The setting sun cast a fiery glow.
The gates of the Nangong clan were engulfed in flames.
The four seals of the ancestral land were broken, and the remnant soul of the True Phoenix escaped. The phantom of the True Phoenix grew more substantial, spewing flames indiscriminately, declaring its rage from millennia of solitude to the sky and earth.
Then, it began to attempt to break the seals itself.
The Wine Immortal and the Heavenly Water Daoist exchanged glances, simultaneously summoning their Dharma manifestations. Bai Yun was the first to step forward, unleashing her full power to intercept.
"Everyone, do not fear death."
"His Highness the Saint Son has departed. Before he returns, the True Phoenix absolutely cannot be released!"
An elder of the Nangong clan shouted, then channeled his powers into the surging lava, attempting to control the seals as before.
Others followed suit, but their injuries were too severe, and their control over the seals was agonizingly slow.
The most crucial figures were the Wine Immortal and the other two, along with Nangong Huai Tian, who had reclaimed the hilt of the formation eye.
Xu Mu looked at Nangong and said with earnest instruction:
"Be careful."
"Mm, you too."
Nangong Huai Tian replied, her body floating into the air. She stood shoulder to shoulder with the Wine Immortal and the others, beginning to seal the True Phoenix.
A long spear appeared before Xu Mu.
Xu Mu looked up, meeting Ji Chang's imposing gaze, and spoke with slight discomfort:
"Just now... thank you."
Ji Chang shook his head and replied:
"No need to thank me. Saving you just now was repaying a debt."
"Furthermore, His Majesty has also issued an order for me to protect your safety. The matters concerning the Blazing Fire will no longer affect you. You can return to the Great Xia Dynasty with peace of mind."
Xu Mu was startled, frowning as he asked: "You all suspected from the beginning that I hadn't died, and that the person in Alfheim was me?"
Ji Chang shook his head and said:
"I am not privy to such details, but this is His Majesty's decree, and I am merely to execute it."
Xu Mu waved his hand, descending with Ji Chang to a distant peak. He gazed at the lava and sea of fire surging from the Nangong clan's ancestral land, shaking his head with a sigh:
"I do not know the Emperor of Xia, and I do not believe his assurance will hold for long. At that time, I will be at his mercy. It would be safer not to return."
Ji Chang remained silent and stated:
"Returning to Great Xia, the Demon Suppression Division will ensure your safety, though you will have to pay a price."
Xu Mu chuckled: "If I were willing, I wouldn't have been hunted by the Blazing Fire back then."
"The seniors at the Daoist temple have treated me well, and I still have matters to attend to outside. I have no intention of returning."
Ji Chang frowned:
"The White Cloud Daoist Temple cannot protect you. Even if it is a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, it is merely a second Demon Suppression Division. But Great Xia is an entire nation, and the Demon Suppression Division is only a part of it."
"Your identity has been exposed. If you do not return to the Xia Dynasty, everyone in the world, perhaps even us, may hunt you."
"At that time, you will implicate the entire Daoist sect."
Xu Mu nodded, sighing: "Yes, the White Cloud Daoist Temple cannot protect me, and conversely, I would implicate them."
"Therefore, I do not intend to stay at the White Cloud Daoist Temple. Wandering the world is the best option for me."
Ji Chang's brow furrowed at this:
"Wandering the world. Do you believe you can escape the pursuit of all the powers in the world?"
Xu Mu thought of the high-tech research Charles was conducting, and smiled faintly as he nodded:
"Perhaps. There's a high probability."
Ji Chang frowned: "Are you sure?"
Xu Mu nodded: "Mm."
Ji Chang fell silent and said no more.
Thus, they stood side by side on the mountaintop, gazing at the sea of flames below, watching the firebird, with its unfathomable cultivation, being suppressed by the four individuals and subsequently sealed.
The sun had long since set.
By the time the last seal was repaired and the powers of the three half-step Human King experts were completely drained, it was already pitch black. However, due to the lingering lava, a faint red ember still flickered in the sky.
"It's over."
The Wine Immortal sighed, retreating to Xu Mu's side. He downed a mouthful of strong liquor with a pale face, then staggered to the ground in a daze. Xu Mu rushed forward to help him.
"It's fine, just a bit tired."
"That phoenix was truly no simple entity. Fortunately, my senior brother Heavenly Water's Daoist arts had some restraining effect, and Bai Yun had studied Daoist arts to counter the sacred fire for many years. Only then were we able to seal it successfully."
Xu Mu nodded and remained silent.
He breathed a sigh of relief when Nangong Huai Tian safely retreated from the air.
"The Nangong clan will forever remember the kindness of the two seniors of the Daoist sect." Nangong Huai Tian said, removing the supreme crown from her head and bowing to the Wine Immortal and the Heavenly Water Daoist.
Then, she placed the crown back on and looked at Bai Yun, saying, "Patriarch Bai, thank you too."
Bai Yun watched from a distance, her expression indifferent. She did not speak and then dissipated into the night.
The intended targets had been killed, those who shouldn't have died were dead, misunderstandings were cleared, and the True Phoenix was sealed. She had no reason to stay any longer.
"After I die, may I be buried on Mount Tiangu?" Li Kun asked, standing up and facing the vast night sky with a complex expression.
"As you wish."
After an unknown period, Bai Yun, who had already traveled far away, gave this reply.
Li Kun nodded, then closed his eyes.
In the darkness, flowers bloomed across the mountain.
Xu Mu walked to Li Kun's side, bent down to examine him closely, and then shook his head slightly towards Nangong Huai Tian.
"As per Jade Heaven Venerable's medical advice, he will be buried on Mount Tiangu." Nangong Mao Guan sighed and said. Immediately, cultivators arrived and carried away Li Kun's body.
Along with him were the corpses of many Nangong clan cultivators who had died in the earth-shattering battle. A somber cry filled the air, and the entire Nangong clan was in ruins.
"Things will get better eventually." Xu Mu walked to Nangong Huai Tian's side and offered words of comfort.
"Mm." The young woman nodded, wiping away tears from her eyes, her expression gradually hardening.
At this moment, the Wine Immortal Daoist also stood up and said tiredly to Xu Mu:
"Let's go too."
"I have done all I could here. The task my senior brother entrusted to you, you cannot abandon."
Xu Mu heard this and remembered the task of unifying Tianshi Mountain, entrusted to him by True Master Chong Ming. He frowned.
"This... with my current identity, it seems I'm no longer suitable for this task, right? After tonight, the entire world will likely be hunting me..."
The Wine Immortal frowned at this:
"They shouldn't..."
"I have had Nangong Mao Guan sign contracts with all the Nangong clan members who saw you in action."
"As for Bai Yun and Ji Chang, they certainly won't speak. I'm just not sure if Nangong Chang Kong will."
Just as Xu Mu was about to say something else, he suddenly saw a multitude of cultivators, emitting dazzling light and radiating powerful auras, appear in the night sky all around.
The Heavenly Water Daoist and the Wine Immortal both frowned, asking with slight tension:
"Who goes there!"
Nangong Huai Tian also shouted loudly: "This is the forbidden land of the Nangong clan. Outsiders are not allowed to enter!"
However, the glowing orbs ignored the warnings and descended into the space, revealing their true forms.
Judging by their attire, they were cultivators from three different factions.
Among them, the most conspicuous, and the ones Xu Mu was most familiar with, were all wearing official crimson robes with short, black gold daggers tucked into their belts.
Those were people from the Demon Suppression Division.
The Heavenly Water Daoist gripped his Dao sword and said coldly:
"Demon Suppression Division, Jin Yin Trading Firm, and the Hunter's Alliance, why have the three of you come here?"
From the Jin Yin Trading Firm, a stout middle-aged man looked at the Heavenly Water Daoist and clasped his hands, saying:
"Daoist Heavenly Water, we are naturally here for Xu Mu."
"As you know, this brat almost killed the head of our trading firm's Northwest region, Jin Dafu, and later successively destroyed our branches. If this grudge is not avenged, it would be a great loss to the firm's prestige."
The Wine Immortal scoffed at this:
"Revenge? I think you're eyeing that half-part Celestial Book, aren't you? Let me tell you, Xu Mu doesn't have it!"
The middle-aged man's expression remained unchanged as he smiled and said: "Whether he has it or not, your word is not final."
After he spoke, a brief silence fell over the scene.
Then, from the Hunter's Alliance, a man wielding a large saber spoke:
"Young friend Xu Mu, Commander Yun Miaomiao has heard of your situation and specially invites you to join our alliance."
"Please rest assured, we in the martial world value righteousness above all else. We will not force you to do anything you do not wish to do. Moreover, given your current circumstances, it seems you have no better destination than to roam the martial world."
As the man finished speaking, before Xu Mu could reply, he heard a faint chuckle from a middle-aged man from the Demon Suppression Division standing beside him.
"The Demon Suppression Division can certainly protect him."
"Xu Mu, come back with us. Lord Blazing Fire has already promised the Emperor of Xia that he will not hold grudges and will no longer trouble you."
"As long as you truthfully reveal what you know, the Demon Suppression Division will provide you with the greatest assistance, offering the world's best cultivation resources to help you reach the fifth realm, and even higher."
The Wine Immortal said indignantly:
"What do you mean Blazing Fire will not hold grudges? He was the one trying to steal someone else's belongings. The one truly qualified to say that should be Xu Mu, not him!"
The Domain Lord of the Demon Suppression Division's face darkened at this, but he did not dare to act out against the enraged Wine Immortal. He could only grit his teeth and say:
"This is an internal matter for our Demon Suppression Division. Xu Mu is also one of our people. We hope friends from the Daoist sect will not interfere further in this matter."
Xu Mu fell silent at this, then took a token from his waist and casually tossed it to the man.
"I was merely an external member of the Demon Suppression Division, not officially enrolled."
"Here, take the badge back."
The Domain Lord of the Demon Suppression Division caught the token, his gaze fixed coldly on Xu Mu as he asked in a low voice:
"Are you sure?"
The Wine Immortal stepped forward and asked unceremoniously: "So what if he's sure!"
The man stepped back, unwilling to concede, and calmly replied:
"It matters not."
"I just want to remind you that in this world, there is no fugitive who can escape the pursuit of my Demon Suppression Division, no matter what power protects them."
Ji Chang spoke:
"Xu Mu is not a fugitive."
"If you have any objections regarding this matter, you can accompany me to see His Majesty, the Emperor of Xia."
The man was stunned at this, and asked Ji Chang furiously: "Who exactly are you helping!"
Ji Chang's expression was impassive:
"I am not helping anyone; I am merely speaking the truth."
"Xu Mu has done nothing wrong, and he should not be hunted."
The man was so angered he laughed, pointing at Ji Chang and asking:
"If we don't chase him, will others not? Do you really think he can escape from everyone in the world, or do you believe that with your abilities, you can make everyone in the world afraid to hunt him?"
"Do you know how many forces nearby have learned that Xu Mu is here and are closing in!?"
Ji Chang said seriously:
"I do not know how many forces there are, but I believe I can stop them, or at least make them less presumptuous."
"At least to some extent, you, and they, should fear me."
"Because I can enter the fifth realm at any time. I am the most genius genius you have ever met."
"No one is willing to offend me, and even you must let Xu Mu go today."
Ji Chang said, gripping his long spear, and coldly threatening the Domain Lord of the Demon Suppression Division.
The Domain Lord's expression became extremely grim. Suppressing his rage, he said: "What if I refuse? What can you do?"
Ji Chang shook his head and said earnestly:
"Nothing much."
"Once I reach the Domain Lord realm, you will be the first person I kill."
...