Chapter 30: The Crimson Lotus Fortress
The Core Formation World's starry landscape shimmered with golden rivers and floating peaks, but danger pulsed beneath its beauty. Li Wei, now at mid-Foundation Establishment, led his team—Lin Xue, Su Chen, Yang Kai, Mei Lan, and Yun Fei—toward a Crimson Lotus Sect outpost, a fortress of red jade nestled in a valley of molten qi. The scrolls they'd recovered revealed a plot to destabilize the Core Formation World's qi, threatening to merge it with lower realms. The Nine Worlds Ascension Art scroll in Li Wei's sleeve burned, its characters unveiling a new technique: Celestial Starweave, a formation that wove starry qi into a defensive-offensive net.
Yun Fei, the Crimson Lotus defector, guided them, her Crimson Lotus Flame flickering with resolve. "Core Elder Zhao leads this outpost," she warned. "His Blood Lotus Inferno is mid-Core Formation, unmatched in destruction." Lin Xue, at peak Qi Condensation, tightened her Starveil Array, while Su Chen's Frost Phoenix Insight sharpened the team's qi control. Yang Kai and Mei Lan scouted, their auras blending with the valley's qi.
At the fortress, shadow formations pulsed with dark qi, tied to the Shadow Abyss Clan. Li Wei's World Resonance Seal disabled the outer wards, but Xu Rong's Crimson Flame Whip lashed from a tower. "You're persistent, peasant," she sneered, her late Foundation Establishment qi amplified by a talisman. Behind her stood Core Elder Zhao, a gaunt man with eyes like burning coals, his mid-Core Formation aura suffocating.
The battle erupted. Xu Rong's whip clashed with Li Wei's Starborn Resonance, its starry qi scattering her flames. Su Chen's Frost Phoenix Tempest froze the fortress's guards, while Mei Lan's Jade Lotus Palm shielded the team. Yun Fei's Crimson Lotus Flame purified the shadow formations, but Zhao's Blood Lotus Inferno roared, a sea of red flames melting stone. Yang Kai's Starlit Blade countered, but the elder's power overwhelmed him.
Li Wei activated Celestial Starweave, weaving a net of starry qi that trapped Zhao's flames. Lin Xue's Starveil Array cloaked their movements, allowing Huo Shen's Blaze Fist to strike Xu Rong. She retreated, wounded, but Zhao's inferno intensified, targeting Li Wei. The scroll's voice echoed: Unite the stars. Li Wei channeled Ninefold Pulse, nine waves of qi syncing with the valley's starry energy, staggering Zhao.
The elder sneered, summoning a Blood Lotus Avatar, a flaming giant that shook the valley. Li Wei's Heartflame Strike burned with tribulation-forged resolve, cracking the avatar's arm. Yun Fei's flame purified its core, and Su Chen's frost sealed the breach. The avatar collapsed, and Zhao fled, vowing vengeance. The team secured the outpost, finding scrolls detailing a Shadow Abyss ritual to merge the worlds.
The scroll in Li Wei's sleeve pulsed, hinting at a Core Formation breakthrough. The fortress's qi nexus offered a chance to cultivate, but danger loomed—Zhao's retreat was a ruse.