The Crimson Lotus Secret Realm’s Guardian

“Where are we going?” Su Han asked, a hint of confusion in her voice as she watched Luo Shang and Bai Que, who were stealthily moving ahead of her.

“To continue our SS-rank mission,” one replied.

“We’re exploring the Crimson Lotus Secret Realm!” the other added.

“What is that?”

“Shhh, don’t speak,” one of them whispered. “Just follow us.”

…

A prolonged bird cry, accompanied by a flash of fire, echoed through the air. A sound, akin to a fiery phoenix, whistled directly towards Su Han and her companions.

“Damn it, it’s a magic trap!” Luo Shang exclaimed, drawing his staff. He turned back to Su Han, offering a gentle smile. “Watch over him; I’ll handle the rest!”

A nearly transparent light barrier enveloped Su Han and Bai Que, encasing them securely. Facing this sudden emergency, Luo Shang wasted no time chanting spells. Several instant-cast spells erupted, immediately neutralizing the incoming fiery phoenix.

Yet, this was far from over. A continuous chorus of long cries erupted, as countless firebirds formed a blazing meteor shower, converging upon Luo Shang.

“Half-Moon Slash!” With a powerful swing of his staff, like a greatsword cleaving the air, a crescent-shaped surge of energy devoured the multitude of fire spirits.

“It seems there’s more than one Fire Spirit Gem here,” Bai Que remarked with a derisive chuckle, as Luo Shang remained silent. “Feng Ming certainly had grand ambitions! To lay such an extravagant barrier in the place where his nirvana failed, especially for someone long lost to the river of history—what a waste of natural treasures!”

Each of these Fire Spirit Gems was worth millions of green crystal coins, yet they were virtually priceless. For professions that didn’t rely on magic, acquiring a Fire Spirit Gem meant possessing a cherished treasure. It was akin to having a fire elemental spirit, capable of transforming into various fiery forms for combat.

The fire spirits summoned from these gems varied among individuals. Some manifested as firebirds, others as fire lions, and even flame slimes could be conjured. These spirits could be nurtured with fire elemental magic, evolving to possess a Fire Soul—the ultimate, sentient Fire Phoenix form.

However, summoning unique fire spirits like fire dragons or fire elves typically required sheer luck or the use of bloodline secret arts, nourished by sacrificial blood.

Indeed, a knight wielding a Fire Spirit Gem would be a true nightmare for any fire mage. The mage’s proud fire magic would be rendered utterly ineffective, unable to harm even a single hair on the knight.

All fire elemental spells cast by the mage would be devoured as nourishment by the fire spirit, allowing the knight to charge fearlessly, swinging their greatsword without a hint of hesitation at the arrogant mage.

On the front lines, Luo Shang’s right hand continuously wielded his staff, tracing elegant arcs in the air. Golden threads, densely woven, became visible, suspended like an intricate web above them.

“What is that?” Su Han blurted out, her mind recalling techniques from fantasy novels as she observed the array Luo Shang was setting up. “Is it the ‘Great Sun Blazing Heaven Wheel’… summoning spell?”

“Pah! Luo Shang doesn’t specialize in fire magic at all,” Bai Que scoffed. “He wields the incredibly rare Holy Spirit magic! That’s a Holy Spirit Array, designed specifically to break this Fire Spirit Barrier!”

As the array’s setup reached completion, Luo Shang uttered a soft command: “Gate of the Sanctuary!”

Suddenly, a grand temple gate materialized in the air. At its apex, a pair of ethereal, translucent wings, delicate as cicada wings, stretched out on either side, radiating a sacred aura.

With a gentle flutter of the wings, the temple doors slowly began to part, unleashing an overwhelming tide of Holy Spirit elemental energy. It diffused through the air like a dense mist, so potent it seemed capable of dripping with spiritual essence.

Su Han and Bai Que stood quietly to the side. They understood their inability to directly assist, their only role being to maintain vigilance over their surroundings and avoid disturbing Luo Shang’s concentration.

“This Fire Spirit Barrier was created by an inscription array driving the Fire Spirit Gems,” Luo Shang mused. “Thousands of years ago, it would have been impenetrable for me. However, after millennia, the dense fire elemental energy within these gems has gradually faded, leaving precious little behind.”

“If my guess is correct, each of these Fire Spirit Gems once housed a Fire Phoenix. Now, they’ve degenerated into mere low-level firebirds. If I can’t even break this barrier now, my title of ‘Human Sovereign’ would truly be undeserved!”

‘Feng Ming, you were far too arrogant and conceited back then,’ Luo Shang thought, a respectful solemnity in his gaze, even for a fallen adversary. ‘Perhaps that was the reason for your demise. You looked down upon dwarves, never realizing the incredible power of their alchemy. If you had integrated an alchemical array into your inscription array, I believe the fire elemental energy within these Fire Spirit Gems would never have diminished, and I would have been utterly incapable of breaking this Fire Spirit Barrier…’

Both inscription arrays and alchemical arrays require magic crystals for energy. Over time, even the most potent magic crystals gradually weaken, preventing the arrays from maintaining their original design and effectiveness.

A slight drop in power might be tolerable, but if it degrades to the point of complete inactivity, it’s akin to leaving a door wide open for anyone to walk in and take what they please.

However, a magic mechanism created by combining an inscription array with an alchemical array would suffer no energy loss, provided it remained undisturbed.

“Why all the unnecessary talk?” Bai Que interjected. “You only met him once in the river of time. Is there any need for such camaraderie and nostalgia for his past?”

Luo Shang offered no reply. Instead, he gazed at the patterns on the wall, then gently closed his eyes, tapping his index finger lightly against the surface. The wall, adorned with hundreds of Fire Spirit Gems and intricate carvings, collapsed with a thunderous roar.

Its fiery elements transformed into countless starlike motes, returning to the supreme rules of the Aertia Continent.

With the wall’s collapse, their vision suddenly broadened. The exit revealed a self-contained, small world—a space entirely composed of fire. A scorching and pungent aura washed over them.

Beneath their feet, bright yellow magma flowed slowly, bubbling like boiling golden liquid, constantly forming and then bursting with soft, popping sounds.

This entire realm was a world crafted from fire elements, where the concentration of fire energy reached its absolute peak, akin to a natural domain of flame magic. Within this space, no other elements existed besides fire, and as Su Han stepped in, the dragon blood within her veins began to boil.

“No, this isn’t logical!” Su Han exclaimed, her brows furrowed deeply as profound doubt instantly rose in her heart.

She knew that fire was the most volatile of all elements, which typically made fire magic the strongest in terms of attack power among spells of the same rank (though lightning elements boasted the greatest destructive force). Similarly, fire-attributed demonic beasts were inherently more powerful at equivalent levels.

Given fire’s intrinsically violent nature, how could fire elements be forcibly condensed to purely construct an entire world?

As if discerning the confusion in Su Han’s mind, Bai Que spoke, “This is the Crimson Lotus Secret Realm. While theoretically, a world cannot be composed solely of fire elements, this particular space is exceptionally unique.”

The Crimson Lotus Secret Realm exists beyond the Aertia Continent and the Underworld, forming its own distinct realm. Its spatial structure is incredibly stable, even more resilient than the Underworld itself.

Furthermore, it is minuscule compared to the Aertia Continent, making the creation of a fire elemental world within it less astonishing.

“As you know, this place isn’t natural. It was created by someone named Feng Ming. This was once his nirvana grounds, but after his nirvana failed, the area was sealed.”

With a thunderous rumble, the ground suddenly collapsed, revealing a bottomless chasm.

The Dragon Tomb, long hidden from the world, reappeared, though it was now utterly dilapidated.

“Oh? The scent of dragons~” Zhan Ling murmured, licking his lips before diving headfirst into the massive pit.

His gray-black wings flapped violently, stirring up a blazing gale. Dragon souls, buried deep within the earth, resurfaced once more. With a wide-open maw, Zhan Ling devoured countless dragon souls.

‘It’s a good thing I found them in time, otherwise all these delicious dragon souls would have been purified by holy power,’ he thought. ‘I felt something was off earlier, a familiar scent lingering. Who could it have been?’

Dragon souls were a great tonic for the Fallen Angel lineage. Although most had been purified by Luo Shang’s holy power, they still constituted a delicious feast for Zhan Ling.

Typically, an elemental world is guarded by a sacred beast. So, who would be the guardian within this fire elemental realm?

Would it be a fire dragon, a fire phoenix, or perhaps a fire elf? Could it even be a seraphim?

A vast river of magma flowed slowly. Within its fiery expanse, on a black stone platform spanning thousands of square meters, clearly sculpted by artificial means, a demon with fleshy wings pierced by eighteen black chains struggled and roared.

These eighteen black chains, originating from a black abyss gate, were only as thick as a human wrist, appearing slender compared to the demon’s colossal frame. Yet, despite the demon’s constant, clanking struggles, there was no sign of them loosening.

With the demon’s ceaseless thrashing, the black stone platform beneath it also emitted thunderous roars, as if it could be shattered at any moment.

“Damn it, I thought the guardian beast would be a red dragon, or at most a seraphim,” Bai Que cursed, his voice laced with disbelief. “How in the hell is it a demon?!”

“A monster from the eighty-third layer of the Abyssal Demon Realm, how could it be here?!” Luo Shang pondered, stroking his chin in thought.

“Fire dragons and fire phoenixes are both dominant Yang-attribute fire elements,” Luo Shang explained. “Only a demon possesses the evil, feminine Yin-attribute fire. For Feng Ming to achieve nirvana, he would have needed a balance of Yin and Yang!”

“What?!” Bai Que exclaimed, utterly shocked. “Feng Ming actually used demon blood to harmonize his own bloodline for nirvana? This… did he violate the rules of the phoenix clan?!”

“That’s precisely why he failed,” Luo Shang stated.

“I see…”

Listening to the exchange between Bai Que and Luo Shang, Su Han became pensive. She committed everything to memory, slowly processing it in her mind:

1. Bai Que and Luo Shang were undertaking an extremely dangerous SS-rank mission.

2. While Bai Que’s physical combat strength was formidable, he could only unleash it intermittently. Luo Shang, on the other hand, was truly powerful, wielding Holy Spirit magic that ordinary people could not comprehend.

3. Based on speculation, Bai Que might be of the Asura race, possessing some kind of Asura Physique. Luo Shang was likely human, known as the ‘Human Sovereign,’ and possessed the Human Sovereign Physique.

4. This place was the site of a phoenix genius, Feng Ming’s, failed nirvana, and sealed within was a god-tier abyssal demon—a demon!

Luo Shang sighed helplessly, then said, “Bai Que, take the Solidifying Pill and escape with Su Han. I’ll hold them off here!”

“Do you think I would flee? Do you really believe I’m that selfish?” Bai Que retorted. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay and fight alongside you! This demon is nothing more than a mere bug in my eyes; just let me, your young master, deal with it!”

“Hahaha!” Luo Shang burst into laughter, naturally familiar with Bai Que’s temperament. “Very well then, we shall stay and fight together! But what about her?” Luo Shang asked, gesturing towards Su Han.

“Don’t worry about me,” Su Han replied. “I at least have the ability to protect myself!”

“Vile humans, accept the baptism of the Demon King’s wrath!” the demon roared, its head thrown back in a furious bellow. Potent magical fluctuations spread outwards, and its Flame Domain instantly expanded, engulfing the entire world.

The already naturally fiery environment amplified the demon’s Flame Sovereign Domain, significantly boosting both its range and power.

The magma around the black stone platform began to boil. Fiery red magma dragons, one after another, flapped their wings and soared into the sky, pursuing Su Han. Each of these magma dragons radiated temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees.

While one or two might not be significant, dozens, even hundreds, presented a formidable threat.

Bai Que swallowed a Solidifying Pill, restoring his strength to its peak, and coordinated his attacks with Luo Shang. Su Han, aware of her comparative strength, temporarily retreated to observe the battle, intermittently ambushing the demon during the cooldown periods of its magic.

The demon, wreathed in roaring flames, let out a deafening bellow that reverberated throughout the realm. The entire world seemed to tremble slightly with its roar. Then, the flames surrounding the demon suddenly retracted, only to explode outwards an instant later with even greater velocity.

The Flame Sovereign Domain, brimming with tyrannical and terrifying power, brutally and artlessly surged towards Luo Shang and Bai Que, attempting to crush them.

Luo Shang erected his own Holy Spirit Domain, while Bai Que also unfurled his cultivation domain, staunchly resisting the onslaught.

Combat at the domain level was a direct clash of magical territories, devoid of intricate techniques or cunning strategies. Everything hinged on the raw power of the rules each combatant commanded.

Spells, control, and skill seemed to lose their efficacy in such a confrontation; whoever possessed greater power emerged victorious, much like two armies engaging in a head-on assault.

Facing the infernal sea of magma surging wildly within the domain, and observing the intensely hot waves of molten rock, Bai Que unleashed a Nether Ghost Claw, tearing through the demon’s encroaching domain. He then followed with a Hand of Hell, striking at the demon’s territory.

The Hand of Hell, condensed from domain power and imbued with the rule of slaughter, manifested as a colossal spectral hand that appeared abruptly within the demon’s domain, wreaking havoc.

Seeing Bai Que exert himself, Luo Shang naturally refused to be outdone. He condensed a Titan Dragon Spear from Holy Spirit rules, a weapon possessing the might to slay gods and dragons, and instantly hurled it through the sky, piercing into the demon’s domain.

Luo Shang and Bai Que engaged the demon in a head-on confrontation. Meanwhile, Su Han, now fully clad in her Emperor Armor and having activated Gluttony, wielded her longsword, unleashing a legendary sword art to assault the demon.

Though her sword gleamed with sharp intent, it could only barely cleave through the demon’s domain, striking its right shoulder with a mere clang of sparks.

“Even with my full power, I can barely scratch its hide,” Su Han said with effort, as she continuously charged her longsword and hacked at the demon.

“Focus on your safety,” Luo Shang called out. “If you can distract it for even a moment, then distract it for a moment!”

The demon felt a slight pain, a sensation of energy penetrating its bones. It diverted its attention, launching an attack at Su Han. “Humans truly are despicable!” The demon’s three-meter-long sharp claws swept towards Su Han at supersonic speed, the air itself whistling from the force.

Su Han deftly dodged by flapping her wings, then immediately resumed her offensive.

And so, the three of them launched a concerted siege against the demon…