Volume One: Youths Meet in Humble Times Chapter Twenty: With My Blood, I Offer Myself to Xuanyuan

When the mountains blazed with fire, Lu Ming and his two companions, together with Wu Shouzhong and the others, were escorting everyone as they broke through the borders of Changlin City. Yet, part of their attention remained fixed on what was unfolding behind them, alert to every sign or omen.

The searing heatwaves from the fire soared to the heavens, shaking the very core of their souls.

Feeling the scorching wind, Shui Linglong looked toward the distant sky, crimson and ablaze, and asked, “Senior Lie, what kind of fire did you give them? Why is the heat so overwhelming?”

Lie Yankong was equally at a loss. “It was merely a heavenly fire imbued with a trace of the Three-legged Golden Crow’s true spirit. Even if ignited, it shouldn’t reach such an intensity.”

Lu Ming stood by, quietly sensing the fluctuations. At last, he explained, “There are more than heavenly fire auras in this blaze—there are two other true spirit presences. One is the spirit of the dragon vein, the other is even deeper—most likely the great earth spirit of this place.”

Lie Yankong exclaimed in astonishment, “He can summon two great spirits?”

Then he immediately contradicted himself, “That can’t be. He has no celestial aperture, nor the Li clan’s spirit-commanding power. How could he summon spirits?”

Lu Ming replied, “If I’m not mistaken, that Daoist must have intervened to help.”

Though Shui Linglong and Lie Yankong found the guess hard to accept, they could think of no one else with such power but that inscrutable Daoist.

Still, what motive could he have for assisting in this way?

Meanwhile, the battle at Red Spring Mountain had come to a halt. The white dragon’s scales faded back to gold. He had been struck aside by the Illusory Fiend earlier, but what followed left everyone in stunned silence. The Mountain Fiend’s betrayal ended in annihilation; his remains were turned into a spirit pill—yet even that was not the full extent of the Illusory Fiend’s power. With a casual gesture, he had destroyed the Mountain Fiend, a feat that spoke of a twelfth-level cultivation. Only by testing him in person could one discern his true limits.

This turn of events had caught everyone off guard, save for the Daoist, who watched with cold detachment from the sidelines. He observed as the Mountain Fiend, first defeated by the white dragon and then seeking aid from the Illusory Fiend, was instead slain and made into a spirit pill. From start to finish, the Daoist remained aloof, only shaking his head and chuckling lightly once all was done. “Too greedy, lost his original intent—death was a bargain for him.”

The Illusory Fiend regarded the spirit pill in his hand with fascination, then turned his gaze to the nearby golden dragon. “So, someone released you, and now you’ve fused with the earth spirit. Such fortune is rare. Good. I happen to lack a spirit pet. If you surrender your dragon essence and submit to me, I’ll spare your life and help you break free of this place’s shackles, so you may become a true spirit dragon in this world.”

The golden dragon ignored him, instead roaring in rage. A heavenly thunderbolt crashed down upon the Illusory Fiend, but he was unmoved. The lightning played across his form, only to be devoured and vanish without a trace.

Fearless, the golden dragon summoned ever stronger bolts of heavenly thunder, but to the Illusory Fiend these attacks were mere trifles. No matter how fiercely he struck, he could not inflict any real harm.

With scorn, the Illusory Fiend remarked, “Were you able to call the Celestial Mysterious Thunder, you might wound me. But at your current tenth-level, these are but ordinary bolts—they cannot touch me.”

Yet, though he spoke so, he made no move to attack.

Having spent all his strength, the golden dragon could do no more. He shrank to a smaller form and retreated, keeping a wary eye on the fiend.

Seeing this, the Illusory Fiend decided to act. He tossed the spirit pill into Red Spring Mountain, then stretched forth his hand toward the golden dragon. From the void, nine massive black chains shot forth, wreathed in dark mist and inscribed with arcane runes. The chains snared the dragon in an instant, their power far surpassing the net used earlier. As they bound him, the dragon’s golden light sizzled and burned beneath the invasive blackness, wracking him with agony and drawing a tormented wail from his throat.

The cry jolted Li Yu awake within the spirit-summoning array. Weakly, he opened his eyes to see the golden dragon suffering overhead. He knew the moment he had been waiting for had finally come.

The Daoist had once told him how to use the spirit-summoning array: begin with a drop of heart’s blood to break the spirit’s shackles, then burn one’s own soul, merging it with the true spirit to complete the summoning.

In truth, spirit summoning was a sacrificial rite.

Until the final step was complete, his soul would remain imprisoned within the array, his last thread of life locked away, and the pain he would endure before death was beyond what ordinary men could bear.

With great effort, Li Yu rose, clutching the dagger at his chest. A determined smile touched his lips. Softly he murmured, “Grandmother, I’m sorry I couldn’t fulfill your last wish and live well, but I think you won’t blame me—will you?”

With that, he plunged the blade deep. At last, unable to endure, a cry of anguish tore from his lips.

Ah!!!

The entire array erupted in a flood of crimson light, which intertwined with the surrounding flames, gradually converging upon the golden dragon in the sky.

The Illusory Fiend, witnessing this change, was visibly shaken and rushed to intervene, but it was too late. The red light and all the surrounding fire coalesced into a crimson lotus of flame, which enveloped the golden dragon and incinerated the nine black chains. At the same time, it infused the dragon with boundless vitality, restoring him to his prime.

The golden dragon felt the transformation within and sensed Li Yu’s will. “Thank you. Leave the rest to me!”

The Illusory Fiend glared at the lotus, hatred in his eyes. “Red Lotus Karma Fire!”

The Daoist’s expression, like the fiend’s, was a kaleidoscope of emotion.

He saw more than the Illusory Fiend, and was thus even more surprised. He had thought Li Yu, for all his promise, still within his grasp of understanding—yet upon recalling that moment, he realized how many secrets Li Yu truly held.

As Li Yu burned his soul, the Daoist had planned to intervene and save a wisp for later restoration. “This youth’s character and insight are both exceptional. He has passed all my tests. It seems I have finally found a worthy disciple.”

But just as he was about to act, a gentle yet formidable force erupted from the depths of Li Yu’s soul. Though only a trace, it was enough to preserve a wisp of his soul.

Moreover, this power left a breath within the array, causing the soul-burning red light to fuse with the heavenly fire and the accumulated resentment of all the local spirits, forming a new and dreadful Red Lotus Karma Fire, feared by all in the cultivation world.

Not only the Illusory Fiend and the Daoist were shaken by this aura, but also Lu Ming and his companions at the edge of the formation as they shielded the fleeing people.

Lie Yankong, feeling his own Three-legged Golden Crow fire stir restlessly, exclaimed in horror, “It’s the Red Lotus Karma Fire!”

Shui Linglong asked, “You mean that red light rising from Red Spring Mountain was the Red Lotus Karma Fire?”

“Yes,” Lie Yankong replied, “I’d never mistake it. I never expected he could summon such a fire—holy among the ghostly arts, made to vanquish souls. Who is he, to wield such power?”

Lu Ming, his senses keener than the others, looked gravely towards Red Spring Mountain. He had not only felt the soul-searing heat but also clearly sensed Li Yu’s aura growing ever fainter—vanishing utterly at the birth of the Red Lotus Karma Fire. Did this mean Li Yu was truly dead?

The Illusory Fiend assumed the Red Lotus Karma Fire was the work of the dragon spirit, never guessing it originated from the inconspicuous child below.

Though a wisp of Li Yu’s soul remained, his life was ebbing away. Seeing his imminent end, the Daoist sent a beam of azure light into Li Yu’s chest, swiftly healing the wound.

Thus, Li Yu’s life was spared.

The Daoist studied Li Yu thoughtfully. “Could he truly achieve what none in the cultivation world have ever done?”

The Illusory Fiend had no attention to spare for the happenings below, his focus wholly on the dragon spirit, now restored to full strength. Alone, the dragon spirit, though twelfth-level, was still inferior to him. But with the Red Lotus Karma Fire as an ally, the fiend found himself outmatched.

The Red Lotus Karma Fire did not burn flesh, but soul. For a soul burdened with countless crimes, once ignited, it would set alight the sinner’s own karma, consuming the soul utterly. For evil cultivators, it was a terror surpassing even heavenly thunder.

Now, the golden dragon had recovered to his zenith, his confidence returned. His massive form swelled, eyes blazing beams of light skyward. A rift tore open in the heavens, from which a colossal black thunderbolt, hundreds of yards long, crashed down upon the Illusory Fiend. Simultaneously, the Red Lotus Karma Fire divided into myriad crimson lotuses, swarming to engulf the fiend.

Assailed by both attacks, the Illusory Fiend was first caught off guard by the Mysterious Thunder, forced to take it head-on. Then the Red Lotus Karma Fire ignited the accumulated sins of his years of cultivation, burning his soul with excruciating agony.

This was the golden dragon’s most powerful strike, pouring in all the strength he had gained, staking everything on this single blow.

He watched the Illusory Fiend anxiously, not daring to relax his vigilance.

When the thunder faded and the karma fire burned out, unexpectedly—yet somehow inevitably—the Illusory Fiend had not perished.

By some secret art, he had survived with grievous wounds, but not a mortal blow. Blackened, hair disheveled, face marred with ugly scars, and his clothing in tatters, he was a far cry from the elegant, confident figure he had been moments before.

The fiend spat blood, his voice weak but venomous. “Surprised? I did not die. Now, it’s my turn.”

Knowing escape was impossible, he had immediately performed a secret incantation, preparing to summon something. Having done so, he focused all his strength on enduring the dual assaults. On the verge of collapse, a force from Red Spring Mountain surged forth, shielding him from the attacks and saving his life.

Laughing madly, the fiend reached toward Red Spring Mountain. A bead, interwoven with black and white, flew into his hand. Its surface was encircled by both white and black light, each containing a speck of its opposite at the core, swirling together in mysterious unity.

He opened his mouth and swallowed the bead. Instantly, his wounds mended before their eyes, his aura soaring as all his cultivation returned—faintly, as if he might even break through to an even higher realm.

The dragon spirit did not know what the object was, only that his end was near. Death held no fear for him, yet he felt a pang of guilt for the little child, and a stubborn sense of grievance. Still, even in death, he would die with pride and unyielding spirit.

The Daoist, however, recognized the bead. Smiling with amused delight, he said, “Perfect. I was wondering what gift to give my new disciple. This bead will do nicely. Just when I needed a pillow, an old friend brings one. After all these years, he still sends me such a gift. Excellent, excellent.”

The dragon spirit was preparing for a final clash with the Illusory Fiend, who likewise had no intention of prolonging matters and unleashed his mightiest attack. Yet, before their powers could meet, an inexplicable force dissolved their attacks into nothingness.

Both were startled and wary, for they had not sensed the presence of any other expert nearby.

The dragon spirit was unafraid—even if this was the fiend’s ally, at worst he would die, and that was no different. For the Illusory Fiend, however, the emergence of a new, unpredictable player at such a crucial moment filled him with dread.

A voice resounded in the air, imperious and domineering: “Apologies, I’m here to collect my gift. This show has gone on long enough—it ends now.”

As the words faded, ripples spread across the void, and from them stepped a Daoist, a smile on his face. But to the Illusory Fiend, it was a smile laced with chilling terror.

The fiend cried out in horror, “Why is it you?!”