kingnovel Chapter 150 Escape from the Inferno
Chapter 150 Escape from the Inferno
The group continued along the winding passage, and the further they went, the hotter and more stuffy the air became, as if they had stepped into a giant steamer.
The eerie green light that had been shimmering on the walls on both sides of the passage had now dimmed, replaced by a dark red halo spreading from the front, as if it had been distorted and deformed by the intense heat.
"Why is the temperature getting higher and higher?" Zi Ling couldn't help but complain. She raised her hand to gently wipe the beads of sweat that kept appearing on her forehead, her face slightly flushed.
Xu Xiaoxiao, who was at the front of the group, also felt the increasingly intense heat. She frowned, her eyes revealing a hint of worry, and turned to look at everyone, saying, "Everyone be careful, this heat is coming strangely, there may be quite a bit of trouble ahead."
Yang Qingfeng nodded, his gaze sweeping over several disciples with slightly lower cultivation levels in the group. He noticed that they were pale, unsteady on their feet, with large beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads, and their breathing becoming rapid and heavy.
"This can't go on. I'm afraid the junior brothers and sisters with lower cultivation levels won't be able to hold on," Yang Qingfeng said with a hint of anxiety.
"How about we let them retreat to a safe place and wait? The few of us with slightly higher cultivation levels can continue to explore the way forward." Lin Yu suggested at the right moment, his folding fan now closed, the handle slightly white from his grip.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Xu Xiaoxiao walked up to the disciples with lower cultivation levels and gently reassured them, "You should retreat to a safe place at the back and wait for us. It's too hot here, and it will be dangerous for you to continue following us. Don't worry, we'll be back soon."
One of the younger disciples, with chapped lips, forced a smile and said, "Senior Sister Xu, you must be careful."
"Okay, don't worry," Xu Xiaoxiao patted his shoulder, then turned around and exchanged glances with Yang Qingfeng, Yuan Mengyao, Zi Ling, Lin Yu, and Zhao Yu, their eyes conveying determination and tacit understanding.
"Let's go," Yang Qingfeng took a deep breath and took the lead towards the source of the scorching heat.
As they ventured deeper, the view ahead gradually became clearer. At the end of a narrow passage lay a dark red sea of fire, with rolling heat waves crashing against them as if to engulf everything. The stone walls on both sides of the passage were glowing red from the intense heat, threatening to melt at any moment.
"This is a sea of fire, no wonder it's so hot," Zi Ling gasped as she looked at the sea of fire before her.
Xu Xiaoxiao and her companions saw a sword platform in the middle of the sea of fire, containing a sword that was entirely fiery red. "Could this sword be the treasure of this secret realm?"
Yang Qingfeng and Lin Yu, being fellow sword cultivators, were also very excited as they looked at the sword. "This is the Ancient Flame Sword, a legendary divine sword that can slay all evil spirits."
"So powerful! Shall we try to draw the swords?" Xu Xiaoxiao watched as everyone's swords emitted a clanging sound. Seeing the divine swords today made the trip worthwhile.
"It's not that easy. Anyone who touches this sea of fire will turn to ashes. This is not something we deserve." Yang Qingfeng threw a stone down, and it turned to ash the moment it touched the ground.
Disciples from other sects arrived one after another, their eyes revealing greed for the divine sword.
The moment these people saw the divine sword in the sea of fire, their eyes were instantly filled with greed. Among the crowd, a man dressed in black robes, his eyes flashing with madness, grabbed the collar of a thin disciple beside him and roared viciously, "You, fly over there and get the sword back!"
The thin disciple looked terrified, his legs went weak, and he stammered, "Senior...Senior brother, I'm scared..."
The man in black slapped him across the face and roared, "If you're afraid of dying, don't cultivate! Go now!" With that, he kicked him into the sea of fire.
The frail disciple screamed and flew through the air in an arc. Just as he touched the edge of the sea of fire, he turned to ashes amidst a shrill cry.
Not far away, a group of disciples dressed in white were also plotting.
The leader was a woman with a cold face. She coldly swept her gaze over her fellow disciples and said, "Build a human bridge and rush across!" Several disciples hesitated, but dared not disobey her under her icy gaze.
Trembling, they walked to the edge of the inferno, pulling at each other, trying to build a human bridge leading to the sword platform.
However, the intense heat of the inferno was beyond their ability to withstand. As soon as they stood still, the flames engulfed them instantly, and their shrill screams echoed through the passage, sending chills down their spines.
Xu Xiaoxiao witnessed this scene, her face turned pale, her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, her eyes filled with unbearable pain and anger.
Her lips trembled slightly, but she ultimately held back from making a sound.
Yuan Mengyao, standing beside her, turned her head away, her eyes reddening, and whispered, "It's too cruel..."
Lin Yu frowned, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes, and gripped the folding fan in his hand tightly.
Faced with this cruel scene, Xu Xiaoxiao and the others were filled with indignation, but they knew that this was a matter for other sects and it was inconvenient for them to interfere.
The dark red sea of fire resembled a giant purgatory, constantly churning with heat waves that distorted the surrounding air. In the center of the sea of fire, the sword platform appeared and disappeared amidst the heat waves, and the ancient fire sword on the platform emitted a dazzling red light, drawing everyone's attention and making it impossible for them to look away.
Just then, the Flame Sword suddenly trembled violently, its previously stable red light began to flash wildly, and the sword emitted a deep hum. Immediately afterwards, a deafening dragon's roar came from the sword, echoing throughout the entire passage.
The dragon's roar carried boundless majesty and anger, like a warning issued by a deity that had been profaned.
"Oh no! The sword spirit has been enraged!" Yang Qingfeng's face turned deathly pale instantly as he shouted in terror.
His eyes were wide open, large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his gaze was filled with fear and unease.
With the dragon's roar, the already raging sea of fire underwent an astonishing change. The fire waves were stirred up as if by an invisible giant hand, instantly creating a huge fire wave tens of feet high, like an awakened fire beast, roaring and sweeping towards the people at the entrance of the passage.
Wherever the fire wave reached, the air was instantly ignited, emitting a "sizzling" sound. The stone walls on both sides of the passage also melted rapidly under the high temperature, and lava flowed down like a waterfall.
Upon seeing this, Xu Xiaoxiao was shocked. Her pupils contracted sharply, and her pretty face instantly lost all color. Without thinking, she shouted, "Run!" Her voice was sharp and urgent, filled with anxiety.
After saying that, she turned around first, spiritual energy surging beneath her feet, and she rushed out of the passage like an arrow. Her hair danced wildly in the wind, and her eyes revealed determination and resolve. She put all her strength into every step.
Lin Yu followed closely behind, his expression grave. He had already put away his folding fan and was now gripping it tightly as a weapon. As he ran, he cautiously observed the situation behind him, shouting, "Everyone, be careful!"
Zi Ling was so frightened that her face turned pale and her legs went weak. Yuan Mengyao quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, calling out, "Miss Zi Ling, don't stand there!"
Zi Ling finally came to her senses and fled with the others; the situation had changed too quickly.
Meanwhile, most of the disciples from other sects, still caught up in their greed for the divine sword, had not yet realized what was happening.
A burly man in a black robe was staring blankly at the sword in the sea of fire, muttering to himself, "This sword... must be mine..." Before he could finish speaking, the surging waves of fire engulfed him instantly. He only had time to let out a shrill scream before disappearing into the sea of fire.
A young female disciple dressed in light blue clothes, her eyes filled with terror, tried to turn and run away, but was knocked to the ground by the panicked crowd.
She desperately reached out her hand and cried out, "Help me!" However, the merciless wave of fire instantly engulfed her, leaving only deathly silence.
Xu Xiaoxiao and the others ran wildly through the passage with all their might. The roar of the flames behind them and the screams of the disciples were intertwined, which was terrifying.
They dared not linger for even a moment, with only one thought in their minds: to survive and escape this sea of fire!
Xu Xiaoxiao and the others fled the passage in a disheveled state. The moment they stepped out of the spiritual energy barrier, a huge wave of fire crashed into the barrier with a dull thud. The heat wave penetrated the barrier, causing a burning pain on everyone's backs.
Xu Xiaoxiao's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, her hair disheveled and plastered to her sweat-covered face.
Looking at her equally shaken companion beside her, a sense of relief washed over her: "We...we finally escaped," she said, her voice weak with the exhaustion of surviving the ordeal.
Yang Qingfeng supported himself on the ground with both hands and barely managed to sit up. His face was as pale as paper. He gasped for breath and said, "Yes, this time it was really too dangerous. The sword spirit's wrath almost buried us all in the sea of fire."
Yuan Mengyao sat to the side, gently touching her chest, and said with lingering fear, "It was terrifying. Those people paid a heavy price for their greed. It's a miracle we're still alive." Her voice trembled slightly, still not fully recovered from the fear she had just experienced.
Zi Ling collapsed from exhaustion, too weak to even lift her hand. She said with a bitter smile, "I never want to experience something like this again in my life. I feel like my soul is about to leave me." Fear still lingered in her eyes, and her chest heaved violently.
Lin Yu lay on the ground, his folding fan long gone. He looked at the sky and sighed with lingering fear, "This time it really was a matter of life and death. The power of that Flame Sword far exceeded our expectations. If we hadn't fought so hard to escape, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Zhao Yu wiped the sweat from his face, stood up, and looked at the still raging sea of fire behind him. He said with lingering fear, "The danger of this secret realm far exceeded our expectations. Fortunately, they didn't go in together, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable." He breathed a sigh of relief when he thought of his junior brothers and sisters who couldn't go in because of their lower cultivation levels.
Xu Xiaoxiao slowly stood up, dusted herself off, and said with a determined look in her eyes: "Although we have gone through a life-or-death test this time, our strength has also increased through the trials. I just don't know who will be able to get this divine sword."