Fame Spreads Far, Violet Luo Extreme Flame

Han Li sat cross-legged in a quiet chamber on the second floor of the pavilion, his eyes shut tight, his body bathed in azure light. His fingers were locked in a strange hand seal, and between his palms floated a ball of purple flame the size of a chicken egg, flickering without pause.

This was the demonic flame he had cultivated using the Dry Azure Ice Flame and the寒气 released by the Six-Winged Frost Centipede.

This flame was clearly a cut above the Dry Azure Ice Flame in power, making it Han Li’s greatest trump card at present.

Ever since discovering this flame, he had made it a habit to refine every strand of Dry Azure Ice Flame he could and immediately convert it into purple demonic flame, truly making it his own.

To distinguish it from the Asura Holy Flame, he had named it the “Violet Luo Extreme Flame.”

He was confident that even a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, if touched by this flame, would find it utterly unbearable. Whether it could actually kill a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, however, was something he could not predict—he had never truly seen a late-stage cultivator in action.

Unfortunately, as terrifyingly powerful as this flame was, it was limited by the amount of Dry Azure Ice Flame he had managed to refine. For now, he could only control this much Violet Luo Extreme Flame. If its quantity could be multiplied several times over, he might actually have a fighting chance against a late-Nascent Soul cultivator in an open confrontation.

“Congratulations, Master! This Violet Luo Extreme Flame seems even more powerful than when this servant first saw it. It appears this flame still has much potential to be tapped!” Silvermoon’s pleasant voice sounded in Han Li’s mind, filled with marvel.

Han Li’s lips curled into a faint smile. Without a word, he opened his mouth. With one inhalation and one exhalation, the ball of Violet Luo Extreme Flame instantly transformed into a thin thread of flame, which he drew back into his abdomen.

Only then did he release his fingers and withdraw his technique.

“As sharp as the Violet Luo Extreme Flame is, its quantity is too small to rely on completely. What I hope for most right now is to open that ‘Void Heaven Cauldron.’ If what you say about the power of a Heaven-grade spirit treasure is true, having that cauldron in hand should be enough to sweep the Heavenly South. Only then would I truly be free from worry in this realm.” Han Li opened his eyes and said slowly.

“Master can rest assured. The Void Heaven Cauldron’s divine might is only greater than what this servant has said, never less,” Silvermoon said with a charming laugh, her tone full of confidence.

Han Li nodded. Just as he was about to say something more, a streak of white light shot in from outside, and Ying Ning’s crisp voice hurriedly emerged from within.

“Uncle Han, come to the main hall quickly! Senior Ma and the others have returned. The Moulan people will be arriving soon.”

With that, the white light circled once and flew back out of the quiet chamber.

Han Li’s expression darkened. A cold light flickered in his eyes for a few moments, then he rose and walked outside.

……

By the time Han Li reached the main hall, Gu Shuangpu and the bald-browed man were already there.

The old man surnamed Ma, who had gone to provide support, and another cultivator in brocade robes—slightly hunchbacked and pale-faced—were speaking with them.

The Mu Rong brothers, Ying Ning, and the others were standing nearby with two unfamiliar Core Formation cultivators, listening with grave expressions.

When Ying Ning saw Han Li enter, she glanced over and gave a faint smile.

“Brother Han is here, too. Allow me to introduce you. This is Fellow Daoist Bu Yunhe, who oversees Terrace Valley. And this is Fellow Daoist Han of the Falling Cloud Sect,” the bald-browed man said, forcing a stiff smile as he made the introductions.

Seeing this, Han Li’s heart sank slightly.

It seemed the situation was even worse than he had imagined.

“I have long heard of Brother Bu’s reputation from Brother Lu. It is truly a cause for celebration that you managed to escape safely,” Han Li said with a hint of kindness in his tone, speaking courteously.

“You must be joking, Brother Han, looking at me in this sorry state. I owe a great deal to Brother Ma for coming to my aid. Otherwise, it really would have been dangerous.” The cultivator surnamed Bu had already learned of Han Li’s presence from others, so he showed no surprise. Instead, he smiled bitterly and expressed his gratitude to the old man surnamed Ma.

“It was nothing, just a simple favor. What’s strange is that the pursuing troops withdrew on their own before I even made a move. That left me a bit frustrated, to be honest,” the old man said with a chuckle.

“That’s because your ancient treasure caused such a massive commotion. Without a sure chance of success, the pursuing Moulan naturally wouldn’t force a confrontation. But this invasion by the Dharma Warriors is truly different from previous ones. They are far better trained, and the ancient beasts they carry are incredibly dangerous. Not only are they thick-skinned and covered in armor, but their size is astonishing. And with multiple strange forbidden techniques layered on them, once they charge into a formation, breaking it is only a matter of time,” Bu Yunhe said, his face showing a lingering trace of fear.

“Are you saying that even with your Nascent Soul cultivation, you couldn’t harm those beasts?” Han Li asked with a puzzled expression.

Although he had heard rumors that the beasts accompanying the Dharma Warrior army were unusual, hearing that they were this powerful was still hard to believe.

“With my cultivation, a full-powered strike from my magic treasure could indeed injure one, but at the time I was being attacked by two high-rank Dharma Warriors and couldn’t spare the focus. That’s why the beast managed to break my formation. With Brother Ma and the other reinforcements here, Brother Lu’s position should not fall as easily as my Terrace Valley,” Bu Yunhe said, his expression easing somewhat after a moment’s thought.

“Brother Bu, how many Great Master-rank Dharma Warriors are in this unit? If there aren’t too many, the five of us Nascent Soul cultivators could launch a surprise attack. Even if we can’t kill one or two Nascent Soul-rank Dharma Warriors, seriously injuring them would still be worthwhile,” Gu Shuangpu suggested with a gloomy look.

“I’m afraid that would disappoint you, Brother Gu. Although I haven’t fought them all, aside from the two Great Masters who showed themselves, I also saw a third, unfamiliar Dharma Warrior—one that the scouts warned us about. That one never made a move, but his aura was indeed extremely strange. He might truly be some kind of transformed creature. And besides those three, I can’t be sure if there are other high-rank Dharma Warriors hiding in the shadows,” Bu Yunhe said with a sigh, clearly not in favor of the idea.

“I see. Then let’s first gauge their strength. If they are too powerful, we’ll rely on the formation to hold our ground. After all, our current task is only to buy time for those behind us,” the bald-browed man agreed with a nod after hearing this.

Gu Shuangpu frowned, looked indifferent, and didn’t press the issue further.

Han Li and the old man surnamed Ma had no objections either.

The bald-browed man then instructed the Daoist Chongxu to take Bu Yunhe to a quiet room for treatment, and ordered Ning Ying and the other cultivators to settle the defeated Terrace Valley cultivators, before ordering an increase in the formation’s guard staff.

Watching the bald-browed man handle everything with such order, Han Li nodded inwardly.

It seemed the Nine Nations Alliance had not chosen this man to hold this position without reason.

Just then, everyone in the hall heard a rumbling war drum in the distance, growing louder and louder until it sounded like thunder under a clear sky.

Everyone’s expression shifted.

“It seems the Moulan were in quite a hurry. They arrived right on our heels,” the old man surnamed Ma said, his face cold and murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

“Fine. Let’s first test them and see what kind of厉害 characters are in this unit of Dharma Warriors. I’ll have to trouble the three of you this time. And you two will come with us as well, since you’ve fought them before. You can warn us in advance if they have any insidious tricks,” the bald-browed man said, first cupping his fist toward Han Li and the other two, then turning to the two Core Formation cultivators who had retreated with Bu Yunhe.

One of them had thick brows, big eyes, and a dark complexion; the other had a horse-like face, thin eyebrows, and a somewhat gloomy demeanor.

Hearing the bald-browed man’s words, the two exchanged a glance before cupping their fists in agreement.

As for Han Li, he gazed calmly in the direction of the drumbeats, his face expressionless, his thoughts unknown.

……

To the south of Yellow Dragon Mountain, a vast, dense formation of Moulan Dharma Warriors sat atop several oddly shaped flying artifacts, neatly arranged high in the sky, overlooking a sea of emerald mist that stretched for dozens of li.

At the very front of the Dharma Warrior army stood a dozen or so individuals, their bodies flickering with various spiritual lights and treasures—these were the high-rank Dharma Warriors of the Moulan.

Among them, three were the most eye-catching. One was wreathed in red light, with a strange, arm-thick fire serpent coiled around his body, looking fierce and terrifying. Another was gaunt and impossibly tall, like a bamboo pole, seemingly frail enough to be blown over by a gust of wind.

The third was wrapped in a black robe, his face obscured, but his entire body emitted eerie black energy, and faint ghostly cries came from within his robe, making one shudder and instinctively keep their distance.

And indeed, such was the case. Everyone else was clustered around the other two, while only the black-robed Dharma Warrior floated alone at the front of the crowd, as if he were not of the same company as the others.

The other Dharma Warriors cast furtive glances at the black-robed figure, their gazes filled with awe and fear. But if one looked closely, one would notice that within that awe was also a hint of disgust.