Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 281: Soldier fiend spirit fire [3]

Broken Blade Cliff, true to its name.

It was a black rock wall, a thousand zhang high, looking as if it had been cleaved apart by a gigantic blade capable of splitting the heavens. The cross-section was as smooth as a mirror, yet it was covered in crisscrossing, bottomless cracks, as if recording that world-destroying blow. The cliff face was pitch black, exuding a cold, hard, and eternal metallic luster, with faint dark red patterns flowing over it, like dried, unfading bloodstains.

Below the cliff was a relatively open "basin" formed by the accumulation of countless massive weapon fragments. These fragments were larger and more ferocious than those on the periphery; many still maintained their complete forms, merely covered in rust and cracks, exuding a heart-palpitating, fierce aura. In the center of the basin, at the lowest point of the terrain, there was a "pool" of sticky, ink-like liquid only a few zhang wide. No, that was not water; it was Evil Qi so concentrated it had almost liquefied! The pool water was calm and waveless, yet it gave one a terrifying feeling that it could swallow everything at any moment.

Directly above the "pool," in the center of the mirror-smooth cliff face of Broken Blade Cliff, there was a huge, irregular hole, as if it had been forcibly melted and pierced through by something extremely hot. The edges of the hole still retained dark red traces, like cooled lava.

An indescribable pressure enveloped the entire Broken Blade Cliff area. Mixed into that pressure were endless waves of martial killing intent, towering resentment, and a trace of... scorching heat and sharpness that, even after endless years, had not completely extinguished, enough to incinerate the eight wildernesses!

Fang Hao and Crimson Phoenix stood at the edge of the basin, still a hundred zhang away from the Evil Qi pool, yet they already felt difficulty breathing, their circulation of Qi sluggish, and their Divine Soul felt as if it were being constantly struck by an invisible heavy hammer. Their ears were filled with the sound of billions of weapons clashing, battle cries shaking the heavens, and the roars and wails of those unwilling to fall!

"Such terrifying Evil Qi and pressure..." Fang Hao felt a chill in his heart. The concentration and quality of the Evil Qi here far exceeded everywhere else they had passed. That Evil Qi pool was likely one of the sources of the Evil Qi for the entire Valley of Buried Soldiers! And the aura remaining from that hole on Broken Blade Cliff... was the source of the soldier fiend spirit fire, and the place where that fallen expert’s final power erupted!

Crimson Phoenix’s breathing was also slightly rapid, a layer of fine sweat appearing on her beautiful face, but in her Phoenix eyes, a burning flame hotter than ever before ignited. She stared fixedly at the hole on Broken Blade Cliff, and at the strange, twisted, and vaguely visible space intertwined with dark red and pitch black below the hole and above the Evil Qi pool.

There, vaguely, one could see a head-sized, constantly changing flame burning quietly. The outer layer of the flame was as deep as ink, as if it could swallow all light, while inside, dark red, blood-like light danced, mixed with platinum sharpness. The flame’s shape changed constantly—sometimes like a saber, sometimes like a sword, sometimes like a spear—emitting a sharp, killing aura that made the Soul tremble, as well as a scorching high temperature that could incinerate all things!

soldier fiend spirit fire!

Just by glancing at it from afar, Fang Hao felt as if his Divine Sense were being sliced by countless tiny blades, and as if he were being thrown into a furnace to be scorched! Had his Divine Soul not been tenacious, and guarded by the Chaos Spiritual Power vortex, he likely would have been injured by this single glance.

"It really is the soldier fiend spirit fire! And... it’s even more powerful and pure than expected!" Crimson Phoenix’s voice carried uncontrollable excitement and a trace of trembling; clearly, the quality of this spirit fire exceeded her expectations. But immediately, her expression became even more solemn, "But what guards it... is also stronger."

Fang Hao followed her gaze, and his heart sank as well.

There, below the soldier fiend spirit fire, at the edge of the Evil Qi pool, a figure stood quietly.

It was not a physical entity, but a nearly solid figure condensed from countless dark red Evil Qi, phantom images of broken weapons, and an intense, inseparable resentment. It wore a tattered, ancient-style suit of armor, and held a broken, giant axe phantom that still exuded a towering, fierce aura. Although it just stood there quietly, it seemed to be the embodiment of the entire Valley of Buried Soldiers’ Evil Qi, martial aura, and resentment, exuding a suffocating, terrifying pressure!

Nascent Soul level! And it was at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage!

This Soldier Soul was even more powerful than Crimson Phoenix had anticipated! The Evil Qi radiating from its body had almost condensed into solid black armor, and the broken axe phantom in its hand had an aura that could seemingly split the heavens and earth. In its hollow eye sockets, two points of dark red flame danced, devoid of any emotion, only pure destruction, slaughter, and... endless malice toward intruders.

"Is this... a Soldier Soul?" Fang Hao whispered, feeling his throat go dry. The pressure alone made him feel his entire skeleton groaning under the strain, and the circulation of his Chaos Spiritual Power became sluggish. Was this the existence of a Middle Nascent Soul Stage? It was indeed a world of difference from the Golden Core Stage!

"It’s not just a Soldier Soul..." Crimson Phoenix’s voice was dry, carrying unprecedented solemnity. "Look at its armor and the axe shape... and the aura of that spirit fire... This Soldier Soul is likely not just formed from the remains of divine weapons; it very likely also fused with some of that fallen expert’s remaining Battle Intent and obsession! No wonder... no wonder this soldier fiend spirit fire is so pure, and no wonder the Evil Qi here is so heavy..."

A Soldier Soul that had fused with an expert’s lingering intent? Fang Hao’s heart sank. This meant that the Soldier Soul was not only powerful in strength but likely retained some of the combat consciousness and instincts from its previous life, making it even harder to deal with.

"What do we do now?" Fang Hao looked at Crimson Phoenix. Plans could not keep up with changes; the strength of this Soldier Soul far exceeded expectations. If they confronted it head-on, the two of them combined likely wouldn’t be enough.

Crimson Phoenix bit her lip, a trace of struggle flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination. She had prepared for this soldier fiend spirit fire for too long and had paid too much to give up now.

"The plan remains unchanged!" she said decisively, her tone carrying the determination of burning the bridges behind her. "Although this Soldier Soul is strong, its intelligence should not be high; it mainly relies on instinct and obsession to act. Moreover, it seems to have some connection with the Evil Qi pool and the soldier fiend spirit fire above, so it cannot easily leave too far. This is our only chance!"

She quickly transmitted her voice: "Do you see those dark red crystals at the edge of the Evil Qi pool, under the Soldier Soul’s feet? Those are ’fiend soul crystals,’ formed from the essence of the Evil Qi here. They are one of the sources of the Soldier Soul’s power and are also part of the nodes maintaining the seal here. I will use secret techniques and treasures to forcibly incite the soldier fiend spirit fire and attempt to collect it initially. This process will definitely enrage the Soldier Soul, and it will certainly attack me. What you need to do is, at the moment I incite the spirit fire and the Soldier Soul is enraged, destroy at least three fiend soul crystals at the fastest speed!"

"Destroy the fiend soul crystals?" Fang Hao’s eyes flashed as he looked at those crystals, which exuded dark red light and had vague, resentful faces appearing on them. "Will this weaken the Soldier Soul?"

"Correct! The fiend soul crystals are the key nodes through which it connects to the Evil Qi here and obtains power. Destroying them will weaken the Soldier Soul’s power in the short term, interfere with its connection to the Evil Qi pool and the soldier fiend spirit fire, and buy us time!" Crimson Phoenix spoke at a very fast pace. "At the same time, I will immediately take a ’Fiery Sun barrier-breaking pill’ to forcibly raise my cultivation and activate the ’Li Fire Cover’ to protect myself while attempting to collect the fire. You must hold off the weakened Soldier Soul before I succeed! This is our only chance!"

Fang Hao’s brain worked at high speed. Crimson Phoenix’s plan was very risky, but it sounded like the only feasible option at the moment. Destroy the fiend soul crystals, weaken the Soldier Soul, and buy time for Crimson Phoenix to collect the fire. The key was whether he could successfully destroy at least three fiend soul crystals the moment the Soldier Soul was enraged, and then withstand the frenzied attacks of even the weakened Soldier Soul.

"Destroying the fiend soul crystals is up to me. But holding off the Soldier Soul... even if weakened, I’m afraid it’s not something I can confront head-on," Fang Hao said in a deep voice.