Chapter 331: The Three Evils of Black Prison
Chapter 331: The Three Evils of Black Prison
Cheng Lingyu stretched out his hand to feel the Fire Rain’s aura. The scorching sting reminded him of its formidable power.
Xiling Yue was enveloped in shimmering black-and-white luminous rings that easily shredded the Fire Rain, converting it into pure flame essence which she absorbed directly.
Cheng Lingyu relaxed his entire body. Flecks of dark light emerged from him, making the surrounding Fire Rain appear even brighter.
As darkness spread, Cheng Lingyu’s aura transformed mysteriously. He seemed to become the heart of the world itself. Countless fire droplets surged toward him, bursting into sparks before contact and dissolving into black energy that flowed into his body.
Baili Jingfeng and Xiling Yue watched him with shock and confusion, unable to comprehend his methods.
“After sunset comes darkness. Is this Fallen God Ridge’s Darkness Descends?” Baili Jingfeng murmured, recognizing traces of that unparalleled ultimate skill.
Xiling Yue gasped. “You mean the same technique Master Han Cang used to kill two powerful rivals in the Blood Moon Wasteland?”
“I’m not certain,” Baili Jingfeng said cautiously. “But the resemblance is striking.”
Cheng Lingyu chuckled. “No need for doubts, Senior Brother Baili. This isn’t Darkness Descends—just a minor trick.”
Though relieved, the two still harbored suspicions. Could such a display truly be just a trick?
The trio journeyed through Fire Rain Marsh’s outermost region, where dangers remained manageable. Endless Fire Rain pattered down, forming flaming dew across the landscape.
Occasional cultivators flashed past—sword-riders or treasure-fliers—unlike the trio’s leisurely pace.
The vast Fire Marsh First Level gradually revealed flame-forged rivers and mountains, ethereal and illusionary in their haunting beauty.
Xiling Yue marveled openly while Baili Jingfeng maintained his calm demeanor. Cheng Lingyu’s vortex-like eyes devoured fire spirit energy from the void, converting it into Primordial Spirit power.
At Blood Martial Second Level’s final stage, Cheng Lingyu’s flesh bore the first three tiers of the Heavenly Spirit Diagram. This allowed automatic absorption of spiritual energy, converting it into true essence to strengthen both body and soul.
Though seemingly relaxed, every cell in Cheng Lingyu’s body buzzed with activity—absorbing, processing, evolving. The dark light around him expanded steadily, forming an eerie domain resembling a self-manifesting Path of Origin.
Baili Jingfeng and Xiling Yue exchanged uneasy glances. Their probing attempts vanished into Cheng Lingyu’s dark aura like stones dropped into an abyss.
Unperturbed, Cheng Lingyu let his body’s natural processes unfold, relishing this organic growth.
Their pace quickened imperceptibly. After crossing a stone mountain, they entered Fire Marsh Second Level. Here, flame-formed grasses and dwarf trees dotted the landscape, with fiery streams winding between them. Scarlet butterflies flitted through the air.
“Fire-made spiritual herbs!” Xiling Yue exclaimed, spotting a glowing plant.
“Infused with underground fire essence,” Baili Jingfeng confirmed. “Hundredfold potency compared to ordinary plants.”
Xiling Yue snatched the herb, which dissolved into tri-colored flames merging with her being. Cheng Lingyu merely swept his gaze across the terrain, drawing clusters of fiery herbs toward him effortlessly.
Xiling Yue remarked with surprise, “Who knew he actually had some tricks up his sleeve?”
Baili Jingfeng responded, “His methods are astonishing – only his cultivation level falls short.”
Few cultivators remained in the outer regions of Fire Rain Marsh now. The dazzling divine light had appeared days earlier, drawing most experts to the Fifth Layer of Fire Marsh. Scattered latecomers were generally mediocre, hardly worth attention.
An exception existed – arrivals not from Brilliant Star Continent but Shadow Star Continent, their delayed timing inevitable.
Cheng Lingyu maintained steady progress, his body continuously emitting light and heat as he moved. The radiant darkness surrounding him sharply contrasted with his own glowing form, creating that puzzling wondrous scene of alternating light and shadow.
Upon entering the Third Layer of Fire Marsh, towering fire trees stood everywhere. Flaming crimson creatures chased each other through this prosperous illusion – all flame-formed yet containing fire essence with traces of cosmic truth.
Passing a lake, Cheng Lingyu saw fish leaping freely until his corrosive darkness approached. Lakewater transformed into flames that instantly died out, leaving even Cheng Lingyu perplexed. Baili Jingfeng and Xiling Yue stared at him like he’d become some monster.
Wherever Cheng Lingyu walked across mountains and lakes, illusions vanished leaving only residual warmth. An odd sensation ahead drew him unconsciously off-course despite Baili Jingfeng’s warnings.
“He’s found something. Let’s follow,” Xiling Yue urged, her sharp senses detecting danger beneath the pouring Fire Rain and blazing firelight.
“People here?” Baili Jingfeng frowned. This was Third Layer territory – why would cultivators linger?
A valley contained massive square stones arranged in a miles-wide formation. Torrential Fire Rain and crimson light veiled the central area, obscuring its secrets. Cheng Lingyu stood at the edge, his darkness stark against the blazing flames – an ethereal figure radiating no detectable aura.
“This place feels sinister,” Baili Jingfeng noted calmly from Cheng Lingyu’s left.
Xiling Yue on his right stared intently. “There’s a humanoid flame there!”
After encountering countless flame creatures, this was their first human-shaped fire. “That’s a Strange Flame…” Cheng Lingyu began.
Across the formation, three black-robed, hat-clad cultivators observed them with piercing gazes. These mysterious figures had guarded this place suspiciously long.
Xiling Yue shouted across, “Who are you? What’s your business here?”
“The Three Evils of Black Prison!” The icy reply shattered falling fire rain, extinguishing flames with murderous chill.
Xiling Yue paled. “You!”
Cheng Lingyu asked, “Who’re they?”
“Evil Heart, Evil Emotion, Evil Soul,” Xiling Yue explained gravely. “From the ancient Black Prison Sect – older than Three Saints and Four Peerless. They thrive where evil exists.”
“Troublesome?”
“Extremely. Rank with Night Soul Clan, Shadow Bone Sect, and Celestial Sacrifice Sect.” Cheng Lingyu tensed – he’d witnessed Night Soul Clan’s terror through Ye Tianlong’s power.
“They want that Strange Flame,” Baili Jingfeng observed calmly. Lou Ri City feared no sect.
“If it attracts them, it’s valuable,” Cheng Lingyu suggested. “Should we try claiming it?”
“Let’s scout this eerie place first,” Xiling Yue cautioned.
New arrivals interrupted – four figures appearing. First came a straw-cloaked elder and smiling plump youth in fine silks, his patterned copper bell tinkling. Next came colorfully-dressed wild-looking duo radiating danger.