Chapter 965: Burning Heart with Fire (Part 2)
Just as Xuan Yuan Po went berserk, the heat waves coursing through the stone passage suddenly transformed into real flames with a loud boom.
An extremely ancient aura emerged from the patterns on Xuan Yuan Po's body, isolating those flames outside.
But those real flames were the true form of the Heavenly Tree's Desolate Fire, containing unimaginable power. They directly caused the true essence and aura within Xuan Yuan Po's body to vibrate in sync with the fire, becoming even more violent and frenzied. In an instant, they broke through his meridians and energy apertures, surging in all directions!
Xuan Yuan Po felt unimaginable pain, as if countless sharp knives were constantly stabbing inside his body. His face turned deathly pale, and sweat as large as soybeans kept streaming down his forehead.
After a moment, he could no longer bear it. With a low roar, he dropped to one knee on the ground.
With a crash, his mountain-like, burly frame swayed twice. His iron-like knee smashed a shallow pit into the hard ground. The flying gravel and stone chips tore several gashes through the desolate fire burning everywhere, but in the next instant, they were quickly filled.
Because of those strange and beautiful patterns, the Heavenly Tree's Desolate Fire confirmed his identity as a demon, causing no real harm to his body. However, the violent and frenzied true essence inside him was spinning at an uncontrollably high speed, threatening to explode at any moment and kill him.
Xuan Yuan Po knelt in the flames, eyes closed, his expression filled with agony. His heavy gasps seemed as if they would never cease.
No one knew how much time passed before he finally opened his eyes and looked ahead down the stone passage.
The desolate fire in the passage had vanished. His gaze had regained clarity, though it still held lingering fear and reverence.
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...
Not long after Xuan Yuan Po passed through the refinement of the Heavenly Tree's Desolate Fire, beneath the other two Heavenly Trees, the two other demon clan experts also broke through this barrier. However, unlike Xuan Yuan Po, who had undergone Chen Changsheng's golden needle meridian expansion at the National Teaching Academy, their situations were far more dangerous and their appearances far more disheveled. Their clothes were burned to tatters, bloodstains remained on their chests, and their steps toward the front of the stone passage were so unsteady they seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Little De, as the second-ranked expert on the Carefree List among the demon clan, was indeed formidable. The desolate fire refinement had no effect on him at all. This was first due to his cultivation realm being far higher than Xuan Yuan Po and the others, and second because he had encountered an opportunity years ago and had once attempted the desolate fire refinement.
The truly most dangerous one was the young man in the bamboo hat, because he bore the greatest pressure.
He was not a demon. His bloodline lacked the desolate fire aura left by his ancestors. No matter how much pressure he endured, he could not manifest those strange and beautiful patterns on his body or face to protect himself. In other words, he could only rely on his own cultivation realm to tough it out.
Not long after he entered the underground from the stone hall inside the tree, the Heavenly Tree's Desolate Fire sensed that he was not a demon. The stone passage did not greet him with rising heat waves; instead, countless terrifyingly fierce flames surged directly toward his face!
For non-demon lifeforms, the Heavenly Tree's Desolate Fire held no sense of gentleness or teaching, only an extremely cold murderous intent.
Feeling the high temperature and pressure contained in those flames, sensing the brutal aura that seemed to come from the ancient wilderness, the young man in the bamboo hat slightly raised his head, gazing at a trace of red deep within the flame-shrouded passage. His expression grew much more solemn.
This was the desolate fire refinement.
Demon clan experts only needed to rely on their powerful physiques and firm will to pass through, because their bodies already contained the desolate fire aura. But for non-demon experts, if they did not want to be burned to death by the Heavenly Tree's Desolate Fire, they would have to open their sea of consciousness and allow the desolate fire to transform their soul.
The young man in the bamboo hat certainly did not want to die, and he would absolutely never choose the latter option. So what should he do?
The extremely drought-resistant Stargrass in the crevices of the stone walls, invisible to the naked eye, was directly burned into hundreds of wisps of fine green smoke.
A curtain like smoke descended from the edge of the bamboo hat, all the way to the ground, shielding his body.
The wild and brutal Heavenly Tree's Desolate Fire fell upon him but was blocked outside by that smoke-like curtain.
Accompanied by an extremely low and grating gnawing sound, the curtain grew thinner and thinner, the smoke fainter and fainter. The solemn expression on his face became more and more distinct, but no trace of fear could be seen—only caution and a hint of curiosity.
If he just stood there in the stone passage, enduring the endless Heavenly Tree's Desolate Fire, even if his bamboo hat was a true divine artifact, it would eventually be worn down to uselessness. He had to cross this desolate fire before the bamboo hat completely failed.
He walked into the sea of flames.
The light smoke falling from the edge of the bamboo hat could protect his face and body but could not shield his feet.
His steps were very heavy and slow. With each step, he left a clear mark on the stone passage floor.
No one knew how much time passed before the desolate fire in the passage suddenly vanished.
The light smoke falling from the edge of the bamboo hat had faded to near invisibility.
On the half of his handsome face that was exposed, a flicker of pain occasionally appeared.
To traverse this stone passage filled with the Heavenly Tree's Desolate Fire, he had sustained some injuries. It hurt a lot.
What hurt more was his heart.
He had used two divine artifacts passed down through the Demon Palace for generations, and he had no idea when they would recover.
...
...
The young man in the bamboo hat stood before a swamp, silent.
He knew, of course, that this was not a real swamp.
From dozens of zhang away, he could feel the suffocating heat waves rushing toward him, and even the edges of his clothes were becoming brittle.
It was too hot here, even hotter than the desolate fire refinement in the stone passage earlier. This should be the deepest part of the underground.
This underground cavern was enormous and very empty. Countless tree roots of varying thickness hung down from the rocky ceiling above.
Those roots spread outward, burrowing deep into the black rock walls.
These should be the roots of the Heavenly Trees.
Whether it was the black rock walls or the swamp before him, the temperature was incredibly high.
The light coming from the stone passage and from unknown sources scattered before it could even land.
It was a mystery how those Heavenly Tree roots could still be alive.
The entire underground cavern gave off an incredibly surreal feeling.
A stone broke loose from the rocky ceiling above. After more than ten breaths, it finally landed on the swamp.
A small hole was punched into the surface of the swamp, which looked like frozen black oil.
A jet of flame shot out from that small hole, looking like a fire dragon.
That flame struck the cavern wall on the ceiling, splitting into countless fireballs that wrapped around several tree roots and began to burn.
So the so-called swamp was actually magma.
The young man in the bamboo hat looked up at the cavern ceiling, watching the burning tree roots, his expression shifting slightly.
Those roots were not really burning.
The flames gradually died out.
They were devoured by the roots.
The nourishment the Heavenly Trees needed was actually the magma fire from deep underground?
His status was extremely exalted, and his knowledge was vast, but even so, witnessing such a scene, he still felt a sense of shock.
Thinking about what he had to do next, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. He reached into his sleeve and grasped the two slightly cool objects, which made him feel a little better.