[4500] Chapter 106: The Divine Guard

Ji Xia convulsed in agony. The deep whip wounds, reaching to the bone, were aflame; slender flames licked the faintly golden-red bones, emitting a subtle “pop pop” sound. Having cultivated shamanic magic since childhood and been well-acquainted with the shamans, Ji Hao recognized this—the sound was the bone marrow being forcibly refined into bone oil by a special flame.

The pain was indescribable, surpassing even the torment of muscle cramps, skin being peeled, bones being struck, or marrow being extracted.

Ji Xia’s burly frame twitched violently under such excruciating torment, cold sweat streaming down his body. Yet he showed no weakness, no cries or pleas for mercy. Instead, he stared straight at the arrogant young man before him and spoke each word with unwavering resolve: “Hao is my son; he would never do the things you accuse him of.”

His body convulsed violently as he roared: “Coveting treasure, killing for wealth, fleeing after committing crimes—Hao would never do such things!”

The youth smiled coldly and flicked his right hand. A fiery red whip, over twenty zhang long and as thin as a little finger, emitted a piercing whistle as it lashed fiercely at Ji Xia’s back.

The blow was exceptionally heavy. Even with Ji Xia’s great shamanic strength and skin tougher than steel multiplied a hundredfold, the slender whip tore his flesh apart.

Ji Xia howled in pain. This time, the youth struck with full force; not only was a large chunk of muscle torn away from his back, but several of his bones cracked. Red flames crept along the fractures, slowly burning into his marrow.

Above the protective wall, the space was desolate; all the Fire Crow warriors had gathered in the valley below, leaving the wall completely empty.

Ji Hao stood atop the protective wall of Cold Creek Valley, watching everything unfold from afar.

Accused of killing for wealth and fleeing after crimes? The handsome youth astride a fiery qilin, perched high above, was describing him thus?

Upon a closer look, a surge of hatred burst within Ji Hao’s chest. His eyes suddenly turned blood red, and crimson light spewed from them, shooting more than three feet forward. The elemental energy of the world outside Cold Creek Valley trembled violently. Within a ten-mile radius, raindrops froze midair, then were forced by an invisible whirlwind to rapidly spin and whirl around Ji Hao’s position.

The raindrops tore through the air, shrieking as they flew. The Golden Core of the Purple Mansion spun rapidly; the spiritual energy surged like tides. Behind Ji Hao, a ball of flame erupted, its golden-red light flickering wildly. Within the fire, two round, fiery eyes of the Fire Crow burned fiercely.

All these changes happened outside Cold Creek Valley; inside, the sound of wind and rain continued uninterrupted. No one noticed the disturbance Ji Hao caused.

“Manman, who is that guy?” Ji Hao pointed fiercely at the handsome youth.

“Manman, Seventh Brother’s guard minister, Pulian. An irritating fellow. Why is he here? If something happened to me, shouldn’t our eldest brother have sent someone to investigate?” Manman’s eyes widened as she looked at Ji Xia. “Ji Hao, who is he?”

“My father!” Ji Hao roared deeply, then sneered, pointing at a beautiful woman lying in the mud behind Ji Xia, coughing up blood. “My mother… My father’s skin is thick and tough, able to withstand pain, but my mother…”

Pulian looked down on Ji Xia with disdain. Calmly, he said, “I’m here only to deliver the verdict. Ji Hao killed someone he shouldn’t have—he must die. But one death is not enough; Ji Hao must pay a greater price.”

Ji Xia struggled furiously, but two red-armored soldiers at his side held him down tightly, preventing any movement.

Ji Xia shouted angrily, “Ji Hao would never do such a thing!”

Pulian laughed mockingly, “The evidence is conclusive… kill this woman first! The Five Beasts’ Dismemberment! I want to see if she remains as beautiful and charming after being torn to pieces.”

Several warriors mounted on fiery dragons dismounted, gripping chains as thick as thumbs that continuously spat flames, striding toward the bloodied, coughing Qing Fu lying on the ground. The fiery dragons howled excitedly, spewing showers of sparks.

“Five Beasts’ Dismemberment?” Si Wenming muttered with dissatisfaction, “That was a technique from the Divine Antiquity, used by Emperor Xuanyuan to annihilate the demonic outer realm tyrant Chiyou. Because it gravely wounded the benevolence of Heaven and Earth, nourishing all life, Emperor Xuanyuan long ago abolished this cruel punishment.”

The Five Beasts’ Dismemberment—Ji Hao’s skin had turned scarlet all over.

What was this Five Beasts’ Dismemberment if not akin to dismemberment by five horses? Seeing the excited fiery dragons, how could Qing Fu possibly endure such torture?

“Die!” Ji Hao roared furiously, stamping his feet heavily. It was as if the heavens were collapsing; the storm clouds suddenly sank hundreds of zhang. Whirling winds swept countless rapidly spinning raindrops, silver water lights dazzling as they poured from all directions into Cold Creek Valley.

The valley was instantly filled with shimmering water light, blinding silver scattered everywhere. Countless raindrops shot through the air like a swarm of locusts, creating an overwhelming spectacle that filled observers with a terrifying sense of impending doom.

Pulian was momentarily stunned, then sneered contemptuously.

He opened his mouth and gently exhaled. A white lotus, no larger than a fist, slowly emerged from his mouth, emitting a faint white glow. In the blink of an eye, the lotus expanded to the size of a rice bucket, casting a white light that enveloped the soldiers around him in a radius of dozens of zhang.

Countless raindrops howled as they struck the white light, which rippled with faint waves. The raindrops exploded upon contact, sending out a low rumble. The white light trembled violently, shrinking rapidly from a radius of fifty zhang to about forty-five.

Pulian looked over in shock and immediately recognized Ji Hao’s youthful face. He exclaimed, “Boy, how old are you that you can shake my life essence white lotus?”

Ji Hao howled to the heavens, his body streaked with a fiery red light extending several li. He landed heavily beside the coughing, blood-spitting Qing Fu and quickly formed a nine-character true word seal, gathering the life energy from the surrounding heaven and earth, continuously infusing it into Qing Fu’s body.

“To shake your life essence white lotus—is that so impressive?” Ji Hao sneered and flipped out a powerful talisman he had yet to return to Manman.

Originally, this talisman could only be used once before needing a full day of sun exposure to recharge. But Ji Hao placed it alongside the Crow Lord and the beast skin map, and together, they could replenish its energy every few hours.

Pulian suddenly saw the talisman and shouted hoarsely, “How dare you! You conspired against Manman and still dare to use her…”

With a thunderous bang, Pulian’s white lotus shattered violently. Manman roared loudly, like a raging mother tyrannosaurus, lunging at Pulian and delivering a full-force kick to his chest.

With a tremendous crash, Pulian’s crimson robe, known for its strong defense, exploded. The soft armor beneath also burst open. His chest caved deeply as he coughed up blood, unable even to scream, flying more than ten li from Manman’s kick.

A flash of red light burst from Ji Hao’s talisman. A beam shot out, instantly dissolving the heads of several soldiers wielding chains who were still grinning wickedly as they approached Qing Fu.

One warrior atop a fiery dragon screamed in disbelief, “How dare you kill a divine guard of the Zhu Rong clan?”

Manman charged like a tiger, slapping the divine guard so hard he flew over three hundred zhang into the air.

***

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