455: Ghost

Ye Xuan did not answer Fire Linger's words.

He took a deep breath, feeling that the Chaos Fire Seed held no ill will towards him; instead, it was filled with closeness and dependence.

It was as if someone who had been lost for many years had found their master.

He stepped forward, and the calm, reddish-gold pool water beneath his feet automatically parted, forming a path directly to where the Chaos Fire Seed was located.

As Ye Xuan appeared, the pool water gradually transformed into transparent, slightly white flames.

The flames flickered, and the temperature of the entire space rapidly rose.

However, everyone felt no heat; there was only pure warmth.

Yue Xuan, Fire Linger, and Huang Li all held their breath, watching; they could feel that a crucial moment was approaching.

After obtaining the Chaos Fire Seed, Ye Xuan's strength would advance even further.

However, just as Ye Xuan was about to approach the Chaos Fire Seed, another anomaly occurred!

At the edge of the fire pool, behind an ancient, colossal tree that looked like it was carved from red jade, space twisted, and a dark figure silently emerged.

This figure was completely out of place in the surrounding pure and sacred environment; he was enveloped in an eerie shadow.

The shadow seemed capable of devouring light, and even Divine Sense probing it would fall into a void.

He did not emit a powerful energy fluctuation, but he gave off an extreme sense of danger, like a venomous snake hidden in a fairyland.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a touching scene."

A cold, slick voice sounded, filled with deep mockery, saying, "Chaos Fire Seed, a treasure of Heaven and Earth of this caliber, how can a Mortal like you covet it? Hand over the Fire Seed obediently, and this venerable one might leave you a complete corpse."

Ye Xuan paused, then slowly turned around, his gaze icy as he looked at the dark figure.

He had long sensed a faint, lingering feeling of being watched, but the other party had hidden extremely well, only now revealing himself.

Yue Xuan, Fire Linger, and Huang Li instantly became vigilant, immediately moving to Ye Xuan's side, their Divine Power secretly circulating, locking onto the dark figure.

"A rat hiding its head and tail, dares to covet the Fire Seed?"

Ye Xuan's tone was indifferent, but his heart grew a little wary.

To be able to evade his perception and infiltrate this place, the opponent was certainly no ordinary foe.

"A rat?"

The dark figure let out a low, hoarse laugh.

"Soon you will know who the real rat is."

Before he finished speaking, the shadow beneath his feet suddenly spread, rapidly extending like a living creature; wherever it passed, the pure reddish-gold pool water instantly became dark and turbid.

The flames also quickly extinguished, as if suppressed by something.

This pure land of fire origin was being rapidly polluted by a dark power!

"Netherworld Corrosive Power! You are from the Underworld!"

Huang Li cried out in alarm, her face drastically changing.

"Underworld? Heh... does that place even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as us?"

The dark figure sneered disdainfully, and the shadow spread even faster.

Ye Xuan's eyes completely turned cold.

No matter who the newcomer was, destroying this pure land was a crime punishable by death!

"Courting death!"

He said no more, pointing his fingers like a sword; a brilliant sword light, imbued with the Power of Heavenly Dao's judgment, instantly slashed towards the spreading dark shadow!

Ye Xuan struck in anger; the sword light was dazzling and contained the supreme power to purify all evil and sever Laws, reaching the spreading dark shadow almost instantly.

However, the shadow seemed to possess life; at the moment the sword light struck, it transformed into an extreme phantom, appearing as if the sword light could not cause any damage to it at all.

But the next moment, the sword light erupted with an extremely brilliant glow, and in an instant, it cleaved the shadow in half.

"Oh?"

The dark figure let out a soft exclamation, seemingly a little surprised that Ye Xuan could cut through his Netherworld Corrosive Power.

"Interesting. This power... is not ordinary immortal or Divine Power; it has a hint of Heavenly Dao's flavor. It seems Yin Huang, that good-for-nothing, losing to you isn't too unfair after all."

His tone remained relaxed, carrying a light mockery, clearly not taking Ye Xuan's sword strike seriously.

Or rather, neither of them had used their full power just now.

"However, with just this much ability, you can't protect this Chaos Fire Seed!"

Before the dark figure's words finished, the severed shadow suddenly boiled, transforming into countless monstrous ghost figures with bared fangs and claws, emitting ear-piercing shrieks, and surging like a tide towards Ye Xuan and the three women!

These ghost figures were not corporeal but were formed by extreme resentment, Death Qi, and a strange Law that corroded the Divine Soul; wherever they passed, even the surrounding spiritual Qi could be corroded.

"Be careful! These Netherworld Ghost Shadows can erode Divine Soul and spiritual Qi!"

Huang Li shrieked a warning, simultaneously transforming into a seven-colored Phoenix; her wings flapped, scattering a sky full of seven-colored Divine Fire, attempting to incinerate these ghost figures.

The seven-colored Divine Fire, being utterly Yang and unyielding, did indeed restrain evil entities, but the number of ghost figures was simply too vast; they came one after another, stubbornly enduring the Divine Fire's scorching to rush forward, many penetrating the fire net and closing in on everyone!

Yue Xuan's silver eyes were cold; she formed hand seals, and Taiyin Power transformed into a clear, cold crescent moon suspended above her head, casting down brilliant moonlight.

Wherever the moonlight shone, the ghost figures' speed visibly slowed, and their forms became somewhat blurred; although Taiyin Power did not restrain evil as purely Yang fire did, its icy, purifying characteristics similarly weakened these ghost figures.

Fire Linger let out a soft cry; Nirvana Fire transformed into a giant flaming Dragon shadow, carrying the power to incinerate everything, and actively charged into the densest part of the ghost figures, exploding with a roar! A scorching fiery storm swept through, and a large number of ghost figures turned into green smoke amidst their wails.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The three women, working together, barely managed to withstand the first wave of ghost figures.

But Ye Xuan clearly saw that the dark figure still stood calmly in place, shadows swirling around him, evidently not using his full power.

He was probing and also consuming everyone's strength.

"Petty tricks."

Ye Xuan snorted coldly; he saw that although this Netherworld Corrosive Power was strange, its essence was still an extreme dark energy, naturally clashing with the utterly Yang and pure power of this fire origin pure land.

The opponent could wield it here only by forcibly sustaining it with his profound cultivation.

After all, even with clashing elements, if one side's power was supreme, it could still overwhelmingly suppress the other.

"In front of this Venerable, you are not permitted to be presumptuous. Since you mentioned Yin Huang, your fate will be the same."

Ye Xuan took a step forward, no longer holding back, and the Power of Heavenly Dao within him fully activated.

He did not directly attack the dark figure but pressed his hands towards the polluted reddish-gold pool water beneath his feet.

"Majestic Heavenly Might! In my name, purify!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The calm pool water boiled violently, and countless extremely pure fire origin powers, as if summoned, gathered from all directions, merging into Ye Xuan's decree.

A colossal pillar of light, purely condensed from World Purifying Holy Fire, shot up from Ye Xuan's center.

Within the light pillar, countless tiny golden runes could be vaguely seen flowing, which were manifestations of Heavenly Dao Law.