57: Chapter 57: Bloodlust

Xiao Ran followed the other demon seeds, galloping at high speed.

A Nascent Soul Cultivator could cross seven thousand li with ease.

When Xiao Ran and the other four reached the edge of the Lava Hell, a scorching heatwave rushed toward them.

Before their eyes was a world of crimson.

The earth was cracked, with dark red lava churning within the fissures, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur.

In the air, streaks of fiery baleful Qi were so dense they almost solidified; an ordinary Cultivator's lungs would be scorched just by breathing here.

In the distance.

Nine massive volcanoes were distributed in a ring, with a lava lake over a hundred li in diameter at the center.

At the center of the lake, a crimson pillar of light shot into the sky, echoing the blood-red light from the Mist Valley.

The second complete fallen immortal token was gestating there.

"Such strong Fire Fiend..."

"My poison arts will be suppressed by thirty percent here."

Poison Lady frowned, a seven-colored poison mist automatically appearing around her to ward off the heat.

The edges of Yin Jiuyou's black robes had already begun to char and curl.

"Nine Nether Cold Qi and Fire Fiend counter each other; I can only exert seventy percent of my strength."

Blood Slaughterer grinned and laughed loudly, "Fire Fiend? Just what I wanted! The Bloodthirsty Battle Body loves a scorching battlefield most!"

White Bone Scholar fanned himself and observed for a moment before saying in a low voice.

"Quite a few people have already gathered here."

He pointed toward various parts of the ring of volcanoes.

Faint glimmers of escape lights could be seen, with shadows flickering; at least a dozen factions had arrived ahead of them.

"The people from the Supreme Dao Palace have also arrived; they are setting up a sword Formation."

White Bone Scholar's gaze locked onto a volcano to the east.

Xiao Ran looked in that direction.

As expected.

Li Changsheng was following behind Ling Jianxin, pretending to set up Formation Flags.

At this moment, Li Changsheng also seemed to have noticed Xiao Ran.

His voice came through their Soul link:

"Xiao Ran, I see you guys!"

"The token at the center of the lava lake has already absorbed forty-three fragments. It only needs six more to be complete. Now everyone is waiting for the final fragments to appear!"

Xiao Ran remained calm on the surface and replied via voice transmission.

"How does your Dao Palace plan to fight for it?"

"Eldest Senior Brother said to first join forces with other Righteous Path Sects to suppress the Demonic Path, and then claim the token based on our own abilities."

"But... hehe, he doesn't know I'm a double-crosser."

"Jie jie jie!"

While the two were communicating in secret, White Bone Scholar was already analyzing the situation:

"The Heavenly Sword Sect occupies the northern volcano; their sword Formation is complete."

"The Xuan Yin Cult is to the south; Fairy Youyue has used Xuan Yin Cold Qi to open up a small safe zone."

"The Hehuan Sect is to the west; those enchantresses are best at taking advantage of the chaos."

"The Loose Cultivators Alliance and some small Sects are scattered everywhere; they pose no threat."

He paused and looked toward the central lava lake. "Most importantly... besides the token, there are guardians at the center of the lake."

Everyone peered over.

In the churning crimson liquid of the lava lake, one could vaguely see nine giant pythons, dozens of zhang long and composed entirely of lava, swimming about.

Each one had the aura of the Nascent Soul Stage, and the leading python king was even comparable to the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

"Lava Fire Pythons, fiery baleful Essence Spirits born of the heavens and earth. They are thick-skinned, durable, and unafraid of death."

"To take the token, we must first get past them."

Said White Bone Scholar.

Hearing this, Blood Slaughterer shouldered his giant axe. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's kill our way over!"

"No rush."

White Bone Scholar shook his head and raised a hand to stop Blood Slaughterer.

"Whoever moves first now will become the target of everyone else. When the token is nearly complete, the fire pythons will go berserk due to the energy fluctuations; that will be our chance."

Then, he looked at everyone again.

"Let's find a place to settle down first and wait for the situation to develop."

The other four naturally agreed.

The five flew toward a smaller volcano to the southeast and carved out a temporary Immortal Cave halfway up the mountain.

After laying down a concealment Formation, White Bone Scholar took out five communication jade talismans and distributed them to everyone.

"These are Mother-Son Heart-Link Talismans. They can transmit messages within a hundred li and allow us to roughly sense each other's positions."

"Once the battle begins, we must look out for one another."

Xiao Ran took the jade talisman and thought to himself:

"This pretty boy is indeed well-prepared, even having team-coordination Magical Artifacts ready."

Over the next two days, the atmosphere in the Lava Hell grew increasingly tense.

New Cultivators kept arriving, and skirmishes for fragments broke out on a small scale.

Xiao Ran and the other four did not participate in those scattered fights; instead, they focused on adjusting their states while observing the movements of all parties.

On the evening of the second day, the crimson pillar of light at the center of the lava lake suddenly surged!

"Buzz!"

At the center of the lake, a dark red token slowly rose. The character 'Fallen' on its surface was ninety percent visible, lacking only the final bit.

Around the token, forty-three fragment tokens circled it like stars surrounding the moon.

Even more terrifyingly, the nine Lava Fire Pythons in the lake roared toward the sky simultaneously, their bodies swelling and their auras skyrocketing!

The python king even showed faint signs of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Great Perfection!

"The token is about to be complete, and the fire pythons have begun to go berserk."

"Prepare to move."

Seeing this, White Bone Scholar stood up immediately and shouted coldly.

Almost simultaneously, the various factions also moved.

From the direction of the Supreme Dao Palace, Ling Jianxin let out a sword hum.

Seven sword lights shot into the sky, forming the Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Sword Formation, and charged straight toward the center of the lake.

Not to be outdone, Jian Wuchen of the Heavenly Sword Sect, dressed in snow-white robes, led five sword seeds as they transformed into sword rainbows.

Fairy Youyue of the Xuan Yin Cult sacrificed a Xuan Yin Treasure Mirror. Wherever the mirror's light shone, the lava solidified, opening up a frost path.

The four women of the Hehuan Sect giggled incessantly, their figures flickering within the drifting pink mist, surprisingly moving even faster than the sword lights.

The Loose Cultivators Alliance and other small Sects also took action. For a moment, dozens of escape lights shot toward the center of the lake, making the scene extremely chaotic.

"According to the plan, Blood Slaughterer and Yin Jiuyou will lead the attack, Poison Lady will control the field, and Junior Brother Xiao and I will provide support to seize the token."

"Go!"

White Bone Scholar quickly deployed them.

The five transformed into five demonic lights and charged into the battlefield.

As soon as they approached the lava lake, the scorching Fire Fiend surged toward them like a tide.

Xiao Ran circulated his Guixu Demonic Light, gray-black vortices swirling around him, devouring and converting the fiery baleful Qi, which instead replenished his demonic essence.

Poison Lady let out a muffled groan as her poison mist rapidly evaporated in the Fire Fiend.

Yin Jiuyou's Nine Nether Cold Qi was also suppressed, only able to protect the area within three zhang of his body.

Only Blood Slaughterer was like a fish in water.

His Bloodthirsty Battle Body's combat power soared in the scorching environment; with one swing of his giant axe, he shattered the head of a lunging fire python!

"Junior Brother Blood Slaughterer, clear the way! Everyone else, follow!"

White Bone Scholar unfurled his bone fan, and Nine Nether Underworld Bones transformed into nine bone shields, blocking the fire python's breath attacking from the side.

The five cooperated with tacit understanding, quickly breaking through the fire python's defensive line and rushing into the three-hundred-zhang range of the lake's center.

But at this moment, other factions had also arrived.

"Eternal Night Demon Sect scumbags, get lost!"

Jian Wuchen of the Heavenly Sword Sect shouted sharply and slashed out with his sword, the Sword Qi like a rainbow.

Blood Slaughterer laughed wildly and met it head-on, his giant axe clashing hard against the sword light.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew everywhere as both men retreated three steps, unexpectedly evenly matched.

On the other side, Ling Jianxin's Seven-Star Sword Formation had already trapped three fire pythons, their bodies shattering amidst the crisscrossing Sword Qi.

His gaze swept toward the token, and he was about to seize it.

However, Fairy Youyue's Xuan Yin mirror light shone over.

"Fellow Daoist Ling, my Xuan Yin Cult also wants a share of this item."

"You think you're worthy?"

Ling Jianxin sneered. The sword Formation shifted, sending out a streak of Sword Qi toward Fairy Youyue.

A chaotic battle broke out completely!

Righteous Path, Demonic Path, Loose Cultivators... everyone's eyes were red with slaughter.