Two of the green streaks were blocked. The third, however, was extremely tricky. It traced a curved, twisting arc, shooting straight for Liu Fangfei’s snow-white neck.
Seeing this, she was startled, her face paling with fear.
Clang!
Another clear, ringing sound. It was Wang Ben, his eyes wide open with fury, who swung his sword to intercept the arrow.
“Pfft!”
Blocking the arrow caused Wang Ben’s Qi and blood to churn violently. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which shot out like an arrow.
At that moment, he was filled with regret.
In truth, Wang Ben had known from the start that cooperating with Zhang Jue was no different from making a pact with a tiger.
But he had been too confident. He believed their trio’s strength firmly surpassed the other side’s, so even if Zhang Jue had some scheme, he wouldn’t be able to pull it off.
He never would have expected that Zhang Jue would use some bizarre art to commune with Hell’s Will. After obtaining the Beast-Blood Fruits, he had ordered the Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque to suddenly turn on them, first ambushing and killing “Thirteen,” and then grievously wounding himself!
“Why?” He truly found it hard to understand and angrily demanded, “You could get six out of the seven Beast-Blood Fruits. Weren’t you satisfied with that?”
“Sorry, there was one point I forgot to mention…” Zhang Jue gave a smug smile. Since the other party was about to die, he felt like getting it off his chest. “My clan’s Dragon-Stealing Technique, for stealing the dragon and transforming it into the phoenix, requires at least five Beast-Blood Fruits! And with each additional fruit, the probability of awakening the Green Dragon bloodline increases! For the sake of the Green Dragon bloodline, I can only wrong you all…”
“From the very beginning, you intended to kill and seize the treasure?” Wang Ben suddenly understood, inwardly furious both at the other and at himself.
“Of course!” Zhang Jue’s voice was cold as frost.
A look of gloomy resentment crossed Wang Ben’s face. He seemed to have made a decision. Shielding his sister behind him, he declared with resolve, “Fangfei, you go first. I’ll hold him off!”
“No, if we go, we go together!” The mole near her eye mixed with her tears. Liu Fangfei showed a stubborn expression.
“Do you want both of us to die here?” Wang Ben was furious and said resolutely, “Go now! You must live to avenge me!”
“Ah, the touching drama of deep sibling love…” Zhang Jue sneered, his voice sinister. “It suddenly strikes me that doing your sister right in front of your corpse would be a rather enjoyable experience.”
His fingers twitched. Three long arrows appeared on his bowstring. They bore bone-colored Runes, twisted and strange. These were—”Voodoo Arrows”!
As their gazes fell upon these arrows, the expressions of the two siblings turned to despair. Liu Fangfei raised her sword to her jade-like neck—she actually intended to slit her own throat!
“Go down!”
Just as Zhang Jue was about to release the bowstring, his expression suddenly changed.
With a whistling sound, a pale-colored Mana Missile came flying from the forest, striking the belly of the Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque with a heavy impact.
Thump!
Though it was a Mana Missile, its force was terrifyingly powerful!
The massive body of the Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque was actually rocked sideways by a single Mana Missile, almost toppling over backward.
Zhang Jue, thrown off balance, leapt down from its back.
“Who’s there?”
He roared angrily, a lingering fear on his face. If that Mana Missile had landed on him, his head would probably have been blown clean off!
“Lei Fengxia!”
Liu Fangfei seemed to have sharp senses. Her eyes darted around, and she let out a surprised, joyful exclamation.
Was it because I used Lei Feng’s name so inappropriately that heaven was playing tricks on me, making me turn into the real, honest-to-goodness Lei Fengxia?
Li Yi gave a bitter smile and stepped out from his hiding place.
“You again!” Zhang Jue was first startled, then seemed to remember something, and a contemptuous sneer appeared on his face. “I had a feeling something was off! That secret technique of yours is so powerful; it must have constraints! Otherwise, what you just attacked me with wouldn’t have been an ordinary Mana Missile…”
Actually, this Mana Missile that nearly knocked over the Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque could hardly be called ordinary. But compared to the single slash of crimson that had split the sky earlier, it seemed ordinary indeed.
Li Yi couldn’t be bothered to answer. His expression was calm, but his mind raced.
His initial target had been Zhang Jue. But martial artists were different from Mages—they were far more agile and alert. The distance was also too great. Lacking absolute confidence, he had chosen the larger target, the Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque.
He still had to deal with Zhang Jue first. As long as he took Zhang Jue down, Hell’s Will would naturally dissipate!
But how to do it?
His Snap would be hard to put to use here. The “Forest Undercurrent” Set had an effect similar to Soul Chains, borrowing the spirits of the surrounding trees to share the mental pressure.
“Fighting one against two, defeat would be certain. I need to find a way to separate the two first…”
Having thought of something, his eyes shifted. He gave his clothes a shake, standing tall and imposing, vaguely exuding an aura that seemed to command the entire landscape.
“This is my ultimate move. Last time, I was prepared to use it to finish you off… Do you know what this bracelet is called? Its name—’Calamity Approaches’!”
His cold words were spoken slowly. Li Yi’s figure seemed bathed in Prison Fire. Scorched earth spread beneath his feet. Behind him, the ground continuously bulged upward, as if a demon king from hell lay dormant within!
Amid deafening roars, a giant of molten fire and flame, its body covered in lava and flames, burst forth with an angry bellow! Within the cracks of its skin, yellowish-brown flames sizzled and crackled. Clearly, these were the most vicious and domineering flames from the depths of hell—karmic fire!
“Inferno?”
Zhang Jue’s voice was hoarse, his eyes wide with shock, almost popping out of their sockets. An Inferno was a level 5 creature!
“Block it!”
He made a quick decision, giving the order. He commanded the Moon-Snatching Blood Macaque to pounce forward while he himself moved swiftly toward Li Yi, drawing his bow to a full moon!
—As long as he killed Li Yi, the Inferno would naturally disappear!
Should I get a Golden Horse or a Golden Statue award…
Seeing his “performance” take effect, Li Yi inwardly applauded himself. With wind seeming to stir under his feet, he stepped out with a bewildering, traceless footwork!
Thousandfold Strategy!