Chapter 357: You Didn't Call for Backup—Were You Waiting for Me to Seal the Space First?
In the moments that followed, the rest of the group stepped forward one after another. But like the others before them, each attempt ended in failure. One of the weaker contestants even coughed up blood and splattered it directly onto the dragon's head.
When the final person also returned empty-handed, Grand Elder Qiu Ling sighed with a look of undisguised disappointment in his eyes.
"If no one can subdue it, then let's head back."
He waved his hand helplessly as he spoke.
Disappointment flickered in Xiao Yan's eyes as well, but there was nothing he could do. In the current state of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, activating the Dragon Mark might backfire and result in him being controlled instead.
"Jie jie... with this method, you'll never subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flame. Let me put on a show for you!"
A sudden, eerie laugh caused everyone's expressions to change drastically.
The source of the laugh was the alchemist who had previously vomited blood!
Just as that sinister laugh echoed out, Qiu Ling's face turned cold. Without hesitation, he flicked his sleeve. A torrent of Dou Qi slashed through space and shot toward the man.
"Jie jie!"
The massive stream of Dou Qi missed its mark. The man dodged nimbly, and in an instant, his aura skyrocketed to the level of a five-star Dou Zun. His appearance also changed—clearly revealing his true form!
As he retreated, he rapidly formed a series of dazzling hand seals. Suddenly, everyone noticed that the dragon scale on the Three Thousand Burning Flame's forehead began to emit a faint energy fluctuation.
"This is bad!"
A wave of alarm swept through the crowd.
"How dare you!"
Qiu Ling's face changed drastically as he shouted angrily.
"Heh, there's nothing in this world I don't dare to do." The man smirked coldly, his hand seals freezing in place. The eerie smile on his face widened. "Relax. I'm just here to help your Pill Tower resolve a little problem."
"Explode!"
With a sharp shout, he spat out the word like a blade.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted in the air like thunder without warning.
Everyone's attention immediately snapped to the Three Thousand Burning Flame. To their shock, the previously flame-free scale on its forehead had shattered completely.
As the scale cracked open, they saw the massive dragon slowly open its tightly shut eyes. Clearly, the flawless seal had been compromised.
"The Three Thousand Burning Flame is waking up!"
A cry of alarm rang out, setting off a wave of panic.
The enormous dragon's eyes opened slowly, releasing an icy gaze that swept across the crowd. Then, with a thunderous roar, the beast raised its head and let out an earth-shaking dragon cry.
At that instant, the purple-black flames covering its body surged violently, engulfing the void like a raging inferno.
The black seal lines wrapped around its massive form flared with strange light, clinging to the flame like an enormous net.
ROAR!
The Three Thousand Burning Flame struggled with all its might, its roar echoing through the void. The purple-black flames frantically burned the black lines, while star energy from the void continuously seeped into the dragon's body.
The ancient flame's ferocious counterattack quickly outmatched the weakening seal. Under the scorching heat of its wrath, many of the black rune lines began to dim.
"You're courting death!"
The sudden awakening of the Three Thousand Burning Flame caught Qiu Ling off guard. His expression darkened, and with a furious roar filled with murderous intent, he charged at the Soul Hall's hidden Dou Zun.
"Jie jie, if the Pill Tower can't handle this flame, why not let Soul Hall take it off your hands?" the man laughed fearlessly, even as Qiu Ling came at him full force.
"Xiao Yan! Crush the jade—notify the Presidents!"
Despite his fury, Qiu Ling retained some clarity. As he lunged at the Soul Hall emissary, he shouted this command.
Xiao Yan, Cao Ying, and the others quickly nodded and pulled out the jade message orbs from their rings. Just as they were about to crush them, a sudden sharp gust swept in and transformed into thin needles, expertly striking the orbs in their hands.
Only Xiao Yan reacted in time. With lightning-quick reflexes, he caught the needle between two fingers and crushed his own orb with his other hand. The rest were caught off guard, and their orbs were knocked away and sent flying.
Old Monster Qinghua and Wang Yuandan, both Dou Zun-level, looked especially grim. Despite their strength, the ambusher had also concealed his own Dou Zun level. The fact that they were taken by surprise was a huge embarrassment.
"Hmph."
Xiao Yan snorted, catching the thin needle and turning to look toward the source. The attackers were two individuals who had also snuck into the top ten.
"So there were more Soul Hall spies…"
He chuckled coldly. He had underestimated Soul Hall. With three members in the top ten, their infiltration was nearly on par with the Pill Tower's own strength.
"Heh heh, so what if you've sent the message?" sneered one of the men—a gloomy-looking middle-aged man. "The Three Thousand Burning Flame is resisting violently. The three presidents can't abandon the seal. Sacred Pill City is already in chaos. Your reinforcements won't arrive in time!"
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. From that, he deduced that Soul Hall had definitely stirred up chaos in Sacred Pill City to distract the Pill Tower's experts. As for the three presidents, the flame's rampage was enough to keep them occupied. They couldn't afford to abandon the Star Region and risk its destruction.
"Xiao Yan, what now?" Cao Ying and Dan Chen moved beside him, asking quietly. Qiu Ling was now locked in battle, and Xiao Yuan had disappeared without a trace. With no other leader present, they looked to Xiao Yan for guidance. Even Song Qing, though sullen, reluctantly joined them.
"What can we do? We can't get involved in either fight. And who knows where third brother went? All we can do is wait for the Pill Tower's reinforcements."
Xiao Yan exchanged a glance with Wang Yuandan and sighed. There was nothing else to be done.
Cao Ying and Dan Chen exchanged glances and nodded lightly. The situation was far beyond their ability to intervene.
As they spoke, the void suddenly trembled. Vast power erupted and surged toward the Three Thousand Burning Flame. As the torrent of energy flooded the space, the black seal runes regained some of their brilliance—clearly, the three presidents were intervening.
ROAR!
Under the increasing pressure, the flame's dragon eyes glowed red with rage. This was its best chance at freedom. It knew the three presidents couldn't kill it, but it also knew it couldn't defeat them. If it didn't escape now, who knew when another opportunity would come?
A terrifying, destructive aura began to pour from its body.
Xiao Yan's eye twitched. He recognized that feeling—it was the same destructive energy his third brother used when unleashing the Five-Ringed Fiery Lotus and the Black Demon Lightning.
ROAR!
A low, furious growl shook the void. The purple-black flames twisted and then condensed rapidly. In an instant, a pitch-black, terrifying flame bloomed into existence. Then it split apart into countless droplets, which rained down upon the dragon's body.
Ssss!
As the dark droplets landed, the black runes dissolved. Though the technique drained energy rapidly, the flame's eyes sparkled with elation—it had finally found a way to break the seal!
The massive body writhed violently. The black lines vanished faster than they could be repaired.
"It's breaking free…"
Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and Song Qing all turned pale. They knew exactly what destruction would follow if the flame escaped.
In contrast, Xiao Yan remained calm. If the seal failed, his odds of subduing the flame might actually increase. Though it was risky, fortune often came from danger. He had no other choice.
"Hahaha! Xuan Kongzi, this time, you've finally lost!"
As Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with determination, the Three Thousand Burning Flame lifted its giant head and laughed thunderously.
CRACK!
The dragon's massive body spun violently in the air. The sound of something breaking rang out softly through the void.
Hearing it, everyone shivered.
"The seal… it's broken."
In that moment, all movement ceased. Even the ongoing battle between Qiu Ling and the Soul Hall Dou Zun halted as they both leapt back and turned toward the Three Thousand Burning Flame.
In the center of their gaze, the massive flame dragon loomed. The black runes covering its body had completely vanished. Though its eyes had dimmed slightly, the aura of destruction radiating from it was enough to make everyone wary.
"Damn it…"
Qiu Ling cursed under his breath. Things had taken a dangerous turn. Now that the seal was gone, only the three presidents could stand a chance.
"Haha…"
In contrast, the Soul Hall Dou Zun looked ecstatic. He stepped forward and said, "Congratulations on your freedom. Now, about our agreement—come with us to Soul Hall for a year. I promise you'll regain your freedom after that."
He spoke to the flame as if it were a peer, and rightly so—it had sentience.
"They made a deal with the flame?" The others were stunned.
The dragon's huge eyes flickered with cunning. Its deep voice echoed out: "Hmm... of course. But first, I want to take a little stroll in the mortal world. I'll come to your Soul Hall afterward."
The man's smile froze. "You're going back on your word?"
"Tch. You humans are all the same. You think I'll trust you? Dream on."
Coldness returned to the dragon's eyes. It had suffered enough under humans. It didn't know the full power of Soul Hall, but it wasn't stupid. All they wanted was its core flame.
The Soul Hall Dou Zun's face darkened. He had expected complications, but not betrayal this soon.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan quietly sighed in relief. Though the two had cooperated, clearly they were using each other.
Qiu Ling saw this too and signaled the others to quietly retreat. If the flame fought Soul Hall now, it would be ideal. The Dou Zun wasn't its match. Afterward, reinforcements would arrive to clean up the mess.
Seeing them back off, the Soul Hall elder frowned. But he knew he couldn't hesitate. If the flame escaped, it would all be over.
"If you won't honor our agreement, don't blame me for being ruthless. Maybe the Pill Tower can't subdue you—but Soul Hall will show you what hell is like!"
With a sinister tone, he raised his withered hand.
Whoosh!
Just as he spoke, a black shadow split the air, whipping down toward his head with blazing heat.
Startled, he dodged quickly—only to see the Three Thousand Burning Flame's massive tail whip past. With a cold face, he summoned a radiant silver token and crushed it.
A powerful spatial force surged forth… and then dissipated into nothing.
Nothing happened.
Everyone stared in disbelief as the space energy vanished without effect.
"Lord Móyàn… what's going on?" the two Soul Hall elders asked.
"The space is sealed? Impossible! I kept Qiu Ling busy and Xiao Yuan isn't strong enough—don't tell me… there's another expert hiding here?!"
Móyàn Tianzun's face turned grim.
"You think that little bit of space power was enough to flex on me?"
A light laugh rang out. In the next instant, the two Soul Hall elders were trapped in pitch-black ice coffins. The chilling aura immediately cooled the searing air left by the flame's awakening.
Suddenly, Xiao Yuan appeared out of nowhere. With a casual wave, he imprisoned the infiltrators and said indifferently:
"Seems like Soul Hall planned this well. But if you weren't going to call for backup right away, were you just waiting for me to finish sealing the entire space?"
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1