Chapter 1576: The First Position

As the wick burned, the entire interior of the lampshade was instantly filled with soaring, golden-yellow flames. The rolling blaze immediately engulfed the entire space.

At that moment, Li Yan and the others felt as if their hair and clothes were being scorched, on the verge of igniting at any moment. Breathing became difficult, and an immense pressure settled on their chests, making them feel as if they couldn’t catch their breath. The Golden Core cultivators on the high platform nearly fainted on the spot.

But in the next instant, the high temperature that had just emanated from the Blood Pagoda Lamp was drawn back in a flash, before it could even spread to the plaza area below. Cultivators could even see with their naked eyes the large swathes of distorted space caused by the high heat return to normal at an extremely fast speed. The intense heat was quickly contained within the lampshade.

Only then did Wu Gouzi’s gaze turn back to the two sects below as he continued, “The rules have been stated. The timer will start from the moment the first cultivator enters the lampshade. You have only one day to pass. Although this pass was set by the Blood Lantern Sect, to ensure fairness, its temporary control has been handed over to the Pure Yang Hall. You can rest assured on this point.

“Now, I will give you a quarter of an hour to discuss. Afterward, the cultivator who is to enter the lampshade should go directly to the base of the lamp. The Broken Army Sect is on the south side, the Bright Flame Sect on the north. Once you arrive there, a crack will open at the bottom of the lampshade. You must enter within five breaths, or it will be considered that this person has forfeited the attempt!

“These are two Evasion Talismans. If, after entering the lamp for the assessment, you feel you cannot handle the sea of fire and sense a life-threatening crisis, I advise you to crush this talisman immediately. After that… you will be instantly teleported out! Otherwise, once this treasure is activated, it will be very difficult for us to rescue you in time. If you die inside, we can only say it’s a pity.

“In the final hundred zhang, there will be four attacks reaching the Late-stage of Spirit Transformation. You must grasp the timing of this Evasion Talisman well. After a while, if the situation I mentioned occurs where someone has not entered within five breaths, then the previous person will hand their Evasion Talisman to the next. If the Evasion Talisman is used due to failure, I will naturally provide an identical one to the next person. Alright, you may begin. Do not delay too long!”

This time, although Wu Gouzi’s voice was still incomparably cold, he had at least pointed out the stakes. After speaking, he fell silent. However, there was some regret in his heart. He had originally wanted to control this lamp himself, or have his disciples do it. That way, they could secretly tamper with it. If it weren’t for the person inside, it would be difficult to notice anything unusual. And even if the person inside discovered something was wrong, he could find any number of excuses to brush it off.

Unfortunately, the Pure Yang Hall did not agree to this. Instead, they requested that he temporarily release some of the treasure’s permissions and provide a set of cultivation manuals that could be used for temporary control. This Universal Treasure Manual could be used on many treasures, but it was a crude method of control. And if the magical treasure had been claimed by blood-drip refinement, either the owner had to release some permissions, or the essence blood had to be removed and the treasure re-refined. Otherwise, it couldn’t be used.

Although Wu Gouzi was unwilling in his heart, he could only follow the Pure Yang Hall’s wishes. However, since he was the one who provided the control manual, he could naturally limit its power. He thus raised the magical treasure’s attack power to what the Pure Yang Hall considered the limit. It was just that after this treasure was handed over to others to control, everyone’s Divine Sense could only be attached to the lampshade to observe and could not enter inside. This was to prevent the sea of fire from becoming uncontrollable if Divine Senses were to sweep around inside.

However, some of the Blood Lantern Sect’s Qi Condensation cultivators here had Divine Senses that were too weak, so they could only rely on their naked eyes to try and watch. This was precisely the reason for Li Yan and the others’ dissatisfaction. They were the ones making a move, yet Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators were brought here. It was simply a humiliation.

After hearing Wu Gouzi’s words, the cultivators of the two sects below exchanged a glance, then without any hesitation, the Broken Army Sect once again walked towards the area they were in before, and the Bright Flame Sect also quickly walked towards the opposite area.

After the two sects separated, Shangguan Tianque and Master Wei, without prior agreement, first had the Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators in their sects sit cross-legged to rest. Then, they each put up a sound-insulating restriction, enveloping the few Spirit Transformation cultivators of their own side within.

Shangguan Tianque looked at Li Yan and the other two and was the first to speak. “This is the Blood Pagoda Lamp, an inherited magical treasure of the Blood Lantern Sect, always held by the current Great Elder. However, with our abilities, we have never seen this magical treasure in use, though we have heard some legends about it. It is said that when this lamp is brought out, its attack is extremely domineering. It shoots out rays of blood-red light, and wherever the light shines, it is said to cause a cultivator to lose all their qi and blood. In an instant, they can be turned into a dried corpse, and their Nascent Soul or Golden Core’s essence blood will also dry up, quickly perishing. Those rays of light are extremely vicious, but more specific details are unknown.

“However, just now, we also saw the Blood Pagoda Lamp. Although there was light shooting out, it was clearly just the yellow light reflected from the flames inside, and there was no such harm. Moreover, the other party did not remind us. Now, it is being controlled by Spirit Transformation cultivators sent by the Pure Yang Hall, and they are four Late-stage experts. Does this mean, one, that the Pure Yang Hall does not trust the Blood Lantern Sect; and two, that with multiple people in control, they can control the appearance of that blood light, leaving only a portion of the flame’s power?

“But even the flames inside are definitely very tricky. They are the root of that blood light. Even after being controlled, it seems for now that it may have lost the ability to devour essence blood, but the situation inside that lampshade, upon entering, should involve high temperatures and burning attacks. It might even still contain some of the devouring functions of the blood light, but it should still be within a range that a Spirit Transformation cultivator can withstand!” Shangguan Tianque said quickly.

“I didn’t expect the Blood Lantern Sect to bring out the Blood Pagoda Lamp for the first pass. They just don’t want us to succeed in our promotion…” Anger had appeared on Ren Yanyu’s beautiful face.

“These things are inevitable, so there’s no need to say more. Now, based on your sensing of this lamp, are there any suggestions you need to add? We only have a quarter of an hour to decide on an order for breaking through the pass!” Shangguan Tianque immediately interrupted Ren Yanyu. There was no point in saying such things at this time.

“We already considered this issue before we came. For the first pass, let the person with the most confidence go first, followed by the others in descending order, until the last person. Now it depends on who has more confidence in dealing with these unknown flames,” Li Yan immediately interjected.

They had long said that they needed to preserve the most Spirit Transformation cultivators for the second pass, and that everyone should not try to be a hero.

“Also, the other party said that in the last hundred zhang, there will be four attacks reaching the Late-stage of Spirit Transformation. Is that the four people who just entered the base? Their realms match exactly. If it’s them, then they definitely won’t join forces. Otherwise, no sect could possibly pass. This seems to be a reminder to us that our goal is to escape the various attacks inside and pass through quickly!” At this time, Shangguan Tianque thought of another problem.

“It should be so! So we can’t fight head-on. The key is how to withstand their attacks and then quickly break through the thousand-zhang distance…” Li Yan also nodded, agreeing with Shangguan Tianque’s view. Subsequently, the four of them quickly began to discuss countermeasures…

And while Shangguan Tianque’s side was quickly discussing countermeasures, the Bright Flame Sect’s side was also considering who should break through the pass.

“For this first pass, the Blood Lantern Sect didn’t arrange for our two sects to compete? They actually brought out the Blood Pagoda Lamp. This time, we’ve been implicated by the Broken Army Sect!” The Initial-stage Spirit Transformation old man said with some indignation.

In their original discussion, they had felt that the Blood Lantern Sect might, through some means, have them fight the Broken Army Sect before the second pass, with the winner being promoted. Because whether it was the Bright Flame Sect itself or the Blood Lantern Sect, they would definitely feel that the Bright Flame Sect’s side would win steadily. This way, the Blood Lantern Sect could also easily crush the Broken Army Sect’s illusions and directly eliminate them. But they hadn’t expected the Blood Lantern Sect to directly use their sect-guarding treasure, which also entangled the Bright Flame Sect.

“If they weren’t also being promoted, and it was just our sect that was qualified this time, it’s possible that the Pure Yang Hall would be assessing us directly…”

“Alright, let’s quickly discuss how to get through this first pass!” Seeing someone complaining, Master Wei immediately stopped the rest. There was no point in saying such things now.

Before a quarter of an hour had passed, a person flew out from the Bright Flame Sect’s side. It was the Supreme Great Elder, Master Wei.

From the Broken Army Sect’s side, a person also quickly walked out. It was also the Broken Army Sect’s Supreme Great Elder, Shangguan Tianque! As he walked out, he exchanged another look with Li Yan and the other two. Their judgment had not been wrong; the other party had indeed sent out Master Wei. This person was most skilled in fire-system divine abilities and was also aided by an Exotic Fire of Heaven and Earth. Moreover, he was one of the two strongest people in the Bright Flame Sect.

As for that Han Zhumei, although she was skilled in wind-system divine abilities, logically speaking, if one wanted to fly from the bottom of the Blood Pagoda Lamp to the top and leave, her speed would be the fastest. But here, one still had to pass through the vast sea of fire emitted by the burning wick. There would definitely be many obstacles and traps within, so it might not be as fast as one imagined. Therefore, Shangguan Tianque and the others still guessed that only Master Wei, who possessed an Exotic Fire of Heaven and Earth, was the most suitable!

And the first in order for the Broken Army Sect was Shangguan Tianque, followed by Li Yan, Ren Yanyu, and finally Mu Guyue. Shangguan Tianque was skilled in both wood and fire attributes, which was why he was very skilled in alchemy. Li Yan was skilled in water-system cultivation methods, Ren Yanyu in fire-system, and Mu Guyue cultivated demonic qi and ice-system.

After discussion, Shangguan Tianque felt that he was the most suitable for this pass. He had his own unique understanding and control over the art of fire control. This was a must-master for an alchemy grandmaster. Otherwise, during the alchemy process, cauldrons would often explode and pills would be destroyed, and there would be no need to even consider how to make pills. Besides that, his wood spirit root was almost equal to his fire spirit root, which was another reason why he could refine pills of a decent rank, as it could fill the pills with life force.

So, if he entered the lampshade, besides being able to use his most skilled fire control art, he could also replenish a large amount of life force for himself at any time. This way, his endurance process would be longer, which would be more conducive to passing this pass.

As for the second position, Ren Yanyu was originally considered. Although Ren Yanyu was also proficient in fire-system divine abilities, what she was skilled in was fire control for attacks, the type that was a fiery assault, immovable as a mountain. If she encountered an opponent who also cultivated a fire-system cultivation method, both sides would inevitably fight until the sky was filled with fire clouds and shooting stars of fire. In this kind of method, it would depend on whose fire was more powerful. So, if Ren Yanyu were to enter, how could the flames she summoned compare to the sect-guarding treasure of the Blood Lantern Sect?

And when Li Yan was thinking, he also said that he would be the second to attack. His body cultivation path was skilled in, and could defend against all five elements. And Li Yan also said that he was also quite familiar with water-system cultivation methods! This made Shangguan Tianque’s and Ren Yanyu’s eyes flash with a strange light. They knew that Li Yan was skilled in the path of body cultivation, but they hadn’t expected that he was also familiar with water-system cultivation methods.

Only at this time did they seem to have an epiphany. It turned out that this Junior Brother Li was walking the difficult path of dual Dharma-Body cultivation. They thought that if it weren’t for the Blood Lantern Sect using this kind of assessment this time, Li Yan still would not have mentioned this matter. But they would not agree with what Li Yan said about being “familiar with water-system cultivation methods” at all. They were now familiar with this junior brother’s disposition. He was low-key and always left room for maneuver. If he said he was familiar, you should take it to mean he was proficient.

And what Li Yan said was also correct. The path of body cultivation could indeed resist all five elements. If one added that water could overcome fire, and Li Yan’s cultivation was, barring any accidents, likely stronger than Ren Yanyu’s, then he naturally followed in the second position.

As for Mu Guyue, the two of them felt that this junior sister had just entered Spirit Transformation not long ago, so the cultivation methods she was skilled in were secondary. Instead, they should consider the abundance of her Spirit Power. As for Li Yan’s understanding of Mu Guyue’s strength, he didn’t know how she would deal with fire-system divine abilities. But in terms of Mu Guyue’s combat power, she should be even stronger than Shangguan Tianque. Not only was Mu Guyue’s demonic art monstrous, but she had now also mastered soul cultivation methods! If it weren’t for breaking through such a pass, but just fighting against someone, Shangguan Tianque and his junior sister might both suffer a loss at Mu Guyue’s hands.

But he didn’t say it. Since the other two had already made up their minds, lest Shangguan Tianque and the other be half-believing and half-doubting, why should he waste his breath explaining? Most importantly, this pass was not for Mu Guyue to fight someone, so putting her last was fine. To this, Mu Guyue herself just nodded. Although she was a battle-loving demon, that was when she was truly facing an enemy. She was not impulsive or rash. On the contrary, she was very calm in the face of things. As a general, her character was resolute and good at strategy.

When Shangguan Tianque flew to the south side of the Blood Pagoda Lamp, Master Wei on the north side had already entered the lampshade a step ahead. And the moment Master Wei entered, the entire lampshade began to rotate at a uniform speed, but the base of the Blood Pagoda Lamp did not move. Then, the figure of Master Wei, his entire body flickering with a demonic white flame, appeared inside. And through the transparent lampshade, people could see his movements inside. It was just that his figure would continuously change angles as the lampshade rotated. This allowed everyone to see his side and back for most of the time from different angles.

After entering, Master Wei immediately stood facing the wick and did not fly up immediately, as if sensing something…

Just as Shangguan Tianque flew there, he saw that the lampshade of the Blood Pagoda Lamp had already begun to rotate. And at this time, Master Wei’s back was already rotating towards the south side. Seeing this scene, Shangguan Tianque was stunned. Not only him, but more than eighty percent of the people here were also stunned when they saw this situation.

If Shangguan Tianque were to enter now, he might not be far from Master Wei. They had originally thought that the north and south sides were separated for the two of them to break through the pass separately. But this way, once the two were too close and saw each other, if they felt that the other was affecting them, then whether they would attack the other was uncertain.

‘Could this be their real purpose, to make us fight from the very beginning while being on guard against each other? But they don’t know what time I will come over. I could completely wait for the other to turn away and enter after he is far away…’ This thought immediately rose in Shangguan Tianque’s mind, but it left him very puzzled!