Chase Game

Rumble!

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and large swaths of dark clouds gathered above the Meng residence.

Zhang Qiang looked up and said, "I see. Ling Yi's buff isn't useless; it just needs some time!"

If it rains, there is still hope of extinguishing the fire.

He breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Standing before the fiery cocoon, Ling Yi, whose heart had been crushed, also looked up at the sky, his heart filled with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.

His identity reversal had come to an end, and the various props had also reached the end of their duration. He also secretly used [Rejuvenation of Withered Trees] once to restore his physical condition.

Several flashes of lightning streaked across Ling Yi's dark eyes, but no raindrops fell for a long time.

This is not the reason for his identity reversal or the failure of his karmic cause. His "instant good result" was just a trigger, or rather, a "effortless leverage".

It helped Zhang Qiang draw out water vapor and pry up large swaths of dark clouds. As long as a single drop of rain fell, what followed would be an uncontrollable downpour.

But now, the air is dry, with only thunder and lightning but not a drop of rain.

This made Ling Yi feel a little uneasy.

Besides this, there was another thing that made him secretly suspicious.

Did I really crush that heart?

When he exerted his strength, the feeling wasn't like crushing something, it was more like...

A stream of water spilled from his hand!

Just as I was thinking about this, another thunderclap suddenly sounded.

Ling Yi looked up at the sky and saw that besides the white lightning bolt, there seemed to be a faint red glow.

Just as he was about to take a closer look, he heard Meng Dong exclaim in surprise from beside him.

"This...this is an oil lamp?!"

Meng Dong turned over a pile of fire feathers, and underneath it really was that oil lamp.

"So it was buried under the fire feathers. No wonder I didn't notice it at first..." Ling thought to himself.

Getting the oil lamp was a good thing for them, but not for Wang Yun.

He saw the oil lamp in Meng Dong's hand, his heart tightened, and then he suddenly made his move.

Zhang Qiang was hoping for rain, and Ling Yi had lost the ability to pursue. Just as Wang Yun was about to snatch the oil lamp, Meng Dong snorted coldly, took a step back, and disappeared into a fog.

Ling Yi remained calm, while Meng Dong was meticulous, cautious, and always kept her emotions hidden, which was a good thing.

The fog in early winter has the ability to blur spatial perception and also has an illusion effect. When Wang Yun first encountered it, he was indeed somewhat lacking in countermeasures and could only watch helplessly as the other man took the things away.

Having failed with that attack, Zhang Qiang turned his attention to him, staring at him with hostile eyes. Now he had even less chance to strike.

The game started with seven players, but has gradually been reduced to four, Wang Yun thought to himself.

He clearly remembered there was another young man with blond hair named Zhao Dayou, but he hadn't seen him since the first night. Now it seemed he was probably out of the game too.

What could have been a three-way standoff has now been shattered, with Zhou Jie clearly out of the picture and Ding Guifang missing, her fate unknown.

The balance was broken, and Wang Yun instantly became the weaker party. He seemed to see the scales of victory tilting towards Ling Yi.

No, we can't think like that. Although Ling Yi has already obtained the [Transformation of Fire into Feathers Diagram], the game is not over yet, which means there are still variables and he still has a chance!

Wang Yun comforted himself with these words.

But he was right; there were indeed variables, and these variables came from the sky.

Amidst the churning dark clouds, the red dot appeared faintly, then became a bright red, and finally shone brightly.

Anyone who sees it will only say one thing: It's an extraordinary phenomenon!

In mythology, the birth of a chosen one is always accompanied by extraordinary phenomena, such as the common dragon and phoenix auspicious clouds, or purple clouds coming from the east. More specifically, there is the "dark bird of destiny descending to give birth to the Shang dynasty," and Emperor Gaozu of Han slaying the white snake, and so on.

At this moment, flames shining through the dark clouds must have been quite a peculiar sight.

A pair of fiery red wings emerged from the rolling dark clouds, while nine colorful ribbons hung down from the other side. A sharp cry ripped through the sky, reaching straight to the heart.

With that cry, a snake-necked rooster's head, topped with a phoenix crest, proudly appeared amidst the dark clouds.

While everyone was marveling at the sight, Ling Yi noticed something unusual.

"These phoenix wings are completely bare; they don't even have feathers?"

Ling thought of the fire feathers that had fallen from the sky earlier. Could it be that he had broken the fire feather cocoon in advance, causing it to not develop completely?

Whether it was a misperception or not, Ling Yi felt that the phoenix's eyes were constantly looking in his direction.

However, given the distance and the elevated position, it's indeed difficult to determine the exact location.

The phoenix is ​​a divine bird, but its bare wings and its image amidst the dark clouds made it impossible for Ling Yi to associate it with the word "divinity".

While everyone's attention was focused on the phoenix in the sky, no one noticed that the distant Heavenly Pavilion could no longer withstand the flames and collapsed with a crash.

The loud noise drew everyone's attention. Judging from the scene, if the nine elders hadn't managed to escape, they would likely have perished in the flames.

Along with them, the fire phoenix in the sky also cast its gaze.

Its gaze fell upon the ruins of the Heavenly Pavilion, and immediately nine orbs of light slowly floated up.

Everyone's expression changed. It turned out to be nine elders. They were in a panic and had no idea what was happening.

As they floated into the air, a voice resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

"Our lord has made a pact with your Meng family, exchanging our lord's fortune for your popularity, and we will take back everything when our lord awakens."

"You intend to deceive us, moving away from our ancestral home and replacing us with others. Otherwise, your Meng family should have fulfilled the contract long ago."

"In addition, you have even mixed in the popularity of other factions, vying for fortune and attempting to suppress our lord."

"Hmph, ignorance is bliss! Today, I will, on behalf of my lord, punish your Meng family!"

The voice was somewhat familiar to the four people present; it was Ding Guifang's voice. Could it be that the fire phoenix was her in disguise?

The fire phoenix gave them no time to think. With a cry, the flames throughout the Meng mansion transformed into fiery feathers, which swirled and flew up.

These fiery feathers swirled into a tornado, and under the control of the fire phoenix, they clung tightly to the nine elders.

Screams rose and fell; they ultimately could not escape the punishment for violating the contract.

When the fire feathers dispersed again, all that could be seen were nine clumps of dust floating in the air, while nine beams of mysterious light flew toward the fire phoenix and were sucked into its belly.

At this moment, the radiance on the fire phoenix solidified even more.

The fire feathers swirled into a tornado once more, and the fire phoenix in the air turned its head.

Flames erupted from its eyes, and at the same time, an invisible pressure descended. It was not the forceful gravity suppression like Wang Yun's; the fire phoenix's pressure was psychological.

This invisible sense of oppression inspires awe and a feeling that one must kneel before it.

The fire phoenix, in its deafening voice, demanded, "Having seen the deity, why do you not worship?"

Ling Yi ignored the oppressive aura, raised his head, his gaze disdainful, and replied, word by word:

"What a load of crap."