Chapter Twenty-Seven: Heir of the Flame Emperor

At this moment, Hua Feng felt both helpless and amused. He possessed formidable skills, and yet he had fallen into the hands of the man before him. True, the opponent’s cultivation was beyond his own, but he hadn’t even had a chance to fight back before being ambushed—what a miserable fate. So what if the man was a high-ranking Elemental King? Hua Feng was at least a mid-ranked Elemental King himself. In this predicament, his only hope of survival was to risk everything. No matter what, he could not allow Xiao Meng to come to harm, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Silently, he gathered his qi, ready to strike first.

“Onizuka, it’s been a while. How did that laser cannon feel?” Hua Feng remained calm, trying to buy time.

“Boy, you’re a fish in a barrel now. There’s no point in clever words! Surrender quietly, or suffer the consequences!” Onizuka spoke as if victory was already his.

“Hua Feng, stop wasting time with him!” Xiao Meng couldn’t stand the sinister tone in Onizuka’s voice. She shouted at him, “If you want to capture us, aren’t you worried about your own lives? Enough talk—let’s fight!”

“Don’t be rash, Xiao Meng. I saw Bai Feng and the others at the back of the crowd. After we strike with all our strength, we’ll look for a chance to retreat. I was just stalling for time,” Hua Feng explained to Xiao Meng through a secret transmission.

“Alright, we’ll fight together. Hua Feng, I won’t hold you back,” Xiao Meng replied, resolute.

“We’ll make it out. Trust me!”

“In that case, I’ll bring your corpses back to claim my reward from Lord Black Fox. Attack! No mercy!” Onizuka ordered over a thousand Elemental King-level ninjas to attack.

In an instant, an array of weapons flew toward Hua Feng and Xiao Meng at the center of the arena—shuriken, spears, and grenades, all propelled by true qi or sheer force, aiming for their vital points. Bai Feng watched anxiously, but she was too far away and blocked by nearby ninjas who engaged her, leaving her no choice but to worry helplessly.

After some preparation, Hua Feng, inspired by atomic fission in nuclear weapons, compressed his true qi to the limit, then unleashed it in an instant with the power of the five elements. When the balance of compressed true qi broke, it would cause a violent explosion, no less powerful than a small tactical nuke.

With one hand, Hua Feng and Xiao Meng raised a nearly tangible true qi shield; with the other, he released a true qi bomb. “You bastards, taste my new weapon! You’re the first to try it—enjoy!”

After releasing the true qi bomb, Hua Feng grabbed Yun Meng and dashed toward the exit. Bai Feng had just conveyed a message that the ship was waiting; they should retreat at once. Their mission—discovering the mass production of elite fighters at this energy base—was done. As long as they lived, there would always be another chance. Now was not the time to throw everything away.

As he retreated, Hua Feng kept a close watch on his surroundings. Yet, after several seconds, the anticipated explosion did not occur. “A dud! Damn! Move!” he exclaimed, somewhat taken aback, pulling Yun Meng back even faster.

“Hua Feng, have you tested this before?”

“Ahem... no, just theoretical. I guess it needs a bit more work, that’s all!” Hua Feng answered, embarrassed.

“Child’s play! Brothers, with me—kill them, dead or alive!” Onizuka, recovering quickly, drew his blade and charged at Hua Feng with his elite fighters.

Meanwhile, Bai Feng barely managed to hold off about fifty high-ranking Elemental King ninjas. She shouted to Wang Yue and Shuang Ning—who were of little help—“Go! Back to the ship! I can’t hold them much longer!”

Wang Yue knew that by staying, they were only a burden—his lack of strength to blame. “Be careful. Shuang Ning, let’s go!” He reluctantly called for Shuang Ning to withdraw, tossing all his powerful explosives into the ninja ranks as they retreated. The explosion killed and wounded countless ninjas, but even more leapt up from the depths below—by the look of it, over five thousand now.

“Did we just kick a hornet’s nest of ninjas?” Wang Yue muttered.

“Don’t just stand there! If we don’t go now, we’re finished!” Bai Feng bellowed.

At her words, Wang Yue hesitated no longer and quickly retreated. Seeing them go, Bai Feng felt a weight lift from her heart; now she could finally use her true abilities—the power to decompose and reassemble her body with surrounding matter, comparable to the legendary seventy-two transformations.

With a single move, Bai Feng withdrew, vanishing before the ninjas’ eyes. The attackers were left bewildered, unable to find their target, as Bai Feng transformed into a breeze and sped toward Hua Feng. In moments, she had cut through the crowd and reached his side.

Revealing herself, Bai Feng called out, “I’m here to help you. Wang Yue and Shuang Ning have retreated safely!”

“Good. Leave if you must—we can’t all fall here!” Hua Feng relaxed a little at the news, moved by Bai Feng’s willingness to risk everything for them.

Just then, an old man in black robes, who had appeared at Onizuka’s side without anyone noticing, blocked his path and called out, “What a silent spring wind, nurturing all things unseen. Girl, is your master Daoist Linfeng?”

Though the stranger’s question was abrupt and puzzling, Bai Feng remained impassive. “And what if he is? What business is it of yours? Enough talk—show me what you’ve got!”

“Bai Feng, this man’s aura may surpass even the commander’s. Go now, or soon none of us will escape. We’ll hold them off with our lives if we must!” Hua Feng made a swift decision.

“Yes, Bai Feng, you’re stronger than us and your future is limitless. Go! I have no regrets dying alongside Hua Feng,” Xiao Meng had resolved to stay and face death with him.

“I won’t go. Hua Feng, you’re right—this man’s presence marks him as an Elemental Emperor. Our qi is already locked by him; I doubt any of us can escape.” Bai Feng was calm, as if already at peace with life and death.

Hua Feng’s expression was solemn. The situation today clearly could not end well; if they could not live together, then they would die fighting to the last. In the face of an Elemental Emperor, Hua Feng’s will to battle only grew stronger.

“Good lad, you’ve got spirit! The two girls are impressive as well. But as the twenty-third patriarch of the Onizuka clan, I have no intention of killing you. I’d simply like you to join me in some research here,” Onizuka Sounan said, as if everything was under his control.

Hua Feng was about to strike when he was suddenly pulled back by a gentle, flowing power.

A commanding voice rang out, “Did you really think China had no one left, Onizuka old man?” With the voice appeared an old man in white robes—the one who had been secretly watching Hua Feng’s group these past few days.

“Who are you, to address me so?” As he spoke, Onizuka Sounan unleashed the full force of his Elemental Emperor’s aura.

Yet the old man seemed unaffected. With a wave of his hand, a shield enveloped Hua Feng and his companions.

“Shennong is immortal, and the earth nourishes all. I am Jingxin, the twenty-ninth descendant of Emperor Yan of the Shennong clan. Hua Feng is about to become the thirtieth. If you dare harm him, you court death!” As his aura surged skyward, everyone on the field—save for the three protected by the barrier—felt their breath stolen away. Onizuka Sounan, at the very center of the pressure, nearly fell to his knees.

“Elemental... Emperor...” Onizuka Sounan managed to force out, his voice strained.