Chapter Thirty-One: The Four Who Were Shunned

The others were also carefully observing the weaknesses of the Amethyst Flame Azure Ox.

Its hind hooves gradually slowed, then suddenly came to a halt—completely still.

The group assumed it was about to launch a frontal attack, but unexpectedly, its tail shot out, extending, lashing a streak of violet fire straight at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi could never have guessed that the first strike would come from behind.

With a resounding bang, Lin Yi was flung backward, crashing into the barrier behind him.

With a clang, he bounced off the barrier and hit the ground.

“Ow, come on! This ox doesn’t play by the rules.” Lin Yi clutched his lower back, climbed to his feet, spat out a mouthful of blood, and wiped his lips. A patch of violet fire still clung to his stomach; he hastily patted it out.

But before he could even look up, that tail swept toward him again.

Fortunately, Ming Chenyu had been watching closely. He rushed forward and blocked the attack with his Endless Rain Sword.

Lin Yi gave Ming Chenyu a grateful glance. “Thanks.”

With that, he leapt skyward, brandishing the Thunder Serpent Spear high overhead and brought it crashing down. With a peal of thunder, the lightning shot down the spear’s shaft.

A crackling serpent of lightning coiled itself and shot toward the Amethyst Flame Azure Ox.

Yet the beast did not move. It raised its tail and bore the attack head-on.

The two forces collided, neither giving an inch.

Yan Qingye refused to fall behind. With a gentle flick of his Celestial Treasure Fan, a fierce wind arose from the ground.

The wind was as sharp as blades, rampaging forth.

But the ox’s hide was so thick that it was completely unfazed. Instead, the violet flames on its body blazed even stronger, the fire leaping higher.

“Yan Qingye!!”

Lin Yi, still suspended in midair and struggling to suppress the ox’s tail, nearly had his hair singed by the sudden flare.

Yan Qingye sheepishly withdrew his fan, casting a helpless glance at Lin Yi.

Ming Chenyu swiftly recited a spell, bringing his fingers together and gently stroking the Endless Rain Sword.

Immediately, vapor surged from the blade, forming a mist that shrouded the sword, making it impossible to see its true form.

With a low growl from Ming Chenyu, “Rainblade’s Lament!”

The Endless Rain Sword shot into the sky, and rain poured down in torrents, each drop as sharp as a dagger, falling upon the Amethyst Flame Azure Ox.

The rain struck heavily, and as expected, the violet flames weakened considerably, even threatening to extinguish.

Seeing this opening, Lin Yi dodged the tail, followed the momentum downward, and unleashed a bolt of lightning at the weakest spot in the beast’s flames.

The ox let out a pained bellow and charged forward.

Lin Yi steadied himself on its back, swaying with its movement.

Yan Qingye no longer dared to fan the flames—literally. He struck with his fan, slicing sideways to divert the beast’s course.

Feng Qinghe glanced at the Golden Phoenix Feather Fan in his hand, flipped it twice, and poured all his spiritual power into it. “Fiery Trees, Silver Flowers, Endless Night!”

The fan spun above his palm, then suddenly stood upright in the air, erupting in a dazzling blaze.

As if summoned, the flames from the Amethyst Flame Azure Ox surged toward the Golden Phoenix Feather Fan.

By now, the beast’s violet fire was nearly spent.

The group exchanged glances and attacked together.

Two assaulted the head, one covered the tail, and the last thrust at its neck.

Sparks flew as their blows landed in quick succession.

A thread of blood seeped from the ox’s body, and a wisp of spiritual energy escaped.

The Amethyst Flame Azure Ox collapsed completely.

The four looked expectantly toward You Xiyue and Jun Yang, only to see Jun Yang frown with an unchanged expression.

Yan Qingye cautiously leaned toward Lin Yi. “What’s with Senior Jun Yang? Why that look—does he think we were too slow?”

Lin Yi scratched his head. “I didn’t think we were slow…”

The four watched nervously, not daring to move.

Jun Yang spoke to You Xiyue, “Is that thing still edible? Feels like without the Amethyst Flame Spirit, there’s nothing left but tough hide and meat—nothing good.”

What?

Is that what he’s worried about? Three of them felt as if a weight had been lifted, while only Lin Yi looked at the fallen ox and wondered aloud, “That violet flame was edible?”

He sighed in regret, “If I’d known, I’d have just taken a bite.”

Yan Qingye cast a complicated glance at Lin Yi. How had he never noticed this boy was a bit slow?

“Senior Jun Yang means the Amethyst Flame Spirit, not the amethyst fire itself,” Ming Chenyu explained.

“Amethyst Flame Spirit? What’s the difference?” Lin Yi asked, puzzled.

“That fire is generated from the ox’s inner spiritual power. We forced it to release all its energy, converting it entirely into flame, so there’s almost no spiritual energy left inside,” Ming Chenyu patiently explained.

“Of course, you use all your power in a fight—how could anything be left?” Lin Yi still didn’t understand.

Feng Qinghe walked over to the fallen beast and poked a massive hole at the center of its head. “It was a fatal blow—the spiritual energy didn’t even have time to escape.”

The three gathered around to look, feeling both awe and longing. When would they ever become as strong as Senior Jun Yang?

You Xiyue also thought there was nothing left worth eating from the ox, and its corpse was an eyesore.

“Step aside,” You Xiyue said to the four.

They quickly jumped back.

She pointed lightly, and a blaze of blue-violet fire erupted, then instantly contracted to a single point.

When they looked again, the ox’s corpse had vanished without a trace.

“You’ve wasted good ingredients,” Jun Yang said disdainfully, casting an eye over the group. Then he moved closer to You Xiyue and whispered, “Little Ancestor, what are we going to eat?”

Though they were all cultivators, they’d grown used to indulging their appetites daily.

You Xiyue closed her eyes and sent her spiritual sense into her spatial earring.

After a circuit, she finally spotted the Mountain-Devouring Divine Eel resting on an Extreme Frost Stone, still crackling with blue lightning.

She brought it out.

The Mountain-Devouring Divine Eel lived up to its name—a single gulp could swallow a mountain. Its head was enormous, its body less than half the size of its head, its teeth jagged and uneven, and its appearance exceedingly ugly.

When You Xiyue placed it on Phoenix Perch Mountain, it seemed almost to blot out the sun.

Yan Qingye looked up and couldn’t help but grimace. “Something so ugly—can it really taste good?”

Lin Yi, on the other hand, fretted, “How are we supposed to roast something this big?”

Jun Yang could not endure their foolishness any longer. He flew forward, drew his Ancient Azure Dragon Sword, and expertly carved several tender slices from the gill.

As each piece fell, the spiritual energy radiating from it was visible to the naked eye.

Yan Qingye’s eyes widened. “This… this is no less potent than the Extreme Frost Jade Melon!”

Jun Yang had already sheathed his sword and landed, casting a look at the four. “You see? You know nothing, yet you complain about the fish’s looks?”

Yan Qingye scratched his head, embarrassed. Jun Yang continued, “At least the Extreme Frost Jade Melon sits in one place—you want it, you just pick it. But the Mountain-Devouring Divine Eel is different. It’s a master of camouflage, blending into the mountain or drifting among the clouds like a thunderhead. Even finding it is hard.”

Ming Chenyu looked up again. A creature of such size truly didn’t belong in the upper realm.

Lin Yi eagerly rubbed his hands as he approached the fish. His eyes almost popped out. “Senior Jun Yang, how do we roast this?”