Chapter 676: Capture the Heavenly Flame

Over seven and a half years, Zhou Qingmei successfully opened nine arrays.

All were seventh-rank.

They included not only defensive arrays but also confinement arrays.

At this point, she had fully opened all the arrays of the grand tomb.

During this time, He Pingsheng had not been idle.

He had also fully subjugated the remaining twelve seals on the Eight Treasures Purple Cloud Needle, and the technique 【Void Rapid Movement】 had reached perfect mastery.

Though he had not broken through the Dao barrier due to a bottleneck, his comprehension of spatial Dao laws had made him far more adept at controlling spatial rules.

"You've worked hard," He Pingsheng encouraged Zhou Qingmei. "Have you entered?"

"No," Zhou Qingmei said. "I did not enter the final tomb chamber, but I can confirm there are no defenses left inside."

"With me accompanying you, there should be no danger entering."

"Good."

The two moved forward one after the other, passing through layer after layer of defensive arrays.

Finally, they arrived before a massive stone door.

A spiritual sense sweep revealed clearly that behind the stone door lay the tomb chamber.

He Pingsheng took a deep breath, bowed to the stone door, and said: "Your Majesty, the Divine Emperor, forgive me—I do not mean to disturb your rest, I have come only to retrieve the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire!"

"Beyond the Mystic Fire, I take nothing else!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the stone door rumbled open on its own.

He Pingsheng and Zhou Qingmei hurried inside.

It was a vast tomb chamber.

The chamber was circular, and at its center stood a colossal coffin.

Around the circumference of the circular chamber were three hundred and sixty lamps, each containing a flickering flame.

Seeing this scene, He Pingsheng felt the same sensation he had when first entering Zhou Qingmei's tomb.

"Forgive me, Elder!" He Pingsheng swept his spiritual sense over the massive coffin, where lay a humanoid Dao body. He could not discern its true form, but could tell its cultivation before death had been Body Integration.

Body Integration!

If human, it would have had a ten-thousand-year lifespan.

If a beast race, even twenty thousand years.

But what of it?

Ten thousand or twenty thousand years, against the endless river of time, were but a fleeting moment.

"I have come only for the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire!"

"I will not disturb your resting place!"

With that, He Pingsheng sharply turned his head toward one of the three hundred and sixty lamps.

Externally, it looked no different from the others.

But He Pingsheng sensed an extraordinary aura from its flame: the aura of the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire.

As if sensing He Pingsheng's hostility, the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire suddenly flared violently.

Boom…

In a single breath, the flame expanded from a pea-sized spark to over ten feet long; within the golden fire, a grotesque face emerged, glaring at He Pingsheng and roaring loudly.

But the words it screamed were unintelligible.

Yet its monstrous visage, combined with its charge toward He Pingsheng, made it clear: it had heard his words—and it was furious.

Boom…

The next instant, the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire unleashed an even more overwhelming force.

The lamps beneath it were instantly incinerated into nothingness.

The entire tomb chamber grew scorching hot!

A colossal stream of fire spiritual power surged forth as a fire dragon, charging straight at He Pingsheng.

"Beast… how dare you!"

Before He Pingsheng could act, Zhou Qingmei raised her hand; a blue sword light bloomed into a lotus, unleashing boundless sword intent that instantly repelled the fire's attack.

The Ten Primordial Flames, though supreme treasures, possessed weak offensive power.

Even without Zhou Qingmei's intervention, He Pingsheng could have blocked this strike.

The difficulty lay in finding it—and then subjugating it.

"Nine Heavens Mystic Fire…" He Pingsheng gazed calmly at the flame. "Come to me!"

He spoke no further, extending boundless spiritual sense to control the space around the flame, then yanked hard—pulling the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire into his ring.

Secure it first!

Study the subjugation method later.

Yet the next instant, the ring in his hand melted away.

Boom…

Flames burst out from the ring.

"This…?" He Pingsheng was utterly stunned.

The ring had been burned through?

"Legends say the Ten Primordial Flames can burn through anything," Zhou Qingmei spoke. "To subdue it, Master, you'll need special methods."

The flame shot away with a hiss, landing again in empty space a hundred zhang from He Pingsheng; its ten-foot flame now bore a human face, expression vividly smug, almost mocking him.

"Heh, this thing!" He Pingsheng did not anger—he found it amusing.

"Watch me catch you!"

"Little Feng, out!"

He Pingsheng drew the Hongmeng Purple Gold Rod, waved his hand, and summoned Little Feng from the magic treasure space.

"Huh?"

Emerging from the magic treasure space, Little Feng stared around in surprise: "Where is this?"

"Don't ask where you are!" He Pingsheng said. "Leave that space—you're not staying there. I've sealed this thing in space."

Boom…

He Pingsheng's vast spiritual sense swept over it again.

But this time, he found he could not draw the flame into his magic treasure space.

A moment's thought revealed the truth: earlier, the flame had willingly entered the ring—it had been scheming, deliberately burning his ring. Now, seeing his magic treasure's strength, it had grown fearful and resisted.

Seeing He Pingsheng fail to capture it, the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire's "face" twisted into smug mockery.

"Kid… don't get cocky!"

"Watch me seal you!"

This time, even He Pingsheng felt mocked.

"Change…"

As He Pingsheng softly uttered the word, the rod in his hand transformed.

It became a dense, intricate net—purple-red, sprawling across the sky, nearly enveloping the entire tomb chamber, then crashing down upon the flame's head.

Within two breaths, the purple-red net tightly bound the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire; the magic treasure space opened, and it was sucked inside.

Thus, He Pingsheng had captured the flame.

"Let's go." After securing the Mystic Fire, He Pingsheng led Zhou Qingmei and Ting Tong out of the tomb chamber.

Outside, Zhou Qingmei asked: "The arrays here are excellent—shouldn't we dismantle a few and take the materials?"

The protective arrays here were all seventh-rank.

Aside from the illusion array, there were nine more.

They could be described as "invaluable."

He Pingsheng shook his head. "No—if we dismantle these arrays, this tomb will no longer be preserved."

"We came for the fire. Leave the rest."