Chapter 309 - 284: Incomplete Grand Array!

Chapter 309: Chapter 284: Incomplete Grand Array!

He sped through the sea of fire and lava for about fifteen minutes before his flying figure suddenly came to a halt.

’Something’s not right...’

Chu Mu scanned the surrounding sea of fire and lava, his expression tinged with surprise and doubt.

"Violent Fire Qi" was the term for Spiritual Qi that had been corroded by Earth Fire. This corrosion not only transformed it into Fire Attribute Spiritual Energy but also made it inherently unstable.

In such an environment, a Cultivator’s Magical Power and Divine Sense would naturally be severely restricted.

But this expanse of Earth Fire Lava seemed far too calm...

The Earth Vein Fire Qi was placid, showing no signs of volatility...

Such an anomaly, in a place defined by its eruptions...

Chu Mu was puzzled. ’The Righteous Alliance established a camp here. Could they really have not noticed this anomaly?’

He gazed at the endless sea of fire and lava around him and seemed to come to a realization.

’At my speed, after traveling through this sea of fire and lava for so long, I must be a great distance from the camp. It makes sense that they wouldn’t have noticed.’

’But... what’s causing this anomaly?’

Subconsciously, a scene Chu Mu had once experienced in a Secret Realm surfaced in his mind.

It too had been a sea of fire and lava, with that Spatial Rift leading to a desolate yet terrifying world...

His eyes flickered as he released his Divine Sense. Although the sea of fire and lava was an obstruction, the Divine Sense of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was still sufficient to cover a radius of several hundred meters.

With every minute detail now visible to him, he cautiously probed forward.

BOOM!

A moment later, the Spiritual Qi erupted violently. A wave of Fire Qi swept out, and several streams of crimson flame suddenly surged toward him.

Chu Mu instinctively retreated, but in the next instant, the previously calm sea of fire and lava erupted. The raging lava, as if it had come alive, closed in on him from all directions.

"Earth Fire Spirits!"

Staring at these flames that seemed to have been suddenly infused with life, Chu Mu’s expression changed slightly as fragmented knowledge from his memory instantly surfaced.

The Cultivation Immortal Realm was vast and full of wonders. All things possessed a spirit!

Even a stone, over countless ages, could transform from an inanimate object into a living being if the right opportunity presented itself.

Flames were naturally no different.

So-called Earth Fire Spirits were beings that formed in places with dense Earth Vein Fire Qi. After eons of evolution, the Fire Qi itself would gain life and become a living creature.

When these Earth Fire creatures were born, they were already Tier One.

Yet the few Earth Fire Spirits before him all exuded a Tier Two aura, and one was even comparable to a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Earth Fire creatures were naturally one with the Earth Fire lava, their bodies formed of pure flame. They loved to devour the violent aspect of the Earth Vein Fire Qi, which effectively meant they could purify its raging torrents.

The calmness of this sea of fire and lava now made sense.

As the Fire Spirits surged closer, an idea suddenly struck him. With a flicker of his will, a wisp of True Flame emerged, and in an instant, the Great Sun True Flame was coiling around his body.

With a low shout, he sent wisps of True Flame shooting out.

When the True Flame sank into the sea of fire, the surging Fire Spirits reacted as if they had encountered a fatal temptation. Like moths to a flame, they completely ignored Chu Mu, turning their fiery forms to pounce on the flying wisps of True Flame.

The one at the very front was a Tier Two Middle Stage Earth Fire Spirit.

Fire Spirits have no fixed shape; their bodies are made of flame and can take countless forms.

This Fire Spirit was no exception.

It had no fixed form, just a billowing mass of ferocious, scorching flame.

After it swallowed the wisp of True Flame, Chu Mu instantly felt his control over it weaken significantly.

Instead of being alarmed, he was delighted. Information about Earth Fire Spirits surged uncontrollably from his memory.

’Earth Fire Spirits are born in places rich with Earth Vein Fire Qi and grow by breathing it in. They love to devour the violent aura of Earth Fire. If one is killed, its Fire Qi simply dissipates back into the sea of fire—ashes to ashes, dust to dust.’

’But if an Earth Fire Spirit is refined, one can condense the essence of its Fire Qi. In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, this essence is known as Earth Fire Spirit Marrow!’

’The quality of the condensed Earth Fire Spirit Marrow varies depending on the Earth Fire Spirit’s Cultivation.’

’And the effect of Earth Fire Spirit Marrow is equivalent to the Bell Spirit Stone Milk I once obtained!’

’Bell Spirit Stone Milk is known as a Body Refining Holy Medicine.’

’And Earth Fire Spirit Marrow is a Holy Medicine for the Cultivation of Fire Attribute cultivators!’

’It can condense Magical Power, nurture True Flame...’

’Its many uses are all practically miraculous!’

His plans for Alchemy involving the Bell Spirit Stone Milk were already mostly complete; he just needed to gather a few more Support Spirit Medicines.

And now he could get Earth Fire Spirit Marrow...

’However, the Refinement process is extremely troublesome.’

’Earth Fire Spirit Marrow is of the Fire Attribute. Therefore, to preserve its full effects, it cannot be refined using other attributes. One can only use the Fire Attribute to refine the Earth Fire Spirit; otherwise, its potency will be destroyed.’

’Refining fire with fire, while it sounds fantastical... with the strength of my True Flame, it would be difficult to threaten an Earth Fire Spirit at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.’

’But what if I attacked from both the inside and the outside...’

As his thoughts raced, he sent out wisp after wisp of True Flame, as if feeding animals, and they were swallowed one after another by the Earth Fire Spirits.

His connection to the True Flame inside the bellies of the Earth Fire Spirits, which had seemed to be fading, was now growing clearer and clearer.

"Rise!"

Chu Mu let out a low shout, and four Cyan Wolf Puppets descended. Their scarlet eyes glowed brightly, and the four pairs of mechanical beast eyes instantly locked onto the Earth Fire Spirits.

ROAR!

With ferocious roars, the four Cyan Wolf Puppets shot out to stand at the four cardinal points of the Four Symbols. Immediately, streams of Array Prohibition Inscriptions flowed from them, transforming into Array Prohibition Chains that shot out from four directions, instantly binding the Earth Fire Spirits tightly.

Chu Mu formed a hand seal, sending more wisps of True Flame into the Four Symbols Array. They resonated with the True Flame already swallowed by the Fire Spirits, creating a pincer attack from both inside and out.

Refinement!

Fire refining fire—such a bizarre spectacle unfolded within the Array of the Four Symbols, deep in the sea of lava.

After about an hour, the Earth Fire Spirits within the Four Symbols Array had vanished, leaving only a few fist-sized, crimson spirit marrows floating in the sea of fire.

With a wave of his hand, the pieces of Earth Fire Spirit Marrow floated into his palm.

He examined them for a moment, then with a flip of his hand, placed the Earth Fire Spirit Marrow into his Storage Space.

As he looked out again at the calm sea of fire, he could no longer conceal the fervent excitement in his eyes!

Bell Spirit Stone Milk, Earth Fire Spirit Marrow.

Body and Technique...

Without the slightest hesitation, he took a step and cautiously ventured deeper into the sea of fire.

He had advanced only a few hundred meters when he encountered several more Earth Fire Spirits. The frequency of their appearance and their sheer numbers clearly exceeded his expectations.

This sea of fire and lava seemed to have become a nest for the Earth Fire Spirits.

Chu Mu’s mood slowly shifted from pleasant surprise to shocked suspicion.

’The birth of Earth Fire Spirits wasn’t strange.’

’But this many, concentrated so densely... that was strange.’

’After all, the transformation of an inanimate object into a spirit was a matter of pure chance and fortuitous creation.’

’Logically, even if many Earth Fire Spirits had evolved over the long ages, they should be scattered throughout this vast sea of fire, not clustered together. And certainly not this densely...’

’Clustered like this...’

’According to the instincts of living creatures, they would only gather like this if the environment was exceptionally suitable for their growth, or if there was some other beneficial factor.’

’Or... perhaps there’s an Earth Fire Spirit that has truly gained Spiritual Wisdom and has summoned its kin?’

At this speculation, his earlier carefree feeling gave way to a heart-pounding fear.

’To truly possess Spiritual Wisdom, it would have to be at least Tier Four!’

’A terrifying existence on par with the legendary Nascent Soul Old Monsters!’

Yet even as he speculated, Chu Mu quickly dismissed the idea.

’A Tier Four being is terrifying. Even the faintest trace of its aura would feel as oppressive as Mount Tai crashing down on me.’

’If such a terrifying creature really existed here, it’d be impossible for me not to sense some trace of it.’

’Furthermore, after Tier Two, every breakthrough to a new Grand Realm, whether for a Demon Beast or a Cultivator, inevitably causes a massive disturbance that alters the very heavens.’

’Here in Da Chu’s hinterland, in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, the major powers would never allow such a terrifying Tier Four Fire Spirit to exist.’

’Then that means... the environment here, or some beneficial factor, must be exceptionally suitable for the birth and growth of Earth Fire Spirits?’

Chu Mu advanced with extreme caution through the sea of fire. After about three hours, he had already collected more than a dozen pieces of Earth Fire Spirit Marrow in his Storage Ring.

When he delved deep to the bottom of the sea of fire and his feet finally touched solid ground, he stopped, his eyes filled with nothing but utter shock.

What greeted his eyes was still a sea of fire. To an Earth Fire Spirit, this sea of fire probably looked no different from ordinary Earth Fire Lava.

But to him, to a Cultivator, the anomaly was crystal clear.

This sea of fire, which should have been a natural creation, was actually covered by a Grand Array!

Countless Array Prohibition Inscriptions flowed through the sea of fire, seemingly splitting it in two. One side was clearly visible and could be inspected at will, while the other was sealed off, impossible to peer into.

However, the Grand Array appeared to be incomplete. Shattered Array Prohibition Inscriptions drifted around a massive, gaping hole.

Within the gap, there was nothing but a dense, crimson-gold light. Billowing torrents of Fire Qi gushed out from the break in the Grand Array like an unstoppable spring.

Judging by the surrounding rocks, which had been scoured by the Fire Qi until they were as hard as vajra, this gap had probably existed for a very, very long time.

Such dense Fire Qi, surging out day after day...

Chu Mu came to a realization. This was most likely the fundamental reason why the Earth Fire Spirits were all clustered here.

’But then, what is the purpose of this Grand Array?’

’Why is there such dense Fire Qi inside it?’

He examined it closely.

Although he didn’t know much about the art of Arrays, Array Prohibitions and Arrays shared the same origin, so it wasn’t difficult for him to discern a few clues.

’This broken Grand Array... does it have a sealing effect?’

Chu Mu hesitated. ’A sealing effect...’

’An endless sea of fire...’

Almost uncontrollably, the memory of the terrifying evil he had witnessed in the Secret Realm surfaced in his mind.

’It can’t be that much of a coincidence, can it...’

Chu Mu’s heart began to pound nervously.

’If that kind of evil was confined to a Secret Realm, it would be none of my business.’

’But if it’s here, in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, then it’s very much my problem.’

After a long moment of contemplation, he waved his hand, and several dragonfly-like reconnaissance Spiritual Artifacts hovered before him. With another flick of his sleeve, the Dragonfly Spiritual Artifacts flew into the breach in the Grand Array...

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