From the depths of a flame which burned ever brightly fuelled by Li Zimo's demonic phenomena, a foot emerged, a foot that was unburnt.
Everyone in the sect who was spectating the match was stunned.
A cultivator's flame was not a weak flame, it burned with extreme intensity, even a Spiritual awakening cultivator would be left with horrible scars after experiencing that.
After the foot a leg emerged, after the leg, the man.
Feng Zhiming had stepped out from the flame still dripping blood from his mouth.
Four sword which had begun to slightly melt still protruding from him.
Anissa's reverence for the Forgotten one grew even more, this was akin to a miracle, the stab wounds were bearable but it was extremely rare for cultivators to survive being set aflame by the flame of another cultivator.
Even Li Fan if set aflame by someone at his level, despite his bragging about his regenerative abilities, would burn to a crisp.
Feng Zhiming grabbed one of the swords before pulling it out and tossing it at the one who stabbed him, the wound it had caused regenerated instantly.
"There was a legend I heard of long ago."
He began to walk towards Li Zimo while narrating.
"Five heroes went to slay a beast and the beast asked them what made you think you could slay me?"
He threw another one of the swords back, and continued to walk as blood lined his path.
"The heroes answered in unison, because the goddess told us our blades could set any beast aflame and kill it."
He tossed the third sword back, his expression not showing a trace of pain or discomfort.
"If your goddess believed that then why didn't she come to slay me herself, the beast replied."
The fourth sword was jerked out from one of his lungs and thrown at a disciple's face.
"The heroes were stumped, they could not answer."
He put his robe back on, the remaining fighters who had not attacked him merely stood frozen in terror as a red aura engulfed the entire sect.
While everyone else in the ring looked half dead he looked the exact same as he had before the fight.
Anissa felt her heart beating wildly, this was the same presence that she remembered from the bandit camp.
The same feeling that she felt when the Forgotten One had spoken to her, this feeling of gazing upon something ethereal, not of this world.
"The truth is the goddess was a coward who hid behind her stories and lies, she fed the humans to the beast on purpose."
He approached Li Zimo and looked him in the eye, terror clearly taking a hold of him.
"The goddess feared the beast, for the beast was no common creature."
He looked up at Tian Yu, who had his mouth hanging wide open.
"The beast was a creature born to devour the gods, and the goddess was a creature born to be its sustenance."
He gracefully offered his hand to Li Zimo to help him stand up, who took it immediately.
"To satiate the beast's hunger she constantly sent humans who had been tricked to end up as its meal."
Li Zimo respectfully cupped his hands and bowed to Feng Zhiming. He knew now that this had merely been a performance, Feng Zhiming could have ended the battle far quicker.
"But in the end of it all, the goddess could not prevent the inevitable, for the humans were not gods, and only the flesh of gods could satiate the beast."
He turned his gaze to the sky.
"Much like that beast, I am a demonic crow, the demonic crow of the heavens, Feng Zhiming."
Feng Zhiming flew to Tian Yu who looked like death, the two elders who had been so arrogant earlier actually lowered their heads, afraid to face him.
Whispers began to form in the audience.
"Isn't he a true immortal."
"Are you stupid how can a true immortal be an Ethereal Core cultivator?"
One of the gossipers smacked another in the head.
"He could have the spirit of a true immortal and be reincarnated into a human body."
"He looked more like a three legged golden crow when he emerged from that flame." one of the disciples spoke while rubbing his chin.
Qin Hao who was among the audience was proud, he had actually had conversations with Feng Zhiming, he had even been called little brother by him.
Speculation ran wild, names such as true immortal, the undying demonic crow, the heaven devouring crow began to be thrown around.
In the meantime Feng Zhiming stood before Tian Yu, the same as he had in the main hall.
"Respected sect leader Tian Yu, Do you see before you the truth now?."
He put his hand on his shoulder.
"But me and you both know that a lion cannot be king of the jungle while a dragon lives there."
He turned to face the audience and urged Tian Yu to do the same.
He reached his hand out and pointed to all the disciples.
"The truth is they don't know who they fear more at this point, me or you."
He smiled as his grip on Tian Yu's shoulder grew stronger.
"But you know, and I know."
Tian Yu gulped, Feng Zhiming no doubt had the qualifications to be granted the path of the primal demon, someone like him was destined for things far greater than him.
"So I'll ask you once again, would the dog dare to tell me it cannot bark?"