"Haoyue, do you truly not recognize me anymore? You don't remember those things?"
"Then… do you still recognize him? This is Chu Feng — the child you carried out of the Heavenly Path. He's grown into an adult now. Can you not recognize even him? Did something happen in the Heavenly Path that you've forgotten everything?"
Qiushui Fuyan ignored the crowd's murmuring and continued trying to communicate with Huangfu Haoyue. Unable to make him remember on her own, she turned to Chu Feng, hoping to jog Huangfu Haoyue's memories through him. Unfortunately, it was still useless.
"Haha, Qiushui Fuyan, it's no use. If it were that easy to restore Huangfu Haoyue's memories, do you think I would have brought him out in the first place? If his memories could be awakened, wouldn't that be digging my own grave? You really underestimate me, Murong Mingtian." At that moment, Murong Mingtian suddenly broke into an eerie laugh, then said mockingly:
"Truth be told, the method I used to control Huangfu Haoyue is the Yin Demon Soul-Seizing Technique — a forbidden art listed among the secrets of the Ethereal Immortal Peak. Even Fairy Piaomiao didn't know this technique existed. I stumbled upon it by chance at my master's residence."
"As for its method of use, it's quite unique. It cannot be condensed through ordinary barrier techniques alone. Instead, the flesh and blood of living people must serve as the catalyst and the bones of infants as the ingredient to refine a flesh-and-blood formation. The more living people refined within that formation, the stronger the binding power becomes."
"In order to bind Huangfu Haoyue, I killed over a million martial cultivators and tens of thousands of infants. So the Huangfu Haoyue of today is nothing more than my puppet. If I tell him to go west, he wouldn't dare go east. If I tell him to stand, he absolutely would not dare move."
"I can even make him kill anyone I wish — and he won't show mercy, not even to you, his former lover."
"You're spouting nonsense! Haoyue's will is iron. How could someone like you possibly control him?" Qiushui Fuyan cursed angrily.
"Haha, looks like you don't believe me. That's fine — if you don't believe it, I can give you a demonstration." The smile on Murong Mingtian's lips grew increasingly sinister as he pointed a finger at Qiushui Fuyan and bellowed: "Tear that wretch to pieces for me!"
"Hum—" The moment Murong Mingtian gave the order, Huangfu Haoyue's body trembled violently. At the same time, his eyes began emitting an eerie green glow — identical to Murong Mingtian's own.
Most importantly, when that green light appeared, the mark on Huangfu Haoyue's forehead transformed in an instant, morphing into a ball of flame. Immediately afterward, a boundless wave of pressure surged forward like a tidal wave, crashing toward Qiushui Fuyan.
"Heavens, that aura…"
When that oppressive force manifested, every person present felt their expressions change drastically. A chill ran down their spines, and they shuddered uncontrollably, because the aura Huangfu Haoyue was now emitting belonged to an eighth-rank Martial King.
Huangfu Haoyue may have been powerful in the past, but back then he had not possessed such cultivation. Yet now, he had somehow reached the eighth rank of the Martial King realm. This level of strength was enough to fill everyone present with dread. The eighth rank of the Martial King realm — that was a level approaching the Martial Emperor realm, a tier none of them had ever witnessed in their entire lives.
And Huangfu Haoyue was still so young. If he continued cultivating, stepping into the Martial Emperor realm might not be impossible. Just the thought that someone in the Eastern Sea Region could one day become a Martial Emperor was staggering.
"Haoyue, you…"
But compared to the terror and shock of the onlookers, Qiushui Fuyan simply stood rooted to the spot. Watching that overwhelming pressure bearing down on her — pressure so immense that even the void was being ground to dust — her eyes instantly reddened.
Even though she knew full well that Huangfu Haoyue had been controlled and was not acting of his own volition, in that moment she still could not suppress the heart-wrenching grief that surged through her. An indescribable sorrow flooded her heart.
In her anguish, she had even forgotten to flee. In truth, given her cultivation level, even if she had tried to escape, it would have been impossible.
"Boom!"
But just as the towering wave of pressure was about to reach her, a dark blade of light suddenly materialized. The blade was ferocious beyond measure — even that immense pressure could not withstand it. It was sliced apart and deflected.
It was Chu Feng. Chu Feng had made his move. Wielding the Demon Sealing Sword in his hand, he had managed to block that terrifying wave of pressure.
"Sister Fuyan, get farther away. Trust me — no matter how powerful a formation may be, it will always have a flaw. I can help Senior Huangfu Haoyue break free from Murong Mingtian's control." After deflecting the pressure, Chu Feng sent a voice transmission.
Hearing Chu Feng's words, Qiushui Fuyan finally calmed down. Though doubts still lingered in her heart, she had to trust Chu Feng — because right now, he was the only person capable of standing up to Huangfu Haoyue, and the only person she could rely on.
"Rumble rumble rumble—"
Yet no one expected that after his first attack failed, Huangfu Haoyue would strike at Qiushui Fuyan again. And this time, it was no mere wave of pressure — he threw a punch.
That single punch gathered King-level martial force from within a radius of several li, its power absolutely terrifying. No ordinary martial art could hope to withstand it — not even Chu Feng's Demon Sealing Sword.
"White Tiger Killing Art." Chu Feng opened his Heavenly Eye, his perception razor-sharp. Without a moment's hesitation, he unleashed the supreme secret technique — the White Tiger Killing Art — to counter the force of that punch.
The White Tiger Killing Art was infinitely powerful, but its effectiveness depended on the opponent. Though Huangfu Haoyue's punch was nothing more than a simple strike that couldn't even be called a martial art, he was an eighth-rank Martial King with extraordinary combat power. Setting aside his cultivation alone and comparing only raw martial talent and fighting prowess, he surpassed even Murong Mingtian and Fairy Piaomiao.
As a result, though the White Tiger Killing Art successfully intercepted the punch's force, it was simultaneously dispersed into nothingness. With that single punch, Huangfu Haoyue had shattered Chu Feng's supreme secret technique.
"Ahhhhh~~~~~~~~"
Seeing his attack blocked yet again, Huangfu Haoyue let out a furious roar. And as that heaven-shaking cry echoed across the land, layers of violent flames began manifesting around his body, pressing in the direction of Qiushui Fuyan.
"Chu Feng, run! Those are the Skyburning Flames!!!"
"Huangfu Haoyue is the only person within our Skyburning Sacred Religion who has cultivated the Skyburning Mystic Art to completion. His Skyburning Flames are incredibly powerful — you can't block them!"
At the sight of this, Qiushui Fuyan's face went white as paper and she began shouting frantically. Not wanting to drag Chu Feng into danger, she spun around mid-sentence and started running back.
"Sister Fuyan, don't come over! Trust me — no matter how powerful those flames are, I can hold them off. Go quickly — get back to Senior Taikou and the others!"
But what Qiushui Fuyan did not expect was that, as those ferocious Skyburning Flames bore down on them, Chu Feng turned his head toward her with a smile. On that clean, youthful face, there was not a trace of fear — only a surge of confidence.
Seeing Chu Feng like that, Qiushui Fuyan froze for a moment. Though it seemed impossible, she suddenly felt that perhaps Chu Feng really could withstand those terrifying Skyburning Flames.
PS: I said at least five updates, so at least five updates it is. I won't sleep until I'm done writing. But those of you who have to work tomorrow, go to sleep early. Those gaming through the night — well, you can wait a bit. Heh…