Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

Only she knew that the unfamiliar voice that had suddenly entered her consciousness said that he could awaken Xiao Chen, as long as she was close enough to use it.

The voice was mysterious and unfathomable, penetrating deep into her soul, startling her so much that her back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

If she hadn't been right behind him, and her master Su Baichen's familiar and gentle divine thoughts hadn't arrived in time, bringing comfort and affirmation, she probably would have already lost her composure.

Gu Nanhai's gaze was sharp as lightning, lingering on Cao Ying's face for a few breaths, as if scrutinizing the truthfulness and determination in her words.

Finally, he took a deep breath and nodded emphatically: "In that case, we will protect you! Qingyang, Xun'er, Xiao Yu, listen to my command, do your best to hold them back and clear the way for Miss Cao Ying!"

"Yes!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Chen seemed to be enraged by their continued "spying" and whispering. His eyes suddenly blazed with blood-red flames, and he raised his blood-red giant axe without warning. An even more violent killing intent than before erupted, turning into a tangible crimson wave that crushed towards the five people!

"Let's do it!"

Gu Nanhai roared, unleashing the full power of his four-star Dou Sheng aura. His azure Dou Qi transformed into a thick wall of light, forcefully clashing against the crimson wave, buying everyone a moment of respite.

Xun'er and Gu Qingyang reacted extremely quickly, attacking simultaneously from the left and right.

Xun'er formed a hand seal, and the Golden Emperor's Burning Heaven Flame transformed into a sky full of flowing golden lotuses of fire, spinning and howling. It was not a brute force attack, but rather a clever weaving of a scorching net of fire that enveloped Xiao Chen, aiming to restrict his movements.

Gu Qingyang thrust his spear swiftly, the spear shadows like a rain of pear blossoms, not seeking to injure the enemy, but only to disrupt Xiao Chen's axe attack with a continuous barrage.

Xiao Yu gritted her teeth, pushing the Xiao clan bloodline within her to its limit. Her longsword rang out, and a sword aura carrying a faint but pure Xiao clan energy shot out.

This sword aura might not be very powerful, but its unique bloodline fluctuations caused Xiao Chen's axe-wielding motion to pause slightly.

It was this tiny, fleeting flaw that caused the problem!

Cao Ying pushed her movement technique to its limit, her figure like a wisp of pale purple smoke, drifting out from a narrow gap deliberately left in the Ancient South China Sea Light Wall, so fast that it left only a faint afterimage in the air.

All her soul power was contained and concentrated, and the white light at her fingertips was so pure that it seemed to pierce through all illusions and delusion.

Xiao Chen's empty, bloodshot eyes instantly locked onto this "ant" that dared to approach. His other withered claw shot out like lightning, its five fingers wrapped in viscous, pale flames, aiming straight for Cao Ying's face. The sharp claw wind even tore through the air.

"Sister Cao Ying!" Xiao Yu exclaimed in surprise.

Cao Ying seemed oblivious to the fatal blow, her entire focus on the tiny white glint at her fingertips.

Just as the withered claw was about to touch his forehead, she lightly and swiftly placed her jade-like fingers, like a dragonfly skimming the water, on Xiao Chen's brow.

The moment my fingertips touched my forehead, time seemed to stand still.

laugh--!

A barely audible sound, like a red-hot iron sinking into ice.

The white light at Cao Ying's fingertip, which purified everything, entered Xiao Chen's brow without any hindrance.

In an instant, Xiao Chen's movement to grab Cao Ying froze in mid-air, and his whole body convulsed violently as if struck by an invisible giant hammer!

"Uh...ho...ah—!!"

A hoarse, distorted roar, as if the pain had been pent up for thousands of years, was squeezed out from Xiao Chen's parched throat.

The blood-red flames leaping wildly in his eyes were like oil in a cauldron thrown into a boulder, boiling and churning violently, with large patches of blood fading and dissipating at a visible speed.

Uncontrollably, streams of white flame erupted from every pore and orifice of his body, hissing in the air before quickly extinguishing.

That was the original fire thread of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire that had remained in his body and controlled his mind being forcibly forced out and purified!

Chapter 365 The Trial of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint

"It works!" Gu Nanhai's spirits lifted as he looked at the scene in disbelief.

The blood-red giant axe in Xiao Chen's hand fell to the ground with a "clang". He covered his head with his hands and knelt heavily on the ground. His bones made a teeth-grinding "crackling" sound, as if he was enduring unimaginable pain and struggle.

The overwhelming pressure of a four-star Dou Sheng that enveloped the entire arena also rapidly weakened, became disordered, and dissipated, just like the receding tide.

Time slipped away in silent agony.

Everyone watched nervously, their protective auras remaining unwavering.

Finally, when the last stubborn, pale flame, accompanied by a sharp hiss, burst forth from Xiao Chen's crown and dissipated into the air, most of the demonic fire within his body had been eliminated.

The gushing white flames died down, he stopped trembling, and slowly, very slowly, raised his head.

The crimson flames in those deep-set eyes had vanished without a trace, replaced by a bewilderment as if they had been asleep for eternity and had just awakened, along with an unfathomable weariness and vicissitude.

He stared blankly at the unfamiliar and wary crowd before him, his gaze finally settling on Xiao Yu, who was in tears and overwhelmed with emotion.

That faint resonance originating from the depths of his bloodline caused his chapped lips to tremble slightly, and he uttered a hoarse, almost unrecognizable syllable with difficulty: "Xiao... clan?"

Xiao Yu could no longer hold back and knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face. He choked out, "This unworthy descendant, Xiao Yu, pays respects to our ancestor, Xiao Chen!"

In Xiao Yu's brief, tearful narration, the cruel truth of thousands of years ago was revealed—the glory of the Xiao clan had long since faded, their bloodline withered, and they had fallen to a remote corner.

Xiao Chen listened quietly, his eyes, which had just regained some of their sparkle, were quickly covered by a deathly gray.

He didn't roar or question, but his already hunched body seemed to shrink even further, and a vast and silent sorrow spread out as if it were a tangible force, making everyone present feel breathless.

That was the tragedy of a broken lineage, an extinct ethnic group, and the passing of eternity.

Inside the main hall, there was a deathly silence. Only Xiao Yu's soft sobs could be heard.

After a long silence, Xiao Yu suddenly raised her head, wiping away the tears on her face. Though tears still lingered in her eyes, a burning flame had ignited within them. She straightened her back, her voice trembling with excitement, yet carrying an unprecedented firmness:

"Ancestor, my bloodline has been awakened by Ancestor Xiao Xuan!"

"I, Xiao Yu, hereby swear that I will dedicate my entire life to restoring the glory of my Xiao clan! Heaven and earth bear witness to this will!"

This resounding vow, like a faint yet persistent ray of light, pierced through the eternal stillness in Xiao Chen's eyes.

He stared intently at the descendant before him, whose bloodline was thin and whose strength was weak, yet whose eyes were unusually bright and resolute. In those ashen eyes, a faint glimmer of something called "light" slowly began to gather.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that everyone thought he had fallen into a daze again.

Finally, with extreme slowness and solemnity, he nodded and once again grasped the blood-red giant axe that had accompanied him in battle and imprisoned him for thousands of years.

This time, the axe no longer shimmered with an eerie crimson light; only a dark red hue, imbued with the marks of time and bloodshed, remained.

“…Alright, since Cousin Xiao Xuan believes in you, I will believe in you too!” he said hoarsely, his gaze sweeping over everyone, especially lingering on Cao Ying for a moment, his expression complex and unreadable.

"This place...is the lair of the demonic fire. You...have come here for this fire?"

After receiving Gu Nanhai's affirmative reply, Xiao Chen looked deeper into the main hall, where the intense heat could be faintly sensed even through the space.

"Come with me." He turned around, his steps somewhat unsteady and unsteady, yet unusually firm.

“I have been imprisoned and controlled by it for too long. This place... I know it well.”

Deep within Cao Ying's sea of ​​consciousness lay a tranquil space isolated by a mysterious soul force.

Su Baichen's divine avatar, dressed in white, stood with his hands behind his back, glancing at the somewhat playful remnant soul of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint beside him, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "Just now, you could have used that girl to completely purify the demonic fire mark in Xiao Chen's body, allowing him to recover more of his strength."

"Why did you only disperse most of them, Jinglian? Have you been idle for ten thousand years and are you bored? Do you want to cause more trouble for these little kids so you can have a good show?"

The remnant soul of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint touched his nose and chuckled, showing no guilt at being exposed: "Oh dear, young friend Su, what are you saying?"

"I'm just being cautious! As you know, this entire Demon Flame Space is an illusion and arrangement created by my 'little demon' (Pure Lotus Demon Flame) inside and out."

"If I go all out and my aura leaks out, that slippery little guy will immediately smell me. Then he might hide deep in this space or directly detonate those troublesome things, and we'll have to put in a lot of effort to find him."

"Now, we're slowly boiling the frog, letting him think he has everything under control, so we can sneak into his lair and give him a 'surprise,' right?"

He shrugged, trying to appear serious as if he were doing everything for the greater good: "Right now, dealing with him is a piece of cake, but dragging him out here would be a real hassle."

"Just to be on the safe side, just to be on the safe side!"

Su Baichen's divine sense calmly "looked" at him. Although it couldn't discern his current mood, the silent gaze made the remnant soul of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint feel uneasy.

"Are you sure you haven't been holding back for too long and think the show isn't exciting enough, so you're deliberately adding some difficulty and 'fun' to their 'journey to seize the demonic fire'?"

"Uh... well, hehe..." The remnant soul of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint swayed left and right, chuckled twice, and tried to change the subject.

"How could that be! I, the dignified Pure Lotus Demon Saint, am upright and compassionate. How could I be the kind of person who takes pleasure in the suffering of others? This is... well, a strategic show of weakness! Yes, to mislead the enemy!"

"Hehe." Su Baichen's divine sense transmitted two emotionless syllables, then he ignored him and turned his attention back to the outside world.

That concise response was filled with the implication that "I don't even believe in punctuation."

Seeing this, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint was not embarrassed. He stroked his chin and looked at the group of people who were cautiously moving forward under Xiao Chen's guidance. A mysterious smile flashed in his eyes, and he muttered in a voice that only he could hear, "Young people need to experience more hardships to grow faster, right?"

"It's so boring to always have everything go smoothly... Well, I'm doing this all for their own good..."

"Hmph, you can play around, just don't go too far!" Su Baichen rolled his eyes helplessly.

"Hehe, isn't that what you're here for? If something really happens, you can just step in and take care of it!" Pure Lotus Demon Saint chuckled.

"Hehe!" Su Baichen rolled his eyes.

Of course, he also wanted to give them more experience, otherwise things would be too easy for them in the future!

Chapter 366 Truth and Falsehood

Under Xiao Chen's solemn guidance, the group of six slowly ventured deeper into the demonic fire space.

Along the way, Xiao Chen repeatedly emphasized the terrifying nature of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, his solemn tone making everyone feel as if a heavy stone was pressing on their hearts.

Xun'er, Xiao Yu, and Gu Qingyang all looked focused and nodded frequently.

Only Gu Nanhai caught a glimpse of Cao Ying out of the corner of his eye—since the beginning, she had been slightly frowning, her gaze seemingly locked on Xiao Chen, her wariness subtly apparent.

Gu Nanhai's heart skipped a beat, and he became secretly alert. He carefully pondered Xiao Chen's words and suddenly noticed something unusual: Xiao Chen seemed to be repeatedly reinforcing everyone's understanding of the invincibility of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, and his tone carried a kind of subtle guidance...

Before I could think it through, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

An ancient and massive altar came into view. Its surface was covered with dark red fire patterns, pulsating slightly like veins.

At the center of the altar, a throne woven from flames stands silently.

Seated at the foot, a man in a white robe casually crossed his legs, one hand lazily propping up his cheek. He didn't raise his eyes, but the aura of destruction emanating from him already revealed his identity—

Pure Lotus Demon Flame.

"Today, only one side can leave this place."

He slowly raised his eyes, a pure lotus-like flame flickering in them. His voice was calm, yet it carried an indifference as if looking down on ants.

"Either you six defeat me and take the source of the demonic fire; or... be killed by me and become my collection."

Arrogant, extremely arrogant!

This gesture even startled Su Baichen and the Pure Lotus Demon Saint.