Chapter Forty-Three: The Divine Mandate of Blazing Flame and the Five-Colored Phoenix

Chapter Forty-Three: The Divine Order of Blazing Flame and the Five-Colored Luan Bird

Chapter Six: Night Demon Wreaks Havoc, Oppressing the Righteous; Yunpeng Manifests His Power to Vanquish All Evil (Part Three)

Below the platform, the crowd erupted in laughter and shouts, “Ha! The sisters of Longquan Monastery are truly formidable. Senior brother from Yanqing Monastery, you’d best step down quickly! Ha ha!” The commotion was unbridled.

Qian Wei smiled faintly. “I must ask senior brother to show mercy with his words.” Huang Shang stood stunned for a moment, shook his head, and glanced at the crowd below before slowly descending from the platform. The four elder monks beneath nodded slightly at the sight, each waving a hand toward the four stone steles. Instantly, a flash of golden light swept across the stones; the inscription “Huang Shang, Third Disciple of Yanqing Monastery” vanished, leaving only “Qian Wei, Sixth Disciple of Longquan Monastery.”

Ye Hua felt a jolt of surprise and thought to himself, “If I had been the one facing Senior Sister Qian Wei of Longquan Monastery, I fear I too would have found it hard to dodge that crimson-armored magical treasure. I did not expect Senior Sister Qian Wei to possess such skill! I wonder to which stage of the Seven Treasures Realm she has ascended?”

Several people approached Huang Shang, seemingly offering quiet words of consolation, likely fellow disciples from Yanqing Monastery, and together they made their way down the mountain. The crowd that had gathered dispersed, heading toward other platforms where contests were still underway.

Ye Hua glanced around. Aside from the platform where the match had just concluded, most of the others were still in the midst of their duels. To the left, on platform thirty-four, a monk and a layman were locked in combat, drawing frequent gasps of amazement from the hundred-odd disciples watching below. Ahead to the right, two young women were dueling on platform forty, with a mostly female audience encircling them.

Suddenly, a thunderous boom sounded in the distance, and a pillar of golden fire shot skyward, sending a wave of heat sweeping over the crowd. Many disciples turned to look. “Ah! Who could be competing over there, to unleash such overwhelming power?” the crowd murmured in awe. “It looks like the ‘Radiant Buddha’s Light’ from Buddha Light Monastery. I wonder which senior brother there has reached such a level of mastery? Let’s go and see!” “Let’s go!” A great many people hurried in that direction.

At that moment, the pounding sounds from that platform grew ever more intense—it was clearly a critical moment in the match. Eager to witness it himself, Ye Hua hurried over.

When he was still a hundred paces away, he found the crowd too dense to advance further. Standing his ground, Ye Hua could see on the platform ahead two youths, one tall and one short, locked in fierce struggle. The tall youth wielded a long, fiery-red token, within which a crimson flame seemed to flicker and dance. With each sweep, a great red glow surged forth, its power beyond anything Ye Hua had ever seen. The shorter youth faced him with a long sword that gleamed with cold light. Though it appeared ordinary, it withstood the onslaught of the flames—a sign it was no common weapon.

Ye Hua stared at the crimson flame, astonished, and turned to a burly, bearded man beside him. “Excuse me, senior brother, is that tall youth a disciple of Buddha Light Monastery? What technique is he using, that its power is so immense?”

The bearded man replied in surprise, “That’s right. The tall youth is none other than Kong Lin, the foremost disciple of Buddha Light Monastery. How could you not recognize him?”

Ye Hua blushed. “Forgive me, senior brother. I’ve only recently joined Mount Wutai.”

The man’s surprise faded into a knowing smile. “Ah, that explains it. With Kong Lin’s reputation, how could you not have heard of him? The weapon he wields is one of the thirteen Divine Orders of Blazing Flame, passed down through the Kong family for generations. What do you think of its might?”

Ye Hua exclaimed, “Is it truly the same token once used by the former Holy Emperor Hua to repel the great Dagraan demon general Kong Mingshu? No wonder! No wonder!” He muttered in awe.

The bearded man laughed. “The Kong family’s Spirit-Forging Immortal Fire Art is already formidable, and now, with specialized training in the Extinguishing Karma True Flame at Buddha Light Monastery, who could possibly rival him? Ha!”

As they spoke, Kong Lin on the platform moved with increasing ferocity. With each thrust of the Divine Order of Blazing Flame, a tongue of fire shot forth. The shorter youth was forced into a desperate defense, his robes charred and tattered. When the fire missed its mark and struck the ground, a tremendous explosion erupted, sending shards of stone flying and leaving behind a blackened crater.

The crowd of disciples grew ever larger, all silenced by the display of power. Ye Hua asked, “Senior brother, who is that shorter youth? To withstand Senior Brother Kong for this long, he must be no ordinary opponent.”

The bearded man replied, “Indeed, the shorter youth is Qi Zhiluan, senior disciple of Lingying Monastery on Hanging Moon Peak. His cultivation is not shallow. The two are well matched, though I’ve not heard of any famed heirloom from his family.” “In that case, he likely won’t be a match for Kong Lin and the Divine Order of Blazing Flame,” Ye Hua remarked. The bearded man nodded, “True. Wait—what’s this?”

Ye Hua saw the man’s face contort in shock and quickly looked to the platform. There, the shorter youth, unable to evade in time, was struck by a pillar of flame. In an instant, a white light flashed around him, dispelling the fire and revealing sinewy muscles tattooed with red and blue patterns that, upon closer look, formed the image of a fearsome, savage bird.

Ye Hua was about to ask the bearded man about it when he urged, “Junior brother, look! Quickly!”

Ye Hua turned his eyes to the platform once more.

The shorter youth, now furious and desperate, steadied his mind and sliced his finger with his sword, letting a few drops of blood fall onto the bird’s head tattooed on his chest.

Kong Lin, realizing that his opponent was about to unleash a secret art using his own blood as a medium, dared not be careless. He sent another blast from the Divine Order of Blazing Flame.

Suddenly, a piercing cry rang out, reverberating in every ear and making all shudder. On the platform appeared a colossal bird, more than ten yards tall, its tail split into five colors, a radiant crest atop its head, a curved purple beak wide in its call, and talons flexed and ready to strike—though its form was somewhat ethereal.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd. The bearded man murmured, “This… this seems to be the Spirit-Manifestation Phantasm of the demon clans—a Five-Colored Luan Bird! Remarkable… truly remarkable!”

Kong Lin’s face also changed dramatically. “I never expected my opponent to possess such a secret technique. This is troublesome indeed. I thought victory assured with the Divine Order of Blazing Flame, but now, who can say who will win?”