Chapter 586 - 595: Life and Death Realm

As he entered this state of profound stillness, the rampaging magma seemed to merge with his very breath. Each time his breathing deepened, the sea of fire within the magma surged into fiery waves. When his breathing steadied, the waves would quietly recede, and the magma would once again fall silent.

Time trickled by, slipping away like sand through his fingers.

It was as if the magma had suddenly lost all signs of life. The only sound was the occasional ROAR of sweeping flames, but this noise carried an aura of death and explosive power, making the place feel all the more desolate.

Suddenly, a faint stir broke the magma’s calm. The source of the disturbance was, surprisingly, the hollow space within the sea of fire.

At that moment, wisps of purple-gold flame began to pour ceaselessly from Wen Qingye’s body, which sat as still as an old monk in deep meditation. The flames coiled and writhed around him.

The Qilin slowly transformed, and in the span of just three breaths, it became a wisp of golden flame that shot directly into Wen Qingye’s body.

A wisp of purple-gold flame surged into Wen Qingye’s Qi Sea, merging with the roiling Primordial Qi. The faint Dragon’s Might he possessed was nearly devoured by the Qilin’s power.

In the end, however, it tenaciously held on, barely managing to survive.

Wen Qingye’s Primordial Qi changed in an instant. It took on a purple-gold hue, and its terrifying might carried the faint sound of a Qilin’s roar.

Its power was a full thirty percent greater than his original, pale Golden Yuan Qi.

With that, Wen Qingye had completely refined the Qilin Fire. His Primordial Qi had undergone a transformation, now inherently carrying the roiling might of the Qilin and its blazing flames.

BOOM!

The Primordial Qi in Wen Qingye’s body erupted like a torrent. The purple-gold energy crashed wildly within him.

At the same time, his Qi Sea began to tremble violently.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

The two previously harmonized Qi Seas now showed signs of merging. It was as if his Yin Yang Qi Seas were about to become one.

In the next instant, the long-silent magma around him began to churn violently.

The flames howled like crashing ocean waves. Several thousand-foot-tall fire tornadoes formed around Wen Qingye, with giant dragons of red flame coiling and roaring outside the vortexes.

Tenth Heaven of the Destruction Realm!

Countless streams of Golden Yuan Qi surged and fused within his two Qi Seas. An unknown amount of time passed before they finally achieved a perfect fusion.

And with that, Wen Qingye finally broke through the last barrier.

Life and Death Realm First Layer Heaven!

Sensing the explosive surge in Wen Qingye’s aura, the surrounding flames also began to howl, forming violent firestorms that raged in every direction.

Qing Ruo’ai watched Wen Qingye’s cultivation advance by leaps and bounds and rolled her eyes. ’He really managed to absorb the Qilin Fire. From now on, won’t this kid’s Primordial Qi be able to incinerate droves of people with ease?’

Just then, Wen Qingye slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Vast and powerful Primordial Qi surged without limit. Not only had his Qi Sea undergone an earth-shattering transformation, becoming the Sea of Life and Death unique to the Life and Death Realm, but the very quality of the Primordial Qi within his body had also changed.

"Let’s go!"

Floating in the magma, Wen Qingye shot upward, each step creating a thunderous Qi Burst.

He emerged from the magma and landed beside the altar. Wen Qingye scanned his surroundings and took a deep breath.

Qing Ruo’ai said snappishly, "This altar contained the Qinghuo Clan’s greatest treasure. It’ll be a miracle if they don’t skin you alive for taking it."

Wen Qingye smiled and shook his head. "They won’t find out. That old woodcutter watched me enter the altar but didn’t follow me deeper. Clearly, ordinary members of the Qinghuo Clan aren’t allowed in here. Besides, I doubt they even knew it was the Qilin Fire hidden inside."

’If the Qinghuo Clan had known the Qilin Fire was hidden here, they would have found a way to take it long ago. They wouldn’t have left me the slightest opportunity.’

Wen Qingye retraced his steps out of the cave and into the Fire Fox Forest. The scorching flames that constantly licked at him now felt like nothing at all.

’The flames from the Fire Fox Trees were nothing compared to the Qilin Fire. It was like comparing a candle to a volcano. With the Qilin Fire inside my body, why would I fear the flames of this forest?’

Seeing the Fire Fox Forest around them, Qing Ruo’ai was suddenly reminded of Wen Qingye’s unfinished story. "Oh, right!" she said. "You still haven’t told me about that Purple Gold Profound Moon Wolf."

Wen Qingye laughed. "You’ll find out eventually."

Her pretty face flushed with anger. "Hey!" she scolded. "Can you stop leaving me hanging?"

Wen Qingye replied, "It wouldn’t do any good even if I told you. You’ve never heard of him anyway. What’s most important right now is that we leave this place quickly. We don’t know if that old woodcutter is waiting for us outside."

Qing Ruo’ai: "..."

The man and his Sword Spirit quickly left the Fire Fox Forest. To Wen Qingye’s surprise, the old woodcutter was not waiting for him outside.

The old woodcutter had been so sure that Wen Qingye would die that he hadn’t bothered wasting his time waiting.

"We’re going back to the Sect now."

Wen Qingye let out a hearty laugh and started walking northwest.

......

「Two days later.」

A barren plain, thirty li outside of Zhucheng.

Zhucheng was located at the crossroads of the Dayan Dynasty and the Luocheng Ancient Country. While not exceptionally prosperous, it was a lively place, bustling with people and carriages.

The wooden sword in Wen Qingye’s hand moved like lightning, each strike carrying immense weight. He fully unleashed the mysteries of the Vibration Law, four streams of Dark Force hidden in the void, completely imperceptible to the average person.

A single Sword Aura slammed into a large boulder, instantly pulverizing it. A gust of wind across the barren plain swept the dust away, scattering it into the air.

’Watching Wen Qingye absorbed in his training, Qing Ruo’ai couldn’t help but sigh. ’It makes sense that he improves so quickly. He doesn’t just have terrifying talent; he also works incredibly hard.’’

Qing Ruo’ai asked, "Is your training always this tedious when you’re alone?"

Wen Qingye lowered his wooden sword. "Did you know? Loneliness is the greatest catalyst for growth. Everyone has their own path in life, but solitude is a trial everyone must face."

After speaking, he stored the wooden sword in his Sumeru Mustard Seed and prepared to move on.

Suddenly, a terrifying glint appeared in Wen Qingye’s eyes. He stared into the distance and spoke slowly.

"Looks like we won’t be leaving just yet!"