Early the next morning.
Qin Beixuan and Zhao Chen'an came down for breakfast hand in hand. Even Zhu Heyu, dull as he might be, could tell what was going on.
Zhu Heyu gave Zhao Chen'an a mysterious smile but said nothing.
After breakfast, Zhao Chen'an proposed, "Since we're here, we shouldn't delay the matter in the Wildlands. How about we set off right away?"
Qin Beixuan was completely smitten with his lover. As long as it was something his An'er said, he had no objections.
Zhu Heyu smiled brightly. "Sure. Let's go, two senior brothers."
Zhao Chen'an was suspicious. Zhu Heyu was acting strangely today. What was he up to?
*
In the Wildlands.
Zhao Chen'an walked carefully, observing every change around him. He found that the deeper they went, the more uneasy he felt, and the stronger the resonance with the Phoenix Seal became.
The place was desolate. Even birds and beasts were rare. As far as the eye could see, there were only dead trees standing in the sandstorm.
Qin Beixuan carefully explained to Zhao Chen'an, "Due to the long - term influence of the chaotic divine power, most living things in the Wildlands have perished under its long - term corrosion."
Was chaos really that powerful? If this thing were released, it would be a disaster!
At the far end of the Wildlands, there was a row of stone pillars that seemed out of place with the surrounding environment. When Zhao Chen'an got closer, he found that the stone pillars were covered with dense runes.
Zhao Chen'an rubbed the runes on the stone pillar. He felt a strange sense of familiarity. Staring at the runes, he murmured, "Are these the runes written by Qiu Chang back then?"
The stone pillar seemed to sense the Phoenix divine power and emitted a soft buzzing sound, as if greeting an old friend who had been away for a hundred years.
But this buzzing sound eventually changed its tune. Qin Beixuan cried out in his heart that something was wrong. This was a sign that the chaotic seal was loosening!
Zhao Chen'an also clearly felt something was amiss. His intuition told him that this was definitely not a good thing. Most likely, there was a problem with the chaotic seal.
At this time, the sound - transmitting jade pendants in Zhao Chen'an's and Qin Beixuan's hands began to emit a faint light. Someone was sending them a message. Zhao Chen'an picked up the jade pendant and checked it. The voice of Ji Qingchen came out. The message was very simple:
"Zhu Heyu has defected. He is the caster of the Nether Puppet Curse. I'll be there soon."
Zhu Heyu had defected...
"Senior brother, you..." Just as Zhao Chen'an was about to turn to talk to Qin Beixuan, a ball of red flame suddenly flew out beside him. Zhao Chen'an dodged in a hurry.
"An'er!" Qin Beixuan immediately summoned his natal sword, 'Yan Cang'. With a wave of the sword, he leaped into the air and came to Zhao Chen'an's side, protecting him behind his back.
Zhao Chen'an understood. This was the True Fire of the Phoenix, which could only be used by the reincarnation of the Phoenix. Was this fake Zhu Heyu finally unable to hold back?
Now Zhu Heyu was standing on a rock not far from Zhao Chen'an. Black flames of chaotic divine power surrounded his body. He sneered and looked at them blood - thirstily.
"Heng Deng, you really like to oppose me everywhere," Zhu Heyu said coldly to Qin Beixuan.
Heng Deng... Wasn't he the second divine lord of Purple Star Mountain?
Among the divine lords of Purple Star Mountain through the ages, the founder was Qiu Chang, the second was Heng Deng, the third was Chao Pan, and the fourth was Ji Qingchen.
Qin Beixuan pointed his sword at Zhu Heyu, squinted his eyes and smiled, then said fiercely, "Little demon, spit out what you've swallowed right now. Otherwise, I'll take it myself." After saying that, he looked at the hilt of his sword, and the supreme divine power ignited on it.
Zhao Chen'an clearly felt that the aura around Qin Beixuan had changed. This was definitely not the cultivation level of a disciple of Purple Star Mountain. This was clearly the cultivation level of a divine lord!!
It turned out that not only had Qin Beixuan regained his memory, but his divine power had also returned. He was so powerful!
However, Zhu Heyu was not afraid of him at all. Instead, he burst into laughter. With a ferocious face, he asked, "Heng Deng, don't you recognize me after being reborn?"
Zhao Chen'an was a bit confused. What was Zhu Heyu talking about? Finally, he saw that the chaotic divine power on Zhu Heyu's body was getting stronger, and he could faintly see the soul of another person on Zhu Heyu. He was shocked. This was soul possession!
Chaos couldn't escape the great seal in its entirety. Only a wisp of its soul could come out, and this wisp of soul had possessed Zhu Heyu.
Chaos licked its finger blood - thirstily and said sternly, "Heng Deng, it's best if you get out of the way. Otherwise, I'll kill you today too."
"Do you think you can touch my man with me around?" Qin Beixuan said with a gloomy face.
Zhao Chen'an gently tugged at Qin Beixuan's clothes behind him and whispered in his ear, "Xuanxuan, why does he want to kill me?"
Qin Beixuan's heart skipped a beat when he heard Zhao Chen'an call him 'Xuanxuan'. He coughed lightly and said, "Most likely, Zhu Heyu wants to kill you directly to obtain your Phoenix true form."
Chaos raised its chin and looked down on them. "You're quite smart. That's right. There's no harm in telling you. This little kid has been coveting your Phoenix divine power for hundreds of years. He even asked me to help him collect the Phoenix Seal. In return, I can use his body at will."
Qin Beixuan stepped forward with his sword and waved Cang Yan angrily. "You'll never succeed!"
Chaos raised its hand to block Qin Beixuan's sword with a clang. Then it grinned and disappeared into an afterimage in front of Qin Beixuan.
Zhao Chen'an didn't have time to react. He was slapped on the chest by Chaos and his body was heavily thrown onto the stone pillar behind him.
Zhao Chen'an groaned in pain. When did this guy come over? His divine power hadn't recovered yet. It was definitely not a good idea to confront Chaos head - on. Seeing that Chaos's divine power was about to slap heavily on Zhao Chen'an's forehead, even if Qin Beixuan was fast, he couldn't stop it in time.
Was he going to die here today? But he had just gotten together with Qin Beixuan.
"Pfft—"
"An'er!!"
Zhao Chen'an felt warm blood splash on his face, but his body didn't hurt at all. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Hua Feijie standing in front of him. Chaos's hand had directly penetrated Hua Feijie's chest, and the blood had dyed its hand scarlet.
Zhao Chen'an's breathing became rapid instantly. His eyes were red as he stared at Chaos with hatred.
Blood was oozing from the corner of Hua Feijie's mouth. His breath was weak and he gasped, "Divine lord... Hurry, run..."
Zhao Chen'an sobbed, "Little guy!!"
Chaos pretended to look apologetic but still had a smile on his face. With a push of his hand, he threw Hua Feijie's body to the side.
He clicked his tongue. "Oh, he's dead already~"
Zhao Chen'an angrily attacked Chaos with the red flame and roared, "Damn it! I'll kill you!!"
At this time, Qin Beixuan's Cang Yan sword also slashed at Chaos. Chaos raised his hand to block their attacks. The divine powers of Zhao Chen'an and Qin Beixuan were both not to be underestimated. Chaos took a step back, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Looking up, he saw the various sects of the immortal world gathering in the distance and advancing rapidly. He sneered and said, "Your reinforcements are here. I won't play with you anymore."
After saying that, he merged into a ball of black fog and disappeared.