Lin Shisan raised his hand, spreading all five fingers.
The five flame patterns on the dark red Array Flag in his palm lit up at the same instant.
He gave a low shout. "Rise..."
Five crimson-gold pillars of light shot skyward from beneath the ground, erupting from deep underground.
Each pillar was wrapped in surging flames, golden-red fire edged with leaping, tiny arcs of electricity, bathing the dome of the Nine Yang Pavilion in flowing molten gold. Fierce winds mingled with the flames, sweeping them upward and forming a rotating curtain of light around each pillar, like five heaven-supporting columns wrapped in wind and fire driving into the dome at once.
The instant the five pillars reached the dome, they exploded simultaneously. Crimson-gold feathers of light filled the air, cascading down from the dome.
Each feather resembled a newly released fire butterfly, its edges wrapped in dancing golden flames as it drifted down, trailing a long, slender tail of fire.
The moment the feathers touched the ground, they turned into clusters of surging flames that spread across the bluestone floor. Wherever they passed, the bluestone glowed dark red from the heat, and scorching waves of air and the smell of sulfur filled the air.
Wind and fire intertwined between the five pillars of light, forming five rotating walls of light.
Each wall was a vortex of entwined flames and fierce winds, its edges churning with tiny sparks and arcs of electricity, dividing the Nine Yang Pavilion into five relatively independent spaces. The currents inside the Wind-Fire Vortex spun visibly, drawing in drifting dust and fragments of spiritual light alike and grinding them into fine, luminous dust.
The shock waves from the Wind-Fire Vortex sent Qingming staggering half a step backward. The Bronze Mirror in his hand shook violently, and a