At this moment, everyone finally noticed Chen Xiao's absence and began to discuss.
"Where did Mr. Chen go? Why is he missing?"
"It seems he never returned with us."
"Could it be that he was sucked into the abyss himself to save us?"
This question plunged everyone into collective silence.
"Everyone, stop standing around and quickly find a way to save him!" Xiao Li urged.
"Young man, as you can see, the wind hasn't stopped, and we are powerless!" Chu He shook his head, his face full of helplessness. "Mr. Chen was a good person, it's just a pity..."
For Chu He, this wasn't just a pity; it was utterly unworthy! If Chen Xiao was the savior, then it was they who should have died, not Chen Xiao! Even if none of them survived, Chen Xiao absolutely could not die!
At this moment, Xiao Hongchan said, "Big brother is fine, he won't die!"
"Little friend, how do you know that?" Chu Qingluan asked.
Xiao Hongchan glanced at Chu Qingluan and mumbled, "I just know!"
Just then, with a whoosh, the Yitian Sword flew up, heading straight for the abyss. Chu He gazed in that direction, silently praying in his heart, "Mr. Chen, please be alright!"
...
Of course, Chen Xiao was fine, even though he was still falling. He didn't know how deep the abyss was, but it reminded him of four words: Jiuyi Abyss! The reason he sent the other martial artists away was to prevent them from hindering his search for the sacred relic. As for sacrificing himself for righteousness, they were simply overthinking it; Chen Xiao would never do such a foolish thing!
It was pitch black all around, and Chen Xiao could only see the light from the abyss's opening. That light was also getting further and further away from him. He was still falling rapidly, the wind whistling past his ears. The Yitian Sword, however, was moving much faster than him and had already caught up. Chen Xiao flipped and stepped onto the Yitian Sword. It was only then that he finally spotted a faint light at the bottom of the abyss. It was a blue light, eerie and cold, yet it looked like a burning flame.
As Chen Xiao got closer to the flame, he finally saw its true form. It was a giant fire phoenix, but its flames were not fiery red, but an eerie, cold blue. Equally eerie and cold were the phoenix's eyes. They were incredibly sinister and ferocious. A single glance made one feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar; even Chen Xiao felt a chill down his spine when their eyes met.
Getting a little closer, Chen Xiao realized this was no ordinary phoenix. That was a given; what phoenix was ordinary? But this one was exceptionally unusual. Half of the phoenix's head was devoid of skin and feathers, leaving only stark white bone exposed. This was a Nether Phoenix! A Nether Phoenix was a dead phoenix! Chen Xiao finally understood why the flames on this fire phoenix were blue. When a phoenix became a Nether Phoenix, its Phoenix Blazing Flames would transform into Nether Ghost Fire!
The Nether Phoenix landed on a colossal phoenix tree. This tree, too, had clearly been dead for a long time. Its thick, massive trunk had long since withered. Chen Xiao, standing on the Yitian Sword, descended to a height less than a thousand meters from the Nether Phoenix. He didn't know if the wind had stopped, but here, he could no longer feel the immense suction of the hurricane. Chen Xiao stopped descending because he felt the Nether Phoenix's sinister gaze lock onto him.
For a moment, Chen Xiao was at a loss, as he sensed immense danger from the Nether Phoenix. Even with his strength, provoking this Nether Phoenix was not a wise choice. But since he was here, Chen Xiao couldn't return empty-handed. "Junior Chen Xiao greets senior! I am passing through your esteemed territory, and I mean no offense..." Since he had been discovered, Chen Xiao no longer thought about hiding and simply greeted the Nether Phoenix.
This greeting proved to be a mistake. The Nether Phoenix, which had been staring intently at him, immediately opened its massive beak and let out a cry! "Li—" The cry was piercingly sharp, causing Chen Xiao's heart to ache, nearly making him fall off the Yitian Sword. And this cry was clearly just the beginning. The Nether Phoenix spread its enormous wings and took flight. It was then that Chen Xiao realized how truly massive this Nether Phoenix was! Its spread wings spanned two to three hundred meters, a truly magnificent sight!
"Li—" The Nether Phoenix cried out and charged towards Chen Xiao. Covering the thousand-meter distance, the Nether Phoenix merely flapped its wings once and was already upon him! "Li—" This Nether Phoenix showed no courtesy to Chen Xiao. Upon meeting, it immediately attacked, letting out a sharp cry and spewing a torrent of Nether Fire towards Chen Xiao.
"Damn you, you dead bird, you don't play by any rules, do you!" This Nether Phoenix's immediate attack with fire ignited Chen Xiao's temper. Relying on his Canglan Sacred Body, he didn't pay much attention to the Nether Fire and, facing the ghost fire, unleashed a punch towards the Nether Phoenix! However, when his punch landed, the force had no effect on the Nether Phoenix. Instead, Chen Xiao was almost burned off the Yitian Sword!
"What the hell?" Chen Xiao was shocked because he discovered that his Canglan Sacred Body couldn't withstand the dead bird's Nether Fire. His eyebrows and hair were nearly singed off, and his body was covered in burns. This was him; if it were an ordinary person, a single breath of Nether Fire would not only take their life but also incinerate their soul. The Nether Phoenix clearly hadn't expected Chen Xiao to survive, and a flicker of confusion appeared in its eyes. However, that confusion was fleeting. If one blast didn't kill him, then another would!
"Li—" With this phoenix cry, another wave of ethereal blue flames surged towards Chen Xiao. This time, Chen Xiao dared not resist directly and quickly steered the Yitian Sword downwards! Chen Xiao flew straight towards the phoenix tree, intending to land on it and fight the Nether Phoenix. After all, his strongest killing blow required the Yitian Sword, and he needed it for flight in the air!
The phoenix tree was truly enormous. Chen Xiao couldn't believe he was seeing such a colossal phoenix tree in a place like Earth. The entire tree was bottomless; Chen Xiao estimated it to be at least ten thousand meters tall, and the top of its trunk was as thick as an entire basketball court. Even the thinnest branch was as thick as five men could embrace. Chen Xiao landed on the top of the trunk, gripping the Yitian Sword, his sharp gaze meeting the swooping Nether Phoenix. "Come on, dead bird, today I'll show you my skills!"