The Southern Heaven Fire Tide Erupts: Even the Phoenix Clan Cannot Hold Back Its Flames
Rumble!
On the Southern Heaven, large swaths of crimson fiery Fire Clouds began to churn. Several Ancient Volcanoes, which had been slowly spewing fire, began to tremble in succession, with scorching lava continuously gushing from their craters. Continuous Fire Spirit Qi rose from the ground, turning the nearby sky a fiery red.
Feng Ling quickly released her Divine Sense and carefully explored along the fire veins. She found that this round of Fire Tide had indeed started much earlier than before, and several tributaries that should have been slowly accumulating energy were now putting pressure on the outer rock layers.
"Elder, the two branches on the east side have already started to heat up. If the fire energy is allowed to continue to accumulate, it may directly break through the outer rock layers." Feng Ling's expression was serious, and her crimson-gold wings had already slowly unfolded, clearly preparing to personally deal with the Fire Spirit Qi that was about to leak out.
After hearing this, the Pulse-Guarding Elder did not delay any longer. He immediately used the Fire Vein Restraining Patterns to notify the Phoenix Clan Patrols nearby, instructing the clansmen guarding the various volcanoes to divert the fire energy in advance, and at the same time temporarily relocate the weaker creatures to the valleys with lower temperatures.
The Phoenix Clan, having lived in the Southern Heaven for a long time, was no stranger to this situation. After the news spread, crimson-gold feathers rose everywhere, and a large number of the Phoenix Clan members flew to different locations along the fire veins. Some spirit birds responsible for guarding their habitats also began to lead their young members to evacuate.
Lu Yuan stopped in the distant Sea of Clouds, watching the Phoenix Clan gradually getting busy below. He understood that this Fire Tide was a natural phenomenon formed after the periodic accumulation of the Southern Heaven Fire Vein. It was just that this time it came a little earlier, which caught the nearby clansmen off guard.
He released his Divine Sense to carefully sense the increasingly dense aura of the Li Fire ahead. He discovered that the quality of the gathering Fire Tide was significantly higher than the wisp of Innate Lihuo he had tasted before. If he were to open his mouth and swallow it all, his body probably wouldn't be able to handle it.
"Who could withstand this? If I were to swallow it all at once, I'd probably be half-cooked first." Lu Yuan muttered to himself, then abandoned the idea of swallowing the fire directly. Although he needed Cultivation Resources, there was no need to force his body, which had not yet fully digested the Demon God Origin, to endure it.
Feng Ling approached Lu Yuan and, seeing him observing the fire veins, explained, "This Fire Tide mainly erupted along several fixed tributaries. We will try our best to guide them towards uninhabited volcanic basins. Fellow Daoist, you can rest on the outskirts for now; this is originally a matter for the Phoenix Clan."
Lu Yuan nodded after listening. He didn't rush to intervene. After all, the Phoenix Clan had been operating here for many years and was naturally much more familiar with the flow of the fire veins than he was. Rashly charging into the volcanic cluster with his massive body might make the already fragile rock layers even more unstable.
However, as the Fire Tide drew closer, Lu Yuan soon realized that he also needed to make some preparations, because the crimson Fire Clouds in front of him was constantly expanding, and some of the high-temperature air waves had already spread along the cloud layer toward his location.
He slowly adjusted his body, reinforcing the pale golden light barrier on his back to withstand higher temperatures, and then mobilized the remaining gentle Profound Water Essence Qi within his body, allowing a layer of cool water vapor to flow slowly along the surface of his scales.
The Little White Beasts living on the backs were the first to notice the unusual activity. The sky in the distance had turned crimson, and a noticeable heat wave had begun to appear over parts of the forest. Several young beasts couldn't help but retreat back to their dens, while the adult white beasts gathered near the stream.
After scanning the area with his Divine Sense, Lu Yuan found that the forest on his back was relatively stable for the time being. As long as he avoided the core of the fire vein, the pale golden light barrier would be enough to isolate the surrounding heat. So he turned his attention back to the Fire Tide that Feng Ling was dealing with.
Feng Ling had already led several powerful members of the Phoenix Clan to the top of the Fire Vein. Instead of directly blocking the surging flames with brute force, she used the Restraining Patterns previously set up by the Pulse-Guarding Elder to gradually guide the excessive Fire Spirit Qi to a basin on the south side where no ordinary creatures lived.
At first, everything went smoothly. A large amount of crimson fire moved slowly along the predetermined route, and several rock layers that had begun to tremble gradually stabilized. When the young Phoenix Clan nearby saw the changes, their faces showed obvious joy.
"Lord Fengling is indeed amazing! The fire vein on the east side has begun to cool down!" A woman with crimson feathers couldn't help but exclaim loudly. The Golden Immortal Phoenix Clan member who was assisting her also breathed a sigh of relief, and the fire vein feather token that she had been holding tightly in her hand finally relaxed slightly.
However, the Pulse-Guarding Elder soon discovered that a deeper fire vein on the south side was still gathering energy, and the growth rate was getting faster and faster. The surface of the rock layer, which had already withstood the Fire Tide for many years, was now beginning to show fine cracks.
"Feng Ling, don't relax yet. The fire spirit in that southern branch has accumulated too much, and the Restraining Patterns haven't completely drawn out the power yet!" The voice of the Pulse-Guarding Elder came from above the volcano, and several nearby Phoenix Clan immediately perked up upon hearing this.
Without hesitation, Feng Ling unfurled her enormous crimson-gold wings, and several blazing Phoenix Fire rapidly flowed along the Fire Vein Restraining Patterns. While stabilizing the outer passage, she ordered the clansmen responsible for evacuation to continue retreating to prevent ordinary creatures from lingering in areas where the Fire Tide might pass.
Lu Yuan noticed that the fire vein was becoming increasingly unstable, and his gaze became serious. In particular, a small crack had appeared deep in the rock strata on the south side, and dense Li Fire was seeping outwards along the crack. If it continued to accumulate, it would probably soon form a real high-temperature fire wave.
He slowly moved his body, keeping his massive back away from the front of the Fire Tide, and then turned his flanks, with their even harder scales, toward the Fire Clouds. If a wave of fire did break through the Phoenix Clan's defenses, he could at least use his physical body to block the intense heat rushing toward his back.
Feng Ling noticed Lu Yuan's change in position and immediately understood his intention. She quickly turned back to remind him, "Fellow Daoist Lu Yuan, the Fire Tide there is much more intense than the Li Fire you just tasted. The temperature will be extremely high once it truly erupts. Don't swallow it all at once!"
"I know, I'll control myself. I'll protect these little things on my back first." Lu Yuan replied slowly. Although his voice was calm, his internal Qi and Blood had already begun to circulate, and the silver-white star patterns on the surface of the dark gold scales nearby also lit up.
Those young phoenixes who had been busy with their tasks saw Lu Yuan turn his massive body and finally realized that this behemoth was preparing to help absorb some of the fire wave. One golden immortal phoenix couldn't help but look up and exclaim, "He's going to use his body to block the fire tide?"
Several Phoenix Clan members nearby also looked over, their expressions growing increasingly shocked. After all, the Southern Heaven Fire Tide had existed for countless years, and even the Phoenix Clan itself had to rely on the Fire Vein Restraining Patterns Runes to deal with it. Yet this giant beast was preparing to use its massive body to block the fire wave.
The Pulse-Guarding Elder was also somewhat moved to see Lu Yuan voluntarily adjust his position, but he quickly turned his attention back to the underground fire vein and continued to activate the Restraining Patterns, trying to guide as much Fire Spirit Qi as possible to the safe area.
A more deafening roar suddenly came from deep within the southern mountainside.
The next moment, the red rock layer, which originally only had a few small cracks, finally could not withstand the increasingly heavy internal pressure. A large number of cracks spread rapidly along the mountain wall, and scorching flames spewed out wildly from the cracks.
"Retreat quickly! The rock strata on the south side are about to break!" the Pulse-Guarding Elder shouted suddenly. The nearby Phoenix Clan quickly folded their wings and retreated, while Feng Ling immediately mobilized Fire Arts, trying to guide the impending Fire Tide back to the safe passage.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the entire mountain wall finally exploded open, and a crimson-gold fire wave tens of thousands of miles long broke through the outer rock layers, carrying rolling magma, Innate Lihuo, and violent heat waves, sweeping towards the passage that the Phoenix Clan was guarding.
Lu Yuan's golden eyes narrowed slightly, and his enormous fins slowly rose. The young Phoenix Clan who had just retreated to a safe area finally saw just how terrifying this Fire Tide was.