**Chapter 1055: Vermilion Bird Will Projection**
"No, these are two different matters." Huo Rulie waved his hand grandly, then sighed. "Regarding what happened to Ye'er back then, I know in my heart that your master had absolutely no intention of harming him. Moreover, she forcefully withdrew her power the moment she sensed something was amiss. Otherwise, even if Ye'er had survived, not even his corpse would have remained. To say that Ye'er brought it upon himself... that's actually not wrong."
"But Ye'er is my only bloodline. I lost all rationality back then from the shock and blow, and every time I saw Ye'er's condition afterward, I simply couldn't calm down." Huo Rulie shook his head. "Forget it, forget it. Let's not talk about it. In any case, what I did to Mu Bingyun back then was truly despicable of me. It's best that she's recovered now, and now Ye'er is almost better too. When the time comes, I'll find a moment and go to Yin Xue Realm alone, and let those two women... ahem... let your master do whatever she wants—hit me, scold me, just spare my life. I won't utter a single word of complaint."
Huo Ye had been rescued, and Huo Rulie's mood and mindset were completely renewed. Earlier he had been gnashing his teeth in hatred, but now, as long as Huo Ye recovered, he was willing to accept anything. He even started reflecting on his own actions.
"But saving Ye'er is an entirely different matter." Huo Rulie gave his chest a heavy slap. "I, Huo Rulie, will not take back a single word of what I just said."
Huo Rulie's temperament was truly unique. As the headmaster of the Golden Crow Sect, he was making such a heavy promise to a junior—someone he didn't even know well.
"Brother Yun, if you ever encounter a difficult situation in the future, please don't hesitate." Huo Ye also smiled. "My father has always been this way. If this debt of gratitude is not repaid, he will definitely lose sleep over it."
"Alright." Yun Che no longer declined. "Then if I ever face a difficult situation in the future, I certainly won't stand on ceremony with Sect Master Huo."
"Hahaha, that's more like it!" Huo Rulie laughed heartily, then suddenly stopped. He quickly took out a golden Sound Transmission Jade, and his face lit up with excitement.
Seeing this, Huo Poyun quickly asked, "Master, has the Ancient Flood Dragon appeared?"
Huo Rulie clutched the transmission jade and nodded firmly. "Yes! The Ancient Flood Dragon has finally appeared. Its location is only about seven thousand li from here. Poyun, immediately send a soul message to all the elders monitoring the Fire Prison and tell them the Flood Dragon has appeared. Withdraw at full speed!"
"Understood!" Huo Poyun quickly took out his transmission jade, closed his eyes, and transmitted the soul sound.
"I'll contact my master right away." Yun Che simultaneously picked up his Ice Phoenix Inscribed Jade, but Huo Rulie waved his hand. "No need. With your master's strength, she is surely the first to discover the Flood Dragon's appearance. There's no need for others to inform her. She has probably already crushed her transmission jade by now."
"Crush the transmission jade? Why?"
"When battling the Flood Dragon, one must be completely focused. If someone sends a transmission during the fierce fight, even a moment's distraction could bring danger. In the past, the first thing your master did before fighting the Ancient Flood Dragon was to shatter her transmission jade." Huo Rulie explained.
Yun Che nodded. "I see."
She can't be disturbed in the slightest... It seems that even if my master can defeat the Ancient Flood Dragon, it will only be by a narrow margin. Otherwise, why would she go to such lengths?
I hope this time, things will turn out as everyone expects.
Indeed, regarding this hunt for the Flood Dragon, everyone appeared remarkably optimistic—not just the Yan Shen Realm, but Mu Xuanyin as well. This optimism was not unfounded. First, they had almost succeeded last time. Second, Mu Xuanyin's profound strength was now far greater than it had been a thousand years ago. Third, the Ancient Flood Dragon's Dragon Gate had been injured.
Yun Che had no way of knowing how much Mu Xuanyin's profound strength had grown over the past millennium, nor did he know how much the injury to the Dragon Gate had affected the Ancient Flood Dragon... But for some reason, upon learning that the Flood Dragon had finally appeared, instead of the excitement and anticipation he should have felt, a strange sense of restlessness and unease surged within him.
Was it worry for his master's safety?
Yun Che shook his head vigorously, trying to cast aside these unwarranted thoughts. His master had fought the Flood Dragon many times before and had always gained the upper hand. Last time, she had nearly succeeded in killing it. Now, facing a Flood Dragon with a wounded Dragon Gate, her chances were even greater, and the risks even smaller... Even if she failed again, with her strength, retreating unscathed would be a simple matter.
"Ye'er, rest well here." Huo Rulie said. "We will definitely succeed this time! Your injury was ultimately caused by that Flood Dragon. This time, I'll break its bones and make you soup!"
Huo Ye smiled and nodded. "I have a feeling too. This time, we won't fail."
"Hahaha, let's go!"
Huo Rulie directly grabbed Yun Che and Huo Poyun and shot toward the Fire Prison like thunder.
The Burial God Fire Prison, which had been churning since time immemorial, now seemed to have a storm brewing within it. The waves of flame surged more violently, and pillars of fire shot into the sky, burning the very heavens.
At the edge of the Fire Prison stood several dozen elders from the three great Flame God sects. Their expressions were grave, and their red robes billowed as their profound energy swelled, creating a powerful barrier against the heat of the Burial God Fire Prison to prevent the younger disciples behind them from being unable to bear it for long. It also served to block any residual power that might sweep this way if the battle moved northward.
Everyone from the three great Flame God sects who was present had gathered here. Though the number was small—less than a thousand—and they came from different sects, they were all clustered together. At the very edge of the crowd, they stood less than a hundred steps from the Burial God Fire Prison.
"Why are they all gathered together?" Yun Che asked in surprise.
"Haha, you'll find out soon enough." Huo Rulie laughed heartily as he brought the two down quickly, landing at the very front of the crowd.
Yan Wancang, the Vermilion Bird Sect Master, and Yan Juehai, the Phoenix Sect Master, were standing side by side. Behind them were Yan Zhuo and Yan Mingxuan, whom Yun Che had met before in Yin Xue Realm. Further back, the elders and disciples stood in orderly rows, their faces excited, especially the younger disciples, who were about to witness the legendary Ancient Flood Dragon for the first time.
"You're here." Yan Wancang turned around and nodded slowly to the three.
"Sect Master Yan, the Yin Xue Realm King must already be approaching the Ancient Flood Dragon. Let's begin." Yan Juehai said.
Yan Wancang nodded, took a step forward, and silently ignited the Vermilion Bird Flame on his body. Then, a streak of Vermilion Bird Flame suddenly blazed from beneath his feet and rapidly spread toward the Burial God Fire Prison, soon merging into it, connecting with the fire of the prison.
A thin line of fire now linked Yan Wancang's body to the Burial God Fire Prison.
Yan Wancang closed his eyes at that moment. Almost simultaneously, the surrounding sounds died down, and some of the young disciples even held their breath.
What is he doing? Yun Che wondered in surprise, while everyone else's eyes were fixed on Yan Wancang.
This silence lasted for a long time. A full half-hour passed before Yan Wancang suddenly opened his eyes. He raised his left arm, and in the sky diagonally above, a massive profound formation suddenly lit up, covered in dense flames.
Yan Wancang changed his hand gesture, and instantly, the flames within the formation dissipated. The formation now clearly reflected a vast image of a sea of fire.
At the center of the image was a colossal beast floating on the flames, covered in fiery scales!
Its head was enormous, with three forked horns atop it burning with towering flames. Though its face was ferocious and malevolent, one could immediately recognize it as a dragon's head! Its body was thick and sturdy, its claws far longer and thicker than the Flame Dragons Yun Che had seen before. Its tail resembled a giant python, longer than its body. Its entire body was covered in crimson scales, each one reflecting dazzling firelight.
A suffocating aura emanated from the beast in the profound formation's image, startling many of the young disciples into paling with shock.
"So this is... the Ancient Flood Dragon!" Huo Poyun's eyes widened as he muttered softly. "It's exactly as Master described. But it looks far more terrifying."
This colossal beast was indeed the Ancient Flood Dragon—more precisely, the Ancient Flood Dragon at this very moment!
Yun Che was deeply shocked. What is this? A spiritual perception projection? Yan Wancang's profound strength was at the Divine Sovereign Realm, which was indeed formidable. But the Ancient Flood Dragon was a full seven thousand li away. No matter how strong his spiritual perception was, extending it seven thousand li was far too exaggerated... and to be able to manifest it to such a degree was even more unbelievable.
"Sect Master Yan's spiritual perception is actually this powerful?" Yun Che murmured involuntarily.
Huo Poyun turned back and shook his head, explaining, "That's not the case. Brother Yun might not know, but this is actually a special will projection that Sect Master Yan performs using the Vermilion Bird Flame."
"Special... will projection?" Yun Che was even more confused.
"This is a unique soul ability possessed only by those who have the Vermilion Bird Flame and the Vermilion Bird Soul. It allows one to transmit their 'Vermilion Bird Will' through flames to any corner, as long as the flame persists, the will can reach everywhere."
Huo Poyun pointed at the flame connecting Yan Wancang to the Burial God Fire Prison. "Brother Yun, look at that flame. Sect Master Yan's 'Vermilion Bird Will' is transmitted through this flame to the Burial God Fire Prison, and then through the flames of the prison to where the Flood Dragon is, thus projecting everything in that area. Not only images, but even sounds and even approximate auras can be projected."
"..." Yun Che pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, finally understanding a bit. Simply put, the "Vermilion Bird Will" is "conducted" through flames. As long as the flame continues, the conduction can continue... similar in nature to the conduction of lightning.
And since the Burial God Fire Prison was all flames, as long as one's mental energy was strong enough, one could "conduct" it to any corner.
"Unfortunately, the depths of the Burial God Fire Prison are too terrifying. Even with Sect Master Yan's immense strength, his power and mental energy would be incinerated the moment they descend a thousand zhang. Otherwise, not only could we have detected the Ancient Flood Dragon's location earlier, we might even have learned the secrets at the bottom of the fire prison." Huo Poyun sighed regretfully.
Yun Che's brow twitched... Vermilion Bird Will Projection, a unique ability of the Vermilion Bird Flame. Just thinking about it was terrifying. In battle, if one unleashed a vast sea of flames and activated the Vermilion Bird Will, no matter how many enemies there were, as long as they were within the flames, their positions, aura fluctuations, and every move would be crystal clear, as if one had eyes everywhere in the entire flame sea.
Vermilion Bird Flame...
"Master told me that this ability consumes quite a bit of mental energy. And at such a great distance, the mental energy expenditure must be enormous. Even for Sect Master Yan, it probably won't last long." Huo Poyun said in a low voice.
Just then, the atmosphere shifted.
Within the Vermilion Bird projection, the sky above the Ancient Flood Dragon suddenly tore open, revealing a pale blue spatial rift. A white figure appeared like a dream.
"Master!" Sensing the aura, Yun Che quickly looked up, blurting out.
Mu Xuanyin's icy gaze looked down. Before the Ancient Flood Dragon, her figure seemed especially petite. But the moment she appeared, an overwhelming cold majesty instantly suppressed the Flood Dragon's terrifying ferocious aura. The surrounding flames, which had been churning violently, suddenly calmed as if pressed down by the heavens themselves, not a single ripple remaining.