novelapdf #334 - Collect
#334 - Collect
The woman, Xiao He, not only showed no fear upon hearing this but even giggled charmingly as if everything was within her expectations.
However, Li Chengfeng's next words instantly froze her smile: "You think your plan is flawless? Little do you know, I have seen through everything long ago."
With Li Chengfeng's revelation, the woman finally shed her disguise. Her body suddenly exploded, revealing a poison flame fire spirit beast the size of a washbasin.
Dense runes covered its tortoise shell, emitting an eerie aura. It soared into the air, its flames burning even more fiercely, surrounded by poisonous gas that inspired dread.
Upon seeing this, everyone was terrified and found no way to escape. The surrounding space suddenly twisted, and a huge cage of flames enveloped everyone.
The poison flame fire spirit beast triumphantly announced, "Human greed is my nourishment. I had no intention of indiscriminately killing innocents, but to break through to the demon general realm, I have no choice.
The souls and essence of nine human cultivators will be the key to my advancement."
Despite not yet reaching the pinnacle of cultivation, the poison flame fire spirit beast's arrogant words were as scorching as flames, striking Li Chengfeng's heart and causing a ripple of emotion.
He stared at the seemingly ordinary wall of fire, and suddenly, the terrifying power contained within the flames seemed to pierce through his soul, making his heart tremble and almost suffocating him.
His gaze shifted downward to the intricate patterns on the tortoise shell, which resembled a deep-sea vortex, stirring up a storm in his heart. All the mysteries seemed to find clues at this moment.
He suddenly understood why the Blackwater Swamp had been experiencing frequent anomalies. It turned out that all of this was caused by the dark forces behind this poison flame fire spirit beast.
Not just this one, but throughout the depths of the swamp, there were countless poison flame fire spirit beasts lurking, controlled by evil techniques. Their tortoise shells were meticulously arranged with strange formations, which acted like invisible shackles, twisting their minds and turning them into killing machines.
The strength of this formation was strangely similar to the Heaven's Mandate Master's means of defying fate. Li Chengfeng speculated in his heart that these fire spirit beasts were likely carefully bred and released here by the Heaven's Mandate Master for their own selfish desires.
His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and the wordless heavenly book in his hand flickered with light, as if ready to uncover more secrets at any moment.
Although the flames were rampant and overbearing, Li Chengfeng knew that these fire spirit beasts were not high-level demon beasts in essence. The reason they could erupt with such astonishing power was all due to the altar-like runes on their tortoise shells.
These runes were like a bridge, injecting some ancient and mysterious power into the fire spirit beasts' bodies, making them mistakenly believe that they could advance through killing and offering sacrifices.
However, hidden within this seemingly endless cycle of power was a fatal price—when this power swelled to an unbearable level, the poison flame fire spirit beasts would eventually exhaust their lives and turn into withered husks.
However, faced with the temptation of absolute power, the poison flame fire spirit beasts had long been blinded by greed. They could not see the impending destruction, just like those who chased after the Heaven's Mandate Stone were often swallowed by the power behind it.
Although Li Chengfeng had many questions in his heart, especially about why the Heaven's Mandate Stone was involved, he knew that now was not the time to delve into it.
He had to cut the Gordian knot quickly and resolve the immediate crisis first.
The real threat posed by the poison flame fire spirit beast in front of him did not originate from itself but from the ring of fire surrounding it—a carefully designed trap, specifically for luring and sacrificing living beings to the Heaven's Mandate Master.
These flames contained a strange sacrificial power. Once someone tried to escape, they would be ruthlessly devoured, their power immediately extracted and transformed into a source of power for the Heaven's Mandate Master.
The poison flame fire spirit beast seemed to enjoy this. It cunningly lured people here, just so that the altar flames could have a satisfying meal.
Inside the wall of fire, the crowd was like ants on a hot pot, with panic and despair intertwined. Among them, a fat man, though bulky, was unusually agile. In a moment of quick thinking, he stepped onto a flying sword, trying to break through the wall of fire and escape.
However, the fiery tentacles in the wall of fire seemed to possess consciousness, instantly entangling him tightly, accompanied by a shrill scream.
He turned into nothingness, leaving only a trace of power, which was greedily devoured by the flames. A small portion was transmitted to the poison flame fire spirit beast, while the majority mysteriously disappeared, as if drawn away by some force.
Li Chengfeng watched coldly, already understanding a few things in his heart. He did not rush to act but waited patiently, observing this cruel sacrificial ritual.
As one life after another disappeared, the power of the flames became increasingly turbulent. Li Chengfeng finally understood the secret of this altar power—it parasitized on fear and despair, drawing on the power of living beings.
Therefore, he gently shook the wordless heavenly book in his hand, and six black plum blossoms fell leisurely, like the brightest stars in the night sky, instantly attaching to the wall of fire.
On the plum blossoms, fine veins appeared like blood vessels, eerie and beautiful. They seemed to possess life, greedily absorbing the power in the flames.
In an instant, the originally rampant wall of fire gradually weakened and was eventually completely devoured by the six plum blossoms. This scene left the poison flame fire spirit beast dumbfounded and unbelievable.
"This… how is this possible? My invincible heavenly fire was actually taken away by your flames!" The poison flame fire spirit beast's voice was full of horror and unwillingness.
Li Chengfeng chuckled, his gaze like a sword: "What 'invincible heavenly fire,' it's just a disguise for sacrificial fire.
You assist the wicked in their deeds, sacrificing innocent people to the Heaven's Mandate Master, how foolish. Today will be your end."
With that, his figure flashed, and he drew his sword from its sheath, his movements as fast as lightning piercing the sky.
This sword contained the essence of Confucian swordsmanship—taking an unorthodox approach and incorporating the art of soul-slaying—but in Li Chengfeng's hands, it unleashed unprecedented power.
He accurately found the poison flame fire spirit beast's flaw and struck it down with one sword, not only separating its physical body but also failing to allow its divine soul to escape, completely dissipating it between heaven and earth, and severing the connection with the distant altar.
This sword was concise and fatal, demonstrating Li Chengfeng's outstanding demeanor as a sword cultivator. Since stepping into this grassland shrouded in poisonous gas,
he had, for the first time, left his comfortable recliner, his feet standing firmly on this land full of unknowns and dangers.
His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, his deep eyes staring at the Frog Saint in front, his voice firm and powerful: "This place is not suitable for a long stay. Quickly take me to the place where you gained your intelligence, and we will leave immediately after obtaining what we need, otherwise, a great disaster may befall us."
Although the Frog Saint seemed dull, it was clear that it also felt the master's urgency and determination. In addition, it had been reading the books of sages recently, and its mind seemed to be a lot brighter.
It quickly responded, "Master, that place is under the pool of water in front."
With that, it jumped into the pool without hesitation, and Li Chengfeng followed closely behind, surrounded by a protective shield formed by his Gang Qi. The two of them plunged into the depths of the pool together.
In the air, the three women witnessed all of this, their eyes full of shock and amazement, so much so that they could not speak for a while.
The strength and wisdom displayed by Li Bai far exceeded their imagination. The unfathomable sword cultivation and the unbelievable means of subduing flames both made them feel both shocked and awed.
"What a remarkable man! This person's future achievements will definitely be limitless. The flames were so powerful, how did he take them away with the Heavenly Book?" Ye Bitong sincerely exclaimed.
Lan Qianxue seemed even more eager: "Let's follow immediately and see what secrets are hidden below. As for how he outputted it, we won't understand either. We'll only know when we ask him at that time."
However, Ruyan rationally stopped her and softly reminded, "Don't act rashly.
This person is meticulous, ruthless, and extremely cautious. If we rashly enter the water, he may mistakenly think we are enemies, and that would be troublesome."
Ye Bitong nodded in agreement upon hearing this: "Yes, we just need to wait and see what happens from the outside, see when he comes out, and then make a plan."