Chapter 104: A Storm Approaches the Savage Realms

Blood slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth, dripping down from his chin. The bleeding at his waist showed no sign of stopping, continuously oozing out. The sharp pain radiating from his dislocated arm joint made him acutely aware that his life was gradually slipping away.

This was likely the first time in tens of thousands of years that the Divine Van had suffered such a devastating blow in the Wild Frontier Realm.

Clearly, in this great battle, the Divine Van had been defeated.

He had come with an indomitable spirit, intending to rescue the people from peril, but now he was like a clay Buddha crossing a river—unable even to protect himself.

Yet his defeat was far from ignominious; it was even enviable.

After all, the Eight Trees of Guilin, the first great trees nurtured by primordial spiritual energy after the Creation Era, had cultivated their strength for tens of thousands of years and were on par with the ancient gods.

Moreover, the Eight Trees fought in unison, aided by the Netherworld Prince Gui. Despite this, the Divine Van single-handedly slew the eldest of the Eight Trees—Jian Li—and inflicted a minor wound on the Netherworld Prince.

Such a dazzling feat, even the God of War himself would struggle to surpass.

Therefore, though defeated, the Divine Van remained honorable.

Staring at the eight men who eyed him like beasts of prey, and the fallen Jian Li lying motionless, the Divine Van kept urging himself inwardly: He must survive!

Only by living could he bring these demons to justice.

Only by living could he wash away the shame of this day.

With that thought, his will to survive surged forth, and the scattered spiritual energy within him slowly began to coalesce.

Under the wolfish gaze of the Seven Trees of Guilin and Gui, the Divine Van suddenly howled to the heavens. His voice, brimming with spirit and volume, pierced the clouds and split the sky.

“Still want to flee?”

Gui looked down on the Divine Van with disdain, then once more leapt forward, wielding his silver sword like a breeze slashing through the night sky. His target remained the Divine Van’s chest.

Clearly, this strike was delivered with full force, aiming to send the Divine Van to the afterlife.

The speed and power were many times greater than the previous attack.

If the prior sword had been a probe, this one was at least eighty percent strength.

The whistling sound of the sword cleaving the wind roared past his ears, and the air around twisted under the might of this extraordinary strike.

Gravely wounded, the Divine Van struggled even to breathe. Beneath the onslaught of Gui’s silver sword, he seemed to hear the very call of death.

Could this piercing wind be the death knell for the Divine Van?

He shook his head helplessly and tried to lift his arm to wield the Divine Flute of Ten Thousand Defenses to counter Gui’s unadorned killing blow.

But as soon as his intention reached his arm, he recalled that it was already on the verge of dislocation, barely movable—not to mention resisting an enemy attack.

“Sigh…”

A silent lament escaped his heart, and he closed his eyes, resigned to await the moment of death.

“Caw… caw…”

Just as he felt the sword’s intent penetrate every pore, a familiar cry rang in his ears.

Suddenly, a spark of fire flickered before his eyes, a searing heat of primordial karma fire prickling his skin.

Startled, he hurriedly opened his eyes to see the fierce bird Bifang hovering in the air, flapping its wings gracefully as it unleashed a burst of primal karmic flames onto Gui’s relentless sword strike.

“Damn feathered beast!”

Gui cursed inwardly but reluctantly planted his feet, halting the silver sword inches from the Divine Van’s chest. He swiftly retreated, narrowly evading the karmic flames spewed by Bifang.

The remaining Seven Trees of Guilin, all ancient demons, recognized the peril of Bifang’s primordial flames. Hastily, they lifted the now lifeless Jian Li’s body and retreated with Gui to the foot of the mountain.

Although Jian Li’s body was dead, as an ancient demon, his soul would not perish with the flesh.

Had his brothers not intervened to carry him away, the karmic flames would have consumed him.

After all, nothing in this world can escape the scorching burn of primordial karma fire. This was why Gui preferred to abandon the chance to kill the Divine Van outright rather than confront Bifang’s flames head-on.

In truth, Bifang’s cultivation level was at most half-divine, far below these ancient demons.

Fortunately, with primordial karma fire at its command, its power was significantly enhanced.

Once the old demons were driven back by Bifang’s flames, the Divine Van immediately leapt, landing precisely on Bifang’s back.

“Caw… caw…”

Bifang cried out urgently a few times, then proudly raised one leg, stirring up a cloud of dust. Under the watchful eyes of the demons, it soared toward the dark eastern horizon. Its fiery body lit up half the sky, but in the blink of an eye, it vanished with astonishing speed.

“Damn cursed beast!”

Watching Bifang and the Divine Van disappear into the distance, Gui’s eyes blazed with rage as he spat out curses.

The remaining Seven Trees of Guilin echoed his indignation.

“This Divine Van is truly shameless. Thousands of years ago, he stole the Netherworld Prince’s Ten Thousand Defense Flute; now he’s wielding that same flute against the Prince, even controlling Bifang for his own ends. The divine race is utterly despicable!”

“Hmph!”

Gui snorted coldly, his expression darkening. He muttered ominously, “Wait and see, the Wild Frontier Realms are about to change. I believe the Divine Van will face us again soon. When that time comes, the seven of you must never underestimate him, or you will share Jian Li’s fate!”

His gaze then shifted sorrowfully to Jian Li’s now cold body, staring at the flute-pierced wound in his chest. Deep grief laced his voice.

“Brother Jian Li, I shall exact vengeance on the Divine Van for the destruction of your body. For now, rest in peace.”

“Rest in peace?”

The other seven trees cried out in unison, “Is Brother Jian Li beyond saving?”

“No.”

Gui shook his head with a bitter smile, his mood heavy.

“Brother Jian Li was the first Tree King of this world. There’s no way he could be so easily felled.”

“It’s just that the Ten Thousand Defense Flute is also a sacred artifact from the Creation Era, with formidable power.”

“While it cannot destroy Jian Li’s soul, it can severely wound him.”

“What we must do immediately is find the Ten Thousand Year Departure Fire Lotus and extract its essence to heal his body.”

“In this way, Brother will awaken after only a few days of recuperation, his body preserved, and his strength even greater than before!”