Chapter 1028: An Unexpected Beneficiary?

Mo Wen gracefully alighted from his magical beam of light. He appeared like a calming glow, around him a smoldering landscape, choking in ash and heat. From a raging sea of flames, fiery flashes lit the dark walls of the subterranean abode.

He kept a steady gaze as he carefully approached the two adversaries. His eyes quickly shifted to Gu Jingman, and he immediately recognized the Red Lotus Hellfire. He did not expect that she would have hold of such a portentous artifact.

He had learned about the terrifying qualities of the artifact, during one of his encounters in the Immortal Cultivation World. But he assumed that the Red Lotus Hellfire was merely a legend. It hadn’t emerged for a long time, and was barely spoken of in recent times.

He tilted his head slightly, glancing at Shao Tianqi. Shao seemed sequestered in a glowing aura that emanated from the Red Lotus Hellfire. He stood rooted to the ground, not reacting to Mo Wen’s presence. His eyes were transfixed on the blood-hued crystal in front of him. The aura seemed to be holding him where he stood. A violent tremor shook the earth, he struggled to keep balance, but somehow stayed on his feet.

“Mo Wen?”

Gu Jingman called out weakly as she watched the young man step slowly towards her, then her jaw dropped slightly. Her body stiffened and panic set in, it was him! She struggled to maintain her composure, realizing the danger that Mo Wen had put himself in. She never wanted him to follow her, not here.

“Mo wen, what are you doing here? Hurry up and leave,” Gu Jingman cried out, a terrified expression broke on her face. The Red Lotus Hellfire would make no distinctions between friend or foe. The moment it unleashed, she would have no control over it. The entire Fire Domain would be destroyed, killing everything in its vicinity.

She was the keeper of the Hellfire. She would try to restrain it within her as long as she could, but she was losing control. A look of desperation replaced her calm demeanor. He was not supposed to be here, and now she wasn’t sure if it was too late for him to escape imminent death. Her plans went completely awry.

Admittedly, it was a hasty plan. Shao Tianqi had an evil reputation. When she found out that he had been in the Beast Lair, she immediately decided that she would set a trap to subdue him there. She knew that she would not match a master of the Tide Changing realm, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. If things got out of hand, she would use her Hellfire, she thought. She knew there had been very few Keepers that had survived the Hellfire, and that the odds would be almost naught. But she had to give it a shot, knowing Shao Tianqi would not survive it. Of course, she was only finding ways to justify her impulsive nature.

The truth was she had come to know Shao Tianqi was a known foe as well as the nemesis of Mo Wen. She couldn’t explain it, but her first thought was to kill this man. She had always felt a strong bond with Mo Wen. She had a great respect for his talents and his calmness in the face of impending danger. She had also taken by his kind nature and admired his dignified demeanor. She always felt light-hearted in his presence, like a big brother, but she never explored those feelings further. It just wasn’t the way of their order.

“Don’t come any closer. Leave, hurry and leave now…” Gu Jingman pleaded frantically, almost to the point of hysteria. She was desperate to make him leave, even as he continued to advance towards her.

Gu Jingman was shaking, turning pale with strain. She was trying hard to suppress the Hellfire using her inner Qi, hoping that would lessen the blast of pure energy the moment it unleashed. She looked at Mo Wen, he was still outside the aura of the Red Lotus Hellfire, and she did not intend for him to be trapped like Shao Tianqi would. If he fled now, there was still a chance he could survive.

“Hurry up and go, Mo Wen. You’ll die here if you stay here any longer. You still have a chance. I can’t control it any longer… leave now!”

A familiar voice then spoke, soothing her anxiety. It carried a gentle and assuring tone. “What would become of you if I left?” Mo Wen spoke kindly, shaking his head as if to indicate he intended to remain. “How could I leave you at a time like this?”

Gu Jingman grimaced, she felt a sense of impending doom, and the strain was too much to bear. Her heart heavy, conflicting emotions clouded her judgment. Fighting back her tears, she called out one last time, “Please, you’ve got to go now.”

“You’re too impetuous, haven’t you learned anything at all?” Mo Wen chided. “I never imagined you’d be this foolish. Who in their right mind would act so impulsively?” He carried on, determined to make his point heard, “Time is on your side, why the hurry to kill him? Don’t you see you’re playing into his hands? What makes you think you can survive the Hellfire?”

That stung. Gu Jingman was a little taken aback, as she stared blankly for a moment before she responded with a brief tirade. She said coldly, “You should go, I’m not listening to any of that. What I do is not your concern. Just leave now!” And for the shortest moment, she seemed in control of her heavy burden once again.

A dry, croaking voice suddenly broke out from Shau Tianqi, who had hitherto only stood in frozen silence, deep in the clasp of the Hellfire. Was it Gu Jingman’s momentary pique that freed him?

For the first time, he became aware of Mo Wen’s presence. All memory of the long-standing feud with his arch-rival were seemingly forgotten. “Aiya! Talk some sense into her. She’s gone mad, out of her mind!” He blabbered nervously. “She has no idea what she’s doing. You must stop her, or we will all die. We’ll all die for sure!” Whatever was left of his pride and dignity, thrown out the window.

Mo Wen barely heard Shao Tianqi. He kept his gaze at Gu Jingman, studying her closely. He didn’t speak a word, but instead walked calmly towards her. And there he slowly embraced her, gently pressing his white robes against the shimmering crystal mantle.

“W-what are you doing? You have to leave!” Gu Jingman could barely speak, she stiffened. She felt safe in his arms, but yet, her mind was screaming out for him to flee with godspeed. Confusion showed on her young face, now strained with the effort to contain the burning Hellfire.

Despite the perils that lay before him, he simply could not flee. He had a strong sense of righteousness, and he simply would not place his safety before hers.

Mo Wen had now merged with the Hellfire, but he showed little signs of succumbing to it. “Stay still,” Mo Wen said in a caring voice. She could only comply, and her entire body went soft and fell into his embrace, tears formed in her eyes.

Mo Wen was already entering an altered state. He had earlier summoned an ancient force, the Celestial Body, and a strange aura now emanated from his body. It had now arrived, as if emerging from a time, long forgotten.

The Celestial Body took the form of a giant, bearing two massive heads and four arms. It was well over 300 spans tall, and completely fitted out in a black suit of armor, his white robes no more.

Mo Wen was still uncertain if his Celestial Body could help Gu Jingman contain the Red Lotus Hellfire. Even the Ancients knew that it was not a force to be trifled with. Unleashing it would tear the immortal dimensions apart forever, the Green Ancient Dimension, the Peng Lai Immortal realm, would be no more. The entire Source World, and countless peoples would perish. A calamity of apocalyptical proportions, destroying all life as we knew it. No one would survive!

The Celestial Body spread over the blood-hued crystal, as if forming a protective shroud over it. It had by now grown to gigantic proportions, and appeared as if it could prop up the skies by just raising its hand. Carefully, it drew the Red Lotus Hellfire in.

Gu Jingman remained in his embrace, hidden from view entirely, tucked securely away within Mo Wen’s Celestial Body. It was colossal, seeming like it could easily swallow up the entire Heaven and Earth. It was an awe-inspiring sight!

Mo Wen’s decision to keep Gu Jingman within his Celestial Body was out of sheer desperation. But what other choice did he have?

He hoped that it could suppress the force of the Hellfire when it released its devastating burst of energy. It had only just begun to rouse, still stirring from its long slumber, and not fully awakened yet to its inherent destructive force. There was an outside chance that the Celestial Body would succeed.

He began to sense an overwhelming force swirling from within his core, swirling rapidly and threatening to break out. Perhaps the threat of the Hellfire had provoked this from the Celestial body. He was beginning to think that it was somehow possible to contain the Hellfire!

The Celestial Body was a heavenly path of remarkable power, and it was even greater than the power of a monk of the Divine Illusionary realm. It was governed by the rules of Heavenly Path, which represented the highest laws of heaven and earth. Mo Wen had summoned the Celestial Body before, but this time it felt very different.

Nearby, Shao Tianqi could only stare blankly at the immense aura, mouth agape in awe. What kind of remarkable power was this? Was it a Magical Astrological Field? A Demon God? He felt amazed and petrified, both at the same time.

Shao Tianqi was completely drained of his energy at this point, and was unable to gauge how Mo Wen was handling the crisis. He was more concerned about the red light emanating from within the Celestial Body. Could Mo Wen contain the Red Lotus Hellfire threat?

The glowing red light bobbed unpredictably about, intermittently burning brightly at certain times and dim at others, as if its powers were diminishing.

Mo Wen’s face was growing pale with the passing time, when suddenly he became aware of an overpowering sensation. A new omnipresent force seemed to be swirling around within his body. He did not know it then, but the rules of Heavenly Path had already started to get a measure of the Red Lotus Hellfire.

It felt like an impending battle was looming, but mighty as his Celestial Body was, it was still uncertain if it could withstand the vast energies that would soon be unleashed.

Cracks had now appeared on the tortured surface of his black armor. It was beginning to look like scorched earth, with cracks extending continuously in all directions. Blood bled from open wounds, staining his suit red.

Blood now flowed from all his orifices, it was a terrifying sight to behold!

Mo Wen remained deep in meditation, holding himself together. As immense energies ripped through him, would he survive the odds?

Hiss!

Mo Wen drew in a sharp, cold breath. He felt his body being torn asunder. Just as he was about to break, he felt a sudden change. Two strange beams of light, one white and the other purple, now formed within the Celestial Body. They were so bright that they illuminated the entire Fire Domain. The beams of light blazed majestically and appeared like the first light of the world.

“The Light of Creation and the Tai Chi Purple Light cometh!”

Mo Wen was elated! A sense of hope quickly returned to him. He had not summoned them, but yet here they were. Their energies were even greater than when he had invoked them before.

Mo Wen only had a rudimentary knowledge of the two great powers, and knew not how to wield them fully. He knew that, even from conception, these two powers were bonded with the Heavenly Path to form a trinity: one, a symbol of the Heavenly Path of Creation, and the other a symbol of the Heavenly Path of Tai Chi.

The principles of the Heavenly Paths were lofty, and belonged to a dimension far beyond his reach. A lesser monk such as Mo Wen would not fully fathom their full powers. These were no ordinary powers, and yet they appeared even without being summoned. Could this be due to the Red Lotus Hellfire?

The battle raged on.

Tai Chi Purple Light and the Light of Creation appeared as two streams of high energy, surging fiercely within the Celestial Body. Then a blinding light erupted, blazing across the landscape. Mo Wen stood motionless, his eyes wide open. He seemed oblivious to the mayhem, never before had he experienced such infinite power.

Time passed slowly, and a feeling of dread permeated the air.

The Red Lotus Hellfire was waning, slowly getting dimmer, and the tide of battle had shifted. Could the Hellfire be overcome?

The Red Lotus Hellfire is no more!

It was simply a miracle! The power of three Heavenly Paths, working in unison, had successfully arrested the threat of the Red Lotus Hellfire.

At the very moment that the last embers of Hellfire were snuffed out, Mo Wen awoke, and a glint returned to his eyes. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He had danced with death and survived the ordeal. The Light of Creation and the Tai Chi Purple Light were now healing his broken body.

“You have done it!” Shao Tianqi cried out in great relief. The Red Lotus Hellfire had finally been suppressed, and the threat to his life was over. Overcome with mixed emotions, he suddenly reminisced of blue skies, of green pastures from a time long past, and he felt his spirits rise again.

Mo Wen did not hide his look of disdain. Why would he be reminiscing when they were still deep within the bowels of the earth. There was nothing here but a vile landscape of molten rock and reeking fumes. Shao Tianqi was surely hallucinating!

His Celestial Body could not hold shape any longer, and it quickly returned to normal form. Next to him, Gu Jingman remained in silent repose, lying in Mo Wen’s warm embrace.

Urgh!

Mo Wen suddenly spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood. He had sustained grievous injuries this time. It was not difficult to imagine the amount of punishment his body had taken.

“Hahaha! My deepest gratitude to you, Mo Wen, for helping me take down the Red Lotus Hellfire! Why, you even sustained heavy injuries for it. How can I thank you?” Shao Tianqi roared teasingly. “Should I chop your head off and hang it at the entrance of the Petrification Cult? Or, have your body torn to pieces before hanging it up on the Petrification Mountain to let the hawks and falcons feast?”

Shao Tianqi continued in manic laughter, laughing so hard he was almost in tears. Mo Wen and Gu Jingman were both heavily injured, even just standing up proved an insurmountable task. In the end, Shao Tianqi had become an unexpected beneficiary. Gu Jingman lowered her head in despair at the thought of this.

Shao Tianqi had been long aware of Mo Wen’s peerless reputation. A demon was always a terrifying foe, but by containing the Hellfire, Mo Wen was now an even greater threat. What talent, just thinking about it sent chills down his spine. It was a good thing that he had discovered it when he did.

As luck would have it, they both now lay mortally injured right in front of him. They had become the proverbial meat on the chopping board, free to do as he pleased. What a windfall! Were this a dream, he would wake up jumping from laughter. Even Gu Jingman was no longer a threat to him, now that the Red Lotus Hellfire had been forcefully contained. There was no way she could unleash its powers again, within this short time. She was now nothing but a weak little girl.

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