Chapter 256: Gold Yang True Person

Deep within Flame Abyss Valley lies a relatively 'tranquil' area.

Calling it tranquil is only relative to the surrounding magma sea that constantly surges.

This place is a broad plateau made of cooled, hole-filled black basalt; at its center is a small sunken pool, filled not with magma but with a slowly swirling, viscous, glass-like crimson spiritual liquid.

Scattered across the pool floor are a few dove‑egg‑sized crystals, uniformly pale red all over, radiating pure spiritual power.

Pale Red Flare Stone!

Wang Ping's silhouette quietly appeared at the edge of the plateau; his gaze instantly locked onto those tempting crystals at the pool's bottom.

He never expected his luck to be this good—just after entering, he soon discovered the Pale Red Flare Stone.

However, almost at the same moment, his overbearing divine sense detected several strong auras rapidly approaching from other directions.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!

Sounds of tearing through the air rang out in succession as five figures landed on the plateau almost simultaneously, faintly forming an encirclement that encompassed both the central spiritual liquid pool and Wang Ping.

This five‑person combination is rather peculiar. The leader is a middle‑aged cultivator wearing a brocade robe, clean‑shaven and pale‑faced, holding a whisk; his eyes are sharp, and his cultivation has reached late Gold Core.

To his left is a fiery‑built female cultivator clad in daring red leather armor, a long whip burning with azure‑blue flame coiled at her waist; her gaze is soul‑snatching yet carries a viper‑like cold ruthlessness, and she too is at late Gold Core.

On the right stands a short, dwarf‑like old man carrying a crimson gourd larger than his whole body; his cultivation is mid‑Gold Core, his eyes are cloudy but occasionally flash with a cunning glint.

The other two are a burly, bald man with a bare upper torso covered in flame totems, wielding two door‑sized flame axes; his aura is wild, and his cultivation is peak mid‑Gold Core.

Last is a youth who looks the youngest, his complexion pallid; he stands silently at the rear, idly playing with several constantly leaping crimson talismans; though his cultivation is mid‑Gold Core, he gives off an eerie feeling.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect that besides our Flame Spirit Five Fiends, a lone wanderer could make it here." The brocade‑clad middle‑aged cultivator spoke with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Wang Ping with scrutiny and a barely concealed contempt: "Fellow Daoist, you're quite unfamiliar."

The red‑armored female cultivator licked her sexy red lips and coquettishly laughed: "You're pretty handsome, kid, but you don't know the rules. This Flame Spirit Pool and the stones inside have caught our eye; if you're sensible, leave on your own, or I'll have to strike and damage your delicate skin."

The dwarf old man gave a weird hehe laugh, patting his gourd: "Kid, listen to advice—this place isn't for you to meddle in."

The bald strongman roared, his axes clashing and sending sparks flying: "Stop wasting words on him! Grab the stone and get out!"

The pallid youth remained silent, merely causing the leaping talismans in his hand to move a bit faster, faintly locking onto Wang Ping.

Wang Ping calmly swept his gaze over the five, taking in their cultivation levels, positions, and qi.

These five are clearly a well‑coordinated team; their strength is not to be underestimated, especially the brocade‑clad middle‑aged cultivator and the red‑armored female cultivator, both at late Gold Core.

He ignored their provocation, simply speaking softly but clearly enough to rise above the din: "This item benefits my cultivation. Please, everyone, look elsewhere."

"Beneficial to your cultivation?" the brocade‑clad middle‑aged man exclaimed as if hearing a huge joke, "Kid, what you say—who wouldn't benefit from this? Get lost if you're sensible!"

The red‑armored female cultivator's eyes turned cold: "Looks like you won't cry until you see the coffin."

Before his words even finished, the bald strongman could no longer hold back, bellowing: "What's the point of talking to him? Kill!"

He stomped his feet and shot forward like a cannonball; his two flame axes screamed as they tore the air, left and right forming two intersecting crimson axe‑blades like giant shears slashing at Wang Ping's waist—the violent force gouged two deep grooves into the black stone floor.

At the same moment, the pallid youth flicked his fingers; three crimson talismans shot ahead first, forming a triangular pattern toward Wang Ping, instantly transforming in mid‑air into three bucket‑thick fire serpents made entirely of blazing flame, gaping maws lunging from three directions.

Faced with this all‑directional assault that nearly sealed off every escape route, Wang Ping's eyes turned slightly cold; he did not retreat, nor did he draw his Azure Edge Sword.

Only see him forming hand seals; the void above his head rippled, and the ancient, heavy Heaven‑Overturning Seal reappeared, spinning slowly and dropping myriad pale yellow divine light tassels that tightly protected his whole body.

"Boom! —hiss——!"

The flame axe slammed heavily onto the divine light, emitting a dull thunderous roar; the flames on the blade went berserk but could not shake the divine light in the slightest, instead being flung back by the seal's heavy earthen power.

The three fire serpents striking the divine light were like hitting a bronze wall and iron barrier, instantly bursting into a sky‑full of sparks, not even a corner of Wang Ping's robe getting stained.

"What?" the bald strongman was shaken by the recoil, his blood surging, he retreated several steps, his face full of shock; the pallid youth's pupils also contracted.

"What a strong defensive treasure!" the brocade‑clad middle‑aged man's face darkened as he waved his whisk: "All together, break his turtle shell!"

The red‑armored female cultivator gave a sharp coquettish shout; her waist‑bound azure‑blue flame whip shot out like a venomous snake, carrying a strange, yin cold flame that specially burns spiritual power, thrusting obliquely at the divine light hanging from the Heaven‑Overturning Seal to seek a flaw.

The dwarf old man fiercely slapped his gourd; a large stream of sticky, foul‑smelling dark‑red lava spewed from its mouth, clinging to the divine light like bone‑eating maggots, constantly corroding it.

The brocade‑clad middle‑aged cultivator then produced a crimson copper mirror; its surface gathered light and shot out an intensely focused crimson light pillar, continuously bombarding the same spot of the divine light.

Faced with the five's storm‑like combined assault, the pale yellow divine light surged violently, rippling wave after wave, yet remained as steadfast as a mountain; Wang Ping, sheltered within that light, kept his expression unchanged while his eyes grew ever colder.

He no longer merely defended passively.

His body's Five Elements Divine Light cultivation method ran wild, crimson divine light flowing through his meridians with unprecedented brightness; he slowly raised his hands and formed a complex, profound hand seal before his chest.

In an instant, with him as the center, the surrounding violent fire spiritual energy seemed summoned by a king, frenziedly converging on him; the air temperature spiked sharply again, even the pale yellow divine light hanging from the Heaven‑Overturning Seal faintly took on a reddish hue.

"Gold! Yang! Scorch! Heaven!"

Wang Ping spat out four icy words, each seeming to carry the will to incinerate all things.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One, two, three… a full nine golden orbs, each condensed from pure fire‑attribute spiritual power and true solar fire, like nine miniature suns, suddenly appeared around him!

These golden orbs are only fist‑sized, yet they emit a terrifying, soul‑shaking heat and light; the point of extreme brilliance at their core seems capable of burning away sight and warping space.

The moment they appeared, even the crimson spiritual liquid in the pool below seemed to dim.

The Flame Spirit Five Fiends' faces instantly changed; from those nine golden orbs they sensed a deadly threat!

"Not good! A Heavenly Origin Realm divine technique! Retreat!"

But it was already too late.

Wang Ping's gaze was indifferent; he flicked a finger.

Nine golden miniature suns, carrying the domineering will to burn the void and purify all, shot toward the Flame Spirit Five Fiends!

Three headed for the greatest threat, the brocade‑clad middle‑aged cultivator; two for the red‑armored female cultivator; two for the bald strongman; one for the dwarf old man; the last locked onto the pallid youth ceaselessly releasing talismans.

The speed of the golden miniature suns exceeded their reaction limits!

"No!!" the brocade‑clad middle‑aged man frantically drove the crimson copper mirror, its light merging into a sheet to block; the red‑armored female cultivator swung her azure‑blue whip into an impenetrable net; the bald strongman crossed his axes before him; the dwarf old man shrank entirely behind his great gourd; the pallid youth instantly crushed all talismans in his hand, layer upon layer forming a fire shield.

Yet in the face of absolute power, all these defenses appeared feeble and futile.

Boom—rumble——!!!

Earth‑shaking explosions rang out in succession; the entire black plateau trembled violently, as if on the verge of collapse—the core was not the spread of fire but the utter "incineration" and "purification."

Wherever the golden light reached—whether the brocade‑clad middle‑aged cultivator's mirror glow, the red‑armored female cultivator's whip trail, the bald strongman's axe blades, the dwarf old man's gourd lava, or the pallid youth's talisman shield—it melted and vaporized like snow under sunlight.

"Pfft!" "Ah!" "My gourd!"

Miserable cries, vomiting blood sounds, and the shattering of magic treasures mingled together.

The mirror surface of the crimson copper treasure mirror of the middle-aged man in brocade robes instantly cracked, losing all spiritual light; he himself was blown apart, his clothes in tatters, his whole body scorched black, vomiting blood as he flew backward.

The dark blue long whip of the red-armored female cultivator snapped inch by inch, her delicate body suffering extensive burns, a miserable sight. The bald big man's twin axes twisted and deformed, his massive body blown away, smashing into the rock wall, life or death unknown.

The dwarf old man's large gourd was blasted open, the poisonous fire collected inside backfiring on him, causing him to utter a shrill miserable cry.

That pale youth suffered the worst: all his talismans were instantly incinerated, his whole body swallowed by golden light, unable even to utter a miserable cry before turning to flying ash!

The golden light faded, leaving the scene in utter disarray.

Besides the pale youth, whose focus of "care" left no trace of his bones, the other four were all severely injured, lying on the ground groaning; their gazes toward Wang Ping were filled with boundless fear and shock.

Wang Ping put away the Heaven-Overturning Seal, and the scorching aura surrounding him gradually subsided.

He didn't even glance at the four defeated soldiers, walking calmly to the edge of the spiritual liquid pool; with a pull of his mana, he gathered up all the light red flaming stones at the bottom.

Throughout the process, no one dared to speak out, no one dared to obstruct.

The four survivors struggled to their feet, not daring to glance at Wang Ping even once, like stray dogs, they helped each other and fled in haste from this platform that haunted their nightmares.

After this battle, the title 'Golden Yang True Person' began to spread secretly among the elite Golden Core cultivator teams deep in the Blazing Flame Valley, accompanied by that unmatched, terrifying technique like nine suns looming in the sky.

This is recognition of absolute strength, and also a title accompanied by awe. Only cultivators whose strength stands out in the Golden Core stage can earn the title of 'True Person'.

……

Over the next few days, Wang Ping, relying on his overwhelming strength and spiritual sense, successively found several locations where light red flaming stones were stored.

The process was not all smooth; he also encountered contests from other cultivators or powerful fire spirits, but under the protection of his Heaven-Overturning Seal and the domineering assault of Golden Yang Scorching Heaven, he came away unscathed with rich gains.

Continuous high-intensity battles and the absorption and refinement of the pure fire-source power within the flaming stones gave Wang Ping a deeper understanding of his own way of fire, especially the fusion of the technique 'Golden Yang Scorching Heaven' with 'Five Elements Divine Light'.

He found a relatively secluded earth-fire rock cave formed naturally, made it his temporary abode, set up a simple restriction, and began closed-door cultivation to gain insight.

Inside the cave, heat filled the air.

Wang Ping sat cross-legged, a light red flaming stone hovering in his palm, threads of pure, near-primal fire power being drawn out and merged into his body.

This flaming stone is not merely a simple crystal of spiritual power. It was born in the special environment where the earth's fire veins intertwine with the ancient sealed fire great formation, containing a fragment of ancient and pure 'fire rule'; for fire-attribute cultivators, it is a holy product for enlightenment.

Absorbing it not only quickly increases mana, but more importantly allows one to touch and comprehend the essence of fire.

Wang Ping immersed himself in this comprehension.

In his mind, past battle scenes surfaced one by one. When Golden Yang Scorching Heaven condenses, its domineering nature draws in the fire spirits of heaven and earth, transforming all fire sources into its own use.

When True Sun Fire purifies evil, its utmost yang and utmost strength, burning away everything, is pure.

Within the flaming stone, that thread of rule fragment, seemingly eternal, carrying both the conceptions of destruction and rebirth……

The description from the classics, 'Fire: its nature is to blaze upward; its quality is fierce, its feeling reverent…', flowed through his heart.

'Burning heaven and boiling the sea is fire; a single spark can start a prairie fire is fire; fierce and reckless is fire; warm and moist illumination is fire…'

'The True Sun Fire I cultivate is the utmost yang; Golden Yang Scorching Heaven takes the form of True Sun Fire and merges my intent to burn the eight wildernesses… form and intent unite, technique and Dao connect…'

Within his body, the red divine light, as his comprehension deepened, began to undergo subtle yet profound changes. That divine light, originally merely a source of power, began to actively merge and intertwine with the runes of the 'Golden Yang Scorching Heaven' technique floating in his sea of consciousness.

Taking the immortal golden flame of True Sun Fire as the core, using the red divine light as the framework and flesh, he gradually etched and forged the complex runes representing the will of 'Burning Heaven' into it!

This is a slow and meticulous process, requiring extremely strong control and profound Dao understanding.

The fragment of fire rule extracted from the flaming stone acts like the best catalyst and binder, accelerating and solidifying this process.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Ping's aura suddenly shifted.

He suddenly opened his eyes; deep in his pupils, two miniature golden yangs seemed to flash and vanish. He spread his palm, his thoughts stirring slightly.

Hum——

A mass of entirely new flame leapt in his palm. Its core was pure, noble gold (True Sun Fire), while its outer layer was wrapped in blazing, surging crimson divine light.

The flame's form was no longer a simple sphere, but faintly constituted an extremely complex, continually arising and vanishing rune structure—precisely the true form of the 'Golden Yang Scorching Heaven' technique!

The aura emitted by this mass of flame was more condensed and introverted than when simply deploying the Golden Yang Scorching Heaven technique, yet also more dangerous!

It seemed as if all violence and destruction were compressed within that perfect rune structure, held back but igniting instantly upon touch!

Done… Wang Ping curled the corner of his mouth into a faint arc, imprinting the true form of the Dao art into the five‑element divine light of the corresponding attribute.

This was an idea he had long before; now, with the aid of the Blazing Flame Stone and combat insight, he finally achieved an initial realization in the fire aspect. This meant that when he cast the Golden Yang Blazing Heaven technique, its consumption was lower, its speed faster, its power greater, and its fusion with his own origin tighter, almost becoming instinct.

Although it was only a minor accomplishment, his strength had undoubtedly increased substantially.

He rose to his feet, his aura smooth and unimpeded; compared to before his seclusion, he now possessed an added depth that was unfathomable.

Having left the temporary cave dwelling, he was about to press deeper when he keenly sensed that in various directions deep within the valley, numerous powerful auras were moving at high speed, as if drawn toward some target.

He casually stopped a hurriedly passing mid‑stage Golden Core cultivator; the cultivator had been impatient, but upon feeling the faint aura from Wang Ping that made his heart palpitate, he immediately became respectful.

Senior, what are your orders?

What has happened ahead? Why is everyone rushing that way? Wang Ping asked.

The cultivator's face showed an expression mixing excitement and greed:

You haven't heard? Just two hours ago, near the Heart of Molten Fire in the core region, the earth's veins shifted, spewing out several 'deep crimson' Blazing Flame Stones!

The news has spread; all teams and individuals in the valley who consider themselves strong enough are rushing there! I've heard that even several old monsters of the False Infant stage have been stirred!

Deep crimson Blazing Flame Stone!

Wang Ping's eyes flashed with light. A pale red stone is already worth five thousand points; a deep crimson one far exceeds that, and it can be exchanged for merit!

Where is the Heart of Molten Fire? he asked in a low voice.

The cultivator hastily pointed a direction: "Over there, about another seven or eight hundred li deeper. But senior, that place is now a dragon's pool and tiger's den—late‑stage Golden Core cultivators are as numerous as cow hairs, and there are several False Infant experts; the competition is extremely brutal...

Without waiting for him to finish, Wang Ping's form turned into a scarlet streak of light, shooting toward the indicated direction and tearing through the sky.

The true contention has only just begun.