"Don't chase after him."
Lan Yin shouted loudly. I stood at the edge of the sea of trees, gazing at the snowy ground outside. In the distance, I suddenly saw a patch of yellow—it was desert. The terrain was shifting.
Lan Yin had already rushed ahead to block the fake Sacred Spirit who called himself Blake Winters. From the moment he started running, he never floated; though he was fast, it was pure muscle strength. That surprised me. He didn’t seem like a Forsaken, since I couldn’t sense that power. Instead, his body was more similar to a Sacred Spirit or a human.
The heat wave from the golden flames began to melt the snow on the ground. Strangely, this power posed no threat to me, nor to Blake Winters. The snow at his feet melted quickly, but he showed no reaction. Soon, the melted snow began to boil.
Blake Winters seemed to get scalded and quickly moved to the side. Lan Yin started to restrain his power, no longer releasing flames. He gripped the Phoenix Blade, quietly staring at Blake Winters.
"Why did you come here? What are you after?"
Blake Winters didn’t answer. He hunched over, ready to flee at any moment, his gaze fixed on Lan Yin. Lan Yin planted the Phoenix Blade into the ground.
"This is where it ends."
With a thunderous crash, I watched in shock as the snowy ground behind Lan Yin split open. A massive chasm appeared, stretching all the way toward the Umber Domain mountains.
I looked at Lan Yin in surprise. He was stronger than before, no longer showing his previous despair. His face was now full of confidence.
Blake Winters made no move; he was still looking for an opportunity. Judging by his expression, he didn't really want to fight Lan Yin.
"Let me ask you again—why did you come here? What do you want?"
Blake Winters still didn’t reply. With a crash, a burst of golden flames shot forth. Lan Yin punched at Blake Winters, who immediately rolled aside to dodge.
The flames that should have erupted from Lan Yin’s fist suddenly retracted, moving up his arm and gathering briefly at his shoulder before shooting toward the spot where Blake Winters rolled, transforming into a gigantic flaming claw.
With a crash, Blake Winters was grabbed by the claw. Lan Yin straightened up and slowly pulled Blake Winters toward him. I saw the surface of Blake Winters’ body begin to crack, the scattered fragments falling away like grains of sand.
Blake Winters smiled. Just as Lan Yin was about to speak, he froze for a moment. With a rumble, the chasm created by the Phoenix Blade behind Lan Yin suddenly closed up, and the blade that had been stuck in the ground flew into the air.
Suddenly, I saw a mass of rainbow clouds rushing toward us—it was Entity 004, the Forsaken who claimed to be an immortal. He grabbed the Phoenix Blade, and instantly, sizzling sounds erupted as flames from the blade scorched his hands.
Entity 004 quickly released the Phoenix Blade, and a dazzling burst of colored light took its place, gripping the blade.
"I have no intention of fighting. Could you please let him go?"
Entity 004 spoke calmly, stroking his long white beard and smiling.
With a series of booming sounds, slender flames shot up from the ground, weaving into a cage around Blake Winters and trapping him in place. I was about to step forward, noticing something off about Lan Yin's expression.
"Ethan, stay back."
Just as I was about to step out, Lan Yin shouted. The nearby Sacred Spirits all turned to look at the snowy ground, where a rainbow-colored band of light appeared at the edge of the Azure Domain, radiating a powerful force that slowly seeped out.
"And what if I refuse? What will you do?"
Lan Yin replied forcefully, a pair of massive golden wings unfurling from his back as he slowly floated upward.
"I said I'm not here to fight, but if you won't let him go, I won't hold back."
With a whoosh, Lan Yin flew toward Entity 004, golden flames surging from his body. Instantly, a golden Vermilion Phoenix enveloped him.
Entity 004 swung his Ceremonial Whisk, and suddenly, countless sparkling rainbow bubbles appeared around Lan Yin, multiplying rapidly and encircling him.
Abruptly, Lan Yin stopped, not charging forward. His massive wings wrapped around himself, then opened wide. With a thunderous roar, golden flames burst in all directions, shattering the rainbow bubbles in a violent explosion. A powerful gust of wind swept toward us.
But as it approached the Azure Domain, it was blocked by what seemed like an invisible wall. Still, I could feel the tremors beneath my feet.
As the blinding light from the explosion faded, I saw Entity 004 standing beside the flaming cage, holding his Ceremonial Whisk.
With a whoosh, a transparent stream of air struck at Entity 004. Just as he was about to swing his Ceremonial Whisk at the cage, he floated backward on a cloud, and the whisk snapped in half.
"So that's how it is? It's not just the power of the Vermilion Phoenix—the strength of the White Tiger is just as formidable."
Entity 004 muttered, then quickly flew upward. Lan Yin's figure had vanished, and all I could see were hurricanes sweeping toward Entity 004, streaked with gold.
Entity 004 dared not linger above the hurricane, flying toward the snowfield. Instantly, the hurricanes converged into two white tornadoes that chased after him.
At that moment, I felt a sense of disbelief. Why was Lan Yin using such overwhelming force against Entity 004? Was it hatred—hatred for the Forsaken? He had only been here a little over three months.
(This chapter is not finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting content!)
A rumbling sound echoed as the ground trembled violently beneath my feet. I nearly fell, but a small hand grabbed me—it was Little Lan, smiling mischievously at me.
"Can't even stand straight now, huh?"
I looked over again as snowflakes swirled. It was the earth's crust—an immense slab of ground beneath Entity 004 was suddenly ripped up by a force and quickly shot into the sky.
With a crash, chaotic currents swirled in the air—a flash of gold, it was Lan Yin, plummeting down and hitting the ground hard. He stood up, shook his head, gripping the burning Phoenix Blade. Overhead, a massive slab of land pressed down toward us.
"That Forsaken is really strong."
An old voice sounded behind us—it was the Azure Dragon, who had arrived. The Sacred Spirits nearby all bowed to him.
The Azure Dragon’s eyes were filled with deep worry. He stood still, watching the massive landmass hurtling toward us. The snowy field we’d seen before had vanished, and snowflakes fell from the overhead continent like flowing water.
Lan Yin glared upward, gritting his teeth as flames burst from his body once again. Suddenly, he raised a hand, and golden flames shot out, transforming into giant flaming Vermilion Phoenixes.
With a crash, Lan Yin charged forward with the Phoenix Blade, aiming at the massive shadow pressing down from above.
With a series of bangs, the flaming phoenixes crashed into the continent overhead, filling the sky with blinding golden explosions. Yet the pressing landmass didn’t budge an inch.
I glanced over—the cage that held Blake Winters was empty; he must have vanished with the rising earth, and Entity 004 was nowhere to be seen.
A piercing roar echoed from above—it was Lan Yin. The barrier around the Azure Domain was lifted, and the Sacred Spirits prepared to fly over and help.
"Stop, let Lan Yin handle it."
The Azure Dragon immediately called out.
With a crash, a massive golden pillar of fire shot into the sky, instantly piercing the continent. The raging flames tore the land apart.
Deafening roars echoed as I spread my wings and floated upward. Huge chunks of stone crashed toward us, but the Sacred Spirits formed a barrier at the edge of the Azure Domain, smashing the rocks one by one.
After a while, the smoke cleared. I swallowed nervously, staring down at the black abyss hundreds of meters below. Lan Yin hovered above, still searching for something, while the Azure Dragon stepped forward.
"Lan Yin, come back quickly—the terrain is about to change."
A trace of unwillingness flashed in Lan Yin’s eyes, but he seemed unharmed. As he flew back, the outside world suddenly filled with thick white fog, rapidly covering everything until all we could see was white.
I heard a rumbling sound and the wind howling through the fog. Lan Yin sighed, and the Azure Dragon smiled, walking over to stand beside him.
"You did well, Lan Yin. Don’t overthink it. Remember what I told you—you’ve finally found confidence again, so don’t slip back into your old ways."
Lan Yin nodded.
"Ethan, come with me."
I responded, and the Sacred Spirits began clearing the stones that had fallen into the Azure Domain. I followed Lan Yin to a secluded spot beside a giant tree.
"What is it?"
I asked, remembering how Lan Yin hesitated when he caught Blake Winters. Entity 004’s power affecting the Azure Domain wouldn’t be resolved quickly—it would take time. But Lan Yin had been completely stunned, especially when he saw Blake Winters’ body cracking.
"That guy seems to be you."
I gasped in surprise, staring at Lan Yin, who gazed back at me in a daze.