71: Chapter 71 The Death of the Elixir

On the Yao Emperor Platform, the sounds of slaughter had drowned out everything else in the world.

When the Void Swallowing Flame's giant black flame palm struck for the third time, Yao Dan finally could not hold on. The cyan medicine fire barrier that had guarded the Yao Emperor Platform for an entire day shattered with a roar in full view of everyone, turning into countless cyan specks of light that drifted away. Yao Dan was sent flying by the shockwave, his withered body smashing through the stone railing at the edge of the high platform, and he rolled several times on the cyan jade floor before stopping. His cyan robe was soaked in blood, his beard and hair plastered messily against his face, and his hands, propping himself up as he tried to stand, trembled uncontrollably; every exertion caused blood to drip from his sleeves.

Hun Feng walked toward him step by step from the front of the VIP seats, four types of Heavenly Flames weaving into a gorgeous yet deadly curtain of fire around his body. The pink of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame, the deep blue of the Sea Heart Flame, the dark gold of the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame, and the pitch black of the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame—the four-colored flames spread out behind him like four wings covering the sky. With every step he took, a charred footprint was melted into the cyan jade floor beneath his feet. The surrounding Medicine Clan guards wanted to rush up to stop him, but before they could get within ten feet of him, they were forced back repeatedly by the terrifying high temperature. The one closest was sent flying directly by a dark golden thunder arc from the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame.

" Hun Feng! " Yao Dan squeezed a hoarse, explosive shout from his throat and slammed a palm onto the ground. The life essence of a Seven-Star Dou Sheng erupted without reservation at this moment—emerald-green flames burst forth from his withered, aged body, and within the flames, one could faintly see the phantoms of countless medicinal herbs swaying and burning. That was not a Heavenly Flame, but the " Medicine Emperor Legacy Flame " passed down from generation to generation by the patriarchs of the Medicine Clan. Using his own essence blood as a guide and thousand-year-old medicine souls as fuel, it was a desperate flame that only a Medicine Clan patriarch could ignite.

The emerald flames condensed around him into a flame battle armor standing dozens of feet high, forcefully pushing back the pressure of the four-colored Heavenly Flames by several feet. Yao Dan straightened his body, his turbid old eyes shining astonishingly bright at this moment, and the wrinkles on his face looked as if they had been carved one by one in the firelight. He drew a long ruler that was emerald green all over from his sleeve—the Medicine Clan's clan-protecting Dou weapon, the Ten Thousand Medicinal Ruler. The body of the ruler was engraved with ancient medicinal formulas, and every carving emitted a low hum under the infusion of the Medicine Emperor Legacy Flame.

" This old man has lived for so many years and has seen countless experts. " Yao Dan's voice was hoarse and deep, every word sounding as if it were squeezed from the deepest part of his chest. " You are younger than them, and you are also more ruthless than them. But the Medicine Clan's foundation of thousands of years will absolutely not be destroyed in my hands! "

Hun Feng stopped and looked at him. This blood-soaked old man was like a trapped beast pushed to the brink, unwilling to bow his head even though he knew he would die. To be honest, he admired him a little. But admiration aside, he was determined to obtain the Heavenly Flame. The Sea Heart Flame condensed into a deep blue fire spear in his right palm, and he struck first. The tip of the spear tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound, thrusting directly at Yao Dan's face. Yao Dan did not retreat but advanced instead, sweeping the Ten Thousand Medicinal Ruler out horizontally. The emerald flames and the deep blue fire spear collided in mid-air with a roar, and the exploding shockwave sent all the rubble within dozens of feet flying into the air. With the first strike failing, Hun Feng's figure disappeared from its original spot—not teleportation, but speed, so fast that even Yao Dan's soul perception could only capture a faint afterimage. In the next second, he appeared to Yao Dan's left, the dark golden Eight Desolation Destruction Flame in his palm condensing into a destructive palm print, which he slammed fiercely toward Yao Dan's ribs.

Yao Dan turned around in a rush, holding the Ten Thousand Medicinal Ruler horizontally in front of him. The dark golden palm print struck the body of the ruler, and the destructive power of the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame spread along the ruler, causing the ancient carvings on the Ten Thousand Medicinal Ruler to flicker violently. Yao Dan was forced back several steps, each step leaving deep cracks on the cyan jade floor, but before he could steady himself, Hun Feng had closed in again—the Purification Lotus Demon Flame turned into a very thin pink thread, silently wrapping around Yao Dan's right arm. Yao Dan let out a muffled groan; the emerald flame battle armor on his right arm hissed under the burning of the pink fire, and scorch marks already appeared on his skin. But he gritted his teeth and did not retreat, slashing back with the Ten Thousand Medicinal Ruler to force Hun Feng back half a step. At the same time, he formed a seal with his left hand, and the emerald flames transformed into phantoms of medicinal herbs filling the sky, covering Hun Feng—that was the Medicine Clan's unique soul attack, " Hundred Herbs Soul Devouring, " which specialized in attacking the sea of consciousness.

Hun Feng snorted coldly. The heaven swallowing mirror flew out from his sleeve and hung above his head, a purple-black light curtain pouring down and swallowing all the emerald flames. The light curtain trembled violently a few times, then returned to calm.

" Old thing, these tricks of yours are useless against this junior! " Hun Feng formed a seal with one hand, and the Soul Devouring Seal turned into a very thin black soul seal that pierced through the emerald flame battle armor, accurately imprinting itself on the center of Yao Dan's eyebrows. Yao Dan's whole body shook violently, as if a red-hot iron nail had been fiercely driven into his sea of consciousness, and his body staggered backward. Hun Feng seized this gap and pressed forward, the Sea Heart Flame and the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame booming toward Yao Dan from both the left and right sides simultaneously—the emerald flame battle armor finally shattered under the pincer attack of the two Heavenly Flames, turning into countless emerald specks of light that dissipated. Yao Dan spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying, crashing and collapsing half of the stone pillars of the viewing platform.

But he still did not fall. He slowly stood up from the pile of rubble, his chest heaving violently, and every breath brought blood foam overflowing from the corners of his mouth. The emerald flames were still stubbornly burning in his palm, and the Ten Thousand Medicinal Ruler was still gripped tightly in his hands. He looked at Hun Feng and suddenly started to laugh. The smile had no sound, just a corner of his mouth pulled into an extremely bitter arc.

" You are right, the Medicine Clan is indeed inferior to the Hun Clan. " He whispered, as if talking to himself, " Ancestor... this old man has tried his best. "

He released the Ten Thousand Medicinal Ruler and slowly pressed his hands together. All the emerald flames within his body erupted at this moment, not to attack, but transforming into a pillar of light that shot into the sky and poured directly into the ground. His body rapidly withered within the emerald flames, and his life's cultivation flowed madly along the pillar of light into the depths of the Wan Yao Mountain Range to awaken that existence that had been sleeping for thousands of years. At the very last moment, he turned his head to look at the Yao Emperor Platform—looking at the square that had been devastated beyond recognition by the flames of war, looking at the young disciples lying in pools of blood, and looking at the last few elders in the distance who were still fighting to the death against Yao Yao and the Hun Clan Heavenly Sovereigns. His lips moved a few times, as if saying goodbye to someone, and then he slowly closed his eyes.

Hun Feng did not stop him. It was not that he was too late, but that he did not want to. An old man who risked his life to protect his clan deserved this dignity. But his Heavenly Flame, he still had to take.

The Ten Thousand Medicinal Ruler slipped from Yao Dan's loosened hand, bounced twice on the ground, and made a very crisp sound. His withered body slowly fell, falling onto the Yao Emperor Platform that he had guarded for most of his life. The emerald flame pillar submerged into the ground, and the entire Wan Yao Mountain Range trembled violently at this moment, as if something was awakening from a sleep of thousands of years.

On the edge of the Yao Emperor Platform, Yao Yao was killing with excitement.

The bone whip in her hand was like a living creature, seventy-two skulls simultaneously erupting with soul shrieks, shaking a Three-Star Dou Sheng elder of the Medicine Clan until he bled from his seven orifices and flew backward. He was not yet dead when he landed, but she shattered his protective Dou Qi with one whip, and with another whip, he completely ceased to breathe. She was the most active killer on the scene—not because she was the strongest, but because she was the fastest. The Hun Clan's blood-attribute Dou Qi was naturally known for its speed and soul penetration, and combined with the combat instincts she had honed while crawling through mountains of corpses and seas of blood with Hun Feng since she was young, these elders of the Medicine Clan, who were usually pampered, were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered before her. The bone whip lashed out, and the throat of a young Medicine Clan disciple was pierced by the tip of the whip; the blood blade slashed down, and a Dou Zun who tried to sneak attack from behind was cut in half at the waist. There was not a shred of pity in her peach-blossom eyes, only the pure excitement brought by slaughter.

When Yao Yao retracted her bone whip, she caught a glimpse of Medusa fighting with Xiao Yan. The violent vibration caused by the emerald flame pillar of Yao Dan rushing into the ground made both of them stop. Xiao Yan took the opportunity to push the White-haired Little Girl into Yao Chen's arms and whispered, " Take her away. " Medusa did not pursue, just sheathed her sword, her purple eyes looking coldly at Xiao Yan, and no extra emotion could be seen on that cold and stunningly beautiful face. She carried her long sword diagonally and walked step by step back to Hun Feng's side. She did not stop when passing by Yao Yao, just said indifferently, " Kill faster. " Yao Yao grinned, and the bone whip lashed out again.

Above the Yao Emperor Platform, the main body of the Void Swallowing Flame's black flames vibrated slightly. He sensed that aura that was rapidly awakening in the depths of the ground—ancient, scorching, and carrying a faint Emperor's might.

" Interesting. " Void Swallowing Flame's voice was low and slow, his eyes burning with black flames cast toward the depths of the Wan Yao Mountain Range. Before Yao Dan died, he poured all his life essence into the ground, awakening a wisp of a remnant soul left behind by the Medicine Clan's ancestor, the Medicine Emperor. For thousands of years, this remnant soul had been sleeping in the earth veins in the deepest part of the Wan Yao Mountain Range and had never been awakened, because the price of awakening it was the entire cultivation and life of the current patriarch of the Medicine Clan.

A huge crack split open on the ground of the Yao Emperor Platform, and a dazzling emerald green light shone from the depths of the crack. A phantom figure slowly rose from the crack—it was the phantom of an old man dressed in a cyan robe, his face blurry and unclear, but the aura radiating from his body made everyone present feel a pressure coming from the depths of their souls. Emperor's might. Although it was only a very faint wisp, and although it was only a remnant soul, it was genuine Dou Di pressure.

Void Swallowing Flame's black flame eyes narrowed slightly. Soul Yuan Tian, Elder Hun Tu, Hun Sha, and Hun Jing stopped simultaneously, their gazes looking heavily toward that cyan phantom. Yao Yao put away her bone whip and retreated to Hun Feng's side; for the first time, true gravity appeared in Medusa's purple eyes.

Hun Feng stood in the center of the Yao Emperor Platform and slowly raised his head.