Yun Wu rose to her feet and strode towards the palace doors, but suddenly, a streak of white light flashed, and then a tall, bearded man of a mighty disposition blocked the entrance. She had no choice but to halt.
“You again?” Yun Wu cursed, pissed. She didn’t need him to speak to know that he was that same ‘Guardian General’ who had been opposing her just minutes before.
“Your body is dead, so even if the Dragon Ascension Scroll has granted you its approval, it’s no use. You are still unqualified to enter the Pandemonium Palace. Come back when you’ve met the requirements.” He said in an emotionless voice, but the dignified quality of it was still clear as day.
This time, he didn’t give Yun Wu a chance to refute. He waved his hand, whipping up a strong force and mercilessly swatted her away, putting her under the impression that she was no different from a petty fly.
This damn door god, Yun Wu swore that once she returned, she would pluck out his beard.
…..
She reopened her eyes and winced. Her mind shook, and she swore she was watching a thousand lifetimes worth of memories flashing before her, bewildering her ability to decipher between true and false, reality and illusion.
The knots in her mind unraveled, allowing her to comprehend what had happened; just then, she had entered her own sea of consciousness. The Dragonfire Pearl and the ball of hearthfire had initiated the path to the Pandemonium Palace to open, and the Dragon Ascension Scroll had served as a medium. Unfortunately, her dead body had hindered her.
Actually, now that she thought about it, she realized how peculiar her situation was—her body was dead, but why was it that she was still able to function like a living person? She just couldn’t figure it out.
However, she quickly pushed it out of her mind. There was a more pressing matter at hand; she was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Yin poison in her system had been dissolved into nothing, replaced by a round, golden-red bead.
She opted to test her luck and attempted to guide a thread of flame-like essence into her meridians, where it slowly began to spread before finally settling within her dantian. The golden-red bead absorbed the essence and started to glow with golden light.
She could distinctly feel the mighty strength of a martial practitioner pulsating through her body and limbs. This caused her to consider the sneaking suspicion that the battle spirit energy contained within the golden-red bead was the genuine, authentic form cultivation energy.
The essence cycled for a week before Yun Wu discovered —to her astonishment— that she had reached the early-stage of Rank Five. It had taken Liu Qingyue thirty years to reach the third rank. Feeling jubilant, Yun Wu continued to cycle the essence, again and again, week after week.
Alas, Rank Five seemed to be her current limit.
…..
Within the vast expanse of magma, waves of black light dissipated to reveal a figure. The figure climbed out of a fissure and quickly swam up in upward strokes.
Splash! Yun Wu’s head broke the surface of the magma pool. She sprang up and landed next to it. For the first time in this life, her body felt unspeakably light and energetic, beyond comfortable as she inhaled deeply through her nose.
Unbeknownst to her, her formerly pitch-black pupils had turned an odd shade of violet.
“Ah!” She suddenly cried out in alarm and jumped back. The Redfire Dragon was lying beside the magma pool, its bestial eyes staring at her with murderous rage.
“Human, you’ve finally come out. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Waiting for her?
She suddenly remembered that she ate its Dragonfire Pearl.
Yun Wu cast a furtive glance at the surrounding man-eating vibes and the giant python, vaguely wondering if it was possible for her to defeat them now. She was completely unsure. Moreover, she still had the Redfire Dragon to deal with.
Seeing the dragon’s enraged state, she chuckled and hurriedly opened her mouth to gush, “Brother Dragon, please cease your anger. I braved hell and came out of there alive because I wanted us to have an opportunity to talk, you know? Anything can be resolved by talking, right?”
“I’ll rip you to shreds. The best conversation is for you to spit my Dragonfire Pearl back up.” The Redfire Dragon rose, flashing its fangs and claws at her. Yun Wu furrowed her brows.
“Even if you tore me to shreds, it’s no use. The truth is, I’ve already digested your Dragonfire Pearl.” She glanced at the entranceway. If she went all out and charge towards it, would she be able to escape?
The answer arrived soon enough. The Redfire Dragon raised its head and spat out a ball of flame, promptly sealing off her only portal of escape.
“Hmph, since you digested my Dragonfire Pearl, I’ll digest you. Your life is mine!” The Redfire Dragon roared angrily and swiped its claws at Yun Wu. Unable to retreat, she hollered, “Old man, save me!”
A ray of black light shot from her chest.
Bang! The two forces clashed. Releasing a roar of pain, the Redfire Dragon was once again knocked back.
“Brat, you’ll have to resolve this yourself, I’ve already assisted you enough. If I go on like this, I’ll end up evoking heaven’s wrath.” In her mind, the elderly voice said helplessly.
Yun Wu couldn’t help but get distracted by his words.
“Heaven’s wrath? That serious?”