readytorunbook Chapter 200 Divine Fire Temple
Chapter 200 Divine Fire Temple
Chapter 200: Divine Fire Temple
There was a tenfold difference in numbers, and the average cultivation level of the disciples from Yanfu Holy Demon Palace was significantly higher. Moreover, many of them were already injured and in a weakened state, making them unable to mount a decent counterattack against the sudden and fierce assault from the female cultivators of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. As a result, they suffered a complete defeat.
In the end, except for three individuals who managed to escape using life-saving talismans, everyone else perished without a trace, not even their souls were spared.
"Those three must have already figured out our identities. It's inevitable that we'll encounter more trouble once we leave," Qin Muling frowned and said, feeling somewhat annoyed by the function of the life-saving talisman. If it weren't for this thing, he would have been able to ensure the deaths of all the important figures from the opposing forces. As long as he encountered them, there would be no evidence left behind.
Yu Lingzhou smiled and said, "What's the big deal? We can just have a falling out and go to war with Yanfu Holy Demon Palace. This kind of thing is common, there's nothing to worry about."
The two sides were originally enemies, and with the conflict between righteousness and evil, there was no need for any reason to start a sect war.
Of course, Yanfu Holy Demon Palace was one of the major demonic sects with a deep foundation and terrifying power. They belonged to the top few in the Supreme Daoist tradition. In the past, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace wouldn't have been their match, but things were different now.
Qin Muling nodded and turned to ask Fengxia, "How many people are still alive in this relic? I mean, excluding the dead."
"Excluding you, there are currently 3,786 people, belonging to dozens of different factions. Over 2,000 cultivators have died, mainly because more people have entered during this period, so the total number has exceeded the previous count," the little phoenix answered in a soft voice.
She didn't expect Qin Muling to possess a special means to accommodate a large space Law Weapon, allowing him to bring nearly 2,000 fully powered and well-supplied reinforcements. There were also many sealed elder-level powerhouses who came to this relic to seek opportunities or deal with other forces. It was truly advantageous.
Xue Bingxuan ordered a group of core disciples to clean up the battlefield. There were still many good things on the corpses, which would all be handed over to the junior brother for safekeeping and then discussed on how to distribute them after leaving.
Qin Muling took out the jade divination turtle shell and continued to calculate the safe path for their journey. Since these senior sisters entrusted their lives to him, he had to take full responsibility and bring them all back safely.
Fengxia looked at him and couldn't help but suggest, "Divine Fire Temple is just thirty miles away, where Dao Venerable used to refine treasures. There should be many good things inside. Let me take you there."
Cheng Yulan responded indifferently, "We can't trust your words."
Although Qi Yalan didn't say anything, she had been standing by Fengxia's side, her flying sword ready to strike at any moment. As long as she sensed anything amiss, she would launch a thunderous attack.
At this point, the senior sisters still didn't trust this little phoenix with an unknown origin. If it weren't for Qin Muling's approval, they wouldn't allow the other party to act freely.
Fengxia sighed helplessly. She understood the thoughts of these female cultivators, but words alone were not enough to convince them. She could only wait for time to prove everything.
After silently calculating for a moment, Qin Muling finally said, "What you said is correct. Divine Fire Temple is indeed located there, but there are too many traps and restrictions on the way. We can't teleport directly there, we have to take a detour to ensure safety. Moreover, someone has already entered that place."
Fengxia quickly said, "I know a faster and safer route. We can reach there with just two teleports. We can definitely get there ahead of them."
"Forget it, I prefer to trust my own deduction results," Qin Muling rejected her kind offer. Even if someone else arrived first, the treasures inside wouldn't be so easily obtained. Who knows, those guys might still be fooling around when he arrived.
Xue Bingxuan asked, "Junior Brother, should we let them..."
She meant to say that if the danger on the road was great and there was a possibility of casualties, it would be better for the senior and junior sisters to hide back in the starship and then be taken into the space within the Junior Brother's body. This would maximize their safety.
Qin Muling nodded, "Alright, let's do that."
So, in front of Fengxia, most of the female cultivators entered the starship and disappeared in a burst of clear light, leaving only Xue Bingxuan and the twelve elders of the Supreme Court to accompany Qin Muling and ensure her safety. They all had life-saving jade talismans on them, so even if there were accidents, they would not perish.
Unless Qin Muling was directly killed, it would be impossible to threaten the safety of those female cultivators. Of course, he also had a life-saving jade talisman. Even if he was really killed, he would quickly resurrect on the altar at the entrance of the secret realm. Therefore, for the enemies of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, this was an unsolvable problem.
The only way might be to capture Qin Muling alive, without giving him a chance to break free. Of course, this difficulty was even more exaggerated and basically impossible.
...
On the large altar at the entrance of the secret realm.
As a large shower of splendid light rose, three disheveled figures appeared on the altar, then solidified. They were the three unlucky fellows from the Yanfu Holy Demon Palace.
Apart from looking a bit listless, there was nothing unusual about them. Not a single scratch on their bodies. The reliability of the life-saving jade talismans refined by the Dao Court's higher-ups was guaranteed.
"Damn it! Those bastards from the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, I, Luo Feiyang, won't let them off... uh..."
A man in a deep blue robe cursed through gritted teeth. Suddenly, he saw that there were Dao Court elders all around him and immediately realized where he was. He controlled his emotions, his face darkened, and he left without saying a word.
He was Luo Feiyang, a monstrous genius of the Yanfu Holy Demon Palace, with a respected status and high position. He was qualified to contend for the position of the next Supreme Sect Master. But he never expected to lose so much face in this secret realm. However, no matter what, he still had to maintain his image.
The remaining two gray-robed old men followed silently. They were Luo Feiyang's protectors, the elders of the Yanfu Holy Demon Palace. They also had life-saving jade talismans on them. However, more than three hundred disciples who were attached to Luo Feiyang were completely wiped out, which was a huge blow to Luo Feiyang.
In the camp of the Yanfu Holy Demon Palace.
Luo Feiyang had just entered with a cold face when he ran into a group of people coming out. The leader was a charming and graceful woman in a black palace dress. When she saw his appearance, her beautiful eyes brightened and she greeted him with a smile, "Oh my! Isn't this Senior Brother Luo? You always like to make a scene. Why are you coming back alone today? Could it be that you suffered a loss in the secret realm and were chased back like a dog?"
This was really hitting the nail on the head. Veins popped on Luo Feiyang's forehead as he gritted his teeth and coldly snorted, "Su Qingchan, don't speak cold words in front of me! It was just a momentary oversight and a small loss. But you should be careful when you enter the secret realm yourself. Don't let yourself be captured and become someone's slave, humiliating our sect!"
Both of them had equal status and were competitors. Naturally, they wouldn't have a good expression when they met. Taunting each other with sarcasm was basic operation.
"Hehe, of course, I won't be as arrogant as someone," Su Qingchan said with a sweet smile. "Losing so many trusted followers this time, and they were all elites of the sect. I wonder how Senior Brother Luo will explain it to our Master when you go back? I'm afraid that your position as the Saint Child will be somewhat unstable in the next sect assessment, won't it?"
Luo Feiyang flicked his sleeve fiercely, his voice as cold as ice, "You don't need to worry about this matter, Junior Sister. I will explain it to the Sect Master when I see him!"
After speaking, he brushed his sleeves and left, no longer paying attention to the gloating Su Qingchan.
Su Qingchan watched his angrily departing figure, the smile on her face fading, and said thoughtfully, "What exactly happened to this arrogant bastard in the secret realm? I've never seen him in such a sorry state before. Who could have made him suffer such a big loss? I'm somewhat curious!"
"Sister, I heard that he went to that Star Peng Origin territory. Our people secretly transmitted the information a few days ago," a charmingly dressed female cultivator whispered with her divine sense.
"What's the situation now?" Su Qingchan asked. It was not surprising that there were one or two spies from other factions among Luo Feiyang's subordinates.
"I'm not sure about that. Our spies have been out of contact for two days. I'm afraid..." The female cultivator hesitated to speak further. Seeing Luo Feiyang return alone while those people were nowhere to be seen, it was likely that things were not looking good.
Su Qingchan sighed, "Forget it, let's deal with this matter after the gathering of immortals. Let's enter the secret realm first and hope that we won't return empty-handed."
...
On the outskirts of the Palace Ruins in the Star Peng Origin territory.
"Is this all... the people we have left?" Lan Qiyao looked at the more than eight hundred elite assassins standing in front of her, nearly half of them still injured. There was a hint of undisguised sadness in her expression.
"Your Highness, all the surviving disciples have already broken through," a guardian said.
Although they had previously adopted a strategy of splitting up and breaking through, Lei Yuxingpeng's pursuit was not a joke. Countless beasts had relentlessly chased and attacked them. By the time they managed to break out of the encirclement after enduring hardships, Lan Qiyao's subordinates were reduced to this number.
The five thousand elites who had entered had lost more than half of their numbers without even catching a glimpse of their target. The difficulty of this mission had truly frustrated Lan Qiyao.
But there were still things that needed to be done. Even if she was the only one left, she couldn't give up her mission. Only by completing the task could she give an account to her master when she returned.
"Never mind, everyone find a place to rest and recover from your injuries before we go in again," Lan Qiyao ordered in the end.
...
"So this is Divine Fire Temple. It truly is magnificent..." Palace of Calamitous Fate's Saintess Mei Qingfeng looked at the enormous palace before her, glowing with a fiery red light. The upper half of the palace was shrouded in a hazy mist, only the lower half visible to the cultivators. The dense and almost substantial Dao rhyme flowed, and faint and mysterious chanting echoed in the depths of their souls, but when they listened carefully, they couldn't make out anything.
Ascending the steps, intense heat rushed towards them. At the end of the tens of thousands of levels of green crystal steps, there was an unimaginably grand hall.
Carefully sensing, at the entrance of the grand hall, there seemed to be countless towering and flame-formed virtual shadows of divine generals and divine soldiers, standing silently in a majestic military formation.
Beside her, an elder sighed and said, "Your Highness, it is said that the Dao Venerable Youxuan once refined weapons here for millions of years. As a result, many extremely rare materials and Acquired Spiritual Treasure embryos have been preserved, as well as numerous secret scriptures. There are even some complete Acquired Spiritual Treasures. If we can have the chance to obtain a few, this trip will not be in vain."
Mei Qingfeng nodded lightly and said, "Let's go in. The tests at the entrance are nothing compared to the valuable opportunities inside the tempering pool. Other forces will soon arrive, so it's best for us to get ahead of everyone else."
Therefore, dozens of Palace of Calamitous Fate cultivators followed the Holy Maiden up the steps and went deep into the hall. Along the way, the divine generals and divine soldiers formed by the flame shadows did not obstruct them, allowing them to enter the magnificent main hall.
After a while, another group of nearly a hundred cultivators hurriedly arrived from a distance. Each of them was a beautiful and outstanding female cultivator, disciples of the Divine Maiden Sect.
They did not linger at the steps and went straight in.
Shortly after, cultivators from various sects such as the Bright Moon Sword Sect, Secret Demon Palace, Ancient Phoenix Clan, and Dragon Tiger Pill Cauldron Sect appeared one after another, with varying numbers, totaling dozens of forces.
Following that, a bright purple-golden Buddha light shone through the dense fog, and disciples of the Great Brahman Sound Monastery also appeared. The leader was a calm and beautiful woman, dressed in an exquisite dark blue silk skirt, highlighting her curvaceous figure. Her delicate facial features were as beautiful as peach blossoms in February, exuding a holy and ethereal aura. Her bright eyes and white teeth, straight nose, and plump and shiny cherry lips shimmered with a faint charm. Under her slender jade neck, her twin peaks were as round as a full moon. Her cloud-like hair was elegantly tied up, shining with a golden luster.
She was Miaoxin, who had a brief encounter with Qin Muling, the second-in-command of the Great Brahman Sound Monastery, a prominent figure in the Extreme Void Starry Sky. It was said that she was only one step away from the Quasi-Saint Emperor realm.
"It seems that it won't be long before it becomes lively inside!" Miaoxin raised her head slightly, surveyed her surroundings, and understood the situation just now.
"Senior, should we go in directly or wait outside for them to come out?" a lively and beautiful celestial maiden asked.
Miaoxin smiled and replied, "We have a connection with this place in our Buddhist sect, so of course we should go in and take a look. Who knows, we might even recruit a few outer sect protectors!"
With that, nearly two hundred disciples followed her up the steps and quickly entered the main entrance.
When Qin Muling and her senior sisters arrived at the bottom of the steps, two hours had already passed.
"It seems like we are the last ones to arrive?" Fengxia looked around and said regretfully to Qin Muling.
Qin Muling had no regrets and said, "A good opportunity is never afraid of being late. The ownership of those opportunities does not necessarily follow the rule of first come, first served. Let's go in! I want to see what makes them different."
At the end of the tens of thousands of steps was a gate that was over a thousand zhang tall. Inside was a colorful and ever-changing light curtain, and no one could see what was behind it.
Qin Muling sensed it briefly and then beckoned her senior sisters to enter together.
End of the chapter.