Zhi Xuan did not give Ao Sheng time to think. He leapt to the edge of the abyss, dragging Ao Sheng with him. As they fell, purple-blue flashes of Pure Lightning exploded from Zhi Xuan’s body. The lightning did not just keep them from free-falling; it also acted as a barrier that incinerated the Devil Fire Poison and repelled the Spirits that might have been in the upper layers of the mist.

  ZZZT! WHUSH!

  They pierced through the blood-red mist. The wails of trapped souls echoed around them, a piercing melody of madness. Zhi Xuan ignored it. The Pure Lightning Law acted like a silent judgment, burning the Yin essence in the air and preventing even the weakest spiritual illusions from touching Ao Sheng’s Sea of Consciousness.

  They sped downward at a speed that split the hot air. Far below, a vast sea of magma welcomed them. As they approached the bottom of the abyss, Zhi Xuan controlled his lightning to slow their descent.

  They landed with a controlled thud on one of the black stone formations protruding in the middle of the magma sea. Extreme heat immediately swarmed them, but Zhi Xuan, now enveloped by the aura of Pure Lightning, felt his meridians pulse with ecstasy—a signal that he was in the perfect environment to absorb the Fire Law.

  Ao Sheng, protected by the Four-Directional Blood Shield and the Pure Lightning aura, stood tall. His golden eyes scanned the churning magma. He could feel hundreds, even thousands, of Ancient Spirits moving beneath the surface of the magma.

  "They are everywhere, Senior," Ao Sheng whispered, his voice filled with tension.

  Zhi Xuan smirked. He pointed toward the center of the magma sea, where the Fire Heart Fruit glowed like a small sun atop a stone formation.

  "That is our prize. And between us and that prize, there is food for the Soul Lantern," Zhi Xuan replied. He took out the Soul Lantern. The lantern, enveloped by thousands of souls, immediately rippled. "I will lead. Remember, do not attack those Spirits with physical force. Attack them with spiritual destruction."

  Zhi Xuan stepped forward. He channeled the Pure Lightning Law into the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword. He no longer cared about disguises or complex strategies. He was in the Devil Fire Abyss, a place dominated by atrocity and madness. Only a crazier Devil would survive.

  ZZRT! ZZT!

  Zhi Xuan dashed across the sea of magma, leaping from one stone formation to another, propelled by the Thunder Law. Each time he leaped, the Pure Lightning he left in the air burned the Devil Fire around him. He sped through the dense Devil mist, relying on the speed of his Thunder Law.

  "Zhi Xuan," that soft voice crept into Zhi Xuan’s ears, and he immediately stopped his smirk and froze atop a stone formation. "I have been waiting for you to return."

  Zhi Xuan could not move, as if his body had weakened. He felt that Ao Sheng was no longer in his grasp; instead, pink mists carrying the scent of pure Yin flowers and an intoxicating lotus aroma spread before his eyes.

  From the rippling mist, the silhouette of Zhu Qinglan appeared, incredibly beautiful and intoxicating. She was not as cold as the ice on a snowy mountain, but rather like a fox on a full moon night, so beautiful that she would captivate anyone’s eyes. Zhi Xuan could see Zhu Qinglan looking at him sorrowfully, as if she missed him.

  "Zhi Xuan," Zhu Qinglan called softly, her light gray eyes mournful as if holding back a surge of longing that had lasted for thousands of years. "Why did you leave me? I miss our time together; the Eternal Jade Peak feels very lonely without you."

  Zhi Xuan’s heart trembled violently. That was a voice he knew, a voice that too often appeared in his dreams, a voice full of purity and, at the same time, full of unspoken pain.

  The Judgment Lightning Rune on his Divine Wheel instantly dimmed, as if refusing to judge this illusion of beauty. He was a Devil tough against illusions of death and destruction, but this illusion of longing and pain pierced directly into the core of his fragile Primary Soul.

  He saw Zhu Qinglan—a silhouette made of the pure essence of longing—stepping closer. Every step she took grew spiritual lotus flowers atop the magma, a lethal contrast between the Devil Fire around them and the purity of the Lotus she trod upon.

  "Holy Fairy Zhu," Zhi Xuan whispered, his voice hoarse. He could not move the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword, which felt as heavy as an ice mountain. The Thunder Law he had just stabilized suddenly felt foreign, as if the Law of Destruction could not be applied to such pure longing.

  Zhi Xuan realized this was an illusion; an Ancient Spirit was attacking his Sea of Consciousness with the form he most desired and most feared. However, that awareness was not enough to fight the wave of emotion drowning him. He could not hold back the guilt and the deep longing, feelings he had buried behind his Devilish arrogance and cruelty.

  "Zhi Xuan, do not leave me again," Zhu Qinglan whispered, her hand outstretched, pale like cold jade. "Come back to me. We will leave all these battles, all this blood. The Eternal Jade Peak awaits you, with warmth and eternal peace."

  Zhi Xuan’s face tightened. His sapphire eyes reflected a fierce internal struggle. He saw the softness in Zhu Qinglan’s eyes, and he almost gave in, almost dropped the Thunder Sword and stepped into that illusion, leaving the Devil Fire Abyss and all his bloodied destiny behind.

  Zhi Xuan was enveloped by the light gray mist. Zhu Qinglan appeared to step innocently as if only covered by mist; her body was perfect in Zhi Xuan’s eyes. Zhi Xuan intended to welcome Zhu Qinglan into his arms, his eyes dark with the beauty of the ice lotus before him.

  "Holy Fairy Zhu," Zhi Xuan called softly, his shoulders slumped, and he fell to a sitting position on the stone formation. His eyes remained focused on the sorrowful Zhu Qinglan. "Do not be afraid, I am back."

  Zhi Xuan was fully enveloped in that pink mist; it felt like home. His exhaustion and his pursuit all melted away before Zhu Qinglan; he felt everything he had done was futile because this warmth was so comfortable and free from his insecurities.

  "Senior! Help me!" Ao Sheng roared desperately, standing on a stone formation surrounded by Ancient Spirits. The Golden Dragon Bloodline attracted so many Ancient Spirits that the Four-Directional Blood Shield vibrated.

  That desperate roar from Ao Sheng pierced through the thick mist of longing, a loud and real voice. The sound hit Zhi Xuan’s Sea of Consciousness like a hammer of judgment. Not because of its physical strength, but because it was a call to responsibility—a promise he had just made to Zhao Xue.

  In the Sea of Consciousness, the illusory Zhu Qinglan who smiled softly before him suddenly rippled, her beautiful and mournful face beginning to show spiritual cracks.

  "Do not mind him, Zhi Xuan," the illusion whispered, her voice now slightly cold and urgent. "He is merely a distraction. Focus on this peace. Focus on me."

  But the illusory Zhu Qinglan’s voice no longer held warmth. At the same time, the guilt and longing in Zhi Xuan’s heart were instantly drowned by a sudden wave of anger, an anger for daring to sink into an illusion about his own weakness.

  Zhi Xuan realized the Ancient Spirit was not just attacking his weakness but trying to rob him of the destiny he had just promised. This was an insult far greater than an illusion of destruction. Moreover, they used the woman bound to his Dao, and those Ancient Spirits used her to attack his vulnerability.

  "You dare," Zhi Xuan hissed, his voice hoarse again, but this time filled with a cold aura of destruction. His slumped body instantly tensed. "You dare to defile her image and appear before me!"

  ZZZT! KRAKK!

  The entire Pure Lightning Law that had just stabilized on Zhi Xuan’s Divine Wheel roared. The Judgment Lightning Rune, which had dimmed, instantly ignited with a brutal purple-blue light. Pure hatred for the desecration of his longing and the defilement of the illusory Zhu Qinglan far outweighed his fear of death.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  His body, enveloped in the fine mist of illusion, instantly turned into a blazing flash of lightning. This Pure Lightning did not attack the illusory Zhu Qinglan in front of him but exploded outward, destroying the entire illusory environment. The pink mist, spiritual lotus flowers, and intoxicating aroma were instantly burned into spiritual ash.

  BOOM! WHUSHH!

  Zhi Xuan stood tall on the hot basalt stone formation, the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword in his hand vibrating violently. His face was filled with pure Devilish madness, but his sapphire eyes now radiated a burning fire of Judgment Lightning.

  The illusion of Zhu Qinglan rippled in the air. Her beautiful and longing-filled face was instantly replaced by a mask of despair and anger. It was the true form of the Ancient Spirit—a clump of burning and wailing souls.

  "You reject peace?" the Ancient Spirit roared, its voice now a mixture of thousands of soul wails, deafening to the spiritual ears. "You prefer blood and battle over happiness?!"

  "Happiness built upon weakness is poison!" Zhi Xuan countered. He allowed his Devil Blood Law to respond with wild ecstasy. "I will not let you defile the essence of Holy Fairy Zhu with your false illusions! I will judge you, foul Ghost!"

  Ao Sheng, staggering on the stone formation nearby, saw Zhi Xuan return to normal. He was surrounded by a dozen Ancient Spirits who now realized their illusion had shattered. Ao Sheng channeled his Pure Golden Dragon Bloodline and his Black Water Dragon King Spear, trying to protect himself from the Spirits’ attacks.

  WHIRL! DING! DING! DING!

  Zhi Xuan waved his hand and sent the Heavenly Cauldron to hover around Ao Sheng. The Heavenly Cauldron immediately spun in front of Ao Sheng with the spiritual fluctuations of the Law of Spring, which clarified the mind and served as a worthy opponent for the weaker Spirits. The Heavenly Cauldron immediately enlarged and covered Ao Sheng completely, protecting him.

  ZZZTT! CRACKLE! BOOM!

  Filled with anger, Zhi Xuan turned to face the denser Ancient Spirit before him. He dashed forward without using any artifact weapon, for the Ancient Spirit before him could not be fought with any spiritual technique or artifact. Thus, he would simply approach and try to absorb the Ancient Spirit into the Soul Lantern.

  He sped forward, his Heavenly-Blood Body strengthened to the limit by the fifty Slaughter Seals that now felt like Primordial armor. The Pure Lightning Law enveloped every inch of his skin, turning him into a purple-blue projectile moving at an impossible speed.

  The Ancient Spirit, having just failed in its strongest illusion, roared in anger. They were entities consisting of fire essence and despair, unable to be attacked by physical weapons, but their instincts told them the flash of lightning before them was absolute destruction. They moved, or rather twisted and floated, with near-instant spiritual speed, trying to surround Zhi Xuan.

  Zhi Xuan smirked coldly. He knew the danger well. These Spirits did not care about meridians or physical organs; they targeted the Sea of Consciousness directly. Even his Four-Directional Blood Shield would not help much if an Ancient Spirit managed to cling to his body and seep inside.

  "Heavenly Devouring Chalice!"

  Zhi Xuan roared. In the midst of his rapid leap, he released the Heavenly Devouring Chalice. The ancient bronze jar appeared in the air, radiating a burning Extreme Yang aura—pure energy that was the opposite of the Yin essence and Devil Fire that formed those Spirits.

  The Chalice spun beside Zhi Xuan, the Extreme Yang vortex expanding. However, the Ancient Spirits who had been in the Devil Fire Abyss for thousands of years were not easy prey. Although they feared the Extreme Yang aura, they were not immediately sucked in. They circled rapidly at the edge of the vortex, trying to avoid the Chalice’s pull and seeking an opening to cling to Zhi Xuan.

  "You are too slow, Lowly Devil!" roared one of the Ancient Spirits, its voice breaking the hot silence.

  Zhi Xuan snorted. They were right. He had not fully mastered the Heavenly Devouring Chalice; he could only use its Extreme Yang aura and basic pull. He did not have time to learn. He had to take the greatest risk.

  With a swift movement, Zhi Xuan reached into his storage bag and took out the Soul Lantern. The lantern, which looked like a small jar enveloped by the aura of thousands of souls, immediately vibrated wildly due to its proximity to the Heavenly Devouring Chalice.

  "Heavenly Devouring Chalice, let this Lantern be your Core!" Zhi Xuan hissed, channeling Pure Devil Blood into both the Chalice and the Lantern simultaneously.

  The Soul Lantern was no simple artifact. It was a storage place for souls absorbed by the Chalice, usually kept in a separate dimension. By forcibly merging them, Zhi Xuan tried to turn the Heavenly Devouring Chalice into a more efficient soul-catching machine, using the Lantern as the pulling core and the Chalice as a refining furnace with Extreme Yang.

  WHIRL! ZZZZT!

  The Soul Lantern, which usually only emitted a dim light, instantly shot into the mouth of the Heavenly Devouring Chalice. The Chalice shook violently. Its Extreme Yang vortex suddenly became more ferocious, its pull strengthening tenfold.

  Ao Sheng, wrapped inside the Heavenly Cauldron, felt his Golden Core being pulled. He had to exert all the strength of his Pure Golden Dragon Bloodline to resist this sudden spiritual pull. The Ancient Spirits, who had only been circling the edge of the vortex, now felt an unavoidable pull that was far more brutal. They screamed.

  "NO! THIS IS A SOUL REFINING FURNACE!" roared an Ancient Spirit trying to attack Ao Sheng.

  Zhi Xuan, without waiting for the result, dashed toward the vortex of the Heavenly Devouring Chalice. He knew he could not rely solely on the Chalice. He had to act as a fast-moving bait, luring the Spirits to approach the vortex.

  ZZZT! WHUSHH!

  He sped forward, his Heavenly-Blood Body emitting flashes of purple-blue lightning, leaping over several basalt stone formations. The nearest Ancient Spirits immediately saw an opportunity. They twisted toward him, wanting to cling and seize his Sea of Consciousness before they were sucked in.

  One Ancient Spirit, radiating an aura of madness, managed to touch Zhi Xuan’s arm. A pain that pierced his Primary Soul, not his physical body, immediately hit him. It felt like thousands of spiritual needles trying to tear apart his Sea of Consciousness. Zhi Xuan roared in pain, but it was not a weak roar. It was a roar of lightning filled with Devil Blood.

  "Begone!"

  He did not use the Thunder Sword. He let his Heavenly-Blood Body vibrate and channeled the Pure Lightning Law to the point of contact. The Thunder Law, the natural judgment, directly attacked the spiritual essence of that Ancient Spirit.

  CRACKLE! WHUSHH!

  The Ancient Spirit shrieked in pain, its spiritual essence burned by Zhi Xuan’s Pure Lightning. In a fraction of a second, the Ancient Spirit was thrown away from Zhi Xuan, directly and forcibly pulled by the vortex of the Heavenly Devouring Chalice now operating with the Soul Lantern as its core.

  "One!" Zhi Xuan hissed, spiritual blood dripping from the corner of his eye. That attack had nearly caused his Sea of Consciousness to ripple violently. He must not let them cling again.

  He channeled more Thunder Law into his legs, increasing his speed to an impossible limit. He became a purple-blue flash moving in a zigzag above the sea of magma. The Ancient Spirits were now truly enraged. They moved in formation, trying to cut off Zhi Xuan’s escape route.

  "Surround him! Do not let him run!" roared one of the Ancient Spirit leaders.

  Zhi Xuan laughed, a Devilish laugh filled with madness. "Bad choice, ghosts!"

  He pointed the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword into the air. He did not attack but used the sword as a spiritual conductor. He channeled the Thunder Law, not to draw Heaven Lightning, but to create a Spiritual Lightning Net around the Heavenly Devouring Chalice.

  ZZZTT! ZZZTT!

  The net, made of Pure Lightning essence, expanded in the air. The Ancient Spirits moving toward the Heavenly Devouring Chalice immediately touched the net.

  CRACKLE!

  The Spirits shrieked. Pure Lightning was the deadliest poison for them. The touch of the net did not kill them but momentarily paralyzed their spiritual movements, making them vulnerable to the pull of the Heavenly Devouring Chalice.

  WHIRL! WHIRL!

  The pull of the Chalice was now unavoidable. The Ancient Spirits that touched the net, one by one, were forcibly drawn into the mouth of the Chalice. Inside the Chalice, the Extreme Yang essence burned their Devil Fire essence and despair, refining them, and their pure Primary Souls were immediately stored inside the Soul Lantern.

  "Five! Ten! Seventeen!" Zhi Xuan counted with wild ecstasy. Ao Sheng, witnessing this battle from within the protection of the Heavenly Cauldron, held his breath. This was not a battle of brute strength; it was a Devil's strategic slaughter driven by artifacts and perfect Natural Laws.

  Zhi Xuan was surrounded. He felt an unbearable piercing cold sensation penetrate his Heavenly-Blood Body and attack his Sea of Consciousness instantly.

  "Kill yourself! You do not deserve to live!"

  "Return my children, Devil! Feel my despair!"

  Hundreds of whispers, wails, and suicide commands flooded his Sea of Consciousness. Zhi Xuan staggered. Although the Heavenly Devouring Chalice refined the absorbed Spirits, this direct attack came from the Spirits still attacking him, which could not be warded off by any physical protection.

  Zhi Xuan continued to move wildly, avoiding the dozens of remaining Ancient Spirits, ensuring he never let them cling to him. He used his speed to stay away, letting the Lightning Net and the modified Heavenly Devouring Chalice do the heavy lifting.

  The remaining Ancient Spirits finally realized that this Devil was too dangerous. They began to retreat, heading back into the sea of magma to seek refuge in their own Devil Fire.

  "Trying to run?" Zhi Xuan hissed. He landed on a basalt stone formation, beside the Heavenly Devouring Chalice. He waved his hand, and the Heavenly Devouring Chalice spun, radiating a burning Extreme Yang aura into the magma.

  BOOM!

  The magma churned violently, and the Ancient Spirits trying to hide within it shrieked. The Thunder Law and Extreme Yang were natural enemies of the Devil Fire element. In an instant, Zhi Xuan had harvested more than fifty Ancient Spirits.

  He put away the Spiritual Lightning Net and took back the Heavenly Devouring Chalice. He put the Chalice into his storage bag, immediately separating the Soul Lantern from it, fearing the Extreme Yang effect would damage the Soul Lantern if left for too long. He took a long breath. His face was pale, not from physical exhaustion, but from the spiritual pain of the one attack that had managed to get through.

  "This is my limit for absorbing souls," Zhi Xuan hissed, rubbing the corner of his eye which still felt sore. He waved his hand, and the Heavenly Cauldron shrank, returning to his side.