Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Earth Spirit Fire, Flame Fruit
Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Earth Spirit Fire, Flame Fruit
Ten Flame Snake Kings, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Chen De could hold off five.
Liu Yongqing, Tan Guanghong, Fang Sheng, and the other five at the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining could block another five.
But the remaining swarm of snakes was still enough to claim his, Yang Ji's, life.
Without a moment's hesitation, Yang Ji decisively turned his head and retreated.
But just as he turned, he saw six afterimages flash by extremely fast before his eyes.
When Yang Ji took a closer look, wasn't it Chen De and his group who else could it be?
"These guys, not even putting up a bit of resistance to buy me time to escape and instead, escaping even faster than me." Yang Ji was truly dumbfounded, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Such speed in fleeing was truly beyond his reach, truly worthy of coming from a rogue cultivator background.
"These guys, I really overestimated your courage and strength. Especially you, Chen De, I'm embarrassed for you being a Foundation Establishment expert!" Yang Ji hurried along while viciously cursing their retreating figures in his heart.
He had just rushed forward for the time it takes to take ten breaths when he suddenly halted, and before him, the various magma pits along the path had all started boiling, and from within, just like behind him, snakes emerged, including ten Flame Snake Kings, blocking the path ahead.
It seemed that the commotion caused by Chang Lin had truly alarmed the entire snake nest.
It was at this moment that a thunderous roar sounded from deep within the tunnel.
The roar was full of ferocity and challenge, could it be anyone other than the Blazing Beast?
Although Yang Ji had been fleeing all this time, he was still paying attention to Chang Lin's movement; he was afraid Chang Lin might find the Blazing Beast.
It was true bad luck, like choking on water, just his misfortune to the extreme.
Blazing Beast, oh Blazing Beast, you really are unreliable. Given the chance, you're no use; what were you thinking coming out of hiding?
Some braggadocio is truly life-threatening, like eating in a latrine, your death isn't far off.
Yang Ji was truly cursing up a storm in his heart, really anxious for the Blazing Beast that had dashed out of its den.
It was at the same time that Chang Lin's laughter boomed out.
Yang Ji then knew that the Blazing Beast was probably unable to escape from his poisonous hands.
Although, as far as the eye could see, the Blazing Beast was still fleeing at full speed, its fate had already been sealed.
A Golden Core True Person taking action personally, how could it possibly escape from old man Chang Lin's demon claws?
While he was cursing under his breath, Chen De and the other six once again flew past him and ran back, obviously having been driven back by the Flame Snakes behind them.
Yang Ji didn't stop either, quickly following their steps at great speed.
But they discovered that in the midst of this back-and-forth fleeing, Flame Snakes from all sides had already encircled them.
Upon the encounter, a fierce battle erupted with a resounding boom.
In an instant, flashes of blades and shadows of blood filled the air.
"Kill!" Chen De shouted loudly. Relying on his robust Foundation Establishment cultivation, he split a Flame Snake King in half and then his Sword Qi streaked forward like a rushing river, instantly cutting through the snake net and breaking out of the encirclement, sprinting towards the direction of Chang Lin's laughter.
"Damn it!" Tan Guanghong and the others prepared to chase after him but were surrounded by the influx of Flame Snakes.
Under their attacks, the five were immediately scattered by the crazed onslaught of the group of snakes, each pair retreating into different tunnels.
Yang Ji's expression darkened slightly, with snakes dancing wildly in front, and a cacophony of snake roars from behind, truly trapped with no way to advance or retreat.
During his quick deliberation, he immediately chose to charge into the tunnel where Chang Lin had previously entered.
Previously, Chang Lin had shown his might by defeating all the Flame Snakes in his path, so there were fewest Flame Snakes in the tunnel directly ahead.
Thinking so, after cutting down a Level Six Flame Snake with a slash, Yang Ji immediately reached into his Storage Bag and pulled out two Fiery Tiger Talismans.
Upon activation, boom! Energy surged instantly, the atmosphere around burst forth, and two ferocious, flaming tigers emerged from the talismans, leaping out in an assault.
The strength of the two Level Ten Fiery Tigers was astonishing, their violent flames sweeping through; any low-level Flame Snakes touched by the fire instantly turned to ash.
Even the Flame Snake King in front was knocked down in one swoop, the two fierce tigers instantly clashing and tearing into it.
Seeing a clear path ahead, how could Yang Ji hesitate?
The ten Flame Snake Kings behind him, along with over a hundred lesser Flame Snakes, were already on his heels; he immediately used the Light Body Skill, leapt over the magma pits in his way, landed in the tunnel, and rushed towards its depths at high speed.
Liu Yongqing, seeing Yang Ji had actually blasted open a passage, followed him promptly in astonishment.
Indeed, this way was clear of obstacles; the Flame Snakes had all become corpses, clearly the work of Chang Lin.
As Yang Ji continued to hurry along, he also collected all the Flame Snake carcasses and Demon Cores along the way.
But safety was fleeting; the Flame Snakes, drawn by the scent, had no intention of letting them go.
Three li out, Yang Ji found that Flame Snakes from all directions were once again converging along various tunnels, and at this moment he was truly trapped with no way out.
Yang Ji glanced ahead and immediately broke into a mad sprint toward the lair of the Blazing Beast.
Because he had noticed earlier that the spot where the Flame Snakes were sleeping was far from the Blazing Beast's den, it seemed they didn't dare to get close.
Although the Blazing Beast had run out now, its scent still lingered in the lair, and Yang Ji planned to test it, ready to hide inside.
With this thought in mind, he pushed his speed to the limit.
After a frantic dash of three miles, he finally burst into the lair of the Blazing Beast.
As soon as he entered, a whooshing sound came from behind him—it was Liu Yongqing, who had been following closely, catching up.
The two saw that the end of the lair was a dead end with no way out.
They immediately turned around, their nerves taut, ready for battle.
Just when they thought they were about to enter a life-and-death struggle, the pursuing Flame Snakes stopped about a mile away, even the Flame Snake King with its eyes flashing a fierce light didn't dare to approach.
After only a few breaths, the Flame Snakes turned around and headed towards Chen De and the others who were still fighting outside.
Liu Yongqing and Yang Ji let out a sigh of relief, both puzzled as to why the Flame Snakes didn't dare to get close.
As they turned to survey the lair, their expressions suddenly froze.
In front of them was a lava pool with a diameter of only thirty feet, in which lava bubbled, and in the middle, a fist-sized red flame burned bright.
The instant they saw the red flame, both realized the den was several times hotter than outside; even Yang Ji, who had taken the Ice Clear Liquid, felt a scorching heat.
Liu Yongqing's forehead was also beaded with large sweat droplets.
Beyond this red flame, the two of them saw a robust but leafless small tree at one corner of the lava pool, with five red-orange fruits hanging from it, shining like burning flames, creating a strong visual impact.
Those fruits were obviously extraordinary.
Yang Ji's pupils contracted, but even more of his attention was focused on the red flame—this fire was…
Liu Yongqing's body shook slightly as he exclaimed in a low voice, "Is this Earth Spirit Fire, Flame Fruit?"
This Earth Spirit Fire was born from the lava, and although it was the least powerful among Spiritual Fires, it was still many times better than Earth Fire.
The Flame Fruit was also extraordinary; consuming it could directly increase one's Cultivation, making it a rare and valuable Spirit Fruit.
Looking at the Earth Spirit Fire and the Flame Fruit, Yang Ji instantly understood why the Blazing Beast had taken the initiative to strike—it feared having its lair overrun.
Yet, it had underestimated the strength of the intruders and was doomed to suffer outside its home.
"Heh heh, Brother Yang, these Flame Fruits and Earth Spirit Fire are fine items. How do you plan to divide them?" Liu Yongqing suddenly looked sideways at Yang Ji with a sly smile.
Yang Ji saw the greed and avarice in his eyes and felt a chill in his heart.
All for himself?
Indeed, that was far too greedy.
The corners of Yang Ji's eyes twitched imperceptibly, and he could only force a dry laugh, "Brother Liu, you are an expert at the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining. Later, when we leave, I'll be counting on your strength. All these treasures should naturally belong to you. If we can't make it out, they'll be of no use to me anyway."
"Oh? If you can think that way, Brother Yang, it's for the best." Liu Yongqing laughed, nodding his head in satisfaction.
Yang Ji internally didn't wish to agree, but feeling the terrifying high temperature from the Earth Spirit Fire, he knew he couldn't take it with him and so he went along with Liu Yongqing's wishes.
If Liu Yongqing could take it out, then he could buy it back later. If he revealed his identity as an Alchemist, Liu Yongqing would be happy to owe him a favor.
While Yang Ji was thinking this, Liu Yongqing took two steps towards the lava pool before suddenly turning around.
"Oh, by the way, Brother Yang, you wouldn't speak of what happened here to anyone, right?" Liu Yongqing smiled faintly, though a murderous intent and the thought [He has a Fiery Tiger Talisman, but it takes some time to activate. I can surely kill him before he activates it.] appeared above his head.
Damn it, he wants to kill me?
Seeing the Spiritual Power slowly gathering within Liu Yongqing, Yang Ji's heart skipped a beat, his eyes swiveling subtly as he suddenly chuckled, "No, no, of course not…"
As he looked up, his expression suddenly turned fierce, and with a flick of his Storage Bag, he violently threw out nine Thunder Shockers.
The swiftly approaching Liu Yongqing cried out in alarm, "What, what is this?"
But after nine consecutive thunderous explosions, the dust settled quickly, and Liu Yongqing's voice was no longer heard.
Yang Ji hastily focused his gaze and saw [Liu Yongqing, on his last breath, severely injured.]
Seeing such information, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Clearing the dust, Yang Ji approached Liu Yongqing. At this moment, his limbs were broken, his flesh torn and rolled back, with bones exposed—it was a horrific sight.
"You... you actually had more Thunder Shockers…" on the ground, Liu Yongqing's eyes showed a profound look of resentment.
"My kindness is truly at odds with this world. I never even considered harming your life with my Fiery Tiger Talisman and Thunder Shockers, but you!"
Yang Ji shook his head slightly, slowly took out the last Thunder Shocker, and stuffed it into Liu Yongqing's mouth.