The same hospital building, ICU ward floor.
Chu He used his longbow to support himself, sitting heavily on the ground. He wiped his waist with his hand — the waist sash was already tight, and now it was soaked with blood, looking even more shocking. The golden phoenix pattern stood out starkly amidst the stains. He gasped deeply, feeling intense pain where the Vajra Pestle had struck — clearly his internal organs were damaged.
Everyone in the Fifth Division had one soul and two spirits forcibly taken — they were collapsed across the floor like vegetative husks. Shenwan Tiansi lay nearby, barely breathing, unconscious. Chu He silently prayed for five seconds that he was still alive, then pulled out the pure green arrow embedded in his abdomen, the arrow instantly bringing a splash of blood.
This type of arrow was made from phoenix bone — twelve in total, originally drawn from the real phoenix’s skeleton. Back in the great war between gods and demons, Zhou Hui had snapped eleven of them consecutively, catching the last one in midair before it could even fire, preserving it to this day.
Later, Chu He had considered reforging the Pure Green Arrows, but he couldn’t endure the agony of having his bones drawn again, so he never did. Zhou Hui, upon learning this, went out of his way to hunt top-tier demons in the Blood Sea, extracting eleven bones as an offering.
Strictly speaking, their relationship hadn’t yet reached the point of “giving gifts” back then — “tribute” was probably a more appropriate word. Chu He reforged the Pure Green Arrows with these demon bones. Though not as strong as phoenix bones and lacking purification powers, they’d served him until today.
Thinking back, the moment he used demon bones as weapons, he’d already strayed from the Heavenly Dao’s constraints. But why had he accepted Zhou Hui’s gift back then?
Was it because that man staggered over, covered in blood, looking so pitiful? Or was it because his expression, like an idiot showing off treasure, looked ridiculous?
Chu He exhaled sharply, planted the arrow into the ground, and stood up.
— Just then, faint bells rang from outside the hall.
Chu He paused. The bells continued, a sound like trickling water carried on the wind.
The sound was incredibly pleasant, like wind chimes singing on a meadow, birds dancing under the sun, filling the heart with joy and ease. He wanted to look back, but his bones went soft from comfort, and he couldn’t help but fall to his knees.
Then the sunlight vanished, dark clouds gathered, lightning slashed across the sky, and torrential rain poured down. The bells intertwined with the cold lashes of wind and rain, and Chu He struggled to stand, but the mounting pressure crushed him down again. He felt as if the world had become just him, lashed endlessly by the storm, blood spraying with every strike.
Chu He gasped, suddenly realizing — an illusion!
Golden Bell Illusion!
He grabbed the pure green phoenix bone arrow he had just pulled from Shenwan Tiansi and stabbed it into his palm. Pain shot through him, clearing his mind — the illusion peeled away like a receding tide, restoring the ICU’s wreckage-strewn hall. He looked back swiftly — sure enough, four gray silhouettes stood behind him!
He’d seen them before, beside the Demon Lord — without even looking closely, he recognized them: the Four Demon Elders, each of Asura King caliber, wielding golden bells that created heavenly illusions powerful enough to mislead even gods and Buddhas!
Shenwan Tiansi must have fought them desperately before being captured — he hadn’t even had time to call for help. If not for the phoenix bone breaking the illusion, Chu He himself might have died in a puppet state or gone mad, at best ending up in an asylum Zhou Hui would’ve had to lock him in.
Furious, Chu He tried to retreat, but the opponents moved faster — all four hurled their heavy, lantern-sized bells, which clanged midair and transformed into a vast net, dropping down over his head!
“You—”
“Please come with us, Your Majesty the Phoenix King,” the lead demon elder said coldly. “We will take you back to the Hell Path. Our interference in the human world is solely for this purpose.”
Chu He crashed to the floor, the golden net enveloping him, sinking invisibly into his body. The gray-clad men knew he was already a spent force, virtually powerless, so they advanced without fear, reaching to seize his wrists.
“The Demon Lord awaits you in the Blood Sea…”
Chu He grabbed one of them with each hand, staggering to his feet, roaring: “If Fan Luo wants to see me, let him come himself! Who the hell are you?!”
He stretched his hand into the air — a distant spear shot up from the rubble, straight into his grip. With a sweeping motion, he blasted two gray-cloaked men away!
The Asura Kings in the “Four Evil Paths” ranked high, and being insulted like that was unheard of. The remaining two attacked, sneering: “Your Majesty, the Demon Lord wanted you alive — but didn’t say you had to be intact. You’re not the same with your true body gone. Still feeling tough?”
Blood flowed from Chu He’s ears — he couldn’t even hear them clearly. But then the gray figures reached out, making a fierce grabbing motion —
The golden net embedded in his body abruptly tightened!
Chu He let out a silent scream, the pain nearly driving him mad. He grabbed the spear and, in a violent swing, cleaved the nearest gray figure from shoulder to upper arm!
—Bells chimed from deep within his body. In the explosion of blood, Chu He’s mind suddenly blurred.
It was as if he shifted from reality to illusion — the shattered hospital, the enemies, all gone. There was no more pain — the blood from his slash resembled red ink on canvas, dissolving into patches, revealing endless white light.
—Am I dead?
Chu He stood on open ground, raising his head as a vast, distant wind howled past.
“Your Majesty the Phoenix King,” a cautious voice sounded behind him, “what are you doing here?”
Chu He turned around, his gaze unfocused, gradually sharpening — behind him stood the towering, golden, radiant Buddha Hall of the Thirty-Third Heaven, with a clear-eyed young monk on the steps, bowing respectfully.
He reflexively asked, “Where is Zhou Hui?”
“Zhou Hui? Who’s that?” the little monk looked puzzled. “You just finished reciting sutras in the Buddha Hall and stopped here. Did you have an epiphany?”
“…No… no,” Chu He muttered, shaking his head.
He raised his hand, inspecting it, vaguely recalling a dire situation — but his mind swam whenever he tried to think.
Then a bestial roar echoed from the back of the temple, sharp and tragic despite the distance. After dozens of seconds of howling, a deafening metallic crash resounded, shaking the ground.
“…What’s that sound?”
The monk looked confused. “You don’t know, Your Majesty? The Buddha is preaching in the Blood Sea to enlighten demons, and all bowed — except one lowly beast who refused. As punishment, it was captured and brought to the Thirty-Third Heaven, where its heart will be taken and bones refined as a warning.”
The monk chuckled softly: “It’s defiant still, even under torture, and imprisoned beneath the Vajra Bell. That sound you hear is it smashing against the bell.”
Another rumble shook the temple faintly.
Phoenix King frowned. “What kind of beast is it?”
The monk looked uneasy: “I… don’t know.”
Suddenly, he felt a breeze — Phoenix King brushed past him toward the back hall.
His long hair trailed over his white robes, lotus fragrance faintly wafting from his sleeves. His slender form and his shadow cast on the temple’s golden bricks were so mesmerizing that the monk held his breath unconsciously.
In the back hall, incense smoke swirled. A massive Vajra Bell stood in the center, with roaring and thrashing coming from beneath.
This bell tolled ninety-nine times every four hours, each strike enough to grind anything inside into dust. Traditionally, monks guilty of grave sins were sealed inside — even those with indestructible bodies would be crushed eventually.
Phoenix King lifted the bell.
Beneath it was a great iron cage, inside of which crouched a towering beast over nine feet tall.
It looked like a lion crossed with a tiger, riddled with rot, with bones exposed from its struggles. Its mane was fouled with stinking flesh, and from biting itself, its fangs were caked with dark, dried meat. Yet its green eyes glowed with a chilling light as it snarled at Phoenix King.
He gazed down and asked, “Why don’t you kneel?”
The beast roared furiously, smashing into the cage!
Its fangs came within inches of Phoenix King’s lashes, yet he didn’t flinch. He repeated, “Why don’t you kneel?”
The beast glared, breathing heavily, then rasped hoarsely: “Why should I kneel to you?”
Phoenix said, “Not me. Why not before the Buddha in the Blood Sea?”
They stared at each other. At length, the beast sat back, defiant: “I don’t believe in the Heavenly Way. Why kneel?”
“If you don’t, you’ll die — soul scattered, never reincarnated. Still don’t believe?”
“I don’t.”
Phoenix King stared silently, then stretched out his hand — the iron cage crumbled away.
The beast stood, stunned, took a few steps, then halted warily, suspecting some trick. But Phoenix King gave no explanation — he turned to leave, saying: “Go.”
“…Why?” The beast growled. “Why let me go?”
Phoenix King didn’t look back. His white robes flowed like blooming lotus with each step, descending the jade stairs that stretched endlessly into the horizon. Beyond lay splendid temples reaching the skies, veiled in clouds.
“No reason,” his voice drifted on the wind. “Just go.”
The beast watched his receding figure in a daze, then suddenly sprang forward, charging down, blood and flesh flinging with every stride.
Like a black meteor, it soared, and Phoenix King turned, raised a hand to block — but the beast broke through the barrier with lightning speed, landing right in front of him.
“Wait—”
·
In the hospital, all four golden bells rang simultaneously. Chu He clutched his head in agony, but it was useless. In his daze, the last image before his eyes was of the beast descending from the sky, its fangs glinting coldly, shooting straight for his throat like an arrow—
Chu He’s pupils shrank. In a frenzy, he grabbed the Pure Azure Bone Arrow and stabbed forward with all his might!
—Splurt!
Blood splattered before him. Zhou Hui gritted his teeth and caught the Pure Azure Arrow, barely preventing it from piercing his right rib.
He grabbed Chu He’s wrist, applying just enough force to hold it steady without breaking bones, slowly pulling the arrow out of his side, blood and flesh trailing along. Chu He, barely conscious, staggered forward a step before Zhou Hui struck the back of his neck, knocking him out cold and catching him in his arms.
“How many years has it been since you threw yourself into my arms like this?” Zhou Hui muttered, pressing a hand to his bleeding side and hissing in pain. He turned a cold gaze on the four grey-robed Asura, his voice like an icy blade: “For this alone, I’ll let you die quickly today.”
The four exchanged glances under their hoods, clearly reluctant to confront Zhou Hui head-on, and all retreated swiftly—yet Zhou Hui vanished from his spot, reappearing instantly behind the fastest one.
Expressionless, like death incarnate, he swung his blade in a horizontal slash while still cradling Chu He in one arm.
In a flash of blinding white, the Asura was sliced clean in half at the waist!
Half of the body flew into the air, splashing black fluid, and crashed to the ground. From the split abdomen, countless thick serpents gushed out, igniting the moment they touched air with a cacophony of screeches.
“Boss Zhou—!” the remaining three Asura shouted, aghast. One of them shook the golden bell desperately, shrieking, “We only wanted to take the Phoenix King! Are you declaring war against the Hell Realm?!”
Before he finished, he felt a sudden chill around his neck.
He sensed himself lifting off the ground but caught, from the corner of his eye, the sight of his own body still lying below. The next second, his head thudded against the wall and rolled lifelessly to the floor, mouth gaping but making no sound.
The remaining two Asura were utterly stunned by Zhou Hui’s ruthless ferocity. Coming to their senses, they shook their bells frantically. The heavy demonic bells chimed loudly, deadly soundwaves filling every inch of the hall, but Zhou Hui remained utterly unfazed.
“Using demonic tricks against me?” he sneered. “You’ve got the wrong opponent.”
As he stepped forward, his entire frame swelled, bones stretching and reshaping silently into a monstrous form—a giant black beast, part lion, part tiger, its shoulders nearly brushing the ceiling, eyes glowing with venomous green light like a serpent’s.
“Back when I was courting the Phoenix King,” the beast growled, “I humbled myself day and night outside the 33 Heavens, terrified of taking even a step away. But now your demon lord thinks he can summon and dismiss him at will and even thinks he can cuckold me?”
It bared its chilling fangs, glaring down at the two remaining Asura. “Utter fools. I must’ve been a damn fool too for once considering him a rival.”
The Asura turned to flee, but before they could move far, the black beast pounced and ripped off one’s scalp and skull in one swipe!
The corpse swayed and collapsed amid sprays of black blood, brain matter oozing from every orifice. The last Asura, knowing he stood no chance, charged desperately, but the beast let out an earth-shaking roar and slammed him headfirst into the floor!
Its massive claw pressed down, cracking the reinforced concrete floor for ten meters around. The Asura screamed and struggled but couldn’t escape the overwhelming force. His severed arm spurted black blood again, splashing the walls and floor with gruesome pools.
Zhou Hui squinted his bestial eyes, his expression twisted and ferocious.
“Go tell your demon lord,” he growled between his fangs, “that I only deal with him because Heaven pays me to. If he doesn’t want to die for real, he’d better stay away from the Phoenix King. Go on—deliver that message word for word.”
He released his claw. The Asura stumbled up, not daring to glance back, and fled to the corridor’s end, leaping out the window.
A massive hell gate appeared mid-air, creaking open with wails of the damned. Countless skeletal hands reached out, but as the Asura fell into the crack, the gate slammed shut, vanishing with a distant, mournful horn.
The beast stared after him, then gently laid Chu He on the ground, sniffing at his neck.
Chu He was unconscious, face pale, brow faintly furrowed in pain, his breathing shallow and cold. His body looked unnaturally soft in the dim light.
The beast nudged him gently, getting no response.
It suddenly remembered the first time it saw the Phoenix King, how lofty and untouchable he was, like a flower blooming on the clouds. Meanwhile, it was nothing but a lowly, savage creature crawling in the dirt, forced to accept pity and scraps.
But now, everything was reversed.
Thousands of years had made it one of the strongest beings in all realms, terrifying to gods and demons alike, forcing even Heaven to repeatedly compromise.
Now it could touch this flower on the clouds, devour him, torment him, pluck and destroy him—and no one could stop it.
Perhaps because its demonic nature was harder to restrain, Zhou Hui felt his blood boil with excitement, his entire body tensing involuntarily. His breathing grew heavy as he pressed his nose eagerly to Chu He’s neck, shoulder, and chest. The scent of blood made him restless, but the deeper craving was undeniable.
