Chapter 120: Ruthless wrath of the sect master!

The instant Xue Hongzhao’s divine flame rumbled out, everyone instinctively stepped backward, trembling under the sudden heat of red flames.

"It’s too hot!" Chen Ming yelled, raising both arms to shield his face.

Lin Yuan felt the stinging heat across his body along with the burn of exhaustion. His already exhausted body staggered, his legs quivering against the stone. The temperature inside the dark cave rose to an unbearable level within seconds. The rocky ground under their feet was slowly beginning to glow a dull, lethal red.

Bai Ning’s Frost Fox desperately let out a few layers of ice around itself, but the frost evaporated into steam almost instantly.

"What kind of rage does this flame contain...?" Bai Ning whispered, petrified.

Lin Yuan stared at Xue Hongzhao, his eyes squinting slightly.

’He came back from death, after having his heart crushed...’ Noir’s memories rumbled in pure shock.

Xue Hongzhao slowly lifted his head. The hot flame wrapped around his body like a bright sun. Across from him, the demonic cultivator’s face twisted in anger. The lazy, casual arrogance was replaced by sheer agony and shock.

"You..." Xue Hongzhao grunted, cracking his knuckles. "You killed me once, bastard."

His Phoenix spread its wings wide, letting out a sharp, echoing cry, and he continued. "And you dared to attack my disciples and elders."

The demonic cultivator’s white tiger appeared behind him, its crimson eyes locking onto the shiny phoenix. It let out a loud roar, echoing across the cave. The two large beasts stared at each other, killing intent suffocating the air.

Then, both men lunged at each other. The attack was instantaneous and strong.

Xue Hongzhao’s fist was covered in pure rumbling fire, smashed straight toward the demonic cultivator. The man twisted his body sideways, the flaming fist passing barely an inch beside his cheek. He countered immediately, thrusting his palm forward.

Xue Hongzhao blocked with his other arm. The heavy impact sent him sliding backward across the stone floor, trenching the debris out of the floor.

The demonic cultivator followed immediately toward the sect master. A clawed strike slashed through the air. And followed by a barrage of slashes.

Xue Hongzhao dodged the first two strikes with stiff movements and blocked the third with his elbow.

The golden flames and dark demonic beast essence expeditiously burst out across the cave.

At the same time, the demonic cultivator’s white tiger moved forward and attacked. Its massive claws descended straight toward Xue Hongzhao’s skull with terrifying speed.

The Phoenix interrupted it in mid-air. The two beasts collided again. A strong shockwave blasted outward, throwing everyone off their feet a few paces back.

"Get down!" Chen Ming shouted, grabbing Lin Yuan’s shoulder and frantically dragging him behind a shattered stone cliff.

A massive section of the dark cave ceiling collapsed, rumbling against the ground where they had stood just a second ago.

"Thanks, Chen Ming," Lin Yuan coughed, spatting a bead of blood onto the ground.

Chen Ming panted heavily, clutching his ribs. "Don’t thank me yet!"

Across the cave, Xue Hongzhao and the demonic cultivator were already clashing again. The demonic cultivator moved like a shadow. Every step of his was precise, his movements wasting zero energy.

Xue Hongzhao threw another flaming punch. The man leaned his head away to evade the punch. A kick followed, but he jumped immediately over it. A wave of phoenix flame withered underneath his legs, and he leaped off the cave wall with strong force.

The man’s fist slammed squarely into Xue Hongzhao’s stomach.

Xue Hongzhao’s eyes widened in pain. His body blasted backward through the air. But before his back could slam into the ground, his phoenix swooped underneath, catching him meticulously on its back.

Xue Hongzhao rose to a standing posture, the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He raised his hand, casually smearing the blood away with his sleeve. Then a fierce smile appeared on his face.

"Not bad," Xue Hongzhao groaned, nodding his head.

The demonic cultivator frowned, his eyes darkening.

Xue Hongzhao raised his right hand. The rumbling fire suddenly shifted. It burned brighter, growing thicker, changing its color to pure white. The surrounding ground began to melt into bubbling slag.

The demonic cultivator groaned under his breath, widening his eyes.

"It was the eternal flame..." the man muttered, finally recognizing the power. "So you truly inherited that bloodline."

Xue Hongzhao disappeared, making a loud sound. And after a second, he materialized in front of the demonic cultivator, thrusting a white-hot burning palm straight into his chest. The man crossed both arms in defense frantically.

But, the impact sent him flying backward like a cannonball. He crashed right through a grey stone pillar.

Before he could even rise, the Phoenix descended from above. Its enormous wings flapped down, letting out a raging sea of red fire.

The demonic cultivator’s white tiger roared, pushing its massive body over its master to shield him. The hot flames swallowed both of them whole.

For a few breathless seconds, only the roar of fire filled the cave. Everyone looked at the wrath of the sect master. They are too scared, but they have hope in the name of the sect master.

Then, the scorched white tiger rushed out through the wall of fire. Its dark-white fur was badly burned, but it lunged forward with anger.

Xue Hongzhao clashed with it head-on. His fist slammed squarely into the beast’s jaw, spinning the massive tiger sideways.

At that same second, the demonic cultivator appeared behind Xue Hongzhao like a shadow, his blackened hands surrounded by the claws, piercing forward toward his spine.

Xue Hongzhao pivoted immediately to evade the attack. His hand snapped out, catching the man’s wrist in a tight grip.

The two men stared into each other’s eyes, inches apart for a few seconds.

The demonic cultivator grinned, showing his gritty, yellow teeth. "You should have stayed dead, old man."

"You should have killed me properly," Xue Hongzhao’s smile disappeared, replaced by pure ruthlessness. "You may kill me, but you cannot kill my resolve !"

The eternal flame blasted with a loud sound under him. The demonic cultivator plummeted backward through the air, his dark robe burnt in many spots. The scorched wounds and bruises itched across his body.

Xue Hongzhao gave him no time to breathe. The phoenix shrieked above in a few leaps.

ROOOOOOOOOAR!

Then, the thousands of swirling, flame feathers rained down through the dark cavern.

The demonic cultivator’s face spasmed and filled with pathetic gaze. His White Tiger swatted desperately at the incoming rain of fire.

Every feather that pierced the stone created a molten, burning crater. The demonic cultivator dodged through the storm of fire with frantic steps. One. Two. Three. He avoided nearly every dangerous feather.

But Xue Hongzhao was already waiting for him at the end of his path. A flaming fist smashed into the man’s jaw. The demonic cultivator’s head snapped back.

Another brutal blow slammed into his ribs. And a third strike struck his chest, slamming him rapidly into the wall.

Xue Hongzhao hovered in front of him, rumbling within the divine fire.

"It’s over, bastard," Xue Hongzhao smirked, taking a step forward.

The demonic cultivator slumped against the shattered rock. Then, he suddenly began to laugh.

"Hehehe..."

His wounded white tiger let out a low roar. The demonic aura flickered one last time, terribly rattling the stones.

Still, Xue Hongzhao didn’t take a single step back. His eternal flame burned with sheer resolve as he raised his hand. The phoenix behind him spread its wings wide, preparing to deliver the final strike.

The demonic cultivator looked at the flames.

Then, his gaze suddenly darted sideways, past Xue Hongzhao’s flaming silhouette, and straight toward Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan was barely maintaining his balance near a small rocky cliff, his breathing shallow, his hand gripping Chen Ming’s shoulder for support.

Their eyes locked across the burning cave. The demonic cultivator’s lips slowly curled into a bizarre, grotesque grin.

Suddenly, a raspy voice echoed straight inside Lin Yuan’s mind. "Hahahaha!"

Lin Yuan’s eyes widened in shock and confusion.

"You are an interesting bastard..." The demonic cultivator paused in his mind, his grin widening with weird amusement. "Lin Yuan—"

Then he chuckled, letting out a wheezing, mocking sound.

"Argh..." His eyes blinked once, looking toward Lin Yuan. "Sorry..."

A small, sinister grin appeared on his face. "You are Noir, right?"

Lin Yuan froze, petrified. The whole world seemed to stop. His breathing cracked in his throat. The demonic cultivator looked almost delighted, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"Haha..."

Xue Hongzhao’s eyes suddenly sharpened with cold killing intent. The eternal flame surged across his body. The demonic cultivator turned his head back to face the flames.

He was too late.

Xue Hongzhao brought his hand down without mercy. His phoenix plunged straight down from the ceiling.

"Burn you bastard!" He yelled, commanding his beast.

The dark cave was instantly swallowed in a powerful vortex of eternal flame.

Booooommmm!

The demonic cultivator’s body spasmed against the white-hot inferno. His corrupted white tiger shattered into fragments of beast essence, vanishing into nothingness. The dark, suffocating aura evaporated from the cave.

The divine flames raged for a few more seconds before slowly settling down into flickering embers. Nothing other than scorched, melting flesh remained of the demonic man.

Xue Hongzhao stood before the smoking crater, his chest rising and falling vehemently. His eyes remained locked on the scorched, ensuring that not even a flicker of life endured.

Behind him, Lin Yuan stood still and clueless, his fingers still digging into Chen Ming’s sleeve. His face was pale and blank.

"Lin Yuan, you are hurting me!" Chen Ming clutched Lin Yuan’s fingers.

Lin Yuan apologised and took his hand off. But deep inside his sea of consciousness, a terrifying sentence repeated endlessly, shaking his soul. ’How the hell does he know about me?’

The demonic cultivator knew his true identity from the previous life.