Chapter 1018: How to vie with the Heavens?
Everyone looked towards the lid on the ground just as a massive heat wave surged out of the furnace towards Long Feiye. Han Yunxi and Gu Qishao were violently knocked aside by its power to crash against the cave walls. Both of them spat up blood. They were only onlookers, but were still thrown back. What about Long Feiye?
The powerful heat wave not only hit Long Feiye head on but sent him flying backwards. Like the duo before him, he crashed against the walls. Yet unlike Han Yunxi or Gu Qishao, he didn’t slid down, but kept being pushed against the cave until the walls behind him cracked. He looked like he’d been nailed to a cracked mirror, his seven orifices pouring blood. Celestial fire poured endlessly from the furnace depths to attack him.
Very soon, he spat up a huge mouthful of blood.
“No…” Han Yunxi sobbed. She crawled up from the ground and flew over, but couldn’t even get close. The heat wave was formless but extremely hot, strong enough to repel her. She had hardly reached it when it blasted her back again.
“No! I don’t want this! I don’t!” Like a madwoman, Han Yunxi strove to draw closer but was repelled again and again. Gu Qishao quickly scrambled to his feet and held her back.
“Come to your senses! Calm down!” he shouted.
Meanwhile, Long Feiye had already started his counterattack. His hands were entwined in front of his dantian, his expression ashen yet stern. Lustbite energy emerged from his body to resist the onslaught of celestial fire. Han Yunxi didn’t dare make any more noise. She stared blankly at Long Feiye, understanding what he was trying. Now she could only wait with trepidation as the two forces clashed.
Long Feiye once said that the Lustbite energy was the most powerful force in this world. If that was the case, then perhaps it had the strength to fend off celestial fire.
By now, Pill Furnace Master had recovered his senses. He shouted, “Long Feiye, are you seeking death? How could mere human strength oppose the Heavens?”
No matter how powerful Lustbite energy was, it was still mortal strength! How could humans stand up to Heaven? Moreover, Long Feiye hadn’t even finished cultivating his own yet.
As expected, Long Feiye’s energy soon dissipated, leaving the full force of celestial fire to hammer into his gut! It was like a powerful punch that sank into his stomach, creating more cracks in the wall behind him until the surface caved in.
“Long Feiye!” Han Yunxi cried. She broke free of Gu Qishao’s hand and flew towards him. The fragmented pieces of wall began to break off into large boulders. Long Feiye’s body was like a kite with its strings cut as it fell amidst the rubble. He remained sprawled on the ground unmoving, an unsettling sight. Han Yunxi trembled at the sight and couldn’t even cry out. The next instant, she had landed on the ground and was running towards him as if insane. Even when she tripped, she didn’t bother getting up and simply crawled for him in a frenzy.
But seconds before she could reach Long Feiye’s fingers, the celestial fire suddenly descended upon them to cover up Long Feiye. In a flash, Han Yunxi was knocked backwards again and went crashing to the ground some distance away.
“Poison lass!” Gu Qishao hurried over to help her, but froze. Han Yunxi’s hands seemed to have been burnt, her palms scorched red. Multiple blisters had rose on the rise, some of which were already festering. Han Yunxi was stunned too as she gaped at the sight, but she quickly shifted her gaze to Long Feiye.
She had hardly touched him when she was so badly burnt; much less be swallowed up by the fire like he was…
Han Yunxi wanted to shout his name and wake him up, or at least get him to look at her, but no words came to her mouth. Tears trickled silently down her face as her sky fell down…
Very soon, they saw fire began to take shape. It was red and began to burn from the hems of Long Feiye’s robes before stretching to cover his body. Although it was sluggish, the sight gave them nothing but despair. It wasn’t until Han Yunxi’s tears fell onto Gu Qishao’s hand that he came to his senses. He suddenly gripped the Pill Furnace Master and flew to the top of the furnace. He had no idea if his plan would work, but he was going to give it his all. This was the only thing he could come up with so he might as well try!
“Teach me that method, quickly!” Gu Qishao demanded.
“What do you want to do? Just what are you planning?” Pill Furnace Master had already been badly shaken by Long Feiye’s miserable state. He was very clear that if anything happened to him, Han Yunxi wouldn’t spare anyone in the Medicine Requesting Cave.
“Hurry up!” Gu Qishao hollered.
Pill Furnace Master quickly demonstrated as before while Gu Qishao learned it after one look. Soon enough, he was converting his internal energy into flame. Abruptly, he took to the skies and exhausted all of his reserves–and even that of the Moye sword spirit–into the fireball beneath his hands. It too, took on the form of a flame dragon and thundered into the depths of the furnace.
The fire soon disappeared and turned tranquil. Gu Qishao’s beautiful face was dreadfully somber as he stared at the opening of the furnace and waited. He reasoned that if he could turn his energy into fire too and get counterattacked by the celestial fire, it might divert some of its attacks on Long Feiye. The amount of celestial flame in the furnace had to be limited, so as long as he took on a portion, Long Feiye wouldn’t have to endure as much. Gu Qishao had no idea whether that would work, so he waited tensely.
However, as time trickled on, he didn’t sense anything from the celestial flame. Was he mistaken? He looked towards Han Yunxi, only to see her trying to approach Long Feiye again and again. Each time, she was rebounded backwards. Meanwhile, the fire lapping at Long Feiye’s robes had already reached his legs.
Whatnowwhatnowwhatnow?
Gu Qishao’s eyes were red with impatience. When he saw his beloved Poison lass suffering like that with her hands burnt to a mess, his heart ached. He’d rather box his ears for not coming here earlier! He should have asked his old master for the pill a long time ago! If he came on his own, none of this would have happened!
He shouted, “Long Feiye, you hold on! If you die, this old man will definitely bully…” Poison lass, went unspoken as a massive heat wave rushed over from Long Feiye’s side. Gu Qishao was caught off guard and thrown clear into the air. Just like Long Feiye, he was pinned to the cave wall by an invisible force. Very soon, his seven orifices were bleeding as well. He rubbed at some blood by his lip in shock before breaking into a laugh.
To be wearing such a brilliant grin on such a bloodstained face was both horrific and dazzling. There was an unspeakable sort of beauty in his appearance right now!
Gu Qishao’s gamble had paid off. He succeeded!
The heat wave that attacked him was like a formless energy that kept ramming itself at his body. His organes seemed to set on fire with each repeated assault, which grew more scorching with each attack. Still, Gu Qishao only grinned wider as he laughed even louder.
“Hahaha, Poison lass, look quick! I succeeded! I did it!”
“Poison lass, Long Feiye can be saved, he has hope!”
Gu Qishao was yelling like he’d lost his wits. By the time he looked down to see Han Yunxi’s stunned expression, he suddenly turned gentle. “Poison lass, be good and don’t cry, alright? Qi gege promises you, Long Feiye definitely won’t die.”
He’d hardly finished speaking when the massive force of celestial flame stopped concentrating their efforts on Long Feiye and swept his way. The very air currents in the cave seem to shift with their approach.
What had happened?
Sprawled on the ground, Long Feiye did his best to shield his organs and vital points with Lustbite energy. He was even ready to sacrifice his legs if it could preserve his life. And yet, all the celestial flames had stopping attacking his body and dissipated away. Is the counterattack over? How could it be that simple?
Long Feiye endured the pain in his legs to crawl to his feet. Soon enough, he sensed something amiss. He quickly looked towards the right and saw that the celestial fire had concentrated its forces in front of Gu Qishao.
How can this be? What did he do?
Han Yunxi had no idea what was going on either. She noticed that Long Feiye was unharmed now and quickly ran towards him. But they didn’t even have time to exchange words before all of the fire in the air attacked Gu Qishao as one! If Long Feiye had been pelted with unending attacks that increased in intensity, then one could say Gu Qishao was being attacked all at once with full force. This force seemed to destroy the cave walls as easily as crushing dry weeds or smashing rotten wood. Gu Qishao’s scarlet red robes were soon lost amidst the flying rubble.
“Gu Qishao!” Long Feiye and Han Yunxi exclaimed simultaneously. They quickly ran over and saw the man lost amidst the ruins, his figure surrounded by flames. The scarlet tendrils licking at his robes looked like red poppies in bloom. He was burning much more fiercely than Long Feiye.
—
Indeed, Gu Qishao’s guess had been perfectly right. He could help Long Feiye divert the force of the celestial fire by taking some of its wrath on himself. However, Long Feiye had only been testing his powers when transforming internal energy into flame, so he hadn’t used much of his reserves. Thus, he only received the backflash in continuous spurts. By contrast, Gu Qishao had given his all and even borrowed the strength of the Moye sword spirit. By using up far more internal energy than Long Feiye, he was now receiving a much harsher payback.
Of course, he’d given his all just so he could endure it all!
Both Long Feiye and Han Yunxi were dumbfounded by the sight. At this moment, Long Feiye fell into a panic and forgot all about Gu Qishao’s undying body. Since Gu Qishao had no Lustbite energy, his paltry reserves were no match against the celestial fire. He didn’t even have a chance to fight back, so what awaited him was fatal!
Abruptly, all the tiny tendrils of fire on Gu Qishao’s body converged into a massive flame centered over his stomach before spreading to engulf his entire body. Soon enough, he was swallowed up in flames.
“Long Feiye, save him! Save him!” Han Yunxi struggled out of Long Feiye’s grasp and tried to run off. If Gu Qishao can divert the backlash by splitting it up, then so can we!
Long Feiye prepared to follow when Gu Qishao suddenly lifted his head from the burning flames. He said…
