Chapter 1356: Desperate Situation! Li Luo Breaks Through to the Marquis Realm!

After Qin Qin Lian smashed the giant cauldron burning with black flames deep into the ground below, she withdrew her cold, violent gaze. Precisely because the negative emotions within her heart had been magnified to the extreme, she did not cleanly and decisively erase Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge on the spot. Instead, with the mentality of a cat toying with mice, she intended to let these two experience the utmost suffering before taking their lives.

Qin Qin Lian's gaze swept toward the forces of the various factions, and her gloomy voice rang out across the heavens and earth: "It seems you do not wish to voluntarily offer up your flesh and blood."

Qin Beiming, Zhao Xiuyuan, and the others all had iron-green expressions, and finally gritted their teeth and roared: "All of us join forces together!"

Faced with Qin Qin Lian's step-by-step pressure, they had no other path. Only by joining hands to fight for their lives could they have a slim chance of survival.

Thus, led by Qin Beiming, a group of Marquis-level strongmen all summoned their Marquis Platforms. However, because they were currently within the Marquis Domain created by Qin Qin Lian, their Marquis Platforms could not draw upon the energy of heaven and earth, and so their might appeared greatly diminished.

The Marquis Realm has nine ranks, and the nine ranks are further divided into the Upper, Middle, and Lower Three Ranks. Only the Upper Rank Marquis possesses the strongest suppression, and the reason for this lies precisely in the so-called "Marquis Domain."

A Middle Rank Marquis strongman, when facing a large number of Lower Rank Marquises, might sometimes have to choose to temporarily avoid their sharp edge, but for an Upper Rank Marquis strongman, numbers hold rather little meaning.

This is also why, when Qin Qin Lian appeared here, many people felt that this mad woman had sat down at the wrong table.

But in this current desperate situation, the forces present had no other choice. If they did not resist, they would become the flesh and blood sustenance feeding that blood-red flower bud.

Rather than sit and wait for death, it was better to fight desperately for a difficult path to survival.

Thus, one after another, Marquis Platforms with somewhat dimmed radiance rose up, sending rolling Marquis divine smoke billowing forth, transforming into myriad attacks that blotted out the sky as they whistled toward where Qin Qin Lian stood.

That scene was magnificent, and at the same time, carried a certain tragic grandeur.

Yet facing the counterattack of the crowd, no ripple appeared on Qin Qin Lian's cheeks. With a flick of her sleeve, a clear and resonant phoenix cry rang out.

A streak of black fire light burst from her sleeve, swelling violently in the wind, and in an instant transformed into a giant bird of ten thousand zhang in size.

It was a Luan bird burning with black flame fire. Its wings were like drooping clouds, and as they beat, they swept up a skyful of fire sea. An extremely terrifying energy fluctuation filled the entire heavens and earth.

Qin Beiming gazed at the black Luan bird that filled his entire field of vision, and a bitter expression also surfaced on his face.

Lower Nine-Rank, Scarlet Fire Luan Aspect!

This was precisely the manifestation of Qin Qin Lian's aspect. However, because it had been polluted by the energy of evil thoughts, the originally domineering and scorching Luan fire had now transformed into a cold and eerie black flame.

The black flame Luan bird opened its massive beak and immediately spewed forth a sea of black flame. Wherever the black flame swept, the Marquis Platforms of some of the lower-ranked Marquis strongmen were directly ignited in an instant, and finally shattered, transforming into a skyful of black meteors that fell downward.

No one knew how many people were gravely wounded in that single instant.

And in the void, taking advantage of the moment, countless black flame chains drilled forth, directly piercing through those gravely wounded Marquis strongmen. Then, amid their shrill and desperate screams, they were dragged into the gaping fanged maw of the blood-red flower bud. As the great mouth chewed, blood immediately began to flow out in torrents.

This was a cruel slaughter.

Bloody and desperate.

Boom!

And while the outside world was plunged into Qin Qin Lian's slaughter, within the black cauldron that had sunk into the earth, Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge had not given up resisting. They exerted themselves to unleash attacks, striking at the cauldron walls, attempting to break them apart.

But their attacks, when they landed on the cauldron walls, were entirely evaporated by the surging black flame.

At the same time, countless twisted faces drilled out from the cauldron walls, and eerie whispers continuously surged into their hearts, causing agitation while giving birth to countless negative emotions.

Fortunately, however, both Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge possessed the ability to resist the erosion of evil thoughts, so for a short time there was no harm.

But this was only temporary.

Because both Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge discovered that as the black flame within the cauldron burned fiercely, the phase force within their bodies was also rapidly vanishing.

Once the two of them exhausted their phase force and lost their own strength, even if one of them hid a mysterious golden wheel within his body and the other possessed three Nine-Rank Light Aspects, they would likely find it difficult to resist the pollution of those negative emotions.

"That venomous woman!"

Li Luo's expression was extremely dark, and he cursed through gritted teeth.

Even in death, this Qin Qin Lian would not grant them a quick end, still wanting to attempt to torment them.

Jiang Jiang Qinge's jade countenance was taut. She gazed at their surroundings, and even at this life-and-death juncture, her heart remained calm as she said: "With our current strength, I'm afraid we cannot break this black cauldron."

"So..."

Her golden eyes turned toward Li Luo as she said: "Li Luo, perhaps it is time for you to break through."

Li Luo was immediately startled upon hearing this and said: "Break through to the Marquis Realm here?"

This place was certainly not somewhere suitable for a breakthrough. Those eerie whispers, like demonic sounds, ceaselessly entered the ears and constantly disturbed the state of mind. To break through at this time, with the slightest misstep, one might suffer backlash.

But Li Luo also understood that this was likely their only way to break the deadlock.

Only if he broke through to the Marquis Realm, and moreover successfully forged a Ten-Pillar Golden Platform, would they have that slim chance of survival in the face of this desperate situation.

Otherwise, he and Jiang Jiang Qinge would undoubtedly die.

Li Luo pondered slightly, and his expression immediately became solemn: "We can only gamble on this."

And just at this moment, the little black snake coiled around Li Luo's wrist suddenly moved, and Li Li Lingjing's voice rang out: "The negative emotions here can be handed to me. I'll try to see if I can intercept them for you."

Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge were both startled upon hearing this. The negative emotions here were extremely intense; even Marquis-level strongmen who came into contact with them would have their hearts polluted and subsequently lose their rationality. Yet Li Li Lingjing actually intended to actively intercept them?

"I am neither human nor ghost to begin with, and my heart is full of negative emotions. If it were not for Li Luo's existence, the current me might perhaps be even more frenzied and vicious than that Qin Qin Lian. Moreover, the predicament my true body faces is no better than yours now, so absorbing some more negative emotions should not make things worse." Li Li Lingjing, knowing their thoughts, said in a calm voice.

Li Luo's gaze was complex. The path Cousin Li Lingjing walked was truly beyond the imagination of ordinary people. In the future, if he had the strength, he must find a way to help her escape from this sea of suffering.

And after Jiang Jiang Qinge was silent for several breaths, she said softly: "Thank you."

"Seize the time."

Li Li Lingjing, however, did not dawdle. The little black snake she had transformed into slowly rose at this moment, and then rapidly swelled, transforming into a great snake.

The great black snake coiled around Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge, like a great bell, enclosing them within it.

Then she flicked her black snake tongue and took a deep breath, immediately drawing in all the negative emotions that came rolling toward them.

And Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge, who were within the area she coiled around, could clearly sense that Li Li Lingjing had used her snake body to form a barrier, absorbing all those pervasive eerie whispers.

Their hearts immediately became clear and lucid.

Li Luo did not dare waste this precious time that Li Li Lingjing had striven to win. He immediately sat down cross-legged, and at the same time, an ancient small tree appeared in his hand. The small tree was covered all over with mysterious patterns, and on its branches hung a fruit radiating a seven-colored luster.

Vast and dense spiritual energy radiated outward.

It was precisely the Holy Spirit Treasure Tree, which had evolved into a top-grade supreme Foundation Establishment spiritual treasure.

"Four years of effort—success or failure depends on this one attempt."

The flowing treasure light of the Holy Spirit Treasure Tree was reflected in Li Luo's pupils. Then, without further hesitation, a ball of white qi spurted from his mouth, directly wrapping around the Holy Spirit Treasure Tree. As the white qi circulated, it violently crushed the Holy Spirit Treasure Tree into countless specks of light.

In the next instant, Li Luo inhaled, drawing that vast flowing light into his abdomen.

His eyes tightly shut, he calmed his mind and began the great breakthrough he had been looking forward to for nearly four years!

As Li Luo began entering the critical breakthrough stage, Jiang Jiang Qinge paused briefly, then extended a jade-like hand, and the brownish-yellow spirit pearl appeared in her palm.

It was the second top-grade Foundation Establishment spirit treasure obtained from the blood-red flower bud.

Judging from the spiritual energy it radiated, it was clearly inferior to Li Luo's complete "Sacred Spirit Treasure Tree," but there was no other choice at the moment.

That's right, Jiang Jiang Qinge also intended to attempt a breakthrough.

Because relying solely on Li Luo, even if he truly broke through to First-Rank Marquis and forged a Ten-Pillar Golden Platform, he still couldn't contend with Qin Qin Lian, so she had to provide assistance.

With this thought, she unhesitatingly placed the brownish-yellow spirit pearl into her mouth.

As both of them began racing against time to break through, the area fell completely silent.

Around the two of them, the black snake that Li Li Lingjing had transformed into coiled its serpentine body tightly, providing them with the last sliver of shelter in their desperate situation.

Rolling waves of malevolent aura, carrying tidal negative emotions, were continuously absorbed by Li Li Lingjing.

Malevolent erosion of this magnitude would have utterly corrupted any normal person long ago, but within Li Li Lingjing's snake pupils, there was only a deep stillness like a dark pool, not the slightest ripple.

However, as time passed, Li Li Lingjing noticed that the scales on her serpentine body began to show signs of cracking. This was because the black flames within the black cauldron were burning, and this burning brought indescribable pain, causing Li Li Lingjing to slightly tighten her body.

But the shattering of the scales also meant that her shelter would develop some gaps.

Negative emotions would take the opportunity to seep in and disturb Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge.

"As expected, I still can't block all the negative emotions." The black snake flicked its tongue, emitting a faint voice.

She had to think of a way to stop it as soon as possible.

Otherwise, Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge's breakthroughs might suffer backlash.

Li Li Lingjing thought for several breaths, then her mind suddenly stirred. She couldn't completely block the intrusion of negative emotions, but she could filter them—only letting through some of the weaker negative emotions.

Then what kind of negative emotions should she let through?

Li Li Lingjing sensed the tidal negative emotions, sifting out the killing intent, chaos, despair, fear, and the like...

Finally, her gaze shifted.

This would work.

Moreover, these two are an engaged couple, so it probably doesn't matter.

Because that kind of negative emotion was...

Lust.