"What kind of heavenly flame is that?"
In the sky, Protector Wu stared at the natal divine flame in Gu He's palm. After a long silence, he finally calmed himself and asked in a deep voice.
"Try it and you'll find out!" Gu He smirked coldly.
As soon as the words left his lips, the natal flame in his palm surged violently, transforming into a massive pillar of fire that shot straight toward the protector.
Seeing Gu He resort to a lethal move at the slightest disagreement, Protector Wu's expression darkened.
"You are going too far!"
With a furious roar, Protector Wu swung the five iron chains in his hands like coiling pythons, lashing them against the incoming pillar of fire.
But the next moment, shock flashed across his face.
The instant the strange iron chains touched the fiery pillar, they melted into streams of molten metal.
'Tsk tsk!'
A sizzling roar echoed as the molten chains were instantly vaporized by the blazing pillar.
"Not good!"
Before Protector Wu's shock could fade, panic took its place.
The massive fire pillar, undeterred by the melted chains, continued its relentless charge toward him.
"Damn it!"
At the critical moment, Protector Wu let out a furious howl. A thick, eerie black mist erupted from his body, shrouding him completely.
Just as the mist enveloped him, the fiery pillar struck with devastating force.
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion erupted as the fire pillar detonated within the black mist.
"Argh!"
A shrill scream tore through the mist—Protector Wu had suffered severe injuries.
Moments later, the black mist churned violently before dispersing, revealing the protector's shadowy form.
Though his true face remained obscured, his aura had weakened significantly, and the black mist around him had thinned.
"You…!"
"Bastard!"
"Who the hell are you? Why are you trying to kill me?!"
Protector Wu's face twisted with rage as he glared at Gu He, who stood calmly in the distance.
"Heh. If you can still shout this loudly, my last attack must've been too gentle."
Unfazed by the protector's fury, Gu He willed another wisp of his natal divine flame into his palm.
"You—!"
Seeing the flame reappear, Protector Wu's eyelids twitched. A deep, instinctive fear surged within him.
He had already experienced the horror of this flame.
If he took another hit, he would surely perish here.
"I can't just wait for death…"
His mind raced, desperately searching for a way out.
"Then… this is the only way!"
After a brief hesitation, Protector Wu steeled himself. With a swift motion, he summoned a swirling mass of black mist, pulsing with powerful soul energy.
His eyes flickered with reluctance, but after a moment, he gritted his teeth and formed a hand seal. The black mist expanded violently before rapidly shrinking—then, an ethereal soul was forcibly ejected from it.
The moment the soul appeared, Protector Wu spewed a stream of black mist to ensnare it. The trapped soul thrashed wildly, radiating waves of terror.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Protector Wu suddenly opened his mouth wide. A powerful suction force yanked the struggling soul into his gullet.
As the soul was devoured, the black mist around him thickened, and his aura surged.
But he didn't stop there.
One after another, he expelled more souls from the black mist, swallowing them whole.
With each soul consumed, the black mist grew denser, and his power intensified.
Gu He, who had been momentarily distracted by the protector's actions, suddenly realized what was happening.
Having read the BTTH, he recognized this method—the Hall of Soul's vile technique of devouring souls to amplify strength.
Watching the helpless souls being mercilessly consumed, Gu He's expression hardened.
"You think devouring souls will save you? Not a chance!"
Though these souls weren't overwhelmingly powerful, their sheer numbers would undoubtedly bolster Protector Wu's strength if left unchecked.
Without hesitation, Gu He activated So Far Away, instantly closing the distance between them.
The natal divine flame in his palm erupted into a massive fireball, blazing like a miniature sun.
Like a bolt of lightning, Gu He hurled it straight at the swirling black mist before Protector Wu.
The protector's face twisted in alarm as he tried to react—but it was too late.
"BOOM!"
The fireball struck the black mist, detonating with catastrophic force.
The mist burst apart, releasing a flood of ethereal souls that scattered in all directions, their terrified screams filling the air.
"This bastard… just how many souls has he captured?!"
Gu He's throat went dry as he stared at the hundreds of fleeing souls.
"These Hall of Soul lunatics… they're truly monstrous."
"You bastard! You destroyed my soul bag!"
Protector Wu's eyes burned crimson with rage. These souls had taken him years to collect—and now, if he failed to deliver his quota, the consequences would be dire.
The mere thought of his punishment sent his killing intent skyrocketing.
"No matter where you come from, I'll use your soul to replace the ones you let escape!"
With a deafening roar, five pitch-black chains erupted from his body, each wreathed in black mist twice as thick as before.
The chains lashed out like enraged serpents, their killing intent palpable.
...
"Whoosh!"
In the sky, five iron chains shot toward Gu He like ferocious dragons, their terrifying aura cutting through the air.
But just as they were about to strike, the Protector Wu's expression suddenly changed—Gu He's figure had vanished without a trace.
"Boom!"
The iron chains crashed into empty space, sending shockwaves rippling through the sky.
The Protector Wu hastily retracted his chains, his eyes darting around vigilantly.
"Where is he?"
A flicker of shock crossed his face—he had completely lost track of Gu He.
He refused to believe Gu He had fled. Yet, unable to sense even a trace of his presence, his expression grew increasingly grave.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted. A terrible realization struck him, and he jerked his head upward—
There, high above him, Gu He stood atop the Qinglian Holy Platform, his hands weaving an intricate series of hand seals at dazzling speed.
The movements were so fast they left afterimages in their wake.
Then—they stopped.
His hands froze in a final, profound seal—his thumbs coiled inward, index fingers aligned like two serpents, radiating an ancient, unfathomable mystique.
The moment the seal solidified, Gu He's closed eyes snapped open, and a blinding light erupted from them, piercing like a physical force. The Protector Wu below felt an instinctive surge of fear.
"Vermilion Bird Seal!"
With a sweeping motion, a cascade of mysterious runes surged from Gu He's hands.
Dozens of imprints condensed between his fingers in an instant.
As they gathered, brilliant starry patterns shimmered into existence in the sky.
Then—a piercing cry tore through the sky.
An elegant, colossal figure slowly emerged from the starry radiance—a Vermilion Bird, wreathed in crimson flames.
An overwhelming, scorching aura erupted from it, as if a beast of the apocalypse had descended, its presence so vast it seemed capable of burning the world to ashes.
Gu He's hands shifted again.
The Vermilion Bird phantom blazed with dazzling light, hanging in the sky like a second sun.
The moment it appeared, the surrounding space trembled under its oppressive might. The Protector Wu below felt an invisible weight crushing down on him.
His horrified gaze locked onto the phantom.
The dou qi within it was so terrifying that even a Dou Ancestor powerhouse like him felt his heart shudder.
"Go!" Gu He's fingers snapped forward.
The Vermilion Bird phantom shot forth like lightning, a streak of crimson light hurtling toward the Protector Wu.
The man's face twisted in alarm. He tried to retreat—but it was too late. The phantom had already locked onto him.
"What kind of dou technique is this? How can it be so powerful?!"
His mind raced in panic.
With no time to think, a thick black mist erupted from his body, its surging energy distorting the space.
The Vermilion Bird crossed the sky in an instant, arriving before the black mist.
Only then did the Protector Wu get a clear look at it.
"A Heaven Demon Phoenix?!"
His frown deepened. The phantom bore a striking resemblance to the legendary Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan.
"Does this man have ties to them?!"
But before he could ponder further, the overwhelming pressure of the Vermilion Bird's energy forced him into action.
With a furious roar, he swung his arms.
The black mist around him condensed rapidly, shrinking into a single, pitch-black sphere hovering before him.
The orb was so dark it seemed to swallow light itself, exuding a dread so profound that merely looking at it sent chills down the spine.
The moment the black sphere formed, the Protector Wu's aura visibly weakened.
Gritting his teeth, he flicked his fingers.
The black sphere shot forward.
And—
"BOOM!"
The two forces collided.
No deafening explosion came—instead, the crimson flames and the black dou qi clashed in a silent, brutal struggle, each devouring the other at the point of contact.
The space around them warped violently, as if on the verge of tearing apart.
Then—ripples of destruction erupted.
Waves of dou qi, hundreds of feet wide, radiated outward.
The mountains below trembled. Trees shattered into splinters. Magical beasts fled in terror, knowing that even a glancing touch from these berserk dou qi meant certain death.
The sky howled. Clouds churned. The very earth seemed to scream under the pressure.
For several minutes, the two forces raged against each other—
Until, finally—
"KABOOM!"
A cataclysmic explosion of black and crimson dou qi engulfed the surroundings.
The shockwave flattened forests, shattered mountain peaks, and sent boulders tumbling down like rain.
The entire mountain range descended into chaos.
…
Enjoying the story? Get early access to 70+ advanced chapters.
👉 Join me on Patreon: patreon.com/DarkLord621