FVN Chapter 66 Fiery Abyss
Chapter 66 Fiery Abyss
After slaying the group of immortals from Zifu Prefecture, Xuan Yao and his entourage continued eastward, following the unseen premonition.
Traversing mountains and valleys, crossing layers of clouds and marshes.
It continued for thousands of years.
On this day, the world ahead suddenly opened up before them.
An ancient aura that caused Xuan Yao's Dao Heart to tremble slightly rushed towards him.
Before them lay a vast and boundless swamp.
Unlike the usual misty, cloud-shrouded landscapes, this place presents an extremely bizarre scene.
The void is perpetually shrouded in thick clouds interwoven with crimson and inky blue.
Even more miraculously, raging crimson flames rose from the surface of the great marsh.
Deep within the raging flames, icy, dark blue water surged and darted through the fire.
Water flows through fire.
Fire is burning on water.
The forces of water and fire interact and counteract each other here, yet they coexist in a strange and perfect way.
Deep within the earth's veins, an extremely surging innate yin and yang energy flowed and circulated, bringing with it bursts of strange sounds like muffled thunder.
Xuan Yao stood on Ling Xiao's spine, closed his eyes, and released his divine sense to scan the earth's veins inch by inch.
At this moment, the long-dormant sense of destiny deep within his mind finally reached its peak.
"It's deep within this great swamp."
Xuan Yao opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the center of this strange fire swamp.
Just as he was about to activate Lingxiao to fly into the swamp, his Dharma Eyes twitched and he noticed that on the islands and shallows on the outskirts of the swamp, there lived an extremely large number of strange creatures.
These creatures were rather short, only about three feet tall, but they had four thick arms and three strange feet.
Most remarkably, between their brows, there are three pairs, a total of six, clear, dark eyes, as black as ink.
Its skin is as black as charcoal, and it is naturally close to the water and fire of this place. While playing, it can inhale and exhale the spiritual light of water and fire.
"The Flame Abyss Clan".
Xuan Yao's heart stirred slightly.
He had seen scattered records about this race in the jade slips of the Hundred Races of the Primordial World bestowed by the Queen Mother of the West.
Legend has it that this race is a descendant of the innate Yin-Yang, water, and fire energies of heaven and earth, and is born with the ability to control water and fire.
However, at this moment, these divine beings, who should have been blessed with extraordinary advantages, were in an extremely miserable situation.
However, it could be seen that each of them had a mysterious light restriction tightly wrapped around their necks, emitting a faint purple glow.
The restriction was draining their innate water and fire energy day and night, leaving them all looking terrified and withered.
Hundreds of thousands of Yan Yuan clansmen were like slaves without any dignity, doing hard labor such as mining and transporting spiritual materials under the whips and scoldings of the overseer cultivators of Zi Fu Continent.
"Such rich innate water and fire essence."
The dark golden dragon coiled on Xuan Yao's left arm sensed the unique aura emanating from the Yan Yuan clan below, and its cold dragon eyes suddenly flashed with greedy green light.
The old dragon was already stuck at the early stage of the Golden Immortal realm and desperately needed this supreme pure water and fire power to temper its scales.
In its eyes, these enslaved, diminutive creatures were the finest living medicine in the world.
While Xuan Yao was deep in thought, the old dragon quietly slipped out from Xuan Yao's arms, transforming into a dark golden shadow several feet long. With silent drool, it tried to sneak towards a shallow beach below and swallow several members of the Yan Yuan clan whole.
"You beast, come back."
Xuan Yao didn't even turn his head, only flicked his fingertips lightly.
A wisp of natal mystic energy, though subtle, weighed more than a thousand pounds. It burst forth from the sky and struck the old dragon squarely on the crown of his head.
There was a muffled thud.
The old dragon's scales were cracked from the blow, and it let out a miserable cry. Its massive body tumbled several times in the air before being forced back into its original form, a small, dark gold snake.
"Master, spare me! This little demon knows its mistake!"
The old dragon shrank back, trembling, and crawled back to Xuan Yao's feet.
Xuan Yao's expression was indifferent as he looked down at it, his voice low but carrying a chilling intent:
"Stop your ignorant greed."
"The Yan Yuan Clan is a descendant of the innate water and fire races. Although their fortune has declined, their karma remains profound."
"If you forcefully devour them, you will be binding the knot of annihilation and backlash to your own true spirit."
"When the heavenly lightning strikes in the future, no one can save you."
Old Jiao trembled upon hearing this, and dared not harbor any more improper thoughts.
Xuan Yao had just finished instructing the old dragon and was about to set off to venture deep into the fire swamp.
Suddenly, crimson clouds churned violently deep within the swamp.
Three violent golden immortal auras shot out from the depths of the fiery swamp like rainbows piercing the sun.
In the blink of an eye, three arrogant Golden Immortal cultivators from Zifu Continent, dressed in purple Daoist robes, descended from the clouds and formed a triangular shape, subtly surrounding the three Xuan Yao masters and servants in the center.
The leader was a middle-aged Golden Immortal with a withered face, whose cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the Golden Immortal realm.
He sized Xuan Yao up and down, and seeing that the other party seemed to be a calm and unassuming rogue cultivator in a green robe, his arrogance deepened.
"That rogue cultivator!"
"How dare you trespass on my Purple Mansion Continent's training grounds?"
The withered golden immortal raised his hand and pointed to the boundless swamp of fire below, imperiously shouting:
"This vast fiery marshland is the private grotto and blessed land of the Taiyi Golden Immortal, True Man Chi Li, of Zifu Continent."
"Our Great Hua Celestial Court is conducting official business here. All unauthorized persons, get out of here immediately!"
"If you are slow in your progress, you will also be reduced to slaves of the law, suffering the torment of water and fire torment your hearts day and night!"
The other two early-stage Golden Immortal cultivators also sneered repeatedly, their flying swords and magical treasures flickering in and out of their hands.
Clearly, they were already accustomed to bullying others and seizing sacred land by force.
Xuan Yao stood on the cloud, looking at the three Golden Immortals of Zifu Continent who were courting death. Instead of being angry, he revealed a strange smile.
"The way things are done in Zifu Continent is indeed as domineering as it has been for tens of thousands of years."
"Since we've run into each other, it must be due to cause and effect."
Xuan Yao was too lazy to waste words with these three.
He pointed with his right hand.
The flying golden sword in his sleeve, accompanied by a piercing and clear sword cry, transformed into a platinum rainbow a hundred feet long, whistling as it hurtled straight toward the withered golden immortal.
"How dare you make a move!"
The withered golden immortal was greatly alarmed.
He never expected that this rogue cultivator in green robes would dare to launch an attack first in the territory of Zifu Continent.
He hastily summoned a crimson bronze shield, which barely blocked the platinum sword light, but the immense force contained within it forced him and the shield to retreat dozens of feet.
Seeing this, the other two Golden Immortals roared angrily and were about to unleash their flying swords to attack from both sides.
However, Xuan Yao acted even faster.
"Great formation, activate."
He flicked his sleeve.
Thirty-six black and gold Zhou Tian Sha Banners suddenly unfurled from the void.
In the blink of an eye, the towering black-gold pillar of light completely sealed off the surrounding ten thousand miles of void.
Under the operation of the Heavenly Gang Fiend Formation, the wind and thunderous energy and the cold, mysterious energy converged like knives, instantly trapping the three Golden Immortals of Zifu Continent in the center of the formation.
"not good!"
"It's a top-tier formation!"
"This person is concealing their true cultivation level!"
The three were trapped in the formation, feeling the surrounding energy as heavy as a mountain, and even the Golden Immortal Laws within their bodies could not be activated. They were immediately terrified.
The withered golden immortal desperately urged his bronze shield to fend off the howling evil energy from all around, while shouting in exasperation:
"Fellow Daoist, stop!"
"We are disciples of the Crimson Fiery Immortal! If you kill us, the Crimson Fiery Immortal will surely report to the Emperor and hunt you down to the ends of the earth!"
"True Man Chi Li?"
"The Eastern King Duke?"
Xuan Yao slowly stepped into the formation, a faint, indifferent smile on his face.
"The people I killed were from your Zifu Continent."
Before he finished speaking, he made a gesture with his right hand.
A black gold whip, engraved with thirteen innate restrictions and radiating the power to sever evil, split the spirit, and suppress evil, burst forth from his dantian.
It was the superior-grade innate spiritual treasure that he had refined to an even deeper level—the Xuan Sha Golden Whip.
The immense magical power of a mid-stage Xuanyao Golden Immortal was poured into it.
The golden whip brought forth a muffled whistling sound that seemed to tear apart heaven and earth in the void.
"First lash, Severing Evil."
Xuan Yao waved his arm.
The black gold whip, a thousand feet long, crashed down like a bolt of black lightning.
With a single lash, the crimson bronze shield, along with the golden immortal magic power on it, shattered like fragile glass.
The violent whip swept across, instantly turning a Golden Immortal cultivator in the early stage into a cloud of blood mist.
"Second Whip, God-Splitting Strike."
Xuan Yao's figure flashed like a ghost, and the second whip followed closely behind.
The immense divine power descended, and another Golden Immortal who attempted to escape by summoning a divine talisman was torn apart along with his primordial spirit by the sharpness overflowing from the golden whip, his true spirit completely turning into nothingness.
"Fellow Daoist, spare my life! Fellow Daoist, spare me—"
The withered golden immortal was so frightened that his liver and gallbladder trembled, his knees buckled, and he knelt in the void, frantically begging for mercy.
"The third lash, to suppress evil."
Xuan Yao remained expressionless as he unleashed the third lash.
The golden whip, imbued with the pure power of blessings and protection, struck precisely at the withered crown of the golden immortal.
There was a loud bang.
The withered golden immortal's body crumbled inch by inch, and its true spirit was instantly reduced to ashes under the blazing light of the Southern Bright Fire.
No more than three lashes in total.
The three powerful Golden Immortals, high above all others, perished in the sky above this great swamp, without even having the chance to use their secret techniques to send a message outward.
Xuan Yao put away the Xuan Sha Golden Whip, and with a flick of his sleeve, he grabbed the wisp of the withered Golden Immortal's remaining primordial spirit that had not yet completely dissipated.
He activated the Yin-Yang Water and Fire Guardian Generals in his Purple Mansion, closed his eyes slightly, and forcefully probed the remnant soul with his divine sense like a knife, beginning to search for its memories.
A moment later, Xuan Yao opened his eyes and casually crushed the remnant soul.
The look in his eyes grew increasingly cold.
"I see."
"What a magnificent Taiyi Golden Immortal, the Crimson Fierce Immortal!"
Through soul searching, Xuan Yao has learned all the secrets of this fiery swamp.
Thousands of years ago, the Taiyi Golden Immortal Chi Li Zhenren from Zifu Continent traveled here and discovered this naturally formed swamp of water and fire.
Furthermore, in the very core of the Fire Swamp, they discovered that an extremely precious innate spiritual root was being nurtured within.
The greed of the True Man Chi Li was overwhelming.
Unfortunately, that spiritual root was located at the center of the earth's veins where water and fire converged, and was tightly protected by the natural yin-yang restriction of the Great Swamp.
With his Taiyi Golden Immortal power, a direct attack could very likely destroy his spiritual root.
Thus, the Crimson Fiend True Man used vicious methods to enslave the entire Yan Yuan Clan, who had lived in the Great Swamp for generations.
He forced these creatures, who were naturally close to water and fire, to forcibly extract their own blood essence through the restriction on their necks, so as to gradually wear down the yin and yang obstacles around their innate spiritual roots, so that he could refine and cultivate them in the future.
"They forcibly occupied sacred lands, enslaved the primordial races, and plundered the creations of heaven and earth."
Xuan Yao gazed into the deepest part of the fiery swamp, his sleeves fluttering lightly.
"Such an extraordinary opportunity would be a true waste if it fell into the hands of a wicked person like you."
He moved swiftly, landing back on Lingxiao's back, his voice clear and cold:
"Walk."
"Go deep into the Fire Swamp and meet that Crimson Fiery Immortal."