Chapter 1602: Southern True Fire

A figure shot over from the Cloud Viewing Platform, streaking across the sky. In just a moment, he appeared above the golden spear and gripped it, causing the golden spear to buzz and vibrate immediately.

Duanmu Sheng stepped forward as the coiling dragon around the spear flashed purple amidst the golden light. He held the Overlord Spear horizontally in front of him with his right hand. His body was suffused with a golden light, and he looked majestic and energetic. His expression was calm, but his eyes burned like fire. He looked at Zhang He and asked, “You’re Zhang He?”

Zhang He looked up with a smile and asked, “How should I address you?”

“My surname is Duanmu, and my name is Sheng,” Duanmu Sheng said.

“Brother Duanmu, although you’re the Scarlet Emperor’s subordinate, I won’t let you become the Commander of Xuanyi Palace,” Zhang He said.

Duanmu Sheng scoffed before he said, “Do you think I need your permission to become the Commander of Xuanyi Palace? Have a taste of my Overlord Spear!”

Duanmu Sheng flashed forward in the sky and attacked with lightning speed.

The duo fought fiercely. They moved to the left and right as energy seals flew in all directions. The mysterious formations absorbed all the energy seals immediately, neutralizing damages to the surroundings.

…

In Nan Li’s Dao hall.

Lu Zhou, Xuanyi, and Nan Li watched with great interest.

Nan Li nodded and said praisingly, “I still remember Commander Zhang’s performance during the previous competition 1,000 years ago. He’s still as impressive as he was before.”

Xuanyi said, “He’s extremely talented, and he has not slacked off in his cultivation over the past 1,000 years. He should be able to win.”

“What do you think of the spear expert, Great Divine King Xuanyi?”

Xuanyi observed for a moment before he said, “The power he possesses is domineering and fierce. He seems to have the corrosive energy in his body. His attacks are decisive, and his spear techniques are good. However, he’d need more strength to defeat Zhang He. Saying that, he has yet to use his full power.”

Nan Li nodded before he turned to Lu Zhou and asked, “Pavilion Master Lu, what do you think?”

Lu Zhou took a few more glances before he said tonelessly, “For the time being, it’s difficult to determine who’s stronger.”

Although Lu Zhou was confident about his disciple, his confidence was not blind. After 100 years, he did not know how much his wicked disciples’ cultivation had improved. He could no longer use his power of sight to observe them, after all. It was likely due to the fact that they had comprehended the Great Dao. The Heavenly Writing was connected to the Great Dao and likely have the same origins. It was not surprising that to maintain the balance, he could no longer observe his disciples.

“Why don’t we bet on who will win?” Nan Li asked with a smile.

Xuanyi seemed to find this suggestion interesting. He smiled and pointed at Zhang He below and said, “Of course, it’ll be Zhang He.”

Nan Li nodded.

Since Zhang He was a member of the Xuanyi Palace, it was not surprising that Xuanyi chose Zhang He. Otherwise, would Xuanyi not disappoint his subordinate?

“Pavilion Master Lu?” Nan Li asked Lu Zhou.

“Neither,” Lu Zhou asked.

Xuanyi and Nan Li looked at Lu Zhou in confusion.

Lu Zhou added, “There’s another person.”

Realization dawned on Nan Li. He said with a smile, “The Scarlet has two owners of the Great Void Seeds. This person is good with the spears, but we still don’t know about the other person’s ability. Pavilion Master, you think the other person will win?”

Lu Zhou nodded.

With that, Xuanyi said without hesitation, “For Pavilion Master Lu to think so highly of someone, the other party must not be simple. I’ll also follow Pavilion Master and bet on the other person.”

Nan Li: “?”

Xuanyi laughed. “There’s no point in talking. Let’s just bet.”

“Very well. If you lose, you can’t deny it.”

“When I have ever gone back on my words? If I win, you’ll have to bring out the 100 Flowers Brew from Southern Split Mountain,” Xuanyi said.

“Alright. If I win, you have to preach about the Great Dao in Southern Split Moutain for ten days,” Nan Li said.

“Deal,” Xuanyi said decisively.

Then, Nan Li and Xuanyi turned to look at Lu Zhou in unison.

Lu Zhou said, “The 100 Flowers Brew is good, but it’s not enough for me.”

“Oh? What does Pavilion Master want then?” Nan Li asked.

“I heard that Southern Split Mountain was bathed in the southern true fire for 10,000 years. As a result, it’s summer all year here,” Lu Zhou said.

Nan Li’s heart stirred slightly. He asked, “Pavilion Master Lu, do you want the southern true fire?”

Lu Zhou nodded. “In fact, the southern true fire does more harm than good to you. Although it’s always summer here, the true fire also evaporated a lot of Primal Qi. It might be a blessing if the southern true fire was taken away.”

Nan Li was somewhat displeased. Regardless, the southern true fire was something that belonged to Southern Split Mountain. It was not something that could be taken away so easily. He looked at Xuanyi, hoping Xuanyi would speak up about the absurdity of this matter. After all, they were just having fun, joking around, and betting. With such high stakes, it would only ruin the atmosphere.

Unfortunately for Nan Li, Xuanyi asked, “Divine Lord Nan Li, are you afraid to bet?”

Nan Li: “?”

“I’m not afraid, but the southern true fire is very fierce. It’s not something ordinary people can easily approach. Its effect on the Primal Qi in Southern Split Mountain is limited. Moreover, it keeps the fierce beasts away from the mountain as well. It can be considered a holy fire that protects the mountain. How can I use it as a stake in a bet?”

Lu Zhou shook his head. “Those who are ignorant are fearless.”

“What do you mean, Pavilion Master Lu?”

Lu Zhou said, “The southern true fire came to life in ancient times. When the sky opened, and the land was lifted, the true fire lost its root after leaving the earth. With the power of the earth to feed it, there’s only one way for it to continue existing…” He paused before he said, “That’s to absorb your energy.”

Upon hearing this, Nan Li rose to his feet abruptly and exclaimed, “Nonsense!”

At this time, the battle below was still going on intensely. There was no winner or loser.

Lu Zhou was not angry at all. If he were in Nan Li’s shoes, he would have been angry as well if someone said the holy fire that protected Southern Split Mountain was harmful. It was indeed difficult to accept.

Lu Zhou raised his wine cup before he tossed the wine out.

The crystal-clear droplets of wine were suspended in the air as golden Primal Qi gathered around the wine droplets like pearls and agates.

Xuanyi and Nan Li looked at Lu Zhou, slightly confused.

The wine droplets glowed brightly, filled with Primal Qi. When the sun shone on it, they looked even more resplendent. However, after a moment, the droplets were vaporized, returning to heaven and earth.

During this process, Lu Zhou only made the droplets of wine hover in the air and did nothing else. This meant that what happened to the droplets was all the effect of the environment in Southern Split Mountain.

“This… How’s this possible?” Nan Li muttered. He trembled slightly as he looked at his palm. He could not accept this; he wanted to try it for himself.

A ball of green Primal Qi rose from Nan Li’s palm. At the same time, the formation in the Dao Hall began to hum and light up as the Primal Qi began to expand rapidly, covering more than a radius of 300 miles. As it expanded, it revealed the meridians of the land. Soon enough, a ball of fire appeared in the horizons of Southern Split Mountain briefly before it disappeared abruptly with the Primal Qi as though it had devoured the Primal Qi.

Nan Li had never noticed this before. In fact, all those living in Southern Split Mountain had never noticed this before.

Southern Split Mountain was a good place to meditate and cultivate. The Primal Qi here was rich. Hence, although the cultivation speed of the people here was slow, they thought it was due to their lack of talent. No one ever thought the problem had something to do with Southern Split Mountain.

Nan Li found it hard to accept this result.

Lu Zhou said, “This would be even more obvious if Southern Split Mountain was on land. The advantage you have is that your buildings and platforms are suspended in the air. Otherwise, all of you would’ve been sucked dry a long time ago. Did you really think the fierce beasts were scared away?”

“…”

Nan Li was speechless.

Xuanyi nodded. “I understand now. Pavilion Master Lu is truly knowledgeable. I’m truly impressed!”

Nan Li, who still found this matter hard to accept, looked at Lu Zhou with a complicated expression and asked, “How did you know?”

“The Northern Hall in Xuanyi Palace holds a collection of books. The records of the mountains, lands, and rivers of the Great Void are there,” Lu Zhou said.

Xuanyi immediately said, “Indeed, Pavilion Master Lu has been reading in the Northern Hall for quite some time.”

Nan Li frowned. “Even if you’re telling the truth, I won’t agree to the bet.”

Lu Zhou nodded and said, “I won’t force you. Let’s continue to watch the battle.”

Lu Zhou looked down.

Needless to say, at this moment, it was difficult for Nan Li to concentrate on watching the battle. He looked absentminded as he watched the battle.

At this time, the Overlord Spear flew around the arena, stirring up violent winds and Primal Qi. The cries of the wind pulled Nan Li back to his senses.

“Imperfect Divine Intervention!”

Duanmu Sheng appeared high in the sky before he swooped down and thrust his spear out.

Space and time froze.

Zhang He looked up. Instead of retreating, he advanced and cried out in a voice that could topple the mountains and overturn the seas, “Rise!”

The battle grew even more intense.

The very fabric of space was torn as the energy seals collided.

Fortunately, the powerful formations absorbed the duo’s attacks and mended the damage within it.

After the duo collided, they pulled away from each other. One went up and one went down. There was still no winner. They looked at each other silently.

After a moment, Duanmu Sheng tightened his grip on the Overlord Spear and said, “Again!”

Zhang He smiled and said, “Forget it, Brother Duanmu. You can’t beat me. There are rules in the Great Void. Moreover, the fight for the positions of commander isn’t a fight using our lives. We should stop here. I know you didn’t use your full strength, but I didn’t either.”

Duanmu Sheng was very competitive, but upon hearing these words, his fighting spirit was reduced by half.

Zhang He cupped his fists together at Duanmu Sheng and said, “Brother Duanmu, let’s fight another day. I hope we can be friends.”

“It’s too early to say that. Indeed, we fought to a draw. However, it doesn’t mean no one can defeat you,” Duanmu Sheng said.

“Oh?”

At this time, a burst of laughter rang from the Southern Cloud Viewing Platform. Then, a voice rang in the air.

“Commander Zhang, if both of you had fought using your lives, you would’ve been defeated by him long ago.”

Zhang He looked at the Southern Cloud Viewing Platform in confusion.

The owner of the voice was Mingshi Yin. He continued to say, “His trump card is that he’s not afraid of death.”

“Hmm?’

Swoosh!

A figure flew over at lightning speed and appeared in the middle of the field in just a blink of an eye. Just as quickly, the entire field was crawling with vines and trees.

“I’ll give you 15 minutes to recuperate. I don’t want others to say I took advantage of the situation and won unfairly.”

Zhang He’s fighting spirit rose again. He smiled and said, “Interesting. However, I can’t rest. Resting will only make me weaker! Take this!”

Zhang He rushed toward the green vines like a lightning bolt. His hands were like blades as he cut the trees in front of him into halves.