Chapter 367: Cock Fighting Champion
DRIP! DRIP! DRIP! In the depths of the Immortal Asylum, silence reigned supreme, save for the slow drip of the remaining blood stains on the walls.
Down a long, dark corridor was a group of three people.
Leading the way was a young man with golden eyes, followed by a 13-year-old Sword Cultivator from the Primordial Ruins, known as Yuan Jian, and the Phoenix Empress trailing behind.
The Phoenix Empress, draped in a long dress made of azure feathers, was a sight to behold. This dress, a transformation of her own feathers, clung to her skin, accentuating her snow-white neck and long legs, exuding an exotic charm.
Yet, even with her stature in the Nine Hells, she felt a tremor of fear in the presence of these two brothers, wary of making a mistake that might anger the young lad beside her.
"They said they needed a guide, yet they don't speak to me?" she mused, casting a worried glance at Yuan Jian from the corner of her eye.
Being a Hell Warden, her senses were sharp!
The brothers carried themselves with an air of superiority. Despite the polite facade of the golden-eyed young man, the Phoenix Empress could feel they didn't regard her as an equal.
"Big Brother!" Yuan Jian suddenly exclaimed, "I sense danger ahead. Let's not proceed."
The Phoenix Empress was taken aback. Wasn't it said that a sword's edge was honed through adversity? Yet, they were retreating at the first sign of it.
Hearing this, the golden-eyed young man stopped in his tracks, turning to look at Yuan Jian with a hint of resignation, "You're thinking of cock fighting again, aren't you?"
Yuan Jian sheepishly grinned, "Big Brother, it's all the rage! I must uphold our family's honor, right?"
"Frivolity leads to downfall!" the golden-eyed young man chided sternly.
"Big Brother, it's not like that at all," Yuan Jian protested earnestly. "Father always said, what's most important on the path of cultivation? Friends, alliances! We come from a prominent family; mere solitary cultivation won't cut it. We must engage in the world, forge alliances with like-minded individuals! Cock fighting may seem trivial, but it's essentially a social event in the realm of Immortals. Sharing interests with others means mutual support as we grow, preventing exclusion!"
"Excuses, always excuses," the golden-eyed young man glared at him.
"Big Brother, a good bird is hard to find. Please, indulge me this once," Yuan Jian pleaded, his face alight with anticipation. He was at the age where everything was thrilling.
The golden-eyed young man pondered for a moment, his reluctance apparent. It was clear he had a soft spot for his younger brother.
"Finish quickly and don't dally!" With those words, he vanished into the darkness alone, leaving Yuan Jian and the Phoenix Empress behind.
Right by the entrance of the Eight Trigrams gateway, where the light from the gate still cast a reassuring glow, they stood in what could be considered a safe spot.
"Thanks, Big Bro!" Yuan Jian waved cheerily.
Off to the side, the Phoenix Empress trembled slightly, her complexion pale, "Cock fighting?"
"Exactly," Yuan Jian turned, grinning at her. "It's quite the hoot! Each person raises a bird, and they battle it out. The winner takes the pot. Thrilling, isn't it?"
The Phoenix Empress's elegant brows furrowed deeply.
"So, it's just like cricket fighting?" Her voice took on a chill.
"Spot on! What, thought I had my eye on you?" With no elder brother or outsiders to mind, Yuan Jian let loose, his smile widening. "Silly bird, dreaming big dreams, are we? In my eyes, you're just a fancy cricket. Me, of noble birth, play with you? Hardly."
Her gaze turned icy, indignation bubbling within. To think she mistook his intentions, forced herself to come here, only to be deemed a cricket?
Yun Xiao had called her a silly chicken too, but the sting of these words hit differently.
"Into the cage with you!" Yuan Jian couldn't be bothered with more talk. A representative of the Primordial Ruins, he had an image to maintain in publicdignified and honorable. But now, with no one around, he dropped the act.
BOOM! From his hand emerged a birdcage, crafted like golden pillars and etched with runesclearly a top-tier artifact.
"The Primordial Cage, descend!" With a sneer, he activated the golden Primordial Cage. Like a massive golden palm, it came crashing down on the Phoenix Empress!
BUZZ! She transformed into her true form, poised to take flight, but the cage's power, surpassing even the Dragon Wick Seal, caught her off guard.
BOOM! It pinned her down like a mountain, an unstoppable force imprisoning her.
FLAP! FLAP! FLAP! Her wings beat against the cage, sparks flying, yet the cage remained unyielding.
"Not bad, quite fierce! Whether I'll reign supreme in the cock fighting scene now depends on you." Yuan Jian chuckled heartily, finding the Phoenix Empress's struggle amusing, the more she fought, the broader his grin.
"Curse your lineage! If you're so keen on fighting, why not throw your own punches?" the Phoenix Empress spat, her eyes ablaze with fury. To be caged and forced to fight as entertainment, it was the ultimate insult to a being of intellect and grace.
"Us? Fight? Are you touched in the head? We're all brothers and sisters here, just looking for a bit of fun. Why sour the mood with personal squabbles?"
Yuan Jian, arms crossed, took on the air of an elder statesman. "Beasts will be beasts. In our esteemed Primordial Ruins, demons are but the lowest of the low, mere slaves. What would such a bird like you know of human decency?"
"Your arrogant prattle only serves to show how small-minded your precious Primordial Ruins really are," the Phoenix Empress retorted with a sneer.
"That's where you're wrong! The Primordial Ruins are a bastion of salvation, extending mercy and compassion to our own. But for the likes of you demonic beasts, it's kill or be killed. Only a fool talks of magnanimity in such cases."
"And why not exterminate all the demons and devils outside then?" she challenged.
At this, Yuan Jian's smile vanished, replaced by a clenched jaw and simmering rage, "Giving you face, was I? Daring to talk back? Fine, let's see how you like a taste of the warmth from the Primordial Ruins!"
With that, the golden cage tightened, its bars pressing into her flesh, drawing lines of blood.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
"My second brother can heal your wounds, so remember, disobedience will only bring more suffering. Death is a luxury you can't afford," Yuan Jian's youthful face twisted into a cruel smirk.
The cage continued its merciless constriction, forcing the Phoenix Empress back into human form.
But the cage kept shrinking, its golden bars wrapping tightly around her delicate form, accentuating her curves in a rather revealing display.
"Oh?" Yuan Jian, despite his young age, couldn't help but be momentarily distracted by the sight. However, he quickly regained his composure, cursing, "A beast in human guise, a blight upon the eyes, unforgivable!"
The cage squeezed tighter still, pushing the Phoenix Empress to the brink, her body crisscrossed with bloody marks, her face pale with agony as she glared at Yuan Jian in despair and rage.
"Given in yet? Learned your lesson?" Yuan Jian stepped closer, grabbing her chin with a sneer.
"To hell with you!" With a defiant spit, the Phoenix Empress landed a glob of saliva right on his face. Her temper was legendary, seldom had she ever been bested.
"You're dead!" Yuan Jian never saw it coming, her fiery defiance catching him off guard. His mind clouded with rage, the notion of bird fighting forgotten in the heat of the moment.
With a low growl, he drew forth a black Sword Soul, its aura surging with power. This Sword Soul was enveloped in 30,000 layers of Sword Aura and adorned with seven Sword Rings.
At its core shone a brilliant white light, a beam that pierced from hilt to tip, rendering the black Sword Soul luminous.
That white light, undoubtedly, was the Sword Heart.
"Despicable demon!" In a swift motion, Yuan Jian transformed the black Sword Soul into a three-foot-long sword, unleashing a fierce strike aimed straight at the Phoenix Empress's delicate neck. The move was swift, ruthless, and precise.
The Phoenix Empress saw her end approaching and was resigned to her fate, her only regret perhaps being unable to glimpse her little fox one last time With a heavy sigh, she braced for the end.
But in that moment, a piercing sound of a sword cleaving the air filled her ears!
"What?" Startled, the Phoenix Empress looked up just in time to see a streak of azure light piercing through the darkness, vanishing into the void only to reappear instantly behind Yuan Jian!
"What?" Yuan Jian spun around, disbelief etched on his face.
With a sickening sound, his sword-wielding arm exploded in a burst of gore right before the Phoenix Empress' eyes!
"Aghhh!" Yuan Jian's scream was a harrowing blend of pain and shock as he collapsed to the ground. His right hand, along with the black Palm Sword aimed at the Phoenix Empress, was severed, sparing her from harm.
"My hand!!" Writhing in agony, Yuan Jian rolled on the ground, his eyes wide with shock and face ashen, his body drenched in sweat.
Yuan Jian was in utter disbelief, his prowess in the way of the sword crippled in an instant, his life's ambition shattered halfway through. The reality of his situation was too much for his heart to bear.
"Who did this? Who?!" With a roar of anguish, he scrambled to his feet, withdrawing his Sword Soul with his left hand, and trembling, he turned to face his assailant.
In the dim light of the corridor, a dashing youth in white, holding a three-foot-long azure blade, approached Yuan Jian with an unsettling calm, step by steady step.
"This guy..." The Phoenix Empress, having braced herself for the end, found no desire to prolong her life if it meant being a plaything for a brash young master, only to suffer and die later.
Yet, she couldn't help but admire the sheer coolness of that sword strike that severed Yuan Jian's arm, capturing her heart in the process.
"It's you...!!" The sight of Yun Xiao struck Yuan Jian like a bolt from the blue, a tidal wave of rage and resentment crashing within him. A mere mortal from a lesser realm dared to maim him?
"Yun Xiao, you've committed an unforgivable sin. You will suffer a gruesome fate, and all that you hold dear will perish with you!" Yuan Jian spat, seething with fury.
"Try something original; I'm tired of hearing that line," Yun Xiao retorted, before lunging forward like a white specter.
Despite his boiling anger, Yuan Jian's mind was clear: he was young, gravely injured, and no match for the ruthless Yun Xiao. Escape was his only option.
"Big Brother, save me!" With a shout, he turned and threw a smoke bomb that exploded upon hitting the ground, creating a vast mist that engulfed Yun Xiao and obscured Yuan Jian's form from view.
"This is bad..." The Phoenix Empress's heart sank.
If Yuan Jian escaped and alerted the golden-eyed youth, the consequences wouldn't just be dire for them; many others would be doomed as well.
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