Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Once again, Long Shiya summoned a powerful wind wrapping around both him and Zhou Weiqing, lifting up and bringing them towards the mountain top. Zhou Weiqing was about to experience the torture of his lifetime, an inhuman torture that would surpass anything he had experienced before, and Long Shiya did not want his disciple to waste any time or energy in climbing up.
Although Long Shiya used his Wind Attribute Heavenly Energy to lift Zhou Weiqing up, he did not use Heavenly Energy to protect his body. In this way, Zhou Weiqing could clearly feel the surrounding temperature around them rising unceasingly.
With Long Shiya’s painstaking deliberate control, their rising speed was not fast at all. Clearly, he wanted to give Zhou Weiqing the opportunity to slowly get used to the rising temperature of the Fire Spirit Mountain.
As they got closer to the top, the temperature grew higher and higher. However, Zhou Weiqing did not feel any discomfort. After all, his Solidified Dragon Spirit had given him a strong resistance, almost immunity, to Fire. Furthermore, with his own five-Jeweled Heavenly Energy protecting him, it would be difficult for just the outer level of temperature to be of any harm to him.
The Fire Spirit Mountain was not especially tall, but it was still almost three thousand metres high. In order to allow Zhou Weiqing to acclimatize himself, Long Shiya actually took a whole hour to fly them up to the top.
The top of the Fire Spirit Mountain was in a spiral shape, with four inner circles. Standing on the edge of the top, one could see the thick plumes of smoke continuously rising up into the skies. At this point, the temperature had already reached a rather horrendous degree, even the surrounding air looked twisted and shimmering to the naked eye. Zhou Weiqing’s body was starting to feel uncomfortable, and he actually had to circulate his Heavenly Energy to block the heat.
Long Shiya said solemnly: “Your training spot will be at the volcano entrance of this Fire Spirit Mountain. You will need to immerse your body in the lava, only then will you be able to start the process of Awakening the Solidified Dragon Spirit. Once you have entered the magma, all you need to do is to keep protecting the core of your mind and spirit, to not lose yourself in the pain. You will not need to consciously circulate your Heavenly Energy; your Master, I, will take care of the rest. Understood?”
Hearing Long Shiya speak of immersing himself in lava, Zhou Weiqing could not help but draw a sharp intake of breath. No wonder even with his Master’s power as the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor, he was still uneasy about this training. This would not be any ordinary pain!
Long Shiya saw Zhou Weiqing’s change in expression, and he said seriously: “It is still not too late to give up, and I will not think any lesser of you. It is not so easy a task to endure the infusion and cleansing of Heavenly Spirit Fires… Dragons are after all top Fire Attribute Heavenly Beasts, and volcanos and lava like this are just their natural habitat, and thus the Solidified Dragon Spirit that you have can only be Activated by a huge amount of Fire Attribute Heavenly Energy… only if it can absorb enough energy will it be able to Awaken so far in advance, bringing about an increase in your Heavenly Energy cultivation level at the same time. Along with the transformation of the Solidified Dragon Spirit, it will also transmute the Fire Attribute Heavenly Energy from outside into your own personal Heavenly Energy. Child, this is an extremely tough hurdle to cross, but at least it is not one that will be plucking a sapling to help it grow, and will not harm your potential. If you succeed, the Solidified Dragon Spirit will be fully absorbed by you, and perhaps might even better than leaving it to be absorbed and Awakened of its own accord slowly. Otherwise… I would never have agreed to letting you take such an immense risk.”
“Master, I am fine. Let’s start from here then.” Zhou Weiqing said through gritted teeth. He knew it was time to give his all; if he did not pit everything, including his life, he would lose Tian’er forever.
“Alright. Very good. You are truly my good disciple.” A light flashed in Long Shiya’s eyes, and he lifted his right hand. A powerful aura burst forth, causing a violent gust of air to flow around, forcefully blowing open a path in the thick smoke. Naturally, for Long Shiya, even the high temperatures and the dangerous gases here was of no use against him. In this place full of Fire Attribute energy, he was still able to control the power of the wind with ease, bringing Zhou Weiqing down the center of the volcano into its depths.
They descended several hundred metres down, and as they went down, the temperature grew even higher. Zhou Weiqing was starting to find it difficult to breathe, and the clothes on his body were already smouldering, giving off a burnt smell.
Right at that moment, a thin thread of icy cold power rose from within his own body, instantly circulating around his entire body, giving him much comfort.
Towards such an energy, Zhou Weiqing was extremely familiar. It was the very bloodline power that allowed him such ease in Skill Storing… the extreme power of the Dark Demon God Tiger bloodline!
The pain in his body was temporarily relieved, but Zhou Weiqing could not feel happy at all. He still clearly remembered how the two great powers within him had clashed previously, the violent fight between the Dark Demon God Tiger bloodline and the Solidified Dragon Spirit. When the two had clashed with each other, it was definitely tantamount to an ice mountain smashing into a fire mountain, and he was the unfortunate vessel caught in between.
Just as Zhou Weiqing’s mind was wandering in wild flights, they had arrived in the deepest core of the volcano. Although Long Shiya’s powerful Heavenly Energy was protecting him, Zhou Weiqing was still unable to see clearly. The temperature was just too high, even for him and the various protections he had, and he currently felt as if he were submerged in boiling water, everything hazy and twisted about him.
Not far beyond, he could vaguely see the roiling dark red liquids slowly moving. Clearly, the greatest source of heat was from that direction.
Long Shiya’s expression grew even more serious and he said solemnly: “Weiqing, later I will use my Heavenly Energy to cover your entire body before submerging you into the lava. As you slowly adapt to it, I will gradually remove my Heavenly Energy. Do not worry, I will keep your head above the surface, and keep you protected throughout the process. As soon as you enter the lava, the process of Awakening your Solidified Dragon Spirit will begin, so you must get ready now.”
Under such sheer searing heat, Zhou Weiqing was already unable to speak, and he could only nod vigorously towards his teacher, expressing that he was ready.
A thick red light glowed brightly, forming a round red shield enveloping Zhou Weiqing within. This time, Long Shiya was using his own Fire Attribute Heavenly Energy. His control over Heavenly Energy was just too powerful, especially in this world filled with Fire Attribute energy. The huge red ball started rising slowly as soon as it had enveloped Zhou Weiqing’s body, bringing him over the lava before sinking down once more, bringing Zhou Weiqing into the heart of the volcano.
The first thing that Zhou Weiqing felt was not the heat, but the pressure… the sheer pressure from the Fire Attribute Heavenly Energy from Fire Attribute Heavenly Energy. He knew that this was the pressure from the lava and the heat stressing on the protective Heavenly Energy before being brought to bear upon him.
After feeling this pressure that almost made him unable to breathe, all of a sudden, an unbelievable heat swelled in from all directions. Zhou Weiqing couldn’t help but give a muffled grunt, and in that instant, all his clothes and hair evaporated… his entire body turning a crimson red.
If it were any ordinary person, even with Long Shiya’s protective shield, under such a circumstance, perhaps their body would have turned into ash along with their clothes and hair. The temperature here was just too terrifying.
However, Zhou Weiqing was different. Not only did he have his own five-Jeweled cultivation level, more importantly, he had the protection of the Bloodline power, and the power of the Solidified Dragon Spirit. With Long Shiya’s Heavenly Energy giving the main protection, at least in a short period of time, he would not have any problems. However, the searing heat was continually pouring in from all directions, invading his body through every pore, stimulating every single cell of his body.
The first to take action was not the Solidified Dragon Spirit, but the Bloodline Power of the Dark Demon God Tiger. The familiar icy cold energy instantly burst forth from Zhou Weiqing’s DanTian, several times stronger than the previous one, rushing to every part of his body. In an instant, Zhou Weiqing felt as if his entire body’s meridians, bones, cells all moaning, as the ice cold rush of energy gave him an unparalleled sense of comfort, and his spiritual core also cleared up, allowing him to finally look at his surroundings for the first time.
So comfortable! A look of pure relief crossed Zhou Weiqing’s face. Under the protection of the Dark Demon God Tiger Bloodline Power, he actually felt as if the surrounding was not hot at all. At the same time, he could sense the rush of ice cold energy was constantly stimulating and evolving his entire physique.
Perhaps because the ice cold energy had re-awakened his mind and consciousness, Zhou Weiqing suddenly realised a new problem. From the way things were progressing, it seemed like the Dark Demon God Tiger Pearl which had originally entered his body had not fully integrated with its Bloodline Power with his body, and with the outer heat and energy overwhelming him, it was actually starting the next step of merging and evolving of his body. That was to say, by being submerged in the lava of the Fire Spirit Mountain Volcano, it was not only his Solidified Dragon Spirit that was being Awakened in advance, so too was his Dark Demon God Tiger Bloodline Power! From his understanding, he had already gone through at least one other stage of evolving previously, and the Demonic Change State that he had could possibly evolve once more again.
This was an unexpected development, but whether or not it was a good thing, even Zhou Weiqing himself did not know. Would his Dark Demon God Tiger Bloodline Power clash with his Solidified Dragon Spirit once more? Even he did not know… but what he knew was that both were of utmost importance to him… and he could not judge which was stronger than the other.
Just as Zhou Weiqing’s spiritual core was cleared, and he was able to start thinking about the possible benefits of this cultivation and training of his, abruptly… the pain finally came.
Long Shiya floated just behind Zhou Weiqing’s position, his feet soaked in lava. Despite that, he seemed totally impervious, as if the lava did not have any effect on him. Although it might seem that way, it was definitely an additional drain on his Heavenly Energy. At the moment, he could clearly see that on Zhou Weiqing’s back, a dragon shaped tattoo slowly appearing. At the same time, Zhou Weiqing was starting to look like a freshly cooked prawn, totally red.
“Here we go!”
Long Shiya shouted out loud. After which, he started to slowly reduce the protective layer of his Heavenly Energy around Zhou Weiqing’s body.
As the external temperature continued rising, Zhou Weiqing’s internal temperature also rose dramatically. The energy of the Solidified Dragon Spirit also appeared with an overpowering and domineering aura. The searing heat from within instantly launched an attack towards the cold of the Dark Demon God Tiger Bloodline Power without hesitation.
In the next instant, Zhou Weiqing felt his entire body in an unbearable, terrifying sensation… as if his core was an ice mountain, being enveloped by an entire fire mountain… both sides raging with an unbelievable amount of energy, pushing and pulling against each other savagely.
That feeling was almost indescribable. A war of fire and ice, almost causing Zhou Weiqing’s spirit to break.
