Chapter 593: Death Battle!
Yun Che shot into the entrance of the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley like an arrow. Instantly, the space before him twisted, then the darkness completely dissipated. What appeared before his eyes was a world where crimson flames and purple lightning raged wildly.
The outside world was completely shrouded in a pitch-black night sky, but here there was not a trace of darkness. As far as the eye could see, there were only fiery red volcanoes and boiling lava. These volcanoes were incredibly dense, each of varying heights, but all were covered in blazing red flames. Some towered thousands of feet high, like giant flame demons trying to burn through the sky.
The ground was completely scorched red, every grain of sand releasing astonishing heat. An ordinary person coming here would be burned to charcoal in just a few breaths. The sky, however, was a deep purple, with thunderclouds roaring like furious demon gods, occasionally striking down earth-shattering thunderbolts.
Boom!!
A bolt of lightning dozens of feet thick crashed down within Yun Che's field of vision, splitting a volcano in two in an instant. Countless red rocks and magma scattered far and wide... Such scenes, terrifying to anyone, were nothing but ordinary here.
"The activity of fire and lightning elements here is even stronger than I expected. No wonder it's considered the highest level training ground in the Huan Yao Realm," Mo Li remarked indifferently. Sensing some spiritual energy fluctuations in the surrounding space, she gave a light snort, seemingly both surprised and disdainful. "The fire and lightning spirits born here are decent too—at least not the lowest grade."
Yun Che swept his gaze across the world ahead but did not let down his guard. However, there was no sign of Hui Ran pursuing him from behind. He turned around and was astonished to find that behind him was also an endless red world... There was no trace of an exit, not even anything resembling a teleportation formation.
"What's going on?" Yun Che frowned. "Can we only enter from the entrance but not leave from the same place?"
"This place, like the Tianchi Secret Realm you once entered and the Primordial Mystic Ark, is a world unto itself. Its laws are vastly different from the outside, and they do not interfere with each other. That entrance is merely a spatial formation that sends you into this world. As for leaving, unless there is some special method, you can only wait for this world's force field to expel you."
"That's also why Hui Ran doesn't seem to want to chase in."
Listening to Mo Li's words, Yun Che recalled that Yun Qinghong had told him earlier that after twelve hours in the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, one would be forcibly expelled unless they died inside... This pattern was indeed similar to the Tianchi Secret Realm and the Primordial Mystic Ark.
Hui Ran didn't pursue him, naturally afraid that entering would be easy but leaving wouldn't be possible at will.
Yun Che didn't relax his tension. He soared into the air, instantly pushing his speed to the limit, and dashed northward against the intertwined light of lightning and flames...
Countless fire and lightning spirits roamed or danced in his sight. Though most were only palm-sized spirit bodies, they all exuded the aura of the Heavenly Xuan Realm or even the King Xuan Realm, with occasional high-level spirits bearing the aura of the Overlord Xuan Realm.
Subduing, absorbing, and refining these fire and lightning spirits could directly convert them into one's own profound energy. Refining even a low-level King Xuan fire spirit would increase one's profound energy as much as several years of hard training for an ordinary King Xuan profound practitioner!
However, the conditions for the birth of spirit bodies were extremely harsh—they could only appear in environments where a certain element was extremely active and pure, such as the heart of a glacier or the bottom of lava. Even then, they were exceptionally rare. Even the lowest grade elemental spirit could fetch a sky-high price.
But here in the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, they appeared in droves.
No wonder the strength level of Yao Huang City was astonishingly high, and no wonder the Yun Clan had declined so much after being unable to enter the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley for a hundred years.
But Yun Che paid no attention to all this. Instead, he avoided them completely to prevent attacks. With his Phantom Lightning Extreme, these fire and lightning spirits hadn't even approached before he had already fled far away.
He had to find Xiao Yaohou immediately!
And before that... don't die!
Rumble... Rumble... Rumble...
After Yun Che had flown several hundred miles quickly, he suddenly felt the space begin to tremble. This trembling was not occasional but continuous, growing stronger as he advanced. The rumbling sound in his ears also intensified, and the thunderclouds above became noticeably more agitated.
Boom!!!
A sound from far, far away—extremely muffled yet explosive—reached his ears. Yun Che narrowed his eyes and looked ahead... Somewhere in the distance, a plume of reddish-yellow smoke and a plume of reddish-black smoke rose into the sky, spreading to the heavens. Below the smoke were two clusters of firelight so intense that even at that great distance, they were blinding.
That was...
Yun Che clenched his teeth and poured profound energy into his Phantom Lightning Extreme, pushing it to the limit. He became like a meteor streaking across the sky, so fast that even an afterimage couldn't remain.
——————————
Boom!!
Two flames collided in the air, producing a terrifying roar as if two mountains had smashed together. Instantly, the entire world dimmed. The ground was violently flung up, spreading across the sky in moments, then quickly reduced to the finest dust... The rocks here were no ordinary rocks—they were high-grade profound rocks that had remained unmelten in the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley for tens of thousands of years!
Reddish-yellow flames and reddish-black flames devoured each other in space. Within the flames, two figures flashed and clashed like bolts of lightning. Each collision caused the space to tremble and the ground to roar.
Below, rocks were constantly thrown up. Volcanoes were uprooted by the terrifying power, scattering into a sky full of flaming rocky rain. A strange reddish haze spread across the sky, growing denser and denser until it was almost impossible to see through.
As for the ground, it had already sunk nearly a hundred feet... its concave surface smooth as a mirror.
This was far more intense than a volcanic eruption.
Because this was a life-or-death battle at the Emperor Lord level!
Boom!!!
Another thunderous noise.
Suddenly, the dazzling reddish-yellow flames tore through the demon-like reddish-black flames, surging upward. They completely engulfed a figure and slammed that figure heavily into the ground.
In an instant, the earth shook and the mountains swayed. A pillar of fire a hundred feet thick shot up thousands of feet into the air. From a distance, a colossal mushroom cloud rose to the sky and lingered for a long time.
Beneath the mushroom cloud, Xiao Yaohou floated silently in midair. Her gray robe fluttered gently, her long hair slightly disheveled. Her crystalline pupils were as cold as the God of Death.
Ahead of her, Huai Wang flew up from the deep pit. Though his expression remained calm, with a faint cold smile on his lips, his appearance was quite disheveled. His brocade clothes were burned full of holes, most of his hair was singed, his entire left hand was severely scorched, and two streaks of crimson blood hung from the corner of his mouth.
In the distant sky, Ming Wang stood with his hands behind his back, eyes half-closed, his expression calm and leisurely, as if he were simply enjoying a beautiful view.
"Huai Wang, you are not qualified to take this Empress's life based on your own strength!" Xiao Yaohou's voice was deeper than the thunderclouds above.
"Heh, is that so?" Huai Wang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and leisurely flew back into the air, showing no anger on his face. "Truly worthy of Xiao Yaohou. Although I never considered myself a match for you, I didn't expect you to suppress me to this extent! Late stage Lord Xuan Realm, Level 5—already no less than Yun Qinghong twenty-five years ago. You really surprise me."
"Heh, Xiao Yaohou, you are the last one to possess the bloodline of the Demon Emperor. It's truly a pity for you to die like this. Before you die, let this king have a good play with you... The longer you play with me, the longer you live, hahahahaha!"
Xiao Yaohou's Golden Crow bloodline was much purer than Huai Wang's, so the Golden Crow Flame she released also greatly suppressed Huai Wang. Though they were at the same profound cultivation level, Huai Wang was definitely no match for Xiao Yaohou in a full-force fight... but only if Xiao Yaohou fought with all her strength!
In the midst of his wild laughter, Huai Wang extended his arm and pulled a flaming sword out of the void. The flame on the blade was not the reddish-yellow of Golden Crow Fire, but a thick, blood-like red.
Demon Blood Sword!!
Huai Wang's blood flame burned his body. His aura became frantic, and even his face twisted into a hideous, ferocious expression. He swung the Demon Blood Sword rapidly, each swing releasing large patches of reddish-black flames. These flames merged and took shape in the air, eventually forming a hundred-foot-tall giant flame demon.
Like Hui Ye, Huai Wang cultivated the powerful Depraved Flame Demon Art. If Hui Ye could summon a Flame Demon, then Huai Wang's was many times stronger.
"Go!!"
Huai Wang shouted softly and waved his arm. The giant Flame Demon let out a sinister roar as if from the depths of hell and pounced at Xiao Yaohou.
A hundred-foot Flame Demon—just looking at it was enough to make one's heart tremble with fear. But Xiao Yaohou's expression remained as still as a frozen lake, without even a ripple. She raised her arm, and her wide gray sleeve danced gracefully. In an instant, all the flames, burning rocks, and lava within ten thousand feet around seemed to come alive. They gathered rapidly above Xiao Yaohou's head... and in the next moment, condensed into a flame giant sword a hundred feet long and ten feet wide. As flames and lava continued to converge, the giant sword grew larger and larger. A searing, overwhelming pressure seemed ready to envelop both the sky and the earth.
Ming Wang had not personally intervened but had instead sent Huai Wang, who was no match for her, to fight first. Xiao Yaohou's heart was filled with confusion... Only now did she realize the terrifying scheming of Ming Wang. A man with such a mind would naturally be very clear about the saying, "more delays, more troubles." He came to take her life, and this was an unparalleled opportunity in ten thousand years. The wisest course of action would be for him to attack personally, and with full force, to kill her in the shortest time possible...
He should understand that every second of delay increased the chance of something going wrong! If an accident occurred, he would not only lose this once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity but also expose himself and become passive.
But Ming Wang was doing what anyone would consider foolish—he let Huai Wang try to take Xiao Yaohou's life while he stood by with his hands behind his back, showing no intention of acting.
Though Xiao Yaohou was puzzled, she had no time to ponder deeply. Her strength was indeed superior to Huai Wang's, but it was not an easy fight. Facing Huai Wang at full power, she found it difficult to divert her attention.
Zha!!!
The flame mark between Xiao Yaohou's brows flashed with a momentary golden light. As she swung her arms, the giant flame sword shot forward with the momentum to split the sky... It seemed slow, but it directly crossed space and struck the pouncing Flame Demon, piercing through its body without obstruction and impaling the giant Depraved Flame Demon high in the sky.
Boom...........................
The giant flame sword that had pierced the Depraved Flame Demon exploded. A terrifying storm of profound energy crashed down with overwhelming force... Its momentum was as if a planet had exploded in the sky.
The Depraved Flame Demon's struggling roars came faintly, but in just a few breaths, it was shattered, then destroyed into countless tiny fragments of flame.
The thunderclouds above had vanished... or rather, the sky itself could no longer be seen. The air above was filled with rampaging Golden Crow flames. A trace of panic finally appeared on Huai Wang's face as he retreated at top speed... Though he had never considered himself a match for Xiao Yaohou, he hadn't expected her strength to be this overwhelming.
At that moment, Ming Wang, who had been watching the show indifferently, suddenly flashed his eyes, revealing a sinister smirk. Without any visible movement, a gust of wind swept up, and his entire person had already disappeared from his spot... A blur so fast the naked eye couldn't see it shot straight at Xiao Yaohou.
Although Xiao Yaohou had easily shattered Huai Wang's Flame Demon, that had been her all-out, unreserved strike. Moreover, Ming Wang's profound cultivation was a full half-realm above hers. By the time she sensed him approaching—just ten feet away—it was already too late.
Ping!!!
An ear-piercing shattering sound rang out. Xiao Yaohou's personal space shattered. The Demon Emperor Seal flew out and, under a huge pulling force, instantly flew into Ming Wang's hand... At the same time, a violently raging storm struck Xiao Yaohou. She groaned and was blasted a hundred feet away before barely managing to stop.