I Am Overlord c1-962
Page 89
Rumble! Rumble!
Chapter 199: Worked Hard for Nothing
Xiang Shaoyun's earth shattering attack crushed the flame beast king's attack, but the impact still sent him tumbling down the mountain. He coughed blood repeatedly as he rolled down the steep mountain in a sorry manner.
However, his attack had also opened up an opportunity for Chen Zilong and Li Yaxuan. The two joined hands and attacked, blasting the flame beast king apart. The flame beast king's demonic core appeared before them. Not far away, Xie Sanqian was watching everything unfold, and he coveted the demonic core greatly, but he did not dare to snatch something from Chen Zilong and Li Yaxuan.
"We got the demonic core!" Chen Zilong said as he quickly grabbed it.
Li Yaxuan did not bother fighting over the core with him. She was here to help him in the first place. She glanced at Xiang Shaoyun who was tumbling down the mountain and sighed, "Without him, we wouldn't have been able to kill the beast king so easily."
Chen Zilong also glanced in Xiang Shaoyun's direction and smiled. "He is a worthy opponent." He then tossed the demonic core to Li Yaxuan and said, "Sister Xuan, keep it. Let's go down together."
"Don't you need it?" Li Yaxuan looked at Chen Zilong in astonishment.
"I don't," Chen Zilong said confidently. Standing there with his fiery Qilin Arms, he looked incomparably heroic.
At this time, the other group had just finished off the flame beast king they were fighting as well. However, the group was made up of many different parties. Thus, they started fighting among themselves for the demonic core.
Although Chen Zilong and Li Yaxuan had arrived later than some of them, they were the first to go down into the crater. As for Xiang Shaoyun, he stabilized himself and stopped falling. However, his inner organs were still aching, as he had sustained internal injuries from the flame beast king's attack.
"Looks like I had worked hard for nothing." Xiang Shaoyun smiled helplessly.
If he hadn't broken through not long ago, he wouldn't have faced the flame beast king head on. He rejoiced that he was wearing king-grade armor. Otherwise, he would have suffered an even worse fate. He did not feel discouraged. After dissolving some healing herbs in his astral cosmos sea to heal himself, he started climbing toward the volcanic crater again.
When Xiang Shaoyun arrived at the summit again, Huo Linfei, Qian Chen, Fan Ren, and the others were still fighting. He knew that there was still one demonic core up for grabs. He would have to rely on himself to get it.
Currently, the holder of the demonic core was Fan Ren. He alone suffered the combined assault of Huo Linfei and Qian Chen, yet he still remained standing and was not defeated immediately. It was obvious how valiant his combat prowess was.
He had an extremely powerful defensive technique that formed a shiny shield around him, which was how he had been able to stop the combined assault of Huo Linfei and Qian Chen. At the same time, he swept his massive sword around madly, forcing the two to retreat instead.
"I don't care who you are. Hand over the demonic core or die!" Huo Linfei said as his figure blurred. He swung his blazing saber, sending a saber attack from a tricky angle and demolished Fan Ren's attack. He followed up with even more attacks that placed Fan Ren in a terrible predicament.
Qian Chen was no pushover either. He stabbed his sword forward repeatedly, sending numerous sharp sword energies that rained down on Fan Ren's shield, creating numerous sparks. No matter how powerful Fan Ren's defense was, facing two opponents as powerful as himself, he had no way of breaking free and entering the crater.
Right this moment, Fan Ren caught a glimpse of Xiang Shaoyun who was not far away from them. A crafty smile formed on his dark face as he shouted to Xiang Shaoyun, "Catch the demonic core!" Then, a red item was seen flying toward Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun blanked out slightly before he quickly caught the red item. That successfully shifted Huo Linfie and Qian Chen's attention away from Fan Ren.
"Bastard! I'll deal with you later!" Huo Linfei cursed before dashing toward Xiang Shaoyun.
Qian Chen did not hold back either. He also rushed at Xiang Shaoyun while roaring, "Kid, hand over the demonic core, and I will spare your life."
Xiang Shaoyun had an unsightly expression as he found that what he had in hand was merely a piece of flint. He quickly retreated while explaining, "This is not the demonic core!"
As he said that, he tossed the flint away, trying to pull himself out of trouble. Huo Linfei and Qian Chen immediately realized that they had been tricked. Alas, Fan Ren was already nowhere to be found. Obviously, he had entered the crater.
"Damn it! We were tricked! Go!" Huo Linfie shouted to Qian Chen, his face falling as he gave chase.
Qian Chen hesitated slightly before he rushed down the crater as well. As for Xiang Shaoyun, he heaved a sigh of relief as he grumbled, "Damn it, I nearly got myself screwed because of that fellow."
Xiang Shaoyun did not stop, and he quickly rushed down the crater with no hesitation. The crater's wall was extremely steep. The moment they entered, they would start sliding down the hot wall and suffer the extreme heat.
Xiang Shaoyun was sliding down with his bottom on the wall. The moment his bottom touched the hot wall, he started shouting in pain as the heat burned away his pants. He felt incredibly embarrassed, but fortunately, nobody was paying attention to him. In such a situation, nobody could be bothered to pay any attention to something that insignificant.
Even Xiang Shaoyun himself couldn't be bothered. He immediately stabbed his saber into the wall to control the speed of his fall. He would definitely not want to fall straight to the bottom like this.
After all, if he fell all the way down, he would fall straight into a large amount of lava. The terrifying temperature of lava was enough to turn them all into crisp. The coldstar stone was still growing weaker. It was going to stop working at any moment.
Realizing that, Xiang Shaoyun quickly dissolved the icesnow fruit in his astral cosmos sea. Otherwise, it would be very hard for him to resist the extreme heat. Right after he dissolved the icesnow fruit, a frost aura coursed through his body, making him feel much better.
"The icesnow fruit has yet to reach the king grade. It won't be able to last long. I need to get the demonic core before the effect ends," Xiang Shaoyun decided.
At this time, his Nether Soul Domain showcased its prowess again as the scene of what was going on below him unfolded in his mind. Down below were a large number of flame beasts. They were all residing in the lava and spitting terrifying tongues of flame. They were all tightly clustered around a clump of pulsing flame, not allowing anyone to approach.
As for Chen Zilong, Li Yaxuan, Fan Ren, Huo Linfei, and Qian Ren, none of them dared to move rashly. There were a few others who had arrived much earlier. All of them were hanging on the wall, staring at the clump of flame at the middle of the beasts. Their gazes were burning.
Everyone knew that they were looking at the millennium earthcore fire.
Chapter 200: Millennium Earthcore Fire
The millennium earthcore fire was only a tiny clump of flame. It swayed about gently, looking like an innocent fairy as it pulsed repeatedly. It transformed without stop, assuming one form after another, such as the form of a tiny flower, a tiny flame beast, a demon head, and so on.
It looked incredibly odd yet innocent, as if it posed no threat at all. But in truth, it was dreadfully destructive and not even a King Realm cultivator could easily survive its attack. It had after all taken a millennia to form before finally showing itself to the world.
Everyone present wanted to tame the earthcore fire, but it wasn't an easy feat. Just the large number of flame beasts surrounding the earthcore fire were annoying enough to deal with. One had to possess sufficient intimacy with fire or one had to be skilled enough in taming flames before one could even consider obtaining the earthcore fire.
The people were scattered all over the crater, all staring at the millennium earthcore fire and
thinking of a way to obtain it. Also hanging on the wall was a certain young bald monk. He had a handsome face, a monk brand on his head, and a wide pair of ears. Coupled with the Buddhist cassock he wore, his entire person emanated kindness.
He seemed to be chanting something repeatedly, which was most likely a Buddhist flame taming technique. The earthcore fire started pulsing incessantly, looking like it was going to fly toward the monk soon.
"Where did this monk come from? You're trying to steal from us?" someone shouted resentfully.
Nobody else spoke as everyone started using their own respective secret techniques to attract the millennium earthcore fire as well. Chen Zilong had activated his Qilin Arms, causing numerous apparitions of fire qilin to appear behind him, with some of them roaring fiercely.
Fire qilins were top fire elemental beasts and were born intimate with fire, possessing an innate ability to control fire. In fact, they were not much weaker than the legendary beast, the vermilion bird.
Chen Zilong was planning on using the fire qilins to attract the millennium earthcore fire. Sure enough, what he did immediately worked. The millennium earthcore fire started changing its direction and slowly pulsed in the direction of Chen Zilong. Even so, it still remained rooted where it was. When the others saw this, they grew anxious.
Fan Ren, who had a demonic core on hand, was even more brazen. He directly went down, trying to approach the millennium earthcore fire. He did not seem to have any regards for his own life. Thanks to the aura sharing similar properties with the earthcore fire that the demonic core was emanating, the damage he suffered while approaching was reduced considerably.
Huo Linfei did not wait around doing nothing either. He fully unleashed his green flame. The green flame was in fact a beast flame that was much more powerful than ordinary flames. With the green flame as bait, he tried to attract the earthcore fire.
Another person took out an odd bottle. It was unknown what function the bottle had, but when the bottle was aimed at the millennium earthcore fire, it started releasing some sort of energy that tried pulling the millennium earthcore fire in.
Everyone used different techniques, trying their best to obtain the ultimate prize. At this point, the millennium earthcore fire seemed somewhat confused. It started surging, instantly increasing the temperature within the crater and intensifying the fire burning within the crater.
Two people were immediately injured and nearly fell off the wall. They quickly retreated, no longer daring to stay. But two clumps of flame suddenly appeared before them. Next, their energy barriers were ignited, followed by their bodies.
"Ahhhh!"
The two wailed miserable before falling off the wall, their bodies on fire. The numerous flame beasts also started stirring, but not one of them dared to move. They were akin to puppets under the millennium earthcore fire's control that could only stay there awaiting its command. Everyone's hairs stood on end at the fearsome sight.
Their senses told them that the two had been killed by two strains of energy released by the millennium earthcore fire. They wondered if the millennium earthcore fire had in fact obtained a full consciousness and had transformed into a demon. What should they do if it decided to attack them next?
Xiang Shaoyun, who had been staying silent, started getting uneasy. He had a feeling that the millennium earthcore fire was merely toying with everyone. That's right. Toying. Like a playful child, it was playing with its toys as it wished and had no intention whatsoever to submit to anyone.
Looks like this earthcore fire is not simple at all, thought Xiang Shaoyun.
He was feeling vexed by the fact that he had never cultivated the power of fire before this. He also did not know any flame taming techniques, and he did not have the flame beast king's demonic core. How should he proceed then?
"Amitabha. Everything in the world has a spirit. A human has a spirit, a demon has a spirit, even a flame has a spirit. As for you, you are a spirit among flames, while I am a Buddha among humans. If you become my karmic flame, I will help you become the most supreme of karmic flames," chanted the young monk.
Traces of dharmic teachings were contained within his words, words capable of reeling in all living beings. Even the others there were slightly affected by the words, and they felt their will wavering. It was unknown if the millennium earthcore fire actually understood what was said, but it sent a strain of its power toward the young monk.
The young monk stood his ground and slammed both his palms forward, forming a Buddhist symbol before him. The Buddhist symbol then captured that strain of power in his palm and started refining it. When the others saw that, they were first astonished before they realized something.
It was the test of the millennium earthcore fire. If the young monk was able to refine that strain of power and obtain the millennium earthcore fire's approval, he would most likely be the master of the millennium earthcore fire.
"I am the son of qilin, born to be the God of Fire. I am the only one who can help you become a divine flame. Submit!" shouted Chen Zilong who fully activated his Qilin Arms. The qilin apparition turned solid before it charged toward the millennium earthcore fire.
As a response, the millennium earthcore fire sent a strain of power toward Chen Zilong as well. Chen Zilong was overjoyed as he quickly accepted that strain of power with both hands and started fusing it with his arms. When the others saw that, they started shouting as well, but not one of them was able to solicit any response from the millennium earthcore fire.
Apart from them, the earthcore fire only gave a chance to Fan Ren, Li Yaxuan, and Huo Linfei. The person with a bottle couldn't accept it and shouted, "I will take you myself then!"
He then increased the power of his bottle, causing a massive devouring force to surge out as he tried to pull the millennium earthcore fire in with brute force. But instead of pulling the millennium earthcore fire up, he alerted the flame beasts. They immediately sent tongues of flame toward him.
"F*ck! Fine, I quit!" He was smart enough to know when to quit. After a shout, he quickly escaped.
The speed in which he fled was incredibly astonishing, to the point even Xiang Shaoyun was gaping in amazement.
That guy sure is good at hiding his strength, Xiang Shaoyun judged inwardly.
Right this moment, the temperature of his surroundings soared as a strain of flame appeared near him.
Chapter 201: Flame Immune Human Skin
That was a strain of flame from the millennium earthcore fire! Xiang Shaoyun's energy barrier was instantly destroyed as the flame tried to get into direct contact with his body. The sudden change gave Xiang Shaoyun a great fright. He had just personally witnessed the millennium earthcore fire burn two people to a crisp a little while ago.
Xiang Shaoyun quickly took out the coldstar stone and unleashed the final power of frost it still had to resist the invading flame. At the same time, he fully released the power of the icesnow fruit, forming a layer of frost on his body. It saved him from being instantly burned by the millennium earthcore fire.
What to do? What to do? Xiang Shaoyun asked himself anxiously. He was clear that after catching the attention of the millennium earthcore fire, it would be very hard for him to flee. He had to think of a way to break himself free. Apart from Xiang Shaoyun, others who hadn't obtained the millennium earthcore fire's approval were attacked as well.
"Ahhhh!"
Miserable wails started ringing in the air as three of them were instantly lit on fire. The Cloud Margin Pavilion overseer, Qian Chen, was among the three. Of the three, only one of them had been able to survive relying on an ice elemental treasure. However, the moment he left the crater, he was surrounded by a large number of flame beasts. His ultimate survival was rather unlikely.
It was clear that the millennium earthcore fire was not intending to let those coveting it to leave. Only those who won its approval would have a chance to leave alive. Xiang Shaoyun couldn't be bothered to pay attention to anyone else as he himself w
as in deep trouble. He kept thinking, formulating numerous plans to save himself from his predicament.
The Nether Soul Domain within his head did not have the ability to control or resist flame. That was the same for the Nether Dragon Soul Headband. The only thing he had that could resist the power of the millennium earthcore fire was his innate purple lightning. However, he wouldn't be able to maintain an energy barrier powered by his lightning bone for long, as his cultivation level was still too low.
If his cultivation level was two or three stages higher, the innate purple lightning would be on an entirely different level. At that time, this kind of environment would pose him no trouble at all.
Just as Xiang Shaoyun was about to give up and try to run, he caught a glimpse of the human skin in his astral cosmos sea. It was the human skin he had obtained at the Blackhill Sect's mine with Dong Ziwan.
On the human skin were some characters of an ancient language Xiang Shaoyun couldn't understand, which was why he had ignored the skin all this while. He had decided to figure out the meanings of the characters when he had the chance in the future.
For some reason, he suddenly thought of that skin. Perhaps it was because he had suddenly recalled how the skin had survived an attack of his saber and was completely fine even after being burned. It was quite clear that the skin was not as simple as it looked.
"F*ck it, I'll have to give it a try." Xiang Shaoyun decided to throw caution to the wind and do whatever he could. He took out the human skin and draped it over his body.
The skin was elastic, and like a leather jacket, it wrapped around Xiang Shaoyun's body. The moment the human skin was taken out, the flame in the surroundings was no longer able to harm Xiang Shaoyun. In fact, the flame seemed to have some sort of instinctual fear as it quickly retreated from the skin.