Supreme Sword Exalt

Chapter 323 - Red Dust Feiyu, Yun Jiansheng

The Flame Emperor swept his large sleeve, and a vast dragon qi descended, instantly removing the restraints on Feng Xi and Gu Han. “Both of you, go back!”

Feng Xi didn’t speak. She understood very well that if she stayed, she wouldn’t be able to help at all. After hesitating for a moment, she left immediately.

Gu Han roared furiously, “Fatty, go! What are you standing around for?!”

“Oh! Oh!”

Although Fatty had managed to act tough with a momentary burst of bravery, now that he had narrowly escaped death, his legs felt a bit weak. Just now, he had come within a hair’s breadth of dying at Yun Ao’s hands.

As Fatty fled, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. “Remember! I almost died for you again. That cultivation technique and divine power and such—”

Gu Han was so angry he could barely speak. “You—don’t worry. When he dies, I’ll give you as many as you want!”

Fatty appeared immensely gratified. “Alright. Then it wasn’t a waste of effort!”

Everyone scattered and fled. In the blink of an eye, only the Flame Emperor and Yun Ao remained. Meanwhile, the War Prince was fighting the three Saint realm barbarians in the distance until the sky turned dark. Terrifying Saint might descended one after another, pressing down on everyone until they could barely breathe.

Yun Ao heaped praise on Gu Han without end, “Exceptional intelligence. Unrivaled killing power. Ninth stage of the Heavenly Tribulation in a single day. Such a talent is not the least bit inferior to Yun Tu. Having that Feng Kid by your side is enough. Any more will inevitably affect my plans.”

The more he praised, the more determined he became to kill Gu Han. With his cultivation, he could have caught Gu Han in an instant, yet he didn’t act.

The Flame Emperor stared at him. “As long as I’m here, you won’t lay a finger on him!”

Yun Ao smiled at the increasingly pale complexion of the emperor. “Even if it costs you your life?”

Without answering, the Flame Emperor’s purple flames instantly ran amok. A dragon’s cry rang out, and a purple dragon several hundred zhang long descended from the sky. Its pair of amethyst-like eyes locked onto Yun Ao. The dragon’s head pressed down and lunged at him to tear him apart.

Wherever it passed, the miasma and filth were burned away, and even the ground showed faint signs of melting. This was the Flame Emperor’s answer.

Yun Ao sighed softly, as if oblivious to the oncoming dragon. His hazy, indistinct green intent blazed with intensity, transforming into green flames. Swirling for a moment, it transformed into a green dragon of matching size. With a roar, it crashed into the purple dragon.

The two dragons were locked in battle. As their massive heads rose and fell, shrill cries rang out without end, scales flying in all directions. Large patches of dragon blood rained down, turning back into purple and green flames upon hitting the ground.

In just a moment, the Heaven Burial Valley was completely obliterated. The power of the green flames seemed considerably greater than that of the purple flames. However, the green dragon’s form appeared unsteady, making swift victory impossible.

The two men were no longer visible on the battlefield. Only purple flames and green flames remained, colliding continuously. It seemed calm and gentle on the surface, but its power was great. As it passed, space exploded and the ground trembled, while hidden dao patterns intertwined and burst into terrifying booms.

The green flames gradually suppressed the purple flames. The Flame Emperor’s complexion grew increasingly pale, his dragon-shaped mark about to dissolve. With each collision, a few more white hairs appeared at Yun Ao’s temples. Clearly, he wasn’t having an easy time either.

Suddenly, another terrifying collision sound rang out. The green flames retreated over a li away, transforming back into Yun Ao.

He frowned deeply. “Yun Tian, I already spared Feng Kid. Don’t push your luck!”

In response, a mass of purple flames closed in, violently explosive.

Yun Ao sighed. “You should understand that the only reason I’m not killing you isn’t because I can’t. Besides, do you honestly think he can escape from me? You. Are. Wrong!”

As his voice faded, more than a dozen strands of hair at his temples turned white. A wave of green flames, far more ferocious and violent than before, spread outward. The Flame Emperor was completely dominated. The green dragon grew several times stronger. In an instant, it sent the purple dragon retreating, shedding large patches of blood.

With a shift of his form, a strand of green flame separated from Yun Ao, vanishing into the sky.

***

The battle between the Flame Emperor and Yun Ao seemed to last a very long time, but in reality, only a short while had passed. Even at Gu Han’s speed, he hadn’t fled very far.

Unbearable waves of scorching heat rose continuously behind him. Without looking back, he knew just how terrifying the battle was.

Suddenly, a highly dangerous feeling arose in his heart. Not good!

His heart tightened and he was about to change direction. In the next moment, a green humanoid figure silently landed in front of him. It was Yun Ao’s clone!

The clone smiled silently, arriving before him in a single step. He gently pressed a palm onto Gu Han. Though the clone had barely stepped into the Saint realm, it was still more than Gu Han could block.

As the palm descended, a burst of green flame instantly exploded. Gu Han’s layer of invisible sword qi scattered, and he flew far away.

The clone dimmed somewhat, frowning. “Hmm? You’re not dead?”

The treasure robe and the Indestructible Sword Physique had barely managed to save Gu Han’s life.

At that moment, Feng Xi, Fatty, and a few marquises like Old Liao immediately blocked Yun Ao’s path.

“Son of a bitch!”

“Vanguard Gu!”

Yun Ao sighed. “Have all of you come to die?”

Old Liao charged first. “Go to hell! If you want to harm Vanguard Gu, you’ll have to go through me!”

Then, the cultivation levels of the several individuals surged to their peak. The most conspicuous were Fatty and Feng Xi.

Yun Ao was silent for a moment, as if calculating how much power remained in the clone.

Upon seeing the attacks about to land, the clone burst with green flame. Old Liao and the elderly marquises were the first to be sent flying, severely injured. With another swing of his palm, Yun Ao shattered Fatty’s golden light and sent him flying as well.

A phoenix cry, furious to the extreme, rang out. Feng Xi had transformed into a heavenly phoenix. Two crimson flames leaped from her eyes, landing on Yun Ao.

Yun Ao shook his head. “Feng Kid, recklessly using your divine flames will only delay your awakening time!”

He didn’t even glance at the two crimson flames. Although his form had dimmed considerably due to the obstruction from Fatty and Feng Xi, he still retained the cultivation level of the Saint realm.

Not far away, Gu Han was severely injured. His treasure robe was covered with cracks, mostly destroyed. He was even more riddled with scars. If not for his extraordinary meridians continuously refining the trace of green flames, he would have died long ago.

Upon seeing this, Yun Fan, Zhao Mengyou, and Xue Yu ran over.

“Young Master!”

“Brother Gu!”

Gu Han trembled while stuffing several pills into his mouth. His voice was already weak to the extreme. “Cough, cough... Don’t... don’t mind me...”

Yun Ao nodded. “Very well. Before you die, you can have a few more companions.”

The green flames gathered once more. Just then, a completely different aura erupted within the valley—vast, ancient, and distant.

In an instant, Yun Ao’s clone froze, then slowly began to dissipate. He slowly withdrew his smile, his expression somewhat cold. “Yun Tian, you dare to recklessly use the inherited mark? Do you think that can stop me?”

With that, his form scattered and transformed into a green flame, disappearing before their eyes.

***

Inside the barbarian tribe’s forbidden ground, the green dragon let out a clear cry, making the murky pond water churn violently.

In the next moment, a hazy green light rose from within the pond, vanishing into the sky.

***

Outside the Heaven Burial Valley, everyone breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Yun Ao’s clone dissipate. They were about to check on Gu Han’s injuries when they noticed something wrong.

The sky had become covered with a layer of green intent. Hidden within it was a trace of extremely overbearing, terrifying pressure.

Fatty went pale, muttering to himself, “W-what the hell is this?”

For the first time, Feng Xi showed a hint of anxiety. Ignoring her own injuries, she flew toward Gu Han like a madwoman. “Junior Brother, get away!”

Damn it! The moment Gu Han saw the green light, he knew it was coming for him, and he had no chance whatsoever to dodge.

Ignoring his injuries, his remaining cultivation exploded, sending Yun Fan and Xue Yu flying far away. He turned his head only to see Zhao Mengyou still standing there for some reason.

He slapped a palm toward her, roaring furiously, “Go! What are you doing?! Get the hell away from me!”

Unexpectedly, a flicker of hesitation appeared in Zhao Mengyou’s eyes. Gritting her teeth, she advanced, wrapping her arms around him.

The next moment, that green light descended, enveloping them both.

Gu Han didn’t even have time to finish cussing her out, “You goddamn crazy—”

Feng Xi landed where Gu Han had been standing, but it was too late. The two were already gone.

She went white as a ghost, spitting out a mouthful of blood. “Junior Brother...”

At that moment, the Flame Emperor’s furious voice rang out again. “Yun Ao!!! Return him!”

Then, a dragon’s cry rang out once more. Unlike the two dragons, it was vast and ancient, carrying an endlessly overbearing and contemptuous momentum. The trace of the supreme dragon might, as if from the boundless ancient past, seemed to shake even the Great Dao itself.

***

In front of a thatched hut within the forbidden zone, Chongming stared blankly. “Huh? I think I heard Little Bug’s voice?”

Beside him, the old man paused. “Little Bug? Who is that?”

A hint of confusion flickered in Chongming’s eyes. “Little Bug, Little Bird... All dead... dead... only I’m left by myself...”

This state of his appeared every so often. The old man had long grown accustomed to it and didn’t ask further.

Sure enough, Chongming scratched his head, asking a completely unrelated question, “Do you think that kid died?”

The old man sighed. “Probably not. I have high hopes for that little guy.”

Chongming stared at him. “Tell me the truth. That time you helped him, was it because you thought of her? Tsk, just hearing the name Yue Clan, I think they’re not a good bunch...”

He rambled on, but the old man remained silent with a look of reminiscence. Red Dust Feiyu, Yun Jiansheng. The Red Dust was already severed, and Feiyu was no more. Only Yun Jiansheng remained, quietly waiting for death. Once a beautiful story that spread across several heavenly domains, it was now probably forgotten.