Demons Reappear, The Wither-Bloom Fire Spirit

"Do you think he can succeed?" Above the churning expanse of magma, Cave Master Moyun asked in a low voice. Taisui flew forward, his gaze fixed on the crimson sunset clouds stretching across a thousand li, an intricate look in his eyes. He did not answer Cave Master Moyun's question directly, asking instead, "Do you want him to succeed?" "I..." Cave Master Moyun moved his lips hesitantly. Ever since stepping into the Land of the Fallen Demon, he had lost much of his former composed demeanor, and at this moment, he felt all the more at a loss. After a long pause, he said in a deep voice, "I don't know. Still, while Demonic Lord Qingyang is somewhat domineering, he at least has bottom lines in how he conducts himself. As long as there is no conflict of interest, he won't target me. So... I'd still prefer he succeeds!" In Cave Master Moyun's view, if Luo Chen managed to subdue that Sky-Burning Fire, which clearly looked formidable, his strength would surely increase by leaps and bounds. That way, during their subsequent journey, their group would have far greater security. Hearing this, Taisui sneered, offering no praise or criticism. Curious, Cave Master Moyun asked, "What about you?" "Success or failure has nothing to do with me, but overall, I hope he fails to subdue the Sky-Burning Fire," Taisui said casually. Cave Master Moyun was perplexed. "Why? Could it be you're afraid he might pose a threat to your true body?" "A mere Core Formation cultivator—no matter how formidable, how could he possibly threaten my true body!" Taisui glanced at Cave Master Moyun with a pointed look before shifting his tone. "I only fear he won't know how to exercise proper restraint, which might affect your ability to break the restrictions for me later." *So that's why.* Cave Master Moyun came to a sudden realization. The reason Taisui had specifically chosen him and Luo Chen was not truly for their combat prowess, but for their superb formation attainments! High-tier formation masters were exceedingly rare. Even in the Northern Sea's cultivation world, famed for its abundance of rogue cultivators, formidable formation masters were almost always held firmly in the grasp of great sects and prominent clans. Meanwhile, though he and Luo Chen were ostensibly artificers known for refining tools and treasures, both actually possessed remarkable proficiency in formations. If Taisui wanted to crack the restrictions and free his true body, he had to rely on the assistance of both himself and Luo Chen. As for whether Luo Chen's strength experienced a massive surge, it mattered little to him. However... *What does he mean by not exercising proper restraint?* Just as Cave Master Moyun was pondering this, a low, sharp warning suddenly sounded in his ear. "Careful, someone is on Vermilion Bird Mountain!" Cave Master Moyun started and looked up. Upon that lifelike mountain shaped like a vermilion bird poised to take flight, a solitary silhouette sat cross-legged. He sat there in utter stillness, a sharp, fierce saber planted beside him. His hands held an incantation seal, and he remained entirely silent. "It's Dao Lan!" With just a single glance, Cave Master Moyun recognized the man's identity, his eyes filling with disbelief. "Didn't he die at the Demon Sovereign's hands?" Taisui offered no explanation for his confusion, his spiritual sense wildly expanding outward with Dao Lan at the center. "There's more than one—two others are there!" "On the two flanking peaks." "No, they aren't human. They are two Tier 3 late-stage great demon kings!" Taisui spoke in a hurried tone, swiftly detailing the positions of the one human and two demons. Cave Master Moyun's face changed drastically. "It's shocking enough that Dao Lan is still alive, but how did he end up mixed up with two great demon kings? What on earth are they doing right now?" Taisui's expression was equally dark. His eyes gazed gloomily toward the towering mountain. Upon the main peak, Dao Lan held the center alone. On the left and right peaks, which resembled wings, stood a colossal giant squid and a golden toad. The three figures made almost no attempt to conceal themselves. Or rather, they could not afford to conceal themselves. "They seem to be joining forces to drive a formation!" After observing for a moment, Cave Master Moyun deduced what the three were doing. Taisui gave a slight nod; he shared the same assessment. Although on the surface Vermilion Bird Mountain showed no obvious alterations, an aura distinct from this place was faintly coursing throughout the mountain. Cave Master Moyun asked cautiously, "Then what should we do?" "Wait!" Taisui murmured. "Wait until Demonic Lord Qingyang ties up loose ends on his side before we make any moves." Cave Master Moyun nodded repeatedly; this decision suited his wishes perfectly. In his eyes, none of those three—one human and two demons—was easy to deal with. Dao Lan was the Myriad Immortals Association's fourth Eight-Star Demon Hunter, possessing terrifying combat prowess. Even back when Ding Yi was still alive, he had been exceedingly wary of Dao Lan, forced to entice him solely with benefits whenever they interacted. As for the other two demon beasts, that colossal squid was unmistakably the legendary giant squid. Though he could not identify the origins of the golden toad, for it to stand alongside Dao Lan and the giant squid meant its capabilities were bound to be just as formidable. In Demonic Lord Qingyang's absence, relying merely on him and Taisui, who could not unleash the full might of Ding Yi's physical body, they stood absolutely no chance against the three. Therefore, waiting was their only choice! *** Atop Vermilion Bird Mountain. Dao Lan sat cross-legged, the magic power within him pouring outward incessantly like flowing water. His aura was thoroughly withered and languid, leaving his face deathly pale. Yet even so, he could not stop his hands, forced to continually channel magic power into the great mountain beneath him. *To think that I, a Saber King of my generation, would be reduced to this. Being made another's puppet is humiliating enough, yet I must also disregard my foundation and drain my magic power just to lay a formation for someone else.* Dao Lan had a Daoist title as well. Because he had been stationed at the Flowing Ocean Defense Line for years, slaughtering demon beasts on a massive scale, he had been flattered by many rogue cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Association with the title of the Demon-Slaughtering Saber King. He rarely used this title under normal circumstances, but compared to his present plight, it tasted exceedingly bitter. A bitter smile hung on Dao Lan's face as his gaze wandered from time to time across this world saturated in blazing light. *Lately in the Blazing Purgatory, volcanoes have been erupting frequently and the earth has been shaking continuously. With such strange occurrences, powerful experts must have entered.* *I only hope they don't come to Vermilion Bird Mountain, or they won't be returning alive.* Dao Lan shook his head and looked toward the crimson cloud hundreds of li away. Within it, wind whipped through clouds, accompanied by a resounding, metallic intent to kill. He remembered that a Tier 4 fire spirit resided there, transformed from a sourceless fire that had advanced to Tier 4. That fire spirit was extraordinarily formidable and held the home-field advantage; even the three of them were unwilling to provoke it lightly. To fight that fire spirit to a standstill, the intruder had to be an overwhelmingly powerful entity! Such a figure would likely not overlook the treasured ground of Vermilion Bird Mountain. Once that person arrived, an intense battle would inevitably ensue. *If he can kill Shark Sovereign Liu Jun, it might resolve my enslavement.* *Yet if he comes here, the first ones he will deal with are the three of us. If he proves too strong, I fear I'll die before anyone else.* Conflicted emotions churned continuously within Dao Lan. The torment in his eyes grew increasingly tangled. Right at this moment, a fierce bark rang out from the adjacent peak. "Dao Lan, don't stop your magic power! If the grand array is interrupted, the Shark Sovereign will surely hold you accountable!" It was that giant squid. A flash of fury flickered through Dao Lan's eyes. Had the beast not held the geographic advantage of the Sunken Sea back then, combined with the Demon Sovereign cutting off his retreat, how could he have ever fallen into captivity? Did this creature truly think so highly of itself? Nevertheless, despite his rage, his body obediently increased its output of magic power. Within Vermilion Bird Mountain, a beam of eerie blue light suddenly intensified, converging toward a certain figure. Had Luo Chen been present to see that figure, he would have instantly recognized his identity. Shark Sovereign Liu Jun! The Tier 4 Demon Sovereign who had broken free from the Arctic Yama Heavens! As wisp after wisp of eerie blue light gathered onto him, his aura grew increasingly profound and enigmatic, and his eyes shone brighter and brighter. Abruptly, his figure came to a halt inside a continuously burning volcanic crater. "Found it!" "After taking over a full year and treading across the Five Elements Heavens, I've finally found you!" Beneath that volcanic crater, endless magma pooled into a vast lake. A single lotus rested quietly upon the magma lake, unfurling five petals of different colors. As the petals stretched outward, the radiant light upon the lotus shifted continuously—shining golden one moment, verdant green the next, and turning blazing scarlet as fiery brilliance swirled across it. Watching this scene, Shark Sovereign Liu Jun's eyes filled with wild joy. *The Five Elements intertwine, pristine in nature and steadfast in life. Planting a golden lotus amid the fire turns one into a deity and immortal!* This rumored Five Elements Lotus Platform was of an even higher quality than he had imagined! "This journey has truly been worth it!" As though venting feelings suppressed for far too long, the remarkably handsome Liu Jun threw back his head and laughed aloud, completely abandoning his composure. Following his laughter, the vast magma lake instantly boiled. The five-colored lotus platform began to slowly sink. "You've even developed spirituality? Think you can flee from me?!" Shark Sovereign Liu Jun's expression changed, and the eerie blue light in his hand immediately surged toward the magma lake. Not only that, with a mere thought, his Nascent Soul domain abruptly expanded! It severed the fire-attribute spiritual energy in the area, attempting to isolate the five-colored lotus platform completely. *** *Boom! Boom!* Amid the thousand-li expanse of crimson clouds, two colossal silhouettes collided violently, sending out endless shockwaves. Looking closely, both possessed the exact same appearance. Even their colors were entirely identical. Both were scarlet Great Pengs! "Your spirituality is indeed remarkable; you can actually borrow the clouds to manifest a form and withstand my attacks." Having transformed into the Heavenly Peng True Form, Luo Chen felt joy rather than alarm. This wisp of Sky-Burning Fire had already developed spirituality. Its strength was definitely no less than that of the Nine Solar Golden Eagle, and with the geographic advantage of this domain, it was even thirty percent more formidable. Unfortunately, its home ground was Luo Chen's home ground as well! Within these thousand li of sunset clouds, the might of Luo Chen's Senluo Fire Prison reached its zenith, no longer restricted to a radius of a hundred zhang; it could extend to a thousand zhang, even five thousand zhang. No matter where the fire spirit of the Sky-Burning Fire fled, Luo Chen followed like a shadow, matching every step. Speed was an absolute disparity between the two! Eventually, realizing it could not escape, the Sky-Burning Fire spirit began clashing head-on with Luo Chen. However, having directly activated his second form and cloaked in Wither-Bloom True Fire, Luo Chen had no fear whatsoever of the Sky-Burning Fire's incineration. After several hundred exchanges, the opponent's decline was already apparent. "Trying to run again?" Seeing the Sky-Burning Fire spirit, still mimicking his Heavenly Peng True Form, spread its wings in an attempt to leave the thousand li of fiery clouds, Luo Chen could not help but smile. "Too bad it's too late!" He urged the Senluo Fire Prison once more, enveloping an area spanning several thousand zhang. Not only that, rattling sounds echoed through the void. Chains flew out from Luo Chen's body, binding the Sky-Burning Fire spirit with thunderous speed. The moment the chains touched its body, the fire spirit panicked. Its form began to shift continuously. From a fire peng it turned into a steed, then took on human features, before transforming into a flood dragon and a giant serpent, truly living up to the ever-shifting nature of clouds. Unfortunately for it, under the spirit-binding might of the Hunyuan Cauldron, no matter how it transformed its true body, it could not break free. The Senluo Fire Prison began to contract continuously, and the nine colossal chains tightened their bind. In the end, the Sky-Burning Fire spirit was forced to reveal its original form! A flame resembling a cluster of red clouds struggled and burned there. Luo Chen observed this with satisfaction; the Hunyuan Cauldron's power was even greater than before. It was especially potent against these incorporeal soul-like spiritual entities. Without even summoning the Hunyuan Cauldron's true body, he had subdued it with such ease. Next, then... Luo Chen opened his mouth and exhaled. A wisp of green flame floated out leisurely, transforming in the void into a one-zhang phantom of a small tree. The small tree stood upright in midair, its roots plunging directly into the flame of the crimson cloud. "A Tier 4 sourceless fire will likely take quite some time to refine." Luo Chen murmured to himself. He sat cross-legged in the void without haste and began circulating his natal cultivation method. Yet as he began using his source true fire to devour the sourceless fire once more, he suddenly discovered that his refinement speed seemed far, far faster than before. "Huh?" "Why is it this effortless? It seems even easier than refining a Tier 3 sourceless fire before?" Luo Chen was thoroughly astonished. While refining the sourceless fire, he sought out the reason behind this transformation. *Is it because the grade of my Wither-Bloom True Fire is growing higher and higher?* *Or am I growing more familiar with the process... or perhaps my natal magic treasure, the Hunyuan Cauldron, is assisting?* Perhaps all these factors played a part. Ultimately, however, Luo Chen discovered the primary cause for the accelerated devouring speed. On the system interface, an entry was shimmering with brilliant light. [Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture: Grandmaster 501/1000] Without him realizing, his natal cultivation method's proficiency had quietly advanced to the Grandmaster tier! Upon noticing this change, Luo Chen was so thrilled that he nearly disrupted the process of devouring the Tier 4 Sky-Burning Fire. Fortunately, he reacted swiftly, reigning in his excitement immediately. Even so, Luo Chen was still overjoyed. The *Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture* was easily the most profound divine technique he had ever learned in his life. Over forty years had passed since he acquired it! Had it been any other cultivation method or spell he had learned in the past, it would have long reached Great Perfection. Yet the progress of the *Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture* had been agonizingly slow. Even though he circulated it day and night without pause, advancing his cultivation to the sixth layer of Core Formation with only a small portion left on the progress bar before reaching the seventh layer, the proficiency of his natal cultivation method had remained stuck at the Perfection tier. Though it had seemed only several dozen proficiency points away from the Grandmaster tier, it had crawled along like a snail. One could easily imagine that the later stages would only grow more difficult; who knew how many years it would take to reach the Great Perfection tier? He had never expected that after stepping into the Blazing Purgatory and repeatedly driving his natal cultivation method to devour sourceless fires with his source true fire, his proficiency would skyrocket. In just a few short months, it had leaped across the Perfection tier to reach the Grandmaster tier. And once it attained this tier, the efficiency of devouring sourceless fires surged by more than a dozen times. *As expected, the ability to devour sourceless fires originates from this technique!* *In fact, this marvelous function was likely intended to manifest only once one cultivates to an advanced depth—namely, the Grandmaster tier.* The Grandmaster tier on the system interface was comparable to what ordinary people called Great Accomplishment! Luo Chen had discovered this marvelous function early on, experimenting with it and putting it into practice ahead of time, which had subsequently caused his proficiency to surge within a short period. "This is truly a double blessing!" Luo Chen smiled freely, intensifying his magic power and hastening the devouring process by another thirty percent. *** Several days later. Luo Chen drifted down slowly from the thousand li of fiery sunset clouds. The aura radiating from him had become increasingly domineering and scorching. As he flew through the void, he felt as natural as a fish swimming in water. It felt as though the Blazing Purgatory was his very home! Just as Luo Chen paused once more upon a low mountain peak, his eyes shining with pleasant surprise, a low shout rang out beside his ear. "Luo Chen, too much is as bad as not enough!" Luo Chen looked thoroughly displeased. "What's the matter?" "You cannot continue like this," Han Zhan's voice echoed again. Luo Chen gave a soft snort. "Why shouldn't I? I can feel that if I continue, my source true fire will undergo a qualitative transformation. Perhaps it will leap past Tier 4 in one go and reach Tier 5!" As he spoke, a small tree veiled in green flames gently swayed its branches within his qi sea, as if echoing his words. Han Zhan fell silent. Watching Luo Chen take another step, flying toward that low peak that potentially concealed a sourceless fire, Han Zhan finally spoke once more. "When that time comes, should I call you Luo Chen, or should I call you the Wither-Bloom Fire Spirit?" *Boom! Boom!* Green flames engulfed his entire body, scorching the void. Luo Chen froze midair as if struck by lightning, his complexion turning exceedingly grim.