Chapter 6: Birth of the Spirit Pearl in the Molten Lands

Two streaks of light flashed across the sky.

The fire spirits and water spirits currently engaged in fierce combat paid no attention to the anomaly above.

Yet deep within the lair of the fire spirits, inside the bubbling magma volcano, a fire spirit immersed in the blazing flames suddenly snapped its eyes open. Immediately, an overwhelming aura, far surpassing the Zifu realm, surged into the heavens.

The fire spirits cultivating in the pools of magma surrounding the volcano were jolted awake by the presence of their king.

One by one, Zifu-realm fire spirits hauled their three-zhang-tall bodies out of the magma pools and turned their gazes toward the towering central volcano.

A six-zhang-tall, Jindan-realm fire spirit stepped onto the summit of the volcano. It gazed at the two streaks of light approaching in the distance and transmitted its voice to its subjects: "The enemy has arrived! Prepare for battle!"

The Zifu-realm fire spirits roared, hurling massive balls of molten lava into the heavens and instantly staining the sky a fiery red.

Xiang Yao looked at the overwhelming, meteor-like shower of lava raining down. Just as she was about to warn Jiang Sheng to be careful, she saw Jiang Sheng plunge straight ahead.

The Qingping Sword had already materialized in Jiang Sheng's hand. Accompanied by a crisp hum, a sword Qi soared across three thousand zhang, directly splitting the all-encompassing meteor shower of fire.

Every fire spirit on the ground watched as a beam of azure light pierced the sky above them, causing the lava fireballs they had thrown to shatter and rain down continuously.

With a sound resembling the roar of a dragon, the azure light piercing the heavens suddenly fractured into countless streaks of azure sword radiance that whistled downward!

In an instant, an interwoven web of azure sword Qi covered the firmament, shrouding the fire spirits below.

The Zifu-realm fire spirits roared, unleashing their most powerful techniques.

Countless lava spears, fireballs the size of houses, and endless volleys of fire met the colossal web of sword Qi.

Amidst a series of deafening explosions, the fire spirits finally managed to shatter the sword Qi barrier.

Yet before they could cheer, an unfamiliar figure appeared in the sky.

Jiang Sheng had never placed his focus on those Zifu-realm fire spirits from the beginning.

Looking at the fire spirit king standing atop the volcano, Jiang Sheng transmitted his voice: "Fairy Xiang, leave the enemies below to you. I shall handle the Fire Spirit King."

Xiang Yao, following closely behind, glanced at the dense horde of fire spirits below. Before she could speak, she saw Jiang Sheng charge directly at the Fire Spirit King, whose cultivation was clearly at the Jindan realm.

Does this Young Master Jiang possess some sort of trump card?

How dare he challenge a Jindan expert while only in the Zifu realm?

There was no time for hesitation. Xiang Yao shook her hands, and a pair of azure cloud sleeves manifested.

The sleeves fluttered, carrying boundless moisture as they lashed downward, colliding with two charging fire spirits.

Meanwhile, Jiang Sheng had already closed the distance to the Fire Spirit King. The Qingping Sword in his hand hummed continuously. As a flash of azure light erupted, a three-zhang sword Qi roared forward, slashing directly at the Fire Spirit King.

The Fire Spirit King swept its left arm, unleashing a torrent of blazing flames that shattered the incoming sword Qi.

Immediately after, it reached down into the magma beneath its feet, pulling out a lava spear measuring a full seven zhang in length.

The six-zhang-tall Fire Spirit King wielding this seven-zhang lava spear resembled a deity descended to the mortal realm, its majestic might truly chilling to the bone.

A Jindan-realm entity not only possesses innate divine powers and dharma, but is virtually impossible to defeat until the primordial energy within its golden core is entirely exhausted.

However, for elemental spirits born within a secret realm, such as fire and water spirits, they merely possess the power and perhaps the divine abilities of the Jindan realm, yet they possess no actual golden core to speak of.

Their power had been artificially elevated entirely by the realm itself.

Even so, for a Fire Spirit King stationed within a land of molten fire, it could draw upon magma and flames at any time and from any place, rendering it virtually invincible.

Drawn-out combat was not in Jiang Sheng's interest; quick victory was the only way!

With a roar resembling a thunderclap, the Fire Spirit King swung the massive seven-zhang spear with an unstoppable, overwhelming momentum.

It felt as though mountains were collapsing; before Jiang Sheng's eyes, there was only an expanding dark shadow and the shrieking whistle of displaced air.

The lotus flowers blooming along the Qingping Sword's blade unfolded one by one. As Jiang Sheng continuously poured his spiritual power into the weapon, the Qingping Sword trembled violently, transforming into an azure rainbow that met the descending seven-zhang spear head-on.

Boom!

An explosion echoed like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.

Countless fragments of lava fell amidst scorching sparks, and the rolling shockwaves swept away the surrounding spiritual energy, leaving a stark vacuum.

Jiang Sheng pressed his right index and middle fingers together like a sword, and the rainbow formed by the Qingping Sword blocked the lava spear right in front of him, preventing it from advancing even an inch.

The Fire Spirit King gripped the tail end of the lava spear with its right arm, exerting downward pressure while simultaneously drawing a vast amount of magma heat into its left palm. It condensed the energy into a dark red fireball pulsating with terrifying fluctuations and hurled it at Jiang Sheng.

With a calm expression, Jiang Sheng abandoned the struggle of brute strength, flashing away in a beam of light to reappear high up in the firmament.

The dark red fireball burst open abruptly, and rolling heat waves accompanied by terrifying flames swallowed the area Jiang Sheng had just occupied. That scorching temperature was fierce enough to reduce a Zifu-realm entity to ashes.

"Young Master Jiang, are you alright?"

Xiang Yao had been closely monitoring the battle between Jiang Sheng and the Fire Spirit King.

Sensing the terrifying succession of shockwaves from afar, she was deeply worried that Jiang Sheng wouldn't be able to hold the Fire Spirit King off.

Indeed, Xiang Yao had never expected Jiang Sheng to defeat the Fire Spirit King; as long as he could stall it, that would buy her enough time to collect the fire spirit pearls.

"Rest assured, Fairy Xiang, the Fire Spirit King cannot harm me for the time being."

Jiang Sheng transmitted his voice to reassure her, while simultaneously forming hand seals with his right hand. The azure rainbow turned and flew back into his palm, once again transforming into the three-chi-six-cun Qingping Sword.

As Jiang Sheng's left hand, formed into a sword gesture, grazed inch by inch along the pitch-black blade of the Qingping Sword, azure lotuses bloomed, and an extremely sharp aura emanated from the sword.

It was a sword intent capable of slicing through anything and piercing every defense.

Sensing the astonishing fluctuations in the air, the Fire Spirit King grasped the seven-zhang spear with both hands. Planting its feet firmly in the magma, it continuously drew upon the molten fire energy, channeling the dense, violent fire-type spiritual power of its surroundings into the weapon until the crimson spear gradually turned dark red.

Finally, the Fire Dragon King arched its body like a bow and hurled the spear with all its might. The dark red lava spear, pulsating with terrifying energy, whistled through the air like a falling meteor, its momentum seemingly destined to pierce the vault of heaven.

That dreadful wave of energy reached Jiang Sheng in the blink of an eye.

Just as the terrifying dark red spear was about to shatter Jiang Sheng, a streak of azure rainbow flashed and vanished.

The next moment, the rainbow descended from the firmament, crossing thousands of zhang in an instant and leaving behind a wake of vibrating sword Qi.

The lava spear was shattered by the azure rainbow, turning into a rain of fire that scattered across the sky.

Before the Fire Spirit King could even register its shock, the azure rainbow pierced straight through its chest with the unstoppable momentum of a white rainbow piercing the sun, leaving a gaping, human-sized hole in its towering torso.

Accompanied by the click of a longsword returning to its scabbard, the Fire Spirit King felt a boundless sword intent erupt within the wound on its chest, instantly blasting half of its body to pieces.

Xiang Yao stared in stunned disbelief at the battle in the distance.

She simply could not believe her eyes!

Young Master Jiang had decapitated the Jindan-realm Fire Spirit King with a single sword strike?!

How was this possible?!

And what on earth was that razor-sharp sword intent that seemed capable of slicing through everything?!

Yet the very next moment, the Fire Spirit King—its body half-destroyed—let out a roar. The boundless molten fire within the magma pool surged upward, attaching itself to its body and repairing every single wound.

In the blink of an eye, the heavily damaged Fire Spirit King had recovered to its peak condition.

Not only that, but beneath and above the two already sturdy arms on its six-zhang-tall torso, two additional pairs of arms sprouted out.

As the Fire Spirit King plunged all six arms into the magma pool, it hauled out a series of spears.

At this moment, the Fire Spirit King grasped a spear in each of its six hands. Resembling a celestial deity, the six-armed Fire Spirit King brandished the lava spears, raining blows down upon Jiang Sheng with crazed fury.

Within the span of a single breath, a rapid succession of explosive roars echoed out. Molten fire energy surged wildly, and as spear after spear hammered downward, the entire volcano trembled and groaned in despair.

Meanwhile, across the vast marshlands on the northern side of the Water-Fire Secret Realm, torrents of water surged into the sky before crashing down as roaring waterfalls.

The Water Spirit King roared, wielding a longsword in each of its six hands and hacking incessantly. The rolling waves of water power reverberated time and time again. Yet Lin Fan nimbly shuttled back and forth through the turbulent currents, as light and agile as a swallow dancing amidst a storm.

Mu Chan watched with a hint of anxiety as Lin Fan single-handedly engaged the Jindan-realm Water Spirit King. Facing the fully unleashed Water Spirit King, Lin Fan, restricted to the Zifu realm, was undoubtedly at a disadvantage.

Just moments prior, Lin Fan had managed to carve away a small portion of the Water Spirit King's body with a blade imbued with searing flames.

Yet in less than a moment, not only had the Water Spirit King fully recovered, but it had also spontaneously grown two extra pairs of arms.

The Water Spirit King now was clearly consumed by absolute fury. The boundless power of the waves crashed down with a mountain-toppling momentum, forcing Lin Fan to parry left and right while constantly shifting his footing.

"Lin Fan, can you still hold on?"

"Why are you worrying about me? Go find the water spirit pearl quickly and don't waste time!"

Mu Chan gritted her teeth, transforming into a streak of light that bypassed the Water Spirit King and plunged directly into the marshlands behind it.

Sensing this, the Water Spirit King attempted to block her, but Lin Fan unleashed a blazing, violent blade wave that forcefully interrupted its attack.

Looking at Lin Fan, who was as annoying as a fly buzzing around him, the Water Spirit King grew thoroughly enraged.

"I made a wager with Brother Yuanchen over who could retrieve the spirit pearl first."

"So, Water Spirit King, you shall not pass."

Lin Fan chuckled softly. With a vibration of the Profound Fire Blade in his hand, violent spiritual power surged from within his body.

Accompanied by a dragon roar that shook all spirits, a crimson fire dragon with fully extended claws and scales materialized behind Lin Fan. Stretching over thirty zhang, the celestial dragon coiled and soared behind him, its massive body dispersing the surrounding moisture and dyeing the clouds fiery red.

Rolling flames radiated outward, continuously forcing the surrounding water spirits back.

The Water Spirit King stared as if facing a formidable enemy at the ferocious fire dragon and Lin Fan standing atop its head.

Lin Fan smiled faintly, "It seems I am going to win this wager."