A giant golden firebird burst out of the cave, its wingspan reaching ten zhang, and flew towards the southeast of the Dead Spirit Mountain.
Contrary to expectations, a large silver net fell from the sky and enveloped the firebird.
The firebird roared, its wings flapping rapidly, and a surge of dark fire rushed madly toward the falling net.
That Yin Fire was a combination of the endless death energy from the Dead Spirit Mountain and its own flames.
Driven by its wings, it unleashed terrifying power like a tornado, engulfing an area of hundreds of feet in gloomy flames.
Fortunately, those around were aware of the situation and had already taken cover, thus preventing any casualties.
The powerful yin fire knocked the large net away, and the Zhurong bird continued to soar into the sky, seemingly poised to escape.
Lan Hua now understands why the Firebird was able to hide in the underground cave intermittently.
The Zhurong Bird, which had already absorbed enough death energy, had consumed most of it with that attack.
Otherwise, even if the Zhurong bird escaped back to the cave, it would not be able to withstand the strong death energy within.
The clever Zhurong bird was also trying to break through the encirclement of the crowd by taking advantage of the powerful death energy.
The old man in Confucian robes snorted, "You're using this trick again. Where do you think you can run now?"
With his right hand forming a sword shape, he pointed it out and unleashed a stunning sword beam that seemed to pierce through the void, causing the Zhurong bird to freeze in mid-air.
Then the sword light slashed down diagonally, blocking the Zhu Rong bird's escape route, causing the bird to come to an abrupt stop in mid-air before flying north.
However, a huge yin-yang symbol suddenly appeared in front of it, blocking its escape route once again.
The one who made the move was the old Taoist priest. He was calm and composed, and his every move exuded an air of otherworldly elegance.
The Zhurong bird let out an angry cry, extremely furious. If it weren't for the two powerful figures blocking its way, it would have already broken through the encirclement.
"Damn humans, trying to control my spirit! Don't even think about it! I'll fight you to the death!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Zhurong bird changed direction again and rushed towards the old man in fine clothes in mid-air, followed by a terrifying burst of yin fire.
The old man in fine clothes snorted coldly, his sword finger transformed into a palm, and he struck out with a purple palm force that blocked the Yin Fire.
However, the yin fire was too powerful, and a wisp still managed to escape, almost setting the old man in fine clothes on fire.
"Hmph, I didn't expect that even with the death energy of Mount Necropolis protecting you, you'd still be so strong!"
The Zhurong bird angrily said, "I have already reached the Yuanxiang Realm, and in a little while I will be able to ascend to the Heavenly Realm."
"If I hadn't fallen for your scheme and ended up in this predicament, I could have easily wiped you two out with a single hand, you mere late-stage Refinement Spirit Realm cultivators!"
After saying this, the Zhurong bird started fighting with the old man in Confucian robes again, and the Yin fire kept flowing everywhere, which frightened everyone into retreating.
Although there were many people on the field, only the two old men present could control the Zhurong bird.
The old Taoist priest did not make a move. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking like he was watching a show, with a strange glint in his eyes.
Although Confucianism and Taoism are on good terms, they still compete for interests.
Soon, the balance of power shifted, and the old man in Confucian robes gained the upper hand.
Suddenly, countless characters appeared in mid-air, transforming into a huge purple tome, radiating a holy aura.
The giant book pressed down on the Zhurong bird, forcing it to retreat repeatedly.
Lan Hua was taken aback, not only by the original strength of the Zhu Rong bird, but also by the cultivation level of the two old men.
"Brother Zhou, who are those two old men? Why are they so powerful?"
Zhou Jin gave Lan Hua another disdainful look, then said, "The one fighting is the head of the scribes of Haoran Prefecture, named Wang Sheng'en, a man of high status!"
"The Bookkeeper? What's that?" Lan Hua asked curiously.
Zhou Jin almost rolled his eyes and said, "Haoran Prefecture is the head of the Confucian school in the Half-Heaven Realm. The prefecture has six departments: the Department of Rites, the Department of Music, the Department of Archery, the Department of Charioteering, the Department of Writing, and the Department of Mathematics. The heads of each department are only second to the prefecture lord in strength!"
Lan Hua suddenly realized that the Six Offices should be in charge of the Six Arts of Confucianism.
"Where is that old Taoist priest?"
Zhou Jin said, "He is the Ninth Peak Master of the Xuandao Sect, with the Daoist name Chen Jiu. The Xuandao Sect has nine peaks, and each peak has a peak master. He is very powerful and on par with the heads of various departments of the Haoran Prefecture!"
Lan Hua said, "I see."
"Brother Zhou, representatives from both the Confucian and Taoist schools have stepped forward, so why is Wanfo Temple absent?"
Zhou Jin glanced at Lan Hua and scoffed, "How would I know!"
After saying that, he ran to the other side on his sword, keeping a good distance from Lan Hua.
"It's just a question, why are you being so petty!"
Suddenly, the suppressed Zhurong bird erupted with even stronger Yin fire, transforming into countless flames resembling the Zhurong bird that rushed in all directions.
"ah…"
Many of the weak were struck by the Yin Fire, screaming in agony. Unexpectedly, the Zhu Rong Bird was willing to sacrifice its divine soul power in order to break through.
The powerful blow blasted a large hole in the giant book in mid-air, and some of the Yin Fire also rushed towards the old Taoist Chen Jiu.
Chen Jiu drew circles with both hands, and a Tai Chi barrier appeared around his body. The barrier circulated and blocked all the Yin Fire.
"Hmm? Something's not right!"
The old Taoist priest sensed something amiss, because he discovered that among the countless yin flames, one flame was not simple and looked like a spirit.
"Could it be that it is also part of the spirit of the Zhurong Bird?"
Wang Shengen also noticed something amiss and muttered to himself.
"It doesn't seem like it. The spirit of the Zhurong Bird is right in front of us. There's no mistake. Let's capture it first!"
Chen Jiu had the same idea. With a wave of his right hand, a whisk appeared in his palm.
With a wave of his hand, a massive purple light shot towards the Zhurong Bird.
He had spent too much time in the Dead Mountain and was unwilling to stay any longer, fearing that things might change if he lingered.
As countless ghostly flames, resembling the mythical bird Zhurong, surged outwards, Lan Hua also noticed the anomaly.
He possessed the extraordinary ability to see a thousand miles, and he could tell that one of the yin flames was indeed a spirit enveloped in flames.
"Hmm? Could it be a part of the spirit that Zhurong Bird separated from itself, trying to take the opportunity to escape?"
"Never mind that, let's chase after them and see!"
Just as Lan Hua made her move, two figures rushed toward the spirit.
The two were extremely fast, both being young people with the cultivation level of the Danxia Realm.
One of them was the young man in white who had previously guided Lan Hua.
The other person was dressed in blue casual clothes, but had a Tai Chi symbol hanging from his waist, suggesting he was a Taoist.
"I've heard that Confucianism has a cultivation method that can develop the Dharma Eye, while Taoism can develop the Heavenly Eye. Could it be that they discovered it through this method?"
Lan Hua soared into the sky, summoned an invisibility talisman, concealed her aura, and followed the two from a distance.
He believed that with those two people present, the spirit wouldn't be able to escape so easily.
The three chased the yin fire for a long time before finally intercepting it, revealing the true nature of the yin fire.
It was indeed a Zhurong bird, but its wingspan was only five zhang (approximately 10 meters), suggesting it was a newly grown bird.
The two men, one from the Confucian school and the other from the Taoist school, sandwiched the Zhurong bird between them.
The man in white smiled slightly and said, "I didn't expect that Pan Wen, the genius of the Xuandao Sect and a successor of the Daoist school, would also be interested in this Zhurong Bird!"
Pan Wen laughed and said, "Isn't Wang Tianyi, the number one young talent of Haoran Prefecture and the successor personally chosen by the Prefecture Master, also interested in the Zhurong Bird?"
Lan Hua hid behind a mountain peak and muttered to herself, "Damn it."
I didn't expect those two to have such powerful backgrounds. No wonder they both have the cultivation level of the late Danxia Realm, or even the peak cultivation level.
"Amitabha!"
Suddenly, a chanting of Buddhist prayers came from the ground, attracting everyone's attention.
A young monk walked slowly from afar, but he arrived at the foot of the Zhurong bird in just a few steps.
"The supernatural powers of Buddhism are indeed formidable!" Lan Hua exclaimed inwardly.
Pan Wen and Wang Tianyi were both shocked. "Yuan Xin, the young successor of Wanfo Temple, is actually here to snatch the Zhurong Bird?"
"Damn it, the old monk from Wanfo Temple didn't come, but the little monk did!" Lan Hua thought to himself.
Yuanxin smiled slightly, "This humble monk is merely helping it reach the Pure Land!"
"Go to hell with your paradise! Go if you want, don't drag me down!" the Zhurong bird in the sky roared.
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