Just as the grey-robed elder's cold voice that was brimming with killing intent rang out, the several white-robed individuals behind him had already explosively shot out. With a clench of their hands, black spears appeared in a flash. Transforming into spear shadows, they hid the skies and covered the earth as they swept towards Mu Chen.
The cyan longsword in Mu Chen's hand trembled and dark black Spiritual Energy surged out of his body. The sword light that was burning with black flames flickered and completely blocked the spear shadows that were enveloping him.
Clang clang.
As the sword light and spear shadows collided, black flames rose and directly burned them. These white-robed men weren't as strong as the four from before. They should be at the Heavenly Fusion Stage Middle Phase. However, they had great chemistry with each other. Even if a Heavenly Fusion Stage Late Phase met them, they would probably be annihilated.
Mu Chen's gaze swept towards the grey-robed elder, who was staring at him like a venomous snake. This old man was the one he was afraid of. The strength of a Heavenly Transform Stage Initial Phase was a considerable pressure for him. If he were to make a move, he'd definitely be a huge threat to Mu Chen.
He didn't have any reinforcements in this place, and he couldn't use the terrain to escape like he did that night. Therefore, the situation wasn't looking good for him.
There were a few people around the magma lake who saw the confrontation between Mu Chen and White Dragon City. However, their eyes flashed and they retreated, indicating that they wouldn't interfere.
"I have to find a chance to retreat."
Mu Chen furrowed his brows. He was still in the periphery of the Sovereign Spirit Treasury. If he fought Bai Dong and the others here, there would be too many uncertainties. Who knew if White Dragon City would send reinforcements or not?
Moreover, he had to be careful of the other fellows who were eyeing him covetously.
"Are you trying to escape?"
As Mu Chen's eyes flickered, the grey-robed elder smiled sinisterly. Then, a glint flashed through his eyes.
With a clench of his withered hand, a powerful surge of Spiritual Energy abruptly condensed, transforming into a long spear that was condensed from Spiritual Energy. On the surface of the long spear, there was a sword.
The Spiritual Energy formed an arc of light that constantly pulsed and emitted an astonishing might.
"That old man is going to make his move!"
Seeing this, Mu Chen's expression could not help but change slightly, and he quickly retreated.
The grey clothed old man sneered. He took a step forward and his body turned blurry at this moment. Like a wisp of smoke, he swept across the sky with a few steps.
He caught up with Mu Chen.
Mu Chen's eyes were a little gloomy.
He had already pushed the Shadowspirit Step to its limits.
However, he was still easily caught up to by this old fellow. It seemed that the Agility Spiritual Art that the latter cultivated was far superior to his Shadowspirit Step.
"Black Dragon Spear!"
The black spear in the old man's hand trembled.
Immediately, a dazzling light burst forth as the spear pierced out.
The dense Spiritual Energy turned into a black dragon that bared its fangs and brandished its claws. With a fierce killing intent, it fiercely shot towards Mu Chen.
Mu Chen did not dare to be careless as he sensed the frightening gale. He lifted his palm and the Nine-layered Pagoda appeared in a flash. It expanded in the face of the wind and formed a tower shield in front of him.
Clang!
The long spear heavily struck the Nine-layered Pagoda. The pagoda suddenly shook and a metallic sound rang out. A wave of vibrating force traveled through the pagoda and into Mu Chen's body, causing his blood and energy to churn.
"Eh?"
Seeing this, the grey clothed old man let out a cry of surprise. Even a Heavenly Fusion Stage Late Phase wouldn't be able to block his attack. He never thought that it would be blocked by this strange black pagoda.
"You guys seal off this area. I want to see how long he can last."
A cold roar rang out from the grey-robed old man. In the next instant, his gaze abruptly turned fierce as he took a step forward. Vigorous Spiritual Energy revolved within his body, causing the aura of a Heavenly Transformation Stage to completely erupt from him. The black spear in his hand hid the skies and covered the earth as it violently pierced out. Even the air was torn apart at this moment, causing waves to surge from the magma lake below.
When Mu Chen saw that the grey clothed old man's attack was getting more and more violent, he hurriedly activated the Shadowspirit Step to dodge and relied on the Nine-layered Pagoda's powerful defense to repeatedly block.
But in this way, he was completely suppressed.
"Elder Qiu, remember not to kill him. I won't let him die so easily!" Bai Dong said with a sinister expression as he stared at Mu Chen, who'd fallen into a disadvantageous position.
"Young City Lord, don't worry. This old man won't let him escape." The grey clothed old man sinisterly smiled. A cold light flashed in his eyes as he intensified his attacks.
Mu Chen's figure hurriedly retreated. At this moment, his eyes had also become a little gloomy. This old man's overbearing attitude had provoked his anger.
The strength of a Heavenly Transformation Stage Initial Phase did make Mu Chen feel quite a bit of pressure. But if they were to go all out, Mu Chen was confident that this old man wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.
"Old thing, since you want to play, then this young master will accompany you to the end!"
Mu Chen's eyes darkened. He suddenly formed a seal with both hands. Shortly after, his hand seals rapidly changed at an astonishing speed. An astonishing Spiritual Energy fluctuation swept out.
"Hmm?"
The grey clothed old man's eyes narrowed when he sensed the Spiritual Energy fluctuation. This kid really did have some tricks up his sleeves. No wonder he was able to kill four Demonic Dragon Guards.
Mu Chen's eyes darkened. But just as he was about to use the Four Gods Constellation Scripture, his expression suddenly changed. His eyes unobtrusively glanced at the churning magma lake below. A hint of surprise and delight flashed through his eyes.
While Mu Chen was distracted, his changing hand seals also paused for a moment.
"Brat, you dare to be distracted while fighting this old man? You're courting death!"
In that instant of pause, the grey-robed elder sensed it. Immediately, he let out a cold laugh. His figure turned into a wisp of blurry smoke as he appeared above Mu Chen at lightning speed. The black spear in his hand chopped down with a forceful momentum that was mixed with surging Spiritual Energy. It was like a huge torrential wave.
The Nine-layered Pagoda appeared above Mu Chen's head and rapidly expanded.
Clang!
The grey clothed old man's ferocious attack heavily slammed into the Nine-layered Pagoda. The Nine-layered Pagoda dimmed, then rapidly shrank and shot into Mu Chen's body.
Mu Chen seemed to have suffered a heavy blow. His figure plummeted, and with a plop, he fell into the magma lake.
The magma surged, but Mu Chen's figure disappeared.
In the air, the grey clothed old man looked down at the magma lake in bewilderment. Did that brat die just like that?
Bai Dong also rushed over. His expression fluctuated as he gritted his teeth. "That brat won't die so easily. Capture him! I want to grind his bones to ashes!"
The grey clothed old man shook his head. "Young City Lord, there's fire poison in this magma lake. Even if you can use your Spiritual Energy to block the magma, you'll still be corroded by the fire poison. That brat will definitely die if he falls in."
Bai Dong's face contorted with unwillingness. He hated Mu Chen to the bone. How could he just let the brat die like this? He still planned to ruthlessly torture him.
"We'll stand guard here. If he's really still alive, he won't dare to stay in there for too long. We'll capture him the moment he appears." The grey clothed old man's sharp eyes swept over the magma lake.
Bai Dong nodded and gnashed his teeth. "Little bastard, don't die so quickly!"
They spread out in the air and examined the surface of the magma lake. But what left them bewildered was that even after they stood guard for a full ten minutes, Mu Chen's figure still hadn't appeared.
"That brat must have died in there," the grey clothed old man said in a low voice.
The grey clothed old man said in a low voice. After such a long time, even he would undoubtedly die if he fell into the magma lake, not to mention a Heavenly Fusion Stage brat.
Bai Dong hatefully waved his sleeves.
"Young City Lord, let's go meet up with the City Lord first. Obtaining the item left behind by the White Dragon Sovereign is our top priority," the grey clothed old man said.
Bai Dong could only nod. His gaze swept over the magma lake once more before he reluctantly led his men away.
When Bai Dong and his men left, they naturally didn't know that the supposedly dead Mu Chen had dived into the depths of the magma lake. At that moment, black flames burned around his body. With the protection of the Jiu You Flame, the magma here clearly posed no threat to him. That so-called fire poison couldn't penetrate the protection of the Jiu You Flame.
Mu Chen shuttled through the scarlet magma, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. Just now, the Jiu You Sparrow had suddenly said that it had discovered some strange fluctuations in the depths of the magma.
Those fluctuations could very well be the Fire Celestial Lotus!
That was why Mu Chen had borrowed the momentum to dive into the magma lake, avoiding the grey clothed old man and searching for the Fire Celestial Lotus at the same time.
"That old fogey. The next time we meet, I'll let you have a taste of this young master's methods."
Mu Chen coldly snorted in his heart. If it weren't for his misgivings, how could he have been suppressed? If he really did use his methods, even if it would consume a lot of his energy, the old fogey would still lose a layer of skin, even if he didn't die.
Thoughts spun in Mu Chen's mind, but his eyes didn't stop searching. As he dived deeper into the magma, he felt a dry heat surge towards him. The temperature of the magma here could already penetrate through some of the Jiu You Flames.
If this continued, even with the protection of the Jiu You Flames, he wouldn't be able to last much longer.
"Two hundred meters to the lower right." The Jiu You Sparrow's voice suddenly rang out.
Upon hearing this, Mu Chen's spirits were instantly lifted, and he hurriedly dashed in that direction. In a short span of a dozen breaths, his speed began to slow down, and his eyes were filled with wild joy as he looked to his front.
Scarlet red magma surged and churned. Within the magma, there was a multi-coloured lotus that was roughly a foot in size floating within it. Rays of seven-coloured halos were being emitted from it, causing the magma to be unable to approach it.
At this moment, a strange fragrance wafted out. As he sniffed it, Mu Chen felt the dry heat in his body disappear.
Mu Chen's eyes were a little excited as he gazed at the rainbow-colored lotus in the depths of the magma. This was the Fire Celestial Lotus that he had been painstakingly searching for!
(...)