403: Chapter 403 Passing the Test

A large amount of white mist had just risen when it was instantly vaporized into nothingness by the extreme surrounding temperature.

Although the sea heart bead was a top-tier Immortal Artifact, this Jade Tripod True Fire was, after all, an ancient divine object.

Fairy Linglong felt a terrifying pressure, like a mountain collapsing or the sea overflowing, squeezing in from all directions.

The originally abundant Profound Immortal magic power within her was now like a flood bursting through a dam, surging wildly through her Meridians into the sea heart bead; yet, she could still only barely maintain the water screen from being instantly pierced through.

They had covered less than a third of the distance through the sea of fire.

"Drip!"

A bead of sweat the size of a bean seeped from Fairy Linglong's smooth forehead and slid down her pale cheek.

Her once flowing white dress was now clinging tightly to her body, and her breathing had become rapid and heavy.

The hands holding her sword were even trembling slightly.

"This fire... how can its power be so strong! The records in the ancient texts aren't enough to describe even a fraction of it!" Fairy Linglong secretly lamented in her heart. Surrounded by blinding jade-colored flames, she couldn't tell north from south at all.

Every step forward felt as if she were carrying a mountain of ten thousand tons.

She knew she had to go all out, even at the cost of overdrawing her Life Essence, just to barely maintain the sea heart bead's defense.

Once the water screen shattered, even if she was a Late-stage Mysterious Immortal, she would be burned to ashes in an instant.

Meanwhile, Lu Li, hidden in the very center of the water screen and protected securely, had a hint of playfulness hidden in his eyes.

But the expression on his face perfectly portrayed the fear, gratitude, and guilt expected of a dead weight.

Looking at Fairy Linglong's violently trembling shoulders and pale profile, he suddenly wailed, shouting with a thick sob, "Sister Linglong... you... you're sweating so much... are you about to give out?"

As he spoke, he pretended to reach out to wipe her sweat, but halfway there, as if afraid of disturbing her spellcasting, he jerked his hand back like he'd been electrocuted.

"Sister... how about... how about you put me down! My life is worthless anyway; if I die, I die... I can't let a wonderful person like you be dragged down just to save me! Hurry, put away your Magic Treasure and escape on your own!"

Lu Li's words were sincere and heartfelt. His tragic appearance of being willing to sacrifice himself for his benefactor was even more convincing than Fairy Linglong's earlier performance in the cave.

Under normal circumstances, Fairy Linglong might have gone along with it and pretended to be moved.

But now, under the heavy pressure of life and death, on the brink of despair as her magic power neared exhaustion, her already strained facade finally showed a crack.

"Shut up."

Fairy Linglong snapped her head around. Her once gentle eyes were now bloodshot, and she roared at Lu Li with a distorted face, "Stay put! Follow me closely! If you dare say another word to distract me, I'll throw you out to feed the flames immediately!"

Right now, even breathing felt like her lungs were on fire; she had no strength left to maintain her persona as a gentle older sister.

In her heart, she had already cursed eighteen generations of Lu Li's ancestors, this useless dead weight who only caused trouble.

If she didn't still need him as a hostage, she would have loved to kick this Trash into the sea of fire right now!

Startled by her roar, Lu Li immediately shrank his neck like a frightened quail, tightly covering his mouth. He only dared to look at her with wide, watery eyes in terror, not daring to make another sound.

But in a blind spot where Fairy Linglong couldn't see, the corners of Lu Li's mouth curled up slightly into a mocking, successful smile.

"Losing your cool already? The Holy Maiden of Taixuan's composure is nothing more than this."

The rest of the journey was, for Fairy Linglong, like suffering in the eighteen levels of Hell.

It took a full two hours!

Every minute and every second, she was frantically testing the edge of life and death.

To maintain the sea heart bead, she not only swallowed all the mana-restoring Medicinal Pills in her storage ring but also didn't hesitate to use two incredibly precious life-saving trump cards and burned a full century of her Lifespan!

Finally, just as the magic power in Fairy Linglong's body was nearly completely dry, her footsteps became unsteady and staggering, and her consciousness began to blur.

"Boom!"

The final wave of fire struck the teetering water screen.

Immediately after, the pressure around the two of them suddenly lightened, and the suffocating, terrifying high temperature receded as quickly as a tide.

They had finally crossed that seemingly endless sea of deathly fire and fell heavily before the vast, cool white jade gates of the Jade Tripod Immortal Palace.

"Huff... huff..."

Fairy Linglong was like a drowning person who had finally climbed ashore. She hurriedly put away the now dull sea heart bead, which even had a faint crack on its surface.

Her legs gave way, and this high-and-mighty Holy Maiden of Taixuan, who usually cared so much about her poise, collapsed unceremoniously onto the cold jade steps.

She gasped for air, her chest heaving violently. Cold sweat had soaked through her clothes, leaving her graceful curves fully exposed.

She didn't even spare a glance at Lu Li. With trembling hands, she desperately pulled out the last few top-grade Medicinal Pills used to restore one's Origin from her storage ring and shoved them into her mouth without looking. She didn't even have the strength to chew, swallowing them whole before closing her eyes to desperately seize this hard-won chance to breathe and frantically refine the medicine's power.

Lu Li, meanwhile, scrambled up from the ground on all fours. He looked at the tightly shut gates of the Jade Tripod Immortal Palace, then at the disheveled Fairy Linglong who was meditating with her eyes closed, and lightly brushed the dust off his clothes.

He stood up straight. His previously terrified, weak, and cowardly expression receded like the tide in an instant, replaced by an unfathomable coldness and arrogance.

"The show has only just begun," he whispered in his heart.

The terrifying Jade Tripod True Fire was finally blocked outside the gates; lingering warmth remained, but it could no longer harm anyone.

Seeing Fairy Linglong slumped on the cold jade steps, Lu Li quickly feigned a stumbling manner and hurried forward, reaching out to cautiously support her swaying shoulders.

His clear eyes were now overflowing with genuine concern and admiration.

"Sister Linglong, are you alright? You were... you were simply amazing just now! You could even block such terrifying immortal fire. If it weren't for you, I would have definitely been burned to ashes! Thank you, you've saved me once again!"

Lu Li's voice trembled slightly with excitement, as if a drowning man were clutching his only lifebuoy.

Hearing Lu Li's heartfelt words of admiration and feeling his cautious movements as he supported her—as if afraid of hurting her—Fairy Linglong felt a strange sense of accomplishment and superiority rise within her, despite her nearly exhausted magic power and the faint ache in her Meridians.