Chapter 166: The Three Thousand Burning Flame Breaks the Seal!
In the deeper reaches of space, an enormous fire dragon opened its fury-filled dragon eyes.
Within the Star Region, across the colossal dragon body of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, massive dragon scales were covered in countless black lines, like spider silk. These black lines intertwined with one another, forming what looked like exceedingly peculiar runes.
These runes clung tightly to the dragon scales of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, forming an immensely vast black net that sealed it within the Star Region.
At this moment, the seals upon the dragon scales of the Three Thousand Burning Flame exploded apart with a thunderous boom.
The Three Thousand Burning Flame's icy dragon eyes opened. Sweeping its gaze over the crowd outside the Star Region, it suddenly raised its head to the sky and let out a heaven-shaking dragon roar.
"Ang—"
The instant the dragon roar resounded, the purplish-black flames upon the Three Thousand Burning Flame's body abruptly surged violently, like a heaven-scorching blaze, shrouding this void space.
As the purplish-black flames surged, the dense seals upon the Three Thousand Burning Flame's body erupted with unusual light. Yet the damaged seals were already on the verge of being unable to suppress the Three Thousand Burning Flame any longer.
The purplish-black flames burned frantically at those black-line runes. From within the void, an endless stream of starlight power surged madly into the Three Thousand Burning Flame's enormous body.
The seals laid down by the Pill Tower grew dimmer and dimmer.
"Soul Hall! You court death!"
Snapping back to his senses, the Grand Elder's face turned ashen. With a furious roar, brimming with boundless rage and killing intent, he blasted a terrifying attack toward the Soul Hall's forces.
"Jie, jie, jie..."
Seeing this, the First Heavenly Venerable jeered. His hands did not slow, abruptly forming a seal.
From the surrounding void, waves of ripples immediately spread. From the empty space, countless sharp white bones suddenly materialized and shot forth with lightning speed.
"Boom—"
"I'll hold off the two Saint-realm members of the Soul Hall! Xuan Kongzi, you and the others go and reseal the Three Thousand Burning Flame at once!" The Grand Elder attacked fiercely. After giving Xuan Kongzi and the others these instructions, he charged toward the Soul Hall's First Heavenly Venerable and Gu You with unrivaled killing intent.
The First Heavenly Venerable watched as the Grand Elder and a Half-Saint of the Small Pill Tower blocked him and Gu You. Turning his head to look toward the Star Region, where the Pill Tower's forces, led by a Half-Saint, were making their way there, the First Heavenly Venerable was not the least bit anxious. He sneered coldly.
"Heh heh... You think your Pill Tower has people? Does our Soul Hall not?"
Hearing these words, the Grand Elder's heart grew increasingly uneasy. The Soul Hall had clearly come well-prepared this time. How many more forces were hidden in the shadows was simply chilling to contemplate.
At this moment, Xuan Kongzi and the others, led by the Small Pill Tower's Half-Saint, had arrived in the Star Region. They saw the Three Thousand Burning Flame about to break its seals, and also saw that aloof, white-robed figure.
"It's you..." Seeing Yun Yi, Xuan Kongzi and the others who recognized him immediately exclaimed in surprise.
"Brat! You're the one who released the Three Thousand Burning Flame! You deserve to die!" The leader, an elder with snow-white hair and beard—the Second Elder of the Small Pill Tower, a high-level Half-Saint—clearly paid no attention to the outside world and did not recognize Yun Yi. Seeing Yun Yi there, he roared furiously and launched a palm strike carrying intense, fierce wind straight at Yun Yi.
Faced with a Half-Saint's attack, Yun Yi was completely unruffled. He watched the attack descend with an expression of utter indifference.
"Jie, jie... Have the Pill Tower's people become nothing but bullies who pick on the weak?"
Just then, a cold sneer rang out. The void behind Yun Yi rippled. An utterly pitch-black chain, a full hundred zhang long, pierced through the void like a black venomous dragon.
"Boom—"
"Who's there!" With his attack blocked, the Second Elder stared solemnly into the empty space.
As the Second Elder's voice fell, an overwhelmingly powerful spatial force descended. The space where the chain had emerged twisted open into a rift. Three figures, their entire bodies wrapped in black robes, were the first to slowly step out from that spatial rift.
Behind them, one after another, Soul Hall Heavenly Venerables with powerful auras followed closely.
As these figures emerged, an immense, vast aura, like a storm, suddenly swept through this stretch of void space.
Sensing that vast, mighty storm of aura, even the Second Elder's eyes flashed with a trace of gravity.
In particular, the figure in the middle of the three made him feel a sense of terror and trepidation.
That man was clad entirely in black robes. A few strands of gray hair hung down. His face was without wrinkles, yet exceptionally pale. But his pitch-black eyes revealed an aura of ancient age and experience.
He looked perfectly ordinary, like a common man. But to stand in such a position—how could he possibly be ordinary?
"Has the Pill Tower become nothing but bullies who pick on the weak these days? How disappointing!" The newcomer swept his gaze over the group and shook his head with disappointment. Then, looking at the struggling Three Thousand Burning Flame, a gleam flashed through his eyes. "Allow this Saint to lend you a hand!"
In the next instant, he pointed a single finger outward—utterly ordinary and unremarkable. Yet a terrifying thing occurred. The seals entwined around the Three Thousand Burning Flame's body, in that very instant, snapped apart with a thunderous boom.
"A Dou Sheng..." The Second Elder had reacted the moment the other made his move. Staring at the man's back in horrified shock, he cried out involuntarily.
"What—"
"To think it's actually another Dou Sheng!"
Hearing the Second Elder's words, Xuan Kongzi and the others were also panic-stricken. Their Pill Tower only had one Dou Sheng—and he was already tied down. There was no Dou Sheng left to hold this one back now.
"Good eyesight. This Saint is Hun Qing!" Hun Qing turned his head and looked at the group with an utterly indifferent expression.
"Hun Qing..."
The crowd murmured Hun Qing's name, their hearts sinking. The Soul Hall had deployed two Dou Shengs. This operation was clearly one of determined resolve. Their Pill Tower was in peril.
"You Soul Hall people act so recklessly—aren't you afraid of our Ancestor taking action?" The Second Elder forcibly suppressed the dread in his heart and glared furiously at the other party.
"The Pill Tower Ancestor, is it?" Hun Qing murmured the name quietly, then sneered coldly. "If he shows himself, the clan has no shortage of people interested in an arcane pill like him!"
Hearing Hun Qing's words, the Second Elder's heart sank utterly and completely.
"Crack!"
Just as the two sides were in a standoff, a crisp shattering sound rang out. Accompanying it was a furious dragon's roar.
Hearing this sound, the Second Elder and the others' faces turned grim. They looked toward the center of the Star Region. There, the Three Thousand Burning Flame's colossal body was spinning madly in the void, absorbing the starlight power within the starry space to restore the energy it had lost.
Its entire body radiated an increasingly ferocious and terrifying aura. Even the Second Elder dared not underestimate it in the slightest.
"Damn it..." The Second Elder watched the Three Thousand Burning Flame break free of its seals and cursed inwardly. Turning to Xuan Kongzi and the others beside him, he said, "Xuan Kongzi, in a moment, I and the other elders will hold off the Soul Clan's Dou Sheng. You must stop the Three Thousand Burning Flame at all costs! The Pill Tower's thousand-year foundation cannot be destroyed at our hands."
Hearing this, Xuan Kongzi and the others jolted, their expressions immediately turning grim. At this moment, the Second Elder wasted no more words. Looking at the Half-Saint Fourth Elder beside him, he said, "Fourth Elder, let's go!"
"Jie, jie, jie... Mere Half-Saints, and you dare challenge the might of a Saint?"
Watching the charging Second Elder and Fourth Elder, a cold sneer surfaced on Hun Qing's face. Then, he abruptly slammed a palm toward the two of them. In that instant, space shattered and the starry sky overturned.
"Follow me!" With no time to worry about the elders' situation, Xuan Kongzi let out a low roar and was the first to charge toward the Three Thousand Burning Flame.
"Jie, jie... Xuan Kongzi, where do you think you're going?!"
Suddenly, a mass of black fog materialized on the path ahead. A voice, utterly indifferent and devoid of the slightest emotion, rang out. A figure wrapped entirely in black fog appeared before them.
"The Soul Hall's Third Heavenly Venerable!!!"
Xuan Kongzi stared solemnly at the figure that had appeared before him. The Soul Hall's Third Heavenly Venerable—a peak Nine-Transition Dou Zun expert, a legendary figure in his own right, in no way inferior to the three great heads of the Pill Tower.
"Xuan Kongzi, heavenly flames are wondrous things born of heaven and nurtured by earth. Your Pill Tower cannot make proper use of them and instead seals them here. Since that's the case, why not hand it over to my Soul Hall!" Boundless baleful aura wreathed the Third Heavenly Venerable. A presence even more formidable than the three great heads of the Pill Tower bore down overwhelmingly.
"In your dreams!" Tian Leizi roared furiously, launching a palm strike wreathed in flames as blazing as the scorching sun straight at the Third Heavenly Venerable.
"Heh, since you won't appreciate the kindness, I'm afraid today the Pill Tower will have to set a precedent—by losing one of its great heads." Seeing this, icy light surged in the Third Heavenly Venerable's eyes. Then he roared.
"Fourth Brother, all of you, attack! Kill these disgusting wretches!"
"Heh heh, been waiting for those words, Third Brother!"
As his voice fell, horrifying beams of blood-red light shot into the sky. A blood-red radiance, a full hundred zhang wide, burst forth violently and coalesced in midair into a blood-red giant dragon.
The blood dragon, carrying waves of putrid stench, swept toward Xuan Kongzi and the others.
And with the Blood River Heavenly Venerable making his move, one figure after another with formidable auras appeared. All nine of the Soul Hall's great Heavenly Venerables—except for the Eighth and Ninth, whom Jiang Yun had slain—were present.
They also brought a large contingent of Dou Zun experts, charging toward the Pill Tower's side to attack.
"Damn that Soul Hall!" Seeing this, Xuan Kongzi's expression changed. Cursing under his breath, he was the first to charge toward them. "Everyone of the Pill Tower! Protect the Star Region! Follow me and meet the enemy!"
As Xuan Kongzi's voice fell, the Pill Tower Dou Zuns who had followed him rose into the air. Their auras intertwined, they were actually roughly comparable to the Soul Hall's forces.
At this moment, no fewer than sixty Dou Zuns had gathered here. So many Dou Zuns—within the Star Region, a terrifying, massive battle erupted.
Dou Zuns, ordinarily so rare to see, seemed at this moment rather commonplace. In the Central Plains, only the Pill Tower and the Soul Hall could produce so many Dou Zun experts at once.
"Ice-Sealed for Ten Thousand Li, Frost Absolute Under Heaven!!!"
The Fifth Heavenly Venerable raised his palm lightly. Bone-white, extreme cold qi abruptly erupted from his palm. The bone-white extreme cold qi froze the very air, forming dancing storms of frost. Ice crystals, like snowflakes, swept forth in curling torrents toward the Pill Tower's forces.
"Flame-Burning Starry Sky!"
Xuan Kongzi was not to be outdone. With a beckoning wave, crimson flames surged forth, transforming into a sea of fire that filled the sky and blazed toward the Soul Hall's forces.
Terrifying energies collided in the sky with earth-shattering booms. Horrifying waves of air swept outward like a storm.
And at this moment, in one corner of the battlefield, two figures stood facing one another. Terrifying auras pervaded the space around the two of them. Sensing the horrifying presence emanating from them, whether Soul Hall Dou Zuns or Pill Tower Dou Zuns—everyone, without exception, subconsciously kept far away.
They feared being caught up in the clash between these two.
"You killed the Eighth Heavenly Venerable and the Ninth Heavenly Venerable. Though those two wastes were slain by you due to their own lack of skill, they were, after all, subordinates of my Soul Hall. This Hall Master can only take your soul as an offering to them!"
Yun Yi gazed indifferently at Jiang Yun, killing intent surging within his eyes. Deep within his pupils, pitch-black flames danced. His entire body radiated an astonishing murderous aura.
"Hmph—compared to last time, you seem to have grown a sharper tongue!" Jiang Yun showed no weakness, the corner of his mouth curling in a mocking sneer.
Boom—
Vast, mighty Dou Qi erupted from within their bodies like a storm, sweeping through heaven and earth. Such powerful Dou Qi made even space itself tremble.
Through the battles with the Pill Tower, he had already broken through to nine-star Dou Zun—placing him at the same level as Jiang Yun now.
"Mysterious Fire Finger!"
Jiang Yun was the first to strike. With a clench of his hand, the fiery-red Dou Qi between heaven and earth gathered in the sky like a tide. In mere breaths, it transformed into a colossal finger.
As light flowed and turned at the fingertip, even space itself began to quiver.
Jiang Yun flicked his finger. That dazzling, peril-laden finger imprint howled forth. With a single flicker, it pierced through the void and shot fiercely toward Yun Yi.
"Mere trifling tricks!"
As the finger imprint descended, light flickered in Yun Yi's eyes. With a cold snort, his foot slammed into the void. His hand seals rapidly shifted through a series of complex signs.
In the void, a pitch-black palm seal condensed with lightning speed—its color so deep and dark it struck terror into the heart. Upon the palm seal, wretched, mournful screams rang out ceaselessly. Faintly, the twisted, malevolent faces of souls surfaced upon it.
"Soul-Destroying Palm!"
As the wretched screams upon the palm seal grew increasingly intense, Yun Yi gave a light shout. The pitch-black palm seal shot forth instantly, like a rushing thunderbolt, hurtling toward Jiang Yun.
"Boom—"
The two attacks collided in midair with a thunderous roar, whipping up storm after storm of energy.
"Bang—"
A muffled crash rang out. In the distant void, the two figures reappeared. Back where they had just been, two illusory forms slowly dissipated.
In the blink of an eye, the two had collided over a hundred times. Astonishing, deafening booms reverberated. Powerful shockwaves swept outward, as if a tempest had been stirred between heaven and earth.
"Not enough... not enough..." Yun Yi roared madly. His pair of pitch-black demonic eyes locked onto Jiang Yun. He let out a long howl. "Is this all the strength you have?!"
In the next instant, a long halberd wreathed in pitch-black demonic flames thrust toward Jiang Yun's throat with an exceedingly vicious, ruthless precision.
"Hmph—"
Yet faced with such a swift, ferocious attack, Jiang Yun merely snorted coldly. White flames blazed up in his palm and coalesced into a flaming longsword.
The flaming longsword tore through the void, carrying an extremely terrifying force as it ruthlessly slammed against the black long halberd.
"Bang!"
An indescribable shockwave abruptly erupted outward. Among the Dou Zuns of both sides locked in battle, a portion were caught in the blast and sent reeling back, coughing blood.
Yet even as they retreated in disarray, their gazes were fixed, filled with shock, on the epicenter of that shockwave, wanting to know who would ultimately emerge victorious.
"Hahaha! I am finally free!" Just then, a low, deep voice echoed through every corner of the Star Region.
The battle between Jiang Yun and Yun Yi had yet to reach a conclusion when, over on the other side, the Three Thousand Burning Flame broke free, causing a tremendous commotion.
At this moment, the Three Thousand Burning Flame's dragon body blazed with purplish-black flames. Behind it in the void, endless starlight power surged ceaselessly into its form, as if inexhaustible.
The energy erupting from within the Three Thousand Burning Flame at this instant was such that even a Half-Saint would be alarmed. That vast, seemingly limitless energy—not even a Half-Saint dared underestimate it in the slightest.
"Damn it!" Seeing the Three Thousand Burning Flame regain its freedom—and, what was more, recover its full strength—the Second Elder, who was desperately holding off Hun Qing, was momentarily distracted and nearly blasted into serious injury by a single palm from Hun Qing.
"Jie, jie... To dare be distracted while fighting this old man! This round, your Pill Tower has already lost!" With a single palm, Hun Qing sent the Fourth Elder flying backward. Watching the erupting Three Thousand Burning Flame, he gazed at the Pill Tower's forces with a face full of smug amusement.
"Soul Hall—!"
The Second Elder's fury blazed to the heavens. But under Hun Qing's absolute suppression, his situation grew increasingly perilous. His rage brought him not the slightest additional strength.
"Boom—"
Now, with the Three Thousand Burning Flame freed, the endless purplish-black flames within the Star Region seemed to have found their sovereign. Its entire body blazed with dazzling radiance, radiating scorching energy.
Under the eruption of this scorching energy, the Star Region space—which the Pill Tower had used to seal the Three Thousand Burning Flame—quietly began to show crack after crack, as if on the verge of collapse at any moment.
"Not good! The Star Region is collapsing!"
After forcing back the Third Heavenly Venerable, Xuan Kongzi saw the Star Region beginning to collapse. He glared furiously at the Three Thousand Burning Flame. "Three Thousand Burning Flame! If you want to leave, we will let you go! Stop what you're doing right now! Otherwise, when the Ancestor takes action, your chance to exist in this world will be gone!"
The Three Thousand Burning Flame's enormous dragon eyes glanced at Xuan Kongzi in the distance. A flicker of humanlike fury flashed through them. A deep, low voice issued from its massive maw. "You humans are cunning and deceitful. How can I trust you?"
"The grudge of a thousand years of imprisonment—today, let us settle it once and for all!"
"Roar—"
Recalling those past days of lightless, endless slumber, a flame of fury surged in the Three Thousand Burning Flame's heart. Completely disregarding Xuan Kongzi's threat, it let out an enraged roar.
Its giant maw opened wide. Purplish-black flames, like a pillar of fire, blasted forth from its mouth. Wherever the flames passed, the very space showed twisted, distorted scars.
"Crack—"
Spatial rifts rapidly spread throughout the Star Region's periphery. Cluster after cluster of purplish-black flames began seeping from the Star Region toward the outside world.
"Wretches—!"
Seeing this scene, Xuan Kongzi, the Second Elder, and the other Pill Tower members' eyes turned bloodshot. They roared in unison, their hearts burning with desperation. Below the Star Region was Holy Pill City! If those flames fell—then the Pill Tower would truly be finished.
Thinking this, they attacked the Soul Hall Venerables who were tying them down with even greater frenzy.
But the Soul Hall's forces had clearly come extremely well-prepared. They tightly held back the Pill Tower's upper echelons, causing the Pill Tower's people to grow more and more frantic.
If the flames within the Star Region truly erupted in full, the entire Holy Pill City would likely be reduced to ruins and a city of the dead in the blink of an eye.
"So hot..."
"Look—look at the sky! What is that...?"
"Could that be a heavenly flame? Is the heavenly flame sealed by the Pill Tower about to break free?"
At this moment, in the outside world, within Holy Pill City, countless figures flickered in the sky. Grave, tense gazes converged on the heavens above.
The space there showed violent distortions. Faintly, streak after streak of purplish-black flame was about to seep through from within. A terrifying high temperature spread forth, causing the temperature of this entire stretch of heaven and earth to gradually rise.
"Run—!"
Seeing that the Three Thousand Burning Flame was about to erupt, Holy Pill City was instantly thrown into chaos. Countless figures sped frantically toward the outside. For a time, crowds surged and scattered in panic. Where was the prosperity of bygone days?
"Xiao Yi Xian, withdraw with us!" On a building near the Pill Tower, Cao Ying looked at the white-clad, elegant figure ahead and spoke with urgency.
Hearing Cao Ying's words, Xiao Yi Xian shook her head slightly and said softly, "Jiang Yun hasn't said to withdraw. I'm going to wait for him."
"You—"
Hearing this, Cao Ying's breath caught in her throat. She felt, with tangible clarity, the depth of Xiao Yi Xian's feelings for Jiang Yun—a feeling utterly different from her own. It was no wonder Jiang Yun had always been indifferent toward her.
Cao Ying gritted her teeth. The pride in her heart made her want to stay as well. But...
"Miss, hurry and go! If we don't leave now, it'll be too late!" Behind her, a Dou Zong of the Cao clan urged anxiously, his gaze fixed on the disturbance in the sky with terror.
"Go..." In the end, Cao Ying did not possess the same resolve as Xiao Yi Xian. She merely held a bit of admiration for a peer like Jiang Yun—it had not reached the point of following him through life and death.
She cast one last glance at Xiao Yi Xian, who stood with her gaze resolutely fixed on the fluctuating space in the sky above.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, the spatial rift of the Star Region shuddered violently. Even more ferocious purplish-black flames swept forth from within like a storm. In that instant, all of Holy Pill City fell into dead silence.
At this moment, one and the same thought rose in everyone's hearts.
"It's over!"
"Soul Hall—you have overstepped your bounds!"
Just as the people of Holy Pill City were sinking into despair, an exceptionally ancient, weathered voice quietly rang out. This voice seemed to carry a peculiar power, soothing the panic in everyone's hearts and restoring their calm.
Then, everyone saw the purplish-black flames descending from the sky suddenly seem to freeze in place, suspended in midair.
And in the distant void, where that voice had come from, an extraordinarily fierce spatial fluctuation suddenly erupted. Then, a green ox, treading through the void and accompanied by a low, deep moo, slowly appeared above Holy Pill City and entered everyone's line of sight.
"???"
Countless gazes immediately fell upon that green ox. But upon getting a clear look, everyone froze. Expressions of utter bafflement appeared on countless faces.
Because atop that ox's back sat a figure—a child, short of stature, dressed in a simple, coarse linen outfit. His gaze was clear, his face youthful and tender, appearing to be a boy of about ten or so years of age!
Everyone's eyes held a moment of stunned stupefaction. Holy Pill City suddenly became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. No one had imagined that such an aged voice would actually come from the mouth of a mere child!