Whoosh!
The Flame Monarch waved his hand, and the boundless fire stopped swarming Borderless Heavenly Capital. He narrowed his eyes at Gu Hai.
When Gu Hai’s group returned, all the officials and citizens in Borderless Heavenly Capital showed joy on their faces.
“Respectfully welcoming back Your Reverence!” countless officials saluted excitedly.
At the same time, everyone let out their bated breath. Perhaps because Gu Hai had brought about many miracles over the years, they all completely relaxed when they saw Gu Hai.
“Imperial Emperor Gu, you have finally returned!” Zhang Sanfeng and the other cloud beasts inwardly sighed in relief.
“Unfortunately, we are restricted by the ritual array and cannot get out. Otherwise…,” Dongfang Bubai sighed.
Gu Hai looked at the four cloud beasts and smiled faintly. “We already have a method to release you from your shackles. Let’s speak again after we deal with this.”
“Oh?” Ximen Chuixue’s previously passive expression suddenly changed, his eyes lighting up.
Elation brightened Dongfang Bubai’s, Zhang Sanfeng’s, and Dugu Qiubai’s faces as well. They immediately moved aside so as not to delay Gu Hai in dealing with the enemy.
Far away, Ao Sheng and Prime Feng Yue narrowed their eyes upon seeing the people they sought.
“You are Gu Hai?” the Flame Monarch shouted coldly while glowering.
As the Flame Monarch shouted, boundless fire erupted from his body and rushed to the sky. It looked like he would dye the entire sky red.
“The prime of the Yan Heavenly Dynasty’s national beast, the Flame Monarch? Hah! I heard that you remained in the Eastern Sea without leaving for a thousand years. Why did you suddenly come to our Borderless Heavenly Capital today? Did Jiang Lianshan send you here?” Gu Hai said coldly.
“Humph! Since you are Gu Hai, hand it over to me!” the Flame Monarch demanded.
“Oh? It? We don’t remember taking your thing?” Gu Hai replied coldly.
“Still making excuses? I already know what happened in the Spirit Mountain Holy Land! Long Zhanguo’s Warring Nation Immortal Firmament is with you, right?!” the Flame Monarch shouted while glowering.
The Warring Nation Immortal Firmament?
At the Flame Monarch’s words, the expressions of the surrounding experts changed.
“The Warring Nation Immortal Firmament? Didn’t Long Zhanguo destroy it in the Heavenly Realm?” Prime Feng Yue narrowed his eyes.
“Gu Hai has an immortal firmament? What is going on?” Ao Sheng said, his eyes wide with shock.
The distant mountain forest:
Xuan Du’s pupils suddenly constricted. Then, shock flashed in his eyes.
“Hah! I initially thought that finding Zang Yulian would be the greatest news. Unexpectedly, Gu Hai has such a treasure? Immortal firmament? An immortal firmament? What a coincidence!” Greed flashed in Xuan Du’s eyes.
However, Gu Hai frowned slightly.
Gu Hai had rushed all the way back from the Spirit Mountain Holy Land. Although word had already started spreading from the west, it should still take a long time for the information to reach the east unless the zither puppets were used.
It looks like Jiang Gautama is indeed Jiang Lianshan’s son. The Flame Monarch can know about what happened at the Spirit Mountain Holy Land so quickly only if there are zither puppets on both sides.
The immortal firmament?
The Present Buddha not just guessed it was an immortal firmament but was even certain about it? However, why is the Flame Monarch here instead of Jiang Lianshan?
“Is that right or not?” the Flame Monarch shouted coldly.
However, Gu Hai was in no hurry. He smiled faintly. “Flame Monarch? Firstly, we should tell you that Long Zhanguo’s immortal firmament was already destroyed in the Heavenly Realm. This information is known not just by us but the entire world. Secondly, why are you sure we have an immortal firmament? Do you simply trust what others tell you at face value? Furthermore, since when did Long Zhanguo’s immortal firmament become yours? What a joke!”
“Back then, Long Zhanguo snatched my immortal firmament. It should have been mine in the first place,” the Flame Monarch said coldly.
“Long Zhanguo snatched it from you? How laughable! Why did you not ask for it when Long Zhanguo was alive? Now, you simply make up a groundless excuse and ask us for it?” Gu Hai sneered.
“I could not defeat Long Zhanguo. Hah! So what? I just need to defeat you. Are you handing it over or not?” The Flame Monarch smiled coldly at Gu Hai.
“Is the Warring Nation Immortal Firmament yours just because you say so? Even Jiang Lianshan is too embarrassed to make such a claim. You are truly thick-skinned for making up such an excuse that Long Zhanguo snatched it from you. Yes, Long Zhanguo has already fallen, so you can just make up whatever you want!” Gu Hai sneered.
“Me? Make up? Back then, Old Mister Guan Qi was supposed to pay me with that immortal firmament! Later on, that scoundrel Long Zhanguo snatched it. Even if Long Zhanguo were alive, I would dare to ask him for it in person!” the Flame Monarch said coldly.
“Wait, wait! It was Old Mister Guan Qi who gave the Warring Nation Immortal Firmament to Long Zhanguo?” Gu Hai suddenly narrowed his eyes, somewhat shocked.
“Humph! You are truly full of nonsense! I’ll ask again, are you handing it over today or not!” the Flame Monarch demanded coldly.
“Kong Xuan!” Gu Hai suddenly called out.
“Present!” Kong Xuan answered.
When Kong Xuan answered, the onlookers finally noticed the fourth person in the group.
“Kong Xuan? It’s really him? Why is he obeying Gu Hai?” the nearby Mosquito Daoist said in confusion.
Far away, Prime Feng Yue also narrowed his eyes slightly. “Didn’t that Kong Xuan keep trying to get Gu Hai killed? Why is he…?”
“Kong Xuan submitted to Gu Hai? This does not make sense. Didn’t the Three Lives Buddhas lock him up?” Ao Sheng said in shock.
The Flame Monarch finally noticed Kong Xuan as well.
“Oh? It’s this insignificant peacock? Hah! Insignificant thing, I clearly told you back then. The peacocks are a branch of the phoenix race. You should be loyal to only me, yet you went to swear loyalty to the Supreme Singularity? Humph! Now that the Supreme Singularity has fallen, you make such a lapse in judgment and follow Gu Hai? How extremely stupid!” the Flame Monarch said coldly.
Kong Xuan remained bowing to Gu Hai, ignoring the Flame Monarch.
Gu Hai stared at the Flame Monarch before revealing a faint, cold smile. “Kong Xuan, beat him up!”
“Huh?” The Flame Monarch’s expression turned stiff.
This order also startled the Mosquito Daoist, Prime Feng Yue, Ao Sheng, and Xuan Du. What did Gu Hai say just now? Beat him up?
That is the Flame Monarch! Gu Hai actually does not think much of him?
Beat him up? Do you think he is some random minor character to be beaten up on a whim? Once the Flame Monarch is angered, Borderless Heavenly Capital will suffer a calamity!
Furthermore, just how strong was Kong Xuan? This Flame Monarch is the prime of the Yan Heavenly Dynasty’s national beast!
“Yes!” Kong Xuan answered.
Then, Kong Xuan turned his head and looked coldly at the Flame Monarch.
The Flame Monarch’s face sank, as he sensed danger from that cold gaze.
Then, Kong Xuan suddenly flung his sleeve out.
Whoosh!
A black wind surged out.
Coo! Kong Xuan opened his mouth and let out a loud cry.
The black wind swept out and curled around, pulling all the fire surrounding Borderless Heavenly Capital into Kong Xuan’s mouth. Of course, the primary target was the Flame Monarch.
When the wind curled around, it moved the Flame Monarch; the Phoenix Prime looked like he would get swallowed by Kong Xuan.
A horrifying aura burst out, the demonic aura instantly dyeing the entire sky black.
“What?” The expressions of Feng Yue, Ao Sheng, the Mosquito Daoist, and Xuan Du changed.
No one expected Kong Xuan to have grown this strong.
The Flame Monarch’s figure stopped moving. Naturally, he was livid at nearly being consumed.
“Insignificant peacock, how dare you be so unruly before me?!” The Flame Monarch waved.
Boom!
The boundless fire reappeared. Simultaneously, the Flame Monarch threw a palm strike at Kong Xuan.
However, Kong Xuan did not move back. A ruthless look flashed in his eyes as he countered with a palm strike upward.
Boom!
Space shook outside Borderless Heavenly Capital.
The powerful shock waves sent windstorms sweeping out in all directions. Borderless Heavenly Capital even wobbled slightly.
“Huh?” The Flame Monarch’s expression changed.
The earlier exchange had ended in a draw.
When did Kong Xuan grow this strong?
“Five-colored divine light!”
Millions of peacock plume feathers appeared out of nowhere behind Kong Xuan. Then, he flung the peacock plumes, shooting five-colored divine light at the Flame Monarch.
Whoosh!
“How audacious!” The Flame Monarch glared. Then he waved his hand, sending out golden light.
Boom!
The two large beams of light clashed in the air, triggering another powerful shock wave.
“Kong Xuan, fight farther away! Don’t wreck Borderless Heavenly Capital!” Gu Hai shouted.
Coo! Kong Xuan answered with a loud cry. As he did so, he turned into a ten-kilometer-long peacock and charged at the Flame Monarch.
After Kong Xuan took its true form, its aura more than doubled in strength. As it flapped its wings, its demonic aura flourished. The five-colored divine light formed a large whip lashing at the Flame Monarch as it flapped its wings.
“How bold of you!” The Flame Monarch felt incredibly incensed and anxious.
Reee!
The Flame Monarch suddenly transformed into a ten-kilometer-long flame phoenix.
When the phoenix appeared, the world burned.
Boundless fire rushed at Kong Xuan, colliding with its demonic aura in the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two titanic birds tore at each other. Bright lights clashed, engulfing the world.
The battle was savage. Kong Xuan intentionally drew the battle higher into the sky, going farther away.
The Flame Monarch was an experienced prime, one of the rare experts in the world.
Nevertheless, Kong Xuan showed no signs of losing to such an expert. In fact, it even seemed to have the upper hand.
Coo!
Reee!
The Mosquito Daoist appeared confused while watching the two powerful birds’ battle dwindling into the distance. “Gu Hai, you said you were going out to recruit people. How much did you spend on recruiting Kong Xuan? How awesome?!”
“The Han Imperial Dynasty’s Fifth Corps commander, Kong Xuan!” Gu Hai smiled.
The Mosquito Daoist felt slightly startled. Then, he said with a strange expression, “The Fifth Corps commander? You just installed him as the Fifth Corps commander, and he followed you? Don’t lie to me!”
The Mosquito Daoist appeared skeptical.
Gu Hai smiled faintly and did not explain further. At the same time, he looked coldly towards a distant summit.
“Your Reverence, Ao Sheng’s aura is coming from there. There’s no mistaking it,” Ao Shun suddenly said coldly.
“Your Reverence, Prime Feng Yue is there too. Hah! They have indeed been camping outside Borderless Heavenly Capital!” Shangguan Hen sneered.
