Chapter 715 – King Level Smelting Trial
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Facing Xuan Yuqie's mocking taunts, the Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan Patriarch grew angry with shame. He had made a joke of the South Sea Demon Region at the start, but now it was Xuan Yuqie's turn to ridicule him.
The Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan Patriarch coldly snorted and told the others behind him, "We are immediately returning!"
The Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan was no stronger than the South Sea Demon Region. However, the South Sea Demon Region was a sect. If their disciples died, they could always recruit more. As for the Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan, they had limited numbers. For every clansman that died, it was impossible for to come up with more numbers at a fast speed. If Lin Ming was killing the outstanding elites of the Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan, then the Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan Patriarch couldn't just sit idly and do nothing.
He had to return. Otherwise, if Lin Ming came back and used his strange tracking ability, then he could kill dozens of Revolving Core martial artists at the very least. This was not a loss that their clan could afford.
"Patriarch, are you planning to withdraw?"
Xuan Wuji frowned. If the Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan withdrew from here, that meant he would lose a powerful ally. With him alone, it would be extremely difficult to deter the Giant Leviathan in any way.
Hearing Xuan Wuji's question, the Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan Patriarch's face stiffened. "Elder Xuan, my apologies, but this King must return."
"Oh? You have to go back?" Xuan Yuqie sneered. "Ape King, wasn't it you who said that a real man had to make choices? All of those fleeing clansmen are definitely worthless rejects. Since that's the case, the disaster of your Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan is also a great fortune! Those who leave are disloyal, but those who remain are the extraordinary elites. At that time, you can use the remaining members to rebuild your foundation; reforming your clan shouldn't be difficult at all. Our South Sea Demon Region will also support you with everything we have! What do you think about this?"
One of the world's most humiliating matters was having your words tossed back in your face. Xuan Yuqie had deliberated copied the tone of the Ape King, leaving him speechless.
"Humph! You were speaking so much bullshit in such a rude manner, and now that you're the one in trouble, you decided to leave. How laughable!" Xuan Yuqie mercilessly mocked. Seeing the Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan Patriarch suddenly deflate, Xuan Yuqie was very happy.
As for Xuan Wuji, he simply glowered, a cold light flashing in his eyes. He stayed silent. Lin Ming was much more troublesome than he had anticipated.
The Turquoise-Eyed Ape Clan Patriarch also didn't speak any further. He simply cupped his hands and left. Now, the only ones left were Xuan Yuqie and Xuan Wuji.
Xuan Yuqie lightly exhaled. She carefully looked at Xuan Wuji, whispering, "Elder Xuan, should we…"
She hoped with every fiber of her body that Xuan Wuji would decide to return to the South Sea Demon Region and further consider matters. However, Xuan Wuji's response left her disappointed.
"You return first. If anything else pops up then use a water sound transmitting talisman to inform me."
Xuan Yuqie's heart sank. She knew that saying anything else now would be useless. She could only reply in a quiet voice, "Yes, I understand…"
To Xuan Wuji, his future breakthrough to the Divine Sea boundary was much more important than the fate of the entire South Sea Demon Region. He had absolute certainty that there was a great secret regarding Lin Ming's body. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to make such frightening progress.
Xuan Wuji had already looked up Lin Ming and studied his background. Before fifteen years of age, Lin Ming had been nothing but the most average of youngsters. But, after he had reached fifteen years of age, he had suddenly soared into the heavens. In a mere six short years, he had gone from the first level of body tran to being able to kill a second stage Life Destruction powerhouse. Within the entire Sky Spill Continent, this was an absolutely unprecedented event!
To deal with such a person, Xuan Wuji could only attempt it before he grew anymore than this.
In Xuan Wuji's eyes, Lin Ming was a resolute individual who killed with decisiveness. He had one weakness, and that was that he cared too much for the safety of his friends and family. This could be seen from when Lin Ming had gone to rescue Qin Xingxuan.
Xuan Wuji had already taken this point into consideration, and that was why he clung so tightly to the Giant Leviathan. Those within were equal to his lifeblood. He believed that as long as he could capture Mu Qianyu and the others, then he could force Lin Ming to appear.
"Lin Ming, no matter what secret you have, I will find it!" Xuan Wuji clenched his fists, his mouth curving up in a brutal smile.
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At that time, 200,000 miles away, at Divine Phoenix Island…
After the South Sea Demon Region had looted Divine Phoenix Island, the entire land had become a dump.
When Lin Ming returned to the Sky Spill Continent, he had rushed into Divine Phoenix Island, killing the Elder stationed there even as all the little minions fled away. Now, the entire Divine Phoenix Island was a lonely and desolate land.
Nowadays, Divine Phoenix had become a gathering place for wild birds and beasts. They nested in the ruined buildings and the land was blighted with barren shrubs and the remnants of destruction. As the sea breeze blew over, the weeds swayed in the air, as if they were testifying to the once great magnificence of Divine Phoenix Island.
Lin Ming took step by step through the abandoned land. In front of him was a dilapidated building. There, on the roof, a group of crows and seabirds fluttered about. Because Divine Phoenix Island was a spiritual land, the vegetation, birds, and beasts all grew and bred at an extremely fast pace.
Passing through these broken buildings, Lin Ming came to an empty valley. He carefully extended his perception, exploring his entire surroundings. This valley was the most precious treasure of the entire Divine Phoenix Island… the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm!
This mystic realm had been left behind by the Ancient Phoenix Clan, and it was also the very source of Divine Phoenix Island's spiritual vein. As for how long ago the Ancient Phoenix Clan had existed, how glorious they had been, what sort of magnificent history they'd had, or how powerful a martial arts civilization they'd had, all of this had long been lost to time. But, what Lin Ming was absolutely sure of was that the Ancient Phoenix Clan was in no way inferior to those from the Realm of the Gods. It was even possible that they had come here from the Realm of the Gods.
I wonder why the Ancient Phoenix Clan came to Sky Spill Continent. Did they ever come into contact with that mysterious existence within the Eternal Demon Abyss?" Lin Ming muttered to himself.
He felt that that 100,000 years ago, the area in Sky Spill Continent's history which was completely blank, there must have been some heaven-shaking secrets involved.
Lin Ming shook his head, no longer thinking about this. Soon, he arrived at the array formation of the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm.
In the end, Xuan Wuji had not left the deep sea area. This decision hadn't surprised Lin Ming. Xuan Wuji was an ambitious and cruel individual of the demonic path. Everything he had done or would ever do was in order to pursue greater strength. Even the South Sea Demon Region was one of Xuan Wuji's many chess pieces to reach higher peaks of power.
If the South Sea Demon Region would still be in its most prosperous state, then Xuan Wuji might care a little bit about it. But now, the current South Sea Demon Region was only a peak fourth-grade sect without Xuan Wuji. To him, it was simply nothing.
If Xuan Wuji didn't leave, then Lin Ming could only defeat him with his own strength.
But now, he had just broken through to the middle Revolving Core realm and had also opened the second of the Eight Inner Hidden Gates. It would be extremely difficult to greatly increase his strength in a short period of time in order to deal with Xuan Wuji.
In this sort of situation, Lin Ming had thought of the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm.
In a person's life, they could only enter the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm twice. The last time Lin Ming had entered, he had been thrust into the general level smelting trial, finally fully completing it.
But this time, Lin Ming's goal was clear. That was… the king level smelting trial!
Chapter 716 - Warriors of the Ancient Phoenix Clan
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After opening up the surrounding protective array formation of the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, Lin Ming walked into the valley where the mystic realm was locked in. Here were also the words that Mu Qianyu had left behind….
"Thundercrash Mountain, nameless cave, ten years' time, the appointed meeting!"
Even though he had already reunited with Mu Qianyu, seeing these words still filled him with emotion.
After clearing up his feelings, Lin Ming followed the rules of the spell that he had learned from Mu Yuhuang, and then began to open up the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm a bit at a time.
The last time he had entered into the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, it had taken the collaborative efforts of Mu Yuhuang and Mu Tianguang. Now, Lin Ming was able to do so by himself.
Forming different array formation symbols with both hands, energy vibrated, accompanied by the distant sound of wind and thunder. The surrounding heaven and earth origin energy began to crazily surge, forming a twisting, black vortex in the air. This vortex constantly spun, finally turning into a black hole, wide enough for him to step into.
After stabilizing the entrance, Lin Ming stepped inside….
In an instant, Lin Ming's surroundings went pitch black before splashing with color again. Lin Ming had finally returned to the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm. In front of Lin Ming was endless red desert, interspersed with rocks. The ground was barren, and in between the rocks, flowing rivers of lava churned. The rivers glowed red from heat, and as the lava slowly flowed, massive bubbles burbled up from deep underground, making muffled sounds as they released the smell of suffocating sulfur.
But behind Lin Ming, there was an endless field of ice that extended to the horizons. Blizzards howled, and massive towers of ice spiked the ground, shimmering with a chilling radiance.
Lin Ming was familiar with the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm. The last time he had come to the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, these lands of fire and ice were considered a great trial. But to the current Lin Ming, these trials of fire and ice were nothing at all.
Time was of the essence. Lin Ming launched into his movement technique and rushed into the vast land of lava. This crimson land was filled with all sorts of lucky chances. But these lucky chances were not important to Lin Ming.
Flying with Golden Roc Shattering the Void, the scenery around him rapidly changed. Soon, Lin Ming arrived at the Ancient Phoenix Great Temple.
The Ancient Phoenix Great Temple was constructed from dark red rock. It reached into the sky, and all around the great temple were various sorts of sculptures and totems. After the entrance opened, Lin Ming followed the familiar path in, coming to a grand jade platform. He placed the key in and then dripped his blood on it.
In the next moment, Lin Ming was enveloped in a warm light. Then, in a few breaths of time, he was transported to a completely closed chamber.
This chamber was filled with all sorts of murals and totems. The last time he had come here, Lin Ming had fought against a fuzzy red people, engaging in a fierce gauntlet of battle before finally meeting the Temple Spirit that guarded the Ancient Phoenix Great Temple.
But this time, as Lin Ming stepped in, the Temple Spirit immediately appeared.
Energy coalesced into the image of a face, like a translucent ghost. The ghost said, "Trial Challenger! I am the 'Temple Spirit,' and I protect this realm. We have met before…."
The Temple Spirit was part of the Stone Spirit Race and also the guardian of the Ancient Phoenix Great Hall. It had a lifespan as long as the rocks themselves.
"Sir Temple Spirit, I apologize for disturbing you from your slumber. The reason that I come to the Ancient Phoenix Great Temple is to participate in the king level smelting trial. Also, I only have six months of time. If it's impossible to pass this trial in six months of time,
then I would rather choose not to enter," Lin Ming calmly said as he looked at the Temple Spirit. Half a year was already a very tight timeline. His current strength was incomparable to when he completed the final general level smelting trial, but correspondingly, the king level smelting trial was also much harder. It would be at least several times more difficult than the general level trial.
It was hard to say whether or not he could complete it in half a year.
"King level smelting trial?" The Temple Spirit thought for a moment. "Trial Challenger, after you placed a drop of blood onto the jade platform, the result of your bloodline test was only at the peak of the general level…"
Lin Ming frowned. Before, after having passed through the final general level smelting trial, he had obtained a drop of Ancient Phoenix blood as a reward. However, one drop was simply too low. Whether it was the blood of the Ancient Phoenix or the blood of the True Dragon, both of them were extremely useful when Lin Ming's comprehensive combat strength was still weak. But now, after becoming that much stronger and reaching a level at which he could contend with a Life Destruction powerhouse, these different bloodlines were only able to offer him limited strength.
The reason was because the quantity was simply too low.
According to Demonshine's words, there were certain God Beast Clans within the Realm of the Gods where half their blood came from a God Beast. For a genius to be birthed in such a family, their degree of talent was unimaginable.
"Sir Temple Spirit, I remember that the last time I entered the Ancient Phoenix Great Temple, besides the bloodline test, I also fought red figures in a chamber, finally earning the right to enter the general level smelting trial through my results there. How come that isn't possible this time?"
Lin Ming was very self-aware of the power of his own bloodline. Even after obtaining the rewards from the general level smelting trial, they still weren't able to compare with those that could enter the king level smelting trial. Thus, the only thing he could rely on was his own comprehensive talent in all other aspects .
Within the world of martial arts, this so-called comprehensive talent wasn't one's martial talent, but rather one's integrated combat strength in comparison to their age. This was the standard method of evaluation of a genius.
In this aspect, Lin Ming had complete confidence in himself.
"That is the qualification test for the general level smelting trial. The qualification test for the king level smelting trial is much stricter…." The Temple Spirit said without the slightest hint of emotion.
"Much stricter? That also exists?" Lin Ming noted the subtext to the Temple Spirit's words. He guessed that the Ancient Phoenix Clan also had extraordinary talents, however, they lacked bloodline purity and richness. If they couldn't participate in the king level smelting trial just because of a deficiency in their bloodline then that would just be too unfair.
"Yes, but it is a life or death smelting trial; the mortality rate is extremely high. Failure means…death!"
Life or death smelting trial?
Lin Ming's eyes widened. He never thought that the screening requirements would be so harsh for the Ancient Phoenix Clan's Royal Family. Then again, after thinking of it some more, the animal kingdom was also the same. The Royal Family enjoyed far more privileges and resources, thus the test they faced would also be that much stricter. Once they failed, that would mean death.
This was all to ensure that the Royal Family remained absolutely formidable. Otherwise, they would just be the same as all the other clansmen. What right did they have to be part of the Royal Family?
With a light breath, Lin Ming unwaveringly said, "I can!"
The Temple Spirit glanced at Lin Ming. "Your bloodline concentration is far different compared to the true Royal Family. The difficulty of the smelting trial is also very high. Are you sure?"
"I am!" Lin Ming gripped his fists together. Even if it weren't because of Mu Qianyu, Lin Ming would still have returned to the Ancient Phoenix Great Temple to attempt the king level smelting trial. The life of a martial artist was filled with difficult choices. If he had the chance to choose, he would always choose to blaze forward.
"Good, then it shall be as you wish!" The Temple Spirit's figure gradually rose up as it finished speaking. It ascended 100 feet into the air, looking down at Lin Ming. "Trial Challenger, in this battle you must now face the heroic souls of the Ancient Phoenix Clan. They had once participated in the Ancient Phoenix Clan's king level smelting trial; these are the most outstanding soldiers of the Royal Family. Now, through the recorded memories of the Ancient Phoenix Great Temple, they will be restored to their original form. If you defeat them, then you will obtain the qualifications to enter the true king level smelting trial. However, defeat…means death!"
As the Temple Spirit's voice faded, Lin Ming saw that 100 feet in front of him a haze red phantom began to emerge from thin air.
Lin Ming's mind went numb. Past soldiers of the Royal Family? He never imagined that he would actually fight with them in this manner.
Slowly extracting the long spear from his spatial ring, Lin Ming's heart blazed with a brilliant fighting spirit.
He wondered, 'Tens of thousands of years ago, or even hundreds of thousands of years ago, at a time when the history of the Sky Spill Continent is completely unknown, just what level did those martial artists reach? What sort of cultivation methods did they train in?'
He could discover them in this battle!
The red phantom slowly solidified, eventually turning into a tall man holding into a dark red spear. His eyebrows were straight, and he had a handsome appearance. His chin tapered to a point, giving him a somewhat beautiful flavor. At the same time, the man's presence was imposing, dominating, as if he were a model carved from jade.
"First opponent of the smelting trial qualification test. Ancient Phoenix Clan, Nuyan Family, Fourth Cousin of the Sixth Crown Prince, General of the Firecloud Battalion, Nuyan Yu!" Above the Ancient Phoenix Great Temple, a flat voice resounded, informing Lin Ming who his opponent had once been.
Nuyan Family? Firecloud Battalion General?
Listening to this, the Ancient Phoenix Clan seemed to be comprised of many families and factions, and the Nuyan Family was just one of these.
What sort of combat strength did the Firecloud Battalion reach? What cultivation were their soldiers?
Lin Ming lifted his spear, his heart inexplicably filled with yearning and desire for the Ancient Phoenix Clan from hundreds of thousands of years ago, wondering just what that army looked like. When he saw the murals and images within the Ancient Phoenix Great Temple, the normal soldiers had ridden Vermillion Birds and Blue Luans. Not just that, but those Saint Beasts had been far more formidable than those from Divine Phoenix Island!
In such a war, how great and magnificent a scene it would have been!
he held his long spear, pointing it straight at Lin Ming. The soldiers of the Ancient Phoenix Clan often had to ride Vermillion Birds and other Saint Beasts into battle, thus a majority of them used long polearms. For instance, the spear, halberd, and lance were all extremely common. This was completely different from the current Divine Phoenix Island that primarily used swords.
"Revolving Core cultivation?" Lin Ming discovered that Nuyan Yu's cultivation was only at the Revolving Core realm. But, as to what boundary this Revolving Core realm actually reached, he found it difficult to guess. This was likely due to the differences in physique and training from those martial artists of the Sky Spill Continent.
"There is no one in the Sky Spill Continent who can give off such pressure with just a Revolving Core cultivation. I wonder just how old this Nuyan Yu was before he left behind this recorded phantom. If he was just in his twenties, then that would truly be terrifying!" Lin Ming's expression turned solemn, his eyes filling with fighting spirit. Ever since he had broken through to the Revolving Core, this was the first time he had stood opposite another heroic young elite who was comparable to him.
Swish!
Without a word, Nuyan Yu thrust his spear at Lin Ming!
All of the fire origin energy of the world was stirred up by this spear, forming a phantom Ancient Phoenix that flapped its wings, shooting towards Lin Ming!
The phantom hadn't arrived, but a sweltering heat wave had already reached him!
"Come on!"
Lin Ming's eyes erupted with a fierce fighting spirit. Against such an enemy, he didn't have any thoughts of holding back. From the very start he had opened the Heretical God Force, as well activating the Death God force field and Asura force field!
Chasing Sun!
A spear thrust out. This spear contained the Concept of Fire.
This was a collision of Concepts. Lin Ming wanted to see just how far off his own Concept of Fire was compared to those young elites of the Ancient Phoenix Clan.
Bang!
Nuyan Yu's Ancient Phoenix phantom was pierced through by Lin Ming's spear, but Lin Ming's spear light was also melted away by those feverish flames.
Both strikes disappeared into thin air, evenly matched!
Lin Ming sucked in a deep breath. He knew that just in terms of Concepts he had already lost. The only reason he had been able to block that strike just now was because his battle spirit had been infused into his attack.
Chapter 717 – Qualify
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In the skies above the battlefield, the Temple Spirit indifferently gazed on at everything happening beneath him. After all, the Temple Spirit was an existence that lacked all normal human sentiment. It was not surprised nor did it exclaim aloud. It only felt it unusual that Lin Ming, whose cultivation was at the middle Revolving Core realm, was able to form a bronze-level elementary stage battle spirit, infinitely close to reaching small success.
'Perhaps he really might have the qualifications to enter the true king level smelting trial…'
As the Temple Spirit thought this, it blankly stared on.
Whether Lin Ming earned the qualifications or died, the Temple Spirit would never show regret or joy. It simply held the attitude of a spectator, bearing witness to all.
Bang!
On the battlefield, Nuyan Yu and Lin Ming fiercely collided. Nuyan Yu was tossed back hundreds of feet, his body shaking as if the energy that formed him was about to dissipate at any second.
"I see. That attack just now really consumed a great deal of energy." Lin Ming discovered that the phantom reproduction of Nuyan Yu had an extremely limited amount of energy. Every bit less was energy that the phantom would never recover. In just a few intense collisions, half of Nuyan Yu's figure already vanished.
Lin Ming twirled his long spear, stepping atop Golden Roc Shattering the Void as he instantly appeared in front of Nuyan Yu.
A spear shot out, containing the Concept of Thunderfire.
Penetrating Rainbow!
Kacha!
The energy-formed spear in Nuyan Yu's hand was directly cut in half, and a chunk of his arm was ripped off by Lin Ming's attack, turning into sparkling starlight that vanished.
After losing a part of his arm, Nuyan Yu was no longer able to withstand Lin Ming. Lin Ming's spear thrust through his throat, and Nuyan Yu vanished in a blaze of radiant light.
"I won."
Lin Ming took several deep gulps, catching his breath as he stirred the Black Hole Revolving Core in his dantian to absorb the rich heaven and earth origin energy around him.
That Nuyan Yu just now had left a deep impression on Lin Ming. If it weren't for the fact that the phantom copy had a limited amount of energy, if the fight had continued, Lin Ming would have had to pay a heavy price even if he won.
"The extraordinary heroic elites of the Ancient Phoenix Clan are truly formidable, especially in their understanding of Concepts. In that aspect alone, I am far inferior to them." Lin Ming shook his head. His perception wasn't bad, but as his cultivation and strength constantly improved, he began to find that his perception was becoming a weakness of his.
After Nuyan Yu's phantom dissipated, a new phantom quickly coalesced in front of Lin Ming.
The phantom held a long war lance. Flaming red hair ran down his shoulders and a sharp light shined in his eyes. With a single glance, he could see that hundreds of thousands of years ago, this man was once a dragon amongst humans.
"The second opponent of the smelting trial qualification test. Ancient Phoenix Clan, Nuyan Family, Second Son of the Sixth Prince, Vanguard General Nuyan Huo!"
This Nuyan Huo appeared to be around 20-30 years of age. As for exactly how old he was, it was difficult to estimate. In the Ancient Phoenix Clan's king level smelting trial qualifier, matches were arranged according to the trial challenger's age. The older the challenger, the stronger the opponents they had to face.
Nuyan Huo lifted his left hand, and with a sizzling spark, flames combusted, coalescing into a fire shield. On Nuyan Huo's body, flames lingered on his skin. After several breaths of time, these little flames turned into countless small scales that covered him, forming a complete set of armor. With this, Nuyan Huo's entire body was protected.
These scales burned a deep red. As they covered his body, they seemed like completely separate entities. On top of the scales were even mystical runes. These were natural formed textures after the fires solidified into material from.
"Flame shield, flame armor?"
Lin Ming's pupil's shrank. This was a technique that was recorded within the "Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicles."
Within the "Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle," there were recorded methods on how to form such objects as chains out of fire. Lin Ming had also casually learnt these skills, but because of the limits in the cultivation method and the strength and durability of the flame formed, chains were inadequate. As Lin Ming broke through to the Houtian realm and Xiantian realm, he slowly stopped using these minor techniques.
But now, as Lin Ming saw the flame scales and flame shield on Nuyan Huo's body, he could clearly feel the energy there that was compressed to an extremely terrifying degree. It was absolutely startling!
Was this a high level application of the Concept of Fire?
Lin Ming took a deep breath. In these past few years, he had invested the majority of his time and energy into understanding and polishing the Concept of Space. As for the Concept of Fire and the Concept of Thunder, he had temporarily put those on hold.
Lin Ming was well aware that as a martial artist reached a higher boundary the more important it became to utilize things such as battle spirits, Laws, and their corresponding Concepts, abilities that one comprehended from touching upon the source of principles. Only the worst of all martial artists would depend on just their cultivation to fight.
The more Concepts one comprehended, the more combat strength and flexibility one would have. Although it was possible to bite off more than one could chew, when one reached the Divine Sea boundary and above, it was possible to have thousands upon thousands of years of life. This was more than enough time to understand these things. Thus, it was always a good idea to lay down an early foundation.
Woosh!
Nuyan Huo's lance thrust out and all of the surrounding fire origin energy was thrown in turmoil, completely overwhelming as it came enveloping down on Lin Ming. Against such a lance attack, Lin Ming didn't counterattack first. Instead, he touched his mind upon the Heretical God Force, relying on his powerful soul force and perception to analyze the mysteries behind Nuyan Huo's attack.
Chasing Sun!
When Lin Ming was covered in fire, he finally made his counterattack.
Peng!
Flames showered. Lin Ming flew out of the explosion, his hair charred and clothes smoking. In that quick exchange of moves, even though Lin Ming's spear strike contained his battle spirit, it still wasn't enough to make up for the disparity.
Fortunately, Lin Ming wasn't injured thanks to his astounding defensive ability. Even so, some of the power of fire crept into his meridians, recklessly dashing about before the suppressive force of the Heretical God Seed came crashing down upon it. But the power of this flame wisp was much hardier and stubborn than Lin Ming had imagined. Even with the Heretical God Force tamping it down, it was still extremely violent and wild. It would take a short period of time before it was fully suppressed.
This was the first time that the Heretical God Seed had encountered such a situation. Lin Ming certainly didn't think that the Heretical God Force arcane skill was insufficient in grade, but rather that his own realm was lacking. Compared to Nuyan Huo, his comprehension in Concepts was far too poor.
"Trying to steal a glance at the Concept of Fire in the midst of a fight?" In the sky over the battlefield, the Temple Spirit indifferently watched everything happening below it. "The king level smelting trial qualifier is extremely difficult. It is already a life or death battle, so you had better be careful. Don't lose your life just for a chance of comprehending something beyond you."
In the Temple Spirit's opinion, if Lin Ming concentrated too much on comprehending certain things in this battle, then he wouldn't be able to fight with his full strength, thus having a situation just now where he had lost. In a battle between masters, any sort of hesitation like this was dangerous.
"I appreciate the advice." Lin Ming never intended to change his plans to begin. If he wanted to gain insights into this Concept during battle, it would naturally consume a great deal more energy; he might even be injured. However, he had faith in his own endurance and defensive ability. If the situation took a turn for the worse, it wouldn't be too late to fully commit to the battle.
Bang bang bang!
With every exchange of moves, Lin Ming constantly gained insight from Nuyan Huo's Concept of Fire. Within his body, the Heretical God Seed began to absorb more and more power of fire. Under the confines of the Heretical God Force, this power of fire formed a crimson sphere that revolved near the Heretical God Seed together with the Heretical God Flame essence. However, it was impossible for the Heretical God Flame Essence to absorb this power simply because the difference in level was too high.
Although Nuyan Huo seemed as if he held the complete advantage, there was still a limited amount of energy within his body. After ten moves, his voice began to fade away.
After five more moves, Lin Ming's spear cut off Nuyan Huo's arm.
A section of flame armor and the flame shield fell into Lin Ming's hands. Gently feeling the shield with his fingers, Lin Ming sensed the traces of energy contained within. In this shield, it seemed as if the fire origin energy had a mind of its own. It was a structure of energy formed with countless tiny runes. Regardless of what direction an attack came from, this structure would be able disperse the impact of the strike, ultimately absorbing the remnants of that attack with the flame energy.
"This Flame Law is truly amazing!"
Nuyan Huo's attack came once again. Lin Ming was no longer able to divide his attention in battle to study the subtle structures within this shield. With a counterattack of his spear, Nuyan Huo's phantom was killed, his body scattering into energy. The flame shield in Lin Ming's hand also vanished in a burst of fire, making him feel extremely regretful.
After Nuyan Huo, new matches appeared, all from the Nuyan Family. Lin Ming began to suspect that only the Ancient Phoenix Clan members from the Sky Spill Continent were surnamed Nuyan. Perhaps the Ancient Phoenix Clan of the Sky Spill Continent was only a tiny branch of the Ancient Phoenix Clan from the Realm of the Gods.
The battles became increasingly intense. Lin Ming was already unable to discreetly study the Concept of Fire in battle, otherwise he wouldn't be able to continue.
After being swept up in the aftermath of his opponent's flames, Lin Ming thrust out his spear at this fifth opponent, killing him. But then, two crimson phantom images appeared in front of him.
Nuyan Family Left Guard General, Nuyan Dalei.
Nuyan Family Right Guard General, Nuyan Xun.
One against two!
Lin Ming's expression became solemn. Although his opponents had limited energy, having to face continuous fights in an ever-changing battle was still very hard on the trial challenger's energy consumption. If it weren't for the Gate of Healing supporting Lin Ming, he absolutely couldn't have made it to this stage.
"The Ancient Phoenix Clan's king level smelting trial is truly strict in its requirements. This is also only the Ancient Phoenix Clan's Nuyan Family. I wonder what would happen if it were different races or clans?" Lin Ming was well aware that there was no limit in this universe; there was always a higher peak. This was common sense. With his current talent, he far exceeded anyone in the ancient or current times of the Sky Spill Continent and Holy Demon Continent. But, in Demonshine's words, there were three thousand boundless worlds, meaning that there were at least another billion worlds out there, all like the Sky Spill Continent. Just being able to dominate a world like that didn't mean much at all.
Lin Ming no longer bothered to gain insights into the Concept of Fire; he completely concentrated on this battle as he preserved his energy. Lin Ming's strongest strength lay in his endurance. Even if he had to fight multiple enemies, it would still be difficult to wear him down. In addition, he also had an astounding physical defense capability. And with the support of the Heretical God Seed, Lin Ming held a completely disparate advantage when it came to defending against fire energy.
Like this, Lin Ming continued fighting.
Sixth match…
Seventh match…
Eighth match…
When the tenth match came, Lin Ming's opponent was a minor prince of the Ancient Phoenix Clan.
This prince was several times stronger than his previous opponents. The prince wielded a golden halberd, and his control of fire was dizzying in its wonder.
From the very start Lin Ming had fallen into the inferior position. After continuous collisions, he forcefully relied on the Heretical God Seed to control and defend against the flames. After ten moves, the prince's energy gradually weakened, and then he was killed by Lin Ming.
After defeating his tenth opponent, Lin Ming supported himself on the ground with his spear, his entire face dripping wet with sweat. His clothes were nearly burnt off, and his body was covered with minor burns and spear wounds. At this moment, he had already used up over half of his true essence.
The Temple Spirit came floating down from the air. It calmly said, "Trial Challenger, congratulations on obtaining the qualifications to enter the king level smelting trial. Now, follow me…."