Unsealing Emptiness

Chapter 477: Fight Till Death?!

"... What makes you think the outcome would be any different if you reject me now?"

Ember remained silent, reeling in all the disgust and anger.

Instead of responding to Jidu, she eyed Hakuja, her former master and the person who had abandoned her once in front of the same person.

"So history repeats, huh..." She muttered, looking straight at him.

Hakuja could not meet her eyes.

He had chosen again, to protect his people over her.

It felt as if something was stuck in her throat as she remembered the times this old man used to scold her.

Something was pricking at her heart and her eyes.

The memories of her master blended into the time when he looked on as her cultivation had been stolen by Jidu before.

It was her fault to forget that betrayal so quickly.

The lines between pain and indignation blurred slowly in her heart as the temperature started rising in the surroundings.

The participles in the air burned and quickly turned into ashes.

Jidu almost looked surprised that his offer was rejected again. ’Again?! You bitch dare to defy me a second time?!’

"So you have chosen death!" He shouted, his aura suddenly released as he momentarily forgot about the Celestial Phoenix.

Quick on his feet, Kai unleashed all of his Spiritual Essence as well, focusing solely on Ember.

Hakuja at least had the decency to remain on the side.

Auras of different natures clashed in the air, and Ember’s fire could only exist for so long against the combined effort of a Heavenly Virtue and another Empyrean.

Ember ground her teeth, backing out from the direct clash.

Just as she retreated, Jidu appeared behind her, his palm touched her back and before she could react, an explosive force penetrated her body!

*Boom!*

Ember was sent crashing into the mountain. A cloud of snow quickly engulfed them, but for them, something like this was only a small hindrance to their vision.

That one attack alone had shaken the entire mountain region. If it had happened in the center of a city, no building would survive the impact.

However, before Kai’s lightning bolt struck the same region Ember had fallen in, a shadow quickly flew out of the crater, appearing several meters away.

*Ghrkh!*

The mountain finally fell. It could not survive two such attacks. The surrounding regions felt the impact as well. As if a poorly built building, many peaks slid and shifted.

With blood trailing out of her mouth, Ember stared at Jidu with bloodshot eyes.

She had a chance of escaping if only there were one of them. Once again, she was reminded of Hakuja’s betrayal.

’I was too naive to trust anyone besides myself,’ she thought bitterly but her eyes remained firm.

If she couldn’t escape, she would at least die trying to kill Jidu.

Spiritual Essence gathered around her, she didn’t spare any energy. Soon a giant snake-like dragon formed with reddish fire, gazing down at the world.

’That is my Dragon’s Descent!’

She shouted in her heart as the dragon dived straight down, pinpointing at Jidu.

Jidu, however, was a Heavenly Virtue for a reason. Instead of avoiding the attack, he took it head-on!

His palm struck the head of the fiery dragon, and it resulted in another shockwave!

The snow dust was all swept away, clearing the view.

Tremors soon followed as with each attack, mountains were starting to fall.

This was the true might of an Empyrean!

"Tch!" Ember clicked her tongue, noticing Jidu’s unharmed figure.

Despite bearing the full brunt of the attack, he only looked slightly worn out. She could not even draw a single drop of blood from him.

"I will not die like this!" Ember shouted as her body began to finally transform into her original form, a Dragon!

With elongated horns twisted behind her neck, the tall dragon floated in the sky as the absolute ruler of beings.

Towering over them, Ember gathered Spiritual Essence in her mouth, ready to launch her final attack.

"Bitch!" Kai cursed, preparing himself for the worst. Glancing to his side, he couldn’t help but shout, "You are the weakest Empyrean I have ever come across!" It was evident that he too was disgusted by Hakuja’s passive nature.

Hakuja remained unperturbed at his provocation. The shame of having betrayed his disciple twice was already too much for him, he could not bear to fight her now.

Jidu, on the other hand, focused solely on the giant fire dragon in front of him.

"Do you think I will let you?!" He muttered under his breath after the realization dawned upon him that this attack would hurt even him.

He circulated his aura, a defensive shield materializing in front of him as he also unsheathed the blade he had been carrying all this time.

"GHAA!!"

Shouted the large dragon as the fire beam with crackling lightning shot directly at three down below.

"ZzZz!"

Air split apart and when the light struck the combined attacks of Kai and Jidu, the world seemed to come to a standstill.

For a second, it seemed like time had stopped. Maybe they were all going to wake up from a dream.

And in the next moment, it continued.

A colossal blast shattered the silence, reverberating like a thousand drums!

The explosion roared, shaking the ground with a deafening thunderclap!

Several more mountains fell, all succumbing to the merciless onslaught of supreme beings. As colors came back to the world, the outcome revealed itself slowly.

This was the true might of a wild beastkin who had regained her true form!

Ember had reverted into her human form, her body littered with wounds all over.

On the opposite side, Kai and Jidu appeared haggard as well. With their combined effort, there were little to no injuries.

Ember wasn’t even confident that attack could take down Jidu alone, much less with Kai.

Smiling bitterly, she breathed with difficulty.

"So this is it, huh..." She muttered to herself, a flash of faces appeared in front of her.

"Was that all? I admit you wild beastkin are stronger once you regain your true form. But did you think that would be enough for me, a Heavenly Virtue?!" Jidu shouted in anger again, insulted.

"Pretty brave of you to say that when there are two of you," Ember spat in return. The disgust in her eyes was apparent for anyone to see.

Annoyed, Jidu pushed Kai aside, wanting to deal the finishing blow himself.

’That emotionless brat would not believe that I thought of him too in my death...’ She mused, prepared to lose her life in the next few moments.

She waited with closed eyes, but that final attack never came.

Opening her eyes, she noticed the distracted face of Jidu as he seemed to be looking past her.

’He is annoyed?’ That emotion was so distinctly etched on his face that she could not mistake it for anything else.

Kai and Hakuja seemed to wonder the same thing as her.

The answer came to them in the very next moment as they too felt the massive aura of the Celestial Phoenix!

In the blink of an eye, two massive black wings flapped right behind the bleeding figure of Ember.

From where Jidu stood, it seemed as if Ember had suddenly grown wings.

He realized he had made a mistake. If he had decided to unleash his aura, he should have quickly taken care of her. Now that the Phoenix was involved, things wouldn’t go according to his plans.

"You have an unsightly appearance," rang the voice of the Phoenix behind her.

Holding her hand in pain, Ember smiled. Unlike before, she had the Celestial Phoenix on her side!

"What can I say? I was about to die for your sake. They wanted me to join hands with them and kill you later," she quickly revealed everything, securing Phoenix’s support.

The Phoenix snorted, however, looking down at her, "Do not kid me. I’m no fool."

Her piercing eyes then focused past the three Empyreans and locked in on Jidu, the Heavenly Virtue of Humility.

"I was waiting for you people all this while, and here you were, hiding from me. Do you fear me that much?"

Ember realized then that maybe the Celestial Phoenix knew everything from the beginning.

Narrowing his eyes, Jidu threatened, "The Son of God wants you to submit. The other Celestial Beasts refused, but we have still extended to you this offer. Accept his mercy or-"

"Or what? You will kill me?"

Ember didn’t think it was possible from the Phoenix, but she could distinctly hear the taunt and sarcasm in her tone.

Jidu clenched his fist, "Do not force my hand, you damned beast!"

He was ready to head straight into the battle and show the beast who was stronger among the two of them.

"Do you believe you can do it?" the Phoenix asked calmly, her pressure mounting atop the three people.

Jidu started to weigh his options. If it was him and the Phoenix alone, although he could fight toe to toe with her, killing her wouldn’t be possible unless he was extremely lucky.

Now, however, there were three Empyreans as well. He had two of them on his side, but as things stood, it didn’t seem like they could quickly take care of Ember quickly enough to join him in killing the Phoenix.

Especially so since Hakuja hesitated against his former disciple.

Raising his aura, he dissipated that of the Phoenix and grunted, "Do not mistake my retreat as cowardice!"

"You are foolish to assume I will let you go after threatening me!"

Screeched the Celestial Phoenix, flapping her wings as black flames began to materialize all over.