Chapter 687: The World of Fire
The Soul Fire Unleashed
From the very beginning, Luke held a deep caution toward the green flame. He didn't know where the fire originated or what world was being consumed by it. The only things he was sure of were the vortices in his heart and head: whenever they opened, that world would silently manifest.
When he was young, to test the power of the green flame, Luke once quietly opened the vortex in a desert. The result was that a village on the edge of the desert instantly became a ghost town, and hundreds of lives were lost just like that.
Since then, Luke never opened the vortex again, even abandoning the green flame to pursue high-tech industries.
Alas, life is unpredictable; some things are ultimately unavoidable.
When the vortex opened, the entire world turned a ghostly green. Flames appeared in the air. As far as the eye could see, there were only blazing green flames. The bone-littered ground was corroded by the green light. The bones were burning, the departed souls were burning, their wills destroyed, becoming new fuel.
The tentacles were also unavoidable. The flames climbed from the root upward, burning hotter and fiercer.
The assembled Gods were stunned. Watching their bodies catch fire, they quickly used various abilities to extinguish the flames.
"It's useless."
"The green flame is the natural enemy of the soul, fueling itself with the soul. Once ignited, it will burn until the soul becomes the flame itself."
"With a physical body, you might have stood a chance. Unfortunately, you are all merely residual souls now."
Luke raised his hands. The green cloud pressed downward. The surrounding flames surged from all directions, turning the soul world into a raging inferno.
Fire, everywhere. It scorched the souls and destroyed the wills.
The Gods were shocked and enraged, questioning him,
"This is not a power a human can possess. Who are you?"
"You don't need to know."
Luke became a blur of fire, merging with the flames that filled the sky.
A Celestial Court deity wearing a Taoist crown said chillingly,
"Don't think this means we have no way to deal with you. Perhaps we cannot fight the fire, but we can kill you."
With that, he made a hand seal, pointing his index finger at his brow. A white line leaked out, pierced the sea of fire, and accurately found Luke hidden within. Luke's expression changed slightly, and he quickly flashed aside, but the white line was faster. It split into nine segments, binding his body.
"Break!"
Luke roared, transforming into his six-armed giant form. The white line also expanded, maintaining its hold. Suddenly, an immense force pulled the line, dragging Luke out of the sea of fire and exposing him to the residual souls.
"Kill him, and the sea of fire will naturally dissipate."
The Celestial Court deity shifted his hand seal. Golden lightning shot from his fingertip, aimed straight at Luke's heart.
Bang!
A green flame shield appeared in front of Luke, blocking the lightning. The next second, the shield split in two. A blade of light emerged from the split, carrying chilling killing intent.
Luke forcibly contorted his body, dodging the lethal strike.
The crisis had only just begun. Following the Celestial Court deity's command, the other residual souls reacted and attacked simultaneously. In an instant, fireballs, sonic screams, lightning, blade lights, swords, and axes converged, forming a wave of energy that threatened to destroy everything.
The combined attack seemed poised to annihilate the entire soul world.
Luke was shocked. He unleashed his full power, forcibly breaking free from the white line. He waved his hands, and the flames in the sky converged in front of him, then solidified and shot backward like lightning.
Boom!
A gigantic shockwave erupted in the sky. It lasted for only half a second before the sea of fire was pierced. The wave of energy continued unabated, tearing through the green cloud and blasting a hole in the sky.
Cough, cough, cough!!!!
Luke clutched his chest, coughing violently. The residual souls also looked pale, feeling a wrenching pain. Their soul worlds had merged, and when the world was damaged, everyone suffered.
"Human, don't think you can run."
A deity with vertically-slit, shattered-gold pupils roared skyward. Scales sprouted across its body, which elongated, transforming it into the legendary, flying Feathered Serpent God.
Its wings spread, shaking the atmosphere. It seemed capable of traversing spacetime. One moment it was kilometers away, the next it was right in front of Luke.
"What the hell is that?"
Luke leaped up, swinging his blades and sword in mid-air, cutting out several green light-blades.
Clang!
The light-blades struck the Feathered Serpent God's body as if hitting steel, leaving no mark. The serpent opened its mouth, spitting out a dark green sticky projectile.
Luke's expression was calm. He waved his hands. Flames gathered in front of him, and a monstrous fire dragon flew out, swallowing the sticky projectile and crashing into the Feathered Serpent God. Dragon and serpent wrestled in the air. Luke seized the chance to flee to a distance. Before he could catch his breath, a chill ran down his spine, a bone-deep coldness.
"Get lost!"
Luke raised his long blade, turning and slashing downward. Where the blade passed, the space shattered like glass. The shadow hiding within had not anticipated this and tried to turn, but it was too late.
Pfft!
Its right arm was severed at the shoulder. The green flame erupted, madly trying to burrow into its body.
Luke was about to give chase when he heard singing. The song was soft and moving, like a mother's embrace, slowly lulling one into a reluctant sleep.
The sea of fire parted. A flawless woman walked through the clearing, the moon rising behind her. The singing was as captivating as moonlight.
Luke knelt on the ground, staring at her with a grim expression.
"Hanyue, you..."
"Give up. You are no match for us."
The woman's voice was cold and emotionless, like the clear moon.
At the same time, hundreds of residual souls appeared above, completely encircling the space. The scene was reminiscent of a certain movie.
Luke fought off the drowsiness and gave a bitter smile.
"I met another version of you earlier, a different Hanyue. Your personality is similar, but your essence is different. I'm curious: which one is the real Moon God?"
The woman said indifferently, "There is only one Moon God, and that is me."
"No! You are not Hanyue. The real Hanyue would never allow herself to become a tentacle. Ultimately, you, and all of you..." His gaze swept over all the Gods. "...are just reproductions created by the monster."
"Fire is your only destination."
Luke closed his eyes, his body dissolving into nothingness. The vortex on his chest expanded rapidly, swallowing everything around it like a black hole. Before the Gods could react, they found themselves in an entirely new world.
Luke, transformed into a giant, floated in the sky, backed by an endless horde of flame ghosts.
"Come, let's fight again. This time, I will slaughter you all."
The army of flame ghosts roared hysterically, charging at the residual Gods like lunatics. Their bodies were burning. The flames connected, forming a moving inferno.
Heat waves rushed forward, along with the searing pain of burning souls.
The residual Gods instinctively backed away. For some reason, an intense fear rose in their hearts. Their bodies also began to burn, moving at dozens of times their previous speed.
"This is my world. Even the Gods must submit to my rule here."
Luke drew his bow. The entire sea of fire condensed into a single, ghostly green arrow. Where the arrow pointed, death followed like a shadow.
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