Chapter 1234 - 863: Fire God

The truth is too terrifying to contemplate!

Zhang Chen’s eyes revealed a hint of caution, with an indescribable horror lurking in his gaze. Yet, now that he and the others had come this far, regardless of what lay ahead, he had no choice but to continue forward.

The thirty-six-layered platform shimmered with divine light. As the builder of the platform, Zhang Chen naturally understood its intricacies. This platform once housed thirty-six death arrays, but with the changes in Heaven and Earth, those arrays should have become ineffective by now.

The Queen Mother’s coffin was placed at the highest point, utilizing this thirty-six-layered platform to absorb the Dragon Vein Qi of the entire Kunlun Mountain. After eons of transformation, the ancestral vein of Kunlun Mountain turned into an unremarkable and obscure Old Turtle Ridge because it was drained. The Kunlun Dragon Vein had fallen from its ancestral status, replaced by a new ancestral vein.

Zhang Chen’s eyes flashed with divine light as his gaze swept over the entire altar and he said to Chen Xu and Zhou Chuan, "Follow me!"

The three climbed up the thirty-three-layer altar, appearing as insignificant as ants before it. Zhang Chen walked with a calm and leisurely stride as if returning home, not causing any disturbances, and directly reached the highest tier. There, he saw a Crystal Coffin placed atop the highest altar. Surrounding the Crystal Coffin was a shelf, which held various bottles and jars.

"Could this be the Ancient Divine Demon in person?" Chen Xu’s eyes brightened upon seeing the coffin.

"For now, don’t worry about the coffin. Let’s first check the burial items," Zhang Chen said, his eyes sweeping over the shelf. The elixirs and herbs on the shelf had long since decayed, but there was a peculiar jar among them that still emanated faint fluctuations.

Zhang Chen picked up the jar from the shelf and turned to Zhou Chuan, "Brother Zhou, the Divine Demon Soul you wanted is right here."

Zhou Chuan’s good fortune was evident, as there truly was a residual soul of a Divine Demon left behind, and it was the only one!

Which one, you ask?

It was the unfortunate ’Fire God’ who once attacked Kunlun Mountain and was caught by the Queen Mother. After being captured, he was suppressed within a tripod cauldron and vanished without a trace. Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother had brought him here as a burial item, and a faint trace of his soul had managed to endure.

"There truly is a Divine Demon Soul?" Zhou Chuan’s eyes sparkled with excitement, filled with enthusiasm.

As Zhang Chen held dominion over the fire attribute, he did not fear the Fire God’s rebellion. He directly opened the jar, revealing a thin red light resembling a fish swimming inside. The red light was extremely weak, unable to even reach the Ninth Tier.

"Only a fragmentary trace of the origin remains. Throughout the passing eons, despite being suppressed by the Power of the Dragon Vein of Kunlun Mountain, even the Ancient Divine Demon has been reduced to its last trace of origin. Yet, this final trace is the most terrifying, refined, and indestructible. Refining it is not an easy task." Zhang Chen looked at Zhou Chuan, "If you’re not careful, this Divine Demon could possess you. Brother Zhou, do you truly want to take this risk?"

As Zhang Chen spoke, he stealthily applied a Soul Hooking and Soul Stealing mark. He wasn’t guarding against Zhou Chuan; rather, he feared Zhou Chuan would face calamity and be possessed by the Fire God. That would be trouble indeed.

This final trace of the Fire God’s origin was the most refined and difficult to move, unyielding despite eons under the Dragon Vein Qi’s suppression. Zhang Chen perceived the likelihood of Zhou Chuan’s failure as quite high.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Chuan dismissed his concerns with resolute confidence, "As martial artists, we strive to advance courageously, taking every danger as a grindstone."

Zhang Chen placed the lid back on and turned to hand it to Zhou Chuan, "Ancient Divine Demons are extremely troublesome, Brother Zhou, you mustn’t be careless. If you feel the Divine Demon retaliating, come seek me out immediately. I can lend a hand."

Zhou Chuan took the jar with excitement, his eyes filled with happiness, "I know!"

He had achieved his main objective in entering the Ancient Divine Demon Tomb.

"It’s a pity that the items on the shelf have decayed, just like the old lair of the Innate Water God’s. There’s nothing useful left," Chen Xu commented with disappointment beside the shelf, fiddling with the items and complaining.

Zhang Chen laughed upon hearing this, "The truly valuable items are within the coffin. However, the coffin harbors great danger. If you two trust me, why don’t you step back from the altar? Once I tame the items within this tomb, I will share them with the two of you, how about that?"

"Brothers rely on each other in life and death; how could we let you shoulder the burden alone?" Zhou Chuan replied to Zhang Chen.

Beside him, Chen Xu chimed in, "United, we are strong enough to break metal. Whether it’s a mountain of knives or a sea of flames, we’ll face it together."

Zhang Chen hesitated briefly, then turned to Zhou Chuan, "Brother Zhou, why not first refine that Divine Demon’s True Spirit? If you manage to refine it, your strength might elevate, enhancing our overall safety."

"Will it delay us?" Zhou Chuan asked hesitantly.

Zhang Chen said, "As long as it can increase safety even a little, it’s worth spending some more time."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chuan didn’t delay any further. He immediately set up his stance and opened the jar. Watching the fiery red light flowing out of the jar, in the next moment, a sound wave emitted from his nostrils, followed by a powerful attraction force that directly inhaled that fiery red light into his nostrils. The next moment, Zhou Chuan’s skin turned crimson, his body hair began to smolder, emitting wisps of blue smoke, and his clothes turned into charcoal.

"He won’t get burned to death, right?" Chen Xu saw the anomaly on Zhou Chuan’s body, and a trace of terror flashed in his eyes.

"The origin of the Ancient Divine Demon is not something so easy to digest. Even if it’s just the last trace, this last trace, having undergone intense tempering, is the essence of the essence and is thus even more perilous." Zhang Chen responded, "However, Zhou swallowed a Ba Snake’s egg in the past, gaining part of the Ba Snake’s bloodline. Although the power of the Fire God is formidable, it may not be impossible for him to resist."

There was tension in Zhang Chen’s voice. Just as he was speaking, Zhou Chuan suddenly let out a shout. The serpent hissing sound resonated from his abdomen, followed by a distortion in the void behind him. A vague shadow of a Ba Snake appeared, with a fiery red light floating above its head, resembling a small sun, continuously entwined and wrestled with the Ba Snake.

"What a perilous divine demon’s remnant thought! Let me help you!" Zhang Chen stretched out his hand, summoning the God-Beating Whip, which then flew out like a stream of light, directly striking towards that red sun.

The God-Beating Whip specializes in targeting souls. A series of roars came from within the red sun, dimmed by the whip’s strike, and the Ba Snake image behind Zhou Chuan opened its mouth wide, immediately swallowing the red sun.

Witnessing this scene, Chen Xu asked, "Did it succeed?"

"We can only say Zhou has temporarily suppressed the divine demon’s power. Completely refining and mastering the divine demon’s origin is a difficult and lengthy process." As Zhang Chen spoke, he watched Zhou Chuan’s body, seeing a golden hue circulating over it, with flames seemingly constantly burning his tendons and bones. Even through Zhou Chuan’s flesh, Zhang Chen could see the bones undergoing a mysterious transformation, transitioning from golden-yellow to fiery-red.

His hair regrew, but instead of black, it turned fiery red, like flames hanging behind his head, swaying as if flickering firelight.

The pores all over his body were emitting scorching Qi mechanisms, and gradually under the fiery red light, the pores were seared shut, transforming him completely into a Leakless Body.

"Impressive!" Zhang Chen praised, his voice full of admiration, "To have cultivated into a Leakless Body."

"What is a Leakless Body?" Chen Xu asked beside him.

"Humans have hundreds of apertures in their bodies that constantly leak Essence, Qi, and Spirit. A Leakless Body can seal all of these bodily apertures shut, preventing any loss of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, thereby greatly prolonging life. Living for a thousand years should pose no problem." Zhang Chen replied.

Chen Xu’s eyes widened upon hearing this, "Live for a thousand years? Only those following the path of the Divine Spirit can live a thousand years, right?"

In reality, it’s unheard of for anyone to live a thousand years, even living up to two hundred is extremely rare.

"You are being amazed by trivial things." Zhang Chen remarked.

At this moment, Zhou Chuan’s transformation was still not finished. The center of his brows grew redder, as if a red light was gathering, ready to pierce through the skin and burst forth. In the next moment, that red light distorted, transforming into a crimson flame rune, branding itself on Zhou Chuan’s brow. Then Zhou Chuan opened his eyes, with a sea of fire swirling within, and the air temperature suddenly rose by over ten degrees.

"How is it?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Indeed, the will of the ancient divine demon is quite troublesome. I can only temporarily suppress it. Refining it thoroughly is a long road ahead. However, after having my body tempered by this power, Martial Dao’s eleventh tier is within reach. As long as I settle down for a period after leaving here, I can undoubtedly condense a Dharma Image Golden Body." Zhou Chuan’s voice was filled with excitement.

Upon hearing Zhou Chuan’s words, Zhang Chen’s eyes showed a hint of seriousness, "You mustn’t be careless. Each of these ancient divine demons is extremely profound. A slight misstep could lead to a backfire. You must be careful and cautious."

"I know, don’t worry about me. I’m naturally a cautious person." Zhou Chuan reassured Zhang Chen in return.

Seeing this, Zhang Chen nodded slightly, turning towards the direction of the coffin, "Today’s appetizer has only just begun."

Beside him, Chen Xu peered through the jade coffin, roughly discerning a blurred human figure within.

"There seems to be a woman in the coffin!" Chen Xu leaned closer, pressing against the wall of the coffin to spy, speaking to Zhang Chen.

Indeed, there was a woman in the coffin, not just any woman but an exceptionally powerful one.

"I’ll open the coffin!" Chen Xu stood before the coffin, exerting force to push the coffin lid open.