The strong are aloof and lonely.
Whether friend or foe, finding a peer is rare.
If in the outside world, encountering a similarly gifted two-star Dou Sheng, Chen Guan would undoubtedly fulfill his wish and engage in battle.
Unfortunately, this is the Demonic Fire Dimension.
Watching the approaching black-robed youth, followed closely by Hun Mie Sheng, Chen Guan shook his head and smiled, his nervousness gone.
"Do you really dare to fight me? Illusions are illusions, shattered with a single poke. But this time, you're a bit more sophisticated than before."
As they spoke, Chen Guan grasped the hand of 'Medusa' behind him, sending a wisp of flame into her body.
With a puff, the beauty vanished into thin air.
Watching the two flames entangled between his palms directly confirmed Chen Guan's conjecture.
Illusions, despite their many variations, remain essentially the same, and Chen Guan is well versed in this.
When people believe they've achieved success, their minds tend to relax. He'd long understood this principle, having even experimented with it once at the Space Trade Fair.
He hadn't expected the illusion within the Demonic Fire Dimension to employ the same tactics...
In fact, aside from a moment of anxiety upon seeing Medusa surrounded, Chen Guan quickly saw through the essence of the situation.
There was no way around it. With a soul at the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm, steadfast in its core, this illusion, while impressive, was still riddled with flaws in his eyes.
He clearly understood that the illusion was merely the first simple test within the Demonic Fire Dimension, capable of trapping ordinary warriors, but absolutely unable to threaten the elite.
Given the strength of Hun Mie Sheng and the black-robed youth, who had arrived countless hours earlier than he, how could they possibly be wasting time?
Therefore, this illusion was riddled with flaws.
Shaking his head slightly, Chen Guan flicked his fingers, and two streams of flame shot out.
As he'd predicted, Hun Mie Sheng and the black-robed youth before him were like ethereal bubbles, crumbling at the slightest touch.
"Emotions are the root of the demonic fire's illusions. Without joy or sorrow, there are no flaws."
With a single muttered word, Chen Guan saw through it completely.
Both of the illusions he'd experienced were like this.
Cao Ying's appearance likely stemmed from the days of internal deliberation over how to confess, while Medusa's appearance stemmed from inevitable worry.
"So, Dieyi and Ziyan's trials might be easier than mine. After all, they don't need to worry about me."
Chen Guan smiled at the thought. Difficulty is always relative. They don't possess the spiritual power of a celestial realm master.
Just like two questions in the eyes of a top student, even the easier one is challenging for others.
Banishing distracting thoughts, Chen Guan suppressed all emotions and continued to delve deeper.
This time, the path was smooth and unobstructed, without a single ripple.
Gradually, the scene before Chen Guan shifted. The milky white sea of fire vanished, replaced by a milky white mist stretching several dozen feet. It seemed to shift from solid to phantom, but in reality, it was actually shifting from phantom to solid.
This mist-shrouded scene was the true form of the first level of the Demonic Fire Dimension's test.
Turning back, his eyes oblivious to the mist, Chen Guan sat cross-legged, carefully recalling every detail about the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire while waiting for Medusa and Zi Yan.
He hadn't rushed earlier, hoping to wait for Medusa and Zi Yan to advance deeper into the level. Otherwise, if he had truly focused on completing it, it wouldn't have taken him so long.
Time ticked by, and Chen Guan saw four or five powerful figures emerge from the illusion. They glanced at him in confusion before quickly advancing again.
Perhaps they were wondering why others were slacking off while others rushed in, fearing they'd be late and not even have their soup.
Little did they know, Chen Guan already knew the answer.
It might be a bit conceited to say he was fearless, but he was still 85% confident.
In the blink of an eye, another half hour had passed.
As Chen Guan waited anxiously, Medusa and Zi Yan finally appeared, one after another, a matter of seconds apart.
As expected of good sisters, they truly have a rapport.
Chen Guan also looked forward to having them share a quilt as soon as possible.
"Are you all right?"
he inquired with concern. He lifted the two women's arms and carefully examined them with his spiritual power.
The Pure Lotus Demonic Fire was a strange thing, capable of quietly infiltrating the human body, controlling it as a fire slave, so a thorough examination was essential.
Medusa and Zi Yan both shook their heads.
The moment they emerged from the illusion, they had extinguished the white flames that had invaded their pores. They didn't possess Chen Guan's powerful spiritual power, but they could send bricks flying.
"No problem, let's go, let's get out of this area first."
Releasing the women's arms, Chen Guan led them deeper.
Along the way, Chen Guan shared some recent information with them.
Illusions emphasize the pursuit of truth, and the previous illusion had thus provided Chen Guan with some information.
For example, 'Medusa' had mentioned Gu Xun'er, suggesting that Gu Xun'er was involved, now standing in front of the three.
And then there was the black-robed youth from the Soul Clan; only one person met the requirements.
Another divine bloodline of the Soul Clan,
Soul Wind!
As he spoke, the three of them quickly flew deeper into the mist. Along the way, they encountered many people trapped in illusions, but Chen Guan ignored them all, even though a few of them looked vaguely familiar, powerful figures from the Alchemy Alliance.
Of course, Chen Guan was certain they were safe and that escaping the illusion was only a matter of time.
For this reason, he ignored them all.
After all, everyone here was after the Pure Lotus Demon Fire, making them his rivals. He didn't want to risk any trouble by showing mercy.
After flying for several minutes, the three finally emerged from the shrouded mist.
As they emerged from the mist, they all felt a slight lightness.
Looking ahead, they saw a massive platform suspended in mid-air not far ahead. At the end of the platform was a massive white door.
A large number of powerful figures had already gathered on the platform.
Gu Xun'er and Soul Wind were among them.
Behind the two of them, each was followed by a strong man to protect them. Chen Guan knew Hun Mie Sheng, but he had never seen the person behind Gu Xun'er.
Besides them, there were several familiar faces that I had seen in the Heavenly Tomb, such as Huo Xuan and Huo Zhi from the Yan Clan, the big guy from the Shi Clan, etc.
See, even if they arrived early, they were all back to the same starting line here, as if there was an invisible black hand controlling everything.
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Seeing Chen Guan arrive, Gu Xun'er nodded and chuckled slightly. Perhaps concerned about the presence of Medusa and Zi Yan, she didn't step forward to greet him.
The same was true for several members of the Thunder Clan.
The Stone Clan and the Medicine Clan remained indifferent.
As for Hun Mie Sheng and Hun Feng, they simply watched coldly, saying nothing, with no intention of taking action.
The Yan Clan, on the other hand, seemed the most enthusiastic. Led by Huo Xuan, Huo Zhi and an elderly man in purple, they took the initiative to greet him.
"Haha, I knew Brother Chen wouldn't miss this Pure Lotus Demon Fire. A mere Nightmare Sky Mist can't possibly stop Brother Chen."
Huo Xuan's words were truly pleasant!
Chen Guan had a good impression of the Yan Clan from his several encounters, and he smiled back upon hearing his words.
"I've heard that this Nightmare Sky Mist was a unique skill of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint during his lifetime. Records indicate that the Pure Lotus Demon Saint once used this technique to envelop a city, causing the inhabitants to feel as if they had lived there for hundreds of years. Only after the mist dissipated did they suddenly realize that their century-long experience was merely a dream."
Huo Xuan nodded and smiled, "Indeed, this is recorded in many ancient texts. It's said that a thousand years ago, the Pure Lotus Demon Fire couldn't perform this technique. I never imagined it would have matured to this point."
Huo Zhi, dressed in red and wearing a veil, remained quiet beside Huo Xuan. Her demeanor had changed slightly since her time in the Heavenly Tomb.
Chen Guan's heart stirred, and he briefly sensed the two of them, discovering that they both possessed the power of high-level semi-saints. The only difference was that Huo Xuan possessed an additional, fiery surge.
"Eight Desolations Destruction Flame?"
"Haha, as expected, nothing can be hidden from Brother Chen. However, I subdued my Eight Desolations Destruction Flame with the help of the elders of my clan, so I can't compare to Brother Chen's."
Huo Xuan smiled, not disguising himself.
The Yan Clan, named after the flames, lived up to its name.
Many people know that this clan controls four types of exotic fire, two of which rank in the top ten: the Red Lotus Karma Fire and the Eight Desolations Destruction Flame!
"Brother Huo Xuan, you're joking. The Eight Desolations Destruction Flame is ranked sixth on the list of exotic fires. The strongest of the exotic fires I've refined is only ninth."
While he said that, everyone knew that the new exotic fire, formed by the fusion of the four, was no longer considered so. Its true power was probably not much less than that of the Eight Desolations Destruction Flame.
Huo Xuan smiled and changed the subject, not dwelling on the issue.
"Alright, enough about that. Let me introduce you, Brother Chen. Huo Zhi, you already know me. This is Elder Huo Yao of my Yan Clan. He also possesses an exotic fire, but it's the Fire Cloud Water Flame, ranked sixteenth."
Elder Huo Yao smiled kindly and politely bowed to Chen Guan, without a trace of the arrogance often associated with ancient races.
It's no wonder he's like that. In this world, strength reigns supreme. Medusa and Zi Yan, standing beside Chen Guan, are no less powerful than he is.
Chen Guan politely returned the greeting, scanning the platform. He realized there were quite a few Strange Fires here today, nearly half of the list of Strange Fires had been gathered.
He had four within him, two of Huo Xuan and Huo Yao, and one within Gu Xun'er. Beyond that, the young man from the Medicine Clan also possessed the aura of Strange Fire.
Add in Xiao Yan and his apprentice, who were expected to arrive at any moment...
wow, that's a full ten Strange Fires!
"Brother Huo Xuan, you must have been here for quite some time. Why are you all gathered here?"
With a slight sigh, Chen Guan got down to business.
"Alas, we also want to get in earlier, but unfortunately, this space is dominated by the Pure Lotus Demon Fire. The moment we enter here, we basically fall into its hands. As for where to teleport people, it all depends on its will."
"You mean..."
"Yes, it deliberately guided us to meet here. The space here is extremely strange. The ancient clan's ancient Nanhai predecessor has tried it before, but he was completely unable to break through by force and suffered a severe backlash. This is an extremely solid prison. Tearing it apart is impossible, at least for those present." Huo
Xuan said slowly, "In fact, the news of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's appearance is not a secret among the eight ancient clans. The last time it was born, almost everyone participated. According to the ancestors of the clan, this scene also appeared last time, so there is no need to worry. There is no use in worrying. When the time comes, the giant gate will automatically open. At that time, you only need to follow the road behind the giant gate to see the Pure Lotus Demon Fire."
"However, beyond that massive gate, there are still numerous obstacles. If we want to see the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame, we must fight our way through them, like conquering a barrier."
The powerful can sweep through.
The weak must abide by the rules.
Chen Guan nodded slightly, chatting with Huo Xuan as they waited.
Time slipped quietly. After about half a day, more powerful figures arrived, filling the square with a scattering of people.
Overall, the number of people wasn't large, unlike the vast crowds that had filled the Wild Ancient Domain.
But the quality was vastly different.
Over 90% of the figures on the platform were Semi-Saints or higher, while Dou Zun were extremely rare.
Suddenly, the surrounding space violently trembled, and a terrifyingly high temperature slowly spread from all sides, instantly causing everyone to hold their breath and become alert.
"Miss, be careful,"
warned Gu Nanhai, standing not far behind Gu Xun'er.
Gu Xun'er nodded slightly, her gaze fixed on the increasingly distorted space around her, streaks of golden flame swirling across her body.
Like her, the others were also extremely vigilant, each taking their own stances.
"Boom boom!"
As the space twisted further and further, cracks suddenly appeared. From these cracks, waves of milky white flames rippled out. Immediately afterwards, figures drenched in milky white flames surged out from the cracks like a tide.
In the blink of an eye, the sky outside the square was completely encircled by these flaming figures.
Each figure, shrouded in milky white flames, clutched flaming spears in their hands, their emotionless eyes gazing down at everyone below.
"Is that Venerable Wind Eagle?"
"Venerable Lion Fang!" "
The Qingya Sect Patriarch is here too."
"..."
The powerful figures in the square gazed at the numerous flaming figures, surprised to discover that they possessed physical form, each bearing a powerful aura, and many of them were familiar faces.
"Be careful! This is a Fire Slave, a powerful being refined and controlled by the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire. You can think of it as a different kind of puppet," Elder Huoyao warned.
Many powerful individuals also heard his words, their faces heavy.
The Pure Lotus Demonic Fire actually turns those who enter the Demonic Fire Space into Fire Slaves, using this as a difficult obstacle to deal with them. It's truly cunning.
Not only does it pick up ready-made 'materials', but it also makes people more cautious.
Just think about it: if your friends and family were turned into Fire Slaves to use against you, how many people would be willing to do it?
And if you hesitate, you're already in danger. The next Fire Slave could be you.
This is a murderous act that breaks your heart!
(End of Chapter)