met free Chapter 281 From this moment on, I am your demonic flame!
Chapter 281 From this moment on, I am your demonic flame!
Chapter 281 From this moment on, I am your demonic flame!
Thirty breaths.
Just thirty breaths.
With Chen Yi's palm fully activated, the ball of golden marrow liquid, which had reached the mid-stage of the fourth level of body refinement, was forcibly extracted by him at high speed.
At the same time, the magical power within Chen Yi's body, imbued with life Dao patterns, transformed into the purest and gentlest nourishing power, continuously pouring into the body of the woman in his arms.
Ning Bu'er's nascent soul, which was originally on the verge of collapse, finally showed some improvement under the flushing effect of this enormous medicinal power.
It was a tiny figure, barely an inch tall, currently curled up in her dantian, its entire body covered with fine, spiderweb-like cracks.
As Chen Yi poured his magic power into the nascent soul without regard for the cost, the cracks began to slowly heal, and a faint trace of life reappeared on the originally dull surface of the nascent soul.
His life was saved.
Chen Yi's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but the next moment, his divine sense swept over Ning Bu'er's nascent soul, and his heart sank again.
On the surface of the nascent soul, there was originally a layer of complex and eerie dark red "Thunder Spirit Demon Flame" patterns. Just like the peeling of a wall, large chunks of the demon flame patterns dissipated into the void, impossible to retain.
70%.
Seventy percent of the demonic flame patterns were completely annihilated.
Chen Yi knew all too well what this meant.
For Ning Bu'er, the Nascent Soul Dao Patterns are not just a means, but also a foundation.
Having lost the Demon Flame Dao Pattern, Ning Bu'er not only fell from grace, but his spine was also broken.
She will become a "useless person" who has the Nascent Soul realm but cannot mobilize the strange fire of heaven and earth, and may not even be able to defeat an ordinary Golden Core cultivator.
It can be said that the path to the Great Way has been severed.
The body in her arms trembled slightly.
Ning Bu'er woke up.
The physical pain subsided considerably after the golden marrow liquid was drained, but the cultivator's control over his body was still incredibly precise.
With just a thought, she "saw" the terrible state inside her dantian.
That feeling of emptiness is more chilling than death.
Her once-proud demonic flames could no longer be rekindled.
At this moment, although she was lying in Chen Yi's warm embrace, she felt as if she were in an ice cave that had stood for thousands of years, with the chill spreading from her bones to her whole body.
For someone as proud as her, becoming a cripple was harder to accept than dying under the heavenly tribulation.
"Chen Yi————"
Her voice was weak, carrying a calm that came from the depths of despair, "No need for further trouble, let go, the heavenly tribulation is coming."
Chen Yi ignored her, his fingertips still pressed against her back, his azure magic power flowing like a river, trying to capture a spark of fire in the Dao patterns that were about to completely dissipate.
"It's alright."
Chen Yi's voice was steady and strong, without the slightest hint of panic, "Your injuries haven't healed yet. If you don't heal them now, you may never be able to advance any further in the Nascent Soul Realm."
"Take it a step further?"
Ning Bu'er gave a bitter smile, his pale lips trembling slightly.
"Chen Yi, given my current situation, even if I were to advance further in my Nascent Soul cultivation after losing the Demonic Flame Divine Ability, what difference would it make?"
She raised her eyes and looked at the face so close to hers. Her eyes had lost their usual sparkle, leaving only a gloomy look.
"They might not even be able to defeat a genius among the Golden Core cultivators—"
Without the Demon Flame, what use am I?
Do I want to become a worthless, bullied figurehead in the cultivation world?
In this dog-eat-dog world of cultivation, lack of strength is the original sin.
She didn't want to be a useless burden.
"Give up on me."
Ning Bu'er's voice carried a hint of despair; she had already resolved to die.
At the same time, she felt a destructive pressure forming above her head. "Concentrate on your tribulation. If you become a great power in the future, remember to take care of my reincarnation—"
She was making her final arrangements.
A feeling of despair spread through her heart like a plague.
Just then.
Click!
A thunderclap suddenly resounded in the sky.
The already oppressive dark clouds churned wildly, and deep within the clouds, countless electric snakes danced erratically, turning the dim sky and earth a ghastly white.
A chilling terror instantly gripped the area.
It wasn't aimed at Ning Bu'er, but rather at Chen Yi.
The heavenly tribulation has arrived.
The pressure was so strong that it far exceeded that of ordinary Nascent Soul lightning tribulations, and even the surrounding space began to show subtle distortions.
Ning Bu'er's expression changed drastically.
She had survived a tribulation, so she naturally knew the rules of heavenly tribulations.
"Quickly! Give up on me!"
She struggled violently, trying to push Chen Yi away, "Otherwise, the heavenly tribulation will include me in its calculations, and the difficulty of your lightning tribulation might more than double!"
"You'll die then too!"
When two people are going through a tribulation together, it's not as simple as one plus one equals two.
Heaven is merciless and views this as a provocation.
"Don't move!"
A soft shout interrupted her struggle.
Chen Yi's arm remained motionless, as if cast in iron.
Instead of letting go, he increased the output of his magic power.
The life essence was poured into Ning Bu'er's shattered nascent soul as if it were free.
This is prime time.
Having suffered severe injuries, if the foundation of the Nascent Soul cannot be stabilized now, even a god would find it difficult to save him in the future.
As for the destructive lightning that is about to fall overhead?
Chen Yi didn't even raise his head.
"So what if it's a lightning tribulation? Nothing's more important than saving you!"
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and resounding, reaching Ning Bu'er's ears amidst the thunder.
"If we can survive this ordeal, so be it; if not, I'll die here with you!"
Ning Bu'er was stunned.
She stared blankly at the man, a crack appearing in the despair in her eyes.
"Fairy Ning, please don't give up. As long as you live, there is hope."
While frantically repairing her nascent soul, Chen Yi said in a deep voice, "I promise you, once we get through this ordeal, your safety will be in my hands, and I will take responsibility for everything you do."
"At that time, even if it means traversing the entire Great Azure Cultivation Realm and searching every corner of the myriad realms, I will surely help you retrieve the Demonic Flame Dao Pattern and restore your supernatural powers!"
At this point, a fierce glint flashed in Chen Yi's eyes, a glint of ruthlessness rarely seen in his eyes.
"When the time comes, I, Chen, will accompany you to burn down that Vajra Temple!"
He lowered his head, his gaze fixed intently on Ning Bu'er's eyes, and said, word by word, "Until you regain your power, I will be your demonic flame!"
Ning Bu'er's body trembled violently.
Chen Yi silently added in his mind:
Fairy Ning, don't worry.
Throughout his more than one hundred years of cultivation, Mr. Chen has made very few promises.
But once a promise is made, it will not be easily broken.
This is his way.
Being steady is not cowardice, but rather having the confidence to protect what you want to protect in critical moments.
Ning Bu'er stared intently at that face.
Over the past hundred years, she has seen countless male cultivators with extraordinary talents. Some coveted her beauty, some coveted her supernatural abilities, and some took advantage of her background.
No one had ever said such a thing to her in a life-or-death situation.
I am your demonic flame.
These words were more passionate than any sweet talk, directly burning through the ice in her heart.
Two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks and dripped onto the back of Chen Yi's hand.
"Chen Yi————"
Ning Bu'er's voice choked with emotion, a release of pent-up grievances and gratitude. "With those words from you, Bu'er, even death would be worthwhile."
She finally understood how fortunate it was to have someone in this cold and cruel world whom she could completely rely on and trust, someone who would risk their life to protect her.
Even if she were to be reduced to ashes in the next moment, she would be willing.
Boom—!
Seemingly sensing the "disrespect" from the two below, the thunderclouds in the sky above became completely enraged.
There was no probing, no prelude.
A bolt of azure lightning, as thick as a bucket, tore through the void with a destructive force, condensing directly in the center of the dark clouds. It locked onto Chen Yi from below the sky and crashed down!
The lightning had an eerie azure hue, and wherever it passed, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth crumbled inch by inch.
For a moment, the entire world fell silent!
All sounds were swallowed up by the thunder, leaving only a dazzling blue light in the world.
Hundreds of miles away in the distance.
The four people, Ji Wuchen, Qiu Li, Lin Yunsheng, and Black Snake, who were originally engaged in fierce fighting, stopped at the same time with great tacit understanding.
The four quickly separated, forming pairs and hovering in the void, watching from afar the area engulfed by lightning.
At this point, there is no point in continuing the fight.
The calamity has descended, and the will of heaven and earth has sealed everything off.
Under this majestic divine might, no one dared to interfere with Chen Yi's tribulation; that would be tantamount to having too long a life ahead of them.
Ji Wuchen stood with his hands behind his back, his usually nonchalant face now filled with solemnity.
Qiu Li stared intently at the distant cyan lightning pillar, her fist clenched tightly under her sleeve, her nails digging into her palm without her noticing.
The intensity of this tribulation lightning far exceeded their expectations.
"This—this is the first lightning strike?"
Ji Wuchen's eyes twitched slightly, his voice hoarse, "The first lightning bolt is almost as strong as my third lightning bolt back then—"
When a normal cultivator undergoes the Nascent Soul Tribulation, the first lightning bolt is often a test, with the least power.
But Chen Yi's first lightning bolt already possessed the power to kill an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!
There is no other reason.
Besides Chen Yi's terrifying foundation attracting the envy of the heavens, it was also because he was holding a Nascent Soul cultivator in his arms!
The Heavenly Tribulation viewed this as a provocation, a contempt for the rules of heaven and earth.
The intensity of the lightning tribulation has doubled!
"Judging from Brother Chen's stance, is the Nascent Soul Tribulation about to challenge the ninth level of Heavenly Tribulation, which is the level of the most outstanding geniuses?"
Ji Wuchen muttered to himself, a hint of horror flashing in his eyes, "Then later on, the power of the heavenly lightning might reach the level of the peak of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm? Can we withstand that?"
Even Ji Wuchen himself wouldn't dare say he could withstand a blow from a peak mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, let alone a cultivator who is undergoing tribulation and hasn't truly entered the Nascent Soul stage yet.
And you also have to protect someone!
This is simply courting death!
On the other side, Qiu Li was also deeply shaken.
He screamed in his heart: Chen Yi, you've been so steady and calculating for so many years, how could you make such a foolish mistake at this crucial moment!
Just leave them there!
As long as you abandon Ning Bu'er, with your foundation, this tribulation lightning, though powerful, will not necessarily mean certain death!
but.
When Qiu Li looked at that figure, which appeared small yet as imposing as a mountain in the lightning, she couldn't bring herself to say what she wanted to say.
Instead, there was an indescribable shock and emotion.
Under the spotlight of everyone.
Witnessed by the power of heaven and earth.
He dared to face life and death head-on, and never abandoned the woman who gave her life to help him.
This sense of responsibility, this sense of pride.
Qiu Li took a deep breath, her gaze filled with unprecedented respect.
Chen Yi, you truly deserve the title of a pillar of strength.
Xingfeng Peak.
Yue Qingqiu retreated rapidly, her clothes fluttering wildly in the turbulent air.
She retreated to the very edge of the area covered by the lightning tribulation before stopping and looking back.
The gaze pierced through the layers of chaotic spiritual energy, settling on the figure in the green robe.
The man hung beneath the clouds of calamity, tightly protecting the blood-stained woman in his arms.
Ning Bu'er's breath was extremely weak, and his face was as pale as paper, but in his gradually fading pupils, Yue Qingqiu saw no fear of death whatsoever.
It was a complete trust, even carrying a sense of peace and happiness, as if one could die without regret.
Yue Qingqiu's heart skipped a beat.
In that instant, all the doubts that had troubled her for so long, all the resentment and obsessions, suddenly found their answers.
Why did Chen Yi consistently refuse to stay at the Star Moon Sect?
Why did this man never truly waver even when she offered him great benefits from the sect and even hinted at becoming Daoist partners?
It's not that she wasn't good enough, nor that she wasn't beautiful enough.
Simply because she couldn't do it.
She couldn't do what Ning Bu'er did: when this man faced a life-or-death crisis, she didn't hesitate to use herself as a shield in front of him.
She couldn't bring herself to give up her life.
Yue Qingqiu let out a long breath, and the pent-up frustration in her chest dissipated in the wind with that breath.
"That's enough."
Her eyelids lowered, concealing the complex expression in her eyes, and a self-deprecating bitter smile appeared on her lips.
"If my junior brother can survive this calamity, I will let him go."
In terms of affection and decisiveness, I am indeed far inferior to Fairy Ning.
After the initial relief came a deeper sense of unease.
She raised her head again, her gaze fixed on the oppressive sky that made it hard to breathe.
The tribulation clouds were as thick as lead, almost touching the mountain peaks. Deep within the clouds, lightning bolts rolled and arcs of electricity leaped, displaying a power of heaven and earth capable of obliterating even Nascent Soul cultivators.
At this critical juncture, how can you be distracted by protecting someone? How can you forcefully rescue someone amidst such a catastrophe?
"This is insane!"
Yue Qingqiu's fingers unconsciously tightened around her sleeve, her knuckles turning white. "Such a powerful lightning tribulation, it's already a near-death experience for someone to survive alone, and now I'm holding a critically injured, dying person in my arms, and I have to use most of my magic power to heal her—"
Junior brother, do you really think this Nascent Soul Tribulation is a joke?
This thought wasn't just swirling in Yue Qingqiu's mind.
At this moment, thousands of cultivators scattered thousands of miles away, or even further away, all had this thought in their minds as they looked at the suspended figure.
"This is insane! Absolutely insane!"
Someone couldn't help but growl out, their voice trembling, "This Elder Chen of the Star Moon Sect is taking the Heavenly Tribulation far too lightly."
"Bringing a burden through tribulation? Isn't that just courting death?"
"Looking for death? I don't think so!"
Someone immediately retorted. It was a young cultivator whose eyes gleamed with fanaticism. "That's what a real man is! That's what a man of character is!"
"He'd rather die under the lightning tribulation than abandon his cultivation partner. How many in the cultivation world possess such courage?"
"Can bravado feed you? Can it withstand divine tribulation? Just wait and see, one bolt of lightning and both of them will be reduced to ashes!"
In an instant, the debate erupted like boiling water under a heavy thundercloud. The two sides clashed fiercely, neither able to convince the other.
A thousand miles away, atop a solitary peak.
The senior monk from the Vajra Temple sat down cross-legged again. His golden body was dim, clearly indicating that he had suffered a great loss before, but now he stared wide-eyed at the thundercloud.
"Amitabha."
The senior monk clasped his hands together, but his knuckles cracked as he clenched them.
He's gambling.
I bet Chen Yi will die.
If this person can survive such a certain death situation, if this person can truly rely on their own strength to snatch a life back from the clutches of Yama while undergoing tribulation—
Today is Xuan Gang's destined tribulation. If this boy does not die, the Vajra Temple will likely have no peace of mind for the next thousand years!
The atmosphere was extremely heavy at low altitudes.
Meanwhile, above the Nine Heavens Gale Layer, another fierce battle was raging.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun had disheveled hair and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His once magnificent robes were now tattered and covered in blood-stained wounds, marks left by Qingyun Patriarch's counterattack.
Her magical power was greatly depleted, and her soul was severely overdrawn, yet her eyes shone with a frightening brightness, revealing a relentless, mad madness.
Ahead, the Azure Cloud Ancestor was fleeing in a sorry state.
The protective azure cloud orb was reduced to a thin layer, and the once thick cloud-patterned core was now bare, like a peeled egg trembling in the gale, with only one or two tenths of its power barely enough to keep him alive.
"Mysterious Yin Friend!"
The Qingyun Patriarch shouted, his voice trembling with fear, "The tribulation lightning has already begun! You still want to fight? If you keep fighting, we'll all die here! I give up! Stop fighting!"
He was genuinely scared.
This woman doesn't care about getting hurt at all; every attack she makes is a suicidal attack. She's a complete madwoman!
"You give up?"
Xuan Yin Zhenjun grinned maliciously and raised his hand to unleash another wave of demonic flames, completely ignoring the excruciating pain emanating from his meridians.
"Whether they overcome their tribulations or die, what does it have to do with me?"
My mission today is singular: to kill!
"You're insane! You're a madman!"
The old ancestor of Qingyun was heartbroken. While dodging in a sorry state, he cursed that idiot Lin Changsheng a thousand times in his heart.
Why did I have to mess with these two monsters?!
A crazy woman was chasing after him relentlessly, and below her was an even crazier one, who was holding his disciple and bracing against the tenth level of the Heavenly Pride Tribulation!
What are these two, master and apprentice, thinking?!
Let's look back down.
Dark clouds loomed, covering thousands of miles, so low they seemed you could reach out and touch them.
At this moment, all the cultivators watching the ceremony within a thousand miles tacitly lowered their flight altitude to a position close to the treetops, fearing that if they flew too high, they would be misjudged by the volatile will of heaven and earth and struck down by lightning.
However, amidst this oppressive atmosphere of darkness, there was one person who went against the tide.
Chen Yi stood in mid-air, his robes fluttering in the strong wind.
He raised one hand towards the sky, and in his palm, azure-blue magical power gathered wildly. It was most of his Nascent Soul cultivation, which transformed into a pillar of light that reached the heavens.
His other hand gripped Ning Bu'er's waist tightly.
A flash of inspiration danced at his fingertips, and several trump cards materialized out of thin air, swiftly constructing a crystal core array with an extremely stable structure and formidable defense:
The innermost layer is the Thunder Crystal Marrow, which absorbs lightning power;
-
The middle layer is the crystal core, which stabilizes the structure;
The outermost layer consists of diamond marrow and diamond core, which are indestructible and used to deceive people.
The crystal array quickly took shape, perfectly enveloping the woman in his arms, leaving only one of Chen Yi's hands exposed, which rested on her waist and hips, continuously supplying her with azure magical power full of life essence.
He was racing against time and against life.
boom-!
Suddenly, the world turned white.
There was no build-up of momentum, no probing.
A bolt of azure lightning, as thick as a water bucket, crashed down with the intent to destroy everything!
The sound was so loud that it made it impossible to hear anything else, only causing a sharp pain in the eardrums.
Click!
The vast, azure magical power in Chen Yi's left hand, which was supporting the sky, shattered instantly.
It was like an egg hitting a rock; it couldn't stop it for even a moment.
The terrifying power of lightning surged in, crashing down relentlessly on Chen Yi's body.
pain.
Extreme pain.
It felt like countless red-hot knives were churning wildly in my meridians, tearing my soul apart and scorching my flesh.
Chen Yi felt a long-lost, intense pain surge through him; his soul, body, and magic power were all pierced by the lightning tribulation in that instant.
For a moment, Chen Yi's mind went blank, his ability to think was disrupted by the electric current, and he completely lost control of his body.
In the scene depicting the heavens and earth, everyone only saw a bolt of azure lightning strike, and Chen Yi's seemingly powerful protective magic shattered like paper.
Immediately afterwards, he was engulfed by the lightning and fell straight down from the sky like a kite with a broken string.
"Oh My God!"
Beneath the vast sky, someone cried out in alarm.
"Didn't it withstand the first lightning strike?"
"It's over! Is that all?"
Countless rays of light closely followed the falling figure. Some felt sorry, some gloated, and some couldn't bear to watch.
However, just as Chen Yi and Ning Bu'er's bodies were freefalling through the air and had fallen a hundred feet,
The figure in the charred green robe paused slightly in mid-air.
The rapid descent was abruptly halted.
Chen Yi floated back into the void.
At this moment, his hair was disheveled, his hair bun was nowhere to be seen, and his once flowing green robe was burned and riddled with holes. His exposed skin was covered with hideous lightning burn marks, and was still emitting wisps of smoke.
His magical energy was chaotic and disordered, like a candle flickering in the wind.
But the array of crystal cores in his arms was intact.
That hand that delivers life remains as steady as a rock.
He slowly raised his head, his charred face expressionless, except for his eyes, which remained frighteningly bright.
The crackling sound of electric arcs exploding in the air had not yet completely dissipated, and the acrid smell of burning mixed with the pungent odor of ozone permeated the center of the thunderstorm.
Chen Yi was suspended in mid-air, his back slightly hunched.
He didn't look up at the still churning and roaring sky above him, nor did he pay attention to the excruciating pain of his flesh tearing open on his back.
His gaze was fixed on the woman in his arms.
That was an extreme level of focus.
In this destructive field ravaged by thunder, the small space where Ning Bu'er stood became the only sanctuary.
Under his control, the Leijin Crystal Core Array operated wildly, supporting a pale golden spherical barrier.
Outside the barrier, electric snakes danced wildly, and space trembled.
Inside the barrier, not a single strand of Ning Bu'er's hair was disturbed by the airflow; her clothes hung serenely, as if she were taking a nap in her own courtyard.
Even when the lightning bolt pierced Chen Yi's body and caused his soul to go blank for a moment, his hand, which was channeling his magic power, did not tremble in the slightest.
A torrent of azure-blue magical power, mixed with a rich essence of life, flowed continuously from his fingertips.
He was risking his own life to heal Ning Bu'er's wounds.
He withstood the aftershocks of the lightning tribulation that should have destroyed everything with his back.
Ning Bu'er lay in his arms.
That was the safest fortress in the entire world at that very moment.
A warm current of life washed over her damaged nascent soul, and her shattered spirit was visibly mended under its nourishment.
This scene was frozen in everyone's eyes.
That man, bearing the divine punishment on his back and embracing his beloved, used his back as a shield to isolate the world from all its rage and destruction.
"I told you, you lost your demonic flame to save people, but that's alright. From this moment on, I will be your demonic flame."
Ning Bu'er looked tenderly at the man holding her, her emotions so complex they were hard to describe. This moment had become an indelible memory etched into her soul for the rest of her life, and even for the next few lifetimes.
Tell me, in this world, which other female cultivator could be like this?
At this moment, whether or not she pursued immortality was no longer important to her; the immortal she longed for had already arrived.
Inside and outside the stadium, there was a deathly silence.
Only the sounds of wind and thunder could be heard.
Countless female cultivators gazed at that charred yet upright figure, their vision gradually blurring, their eyes warming, and their throats choked with emotion.
It was envy, it was awe, and it was a touch that came from the depths of the soul.
The cultivation world is cruel and indifferent; when disaster strikes, everyone flees for their lives.
Who has ever seen such madness, daring to defy the might of heaven with a mortal body just to protect one person?
"To have someone like you, I would die without regret!"
In the crowd, someone murmured softly.
These eight words seemed to possess some kind of magic, instantly piercing through the mental defenses of the thousands of cultivators present.
Regardless of good or evil, male or female, at this moment, gazing at the figure in the air, only this one thought remained in their minds.
However, the wrath of Heaven is unpredictable.
The vortex in the sky did not dissipate because of the people's emotions; instead, it spun even more violently.
That earth-shattering pillar of lightning was just the prelude.
An even more terrifying destruction is brewing deep within the clouds.
>