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Chapter 644: Inferno City
Chapter 644: Inferno City
Within the vast expanse of the red lava caverns, there existed an exceptionally spacious mountain cave.
Vanggu Divine Lord appeared as an ordinary old man, his hair and beard all white, holding a simple bamboo staff. He approached from a distance and, upon reaching the mountain cave, turned his gaze towards Chen Mu within, and said with a smile,
"Little friend Chen, I never expected that our meeting would come so soon."
In reality, both Chen Mu and he had their incarnations in the Vangu Palace, conversing with each other. However, the meeting he referred to was not between their incarnations but their Divine Energy Incarnations. It could be said that this was the first time they had truly met.
Even before he expelled the Sorrow Blight Marquis and rescued the Great Xuan World, he had predicted that with Chen Mu's talent, he would undoubtedly become a Divine Lord in the future. But at that time, his Divine Energy Incarnation had already fallen into the Endless Abyss, and he had no idea when he would be able to escape. He never imagined that Chen Mu would join his Divine Energy Incarnation.
Initially, he had only hoped that some of his disciples would become Divine Lords, and then Chen Mu would also achieve the same, so that the Vangu Void's faction would grow stronger, easing some of the pressure on him.
However, the development of events always exceeded expectations.
Chen Mu's rapid cultivation speed left him in awe. In the beginning, he even considered how to nurture Chen Mu and did not directly bestow upon him any extraordinary resources that would aid his cultivation. This was to allow Chen Mu to accumulate strength and make a powerful breakthrough in the future. But to his surprise, Chen Mu achieved the Divine Lord realm without his assistance.
After becoming a Divine Lord, Chen Mu's cultivation progress remained astonishingly fast. In just a few tens of thousands of world years, he reached the threshold of the Eighth Heaven. This even made Vanggu Divine Lord doubt, suspecting that Chen Mu might truly be a reincarnated Ninth Heaven Divine Lord.
Nevertheless,
Even then, he never imagined that he would meet Chen Mu in the Endless Abyss.
Chen Mu, being hunted by the Demon Progenitor and Ming Fan Divine Lord, ultimately fell into the Endless Abyss together with the two of them, which also shocked Vanggu Divine Lord. It was as if it was destined by karmic cause and effect that Chen Mu fell into the very region of the Lava Caverns!
"The path of cultivation leads to the same destination, and both I and Senior Vanggu walk on this path. Naturally, there will be a day when we converge at the summit."
Hearing Vanggu Divine Lord's words, Chen Mu acknowledged him.
"Well said."
Vanggu Divine Lord couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, and sighed, "The Great Path leads to the same destination. Even in the vast and boundless universe, walking on this immortal path, as long as one keeps moving forward, they will eventually meet at the pinnacle."
Chen Mu also nodded slightly.
With different realms, levels, and perspectives, their understanding naturally differed. Initially, when he first stepped out of the Great Xuan World and entered the Vangu Void, he felt the vastness of the void and the endless universe, filled with countless unknowns.
But now, having achieved the Divine Lord realm and ascended to the Eighth Heaven, his gaze had already turned towards the Ninth Heaven and even the peak of the universe—the Great Path Venerable. This path, if followed to its end, would ultimately lead to the center of the vast universe.
"Let's go. Follow me to the Inferno City of the Flame Sun Sect. Although the Lava Caverns are not particularly dangerous, with your abilities, as long as you are cautious enough, you can avoid most threats. However, being alone is still too inconvenient."
Vanggu Divine Lord didn't chat with Chen Mu for too long, as their incarnations in the Vangu Palace had been discussing the various situations in the Lava Caverns and the Endless Abyss during this time.
"Alright."
Chen Mu responded briefly and followed Vanggu Divine Lord.
During this time, he had also experienced the inconveniences of being in the Lava Caverns, having to remain vigilant at all times, not daring to relax even a little. After all, no one knew what lurked behind the rock layers or if there were Abyss Beasts wandering around.
Although the Seventh Heaven Abyss Beasts were no threat to his strength, and it would take a certain number of Eighth Heaven beasts to pose a significant danger, he still had to stay alert at all times. This was because he couldn't predict when an Abyss Beast would emerge or determine their number and level. Even though the Lava Caverns were relatively stable and belonged to the 'shallow' region, it was still only relative.
It was quite normal for dozens of Eighth Heaven Abyss Beasts to suddenly appear.
Swish!
Following Vanggu Divine Lord, the journey became much smoother.
Chen Mu finally witnessed the strength of Vanggu Divine Lord, the peak Eighth Heaven Divine Lord Tyrant. Despite facing immense pressure in the Vangu Void while dealing with various factions, his Divine Energy Incarnation moved freely in the Lava Caverns.
Along the way, they occasionally encountered some Eighth Heaven Abyss Beasts blocking their path. If Chen Mu had been alone before, he would have immediately retreated to avoid combat. But Vanggu Divine Lord boldly took action, forcefully driving away all the beasts and continuing on.
The threshold of the Eighth Heaven and the peak of the Eighth Heaven were indeed worlds apart.
At the very least, Vanggu Divine Lord, standing at the peak of the Eighth Heaven, even alone in the Lava Caverns, rarely faced any threats. Even if he encountered Ninth Heaven Abyss Beasts, he was confident in his ability to escape.
Soon,
Chen Mu, following Vanggu Divine Lord, arrived at a peculiar cave.
This cave was incredibly spacious, extending for tens of thousands of miles, resembling a strange tube. Above was a dark abyss, and below was another dark abyss, both bottomless!
"This is the passage in the Lava Caverns that leads to different layers. You probably haven't seen it with your own eyes yet."
Vanggu Divine Lord briefly stated.
Chen Mu arrived at the edge of the rock cave and looked up at the dark expanse above. He felt that his vision couldn't reach the end, and even with his Void perception, it was difficult to sense the situation within.
The Void Energy here was beyond his ability to describe; it wasn't in a state of chaos, nor was it completely orderly. To be more precise, it was as if within the orderly Void, some other, different powers were infused, including Creation and Time!
The intertwining of various Great Path forces made the Void here difficult to fathom, and even more challenging to shake!
Then,
Chen Mu looked down, and it was equally bottomless and dark.
"From here, we enter the 19,742nd layer of the Lava Caverns?" Chen Mu asked.
"Indeed," Vanggu Divine Lord nodded slightly and said, "Near this passage, there are hardly any Abyss Beasts, making it a safe place. However, we can't stay here for too long. Once we linger for too long, the Void here will undergo some bizarre changes, attracting a vast number of Abyss Beasts. Even a Ninth Heaven Divine Lord would struggle to withstand them."
Chen Mu nodded slightly, already aware of this. It seemed like one of the special rules of the Endless Abyss, preventing beings from casually exploring these passages that crossed different 'layers'.
"Let's go."
Vanggu Divine Lord didn't rush Chen Mu, but he didn't wait long either. After Chen Mu observed the passage for a moment, Vanggu Divine Lord took a step forward and entered the passage.
Chen Mu hesitated for a moment, then focused his mind and followed closely behind Vanggu Divine Lord.
Buzz!
As soon as he stepped into the passage, Chen Mu immediately felt the difference.
According to his perception, this passage should have been extremely deep, an abyss extending for countless miles. But when he actually entered it, he discovered that it was like breaking through the surface of water and entering a pond.
The 'water' in this pond was Void Energy, a type he found difficult to comprehend. This Void Energy seemed to have its own life, flowing like blood, directly engulfing him within it.
Whoosh!
In just a brief moment, Chen Mu was swept away by the surging Void current and rushed out of the passage.
The instant he exited, Chen Mu stabilized his body and saw Vanggu Divine Lord standing not far away, along with another equally vast Lava Cavern. It looked almost identical to the previous one, but upon closer inspection, there were subtle differences.
"Let's go."
Vanggu Divine Lord saw Chen Mu's slightly solemn expression and didn't seem surprised by his reaction. He smiled calmly and sighed, "The path to the Divine Realm is long and arduous. At our level, we are already above countless Divine Realm cultivators in a single Void Seat, leaving them in awe. Yet, within these Lava Caverns, it's difficult to comprehend everything."
"When I first came to the Lava Caverns and crossed this passage, I was like you, wanting to understand the structure of the Void within. But despite my long years of comprehension and understanding of the Void, I still couldn't fathom its mysteries."
Hearing Vanggu Divine Lord's words, Chen Mu's expression eased slightly. He shook his head and said, "I can't see clearly either, but the Void Energy in that passage is not simple. It's not just the power of the Void Lineage; it seems to have merged with the mysteries of various Great Paths."
"Indeed."
Vanggu Divine Lord also nodded slightly and said, "The fusion of different Great Paths and their mysteries is almost inconceivable. At our level, we are far from understanding it."
Without further delay, Vanggu Divine Lord descended into the deep and dark Void passage.
Chen Mu followed closely behind.
In an instant, Chen Mu, accompanied by Vanggu Divine Lord, crossed four Void passages and finally arrived at a completely different rock cave. This cave no longer had a downward passage; there was only the path they had come from.
The structure of the Void passages crossing different layers within the Endless Abyss was complex and not entirely interconnected. Some areas had passages connecting multiple layers, while others only connected the layer above and below.
Vanggu Divine Lord's expression remained calm as he stepped out of the Void passage and waited for Chen Mu to follow. Once he saw Chen Mu, he strode forward, changing direction and swiftly headed in one direction within the Lava Caverns.
Chen Mu didn't linger and immediately caught up.
Vanggu Divine Lord had crossed nearly eight thousand layers of the Lava Caverns to find Chen Mu. Now, leading him back, they only needed to retrace their steps, a route Vanggu Divine Lord was very familiar with.
Chen Mu already had a detailed map of the Lava Caverns, also a gift from Vanggu Divine Lord. With Vanggu Divine Lord guiding the way, Chen Mu didn't need to spend much effort; he simply compared the map with the actual surroundings in his mind.
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
The Endless Abyss was vast and perilous, and as Chen Mu and Vangu Divine Lord traveled together, they encountered no life-threatening dangers. However, they did face several troublesome situations, each involving attacks from large numbers of Eighth Heaven Abyss Beasts. Fortunately, both Chen Mu and Vangu Divine Lord were experts in the Void Dao and of the Eighth Heaven realm, so they managed to retreat calmly each time.
After about thirty years in the World of Immortals, Chen Mu, following Vangu Divine Lord, finally crossed nearly eight thousand layers and arrived at Layer 27,682 of the Lava Caverns.
This was the location of Inferno City, the base of the Flame Sun Sect.
Inferno City, as it was called, was not an ordinary city built within the Lava Caverns. Almost nowhere in the Endless Abyss could sustain long-term habitation; prolonged stays would inevitably attract an endless stream of Abyss Beasts, eventually escalating into a massive Beast Tide!
Once it reached that point, even Ninth Heaven Divine Lords would struggle to escape.
Thus, all life within the Endless Abyss had to keep moving.
Inferno City, in reality, was a palace-like Superior Divine Armament, similar to Vangu Divine Lord's Vangu Palace. It hovered above a lava cave, appearing to the naked eye as a mere model of a city, only a few zhang in diameter. Though it looked small, it was, in fact, imbued with the esoteric power of the Void Dao, a Mustard Seed Universe.
As Chen Mu and Vangu Divine Lord approached Inferno City, the city began to gradually expand. The closer they got, the larger the city became. By the time they reached the top of the city wall, the entire city had transformed into an awe-inspiring giant, blocking out the sky.
Chen Mu's slight perception revealed that the interior of this giant city was filled with dense and powerful auras, almost all belonging to Divine Lord-level figures. A rough count revealed at least several thousand of them!
In other words, within this city, there were at least several thousand Divine Lords gathered. Even before Chen Mu and Vangu Divine Lord approached, several oppressive auras had spread out above the city. However, upon sensing Vangu Divine Lord's vital energy, these auras immediately dissipated.
"Brother Vangu, you've returned."
As Vangu Divine Lord stepped onto the city, a figure landed nearby and greeted him with a gentle tone. This figure wore a golden robe and had the appearance of a human, but his body was covered in fine golden scales. His face resembled an eagle's head, and his entire being exuded a profound aura, clearly another Eighth Heaven peak Divine Lord.
"Brother Peng Yu, thank you for your efforts," Vangu Divine Lord nodded slightly towards the eagle-headed being and then pointed at Chen Mu, "This is Lord Chen Mu."
The eagle-headed being, known as Peng Yu, seemed to have already heard about Chen Mu from Vangu Divine Lord. He looked at Chen Mu with a more relaxed gaze and nodded, "My name is Peng Yu, and I am one of the leaders of the Flame Sun Sect. Since Lord Chen Mu has come with Brother Vangu, I assume you are well aware of the rules of our sect and Inferno City."
Peng Yu knew from Vangu Divine Lord that Chen Mu was an Eighth Heaven Divine Lord, albeit barely meeting the threshold. Still, he was significantly more powerful than a Seventh Heaven cultivator, making him a valuable asset to the Flame Sun Sect.
"I have a general understanding," Chen Mu replied to Peng Yu.
Since the Endless Abyss offered no valuable resources, there was no competition, only the struggle for survival. All cultivators gathered together for this sole purpose.
The rules of the Flame Sun Sect and Inferno City were simple. By joining the sect, one could reside within Inferno City but also had to shoulder certain responsibilities. Members took turns performing two tasks: 'City Guard' and 'Patrol.'
City Guard, as the name suggested, involved guarding Inferno City.
Inferno City moved around within the Lava Caverns and often faced attacks from Abyss Beasts. In such situations, the Divine Lords on guard duty would take action, either killing or driving away the attacking beasts.
Patrol duty was similar. It involved patrolling a larger area around Inferno City because the Endless Abyss often saw gatherings of numerous Abyss Beasts, leading to Beast Tides. If Inferno City were to stumble into such a situation, the consequences could be dire. Therefore, Divine Lords were assigned to patrol specific areas to prevent such encounters.
With tasks came benefits. After taking on the City Guard or Patrol duty, members could stay within Inferno City until the next rotation, without the constant vigilance required when traveling alone.
Given the substantial number of Divine Lords in the Flame Sun Sect, the rotation period was relatively long. Chen Mu's willingness to join the sect was partly due to this arrangement. At least during the time when he wasn't on duty, he could enjoy a more relaxed existence, temporarily setting aside his concerns and focusing his energy on his Interface Avatar, fully dedicating himself to comprehending the Triple Mystic Fusion of the Void Dao.
(End of Chapter)
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