Chapter 493: Venturing into the Flaming Hot River! (6K)

Chapter 493: Venturing into the Flaming Hot River! (6K)



The Starry Sky Rift, as it's called, actually occupies more than ninety percent of the Mortal Realm.

When the areas covered by the plane origins of tens of thousands of dimensional planes are added up, they don't even amount to ten percent.

However, each dimensional plane gives birth to countless life-bearing planets and, under the guidance of the plane origin, gradually develops 'intelligent life.' It is this life that makes the various dimensional planes extremely fascinating.

The vast 'Starry Sky Rift' is a breeding ground for countless treasures, attracting beings from various planes to venture into it.

After all, while each dimensional plane gives birth to a large number of ordinary lives, the number of treasures that emerge is much smaller.

Over the long years, with the accumulation of vast amounts of intelligence, some of the dangerous and treasure-filled areas within the Starry Sky Rift have gradually acquired names.

The Flaming Hot River is one such famous treasure trove.

...

At the outskirts of the Flaming Hot River.

An inconspicuous wormhole, with space slightly distorted, a figure in black emerges from within.

"We've reached the 89th region of the Flaming Hot River's outskirts. If we go any further, we'll be in the true 'Flaming Hot River.'" Li Yuan gazed ahead.

In the distance, a vast, fiery red river hung in the void, its width and height exceeding millions of miles, and its length reaching over a hundred million miles.

"It's called a river, but it's actually composed of countless small celestial bodies with fire attributes, along with countless flame currents that have converged to form it." Li Yuan thought to himself.

How did the Flaming Hot River come to be? How was it born?

No one knows.

In the historical records of various civilizations, it has existed here for tens of millions of years.

"It's truly amazing that there are countless wormholes in the Mortal Realm." Li Yuan said softly, "If we were to fly here from the Seven Star Civilization, it would probably take millions of years."

"But through the wormhole, we arrived in just three days."

Li Yuan's flying speed, without using the 'Void Traverse' technique, is now over a hundred kilometers per second, comparable to the normal flying speed of a Void Deity at their limit.

Xiao Bing's flying speed is even more astonishing.

The distance covered by their flying speed alone suggests a vast separation, likely over a hundred light-years.

The entire Mortal Realm is even more expansive.

"Indeed, it's amazing." Xiao Bing said, "If the tens of thousands of dimensional planes in the Mortal Realm didn't have numerous star realms and wormholes connecting them, they would probably be isolated, with almost no way to connect with each other."

"In the Divine Realm, communication and travel between countless planets are made possible by natural wormholes and man-made teleportation arrays."

"But some of the strongest beings among the True Gods have comprehended the laws of space to an extraordinary degree."

"The Heaven Gods have grasped the laws of heaven."

"They are capable of using 'Void Teleportation' to travel effortlessly and even directly cross entire star domains." Liu Bing said, "There's a profound mystery in the workings of heaven and earth."

Li Yuan nodded slightly. This was his first time traveling through the Starry Sky Rift, and he naturally felt the profound mystery in the workings of heaven and earth.

The countless wormholes in the Mortal Realm, even if Heaven Gods tried to forcefully destroy them, would quickly regenerate, connecting various places in the Mortal Realm...

Powerful beings like Heaven Gods may destroy countless planes, but after a long time, new dimensional planes will emerge again.

This includes within the dimensional planes themselves, where numerous life-bearing planets will form 'Star Realm Passages' with their core planets.

These are the various rules of the workings of heaven and earth.

"Let's go, we'll reach the 88th region after passing through another wormhole." Li Yuan said softly, "Lie Qing Zhen Shen is already waiting for us."

The countless wormholes in the Mortal Realm are incredibly complex. Some civilizations with shallow accumulations would have no knowledge of the specific locations and destinations of these wormholes.

But Li Yuan, after annihilating the Demon Civilization, obtained a vast amount of intelligence about the wormholes. He also formed an alliance with Lie Qing Zhen Shen, gaining access to over ten million years of wormhole intelligence accumulated by their civilization.

This intelligence could save the Seven Star Civilization from spending a vast amount of time accumulating their own knowledge.

Soon after.

As soon as Li Yuan flew out of the wormhole, he sensed a powerful being hiding in the starry sky hundreds of kilometers away.

It had a body length of over ten meters, with a huge tail and ferocious teeth, but also six hoof-like claws. Its body was covered in dark scales that seemed to merge with the surrounding space, concealing its aura as it kept watch on the wormhole.

"A Black Crocodile Clan member? A Demigod?" Li Yuan glanced at the being.

In the Mortal Realm, among the countless dimensional planes, the 'humanoid races' are the most numerous, making up over half.

Civilizations like the Demon Civilization and the Immortal Ruin Civilization are humanoid races.

However, there are also numerous other intelligent races.

Even among humanoid races, due to differences in plane and planetary environments, their physical appearances can vary.

Lie Qing Zhen Shen, for example, is also a humanoid race, but with a height of a hundred meters, they belong to the giant category.

The Black Crocodile Clan, on the other hand, is a race that depends on the Immortal Ruin Civilization.

"Are you here to investigate?"

"Could you be a subordinate of Chi Yan Zhen Shen?" Yuan, being here to hunt True Gods, was naturally extremely cautious. He had been perfectly blending into the spatial layer, swiftly passing by.

From start to finish.

This Black Crocodile Clan powerhouse had no inkling of Li Yuan's presence.

With Li Yuan's current strength, eradicating ten thousand ordinary Demigods with a single thought was effortless... With his mastery of spatial laws, evading the senses of an ordinary Demigod was a simple task.

Huff!

After flying tens of thousands of miles, Li Yuan finally arrived at the star coordinates conveyed by Lie Qing Zhen Shen.

"Lie Qing Zhen Shen," Li Yuan released his divine sense, sensing a figure thousands of kilometers away.

It was extremely challenging for True Gods to conceal their presence from each other.

Boom! Lie Qing Zhen Shen took a step forward, each stride covering a thousand kilometers, swiftly reaching Li Yuan's front.

Sensing this through his divine sense, Li Yuan was secretly amazed, "Such incredible speed, and this might not even be Lie Qing Zhen Shen's fastest."

"I can now perform Void Traverse, and with just a flash, I can cover 500 kilometers per second." Li Yuan thought to himself, "I'm almost at the level of a True God."

In Jue Xing Continent, space was extremely stable, and even the strongest True God cultivators could only fly at a speed of a thousand kilometers per second. However, in the Mortal Realm, space was evidently not as stable.

The divine sense range, flight speed, and destructive power of powerful cultivators would be even more terrifying.

According to Li Yuan's knowledge, some True Gods who specialized in speed could, with their full power, accelerate to tens of thousands of kilometers per second in the endless starry sky, which was quite normal.

"Li Yuan, your soul has broken through to the True God realm?" Lie Qing Zhen Shen approached, his heart filled with surprise.

"Mm." Li Yuan nodded, "After eight years of secluded cultivation, I've made some achievements."

There was no need to hide it, as they would reveal their full power during the upcoming battle anyway.

"Impressive! No wonder you're a Purple Robe Godson." Lie Qing Zhen Shen praised, "It's extremely rare for a Demigod to possess a Voidgod-level soul."

"A soul at the True God level? This is the first time I've seen or heard of it." Lie Qing Zhen Shen sighed.

Although he had wandered in the Divine Realm, it was limited to the Mo He Star Domain. He had seen very few Heaven Gods, so he wasn't aware of the significance of a Demigod having a True God-level soul.

"With such a powerful soul, I'm much more confident." Lie Qing Zhen Shen smiled, "Tell me, what's your plan?"

"First, let's go to Flame Rainbow Star." Li Yuan said, "Then, I'd like you to lure Chi Yan out of his lair. As for the rest, I have my own methods to deal with it."

"Luring him out is easy!" Lie Qing Zhen Shen said.

He had fought with Chi Yan Zhen Shen in Flaming Hot River more than once and was very familiar with this area.

Most of the intelligence Li Yuan possessed was provided by Lie Qing Zhen Shen.

...

Lie Qing Zhen Shen, accompanied by Li Yuan and Liu Bing, swiftly flew towards the depths of Flaming Hot River.

Along the way, Li Yuan witnessed some of the dangers of Flaming Hot River.

Like the incredibly fast 'Flaming Meteor'...

Occasionally, a spatial rift would appear, swallowing up much of the surrounding matter...

And the most common danger, the 'Flame Current'...

"These dangers can be fatal to Demigods if they're not careful." Lie Qing Zhen Shen transmitted with a smile, "Even Voidgods face the risk of falling if they encounter spatial rifts."

Li Yuan listened.

Flaming Hot River posed a significant threat to Demigods and Voidgods, making it one of the top five super-dangerous places in the Mortal Realm.

For Lie Qing Zhen Shen, it was like strolling through his own garden, without any danger.

"Flaming Hot River is a harsh environment, but it also nurtures many treasures, attracting numerous powerful cultivators from the Mortal Realm." Lie Qing Zhen Shen said, "However, thousands of years ago, Chi Yan Zhen Shen arrived here and gradually occupied the area."

"Flaming Hot River is also an excellent place to sense the Fire Law."

Huff!

Lie Qing Zhen Shen and Li Yuan sensed a Demigod over ten thousand kilometers away, cautiously moving forward.

"Besides the strong cultivators from Immortal Ruin Civilization and their allies, other civilization strong cultivators will be expelled."

"These Demigods are probably from Immortal Ruin Civilization."

"If we reveal ourselves and are noticed, Chi Yan will likely find out."

"They're just small fries, no need to pay attention to them."

Li Yuan listened, absorbing Lie Qing Zhen Shen's experiences from exploring various dangerous places in the starry skies.

In Jue Xing Continent, Li Yuan had ventured into the Dragon Blood Realm and the Lonely Cloud World, but these places were fundamentally different from the dangerous starry skies.

Three hours later.

After Li Yuan and Lie Qing Zhen Shen traveled nearly a million kilometers.

They finally reached their destination - Flame Rainbow Star.

It was a crimson planet, not too massive, with a diameter of less than ten thousand kilometers.

"Flame Rainbow Star is one of the three main bases of Immortal Ruin Civilization in Flaming Hot River.

Flaming Hot River, the delicious surprise and the camaraderie between the two cultivators, they will surely face challenges and adventures await them?

This is the ultimate trump card move.

"Hmm, leave it to me." Lie Qing Zhen Shen nodded, then proceeded forward with Li Yuan and Liu Bing for tens of thousands of kilometers.

He transformed into a stream of light, merging into the space, and swiftly approached Flame Rainbow Star.

...

The surface of Flame Rainbow Star was scorching hot, devoid of any living creatures.

Within the planet, there stood a majestic palace, over a hundred kilometers tall, entirely forged from dark red rocks, emanating a terrifying aura.

This was the true headquarters.

Inside the palace, on the topmost floor, over a hundred Demigods gathered.

"It's so much more comfortable to be back at headquarters." A powerful warrior in blue battle armor took a big gulp of wine and laughed, "Here, we don't have to worry about danger at all."

"Right."

"For the past few years, I've been wandering in the Flaming Hot River, every day filled with anxiety, fearing sudden spatial rifts that could kill us." Another Half-Deity from the Black Toad Clan spoke.

"It's a pity that the war to invade Seven Star Civilization a decade ago didn't succeed. Otherwise, we could have annihilated Seven Star Civilization, completely occupied it, and easily entered the Nine Leaves Nine Mountains of Immortal Ruins."

Another Half-Deity from Immortal Ruin Civilization sighed, "Why bother searching for treasures in the Flaming Hot River? It's too arduous."

"Hmm, Immortal Ruins Civilization is indeed a treasure trove." Another strong Black Robe member said, "It's just a pity that the normal entry route is too dangerous. Over a hundred people couldn't survive it."

Historically, Immortal Ruins Civilization organized a large number of Half-Deities to attempt entering the Nine Leaves Nine Mountains, resulting in heavy casualties.

"It's said that in these years, Seven Star Civilization has birthed over a hundred life planets. I fear they will become a significant threat to our Immortal Ruins Civilization in the future."

These Half-Deities, whether from Immortal Ruins Civilization or their allies, chatted casually.

Suddenly...

"Boom!!! A terrifyingly powerful domain fluctuation erupted, and countless yellowish-brown air currents, imbued with immense power, enveloped the entire palace, including the nearby array areas, in an instant.

The array on Flame Rainbow Star was only meant to defend against Voidgods. How could it possibly withstand a True God?

Bang! Bang! Bang! The entire palace, towering at over a hundred kilometers, shattered instantly, and the incredibly sturdy rocks disintegrated into the most fundamental particle streams.

"Ah~~"

"What's happening?"

"An attack?" Nearly two hundred Half-Deities, some meditating, some resting, and some eating and chatting, were all instantly killed, barely affected by the yellowish-brown air currents.

All perished! Among these over a hundred Half-Deities, there was only one at the Half-Deity limit, and even he couldn't withstand the attack.

...

About a thousand kilometers above Flame Rainbow Star.

Lie Qing Zhen Shen stood in the void, overlooking everything below.

With him as the core, a gigantic yellowish-brown sphere with a diameter of five thousand kilometers had formed.

The surface of the sphere had countless yellowish-brown air currents raging, resembling the birth of a gaseous planet.

True God Domain!

As a True God expert, he had reached the ninth level in the law of earth, and his power was absolutely terrifying when unleashed.

The domain was one of his most proficient techniques.

Upon his arrival, his divine sense immediately enveloped the planet, confirming the enemy's location, and he attacked without hesitation.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The terrifying air currents annihilated everything on the ground, penetrating deep into the planet's core, causing all the tectonic plates to shatter, and the power spread throughout the entire planet.

The ground shattered!

Lava surged!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Flame Rainbow Star, a well-known planet in the Mortal Realm, had its sturdiest core shattered, and the entire planet disintegrated into enormous fragments.

From then on, Flame Rainbow Star ceased to exist.

"It's a True God!"

"It's Lie Qing Zhen Shen!" Within the terrifying domain that enveloped thousands, two figures struggled desperately against the domain's assault.

They were two Voidgods from Immortal Ruins Civilization! As Voidgods, their ability to survive was far superior to Half-Deities... Of course, this was also because Lie Qing Zhen Shen didn't deliberately attack them.

Otherwise, under the domain's air current assault, unless they possessed Voidgod limit combat power, death was certain.

The gap between Voidgods and True Gods was insurmountable.

"Send a message to Chi Yan."

"Tell him I'm here today to avenge the 'Dongzhui Tree'." Lie Qing Zhen Shen's eyes turned cold, and his voice carried over, "If he comes, these two young ones might live."

"If he doesn't come, don't blame me."

Under the domain's suppression, the two Voidgods couldn't move an inch, and they frantically sent messages to their elder.

...

Tens of thousands of kilometers away in the void.

Li Yuan and Liu Bing witnessed everything.

"Big brother, the power of a True God is indeed terrifying." Liu Bing stared intently, "Without using treasures, I wouldn't last a single move against Lie Qing Zhen Shen."

With the birth of the domain, the planet shattered.

Even though Flame Rainbow Star was a smaller planet, the sheer force was still awe-inspiring.

Compared to the battle between Li Yuan and the Eastern Demon Voidgod on Demon Mountain Star, where the aftermath affected the continent's tectonic plates, the destruction of Flame Rainbow Star was on a different level.

"Regarding the comprehension of the Laws, Lie Qing may not necessarily be stronger than us." Li Yuan spoke softly, "But the power of True Gods is far greater, and their Source Power is far beyond ours."

"The Source Power of an average True God is a million times that of an average Demigod."

"Even if I were a Nine-Star Pulse Demigod, his Source Power should still be tens of thousands of times stronger than mine."

This doesn't even take into account the gap in Star Arts, artifacts, and other aspects.

The most powerful Nine-Star Pulse Demigod, cultivating the Ninth Level Stellar Pulse, even with the comprehension of a Heaven Deity, would only have a chance to reach the threshold of a True God.

The fundamental reason is the vast difference in Source Power foundations.

"Hmm." Liu Bing nodded, "However, it shouldn't be difficult to kill with the help of protective artifacts."

Just like Li Yuan had the Dao Protection Treasure.

She received the God King's legacy, and she also had her own protective treasures.

"Artifacts are for safeguarding one's life, don't use them lightly." Li Yuan smiled, "Alright, Xiao Bing, it's your turn. Set up the battlefield."

Bringing Liu Bing here was not for her to fight.

"Okay."

Liu Bing transformed into a streak of green light and flew out, quickly spreading her wings, and in her claws appeared an intricately carved artifact.

Discs, banners, array stones, and void crystals... A large number of artifacts used for setting up arrays were continuously taken out by her.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Numerous artifacts flew into the void like meteors, and soon they merged into the void.

Several minutes later.

"Big brother, in this thirty-thousand-kilometer void, the 'Void Confinement Array' granted to me by Master, together with the 'Heaven and Earth Reversal Array', have both been fully set up." Liu Bing transmitted her voice.

Indeed!

Arrays!

Li Yuan brought Liu Bing along because she had many treasures that he himself didn't possess, such as the two True God-level arrays before him... These were granted by Qinghong Heaven God when they were in Jue Xing Continent.

Unlike Li Yuan.

The highest level of Jue Xing Ancient City didn't fully trust Li Yuan, and the Dreamstone was still exchanged by Jiang Yuan Heaven God...

Qinghong Heaven God, however, valued Liu Bing immensely, granting her a large number of treasures. These treasures, when added together, were still not as valuable as the Dreamstone, but each had its own use, and could play a significant role in the Demigod and True God stages.

"Good, hand over the cores of the two great arrays to Lie Qing True God." Li Yuan transmitted his voice, "In the hands of a True God, these arrays can unleash sufficient might."

These two great arrays were primarily for binding.

Whoosh!

After the two Void Deities communicated, Lie Qing True God had already captured and restrained their Six Senses, and rushed back.

"These two great arrays?"

Lie Qing True God, upon receiving the cores of the arrays, slightly sensed and refined them, and exclaimed in surprise, "To set up these so quickly, it must have been refined by an Array Master."

"Such arrays, I couldn't afford them in the Divine Realm." Lie Qing True God smiled.

"Li Yuan's Godson, your Sky Snake is quite formidable." Lie Qing True God praised, "With the help of these arrays, relying on my own strength, I have a twenty percent chance of killing Zhich Yan True Deity."

At this moment, Lie Qing True God's confidence greatly increased.

His strength was originally stronger, but every time they clashed, it was difficult to keep Zhich Yan True Deity... Now with the help of the great arrays, his chances will greatly increase.

"The only concern now is whether Zhich Yan will come." Li Yuan spoke in a low voice.

"Our alliance has never been exposed." Lie Qing True God smiled, "This Flame Rainbow Star is his territory, and I'm slaughtering here. If he doesn't dare to come, he'll lose all face."

"He and I are the only two from the Mortal Realm. In the past, I've also challenged him many times."

"Hmm." Li Yuan nodded.

This battle is a well-planned scheme, and the reason for coming to Flaming Hot River is to lower Zhich Yan True Deity's guard.

However, Li Yuan and Lie Qing True God won't proactively attack deep into the other's lair, as the chances of winning would be too low.

...

As Lie Qing True God expected.

Nine Flame Star.

Here, one of the three major bases of Immortal Ruin Civilization in Flaming Hot River, and also Zhich Yan True Deity's true lair.

Inside the grand palace.

"Lie Qing!!!"

"Lie Qing!!!"

"Lie Qing!!!" Zhich Yan True Deity had already received the news and let out a series of angry roars.

These roars echoed throughout the grand palace, startling the two Void Deities resting inside, while the hundreds of Demigods were taken aback.

These Demigods actually weren't very clear about the existence of Zhich Yan True Deity.

But those two Void Deities knew.

"What's wrong?"

"What could make the great True God angry?" The two Void Deities were anxious in their hearts.

Boom!

Zhich Yan True Deity had already transformed into a flame torrent and instantly rushed out of the palace, directly exiting Nine Flame Star.

"This Lie Qing."

"To suddenly attack, there must be some preparation."

"Difficult to say, is it related to Li Yuan? But he's just a Demigod, what can he do?" Zhich Yan True Deity's eyes turned cold.

"The killing artifact of a True God? Even Heaven Deities find it difficult to grant such artifacts."

"Regardless, to dare to kill in my territory, I will never back down." Zhich Yan True Deity also had his own pride.

At the fastest speed, he rushed towards Flame Rainbow Star.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end