Chapter 129: Ultimate Fire, Meeting Nan Shuishui Again
Infernal Delicate Apricot was terrified, but she still held out, unwilling to sacrifice herself.
But Lin Xuan was very patient. The blade fell, leaving a tiny wound on her fiery red body. The wound was only a few centimeters long and a few millimeters deep; one wouldn't even notice it without looking closely.
Yet, Infernal Delicate Apricot trembled violently. That pain was not physical, but the pain of her soul being torn apart—an unbearable pain that seeped deep into her marrow.
"Ah—!"
Infernal Delicate Apricot let out a short, miserable scream. She finally understood why Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass had such a massive reaction after taking just one strike.
Feeling the excruciating pain of her soul being torn, Infernal Delicate Apricot caved after only one strike. She wanted to beg for mercy, but in the next moment, Lin Xuan expressionlessly delivered another strike.
One strike after another.
He was like a chef slicing fish fillets, leaving dense, tiny wounds all over Infernal Delicate Apricot's body. Those wounds crisscrossed in a fine mesh, covering every inch of her form.
After ten strikes, Infernal Delicate Apricot, who had intended to beg for mercy, could no longer hold back. She burst into a torrent of curses, using every venomous word she could think of.
"You lunatic! Demon! Beast! I curse you to die a horrible death!"
Lin Xuan turned a deaf ear and delivered ten more strikes.
Infernal Delicate Apricot's curses gradually weakened until they vanished completely. She was terrified—utterly terrified.
"I was wrong... I was really wrong..." Her voice was weak and trembling, no longer possessing its previous fury.
"I'll sacrifice... I'll sacrifice, alright? Please, stop cutting me..."
Lin Xuan looked at her with indifferent eyes. He didn't speak, nor did he stop. The blade fell once more.
Wanting to beg for mercy now? Too late!
Moreover, with Infernal Delicate Apricot's fickle nature, he wouldn't feel at ease even if she agreed to sacrifice herself now.
Only by making her completely break down, fall into total despair, and abandon all thoughts of resistance could he accept this sacrifice with peace of mind.
Strike after strike fell again. Infernal Delicate Apricot's wails echoed over the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The sound was so shrill it made one's hair stand on end and heart tremble with fear.
Fragrant Silk Immortal Product and Qiluo Tulip were completely scared witless.
They huddled in the corner, not daring to make a sound for fear of attracting the demon's attention. Their petals were tightly closed, as if they wanted to bury themselves entirely in the soil.
As for Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, who had experienced a strike from the Soul Releasing Blade and knew the pain of a wounded soul, he was terrified to the extreme.
He watched Infernal Delicate Apricot's tragic state, the excruciating pain of his own single strike constantly echoing in his mind.
He never wanted to experience that kind of pain a second time in his life, yet this human before him had actually delivered hundreds of strikes...
In his eyes, the current Lin Xuan—holding the Soul Releasing Blade with an expression of ultimate indifference—could no longer be described simply as a demon.
He was an Ultimate Evil Ghost! The most terrifying existence in this World!
Half a day later, Infernal Delicate Apricot was completely silent. She lay quietly in Mahoraga's palm, motionless, like a stone that had lost its life.
She was numb. The omnipresent sharp pain and the agony that would never heal had erased every thought of resistance from her mind.
Infernal Delicate Apricot could not even feel the pain anymore. No! It wasn't that it didn't hurt, but that the pain was so extreme her soul had gone numb.
Now, she had only one thought: I want to sacrifice, I want to die, I want to end all of this.
Death had become her only release.
Lin Xuan calmly retracted the Soul Releasing Blade and looked at her quietly. In those pitch-black eyes, there was no emotional ripple.
A moment later, flames suddenly ignited on Infernal Delicate Apricot's body. These were no ordinary flames, but the fire of life condensed from her hundred thousand years of cultivation. The flames erupted from within her, enveloping her entire body.
She had begun her sacrifice.
Infernal Delicate Apricot's body began to turn transparent, as if she were transforming from a physical entity into pure energy, and her aura continued to weaken.
A hundred thousand years of cultivation were being stripped from her body bit by bit, turning into the purest Soul Power and surging toward Lin Xuan.
Infernal Delicate Apricot spoke again. Her words held none of her former pride or her later malice; there was only a deep sense of exhaustion and relief.
"You... won..."
As her voice fell, her body completely transformed into a sky full of firelight, blooming like magnificent fireworks over the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Within that firelight, a deep red glow shot into the sky, condensing in mid-air into a scarlet 100,000-Year Soul Ring.
Lin Xuan looked up at the Soul Ring, his gaze as calm as water. Immediately after, the 100,000-Year Soul Ring suddenly expanded and settled over him from above.
In an instant, majestic Soul Power surged into his body like a bursting dam!
Black cursed markings appeared on Lin Xuan's face, spreading and moving like living things. A second pair of blood-red eyes snapped open, and his four scarlet eyes looked exceptionally eerie amidst the firelight.
He extended both hands, palms facing each other.
In the next moment, orange-red flames emerged between his palms.
The fire was just a weak wisp at first, like a candle in the wind, but in just a single breath, it grew more intense, rapidly spreading across Lin Xuan's entire body as if draping him in a battle robe of raging fire.
The temperature of those flames was terrifying, scorching the surrounding air until it distorted. Vaguely, it was already on the verge of reaching the 'Ultimate' level.
But this was not enough. Infernal Delicate Apricot's sacrifice was not yet complete; her Soul Power was still continuously pouring into Lin Xuan's body.
The temperature of the flames continued to rise, becoming more terrifying and more intense.
Space itself distorted slightly from the heat, making a sizzling sound. Wherever the flames passed, even light seemed to be scorched, becoming blurred and indistinct.
On the red side of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the Blazing Yang Spring surged with significant waves because of this suddenly appearing terrifying fire.
The spring water churned and steam billowed, as if responding to this newly born Monarch of Fire.
Finally, as Infernal Delicate Apricot's sacrifice reached full completion, the 100,000-Year Soul Ring beneath Lin Xuan's feet contracted slightly.
Black, black, red, red... four Soul Rings beyond common imagination rose one by one!
Simultaneously, the temperature of the flames in his palms finally shattered a certain barrier and surged once more! That terrifying temperature was even higher than Infernal Delicate Apricot's!
"It's... it's Ultimate Fire!"
Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass cried out in a trembling voice, his entire body shivering.
Ultimate Fire! That was an existence on the same level as his Ultimate Ice!
Standing within the flames, Lin Xuan was like a King of Fire, an Emperor of Flames.
The orange-red flames surged, leaped, and submitted around him, as if a single thought from him could incinerate everything in this World.
Lin Xuan looked at the raging fires around him, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
Besides World Cleave, the 'Open' and 'Kamado' of the fire were originally the most powerful offensive abilities of the Malevolent Shrine Martial Soul.
Now that they had evolved to the Ultimate level, he didn't dare imagine how great the power would be if he expanded his Domain, established a Binding Vow like Sukuna, and detonated all the dust within the Domain.
He took a deep breath, retracted his Soul Rings, and dispersed the flames. The cursed markings on his face slowly faded, and his second pair of blood-red eyes closed again, returning to his original appearance.
Then Lin Xuan looked up into the air, where a crimson Soul Bone was floating.
The Soul Bone was crystal clear, as if carved from the finest ruby, and its entire form was shrouded in a faint layer of fire. Even while just floating quietly, one could feel the terrifying energy contained within.
The Infernal Delicate Apricot 100,000-year-old Soul Bone.
Beside it, there was also a gelatinous substance. It was also crimson with a soft texture, its surface flowing with a warm luster. It didn't emit the scorching heat of fire, but rather an aura as warm as jade.
The plant essence of Infernal Delicate Apricot, Blazing Glue.
Lin Xuan raised his hand and stored these two treasures into his storage soul tool. Then he turned his head to look at Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass with a calm gaze.
But in the eyes of Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, that look was more frightening than any sinister or evil gaze.
He trembled all over and immediately shouted, "I'll sacrifice! I'll sacrifice too! I won't even leave my roots! I only beg you... I only beg you not to cut me again!"
Lin Xuan shook his head. When Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass saw this gesture, he was instantly scared out of his wits, thinking Lin Xuan was going to treat him just like he treated Infernal Delicate Apricot.
"No—!"
He let out a miserable cry, his entire body going limp. However, Lin Xuan's next words left him stunned.
"Go stay over there," Lin Xuan said indifferently. "Don't speak without my command."
Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass froze for a second, then felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty. He nodded repeatedly and shrank into a corner, not daring to make another sound.
Lin Xuan didn't look at him again. At this moment, he already possessed the Ice Empress's Soul Ring and Soul Bone, as well as the Snow Empress who was still in the Sealing God Platform.
Whether he had Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass or not held no meaning for him. He would save it for Ling Luochen to absorb later.
Next, it was time for a grand sweep.
Lin Xuan started traversing the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well; wherever he passed, Immortal Herbs were uprooted and tucked into his storage soul tool.
Chrysanthemum of Heavenly Brilliance, Snow-Colored Swan Kiss, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid, Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, Wangchuan Autumn Water Dew, Hunyuan Immortal Herb, Earth Dragon Golden Melon...
One by one, all the Immortal Herbs were taken away.
Fragrant Silk Immortal Product and the others trembled, not daring to even breathe, watching helplessly as these Immortal Herbs were stuffed into Lin Xuan's storage soul tool.
Finally, Lin Xuan came before a large, pitch-black rock. The rock was ordinary and unremarkable, as if it were just a stone picked up from the roadside.
But on the top of the rock grew a weak white flower. The flower was shaped like a peony, but thinner; it had no fragrance and no leaves, only a faint, blood-red stain between its petals, like a tear shed in blood.
The King of Immortal Herbs, Yearning Heartbroken Red.
Lin Xuan stood before the rock, staring at it for a long time.
To take this Immortal Herb, one needed to water it with the heart's blood of a person of deep affection to remove it from the rock. Otherwise, even a Titled Douluo could not shake it in the slightest.
Lin Xuan clicked his tongue lightly; he didn't even have the desire to spit blood to try. However, he didn't feel regret in his heart; he was just wondering who he should bring to take this Yearning Heartbroken Red.
A moment later, Lin Xuan shook his head and turned away. Behind him, the little white flower swayed gently in the wind, still blooming quietly.
Next, he came before Qiluo Tulip.
It was a crystal-clear Immortal Herb, its petals showing a magnificent purple-gold, shimmering in the halo of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
She was not as tough as Infernal Delicate Apricot, nor was she scared out of her wits like the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. She just stood there quietly, as if she had expected this moment long ago.
"I knew it..."
Lin Xuan didn't speak, just watched her quietly.
Qiluo Tulip sighed softly, her petals drooping slightly, and pleaded, "I can offer a sacrifice, but before that... please let me leave behind my seeds, and then you may do as you wish with me."
Lin Xuan looked at her and nodded after a moment.
"Accepted."
Qiluo Tulip felt as if she had been pardoned, thanking him repeatedly.
Immediately after, her main body began to tremble slightly, and a purple light slowly rose from the depths of the flower's heart.
The light grew brighter and brighter, finally condensing into a seed the size of a thumb, which fell gently onto the soil in front of her.
It was a purple-gold seed, crystal clear, as if carved from the finest gemstone, with a flowing light moving inside.
After leaving the seed, Qiluo Tulip's aura was significantly weakened, but she had no complaints, just waiting calmly.
Lin Xuan stepped forward, hand raised and blade falling; Qiluo Tulip's main body was severed at the root.
He raised his hand to seal her Soul Power, took out a prepared jade box, and placed her gently inside.
The jade box closed; another 100,000-Year Immortal Herb was in his pocket.
Subsequently, Lin Xuan's gaze fell on Fragrant Silk Immortal Product.
The large, pale pink flower had curled into a ball, petals tightly closed, wishing she could bury the whole flower in the ground.
Feeling that gaze fall upon her, Fragrant Silk Immortal Product trembled all over and immediately began to beg for mercy.
"Wuwu... Don't kill me!" Her voice carried a crying tone, her petals shaking like a sieve, "My attributes don't suit you! I am for detoxification! I'm useless to you!"
Lin Xuan remained unmoved, still watching her quietly.
Fragrant Silk Immortal Product completely broke down, crying messily, with fine beads of water actually seeping out on her petals.
"Please don't kill me! Wuwuwu... I'll give you that Soul Bone! Can you not kill me?!"
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, becoming interested, "What Soul Bone?"
Fragrant Silk Immortal Product nodded repeatedly, too busy to cry, and quickly pointed to the ground in front of her with her petals. The next moment, a strange grey-black light burst out from the soil.
It was a head Soul Bone, much larger than an ordinary head Soul Bone, and overall it appeared as an eerie grey-black.
Grey-black air currents lingered on the surface of the Soul Bone, like twisted, wriggling snake-like hair, stretching out threateningly.
At the eye sockets of the Soul Bone, a blood-red light swirled, like two blood-colored abysses.
When Lin Xuan's gaze fell on these two blood-colored abysses, his Soul Power felt a momentary lag.
Lin Xuan recognized this Soul Bone at a glance: the Medusa Head Soul Bone, originating from the Queen of Snakes, Medusa, and once belonging to Dugu Bo.
Fragrant Silk Immortal Product quickly introduced, "This is the head Soul Bone left behind by Dugu Bo, originating from a Medusa with 70,000 years of cultivation, very powerful!"
She paused, then added, "And I have already helped you separate the residual Green Scale Snake Emperor poison from inside the Soul Bone! You can absorb it with confidence!"
"Now I give it to you, can you not kill me? Wuwu..."
Lin Xuan took the Soul Bone and examined it carefully in his hand. The grey-black light flowed in his palm, and the blood-colored abyss-like eye sockets seemed to be staring at him.
He thought for a moment and nodded.
Fragrant Silk Immortal Product was just happy, not yet having time to thank him, when she heard Lin Xuan speak coldly,
"I can not kill you."
Fragrant Silk Immortal Product nodded repeatedly, her petals almost flying off.
"However," Lin Xuan changed the subject, his voice as cold as frost, "You and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass had better watch this place well. If I come next time and find even one Immortal Herb missing..."
He paused, the corners of his mouth rising slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
"You had better pray that you are tougher than Infernal Delicate Apricot."
Fragrant Silk Immortal Product and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass nodded frantically, at an astonishing speed.
"Yes, yes, yes! Definitely, definitely!"
"Don't worry! We will definitely watch this place! Not a single one will be missing!"
The two said in unison, swearing solemnly, wishing they could take a poisonous oath on the spot.
Lin Xuan looked at them and said no more. The Immortal Herbs were taken, and the Ultimate Fire was obtained; this trip could be said to be a full harvest.
Before leaving, he suddenly stopped and looked at the ice-white and fire-red lake water, but after looking for a while, he shook his head again.
It was still too early. Lin Xuan didn't know what the situation was with the Water and Fire Dragon Kings now; it was better to wait until his realm improved a bit more.
The morning light of the rising sun poured down, dyeing the entire sky a brilliant golden-red.
The seven-colored poisonous miasma above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was dyed with the same color when touched by the morning light, like ethereal clouds, condensed and not dispersing, beautiful as a dream.
Suddenly, a pillar of light pierced through this brilliant cloud and mist.
Lin Xuan flew out from within, his whole body radiating holy brilliance, and on the pair of purple-black wings behind him, golden lightning snakes wound and moved, shimmering in the morning light.
He stepped on the clouds and mist, facing the blazing sun, sweeping through the sky full of rosy clouds. At that moment, if anyone looked up at the sky, they would surely think they had seen an angel descending to the World.
After confirming the direction slightly, Lin Xuan retracted his wings and fell straight from the sky, landing steadily in the dense forest outside the poisonous miasma.
All around were towering ancient trees, their canopies blocking most of the sunlight, with only sparse rays passing through the gaps in the leaves. The air was fresh, mixed with the scent of soil and vegetation.
Lin Xuan stepped forward, walking towards the outside of the forest, but hadn't even walked a few hundred meters.
"Boom—!"
A deafening loud noise suddenly came from the forest on his right!
Immediately after, a pink flame shot up into the sky from the forest, like a blooming firework, blasting all the surrounding trees into powder!
Wherever the flame passed, the trees turned into ashes instantly, and even the ground was burned into a scorched black clearing.
Lin Xuan frowned slightly, stopped, and turned to look. At the end of the forest, two familiar figures were running towards him at high speed.
Both were stunning women.
One was mature and charming, with a graceful figure, and even though her clothes were slightly disheveled at the moment, it could not hide that unique, seductive charm.
It was the Earth Dragon Sect Master, Nan Shuishui, whom he had met yesterday.
The other was a pink-haired girl, her daughter, Nan Qiuqiu.
At this moment, both of them had varying degrees of injuries, their clothes damaged, and their auras chaotic.
Nan Shuishui was holding her daughter's hand tightly, running while looking back, as if something terrifying was chasing them from behind.
The moment she saw Lin Xuan, a light of hope erupted in Nan Shuishui's beautiful eyes, as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw, and she shouted loudly,
"Sir! Please help us!"
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