Chapter 534: Chapter 126: Thanks to Fellow Daoist Shi Zhong
Charge, charge, charge!
The Stone Ball rushed headlong through the Sea of Lifeless Fire, unstoppable.
Lifeless Fire uses life as its fuel, dominates myriad beings, but the Old Monster in Stone is already dead.
The flames are burning the corpse of the Old Monster in Stone, naturally, the Stone Ball is unharmed.
The Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon is a mechanical artifact too, devoid of any vitality.
Yet within the Mechanical Dragon, Sun Ning and another, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, as well as various Spirit Plants and Spiritual Beasts, all possess life.
Thus, Ning Zhuo is casting spells with all his might.
He unleashed flames, using fire to control fire!
His proficiency in the Five Elements Realm is at least at the Grandmaster Level, allowing him to swiftly grasp the essence of the Lifeless Fire and even compile spells on the spot to maintain his safety momentarily.
However, just doing this was not enough.
The sea of fire contained not only the Lifeless Fire but also embodied the formidable might of the Impetuous Heart Fire Technique.
As Sun Ning and another got closer to Lord Long, they too became susceptible to this technique, conjuring bursts of impetuous fire within their Divine Sea.
Ning Zhuo’s response was—Western Pure Land!
This is an Earth Element Merit, one of the treasures of the Buddhist Sect, as the poem attests:
Bright earth births light to enlighten the soul,
Myriad thoughts purified, the Buddha’s teaching unfolds.
Western Pure Land of bliss untainted,
Cleanses all dust and trouble, to purity reinstated.
Ning Zhuo, on the spur of the moment, formulated an Earth Element Magic, using Western Pure Land as the spell material, invoking the land’s radiant light.
The radiance enveloped the Dragon Head Cabin, refining and purifying all impetuous fire, constantly keeping the hearts of Sun Ning and the other calm and peaceful.
You have a Fire-attribute sinful treasure; I utilize an Earth Element Merit treasure!
Above the clouds, Lu Chi saw how the Stone Ball entered a realm as if nobody was present, his expression changing: “Old Monster in Stone! Such skill to delve deep into such a sea of fire.”
The Stone Ball rolled next to Lord Long.
At this moment, Lord Long, being burned like firewood, had his body severely shrunk to only about three meters in height.
“What are you, a Stone Ball, going to do to us?!” Lord Long’s right shoulder armor suddenly emitted an alert sound.
This right shoulder armor is a prestigious Spiritual Treasure, endowed with considerable Spiritual Nature.
From the clear articulation of the Treasure Spirit and the emotions filled with anger and suspicion, Ning Zhuo could conclude that this spirit’s Grade far surpassed Yuan Dasheng and Mengye Tiger.
Within the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, Sun Lingtong’s eyes gleamed, lips glistening, nearly drooling!
“I really want to steal it.”
“A Spiritual Treasure, this is a Spiritual Treasure!!”
Alas, he also knew it was impossible.
The stronger the Spiritual Nature of a Spiritual Treasure, the better it could resist enemies’ plundering and refinement.
Conversely, if one gains the recognition of the Spiritual Nature, cultivators could refine Spiritual Treasures very quickly and with minimal difficulty.
Now, the Treasure Spirit was very guarded against the Old Monster in Stone, entirely lacking the possibility of forceful theft.
If forced, it might even trigger the Spiritual Treasure’s desperate counterattack.
Sun Ning and the other did not wish to start a battle with a Spiritual Treasure in this sea of fire.
At this moment, Ning Zhuo multitasked, simultaneously deploying Earth Element and Fire-attribute Magic to ensure his safety, already exerting his utmost effort.
After the scolding from the Treasure Spirit, it continued to warn: “I’m telling you, don’t harbor any bad intentions, if you aggravate me, I’ll make you regret it.”
Sun Lingtong clutched his hair, shouting upwards: “Ah, I can’t take it anymore!”
“Clearly, this is the best opportunity to steal a Spiritual Treasure, but my strength is not enough, not enough!”
“Why, why am I only at the Foundation Establishment Stage?!”
Unlike “Gao Sheng’s Legacy,” which is incomplete and devoid of Spiritual Nature, the right shoulder armor possesses Spiritual Nature and has autonomous defense capabilities.
Certainly, the Treasure Spirit is also in grave danger now.
With Spiritual Nature, treasures are considered half sentient beings, thus also suppressed by the Lifeless Fire.
The Treasure Spirit of the right shoulder armor hid in the deepest part of the Spiritual Treasure, daring not to show itself.
Even so, Sun Ning and the other keenly noticed that the surface of the shoulder armor had begun to melt!
Ning Zhuo slightly smiled, dispelling all of the Treasure Spirit’s guards with just one sentence.
He said: “This old man carries a Divine Decree, how could I possibly harm you? Naturally, I have come to save you.”
Treasure Spirit: “Ah, then you are a good person. I misjudged you, sorry!”
“But, to save little Long, that’s troublesome.”
“The biggest problem isn’t the Sea of Lifeless Fire, but rather…”
Before the Treasure Spirit could finish, Ning Zhuo interrupted: “I know, the impetuous fire.”
The Treasure Spirit paused, then joyously exclaimed: “Ah, you know, Old Monster! You are amazing!”
The next moment, it saw the Stone Ball emitting an earthy yellow radiance.
The radiance was so peaceful, so comforting.
Under the cover of the light, Lord Long abruptly opened his eyes.
In a brief moment, much of the impetuous fire in his Divine Sea had been extinguished by the earth light.
Lord Long looked at the Stone Ball: “Old Monster in Stone, thank you…”
He couldn’t move; his urgency was too great, but that didn’t mean he lost perception of the outside world.
Thus, he had clearly heard the conversation between Ning Zhuo and the Treasure Spirit.
Originally, Lord Long was very averse to the Old Monster in Stone’s approach and actions in the battle, silently brewing annoyance, planning to settle accounts after the autumn.
But now…
The Old Monster in Stone had become his lifesaver!
This…
How could Lord Long possibly strike at the Old Monster in Stone again?
He is the temple priest of the noble Dragon King, fully aware of the importance of reputation.
If he were to strike at his lifesaver, who would hold him in high esteem? He would be guarded by everyone, and even the public would take precautions against the Dragon King.
Lord Long couldn’t possibly strike at the Old Monster in Stone. Once he did, the Dragon King would handle him for the sake of his temple’s sanctity!
Ning Zhuo’s voice was hoarse: “Now is not the time for reminiscing. Let’s leave this place first.”
He had persevered up until now and was nearly reaching his limit.
Lord Long nodded, raised his hand with fingers together in a chopping gesture, as if ready to self-inflict a severe wound, like a gecko severing its tail to escape.
But Ning Zhuo stopped him.
“Don’t bother; just come with me!”
The next moment, Ning Zhuo mobilized Nascent Soul level spiritual power from the stone ball, unleashing Earth Element Technique.
This time, he rapidly took Lord Long down into the depths of the earth.
The earth is lifeless, naturally isolating the Lifeless Fire.
It’s just that earlier, Lord Long had summoned ginseng whiskers deeply into the battlefield underground.
At this moment, these whiskers were also burning, becoming the only obstacle.
Ning Zhuo’s execution of the Earth Element Technique became smoother.
Earlier, the ginseng whiskers traveled underground, rampaging continuously, and couldn’t stop him. Now although the whiskers were on fire, forming underground fire walls, they remained stationary, making it even less troublesome for Ning Zhuo.
“No! No!!” Shuangjing shouted out of control.
At this moment, his helmet was lost, his hair disheveled, no longer possessing the demeanor of a noble family’s offspring.
He subconsciously ran towards the Lifeless Sea of Fire, stretching his right arm forward, fingers spread wide, trying to stop Lord Long from escaping.
But ultimately, he was pushed back by the heat wave, only able to watch in dismay as the Old Monster in Stone escaped underground with Lord Long.
Shuangjing abruptly looked up, furiously roaring at the sky: “Fire Cloud Camp, what are you doing?!”
“Are you not going to act swiftly?! Are you just going to watch the enemy escape?”
In the clouds, Lu Chi looked at the magic mirror in his hands, his face full of bitterness.
Of course, he had thought about preventing all this, but the fire from the Lifeless Sea of Fire was too intense. As the Main General, he knew very well that many of the methods at his disposal were ineffective.
Red Flower Camp.
Mu Lan’s body weakened, nearly collapsing again.
Zhang Zhongyi quickly extended his hand to support her.
Zhang Zhongyi advised: “General Mu, do not lose heart, we can only say that Lord Long was fated not to die here!”
Mu Lan shook her head, gritting her teeth: “It’s the Old Monster in Stone! Everyone underestimated him, this Nascent Soul Level being has an extremely profound foundation, far stronger than reported.”
“At least, the Old Monster in Stone in the reports couldn’t withstand the Lifeless Fire.”
Mu Lan took a deep breath, quickly stabilizing her emotions.
“My father told me to be relentless!”
“No matter how difficult the situation, we must fight with all our might, striving for the greatest victory.”
“Though Lord Long has escaped, he is severely wounded, unlikely to be able to fight again. If we annihilate these people, we will also gain substantial military merits!”
Mu Lan cast her gaze upward.
Within the Red Flower Dharma Image, Chi Tengyi and others were attacking more aggressively.
The escape of Lord Long, their main pillar, had greatly demoralized the cultivators!
Afar.
Mo Yuan Cave Master Lu Hongtu had a complex expression.
“This Old Monster in Stone has actually managed to achieve such a great feat!”
Even as the leader of the Six Cave Sect, Lu Hongtu felt a strong envy at this moment.
He was very much aware that the Old Monster in Stone’s rescue of Lord Long would surely receive tremendous rewards. It was something the Thousand Peak Forest side must do!
Even if the Dragon King knew the Old Monster in Stone was nearly at Divinity Transformation Level, for the sake of the overall situation, he would still reward the Old Monster in Stone generously.
“Forget it, who made me lack the means to withstand this Lifeless Sea of Fire.”
Lu Hongtu then turned his gaze toward the Red Flower Dharma Image.
“Saving Chi Tengyi and others is also a great feat. When I return, facing the Dragon King, I’ll have something to report!”
The next moment, Lu Hongtu led three Nascent Soul Cave Masters and suddenly made a move.
Mu Lan hastily met the enemy.
Lu Hongtu and the others were in prime condition, causing great casualties in the Red Flower Camp.
The Red Flower Dharma Image, attacked from both inside and outside, finally couldn’t hold on and completely collapsed.
The veterans and elite soldiers of the Red Flower Camp suffered backlash, resulting in several hundred men immediately losing their lives.
“Let’s go!” Lu Hongtu didn’t linger in battle, not looking back as he sprinted away.
Seeing this, Chi Tengyi and the others also desperately fled.
Fire Cloud Camp descended from the clouds, chasing along the way, unable to match the speed of Thousand Peak Forest’s Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators, and soon had to reluctantly cease pursuit.
The Golden Spear Army arrived soon after, only able to clean up the battlefield.
Mu Lan reorganized the army, accounting for the casualties, the heavy losses turning her pale.
Greater losses were borne by Shuangjing.
With the help of the Golden Spear Army, Shuangjing gathered the remnants, finding less than a hundred men, and immediately burst into tears.
Somewhere in the woods.
“We should be safe now.” The Old Monster in Stone first poked out his rounded shell, then rolled out his complete spherical body.
Following him, a yellow light emerged from the ground, and Lord Long also drilled out.
“Let’s wait here for a moment,” Lord Long sighed, immediately sitting down cross-legged for urgent healing.
As a temple priest, he naturally had high-quality Elixir Pills. After consuming a few, his complexion visibly improved, and his injuries quickly recovered.
Sun Ning and others didn’t wait long before Mo Yuan Cave Master, Chi Tengyi, and others secretly gathered here.
Lu Hongtu first inquired about Lord Long’s condition, and upon learning he was unharmed, immediately bowed with clasped fists, complimenting: “This battle’s victory owes much to Daoist Brother Stone!”