Chapter 1058: No Way to Seek Help
After traveling through the depths of the Fire Prison for two hours, he returned at full speed, reaching the northern shore of the Fire Prison in just one and a half hours.
However, the spot where he leaped out of the Fire Prison was more than three hundred miles off from where he had entered. In his frantic haste, Yun Che quickly determined his position and, without pausing for even a moment, rushed forward with all his remaining strength.
Rumble... rumble...
Distant rumbling sounds continuously came from the far south, as dull as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth was sinking. The surging of the Fire Prison did not cease for an instant.
Mu Xuanyin's fierce battle with the ancient Flood Dragon had already lasted over four hours. For everyone witnessing this through the Vermilion Bird projection, every moment of these four-plus hours was earth-shattering.
Yan Wancang was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Sustaining the Vermilion Bird's will over such a long distance and for such an extended time, even as the strongest in the Flame God Realm, he was already greatly exhausted and weary. But his eyes revealed a deepening excitement.
Yan Juehai, Huo Rulie, and everyone else felt the same...
And it was an unprecedented excitement!
In the Vermilion Bird projection, Mu Xuanyin's aura had weakened by nearly half, but the icy majesty radiating from her had not diminished in the slightest. Her snow-white garment remained as spotless as a lotus flower.
The ancient Flood Dragon, in contrast, was in a miserable state, covered in blood. It roared and howled incessantly, but was completely trapped under the might of the Ice Phoenix. With each breath, countless shards of ice exploded on its body, leaving it almost entirely without the power to counterattack.
Boom!!
The ancient Flood Dragon shattered the ice seal, its body rolling up a sky-covering dragon flame that instantly engulfed Mu Xuanyin. Its serpentine body rose from the Fire Prison, and its claws locked onto Mu Xuanyin's aura, slashing down through the air. Where the claws struck, flames blazed to the heavens, and at the center of the flames was a terrifying pitch-black void... a spatial black hole formed by the burning and destruction.
Boom!!!
"Waaaah!!!"
A sky-shaking scream erupted from the northern shore of the Fire Prison. The Vermilion Bird projection instantly turned into a sea of crimson flames, leaving nothing else visible. But before the terrified cries fully subsided, everyone suddenly saw a streak of icy blue light piercing through the red image.
Like a falling meteor from the heavens, it instantly sliced through the flame inferno that the ancient Flood Dragon had unleashed with all its might. Then it struck the dragon's claw... paused briefly before piercing through, sending dragon blood spattering through the air.
The moment the dragon blood scattered, it transformed into a raging dragon flame.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
The ancient Flood Dragon howled in agony. Meanwhile, the sky-covering dragon flames it had summoned turned into a violent storm, forcing the Flood Dragon step by step into an icy abyss.
"Excellent!"
The three Flame God Sect Masters shouted in unison.
Piercing through the dragon's claw... this clearly meant that the ancient Flood Dragon's protective dragon power, under repeated assaults, was on the verge of complete collapse.
"Legend has it that reaching the supreme realm of Divine Lord, even the smallest advancement is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Even with extraordinary talent, it requires long years. But Yinxue Realm King's power grows significantly every millennium. This time... I wonder what opportunity she encountered in the past thousand years to become this strong," Yan Juehai exclaimed in admiration.
Yan Wancang stared at the Vermilion Bird projection and slowly said, "Yinxue Realm King's current strength may have already surpassed more than half of the... Upper Realm Kings."
This statement left everyone stunned into silence for a long time.
"Among the ruling sects of the upper star realms in the Eastern Divine Region, most inherit the bloodlines of human gods. As for us, who inherit the bloodlines of beast gods, the compatibility between bloodline and power can never compare to those inheriting human god powers. Hence, we are mostly confined to middle and lower star realms. That Yinxue Realm King, also inheriting the bloodline and power of a beast god, can reach such heights is truly admirable."
"The grievances from a thousand years ago; our decision to ultimately swallow our pride was indeed the correct choice," Yan Juehai sighed.
"Forget the past!" Huo Rulie waved his hand grandly, face flushed, eyes gleaming with excitement, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "I was worried when that dragon's wound healed, but now it seems hunting this dragon is a certainty, without fail!"
"Poyun!" Huo Rulie suddenly slapped Huo Poyun hard on the shoulder, took a deep breath to calm his excitement, and then said with utmost solemnity, "The path is almost paved for you. But how far you go depends entirely on you. You've seen the power of the Divine Lord realm today... If you can break into the top thousand in the Profound God Convention and cultivate in the Zhou Tian Pearl for three thousand years, with your talent, as long as you don't slack off, you have a chance to reach the Divine Lord realm! Then not only you, but the future status and fate of our Flame God Realm will change because of you."
Huo Rulie had said similar things to Huo Poyun many times, but this time it carried immense weight and solemnity... because before it was just hope, but now it was within reach.
Huo Poyun nodded firmly, his eyes resolute: "Master and two Sect Masters, rest assured. I swear here: as long as I draw breath, I will never betray the Flame God!"
"Good!" Yan Wancang nodded. "Poyun, with those words, even if we must sacrifice our power and lifespan, or even our very lives to fulfill you, we will have no regrets!"
Although the three ruling sects each had their own lineage and usually competed and balanced each other, when it came to the honor and future of the Flame God Realm, they were absolutely united without a hint of dissent... even though Huo Poyun was not a disciple of their sect.
"If after the Zhou Tian Pearl our Flame God Realm truly produces a Divine Lord, then I would die without regrets," Yan Juehai said with a smile, but then added solemnly, "But all this is predicated on entering the top thousand in the Profound God Convention. Poyun, how you should conduct yourself before the Profound God Convention... I believe you will not disappoint us."
Huo Poyun nodded heavily again. After a moment, his gaze began to wander, and he couldn't help saying, "Master, I should go look for Brother Yun. He's been gone so long and hasn't returned. What if something unexpected happens..."
"Don't bother," Huo Rulie waved his hand dismissively. "This place is empty except for us. What could happen? Even if something did, that kid would have called for help long ago. He practices ice-type profound arts; he can't stand the heat here. And he's already seen the dragon. Whether we can hunt it or not has nothing to do with him, so he probably doesn't care. Right now, he's likely hiding far away taking a nap."
"At this rate," Huo Rulie turned his gaze to the Vermilion Bird projection, "I dare say within half an hour, this dragon will definitely kick the bucket. It would be a huge loss to miss out, hahaha!"
Thinking of soon obtaining the corpse of the ancient Flood Dragon, Huo Rulie laughed excitedly. But then his eyes widened as he looked to the west: "Huh? Isn't that Yun kid coming back? And by the looks of it, he seems to be running as if something is chasing him."
"Patriarch Yan!!"
Before Yun Che's figure appeared, his hoarse shout came from afar, drawing everyone's attention.
Whoosh!
With a loud whoosh, Yun Che crashed down from the sky like a storm. In his haste, he lost his footing and stumbled, nearly tumbling to the ground in front of Yan Wancang. Before he could even stand up, he shouted frantically, "Patriarch Yan, your Vermilion Bird's will can extend throughout the entire Burial God Fire Prison... Can it transmit sound to where the will reaches!?"
Yan Wancang was startled but nodded. "It can. What happened? Why are you so panicked?"
In ordinary regions, with the strength of the three Sect Masters, they could easily send their voices thousands of miles using profound power alone. But in the Burial God Fire Prison, due to the intense obstruction of fire elements, they could barely reach a few hundred miles.
To transmit sound seven thousand miles within the Burial God Fire Prison region, only his Vermilion Bird's will could accomplish that.
Yan Wancang's words brought Yun Che immense joy. He quickly straightened up and said, "Quick! Send a message to my master, telling her to run... Hurry! Now!!"
In his panic and fear, he had no regard for etiquette. His words came out as a roar, causing several Vermilion Bird elders and disciples to frown in displeasure, and a few barely restrained themselves from lashing out.
The words he spoke made everyone pause in confusion, then they all wore strange expressions. Yan Wancang frowned deeply. "Why? If you're worried about your master's safety, there's no need. The ancient Flood Dragon is now greatly weakened in dragon power and covered in wounds, while your master, though heavily drained, hasn't even suffered external injuries. It won't be long before she successfully hunts this dragon."
"Yun kid, what's gotten into you?" Huo Rulie asked, baffled.
"No! It's not that simple!" Yun Che quickly glanced at the Vermilion Bird projection, his heart growing more anxious. "There isn't just one Flood Dragon in the Burial God Fire Prison. There are two! If the other one appears, my master will be in danger!"
As soon as Yun Che said this, everyone's eyes widened in shock. Then Huo Rulie burst into loud laughter: "Hahaha, Yun kid, did you hit your head while sleeping? There has only ever been one Flood Dragon in the Burial God Fire Prison since ancient times. Where would a second one come from?"
Huo Rulie's laughter was followed by jeers from those around him.
"Hehehehe," Yan Juehai shook his head with a smile. "If there were two, that would be wonderful. Unfortunately, the Burial God Fire Prison being able to nurture one is already a gift from the heavens."
"I'm not joking! I mean it!" Yun Che insisted. "There have always been two ancient Flood Dragons in the Burial God Fire Prison. Their scale-shedding period isn't a thousand years, but two thousand! And the shedding periods of the two dragons are exactly a thousand years apart. Plus, they look identical and appear a thousand years apart each time, making it impossible to accurately distinguish them by aura. That's why everyone has always been under the illusion that there's only one!"
"The dragon from a thousand years ago had its dragon gate injured, while this one is completely unharmed... That's the proof!"
As he spoke, Yun Che was already panting heavily. "Patriarch Yan, you must believe me! When it comes to something concerning my master's safety, I would never dare joke! The other dragon should be hiding nearby... Patriarch Yan, please send a message to my master immediately, telling her to leave right away, or else... it may be too late!"
His words fell, but not a single person showed a shocked expression. Instead, they only looked more confused.
Has this junior from the Yinxue Realm gotten his brain kicked by a donkey?
Yan Wancang frowned deeply but still maintained his patience. "You suddenly imagine there are two ancient Flood Dragons just because of their dragon gates? Hmph. As I've said, the most likely reason its dragon gate healed is because it resides in the Burial God Fire Prison and can draw upon the fire prison's power."
"Of course not!" Yun Che gritted his teeth. With Yan Wancang's Vermilion Bird's will being the only way to transmit sound over such a long distance to Mu Xuanyin, he had no choice but to explain everything. "During the time I was away, I actually dove into the Fire Prison and discovered, at the bottom, that there are two Flood Dragon nests! The residual dragon aura in the two nests had subtle... and definitely distinguishable differences! And both dragons were not in their nests!"
"I swear not a single word of this is false. May I die a miserable death if I'm lying!"
Yun Che's heavy oath made everyone exchange glances, and then they all burst into sky-shaking laughter.