Chapter 1228: Red Lotus Radiates the World

Thirty-six scarlet fire lotuses slowly bloomed. Initially, the lotuses had a single layer of nine brightly burning petals, followed by a second, third... and fifth layer. The scene was so breathtakingly brilliant that it felt as if one had suddenly fallen into a dream.

As the thirty-six scarlet fire lotuses began to unfurl, Luo Changsheng suddenly roared, and a dense yellow profound light burst from his body. The ultimate defensive barrier rapidly formed in front of him, followed by a second, third... tenth... and twentieth layer.

All of his power, without the slightest reservation, was poured entirely into defense.

Luo Changsheng's defensive barriers rapidly stacked up as if in a frenzy, while the thirty-six scarlet fire lotuses also bloomed swiftly. With each additional layer of petals, the fire lotuses doubled in size. To everyone's astonishment, the thirty-six fire lotuses, originally small, had all expanded to hundreds of yards in size.

As the petals of all the fire lotuses touched and their fiery auras connected, a scarlet flame suddenly shot into the sky, revealing a massive phoenix flame-shadow. This shadow was incredibly vivid, as if a true phoenix deity had descended. Its wings spread wide, its head held high as it cried out, and every feather on its body burned with the hottest phoenix flame.

Beneath the fiery light, all the fire lotuses silently merged, unfurling into a colossal fire lotus a hundred miles in size.

This dazzling and magnificent scene made Yan Juehai's body tremble violently as he let out a hoarse cry: "Bril... Brilliant World Red Lotus!!"

Yan Juehai's choked cry startled the Flame God sect members, making their already wide eyes widen even further.

The Red Lotus illuminated the world, its breathtaking beauty enchanting everyone. As they stared in astonishment, the massive fire lotus silently unfurled. When its petals fully opened, they completely covered the Divine Seal Platform. The magnificent scarlet flame gently spilled over the surrounding space and the boundless sky, painting the entire world in crimson.

Yet, beneath this gigantic crimson fire lotus lay the ultimate power of phoenix flames, potent enough to bury oceans and incinerate the sky!

"This... this... what is this?"

"Could it be... the Phoenix Clan's strongest fire lotus from legends!?" a Mid-level Realm King exclaimed in disbelief.

On the Divine Seal Platform, Yun Che and Luo Changsheng were no longer visible; everything was engulfed, or rather, buried beneath the colossal fire lotus. A terrifyingly immense fiery power and heat, even with a powerful barrier separating them, made countless profound practitioners' souls convulse and their bodies tremble. They couldn't imagine what kind of incinerating purgatory lay beneath that fire lotus.

"Sect Master, is that... truly... the Brilliant World Red Lotus?" a Phoenix disciple stammered.

Yan Juehai merely stared blankly, offering no response.

"Sect Master Yan," Huo Rulie said, "it's been a long time since your Phoenix Sect last witnessed the Brilliant World Red Lotus, hasn't it?"

Yan Juehai gasped, finally snapping back to reality, but his gaze remained fixed, seemingly unable to tear itself away: "It's been ninety thousand years. The last ancestor of the Phoenix Sect to cultivate the Brilliant World Red Lotus was ninety thousand years ago. I never imagined I'd witness its blooming with my own eyes in my lifetime. Ninety thousand years..."

Huo Rulie was deeply moved. He fully understood Yan Juehai's feelings at that moment, much like his own when he first witnessed Huo Poyun successfully unleash the Nine Suns Heaven's Wrath.

The Brilliant World Red Lotus, the most powerful incinerating flame from the Phoenix Ode to the World, and the Nine Suns Heaven's Wrath from the Golden Crow Record of Burning the World, are ultimate divine flames of the same caliber.

It lacks the earth-shattering power and overwhelming aura of the Nine Suns Heaven's Wrath. Instead, it offers only quiet blooming and beauty, yet it is a heartless, silent incineration!

In the Holy Universe Realm seating area, almost everyone stood up. Even Luo Changchen and Luo Guxie had tense expressions, their spiritual senses locked firmly onto Luo Changsheng, who was buried within the radiant fire lotus.

Beneath the fire lotus, Luo Changsheng's fully extended defensive barriers were incinerated into nothingness layer by layer. Every inch of his body was illuminated a complete scarlet, and despite the layers of protective barriers, he still felt as if he were deep in the purgatory of the Yellow Springs, letting out pained roars.

On the east seating platform, the Brahma Heaven God Emperor's spiritual sense pierced through the Brilliant World Red Lotus. After glancing at Luo Changsheng's condition, he looked away and suddenly let out a soft hmph: "During a battle of ascension, Luo Guxie forcibly transmitted a warning. Had she not, Luo Changsheng would not have been able to defend with full power immediately. Even a delay of half a breath could have led to his complete defeat. Such conduct, I fear, is unworthy of the title 'Number One Below the King Realm in the Eastern Divine Region'."

As the acknowledged Number One Below the King Realm in the Eastern Divine Region, Luo Guxie's profound way cultivation was naturally extremely high. Her condensed profound sound transmission was impossible for outsiders to detect, including even Expelling Dirt Venerable. However, how could it escape the notice of someone of the Brahma Heaven God Emperor's caliber?

Alongside him, Qianye Ying'er said indifferently: "If he were merely a nephew or disciple, Luo Guxie would, of course, not have acted this way. But even the strongest woman, when she assumes 'a certain identity' and faces 'this kind of situation', can easily lose her composure."

"Oh?" Qianye Ying'er's words made the Brahma Heaven God Emperor turn his head. "I don't quite understand what you mean."

"Before coming here today, Uncle Gu suddenly told me something very interesting." Qianye Ying'er's voice was languid, and a playful curve seemed to tilt at the corner of her lips: "He said that Luo Changsheng's life aura, in terms of 'certain characteristics', bears a strong resemblance to Luo Guxie's."

"...What do you mean?" The Brahma Heaven God Emperor's eyebrows twitched sharply.

"Just a casual remark," Qianye Ying'er said, not elaborating. "'Auras' are inherently imprecise. I merely found it interesting, nothing more."

The Brahma Heaven God Emperor did not ask further, his gaze shifting as he appeared lost in thought.

Although the fire lotus on the Divine Seal Platform was immense, it was actually a very small-scale "Brilliant World Red Lotus." As it fully bloomed, Yun Che's entire body was instantly drained of power, causing him to plummet directly, and the scarlet flames on his body rapidly extinguished.

However, his mind did not relax. His gaze immediately focused on Luo Changsheng.

Luo Changsheng... truly worthy of being the head of the Four Divine Sons of the Eastern Region. What keen spiritual perception and awareness! The moment the Red Lotus formation was barely set up, he had already begun defending with all his might. In that case...

At Yun Che's current profound energy level, it was naturally impossible to unleash a complete Brilliant World Red Lotus, just as his "Nine Suns Heaven's Wrath" could never truly summon nine suns into the sky.

Therefore, although the blooming Brilliant World Red Lotus was immensely powerful, it would be difficult to easily obliterate Luo Changsheng, especially with his immediate full-power defense. Beneath the fire lotus, his defensive barriers crumbled layer by layer, but as the fire lotus retracted and the flames faded, he still had one final barrier protecting him.

Yun Che gritted his teeth fiercely. He instantly drew upon all the profound energy that had just returned to him, and the faint scarlet flames on his body, on the verge of extinguishing, were forcefully reignited. The moment the fire lotus completely extinguished, he suddenly lunged at Luo Changsheng.

"Falling Moon Sinking Star!!"

BOOM!!!!

Luo Changsheng had barely managed to survive the Brilliant World Red Lotus with all his might. Before he could even catch his breath, Yun Che struck him with a sword. With a massive crash, he was sent violently flying sideways, and both the Holy Thunder Sword and Divine Wind Halberd simultaneously flew from his grasp, soaring far away in different directions.

With a thud, Yun Che landed heavily. His arms throbbed with pain, and his entire body felt weak and numb. For a moment, he lacked the strength to pursue.

Luo Changsheng was like a heavy stone swept by a hurricane. He tumbled and flew a great distance, bouncing more than a dozen times on the Divine Seal Platform before finally collapsing onto the ground.

Although he had withstood the power of the Brilliant World Red Lotus, his current state could only be described as horrific. His entire white robe had been completely incinerated to a charred black, no longer fit to cover him. His originally flowing, long black hair was mostly burned away, and his body and face were covered in numerous black marks and charred blood holes, scarring almost half of his body.

Under the searing pain brought by the scarlet flames, almost every muscle in his body twitched violently.

His layered barriers withstood the phoenix flame's power, but they couldn't completely block the terrifying searing effect of the scarlet flames.

Clang! The Holy Thunder Sword landed behind him.

Crash!!

The heavy Divine Wind Halberd crashed in front of Luo Changsheng. As it bounced, it suddenly shattered mid-air. When it fell again, it was in three broken pieces.

ZING———

A painful hum reverberated, then quickly faded until it was completely silent. The inherent storm power surged out like a breached dam...

The Divine Wind Halberd, after enduring continuous ravages from the scarlet flames, was finally shattered by Yun Che's single sword strike!

The spectators' stands were silent, save for the constant gasps.

The Divine Wind Halberd... shattered!

The divine halberd, long famous alongside Luo Changsheng, possessing immense spirituality and potent storm power, was actually shattered by Yun Che's sword!

Luo Changsheng's gaze was blank, seemingly unable to believe or accept the reality before him. But his daze didn't last long; he propped himself up with his arms and slowly stood.

With a grab of his hand, the fragments of the Divine Wind Halberd flew into his grasp. He didn't spare them another glance, putting them away immediately. Then, the Holy Thunder Sword was also retrieved but not held in his hand, also put away immediately.

Looking at Luo Changsheng in this state and sensing his aura, Yun Che's expression darkened, and he felt a deep shock in his heart.

Luo Changsheng had been scorched by the Brilliant World Red Lotus Yun Che unleashed with full power, and then endured his fierce sword strike as his defense crumbled. Yet his injuries were far less severe than Yun Che had anticipated; even his aura showed no significant weakening or disorder.

While he was surprised, he didn't know that the shock in Luo Changsheng's heart, and that of those familiar with him, was more than ten times greater than his own.

In the Upper Star Realm, many people knew that a significant reason why Luo Changsheng was so powerful as to be "in a league of his own" among the Divine Sons was that both his body and soul had been tempered by "Primordial Divine Water."

To obtain Primordial Divine Water from the Primordial Divine Realm, even a being like Luo Guxie had to take great risks. Every drop was a top-tier rare treasure in the current Primal Chaos space. After Luo Guxie finally obtained the Primordial Divine Water, she did not use it on herself, but gave it to Luo Changsheng, personally tempering his body and soul with it, making his body incredibly tough and his soul impregnable.

Yet, under Yun Che's flames and sword, he was injured to such a degree.

Luo Guxie's chest heaved violently. Her eyes, usually calm and gentle, were now trembling slightly. Luo Changsheng had been nurtured by her since childhood, and he had never, ever suffered such severe injuries or been in such a pathetic state.

Luo Changsheng was gasping for breath, his chaotic gaze fixed on Yun Che. After several breaths of staring at each other, Yun Che suddenly saw that Luo Changsheng's gaze had become calm.

His face twitched and contorted with pain, but his eyes held a terrifying calmness.

"Yun Che..." he slowly began, his voice a little hoarse: "I admit, I thought I hadn't underestimated you in any way, but... I severely underestimated you."

He raised his right arm, and a savage flash of lightning suddenly flickered across his palm.

"You are the first to injure me to this extent."

Crackle... another strange bolt of lightning flashed across Luo Changsheng's hand.

"You are also the first to push me to this point!"

Luo Shangchen's brows furrowed sharply at Luo Changsheng's actions: "Is Changsheng... going to..."

"Don't stop him!" Luo Guxie suddenly interjected, preventing Luo Shangchen from saying anything to obstruct him: "He must win! And the pain he has suffered must be returned a thousand-fold!"