chsdbacks Chapter 221 The Out-of-Control Phoenix
Chapter 221 The Out-of-Control Phoenix
However, just as Nie Lingfeng thought the battle was about to end and was preparing to deal with the scene and the witnesses, a sudden change occurred!
"Eh-!!!"
A clear, high-pitched phoenix cry, filled with sacred majesty and anger, seemingly capable of piercing the soul, suddenly rang out from the direction of the night market behind him without warning! This phoenix cry was so loud and clear that it instantly drowned out the monster's dying howls, the hustle and bustle of the night market in the distance, and all the noise of the entire Mengla town at night!
Nie Lingfeng turned around abruptly, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes! It was Chen Duo! That phoenix cry was a sign that the Phoenix True Fire within Chen Duo had been activated when she experienced extreme emotional turmoil or felt a strong threat! But he had clearly told her to wait at the fruit stand when he left, a relatively safe area of the night market. What had happened? What could have caused such a violent emotional fluctuation in her, even triggering the Phoenix True Fire?
In that split second when he was distracted—
"Sizzle—!"
The one-eyed monster, struggling in its death throes amidst the dark golden flames, seemed to sense the phoenix aura—a sacred force similar to the Qilin True Fire but possessing distinct characteristics—emanating from its chest like a final burst of light, a final, intense burst of ghastly green light! This light wasn't an attack, but rather transformed into countless thin, lightning-fast green threads, seemingly possessing life, shooting forth from the monster's disintegrating body. Most of them aimed at the dark golden flames purifying it, attempting a last-ditch effort, while the fastest and most concealed threads, like venomous snakes flicking their tongues, silently bypassed the flames, striking directly at Nie Lingfeng's back—who had just turned around, his mind momentarily blank!
The attack came too fast, too stealthy, and contained the last primal evil power of the dark green crystal, making it extremely vicious!
Although startled, Nie Lingfeng remained calm. Sensing the fierce wind approaching from behind, his internal energy reacted instantly, and his protective aura naturally circulated. However, just as the green light threads were about to touch his protective aura—
"brush--!"
A golden, warm, and swift beam of light, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, arrived from the direction of the night market and intercepted the green light streaks with perfect precision!
It is the Phoenix True Fire! A golden fire line, condensed to the point of being almost tangible, only as thick as a hair, yet radiating a pure and purifying power!
"Hiss hiss hiss—!"
The golden fire line and the green light thread collided in mid-air, emitting a faint yet teeth-grinding burning and annihilation sound. The green light thread, as if encountering its natural enemy, was quickly devoured and purified by the golden flames, disappearing without a trace. And the golden fire line, having completed its interception, also exhausted its energy and dissipated into the air.
Nie Lingfeng abruptly turned around, looking towards the night market. Against the backdrop of the dazzling, chaotic neon lights in the distance, a petite figure in a plaid shirt was sprinting towards him! It was Chen Duo! She was running very fast, her face no longer filled with innocent curiosity, but with anxiety, anger, and… a sharp, protective glint in her eyes that Nie Lingfeng had never seen before, like that of a mother fiercely protecting her cubs! A faint, feather-like golden halo swirled around her, and her emerald-green eyes shone brilliantly in the night, as if two golden flames burned within them!
She actually... ran over here on her own? And from such a distance, she precisely intercepted the monster's sneak attack? When did her control and perception of the Phoenix True Fire reach such a level?
No, something's not right! Nie Lingfeng's eyes narrowed. Chen Duo's current state was not quite right! Although the Phoenix True Fire aura on her body was pure, it was faintly restless and unstable, as if it had been strongly stimulated and aroused by something! Moreover, when she ran, her hands swung unconsciously, and golden sparks flew from her fingertips, landing on the ground and scorching the soil with tiny marks.
It was that phoenix cry from just now! It was the phoenix bloodline within her that sensed the extremely evil and filthy aura emanating from the one-eyed monster here (especially the primal evil power that the dark green crystal finally unleashed), as well as the majesty leaked when she unleashed her Qilin True Fire. She was stimulated by both of them, producing some kind of... stress response or resonance? This caused her Phoenix True Fire to become somewhat out of control?
"Brother Nie!" Chen Duo had run very close, her voice panting and filled with unprecedented urgency. She spotted Nie Lingfeng immediately, and also the monster's remains behind him, turning to ash in the dark golden flames. The anxiety on her face eased slightly, but the golden flames in her eyes and the aura around her didn't immediately subside. She ran to Nie Lingfeng's side, grabbed his arm, looked up at him, and asked urgently, "Are you alright? That stinky thing... attacked you! I saw it! It was so mean!"
Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, whether from running, anger, or... the turbulent power within her. Her hand gripping Nie Lingfeng's arm also trembled slightly, and the temperature of her fingertips was abnormally high.
Nie Lingfeng immediately grasped her hand, channeling a gentle, soothing internal energy into her, while whispering quickly, "I'm fine. Duoduo, calm down, breathe slowly, and put away your 'fire.' There are too many people around here."
He could sense that the Phoenix True Fire within Chen Duo was now surging erratically through her meridians, like a disturbed swarm of bees. This was dangerous; if it got out of control, it would not only harm her but could also expose her identity and bring unnecessary trouble.
Perhaps it was Nie Lingfeng's calm voice and the internal energy he channeled that had a soothing effect, or perhaps it was seeing that Nie Lingfeng was indeed unharmed, but the golden flames in Chen Duo's eyes and the aura around her began to slowly weaken and subside. She took a few deep breaths, trying to control the restless true fire within her body according to the method Nie Lingfeng had taught her. Her face was still a little pale, but she was finally stabilizing. However, she still gripped Nie Lingfeng's hand tightly, refusing to let go, as if afraid that if she loosened her grip, he would be attacked by some other "stinky thing." (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)
Only then did Nie Lingfeng have time to look to the other side. The group of Yan Ben's men and the man in the white coat were already terrified by everything that had just happened in the blink of an eye—the monster's terrifying attack, Nie Lingfeng's godlike and demonic actions, Chen Duo's soul-shaking phoenix cry, and the golden flames that intercepted them from afar—they were so frightened that they scrambled back to a more distant place, huddled together like startled quails. The look in their eyes when they looked at Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo was no longer just fear, but more like... looking at incomprehensible, terrifying beings who seemed to have stepped out of mythology and could decide their lives at any moment.
The one-eyed monster had already been completely reduced to a small pile of charred ashes, devoid of any life or evil aura, by the dark golden Qilin True Fire. Only the shattered dark green crystal, seemingly of special material, had not completely vaporized under the burning True Fire. Several small, dull, fingernail-sized fragments, resembling ordinary broken glass, remained scattered among the ashes.
Nie Lingfeng walked over, brushed aside the ashes with his foot, and picked up the few dark green crystal fragments. They were cold to the touch, without any energy fluctuations, as if they were just ordinary glass. But he could sense the immense and malevolent power that had once been contained within these fragments. This was definitely a crucial clue and evidence.
He collected the fragments, then turned to look at the group of trembling Yan Ben's men. His eyes regained the calmness that belonged to "Lin Feng," but the lingering authority within them made them unconsciously lower their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
"What happened tonight," Nie Lingfeng began, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears, "was an accident. My sister and I were passing by when we were attacked by this raging beast; we were just defending ourselves. As for what kind of beast it is or how it got there, we don't know, and we don't care. Do you... understand?"
His gaze lingered for a moment, especially on the face of the white-coated man who was holding the silver box and trembling the most.
"Yes, I understand! I understand!" The group nodded repeatedly like chickens pecking at rice, not daring to have the slightest objection. Having witnessed the inhuman battle just now, they felt that being able to keep their lives was a blessing, and they didn't dare to ask another word.
"Take your people and your belongings and leave this place. Tonight, you saw nothing and knew nothing. If I hear any rumors that you shouldn't have..." Nie Lingfeng didn't finish his sentence, but the chill in his words sent a shiver down everyone's spine.
"Yes, yes, yes! We'll leave right away! Right away!" The group of people felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They hurriedly lifted up their companion (who was probably also a guard) who had been attacked by the monster first and was lying at the entrance of the bamboo house, his life hanging in the balance. They supported the man in the white coat whose legs were weak and fled in a panic in the direction they had come from, quickly disappearing at the end of the dark path.
Watching them disappear, Nie Lingfeng finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression remained grave. Tonight's events had blown up quite a bit. Although force had temporarily subdued the witnesses, it was difficult to completely suppress the news. Yan Ben would soon find out. And there was the unusual movement of Chen Duo's Phoenix True Fire… He had to figure out the reason as soon as possible and help her better control this power.
"Duoduo, we have to leave here immediately," Nie Lingfeng said to Chen Duo in a low voice, pulling her along as they quickly headed in the opposite direction from Yan Ben's men, down a quieter path leading to the edge of town. He needed to find a quiet place to check on Chen Duo and also to clean up any traces they might have left behind.
Chen Duo followed obediently, but her little hand still tightly gripped Nie Lingfeng's hand, while her other hand held her panda doll. Her face was still a little pale, and she would occasionally steal a glance at Nie Lingfeng. In her emerald green eyes, there was still lingering fear and worry, as well as a trace of... confusion and unease about losing control of her power just now.
As night deepened, the hustle and bustle of Mengla Town gradually faded into the distance.
An unexpected night battle, though it ended quickly, was like a boulder thrown into muddy waters, destined to stir up unpredictable waves in this already turbulent border town.
The night on the outskirts of Mengla Town seemed to be separated from the bizarre, bustling night in the town center by an invisible boundary. Nie Lingfeng pulled Chen Duo along a secluded path, half-hidden by dense weeds and bushes, almost deserted, and hurried forward. Behind them, the firelight and lingering chaotic atmosphere of the abandoned bamboo houses were quickly swallowed up by the darkness and distance, leaving only the faint, tireless, and indistinct noise from the direction of the town in the distance, like background noise through a thick layer of frosted glass.
The air, filled with the unique scent of a tropical night—a mixture of humidity, the sweet, pungent smell of vegetation, and the chirping of insects—replaced the lingering smoke and stench of battle. The moonlight was pale, mostly obscured by thick clouds, only occasionally letting in a few slivers of light to barely illuminate the rugged path beneath their feet. On either side of the path stretched even denser, almost impermeable, primeval secondary forest, dark and shadowy, like the silhouettes of countless silent behemoths, exuding a primal, untamed, and slightly oppressive aura.
Nie Lingfeng did not choose to return to the guesthouse behind "Benlong Pavilion". Although it was safe (relatively speaking), it was crowded and noisy, and given what had just happened, the people of Yanben would soon know. Going back now would be tantamount to walking into a trap, at the very least attracting countless troublesome questions and tests. He needed a quieter, less undisturbed place to check on Chen Duo's condition and to sort out everything that had happened tonight.
He remembered that when he rode Ah Long's tricycle into town during the day, he passed by the western side of the town near the foot of the mountain and seemed to see several abandoned, solitary wooden huts that looked like they had been built by forest rangers or herb gatherers in the past. It should have been remote enough.