Chapter 431

Yuan Yao exchanged a glance with everyone, and taking advantage of the fact that Wei Yueze could not move at the moment, she decisively drew her sword, thrusting it into Wei Yueze's body.

Several long swords pierced Wei Yueze's body simultaneously.

And Wei Yueze let out a painful groan.

Having lost his primal power, Wei Yueze's body rapidly aged.

Wei Yueze roared unwillingly, erupting with formidable spatial power that shoved everyone away; his wrinkled hand reached for the back of his own neck, intending to pull down the heavenly fire—but in the next instant—

His whole body was engulfed in flames.

"Ahhh!"

The heavenly fire kept burning on his body.

Qian Yunzhou watched him turn into a fire-man, narrowed his eyes, and then actually began to play a cheerful tune.

Everyone couldn't help but glance at him.

Just as Wei Yueze was about to breathe his last, Qian Yunzhou asked a question.

"Where is the spatial technique?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Yueze suddenly burst into a mad, feral laugh, his expression vicious and insane.

"You will never know!"

As soon as he spoke, everyone realized he was about to self-detonate!

"Get out of the way!"

Qian Yunzhou grabbed Yuan Yao's wrist in one hand, and Xie Zixu also seized her other wrist.

The two locked eyes across the space, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.

"What are you standing there for?!" Yuan Yao snapped, twisting her grip to grab them and sprint wildly.

They were jerked, and a "crack" sounded from their arm joints, followed by pain.

Qian Yunzhou sucked in a breath of cold air.

Xie Zixu's expression shifted subtly; he quickly adjusted his stride to walk side by side with Yuan Yao.

A deafening explosion sounded behind them; the powerful blast hurled them a distance before they slammed hard to the ground.

At the same moment, a wisp of black smoke drifted up, about to sink into the ground, but the heavenly fire gulped it down in one bite.

"Heavenly fire, spare me!" the black smoke shrieked in panic inside the heavenly fire's mouth, "I was wrong! I truly was wrong! Leave me a thread of soul, and I will spend the rest of my life accompanying you. Heavenly fire, have you forgotten? We were once good friends, weren't we?!"

The heavenly fire hearing these words suddenly recalled the distant past.

Over nine hundred years ago, when Wei Yueze was only thirteen, he entered the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm for training.

At that time, Wei Yueze was framed by his companions, fell into a valley, and broke his right leg.

Wei Yueze was a beast tamer, so he could make spirit beasts feel affection toward him.

At that time, seeing his pitiable state, it rescued him.

The thirteen-year-old boy was kind-hearted, his smile sincere, and he chatted with it about what he had seen and heard outside.

It spent nearly half a month with him.

Later, when the secret realm's opening time arrived, it parted ways with him.

Who would have thought that twenty years later he would intrude into the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm in the form of a wraith?

He lied to himself, saying, "Heavenly fire, I was brutally killed by others, and now I fear my days are numbered, so I wanted to come see you one last time."

It believed his words, and not wanting to watch him die utterly, it gave him a wisp of primal power so he could survive in the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm.

But later, he from time to time coaxed it with various lies to give him more primal power.

At that time it also did not notice anything amiss.

Until it saw Wei Yueze begin mass slaughtering the spirit beasts of the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm and refining them into undead beasts.

Only then did it realize something was wrong.

But it was already too late.

Wei Yueze employed his spatial power to trap himself, then began slaughtering the young cultivators who entered the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm for training, refining them into undead and then devouring the undead.

In this way he bolstered his strength.

Thereafter, it and Wei Yueze remained in mutual check.

Sometimes it could suppress Wei Yueze, preventing him from doing evil; sometimes he turned the tables, suppressing himself, binding himself, and then wantonly wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm.

Over eight hundred years ago, Wei Yueze set his sights on that ancient sword tomb, so it had no choice but to seal the ancient sword tomb.

The original location of that ancient sword tomb lay within the Ruined City, which Wei Yueze later seized and occupied.

During the centuries-long balance, its and Wei Yueze's primal powers gradually reached equilibrium, each occupying part of the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm and continually strengthening itself.

That high city wall is the boundary line!

Actually, that Ruined City was originally not a ruin but a complete city; it only appears somewhat dilapidated because it has long been uninhabited.

And this city existed before it gained sentience.

The ancient sword tomb lies within this city.

It knows that Wei Yueze has always wanted to leave the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm, but he is greedy; he wishes to seize all of its primal power, then refine it into a fleshly body to reappear in the cultivation world as a human.

This struggle has consumed over nine hundred years of time.

Now, Wei Yueze's last wisp of soul resides in its mouth.

It is also time to end all of this.

Blazing flames surged from its mouth, completely incinerating Wei Yueze's remaining wisp of soul.

Wei Yueze let out a reluctant, anguished scream.

Yuan Yao and the others could all hear Wei Yueze's struggling howl.

Qian Yunzhou put away his jade flute and pressed his lips together.

「It's over. 」

Yuan Yao tilted her head to look at Xie Zixu, and happened to meet his gaze.

…

Two days later.

In the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm, a scene of desolation and ruin intertwined, but deep within this wasteland, a powerful and mysterious force was silently surging.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, and a huge sword tomb slowly rose from underground.

Everyone gathered on the city wall, looking down at the sword tomb that was rising.

Inside the sword tomb, countless long swords were densely packed, haphazardly inserted between chunks of hard stone, each blade glinting with a cold light, as if recounting the glorious battles they had once endured.

At the center of the sword tomb stood a circular platform, surrounded by several thick iron chains that tightly bound it.

At the center of the platform, a cluster of blazing red flames was enshrined; sparks would occasionally burst from the dancing fire, illuminating the entire sword tomb space.

A thin mist lingered around the sword tomb, lending the whole scene an ethereal, hazy beauty.

Dongfangxiu spoke: 「This is the legendary sword tomb……」

A young cultivator sighed: "I don't know if we qualify to be chosen by the sword tomb?"

"Just go try and you'll know."

Many young cultivators couldn't wait and leapt down, heading toward the sword tomb.

Feng Xuangi tilted her head to look at them: "I already have my natal sword; this time I only need to temper my natal sword."

"I need to find a new natal sword." Xiao Zhufeng spoke; he came to the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm this time to select a personal sword from the ancient sword tomb, because his previous natal sword had broken.

Xie Zixu said calmly: "Let's go."

"I'll wait for you here." Cang Li yawned, and said to Yuan Yao.

Yuan Yao nodded, then she and Xie Zixu and the others headed toward the sword tomb.