Chapter 478: Illumination of Buddha's Light
Lu Heng's words startled the maiden.
Ah? Wudou? The mythical beast of ancient times? The white dragon girl exclaimed, "Master, is this Wudou truly formidable?"
The young girl remembered her master's words, "Most of the Ancient Divine Beasts are incredibly powerful and terrifying. After all, beings of this level are not marked by the insignia of the Nine Cauldrons. If they die, they are completely annihilated without the opportunity for resurrection like ordinary creatures."
Hence, the Ancient Divine Beasts that have managed to survive numerous occurrences of the Earthly Catastrophe and live up to the present day are all formidable and should not be underestimated.
Master's good friend, the Candle Dragon, is one of these ancient legends…
So this Wudou…
The white dragon maiden's voice trembled with anxiety as she inquired, "Master, if you were to engage in a duel with this Wudou, what are the odds of you emerging victorious?"
Lu Heng pondered for a moment and then smiled, shaking his head, "There is no chance of victory."
"Ah? No chance of victory?!" The young girl was bewildered, struggling to accept it. "Is this Wudou perhaps even more formidable than the revered Candle Dragon?"
Lu Heng couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I meant that there's no need for a fight… I have heard about this ancient divine beast from my good friend, the Candle Dragon. It is an incredibly intriguing entity. It refrains from violence whenever possible, despite being an ancient divine beast. It treats everyone with the utmost friendliness, regardless of whether they belong to the righteous path or the demonic path. As long as people don't harbor malicious intentions towards it, it is always willing to maintain a peaceful demeanor… Oh?"
As Lu Heng's words were only halfway spoken, his brow furrowed.
As the lava staircase descended continuously, traversing level after level of barrier enchantments, he gradually sensed a certain ominous presence in the air.
That kind of presence may go unnoticed by ordinary individuals, but Lu Heng, the wielder of the Requiem Seal, is incredibly sensitive to it.
Because that is the breath of [Death]…
And it is an extremely brutal form of [Death]…
The smile on Lu Heng's face faded away.
He extended his hand, shielding the curious young girl behind him, and uttered, "No matter what you see or hear later, don't stray beyond a three-foot distance from me. Within those three feet, I can ensure your safety, but beyond that, I make no guarantees…"
As Lu Heng uttered these words, the astonished expression on the young girl's face accompanied them as they reached the end of the lava staircase.
Here, is a mysterious space that exists independent from the sea of magma beneath. The continuously churning lava flows and streams above Lu Heng's head, but is shielded by an invisible barrier. Looking upwards, one can discern the ever-flowing direction of the lava.
Inside the vast, deep crimson space, there is also an immense surge of magma. However, compared to the lava that can even ignite spiritual energy in the outside world, this magma is even more formidable.
Between the lava, there float one after another rugged rocky mountains, and numerous pitch-black stone slabs hang in the void, forming suspended stairs that connect the mountains. At first glance, it gives a sense of an otherworldly fairyland.
--if one disregards the scorching temperatures in the air that could consume the soul.
Now, Lu Heng and the white dragon girl stand upon such a rugged mountain. The mountain is not vast, and its surface is entirely barren, devoid of any foliage.
And here, precisely, is the border of this otherworldly space beneath the lava lake.
Moving forward, one can overlook the entire world of lava, as well as the rocky mountains suspended on the magma.
In the air, there wafts an extremely potent scent of blood. Even amidst the searing temperatures that have incinerated every trace of spiritual energy, this pungent stench remains impervious to the flames.
The source from which this scent of blood emanates is the magma sea below.
Within the bloody red magma, countless boiling streams of fresh blood flow. Astonishingly, the temperature of this blood surpasses that of the lava itself, and it is incompatible with the molten rock.
Amidst the red hue and flickering, glaring light, emanates scorching high temperatures. The constantly surging lava intertwines with each other, yet they can never truly meld together.
And at the center of this lava lake, there lies a colossal carcass floating and sinking within the magma.
That is a jet-black behemoth, remarkably conspicuous in this blood-red world. Its sheer head alone dwarfs even the grandest mountains.
Currently, there are about a dozen figures of varying sizes encircling above this colossal carcass, brandishing different mystical artifacts, incessantly harvesting the scorching hot blood streaming within the magma.
However, those blood refuse to comply obediently as they wildly course through the lava, as if imbued with a semblance of life, fiercely resisting the capture attempts of those mystical artifacts.
Although the corpse from which blood flows has already met its demise, emitting an exceedingly potent aura of "death", Lu Heng, wielding the Requiem Seal, cannot detect the slightest trace of soul essence connected to the divine beasts.
The soul of this Ancient Divine Beast Wudou has mysteriously vanished without a trace.
Lu Heng's expression suddenly turned cold and indifferent.
The white dragon maiden by his side exclaimed in astonishment, "Master! Behold, there stands Ban Qi! Hasten to observe! He is engaged in conversation with the bald-headed man!"
The maiden pointed at the heart of the magma realm and shouted loudly.
Amidst the figures continuously wielding their treasured artifacts to absorb the Wudou's blood below, there is a figure emitting a faint golden radiance, seated in a cross-legged position within the void. Beneath them, a twelve-tiered lotus platform blooms, while their countenance exudes compassion and solemnity, with a radiant aura of enlightenment shining forth from behind their head. They are adorned in immaculate robes, untainted by any worldly impurities.
He clasped his hands together, his expression solemn, attentively listening to the report from the cultivator beside him.
And that cultivator, is none other than Ban Qi, who brought the disciples Lu Heng to this place.
Now, seemingly having finished listening to Ban Qi's report, the Buddha's image on the lotus platform coldly glanced towards this direction, engaging in an eye-to-eye exchange with Lu Heng on the rocky mountain from afar.
The Buddha's image discerned the murky and hazy look in Lu Heng's pale eyes and let out a slight disdainful snort.
"The technique of deception is nothing but a trivial skill. Reveal your true form and allow me to behold the true countenance of the Ghost Valley Divine Calculation!"
Speaking, the image of the Buddha on the lotus platform formed hand seals, and in an instant, a brilliant Buddha light filled the surroundings, overwhelming in its dazzling radiance. Even under the protection of Lu Heng, the white dragon girl couldn't help but feel a piercing agony in her soul, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Master!"
The girl desperately covered her eyes, but found that the Buddha light seemed to be everywhere, inescapable. Even when she turned away and covered her eyes, her soul still stung, her whole body chilled, almost unable to control the urge to kneel down and beg for mercy.
But in the next moment, a cold shout filled with a tinge of murderous intent sounded beside her.
"Retreat!"
A cold shout, as if carrying a tremendous authority that manifests with each spoken word.
The resplendent aura of Buddha's light, which covered the sky and earth, instantly dissipated, and that terrifying sensation of piercing through everything, subduing everything, and overwhelming everything, only then vanished from the depths of the white dragon girl's heart.
When she turned back again, she discovered that every figure in the world of molten lava was looking in her direction.
The figures who were previously busy collecting Wudou blood seemed to be startled by the cold shout of her master.
As more than ten pairs of eyes fell upon her, the girl couldn't help but shrink back once again behind Lu Heng.
Even though her cultivation was not high, she could still perceive that the dozen or so individuals present had remarkable strength!
The so-called "being outnumbered"… Can her master really defeat so many top-notch cultivators all by himself?
The girl couldn't help but worry in her heart.