261: Pure Lotus Demon Flame

The palace gates swung open, and a heatwave, far purer and more ancient than that outside, carrying an eerie aura where "purification" and "demonic" coexisted, surged out like a tidal wave.

The heatwave was not merely scorching; it carried a strange power that pierced straight to the Soul, seeming capable of cleansing all filth while simultaneously harboring a bewitching allure.

Li Ao took the brunt of it; his Gui Xu Domain shimmered with a faint light, silently dispelling the eerie heatwave and the influence on his Soul.

Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian followed closely behind, each circulating their power to protect themselves. Medusa's seven-colored light became increasingly brilliant, while the grey-purple mist on Xiao Yi Xian's body grew denser, sealing off the intangible influence.

The others from Burning Flame Valley, Hall of Souls, and the rest were not as relaxed.

"Ah! My head!" A Disciple from Burning Flame Valley suddenly clutched his head, his face contorted in an expression of mixed obsession and pain. His eyes were unfocused, as if he were seeing some blissful illusion while simultaneously enduring the pain of being burned alive.

"Hold onto your minds! This is the spiritual erosion of the strange fire ranking list!" The Red-haired Elder shouted sternly, veins bulging on his forehead as he exerted his full strength to circulate his Cultivation Technique to resist, yet a trace of confusion could not help but flash in his eyes. The two lone Dou Zuns let out muffled groans, blood spilling from the corners of their mouths; they had clearly suffered some internal injuries.

The Black-robed Venerable of Soul Hall's black mist roiled violently, emitting bursts of resentful ghost wails, as if struggling to counter the invisible mental erosion, appearing quite strained.

If the aura escaping from the entrance alone was this terrifying, one could imagine the dangers within the palace.

Li Ao ignored the plight of those behind him. With a focused gaze, he stepped into the palace.

Before him was not a magnificent, golden palace, but an incomparably vast space of fire. In the center of this space, there was no solid ground, but a slowly rotating, massive lotus pond composed of pure white flames!

In the pond bloomed lotus flowers, also formed from white flames. The lotus flowers were crystal clear, their petals unfurled, exuding an aura of holiness, purity, and the capacity to cleanse all filth in the world. Yet, beneath this ultimate purity, there was a faint, bewitching, and seductive charm that lured one toward corruption. These two distinct qualities fused perfectly, creating a heart-palpitating, contradictory beauty.

In the very center of the lotus pond, a giant white lotus a hundred feet tall stood quietly. Upon the lotus throne, a milky-white flame, the size of a human head and constantly shifting in form, pulsed slowly like a heart. Each beat caused the entire fire space to tremble, emitting a vast, boundless power!

This flame appeared pure and flawless, but deep within its core, it seemed to harbor a fury capable of incinerating the world and a trace of ancient, demonic charm!

Purification Lotus Demon Flame!

The terrifying entity ranked third on the strange fire ranking list!

"So it is really it..." A glimmer of shock and solemnity flashed in Medusa's snake-like eyes. Even she, facing this legendary strange fire ranking list, felt a palpitation and wariness emanating from the depths of her Bloodline.

Xiao Yi Xian also held her breath. She could feel that her Chaos Poison Body was faintly experiencing a sense of being "purified" and "suppressed" in the presence of this Purification Lotus Demon Flame.

Just at this moment, the milky-white flame at the center of the lotus throne fluctuated slightly. A vague consciousness, carrying boundless demonic nature and majesty, rippled outward and echoed throughout the space:

"Countless years... finally, there are ants coming to die again?"

The voice was ethereal, seeming to come from beyond the Nine Heavens, yet also resonating deep within the Soul, carrying an indifference that looked down upon all living beings and a trace of mockery.

The Purification Lotus Demon Flame had already developed full sentience!

Li Ao watched the leaping demonic flame with a calm gaze, feeling the terrifying power contained within and its unique dual Laws of "Purification" and "Nightmare." In his heart, he understood. The power of this Purification Lotus Demon Flame corresponded perfectly to the "Return to Nothingness" (Purification, Eradication) and "Illusion/Annihilation" (Nightmare, Illusion) within the stillness of death. If he could subdue it, it would have immeasurable benefits for him in perfecting his Guixu Great Dao.

"Coming to die?" Li Ao spoke calmly. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered the consciousness of the demonic flame. "I have come to take you away from this cage and show you a wider world."

"Arrogant!" A trace of anger entered the consciousness of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame. "Just by relying on your meager cultivation, which hasn't even reached the Half-Saint level? The length of my existence far exceeds your imagination! Even that old ghost Fentian from back then could only Seal me here, unable to truly refine me! What kind of thing are you?"

The old ghost Fentian it spoke of was clearly the master of this Fentian Valley.

"Fentian couldn't do it, that doesn't mean I can't." Li Ao slowly raised his hand. In his palm, the aura of the Guixu Great Dao began to condense. "Your power and my Dao are fated."

"Shameless boasting! Since you insist on seeking death, then become the first sacrifice after I break free!"

The Purification Lotus Demon Flame spoke no more. The milky-white flame expanded violently, and the white flames throughout the entire lotus pond instantly boiled! Countless flaming lotus flowers detached from the pond, transforming into streaks of white light that shot toward Li Ao and the other two like a rainstorm! Each lotus flower contained the dual power of purifying all things and inducing a Heart Demon!

At the same time, the giant white lotus throne also began to rotate, and rings of milky-white fire spread outward. Wherever they passed, space was purified into its most primitive particle state, forming an absolute Domain of death!

Before the attacks even arrived, that terrifying power of purification and the eerie, Soul-piercing allure surged forward like a mountain-toppling, sea-draining tsunami!

"Protect yourselves!" Li Ao instructed Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian, then his eyes turned sharp, and he proactively met the sky full of incoming flaming lotuses and the spreading purification fire rings!

He knew deeply that when facing such a rare treasure of heaven and earth as the Purification Lotus Demon Flame, any attempt to use tricks was futile; only by using absolute power could he suppress and subdue it head-on!

"Guixu—Swallow Heaven!"

Li Ao pushed his palms forward violently, and a massive, chaotic grey vortex that seemed capable of devouring everything suddenly formed before him! The vortex rotated slowly, emitting an aura of stillness that brought an end to all things.

The flaming lotus flowers shooting through the sky, the moment they touched the grey vortex, had their contained purification power and demonic allure—as if meeting their nemesis—rapidly disintegrated and devoured, transforming into pure fire-attribute energy that merged into the vortex and fed back into Li Ao himself!

And the spreading purification fire rings, upon colliding with the grey vortex, were like clay oxen entering the sea. Their terrifying purification effect, in the face of the true essence of "Return to Nothingness," appeared pale and powerless, and were likewise slowly devoured and absorbed by the vortex!

"What?! What kind of power is this?! How can you devour my Purification Lotus Demon Flame?!" For the first time, shock and disbelief appeared in the consciousness of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame. It had existed for ten thousand years and had never encountered an existence that could so easily neutralize its power!

"A power that can restrain you." Li Ao's tone was calm, but his steps were firm as he walked toward the center of the lotus pond. The massive grey vortex, like the sturdiest shield, blocked and devoured all attacks.

With every step forward, his aura condensed a fraction more, and his understanding of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame Law deepened a fraction more. The Guixu Great Dao could inherently accommodate and evolve all Laws, and the unique Law of this Purification Lotus Demon Flame was becoming nutrients for the growth of his Dao.

"Impossible! Purification Lotus Demon Flame, incinerate all things! Refine it for me!"

The Purification Lotus Demon Flame was thoroughly enraged. The milky-white flame at the center of the lotus throne contracted violently, and then burst forth with a pure white beam of fire, condensed to the extreme and only an arm's width thick! This beam of fire appeared small, but the power of purification and destruction contained within was a hundred times more terrifying than all previous attacks combined! Where the beam passed, space did not just distort; it vanished directly, leaving behind an eternal black trajectory, shooting straight at Li Ao's brow!

This was the Origin strike of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame!

Facing this terrifying attack, which was sufficient to threaten a true Dou Saint, Li Ao's eyes also turned thoroughly solemn.

He stopped his steps, no longer relying on the Gui Xu Domain for defense. Instead, he slowly raised his right hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together. At his fingertips, a point of extreme grey light condensed. Within that grey light, it seemed to contain the Chaos from the beginning of heaven and earth and the stillness that brought an end to everything.

He concentrated all the power in his body and all his comprehension of the Dao between these two fingers.

Whether it succeeds or fails depends on this move!