Chapter 958 h.e.l.lfire
The situation on the north battlefield became clearer. No matter whether it was the humans or the Octopus people, most of their troops had started to gather near the Warrendoor Mountains. A great war was about to break out. Various preparation works in the base progressed like wildfire. The Exploration Team Department members also hurriedly trained their Soul Power Circuit and were welcomed with new opportunities after several months of drought.
There was no lack of various missions with rewards so generous that they were almost ridiculous. As a result, many people in the Exploration Team Department shouted with excitement as they advanced to third rank exploration teams. However, there were two extremes in this world. There were those who were happy that they received benefits, and those who were unhappy.
The unhappy ones were the exploration team leaders who had just arrived.
What kind of people were they? They were bosses who could overwhelm everyone else back in the Holy City Dimensional Hostel. Even the higher-ups in the Dimensional Hostel would not reject any of their suggestions due to their background and future potential. If they wanted to accept any missions issued in the Dimensional Hostel, no one else would be able to accept them. They were absolute and made arbitrary decisions. Even if there was any compet.i.tion, it would be among the exploration teams who knew one another inside out. They would either fight or take turns. This time, you could accept the mission, but next time, I will! There were only two words to describe this: a monopoly!
But what about in the north battlefield now? The implicit rules that they were all used to had been broken by a new exploration team who wanted to take their share of the loot. Furthermore, with this kind of compet.i.tion, several leaders occasionally felt oppressed. There were many low-risk missions with high rewards, which had been viewed as definite welfare to the top exploration teams, that were all stolen by the Wanderl.u.s.t Team.
When the higher-ups mediated the dispute between them, the Wanderl.u.s.t Team spoke well. They argued that materials should be used where they were needed most, and top exploration teams should not compete for low-risk missions with others… What were you talking about? If the Wanderl.u.s.t Team were like children, then were the leaders like stepmothers? If those who were strong were supposed to go to the most dangerous areas, then why weren’t your Great Teachers on the frontlines? What kind of logic was this?
Back in the Dimensional Hostel, when it came to missions, others would pick up their leftovers. Did they ever give the best missions to others?
Several exploration team leaders were furious. Luckily, they had done some mental preparation in this aspect. After all, on the first day they arrived, they were called in by Sacred Teacher Leyson to understand the current situation. Back then, they had thought that it was a normal situation. Later on, when they reflected on this meeting, they recalled that w.a.n.g Zhong had been intentionally invited. Sacred Teacher Leyson had even intentionally asked w.a.n.g Zhong to stay back alone… This clearly told the exploration team leaders that w.a.n.g Zhong was the person who was most valued by the higher-ups. This was a warning bell to these arrogant and obstinate fellows!
However, these people were not willing to be bullied.
Furthermore, they were aware of w.a.n.g Zhong’s strength. He was very strong, but so what? They were all Semi-Heavenly Souls and were not afraid of anyone. Furthermore, even when w.a.n.g Zhong was not around, his subordinates had dared to steal missions from the top-10 exploration teams. What would it be like when w.a.n.g Zhong was back? Would he climb on their heads and defecate on them?
They definitely had to resolve this issue. Firstly, they had to set proper rules. Even if the Wanderl.u.s.t Team had Buddha supporting them, while they were still in the Heroic Soul Stage, the top-10 exploration teams set the rules in the Dimensional Hostel!
Thus, the first one to pick a fight with them appeared very quickly. Red Widow Faith Kelly openly spoke in the Exploration Team Department and said that she had taken a fancy to Vladimir. She wanted the Ice Prince from Earth to accompany her.
“I don’t like to use force. I will give you ten days to properly deal with this. Once you have cleaned yourself thoroughly, come and find me…”
The Red Widow was very well-known among the Holy Disciples as there were many pretty boys who had “risen steadily” by being close to her. Hale from the Oceanic Beasts was one of them. However, at the same time, those who offended her or were met with derision from her often did not have good endings.
During wartime, no one dared to cause any trouble for obvious reasons. They had to give some face to the higher-ups and their policies. However, no one could say for sure in private. Back then, if w.a.n.g Zhong had not been strong, Mario would have died for nothing.
The news spread rapidly within the Exploration Team Department in the north battlefield. Red Widow’s words had three layers of meanings. On the surface, it seemed as if a woman was simply chasing a man. It was simply that the woman was rather strong and was forcing herself on him. However, on a deeper level, she was targeting w.a.n.g Zhong and the Wanderl.u.s.t Team. w.a.n.g Zhong had killed the Red Widow’s lover, right? Sure, then she would take a companion from them. She had a way to save her own face. Even if they were not embarra.s.sed by this, everyone would know about this.
But what about in reality? Veteran Holy Disciples who had spent seven or eight years in the Holy City could tell that this was not a simple personal resentment. Red Widow had given a warning to the Wanderl.u.s.t Team on behalf of the top-10 exploration teams. The Exploration Team Department was still the Exploration Team Department of the top-10 exploration teams. No matter how ferocious the Wanderl.u.s.t Team was, in their personal fief, they had to know their place. If not, the top-10 exploration teams would have to beat them up and show them who truly had the right to speak in the Exploration Team Department! Why did she give them 10 days? She wanted the influence of this to spread and to let everyone know that even the higher-ups in the Holy Land could not interfere with everything. They had to follow the rules!
If this had been in the past, when experts appeared to beat up newbies, all kinds of evil monsters would start to egg them on and eagerly suck up to them. However, this time, the Exploration Team Department was unusually “calm”.
The current Wanderl.u.s.t Team was no longer a minor character like in the past, who did not dare to do anything after suffering oppression from the top exploration teams. The reputations of w.a.n.g Zhong and Mu Zi rose steadily by the day. Both of them were very aggressive experts. Earlier, many people had complained about the world and the Wanderl.u.s.t Team. Even the Sword Saints and the Warlock Saints from the Mizobudapi World were not spared from their complaints… Simply speaking, the consequences of criticizing the Wanderl.u.s.t Team were never good.
Although the Red Widow was extremely famous among the Holy Disciples, she was not a Heavenly Soul. If she offended w.a.n.g Zhong or Mu Zi, it would be difficult to determine who would win and who would lose. Furthermore, she had deliberately spoken such ruthless words when w.a.n.g Zhong was not around. Was this because she had her misgivings about him? However, the Wanderl.u.s.t Team still had Mu Zi and Mo Wen. They were impressive people who had faced Sword Saints before. It looked like the rise of the Wanderl.u.s.t Team had given the top-10 exploration teams some pressure.
Furthermore, the Wanderl.u.s.t Team was not like those lowly fellows who were dying to kneel down and scream for their father when they were slightly threatened by Red Widow. Even if their leader, w.a.n.g Zhong, was not around, they did not have any intention of handing over Vladimir. They simply told the Red Widow that if she wanted someone, she would have to personally come to the Wanderl.u.s.t Team. The Wanderl.u.s.t Team would wait for her respectfully!
It looked like they did not care about you even if you were the leader of a top-10 exploration team or a Semi-Heavenly Soul! Even if Captain w.a.n.g was not around, the current Wanderl.u.s.t Team was not someone to be trifled with. They still had the great Mu Zi.
There were various heated debates among the exploration teams. Those who endured their anger waited and watched the situation. The Wanderl.u.s.t Team had spoken ruthlessly, and the Red Widow would definitely do something within three days. This situation would not end well.
Of course, they did not dare to blindly comment on who would win or lose. No matter whether it was Red Widow or the Wanderl.u.s.t Team, they were not people who ordinary Holy Disciples could provoke. However, in their discussion, this would be a clash between a new power and an old power. It was as if this would be a struggle and alternation of authority. All of them waited expectantly for something to happen. Meanwhile…
……
h.e.l.lfire!
It was born from the heart and could occur at random. There were two factors involved in its appearance. Firstly, cultivation that defied the heavens would break through the limits of the human body. As a result, the organs in one’s body would be unable to return to their original balance. Ordinary people said that intense liver heat would cause your organs to secrete a liquid and become dysfunctional… Could liver heat be considered a kind of fire? This made sense. At that moment, one would be reborn as they stepped into a higher level. Thus, they would face backlash from their old body. The stronger their old body was, the more powerful the initial h.e.l.lfire would be. This was the origin of the h.e.l.lfire.
The second factor was the worries in your heart. Although the five-element h.e.l.lfire was the backlash from a Heroic Soul’s energy, it was still guided by one’s thoughts. Thus, not only would one’s organs be set on fire, it would also infiltrate one’s consciousness. The various distracting thoughts in your consciousness, especially your worries about certain things, would become raw materials for the h.e.l.lfire to burn continuously. It would continue to burn ever more brightly… People said that one had to cultivate oneself through meditation and not lose their temper over things they typically encountered. This was to prevent liver heat from burning too brightly and harming their bodies. This fire that was formed in the consciousness was unending and could not be extinguished unless you were calm. In principle, liver heat and h.e.l.lfire were the same. However, the h.e.l.lfire covered a greater area and was more powerful. If it was part of the Heavenly Calamity that Heroic Souls had to face, it was not just harmful to the body, it was also fatal!
How ferocious was the body that had been refined by divine cells?
w.a.n.g Zhong’s h.e.l.lfire was particularly violent. The moment it burst forth from the depths of his heart, light from its flames could be seen from the outside!
The temperature around his body instantly rose rapidly. He looked like his body was red from the inside out. Flames shot out of his ears, nose, and mouth. Furthermore, the pupils and the whites of his eyes could no longer be seen. His eyes were filled with raging flames as if he was a human torch from the same world as Salamander.
Even though w.a.n.g Zhong’s resistance to fire was extremely high, it was not enough to deal with this crazy fire. Luckily, he had divine cells with powerful recovery and defense capabilities. As a result, all his bodily functions were firmly protected. One could see that w.a.n.g Zhong’s body was rapidly drying up and dehydrating in the blazing sea of fire. A layer of divine cells had been continuing to peel off his skin after it was burned black, exhausted, and died. However, he did not feel any deficiency or fatigue when using his Soul Power. On the contrary, his Soul Power continued to rise. It was about to compete for supremacy with the h.e.l.lfire!
The h.e.l.lfire that others experienced typically only burned their organs and tempered their bodies. However, the h.e.l.lfire that w.a.n.g Zhong experienced burned every single cell in his body.
Bang Bang Bang!
After just over ten seconds of enduring, several flames violently burst forth from his body. There was so much fire in his body that it shot out of his body. The terrifying heat from the fire instantly burned the ceiling of this house! The shock waves produced had caused the wooden house to fall apart. Even the abandoned castle trembled slightly from this impact!
The violent sounds and tremors immediately caught the attention of Grai, who was on the other side of the castle. He put down the divine sword he was attempting to comprehend and soared into the sky. He immediately saw w.a.n.g Zhong in his current state.
He was rather excited. It looked like his senior had finally comprehended the inheritance of his divine sword. He was conquering the minor Heavenly Calamity… Wait!
His excitement only lasted for a second. When he clearly saw the state w.a.n.g Zhong was in, Grai’s expression instantly turned extremely cautious and serious.
Raging h.e.l.lfire!
h.e.l.lfire that could be seen from the outside was not particularly rare. There were far too many pract.i.tioners who were unable to cast aside ordinary concerns in this world. The excessive worries in their hearts caused their h.e.l.lfire Calamity to burn even brighter. In the end, their h.e.l.lfire would be extremely violent. No matter whether they could safely conquer the h.e.l.lfire, instances of it occurring were not rare. Those who loved to study could occasionally discover similar examples in the cla.s.sic stories that had been pa.s.sed down in the Holy City.
However, this Raging h.e.l.lfire was different. Not only could it be seen from the outside, the h.e.l.lfire that only belonged in one’s thoughts was also strong enough that it had materialized and was released into the surroundings! This kind of h.e.l.lfire was simply unimaginable. Throughout the entire history of human cultivation that spanned hundreds of years, the Raging h.e.l.lfire had only been recorded three times. These people had all reached monstrous levels that shocked an entire generation. Furthermore, the Raging h.e.l.lfire they had experienced was not as shocking as w.a.n.g Zhong’s, which had soared into the sky. However, none of the three people had survived…
Grai furrowed his eyebrows tightly. He wanted to help, but he felt helpless. Others could not help him with this; w.a.n.g Zhong could only rely on himself. It looked like he could still withstand this for the time being. Grai could only pray that w.a.n.g Zhong did not have too many worries in his heart, such that the terrifying and powerful h.e.l.lfire continued endlessly.
But the reality was often opposite from his imagination. After just over ten seconds, not only did the h.e.l.lfire on w.a.n.g Zhong’s body not show any signs of weakening, the flames burned even more viscously and seemed to be never-ending.
He could not have any distracting thoughts. He could not allow the might of the h.e.l.lfire to grow!
w.a.n.g Zhong tried his best to calm himself down. There were no distracting thoughts in his head, but the h.e.l.lfire could not be dealt with in this way… No matter whether you consciously thought about them or not, if you had any worries, distracting thoughts would exist objectively in reality. They were sealed in one’s mind like memories for the h.e.l.lfire to search.
This meant that w.a.n.g Zhong had far too many worries. Aunt Shea, Uncle w.a.n.g, Scarlet, Simba, Ma Dong… The Golden Stone Slab, the Fate Stone… There was also his origins, the mysterious history of the Holy Saint Teacher, the dark future of the human race…
No matter whether it was a person, an event, or an object, w.a.n.g Zhong had far too many worries that he could not put down. These had become a part of his thoughts as if they were bound to his soul. Furthermore, they were extremely clear and conspicuous in his consciousness, and the h.e.l.lfire did not even need to spend any effort to find them. It was like putting firewood in front of it for easy access!
This rich nourishment allowed the h.e.l.lfire to burn even more violently. Gradually, with w.a.n.g Zhong at the core, all the houses within a thousand-kilometer radius had been set ablaze. Almost all the streets were on fire and turned into ashes. It was as if the castle that had been quiet for a very long time had suddenly started to boil as flames soared into the sky. Even Grai, a Heavenly Soul expert, could not approach this terrifying temperature.
This kind of h.e.l.lfire was simply too shocking. It was not humanly possible to challenge it!
The divine cells quickly reached the limit of their defensive capabilities. Not only was it a problem of exhaustion and recovery speed, it truly felt as if they were unable to withstand the h.e.l.lfire. The Soul Power Defense that had been integrated with the power from the divine cells started to gradually lose its effectiveness.