Fire Virtue Immortal Clan

The thick roots, like powerful dragons, lashed down on Lu Cheng'an's body with violent force.

A few scattered leaves fell from the tree canopy. The moment this normally sized leaf fell from the canopy, a dense flow of wood energy spread out, instantly causing the leaf to expand hundreds of times in size.

It transformed into a greenish-blue canopy covering half the sky, enveloping Lu Cheng'an beneath it.

At this moment, wisps of bluish-green mist fell from the leaves, forming a special field that continuously pressured and weakened Lu Cheng'an's power.

Myriad Flames Burning Heaven Palm!
Lu Cheng'an let out a low shout and struck out with his palm. Dense fire power burst forth and condensed into an enormous palm print, which he struck the huge leaf in the sky three times in succession.

boom! boom! boom!
With three loud explosions, three fiery red palm prints slammed into the large leaf.

The power of fire and wood permeated the air, creating an even more violent explosion.

At the same time, Lu Cheng'an summoned his natal magic treasure, the Earth Flame Purple Golden Bell.

Instead of unleashing his natal magic weapon to attack, he suspended it above his head, firmly protecting himself.

A wisp of bluish-gray flame emerged from the Azure Nether True Yang Lamp once again. This flame, like a serpent, instantly coiled around the roots that had sprouted from the giant ancient tree.

This flame contains the power of the Azure Netherfire, which is extremely harmful to cultivators in the mortal realm.

Although the situation of this ancient tree is rather special, the Azure Nether Flame still manages to restrain it extremely well.

After the bluish-green flames covered the thick root, they ignited it in just a few breaths.

"Shasha, you're here. I'm going to eat you up..."

As an eerie laugh emanated from the ancient tree, a hideous maw split open from its thick trunk.

A stream of bluish-brown light emanated from the giant mouth, then transformed into a chain that wrapped around Lu Cheng'an's body.

This chain contains not only the power of wood, but also the power of other attributes of the Great Dao.

Lu Cheng'an struck out with his palm, unleashing the Myriad Flames Burning Heaven Palm technique to strike the chain.

However, the power of that chain was extremely terrifying. The Myriad Flames Burning Heaven Palm only managed to block it for a moment before it was shattered by the chain.

The chains continued their relentless pace, relentlessly wrapping around Lu Cheng'an's body.

Not only that, several more roots shot out from the ground, each root like a thick whip, crashing down towards Lu Cheng'an's body.

Lu Cheng'an could only distract himself from the attacks of these roots while continuing to fight off the chains that were constantly wrapping around his body.

After a few breaths, the chain tightly wrapped around the golden-purple light screen cast by the Earth Flame Purple Gold Bell, but it did not shatter the light screen.

However, a terrifying pulling force emanated from the other end of the chain, dragging Lu Cheng'an's body, along with the Earth Flame Purple Gold Bell, towards the hideous gaping maw in the ancient tree's crown.

Although Lu Cheng'an tried his best to resist, he still couldn't withstand the immense force pulling him.

In an instant, he and the Purple Gold Bell were swallowed up by the hideous maw split open by the ancient tree.

"This is the inside of that ancient tree!"

The tree trunk was pitch black, but this did not affect Lu Cheng'an; he could still perceive everything around him.

He could clearly feel the tree trunk filled with a rich power of wood, as well as a surging power of death.

Before he could explore anything further, he suddenly felt the power of the wood and the power of death constantly impacting his body.

Lu Cheng'an immediately focused his mind and released the power of the Fire Domain to resist the impact of the surrounding Wood Dao power and Death Silence power.

Within the fiery domain, the Azure Nether True Yang Lamp floated, wisps of bluish-gray flames spreading out and perfectly enveloping Lu Cheng'an's body.

When Lu Cheng'an fought this ancient tree before, he could feel that the power of the Azure Netherfire had a certain restraining effect on the ancient tree.

However, the power of the Azure Netherfire was somewhat weak and could not directly burn the ancient tree to death.

After a short while, once Lu Cheng'an had made thorough preparations to withstand the onslaught of the surrounding wooden power and deathly silence, he began to seriously consider how to break the deadlock.

"What is the origin of this ancient tree? It seems to have deliberately lured me here?"

"Is this related to the Heavenly Sword Sect? But shouldn't the Heavenly Sword Sect be strong enough to activate such a monster?"

"This ancient tree reminds me a lot of the sand monsters of the vast desert. I wonder if the two are related?"

…………

Lu Cheng'an's thoughts were in turmoil, and he was unable to immediately come up with a way to break the deadlock.

Time passed slowly, and suddenly Lu Cheng'an let out a cry of surprise, his expression changing drastically.

"The power of the Fire Domain has been compressed by one zhang!"

Lu Cheng'an's fire domain was originally 66 zhang in size, but it has now been compressed to 65 zhang.

He could clearly sense that this compression was not simply a compression within this environment; even if he went outside, the range of his fire domain would no longer become sixty-six zhang.

Suddenly, Lu Cheng'an's expression changed again.

He discovered that the compressed fire domain power had not weakened; on the contrary, the fire domain power had become much more solid.

However, he did not relax at all, because the range of the fire domain had only been compressed by one zhang.

If he cannot find a solution and allows the fire domain to continue to shrink, then the fire domain he has created will be in danger of collapsing.

Lu Cheng'an silently sensed the power of the surrounding wood element and the power of death. He found that after the fire domain shrank, the pressure of the surrounding wood element and the power of death on the fire domain decreased slightly.

This new discovery eased his tension slightly. If things continued like this, once the range of his fire domain was compressed to a certain extent, the surrounding wood element and death energy might not have any effect on him.

However, there is also a possibility that he will not be able to hold out until the power of the fire domain is sufficient to withstand the power of the surrounding wood and the power of death.

Of course, the latter is less likely!
Lu Cheng'an calmed his mind, exhaled softly, then closed his eyes tightly and began to carefully comprehend the power of the fire element.

He had a feeling about it and almost figured out a way to solve the current predicament!
He was able to withstand the onslaught of the surrounding wood elemental power and deathly energy, mainly because of the fire domain he had condensed.

The fire domain is now compressed because the fire domain he condensed was not solid enough to begin with.

The compression of the fire domain's area is not necessarily a bad thing for him. If he can deepen his understanding of the power of fire, he will be able to expand the fire domain's power again.

Now, facing the overwhelming pressure of the power of wood and the power of death, his understanding of the power of fire is constantly deepening.

This is a rare opportunity for him. If he can escape this predicament, his understanding of the power of fire will make a great breakthrough.

Lu Cheng'an quickly composed himself and began to work hard to improve his understanding of the power of fire.

The enormous ancient tree was unaware of Lu Cheng'an's change; it continued to unleash the power of wood and the power of death within it to attack the fire domain surrounding Lu Cheng'an's body.

As long as it destroys the fire domain power surrounding Lu Cheng'an, it will be able to completely refine Lu Cheng'an.

It had a very clear perception that if it successfully refined and devoured Lu Cheng'an, it would be able to break free from this confused state and gain unimaginable benefits.

All the trees in this secret realm are extensions of this ancient tree. It sensed Lu Cheng'an's aura from Lu Chengzhuo and the others, which is why it trapped them in the secret realm and lured Lu Cheng'an here.

However, this ancient tree was in a dazed state, and its actions were driven entirely by instinct, making it incapable of devising any deeper plans.

Time passed slowly, and half a year went by in the blink of an eye.

Within the ancient, thick trunk, the surging power of wood and the power of death continued to surge towards the fire domain surrounding Lu Cheng'an.

Lu Cheng'an's original fire domain was 66 zhang long, but after half a year of continuous compression, the fire domain is now only 35 zhang long, almost halved in size.

The area of ​​the fire domain shrank, but its power did not diminish at all.

This is because Lu Cheng'an's comprehension of the power of fire has advanced by leaps and bounds in the past six months, and the power that the fire domain can release now is far greater than it was six months ago.

The reason he is allowing the surrounding wood elemental power and death energy to continuously impact his fire domain is to accumulate power so that he can deliver a fatal blow to that ancient tree.

He is still inside the trunk of the ancient tree, and if he cannot completely eliminate the tree, there may be other dangers.

Six months after Lu Cheng'an entered the secret realm within Hezhou, he had not sent any messages to the Lu family, and Lu Chengzhuo and the others had not come out of the secret realm.

This made Lu Wenxing extremely worried.

Therefore, after some hesitation, he still summoned all the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Lu family to discuss the matter of Lu Cheng'an's sudden disappearance.

"Six months ago, Cheng'an left his clan and went to the secret realm in Hezhou where Cheng Zhuo and the others were... What do you think we should do now?"

Lu Wenxing quickly expressed his concerns and also shared some of his guesses.

He was worried that Lu Cheng'an had encountered danger in the secret realm of Hezhou, and he was also worried that this matter was related to the Nascent Soul sects such as the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Although the Lu family had always maintained a good relationship with Nascent Soul sects such as the Heavenly Sword Sect, their sudden rise to power still threatened the interests of these sects.

Take the secret realm that has appeared in Hezhou now, for example. This secret realm is located within the territory of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Because of the Lu family, the Heavenly Sword Sect could not obtain all the treasures produced in that secret realm.

Without the Lu family's existence, this would have been impossible within the Heavenly Sword Sect's territory.

Now that Lu Cheng'an has completely lost contact with them since entering that secret realm, Lu Wenxing can't help but think more about it.

After listening to Lu Wenxing's analysis, the Nascent Soul cultivators from the Lu family, including Lu Chengping, also showed worried expressions.

After careful consideration, Lu Jingkun spoke first: "It's possible that we're overthinking it. After all, Uncle Cheng'an hasn't been away from the family for long, only half a year!"

"It's possible that the Heavenly Sword Sect secretly intervened, as the clan leader said, but it's not very likely. We are also aware of the Heavenly Sword Sect's strength. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn't be able to harm Uncle Cheng'an."

"I will leave the family later and go to Hezhou to see if I can find any news about Uncle Cheng'an."

"Let's not spread the news of Uncle Cheng'an's disappearance for now, lest it cause any unrest."

“I think Jingkun is right. The gap in strength between us and Cheng’an is too great. Even if Cheng’an is really in danger, we can’t help much. If we rashly take action, it may bring even more trouble to Cheng’an!” Lu Chengping said.

…………

After discussing the matter, Lu Wenxing and the other Nascent Soul cultivators from the Lu family, Lu Jingkun quietly left the Lu family's mountain gate and went to Hezhou alone to investigate the situation.

Lu Jingkun's cultivation has successfully broken through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He cultivates the Earthly Jade Book technique, and his strength far surpasses that of cultivators at the same level.

His trip to Hezhou was merely to gather information. If he did not actively reveal his whereabouts, even the cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect would find it difficult to detect his existence.

The Heavenly Sword Sect was unaware of the Lu family's unusual behavior.

After all, as Lu Jingkun said, Lu Chengan had only been out of contact for half a year.

This time is far too short for a Nascent Soul cultivator; even the simplest form of seclusion takes much longer.

After Lu Jingkun entered Hezhou, Lu Chengan was still absorbed into the heart of the ancient tree in the secret realm.

Another month or so passed, and Lu Cheng'an, who had been sitting cross-legged in the heart of the tree, suddenly stood up.

At this moment, the fire domain surrounding him was instantly withdrawn into his body. Without the fire domain's resistance, the surging wood elemental power and deathly power around him immediately swept wildly towards Lu Cheng'an's body.

However, Lu Cheng'an showed no sign of panic. He gently pointed out with his finger, and a crimson fingerprint condensed.

Under Lu Cheng'an's control, the crimson fingerprint pointed towards the surrounding wood element and death energy. It didn't seem to release too much power, but the wood element and death energy immediately burst into flames after coming into contact with the power released from the fingerprint.

Then the power of the wood and the power of death completely dissipated.

"Dao Fire Finger!"

Lu Cheng'an murmured, his gaze falling on the crimson fingerprint in front of him.

This is the result of his six months of comprehending the power of fire. He has rediscovered a new divine ability from the fire domain, which is now the Dao Fire Finger!

The Dao Fire Finger technique requires a fire domain as support to be used, and the Dao Fire Finger imprint it condenses contains a rich power of fire.

These fire-based powers are Lu Cheng'an's comprehension of the Dao of Fire. Unless the attacked cultivator's understanding of the Great Dao surpasses Lu Cheng'an's, they will absolutely not be able to withstand the attack of the Dao Fire Finger.

The ancient tree in the secret realm has comprehended the Way of Wood, and its understanding of it is profound, even now surpassing Lu Cheng'an's comprehension of the Way of Fire. (End of Chapter)