Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chapter 436: Chapter 403: Ancient Secrets, Another Pact

BOOM!

Amidst a world-shaking roar, the mountain peak shattered. A boundless sea of fire surged into the sky. The dusky twilight heavens, stained by crimson flames and thick smoke, turned a bleak, blood-red, like the dawn of an apocalypse.

As the sea of fire spread, an area thousands of miles in radius that was once filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers was transformed into a silent, fiery wasteland.

Within the raging sea of fire, several figures stood in the sky, gazing down at the devastating scene of destruction.

The Sealing Demon Array had stood for tens of thousands of years, but today it was broken. The fragile balance was shattered completely. The eruption of True Demon Qi, which had accumulated for millennia, was nothing short of cataclysmic.

However, when he broke the array, he had acted on a selfish impulse. Although the Grand Array was shattered, he had only targeted the Sealing Demon Array itself, leaving the core Earth Vein Fire Qi completely unharmed.

With the Earth Fire Lava—which had resisted the Demonic Qi for tens of thousands of years—acting as a barrier, the disaster from the eruption of Demonic Qi would be suppressed to a certain extent. Just as he had planned, this would buy some time.

If a Great Power were to react in time, they could use the undamaged Earth Vein Fire Qi. Re-establishing the Sealing Demon Array would likely be impossible, but setting up new formations around it to block the corrosive spread of Demonic Qi would be more than feasible.

This explosive scene was, naturally, all within Chu Mu’s predictions.

Chu Mu’s expression was as tranquil as an ancient well, but the True Demon standing before him was now looking visibly displeased.

The man whipped his head around, his gaze as sharp as a blade. His voice was ice-cold. "You didn’t destroy the Earth Vein Fire Qi?"

"This junior is slow-witted. Breaking this Grand Array was already my limit..."

Chu Mu bowed deeply.

"Hmph!"

The man snorted, his face as dark as water.

"Senior, the effects of the Divine Shadow Pill are fading. Now that the array is broken, we should enter quickly to avoid any further complications."

At this moment, Li Xiu, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

"Enter the Demon Realm!"

The man shot Chu Mu a glance, much of his previous cordiality gone. With a sharp command, the group began to move.

Chu Mu hesitated, only to feel an invisible force pulling him along. He struggled tentatively but felt as if bound by iron chains, unable to move an inch.

He looked at the man’s grim face and sighed inwardly with resignation, then followed him back into the sea of fire.

The sea of fire was still turbulent, but the first and most violent wave of the eruption had passed. For the few of them entering the flames, even with their Cultivation suppressed to the Qi Cultivation Realm, handling the subsequent chaos was undoubtedly a simple matter.

With the Sealing Demon Array broken, one could see with the naked eye how the billowing Demonic Qi was rapidly corroding the remaining Earth Vein Fire Qi.

The once golden-yellow sea of lava was now stained with patches of inky black. A thick, swirling miasma of chaos and evil surged forth, attempting to wantonly invade their bodies.

With a mere thought from Chu Mu, countless sharp energies flowed out, forming an invisible barrier that blocked the True Demon Qi.

Meanwhile, Xu Ning and the foolish-looking youth each displayed their own Divine Techniques. Amid flashes of light, they, like Chu Mu, also kept the True Demon Qi at bay.

The True Demon and Li Xiu, however, seemed to revel in it. Despite the vast difference in their Cultivation, as soon as they entered the sea of fire, both began to act like black holes, siphoning the surging True Demon Qi from the flames.

’He’s injured?’

Chu Mu looked at the True Demon siphoning the Demonic Qi, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Judging by the fluctuations in its aura as it devoured the Demonic Qi, the True Demon seemed to be wounded.

Just absorbing the Demonic Qi was causing its aura to become unstable. ’Could the injury be... severe?’

A glint flashed in Chu Mu’s eyes as he lowered his head, lost in thought.

"I told you, little friend, that after this array was broken, I would grant you another fortuitous opportunity."

As they moved forward, the man abruptly stopped. Then, his voice drifted out lightly.

Chu Mu was momentarily stunned. He saw the man extend his right hand and make a grasping motion with his fingers. The boundless sea of fire roiled as if stirred by a Stabilizing Needle, and the lava surged like a tide.

Immediately after, a streak of crimson-gold light suddenly appeared.

In the presence of this crimson-gold light, the rampaging Demonic Qi retreated as if it had met its nemesis!

The man also seemed wary of this crimson-gold light. He merely raised his hand to grasp it from a great distance, imprisoning the streak of light.

"Little friend, do you know the origin of this Sealing Demon Array?"

The man chuckled, seemingly returning to his previous cordial demeanor.

Chu Mu was taken aback. He glanced discreetly at the crimson-gold light the man had summoned, his pupils constricting. Before he could speak, the man continued on his own, "The root of the Sealing Demon Array is this Earth Fire Vein, which has been nurtured for countless years."

"An ordinary Earth Fire Vein, with its intertwined Earth Fire, can only be used for Alchemy or Artifact Refining. But this Earth Fire Vein has been gestating for tens of thousands of years. Furthermore, because of the Sealing Demon Array, it has drawn upon several of the Secret Realm’s Spirit Veins for nourishment. Thus, this Earth Spirit Flame was born."

"There are countless Spiritual Fires in the Cultivation Immortal Realm, but this Earth Spirit Flame is among the very best. Little friend, you have condensed the Great Sun True Flame, but you have only captured its form, not its spirit."

"If you undergo Refinement with this Earth Spirit Flame, the Mighty Power of your Great Sun True Flame will leap several levels, and your Fire Attribute Magical Cultivation will also become much more condensed."

"What do you think of this opportunity?"

The man studied Chu Mu with great interest, his voice carrying an inexplicably alluring and tempting quality.

Chu Mu suppressed the tremor in his heart and forced his gaze away from the Earth Spirit Flame.

He was no longer the person he once was. With his current knowledge, he knew that the True Demon’s words were not false.

Although his condensed Great Sun True Flame belonged to the school of Supreme Yang and Firmness, the True Demon’s claim that it only had form but no spirit was also true.

After all, his Great Sun True Flame was condensed purely from Fire Attribute Spiritual Objects and his own Magical Power, making it essentially a counterfeit Great Sun True Flame.

According to the Great Sun Scripture, only by obtaining a true Great Sun True Flame Seed and fusing it could one’s flame transform into a genuine Great Sun True Flame.

And this Earth Spirit Flame before him was one of the Spiritual Fires in the Cultivation Immortal Realm just as famous as the Great Sun True Flame!

If he fused it into his True Flame, its Mighty Power would surely leap. If, in the future, he had the opportunity to obtain a genuine Great Sun True Flame Seed, he might even forge a completely new, unprecedented path with the Great Sun Scripture!

The potential benefit was tempting, and Chu Mu was indeed tempted. But beyond the temptation, he felt an even greater sense of apprehension.

’A rare Spiritual Fire, a creation of heaven and earth itself, being gifted to me, Chu Mu?’

’Just what terrifying price is this True Demon asking for?’

"This junior thanks Senior for his gift."

In the end, Chu Mu suppressed his anxiety. With a deep bow, he silently took the Earth Spirit Flame into his possession.

He didn’t know what the True Demon was planning, nor could he resist it.

’Since there’s a benefit, I might as well take it first. As for the rest, I’ll have to take it one step at a time...’

As the Earth Spirit Flame rested against him, the heat that would have been lethal to an ordinary Cultivator or a Demon Cultivator felt indescribably comfortable to Chu Mu.

Wisps of the Earth Spirit Flame’s lingering essence seeped into his body. The Great Sun True Flame suspended in his Dantian suddenly surged as if it had encountered a great tonic, greedily devouring the Earth Spirit Flame essence that entered him.

"This is not the place for Refinement. Wait until we enter the Demon Realm and the Secret Realm’s restrictions disappear. Then, little friend, you can undergo Refinement with this flame."

Just as Chu Mu was getting lost in the sensation, the True Demon’s words jolted him back to reality.

Chu Mu was alarmed. "This junior must also enter this Demon Realm?"

"It is not the Demon Realm, merely a world that has undergone Demonization."

The True Demon shook his head. "If the other side were truly the Demon Realm, this place wouldn’t be guarded by a mere Sealing Demon Array. This Secret Realm would have long been occupied by the Demon Race, and the Cultivation Immortal Realm would likely be facing another invasion from the Demon Realm..."

"If it’s not the Demon Realm, then what is it...?"

"It is also a Secret Realm!"

The True Demon smiled and pointed at the Spatial Rift. "The world on the other side is also a part of this Secret Realm. It’s just that back when the Demon Realm invaded, they occupied a portion of this Secret Realm. That part was, naturally, completely subjected to Demonization. Legend says a Great Power from the Demon Realm even moved several Celestial Demon Veins here, intending to use this Secret Realm as a bridgehead for their invasion..."

"Later, the Demon Realm was defeated and retreated, and this Secret Realm was reclaimed. However, the Demonization was irreversible, and destroying that part would have implicated the survival of the entire Secret Realm."

"Therefore, an ancient Great Divine Power User cast a Great Divine Technique to split the Secret Realm in two. This Spatial Rift must have appeared later due to some unknown incident..."

At this point, the True Demon looked at Chu Mu, the cordial smile returning to his face once more.

"Upon entering this Demon Realm, I will have need of you, little friend. I hope you will not refuse..."

Suddenly privy to such a secret, Chu Mu seemed unable to process it all. He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out.

’The Demon Realm is part of the Secret Realm, but it was completely demonized and thus separated into two worlds by a Great Divine Power User.’

’Does that mean that crossing this Spatial Rift leads to another Secret Realm, just one that has been demonized?’

’And will the rules and restrictions of that Secret Realm be different from this one?’

’But all the preparations I made, all my trump cards, were based on what I knew about the East Lake Secret Realm.’

’Entering this Spatial Rift...’

’A world I know nothing about, facing a terrifying True Demon whose Cultivation far surpasses my own... And this True Demon clearly knows this world extremely well...’

Bitterness filled his heart. The words of refusal were on the tip of his tongue, but as he watched the True Demon’s expression grow colder with his prolonged silence, Chu Mu truly didn’t know what to say.

"I have bestowed rare treasures and granted you opportunities multiple times, little friend. Are you still unwilling to help me?"

The True Demon’s expression turned frigid, and wisps of Demonic Qi began to appear around him.

"The agreement we made, Senior, was only to break an array and refine a pill. This junior has already fulfilled his part of the bargain."

Chu Mu braced himself and replied, respectfully presenting the Earth Spirit Flame. "This junior’s abilities are limited. I dare not covet such a rare Spiritual Object. I beg for Senior’s understanding!"

"I never take back what I have given!"

The True Demon snorted, his expression dark. But then, his demeanor became as gentle as a spring breeze once again.

"Since you value agreements so much, little friend, how about I use this Earth Spirit Flame to make another agreement with you?"

...

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