Chapter 687 Red Lotus Fire
The magma attacks along the way became increasingly dense, sometimes transforming into fire snakes that shot out, and sometimes condensing into walls of fire to block them, but Xiao Ling remained unmoved. His crimson-gold figure, like a rainbow, darted through the raging magma torrents, and all attacks vanished the moment they touched the flames on his body.
The deeper they went, the heavier the oppressive aura of the strange fire became, which only made Xiao Ling's eyes burn even more intensely.
He could sense that he was getting closer and closer to his goal.
As the body continued to fall deeper into the volcano, the surrounding lava became increasingly turbulent.
The crimson magma surged and roared like a boiling, raging sea. Several magma fire dragons, each ten feet thick, suddenly shot up from below, carrying intense heat that could scorch the air as they hurtled towards the dragons. The moment their heads opened, one could even see the blazing fire cores churning inside.
Countless tiny flints rained down like a storm, each carrying a scorching heat capable of melting fine iron.
This dense and domineering attack was far more intense than the previous probing attacks.
Xiao Ling's eyes narrowed slightly, knowing that he could no longer remain calm with just the flames on his body as he had before.
With a thought, his fighting spirit surged within him, and crimson-gold flames burst forth from his body, instantly transforming into a flame barrier half a zhang thick.
Strange patterns flowed across the surface of the barrier, as if condensing all the fire-attribute energy in the world, radiating a majestic yet intense aura.
"boom--"
The lava dragon slammed into the barrier, unleashing a deafening roar. The scalding molten lava splashed everywhere, but was instantly vaporized into white smoke by an invisible force the moment it touched the barrier.
The rain of flints turned to dust the moment they came within three feet of the barrier.
Xiao Ling did not stop, stepping on the crimson-gold flame barrier and shuttling through the raging magma currents. All attacks hit the barrier as if they had been thrown into the sea, without even causing a ripple.
He even had the leisure to glance down at the increasingly intense flames below, a knowing smile curving his lips. The more fiercely the strange fire resisted, the closer it was to him.
The magma's attack grew increasingly frenzied, with several giant pillars of magma exploding from the rock walls on both sides. The scalding lava poured down like waterfalls, weaving into an impenetrable net of fire within this space.
Countless tiny fire snakes darted out from the cracks in the rock wall, coiling around Xiao Ling's body like a malignant tumor.
The flame barrier endured the constant impacts, emitting a dull hum, yet the patterns on its surface remained steady, blocking all attacks.
Just as Xiao Ling raised his hand again to reinforce the barrier, a strange tremor suddenly welled up from the bottom of his heart.
The feeling came without warning, like a tiny electric current running through his heart, causing his fighting spirit to pause slightly.
Immediately afterwards, a series of images uncontrollably surfaced in my mind—
When the young man first entered the Black Corner Region, the blade flashed swiftly and coldly as it sliced through the throat of a villain, and blood splattered on the dark red street corner.
When the powerful warriors of the Three Kingdoms Alliance shattered the border of Jiama, he wielded a strange fire that burned away the enemy's blazing flames, and his remains cooled silently on the scorched earth.
On the night of Demon Flame Valley's destruction, the chilling black aura of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner rose into the sky, and countless souls wailed in agony as they were devoured in the flames.
Furthermore, his subsequent large-scale operations in the Central Plains, his indifferent figure refining countless vengeful spirits with a wave of his hand, and the scenes of souls being absorbed into the Myriad Soul Banner, all seem vivid in my mind to this day…
As these blood-stained images repeatedly flashed through his mind, a chilling aura of malevolence quietly emanated from Xiao Ling.
The malevolent aura, like a festering sore, flowed through the fighting energy and seeped into every part of the body. Even the raging magma around them seemed to be intimidated by this ferocious aura, and its surging momentum slightly slowed down.
But Xiao Ling was completely unaware of this. His consciousness was still immersed in the memories of past battles. The chilling cold of blades drinking blood, the scorching heat of flames burning the body, and the eerie wails of souls washed over his mind like a tide.
Unbeknownst to him, his once clear, azure eyes had been tinged with an eerie crimson, and deep within his pupils seemed to flicker with crimson flames.
His jawline was taut, and his cheek muscles twitched slightly uncontrollably. His previous calm and composed expression had vanished, replaced by a cold and ruthless look that was almost ferocious.
Even the battle qi that controlled the flame barrier became somewhat disordered. The patterns on the surface of the barrier flickered, and occasionally tiny fragments of lava spray would slip through the gaps, burning small red marks on the back of his hand. He was completely unaware of this, mechanically following the aura of the strange fire as he fell deeper into the volcano.
Memories of past battles, like wild horses, were slowly eroding his clarity, but he was completely unaware of them at the moment.
Amidst the pervasive malevolent aura, the crimson-gold flames on Xiao Ling's body had subtly changed color without him even noticing.
Deep red flames, as red as blood, rose from his body, slowly ascending with an eerie glow. The red was so intense it seemed to drip liquid, swaying with a strange halo in the dim interior of the volcano.
Even more strangely, whenever the flames leaped to a height of about ten feet, they would suddenly condense into the shape of budding red lotuses, with flowing dark red patterns on the edges of the petals, as if they were carved with congealed blood.
The phantom of the crimson lotus flickered in the flames. As the petals unfurled, tiny specks of blood-red light seemed to fall, only to transform into blinding red mist the instant they touched the lava.
This eerie sight, coupled with the bloodshot gleam in his eyes, gave Xiao Ling an aura of malevolent malice that kept strangers at bay. Even the surging battle qi within him was tinged with a domineering madness, resonating and colliding more intensely with the primal fire power deep within the volcano.
If a knowledgeable cultivator were here, upon seeing this eerie flame, he would surely be shocked and recognize its origin. This was no ordinary flame; it was clearly the Crimson Lotus Karmic Flame, ranked eighth on the Strange Flame Ranking!
The Red Lotus Karmic Fire's ability to consistently rank eighth is not solely due to the destructive power of the strange fire itself, capable of burning mountains and boiling seas.
What is even more frightening is its extremely strange nature. It can invade the mind like an invisible shadow, stirring up all the evil deeds in the victim's past life, and then using these sins as a catalyst to ignite the evil energy hidden in the heart.
If a person is already utterly wicked, once entangled by the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, they will instantly fall into a sinful illusion.
The malevolent energy within the body will grow wildly like weeds, and may even spontaneously generate the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, which will continuously burn from flesh and blood to the soul. The flames seem to coexist with sin, and will never be extinguished unless the person is completely burned to ashes.
However, if one is honest and upright throughout their life, the properties of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire will not take effect.
Not only will they not be bothered by it, but they can also use the tempering power of the flame to remove mental obstacles and stabilize their Dao heart, which can be considered a unique cultivation opportunity. At this moment, Xiao Ling is obviously being tightly entangled by the characteristics of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.
He was never a soft-hearted person. In the past, in order to protect his own path and clear obstacles, he never showed any leniency to those who offended him or any forces. Even if his subordinates were involved in karma, or even if innocent people were implicated, he did not hesitate to refine them into the Myriad Soul Banner.
The sins accumulated from such killings became the perfect nourishment for the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.
The accumulated malevolent energy from the past, now under the influence of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, has been completely ignited, gnawing at his mind like a malignant tumor, which is why he is in his current predicament.
In fact, given Xiao Ling's current strength, if he were to directly confront the true form of the Red Lotus Karmic Flame, suppressing it would be a piece of cake, given his control over the strange flame.
But the most peculiar thing about this strange fire is its unique attack. It doesn't rely on destructive power, but rather on the gaps in one's mind and spirit, quietly invading while one is focused on searching for a target, and by the time one realizes it, one is already deeply trapped inside.
Fortunately, Xiao Ling had undergone countless trials, and his physical strength far exceeded that of ordinary people. In addition, he had refined various kinds of strange fires in his body, and his resistance to fire had reached its peak.
Although the Red Lotus Karmic Fire was burning inside his body, it did not harm Xiao Ling in the slightest for a short time. However, the ever-growing baleful aura and the murderous thoughts churning in his mind were gradually eroding his clarity.
Although the burning of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire did not cause any substantial harm to Xiao Ling, passively enduring it was not a long-term solution. If he could not break free from this mental imprisonment in time, once the evil energy completely devoured his reason, even if his physical body was strong, he would only become a puppet burned to ashes by the karmic fire.
The malevolent energy within his body grew wildly like weeds, causing the Red Lotus Karmic Fire to burn ever brighter.
A deep red flame, as red as blood, spread from Xiao Ling's heart, first climbing up his neck, then across his slightly twitching cheeks, making his bloodstained eyes appear even more eerie.
Immediately afterwards, the flames spread wildly through his limbs and bones, engulfing his entire body in just a few breaths.
The flames rose more and more fiercely, and eerie red lotuses bloomed and vanished in the firelight. Tiny sparks of blood rose and fell with his breath, enveloping his entire body in a blinding red light.
The light pierced through the surrounding churning lava, creating an eerie, blood-red domain in the dim interior of the volcano.
Affected by both mental confinement and the burning of karmic fire, Xiao Ling's falling body became increasingly sluggish, his originally steady Dou Qi flow became sluggish, and even the strength to control the flame barrier weakened.
Finally, his figure came to a complete stop in the middle of this churning sea of lava, like a statue engulfed in blood-red flames, suspended between the crimson lava and the thick sulfurous smoke. Only the constantly flickering flames proved that he was still struggling against the evil energy and karmic fire within his body.
As Xiao Ling sank deeper into the malevolent aura, the crimson lotus karmic fire around him grew increasingly intense, almost threatening to engulf him entirely.
Just then, a faint white light suddenly shone from his chest, like a dormant star suddenly awakening.
The spirit of the ancestral stone residing within Xiao Ling's body seemed to sense Xiao Ling's current crisis, slowly emitting a soft halo as it silently circulated and probed within his body.
The halo swept across the churning malevolent energy, swept over the wildly burning karmic fire, and touched Xiao Ling's nearly chaotic mind. Within the subtle energy fluctuations, countless noises seemed to be colliding.
A moment later, the white light flickered slightly, as if it had seen through the predicament before it.
Withdrawing its probe into Xiao Ling's internal condition, the Ancestral Stone Spirit's voice, tinged with a detached understanding, quietly resonated deep within his consciousness: "It seems Xiao Ling has encountered some trouble..."
The suspended white light swayed gently, its tone devoid of any anxiety. Its calm demeanor concealed absolute certainty. In its view, Xiao Ling's current situation was hardly a troublesome problem.
The spirit of the Ancestral Stone had already seen through Xiao Ling's current situation. Although the flames that suddenly shot up looked fierce and terrifying, they were merely the "Heart Tribulation Fire" generated by his own baleful aura, not the flames that had triggered all of this.
Moreover, Xiao Ling's body and bones had already been repeatedly tempered by various strange flames, and his resistance to flames had reached its peak. The current burning sensation could not damage his foundation at all.
Otherwise, given the intelligent nature of the strange flames within him, once they sensed that their host was in danger, how could they just stand by and watch the flames rage wildly within his body? They would probably have already activated themselves to dispel the invading force.
However, this unfortunate situation allowed Xiao Ling to truly experience the corrosive effects of malevolent energy. This unseen torment was far more unbearable than any physical injury, a silent ordeal.
After a moment's thought, the spirit of the ancestral stone made a decision: it needed to act quickly to help Xiao Ling dispel the abnormal condition in his body so that he could suffer less.
It's not feasible to wait until the strange fire within his body senses the host's predicament before slowly starting to dispel its effects on Xiao Ling.
In that case, given Xiao Ling's current state of being enveloped by evil energy, who knows how much more torment he would have to endure in this silent suffering before the moment when the strange fire spontaneously protects its master.
Having made his decision, the spirit of the ancestral stone immediately took action. In an instant, beams of white light containing pure purifying power erupted from Xiao Ling's body, flooding his limbs and bones like a tide, and enveloping him in a flash.
The white light was as gentle as water, and wherever it passed, the surging evil energy within the body quickly subsided as if it had encountered its nemesis. Even the eerie red light of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire dimmed a bit.
Xiao Ling, whose consciousness was still immersed in the memories of past killing intent, felt a cool sensation flow into his mind through his brow.
The hazy, foggy feeling he had been experiencing suddenly dissipated, and he snapped back to his senses. The bloodshot in his eyes faded at a visible speed, revealing a clear blue again.
The images churning in my mind receded like the tide, and my consciousness instantly returned to clarity, even my breathing became steady.
"What's happening here?"
Xiao Ling suddenly came to his senses and subconsciously looked down at himself.
Although the eerie red lotus flames around him had dimmed considerably, the lingering heat was still clearly perceptible. The afterglow of the scenes of slaughter in his mind had not yet dissipated, and for a moment he felt a sense of absurdity.
Just as his mind stirred slightly, the voice of the Ancestral Stone Spirit rang in his consciousness: "Just now you were affected by a special flame. The evil energy accumulated from your past killings was stirred up, giving rise to this Heart Tribulation Flame, which is why you fell into those memories of killing thoughts."
The white light swayed gently within his body, continuing, "Fortunately, I discovered it in time. I used my purifying power to suppress the evil energy, which brought you back to your senses. Otherwise, if it had been any later, and the strange fire within you had reacted on its own, you would have suffered even more..." (End of Chapter)
