Volume Two: Life-or-Death Speed in the Northern Frontier - Chapter 134: Fierce Flame
Having learned from my previous experience, I stripped naked beforehand and handed my clothes to Givinia for safekeeping, to avoid ruining the team uniform again.
After taking only a few steps closer, I felt completely drained, my throat was so dry it hurt, and the sweat evaporated as soon as it started to flow. My lips were deeply cracked, and the blood that flowed out dried up as soon as it came into contact with the air.
"Hiss--"
A sharp pain spread throughout my body, and my skin turned bright red, with some areas even turning charred black – it was horrifying!
At this rate, I'll be scalded to death before I even get close to Yan Yi Ming Hua!
By actively promoting blood circulation, extremely thin crystalline layers cover the skin surface, with a vacuum between adjacent crystalline layers, which effectively insulates against heat.
Protected by the crystals, I sped up, but the outermost crystals continued to melt due to the excessively high temperature, and the time they could sustain this was very limited.
Stepping onto the altar, I carefully circled around the outer layer of Yan Yi Ming Hua. As I passed these flowers, the layer of crystal on my body would melt away in just a few seconds, and if I accidentally touched it, I would be in grave danger.
One, two, three... As I passed each and every Yan Yi Ming Hua, my heart was in my throat. Now it was truly a situation where one wrong step could lead to eternal regret; I couldn't afford to be careless!
"Call..."
Finally, I arrived at the center of the altar. As soon as I stepped into the "isolation zone" between the central Yan Yi Ming Hua and the other flowers, the terrifying high temperature immediately disappeared. I carefully removed the crystal layer of protection, and what came into contact with my skin was cool air, as if all the intense heat had been kept out.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
I crouched down and observed carefully.
It was only then that I noticed that the space around this Yan Yi Ming Hua was slightly distorted.
... Hey, hey, hey, what's with this feeling of danger?
To use a not-too-exaggerated analogy, it's like condensing the entire Atlantic Ocean into a single droplet.
All the energy is concentrated at one point.
Take a deep breath.
Don't hesitate.
Let's begin.
At the edge of this space, Givinia huddled in a corner, watching Liu Ye's situation intently.
Yan Yi Ming Hua.
Even with her vast knowledge, she knew very little about such rare and precious materials.
What kind of dangers might occur, and whether there will be any side effects, are all unknown.
Givinia's powers couldn't interfere with physical entities; all she could do was silently pray for her teammates.
Not far away, Liu Ye gave a thumbs up.
This is a signal that it's time to begin.
Strands of blood extended from her hand, silently coiling around the Yan Yi Ming Hua. The blood didn't evaporate immediately as she had expected; instead, it quickly covered the flower, forming an exquisitely detailed net-like pattern. The blood patterns deepened, relentlessly attacking the core of the Yan Yi Ming Hua, first the petals, then the stems and leaves, until the entire flower slowly dissolved into the blood. Soon, the Yan Yi Ming Hua vanished completely, and the blood threads returned to Liu Ye's body.
... It seems that it wasn't as thrilling as I had imagined.
Liu Ye stood up, his hands opening and closing as if sensing something, his face full of vigilance.
After a while, nothing happened.
The wariness on his face turned into confusion.
"Is that all?" Givinia exclaimed.
Liu Ye shrugged and was about to step down from the altar when—
Just as the literal meaning,
Her body exploded.
By the time the two realized what had happened, a large hole had been made from their lower chests to their abdomens.
There was no sound or light; the flesh that was once part of the body had completely turned into charcoal ash.
A few seconds later, a belated scream finally escaped her lips—just before that,
Crimson Fierce Flame erupted simultaneously from her mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, destroying her throat before she could even scream.
Using this as a signal, Yan Yi Ming Hua's extremely concentrated energy erupted in one go!
Crimson, scarlet, deep red, crimson, pink, purple, orange-red—flames of all shades of red, a dazzling display of color, erupted violently from every pore of her body, destroying her flesh from within! In the raging flames, her once beautiful, jet-black hair instantly turned to ash, her scalp decayed and carbonized at an alarming rate, making her look extremely gruesome, and her stunningly beautiful face was reduced to charcoal from the very beginning!
Through the Fierce Flame, a figure could be vaguely seen struggling, its hands flailing wildly across its body as if driven mad. However, this desperate struggle did not last long; the figure ceased all movement and collapsed heavily to the ground. Nerves had turned to ash, muscles to charcoal, and even bones began to soften.
Terrifying explosions emanated from her body, each burst sending spurts of blood flying out! This blood didn't immediately evaporate; instead, it coalesced into droplets, slowly converging on Liu Ye's charred body, desperately battling the Fierce Flame and attempting to repair her flesh. However, this was futile; the Fierce Flame grew stronger, a red pillar of fire shooting into the sky, instantly filling the entire space with fire. Givinia was forced to retreat from the cave entrance!
The circular space had now turned into a sea of fire, making it impossible to see what Liu Ye looked like. Givinia's expression was extremely solemn, but she was powerless to do anything and could only sit at the entrance of the cave and wait patiently.
The fact that Yan Yi Ming Hua's flames haven't gone out means that Liu Ye is still alive.
Like surfacing from the Deep Sea, I regained consciousness.
Looking around, I seemed to be standing on a plain, with a sizable city in the distance.
Where is this?
As if in response to my question, crimson clouds appeared on the distant horizon, and a deafening roar grew louder as it approached. It was an overwhelming tide of blood, from which ferocious, fiery crimson beasts emerged, roaring and howling. The giant wave swept across with the force of Mount Tai, and in just a few minutes, the once prosperous city was transformed into the Blood Sea.
It was just like a scene from Blood Fiend's memories.
However, this time I am not observing from a first-person perspective, but rather from the viewpoint of an outsider.
Why is this happening?
Just as I was thinking this --
The earth suddenly split open, revealing a bottomless abyss beneath my feet, from which fierce flames erupted. A gigantic, fiery red Lycoris radiata, hundreds of feet tall, burst forth from the ground! Countless slender petals entangled my limbs, and an immense force pulled me towards it. Layer upon layer of petals opened, revealing a dazzling cluster of flames at its center, like a gaping maw, welcoming my undefeated prey—
However, at that very moment, a second force emerged.
Runes, countless scarlet, eerie runes surged from my body, each rune slicing through the slender petals like a sharp sword, then transforming into thousands of chains that bound Yan Yi Ming Hua tightly! The ferocious Yan Yi Ming Hua, upon encountering the chains composed of red runes, became as docile as a lamb!
Hiss--
Crimson blood surged from the bottom of the abyss, submerging the stems and leaves of the Yan Yi Ming Hua, climbing onto its petals. At that moment, the petals began to struggle violently. The blood seeped in everywhere, beginning its frenzied invasion of the Yan Yi Ming Hua. At the same time, excruciating pain, as if my internal organs were being burned, spread throughout my body. As the blood's invasion of the flower progressed, explosive pain surged through my body. It was even worse than the "pain" I·B had given me!
Yan Yi Ming Hua struggled frantically, seemingly aware of its fate if it failed! Thousands of tongues of fire erupted from between the petals, dyeing the clouds in the sky crimson. The ferocious flames clung desperately to my body, consuming me as my blood devoured them, and they began to devour me as well!
It's another tug-of-war.
The one who survives to the end wins; it's either you die or I live.
However, to my surprise, I wasn't nervous at all at that moment.
On the contrary, I was in a very good mood.
"Ha ha..."
Despite the hellish heat, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!"
In terms of adaptability and endurance, I will never lose to anyone.
A sweet joy filled my heart.
If you want to become stronger, you have to endure this level of pain.
The greater the pain, the greater the reward.
Have I ever mentioned my motto?
Life is like being raped; if you can't stand it, you have to learn to enjoy it.
"... The fire's stopped!?"
Givinia cautiously peeked out.
Unbeknownst to them, the Fierce Flame in the space had gradually subsided, and the space returned to the tranquility it had been when they first arrived. The Yan Yi Ming Hua at the very center had vanished without a trace, replaced by a cocoon.
It was a large, pink, crystalline cocoon, big enough to fit a person inside.
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