Chapter 37: The Imperial Shadow and the Phoenix's Lament

Jan 18, 2026 By zhuallen

Amidst the rubble of the fallen palace, scorched ruins continued to crumble. Just as the group believed everything had ended with Liu Jing’s sacrifice, a suffocating, pitch-black demonic Qi erupted from deep underground, instantly scattering the remaining flickers of light.

I. The Mortal’s Counterattack: Demonic Imperial Power

With a deafening "BOOM!", a twisted figure soared from the rubble. It was the Emperor of the Great Yue. His dragon robes were in tatters, and his skin had turned a sickly purple-black. Billowing black Qi danced behind him like macabre tentacles.

He hovered in mid-air, his once-cloudy eyes now filled with a deranged frenzy and obsession. "Why... why is it that only you self-righteous cultivators can stand on high? I am the Sovereign of the Nine-Five; am I but an ant to be toyed with in your eyes?"

He let out a piercing shriek that shook the surrounding bamboo forest. "I shall protect my people! I shall make my kingdom transcend the Immortals! A mortal body, too, can slay a god!"

Infused by the demonic Qi, his aura surged past the threshold of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, reaching the terrifying heights of Late Foundation Establishment. In his hand, he gripped a rusted, blood-grooved broken demonic sword, lunging at the group with a scream that tore through the air.

II. A Bitter Struggle: The Undying Demonic Body

Song Meng and Chen Qiaoqian engaged him immediately. Song Meng’s silver spear transformed into a flurry of cold stars, accurately piercing the Emperor’s chest; Chen Qiaoqian’s magical treasure unleashed arcs of light, leaving deep gashes across his back.

However, a horrifying sight followed: black mist swirled around the wounds as new flesh writhed and knitted together like maggots. In a single breath, the injuries were completely healed.

"It is useless! I am immortal!" the Emperor laughed manically, swinging the broken sword to unleash a dark red blade-wave that sent Song Meng flying.

Wen Buhuo realized that a head-on confrontation meant certain death. He shouted, "Senior Brother Song, Senior Sister Chen, take Weiyan and retreat to the bamboo forest in the back! The ground here is too open—he’ll wear us down! I’ll hold him back, GO!"

III. Extreme Escape: Buhuo’s "Art of Survival"

The others retreated, leaving Wen Buhuo alone against the frenzied late-stage demonic cultivator. He no longer hid his strength; the Gold-Flicker Mother-and-Son Blades spun into a golden net, attempting to intercept the demonic sword.

However, the pressure of the level gap was immense. Within mere moves, his spiritual shield was covered in cracks.

"You want to leave? Stay and be buried with my empire!" The Emperor pursued him relentlessly.

Seeing that he was about to be overtaken, Wen Buhuo unleashed his most practiced survival combo: his left hand hurled dozens of specialized High-Intensity Smoke Bombs, instantly turning a hundred-yard radius into a pitch-black fog. His right hand swiftly donned the Invisibility Gauze, suppressing his aura to the absolute minimum, while his feet pushed the Luo Yan Steps to their limit, flickering through the smoke like a ghost.

Despite this, the demonic Emperor used his heightened demonic senses to nearly pierce Buhuo’s heart several times. Rolling desperately through the dirt, Wen Buhuo narrowly avoided the fatal blows and finally lured the Emperor into the depths of the bamboo forest.

IV. Formation Illusion: The Five Elements Reversal

"Activate!"

With Wen Buhuo’s low command, the hidden flags around the bamboo forest ignited. The Five Elements Reversal Formation—Buhuo’s ultimate trump card for defense and entrapment—was fully triggered.

The demonic Emperor felt his surroundings change instantly:

The Illusion of Water: He was suddenly submerged in a boundless, deep sea. Immense pressure squeezed his lungs; there was only the darkness of suffocation.
The Illusion of Fire: In a flash, the ground became a scorching volcanic crater. Lava erupted, and massive boulders fell amidst the stench of sulfur.
The Illusion of Wood: Before he could catch his breath, giant ancient trees sprouted from the ground, their gnarled branches winding around him like pythons.
The Illusion of Metal (Ice): The world turned into a realm of ice and snow. Piercing cold accompanied thousands of metallic blades whistling through the blizzard.
The Illusion of Earth: Finally, he was trapped in a vast desert, with a violent sandstorm attempting to bury him alive.

The Emperor slashed wildly at the air. Even with his formidable strength, he could find no breakthrough in this world of shifting shadows and reversed elements.

"Senior Brother Wen, this formation is a masterpiece!" Song Meng wiped blood from his face, praising him sincerely.

Wen Buhuo, pale and straining to control the array, replied, "It is powerful, but it consumes Spirit Stones rapidly. His cultivation is too high; he will break out eventually. We still have no way to kill him."

V. The Final Aria: Redemption of the Phoenix

Just as they reached their wit's end, Zhong Weiyan, who had been weeping in silence, reached into her robes with trembling hands. She pulled out a crimson talisman emitting a mournful aura.

"This is the counterpart to Jing Ge’s 'Feng of the Phoenix'... it is called the 'Huang of the Phoenix'," she said, her voice hollow and tear-streaked. "Jing Ge is gone. Let this talisman... follow him."

She bit her fingertip and poured all her remaining spiritual power into it.

In the dark of night, a magnificent scarlet array unfolded in the sky. With a soul-piercing cry, an elegant phoenix shrouded in purple-red flames burst forth!

"BOOM!"

The Emperor sensed the danger. His demonic Qi erupted, violently shattering the shackles of the Five Elements Reversal Formation. He roared hideously, "You cannot kill me! My demonic Qi is endless! These tricks are—"

Before he could finish, the Phoenix slammed into him like a falling star. The Phoenix fire was eerie; it did not just burn flesh—it seemed to incinerate the demonic Qi itself.

The Emperor let out a blood-curdling scream, struggling wildly in the sea of fire. However, the Phoenix fire burned for a full hour. No matter how much demonic Qi he summoned, it was instantly vaporized by the purple-red waves of heat.

Finally, the mad Emperor was reduced to a pile of ash in total agony.

VI. Mysterious Loot: Treasures in the Ruins

As the flames died down, Wen Buhuo forced his weakened body forward to inspect the site. In the center of the ashes, several items remained:

Five Pills: Emitting an eerie dark glow, yet containing shockingly pure energy.
The Half-Demonic Sword: Despite the fierce Phoenix fire, this broken blade was completely unharmed, its surface rippling with faint, heart-chilling demonic runes.
The Black Manual: Neither paper nor silk, the cover bore no title, only a faint, oppressive pressure.
A Piece of Ancient Cloth: It looked ordinary, yet it possessed a sense of ancient mystery and was untouched by fire or water.

"Even the fire of the 'Huang of the Phoenix' couldn't burn these..." Wen Buhuo carefully put the items away, his mind racing. "The things Senior Brother Liu died to stop... was that only the beginning, or the source of it all? These things... are no ordinary treasures."

The night wind blew through the bamboo forest. Aside from Zhong Weiyan’s suppressed sobbing, the ravaged land finally fell into a deathly silence.