Chapter 1227: Crimson Extinction

Yun Che’s words caused Luo Changsheng to suddenly look up, a rare sharp glint appearing in his eyes.

No one had ever dared to mock Luo Changsheng, nor had anyone ever been qualified to do so. However, his previous posture of looking down on everything, like a judge in control, had enraged Yun Che. Although Yun Che knew that Luo Changsheng’s arrogance and disdain were not intentional, given Yun Che’s temperament, how could he tolerate being belittled?

Thus, he would not miss this opportunity to press his advantage.

The previously one-sided battle suddenly underwent an unexpected change. The crimson flames emanating from Yun Che dazzled every widened eye, especially those from the Blazing Heaven Realm. Huo Rulie and Yan Juehai turned their heads to look at each other at the same moment, utterly stiff, unable to speak for a long time.

Previously, even when Yun Che fully unleashed his Golden Crow Flame, it was completely suppressed by Luo Changsheng. Even under the power of the Heaven Smiting Sword, it couldn't harm Luo Changsheng, nor even get close to him.

However, this strange crimson flame easily incinerated Luo Changsheng’s power and burned through his defenses, while Yun Che’s fluctuating profound energy aura was definitely no stronger than before.

The Phoenix Flame and Golden Crow Flame were already considered the highest level of divine flames. Yet, the crimson flame Yun Che was burning, with comparable profound energy, was far more powerful than the Golden Crow Flame!

Didn’t this imply that the crimson flame was, in terms of level, even superior to the Golden Crow Flame and Phoenix Flame?

This was impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Huo Rulie and Yan Juehai roared inwardly. The names of the three supreme divine flames—Vermillion Bird Flame, Phoenix Flame, and Golden Crow Flame—originated from the Era of Ancient Gods, meaning they were the highest level of flames even then.

The most powerful divine flames acknowledged even in the True God Era... how could a flame superior to them ignite now, within a mere human?

But what exactly was happening before their eyes? What was going on?

The impact of these scenes on the two flame sect masters was nothing short of earth-shattering.

Luo Changsheng’s face still showed pain, but his arm slowly lowered from his chest, and his burned defense field silently repaired itself. He stared at Yun Che and said in a very low voice, “Very well, this... makes things interesting. However, if you think this can defeat me, you are far too naive!”

Yun Che wasted no words. The Heaven Smiting Sword suddenly manifested a hundred-zhang flame glow. The Golden Crow Flame's “Golden Severance” transformed into “Crimson Annihilation” in Yun Che’s hand, mercilessly slashing down at Luo Changsheng.

As someone so powerful that he felt solitary, and extremely proud at heart, Luo Changsheng had always disdained retreating. No matter how fierce Yun Che’s previous attacks were, he would choose to face them head-on, sometimes even lightly defending with a single hand.

But as Crimson Annihilation slashed down, Luo Changsheng’s expression tightened considerably. His body reacted almost before his will, immediately flashing away with full force under the power of the storm, fleeing several miles distant.

No one who hadn't personally experienced the burning of the crimson flame would ever understand the agony Luo Changsheng had just endured.

It was a soul-searing pain capable of turning even the proudest and most resolute person into a startled bird.

Luo Changsheng, who had fled far away, stiffened for a moment, almost unable to believe that his first instinct had actually been to flee.

For other profound practitioners, this would be perfectly normal, even the most rational move. But... he was Luo Changsheng. Facing a peer opponent, someone whose profound energy was far beneath his own, and whose background and reputation couldn't even compare to his, how could he be afraid? How could he flee?

In his moment of distraction, Yun Che had already drawn near again. The crimson flame sword had swelled from a hundred zhang to half a li in length. As it swept across, a crimson flame scar was etched into the air, lingering for a long time, as if directly rending the void itself.

The lingering shadow of the burns made Luo Changsheng’s body instinctively flinch, and all the hairs on his body stood on end. But how could he flee again? With a low shout, profound light erupted from his body, unleashing a surging wind domain. His Holy Thunder Sword and Divine Wind Halberd crossed to form a cross-shaped profound light, directly meeting the crimson flame sword.

If this were earlier, Yun Che’s flame sword would have been significantly weakened by the wind domain, posing no threat by the time it reached Luo Changsheng. However, in just an instant, the wind domain—powerful enough to grind a ten-thousand-zhang mountain into dust—was directly cleaved by the crimson sword glow, almost unimpeded, striking Luo Changsheng’s crossed sword and halberd.

A thick yellow glow shimmered on the sword and halberd, clearly indicating a full defensive stance.

With a resounding clang, crimson flames and storm power erupted simultaneously. The crimson flame sword was repelled far away but did not break, and in the next instant, it swept down again.

Boom after boom!

Yun Che’s expression was grim, his gaze fierce. Having used the crimson flame to suppress Luo Changsheng and clearly leaving him with a temporary psychological shadow, how could he possibly give him any chance to catch his breath?

His entire body’s profound energy was unleashed frantically, desperately maintaining Crimson Annihilation. The mesmerizing red sword glow continuously hammered down on Luo Changsheng like a storm. Each collision with Luo Changsheng’s power would burst into a small, lingering red flame domain, forcing Luo Changsheng far away and leaving him no opportunity to counterattack for a time.

In just a few breaths, the crimson flame sword struck dozens of times consecutively. Finally, amidst Luo Changsheng’s furious roar, a massive sound shook the air, and the crimson flame sword finally broke, erupting into a sky full of fragmented flames.

Yun Che’s entire body trembled violently, and he flipped backward.

Luo Changsheng, who had just been completely suppressed, no longer possessed any of his previous composure. Rarely angered, his heart now surged with almost explosive fury. Having finally shattered the terrifying crimson flame sword, Luo Changsheng let out a low roar. Just as he was about to launch a fierce counterattack, he suddenly felt an abnormal tremor running through both of his arms.

The tremor wasn’t in his body, but came from the Holy Thunder Sword and Divine Wind Halberd tightly gripped in his hands.

His arms instinctively rose, and his pupils, in that instant, constricted violently as if pricked by needles.

On the blade of the Holy Thunder Sword, there were clearly a dozen nicks and chips of various sizes. The largest chip was half a finger wide, and each chip glowed with a faint red light. The deep-seated thunder power within the Holy Thunder Sword was wildly leaking from these gaps, accompanied by a painful, almost desperate, trembling roar of thunder.

Meanwhile, the Divine Wind Halberd bore over a dozen different dents, the longest of which was half an inch deep. Under the overlapping marks, the halberd’s shape was noticeably warped, and the storm power within it was also rapidly leaking, while the spirit of the storm let out a mournful wail.

“How... could... this be...” Luo Changsheng stood there in shock, unable to believe his own eyes.

As the son of the Sacred Universe Realm King and the leader of the Four Divine Children of the Eastern Region, how could his weapons be ordinary? His Holy Thunder Sword and Divine Wind Halberd, along with Lu Lengchuan’s Sky-Rending Spear, Jun Xilei’s Mist Light, and Shui Yingyue’s Yao Stream, were all top-tier profound artifacts in the Divine Spirit Realm. Not only did they contain divine might, but they were also fundamentally impossible to be damaged by forces of the same level.

Yet, after the collision with the crimson flame sword just now, the Holy Thunder Sword and Divine Wind Halberd were damaged to this extent. Judging by the number of injuries, it was clear that they were harmed with every single impact.

His momentary distraction naturally caused him to lose the best opportunity to counterattack Yun Che. By this time, Yun Che had stabilized himself and charged directly at Luo Changsheng. The Heaven Smiting Sword no longer displayed a crimson sword aura, but the flame glow on its blade was even more intense.

Luo Changsheng’s brows furrowed, and he grit his teeth... Just as he was about to launch a direct assault against Yun Che, Luo Guxie’s voice suddenly reached his ears via sound transmission:

“Changsheng, although Yun Che’s flame is unusually powerful, its aura is very unstable. It clearly cannot last much longer. There’s no need for you to face its sharpness directly. Temporarily retreat and defend. Once he can no longer sustain this flame, you can trample him at will.”

After Luo Guxie finished speaking, her brows remained tightly furrowed for a long time.

Profound sound transmission, strictly speaking, was already an interference in the two combatants’ battle, on the verge of violating the rules. Luo Guxie had never seen Luo Changsheng look like this. Concerned, she made a move she had never before considered.

Luo Changsheng: “...”

Boom!!

Yun Che struck out with his sword. As the flame light burst, Luo Changsheng had already fled far away. Yun Che, utilizing his Illusory Light Thunderclap, rapidly closed in, his aura locked onto Luo Changsheng. Dazzling flame light enveloped Luo Changsheng.

Luo Changsheng let out a low shout, conjuring several yellow barriers around himself. While defending, he once again fled far away.

Luo Changsheng was several steps faster than Yun Che, and with the added boost of the storm, his figure was sometimes too fast to see, at other times almost illusory in its flickering. Yun Che’s attacks were like a relentless storm, pressing relentlessly. Under Luo Changsheng’s full retreat, he moved away from the core of each power burst immediately, and he completely blocked the spreading aftershocks.

For a time, on the Conferred God Stage, wind shadows whistled and swept by, and flame light exploded wildly. The situation was, unexpectedly, Luo Changsheng being chased and attacked by Yun Che. Although Yun Che couldn't overpower him due to his superior speed and defense, it was indeed a rather unsightly display.

After a prolonged assault yielded no results, Yun Che seemed to grow a little agitated. After a brief pause, the crimson flame light around him suddenly became as extremely violent as the Golden Crow Flame, then he attacked Luo Changsheng with even more ferocious flame waves.

A series of thunderous booms...

Each flame burst left behind a larger crimson flame domain, and these domains lingered longer than before, showing no signs of fading even after several full breaths. Soon, as Yun Che unleashed flame power like a madman, the Conferred God Stage became chaotically dotted with dozens of identically sized crimson flame domains. From afar, they looked like dozens of red stars suspended in the void, exceptionally beautiful.

“This is bad!” Huo Rulie said with furrowed brows. “Although Luo Changsheng looks disheveled, he’s clearly waiting for Yun Che’s flame to die out... Yun Che’s strange flame aura is extremely unstable; he clearly can’t fully control it, so it can’t last too long. Otherwise, he would have used it from the very beginning.”

“If this continues, once this strange flame extinguishes, Yun Che will have no hope of winning.”

After Huo Rulie finished speaking, he waited a long time for Yan Juehai’s response. He turned his head and found Yan Juehai staring blankly straight ahead, muttering in a daze, “This... could it... be...”

Huo Rulie stared in confusion.

Boom!!

With a swing of the Heaven Smiting Sword, another flame domain burst open. At that moment, Yun Che suddenly stopped attacking, remaining still in the air, a strange red light flashing in his eyes.

Around him, in different directions and positions, thirty-six identical red flame domains floated, each emitting a powerful fiery glow.

With Yun Che ceasing his attack, Luo Changsheng naturally stopped as well. However, there was no relief on his face; instead, a strong sense of crisis suddenly welled up in his soul.

Just then, Luo Guxie’s urgent voice suddenly echoed in his ear via sound transmission: “Changsheng, defend quickly!!”

A series of soft pops...

At the very same instant, all the flame domains gently burst open... no, they bloomed, transforming into thirty-six resplendent and mesmerizing fire lotuses in the wide-eyed gazes of all onlookers.