t
Nonetheless, she refused to release the pearl because she knew if she did, she would be left utterly defenseless. The Redfire Dragon brought her to the face of death, but she was unwilling and would rather fight than surrender.
Having been sent flying, while her hands were not yet fully crippled by the flames, she exploited the moment of respite to swiftly bring the pearl and its encompassing flame to her lips.
“Brat, no matter what, don’t…” The horrified elderly voice in her mind started, but it was too late. As the palm-sized flame and the Dragonfire Pearl entered Yun Wu’s mouth, the two entities transformed into magma and burned unbridled down her throat, flowing into her body.
Instantly, she felt as though an inferno had descended upon her to consume her very being. Even with her inconceivable resilience, Yun Wu found it hard to withstand the relentless pain. An anguished cry escaped her throat as the expanse of magma suddenly began to tremble.
“Brat?” The elderly voice sounded anxious. The spirit immediately summoned a thick layer of black light to wrap firmly around Yun Wu’s body. He wanted to help her, but alas, he could only relieve the discomfort caused by external flames. Without a contract, it was impossible for him to assist her with sorcerous magic.
Moreover, Yun Wu wasn’t aware that the flame she had so impetuously swallowed was the purest form of fire, nurtured by the heavens and earth themselves; hearthfire. That ball of hearthfire contained immeasurable power. If an ordinary person were to touch it with their bare hands, their hands would burn to ashes—to say nothing of swallowing it!
In other words, Yun Wu’s actions were nothing short of suicidal.
Pain! So much pain.
The agonized Yun Wu didn’t even dare breathe. She could only firmly clench her teeth, stubbornly holding on to her consciousness, for otherwise, she was afraid she would really be disintegrated to ashes. Her soul and body felt like they were being incinerated, but she refused to yield, repeatedly telling herself, just bear it for a bit longer, just a bit longer…
Finally, the Redfire Dragon registered what had happened, which successively caused its pupils shrink in towering anger. It roared, “My Dragonfire Pearl… my Dragonfire Pearl… abominable human, return my Dragonfire Pearl to me… I’ll tear you apart!”
Bearing dense, almost tangible murderous intent, the beast’s ferocious claws struck out fearlessly at the barrier of black light.
Bang!
The clash of formidable force on both sides resulted in a turbulence, causing a disturbance to Yun Wu’s unstable condition. She spat out a mouthful of black blood, feeling as though the heavens and earth were spinning around her as her body was swiftly knocked into one of the fissures within the magma pool.
The Redfire Dragon released a disgruntled roar, then it revealed its monstrous teeth and charged at her, evidently delirious in its desire to push Yun Wu out of the fissure and tear her apart to regain its Dragonfire Pearl.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The magma pool shook and quaked.
…..
Yun Manor.
Old Master Yun anxiously hurried back. Knowing someone had trespassed the Forbidden Grounds, he was truly enraged, and his booming bellow traveled to every corner of the manor. He was especially angered by the news that his ninth granddaughter had perished within the Forbidden Grounds.
Admittedly, he didn’t pay much attention to any of his granddaughters. Even so, they were still, after all, his blood-related kin. All of the sudden, the earth below the manor began to shake. In the sky, the wind and clouds were painted a new eerie color.
Within the Presence Chamber, Old Master Yun was rebuking Liu Qingyue and the other Yun daughters. When they caught sight of the strange phenomenon, they blanched.
“What is happening? An earthquake?”
“Look outside, the sky is changing colors…”
“So red, just like fire…”
One after another, astonished exclamations filled the presence chamber. Old Master Yun —Yun Qi— abruptly rose from his seat and hurried out the door to look at the reddening sky. Then, as if something had dawned on him, his expression turned to one of shocked fright.
“Hurry, invite the Three Elders. They’re currently in secluded meditation, but tell them to immediately come to the Forbidden Grounds.” Yun Qi issued a loud command to the surrounding guards before he himself strided towards the Forbidden Grounds.
The Three Elders?
They were Yun Manor’s true pillars of strength, though they barely showed themselves. They would only appear to deal with major affairs. Now, every single Elder was unexpectedly being summoned—the severity of the situation was self-evident.
The guards dared not delay. As the ground shook, the guards scrambled away to the Yun Cultivation Grounds.
…..
Pain fostered by the so-called hellfire paled in comparison to the torment Yun Wu was currently subjected to. She had lost her sense of time, and she was aware of her consciousness slowly slipping away.
Her whole body felt numb. She was deprived of even her strength to breathe. Before the claws of oblivion overtook her mind, the only thing she could do was painstakingly ground her teeth, trying her utmost to keep a sliver of consciousness.
By now, only a fragment of her soul remained; the rest had been burned away by the hearthfire. Out of nowhere, in the chaos of her mind, a mighty void materialized and sucked in that last fragment of her soul. When Yun Wu opened her eyes once more, she was met with a stretch of white fog. Overhead, centered amidst the fog, was a floating white bead.
Wasn’t that the Dragonfire Pearl she swallowed? Why was it….
Yun Wu’s eyes widened in confusion. Then, an ear-grating peal rang out, instantly causing her a splitting headache. Her body trembled, and her eyes were momentarily blinded.
Around her, the fog methodically dispersed and was replaced by a fiery sea of fire. The sea of fire enveloped her as the Dragonfire Pearl appeared above her head and began to gyrate. At that moment, Yun Wu realized the pain had miraculously disappeared.