Cult of the Sacred Runes

Chapter 86 – Frozen in Time

Tides of black flame were rushing out of the rod, heating up everything around and distorting the air. In just a moment Ye Wei was completely swallowed by the fire wave.

“Are you actually hesitant to use medium-grade scroll this time, Ye Wei? Do you want to get yourself killed?” Lu Chao asked as he watched the flame consume his enemy while laughing with disdain.

‘I assumed this kid would at least use one scroll and hopefully die together with the Ape. Will I really have to deal with it myself?’ The thought crossed Lu Chao’s mind as he realized how powerful and terrifying the black flames were. Not to mention Ye Wei was merely a student. Even ten-star Warriors, like Jin Yan and Mo Ya, wouldn’t be able to defeat it.

The Ragefire Ape did not obey his commands, so if Ye Wei fell now, Lu Chao would be the next target of the black flames.

Suddenly, the flames around Ye Wei started to slowly vanish. There he stood in the center of the charred earth completely intact and staring coldly at Lu Chao.

‘Unharmed? How is that possible?! I didn’t see him using any of his medium-grade scrolls at all!’ An Incredulous look passed over his face. It wasn’t possible for Ye Wei to survive this conflagration of black flames; however, what he saw was that not a single hair on his head was burnt.

The moment the black flame surrounded Ye Wei, he felt a tremendous amount of Qi coming from the iron talisman. The power that came from the it enveloped him in a giant cocoon made of dark and light rays of Qi protecting him thoroughly from the engulfing flames.

The black silken cocoon completely blocked Ye Wei from the fire, and to his surprise, he didn’t even feel the heat of the flame that was only a few inches away.

‘This iron talisman definitely contains an astonishing amount of energy!’ He thought bewildered. As he looked back at the raging black flame, he felt a mighty force surging from the talisman.

‘It didn’t just suppress the energy from the stone puppets, but it is also repelling the Ragefire Ape’s black flames!’

Ye Wei studied the iron talisman cautiously. It looked very ordinary, and nothing in its appearance stood out, unlike the beauty and shine of mystic arms. However, if it were just a decorative talisman, it could never hinder the giant’s or the ape’s monstrous power.

‘What is this talisman after all?’ Ye Wei thought as he stared at the talisman in front of him, his eyes were glittering with curiosity.

“Hong! Hong!”

The Ragefire Ape’s muffled voice came from the other side of the cocoon. He clenched his fist and pounded his chest threatening and challenging everyone around. His eyes burned with an intense black flame as he trod towards Ye Wei, bringing along a sweltering heat wave.

Ye Wei’s whole body tightened. His hand firmly grasped the medium-grade scroll looking for the opportunity to defend himself. He was calling on his soul sensitivity to try and anticipate the Ragefire Ape’s attack. There would be no hesitation from him when using the scroll if the ape came any closer.

A buzzing noise sounded as the huge wave of black flame rushed towards the silken cocoon.

This time, the iron talisman that was circling Ye Wei’s body started to shake. Its movement became erratic as it continuously flew up and down.

All eighty-one grooves on the iron talisman were shining brightly. After engulfing the energy from the blood devourer crystals on the field, eighty grooves were completely filled, and the last groove was half full.

Now that the talisman absorbed the Qi within the black flame, the eighty-first groove was about to be filled up. Judging by the speed the talisman was absorbing the flame’s energy, the iron talisman would be fully charged within three breaths!

‘The talisman can actually absorb the Ape’s power too? That’s absurd!’

Ye Wei could feel the talisman’s power increasing exponentially as it consumed the ape’s energy.

“Hong!” The Ragefire Ape roared as he leaped out from the black flames. His bloodshot eyes were gazing aggressively at Ye Wei, who was terrified by the enormous figure advancing upon him looking as big as a mountain.

“Hmph!”

Ye Wei took a step back with his eyes fixed on the ape. While he was watching the ape’s raised arm coming in his direction, his grip tightened around the medium-grade scroll. There was no trace of fear on his face.

Just a second before ape’s fist landed, Ye Wei narrowed his eyes and tore the medium-grade scroll.

“Myst stance – Scarlet Gold-Plated Armor!”

Hundreds of glowing golden grains emerged from the torn scroll which covered his body in a golden layer of armor from head to toe in mere seconds. The armor was glowing from afar, showing off its dazzling luster.

The ape’s fists drove through the black silken cocoon formed by the iron talisman crushing vigorously onto the golden armor. It created a deafening noise and bursts of thousands of bright sparks.

The violent shock wave from the strike headed directly at Ye Wei and also impacted everything within a ten meters radius helping to suppress the flames.

The shockwave suppressed the sea of black flames. It expelled every bit of fire creating a large dead zone with the ape and Ye Wei in the center.

“Too strong to resist… “ Ye Wei grunted as the sweet taste of blood filled his mouth. A strand of eye-catching red appeared on the corner of his lips.

‘The golden armor is intact but, he still can hurt me.’ Ye Wei looked at the Ragefire Ape’s black eyes. ‘I cannot resist the shock wave and the heat any longer.’

Ye Wei didn’t think the ape could be so terrifyingly strong. ‘The medium-grade scroll I just used contained a defensive Myst stance, and even that could not take a mere physical hit from the ape. The mystic arm he’s guarding must be something incredible…’

The figure of the Ragefire Ape filled the space blocking the sky from Ye Wei’s sight. He growled and the next moment he raised his gigantic fiery black fist again, ready to smash it onto Ye Wei’s body. Falling from above the ape’s fist had the outrageous momentum of a meteorite.

“You are just the ghost of a real beast! I have more medium-grade scrolls with me. It’s only a matter of time before you will be on your knees!” Ye Wei wiped the blood from his mouth as a flash of determination appeared in his eyes. He walked forward and injected his Qi into the scarlet armor. With his arms crossed above his head, he continued to defend himself against the rain of the ape’s fists.

Although the Ragefire Ape’s punches did hurt Ye Wei, it was in no sense a heavy injury. In hopes that the armor could take a few more hits, Ye Wei was in no hurry to use another medium-grade scroll.

With every punch, the spectral ape was draining the very energy he was made of. Ye Wei only had to defend himself, and soon the ape would run out of energy and dissipate.

“Bang!”

Suddenly, one of the ape’s punches landed on Ye Wei’s arm. The tremendous force behind the punch caused Ye Wei to sink deep into the ground. The earth Ye Wei stood on started cracking in a spider web motion, fractured around him and away spreading all over the ground.

“He is too strong!” Ye Wei’s mouth was full of blood again. His scarlet golden armor had finally broken, and small chinks appeared here and there.

The Ragefire Ape was certainly a terrifying beast. Although it was only a ghost created by runes, it’s strength could match a condensed prime Warrior. The scroll Ye Wei used was only giving him fractions of a low-level Myst stance. It was actually pretty lucky he could neutralize multiple punches with just one scroll.

If the Ragefire Ape were to throw another punch, the armor would surely shatter.

‘How many medium-grade scrolls do I need to use before this ape runs out of energy?!’ Ye Wei had his hand in his bag again, ready to pull out another one.

“Hong!” The ape growled then swung his fists towards Ye Wei once more. He was a spectral beast that did not understand the concept of pain and exhaustion.

‘He won’t stop until the energy runs out it seems…’

Ye Wei stared at the fists flying in his direction. His heart ached as he unrolled yet another scroll to open. Just before he had a chance to tear it, the iron talisman came to life bursting forth a blinding silver light around his body.

All eighty-one grooves of the talisman were filled as it swallowed down the last spark of black flame. As the burst of silver light expanded, everything the light shone onto froze in place including the ape’s fists that were now hanging mid-air.

An invisible forcefield with the talisman in its center suddenly covered a hundred meter wide hemisphere. This enveloped both Ye Wei and the ape, and even the black flames that were still weakly flickering in the distance.