Heavenly Fire

She had only just learned the origin of these iridescent clouds from her senior brother. Within the clouds lay the Five Elements Divine Restriction. After the demonic tribulation, the surviving powerhouses of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect had sealed Dishou Mountain around themselves using the power of the mountain-protecting grand array and the Five Elements Divine Restriction to purge the demonic corruption. If the mortal remains of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect patriarchs still endured in this world, they had to be within the Five Elements Divine Restriction! Furthermore, the Five Elements Divine Restriction had already merged into the Dishou Mountain grand array, serving as its most crucial component. The hall that had just been blown apart was originally the entrance to the mountain-protecting grand array. After the Five Elements restrictions were integrated, the entrance was deliberately divided into five jade pavilions, and the Five Phase Tokens were forged as "keys," each corresponding to a direction of the Five Elements Divine Restriction and held separately by the five lineages. Holding a Five Phase Token, each lineage was originally meant to enter only the secluded cultivation abode of their own lineage's patriarch. For instance, holding the Fire Phase Token, they should only have been able to enter the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction. Now, someone had broken through the first transformation, exposing all of the Five Elements Divine Restriction to the outside world. Moreover, judging by the shifting aura deep within the clouds, there seemed to be other unknown repercussions. Back then, the Daoist and Buddhist factions had struck while the powerhouses of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect were sealed. The white-robed Daoist was not privy to the details of that great upheaval. Perhaps forcibly awakening the sealed patriarchs would have wrought dire consequences, or perhaps the Daoists and Buddhists had long known the secret and devised targeted plans to deny them any chance of awakening the patriarchs. Or perhaps the Wuxiang Immortal Sect had sealed their grotto-heaven intending to await the patriarchs refining their demonic thoughts before emerging to take vengeance and revitalize the sect. Regardless, the outcome of that cataclysm was the tragic, indisputable defeat of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, ultimately leading to its annihilation. Had all the patriarchs on the mountain emerged, the outcome likely would not have been so tragic. The white-robed Daoist suspected that some of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect patriarchs had passed away while sealed. The patriarch of the Fire Phase Hall had sealed himself in the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction, one of the five divine restrictions. Though his mortal remains had long turned to dust, supreme treasures were bound to have survived. Before the patriarchs refined their demonic thoughts, the various lineages feared disturbing them and spreading the demonic taint. Unless a patriarch successfully refined the demonic thoughts and sent forth an edict, none dared rashly enter Dishou Mountain. Ten thousand years had passed, far exceeding their life expectancies. The mountain was now home to nothing but withered bones. The sect's records clearly stated that demonic taint had to exist symbiotically with cultivators. It had surely perished alongside the patriarchs' demise, so there was no need to worry on that account. They were not greedy; retrieving the relics of the Fire Phase Hall patriarch would satisfy them. They had not anticipated the sudden turn of events—so many great cultivators had barged in at once, and the Five Elements Divine Restriction was now accessible to all. Whether by coincidence or not, the three who were pursuing one another plunged into the Five Elements Divine Restriction, heading straight for the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction. With treasures at stake, how could the female Daoist not be anxious? The white-robed Daoist remained composed and urged her to be patient. "The Five Elements Divine Restriction is the paramount divine restriction of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, each element possessing world-shaking, formidable might. Even great cultivators will find every step arduous within the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction, let alone while they are locked in ceaseless combat. We will surely overtake them and reach the cave abode first." Hearing her senior brother say this, the female Daoist felt greatly reassured and nodded repeatedly. Once the three had moved far away, while the fierce battle within the tidal mist raged on, the pair dared not delay and hurried into the Five Elements Divine Restriction. *** In truth, Qin Sang knew nothing about the Five Elements Divine Restriction. He had merely sensed the scorching yang-flame qi in that direction and instinctively felt the environment might favor him. He cultivated the *Fire Seed Golden Lotus* and wielded spiritual fire; at the very least, he could adapt faster than Su Zinan and Mo Xingdao. Clouds and haze filled the sky. Lurking beneath the exquisite beauty was deadly peril. At present, he was still on the outer perimeter of the clouds. His surroundings consisted of ordinary Five Elements restrictions. While their power might not be overwhelmingly formidable, the sheer ingenuity of their layout could only be the handiwork of the era's supreme grandmasters of arrays and restrictions! Qin Sang had sharp eyes, and the deeper he ventured, the more alarmed he became. The mutual generation of the Five Elements had been pushed to its absolute limits here, fusing the Five Elements restrictions into a seamless whole. Even the simplest restriction, when placed in the most optimal position, had its power multiplied countless times. Layer upon layer of restrictions interlinked, progressively compounding from the periphery toward the depths. The power of the array escalated by leaps and bounds, forging a magnificent restriction array beyond imagination! At a glance, even Qin Sang could not deduce what kind of anomaly would emerge at the pinnacle of the restrictions. Aided by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, he did not feel strained yet, but that was only temporary. Behind him, Su Zinan and Mo Xingdao trailed far in his wake. Unable to catch up, they were in no hurry. Su Zinan glanced left and right, clicking his tongue. "I wonder which powerhouse of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect designed these Five Elements restrictions. They are remarkably ingenious; advancing further will likely not be easy. Old Devil Zhu deliberately concealed the Five Elements restrictions, presumably intending to use them to hold us up while he claimed the opportunity for himself. Had I known, I wouldn't have let the fellow off so soon!" "It's not too late to go back," Mo Xingdao said flatly. "The struggle between the Daoists and devils is evenly matched. Why spoil it by meddling rashly? It would be best if they kept fighting until the end of time. I refuse to believe the two of us together cannot break through this trial! Besides..." Su Zinan suddenly smiled, jutting his chin forward. "Someone ahead is clearing the path for us." Mo Xingdao gave a slight nod. He had originally been displeased with Su Zinan's stubborn insistence, but now he was glad to let Qin Sang trigger the traps for them. Influenced by the divine restrictions, the aura here was chaotic. It was impossible to tell how far they had flown. Deep within the clouds, Qin Sang stopped abruptly. Beholding the spectacle directly before him, he uttered four words in a low voice: "Yang-Flame Heavenly Fire!" *Whoosh!* Before the words had completely left his lips, a flash of red light swept past him, casting its crimson radiance over his entire body. The crimson light was as dazzling as raging flame, making Qin Sang look as though he were engulfed in fire, turned into a burning man. The source of the light was a massive fireball. The fireball plummeted from the heavens, its surface blazing fiercely while the spiritual fire within was concentrated to the extreme, nearly transforming into pitch-black. Resembling a falling meteorite, the sheer violence of the power contained within was unimaginable. *Boom!* The fireball plunged past Qin Sang and slammed into the sea of fire below, raising surges of crimson flame with enough might to incinerate the heavens. And this was not the only fireball. Ahead of Qin Sang, scarlet clouds blotted out the sky, and subterranean fire surged from below. Heaven and earth had become a domain of flames. Countless fireballs rained down continuously like a meteor shower, endless yang-flame qi circulating incessantly through the expanse. This was the Yang-Flame Heavenly Fire born of the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction. Qin Sang had heard of this heavenly fire; it was an extraordinarily powerful fire-attribute divine restriction. He had seen records of it in ancient texts of Xuantian Palace, but the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction described there lacked both the power and the grandeur of what lay before his eyes. With a moment's thought, Qin Sang understood: this was surely the result of the Five Elements restrictions layering upon one another. Utilizing mutual generation, they had culminated here to an extreme, elevating the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction to a far greater height! From this, one could infer that within the clouds there had to be four other divine restrictions on par with the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction. The differently colored areas outside the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction were the manifestations of those other divine restrictions. The Five Elements Divine Restriction encircled Dishou Mountain; there was no avoiding it regardless of the path chosen. If one did not brave the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction, one would have to brave the others. To ascend Dishou Mountain and find the Wordless Jade Wall, he had to force his way through here!