Chapter 36: Arrays, Another Use of the Saint Demon Flame!
Having spoken, Jiang Yun retrieved that pitch-black token. The token was jet-black all over, inscribed with bizarre, eerie patterns. A single glance at it made one feel as if they were standing in a world of absolute, utter darkness—profoundly unsettling and disturbing.
Zi Yan lightly furrowed her brows. Her little face was brimming with rejection and revulsion. "Little Yun, what is this thing? Such a disgustingly detestable aura!"
Jiang Yun's expression shifted faintly at her words. That aura upon the token—so utterly incompatible, so jarringly out of place in this world—he was all too familiar with it. This was an artifact of the Evil Race. He only wondered... which clan had once existed here?
"If you hate it, then close your eyes!" Jiang Yun spoke gently. Zi Yan's eyes immediately flickered. She dove headfirst into Jiang Yun's embrace and muttered in a muffled, sulky voice, "You said it yourself!"
Nestled in Jiang Yun's embrace, Zi Yan's nose twitched faintly. A look of utter, intoxicated bliss surfaced on her face.
Still this scent—the same as back then. She truly, really wanted to just gobble Little Yun up in one bite!
Looking down at the little head wriggling and burrowing in his arms, a trace of doting, tender affection was revealed in Jiang Yun's eyes.
"Bang—" A cluster of flame appeared in his palm. This time, what emerged was no longer the pure white flame, but the interwoven black and white of the Saint Demon Flame.
The flame gently licked and seared. In a short while, the token began to emit a faint, subtle glow. The light shimmered and flickered, as if resonating with the countless, invisible veins and arteries threading through the surrounding heaven and earth.
In this stretch of space, silently and quietly, an unknown, imperceptible transformation was taking place.
Had a Dou Saint been present, they would have been able to perceive that a complex, intricate grand array was quietly, stealthily awakening throughout heaven and earth. What's more, it was enveloping and engulfing the crowd at an exceedingly rapid speed!
And at this very moment, the masses locked in their great, chaotic melee still had no idea—an 'oriole' was already closing its net in the shadows!
In the sky above, the sky-blanketing sea of flame was slowly contracting and withdrawing. In just a few short blinks of an eye, it transformed into a fist-sized, lake-blue energy flame barrier, resembling flowing, coursing water.
And within that blue flame barrier, a mass of grayish-brown Manifestation Flame was slowly flickering and wafting.
"Hahaha— The Manifestation Flame of you three is indeed extraordinary and beyond compare! This junior has received your instruction today. Today is not convenient. Another day, Han Feng shall seek the three of you out to properly receive your teachings once more!"
Along with a great, booming, proud laugh, Han Feng slowly withdrew that flame barrier and swallowed it down into his belly in a single gulp. Feeling the Dou Qi within his body, now somewhat loosened and stirred, he immediately let out a smug, triumphant roar of laughter.
And along with this laughter, he himself was also rapidly, swiftly dashing back toward the entrance of the secret realm.
"Han Feng! Do you truly mean to fight my Demon Flame Valley to the death, without end?! When the time comes, the Old Ancestor will not let you off!"
Having lost their Manifestation Flame, Fang Yan and the other two were heavily injured and severely weakened. They no longer had any ability to stop Han Feng's departure. They could only roar furiously at Han Feng's rapidly retreating silhouette, their faces deathly pale.
Hearing this, Han Feng, mid-escape, turned his head back and revealed a cold, contemptuous sneer. The Earth Demon Old Ancestor? Once he had deciphered the secrets of the Bodhi Body-Transforming Saliva—never mind a mere Earth Demon Old Ancestor, even Feng Zun-zhe would no longer be a threat! He would absolutely reach heights that that old bastard back then could never have attained!
Suddenly, his body swayed. His face also turned deathly pale. An incomparable, overwhelming wave of weakness surged up from within his body.
"That damned old bastard..." Although Han Feng had severely wounded Fang Yan and the other two in just a few moves, that was only by relying on the overwhelming advantage of his Heavenly Flame. Had the three not possessed fire-attribute Dou Qi, he would have found it very difficult to break free.
Yet high-intensity, high-stakes combat—his Mysterious Class High-tier Flame Mantra was clearly unable to sustain it any longer.
He did not dare to stop. He did not even dare to show the slightest, faintest trace of exhaustion. Otherwise, those desperate, ruthless fugitives would swarm around him like sharks smelling blood and tear him to shreds!
Forcibly summoning a single breath of strength, Han Feng clutched his chest with one hand and flew swiftly, rapidly toward the outside.
"Han Feng has fled—"
"After him— The opportunity to achieve Sainthood is on him! Whoever kills him gets the chance to achieve Sainthood!"
"Kill!"
"Han Feng, don't you dare flee—"
Watching Han Feng break through the encirclement, those Dou Wangs and Dou Lings in the third echelon, who had been hesitating and wavering just moments before, could no longer suppress the greed in their hearts. One after another, they shot explosively toward Han Feng.
A sky-full of multicolored, brilliantly varied Dou Techniques were hurled at Han Feng as if they cost nothing!
"Bastards!" Sensing the threat from behind, Han Feng cursed furiously under his breath. Immediately, he raised his voice and declared loudly, "If anyone assists me in breaking free—tier 5, tier 6 pills—take your pick!"
The moment these words left Han Feng's mouth, quite a few people who had not yet made a move immediately struck out. Yet this time, they were helping Han Feng!
"Gold and Silver Elders! That is the opportunity of a Dou Saint! Do you not feel even a sliver of temptation?! And you'd just let Han Feng snatch it away like this?! Why don't the three of us join forces, seize Han Feng, and explore the Dou Saint's opportunity together?!"
Unable to break through the Gold and Silver Elders' entanglement, and watching Han Feng about to make his escape, Mo Tianxing grew frantic. He hurriedly shouted to dissuade them.
Hearing this, a ripple stirred in the hearts of the Gold and Silver Elders. The movements of their hands paused momentarily along with it.
That was, after all, the opportunity of a Dou Saint—not something anyone could simply ignore!
"An opening!" Mo Tianxing's eyes blazed. He formed seals in his palm, and a terrifying, dreadful energy fluctuation erupted.
The Gold and Silver Elders very quickly suppressed the ripple in their hearts. Yet by now, it was already too late.
"Not good!"
"Black Demon Fiend Palm!" Mo Tianxing rapidly formed hand seals. Instantly, the energy between heaven and earth seethed and rioted. With a single, swift palm strike, he pressed it toward the Gold and Silver Elders.
"Big Brother!" "Second Brother!" Watching that hand seal which radiated a lethal, deadly threat, the Gold and Silver Elders shouted loudly at each other. Upon their bodies, rings of golden and silver light intertwined and interlaced, as if the two were a single entity. The auras upon them shifted with profound, mysterious transformations.
"Twin Life Protection!"
A ring of interwoven gold and silver shot forth, surging to meet the black hand seal.
"Boom—"
A violent, explosive, thunderous boom resounded. Terrifying, dreadful energy ripples rapidly spread outward in all directions.
"Ptooey—"
The Gold and Silver Elders abruptly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. In the end, the Dou Zong Mo Tianxing was still a notch above.
"Go!" Exchanging a glance of weakened, listless fatigue, the Gold and Silver Elders rapidly flew off into the distance.
"Hmph—" Watching the defeated Gold and Silver Elders, Mo Tianxing gave a cold snort. He did not pursue. Instead, he tread upon the void and, under the empowerment of spatial power, chased after the direction in which Han Feng had fled.
At the very same time, Old Man Ying Shan, having shaken off the five Dou Huangs, also sped toward Han Feng's direction.
As the main players withdrew and departed, the vast majority of the crowd also left one after another, searching for other opportunities and fortunes.
Fan Lao and Yuan Yi, however, remained behind. Moments later, Yuan Yi spoke slowly, "Is Sect Leader Fan not going to look elsewhere? This secret realm is so vast—perhaps there are still other opportunities out there?"
"Isn't Sect Leader Yuan still here himself?" Fan Lao cast Yuan Yi a deeply meaningful, significant glance. Those eyes seemed to say: I've already seen through you long ago. And you're still putting on an act here?
"Hahaha!" Having his little scheme exposed, Yuan Yi was not the least bit angered. Instead, he let out a great laugh. "Then—each relies on their own ability!"
"Exactly what I was thinking!"
The two exchanged a glance and then split up, descending toward the ruins below. Just moments ago, there had been three items upon that stone platform. Yet the impact and shock of the Bodhi Body-Transforming Saliva had simply been far too immense.
So much so that quite a few people had completely overlooked the other two treasures. Only two meticulous, attentive individuals like themselves had the chance to come scavenge and pick up the leftovers.
An item placed alongside the Bodhi Body-Transforming Saliva—how could it possibly be anything ordinary?
"You two need not search any further. The treasure is right here." Just as Fan Lao and Yuan Yi were preparing to lead their men in the search, a clear, bright voice rang out.
That familiar voice made Fan Lao and Yuan Yi whip around abruptly. There, upon the ruins not far away—that very same bastard who made them gnash their teeth in fury was holding a black token in his hand and smiling genially as he watched them.
And that token... was precisely one of the three items they had seen just moments ago.
"It's you—"
"You little bastard! You actually dare show your face again—"
Seeing Jiang Yun, Fan Lao and Yuan Yi were instantly so infuriated that smoke practically billowed from their heads. After that incident, the more they thought about it, the more something felt off. When they later returned to the original spot and carefully sensed and examined the area, they'd reached a conclusion that made them grind their teeth in sheer hatred.
They had been played!
Thoroughly, utterly, magnificently toyed with by a wet-behind-the-ears brat barely in his teens!
On their way to the center, they had even dispatched men to search for Jiang Yun and Zi Yan. Yet the two's methods of concealment were exceptionally masterful—far beyond what those underlings could possibly detect.
In the end, naturally, they had found nothing at all!
They'd never expected to run into Jiang Yun here. Truly—the road for enemies is narrow!
"So it's Sect Leader Fan and Sect Leader Yuan. This junior has yet to thank the two of you for your boundless generosity!"
Just then, a mischievous, sly, teasing glint flickered through the depths of Jiang Yun's eyes. He put on an act, feigning a look of sudden, enlightened realization, and slightly cupped his fists toward the two in thanks.
"You little mongrel— I'll flay you alive!" Jiang Yun's in-your-face mockery immediately brought back to the two the reality of how they had been frightened out of their wits earlier. Instantly, it was like pouring oil onto a blazing fire.
Fan Lao exploded with a roar. His silhouette blurred into motion. That pale, withered, shriveled palm abruptly shuddered.
Instantly, blood-colored Dou Qi surged and erupted from within his body. It then solidified and condensed into a blood serpent, as thick as an adult's arm. With a light wave of his palm, the blood serpent shot forth ferociously, its gaping, bloodthirsty maw spreading wide. A stench of putrid, rotting blood assaulted the senses.
The blood serpent arrived with explosive speed. Before it even drew close, Jiang Yun could already feel the berserk, violent, sinister, bone-chilling energy contained within its body.
Jiang Yun's expression remained unchanged. His hand seals rapidly shifted and transformed. And as his hand seals changed, that black token also began to emit a faint, subtle black glow. A bizarre, eerie wave of Dou Qi fluctuations pulsed outward.
"Array—activate!"
Instantly, faint, indistinct arrays of shimmering light appeared in the very air. The blood python was, as if struck by an immobilization spell, instantly frozen in midair. Black light surged forth. Bit by bit, it was devoured and consumed into utter nothingness.
Fan Lao's gaze sharpened and froze. Again—the same kind of tricks.
Exchanging a glance with Yuan Yi beside him, his gaze also rapidly turned ice-cold. In his palm, blood-colored Dou Qi churned and roiled outward. Behind his back, it formed a sea of blood a full several zhang wide. An even thicker, denser stench of putrid, rotting blood assaulted the nostrils.
"Blood-Devouring Great Hand Seal!"
A cold shout rang out. The sea of blood instantly churned and heaved violently. A dark, gloomy blood hand seal, half a zhang wide and somewhat strangely, bizarrely shaped, shot explosively forth from within. Everywhere it passed along its path, waves of bloody mist rippled and billowed.
"Shadow Wind Claw!"
On this side, Yuan Yi's large hand shot forth. His withered, shriveled palm descended with a light, airy pat, as if merely giving a gentle, casual swat. Yet the violent, churning Dou Qi in the surrounding space proclaimed its extraordinary, terrifying might.
Watching the full-force attacks of the two great Dou Huangs, Jiang Yun slowly closed his eyes. Within his sleeves, one spiritual seal after another shot and darted forth, landing upon one peculiar, unique spatial node after another.
Immediately, the sky here began to darken and scorch with searing heat. An enormous black light array, approximately a hundred zhang in size, slowly condensed and took form. A berserk, violent, searing-hot fluctuation rippled and surged across this stretch of heaven and earth.
"Grand Demon-Refining Array!"
Jiang Yun gave a light, soft shout. His hand seals shifted. That enormous black spiritual array immediately began to spin and operate. Black demonic flames spread and pervaded, like layer upon layer of fiery waves, sweeping and surging across this very sky.
"This Dou Qi Continent's Demon-Refining Grand Array—after these ten thousand years—let the two of you taste and appraise it!"
That's right. This secret realm had originally been carved out and established by a member of the Extraterrestrial Evil Race. The great war of fifty thousand years ago had long since concluded. Yet the Evil Race members who had invaded the Dou Qi Continent had not been completely cleansed and purged. Over the tens of thousands of years that followed, the native inhabitants of the Dou Qi Continent had been continuously exterminating and rooting out the remnants of the Evil Race.
This particular one had simply had terribly rotten luck. In that distant, bygone era, he had encountered a peak, unparalleled expert of that era. And then... he had been utterly, indisputably defeated. Yet due to the characteristic of the Extraterrestrial Evil Race's evil energy—its difficulty to completely eradicate and extinguish—his corpse had been sealed away here all along.
The array that Jiang Yun was currently manipulating was merely a single corner, a single fragment of the complete grand array. Its power was, at most, sufficient to rival a tier 4 spiritual array.
Having spoken, Jiang Yun extended his slender, elegant fingers and tapped down upon the empty air. Those jet-black pupils also turned ice-cold, bone-chillingly frigid in this instant.
"Refine!"
A deafening, thunderous boom—sky-blanketing, heaven-covering flames swept and surged out from within that spiritual array in torrents.
"Bang—" The very instant the two sides made contact—the great serpent, the claw shadows—all ceased to exist. Flames pervaded and spread. A colossal pillar of fiery light, a full several hundred zhang in size, directly shot and blasted forth from within that spiritual array.
"Ah—"
From within the flames came two voices of agonized, miserable wailing. Yuan Yi and Fan Lao had now already been transformed into human torches.
"You little beast! You'll die a wretched, miserable death— Ah—"
"Spare me! Spare my life! I am a Dou Huang! I can slave and toil for you, work like an ox or a horse! Let me go—"
Facing the two's agonized howls and desperate pleas for mercy, Jiang Yun paid not the slightest, tiniest shred of heed. His eyes remained as calm and placid as ever—like a deep, bottomless, unfathomable lake.
As time passed, the voices of the two gradually dimmed and faded... until they vanished entirely, without a trace.
Furrowing his brows as he watched the flaming grand array, Jiang Yun lightly swept his sleeves. The grand array slowly dissipated and dispersed. The black demonic flames once again returned into his body. There, on the original spot, remained only two desiccated, dried-up corpses, their forms utterly unrecognizable.
What caught Jiang Yun entirely by surprise was—at the very instant the flames returned into his body—a surge of pure, refined, absolutely concentrated Dou Qi abruptly erupted and exploded within him!
"This is..." For the very first time, a look of stunned, stupefied shock surfaced in Jiang Yun's eyes. Following that shock—wild, ecstatic delight!
He never imagined the Saint Demon Flame would actually possess this kind of function! The white flame presided over vitality and creation. The black flame presided over destruction and devouring. Only now, at this very moment, could he truly be said to have initially, preliminarily grasped and understood the fundamental characteristics and properties of the Saint Demon Flame!
At this moment, he had no time to ponder and analyze in detail. Within his body, the Crimson Fire Treasure Tome spun into frenzied, breakneck operation, madly absorbing the Dou Qi fed back by the demonic flames. His aura also began to climb and surge with shocking, breakneck speed!
Peak of 2-star Dou Ling... 3-star Dou Ling... 4-star Dou Ling... 5-star Dou Ling... Upon reaching 5-star Dou Ling, sensing that his Dou Qi still showed signs of continuing its explosive climb, Jiang Yun abruptly formed hand seals. The Dou Qi within his body began to be forcefully, ruthlessly compressed and suppressed back down.
The Crimson Fire Treasure Tome and the Saint Demon Flame within his body madly refined and purified his Dou Qi.
Increasing one's strength too rapidly was not a good thing. Jiang Yun's target was that foremost, number one figure of the Evil Race—the Saint Demon Emperor. Thus, every single step he took had to be walked with absolute steadiness and stability. Only this could support him in walking further and further.
Very quickly, Jiang Yun's aura stabilized at the peak of 4-star Dou Ling. Only then did it cease fluctuating. He exhaled a long, slow breath. Feeling the explosively surging, skyrocketing power within his body, what occupied his mind, however, were the characteristics and properties of the Saint Demon Flame.
(End of Chapter)