Chapter 174: Vermilion Bird Trial—The Vermilion Bird King!
As Lin Fan stepped through the bronze gate, his vision was immediately swallowed by darkness.
Even his senses were sealed—everything was confined within his body.
The spiritual power that had previously radiated around him was forcibly compressed back into his body.
This abrupt suppression caused Lin Fan to pause briefly, but he soon relaxed.
And the moment he let go, the darkness around him began to dissipate. Threads of light pierced through the void, shining upon his form.
Squinting slightly, Lin Fan scanned his surroundings.
In front of him stood a massive gate that loomed like a mountain. Compared to it, Lin Fan was as small as an ant.
The giant gate glowed faintly red and remained slightly ajar.
Beyond it, however, was nothing but a hazy blur—he couldn't see anything clearly.
Buzz…
Suddenly, crimson light gathered upon the gate, and ancient characters began to emerge with a powerful, captivating aura.
"Four Symbols Profound Sect — Vermilion Bird Hall."
Lin Fan muttered as he read the inscription.
"So I ended up in the Vermilion Bird Hall... This trial should suit me well."
Just as he spoke, new words appeared, shining with blood-red light:
"Vermilion Bird Trial — One in Nine Survive. Enter at your own risk! Enter at your own risk!"
The double warning, coupled with the faint blood mist around the letters, gave off a grim and vicious aura.
"Tsk, looks like all four halls start the same way," Lin Fan chuckled. He didn't seem particularly concerned.
Without hesitation, he stepped through the partially open gate.
The moment he passed through, Lin Fan's vision blurred—and then,
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion rang out as a wave of fire surged forth, bathing Lin Fan in red light.
What filled his eyes now was an endless sea of red.
Upon closer inspection, Lin Fan realized it wasn't just any red—
The sea was entirely composed of magma.
He stood on a crimson boulder floating atop this molten ocean.
Sizzling heat radiated around him, and when droplets of magma splashed onto his leg, they burned with intense pain.
"Couldn't fly above the Thunder Sea in Azure Dragon Hall… I wonder if flying works here," Lin Fan muttered, rubbing his chin as he eyed the magma sea.
Originally, he'd thought that with his Flame Resistance Constitution, the Vermilion Bird Hall would pose no threat to him.
Clearly, he'd been a bit overconfident.
The magma wasn't regular fire—it didn't threaten him through burning, but through sheer temperature.
"Taiqing Wandering Sky Step!"
With a low shout, Lin Fan activated the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace's movement technique and flew up from the magma stone.
Ssshhh!
He only made it a few meters before an irresistible force crashed down from all directions and slammed him back into the magma sea.
Gurgle gurgle!
The magma bubbled violently, and the heat instantly melted his shoes, scalding his feet painfully.
Lin Fan quickly retreated back to the rock and began considering a solution.
Swimming through magma wasn't exactly appealing.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Got it!"
Boom!
With a thought, he activated the Flame Ancestor Symbol.
Immediately, roaring flames ignited around his body—he looked like a man made of fire.
Even the soles of his feet blazed fiercely.
The flames insulated him from the magma. Using them as a buffer, Lin Fan began to stride across the magma sea unhindered.
Sensing that the magma was no longer effective, the environment began to shift.
After three days, the magma vanished—replaced by a sea of fire.
But it wasn't ordinary flame—this was Nirvana Flame.
Fortunately, Lin Fan was even more at ease here. He retracted his own flames and walked freely across the Nirvana Fire without issue.
Another three days passed.
The fire turned pitch black.
It had become Nirvana Demon Flame—notorious for its terrifying destructiveness.
"Tsk tsk, this trial is absurd. Anyone else—even a Three Yuan Nirvana expert—would never survive,"
Lin Fan laughed lightly and kept walking.
Crash! Crash!
On the third day within the black flame sea, the surface suddenly roiled violently.
Massive waves erupted, and countless tendrils of Nirvana Demon Flame shot skyward.
Then—
A colossal shadow emerged from the depths.
Though indistinct, its size was overwhelming. Within a thousand meters, everything was cast under its shadow.
Lin Fan's eyes narrowed, and he quickly retreated some distance.
As he did, a massive wave crashed against the sea with a thunderous roar.
The entire Vermilion Bird Hall's space shook violently.
The wave's impact blasted magma, Nirvana Flame, and Demon Flame across the area, crashing into Lin Fan and hurling him hundreds of meters before he finally stabilized.
Immediately, he reignited his protective flames to keep the burning fluid at bay.
Then he looked up—what he saw made him inhale sharply.
Before him floated a behemoth—its body blazing red, covered in searing feathers. Its flaming wings stretched wide like a burning sky.
A terrifying pressure, as if from the heavens themselves, rolled outward from the creature.
Under this oppressive force, even Lin Fan's spiritual power was suppressed back into his Niwan Palace.
His protective flames dimmed considerably.
This beast's image matched exactly with what he had seen in ancient illustrations—
It was the mythical Vermilion Bird.
"So, someone finally passed the Vermilion Bird Trial, huh?"
A calm, amused voice echoed across the fiery sea.
Lin Fan turned toward the sound and saw a figure in red robes, seated cross-legged on the Vermilion Bird's back.
He looked at Lin Fan with mild curiosity.
Lin Fan cupped his fists. "May I ask, senior, how I should address you?"
"Heh, a name? I've long forgotten. Most just call me the Vermilion Bird King,"
the red-robed figure replied with a chuckle.
Then he eyed Lin Fan curiously and asked,
"You're using the power of the Flame Ancestor Symbol… yet I don't sense the Flame Ancestor Symbol's aura inside you. Why is that?"
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