The Flame Beast looked up at the small gray figure surrounded by golden light in mid-air, and after a while, it suddenly let out a loud roar. In an instant, the temperature in the entire grand hall soared, as if it had become a sea of fire.
It let out a loud roar, and its attention suddenly shifted from Gui Li to Xiao Hui. With a burst of energy, it leapt into the air, pouncing towards Xiao Hui with its four limbs. The flames on its body blazed fiercely, and even the mysterious flame halo behind it, which was constantly rotating, seemed to be burning brighter than ever before.
Under the overwhelming pressure of the flames, the golden light emanating from Xiaohui's body was suppressed in an instant. The flames surged up frantically, and it seemed that they were about to engulf Xiaohui.
At this critical moment, a figure appeared in front of Xiao Hui, it was Gui Li. He saw him rise up and float in front of Xiao Hui, the black Soul-Devouring Magic Staff shone brightly under his true law's urging, emitting a mysterious blue-green light, with faint blood threads intertwined within.
In an instant, the giant head of the strange beast had pounced in front of Gui Li, and facing such a powerful and ferocious monster, Gui Li could even clearly see the sharp fangs in its bloody mouth.
Take a deep breath!
In the midst of flying sparks, a Buddhist mantra suddenly appeared three feet in front of Gui Li's face, shining with golden light. A moment later, only to see his face flash with cyan gas, just as the giant claw of the alien beast was about to hit the mantra, a faint cyan color emerged from the golden light on top of the mantra.
Since the founding of Qingyunmen and Tianyinsi, the two great true methods "Mahavairocana" and "Taiji Xuanqing Dao" have been simultaneously performed for the first time.
Flames fill the sky, like mountains and seas!
The ferocious beast let out a deafening roar and struck down with its massive palm. The enormous power of the flames was forcibly suppressed by the True Words, and in an instant, an unparalleled radiance burst forth from the point of impact. The mountain-like flames instantly reversed direction and shot back, and the gigantic beast's body was actually sent flying backward, causing the entire grand hall to shake violently as if shaken by an invisible force.
That flame beast fell back to the ground, seemingly also shocked, suddenly raised its head, a pair of burning flame-like eyes looked towards the figure in front.
The true words of Jin Mang gradually dimmed and disappeared, slowly disappearing into the air. Gui Li's body fell to the ground, his foot touching the earth, and he stumbled, his face turning pale.
The soul-devouring creature slowly flew down and hovered in front of its master, still emitting a faint, mysterious blue-green glow amidst the flames.
The corners of Gui Li's mouth twitched slightly, and he suppressed it, but a moment later, he moved again. Finally, his shoulders shook violently, and with a "wa" sound, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out. The bright red blood seemed to turn into a crimson mist, floating in front of him.
Just like many years ago, that one rainstorm of mournful sorrow!
Drop by drop, the fresh blood wrapped around that black stick, the former "fire poker" quietly swallowed every drop of fresh blood, and silently sucked it into the rod body, leaving no trace.
On the Blood Bead, the red light gradually brightened.
A chill ran down Gui Li's entire body.
The fury that had been suppressed until now finally couldn't be held back, Gui Li let out a long howl towards the sky, his eyes turned blood red, and in an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, endless blood and corpses surged forth like a nightmare, wrapping around him. His trembling hands slowly clenched into fists, as if he could no longer endure the boiling blood throughout his body!
Across from him, the eight great evil gods on the flame totem behind the strange beast also flickered with a faint light, as if responding to the bloody killing aura on his body.
The current Kui is like a ferocious beast, confronting the flame monster in front of him. The entire hall is scorching hot, as if even the air is burning.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, the flame beast let out a low growl, as if it had become slightly uneasy for the first time.
The little gray thing fell down in front of Gui Li's body.
The eye on the forehead shone with golden light, and from all over Xiao Hui's body came the sound of "Ka Ka Ka Ka" as his joints violently shook and knocked. Then, under the gaze of Gui Li and the flame beast, Xiao Hui began to transform.
The originally slender body suddenly bulged with countless thick and solid muscles, amidst the creaking sound of joints. Xiao Hui's body slowly grew larger. In a moment when everything was clearly visible to the human eye, a monkey that was originally less than half the height of a person rapidly grew in muscle and bone, and in the blink of an eye had already surpassed Gui Li's body.
Muscle bulged block by block on Xiao Hui's arm, chest and abdomen, his head grew bigger, and even a pair of long and sharp fangs appeared in his mouth, emitting a cold glow, protruding from the huge mouth. The palm that was originally used to pick fruit had also grown sharp claws.
Finally, when this transformed monkey became a ferocious beast almost as tall as the Flame Beast, it slowly opened its eyes, the pair of eyes under the third eye.
Fiery and bloodthirsty gaze, mixed with a piece of golden light, dazzling and outstanding.
The originally spacious altar hall, at this moment suddenly had two such huge monsters, instantly crowded. Xiaohui's eyes were full of ferocity, staring at the flame beast in front of him, his mouth constantly roaring.
The Flame Beast's giant head slowly turned, its eyes only showing flames, without any expression. However, it can be seen that when facing this suddenly transformed giant ferocious ape, there is also a hint of apprehension.
Suddenly, Xiao Hui let out a loud roar and the third eye that shone with golden light suddenly burst into radiance. A beam of golden light shot out, and the Flame Beast let out a low growl before retreating.
A golden light struck the ground, a loud rumble, and instantly blasted a large pit in the hard crimson rock.
Before the Flame Beast could react, Gui Lie, who had been standing behind Xiao Hui, suddenly rose into the air, his body surrounded by a halo of eerie thorns. The Devouring Soul Rod in front of him shot out with a whoosh, charging towards the Flame Beast.
Almost at the same time, Xiao Hui also followed and pounced on the Flame Beast.
The flames in the eyes of the Flame Beast suddenly reached an extreme intensity...
Suddenly, just as Gui Lie was about to attack the monster in front of him with all his might, the Xuanhuo Mirror on his right arm seemed to suddenly awaken, bursting out a pure Yang energy that far exceeded any previous time, rushing towards the violent energy of the Blood Devouring Bead that filled Gui Lie's meridians.
His face turned deathly pale in an instant. His body, which was flying in mid-air, felt as if it had been struck by a massive force, and he felt as if thousands of sharp blades were simultaneously piercing his flesh and blood. The pure yang energy inside his body seemed to be stimulated by the cold, violent aura of the Blood Devouring Bead, and it rapidly transformed into an extremely hot flame that filled every meridian in his body, constantly battling with the icy aura of the bead.
His entire body suddenly collapsed, and he fell powerlessly from mid-air, heavily crashing onto the ground. The Soul Devouring Beast that had flown halfway lost its master's urging and immediately flew back as if it had a spirit, "thud" falling onto his body.
"Hsss......" Xiao Hui's three eyes all turned towards him at the same time, his mouth loudly roaring in anger, clearly unable to imagine why Gui Li had suddenly become like this.
But almost at the same time, the Flame Beast on the opposite side began to move. One of the eight fierce gods above the flame totem circle behind the Flame Beast suddenly flashed brightly, and with a loud roar from the Flame Beast, it rushed forward fiercely. The light of that fierce god was like a living thing, baring its teeth and claws as it charged alongside the beast.
Xiao Hui let out a furious roar and suddenly pounced, its massive body colliding with the other enormous beast in mid-air. The two gigantic creatures crashed to the ground, causing the entire grand hall to shake violently.
The flames burned like a mountain of fire, instantly engulfing Xiao Hui's strong body, with several places on his body catching fire. However, he seemed to ignore the pain from the flames and swiped down with one paw, heavily hitting the Fire Beast's head. Almost at the same time, his abdomen was also severely struck by his opponent.
Two gigantic beasts simultaneously let out a painful roar, and after a moment, they entwined and fought each other again. Their massive bodies transformed into a terrifying volcano, with every heavy blow sending blood rain flying across the sky.
The ghost lay weakly on the ground, tormented by a sudden and immense pain that left him unable to move. His vision was a blur of crimson, but somehow, at this moment, his mind suddenly cleared up.
All the sounds of fighting suddenly moved away, and the scorching flames seemed to be far away in the sky. The unbearable pain invaded every inch of his skin. His eyes clearly saw in the bloody light that the ferocious god image manipulated by the eerie force was pouncing on him with a fierce face in mid-air.
But he didn't show the slightest fear!
How long is an instant?
On the edge of life and death, what will you think of?
Was it that night of rain in the bamboo forest many years ago? Or was it the pale figure beside me when I fell into the endless abyss?
In a daze, I saw the past, the faint smile on your face when we first met...
He slowly closed his eyes.
Are you going to die? Then just go and die!
This life is really exhausting!
The next moment, endless darkness with a sense of foreboding enveloped him.
Bang!
A massive force slammed Gui Li's body directly from the ground into mid-air, flying backwards. The ferocious god transformed into a light image, grinning and clinging to his body. With a "hiss", it tore open his clothes, opened its bloody mouth wide, and was about to bite his neck.
Xiao Hui, who was fighting the Flame Beast, heard the sound and turned his head back. In an instant, his eyes widened, the corners of his eyes cracked, and fresh blood flowed down, crossing his face, almost like a ghost from the nine hells, letting out a shrill scream.
It was as if a surge of energy came from nowhere, and Xiao Hui's eyes turned red as if they were about to bleed. With a loud roar, he managed to fling the Flame Beast away. But almost at the same time, the Flame Beast's sharp claws tore open a huge wound on its abdomen, and fresh blood spurted out like a raging torrent.
But Xiao Hui didn't even glance at his body and instead charged towards Gui Lie with all his might.
That man who was haunted by the ferocious god!
At this moment, reflected in its crimson eyes like fresh blood...
What was originally just a foot away might be as far apart as heaven and earth.
……
The wind howls.
Ominous signs appear one after another.
The ferocious god's sharp teeth sank into Gui Li's neck. From several meters away, Xiao Hui let out a desperate whimper and howl.
A faint red glow suddenly emerged from the tattered and worn-out clothes of the fierce ghost. For some reason, that ferocious light suddenly froze in place, motionless.
Mystic Flame Crystal!
The ancient flame totem surrounded by the emerald green jade ring in the middle slowly lit up, emitting a red light that shone on the image of the evil god.
With almost no resistance, a "hiss" sound was heard, and the ferocious and menacing image of the evil god's light was sucked in by Xuán Huǒ Jiàn like a whale drinking water, disappearing from sight in an instant.
After a moment, Xiao Hui rushed to Gui Li's side, but before it could carefully examine Gui Li's injuries, a strong gust of wind came from behind, and the flame beast pounced again.
At the wound on Xiaohui's abdomen, fresh blood gushed out like a spring, and it was clear that his movements were already somewhat labored. However, subconsciously, Xiaohui still blocked in front of Gui Li, who had already lost consciousness.
Just then, the Flame Beast suddenly stopped in its tracks, its massive head slowly turning as its flame-like eyes fell upon the Xuanhuo Mirror bound to Gui Li's right arm.
The ancient flame totem flickered with a bewildering red light, as if telling something.
Xiao Hui cautiously gazed at the Flame Beast.
But this strange beast suddenly seemed to become very strange, as if it couldn't believe its eyes. It looked at the Xuanhuo Mirror, then at Gui Li and Xiao Hui, its massive skull turning around, seemingly somewhat annoyed, constantly emitting low growls.
After a moment, as if it could no longer resist something, the Flame Beast suddenly bent its two front legs and fell to the ground, its massive head slowly nodding three times towards the Mysterious Fire Mirror. Then, with a low growl, the flames on its body suddenly dimmed and disappeared one by one. Finally, even the beast's body slowly dissipated into the space. The flame pattern of the eight fierce gods in mid-air also slowly disappeared after losing the Flame Beast.
The entire hall suddenly fell silent.
All the fierce flames had disappeared, and the great hall was once again shrouded in a faint red glow emanating from the volcanic well, except for the top, where the flame beast had appeared earlier, revealing a circular hole leading to the second floor.
Xiao Hui let out a low cry and slowly sat down on the ground beside Gui Li, silently staring at her master before looking down at the huge wound on her own belly.
It waits silently.
The pain gradually faded away, and the instinct of life pulled him out of the darkness.
The ghost slowly opened his eyes.
Huge pain was like an invisible fierce fire, which had just burned every inch of his skin without leaving any marks, but had already exhausted him.
He took a deep breath, his hands felt icy cold, and the "fireworks" were still by his side, accompanying him.
Fire stick...
He suddenly let out a low, bitter laugh, and the sound of "squeaking" came from beside him. Gui Li turned his head to look, and Xiao Hui was lying by his side, looking at him. The enormous body that had just been there had already changed back, once again becoming the small monkey leaning against his hand. Only the wound on its abdomen, stained with fresh blood, and the third eye on its forehead, which was now shining with a faint golden light, reminded him of what had just happened.
The ghost suddenly smiled, facing Xiaohui, slowly sat up, and stretched out his hand to gently stroke its head. Xiaohui pouted a smile, chirped twice, and scratched its head with its paw.
A faint red glow flowed gently in the great hall, illuminating their silhouettes.
The eerie and dark investigation of his surroundings only made him feel physically exhausted, but the meridians in his body seemed to be unaffected after that incredible internal struggle. He couldn't understand why the normally gentle and pure Xuanhuo Mirror had suddenly become so violent, and no matter how he thought about it, it seemed to have something to do with the Xuanhuo Altar he was on, as well as the strange and ominous killing array from earlier.
The demon carefully tidied up the torn clothes on his body, then tore off a piece of cloth and wrapped it around Xiao Hui's belly, carefully bandaging the wound. Xiao Hui lowered its head, blinked its three eyes, looking at the sudden appearance of something like a belt on its belly, chirped twice, seemingly very curious, and kept touching it with its paws.
At this moment, Gui Li's physical strength gradually recovered, and he stood up with Xiao Hui in his arms, looking around. The surrounding temple was full of wounds, the marks of the intense battle were visible everywhere, but for some reason, most of the marks were on the ground, while there were not many on the walls. And at his feet, that circle of ferocious god stones had also returned to calmness, standing there vividly.
He stood there for a moment, and for a while he couldn't figure out how long he had been in this Xuanhuo Altar, but apparently the old official who was guarding this place hadn't returned yet. It seemed that he also knew that the Xuanhuo Altar had the protection of the Flame Beast, so he dared to leave boldly.
His gaze then fell on the circular hole leading to the second floor above his head.
The red light on the grand hall also floated up a bit, but from below, only a small area of the cave entrance could be seen, and the surrounding area seemed to be dark.
The demon looked at the dark patch and suddenly said to Xiaohui: "Let's go up and take a look! Is that okay?"
Xiao Hui smiled and giggled in his arms.
The ghost gently stroked its head, then put Xiao Hui on his shoulder, took a deep breath, and slowly floated up, leaving the ground, flying towards the hole.
He rose very slowly, extremely cautiously, and no one knew if there were any other monsters guarding the mysterious altar. However, the surroundings were silent, until he floated up to the second layer of the altar, without being attacked at all.
In the second layer of the altar, apart from the faint red glow coming from the circular hole above, everything around was pitch black. However, deep within the darkness, there was another object emitting a faint light.
The ghost walked in that direction and passed by.
It was a stone pedestal, about half the height of a person, in a cylindrical shape. The entire stone was distinctly different from the surrounding red rock, emitting a faint coolness. At the same time, the soft light emanating from the top of the stone pillar was constantly changing colors, sometimes pale red, sometimes pale purple, sometimes goose yellow, and sometimes cyan green, it was really beautiful to look at.
On the flat surface of the stone pedestal, there is a circular depression with three characters engraved beside it.
Mystic Flame Crystal!
The fierce gaze inadvertently fell on the right arm, and among some tattered clothes, the ancient flame totem of Xuanhuo Mirror faintly revealed itself.
He gently took off the treasure, gazed at it for a moment, and then put it into that recess, amazingly fitting perfectly.
After a moment, a dull sound suddenly came from the top of their heads. Gui Li and Xiao Hui looked up at the same time, only to see the stone slab above them slowly opening with a low rumble, revealing a stone cave.
Almost at the same time, the temperature around dropped incredibly and suddenly from scorching hot to icy cold. Against that faint red glow, even a thin white mist could be seen drifting down from the circular hole leading to the third floor.
The extremely hot and cold air actually coexist in this Mysterious Fire Altar!
The ghost's mouth corner revealed a faint smile, took the Xuanhuo Mirror back from the stone platform, put it in his arms, and didn't say anything else, then flew to the highest layer again.
The air around was getting colder and the hot air from the volcano below seemed to have no effect here, so that when Gui Li stepped onto the third floor, he found that his feet were covered with thick ice.
There was nothing radiant here, but after the ghost's eyes slowly adapted to the surroundings, they discovered a faint blue glow emanating from each corner.
That was a solid ice that had condensed for many years, as if it were lightly telling something.
He walked slowly forward, his footsteps on the ice blocks echoing far and wide, breaking the seemingly eternal silence here.
Suddenly, a low and slightly surprised, gentle yet with a hint of desolation, woman's voice echoed in the darkness: "You're not Shangguan Ce?"
Gui Li immediately stopped in his tracks. After a moment, his eyes fixed intently on the darkest spot ahead and he said slowly: "I'm not?"
The voice fell silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Who are you?"
"The demon sneered and asked: 'And who are you?'"
The blue light emitted by the surrounding ice seemed to flash, and the woman's voice fell silent. After a moment, two faintly bright lights, like endless deep pupils, flashed in the darkest place, staring at Gui Li and the little gray on his shoulder.
Finally, it fell into his hands, the Devouring Soul Staff.
"Is that three-eyed spirit monkey on your shoulder?"
The ghost's heart skipped a beat, and he didn't respond. Instead, the little gray creature on his shoulder bared its teeth and let out a cry towards the dark depths, as if showing off.
The woman didn't mind, and slowly said: "That treasure in your hand, is it the 'Blood Devouring Pearl' and the ghostly object 'Soul Capturing', forged from the demonic sect's 'Blood Refining **'?"
The ghost's body shook violently, and his pupils contracted.
The woman's voice seemed to be lightly laughing, and she slowly said: "Soul-capturing and Blood-drinking Pearls are both the most evil things in the world. Especially the Blood-drinking Pearl, which contains violent and evil powers that invade people's souls without being detected. I see that your cultivation is not low, but the evil power has already deeply entered your body, and you will eventually go mad and die."
"The demon's face turned cold and he said: 'What exactly are you?'"
The woman, however, ignored him and said to herself: "That monkey by your side, although it's called the wisest of all creatures and its heavenly eye is now open, but I see that under the golden light in its heavenly eye, there is a hidden red glow of evil, it must also be because it has been accompanying you, being invaded by the evil power of the Blood Devouring Pearl. In time, it will become a ferocious beast that slaughters living beings, so why not rename it 'Three-eyed Ferocious Monkey'?"
Gui Li's heart was greatly shocked, and for a moment he couldn't speak. Xiao Hui's physical abnormalities had also gradually become apparent to him, but now that this mysterious woman had spoken so clearly and explicitly, his mind was filled with a thousand threads of confusion, and he felt somewhat bewildered.
Instead, Xiao Hui made an angry face, shouting loudly and baring his sharp teeth in the darkness.
The woman's voice suddenly laughed and said, "You're angry, hehe, what's the point of this? We are both born with spiritual essence, you understand me, I also know you, why must you be infatuated with worldly splendor and human relationships?"
The demon's expression turned cold, his eyes gradually turning icy as the Soul Devouring Blade in his hand began to emit a faint blue glow. "If you don't show yourself," he said calmly, "don't blame me for being impolite!"
The woman's voice hummed and said, "You're not a disciple of Fengxiang Valley, yet you can reach the third layer of the Xuanhuo altar. You indeed have some skills. Is Old Ghost Shang already dead? However, even if he wasn't here, you were able to break through the 'Eight Fiery Xuanhuo Formation' guarded by the 'Chiyan Beast'..."
"Not true!"
Suddenly, the woman's voice rose sharply, as if she had suddenly thought of something, and her voice was filled with a hint of excitement.
"No, no matter how high your cultivation is, except for Shangguan Lao Gui, only... only Xuanhuo Jian can open the third layer of this altar. You, do you have Xuanhuo Jian on you?"
In the end, as if echoing her excited voice, the thick ice around Gui Li suddenly lit up with a blue glow.
The ghost's eyebrows furrowed, but before he could react, those two dark and profound eyes had already landed on the corner of the Xuanhuo Mirror exposed in his bosom.
The ancient flame totem seemed to be burning slowly.
"Mystic Flame Mirror!"
A sharp, long wail, the woman's voice suddenly rose to a high pitch, mixed with countless pains, surprises, sorrows, desperations, and a hint of bleakness.
"Why, why did the mysterious flame appear on your body? Xia Liu? Xia Liu......"
She let out a long, shrill cry, as if she had lost her mind. On the mysterious third layer of the Xuanhuo altar, in the depths of darkness, a blue light suddenly burst forth, and countless shadows danced under the pale blue glow, restlessly wandering between darkness and light.
A figure, as if flying out of the dark abyss, and also as if walking from the ancient desolate expanse, like a gigantic demon shadow, dancing in this space.
The ghost was stunned, even if he saw something more ferocious and frightening, he had mentally prepared himself. But when he clearly saw the figure in front of him, he was still stunned.
Distant memories suddenly flooded his mind, filling his brain, and even Xiao Hui's loud cries on his shoulder facing forward were unheard.
Behind that figure, nine dark shadows seemed to flutter like a nightmare.
"He slowly, slowly, hoarsely said: 'Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox!'"
……