Chapter 110: It Tastes Quite Good

As the words fell, Xuan Xin drew a mirror from his robes. The frame was silver, yet the surface was remarkably blurry, casting reflections far inferior to even the common bronze mirrors used by mortals.

"I may lack backbone, Xuan Xin, but I understand that some things must be done," he murmured, gently stroking the mirror’s surface with a tender gaze.

He then commanded the silver mirror to hover about him, and it began to pulse with silver light, firing beams at the Blazing Flame Beasts that were closing in on the group. While the beasts were gripped by terror at the sight of the transformed Yu Daoyi, they remained feral and unafraid when facing the others.

"Even if we all fight together, we are no match for them!" Yan Yan shouted toward Xuan Xin, who was battling at the front.

"Whether we are a match or not—isn't that something we only find out after we fight?" Bai Yiyue said softly.

She took a slow, graceful step forward. For some reason, the magma splashing from the distance veered away from this soul-captivating woman. She reached up and gently removed her veil.

Beneath it was a face that could drive any sage to madness. To say she was breathtaking would be an understatement. The intense heat of the surroundings had brought a faint, rosy flush to her fair cheeks, making her look like an exquisite masterpiece crafted by the heavens themselves. Her eyes held the gentle ripples of spring water, and every glance and smile stirred the heart.

With flawless features, bewitching eyes, skin like white jade, and raven-black hair falling in disarray across her perfect face, she appeared both innocent and devastatingly alluring. It was a purity mixed with desire that made the men around her yearn to lose themselves in her presence. Even the surging Blazing Flame Beasts paused, as if unable to bear the thought of shattering such a fragile, heaven-sent porcelain.

Bai Yiyue lifted a slender hand and laughed, a sound like silver bells. The beasts, as if losing their minds and unable to distinguish friend from foe, began to attack one another.

"Lin He, what about you?" Yan Yan asked, staring blankly at the scene.

"Me? Didn't I say? I have nothing worth protecting," Lin He replied with a shrug.

"Then!" Yan Yan began, his voice filled with agitation.

"But don't you find a scene like this amusing? Besides, as long as that guy is here, I don't think we'll lose."

As Lin He spoke, his body began to take on the consistency of mud. His pale complexion turned a murky black, his elegant hair dissolved into a stagnant mire, and his dark eyes seemed to be replaced by two clumps of sludge. Black slime oozed from his shoulders, and a swampy substance swirled around him. The man who had once appeared delicate and handsome now looked like a mass of filth—a black bog, revolting and nauseating.

Yet, with this transformation, Lin He’s strength instantly shattered the shackles of the Qi Refining stage, surpassing an ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and rivaling even those in the mid-stage.

Beside him, Yan Yan felt as though the person before him had become someone else—like those brothers, he had transformed. A bone-chilling cold, fear, and dread surged in Yan Yan’s heart. He could almost hear the whispers of vengeful ghosts emanating from Lin He, accompanied by a palpable, lingering killing intent.

"Still not quite enough," Lin He muttered, watching the two figures battling the Flame Spirit Turtle in the distance. He suddenly turned toward the terrified Yan Yan, licking his lips as if looking at a delicious meal.

Yan Yan felt as though he had been marked by something. He wanted to run, but had nowhere to go; a cold horror, ignoring the surrounding heat, pierced straight to his core.

"Tell me, Yan Yan, even waste has its uses. Do you understand what that means?" Lin He leaned in, whispering into Yan Yan's ear.

"Don't die, or I'll go hungry," Lin He said softly before leaping into the air, ignoring the Blazing Flame Beasts and soaring toward the Flame Spirit in the center.

Yu Daoyi, seemingly indifferent to pain or fatigue, continued his relentless assault on the Flame Spirit Turtle. Yu Yunfan had also returned to the fray, and the two brothers, relying on their respective secret arts, fought the spirit to a standstill. However, the excessive rage showing in the turtle’s eyes suggested that this stalemate could not last much longer.

"Nine Purgatories! Power of the Nine Prisons!" Yu Daoyi roared again, but his attack pattern was too singular. Aside from the initial blows, the rest were dodged by the Flame Spirit Turtle, instead striking the surrounding horde and causing large numbers of beasts to explode. The nearby magma surged and sprayed wildly, but Yu Daoyi seemed oblivious, attacking again and again with tireless fury.

Yu Yunfan grew increasingly anxious. If this continued, they would soon exhaust themselves, and the Flame Spirit Turtle would surely launch a lethal counterattack. If they were knocked into the magma or swallowed whole, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Hey, Yu Yunfan, how about we make a deal?" Lin He shouted from a distance as he leaped toward them.

"What?"

Seeing the drastically changed Lin He approaching, and sensing the Foundation Establishment aura radiating from him, Yu Yunfan’s pupils constricted. He could not tell if Lin He was friend or foe, but in this situation, they had to change their tactics or face doom.

"I can take your brother and leave, while you stay here to trap this Flame Spirit. How about that?" Lin He landed on a rock, looking up at Yu Yunfan. "Your brother is in this state; if we keep going like this, none of us will make it out."

"Are you... trying to tell me what to do?" The coldness in Yu Yunfan’s tone could not be masked even by the intense heat of the magma.

"You should know that even combined, we are no match for this thing."

After a long silence, Yu Yunfan and Yu Daoyi finally buckled under the Flame Spirit Turtle’s intensifying attacks. It wasn't that the spirit had grown stronger, but that the brothers’ condition was deteriorating. Time was running out, and they were reaching their limits, especially since they were wielding powers that did not truly belong to them.

"Lin He!" Yu Yunfan barked. "If you dare harm my brother, I will drag you to the depths of the underworld if I have to, and I will make sure you die!"

He glared at Lin He with ice-cold, indifferent eyes that chilled the soul. Yet, having said this, he had clearly compromised.

"Heh." Lin He looked into those eyes but said nothing more. To him, it was only natural that Yu Yunfan, who looked like a fallen deity or a god, would look down on a pile of sludge like himself.

"Three Lives Cauldron! Merge!" Yu Yunfan shouted. His white hair flared, and his black spiritual energy surged. Three small, ancient cauldrons converged from all directions, fusing into one massive vessel that crashed down upon the Flame Spirit Turtle, seeking to pin it in place.

"Heh, Gluttony!" Seeing his chance, Lin He—now a mass of black sludge—exploded outward. With a flick of his finger in mid-air, a torrent of mud erupted from his right arm—repulsive, cold, and insidious.

Yu Yunfan realized he had underestimated Lin He. He formed seals with one hand and pointed at the Flame Spirit with the other, keeping the giant cauldron pressed onto the turtle's back. But as the beast struggled, the cauldron trembled, manifesting numerous flickering illusions, clearly unable to hold for long.

However, Lin He’s target was not the Flame Spirit Turtle, but Yu Daoyi.

A stream of black sludge effortlessly enveloped the red-glowing, mindless Yu Daoyi. A muffled groan came from within; Yu Daoyi felt his strength rapidly draining away as if devoured. A profound exhaustion swept over him, and he fell into a deep coma. Lin He suddenly dropped to one knee.

"Heh, this power... it's really hard to digest," Lin He muttered to himself, head bowed. "But... it’s so strong. The taste... it's wonderful."

Yu Yunfan, though unsure what Lin He was doing to his brother, felt the fierce, monstrous aura around Yu Daoyi gradually receding. He was too preoccupied with restraining the Flame Spirit Turtle to intervene.

Deep within Yu Daoyi’s sea of consciousness, the artifact spirit, floating amidst the void, whispered softly: "Tsk, this power feels somewhat familiar. Is it the Book of Black Death?"