Chapter 443 - 403: Super Expert

Chapter 443: Chapter 403: Super Expert

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In the spacious stone chamber, countless giants formed entirely of flames crawled forward menacingly, punching again and again at a shuttle-shaped Spiritual Soldier. Under the constant attacks, the Defensive Array on the Spiritual Soldier grew dimmer and dimmer, looking as if it could disappear at any moment.

"Father, Nie Yun still hasn’t come after all this time. Do you think something happened to him?"

Inside the shuttle-shaped Spiritual Soldier, Yi Qing looked out the window, but she still couldn’t see any sign of him. Her delicate brows furrowed with deep anxiety.

"Nie Yun’s strength is unfathomable, and he has many tricks up his sleeve. Since he told us to go on ahead, he must have a way. The heavens watch over the virtuous; he’ll be fine. Don’t worry. Right now, I think we should focus on how *we’re* going to get out of here alive!"

To the side, Yi Cheng gripped the Heaven-Supporting Shuttle’s controls with both hands, continuously pouring Mana into it, struggling to maintain its defense.

"I don’t know what kind of Array is set up here. The Heaven-Supporting Shuttle can’t use Spirit Stones, it can’t fly, and it can’t send messages outside. My Mana is draining fast. Once it’s gone and the defense fails, we’ll die just the same!"

"Yes, that Guang Mingzi made it sound nice—no trials. But in reality, these Flame Giants are the biggest trial of all!"

Hearing her father, Yi Qing’s expression turned grim and she nodded. She had run into these Flame Giants as soon as she was teleported here. Luckily, as a Flame Master, she was able to hold on for a while. Then her father, Yi Cheng, arrived and took out the Heaven-Supporting Shuttle, which led to their current predicament.

When they first entered, Guang Mingzi had said he couldn’t be bothered to set up any tests or trials. Only after arriving here did they realize they had been deceived. These Flame Giants were the ultimate trial.

They said this because, upon arriving, they had discovered four things that drove them to despair.

1. The stone chamber was several kilometers in diameter. They had appeared on the far right side, and to get the item on the far left, they had to cross the entire chamber.

2. The area was sealed by a special Array, making it impossible to send messages out, draw in Spiritual Qi to recover stamina, or even absorb Spirit Stones.

3. Spiritual Soldiers couldn’t be powered by Spirit Stones; they could only run on the Mana from one’s Qi Sea. Moreover, they couldn’t fly—only be placed on the ground, unable to move.

4. Flame Giants were everywhere. The moment these things saw people, they would charge, even willing to self-destruct. For every one killed, another would appear. They were endless.

"Qing’er, my Mana won’t last much longer. If it comes to it, I’ll go all out. I’ll use all my strength to tie up these Flame Giants, and you find a chance to escape!" After a moment, Yi Cheng gritted his teeth.

"No!" Seeing the resolve in her father’s eyes, Yi Qing cried out urgently.

"No arguments. My potential is limited. Even with more Cultivation, the best I can hope for is the Immortal Realm. But you’re different. You have the talent of a Flame Master. As long as you find a suitable Sect, increasing your strength will be a simple matter! Listen to me. You have to get out of here alive. You’re my only daughter. I would rather die than let anything happen to you!"

Yi Cheng gazed at his daughter, his eyes full of sorrowful reluctance. But he also knew these Flame Giants were simply too terrifying. If one of them didn’t make a sacrifice, both of them would surely die here!

And even with a sacrifice, it was hard to say if his daughter could escape. But at least it offered a sliver of hope.

"Father..." Hearing her father’s unchangeable decision, the rims of Yi Qing’s eyes reddened.

Her mother had died young, and the father-daughter pair had depended on each other for years. Her father was a part of her very being. ’I can’t just survive, I can’t watch him die before my eyes!’

"Then we’ll die together! Father, I won’t live on without you..." Yi Qing’s tone was just as resolute.

"You silly girl, why are you so stubborn? If something really happens to you, how will I face your mother in the afterlife?" Hearing his daughter’s words, Yi Cheng’s face was a mask of anxiety.

"Heh heh, trying to leave? You think you can actually get away?"

Just as the father and daughter were anxiously worrying about each other’s safety, a cold voice rang out. The two looked up and saw Elder Yuan Heng striding over with Elder Taiyuan, his Domain wide open.

Although the surrounding Flame Giants were at the Peak of Primordial Saint Realm, the same level as Yi Cheng, they were nothing before a Domain Realm Powerhouse. With the Domain open, these Flame Giants couldn’t even get close.

"Elder Yuan Heng, Elder Taiyuan? Nie Yun... Where’s Nie Yun?"

Seeing these two, Yi Qing’s whole body trembled. Her vision blurred, and she asked, her voice shaking.

’Since Elder Yuan Heng and Elder Taiyuan are here and Nie Yun still hasn’t arrived, something must have gone terribly wrong!’

"I was about to ask you that. Hand over that brat, and I might spare you and your father’s lives. Otherwise, I’ll snap both your necks right now!"

With a forward grasp of his right hand, BOOM! He lifted the Heaven-Supporting Shuttle right up. Elder Yuan Heng’s face was grim.

’The person I want to kill most is Nie Yun. As for these two, I just need to get them out of the Heaven-Supporting Shuttle and toss them to the Flame Giants. They won’t survive!’

"You don’t know where Nie Yun is either? So that means you didn’t kill him? That’s good..." Instead of feeling scared, Yi Qing sighed in relief. Her mood suddenly brightened.

"It seems you have quite the feelings for that lover boy of yours. I wonder if he feels the same way about you, though. Why don’t we test it? If I kill you right now, do you think he’ll show up?"

He suddenly thrust out a large hand. KRAK! He smashed a large hole in the Heaven-Supporting Shuttle and yanked Yi Qing out from inside.

The Heaven-Supporting Shuttle could at most contend with someone at the Mid-Stage Immortal Realm; it couldn’t possibly block a Domain Realm Powerhouse like Elder Yuan Heng.

"Let my daughter go..." Seeing his daughter captured, Yi Cheng roared furiously and was about to charge, but before he could even reach Elder Yuan Heng, Elder Taiyuan made his move. With a sealing motion of his hands, he pressed his right hand against Yi Cheng’s chest!

POW!

His back slammed hard against the inside of the Heaven-Supporting Shuttle, and Yi Cheng spat out a mouthful of blood.

Although Elder Taiyuan had suffered several defeats at Nie Yun’s hands, he was actually stronger than even Jiang Feng. Moreover, having followed behind Elder Yuan Heng the whole way, he hadn’t expended much stamina. Yi Cheng, on the other hand, had been maintaining the Heaven-Supporting Shuttle for so long that his own power was nearly exhausted. With one at his peak and the other depleted, how could he possibly be a match for him!

"Brat, I know you’re already here. If you know what’s good for you, get the hell out here right now! Otherwise, I’ll kill this woman! I’ll count to three... One!"

Gripping Yi Qing’s neck, he lifted her up. Elder Yuan Heng scanned his surroundings, his eyes full of sinister malevolence.

"Two..."

"Nie Yun, don’t come out! You’re already this strong now; killing him in the future will be easy for you. Just avenge me then!" Yi Qing shouted as she struggled against his grip. (In reality, he was holding her by the jawbone. If he were truly squeezing her neck, the blood flow would be cut off, and she’d pass out in under ten seconds.)

"Heh heh, a faithful girl and a heartless man, just as I thought. Since you won’t come out, I’ll just have to kill her!"

He scanned the area again but found no trace of Nie Yun. Elder Yuan Heng snorted coldly. Just as he was about to shout "Three," the entire stone chamber began to tremble violently. An immense, tide-like aura abruptly erupted from a single point, flooding the room in the blink of an eye. It surged forward like the heavens collapsing and the earth sundering, instilling a profound sense of powerlessness deep within one’s soul.

RUMBLE!

As this aura arose, a massive Spiritual Qi Vortex appeared out of thin air. It spun faster and grew larger, looking as if the slightest bit more force would cause the stone chamber to collapse under the impact of the Spiritual Qi!

WHOOSH!

Under the pressure of the Spiritual Qi, the horde of Flame Giants on the ground instantly stopped their rampage, each one standing frozen in place as if stunned.

"What is this..."

Seeing the stirring aura of Spiritual Qi and the pressure that seemed to pierce the heavens, Elder Yuan Heng’s expression changed, and he hastily retreated a few steps.

’To release so much Spiritual Qi at once... I doubt even a powerhouse at the Secret Realm Fifth Layer could do that!’

’Could it be a supreme expert from the Secret Realm Sixth Layer? No... that’s impossible! People like that are lofty, untouchable figures even among the Eight Great Sects. There’s no way one would appear here...’

At this thought, Elder Yuan Heng and Elder Taiyuan glanced at each other, each seeing deep fear in the other’s eyes.

The strongest Sect Leader of the Primordial Heart Sect was only at the Peak of Domain Realm and hadn’t even reached the Secret Realm Fifth Layer. This alone showed how terrifying a Fifth Layer powerhouse was!

’Now, a Spiritual Energy Vortex that not even a Secret Realm Fifth Layer powerhouse could create has suddenly appeared. What kind of power is this?’

Abruptly, just as Yuan Heng and Taiyuan’s faces were ashen, a cold voice suddenly rang out.

"I, Guang Mingzi, may not be a good person, but you want to kill someone in my territory? Have you asked for my permission?"

The voice was identical to the one they had heard from Guang Mingzi outside. Just as Yuan Heng and Taiyuan were reeling from shock, a figure abruptly appeared in mid-air.

The figure was that of an old man, identical to the silhouette they had seen on the stone wall outside. The only difference was that he was riding a snow-white Wolf King. Man and wolf hovered in the air, exuding a heaven-shattering aura from within. It was like a tidal wave or a collapsing mountain, making it impossible for anyone to even think of resisting.

Yuan Heng, in particular, felt an utterly berserk killing intent rushing straight towards him. It felt as if he dared to make a single move, the figure that had suddenly appeared in the air would instantly tear him to shreds!

’Powerful... He’s just too powerful!’

"Senior Guang Mingzi, I... I didn’t intend to kill anyone..."

Feeling this monstrous killing intent, a chill went through Elder Yuan Heng’s heart, and the words escaped him involuntarily. He was normally a resolute and powerful figure in his own right, but for some reason, faced with this mighty existence, his mind seemed to fail him completely.

’Although I don’t know how strong Guang Mingzi is, just by looking at this massive stone chamber built at the bottom of the molten rock, I can tell his abilities have to have reached at least the seventh or eighth layer of the Secret Realm!’

’The seventh or eighth layer of the Secret Realm... That’s the true peak of the Floating Heaven Continent. Am I not just courting death by offending someone like that?’

"You didn’t intend to kill anyone? Then what do you call this?"

The figure’s eyes narrowed, and a thick killing intent lingered in the air. Yuan Heng merely glanced up and felt a sharp pain in his eyes as if they were being pierced by needles. Terrified, he couldn’t help but shudder. THUMP! Yi Qing fell from his hand. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)