"You're so clever, why do you need my warning?"
Chen Guan replied to Gu Xun'er, then looked down at the crowd of people filled with suspicion.
"Everyone, there's truth within the falsehood, and there's falsehood within the truth. That's the terrifying thing about the Pure Lotus Demon Fire. We haven't completely escaped the Nightmare Mist. The Pure Lotus Demon Fire has governed this space for millennia, permeating every detail of this illusion. Everything we perceive and see is a blend of truth and falsehood. As long as we realize this, we won't need to intervene at this stage."
Chen Guan didn't warn immediately, perhaps out of a sinister intention, hoping to inflict a small loss on Hun Mie Sheng, Yao Wangui, and the others.
However, considering that these forces would be needed to face the Pure Lotus Demon Fire later, he decided to hold back.
In the face of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire, all grudges and disputes could be put aside.
"Brother Chen, are you saying this Pure Lotus Demon Fire is a lie?"
Huo Xuan confirmed his authenticity, scanning the crowd before restoring his gaze on the Pure Lotus Demon Fire, grasping Chen Guan's meaning.
"That's right."
"The real Pure Lotus Demonic Fire isn't here. The one we see is meaningless, even if we kill him. Furthermore, if you don't see through this illusion, he's invincible. He's as strong as you think he is. In other words, if you tell yourself he's useless, he truly is."
The crowd suddenly realized something, as if they had been enlightened.
The white-robed man's expression darkened, his murderous gaze fixed on Chen Guan.
However, Chen Guan had no interest in exchanging harsh words. The mystery was solved, and the dilemma was over.
With a slight look of seriousness, Chen Guan brought his fingers together and pointed at the air. A stream of blood shot out from his fingertips, rapidly flowing through them, forming a strange blood symbol.
"Nightmare illusion, shattered!"
"Nightmare-breaking talisman? Impossible! The old man didn't leave any legacy anywhere before he died. How could you possibly possess this? Who the hell are you?"
Seeing the blood talisman, the white-robed man was in disbelief. His calm composure, feeling everything under control, vanished. He sensed that things were spiraling out of control.
"Guess,"
Chen Guan teased. Without stopping, he flicked his finger, and the blood talisman shot out, landing fiercely on the void before him.
Instantly, the space began to violently tremble. Finally, before everyone's astonishment, there was a bang, and it exploded!
At the moment of the explosion, everyone felt a sudden dizziness deep within their heads.
When they hurriedly opened their eyes, they saw that the vast altar had vanished.
What appeared before them was a sea of blazing lava.
From the magma, milky white flames occasionally erupted. This milky white magma stretched to the ends of the eye, as if this space were composed entirely of magma.
Above the magma sea, enormous rocks hovered in the sky. Chen Guan and his companions were perched atop these rocks. Not far behind them, a vast silver halo slowly swirled.
"That's the entrance to the demonic fire dimension!"
"As expected, we've been trapped in the nightmare fog."
Surveying their surroundings, the crowd completely believed Chen Guan's words. Their hearts were righteous, and each look at him with a hint of gratitude.
Meanwhile, Hun Miesheng's group's hatred for Chen Guan intensified. This guy had clearly seen through everything, yet he kept it to himself, clearly acting on purpose.
Indeed, they were right.
"Roar!"
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Xiao Chen, standing nearby, suddenly roared again. Pain and struggle crossed his face, and he spoke hoarsely and rapidly as he explained the reason.
"The Pure Lotus Demon Fire is controlling me again!"
It was anxious.
This meant the Pure Lotus Demon Fire was getting anxious!
Before the environment was broken, it hadn't seemed to care that much about Xiao Chen.
Now, finally sensing the slightest threat, it was eager to gather its strength.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
"Leave it to me," Chen Guan said with a soothing smile.
With that, he tapped his finger fiercely on Xiao Chen's forehead. Soul power surged out, swiftly drawing an invisible curse pattern on his forehead. As the pattern took shape, the struggle on Xiao Chen's face gradually subsided.
"This curse pattern can isolate the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's control. As I said before, the only way to completely eliminate it is to eliminate the Pure Lotus Demon Fire."
Xiao Chen nodded with lingering fear, but he saw another way.
As long as he could escape this demon fire space, everything would be solved.
However, before he could suggest taking advantage of the opportunity to leave, a massive column of magma, approximately a hundred feet in diameter, suddenly rose from the nearby lava sea. Finally, when it reached parallel to the crowd, it slowly stopped. The magma churned, and a handsome man in a white robe appeared before everyone's gaze.
He was identical to the white-robed man seen a few minutes ago, yet felt even more real.
This was the true Pure Lotus Demon Fire!
Silence fell over the space as they stared at the suddenly appearing white-robed man, each one avidly and intensely watching him.
After expending so much energy, they had finally reached the final step.
Whether they could achieve even greater success, or even leap over the dragon's gate, depended on their luck.
"Pure Lotus Demon Fire, I never thought you could cultivate the Nightmare Sky Mist of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint to this level in just a thousand years. Truly impressive!" Hun
Miesheng, standing dozens of feet away from Chen Guan, raised his head and glared at the Pure Lotus Demon Fire with a sinister expression.
Even he hadn't been able to distinguish between illusion and reality before. If the illusion hadn't suddenly shattered at the last moment, even he wouldn't have realized he was still inside.
"This demonic fire is becoming increasingly bizarre. This time, no matter what, we can't let it go unpunished. If it escapes, Zhongzhou will be devastated!"
Yao Wangui stared at the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire with an intense gaze, greed surging from his heart. In all his cultivation, he had never heard of any strange fire capable of creating such a bizarre illusion, one that even he couldn't perceive. His previous experience had made him acutely aware of the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire's terror, but precisely because of this, his greed multiplied.
As for Zhongzhou's life or death, it was actually just a nonsense.
The white-robed man on the rock pillar glanced at Hun Miesheng and the others without any emotion, but ignored them, his gaze fixed directly on Chen Guan on the other side.
He just wanted to understand one thing.
"What's your relationship with the Pure Lotus Demon Saint?"
This puzzled not only the white-robed man, but everyone present as well.
Ever since meeting Xiao Chen, Chen Guan's behavior had been incredibly strange, as if he were incredibly familiar with this demonic fire realm, leaving everyone baffled.
The Pure Lotus Demonic Fire had clearly been sealed for millennia, and at Chen Guan's age, it was impossible for him to have experienced it before.
Under everyone's gaze, Chen Guan's smile remained unchanged, and he showed no sign of answering.
"Hmph!"
Seeing this, the white-robed man gave up.
With a wave of his hand, an invisible wave spread out, and the milky white halo entrance in the sky behind him instantly closed.
All it took was for everyone present to become fire slaves, and it would answer all its questions.
The white-robed man's actions caused a stir in the crowd. His boldness in sealing the exits was obvious. He
was going to catch them all in their trap and annihilate them all!
"Demon Fire Refining the Heavens!"
With a fierce cry, a blazing milky-white flame suddenly erupted from the white-robed man's body. In the blink of an eye, it engulfed the entire world, like a flaming prison, enveloping everyone.
Four vast curtains of milky-white fire poured down from the sky, ultimately connecting to the magma sea below. From afar, it looked like a four-sided prison connecting heaven and earth. A terrifying heat, so intense that even Chen Guan could feel it, rapidly spread.
It was then that everyone had a clear understanding of the white-robed man's strength.
"Peak Five-Star Dou Sheng!"
"He's a Strange Fire, and with his own unique abilities, even a Six-Star Dou Sheng wouldn't be able to defeat him."
A heavy sense of oppression weighed on everyone's heart.
With such strength, no one present could rival him.
Had he not collected the fragmentary map beforehand, Chen Guan wouldn't have had the slightest confidence.
"Those below the level of Dou Sheng aren't even worthy of becoming my fire slaves. Explosive!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
the white-robed man declared coldly.
As he finished speaking, a series of muffled explosions echoed through the crowd on the platform. Figures suddenly exploded, and the blood mist that had barely appeared was completely vaporized by the terrifying heat.
In the blink of an eye, the surviving Dou Zun warriors were almost wiped out, leaving only a seemingly unremarkable peak-level Dou Zun struggling to hold on.
Nearly half of the Semi-Saints had also vanished by then, and each remaining warrior gritted their teeth, seemingly fighting a desperate threat with all their might.
Chen Guan's gaze swept through the crowd of Semi-Saints; he knew there was a Soul Clan warrior hidden among them.
But at a glance, it was impossible to tell who the Sixth was.
What a talent!
Witnessing the explosions of one powerful warrior after another, many people looked terrified.
The Pure Lotus Demonic Fire was truly bizarre.
He immediately calmed his mind and probed every corner of his body.
Even those Semi-Saints who gritted their teeth and persevered could not help but feel a fear of death. The more they fought, the faster their bodies exploded.
"Don't overthink it. The Pure Lotus Demonic Fire is extremely strange. It can prey on human emotions, setting them on fire. Empty your mind, and the threat will dissipate."
Seeing the unnamed young man from the Thunder Clan struggling, Chen Guan warned.
Because of the Mang Tian Rule, he would do whatever he could to help the Thunder Clan.
Simultaneously, Chen Guan flicked his finger, and a stream of strange fire, etched with mysterious mantras, shot out, landing within the body of the sole Dou Zun who remained.
He didn't know this person; the action was purely impulsive.
This person, with the strength of a peak Dou Zun, had persisted to this point, surpassing many Semi-Saints. He was truly a talent.
"Yes, the rest of you are worthy of becoming my Fire Slaves."
A smile finally broke across the handsome face of the white-robed man, gazing at the now-empty sky. With a wave of his hand, ten pillars of lava erupted from the magma sea below. Immediately, the lava exploded, and ten figures clad in milky-white fire armor appeared around the white-robed man.
"They're all Dou Sheng powerhouses!"
Someone gasped in surprise at the ten figures with empty eyes.
These ten figures were clearly Fire Slaves.
But without exception, they had all reached the Dou Sheng level.
The strongest Fire Slave even possessed the strength of a late-stage Three-Star Dou Sheng!
"Every thousand years, there are always some pretentious individuals who enter the realm, but unfortunately, the end result is always the same. This time, however, is a rare occasion. So many talented individuals have arrived at once. It seems my collection will be even more abundant."
The white-robed man smiled with satisfaction, as if they were nothing more than prey, ready to be slaughtered at his mercy.
Everyone looked solemnly at the white-robed man and the ten Dou Sheng-level Fire Slaves surrounding him.
After a brief silence, it was surprisingly Hun Miesheng who spoke first.
"Everyone, as agreed, let's attack together, or we'll all die here. I'm still recovering from my injuries, and if I were to face him alone, I wouldn't last more than three rounds."
Hun Miesheng's gaze swept over the faces of each four-star Dou Sheng, proposing a proposal while also revealing his own status, thus allowing him to legitimately hold back.
No one objected. The only way to defeat the six-star Dou Sheng-powered Pure Lotus Demon Flame was to join forces.
Medusa and Zi Yan looked at Chen Guan, who also nodded in agreement.
"As he said, let's cooperate first."
"Be careful of Hun Miesheng when you attack, especially Senior Xiao Chen,"
the latter part was said via voice transmission.
Even though Chen Guan agreed, Hun Miesheng still felt unsatisfied.
"Chen Guan, let's be frank. Although you're a two-star Dou Sheng, your combat power is no less than four stars. Join us and quickly resolve the Pure Lotus Demon Fire. I promise that before that, we'll put aside all grudges."
It was hilarious that someone from the Soul Palace could actually say such frankness.
Unfailingly disdainful, Chen Guan glanced at Hun Feng in the crowd.
"This must be the Soul Clan's other divine bloodline. I believe his combat power is comparable to the Pure Lotus Demon Fire. And Miss Xun'er from the Ancient Clan, I think she could take on four or five of you. If you let them fight, I'll do the same. That way, we can resolve the situation even faster. What do you think, Hun Miesheng?"
"Hmph!"
Hun Miesheng snorted, saying no more.
Even the nitpicker had no objection, and the other clans were even less inclined to comment.
Truthfully, judging by the current situation, Chen Guan's side had deployed the most powerful warriors.
Including Xiao Chen, whose attitude was unclear, that was a full three four-star Dou Shengs. Furthermore, each of these three was no ordinary figure.
Only a shameless group like the Soul Palace could so brazenly demand Chen Guan's help in the fight against the Pure Lotus Demon Fire.
If it were someone like Yao Wangui,
he'd have to be more tactful. Gu Nanhai stepped in to break the awkward atmosphere, smiling faintly, "Now that everyone has agreed, for those of you who have reached the level of a Four-Star Dou Sheng or higher, let's work together to take down the Pure Lotus Demon Fire. As for the other fire slaves..."
"Leave it to us."