Li Yiyi, Liu Kai, Wu Ziming, and Zhao Gao opened their eyes, with fire-attribute spiritual energy churning around them. Under its influence, even their skin appeared to change color, turning reddish.
“Ugh—Ah! This feels amazing!!” Zhao Gao stood up, laughing heartily, his voice filled with boundless energy.
“Incredible! I feel like I’ve touched the bottleneck of this realm—Ugh!! I’m bleeding!” Wu Ziming had a nosebleed.
“Hahaha! Wu Ziming, you’re no good. You shouldn’t absorb and refine so much. Now you’re suffering from a backlash of fire poison!” Liu Kai said with a grin.
“It’s fine, it’s fine! I just need a moment to recover. The gains from this trip are truly worth it!!” Wu Ziming said, covering his nosebleed.
Li Yiyi exhaled deeply and opened her eyes. She walked up to Zhong Yanhan, her face full of gratitude.
“This time, I’m truly grateful to Senior Sister Zhong. I’ve been stuck in this minor realm for a long time and was about to give up. I never expected to show signs of a breakthrough!”
The other three also stepped forward, expressing their deep gratitude.
“Yes, it’s all thanks to Senior Sister Zhong! This is all Senior Sister Zhong’s doing. Fortunately, we didn’t give in to Fengge Peak, otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to absorb the spiritual energy from the Pure Flame Tree here,” Liu Kai said with a smile.
“Liu Kai, you’re shameless. Your attitude changes so fast? What was it before, and what is it now?” Wu Ziming said disdainfully.
“Wu Ziming, my mind was muddled then! I’ve only woken up now and deeply regret my foolish actions. Senior Sister Zhong was right…” Liu Kai’s face twitched, “You guys aren’t exactly good either. You all criticized Senior Sister Zhong back then too!”
“To tell the truth, I didn’t. Senior Sister Zhong, I’ve decided to follow you all along!” Wu Ziming emphasized.
These people were all fawning over Zhong Yanhan, afraid of being left behind during the next trial.
“Mm.”
Zhong Yanhan simply nodded slightly, exuding an air of cold and aloof dominance.
Just as everyone was enthusiastically discussing how to handle the Pure Flame Fruit, a long cry echoed from above.
“Roar—!!!”
Everyone looked up and saw a fire-winged Flood Dragon circling the sky, staring down at them with intense anger.
It was the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon from before!
Instantly, the space overflowed with the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon’s fury, making everyone feel immense pressure. The lava beneath their feet began to boil even more fiercely.
Li Yiyi’s face lost all color. “We’re done for. Could it be that this Array Core is the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon’s lair?”
Liu Kai was stunned. “Then we were absorbing the spiritual energy of a Spirit Plant in its lair… How could this Blazing Flame Flood Dragon let us go? It would turn us all to ash!”
“Quickly get the spiritual wood token to call for help.”
Wu Ziming fumbled for the spiritual wood token but was stopped by Ye Changsheng:
“Wait, Wu Ziming! If you do that, you forfeit this trial’s success, and all your achievements will be in vain!”
“But, but…”
“The Absolute Dragon Cave Mansion has a realm restriction. Elder Xu cannot enter. He can only guide us, but it’s useless in our current situation. Don’t do anything foolish!”
“Then what should we do! Senior Sister Zhong!” Wu Ziming knew their group was no match for the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon.
Zhong Yanhan looked at the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon, feeling a tinge of fear herself.
This was a Ferocious Beast of the Golden Core Realm. She herself was only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the others were all at the Qi Refining Realm. They had no chance of winning.
She glanced back at Ye Changsheng.
Ye Changsheng met her gaze and nodded slightly.
Seeing his resolve, Zhong Yanhan suddenly felt a surge of confidence and was no longer as terrified.
“Fight! Defeat the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon!” Zhong Yanhan declared.
“How, how can we do that!” Li Yiyi asked.
“We have no choice. We must break the cauldrons and sink the boats!”
Zhong Yanhan raised her hand and summoned her Magical Treasure, the Han Yuan Sword.
Seeing these people acting so brazenly in its lair, the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon became enraged. It was as if—after raising a wife for many years—before he could even touch her, she was taken by the neighbor while he was away. How could he not be furious!?
With a roar, the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon spewed out scorching flames that distorted the air, determined to eradicate these brats.
“Heart Sword Art·Energy Control and Sword!”
Zhong Yanhan unleashed the second level of the Heart Sword Art, transforming her ice-attributed True Qi into Sword Qi, which rose from below to meet the flames.
She barely managed to block the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon’s first wave of attack, but in the blink of an eye…
Chapter 199
The Blazing Flame Flood Dragon launched its second assault. Zhong Yanhan couldn’t react in time and was struck down by a wave of flames.
The first to be hit was Wu Ziming. One side of his hair was burned off, and he fainted in the intense heat.
“Let’s just escape… We can’t win!”
Liu Kai’s legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground.
“Escape? Where to!? Look around, can we still leave!” Ye Changsheng cursed.
Everyone had realized that the path was blocked by the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon’s overwhelming demonic aura. To leave the Array Core, they had to defeat this berserk Ferocious Beast.
“If you want to be cowards, so be it! But I, Ye Changsheng, am not someone who fears death. At worst, I’ll fight with everything I have. In eighteen years, I’ll be a hero again! For Azure Peak!”
Ye Changsheng delivered a passionate speech and then charged forward. He was promptly swatted away by the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon and fell to the ground.
Ye Changsheng quickly stuffed a small pouch into his mouth, bit it open, and spat out fake blood.
“I… would rather die… than yield!” Ye Changsheng then lay motionless on the ground.
Subsequently, the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon launched wave after wave of brutal attacks. The volcano’s lava seemed to erupt, and the space trembled.
Zhong Yanhan, in an effort to protect everyone, was continuously injured, but she was no match for the enemy. The Disciples fell one by one.
In the end, only Zhong Yanhan was left.
“Even Ye Changsheng couldn’t hold on? I’ll give it my all!!”
Since there was no one else left, Zhong Yanhan gritted her teeth and removed her restrictions, transforming into a silver-haired Demon Girl, revealing her Frozen Sky Fox form.
She condensed all her Sword Intent onto the Han Yuan Sword, channeling the Frozen Sky Fox’s Bloodline to continuously amplify her True Qi to its peak, giving her the power to fight against a Golden Core Realm cultivator.
Even in this extremely fiery space, under the influence of her dominant Bloodline, frost began to spread from her feet.
“Ten Thousand Li Ice Seal Sword!”
Zhong Yanhan leaped up, tearing through the waves of fire, and slashed at the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon.
The Blazing Flame Flood Dragon, unwilling to be outdone, met her head-on.
The Blazing Flame Flood Dragon’s dragon scales were shattered by Zhong Yanhan, leaving deep bloody wounds that made it let out a scream.
Although the attack was effective, Zhong Yanhan also paid a heavy price. The Blazing Flame Flood Dragon counterattacked, its dragon claws slamming down, shattering Zhong Yanhan’s protective aura.
Zhong Yanhan’s consciousness blurred, she lost her grip on her weapon and fell from the sky.
In the end, the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon won.
“Roar roar roar roar!!!”
The Blazing Flame Flood Dragon roared triumphantly, planning to have a barbecue feast and devour them all.
At this moment, Ye Changsheng stood up, holding Zhong Yanhan’s delicate body in one arm and catching the Han Yuan Sword with the other.
“During the Absolute Dragon Cave Mansion trial, the Azure Peak Disciples found the Array Core and discovered the Spirit Plant, the Pure Flame Fruit. Unexpectedly, they encountered the Demonic Beast Blazing Flame Flood Dragon and fought bravely. After a fierce battle, the Disciples fell one by one, with only Zhong Yanhan struggling to hold on. In the end, Zhong Yanhan comprehended the true meaning of a White Emperor Sword Sect sword technique during the battle, refused to yield, and sacrificed herself to defeat the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon, leading the Azure Peak Disciples to obtain the Pure Flame Fruit and complete the trial.”
“Roar?” The Blazing Flame Flood Dragon was bewildered to see someone still standing.
Ye Changsheng’s nonchalant attitude enraged the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon. It charged directly at Ye Changsheng.
It opened its massive jaws, revealing terrifying sharp teeth, intending to tear Ye Changsheng to shreds!
Ye Changsheng suppressed his realm, forcefully controlled the Han Yuan Sword, condensed his Sword Intent, and initiated Energy Control and Sword. With a swing.
Sword Qi exploded within the Blazing Flame Flood Dragon’s mouth, shattering all its teeth, which clattered to the ground.
The Blazing Flame Flood Dragon collapsed on the ground, unable to comprehend what had happened. Why… had it lost?
The Han Yuan Sword pointed at the trembling vertical pupils of the dragon. The young man’s face was impassive as he asked:
“This script. Who agrees, and who opposes?”
