Chapter 645: Spirit-Sealing Traps Crimson Flame

In previous lives, Crimson Flame had spent more than a decade evaporating the sea, a slow and gradual process that ultimately consumed the entire Congyun Sea, burning it to nothing.

Now, Black Flame had descended for only half a day, and already the entire Congyun Sea was boiling.

Vaporous steam rose in endless billows, forming thick clouds of fog that drifted across the water's surface.

Judging by the situation, it would take no more than a few days before the Congyun Sea was utterly dry!

The sheer gap between Crimson Flame and Black Flame was starkly apparent from this alone.

But compared to the terrifying power of Ink Death, which destroys everything, it still falls a bit short. Li Fan gazed silently at the churning, roiling sea below.

Just then, Immortal Eminence Hong Xi came flying back.

"The earth veins!"

He shouted the words hastily, his hands already forming countless seals as he manipulated the Heavenly Vitality Transformation Array.

Upon the light screen, the scenery shifted. A glowing, massive net appeared before them all.

The outermost edge of this net had been unmistakably stained black.

Understanding dawned in Li Fan's mind.

So that was it. Black Flame was using the power of the earth veins, those coursing, unceasing currents running throughout the Congyun Sea, to transmit heat rapidly to every corner of the ocean.

No wonder I haven't seen its form all this time. It's not just its martial prowess operating on a new level. Has even its intelligence evolved?

"Drain the earth veins. Force it to show itself!" A savage glint flashed in Immortal Eminence Hong Xi's eyes as he barked the command.

The earth veins were the very foundation of the land. If they were damaged, not only would the terrain within the province be thrown into chaos, but all manner of bizarre changes could occur. The region might even become inhospitable for cultivators from that point on.

Such a measure was never taken unless absolutely necessary. Even if one survived the calamity, one would not escape punishment from the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

But now, having already committed the act of slaying their own kind, the cultivators no longer cared.

The Heavenly Vitality Transformation Array, originally connected by the nodes of the earth veins, now began to draw power from them directly.

Humm...

Soon after, a strange sound rang in everyone's ears, as if the earth were overturning, mountains splitting, and valleys collapsing.

The already violently boiling seawater grew even more chaotic. Monstrous waves surged into the sky over the Congyun Sea once again. Even above, black storm clouds gathered and rolled in from some unknown source.

Gales howled, and the sea trembled.

Before this display of heaven and earth's power, the cultivators within Congyun City all turned pale as death, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

But having absorbed the earthy-yellow power of the earth veins, the protective array of Congyun City had grown even thicker and more resilient. Amid this scene of world-shattering ruin, it stood like a safe harbor in a storm, unmovable as a mountain.

It granted the cultivators at least a shred of courage.

The wind and waves grew fiercer.

As the water level of the Congyun Sea continued to drop, shallow layers of the seabed began to be exposed.

Unlike the usual scene of silt on the seafloor, the seabed was completely covered in a layer of black, unknown substance, like stone scorched to powder by fire.

"I fear that even once this tribulation passes, it will be decades, perhaps a century, before the Congyun Sea returns to its former state."

Many cultivators who saw this sighed in lament.

Seeing that Black Flame still hadn't shown itself, Hong Xi hardened his resolve completely.

"Continue! Do not stop!"

The seabed cracked and rumbled as the Heavenly Vitality Transformation Array continued to operate at full power.

Boom!

It seemed a threshold had been reached. Fiery red magma suddenly spewed forth from the seafloor.

Then, as if triggering a chain reaction, fiery dragons erupted across the Congyun Sea, molten rock jetting toward the sky.

Thousands of flame dragons rose, and heaven and earth blazed.

Within the warped air, a figure, half red and half black, silently materialized beneath Congyun City.

"Finally emerged, have you?"

A glint of murderous intent and greed flashed in Immortal Eminence Hong Xi's eyes. His form vanished.

The next moment, he transformed into a chain of mountains, encircling the figure.

"That is...!"

"Crimson Flame! Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth, Crimson Flame!"

The cultivators who witnessed this evolved version of Crimson Flame's true form fell into a frenzy.

Despite having seen the terrifying power that could boil a sea with a single gesture, they couldn't extinguish the yearning in their hearts.

"So it wasn't a meteor calamity, but a Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth descending!"

"Correct! An opportunity! A heaven-sent opportunity!"

"Sacrifice the soul of heaven and earth, and you can ascend in a single step, straight into Dao Unity!"

Within a few breaths, the cultivators were utterly consumed by greed. Some urged everyone to join forces and hunt Crimson Flame down.

Many others, having lost their minds, charged directly at Crimson Flame like moths to a flame.

The result, naturally, was that they were incinerated to ash before they could even get close.

Still Crimson Flame, not Black Flame. Li Fan paid no heed to the fates of these people, staring instead at the half-red, half-black mutated Crimson Flame, lost in thought.

His avatar was currently burning with greed as well. Yet unlike in previous lives, when the mere sight of Crimson Flame had nearly driven him mad, this time was different.

Even without his true self deliberately circulating the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Sutra, the avatar's greed vanished on its own, like snowflakes dissolving into water. It stirred only faint ripples, with no real effect on him.

An Immortal technique truly is extraordinary. Not only does it keep my own heart so clear and bright, but even an avatar thousands of li away benefits from its effects.

Li Fan sighed in admiration.

To avoid revealing any flaw, Li Fan still pretended to be deeply tempted by the Soul Arbiter, as if barely restraining himself.

His eyes were bloodshot, his veins bulging, as he stood rooted to the spot.

He wanted to see where Immortal Eminence Hong Xi was finding his courage to face Crimson Flame alone.

After all, in his past life, even a weakened version of Crimson Flame had proven too much for Hong Xi and several other Spirit Transformation cultivators to handle together, let alone this black-and-red mutation.

Without some other trump card, Immortal Eminence Hong Xi would likely be killed instantly.

But clearly, Hong Xi was not that reckless.

Under Li Fan's watchful gaze, Hong Xi arrived before Crimson Flame.

He transformed into a range of overlapping peaks, briefly trapping It. At the same time, he raised a small mirror high, pointing it at Crimson Flame.

This is...! Li Fan's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Array!" Immortal Eminence Hong Xi bellowed.

A beam of pure green light shot forth from the square mirror, striking Crimson Flame's body.

Like a gale passing through, Crimson Flame's semitransparent form flickered violently.

But for all the might It had just displayed, It was utterly helpless against this green light.

As if It had met Its natural predator, a flicker of shock crossed Its face, and Its body froze instantly in place.

A surge of ecstasy washed over Immortal Eminence Hong Xi's face.

Damn it! Li Fan thought to himself.

Will Hong Xi achieve Dao Unity so easily in this life?

He had never imagined that upon returning from the headquarters of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, Immortal Eminence Hong Xi would be in possession of such a devastating weapon.

Nor had he imagined that before the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Array, the Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth would prove so utterly helpless.