Chapter 898: Initial Mastery of the Ruler Technique
The bright-red magma world was filled with a deadly silence. It seemed void of any traces of life. The vast, seemingly endless magma was just like a pool of still water that did not even form the slightest ripple. The quietness seemed to cover every single inch of this magma world…
"Bang!"
A low, deep sound suddenly appeared in this quiet magma world. Immediately, the viscous magma seemed to be stirred by something as it began to furiously rise and fall. An enormous magma fire wave whistled and rose before finally falling down, shooting out a magma flow in all directions while emitting a loud bang.
A human figure stood on the magma under the whistling of the magma"s fire wave. His body was naked and a layer of white, viscous liquid covered his exposed skin. At this moment, his hand was holding a large, heavy ruler while he danced swiftly. Numerous profound arcs formed. Following the dancing of the heavy ruler, a continuous ruler figure swiftly spread out and enshrouded his entire body. The magma that landed with a bang was swiftly being reflected aside when it made contact with the ruler figure that was like a dragnet. The ruler figures were dense as they danced, appearing to have superimposed on each other by an unknown number. They blocked the incoming magma flow without allowing it to enter. This dense defense really left one speechless.
A heavy magma fire wave landed with a bang and shot out, forming a magma flow that permeated the air. After which, it slowly calmed down. The human figure who stood on the magma also panted heavily and slowly stopped the ruler figure"s dancing. When the final ruler figure disappeared, it revealed a young man"s face. This face was filled with some excitement and tiredness. It was Xiao Yan, who had entered the magma world to train.
Xiao Yan"s heavy ruler ceased dancing. He wiped the perspiration off his forehead. The kind of momentum needed when a ten-foot-large magma wave smashed down was terrifying. It really forced one to focus all of one"s attention. Otherwise, should that hot magma flow land on one"s body, it was likely that one"s flesh would immediately turn into grilled meat.
Xiao Yan ceased his training. Only then did he sense the waves of numbness that were transmitted from his hand. He lowered his head and glanced at the Heavy Xuan Ruler, only to see that it was covered with magma. The hot temperature followed the ruler"s body and spread, causing his hand to be fiery hot. However, it was fortunate that this little temperature was not considered much of a problem to Xiao Yan. His gaze moved back to his body as he involuntarily frowned a little.
One could see that Xiao Yan"s body, which was covered with cold liquid, currently had quite a couple of bright-red spots. Clearly, some of the magma wave had broke through in earlier. However, it was fortunate that there was the cold liquid cover that stopped it from causing too much harm to his body. Although there was no great harm, it also indicated that Xiao Yan"s "Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler" had not been successfully mastered. According to what was written on the scroll, someone who wanted to master the Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler would at least have to be able to enter this magma wave as he pleased without even a little of the magma touching him. After all, when one were to fight with others in the future, the presence of any openings in one"s defenses would not allow a couple of drops of magma to stealthily enter. Rather, it would be fatal Dou Qi…
"This Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler is indeed not as easy to practice as I expected…" Xiao Yan shook his head and softly sighed.
Of course, Xiao Yan, who was dissatisfied with this training speed of his, was unaware that being able to practice the "Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler" to such an extent within these short fifteen days was something was extremely difficult to achieve. Even with Xiao Yan"s training talent should he not have already used a heavy ruler to begin with, found the perfect training location, and had the teaching of the spiritual imprint this would not have been possible. After all, regardless of how one put it, this was a Di cla.s.s Dou Skill. If one could master it so easily, it would appear somewhat childish. One could just guess this by thinking of just how much Xiao Yan has suffered in order to practice the Di cla.s.s Low level "Flame Splitting Tsunami."
Xiao Yan returned the heavy ruler in his hand to his storage ring. His toes pressed on the magma and a pair of crystal clear bone wings extended out. They were flapped and his body flashed above the magma, and flew to the cave on the mountain wall.
It had already been half a month since Xiao Yan had entered this magma world. During this half a month, he had basically not taken even half a step out. He would only occasionally head to the hole and report to the Elder, who was standing guard, in order to avoid them thinking that he had met some mishap below.
Half a month of tireless training where food and sleep were forgotten might be bitter and lonely, but the effects were extremely obvious. Currently, the Dou Qi in Xiao Yan"s body was becoming increasingly rich. According to his senses, he had already gradually moved toward the level of a six star Dou Huang. Moreover, he did not know whether it was because of the fire affinity energy being exceptionally pure or what, but Xiao Yan had discovered that the Dou Qi within his body seemed to have become much hotter. Of course, he had also obtained the reward of becoming even more familiar with the "Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler." Although he currently could not be considered to have mastered it, at the very least he was much better now than when he had begun practicing it.
Xiao Yan endured the waves of aches all over his body as he entered the cave. He immediately sat cross-legged and swiftly entered his training state. During this period of training, he had discovered that each time he practiced the "Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler," the absorption rate of his body would be exceptionally high. He could even faintly hear his cells, bones, veins, muscles, and his many organs emit waves of hungry voices when the powerful fire affinity energy entered his body.
The advancement in his strength caused Xiao Yan to go through a kind of loneliness that was difficult to endure. Currently, he was about to head to the Central Plains where experts gathered, a place where dragons and tigers hid. It was not the "Black-Corner Region," and it was not the Jia Ma Empire. In these two places, Xiao Yan might be able to rely on his current strength to survive. At that place, however, he would not be able to survive.
Moreover, attempting to obtain the top ten in the so-called "Pill Gathering" held by the Pill Tower was not an easy matter. After all, being the gold-plated alchemist gathering for the entire Dou Qi continent meant countless of medicine refining geniuses would gather at the stage named "Pill Gathering." Wanting to stand out from people who possessed shocking alchemist talent was impossible unless one had some genuine ability.
Even though Xiao Yan medicinal refining talent was outstanding, he did not dare to slight that "Pill Gathering," where even Yao Lao had partic.i.p.ated. This was Xiao Yan"s greatest motivation, to endure the loneliness and go all out to raise his strength. After all, only by obtaining the "Three Thousand Burning Flame" would he be able to undo the Demon Poison Spot within his body as well as rescue Yao Lao and his father…
Xiao Yan"s eyes, that contained a fatigue, once again became determined as these thoughts flashed in his heart. His eyes were slowly shut, and he continued the bitter training!
There was no concept of time in the quiet magma world. However, Xiao Yan was able to clearly sense the growth of his strength. Moreover, the training of the "Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler" had gradually fallen on a track. Everything was progressing in an orderly fas.h.i.+on. According to this speed, Xiao Yan would be able to charge to the sixth star Dou Huang cla.s.s within another two months!
During this period of time, the unknown summoning intent also appeared even more frequently. This caused Xiao Yan to feel doubtful. Currently, he was certain that there was indeed some mysterious item deep within the magma calling to the Fallen Heart Flame in his body. Although he was certain, Xiao Yan did not dare to act recklessly. This magma world might be completely silent but Xiao Yan faintly felt a dangerous aura from within it. He had basically spent this period of time training in this area, afraid that he would be unable to flee should any unexpected change occur.
"Bang!"
The enormous magma fire wave heavily crashed down before finally carrying a loud noise that reverberated within this s.p.a.ce. The naked Xiao Yan was standing within this fire wave. The heavy ruler in his hand danced while his face appeared solemn. Under the orbit of the profound dancing, a continuous ruler figure surfaced around his body. It appeared like a dragnet that completely wrapped around his body. The magma that came smas.h.i.+ng over would be gently pushed aside by the force contained in the ruler"s figure. Looking from a distance, it appeared as though there was a whirlpool being created by the ruler figure within the fire wave. The magma that scattered down would be shot aside when it made contact with the ruler figure whirlpool. The dense defense where even wind could not penetrate did indeed show something worthy of being praised…
Xiao Yan, whose ruler was dancing within the fire wave, abruptly correlated his eyes. A soft cry erupted from the tip of his tongue and his hand suddenly paused on the heavy ruler. The heavy ruler vibrated swiftly the instant the ruler figure defense disappeared and a couple of after images appeared one after another!
"Raging Flames!"
The cry resounded over the magma world. Two four-hundred-foot-tall fire glows crossed each other as they exited the heavy ruler. They were like a somewhat crude ruler web that shot out. The powerful strength that erupted at that instant tore apart the heavy magma wave in front of it.
"Bang!"
The magma that shot in all directions suddenly fell, creating a great magma flow. Faint circular jade-green flames spread from Xiao Yan"s body, blocking the magma flow.
A joy surged into Xiao Yan"s eyes as he faced this boiling magma. Being able to unleash the "Raging Flame" of the "Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler" meant that he could be considered to have an initial mastery. This achievement was obtained in less than a month. Such speed was considered extremely fast. It was likely that even Xiao Yan himself had never expected this.
Xiao Yan inhaled a deep breath of hot air, parted his lips, and smiled. He was just about to return to the cave to rest when his expression suddenly changed. Almost instantly, he lowered his head in an abrupt manner and stared intently at the bottomless magma sea. Earlier, the deep region of the magma had emitted another summon. Moreover, the summoning strength this time around was stronger than any other time.
"Below… just what is there? Why is it able to cause the Fallen Heart Flame to react so much?"
Xiao Yan"s eyes flickered. His expression also changed a little. He had become full of curiosity because of the unknown summoning during this period of time. However, he was unwilling to randomly investigate due to his cautiousness. Today, however, he was somewhat interested. Perhaps, there would be some unexpected things below…
This time… he shall take the risk once!
Chapter 899: Mysterious Bones
The hesitation in Xiao Yan"s eyes slowly disappeared after Xiao Yan made a decision in his heart. He lowered his head and looked at the endless magma. A solemness flashed onto his face. He was uncertain about just how deep this underground magma was. One must possess an unusually powerful strength if one wanted to enter deep within it. This was because there was a great pressure from the already hot magma, something that an ordinary expert would not be able to endure.
According to his prediction, one must require at least the strength of a Dou Zong cla.s.s if one wanted to enter the bottom of this magma. An ordinary Dou Huang or someone without powerful Dou Qi would likely have their fortune hang in the balance if they were to head down. Of course, Xiao Yan was an exception. This was the place where the Fallen Heart Flame was born. With him being the current owner of the Fallen Heart Flame, it would be much easier for him to move about.
Xiao Yan waved his hand as he stood on the magma while deep in thought. The Heavy Xuan Ruler once again appeared in his hand. After which, he swung his sleeve and the heavy ruler transformed into a black-colored figure that shot out. Finally, it smashed violently into the wall. The powerful strength caused the heavy ruler to penetrate a couple of feet into the mountain wall.
Xiao Yan had added a thread of Spiritual Strength to the heavy ruler. This would be his signpost. His sight under the magma would be extremely blurry. No one knew if it was deep or shallow. The magma was also extremely dense. Moreover, its size was incomparably vast. If one were to randomly explore it, who knew exactly how one would return to the surface of the magma? Under chaos, one might travel increasingly further from the signpost. Even if anything went wrong, Xiao Yan would be able to quickly and accurately find a route and save his life.
After doing all of this, Xiao Yan finally relaxed. He inhaled a breath of air as a jade-green flame slowly surged out. Finally, it wrapped all around his body. From a distance, it was as though he was a cl.u.s.ter of burning jade-green flames.
"Splas.h.!.+"
Xiao Yan ceased feeling any hesitation after the flame completely surrounded his body. He entered the viscous magma. Waves of bubbles rose and swiftly exploded. After which, the seemingly endless magma world once again descended into a deathly silence. Only the black ruler on the mountain wall remained. Emitting a faint vague glow, it appeared much like a street lamp…
The hot temperature and the pressure immediately surged from all directions after Xiao Yan entered the magma world. It was as though it wanted to squeeze Xiao Yan into meat paste. However, after powerful Dou Qi poured out of his body, the resistance from the outside world became much weaker.
Xiao Yan"s body paused for a moment before he carefully looked once around him. When he did not discover anything, he finally let out a soft sigh in his heart. He flicked his finger and a wisp of invisible flame slowly curled and rose from his fingertip.
The appearance of this wisp of flame suddenly caused the place to become hot and bright. After which, the flame s.h.i.+fted slightly before aiming at a deep region of magma. Finally, it actually began to swiftly fall without control.
This sudden, unexpected change caused Xiao Yan to be slightly startled. His eyes changed before he clenched his fist, moved his body, and swiftly followed it. It seemed that the deep parts of the magma did have something that was summoning the Fallen Heart Flame. What caused Xiao Yan to feel doubtful, however, was the reason for him not having such a feeling when he captured the flame back then.
Xiao Yan"s body turned into a jade-green fire figure that carried some doubt in its heart. He became like a fish entering the sea as he penetrated the viscous magma. An invisible flame was visible a couple of meters in front of him, acting like a guide…
Xiao Yan knew very little about this magma sea. The only thing that he knew was that this place seemed to be the place where the Fallen Heart Flame was born. He was completely unaware about whether this magma sea possessed anything. Of course, it was likely that even First Elder Su Qian did not have much of an understanding regarding this magma field hidden under the Inner Academy. In the past, this place was the residence of the Fallen Heart Flame. The Inner Academy"s experts were thinking of all ways to seal the hole in order to avoid it breaking the seal and escaping. Hence, it was natural that no one would take the initiative to enter it. After Xiao Yan had subdued the Fallen Heart Flame, First Elder Su Qian had come down here once. However, after seeing this endless magma, he turned around and left with some fear.
After all, he was not Xiao Yan. Although he possessed the strength of someone at the Dou Zong cla.s.s, he still appeared exceptionally small when faced with this kind of underground magma world that had been formed by nature after a countless number of years. Hence, he could only stay his exploration mindset as he swiftly left… therefore, no one was able to give Xiao Yan any information regarding this magma world. He would have to rely on himself.
The vast magma was bright-red. The swiftly descending jade-green fire figure within this bright-red magma world appeared to be exceptionally eye-catching.
Xiao Yan"s face within the jade-green flame was tensed. His eyes were filled with a solemness. It had been nearly twenty minutes since he had begun his descent. However, the ball of Fallen Heart Flame in front of him still continued to descend. It did not show the slightest hint of stopping. This caused Xiao Yan to be afraid of feeling relaxed in his heart.
Due to him descending deeper and deeper, the surrounding pressure had also become more and more frightening. If not for the help of the Glazed Lotus Heart Flame, it was definitely impossible for Xiao Yan to endure to this point with just his five star Dou Huang strength. Even though this was the case, the situation was still pessimistic. Maneuvering the Glazed Lotus Heart Flame also required quite a great amount of Dou Qi. The fire affinity energy within the magma might be extremely dense, but it was difficult for it to replenish this kind of exhaustion on a large scale. Although this might greatly slow down the Dou Qi exhaustion, it was only a matter of time before it was completely exhausted. Moreover, Xiao Yan still had to save sufficient Dou Qi to return to the surface…
Xiao Yan glanced at the swiftly flying Fallen Heart Flame while numerous thoughts flashed through his heart. He involuntarily inhaled a gentle breath of air. This time around, he seemed to have been a little rash. If he was not careful in this kind of dangerous place, it was likely that he would meet the miserable fate of death.
Xiao Yan raised his head. All that entered his eyes was a crimson-red color. This kind of feeling, where everything around him was the same, would have likely caused Xiao Yan to lose his sense of direction a long time ago if he had not place a Spiritual Imprint on the Heavy Xuan Ruler before he entered the magma. If one lost one"s direction in this kind of magma world, he would undoubtedly end up dying…
"Ugh…"
A soft sigh was emitted as a faint thread of horror surged from deep within his heart. Something unknown was the most frightening. Faced with this endless magma world, even Xiao Yan, who possessed the Fallen Heart Flame, felt a kind of helplessness.
The soft sound slowly sounded. Just when Xiao Yan had determined a final time limit in his heart, the swiftly flying Fallen Heart Flame gradually slowed down…
Xiao Yan braced his attention when he saw this scene. His heart became increasingly cautious as his eyes carefully weighed his surroundings.
This place remained a bright-red world. It did not appear to be the end of the magma sea. This was because there was still dark-red magma under Xiao Yan"s feet. If one were to look carefully, one would faintly see a dark blackness within it that caused one to be afraid. It would never allow anyone to know just what thing existed at the end of it.
Xiao Yan"s swept his gaze around and some doubt was involuntarily revealed within his eyes. Not the slightest bit of unusualness was present in this place. Could it be the unknown summoning was emitted from this place?
While Xiao Yan was in doubt, the cl.u.s.ter of Fallen Heart Flame in front of Xiao Yan floated slowly. After which, a faint fiery glow scattered down from it. This fire glow was like a lamp post that shone on the magma not far away. Immediately, a strange scene appeared. One could only see that the magma was actually wiggling. After which, a transparent light circle that emitted a faint glow surfaced from the magma swirl.
This sudden change had caused the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan"s body to be maneuvered on top of causing him to be surprised. He had already decided that he would immediately turn around and flee if any sudden change occurred. A person who was able to create such a mysterious scene within the magma was definitely not someone whom he could contend with. Fleeing was the most rational choice.
Xiao Yan"s anxious gaze studied the scene below as though he were facing a great enemy. The faint transparent light circle had completely appeared within the magma. Xiao Yan"s gaze had also swept over it at the first opportunity.
Due to the light circle being transparent, it did not hinder Xiao Yan"s gaze. However, when his gaze swept over, it immediately caused Xiao Yan to be stunned. His eyes was filled with shock and disbelief.
This was because there was nothing within the light circle other than a body that had long been turned into a skeleton. The size of the skeleton was ma.s.sive. Due to it always being surrounded by magma, the bones were completely white and emitted a faint glow. The thing that caused Xiao Yan to be shocked was not the bones but a flame that was drifting on top of them. The flame was transparent, appearing much like an invisible item. One to two fire seedlings would occasionally leap out. The surrounding magma seemed to be extremely afraid of it. Once the fire seedling expanded and shrank, a circular whiteness formed around the bones. Other people might feel that this thing was somewhat foreign, but Xiao Yan was unusually familiar with it. That was because this flame was the Fallen Heart Flame!
Moreover, Xiao Yan could tell from a glance that the transparent flame within the light circle was not some Heart Flame. Instead, it was a genuine Fallen Heart Flame. In other words, the thing that had appeared in front of Xiao Yan was actually another Fallen Heart Flame?
At this moment, Xiao Yan"s mind involuntarily felt giddy. How could the same place possess two of the same "Heavenly Flame?" Moreover, who did that mysterious skeleton belonged to?
Various mysteries surged in Xiao Yan"s head, causing it to become a cl.u.s.ter of paste. Just when he was at a loss, all of the gooseb.u.mps on his body suddenly stood on end because… a hot wind was shooting toward him in a strange manner!
There was actually another person present in this magma world that was void of any life?
At this instant, even the skin on Xiao Yan"s head involuntarily became numb.