Chapter 550

Chapter 550: Judgment of the Fire Spirits

“Such events are happening; the demons truly are a significant threat!”

In the territories of the Great Li Dynasty and the Heavy Origin Heavenly Sect, humanity continued to face the menace of demons, with countless cultivators dying for the materials found on these monsters.

After a long period of killing, the Monster Tide raised by the demons caused ordinary cultivators to fall in large numbers, as human cultivators were also a great source of sustenance for the demons.

However, the high-ranking figures and the kings of the Manifest Realm did not intervene, letting the lower-level cultivators fight and die, with decisive battles erupting only during special times, such as moments of reincarnation for becoming monarchs or true immortals.

During such times, even the Honored Positions could suffer heavy casualties; if certain limits were surpassed, humanity could face extinction.

“The Absolute Emperor’s plan is utterly unrealistic. Although I don’t know what specifically happened, it was clear that the Absolute Emperor fell, and the Fire Spirits were hunted down from all sides, leading to their eventual extinction. Only one powerful figure took the Absolute Emperor’s legacy and fled to the Border Continent.”

“The reason this powerful figure managed to escape is merely because he was deemed insignificant, given the last respect to the monarchs. Now, thousands of years later, this figure has unexpectedly become entangled in the incident surrounding the return of the Celestial Sovereign, ultimately leading to his own demise.”

The sect man understood the situation due to recently unfolding events; otherwise, how could he have known about the monarch’s secrets so coincidentally?

“Is that the Divine General on Earth? Could it be the last bloodline of the Fire Spirits?!”

Several cultivators suddenly realized something, their faces filled with understanding.

“This is the background of the Fire Spirits. If I’m not mistaken, we are in the Fire Jade Heavenly City, the legendary place of the Absolute Emperor’s fall. I wonder who recreated this scene; is this some plot to eliminate us all?”

“The secret of the destruction of the Fire Spirits’ clan is incredibly dangerous. Even re-creating this scene brings curses. Many cultivators have died seeking the ruins of the Fire Spirits. If we trigger it by accident, it will be impossible for even true immortals to save us!”

Said the sect man.

“It has been tens of thousands of years, and the curse is still active? Wait, we can’t use the power of the Mystic Realm; could it be because of this curse?”

A cultivator in white robes changed color slightly. He had thought it was some grand formation that could be destroyed to restore things.

But if it was a curse targeting an entire race, even their collective powers would be unable to break it, so how could he hope to dispel it?

“The inability to use Mystic Realm power is not due to a curse but because this time and space is isolated from the outside world; we were only pulled in by our true forms. Remember, it is our true bodies that have been dragged in—dying here means we truly die. We cannot be revived in Mystic Heaven.”

Yun Ye suddenly spoke.

The faces of the three Mystic Realm cultivators darkened; they sensed the possibility of what he said. If even the Heir of the Divine Deer Clan believed this, it was likely very close to the truth.

After opening their self-Mystic Heaven, cultivators still have their physical bodies but often send out avatars as distractions. If their physical forms fall while in Mystic Heaven, they can only let their souls return to Mystic Heaven to reshape their bodies.

But since this world’s space is sealed, and they can’t even sense Mystic Heaven, their souls have no place to escape. Death here means true death.

“It seems we are specifically targeted. According to this theory, such abilities shouldn’t affect true beings. After all, true beings use the Three Major Techniques and have no distinction between body and spirit, fully combined with the sky. To sever their connection can only mean death.”

The group exchanged glances.

“Son, they’re coming again.”

One of the maidservants suddenly said, and immediately, the temperature around them began to rise sharply. As their Spirit Sense moved, they scattered.

Boom!

A Fire Spirit slapped down, flames penetrating everywhere but were quickly absorbed by the fire jade. Still, the sudden high temperature ignited parts of their clothing. They wore treasured garments with high durability, making it difficult to ignite them.

“The formation here even suppresses the power of their tools; what sort of ability can replicate such a realistic scene?”

“Scatter!”

The nine cultivators circulated their powers, activating the abilities of their artifacts to extinguish the flames.

Then, they activated various concealment techniques to change locations, avoiding confrontation with the Fire Spirits.

It was not that they could not win; it was mainly due to overwhelming numbers, with some individuals resembling powerful generals, stronger than ordinary Fire Spirits.

Their power remained only within the law realms, and with the formation suppressing their destructive capacity, they had no chance to storm through the Fire Jade Heavenly City.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, a flame shadow flashed by. One person in concealment widened his eyes, grabbing fiercely at the fire spike that pierced his chest.

His strong magical energy surged, attempting to trace back to the attacker along the fire spike; but the next second, he turned into a dry corpse, quickly engulfed by flames.

A special Fire Spirit stood atop the building, retracting the fire spike that had grown from its body. Its gaze locked onto the remaining individuals, and in the next instant, it waved its right arm, its cloak enveloping its body, directly transforming into flames and disappearing into the air, jumping to appear before the next person using a special method.

“Not good! It’s a third-tier evolved individual from the Fire Spirits, the Judgment Fire Spirit—run!”

The sect man shouted, a flood of information rushing into everyone’s minds.

He finally revealed vital information for their battle and escape, which was his intention all along. As a high-level cultivator, even without Mystic Heaven and despite the formation sealing them, he still had his Spirit Law instincts; how could he be slower than the reactions of the maidservants, who were merely law realm cultivators?

He simply wanted more cannon fodder to decrease his own chance of being targeted in the next attack.

The Judgment Fire Spirit, a third-tier evolved being.

Ordinary Fire Spirits stood about two to four meters tall, resembling humans combined with lava-like flames. These markings were stable; ordinary beings would only feel warmth upon touching them. But once activated, they would transform into flame giants, naturally possessing heavenly spirit fire with immense power.

However, the difference between Judgment Fire Spirits and ordinary Fire Spirits was not merely in cultivation level; it was also a physiological change. At this stage, Fire Spirits grow four spikes resembling chains, and half their bodies are cloaked. The spikes can infuse vast energy to burn those pierced, while the cloak can transform into flames, freely appearing wherever there is fire.

Everywhere was the fire spirit energy of the Fire Jade Heavenly City, akin to being trapped in a sea of flames. This ability is like instantaneous teleportation; once targeted, fighting back only means certain death.

To evade the Judgment Fire Spirit’s detection requires completely merging their presence with fire spirit energy; otherwise, they would be no different from the sun in the darkness.

As law realm and Mystic Realm cultivators, none present were weak. They swiftly altered their concealment methods, attempting to fully integrate their presence with the fire spirit energy.

Two of them, suited for the task, succeeded, becoming undetectable by the Judgment Fire Spirit. However, for many, the hurried attempt was imperfect, merely causing the Judgment Fire Spirit to expend more effort, while in the blink of an eye, three more were killed.

Among the five survivors, besides Yun Ye, all harbored a lingering fear.

If they had merely been outmatched by a disparity in power, they would have long been mentally prepared. However, feeling this sealed power and experiencing past helplessness only made them unexpectedly uncomfortable.