Chapter 422: Demon Abyss Crisis

Ting Lu remained silent and did not speak again.

However, among the crowd, it was not only Venerable Jian Li who reacted strangely upon seeing the black flame. The new island master of Yingzhou Celestial Isle and the people accompanying him also could not help but show looks of reverence and shock, exclaiming one after another: "It’s actually a divine flame!"

"Could the Sect Master of Eternal Prosperity Sect really be the master of this divine flame?

"If that is true, then he must be the expert who eliminated the Seven Deadly Sins Calamity and dealt with those sinners."

"Sect Master Xiao is my lifesaving benefactor!"

"Thanks to him, I was able to survive."

The various voices caused the leaders of the many forces, who had already received all kinds of intelligence about the Seven Deadly Sins, to show strange expressions. Their estimation of Xiao Shou, which had already risen considerably, increased even further.

They once again reassessed his abilities, all feeling that this man was truly unfathomable, with profound cultivation, an exceptional ability to teach disciples, and a domineering personality. If he disagreed with someone, he would not only beat someone like the former Family Head Gou, but even dare to strike his own elders.

Some people who had heard rumors about the divine flame, gathered relevant intelligence, and knew what kinds of people would be burned by the Terrestrial Fox Black Flame, especially those with guilty consciences, quietly withdrew from the barrier.

Even though Xiao Ran felt that her conscience was perfectly clear, she also understood that this flame did not care what you thought. It only cared about what you had done. Thus, she immediately mixed into the crowd and quietly retreated back inside.

Venerable Jian Li who had secretly been paying attention to Xiao Ran and guarding against her because he could sense how intensely negative her gaze was raised an eyebrow at this sight. After letting out a silent sigh, he flew forward even faster. He wanted to fight alongside the lifesaving benefactor ahead of him. That person’s pure aura allowed his Dao heart to become calm.

Nearby, Ying Ying, the daughter of the Grand Elder, looked at Venerable Jian Li’s back. She bite her lip and lowered her head guiltily. She had originally believed that her feelings for Venerable Jian Li were the truest and purest form of love, unlike the admiration of those ordinary female cultivators, whose feelings were influenced by external factors.

But after Venerable Jian Li returned to the Holy Sword Sect and reported that his foundation had been damaged, and the sect tried every possible method yet still could not repair it, eventually announcing that his path to the Great Dao was hopeless, everything around her changed.

The gossip around her, the countless people who abandoned and distanced themselves from him, her father’s secret warning not to get close to Venerable Jian Li, and everything else rapidly affected her feelings. Before she realized it, she had gradually distanced herself from Venerable Jian Li.

By the time she finally understood what her actions meant, she realized that she was not as pure and sincere as she had imagined, and her feelings for Venerable Jian Li were not as deep as she had believed.

From then on, she felt too ashamed to look at Venerable Jian Li or face him. She carried a strong sense of guilt toward him and had no idea how she should treat him anymore.

Yet she had never expected that even after reaching his current state, Venerable Jian Li’s character remained unchanged. He continued to ignore her and slaughter demonic cultivators whenever he encountered them. His circumstances had changed, but he had not.

The one who had changed was herself.

Xiao Shou who is still unaware that he had once again inadvertently gained several more layers of prestige and had become a lifesaving benefactor in the eyes of many people watched as the Terrestrial Fox Black Flame fiercely swept over and devoured the pitch black demonic aura.

Although the black flame and the demonic aura were both black, Xiao Shou could clearly distinguish between them. The demonic aura was turbid and filthy, its presence nauseating. The black flame, on the other hand, was pure and sacred, carrying an indescribable radiance that brought peace to the mind.

The two were simply incomparable.

As he watched the demonic aura being rapidly devoured by the Terrestrial Fox Black Flame, the black flame’s volume quickly expanded to a massive size. After burning and devouring everything within the original boundary of the demonic aura, an area extending ten thousand meters, faint shadows of demons could be seen retreating deeper into the denser demonic aura.

Seeing this, Xiao Shou immediately transmitted his voice to everyone: "There really are Demon Abyss Clansmen hiding within the demonic aura. Everyone, prepare yourselves. The moment they reveal themselves, attack immediately."

"Master, I’m afraid everyone may not need to take action. I have a feeling that your Terrestrial Fox Black Flame should be highly aggressive toward the Demon Abyss Clan," Fu Young said after emerging from the Jade Token of the Alliance of Myriad Celestia and hearing Xiao Shou speak.

Xiao Shou shook his head and said, "My Terrestrial Fox Black Flame indeed has the ability to devour and purify sinful and filthy things on the earth, but the Demon Abyss Clan is different. They are lifeforms nurtured according to the rules of the Demon Abyss Realm, and their existence conforms to the demonic path. From our perspective, their actions are sinful and heinous, but from the perspective of the Dao, they are merely following their own destiny and rules. There is nothing wrong with that, so my Terrestrial Fox Black Flame cannot sense any sin within them."

Fu Young nodded. "Oh! So that’s how it is."

Just now, Xiao Should had also expected the same thing and tried controlling the black flame to fly closer to the demon clan. However, the Terrestrial Fox Black Flame treated the Demon Abyss clan no differently from earth, rocks, or trees. It had not the slightest desire to burn or devour them, completely unlike the intense hunger it displayed when facing demonic aura.