255: Chapter 254 The anode decays, the cathode is born.

Chu Weiwei was like a dying fish out of water, gasping for breath.

Su Hongling, who was walking at the very front, suddenly turned her head. Seeing this scene, she was so angry she even forgot the burns on her hands, her eyes wide like copper bells.

"It's fine if you take off your clothes because you're hot, but why are you rubbing against the Old Man?! That dudou of yours is almost stuck to Revered Master's face!"

"I... I can't walk anymore..."

Chu Weiwei leaned limply against Su Lin's arm, her voice so weak it seemed she might stop breathing at any moment, but her hands were deathly gripped onto Su Lin's arm.

"Second Senior Sister... you're thick-skinned... of course you're not afraid of the heat... Weiwei is a Medicine Cultivator... this Pure Yang Fire... is going to roast Weiwei's internal organs dry..."

"Enough!"

Su Lin took a deep breath.

His current situation could be described as being in the depths of fire and water.

To his right was Mu Qingxue, who had almost lost consciousness and was relying entirely on his half-embrace to stay upright.

That once eternal iceberg was now as soft as spring water, outlining a slender yet incredibly curvaceous silhouette.

Her forehead rested against the crook of Su Lin's neck, her rapid breathing carrying an abnormal heat that sprayed onto his skin again and again.

To his left was Chu Weiwei, her clothes half-undone, deathly gripping his left arm, using all her instincts to try and draw a sliver of security from him.

And on his back, Luo Ximei was clinging to him.

Although Luo Ximei hadn't torn her clothes like Chu Weiwei, her tight-fitting Black Gold Flowing Cloud Dress was now completely soaked with sweat, becoming almost like a semi-transparent film.

Her long legs, due to exhaustion, even began to subconsciously wrap around Su Lin's waist, and her full chest pressed unreservedly against Su Lin's back.

Three stunning female cultivators, three former powerhouses who once shook the world, were now like three drowning people, deathly grasping Su Lin, their only piece of driftwood.

Body fragrances of different attributes mixed with the saltiness of sweat.

"All of you, stand steady!"

He applied a bit of force, trying to pull his left arm out of Chu Weiwei's embrace, but Chu Weiwei let out an aggrieved whimper and held on even tighter.

"Revered Master... don't push Weiwei away... the ground is so hot... the soles of Weiwei's feet are about to be cooked..."

This wasn't Chu Weiwei acting spoiled.

Su Lin looked down and saw that the dark red bronze floor beneath their feet was now faintly glowing with a dim light.

That was a sign that the metal was about to soften after the temperature reached a certain point.

Stepping on it with a Mortal body was like stepping on a red-hot iron plate.

"Shoes... melted."

Another weak voice came from behind.

Su Lin turned his head with difficulty to see Cold Moon and Ye You supporting each other, following behind with arduous steps.

Cold Moon's Purple Gold Imperial Robes, which symbolized her empress's dignity, were now as heavy as a mountain.

She had always been mindful of her decorum; even though she was so hot her vision was blurring, she gritted her teeth and didn't tear at her clothes like Chu Weiwei.

Ye You's condition was even worse.

As a member of the Yao Race, she had an instinctive fear of this kind of pure, ultimate Yang fire.

She usually loved going barefoot, and now those feet, which were originally as white as jade, had been scorched bright red.

"They're all hanging onto you... I can't walk either..."

"My feet are blistering, and my hands hurt too..."

As she spoke, this Mahayana Stage Body Cultivator actually followed Chu Weiwei's example, plopped down onto the scorching ground, and deathly hugged Su Lin's thigh.

"I don't care! You have to take me with you!"

Su Lin felt his vision go dark, nearly being pulled down by these five "heavy weights" totaling hundreds of pounds.

"Nonsense!"

Su Lin gritted his teeth, forcefully stabilizing his lower body.

If he fell now, these five girls would pile on top of him like a human pyramid, and then everyone would be roasted into jerky in this bronze corridor.

"All of you, listen to me!"

Su Lin took a deep breath. "This [Shedding the Mortal] path sheds not only the Qi and Impurities in your bodies, but also the arrogance and dependence you've built up over these hundred years!"

"You all usually boast of being invincible, Mahayana Stage, Body Integration Stage, high and mighty."

"And now? Without Qi, without Magic Treasures, you can't even walk a few steps?!"

He suddenly shook his right arm.

"Weiwei, fix your clothes! You are the Medicine Immortal; if you can't even endure this bit of pain, how will you test the world's exotic poisons in the future?!"

Chu Weiwei was shaken back, her originally dazed eyes clearing for a moment.

Looking at Su Lin's stern gaze, she bit her lip aggrievedly, but still obediently reached out to barely pull the torn lapels of her clothes together.

"Ximei, Ye You, get off my back!"

Su Lin reached back to support the bends of their legs and, like unloading sacks of grain, half-forced and half-guided them back to the ground.

"If the ground is hot, walk on your tiptoes! Where is the Devil Sovereign's backbone? Where is the Demon Emperor's wildness? Has it all turned to water from being roasted by this little bit of fire?!"

Luo Ximei and Ye You's feet hit the ground, and the scorching sensation made them both hiss. They gritted their teeth and, in the end, didn't pounce forward again.

Finally, Su Lin looked down at Su Hongling, who was hugging his thigh, and Mu Qingxue, who was still barely supporting herself in his arms.

"Hong Ling, stand up."

"You are a Body Cultivator. Nothing in this world should be able to bend your spine, not even high temperatures."

"If you can't even endure this bit of physical suffering, your Mahayana Stage Dao foundation is a joke!"

Su Hongling's whole body trembled.

A flash of struggle appeared in her red eyes, and finally, the stubbornness belonging to a Body Cultivator triumphed over her dependence.

She let go of Su Lin's leg, propped herself up on the scorching ground with her hands, and stood up shakily.

"Who... who said I can't take it!" She bared her teeth in pain, but forced herself to straighten her back.

But he didn't let go of Mu Qingxue.

Because Mu Qingxue's situation was the most unique.

The suppression an Extreme Cold Body faced here was devastating; she was truly on the verge of physical collapse. If he let go, she would fall directly to the ground and be scorched to death.

"Cold Moon."

Su Lin looked at his Eldest Disciple, who had been silently enduring and, though swaying, had never fallen.

"Though your Imperial Dao Dragon Qi is sealed, your Emperor's Bone is still there."

Su Lin extended his free left hand.

"Take my hand."

Cold Moon looked at Su Lin's extended hand, her pale and cracked lips moving slightly from dehydration.

Without hesitation, she reached out her hand, which was scorched red, and firmly grasped Su Lin's large hand.

"Interlock your fingers and don't let go."

Su Lin took a deep breath and looked toward the seemingly endless dark red corridor.

"Hong Ling, lead the way. Ximei and Ye You, follow. Weiwei, stay in the middle. Cold Moon, you hold onto me."

"Now, listen to my commands."

Su Lin's voice became extremely steady, carrying a strange rhythm that could calm people's hearts.

"Don't think about how hot it is. Don't think about the pain in your Meridians."

"Concentrate all your attention on your breathing and your steps."

"Inhale, lift your foot."

"Exhale, step down."

Su Lin, carrying Mu Qingxue and leading Cold Moon, took the first step.

Su Hongling gritted her teeth and followed Su Lin's rhythm.

Luo Ximei, Ye You, and Chu Weiwei also endured the intense pain and began to step according to Su Lin's commands.

The six of them formed a single unit in this purgatory-like bronze corridor.

There was no more pulling or tugging, and no more petty jealousy.

On this [Shedding the Mortal] path that stripped away all supernatural power, they had reverted to being the most ordinary of Mortals.

With every step, their soles left charred marks; with every step, their sweat evaporated instantly.

But the strange thing was.

As they completely gave up on trying to mobilize their Qi and threw their bodies and minds into this most primitive, almost ascetic walking.

The pain that felt like it would ignite them from the inside out actually began to slowly lessen.

Luo Ximei discovered that the True Immortal Origin and Devilish Qi that had been constantly conflicting within her were actually beginning to truly fuse together under the repeated roasting and squeezing of this Pure Yang Fire, turning into a brand new, grayish-white strange energy that lay dormant deep in her Dantian.

Chu Weiwei also felt that the hidden toxins accumulated deep in her bone marrow from years of testing poisons were being squeezed out of her body bit by bit along with her sweat.

Her body was becoming purer than ever before.

Su Hongling's flesh was constantly being burned and then scabbing over; her Mahayana Stage Physical Body was undergoing a most thorough tempering in this furnace of heaven and earth.

Even Mu Qingxue, who was nearly melting.

In Su Lin's warm and steady embrace, although her Mystic Ice Origin was suppressed to the extreme, that last remaining sliver of ice soul actually nurtured a trace of vitality where Yin peaks and Yang arises within this ultimate Yang fire.

"Ahead... there's light."

Everyone's spirits lifted, and they raised their heads one after another.

Sure enough, at the long and dark end of the corridor, a white light appeared that was different from the dark red bronze.

"We're almost there!"

Su Hongling gritted her teeth and quickened her pace.

The moment they finally stepped out of that bronze corridor and into that white light.

"Whoosh!!!"

A cool stream of immortal spiritual qi, like a sudden enlightenment, rushed down from the crowns of their heads.

It was an ultimate comfort, as if they had been reborn.

Their dried-up Meridians were instantly filled by this Immortal Qi, even expanding several times over compared to before.

Their burned flesh healed and transformed at a visible rate in the white light, becoming as flawless as mutton-fat jade.

The feeling of lightness after their Mortal bones were completely cleansed made everyone let out a long sigh.

"I'm alive..."

Chu Weiwei collapsed on the white jade floor, breathing in the sweet air in large gulps.

Su Lin also let go of Cold Moon's hand and gently set down Mu Qingxue from his arms.

He looked at his hands, which had regained their strength and even faintly shimmered with Space Law divine runes, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

This [Shedding the Mortal] trial, though a narrow escape from death, provided benefits that were immeasurable.

His Physical Body finally truly matched his Great Perfection of Integration Stage Realm, and he even had the foundation to charge toward the Mahayana Stage.

"Old Man!"

Su Hongling jumped up excitedly, habitually wanting to hug Su Lin.

But her movement suddenly froze mid-air.

Not just her.

Luo Ximei, Chu Weiwei, Cold Moon, and even Mu Qingxue, who had just regained consciousness, all stood as if frozen by a spell, staring blankly ahead.

Su Lin turned around and followed their gaze.

Before them was no longer any passage or room.

But a vast, boundless starry sky.

And in the center of the starry sky.

Floated an incredibly massive bed woven from pure starlight and Laws?

And above the Formation Plate, four large characters hovered.

【Yin Yang Union】

"Is this... the fourth trial?"

Luo Ximei swallowed hard, her platinum-gold right eye staring fixedly at that Formation Plate, her voice actually trembling slightly.

Su Lin looked at those four characters, then at that Yin-Yang Formation Plate which clearly required two people to activate.

The corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably and wildly.

What kind of 'upright' Immortal was the owner of this Immortal abode?

【Yang at its peak declines, Yin at its peak arises.

To pass this trial, one must use the Body of Ultimate Yang to fuse with the Soul of Ultimate Yin.

Yin and Yang complement each other to evolve the cosmos and open the Immortal Gate.】

Su Hongling read out the words one by one.

Her red eyes, which had become even clearer after being tempered by the Pure Yang Fire, contracted sharply the moment she finished reading, and then a light a hundred times more fanatical than before in the sea of blood erupted from them.

Su Lin stood there, feeling the hair on his back stand up one by one.

He turned his head stiffly to look at the disciples behind him.

It was over; they had all gone mad.

"The owner of this Immortal abode is truly a reasonable and good person."

"Knowing we suffered so much just now, they specially arranged this Yin Yang Union formation to let us... properly replenish our Origins."

"Old Fifth is right!"

Su Hongling directly tossed aside the heavy great sword [no edge], which landed with a dull 'thud'.

She rubbed her hands, her joints making a series of pops, her eyes staring fixedly at Su Lin's white inner garment, which was clinging to his body due to being soaked in sweat, revealing perfect muscular lines.

"Old Man, you saw it just now, these are the rules of the Immortal abode!"

"As our Revered Master, sacrificing a bit of your charms for your disciples' Great Dao future... should be expected, right?"

Is this right? This isn't right, is it?

"What do you mean sacrificing charms??"

Chu Weiwei flanked him from the other side.

She wasn't holding poison, but instead brought out a row of small jade bottles emitting an exotic fragrance.

On that pure and harmless face, there was now a fanatical healer's smile that made one's hair stand on end.

"Revered Master just endured such heavy Pure Yang Fire; the Yang Qi in your body is excessive. If it isn't timely vented through 'Yin Yang Union', you will explode and die!"

As she spoke, she opened a bottle and poured a pink essential oil into her palm, slowly rubbing it.

"Weiwei is doing this to save Revered Master's life."

In a moment, Weiwei will use this [Ecstatic Soul-Consuming Oil] to help Revered Master massage your Acupoints."

"All of you, stay back!"

He suddenly took a step back, trying to create distance.

"Yin Yang Union refers only to the resonance and intersection of Qi and Laws! It doesn't necessarily involve physical combat!!"

"What are you all thinking about!"