Chapter 497: Kunpeng vs. Phoenix

Chapter 497: Chapter 495: Kunpeng vs. Phoenix

“Too bad you’re not a real Fire Phoenix.” Li Qiye climbed to his feet, looking dashing as he smiled. “You’re fierce, but not enough to kill me! Since you’re a Divine Beast, I’ll let you witness the splendor of the King of Ten Thousand Beasts!”

WHOOSH— In that instant, all of Li Qiye’s Blood Qi surged forth, transforming into a monstrous Sea of Blood. At the same time, his entire body was suffused with Chaos Qi. In a flash, the Chaos Qi actually merged with the roiling Blood Qi. At this moment, it was as if Li Qiye had carved out primordial chaos itself; an Aura of Chaos engulfed the world.

His Life Palace opened, his True Destiny hung suspended in the air, and his Dao Foundation coiled around it. With a long cry, the Dao Foundation instantly fused with his True Destiny, and a gigantic Kunpeng appeared.

At that moment, the sky-blotting Kunpeng opened its mouth and swallowed all the chaos. When it beat its wings, endless chaos cascaded down like a Celestial Waterfall.

In that moment, there was no Li Qiye, only a Chaos Kunpeng. His physical body, True Destiny, and Dao Foundation had all instantly transformed into one enormous Chaos Kunpeng.

The Chaos Kunpeng spiraled upward, ascending for countless miles until it soared Above the Nine Heavens. Its wings obscured the sky, making it seem as if the entire Netherworld was too small to contain its massive, unparalleled body.

“A Kunpeng—” Countless people couldn’t help but look up in awe at the incomparably massive Chaos Kunpeng. Everyone felt that a single flap of this sky-soaring creature’s wing could shatter the very earth.

“This is no ordinary Kunpeng,” a knowledgeable grand character murmured. Seeing the endless, waterfall-like chaos pouring from the Chaos Kunpeng created the illusion that they were witnessing the birth of the universe.

SCREECH— Seeing the sky-blotting Kunpeng, the Fire Phoenix showed no sign of retreat. Its cry shook the Nine Heavens as it soared upward to meet the challenge. Its wings beat furiously, trailing long plumes of flame. As the Fire Phoenix ascended, these flames spun and merged, forming a colossal fiery tempest. When the Fire Phoenix reached the highest heavens, the tempest erupted, instantly setting the entire world ablaze. This storm of fire, formed from countless wisps of Essence Fire, immediately engulfed the Chaos Kunpeng.

The Chaos Kunpeng let out a long cry and beat its wings once! The Kunpeng. Among the Ten Thousand Beasts, it is the largest. Legend says that among all Divine Beasts, the Kunpeng has the largest body, capable of swallowing the heavens and earth and containing the Nine Realms!

When the Chaos Kunpeng beat its wings, it shattered the Nine Heavens. Even a fiery tempest capable of incinerating the world was extinguished in an instant. With a single flap of the Chaos Kunpeng’s wings, the great storm of fire was snuffed out like a tiny candle flame.

BOOM! The Void shattered. With a flap of its wings that struck heaven and earth, the Chaos Kunpeng banked and dove, striking the Fire Phoenix with one wing. Even though the Fire Phoenix met the attack with its most powerful blow, it was not enough. CRASH! The Fire Phoenix was struck down by the blow, which was like a cloud falling from the sky, and its body plummeted from the Nine Heavens.

The Fire Phoenix’s speed was unparalleled, but the Chaos Kunpeng’s was even faster. The Fire Phoenix was knocked from the Nine Heavens, and before it could even begin to fly again, the Chaos Kunpeng had caught up to it with unimaginable speed. Its claws descended from the sky, instantly seizing the Fire Phoenix.

The Fire Phoenix tried to escape, but it was completely unable to break free from the Chaos Kunpeng’s grasp. RRRRRIP— A tearing sound echoed across the world. The Chaos Kunpeng held the Fire Phoenix fast and brutally tore off both of its wings.

The two Divine Birds battled in the sky, and in an instant, the Chaos Kunpeng had actually torn off the Fire Phoenix’s wings. The scene was simply too violent, too savage. Many who witnessed it couldn’t help but shudder, feeling as if their own wings had just been ripped away.

CRASH! The wingless Fire Phoenix plummeted from the sky, smashing heavily into the ground and crushing mountain after mountain.

PTUI— Blood sprayed everywhere. The Fire Phoenix vanished, and the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady reappeared before everyone. She violently spat out a mouthful of blood, and when she struggled to her feet, she was drenched in it.

“You’re still not good enough. You alone are not qualified to gauge my true depths.” Li Qiye, still in his Kunpeng form, loomed in the Nine Heavens like an Immortal King, making all who beheld him tremble.

The Kunpeng Six Transformations was a technique originally created by the Mingren Immortal Emperor after observing a Kunpeng. Li Qiye used this art to establish his Dao Foundation, allowing him to transform into a Kunpeng. However, after being refined by the Heaven and Earth Primordial Liquid, his Kunpeng evolved into a Chaos Kunpeng—a creature of legend said to have existed before the dawn of time. If a real Chaos Kunpeng were to exist in this world, it would be eternally invincible.

The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s Fire Phoenix was also incredibly heaven-defying. A creature like the Fire Phoenix was a Divine Bird, but even so, there was still a great disparity when compared to the Chaos Kunpeng.

BOOM— In that instant, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s Phoenix Carriage sped over, scooped her up, and immediately turned to flee at an incredible, unparalleled speed.

“Trying to run? It’s too late.” No matter how fast the Phoenix Carriage was, it couldn’t outpace the Chaos Kunpeng. The Chaos Kunpeng caught up to the carriage in an instant, its sharp claws reaching out to grab it.

“Don’t get cocky!” With a cold shout, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady charged out from the Phoenix Carriage, unleashing the full extent of her cultivation technique. Wreathed in endless Divine Flame, she shot toward the Chaos Kunpeng’s chest like a phoenix reborn in fire.

BANG! Though the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was formidable, the Chaos Kunpeng chopped down with a wing. She plummeted from the sky like a kite with a broken string, and the Chaos Kunpeng instantly gave chase, seizing her as she fell.

“Oh no, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady is done for.” Seeing the heavily injured Phoenix Lady fall into Li Qiye’s grasp, countless people’s expressions changed drastically.

But as Li Qiye, in his Chaos Kunpeng form, grabbed the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady, his expression flickered. The one in his grasp wasn’t the Phoenix Lady at all, but a wooden puppet!

‘A fake!’ Li Qiye immediately understood what had happened. He beat his wings and instantly caught up to the Phoenix Carriage. SHRED! The carriage was torn to pieces by the Chaos Kunpeng’s claws, but where was the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s shadow? Inside the carriage was a small Daoist Door. When she had fled into the Phoenix Carriage, she had already used the Daoist Door to teleport elsewhere. The one that came out to fight was merely a puppet substitute.

With the head start the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady had gotten by escaping through the Daoist Door, even Li Qiye couldn’t catch her now. He had no way of knowing where she had been transported.

“So it was a puppet substitute. The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was prepared all along.” Seeing this, everyone understood what had happened.

The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady had already planned for the worst-case scenario, even for her own defeat. Her calculations were truly flawless. Even at the final moment of her loss, she was still able to make a clean getaway, escaping in an instant.

“What an incredible woman. A master strategist, always confident and in control of the grand situation. Such wisdom is truly admirable.” No matter who it was, everyone couldn’t help but sigh in admiration at this moment.

Although the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was defeated and fled, her performance in today’s battle still earned her everyone’s admiration and praise. It was indeed unexpected that the seemingly unstoppable Phoenix Lady would be the one to retreat in defeat today.

Nevertheless, the empress-like bearing and strategic wisdom she displayed were deeply moving. One could even say that although she was defeated, it was a glorious defeat.

“A man should marry a wife like the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady!” someone exclaimed, their heart filled with emotion. One could say that the Phoenix Lady’s performance today truly had the bearing of a future Empress!

Such a woman truly amazed many people, and many more were envious. It was no wonder the Emperor’s Throne had chosen her. Of course, after this battle, everyone would agree that the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was indeed worthy of the Emperor’s Throne.

At this time, the Chaos Kunpeng vanished, and Li Qiye once again appeared before everyone’s eyes. He stood high in the Nine Heavens, looking down upon the world.

At this moment, even without saying a word, Li Qiye’s presence was suffocating. His high and mighty posture was not a mere affectation; it was the bearing of true self-confidence!

“Does anyone else want to come up and fight?” From his perch in the Nine Heavens, Li Qiye’s eyes, like cold lightning, swept not only over the battlefield but also over all the distant spectators.

The world fell silent. Li Qiye’s challenge was so arrogant, so domineering, yet at this moment, not a single person stepped forward.

The geniuses of the Ghost Race had to lower their proud heads under Li Qiye’s cold gaze. As for successors of Emperor Immortal Gates like the Ghost Insect Demon Child and Saint Child Ji Que, they too dared not step up to the challenge. Without an Emperor Artifact in hand, they had no confidence, even if they were to join forces.

As for Tian Lunhui, he remained hidden in the Void, his entire being shrouded in a mysterious aura. No one could see his expression clearly, nor did anyone know what he was thinking at this moment.

The older generation of grand characters certainly didn’t want to invite such misfortune. Li Qiye had just slaughtered ten thousand foes; his ferocity was monstrous. Who would be willing to court their own death?

The world was silent. At this moment, no one was willing to step forward and challenge Li Qiye. Even the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady had been defeated and forced to flee. The only ones who might have the ability to challenge Li Qiye now were the Three Heroes of the Netherworld.

“In that case, let’s end it here for today,” Li Qiye said slowly. “Of course, if anyone is dissatisfied with me, I am available at any time! But if you’re going to make an enemy of me, you had best prepare your own coffin first!”

These words were domineering and arrogant; it was as if he saw no one else as his equal, looking down on the entire world. But at this moment, no one dared to say he was arrogant. Even if he truly was, he had earned the right to look down on the world!

“YES! That was incredible!” When Li Qiye left, the first to snap out of their daze and cheer were the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan. Instantly, thunderous applause and shouts of joy erupted from within the clan.

When the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady had led her vast army to besiege the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan, everyone in the clan, from top to bottom, had been scared out of their wits. Surrounded by that immense force, they all felt that there was no hope of escape this time and that their clan would surely be annihilated.

Even when Li Qiye accepted the challenge, they hadn’t held out much hope. After all, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s might terrified the world, and she had a massive army with her. In their eyes, even if Li Qiye had three heads and six arms, he wouldn’t be able to defeat her.