What on earth is this fire?!
He wanted to pull back and retreat, but the fire clung to him, making it impossible to dodge.
Wang Xuance rolled on the ground, letting out a roar: "Spare... spare me..."
Jiang Yuechu turned a deaf ear, her fair palm not withdrawing; instead, her five fingers slightly closed.
Boom—
The azure flames surged even more fiercely.
Wang Xuance's eyes widened, his pupils dilated; his body, which had still been struggling, suddenly stiffened and then began to twitch violently.
Buzz—
Suddenly, at the center of his forehead, a speck of brown lamplight flickered abruptly.
Lamp Lighting!
Only Lamp Lighting! Only then can one survive!!!
His Divine Soul, which was about to dissipate, was instantly forced together, and the intense pain receded like a tide.
Wang Xuance panted heavily, his whole body drenched in cold sweat like thick syrup.
Although it cost him one Lamp Lighting opportunity, his life was saved after all.
He propped himself up on the ground, swaying as he tried to stand: "What a ruthless girl..."
"The grudge of severing my Dao Foundation today, in the future I will surely..."
Before he could finish his sentence.
Whoosh—
A heatwave hit his face.
Wang Xuance's figure froze, and he subconsciously looked up.
Within his sight.
An overwhelming sea of azure flames came roaring towards him.
Boom—!!!
Wang Xuance, who had just regained some clarity through the power of Lamp Lighting, hadn't even had time to catch his breath.
The azure flames, like maggots on a bone, instantly swallowed him again.
Wang Xuance let out a desperate shriek.
His newly repaired Divine Soul was torn apart once more.
Escape.
Escape!
Escape!!!
Other than that, there was no other thought in Wang Xuance's mind.
This azure fire was extremely bizarre; it didn't harm the flesh in the slightest, but like maggots on a bone, it crawled through his seven orifices into his Sea of Consciousness. Watching his life slip away with his own eyes... such a feeling was enough to drive anyone insane.
He no longer cared for his dignity as a person of the Five Immortals Mountain; in a wretched state, he scrambled and crawled, only wishing to get further, even further away from that Girl in Black Robes.
As long as he could escape back to Five Immortals Mountain... as long as he could escape back!
With the Immortal Master's heaven-defying methods, they would surely be able to extinguish this demonic fire and save his remaining life!
He had to escape!!!
Wang Xuance bit the tip of his tongue, his body turning into a streak of miserable gray light as he tried to soar into the sky.
However.
Just as he left the ground by a few inches, an indifferent voice softly sounded behind him.
"Did I say you could leave?"
Wang Xuance was scared out of his wits; he didn't even dare to look back, only flying upwards with all his might.
Suddenly.
The sky darkened.
Wang Xuance looked up in horror.
He saw that above the firmament, at some point, a vast ocean had hung upside down.
Roar—!!!
Three dragon roars shattered the Void Realm.
Immense Flood Dragons wound their way out from the Inner Scenery scroll behind the girl.
They connected head to tail, churning the wind and clouds.
In the next instant.
Rumble—!!!
The Heavenly River breached its banks.
Bang.
Wang Xuance's body was forcefully slapped down from mid-air.
Following that.
The surrounding scenery changed.
The rolling black water did not dissipate; instead, it closed inward, turning into a Water Prison that trapped him within.
The water pressure was terrifying, making it impossible for him to exert any strength at all. But what made him feel most desperate was not this trapping Water Prison... the azure demonic fire had not been extinguished in the slightest!
Water and fire are incompatible?
At this moment, it seemed to have become a joke.
The flames flickered in the water, appearing even more eerie due to the refraction of the water.
"Gurgle gurgle..."
Wang Xuance opened his mouth wide.
He wanted to scream, but black water poured into his mouth and nose, allowing him only to release bubbles.
Why... why is it like this?!
He was originally a Prodigy of the Wang Clan of Changan; to seek the Dao, he had not hesitated to sever his mortal ties and acted as a dog at Five Immortals Mountain for several hundred years!
He had finally endured until the Lamp Lighting Realm.
He had finally entered the gates of the Immortal Mountain.
He should have been high above, looking down upon the world, watching the rise and fall of dynasties, and laughing at the passage of thousands of generations.
How could he... how could he fall here?
How could he fall here!!!
Jiang Yuechu didn't bother to look over there anymore; under the Water Prison and the Heavenly Flame Golden Splendor, no matter how many Lamp Lighting opportunities he had, it was merely a matter of time.
Only then did she turn to look at the ground, picking up the Child like a dead dog and slightly tilting her head to ask: "What did this thing do?"
"..."
The Emperor's Adam's apple bobbed... even though it was his own sister, his heart still trembled inexplicably.
However.
As the ruler of a nation after all, his Heart-Nature was quite resilient.
After just a moment, he regained his composure and spoke: "These two claim to be disciples of Five Immortals Mountain, having descended the mountain by the order of Red Toad True Man. They said you possess great Luck and are an unpolished jade, wanting to take you back to the mountain... Deputy Commander Zhao merely argued a few points reasonably, and this Demonic Child suddenly struck with a heavy hand."
"And there's Elder Cheng..."
The Emperor turned his head, his voice carrying a hint of a sob.
"Previously, Elder Cheng stepped forward to go to Five Immortals Mountain to request aid, but he was humiliated by them in every possible way. Now that they've come here, they also spoke of taking him back to guard the gates of Five Immortals Mountain, to be a beast watching the house..."
Jiang Yuechu asked in confusion, "What kind of thing is Five Immortals Mountain?"
The Emperor was about to answer.
An aged sigh came from the side.
Li Clan High Ancestor slowly walked forward: "Girl, let this old man explain."
He did not address her as Your Highness but instead called her "girl."
Jiang Yuechu nodded slightly in response.
"In this vast world, in the eyes of ordinary people, there are only the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, the territory of the Great Tang. But for true cultivators, this Mortal World is but a small corner."
"People practice martial arts, from the Hearing the String to Mountain Gazing, it is already not easy. As for Lamp Lighting... it is even harder than ascending to heaven."
"Lonely Moon, now that you have entered Lamp Lighting, you should know the mystery of this Realm."
"But have you ever wondered what happens after the lamp oil is exhausted? Or rather... what kind of scenery lies above Lamp Lighting?"
Jiang Yuechu remained silent.
Although she had the System, she relied on slaughter and plundering; she indeed knew very little about the cultivation System of this world.
Seeing her silence, a trace of sorrow flashed in High Ancestor's eyes.
"Ordinary martial artists reach the end when they cultivate to Lamp Lighting. To go further up, one needs to inherit an Dao Lineage."
High Ancestor pointed his finger at Wang Xuance, who was still struggling: "This person was already in the Lamp Lighting Realm several hundred years ago. Why was he willing to go to the Immortal Mountain to be a dog? Because if he didn't go, he could only stop there for the rest of his life, waiting for his Lifespan to run out and turn into a pile of yellow earth... Only by possessing a Legacy of an Dao Lineage is one qualified to peek at the scenery above Lamp Lighting."
"Even for those also in Lamp Lighting, someone with an Dao Lineage inheritance, whether in the exquisiteness of their techniques or the length of their Qi, will far surpass a Wild Cultivator by several times... It's like two people facing each other: one holding rotten wood with no technique, and the other holding a divine weapon and possessing peerless skills."
"The outcome... was decided long ago."