Chapter 388: Candle Dragon Secret Realm
Soon, the two arrived deep in the Northern Frontier, where the dense demonic energy was almost tangible. Two figures flew swiftly under the gray sky. Ji Hongli's ink-colored robe and Lin Wan's plain white dao robes snapped in the wind.
Beneath them was an endless expanse of primeval mountain forests. Dense demonic energy condensed into mist, slowly flowing between the treetops as if the entire earth was breathing.
"The Candle Dragon Secret Realm is in that direction." Ji Hongli raised her hand, pointing toward a distorted space on the northern horizon. There, the clouds displayed a strange spiral pattern, and faint dark red streams of light flickered in the center of the vortex, like the half-open eye of some ancient beast.
Lin Wan followed her direction with his gaze. The moment his divine sense touched that area, he felt a sharp pain. "The spatial laws there... are very strange."
"That's because they've been completely twisted by the Candle Dragon's power." Ji Hongli's fingertip condensed a wisp of dark light, tracing ancient demon character patterns in the air. "In demon clan legends, the Candle Dragon is the ancestor of all demons. When it opens its eyes, it's day; when it closes them, it's night."
With each breath, the seasons turn. The secret realm it left behind naturally possesses the power to alter the laws of heaven and earth.
As they drew closer, the demonic energy in the air grew increasingly viscous. Lin Wan noticed the trees below beginning to deform—the trunks developed scale-like patterns, and what hung between the branches weren't dewdrops but blood-red crystals.
"There are countless legends about the Candle Dragon Secret Realm circulating among the demon clan." Ji Hongli's voice seemed especially ethereal in the howling wind. "Some say it hid here after the primordial chaos shattered; others say it fell long ago, and only the dragon's grave remains in the secret realm; an even more bizarre theory is that the entire secret realm is a dream the Candle Dragon is having while asleep..."
A withered leaf drifted before Lin Wan's eyes. He reached out to catch it and discovered a complete star map naturally formed on the leaf's surface. "Do these rumors have any basis?"
"No basis. After all, many transformed demons, like humans, always long to encounter supreme opportunities. Many demons have entered over the years, but those who came out..." Ji Hongli suddenly stopped, hovering in mid-air. "Not a single one."
By now, the two had arrived directly below the secret realm entrance. Looking up, a dark red pillar of light descended from the center of the spiral clouds, shining upon a protruding black stone platform below. The platform surface was carved with twisted patterns that, upon closer inspection, resembled countless snakes devouring each other.
Lin Wan suddenly gripped his sword hilt: "These patterns are moving."
Indeed, those "patterns" were slowly crawling across the stone platform, sometimes entwining, sometimes separating. Ji Hongli laughed lightly: "Don't be nervous. This is the unique 'gate' of the Candle Dragon Secret Realm—the Thousand Serpent Stele. It's said that only when all serpent patterns connect head to tail will the secret realm truly open."
As she spoke, she descended toward the stone platform, her toes lightly touching the serpent eye pattern at the very center. In an instant, all the crawling serpent patterns simultaneously froze, then began to recombine at an astonishing speed.
"You've never been inside?" Lin Wan suddenly asked.
Ji Hongli shook her head, her ink-black hair dancing in the suddenly raging gale: "Although I am of the demon clan, I spent most of my time wandering the human world." She gazed at the gradually forming gate, a complex look flashing in her eyes.
"I didn't have much interest in demon clan forbidden grounds. However, since I once commanded all demons, I naturally know many secrets about this place."
The serpent patterns on the stone platform finally completed their reorganization, forming a perfect circle. The space at the center of the circle began to collapse, revealing a rotating dark red vortex. Faintly, one could hear the breathing of some colossal creature from within.
Each exhalation created tiny cracks in the surrounding space.
"Ready?" Ji Hongli turned to look at Lin Wan, a dangerous curve forming at the corner of her mouth. "It's said that of ten cultivators who hear the Candle Dragon's breathing, nine will go mad."
Lin Wan had already stepped toward the vortex: "What about the remaining one?"
"Become part of the secret realm."
Ji Hongli's laughter dissipated in the suddenly erupting red light. When the two figures were completely swallowed by the vortex, the patterns on the Thousand Serpent Stele began to crawl once more, as if nothing had happened.
...
What the two didn't know was that several hundred li away from them, another group of people was hurrying toward the Candle Dragon Secret Realm. At this moment, several disheveled figures were rapidly moving through towering ancient trees. The girl leading them, dressed in white clothes stained with blood and filth, her silver hair covered with dead leaves and twigs—it was Bai Li, who had left the Immortal Spirit Valley several months ago.
By now, she no longer had the innocent and carefree appearance from her time in the Immortal Spirit Valley. Her ice-blue eyes were frosted over, and her fingertips constantly formed seals, laying down confusing illusory arrays along the way to throw off pursuers.
"Princess, further ahead is the Candle Dragon Secret Realm!" a deer demon with a broken horn staggered to catch up, his voice trembling. "Do we really want to enter? That's a death ground from which no one returns, according to legend!"
Bai Li suddenly stopped, dead leaves crunching beneath her feet. She looked back at her few remaining followers, all scarred and wounded, and pulled a bitter smile: "If I weren't at the end of my rope, I wouldn't want to make this choice either. But... the Wei Prefecture border must be filled with that bitch's ambushes. Right now... we have no path of retreat."
She raised her hand to wipe the un-dried blood from her cheek. This movement caused her sleeve to slide down, revealing a hideous curse mark on her wrist. "A human friend once told me that humans have a saying... it's called 'surviving certain death and then living.'"
Suddenly, a flock of blood crows took flight from the forest, their flapping wings putting everyone instantly on edge. Bai Li condensed three ice spikes at her fingertips, only slowly dispersing them after confirming they weren't pursuers.
"If you're unwilling to take the risk..." her voice was as light as a snowflake, "it's still not too late to leave now."
"What kind of talk is that, Princess!" A scaled mermaid woman suddenly knelt on one knee. "This subordinate's life was already snatched back from the sacrificial altar by you!"
The other demons knelt down one after another, not even noticing the dead branches piercing their knees. Bai Li closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, a strange silver light flickered in her pupils: "Then... let's continue."
When they passed through the last patch of miasma forest, the distant sky suddenly twisted. The dark red cloud vortex slowly rotated in the twilight, like some primordial being's eye coldly observing these insignificant creatures. Bai Li's silver hair moved without wind, and ice crystals actually condensed at her hair tips—this was instinctive trembling from deep in her bloodline in response to ancient pressure.
The deer demon with the broken horn suddenly clutched his chest and knelt down: "Princess... do you hear..."
In the depths of the silent forest, faint sounds of iron chains dragging across the ground could be heard. Not pursuers, but something even more ancient, coming from the direction of the secret realm.
Bai Li bit her fingertip and pressed a blood mark on each person's forehead: "Stay close to me. The closer we get to the secret realm, the more dangerous it becomes. One wrong step... and we might become sacrifices to the Candle Dragon."
As the few figures merged into the bloody twilight, the last dead leaf happened to fall where Bai Li had just been standing. Among the leaf veins, half a tracking talisman seal scorched by flames faintly appeared, slowly turning to ash.
Unlock 30 chapters instantly (for the price of the old 20-chapter tier) and get 50–55 new chapters every month.
If you're enjoying the story, consider supporting me here:
patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
{
To My Dear Readers,
I hope this message finds you well. I want to take a moment to address you directly about the future of our story.
You have seen me here, day after day, chapter after chapter. I have made it my priority to maintain that steady rhythm—not because it was easy, but because I believe in delivering on my promises. That consistency will continue for as long as I am able.
However, I must be transparent with you: my current financial circumstances have grown precarious. The reality is that without additional support, sustaining this daily schedule—and indeed, continuing the series at all—may become impossible.
I am reaching out to ask for your help. If this story has brought you any measure of enjoyment, if you have come to rely on these daily updates as part of your routine, I would be deeply grateful for your support. Whether through subscriptions, donations, or simply sharing my work with others who might appreciate it, any assistance you offer would make a tangible difference.
In return, I commit to repaying your generosity. Bonus chapters, mass releases, exclusive content—whatever I can offer to show my gratitude, I will provide. Your support will not only keep the lights on; it will translate directly into more pages for you to read.
I value the time you spend here, and I do not take your readership for granted. With your help, we can ensure this journey continues without interruption.
Thank you for considering this request, and thank you for being here.
}