The Third-Level Hall

"Seeking death." Lei Chong flew into a rage. Though this man was a monk, his heart was vicious beyond measure, and he wanted to trap Lei Chong here until he died.

Buzz!

Lei Chong unleashed his full fighting strength. Countless bolts of lightning coiled around him as a golden imprint flew out, aimed squarely at the space between Jin Gang's brows.

Buzz!

Jin Gang raised his alms bowl. Golden light burst from its base and shone on the imprint, guiding it toward the bowl.

To Lei Chong's surprise, however, the golden imprint changed course here. It flew into the bowl of its own accord, then exploded inside it.

Jin Gang's body shook, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Lei Chong immediately understood. Jin Gang had separated a portion of his primordial spirit and left it in the alms bowl, then used the bowl to activate it and draw the God-Striking Technique inside.

In an ordinary fight, Jin Gang would never have dared do such a thing. But in this hall, where flames could burn everything to ashes, he only needed to hold Lei Chong off for a moment before he could withdraw with his task accomplished.

Boom!

Jin Gang raised his enormous palm and struck the lightning spear shooting toward him. Then he quickly retreated into the crack.

Terrifying flames swept in, filling the entire hall in an instant. Held back by Jin Gang, Lei Chong had failed to rush through the crack at once and was ultimately trapped in the hall by the flames.

He had considered bathing in Nirvana Fire before, but he had never expected it to happen so suddenly.

He still needed to prepare and slowly refine the Nirvana Flame. Otherwise, trapped here like this, he could easily run into serious trouble.

Buzz!

Surging flames surrounded Lei Chong, and terrifying heat washed over him.

He circulated the True Phoenix Art and controlled the Nirvana Flame outside his body, making it envelop him completely and block the flames in the hall.

The temperature in the hall was terrifying. Even a True Immortal who rashly rushed in would be burned by these flames and might even be reduced to ashes.

But Lei Chong was unharmed. He could control the Nirvana Flame and use it to protect himself, so the hall's flames could not hurt him for the time being.

Terrifying heat assailed him, only to be blocked by the flames surrounding him.

The crack was right in front of him. He only had to take one step to leave this hall and return to the first-level hall.

But he did not leave. Instead, he looked toward the altar.

Flames gathered on the altar, forming a doorway there.

Lei Chong's eyes lit up. He had already opened his Heavenly Eye and confirmed that he was not mistaken. There really was a doorway there.

Boom!

Lei Chong controlled the Nirvana Flame around him and rushed toward the doorway.

The flames there surged, and the heat grew more and more terrifying.

Even controlling the Nirvana Flame, he could not keep out that heat. The terrifying temperature scorched the surface of his body, sending agonizing pain through him.

The stench of burning filled the air, making him feel as though he were about to be roasted through.

If not for his immunity to magical power, his situation would have been even worse.

Boom!

Lei Chong also began circulating the Vermilion Bird Art. A scarlet Vermilion Bird soared into the air and circled above his head, drawing in the flames around him.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Shadowy forms floated in the air. They were several other immortal birds.

They circled Lei Chong, blocking some of the flames for him.

The pressure around him eased, and Lei Chong quickened his pace. Before long, he reached the foot of the altar and looked up at the fiery gate.

Shapes flickered indistinctly behind the gate, and there seemed to be streaks of flame inside as well.

Lei Chong slowly lifted his foot and stepped onto the altar before him.

Rumble!

The altar trembled slightly, and faint flames burned upon it. These flames were even more terrifying, containing immense destructive power.

With just his first step, the sole of his foot was burned.

Even controlling the Nirvana Flame, he could not withstand that heat.

Boom!

Lei Chong did not stop. He took a second step, and the flames on the altar surged more fiercely, reaching his calves.

The terrifying flames roasted him, scorching his calves pitch-black.

These flames were terrifying, clinging to him like maggots on bone. No matter what methods he tried, he could not get rid of them.

In the end, he could only circulate the True Phoenix Art and begin refining the Nirvana flames.

But the results were less than ideal. The flames continued to burn him.

Fortunately, the True Phoenix Art had some effect, and his condition did not worsen any further.

Lei Chong raised his foot again and took a third step onto the altar.

At that moment, in the first-level hall, Jin Gang landed on the ground, his expression cold.

He stared at the crack above. Seeing that Lei Chong had not come out, he breathed a slight sigh of relief, and a trace of delight appeared in his eyes.

The Witch stared blankly at the crack, a flicker of panic gradually crossing her eyes.

"Impossible, impossible. He's so cunning and sly. How could he have died up there?" The Witch's face gradually turned pale.

Not long ago, he had still been talking and laughing with her. How had he suddenly been left up there?

Yue Chan also stared at the crack, her hazy eyes full of regret.

"A young heaven's chosen, dying in a place like this. What a sad and pitiful thing," Yue Chan said, gently shaking her head.

The Divine Flame Man stared at the passage without saying a word.

Although he bore a grudge against Lei Chong and had clashed with him before, Lei Chong's fighting strength had genuinely earned his heartfelt admiration.

"Hmph, good riddance. That brat acted as he pleased and ruined our plans. He should have died here long ago," a Demon Spider said coldly.

The Venerables of his Demon Spirit Lake had dwindled, leaving only the last two Demon Spiders.

Both of those Demon Spiders were injured as well, leaving them little hope of seizing the rune bones.

"He deserved to die. Even if he hadn't died now, I would not have spared him after leaving this spatial world," a golden-haired old man said, his sharp eyes like Heavenly Blades.

He was the old clan chief of the Golden-Winged Great Peng, only one step away from becoming a Divine Being.

As for the other factions, they had no major conflicts with Lei Chong, so they did not react strongly to his death.

If they felt anything, it was a sense of ease, as though they had vented a pent-up grievance.

Lei Chong had taken many steps since setting foot on the altar.

By now, his whole body was already charred black. His clothes had burned away, and all the hair on his head had turned to ash. He could be said to be in a wretched state.

He endured the excruciating pain, feeling as though his entire body were about to be roasted through.

Rumble!

The entire altar rumbled as Lei Chong took another step. He stood before the fiery gate, just one step away from entering it.

A rune bone floated at the very center of the fiery gate. Flames radiated from its entire body, holding open the gate behind it.

The scene behind the fiery gate grew clearer. There seemed to be a curtain of light inside.

As for what lay beyond the curtain of light, even his Heavenly Eye could not see through it.

Buzz!

Lei Chong reached out and seized the rune bone, but it struggled fiercely. Even the fiery gate behind it shook violently, growing unstable, as though it might vanish at any moment.

He continued forward, entering the fiery gate while gripping the rune bone and bringing it inside with him.

Rumble!

The entire altar shook violently, and then the fiery gate vanished completely.

Holding the rune bone, Lei Chong entered an entirely new space. This was another hall, no smaller than the previous two levels, with a curtain of light in the middle.