Chapter 53: Evil God's Seed · Fire (Part 5)

"What... what is this?" Yun Che asked in surprise, holding the strange crimson orb. Despite holding it, he felt no weight or temperature. Its light was enchanting and fiery, a red so familiar, yet it gave Yun Che a peculiar sensation, as if he had never seen such a color before.

His heart no longer pounded wildly, but a violent tremor suddenly ran through his profound veins. Abruptly, even the blood throughout his body seemed to boil slightly, and another strange feeling washed over Yun Che. He was certain he had never seen this crimson orb before, yet holding it brought a profound sense of peace, as if it was always meant to be his, finally returning to him.

"I don't know what this is, but I can tell you, you're dead." Jasmine's voice from the Sky Poison Pearl grew low, and her small face became incredibly grave. Her repeated warnings had failed to stop Yun Che's incessant adventuring... and now, they had been pushed to this extreme.

If not for her life being bound to Yun Che's, she truly wished she could just slap this reckless and audacious man to death with her small hand, this man who would throw away his life for so-called "opportunities"!

No sooner had Jasmine's voice faded than an earth-shattering dragon's roar suddenly echoed from outside the cave!

"ROAR!! Despicable humans!! So it was my most precious treasure you coveted! You vile bastards, unforgivable... unforgivable!!!"

Even the lowest-ranking Emperor Profound Beast was a match for ten cultivators at the tenth level of the Sky Profound Realm, let alone a group consisting of one at the tenth level and four below the sixth. After the Flame Dragon unleashed its true power, the five Burning Heaven Clan members were instantly pushed to the brink of despair. The streams of dragon-shaped flames were not only intensely hot but also possessed immense tearing force, gradually pulling them into a vortex of death.

Despair was etched on the faces of the five Burning Heaven Clan masters. Yet, at that moment, the Flame Dragon suddenly went berserk, unleashing terrifying wrath from its entire body and letting out a deafening roar of fury. Amidst its roar, a massive ball of fire, dozens of meters in diameter, slammed into the five individuals, making them scream simultaneously... But the Flame Dragon did not continue its assault; instead, it abruptly changed direction, charging back towards its cave with immense rage.

The five Burning Heaven Clan masters, battered and bruised, escaped the Flame Dragon's flames. Each had sustained injuries of varying degrees; their hair, beards, and much of their clothing had been burned away. Watching the dragon's sudden retreat, they were all still trembling with shock.

"What happened? Why did it suddenly rush back?" one person gasped.

"From its roar just now, it sounds like someone sneaked into its lair while it was fighting us..."

"What are we still discussing this for?! Retreat quickly! The fact that a few of us provoked an Emperor Profound Beast and are still alive is nothing short of a miracle, like finding a second life!"

"In any case, let's go!"

The five Burning Heaven Clan masters dared not linger any longer. Gathering their profound energy, they retreated at their fastest possible speed, not even daring to look back. At that moment, their thoughts were perfectly aligned: upon returning to the Burning Heaven Clan, they would definitely give a thorough beating to whoever said this Flame Dragon was merely a high-level Sky Profound Beast.

Inside the cave, Yun Che also sensed an immense danger. His brows furrowed deeply; he dared not delay any further and rushed outwards at top speed. However, before he could even make it halfway, a deafening thudding sound echoed from ahead. A colossal wave of wrath, accompanied by scorching hot air, washed over him. The entire cave's walls and floor faintly trembled. Soon after, the Flame Dragon's massive head appeared in Yun Che's line of sight.

Yun Che's weak aura clearly startled the Flame Dragon for a moment. When it noticed the crimson orb in his hand, angry flames shot out from its massive pupils: "Audacious human! How dare you covet my most precious treasure! Prepare to face my wrath!"

This was bad!! Yun Che's heart pounded. He quickly calmed himself, contemplating an escape method. Of course, he would also have to dutifully return the orb in his hand... But the Flame Dragon gave him no chance to speak. A powerful force had already locked onto him, and in the next second, it would burn him to ashes.

"If you don't want to die, stop right there, Your Highness commands it!" Just as the shadow of death descended, a tender yet icy command suddenly rang out from above. Simultaneously, a terrifying pressure, as if the sky were falling and the earth collapsing, enveloped the entire Flame Dragon's cave.

The Flame Dragon froze. Under this immense pressure, its body began to tremble uncontrollably. It raised its dragon head, looking at the red-haired girl who had appeared above them at some unknown point. The anger in its massive pupils had completely transformed into shock and... fear.

The aura of power emanating from this 'goddess' was more formidable than it could possibly imagine. In the face of this overwhelming pressure, it felt as insignificant as an ant that could be extinguished to dust at any moment. Its dragon mouth opened, and its voice carried an uncontrollable tremor: "You... who are you!"

"You are not worthy of knowing my name," Jasmine stated, her face icy. Her beautiful eyes, however, emitted a razor-sharp gleam. "We want this cave. If you don't wish to die, disappear from my sight immediately."

Yun Che looked up at Jasmine, his heart also filled with shock... The overwhelming power of this small girl had actually subdued this Emperor Profound Beast! What level of profound energy did she possess?

However, at that moment, he suddenly noticed that the Flame Dragon's trembling had stopped.

"Heh heh," the Flame Dragon chuckled. "I understand now. You two cunning humans are just bluffing! While I don't know what method you used to create such an astonishing sense of oppression, do you truly believe I am as foolish as you humans?"

Jasmine's brows furrowed sharply: "You... wish... to die?"

"Of course I don't want to die, but you two are incapable of killing me!" the Flame Dragon said mockingly. "If you truly had the power to kill me, you would have openly seized my treasure. Why would you choose to sneak in while I was battling those foolish humans? And if you truly possessed the power to kill me, that human's expression wouldn't have been so grim when he saw me!"

Yun Che's heart instantly chilled. The intelligence of a dragon was indeed incomparable to ordinary profound beasts!

"And you, little girl. Your gaze is cold and merciless, and the killing intent emanating from you is astonishing. With such eyes and killing intent, you must have taken countless lives. If you truly intended to kill me and had the ability to do so, you would have acted already, disdaining any conversation with me. Your age is far too young; at such a tender age, it's impossible for a human to possess such a strong oppressive aura at your cultivation speed. All of this is merely an illusion. How could I be foolish enough to fall for it?!"

"You covet my treasure and tried to trick me! How can I forgive you?! Turn to ashes!"

The Flame Dragon's mouth opened wide, and a torrent of searing fire blasted towards Yun Che.

"Thump!" A powerful impact struck Yun Che's shoulder, knocking him far away and barely allowing him to avoid the Flame Dragon's deadly flames. Jasmine appeared where Yun Che had been standing, her fair, tender cheeks now cloaked in terrifying killing intent: "Since you wish to die... I shall grant your wish!"

Whoosh!!

From Jasmine's body, an unparalleled surge of profound energy suddenly erupted. This aura of profound energy was utterly terrifying; what should have been an invisible force swept up into a violent storm, instantly extinguishing the Flame Dragon's burning flames.

The pushed-aside Yun Che crashed into a rock, remaining dazed for a moment. When he regained consciousness and saw Jasmine's appearance, his pupils sharply contracted, and he cried out, "Jasmine! Stop! Do you want to die?!"

"It's all because of you! If you die, I die too!!"

Jasmine shrieked in fury, her endless killing intent locking onto the Flame Dragon. Under the terrifying aura of profound energy and killing intent, the Flame Dragon was completely frozen as if encased in ice. Only its dragon eyes were filled with deep fear and disbelief. It couldn't comprehend how a human girl could possibly release such a powerful profound energy field!

"Die... Star God Shattering Slash!"

"Jasmine, stop!!" Yun Che was terrified by Jasmine's actions, but before he could even stand, Jasmine's lithe body shot towards the Flame Dragon. Then, like a meteor, she pierced straight through the dragon...

In that instant, all elements between heaven and earth seemed to halt. The whistling wind completely stopped, flames ceased burning, all sounds vanished from his ears—he couldn't even hear his own shouts... The Flame Dragon's enormous body also froze in place, a blood-red "X" clearly imprinted, horizontally and vertically, across its entire form.

"Impossi...ble..."

The Flame Dragon's pupils contracted violently, as if witnessing the most terrifying and incredible sight in the world. Subsequently, its eyes slowly lost their color and focus... Its massive body split into four clean pieces, scattering across the scorching ground.

The mighty Flame Dragon was instantly annihilated by Jasmine.

The Flame Dragon's body was incredibly tough. Even Burning Mo Li, the Great Elder of the Burning Heaven Clan, could only leave a shallow mark on it with his Burning Heaven Saber. Yet, Jasmine, with no weapon in hand, merely used her delicate, fair, and tiny hands to slice through the dragon's body as if it were tofu.

Yun Che was too stunned to speak, staring at the Flame Dragon's body split into four pieces. Suddenly, his heart gave a violent lurch, and his gaze shot further ahead. He cried out "Jasmine!" and desperately ran forward.

Jasmine was now lying on the ground, her face, neck, hands, and feet all utterly pale, devoid of any color. Although she had only unleashed a large amount of profound energy for a mere few seconds, it caused the terrifying poison in her soul to flare up uncontrollably. The months of suppressing and purifying the poison within the Sky Poison Pearl were instantly undone.

"Jasmine!" Yun Che rushed to her side and quickly knelt down, placing his left hand on her slender shoulder. The purifying power of the Sky Poison Pearl acted upon Jasmine's body with full force. However, the poison within Jasmine's soul was far too dreadful; even with the Sky Poison Pearl's purification speed, it couldn't quickly suppress its rampant rampage. Her body gradually grew cold, becoming transparent and ethereal bit by bit...

"This time... I think... I really... will... die..." Jasmine murmured, her voice as faint as a breeze. Her eyes, usually filled with coldness and arrogance, were now dimmed with a heartbreaking sadness and desolation.