The sacred radiance, colorful and dazzling, illuminated her exceptionally beautiful body.
Suspended high in the sky, Nan Gong Huai Tian, with a phantom image of a true phoenix engulfing heaven and earth, slowly began to coalesce behind her.
Within the sect’s mountain gate, countless domain lords looked up in shock.
Bai Ze, the Supreme Ancestor of the Bai family, swallowed hard and said with fear in his eyes, "How… how is this possible!"
"She's just a child in the third stage, without the bloodline of a true phoenix, how can she control this grand formation!"
In the ancestral shrine, countless people witnessed this scene and immediately gained confidence, shouting loudly, "Nothing is impossible, because this is the Saintess of my Nan Gong clan!"
"What the Saint Son could achieve back then, the Saintess can achieve too!"
Upon hearing this, Bai Ze said no more. The people from the Dongfang clan and the Cheng family were also fleeing madly towards the outside of the Nan Gong clan’s mountain gate.
Below the Human King realm, no cultivator could resist this true phoenix.
"Could it be that the Saintess has unleashed her potential and awakened in desperation!" someone from the Nan Gong family said, their eyes shining with excitement. Their gaze towards Nan Gong Huai Tian was filled with immense reverence.
The Nan Gong clan had never been short of geniuses.
It could be said that at this very moment, Nan Gong Huai Tian was truly recognized by everyone, just like the Saint Son of yesteryear, she was now the sole Saintess.
Nan Gong Huai Tian held the formation core, raised it high, and thrust it forward. The true phoenix in the sky then let out a resounding phoenix cry.
Terrifying flames and feathered arrows roared down, their might overwhelming. The joint forces of the domain lords from the three great clans were reduced to mere fodder, scattering in all directions. They unleashed their ultimate techniques, but it seemed they could not escape being shot down.
At this moment, everyone believed that the Nan Gong clan was destined to win.
But only Nan Gong Zhen Yuan and Nan Gong Mao Guan did not.
Their eyes were fixed on the true phoenix in the sky, and on Nan Gong Huai Tian, whose body was immersed in the inferno. Their expressions were filled with despair and heartache.
In the shadows, Xu Mu noticed their expressions and his face immediately turned grim. He couldn't understand.
The situation was overwhelmingly favorable, so why the long faces?
Soon, the answer to this question presented itself.
Feathered flames, like a storm, swept down, engulfing the figures of those domain lords who had not managed to escape the attack range. The terrifying sounds of impact and the sizzling of melting steel filled the air.
But in the next second, those people were not dead.
Although they were injured, they were not dead. After a fierce struggle, most of them managed to escape.
But the true phoenix earlier was supposed to be capable of instant kills.
Nan Gong Mao Guan’s eyes were bloodshot, and he shouted hoarsely, "Huai Tian, you are being foolish!"
"Why are you sacrificing your life with blood, why didn't you run? Your life is worth more than all of ours, don't you understand!"
The desperate roar spread throughout the heavens and earth.
Then, seeing Nan Gong Huai Tian’s pale face and sensing her rapidly vanishing life force, everyone understood what was happening.
A hundred meters away, Bai Yun let out a cold laugh.
She was, after all, not a true phoenix.
To awaken the mountain protection formation, Nan Gong Huai Tian had used divine abilities and sorcery, forcefully burning her blood to achieve the same effect as a true phoenix bloodline, thus enabling her to control that phoenix.
And because of this, the phoenix’s power was not as formidable as before, allowing them some leeway to resist the feathered flames.
Seeing that the enemy had retreated beyond the attack range, the flames burning on Nan Gong Huai Tian’s body slowly extinguished.
She swallowed a pill, her face ashen, like a small flower swaying in the air, on the verge of death at any moment, yet she was clearly still alive.
Upon seeing this, Nan Gong Mao Guan was also stunned. He had expected Nan Gong Huai Tian to die, but to his surprise, she was still able to control it.
Bai Yun’s expression was icy. Disregarding the gradually dissipating phantom of the true phoenix, she charged in with boundless killing intent, and said in a deep voice:
"Don't give this little girl a chance to breathe, and don't fear that phoenix. She is not Nan Gong Zhen Yuan, and cannot unleash the full power of the formation!"
As Bai Yun attacked, Nan Gong Huai Tian could only burn herself again, summoning the phantom true phoenix to clash with her. The terrifying Three Thousand Heartless Silks transformed into a colossal python that devoured all the approaching feathered flames, but then the feathered flames pierced its belly.
Bai Yun grunted, ceased her direct confrontation, and began to leap and weave through space, dodging the true phoenix’s attacks.
This scene was witnessed by others from the three great clans.
Dongfang Jing gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice,
"Everyone can see, Patriarch Bai Yun’s words are true. That phoenix is not as powerful as before."
"Kill her, and we will share the Nan Gong family’s territory. Charge!!!"
The people from the Cheng clan shouted in unison:
"Kill!!!"
The forty-odd domain lords, along with over a hundred lords, once again charged towards the Nan Gong clan’s mountain gate, enduring the feathered flames.
Nan Gong Huai Tian exhausted her strength, burning everything. As a result, the true phoenix’s power grew stronger and stronger, to the point where even Bai Yun could no longer resist it head-on. However, it still lacked the absolute power to kill these domain lords.
At most, she could only suppress them.
But suppression was useless. No matter how severely injured those people were, they were less injured than the Nan Gong clan.
Furthermore, as time went by, Nan Gong Huai Tian began to falter. Her entire body became ethereal, gradually engulfed by the flames.
"Saintess!"
Inside the mountain gate, Nan Gong Mao Guan’s eyes split open. He could no longer bear it and charged out of the ancestral shrine, engaging the invaders.
"We implore the Saintess to leave a sliver of life for herself. We will handle the rest!"
After Nan Gong Mao Guan, dozens more heavily injured domain lords flew out, their eyes resolute as they shouted,
"Please, Saintess, live on!"
"Please live, Saintess!"
"Kill!!!"
As more and more people charged out, the remaining heavily injured members of the Nan Gong clan also unleashed their potential once more, recklessly fighting against the invaders from the three great clans.
Although they were outmatched, they also provided the true phoenix in the sky with numerous opportunities to kill. Thus, for a time, the casualty numbers on both sides were even.
Seeing this, Bai Yun’s expression turned icy. She removed her hairpin, exhaled white mist from her nose and mouth, and unleashed a ten-thousand-meter frost that froze all the feathered flames in the space. Then, with a deafening sound, they shattered, transforming into a drizzle of heartbroken rain threads that fell to the ground, sizzling and creating white smoke.
Seizing the opportunity, Bai Yun flew from beneath the true phoenix’s wings and slapped Nan Gong Huai Tian’s chest.
"Be careful!"
Nan Gong Mao Guan exclaimed, trying to intercept, but it was too late.
Nan Gong Huai Tian’s expression was grim. With the power of the true phoenix, she pushed out a piece of shimmering glazed true fire.
The Three Thousand Heartless Silks froze space and clashed with the glazed true fire. For a moment, there were roars and boundless waves, neither side gaining an advantage.
Nan Gong Huai Tian and Bai Yun both retreated a hundred paces.
Bai Yun spat out blood, but she ignored it. Stepping on a pale white wave of heartless sorrow, she let out a roar and charged forward again.
Nan Gong Huai Tian had no more blood to spit. She only coughed a few times, her figure becoming even more ethereal. The flames flickered, no longer as bright.
She pushed out another palm, clashing with Bai Yun.
The might was terrifying, yet it was still a draw.
Bai Yun vomited blood and used her artifact to unleash an attack. Golden light flickered across the sky, sending Nan Gong Huai Tian crashing down the mountain. But in the next second, she flew out again, the true phoenix flapping its wings and sending Bai Yun flying back.
This state of affairs continued cyclically.
Finally, Nan Gong Huai Tian ran out of strength.
The flames on her body extinguished, her body withered, her bones like burnt coal, still faintly glowing with embers.
She fell from the high sky.
Bai Yun, heavily injured, saw this and smiled sadly. Then, she unleashed another palm strike.
Nan Gong Mao Guan was entangled by the Dongfang family head and could not break free. The Wine Immortal was also discovered by the Jin Zhang Royal Court, leading to a standoff, much like Tian Shui and Agudam, with neither side making a move.
Seeing this, Xu Mu silently drew his bow.
"Bai Yun, calm down!" At this moment, Li Kun suddenly appeared, standing between Bai Yun and Nan Gong Huai Tian.
"Can't you just listen to him? What was the truth back then, don't you really want to know?"
"Get lost!" Bai Yun unleashed a palm strike, her face cold, without the slightest hesitation, shattering the verdant jade light.
Li Kun grunted, coughed up blood, and retreated several steps.
Bai Yun continued forward.
"Die, demoness!"
Nan Gong Zhen Yuan, severely injured and on the verge of death, suddenly rose and charged directly at Bai Yun with rolling thunder, seemingly intending to perish with her.
Bai Yun sneered at this. Her Heartless Domain unfurled, and a yellow river appeared in the space, rushing down from the nine heavens, never to return to the sea, washing away all the lightning.
Nan Gong Zhen Yuan himself was also swept into the ground by that yellow river of heartless sorrow, his life or death unknown.
Bai Yun’s figure paused for a second, then stepped on the river and reached Nan Gong Zhen Yuan, crushing his chest with her foot.
"Ancestor!!!"
Within the Nan Gong clan, countless people witnessed this scene and their eyes split open. Nan Gong Mao Guan became like a madman, burning himself to try and rush over for support, but he was still held back by the Dongfang family head.
No one could save Nan Gong Zhen Yuan.
So he died just like that.
Without leaving behind even half a dying word.
...
"Good!" Dongfang Jing and the others smiled. With Nan Gong Zhen Yuan dead, the battle tonight could essentially be declared a victory for them, as he was the most senior, oldest, and strongest person in the Nan Gong family.
Bai Yun sneered and charged forward again.
Nan Gong Huai Tian lay on the ground, like a scorched corpse, but not yet dead.
In the next moment, an arrow imbued with the laws of the Great Dao of Death, shot towards her.
Bai Yun sensed the danger but still gritted her teeth and pushed out a palm strike with all her might.
She would rather be injured herself than fail to kill Nan Gong Huai Tian.
Little did she know, her intentions had been foreseen by Xu Mu, and he shot a second arrow.
— *Pfft!*
Bai Yun was pierced through the abdomen by an arrow, blood gushing from her mouth.
But a smile still lingered on her face.
"Kid, I knew you would make a move."
"But what can you do? Your arrows are indeed powerful, but my palm strike is no ordinary palm strike."
As the arrow flew, Bai Yun looked at Xu Mu with mockery. She knew she had already won.
Her palm strike was infused with the Great Dao of Heartlessness, something that a junior like Xu Mu could not resist. Therefore, Nan Gong Huai Tian was surely doomed.
Xu Mu remained silent. He stepped on the character *Xun* and quietly landed in front of Nan Gong Huai Tian, crossing his Demon Bow to block the palm strike.
But in the next second, he was sent flying, along with his bow and himself. The terrifying Great Dao of Heartlessness invaded his body, attempting to decompose and shatter his physical form.
The searing pain almost made Xu Mu faint, but he forced himself to hover in mid-air, his gaze fixed on Nan Gong Huai Tian.
*Bang!*
The force of the palm strike landed on debris ten meters away, creating a monstrous wave that sent Nan Gong Huai Tian’s figure flying.
No one noticed that at this very moment, a phoenix-shaped jade pendant on Nan Gong Huai Tian’s chest shattered, and specks of sacred light scattered like dandelions drifting in the wind.
Xu Mu, enduring the piercing pain, caught Nan Gong Huai Tian and landed on the ground.
"Are you alright?"
Xu Mu anxiously fed Nan Gong Huai Tian several valuable pills, but she had already fainted and could not swallow them.
"This is where it ends."
Bai Yun’s expression was cold. She took a step forward again, somewhat surprised.
She was astonished that Xu Mu had been able to withstand her palm strike without dying and had managed to deflect its trajectory, saving Nan Gong Huai Tian.
But even so, it was futile, as reinforcements had arrived by her side, and the numerous powerful figures of the Nan Gong clan had been defeated.
And now, Xu Mu was alone.
Bai Yun, heavily injured, was extremely cautious. She advanced step by step towards Xu Mu, saying,
"You have good talent, I don't want to kill you."
"Abandon her, and you can leave."
Xu Mu calmly shook his head, gripping a black hunting knife.
At this moment, the heavily injured Li Kun also landed in front of Xu Mu, gritting his teeth and looking at Bai Yun, shouting,
"You killed Nan Gong Zhen Yuan, so who will tell us the truth!"
Bai Yun’s expression was icy:
"What we know is the truth."
"Nan Gong Yu betrayed me and betrayed you, that is an undeniable fact. I don't understand what's going through your head, to believe he was innocent based on a few words from that old man. You are truly foolish!"
Li Kun gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Until the truth is revealed, you cannot kill his descendant!"
Bai Yun said coldly, "Then you can die."
With that, she pushed out a palm strike from a distance, directly blasting Li Kun away. The other domain lords also attacked, and a sky full of powers flew towards Xu Mu.
Seeing this, Xu Mu slowly closed his eyes.
He could not abandon Nan Gong, so he could only knock on the doors of the Heavenly Palace and ask Grey-White Eyes to help.
But at this moment, another twist occurred.
The sacred light from the shattered jade pendant on Nan Gong Huai Tian’s chest had completely merged into the wind.
Those specks of dandelion-like light slowly coalesced into a human form in the space, wearing a long robe, with gradually clear facial features, and a small, red sparrow perched on his shoulder.
It was the Vermilion Bird.
The man's expression was calm. With a casual wave of his hand, flames blazed, and the Vermilion Bird spat fire, blocking all the attacks in the world.
Countless domain lords were repelled by the shockwave.
Bai Yun spat out blood, but she paid no attention, her expression filled with shock as she stared at the phantom that had suddenly appeared in the space.
The man looked at Bai Yun and said with a complex expression, "Yun’er, it’s been a long time."
Bai Yun looked at the man. Her eyes first showed a hint of shock, then turned into a sea of killing intent.
Li Kun’s expression was as if he had seen a ghost, and he exclaimed in shock, "Nan Gong Yu?"
"You're not dead!"
"I died many years ago."
Nan Gong Yu shook his head, turned around, and transferred his true phoenix bloodline to Nan Gong Huai Tian. Her complexion gradually regained its rosy hue, and her withered body slowly returned to normal.
Seeing this, Xu Mu's expression brightened with joy.
Nan Gong Yu looked at Xu Mu and smiled slightly:
"Thank you."
Xu Mu was stunned and replied, "You're welcome."
Li Kun couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Nan Gong Yu, at this point, are you still unwilling to say what happened back then!"
Bai Yun gritted her teeth and said in a cold voice, "You heartless man, you still have the face to come back and see me!"
Nan Gong Yu heard this and turned his head with a complex expression, looking at Li Kun and then at Bai Yun, saying,
"I did wrong."
"If I had told you the truth earlier, perhaps such a tragedy would not have occurred."
"All of this has to start from the ancestor of my Nan Gong clan."
"Beneath our feet, a phoenix is sealed."
...