Chapter 54: Duel Before the Fire Pool

Following Yue Qingcheng’s command, Lin Fan and his companions swiftly gathered their spoils of war, and the group strode out of the Pill Hall together.

They wound their way up along the ancient stone steps, pressing onward in the direction of the Blazing Flame Great Hall.

As they neared the summit, the surrounding mist grew increasingly dense, making every step feel as though they were venturing further into a more mysterious realm.

The central divine peak of the Blazing Flame Valley was towering and magnificent. Each step on the stairs felt exceptionally heavy, seemingly bearing the vicissitudes and legends of countless years.

As the group climbed, only the steady sound of their footsteps and breathing echoed through the profound silence, with everyone’s heart filled with anticipation and awe for the unknown ahead.

When they finally reached the peak, a massive and unadorned Blazing Flame Great Hall came into view.

Inside the hall, Jin Moyu and the others were prominently present. However, Jin Moyu at this moment seemed to have encountered a formidable opponent, who was likewise an expert at the peak of the late Yuan Fu realm.

Yue Qingcheng, nonetheless, paid no heed to this. Her target was the Eternal Night Fire Pool located at the rear of the Blazing Flame Great Hall.

Bypassing the main hall and walking for about ten minutes, the group finally arrived before a pool of spiritual flames.

This was precisely the legendary Eternal Night Fire Pool.

The situation, however, was far from optimistic. A martial artist at the peak of the late Yuan Fu realm had already led a team to occupy the fire pool, clearly having discovered this place far ahead of them.

"Oh?
Lady Qingcheng, long time no see."

Upon perceiving Yue Qingcheng’s arrival, that person slowly turned around. A suggestive smile hung on his face, as if he were not at all surprised by her appearance.

A flash of deep disgust crossed the depths of Yue Qingcheng’s eyes. She glanced at him coldly, maintaining her customary haughty and inviolable demeanor. "Gu Yange, I never expected that you, the dignified Sixth Prince of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty, would also take an interest in the Eternal Night Fire Pool of the Blazing Flame Valley.
If I recall correctly, doesn’t your imperial palace possess the Nine Flames Spirit-Gathering Pool specially built for you by the Heavenly Flame Sect?"

The Sixth Prince of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty!

The others paused slightly, and Lin Fan cast a surprised look at the man, astonished that his background was not the slightest bit inferior to Yue Qingcheng's.

The Heavenly Flame Dynasty was likewise an empire fostered by the Eight Great Divine Sects, backed by the Heavenly Flame Sect—one of the Eight Great Divine Sects—which specialized in fire-attribute cultivation, much like Lin Fan.

"Lady Qingcheng, you are truly underestimating the Eternal Night Fire Pool of the Blazing Flame Valley if you put it that way.
Its uses are far greater than you think."

Hearing Gu Yange’s words, Yue Qingcheng sneered and said sarcastically, "That is true. The Heavenly Flame Sect behind your Heavenly Flame Dynasty was one of the chief masterminds that originally hunted down the Blazing Flame Valley. Naturally, you would know much more than we do."

Yue Qingcheng’s taunts failed to anger Gu Yange. Instead, he smiled with boundless pride and said, "The Blazing Flame Valley lacked the strength of its own; it has no one else to blame.
Lady Qingcheng, I know you desire the ice lotus within this fire pool.
However, I also require it to catalyze something I am striving for.
Therefore, I cannot yield this ice lotus to you."

"Is that so?
By what right?"

Yue Qingcheng was unsurprised by Gu Yange’s remarks, nor did she seem to have any intention of trying to persuade him to back down.

In this world, the ownership of the right to speak ultimately depended on whose fists were harder.

"Ever since we parted ways at the last imperial gathering, I have constantly looked forward to seeing Lady Qingcheng again.
Suffering defeat at your hands that day brought me no small amount of shame for quite some time.
Today, I am very eager to see whether my bitter cultivation over many days can turn the tide!"

As he spoke, Gu Yange’s entire body seemed accompanied by fire spirits. His momentum abruptly surged to its peak in that instant, and scorching flames seemed to erupt from within his body, burning the surrounding air until it warped and distorted.

At the same time, several individuals by his side stepped forward one after another. These people were not exceptionally powerful, but all possessed cultivation bases within the Yuan Fu realm, and one of them had even reached the mid Yuan Fu realm.

"Can you handle them?"

Yue Qingcheng frowned slightly, turning her head to glance at Lin Fan and the others. Gu Yange had once been defeated by her; dealing with him might not be difficult for her.

However.

Gu Yange was, after all, in the same realm as her, and defeating him would require a considerable amount of time.

Once that happened, Lin Fan and the others would be forced to face encirclement and annihilation by multiple Yuan Fu realm experts.

Even though, after this period of cultivation, two members of their team had broken through to the Yuan Fu realm, they had yet to cultivate Earth-grade spiritual arts, nor had they fully mastered their current power. Expecting them to fight Yuan Fu realm experts single-handedly was perhaps asking a bit too much.

"Rest assured.
Leave the mid Yuan Fu realm expert to me. Lady Ningyun, the others are in your hands."

"Very well! I will try to finish off Gu Yange as quickly as possible."

Yue Qingcheng seemed unwavering in her determination to obtain the ice lotus. She nodded, gave Lin Fan a serious look, and then her momentum erupted as she dashed fiercely toward Gu Yange.

The two of them clashed almost instantly.

The battle between Yue Qingcheng and Gu Yange was like two violent torrents colliding, bursting forth with dazzling sparks.

Yue Qingcheng’s movement techniques were light and agile, her actions as continuous as flowing water, every single strike and stance imbued with icy spiritual power and hidden lethal intent.

Meanwhile, Gu Yange resembled a descent of the Fire God, every punch he threw carrying blazing heat. His fighting style was wild and domineering, causing the ground to tremble slightly with every step he took.

Their battle by the edge of the Eternal Night Fire Pool rapidly escalated. The flames in Gu Yange’s hands transformed into multiple fire serpents, attempting to entangle Yue Qingcheng.

Yet, Yue Qingcheng nimbly evaded them, countering with a palm strike whose fierce wind shattered the fire serpents into nothingness.

Gu Yange refused to be outdone. He chanted incantations and formed hand seals, causing the flames within the fire pool to rise in response, forming a massive fire vortex intended to swallow Yue Qingcheng whole.

Just as their fierce battle reached its climax, without waiting for Gu Yange’s reminder, the several Yuan Fu realm powerhouses by his side also darted forward. Their target, naturally, was Gu Ningyun and her group.

"Lin Fan, be careful!"

Gu Ningyun whispered a reminder, then took a step forward, moving first to engage an expert at the peak of the early Yuan Fu realm.

The rest of the group also banded together in twos and threes, bitterly coping with the onslaught of the other Yuan Fu realm experts.

In the entire clearing, the only ones who had yet to make a move were Lin Fan and the mid Yuan Fu realm expert.

"Kid, just stand by and watch obediently. Don't force me to make a move."

The mid Yuan Fu realm expert wore an arrogant expression, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, completely disregarding Lin Fan—who was merely at the peak of the Divine Dan realm—and speaking in an indifferent tone.

He indeed possessed the capital for arrogance. As a mid Yuan Fu realm expert, let alone someone at the Divine Dan realm, even martial artists at the peak of the early Yuan Fu realm like Gu Ningyun were nothings in his eyes.

Lin Fan’s gaze was resolute, while his heart boiled with hot-blooded fervor.

He knew that the opponent before him was no pushover, but he had no intention of retreating either.

He possessed a clear understanding of his own strength, and at the same time, he harbored a fighting spirit second to none.

"Stand by and watch obediently?
Forgive me, but I am not that kind of person..."