CHAPTER 471: CHAPTER 471 : SETTLING SCORES FROM THE PAST LIFE (2)

"An ambush!"

Zhang Fengxi grabbed Three Realm Spear and shot to his feet, but Wu Shenxia held him back.

"Zhang Fengxi, you are still hurt. Don’t be reckless, let me handle it!"

"Don’t be ridiculous!" Zhang Fengxi snapped at his subordinate. "I pose the highest authority for the Heavenly Empire’s military force. Of course, I have to be there!"

"But..."

Zhang Fengxi did not give Wu Shenxia a chance to defy him further. With an urgent push, he ushered Wu Shenxia toward the gate.

"Go ahead of me, gather all available soldiers who are ready to fight. I am coming as soon as possible."

Wu Shenxia hesitantly nodded.

"Alright. I will be on my way."

Zhang Fengxi ran all the way to the mausoleum, skipping two or three steps with one jump.

His precious babies had just woken up from their nap. As usual, they did not immediately rise from the bed but spent some time cuddling against Xie Jianyu and chatting with each other in a low voice.

"Mingrui, Junjie!"

Both boys turned their heads toward the mausoleum’s entrance and stared at their father in bewilderment.

"Daddy, what happened?" Mingrui blinked several times with his little mouth slightly open.

"I need to leave Fuxi Palace for a while. Do not leave the mausoleum until I return, do you hear me?"

Other than the two boys and Zhang Fengxi himself, only three other people could go in and out of the mausoleum without being burned by his fiery barrier -- Mingyu, Qingyun, and Head Servant Zhou.

Both boys nodded fervently.

"Un!"

"Daddy, be careful!" Xie Junjie cried out.

Zhang Fengxi gave both boys a parting kiss before he rushed to the stall to get Xiao Huang.

His loyal spiritual mount was happy to see him as always. Even happier once he realized that his master was going to take him out for the first time in two months.

"Aooooo!!!"

"We are not going for a walk, Xiao Huang," Zhang Fengxi swung his body atop the spiritual tiger. "Wuyang Palace is in trouble. We need to go there as soon as possible."

Upon hearing his master’s words, the tiger’s spirit drooped slightly. He comforted himself with the thought that he, at least, got to breathe some fresh air outside.

"Let’s go!" Zhang Fengxi shouted, followed by Xiao Huang’s mighty roar.

They cut through the sky and headed straight for Wuyang Palace.

Whoever attacked the wolf clan moved with lightning speed. Thankfully, Zhang Fengxi was faster.

A second signal, clearly shot by Wu Shenxia, barely left the palace when Zhang Fengxi arrived and spotted a horde of demons fighting against the wolf clan members at Wuyang Palace’s half-destroyed gates.

With a practiced flick of his wrist, the Supreme General ripped his spear from its resting place on his back. It sang a deadly song as it emerged, the polished metal catching the sunlight along its thin edge.

A surge of raw power coursed through him, igniting the intricate runes etched along the spear’s shaft. The vibrant red spiritual aura’s pulse intensified gradually until it crackled with energy. Then, with a deafening roar that tore at the very fabric of reality, the aura erupted.

Massive pillars of fire materialized from the spearhead, each one thicker and taller than a grown man. The flames burned with an unnatural intensity, casting grotesque shadows that danced across the fighting figures, demons and heavenly creatures alike.

Panicked cries filled the air as everyone scrambled away from the lethal attack and ran for their lives. All, save for a particular figure who did not move from his spot and looked in Zhang Fengxi’s direction instead.

The demon took the form of a slender man, the upper half of his face veiled by an intricate iron mask.

A glint of steel flashed as the demon effortlessly raised his long sword to meet Zhang Fengxi’s fiery assault. With an inhuman grace, he deflected the attack, sending the colossal pillars of flame careening wildly. In a heartbeat, the inferno slammed into the highest buildings of Wuyang Palace, a horrific spectacle met by the eruption of panicked screams. The acrid scent of burning trees and the desperate cries for help painted a chaotic scene.

"You...!!!"

Fury contorted Zhang Fengxi’s face. He could almost hear the demon’s mocking laughter echoing through the devastation. With a primal roar, he slammed his spear down at his opponent, who met the attack head-on with a resolute clang of his long sword.

The deafening clash of the two forces sent both of them flying backward.

Having not recovered completely from the lightning punishment, Zhang Fengxi had to vomit a mouthful of blood.

His demonic opponent was caught by a burly demon before he slammed against a crumbling wall of the palace. The demon held his masked comrade up and spoke with a gruff voice, "Your Majesty, your bidding has been done. Should we continue destroying the entire clan or take our leave?"

"Don’t even dream of leaving!"

In a blur of motion, Wu Shenxia erupted from the chaos of a nearby fight. Her sword slashed in a deadly arc, aimed at the two demons. With a guttural roar, the larger one met her head-on, slamming a brutal kick into her abdomen.

"Shenxia!!!"

The urge to launch himself skyward and catch Wu Shenxia seized Zhang Fengxi, but a chilling blade pressed against his neck, halting him in his tracks.

"Where do you think you are going?" the masked demon asked him while slowly turning his head to look at Zhang Fengxi.

A knot of confusion tightened in Zhang Fengxi’s chest as he locked eyes with the demon. Only a flicker of darkness was visible through the eyeholes, two bottomless pits devoid of any light or emotion. Though their encounter was undoubtedly a first, a strange sense of familiarity prickled at his skin.

Did he know this demon from somewhere?

"Who are you?" Quick as lightning, Three Realm Spear jumped into Zhang Fengxi’s hand, its long and sharp blade resting against the masked demon’s neck.