Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 499 Taiyin True Fire
Only after they left the secret room did the two realize how timely the escape technique had been.

The time spent in the secret chamber seemed long, but in reality, it was very short. In that short time, most of the ice sculptures outside had already revived, and the city was now full of ice people, all seemingly following the king's orders to search the entire city for the two unauthorized humans.

Looking around, all you could see were bright red eyes, which was quite eerie.

It's always inconvenient for Dugu Qingli to use ice escape techniques with others; it would be much more flexible if the two of them each had their own escape techniques.

In fact, Lu Xingzhou really wanted to know, if everyone was revived, what happened to the man and woman hiding behind the tree? The man's hand should be inside the woman's clothes, could they be separated?
And, given how big the city is and how large the population is, there must have been some couples making love inside their homes when the ice was frozen. Could they have separated?
Dugu Qingli had no idea that this guy was thinking about such a boring question. The two of them used their escape techniques to silently avoid all the ice men and return to the palace.

As expected, the king and his powerful generals had already gone out to search for help, leaving the palace's defenses rather weak. Furthermore, the Ice People generally possessed weak spiritual senses, so none of them noticed the two little mice sneaking in.

Hidden within the dense moisture, Lu Xingzhou confidently surveyed the earth's veins. Indeed, to set up a stable spatial array, the imperial palace was the most suitable location at its core.

Lu Xingzhou located the center and had Dugu Qingli lead him under the ice. There, he painstakingly constructed an array using spirit stones and buried the core array stone.

This expedition marks the completion of a crucial step.

However, the ice people still need to be foolish enough not to discover the underground secrets; otherwise, it's all for naught. So, essentially, stability depends on resolving the issue of these ice people's resurrection, but it seems incredibly difficult…

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Xingzhou attempted to construct another superimposed array.

As the array's patterns grew increasingly complex, Dugu Qingli's eyes widened, and she quietly asked, "What kind of array is this?"

The two were now huddled together in a pit dug beneath the thick ice. Dugu Qingli whispered in his ear, a moment even more intimate than when they had been accidentally squeezed together in the secret chamber earlier.

But it seemed that because they had just rehearsed something, neither of them felt anything special at this moment.

Lu Xingzhou replied, "I have stacked a Demon-Subduing Array, which is even more effective when used in conjunction with my Crimson Lotus Calamity Flame. I want to try and see if I can suppress their demonic intent. Setting up two arrays is too cumbersome. Stacking the two arrays allows them to take effect simultaneously, saving some steps. After all, both arrays are large arrays. The palace is just the core of the array, and we still need to set up arrays in the four corners. Saving one step saves more lives."

Dugu Qingli: "..."

Is this process something that can be skipped so easily? Sometimes Dugu Qingli felt that this guy was more like Qinqin Tinglan's apprentice than herself. This breadth of knowledge... but she hadn't seen him spend much time on these studies.

Real-world experience requires practice, while these external skills only require understanding and application. Lu Xingzhou's talent in these areas is terrifying.

Lu Xingzhou composed himself: "Let's go, while the palace is empty, let's go see the Taiyin True Fire."

The two of them flashed to the spot where the Taiyin True Fire had surged upwards earlier. Due to the upward surge of fire, the ice layer here had completely melted into water, which seeped into the brick and stone ground below, consistent with Lu Xingzhou's current level of water escape.

"You stay hidden in the ice on the side and keep watch for me. I'll go down and check and then come right back." Lu Xingzhou disappeared into the water with a whoosh.

Since the Taiyin True Fire could attack upwards, it was clear that it wasn't buried too deep. Sure enough, after descending only a few feet, he reached the land, which had lost moisture due to long-term scorching. Lu Xingzhou huffed and puffed as he poured water down, using the water he released to perform a water escape, crawling like a caterpillar all the way to the bottom of the earth.

There was a cave about ten feet in diameter underground, with a cluster of moon-white flames flickering in the center.

"It really is the Yin True Fire." Lu Xingzhou landed beside him, somewhat cautiously.

The fire seeds are naturally divided into different grades, and the difficulty of taming them varies. Back then, it took a lot of effort to tame the fire seeds in the desert and the Destruction Golden Flame in the Demon Subduing Domain.

The previous Mountain and River Purple Flame was of extremely high quality, beyond Lu Xingzhou's current strength to subdue. However, it was a furnace fire that had already been tamed, so the owner of the alchemy furnace could easily take it in.

This Yin Fire Seed may have been tamed by the king in its early years to set up the palace's array, but with the king's death so many years ago, the seed has become wild, and its wildness is difficult to tame. Fortunately, in this extremely cold environment, the power of the Yin Fire Seed has been greatly weakened, and perhaps it can be tried by relying on the affinity of one's own fire bones.

There will be some risks, but it's worth it.

Lu Xingzhou took a deep breath and made a hand seal.

The flames suspended in space began to shrink, gradually turning into a tiny spark that flew into Lu Xingzhou's spiritual platform.

Lu Xingzhou groaned, his soul sea feeling like it was about to explode, and his head was throbbing with pain.

In the Mingtang area, the original shattered golden flames trembled, barely daring to breathe. The Crimson Lotus Calamity Flame remained calm and composed, as if it were none of its concern. The Mountain and River Purple Flame deployed its defenses around the spiritual platform, resisting the invasion of the Taiyin True Fire.

It was as if the emperor was protecting the land.

The Taiyin True Fire is like the gentle moonlight, seemingly ordinary and its power appears average, yet it is all-pervasive, illuminating mountains and rivers.

In terms of attributes alone, it does have a bit of a Gu Zhanting VS Ye Tinglan feel to it, only the protagonists and antagonists are reversed.

Lu Xingzhou had no doubt that if it weren't for the Mountain and River Purple Flame, his only option would have been to send the Taiyin True Fire out of the country, as he couldn't withstand it.

But with the Mountain and River Purple Flame, it seems there's hope.

A spark of fire spirit appeared in the void, like the core of a magnet. The annihilating golden fire and crimson lotus tribulation flames all revolved around it. That was the source of Lu Xingzhou's fire-type immortal bone. After being trained by Ye Tinglan, it was no longer just a leg bone, but ran through his entire body, becoming the foundation of his fire.

The Taiyin True Fire, which was originally hovering high in the air and acting as a cold and aloof critic, has weakened considerably, giving the impression that it has returned home.

This is fire affinity.

Then, the crimson lotus flames rose up across the sky, and the annihilating golden fire danced around the Taiyin True Fire in the air like a meteorite, and even the purple flames that covered the rivers and mountains showed their acceptance.

It had an air of "We're all on the same side, this is the home of fire." Taiyin True Fire: "..."

Unable to conquer it, he could only appease it first and then take it over. Lu Xingzhou endured the excruciating pain in his sea of ​​consciousness and carefully observed the wildness of the Taiyin True Fire.

effective.

The true fire of the moon is ultimately of a calm and gentle nature, not violent; gentleness is more effective.

Just then, the sound of clashing energies exploded from above.

While hiding above to keep watch, Dugu Qingli was discovered by the king who was returning from his patrol, and with a single blow, he forced Dugu Qingli out of her ice escape.

Dugu Qingli drew her sword with a "clang" and challenged the king to a duel without saying a word, buying time for Lu Xingzhou.

She noticed that her ice sword had grazed the king's forehead during the previous battle, and a shallow mark remained unhealed. Lu Xingzhou's judgment was correct; these ice beings had no healing abilities and couldn't be treated with medicine. The king was no longer as ferocious as he had been when he first recovered.

Dugu Qingli appeared to be thrusting her sword straight at the king's throat, but in reality, her blue eyes were deep and unfathomable as she secretly channeled the power of the laws, attempting to manipulate the shattered ice on the king's forehead.

Previously, the solid ice barrier acted like the most impenetrable armor, rendering her immobile. Now, with a slight damage, she can try again.

With a loud clang, the king slammed his palm against the side of the sword, sending Dugu Qingli flying far away. But at the same time, the shallow scar on his forehead cracked open even wider.

efficient!

Sure enough, ice attacks were useless, but directly manipulating the ice on the opponent's body worked!
Dugu Qingli remained calm and composed, stopping her retreat and launching herself upwards once more.

The king threw a punch, and a water dragon roared towards him.

As the water dragon approached Dugu Qingli, it froze inch by inch. The girl broke through the ice and emerged, her sword tip once again pointing at the king's throat!
"Snap!" The king clapped his hands together, trapping the ice sword.

Then, with a casual flick of his wrist, he slammed Dugu Qingli heavily to the ground.

Dugu Qingli felt as if her whole body was falling apart, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, but her eyes grew even colder.

All the attacks and defenses were just a facade; in reality, the power of the laws was constantly attacking the king's forehead, causing the cracks to widen.

Looking up now, you can almost see the original skin color beneath the ice on his forehead.

"Bang!" The king felt no pain from the broken armor and stomped down on Dugu Qingli on the ground.

Dugu Qingli instantly vanished into the ice layer beside her, without hiding, and immediately drew her sword again, as if she had teleported.

The king missed a step, and Dugu Qingli's sword was already at his left side.

The king swiftly dodged and threw a punch. Dugu Qingli flipped in mid-air to avoid it, the fist grazing her arm and drawing out a clump of flesh, sending her tumbling through the air.

The second punch was already upon him.

I can't beat him in a one-on-one fight.

Dugu Qingli was in mid-air, about to forcefully raise her sword to parry, when suddenly her waist tightened and she fell into someone's arms.

Lu Xingzhou, holding the little white-haired boy, dodged several feet away, and the king's fist grazed past him again.

At the same time, a ball of moon-white flame suddenly burst into flames at the crevice of the king's forehead.

For the first time since the start of the battle, the king let out a scream.

Previously, when it was burned by the Crimson Lotus Flame, it had also let out a painful growl, which sounded more like a demonic sound. This time, however, it was a reaction that was very close to that of a human.

Because the meat was actually burned!

Moreover, it's a flame like the Taiyin True Fire; once it attaches to something, it's difficult to extinguish, like a bone-deep sore that it can't be eradicated.

Amidst the screams, a group of subordinate generals arrived again.

In fact, the king was originally with his subordinates, but the king arrived first because he was faster, which shows that the battle just now was actually very quick and brief.

"Let's go." Lu Xingzhou grabbed Dugu Qingli and fled in a different direction.

"Your wounds, which had just healed, have suddenly become worse." Lu Xingzhou quickly stuffed a pill into Dugu Qingli's mouth while flying away, and scolded her, "You could have just delayed it, so why did you do that just now?"

Dugu Qingli was held tightly in someone's arms and didn't answer for a moment.

She's never been one to dodge in combat... and there's not much to explain. Besides, wasn't the effect pretty good? If I hadn't broken his ice armor, would your fire have burned so comfortably?

Rather than saying I'm at a disadvantage because I'm injured, it's more accurate to say that I'm at a disadvantage because you're holding me like this while I'm injured.

(End of this chapter)