Chapter 595: Deadly Battle

Yun Che, like an arrow, shot into the entrance of the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. Instantly, the space before him twisted, then the darkness completely dispersed, revealing a world where crimson flames and purple lightning raged wildly.

While the outside world was enveloped by a pitch-black night, here there was no trace of darkness. As far as the eye could see, there were blazing red volcanoes and boiling magma. These volcanoes were incredibly dense, varying in height, but each burned with fiery red flames. Some rose to a thousand zhang, like colossal flame demons intent on burning through the sky.

The ground was scorched entirely red, every grain of sand emitting astonishing heat. An ordinary person coming here would be reduced to charcoal in mere moments. Yet, the sky above was a deep purple, with thunderclouds roaring like enraged demons, occasionally unleashing earth-shattering lightning bolts.

Boom! A lightning bolt, dozens of zhang thick, struck down in Yun Che's sight, instantly splitting a volcano in half. Countless crimson rocks and lava scattered far and wide. Yet, what would be an utterly terrifying sight to anyone else was a common occurrence here.

"The activity of fire and lightning elements here is more intense than expected, which explains why it's the highest-level trial ground in the Illusory Demon Realm," Jasmine stated calmly. Sensing faint spiritual energy fluctuations in the surrounding space, she let out a soft hmph, speaking with a mix of surprise and disdain, "The fire and lightning spirits born here aren't bad; at least they're not the lowest grade."

Yun Che scanned the world ahead, remaining vigilant. However, there was no sign of Hui Ran pursuing him from behind. He turned, only to his astonishment, to find an equally boundless crimson world stretching behind him. There was no trace of an exit, not even anything resembling a profound teleportation formation.

"What's going on?" Yun Che frowned. "Can one only enter through the entrance but not leave from the same spot?"

"This place, like the Heaven Pool Secret Realm and the Primordial Profound Ark you've entered before, is a self-contained world. Its laws are vastly different from the outside world and do not interfere with each other. That entrance is merely a spatial profound formation that sends you into this world. As for leaving, unless there's another special method, you can only wait for this world's force field to expel you."

"That's also why Hui Ran apparently didn't intend to follow you in."

Hearing Jasmine's words, Yun Che suddenly recalled what Yun Qinghong had told him: after twelve hours in the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, one would be forcibly expelled, unless they died inside. This mode was indeed similar to the Heaven Pool Secret Realm and the Primordial Profound Ark.

Hui Ran didn't pursue him, naturally fearing it would be easy to enter but impossible to leave at will.

Yun Che's vigilance did not wane. He rose into the air, instantly maximizing his speed, and swiftly headed north, facing the intertwined light of lightning and flames.

Numerous fire spirits and lightning spirits roamed or danced within sight. Though most were only palm-sized spiritual entities, they all emanated auras of the Sky Profound, or even Emperor Profound Realm. Occasionally, higher-grade spiritual entities with Sovereign Profound auras would appear.

Subduing, collecting, and refining these fire and lightning spirits would directly convert them into one's own profound energy. Refining a low-grade Emperor Profound fire spirit would yield an increase in profound energy equivalent to several years of diligent cultivation for an ordinary Emperor Profound practitioner!

The conditions required for the emergence of spiritual entities were extremely stringent, only possible in environments where a certain element was exceptionally active and pure, such as the heart of a glacier or the bottom of a lava flow. Even then, they were exceedingly rare. The lowest-grade elemental spirit could easily fetch an exorbitant price.

Yet, in this Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, they appeared in droves.

No wonder the Illusory Demon Imperial City's power level was astonishingly high, and no wonder the Yun family's strength had declined so much after failing to enter the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley for a century.

However, Yun Che ignored them, instead exerting all his effort to evade them to avoid their attacks. Under his Mirage Lightning, these fire and lightning spirits hadn't even approached before he had already vanished far away.

He had to find the Little Demon Empress immediately! And before that... he absolutely could not die!

Rumble... Rumble... Rumbllle... After Yun Che flew several hundred miles, he suddenly felt the space begin to tremble. This trembling wasn't occasional; it was continuous, growing stronger as he advanced. A constant roar echoed in his ears, and the thunderclouds above became noticeably more agitated.

BOOM!!! A muffled, extremely distant explosion reverberated. Yun Che fixed his gaze forward... In the unknown distance, a scarlet-yellow smoke plume and a crimson-black smoke plume rose into the sky, stretching towards the heavens. Below the smoke were two clusters of flames, blindingly bright despite their immense distance.

That was... Yun Che suddenly gritted his teeth, profound energy surging. He pushed his Mirage Lightning to its limit, transforming into a shooting star streaking across the sky, moving so fast that not even an afterimage could be left behind.

Boom! Two masses of flame collided in the air, creating a horrifying roar like two mountains crashing together. Instantly, the entire world dimmed sharply. The ground was violently torn apart, filling the sky in an instant before rapidly being pulverized into the finest dust. The rocks here were far from ordinary; they were high-grade profound rocks that had not melted in this Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley for ten thousand years!

Scarlet-yellow flames and crimson-black flames devoured each other in the air. Within the blaze, two figures flashed and collided like bolts of lightning. Each impact sent tremors through space and roars across the land.

Rocks below were continuously thrown up, and volcanoes were uprooted by the terrifying power, scattering as a rain of fiery rock across the sky. A strange crimson mist pervaded the heavens, growing thicker and thicker until visibility was almost zero.

The ground, meanwhile, had already sunken nearly a hundred zhang, its concavity as smooth as a polished mirror.

The scale of this clash was far more intense than any volcanic eruption.

Because this was a life-and-death battle between Emperor-level experts!

BOOM!!! Another colossal explosion. Blinding scarlet-yellow flames suddenly tore through the demonic crimson-black flames, surging forth to instantly engulf a figure, violently sending it crashing towards the earth.

Instantly, the earth shook, mountains trembled, and winds raged, startling the clouds. A hundred-zhang wide pillar of fire shot thousands of zhang into the sky. From a distance, an enormous mushroom cloud towered towards the heavens, lingering for a long time.

Beneath the mushroom cloud, the Little Demon Empress floated silently in mid-air, her gray robe gently swaying, her long hair slightly dishevelled. Her crystal-like pupils, however, were as chilling as those of death itself.

Before her, Prince Huai soared out of the deep crater. Although his expression remained calm and a faint cold smile lingered at his lips, his appearance was utterly dishevelled. His silken robes were scorched and riddled with holes, most of his hair was burnt, his entire left hand was severely scorched, and two streaks of crimson blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

In the distance, King Ming stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes slightly narrowed, his expression calm and content, as if he were simply enjoying a beautiful landscape.

"Prince Huai, you are not worthy of taking my life!" The Little Demon Empress's voice was even deeper than the thunderclouds in the sky.

"Heh, is that so?" Prince Huai wiped the blood from his lips and slowly ascended into the sky, no trace of anger on his face. "You truly live up to your reputation, Little Demon Empress. Although I never thought myself your equal, I also didn't expect you could suppress me to this extent! Late-stage Sovereign Profound Realm Level Five, no less powerful than Yun Qinghong was twenty-five years ago. That truly surprises me."

"Heh, Little Demon Empress, you are, after all, the last person to possess the Demon Emperor's bloodline. It would truly be a pity for you to die just like this. Before your demise, let this king have some good fun with you... The longer you play with me, the longer you'll live, hahahahaha!"

The Little Demon Empress's Golden Crow bloodline was far purer than Prince Huai's, and the Golden Crow flames she unleashed had a strong suppressive effect on him. Although their profound energy levels were the same, if they fought with full power, Prince Huai would certainly not be the Little Demon Empress's match... but only if she fought with all her might!

Amidst his wild laughter, Prince Huai extended his arm and conjured a flaming longsword from thin air. The flames on the sword were not the scarlet-yellow of Golden Crow flames, but rather like concentrated blood.

Demon Blood Sword!! Prince Huai's blood flames ignited his body, his aura growing frantic. Even his face became hideous and terrifying. He swiftly brandished the Demon Blood Sword, each swing unleashing large swaths of crimson-black flames. These crimson-black flames merged and transformed in the air, eventually forming a massive Flame Demon a hundred zhang tall.

Prince Huai, like Hui Ye, cultivated the formidable Fallen Flame Demon Art. If Hui Ye could summon a Flame Demon, then Prince Huai's was naturally far more powerful... His Flame Demon was immeasurably stronger than Hui Ye's.

"Go!!" Prince Huai barked, waving his arm. The colossal Flame Demon let out a sinister roar, as if from hell, and lunged violently at the Little Demon Empress.

The hundred-zhang Flame Demon was enough to make anyone's heart tremble just by looking at it. But the Little Demon Empress's expression was like a frozen lake, utterly unruffled. She raised her arm, her wide gray sleeves dancing lightly. Instantly, all the flames, scorching rocks, and magma in the ten-thousand-zhang space around her seemed to gain life, converging rapidly above her. In the very next moment, they coalesced into a colossal flame greatsword, a hundred zhang long and ten zhang wide. As more flames and lava continuously condensed, the greatsword grew larger, emitting a scorching and majestic pressure that threatened to engulf both sky and earth.

King Ming had not personally intervened, but instead first had Prince Huai, who was not her match, engage her in battle. The Little Demon Empress was filled with confusion. Only now did she realize King Ming's terrifying cunning. Someone with such cunning would naturally understand the danger of "long nights leading to many dreams." He had come to take her life, and this was a rare opportunity in ten thousand years. His wisest course of action would be to personally intervene with full power, striking her down in the shortest possible time...

He should have known that every moment of delay increased the chance of an unforeseen development! If an accident occurred, he would not only lose this once-in-a-millennium opportunity but also expose himself, becoming passive.

Yet King Ming had made a move that anyone would consider utterly foolish: letting Prince Huai attempt to take the Little Demon Empress's life while he stood by, showing no intention of acting.

Although the Little Demon Empress harbored doubts, she had no time to ponder them. While her strength surpassed Prince Huai's, it was by no means an easy victory. Facing Prince Huai at full power, she absolutely could not afford to be distracted.

CRACK!!! The flame mark between the Little Demon Empress's brows flashed with a fleeting golden light. As she swung both arms, the colossal flame greatsword shot forth with the power to cleave the sky. Its speed appeared slow, yet it directly traversed space, striking the charging Flame Demon. It then passed through its body without hindrance, impaling the massive Fallen Flame Demon high in the sky.

BOOM.................. The flame greatsword, piercing the Fallen Flame Demon, exploded. An utterly terrifying profound energy storm violently erupted, its immense power akin to a planet exploding in mid-air.

The struggling roars of the Fallen Flame Demon faintly echoed, but in just a few breaths, the demon was shattered, then annihilated into countless tiny fiery fragments.

The thunderclouds overhead vanished... or rather, the sky itself was no longer visible. Above them, Golden Crow flames raged wildly. A hint of panic finally appeared on Prince Huai's face as he retreated at his fastest speed. Although he had never considered himself the Little Demon Empress's match, he hadn't expected her power to be this formidable.

At that moment, King Ming, who had been an indifferent spectator, suddenly glinted his eyes and revealed a sinister cold smile. Without any visible movement, a fierce gust of wind swirled, and he vanished from his spot. An afterimage, too swift for the naked eye to perceive, shot directly towards the Little Demon Empress.

Although the Little Demon Empress had easily shattered Prince Huai's Flame Demon, that was a strike she unleashed with her full, unreserved power. Furthermore, King Ming's profound energy surpassed hers by an entire half-major realm. She only abruptly sensed King Ming when he was within ten zhang of her... but it was already too late.

CLANG!!! A deafening, piercing sound of shattering rang out. The Little Demon Empress's personal space instantly fragmented, and the Demon Emperor Seal shot out, then, under a powerful suction, flew instantly into King Ming's hand. Simultaneously, an extremely violent storm slammed into the Little Demon Empress. She grunted, sent flying a hundred zhang away before barely managing to stop.