Chapter 159: Melee

Just as Lu Xin put away the Soul Compass, Cao Fu's voice rang in his ear. Turning around, he saw Cao Fu holding two jade talismans, looking quite pleased. There were obvious bloodstains on his body, making it clear that the other two disciples of the Sea Ghost Sect were already dead.

"You are at the fifth level of the Void Viewing Realm, yet you had me deal with Hou Sanbao alone. It seems you were practically wishing for my death first?"

"What are you talking about, Daoist Brother? Even the Soul Compass can be deceiving. Experts in this world have countless ways to cross the sea in broad daylight and conceal their true cultivation. In my eyes, Daoist Brother is precisely such an expert."

Facing Lu Xin's accusation, Cao Fu let out a dry, awkward chuckle, as if he had prepared his words long ago. While speaking, his gaze remained fixed firmly on Hou Sanbao's corpse, though it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Seeing this, Lu Xin sneered inwardly and said nothing more. Perhaps assuming that Lu Xin had already stripped Hou Sanbao of all his belongings, Cao Fu looked away from the body after a moment and cast his gaze toward the opposite shore of the sea of fire. In the distant sky, the colors were gradually dimming, and the size of the Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Cauldron was slowly shrinking.

"It seems the time left to us is running short. Whoever manages to obtain this primeval divine artifact will have the chance to establish a sect, or even become the sixth and most powerful grand faction. Daoist Brother, you and I must hurry."

With that, Cao Fu stepped directly into the sea of fire, then walked quickly toward the opposite shore as if treading on flat ground. Lu Xin followed closely behind, his feet stepping upon the rolling magma without feeling a shred of heat. This was entirely different from the state of things before he obtained the talisman drawn by Cao Fu.

"Under such high temperatures, the original marshland should have completely solidified. Yet under the concealment of the array, what we see is rolling, churning magma. If the source of all this is that furnace, it is truly terrifying!"

Lifting his head to look up at the horizon, Lu Xin saw that the straight-line distance between the sea of fire and the Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Cauldron was still at least twenty or thirty miles. For the power of a magical treasure to radiate to such a distant place and even dry up vast expanses of marshland—even with all the battles between experts Lu Xin had witnessed—was still deeply shocking. If one calculated the entire area covered by this radiation range, it was already the size of an ordinary city. In other words, whoever could acquire the Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Cauldron could easily slaughter hundreds of thousands of people in an instant. And this was merely the power of the strange phenomenon triggered by the birth of this primeval divine artifact.

Fire has, in any era, been a weapon of mass destruction. Moreover, its might is immense and difficult to suppress. Perhaps no one knew just how terrifying the full power of the Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Cauldron could be. But Lu Xin understood that the Wandering Immortal Sword, as one of the five great divine weapons, could not slaughter an entire city in a single instant.

"No wonder Cao Fu completely stopped mentioning the Longevity Compass after witnessing the birth of this treasure. Compared to the illusory prospect of reversing life and death, the Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Cauldron can clearly better assist him in completing his grand undertaking of restoring the nation."

The closer they got to the Scarlet Flame Que, the more uneasy Lu Xin felt. The Great Tang of the present was beset by internal troubles and external threats, teetering on the brink of fragmentation at any moment. If the Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Cauldron were to fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives, it would inevitably become a nightmare for the entire world. And Cao Fu before him was precisely such a madman, willing to use any means necessary to restore the Cao Wei dynasty.

Crossing the sea of fire, the earth remained completely crimson, and the temperature grew increasingly high. When Lu Xin had walked about ten miles, even with his protective magical power, he still felt an unbearable dry heat, and sweat gradually beaded on his forehead. Along the way, the surroundings were desolate, essentially devoid of any living creatures. Occasionally, there would be one or two small hills, which were merely high mounds of red earth without a single blade of grass.

The pace at which the two men advanced grew slower and slower. Later on, every step consumed a tremendous amount of physical exertion. At a distance of about twenty miles from the sea of fire, the sky directly above had turned completely fiery red. The cloud layer was extremely thick and pressed down very low, resembling the sea of fire below turned upside down and suspended in the heavens.

The space became intensely oppressive, and breathing began to grow difficult. The Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Cauldron still hung high in the sky; looking up, the spinning furnace grew alternately large and small, exhaling endless streams of fire as if breathing on its own, yet giving one the illusion that it was within arm's reach. It was precisely this sensation that made the laboring Cao Fu's eyes gleam as he gritted his teeth and pressed forward.

Another dozen minutes passed, and the Scarlet Flame Que finally revealed its form. It was a cluster of architecture completely different from the Calamity Que. All the structures resembled towering, bulging mountain peaks, upon which were countless window-like openings, at times pitch black and at times glowing with red light. Viewed from where Lu Xin stood now, the entire Scarlet Flame Que looked like a massive stone forest. Its metallic texture, reflecting the firelight in the sky, resembled an alien world from a science fiction film.

"I can't go on; I must recover some magical power. Daoist Brother, can you stand guard for a while?"

Cao Fu clearly could not hold out any longer and sat down heavily with a thud. Without waiting for Lu Xin's reply, he retrieved a jade talisman from the void—a supreme-grade jade talisman refined from top-tier suet jade, capable of containing powerful magical power equivalent to the eighth level of the Void Viewing Realm.

"Heh, go ahead and recover your magical power; I'll keep watch nearby."

Though Lu Xin had the Jade Dew Sea Pearl in his possession, which allowed him to continuously replenish his magical power, walking across this land consumed not only magical power but also demanded an enormous amount of physical stamina. The entire space felt as though gravity had been multiplied severalfold, making it arduous to lift one's feet. Lu Xin was already too exhausted to move and, seeing Cao Fu sit cross-legged, was naturally more than eager to rest for a moment.

Yet just as he was about to sit down, several miles directly ahead, a flash of lightning suddenly appeared, followed by an explosion on the ground that kicked up dust filling the sky. At least a dozen surges of magical power were colliding wildly with one another. Lu Xin was somewhat startled; in such a place where even lifting a hand or foot required immense effort, let alone engaging in magical combat. The chaotic aura drifting from afar alone was enough to confirm that both opposing sides possessed extremely high levels of cultivation.

"Hmph, with the birth of a primeval divine artifact, various factions can no longer sit still. Fight, it would be best if you both suffer heavy mutual losses. When that time comes, let's see who can stop me, Hhahahahaha..."

Seeing people fighting, Cao Fu was instantly overjoyed. To him, the strange phenomenon generated by the birth of the Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Cauldron was far too intense and obvious. Within the Fengdu Ghost Domain, there were numerous treasure-seeking factions. Major sects, rogue cultivators, prominent clans, and the imperial court were intricately intertwined and countless in number. Everyone wanted to obtain this primeval divine artifact, and as a lone man, he was naturally happy to watch others tear at each other like dogs and suffer mutual destruction.

"Don't celebrate too early; look, they're heading this way."

At this moment, Lu Xin narrowed his eyes, unlike Cao Fu who still had the mood to laugh aloud. His gaze remained locked straight ahead, and he could clearly see that the swirling dust was continuously approaching their location. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled amidst it, with water and fire intertwining in a life-or-death struggle. If they were dragged into it, stripping off a layer of skin even if they survived would be the least of it.

"Hmph, they really are coming toward us. I wonder which two factions are in such a rush to throw away their lives."

Cao Fu sneered, but his speed in getting up was extremely fast. He then motioned for Lu Xin to find a place to hide and watch the developments unfold. The two quickly found an earthen mound over a hundred meters away; by the time they crouched down, the sand and dust kicked off by the magical combat had already reached within several hundred meters. From this distance, Lu Xin could already clearly see the attire of those engaged in the fight.

One side was uniformly dressed in silver armor and wielded long spears. There were six of them in total, every one of them tall and imposing like heavenly deities. The other side appeared to be an alliance of two factions. Four of them held umbrella-shaped magical treasures and wore wide robes made of top-grade Jiangnan silk. The other six wore clothes of varying colors, each holding a seal in their hands, leaping and bounding with exceptionally nimble footwork.

After observing for a moment, Lu Xin recognized the origins of everyone present. Those holding umbrella-shaped magical treasures should be disciples of the Hundred Flowers Valley of Yangzhou. Those holding seals were members of the Five Elephants Sect he had encountered within Xuanzhou territory, though there was one more than he had seen back then. As for those clad in silver armor, they were unmistakably imperial Yin-Yang masters. Perhaps they belonged to the Demon Subduing Courtyard, or perhaps some other secret unit, but Lu Xin had seen figures like them on the night of the Chang'an calamity.

"Impressive; even Li Shimin's Shadow Dragon Guards have arrived. It seems the inside and outside of the Fengdu Ghost Domain have been completely surrounded by the court."

"Shadow Dragon Guards? The emperor's secret guard?"

"Indeed. These are elite imperial soldiers loyal solely to Li Shimin. Every single one of them not only understands spellcraft but is also highly skilled in martial arts. A squad of six, trained in battle formations, can take a person's head amidst an army of ten thousand. Don't let their small numbers fool you; even if their cultivation is inferior to the other two factions, they are at least three parts stronger than ordinary Returning Micro Realm experts."

Cao Fu clearly recognized the identities of the three factions as well, and his tone grew somewhat peculiar. At this glance, the two opposing sides appeared evenly matched. Without outside reinforcement, they would likely have to exhaust their magical power before a victor could be decided.

"Not good; the magical power is coming this way."

Lu Xin had originally intended to continue probing Cao Fu for more secrets, but right at that moment, the earthen mound where the two were hiding began to vibrate violently. The cracks already present upon it continued to widen. Looking up, a thundercloud was drifting rapidly across the sky above. Immediately afterward, the six Shadow Dragon Guards withdrew their long spears and sprinted toward the two like lightning.

"Fellow daoists ahead, the imperial court is in peril; I ask you two to lend a hand."

"Damn it, how were we spotted?"

Watching the figures of the Shadow Dragon Guards close in, Cao Fu's expression turned ugly as he hurriedly conjured three talismans, striking a combat-ready stance. Seeing this, Lu Xin did not experience much emotional fluctuation. With almost no hesitation, he stepped out from behind the earthen mound, sword in hand.

"What part of the imperial court do you people belong to?"

"We are Shadow Dragon Guards, imperial soldiers under His Majesty. What kind of people are you two?"

"Hehehehe, mere nobodies. However, I do harbor some goodwill toward the Great Tang court. As for them, taste my sword first."

With a series of cold sneers, Lu Xin swung his sword directly toward the members of the Five Elephants Sect.