Chapter 229: Heavenly Fire

Several months prior, Shen Zong received news about Zuo Qingcang from the mysterious man Wuyi. After that, he dispatched Du Tianyu, the Great Qi general captured and subdued at sea, to cross the ocean and pursue Zuo Qingcang.

After spending several months traversing the sea to reach the New Continent, Du Tianyu spent over a month investigating Zuo Qingcang—or rather, Zuo Zhicheng’s current whereabouts. Only then was his identity as the Heavenly Serpent King confirmed.

Du Tianyu then tracked the Heavenly Serpent King’s trail and finally caught up with Zuo Zhicheng at this moment.

Upon arrival, he witnessed the Yama Holy Son attacking and chasing Zuo Zhicheng. This was unacceptable, because according to Shen Zong’s orders, Du Tianyu had to bring Zuo Zhicheng back alive and retrieve the originals of the Daoist Canon volumes 1 and 2, while destroying anything or anyone connected to them.

Zuo Zhicheng absolutely could not die before then.

So, after casting a brief glance at the Great Strength Diamond Divine Ape and seeing it swing its palm at Zuo Zhicheng, Du Tianyu sprang into action.

As he moved, a mighty sea of fire erupted from his body. His blood, muscles, and flesh suddenly surged violently. A flame soared from the back of his head—it was his Heartscape, “Heavenly Fire Scorching Plains.”

Activating the Heartscape conjured an illusory blaze while actual flames also burst out from every pore of Du Tianyu’s skin.

That was the power of his Life Grove, ‘Fire Magma,’ which allowed his bodily fluids to burn at high temperatures and bestowed him with exceptional fire resistance. Shen Zong had implanted this Life Grove during modifications to complement his Heavenly Fire Scorching Plains Heartscape.

Blinding flames instantly enveloped Du Tianyu’s entire form. His clothes vanished into ashes in seconds. But as both real fire and illusory fire blanketed his body, he became a fiercely blazing fire-man, making his shape impossible to discern for others.

Intense heat instantly melted all surrounding snowflakes. Du Tianyu stomped the ground, jets of flame blasting from his back. He shot forward like a meteor of fire toward the Great Strength Diamond Divine Ape.

Earlier, when Du Tianyu first appeared, the Yama Holy Son merely frowned. But when Du Tianyu transformed into a fire-being completely wreathed in flames, the Holy Son’s gaze turned intensely grave.

And when Du Tianyu’s fiery energy erupted violently, the blazing human charging at him with scorching heat, a storm of dark feelings surged in the Yama Holy Son’s mind—shock, fury, irritation. If these had to be summed into a single word, it was: Damn it.

It was someone barging in abruptly. Faced with this sudden ambush, the Great Strength Diamond Divine Ape halted abruptly, swept away the negative emotions, then extended and twisted its arm. A move called ‘Wheel of Life and Death’ slammed toward Du Tianyu charging sideways.

With a thunderous boom, Du Tianyu’s fist collided with the ape’s palm. The gale force tore wildly, whipping Du Tianyu’s serpentine fire-streams about.

Violent fire engulfed the entire Great Strength Diamond Divine Ape’s body. Du Tianyu was blasted back, his consciousness crushed by the Wheel of Life and Death, leaving his mind blank for an instant. Yet due to the bone fracture in the ape’s arm, this strike only sent Du Tianyu flying without damaging his flesh.

Meanwhile, flames wrapped around the Great Strength Diamond Divine Ape. It snorted heavily and rolled toward the wet snow, hoping to smother the fire.

But after rolling, it sensed something wrong. Under the snow’s touch, the flames on its body didn’t weaken at all.

Looking closer, its brow furrowed deeply. “Where did this Dharma Aspect expert come from?”

The fire consuming it was not just real flame born from the Fire Magma Life Grove but also illusory fire from the Heavenly Fire Scorching Plains Heartscape. Normally, with its impenetrable hide, tough against blades, water, and fire, even burning wouldn’t harm it.

But under Heart Mind fires like Earthly Fire Scorching Plains, physical makeup didn’t matter. The Mind Attack distorted perception directly, causing skin and fur to scorch, parch, crack and massively dehydrate. The ape’s flesh transformed into prime fuel.

Simultaneously, the phantom fire nullified the ape’s physical fire resistance. Then actual flames began burning its flesh. Physical fire amplified the feeling of being scorched, making it even more susceptible to the Heartscape fire’s “burning.”

Essentially, Du Tianyu’s Dao Arts and Martial Arts—one illusory, one real—reinforced each other perfectly. Why the Yama Holy Son judged the enemy as a Dharma Aspect master? Because despite unleashing the Wheel of Life and Death—a blend of physical and Mind Attack that blasted the opponent away—the Heavenly Fire Scorching Plains Heartscape still burned.

The Wheel of Life and Death grinds away consciousness. Weaker ones like the Underworld King Snake lost their spirit, got consciousness shattered, and if not saved by Zuo Zhicheng, would have had memory and mind wiped clean, becoming a plant snake.

As one of Dìyù Gate’s highest secrets, the Wheel bypasses any Heart Mind defenses or Heartscapes, interrupting Mind Attacks by erasing awareness outright.

Yet despite taking a direct blow, Du Tianyu suffered only a brief blankness while his Heavenly Fire Heartscape remained active.

This illustrates the second hallmark of Dharma Aspect masters: beyond powerful Heart Mind resistance, their Mind Attacks become near-real. As they realize cosmic truths and grasp their own Heartscapes, their mental projections grow tangible.

For example, fire-based attacks continue burning like real fire even after attacks end—not influencing matter but mirroring reality faithfully through familiarity with simulation.

Thus, though Du Tianyu’s mind froze momentarily after being hit, his Heavenly Fire raged on since fire naturally persists. Unlike Human Phase Masters whose flames vanish when Heart Mind energy stops.

This showed Du Tianyu’s Heavenly Fire grew truer after reaching Dharma Form. Moreover, Dharma Form masters can manifest Heart Mind power into matter like when Yama Holy Son infused the beast fang.

The Great Strength Diamond Divine Ape howled deafeningly. Covered head-to-toe in billowing flames, it tackled Du Tianyu again. Man and ape crashed together instantly.

Mounting fire soon ignited the entire forest. Snow melted away; rising steam blanketed the battlefield in fog.

Zuo Zhicheng watched with widening eyes as the battle intensified, then swiftly turned around and bolted.

Both monsters greatly surpassed him in strength. Staying might let him seize a killing chance, but it was too risky and near impossible.

…

News of the Yama Holy Son personally pursuing Shadow Corps commanders Heavenly Serpent King and Divine Martial King swept across the New Continent like a whirlwind. Divine Martial King He Zizai was gravely injured and unconscious; Heavenly Serpent King suffered minor wounds; the pursuit failed.

Mysteriously, however, Du Tianyu’s sudden emergence didn’t reach most people’s intel.

Regardless, following this incident, the Yama Holy Son cemented his three-domain prestige. Heavenly Serpent King’s power appeared ever more enigmatic.

Tension thickened between Shadow Corps, Heavenly River Sect, and Dìyù Gate.

A heavy mood like storms gathering in silent breezes hung over the martial world’s skies.

BOOK FIVE: Ghost Valley